Finale

Every limb in my body was hurting, but I didn’t care. Every breath I took felt like I was inhaling flames. No matter how much my body screamed in pain, I refused to stop.

My bare feet crashed onto the gravel floor step by step. I was pushing them and my thighs to the very limit. Crowds of people were already leaving the venue. Was I too late?

No. I won’t give up. They were waiting for me.

He was waiting for me.

—--------------------------------

“It’s getting cold. We should leave,” Chiyo advised, blowing out a breath of mist.

“We can check on her tomorrow. It’s not as though she’s going anywhere,” Riku supported.

But I didn’t want to leave. Even if I had to face the biting cold, I’ll wait for her.

“What about you, Young Kurokawa? Are you leaving?” Mr Arakawa asked me. Everyone was preparing to return home for the night.

“Nope. I’ll stay.”

“Very well. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

I heard their footsteps slowly move further and further. The only ones left outside were I and the cold breeze around me. Hope remained inside me. Yukino had never once given up on me. I wasn’t going to give up on her. I was going to sit on this riverbed forever if I had to

5 minutes. 10 minutes. 15 minutes.

20 minutes passed. There was no sign of Yukino anywhere. My optimism was steadily decreasing. Riku was right, we could just see her tomorrow. Why was I staying out this long for no reason? But right as I was about to get up, I felt a presence.

Pitter. Patter. Pitter. I knew those light footsteps from the back of my hand. They tapped on the floor quickly. My wish had finally come true.

Thud! I felt her weight on my back. She had wrapped her arms around my body snuggly. Tears streamed from her face, dampening my kimono. I could hear soft whimpers right behind me.

“Aki! Aki!” Yukino called my name over and over again. It was as though that was the only word in her vocabulary.

“Don’t worry, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

I softly grabbed her hand and interlaced it with mine, then slowly turned around. Though her jet black hair was unkempt, the wind had combed it with its breeze. Her large eyes were swollen from all her crying. Her complexion was completely flushed, either due to the cold or her emotions.

My hands couldn’t control themselves anymore. I pulled Yukino towards me, wrapping my arms around her small frame. She rested her arms around my neck, revelling in my warmth as I did the same. I was in pure bliss. Even if we were freezing, I never wanted to let go of her.

I proceeded to recap the events of the past week to her. She listened to every word I said intently as though they were gospel.

“I had been unconscious for that long? How embarrassing,” Yukino said. It seemed she had higher expectations for her recovery, just like the rest of us had.

“If it makes you feel any better, I woke up today, too.”

“Not as much as I hoped. A draw doesn’t make me happy.”

We laughed. Our foreheads touched.

“Even though these past few months have been hard, I’m so happy.” Yukino suddenly uttered under her breath.

“What for?” I asked. I was curious about what she was thinking.

“We won the Sovereign’s Tourney. Our actions have stopped an endless cycle of mindless killing. The boys and girls of the next generation don’t have to worry about our past sins anymore.”

“Mmhm.”

“A lot of people lost their lives. Mr Hide and Mr Misao sacrificed themselves for us. But we didn’t let their deaths go in vain. We honoured them.”

“Mmhm.”

“All the people I care about are still with me. Riku, Chiyo, and Mr Arakawa are safe and sound. I even got new friends like Anastasia and Natsu. Even after finding out Father’s true nature, all of them supported me. All of them filled the emptiness he left in my heart.”

“Where am I on that list?” I playfully pouted.

“Wait for your turn!” She lightly bumped my forehead with hers. It didn’t hurt at all.

“Hahaha. Go on.”

“And, most of all, I met the man I loved the most. The one who was always there for me through thick and thin. Without him, I would have never achieved my dream of fighting for my country. Thanks to him, I wasn’t alone for the first time.”

Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. She looked more beautiful than any goddess.

“Thank you, Aki. Thank you for bringing me this much light into my life of darkness.”

My entire body had warmed up. Tears began welling up in my eyes. Hearing such heartfelt words from the one I cared about the most was filling my heart with warmth. But I had to tell her that it wasn’t one-sided.

“I have to thank you, too, Yukino. If it weren’t for you, I would have tucked my tail between my legs and run as far as possible. I was only able to come this far thanks to how much you cared for the people, your courage to fight against any adversary and your heart of gold. Your support saved me.”

Her face lightly blushed.

“Hey, can I give my answer now?” I asked. We had both kept our promise to each other. I couldn’t keep her waiting any longer.

“Mmhm”, Yukino nodded. She must have been expecting it.

I took in a large breath of air. I was going to reveal all of my emotions to her. I had to be prepared.

“Yukino. I love you.”

I was finally able to say the words I had been holding back for so long.

Yukino’s face was completely red. Her eyes were shivering, tears of happiness welling in her eyes.

“Caught you off guard, huh?” I smiled jokingly.

“Don’t ruin the mood!” She punched my chest lightly over and over again in anger.

“Hahahaha, I couldn’t help it.”

My eyes were focused on her radiant eyes, but they slowly moved down to her rosy lips. Our faces were barely a few centimetres away from each other. Judging from her expression, she was thinking the same thing.

I moved my face closer to hers.

She moved her face closer to mine.

The edge of our lips was touching.

I opened mine as she opened hers, interlocking them together. Our tongues touched and coiled around each other in a bath of saliva. A sweet flavour erupted inside my mouth. Neither of us could stop. We wanted to stay together forever.

Time marched onward as we remained one.

—---------------------------------

Several days had passed since that day. All of us had recovered to the pink of health. Before I knew it, the promised day had come.

The day Natsu and I went back home.

We had assembled in the temple’s main room, surrounded by the familiar red walls and gold designs on them. Natsu and I stood in the centre of the summoning circle, the same one that brought me to Aogiri in the first place.

“I guess this is really goodbye.” Anastasia cried. Tears were already pouring from her eyes like a faucet.

“Don’t worry, Ana. We’ll always be connected, no matter how far we are,” Natsu reassured her. The two hugged each other tightly.

“You better keep her safe, understood, lackey!?” Anastasia threw her frustrations at me.

“Of course I will. And who are you calling a lackey?!” I retorted.

“Safe travels, Young Kurokawa. You were truly a remarkable strategist and friend,” Mr Arakawa said his farewells with a handshake.

“I learnt from the best. Thank you, Mr Arakawa, for everything.” I gripped his hand tightly.

“You surpassed my expectations, Kurokawa. You served your purpose for giving me entertainment,” Chiyo gave me the bare minimum of respect as usual.

“Not even a proper goodbye for me?” I asked.

“Maybe just this once. Farewell, Kurokawa. I only have a few friends and I’m glad to call you one of them.”

I was almost in tears. Even while her face was emotionless, her gratitude was heartfelt.

“I’m gonna miss you, my friend. This better not be the end.” Riku gave a big grin and lifted his fist.

“Of course. We’ll meet again in the future, I’m sure of it.” I bumped his fist. Even if it were 10 or 100 years from now, destiny will ensure that all of us will cross paths again.

Last but not least, a woman clad in a maroon kimono stood in front of me. I took her hands in mine. All the sound around me was silenced. It was as though we were the only two in the world.

“This plan better work, alright?” Yukino asked seriously.

“I’ll make sure it works. I’ll never stop trying.”

“You must come back. This will not be our last meeting.”

“I promised, didn’t I? I’ll never leave you alone again.”

“Stay safe. I love you.” Her seriousness had crumbled. She tried to hold back her tears, but it was failing.

“I love you too.”

I pulled a Yukino into a hug. If this was the last time we were ever going to see each other, I had to make sure it was memorable. With one last peck on the lips, we separated.

“Are you two ready?” Empress Hikari asked from afar. Her hands were outstretched towards the summoning circle.

“We’re ready,” the two of us replied in unison.

“Goodbye, Aki Kurokawa and Natsu Fukuyama. May we meet again, one day.”

With those last words from Empress Hikari, the light from the summoning circle glowed a bright blue.

Before we could even blink, our vision was enshrouded in light. I could no longer feel Natsu’s presence. My body felt as though it was being thrown across space.

I remembered everyone’s faces. Would I ever see them again?

I’d make sure that would happen. No matter what.

—----------------------------------

Tick! Tick! Tick! The wall clock’s minute arm was slowly moving in a circle. It was currently 5.59 pm. Just one more minute was left. I clicked the cap of my pen over and over again in anticipation. All my work for the rest of the week had been completed. My suitcase had been packed for the rest of the day. The only action left was to go back home.

Tick. 6.00 pm had arrived.

In less than a second, I said goodbye to my colleagues and raced towards the exit. I briskly walked towards the train station. Luckily, a train had just arrived, and it was just before rush hour. I went in and stood, letting the others grab a seat instead. My feet wouldn’t stop tapping in excitement.

Once the train arrived, I continued my marathon walk towards my apartment. I thanked my past self for choosing a place that was so close to the station. In less than 10 minutes, I reached the door to my apartment. It was unlocked.

As I opened the door, the first thing that caught my eye was familiar silver hair. After all these years, Natsu had cut it to about shoulder length. Judging from her office-like outfit, she had just left work as well.

“Ready to go?” I asked her.

“You go on ahead. I need to freshen up. Pulled an all-nighter at work.”

As she said those words, she ran towards the bathroom in her room. Ever since the start of college, Natsu and I have lived together as roommates. It was much more convenient to live away from your parents with someone you trust, and we could split the rent cost as well.

I threw my tie and blazer on the sofa in the living room and pushed them out of the way. A familiar circle had been drawn right below it. I took in a deep breath and prepared myself.

“Mitte me ad Aogiri!”

The summoning circle glowed with a bright light. My body felt as though it was being phased out. It had become a familiar feeling.

In the span of a blink, my environment had completely changed. The white concrete walls had transmogrified into red walls with golden accents. A chandelier hung from above where a normal light originally was.

And in front of me.

“Dad! You’re finally back!’ A little girl with a black tuft of hair wearing a simple blue kimono jumped into my arms.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Rin.” I hugged her tightly. Oh, how I missed my little girl.

“You’re late, dear.” Yukino stared at me crossly. Her luminescent golden kimono covered her body from head to toe. She was somehow even more beautiful than the last time I saw her.

“I’m sorry, dear. The trains got delayed.” I dipped my head down, asking for an apology.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re back with us, I’m happy.” Yukino came and hugged me tightly. A bright smile was on her face.

“Let’s get going, shall we? I don’t want to waste a single moment with my favourite girls!”

The three of us, our hands interlocked, walked towards the entrance of the temple. Our hands pushed the door, letting the sun’s rays bathe us in its warmth.

It was a brighter day than usual.