ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
═══ THE ART OF LETTING GO ═══
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
FOOD WAS PILED ON THE DINNER TABLE by the time Akiko arrived at the Sano residence. It was Draken who had opened the door to let her in. The tall blonde was practically a part of the family. He was like a brother to Mikey, even more than that. As everyone claimed, especially Takemichi, Draken was Mikey's heart. Akiko was saddened by the fact that they hadn't interacted much, yet he had still shown up for her.
"Hey," she greeted him and gave a timid smile. "How have you been?"
"I should be the one asking you that," Draken retorted, frowning. "You lost two people. Even if Hoshino was a monster, you still grew up believing he was your father. And Itachi turned out to be a hero in his own way. I can't imagine how you must feel."
Akiko blinked in surprise. He wasn't wrong though.
"Well ... it's difficult. I've been trying my hardest not to think too much about it. Fourteen years aren't easy to move on from, you know? But I'll manage. I always do somehow."
Draken grinned and clapped her on the shoulder. "Of course you do! You have the Sano spirit!"
The words brought a smile to Akiko's face, encouraging her to be more open with Draken. "By the way, I never thanked you for being there at the fight and everything before that. I'm still a stranger to you. You didn't have any obligation to help me."
Almost as though he was scolding her, Draken shook his head and became utterly serious. "Now, listen up. You're part of Mikey's family and he cares about you. If something were to happen to you, he would be pretty upset. A lot of the things I do are for his sake."
And turning his back on her, about to join everyone else in the kitchen, he glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "You're a good person, Akiko. You deserve a family who looks after you. Now, hurry up. The food's going to get cold."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
──── ˚✩ ༘*ೄ˚ ────
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
LAUGHTER AND LOUD CHATTER had filled the evening until Emma was the first one to doze off, leaning on Shinichiro's shoulder. The raven-haired man gently lifted her up, the blonde wrapped her arms and legs around his torso, and he carried her upstairs into her bedroom. Draken followed his example when Mikey blinked tiredly after stuffing his face with food, and he let himself be pulled out of the chair by the tall blonde.
Left behind were grandfather Sano, Mayu and Akiko, the latter embracing a new feeling of contentment. A rosy tint on her cheeks was the result of having spent the past two hours laughing and enjoying herself in the presence of her loved ones. She glanced up from the glass of lemonade she was twirling between her fingers, to find that her grandfather and mother were watching her.
Eyebrows knitted together, Akiko asked, "Why are you looking at me?"
"You already forgot about the surprise?" teased Mayu, smiling from ear to ear when Akiko shot up from her seat and looked around eagerly.
"It's nothing portable, my dear," informed her grandfather, chuckling at the excitement sparkling in Akiko's amber eyes.
"Well, what is it? Where is it? Can I see it?"
The adults slipped out of their seats; Mayu grabbed her daughter's hand and followed granfather Sano up the stairs to the end of the hallway. Standing in front of the door on the far left, was Shinichiro, awaiting them with a broad smile plastered on his face.
"Are you ready?" he asked Akiko, who nodded vigorously.
His hand hovered over the doorknob for a few seconds before he pulled it back again, crossed his arms and eyed the brunette skeptically. "Are you sure?"
Akiko rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure! Can I see it now?"
Shinichiro chuckled at her impatience. During the past week he had neglected his bike shop to help with this surprise, pouring his heart and soul into it as he knew that presents and surprises were something Akiko hadn't gotten to experience very often.
"I don't know if you can, but you definitely have the permission to," he mocked.
She jumped forward, pushed the door open and rushed into the room she remembered to be a dusty office. But she was met with a vastly different sight.
Shelves full of books and folders had been removed, along with the desk and chair. Everything had been cleaned thoroughly, the floorboards were polished, the walls were painted in a fresh layer of tea green. Under the window stood a new desk with a chair, equipped with all the writing utensils a student would need, notebooks and papers to scribble on, colored pens and sticky notes, a cute lamp and an elephant figurine.
To the left stood a bed and on the wall above it hung an array of pictures, most of which were taken either when she was spending time with Chifuyu and Baji or when she had lived with the Sanos. At the foot of the bed stood a drawer, with some candles, pieces of jewelry and perfumes on a small tray.
To the right, the wall was lined with bookshelves. Loads of the space was still empty, only a few shelves were filled with books that Akiko had yet to read, some of which were mangas as she recognized with delight. She was sure Chifuyu had made a couple of recommendations.
In the center of the room, a cozy rug covered the floor boards, inviting her to sit down on it to either have a girls night with Hinata and Emma, or to simple endulge in the pleasure of reading while enjoying a hot drink.
"... why ... I mean ... what does this mean?" Akiko stammered as she turned full circle to take it all in before she glanced back at the adults.
Mayu stepped into the room and took a seat on the bed, smoothing out the duvet. "Well, we thought it would be nice if you had the opportunity to spend some of your time here. You haven't known about this part of your family for fourteen years."
"And before you say anything about being a bother to us," added granfather Sano and gave Akiko a stern look, "you are always welcome here. Even when you show up in the middle of the night. This house is your home, too."
"You won't get rid of us any time soon, kiddo," Shinichiro promised, giving a closed-eyed smile as he ruffled through Akiko's hair, making the girl jump out of his reach and glare at him playfully before a grin broke out on her face again.
"Thank you so much. I love it," Akiko exclaimed and threw her arms around Shinichiro. She squealed when he lifted her off the floor and spun her around.
"You'll be living here for the coming weeks until we can find an apartment," decided Mayu. "Spending another night in that house is something I refuse to put you through."
"But ..." Akiko faltered slightly, turning to face her mother. "Where will you stay?"
"I will stay at the house and pack everything up, and once that is done I will join you here."
Doubtful and worried, Akiko nodded slowly, dissatisfied with the fact that her mother willingly stayed behind in that house, all by herself. It didn't sit right with her.
"Why don't you invite Hinata?" Mayu changed the subject. "A lot has happened. Maybe you two could have a girls night with Emma?"
It had put a damper on Akiko's mood, and she simply nodded at her mother's suggestion, forcing her lips to stretch into a smile. "Yeah. I'll ask them."
From then on, the night was quiet. While Shinichiro retreated to his room outside the house — apparently, it used to be a garage that they transformed into a bedroom after he had opened the bike shop — and bid them goodnight, Mayu said her goodbyes at the door and waved before she drove off, leaving Akiko to spend the first night in her new room.
Grandfather Sano was not oblivious to Akiko's sudden change in mood. "You worry about her, don't you?"
With a sigh, the brunette took a seat in the living room. She glanced through the window, catching a glimpse at the moon peaking out from the clouds. "I do. It's only been a week since the incident and so much is changing. None of it has been easy for either of us but mum doesn't seem like she wants to open up about what she's been through these past years. And now she's staying in that big house all by herself, with no one around in case of an emergency. Every cell in my body tells me this is wrong. Almost like I'm expecting something bad to happen."
"The danger has passed. The threat is eliminated. You can rest assured," grandfather reminded her, head tilted to the side as a soft smile lingered on his face.
Oh, how Akiko wished she could believe those words. One threat was eliminated, there was no doubt about it. Hoshino Ken, and with him Pandemonium, were wiped off the face of the earth. Nature's laws stated that matter could never be erased completely. Some of it had to be left behind in order to preserve balance and the natural order of the universe. Some part of Akiko believed that the chaos had not yet left her life. The scales were still unbalanced, and they could still tip in the wrong direction at any given moment.
"I'm not so sure about that," the brunette voiced her skepticism. "If only she would open up to me. We haven't had a proper conversation yet. Maybe then I would be able to relax. Until then, I will continue to worry."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
──── ˚✩ ༘*ೄ˚ ────
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
THROUGH THE WINDOW, Seina watched the line on the monitor rise and fall steadily, accompanied by a beep in synchronicity to it. The machine was attached to a man lying unconscious on a hospital bed in the intensive care unit of the Yokohama hospital. She had never seen his eyes and could only guess their color. His hair was black and short, his features soft and at times it looked as though he was smiling.
"There still hasn't been a change in his condition," stated the young doctor, turning to her superior. "Are you sure there was heightened brain activity?"
The elder doctor nodded, scribbled on a clipboard and exhaled deeply. He put his pen into the pocket of his coat and lifted a hand up to scratch the gray stubble on his chin. "I witnessed it with my own two eyes. My gut tells me turning off the machines now would be a severe mistake. Give him a little more time. There might actually be a chance of him waking up."
"Even after he was shot and severely injured? It's a miracle he survived with how much blood he lost. Coma patience like him very rarely wake up," questioned Seina, returning her gaze to the comatose man inside the room as though they were drawn to a magnet.
The doctor smiled, patting her shoulder in a fatherly manner. "Miracles do happen, Hoshino-san. All you have to do is give him a chance and if he finds the strength to seize it, he will. If not, he can finally rest in peace."
Footsteps retreating barely registered in Seina's mind as she pulled her phone out, flipped it open and went through the contacts until she stopped at a name.
Should she call her or would the news only rip open old wounds and allow for past pains to make their return?