Original Published Date: 2017
Edited Date: February 20, 2018
January 2, 2017 - Morning
It is now six in the morning. The weather was cold and the streets are filled with snow. Last night, there was a slightly heavy fall of white which made the today's weather extremely chilly and now, the sun is slowly rising.
"Thank you for writing to me and having me over the Christmas," Hinako said, bowing to her grandparents, her bag on her back. "I... I missed the feeling of 'family' when I was with you two."
"Oh, Hinako-chan," her grandmother steps in and gives her granddaughter a hug. "Won't you just stay here? That way, you will never be alone there. It will be like old times."
Hinako can feel the sincerity in her grandmother's heart and words. She knows to herself that she wants to stay, to be with the only family that she can count on. But, on the other hand, she also has a family back at Fuyuki city. Having moved there changed her and for once, she opened up to people since the tragedy befell on her when she was just in middle school.
Hinako embraces her grandmother back. "I'll be all right. Please, trust me on this."
Her grandmother pulls away. "I'm sorry if we're not good grandparents to you, Hinako-chan. We're sorry if you're leading a life like this."
"No, please," Hinako was on the verge of tears. "You two are all that I have in the family now and I thank you for loving me."
The two hugged again, this time it was tighter. Both of them were grateful for having one another, especially Hinako. After all those months not visiting, it finally hit her on how much she still loves her grandparents on her father's side.
Gil and Dio were happy for Hinako, seeing the two make up and reunite for lost time. At first, Gil was afraid that Hinako might think of staying in Karakura and move back here to continue her studies, where her only family resides. Now, he felt a sense of relief, knowing that she will go home with them. For Gil, he will do everything in his power to take care of her - the person whom he loves.
"May I talk to you for a while, Douji-san?" asks Hinako's grandfather.
"Oh, sure," Gil replies.
"This way, if you would," the old man says as he starts to walk, letting the young fellow follow behind.
Gil and Hinako's grandfather walk a little bit towards the backyard of the house. There resides a small yet old storage house, apart from the main house. Hinako's grandfather slowly opens the door and rummages through a few boxes.
"Are you looking for something? I can look in your stead since it's dusty in here," Gil offers his help.
"I'm all right, young lad. These days, I have to move every joint in my body," he chuckles.
Gil chuckles, too, under his breath, seeing how Hinako's grandfather was trying his best to find whatever it is he's looking for.
"Ah, I finally found it!"
Hinako's grandfather took out a picture frame from one of the boxes. It wasn't all that dusty but still needs a little clean-up. He approaches the golden-headed man and hands the picture frame over to him. "Here."
Gil looks at the object, it was facing him from the back. He was curious. "What is it?"
"Just take it and see for yourself."
"O-Oh... All right."
Gil took the picture frame from the grandfather's hand. He looks at the back for a while before turning it over. When he saw the picture in it, he felt the heat rise to his cheeks and can't seem to hide the smile that just automatically shapes on his lips.
"This is," then Gil's face softens with the same blush on his cheeks.
It was a picture of Hinako when she was around six or seven years old, wearing a sun dress and a straw hat. She had a happy expression plastered on her face while she was splashing on the waters of the beach.
"That's little Hinako," the grandfather starts while looking at the picture with a frown. "She was only a little one back then. I still remember the times she visited me and her grandmother with her parents. Back then, everything was all right. Though, I never imagined that our son would do something so horrible. He left his wife and child for another woman, and when Chidori died, never did I expect for him to abandon his daughter just like that."
Gil looks at the picture and held the frame tightly. He felt that maybe he could have gotten along with Hinako differently if she never had experienced such tragedy. Maybe if they didn't clash too much due to their self-defense mechanisms, things between them could have been better. Maybe, just maybe, he could have liked Hinako for her smile. Seeing her happy face in the portrait made him all the more guilty of the things he did wrongly towards her. He thought that now is the time to actually look after her more.
"That picture, along with the other boxes here, were left behind by my son after he and Chidori separated. I thought that you can have Hinako's picture, seeing how much she looks up to you and how she holds you dear."
The last sentence caught Gil's attention. He slowly lifts his head up to look at Hinako's grandfather.
"What?"
He smiles a sincere smile. "On the night Hinako came home, she told us of her time in Fuyuki. Her school, her home, her teachers and friends, and you. She told us how much you mean to her, on how the two of you are alike, and how you managed to erase her sorrows even though you don't know about it."
"S-She said those things?" Gil blushes, hiding half of his face with the picture frame he was holding. "I really didn't do much. She might have told you about how we were when she first came to Homurahara."
"Well, yes, she did," an invisible arrow strikes Gil from behind. "But don't worry, I'm a father, too. I know how hard it is for you youngsters to live without a mother or a father, or both. All this time, we've been sending Hinako money for her rent and schooling but we didn't try to reach out to her, let alone stop her from transferring to Fuyuki."
"Why didn't you reach out to her? Why didn't you stop her?" Gil asks, a little angry at that fact. "She needed you two."
"We...were afraid, Douji-san," the grandfather replies, looking back at the leftover boxes.
Gil was taken back. "Afraid? Of what?"
"Of being hated by our own granddaughter. All we could do was support her from afar."
"No, that's not true," Gil turns the picture frame around and shows it to Hinako's grandfather. "I know that Hinako's hurt but from what I can feel, she doesn't hate you. She doesn't hate either of you. All she wanted was for someone to reach out to her. She found the people she was looking for in Fuyuki and I'm glad that I did the same. Now, you did it, too. Hinako loves you two, that is what I'm certain of."
Hinako's grandfather looks at the picture and focuses on the smile that little Hinako made when the picture was taken. Slowly, tears start to fall from his eyes and his body shook in sadness. He felt that he was a bad grandfather to his only granddaughter but hearing Gil's assurance that Hinako doesn't hate him, he was relieved. He was sorry for not reaching out to her all these months.
"You keep that picture. I want you to have it," he says.
"What? But I couldn't possibly-"
"Keep it, Douji-san. I may have only known you a couple of days but after talking to you, I feel relief in knowing that I can entrust Hinako to you."
"Grandfather..."
"We will support Hinako in her studies on our end. She's a grown woman now and we trust her with the things she'll do in life," Hinako's grandfather approaches Gil and places a hand over his shoulder. "Promise me that you'll look after her."
Gil looks at Hinako's grandfather before looking at the picture again. He focuses on Hinako's little self and smiles. "I'll look after her, I promise."
January 2, 2017 - Late Afternoon
Hinako, Gil, and Dio boarded a train that leads back to Kumamoto prefecture, where Fuyuki city is. The little Douji was sleeping beside Hinako with his head over her forearm. He was exhausted after a slight sightseeing in Tokyo before heading home and it took quite a toll on him.
"I have to ask you about something, senpai," Hinako starts.
Gil was looking at the view outside before changing his direction to look at the brown-headed woman in front of him. "What is it?"
"What were you doing in Karakura? And how did you find my grandparents' house?"
"Oh, that?" Gil, then, returns his look at the view. "I simply decided to follow you."
Hinako blinks a few times, holding back the blush that has started to paint on her cheeks. "Why would you follow me? I told you that I'll be back after New Year's day."
"I wanted to," he simply replies, still not looking at Hinako. "Is it bad that I went to your place because I wanted to spend Christmas and New Year with you?"
The brown-headed woman couldn't contain her blushing cheeks as she suddenly looks to the right. "I-It's not bad, senpai. In fact," a smile pulls on her lips as she places a hand over her chest. "I was so happy to see you by the front door of my grandparents' house."
Gil's mouth slightly gapes open, his eyes widen, for the words that Hinako have said pierces his heart with a warm feeling. Slowly, he turns his head and meets the brown orbs of the brown-headed woman in front of him with a pink blush on his cheeks.
"Thank you for visiting me, senpai. My year," she pulls on her widest smile. "My year has ended beautifully with you."
"Hina...ko..."
"Mmm..." Dio mumbles in his sleep. "W-What? You wanna see...Hinako-nee...?" He snores.
The two suddenly froze as they heard Dio sleep-talk. All eyes are on the little Douji.
"Mmm... You miss...her? I miss her...too..."
Hinako's eyes widen and looks back at her senior. "I-Is that true, Gil-senpai?"
"W-Well, I...!"
"You already bought...tickets, hmm? That...was fast."
"O-Oh," Hinako's blush intensifies. "T-That was...a bit fast on your part, senpai," she places a hand over her cheek.
Gil stands up, earning his underclassman's curiosity, and knocks Dio's head with his fist.
"Ouch!" He held his aching head, waking up. "I was sleeping!"
"No, you weren't! You were pretending to be asleep!"
Dio laughs a little, rubbing his head lightly. "Well, that's what really happened, right, big brother? You weren't that willing to tell her that you missed her."
"Idiot! I was willing to tell her!" Gil, then, calms down. He looks towards Hinako's direction and his expression softens. "I really was willing."
Hinako blushes at Gil's sudden seriousness. She smiles at his honesty and chuckles a little bit under her breath. "I missed you, too, senpai," and she looks at Dio, patting his head. "I miss you, too, Dio-kun."
"Ah," the little Douji blushes, steam coming out of his head. "y-yeah."
Gil decided to walk Hinako home after dropping Dio off at their own home. He said that he won't take too long and that he'll be home soon, right before their mother gets back from the States.
The two walk a bit slowly, enjoying the company that each of them has. Even though they were silent for a while, they still managed to walk home with smiles on their faces.
"Hey, Gil-senpai?"
"Yes?"
"About us," Hinako stops walking and so did Gil. She looks up to him with a serious look. "Are we, you know, in a relationship?"
Gil's expression softens and he releases a small sigh. He lifts his right hand and pats it over Hinako's head. "Do you want to make it official?"
"I-I mean, I'm not rushing this or anything," Hinako looks down, holding her chest and trying to calm down the fast beating of her heart. "I just want to know if we really are together."
"I'm not rushing things, too, Hinako, but all I know is that we have each other," Gil's right hand slowly moves to Hinako's cheek, cupping it gently, to which she was surprised. "There's no need for us to have a label right now to define whatever we have today. All I know is that I'm glad to have you."
"S-Senpai," Hinako looks up to him and starts to cry.
"Ah! Please don't cry! I'm not even good with women who-"
Gil stops talking when he was suddenly tackled into an embrace by Hinako. He walks a few steps backward to balance himself.
"H-Hinako?"
She didn't say anything. She just held the man she loves tightly and tried to control her tears. Gil, on the other hand, embraces Hinako back. Ever since the night he first hugged her, he kind of wanted to feel that more. To love and to be loved back is a wonderful feeling.
"Senpai," she was laughing a bit. "your heart is beating so fast."
"W-Well...!" Gil pinches his underclassman's cheeks. "It's your fault!"
"That hurts, senpai!" Hinako held the hands that kept on pinching her cheeks. "Just admit that your heart is beating so fast for me," she laughs in-between.
"It is! It's your fault that my heart is beating so fast!"
Hinako, then, laughs whole-heartedly, making Gil stop his actions. He realizes that the woman before him truly does makes his heart flutter and it was a feeling that he will never forget. Even if they hold the same amount of feelings for one another, they decided not to put a label in their relationship. All that matters is what they have right now.
In the end, Gil got Hinako home safely. When Hinako was back in her own home, the feeling of being alone wasn't present any longer. After reconciling with her grandparents, she felt safe and secure even more. To top things off, a person so dear to her finally made his way fully into her heart.
To be continued: (Winter) Chapter 40