Akari's P.O.V.
April 5th, 2006..
Flashback starts..
As Ren and I walked through the snow, heading back to our old place, Ren stops all of a sudden. Noticing this, I stop too, and look back to him. "Ren..?" I ask. Ren's silent, as he thoughtfully watches the waves roll over the shore. Seeing this, I sigh, before smiling, and walking to his side. Once there, I watch the waves with him, as snow flurries fall around us. It was late, barely anyone else was seen in the small town of Osaka. It was peaceful. He really likes it here, doesn't he.. Seeing his eyes glued onto the waves, I glance at my hands. If I had known he'd want to stop here, I would've brought a pair of gloves.. I think to myself, before sighing with a smile, and looking back at him. I suppose we can stay for a few moments..
Smiling, I gently place my hand on his shoulder. "Here, come sit with me." I say, before lowering my hand, to gently take his arm, and lead him to the small brick wall, that separated the beach from the town. Without thinking, I release his arm, and use my bare hands to wipe off the snow, to ensure we could sit comfortably. Once done, I sit down, and look back to him. Ignoring my now painfully cold hands, I pat the cleared off spot next to me. Seeing this, Ren smirks, before taking a seat next to me. For a while, we sit there in comfortable silence. But as time goes on, my hands begin to throb from the cold wetness that still clung to them, and I sneakily fist them, in hopes of relieving the pain. But, it only lasts a few seconds, before I feel him grab my hands in his own. Surprised, I look towards him, just in time to see him raising them to his mouth. Once there, he cups my hands together with his own, and blows hot air onto them. My eyes widen in surprise. How did he..? Snapping out of my shock, I laugh softly, before giving him a grateful smile, and resting my head on his shoulder.
After a while, Ren speaks. "Hey sis..?" He asks, catching my attention. "Hm..?" I ask. "This is gonna sound weird but...bare with me, okay..?" He asks. Hearing the seriousness in his tone, I decide it's best to go along with it. "Okay." I say, peering up at him. "When I die...scatter my ashes in the sea here. In This Place. Can you do that for me..?" He asks, looking down at me. For a few moments, I'm too shocked to speak. But once I recover, I give him an understanding smile. "You got it." I say quietly. "Promise?" He asks. I nod my head. "I promise." I say, holding out my pinky to him. Seeing this, he chuckles, and locks his pinky with mine. "Thanks sis." He says with a relieved smile. I nod at him, before deciding I needed to lighten the mood a bit. Letting out a loud, dramatic sigh, I jump down onto the sand below. "Though...I don't see why you're asking me, I'm the reckless one, remember? Chances are, you'll definitely outlive me by a long shot." I say with a smirk, interlocking my hands behind my back, as I quickly turn away from him, so that he didn't see how much his talk of dying was affecting me. I lower my head, as my vision blurs in and out. I...don't wanna think about that.. Ren chuckles softly, before hopping down, and walking to my side, throwing an arm over my shoulder. "Alright, I get it. Morbid talk over. C'mon, we better get home, before you lose all your fingers Ms. No Gloves." He teases with a chuckle, before gently taking my wrist, and leading me away.
Flashback ends..
I awaken with a start, finding myself in the familiar surroundings of mine and Yasu's bedroom. It takes me a few moments to gather my bearings, but once I do, I notice the semi-parted door. Knowing that meant Yasu was still awake, I sigh, and sit up in bed. Rubbing one of my eyes, I feel a hint of wetness underneath it. Tears.. Sighing, I shake my head. Doesn't surprise me, considering what that dream was about.. With that thought, I dry my face, climb out of bed, and open the door fully. There, I see Yasu looking at his laptop, as he takes a drink of his coffee. Seeing the time read 2am on the microwave, I shake my head.
Smiling softly, I quietly make my way over to him. "You know, I heard there's this warm, very comfortable thing called a bed, just through those doors behind you.." I say quietly, as I loosely drape my arms over his shoulders, hugging him from behind. Due to not knowing I was awake, this startles him slightly. "You plan on joining me there at some point tonight..?" I ask. Recovering, he checks the time, and chuckles, placing a hand atop mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Sorry, looks like I lost track of time." He says, sighing as he looks upon his screen again. I do too.
Seeing the document he had been running over, my eyes widen, once I notice the picture of a long haired woman singing, with a Ren flower tattoo on her left arm. "Is that..?" I ask. "Yeah. The newest picture Hachi's reporter friend took.." he says, rubbing his eyes tiredly. My eyes narrow sadly, as I stare at the picture before us. She looks so skinny...is she eating properly..? Sighing, I shake out of my thoughts. Knowing there wasn't anything we could do at the moment, I speak. "Come on...let's get some rest, okay..?" I ask. Hearing this, he sighs, and nods, knowing just as well as I, that there wasn't anything we could do at the moment, except stay updated, and keep our phones on in case she called.
Standing, Yasu closes his laptop, before taking my hand gently. Slowly, we head towards the bedroom. As we walk, Yasu speaks, letting my hand go. "By the way, what are you doing up? I didn't wake you, did I..?" He asks concerned. "No, it was...a dream I had.." I admit, hugging an arm to myself, lowering my head. "You mean a nightmare..?" He asks, seeing my reaction. I shake my head slowly. "No, I say dream but...it was...more of a memory really.." I say, stepping inside our bedroom, as Yasu closes the door. "A memory..?" He asks, turning to me. I nod my head silently, as I slowly pull back the covers on my side, while he climbs in on his. Observing me, he speaks. "Wanna talk about it..?" He asks, making my hands falter, before I sigh in defeat. "Can I...ask you about something..?" I ask hesitantly. Yasu gives a loving smile, before patting the spot next to him.
Seeing this, I nod, and climb in. Laying on my side, so I can face him. He places a gentle hand on my cheek. "You can ask me anything, you know that." He says quietly. Nodding, I give a sad smile, and speak. "It's...about Ren.." I say. Hearing this, he tilts his head. Seeing he was waiting for me to continue, I sigh, and come clean. "The memory I had...it was...about something I promised him...something important.." I say. "What was it..?" He asks. "Before I tell you, there's something I need to know first.." I say, earning a nod. Averting my gaze, I speak. "Ren's urn...after I...left...did you guys take it, or...did Nana..?" I ask. "After you left...I asked Nana to keep it, but...she refused. Said she couldn't look at it, it hurt too much. So, I have it now...why..?" He asks. Hearing this, I sigh in relief, before speaking. "The promise he had me make...I had...forgotten it, up until I woke up just now.." I say, before shaking my head. "Well, I say I forgot, but I really mean I had buried it in the back of my mind up until now...since it was too hard to think about at the time.." I say, before sighing, and rubbing my forehead. Hearing this, he moves a stray lock of hair out of my face gently, before speaking. "Tell me." He says.
Sighing, I nod, and speak. "Back when we all still lived in Osaka...Ren and I would always walk past the sea. You know the place, right..? The spot between those two tall buildings, with that brick wall separating the beach from the street.." I describe, seeing if he remembered. After a few moments, he nods. "Yeah, I believe Ren took me there the night he told me he was leaving for Tokyo. He hadn't been sure how to tell you, so he asked me for help." He says. I nod and speak. "Yeah, that's the one.." I say, trailing off sadly. I'm silent for a few moments, which worries him. "Akari..?" He asks. Snapping out of it, I explain. "One night, during the winter...we were walking past that place like we always did. But this time, Ren actually stopped, and just...stared out at the sea.." I say, trailing off as I relive the memory. Sighing, I continue. "And then...out of the blue, he made me promise to...scatter his ashes there...when he died.." I finish, trailing off sadly.
For a while, Yasu is silent, running over everything I just told him. "You wanna give him what he wanted...don't you.." he says quietly, not bothering to ask. I narrow my eyes sadly, and nod my head solemnly, vision blurring in and out. "I...don't 'want' to, but I...promised him I would.." I say, fidgeting with my hands. "But, I...I don't think...that I can...do it alone.." I admit in shame, before taking his hands within mine. "I know I'm asking alot, but...will you...come with me..?" I ask. "It...doesn't have to be right at this minute, but...someday...I want to give him this.." I say. After a few moments of silence, Yasu intertwines our fingers, and gives my hands a gentle squeeze. "Then so do I." He says, smiling at me. I give him a thankful smile, placing my forehead to his. "I've said it once, and I'll say it again. You really are too kind.." I say, close my eyes, and smile. He chuckles softly. "That a bad thing..?" He asks gently. Laughing softly, I open my eyes, meeting his gaze. "I suppose not...thank you, Yasu...for everything.." I say quietly, as I kiss him. He chuckles again, before pulling me against him, and kissing my forehead.