It had been three weeks since Keigo had returned home. Going through his and Mari's pictures that day had woken him up a bit. It had washed away the numbness that had been following him around the past six months, and though the emotions it had brought on had been painful, they had been good for him. Seeing her again had been bittersweet, and it reminded him that since she was gone, he now had to live for her too. He had to live for both of them. He'd stopped trying to drown himself in alcohol, not that Sakura would let him have any anyway. He'd started eating a bit better and showering regularly and brushing his teeth. It was a bit frustrating how just completing these simple activities exhausted him. He'd been able to do so much more than this before everything happened and it would be a while before he was back to his usual activity level. He was thankful Sakura was there to help him out. For now, she was responsible for most of his meals as well as other things like making sure he got out of bed at a decent time, cleaning the apartment, and making sure he didn't spend too much time lost in his own thoughts. She had done a lot for him the past month- more than he would likely be able to repay in this lifetime. "I should at least get her a gift basket at some point though," he thought. "Something that says "sorry you had to babysit me for a month."
The brunette, however, was just doing the best she could to make do on the promise she'd made to Mariko. And honestly, spending time with Hawks had helped her out in some ways, too. Being around the blonde helped her get over her own grief as he reminded her greatly of her deceased friend. Sakura doubted he noticed, but the way he used certain phrases, reacted to certain things, and habits that he developed constantly reminded her of Mariko. Sitting down on the floor before taking his shoes off, for example, was an intricacy her friend had had since she'd met her. Seeing Hawks do it as well reminded her that although Mariko was dead, she wasn't gone. There were still parts of her left in this world and Sakura wanted to cherish them for as long as she could.
Hawks's presence also distracted her from Hayato's mysterious and sudden absence. If the circumstances had been any different she wouldn't have been as worried, but he was supposed to be looking after Araya. If he was gone that meant the male was home alone during a time when he definitely shouldn't be. Sakura couldn't take care of both him and Hawks- the two hated each other no matter how depressed they were and she couldn't just bring a stranger into the blonde's home. She'd spoken to Hayato briefly on the phone, but all he did was tell her he would be busy for a while before hanging up. She hadn't been able to contact him again afterward.
What Sakura didn't know was that Hayato had been away planning Mariko's return, and now that she was alive, her transition back into society. Getting witness protection level documentation wasn't easy, trying to get them illegally had been almost impossible. In order to get Mariko a new birth certificate, identification number, financial records, and medical history, the blonde had had to call in every single favor he'd ever been owed. Swearing everyone to secrecy had been another matter altogether. It was completely worth it though because now she was back and he knew everything would be okay.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to this name," she muttered quietly, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks as she printed Mariko Takami for the fiftieth time on a dotted line.
"Why? You picked it," Hayato pointed out. He wasn't stupid. As soon as she'd told him she was going to change her last name to Takami he remembered the just-in-case letter addressed to Keigo Takami that lived at her house. That combined with the known fact that she and Hawks intended to get married... it wasn't hard to put two and two together and figure out whose last name she was taking on and why.
Mariko shrugged, "I don't know, it just feels weird."
"Well you still have some time to get used to it," he said, sliding another thick stack of papers in front of her. "You have three more of these to fill out before we can go."
The brunette sighed annoyedly. "Can't I just go home and fill these out afterward?" It had been two days of constant paperwork. Not only was she tired of reading long documents printed in the tiniest font possible, but she was worried about how Keigo and her other loved ones were doing. She wanted to go home and apologize for making them suffer and let them know how much she loved them.
The blonde shook his head. "No, you need to be in the system before we go anywhere. What if we get pulled over by the police on our way? How should we explain a woman without an identity?"
"If you don't do anything illegal, that won't be a concern," she pointed out.
"Just fill out the paperwork before I decide you're walking home."
Mariko rolled her eyes but dutifully printed, signed, and initialed her new name according to the document's instructions. She didn't really have a right to be annoyed or mad at Hayato, he'd brought her back to life after all. She was just frustrated with the situation she was in. Being dead was the worst- especially when she was actually alive. She missed her life, she missed her home, she missed her friends, and she missed Keigo. The only things preventing her from going back to all of them were three stacks of papers and a printed ID.
Thankfully, Mariko worked quickly, and two hours later she had filled out all of Hayato's god-forsaken paperwork.
"Everything looks good. You're all set," he informed, looking through the last of her papers. The blonde nearly put them away into a folder and placed them inside a backpack containing all of Mariko Takami's belongings.
The brunette looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "I'm free to go now?" She asked.
Hayato nodded and slid the bag towards her. "I'll drive you there."
She gave him a small smile, "Thanks."
Leading them both through Division 1's corridors, the brunette couldn't help but look around one last time. Mariko Saito had been a member of Division 1, but Mariko Takami was not. She was just an ordinary citizen now- a normal past and a normal life. That meant that once she walked out of the facility, she wouldn't be allowed back. She would be completely cut off from that part of her life. She wouldn't miss the Division- the place had caused her a lot more suffering than it did good- but, in a way, it had led her to Keigo and for that she was thankful. Looking around also distracted her from the pit of nervousness and excitement that was beginning to form in her stomach. She became antsy- her fingers twitching at her sides and she picked at the frayed edge of one of her backpack's straps.
The ride to her old apartment building seemed both eternal and all too short. Mari couldn't decide whether it seemed like they had caught every red light in existence, or if Hayato was somehow teleporting them to her building. Aside from her hands that were always busy fidgeting or doing something, the brunette was completely still. She was barely even blinking- a sure sign that she was nervous and trying not to show it.
"Stop being nervous," Hayato pointed out.
Mariko sighed and shrugged slightly. "I can't help it, how are Sakura and Hawks gonna react when they see me? I imagine it's gonna be at least a little bit shocking... what if they're mad?" She wondered quietly.
"They won't be mad. They might freak out when they see you, but that's normal. They'll be happy and relieved that you're alive," he assured.
"What if they've moved on and my being here just complicates things?" She asked.
Hearing this, Hayato couldn't help but scoff. "Was she completely ignoring me during my whole 'life sucks without you' speech?" "I highly doubt that," he started, "but it's a bit late for that now since we're here."
Mariko's head snapped towards the passenger window and sure enough, her building was just a few meters in front of them, looking exactly as it always had.
"You ready?" Her friend asked as he parked right in front of the doors.
The brunette took a deep breath before nodding. "Yeah, I think it's time I come home."