The Home I Finally Found

The next day, Kenji and Ryu came to visit Yūto at the hospital.

Creak...

The door opened.

They entered and approached Yūto, who was sitting while looking out the window at the clear sky.

"Yūto, how are you feeling?" Kenji asked.

Yūto slowly turned his head.

"I'm feeling much better. I just need to get some rest."

Yūto then looked at Ryu and Kenji.

"How about the two of you?"

Kenji smiled.

"I only have a few scratches."

"Same here. I don't have any serious injuries."

Ryu then handed the Green Dragon Sword to Yūto.

"Here. This is for you, Yūto."

"Isn't this the reversed-blade sword I used yesterday?"

Ryu nodded.

"This sword suits you better. If you use a normal sword, you might kill someone with that kind of strength," Ryu teased.

Yūto laughed.

"I didn't mean to kill Suyou in the first place..."

Yūto took a deep breath.

"But for some reason, at that moment, I really wanted to kill him..."

Yūto looked out the window.

"That wasn't really your desire, Yūto. It came from your past. Thankfully, you were able to control your emotions," Kenji said.

Yūto shook his head.

"That wasn't me. It was because of my mother..."

Yūto's eyes began to fill with tears.

"For a moment, I heard my mother's voice telling me to stop. If I had killed Suyou at that moment, I would have become just like him, and the cycle would never end..."

Tears began to run down Yūto's face.

Kenji and Ryu remained silent.

Yūto then looked at Ryu and Kenji with a smile.

"Thank you for helping me."

Ryu simply nodded.

Kenji smiled and nodded as well.

Creak...

David entered the room.

Kenji and Ryu looked at him, while Yūto quickly wiped away his tears.

"Hey, you two are here. How are you doing?" David asked.

"I only have minor injuries," Ryu answered.

"I also only have a few minor injuries," Kenji replied.

David nodded.

Then David looked at Yūto and walked toward him.

"Yūto, I already talked to the doctor. You can go home tomorrow."

Yūto nodded.

"Hmm... Okay."

David smiled.

They talked for quite some time.

Finally, in the afternoon, Kenji and Ryu said goodbye and prepared to leave.

"Ryu and I will go home now. If you need anything, just let me know, Yūto," Kenji said.

Yūto nodded and smiled.

After Kenji and Ryu left, Yūto's phone began to ring.

Ring... Ring...

Yūto looked at the screen.

"Aoi?"

Yūto answered the call.

"Yūto, I'm sorry. I can't come to visit you. I'm helping Aunt Haruka at the shop because Shiro hasn't recovered yet."

"Hmm... It's okay, Aoi. I'm allowed to go home tomorrow."

"Really? Alright, I'll come there tomorrow to pick you up."

"Ah. You don't have to. Let's just meet at Aunt Haruka's house. My father and his friends will be helping me tomorrow. There are already enough people here."

"Oh. Okay then."

The call ended shortly after.

Yūto went back to resting while continuing to read Mikoto's diary.

He slowly turned the pages one by one.

Tears rolled down his face.

Little by little, the sky grew dark, as if it were telling Yūto that it was time to sleep again.

The next morning...

Creak...

"Yūto, I brought your favorite food," David said.

David entered the room carrying ramen.

Yūto smiled at David.

"Thank you, Dad."

David nodded and smiled.

"Dad, before we go home, could you take me to where Suyou is first? I want to talk to him."

David nodded.

"Alright. We'll go there after you eat."

A few moments later...

David and Yūto arrived at the prison where Suyou was being held.

David approached the guard station.

"Excuse me. I'd like to visit a prisoner named Suyou."

The guard checked the visiting schedule.

"You only have a short time. Visiting hours are almost over."

David looked at Yūto.

Yūto nodded.

The two of them then walked inside, guided by the guard.

Meanwhile...

Step... Step...

Click... Clank...

The iron cell door opened.

"Prisoner 167, Suyou. Someone is here to see you," a prison guard said.

Suyou, who was sitting inside, looked up and slowly stood before walking toward the visiting room.

When Suyou entered the visiting room, he was surprised to see Yūto.

He slowly walked over and sat down.

Yūto and Suyou sat facing each other.

Only a glass partition separated them.

Yūto picked up the phone to communicate with Suyou.

Suyou did the same.

"Why did you come here?" Suyou asked in a deep voice.

Yūto was silent for a moment.

"I came here to thank you."

"What do you mean?"

"Yes, even though you have committed many crimes, because of you, my fighting skills have improved so much. Because of you, I was also able to meet great people and make amazing friends."

"Is that the only reason you came here?"

Yūto lowered his head.

"I came to apologize to you."

"Apologize? What are you apologizing for?" Suyou asked in confusion.

Yūto looked at Suyou again.

"Because I realized that you and I are not so different. We are the same."

Suyou gave a bitter smile.

"No. It turns out that you and I are different."

Yūto stared at Suyou in silence.

"I chose to kill my own parents because they were the source of my suffering. But you chose not to kill the person who destroyed your family—which was me."

The room fell silent for a moment.

A guard approached Yūto.

"Hey, Young Man. You only have one minute left."

Yūto turned toward him and nodded.

Then Yūto looked back at Suyou and smiled.

"Do you want to know why I stopped my attack?"

Suyou's expression became curious.

Yūto smiled.

"Because my mother wrote something in her diary. You were one of my mother's good friends. Even though you are stubborn and selfish, deep down in your heart, you only needed someone who could help you change."

Yūto then showed him Mikoto's writing.

"Suyou, you are my good friend. Even though you are stubborn, selfish, and always do things carelessly, you are actually a good person. Maybe someday, you will meet someone who can help you become your true self."

Suyou smiled, and slowly, tears began to fall from his eyes.

Yūto showed him the page from Mikoto's diary.

Suyou stared at it for a few moments.

"Forgive me, Mikoto."

Suyou lowered his head.

"Visiting time is over!" the prison guard shouted.

"Alright. I'll go now. My father is also waiting for me outside."

Yūto stood up and left Suyou behind.

From time to time, he looked back at him.

Suyou remained seated with his head lowered, thinking about what Mikoto had written about him.

A few days later...

Yūto approached the Saegusa Clan's dojo house.

He stood for a moment in front of the wooden gate and looked at the word "Saegusa" written on it.

"I'm home," Yūto whispered.

He entered the house and cleaned every corner of it.

As promised, Kenji had given the house to Yūto.

After some time, he finished cleaning everything.

That afternoon, Yūto sat comfortably on the front porch of his house while looking at the yard.

Not long after that, the wooden gate opened.

Yūto was surprised and looked toward it.

Takeshi, Reika, Sakamoto, Shiro, Haruka, Aoi, David, Wiliam, Torino, and Targyan came toward Yūto carrying various things to fill the house.

"Yūto!" Shiro shouted.

"So you guys came."

Yūto smiled.

They came happily and noisily, carrying all kinds of things to fill the house.

One by one, they placed the items inside.

"That's not how you do it, Sakamoto!" Reika shouted.

Sakamoto looked at her and smiled.

"Then where should I put this small table, Big Sister Reika?"

"Stop calling me Big Sister!"

"Why not? Yūto can call you that. Why can't I?" Sakamoto teased.

"Are you stupid? You're my son. Of course you can't! You always make me angry, Sakamoto!"

Reika grabbed Sakamoto's ear.

"Ouch... Ouch..." Sakamoto cried.

Takeshi and the others laughed at them.

In the middle of all the noise and activity, Yūto looked at David.

"Dad, can I talk to you for a moment?"

David nodded and followed Yūto into the yard.

"Thank you for helping me, Dad," Yūto said.

David smiled.

"It's no problem, Yūto. Parents will always want to help their children, even when their children are capable of doing things on their own. That's because parents always want to do their best so their children won't have to experience the same things they went through."

Yūto smiled.

His eyes began to fill with tears.

"Yūto, I'm going back to America. I've already bought a plane ticket for tonight," David said.

Yūto nodded.

"I know you'll stay here because this is where you truly belong. This is your home," David said.

Yūto took a book from inside his clothes and handed it to David.

"This is Mikoto Saegusa's diary."

David was surprised.

"How did you get it?"

Yūto looked away.

"I found it hidden between the cabinets."

They then sat on a wooden bench in the yard.

"When you have enough time, read it. After you finish reading it, you'll understand," Yūto said.

Yūto wiped away the tears running down his face.

David looked at the diary in his hands.

Takeshi and the others watched Yūto and David from a distance.

A few hours later...

David arrived at the airport, and his plane was getting ready to leave.

David, Wiliam, and Torino returned to America, while Targyan stayed in Japan.

Inside the plane, David began to open Mikoto's diary and read every page.

Rustle...

With every page, he became more absorbed in what he was reading.

Then he stopped for a moment when he reached a certain passage.

"David. I can't send you any more letters because my father will be very angry with me. He also doesn't let me leave the house. I'm sorry, David. I really want to see you. I hope you are always healthy over there."

David turned to the next page.

"Yūto, I'm sorry. You have to grow up without a father by your side. Even so, I will always protect you and do my best for you. When you grow up, please don't hate your father. This isn't his fault either. Your father and I came from different places, and that is why we couldn't be together."

"Grow up to be a strong child. You will become the next head of the Saegusa clan. One day, you will grow into a great samurai. Remember, a true samurai does not kill an opponent who can no longer fight. A true samurai respects and protects the honor of his clan."

David turned to the next page.

"David. I'm sorry that my father was so hard on you. He wanted a son-in-law who was also from Japan. But it's okay. Maybe with Yūto, he will understand someday."

David continued reading.

"If you ever meet Yūto, you must take care of him. Remember, Yūto is not a troublesome child. He doesn't even cry as often as other babies. He is a strong and understanding child. You must protect him and love him because Yūto is our child."

David began to remember what happened back then.

That night, David had gone on a date with Mikoto for the last time.

After that, David returned to America for a mission.

From that day on, David and Mikoto never met again.

After remembering everything and reading Mikoto's diary, tears covered David's face.

Wiliam and Torino, who were sitting beside him, looked at David and could only remain silent.

A few days later...

Yūto was relaxing alone in the living room, watching television in the afternoon.

"Breaking news. The entire organization known as "The Covenant" has been arrested by the Japanese police. The organization's operating license has been completely revoked. Several places suspected of being involved have also been shut down. Meanwhile, several government officials have been implicated for providing funds to the organization. The investigation team is still looking further into "The Covenant" and its activities."

"So it's finally over," Yūto whispered.

Ring... Ring...

Yūto looked at his phone.

"Dad?"

"Yūto. How are you doing over there?" David asked.

"I'm fine. How about you, Dad?"

"I'm fine too. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I've already booked a flight to Japan for today."

"You miss me already?"

David laughed.

"I'm planning to move to Japan and live with you, Yūto."

"Really? What about your house in America? And that motorcycle your friend gave you?"

"I sold all my assets, and I gave the motorcycle to Torino."

"Are you sure you want to live in Japan? You'll have to start eating with chopsticks, you know," Yūto joked.

"That's fine. You can teach me until I get the hang of it, right?"

"Why do I have to be the one to teach you? Haha."

"Because you are my son, Yūto."

Yūto smiled.

Yūto looked out the window.

The evening sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.

For the first time in his life, Yūto no longer felt like a lost child.

He had found his home.

He had found his family.

And most importantly, he had finally found peace.

Yūto smiled.

The end.

Sometimes, life does not go the way we want it to. But believe that if we keep going and continue doing our best, there will always be a way.

Pray, and there will always be a way out of every problem we face.

The road will not become easier just because we pray, but prayer will make us stronger so that we can walk through it.

Thank you.

God bless you.