═══ ON THE HORIZON ═══
Sunrise the following day was the time when Akiko made a decision, driven by the urge to protect her loved ones. Only months ago, she had felt as though the whole world was against her, like she would have to punch through wall after wall all by herself until she would finally escape the prison built by Hoshino Ken. But now her family was beginning to heal from past traumas and a fresh start was on the horizon, speaking a promise of a happily ever after.
Yet Akiko had the suspicion that some time in the future someone or something would attempt to disrupt their peace once again, which was her motivation to approach grandfather Sano and Mikey about continuing her training.
Junto might have been a strong fighter back in the day, but being in a coma had surely weakened his body and the muscles would have to be strengthened and trained all over again before he could even move like a normal person again. The thought of him being unable to defend himself against potential threats, and with Yin, Yang and Kurayami still on the run, the girl was not going to take any chances and challenge her luck.
If she had to, Akiko would become the very shield that would encase her family and protect them.
Tokyo Manji Gang, Black Dragon, Fengari — all these groups were strong on their own and a force to be reckoned with when they joined their strengths. Compared to them, Akiko was still weak.
One day, she told herself, she would be able to stand on the same level as them.
"Are you sure?" inquired grandfather Sano, his sharp eyes took in every feature of Akiko's face, closely monitoring her reaction. "If your will isn't strong enough, you won't make it very far."
They were sat around a kotatsu in the living room sipping on herbal tea as the golden rays of sunlight reflected an array of colours through the window now that the leaves had lost their green. The cold was seeping in stronger with every passing day.
"You'll be faced with many defeats and trials," he continued, taking a silent gulp of tea. "Setbacks are part of the journey. Is your resolve strong enough to keep going?"
Little did they know that Mayu was listening in on their conversation while she prepared breakfast and bentos in the kitchen, allowing Emma to sleep in, which the blonde was more than happy about. The woman heaved a sigh, a shake of her head displayed her discontentment with Akiko's wish.
"Shin and I have had this conversation before," Akiko told her grandfather. "I know what I'm fighting for, or rather who. Giving up is not an option for me."
Grandfather chuckled. He was smiling. "You are much like your parents. You have the warrior spirit of your father and the perseverance and mental strength of your mother. There is a fire burning in your heart and for as long as you keep it alive, no one can steer you off your path. If you really want to master the martial arts, I will help you."
Immediately, Akiko's whole face lit up. She clumsily stood up and stumbled around the table, quick to squeeze the life out of granfather Sano. The old man laughed, patting the girl on the head.
He, too, knew what was at stake. Back then, he had failed to protect his family, had allowed for his own daughter to fall into misery and misfortune — he was not going to make the same mistake twice. After all, he was still the head of the family.
"Arigatō! I will do my best!" Akiko exclaimed at the top of her lungs. She paid no mind to the sleeping inhabitants of the house.
Her feet seemed to fly across the floor when she rushed into the kitchen to share the news with her mother.
Mayu grinned at the excitement bubbling in her daughter, shining through her amber orbs.
"But you cannot neglect your studies," she reminded the girl, pointing at her with a pair of chopsticks, taking her eyes off the frying pan for a moment to lock eyes with Akiko.
"Student by day, warrior in training by night," Akiko giggled.
"You've been reading a lot, haven't you? I can tell how much you've fed your imagination lately. That's great," praised Mayu.
Akiko nodded enthusiastically, "I have! Fuyu recommended some really good mangas to me. But that's not the only thing on my mind... "
Sensing the change in atmosphere, Mayu turned off the stove to focus her undivided attention on Akiko. She took her daughter by the shoulder and sat her down at the table.
"What is it?"
"I've been thinking... what will become of the company when the investigations are closed? Are we going to sell it like we did the house or do you think we could turn the tables around and restore the Hoshino name's old glory?"
Mayu was stunned.
Eyes wide and blinking, she took a moment to fully register the weight of Akiko's words.
"You want to lead the company?" she whispered. "But why? I was convinced you hated it."
Akiko shook her head. "No, I never hated the company itself, I only despised what Ken did with it. He wanted to force me into doing something against my will and that taught me to hate our family name. But now that he's no longer able to dictate our lives, we could restore the company to what it was formerly supposed to be or make it into something completely new. I thought that Junto might like that... "
"That's... very considerate of you, sweetheart, but is it really what you want?"
Akiko's head shot up. Pure determination was written all over her face. An unwavering will.
"Hoshino Akiko is no longer Rapunzel who was locked up in a tower by an evil parenting figure. And even though I am in no way obligated to right the wrongs he has done, I do feel a need to help others who might find themselves in need of a helping hand. And if the company can make way for that wish to become a reality, then shouldn't I seize the opportunity?"
For a moment, the lines between the present and the past blurred for Mayu. For a moment, she did not look at Akiko but Junto's face as he had used to speak in the same animated manner. For a moment, she felt young and full of hope again.
Akiko was every bit her father's daughter, as she recognized once again.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she agreed and nodded. "I'm sure Junto would love it."
Akiko's eyes sparkled. "Really? I've been meaning to ask about his plans for the firm, but the moment was never right to ask. Could we, maybe, have a sit-down one of these days and just talk? We haven't really gotten the chance to do that since Itachi's funeral."
"Of course. But now you should start getting ready for school," Mayu reminded her.
As Akiko climbed up the stairs to her room, she felt happier than ever, as though the pieces of a messy puzzle that resembled her life were finally falling into place.
'Itachi will not have died in vain. Seina's and mum's efforts to keep Junto alive and safe will finally pay off. And I... I will make sure that they're all going to be happy one day, whenever that day may be.'
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
──── ˚✩ ༘*ೄ˚ ────
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
Later that day, Akiko stopped by the cemetery to pay her respects to Itachi. Without him working tirelessly behind the scenes, Pandemonium might have gotten away with their crimes once more. He was one of the reasons why Akiko was able to meet her biological father.
"I'm going to be honest," she spoke, kneeling in front of the Hoshino family grave. "I hate how we were never able to get along as siblings. I hate that you and Seina always pushed me away and then claimed that it was for my own protection, because all it did was hurt me in the end. But that only shows that you were human, too."
She sniffled and tried to laugh through her tears but failed. Instead, it came out as a heartbreaking sob.
"For the longest time, you were nothing but the older brother who couldn't be bothered with his family. Why didn't you ever talk to me? All it would have taken was one conversation and the world would have looked totally different."
She picked up the bouquet of flowers she had bought on the way and placed it on the grave, throwing away the dried flowers from Mayu's last visit. Through the thick blanket of clouds covering the sky, a single ray of sunlight broke through, capturing the flowers in golden light.
"I wish I knew that you had loved me this whole time. In the end, I still can't fully forgive you for making me believe that I was all by myself, but I'm grateful that you let me see this side of you and told me the truth in your last moments. And I will never forget that you sacrificed yourself so that I may live."
Slowly, Akiko picked herself up and silently stared down at the grave for a long moment.
"I promise that I will do my best. No one will have to make any more sacrifices, especially not for my sake. Now, it's my turn to protect everyone else."
Walking away, she whispered into the wind, letting it carry her words up into the sky, hoping that Itachi would hear them wherever he was.
"I love you, nii-chan."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
────
A/N:
I'm so sorry for not updating in a while, life has been tough lately and I haven't really had the inspiration to keep writing for this book, but it is dear to my heart so I wanted to give it a chapter with some kind of closure.
Originally, there was supposed to be one more chapter with a happily ever after type of atmosphere where Junto would have his official debut as well. Perhaps, if I ever get around to it, I will publish it as a bonus chapter.
But I just wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who has read this book to the end, who has shown their love and support for this story. You have made this journey worthwhile! And I hope that I will be able to entertain you with more stories in the future!
Until then, farewell my friends. May our paths cross again.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ