Syphon's Peace

Epilogue

Epilogue

Life has a way of diverging from any path that may have been previously ordained. Nothing is set in stone, things happen that can leave people, heroes or not, in a whirlwind. Through the darkness and unpredictability of the paths laid before us all, it’s really a measure of how we handle the aftermath, how we face each new trial and whether we completely lose ourselves along the way. Is it possible to come through an absolute shitstorm of events unscathed? Not really. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think it’s as simple as that. 

A year ago, Reina would have never imagined she would be where she was right now. In Japan, married to the love of her life, without Gregory with her, A year ago, she had foolishly believed somewhere deep down in her heart that her guardian was invincible. That he’d be with her for many years to come. 

Fate has a certain way of throwing everyone on their heads. Should she shut down and close herself off from the world in response, or should she get up and fight back through all the tears, sweat and blood to be what she had worked so hard for? Most days, the answer was clear. But others, especially right now, she felt weak. 

“Honey, are you alright?”

Reina tore her gaze away from the pond she had been staring at absentmindedly, meeting Toshi’s eyes with her own. He squeezed her hand comfortingly, his gentle smile just barely peeking over the scarf he had draped around his neck to ward off the early winter chill. They had taken their daily walk together, a habit they had gotten into after they were recovered as a way to not only familiarize Reina with her surroundings, but to take a breather from their everyday training and patrols. It was late afternoon when they walked through a park that had become a favorite of theirs when she had lost herself in her own dark thoughts. 

She nodded, offering a small smile. “I’m sorry, I must have zoned out a bit.” 

When she tried to pull him to continue walking, he rested his hand on her shoulder, halting her in her tracks. He knew her well enough by now to know what she was undoubtedly feeling. Knew the pain and grief she was feeling was one and the same as what he had felt with Nana. 

Reina sighed gently as he circled around to stand in front of her, bending just slightly so he was closer to her eye level and cupping her face gently in his hands. “I know what you’re feeling, Reina. You don’t have to pretend with me.” he said gently, those deep blue eyes searching her own. 

Reina chuckled, nuzzling her face into his palms as she cradled them with her own much smaller ones. “You know me too well, Toshi.” 

His smile returned as he shrugged. “Well, it is my job, you know. If I can’t figure you out, then I make a poor husband, and we can’t have that.” His chuckle died after a moment as he pulled her into his chest. Squeaking in surprise, she struggled a bit, worried about any passerby that may think their PDA was improper and rude. He, however, simply laughed at her when she voiced these thoughts, continuing to hold her against him as though he couldn’t be bothered with anyone else at the moment. 

With a defeated grunt, she slumped against him after a few moments, both annoyed and amused as she giggled and smacked his pec gently. He chuckled, holding her as he watched the sun set over the horizon. 

“Were you thinking about Gregory again?” he asked after a while. Sighing, she nodded, keeping her ear pressed against him as she too watched the light fade from around them. It wouldn’t be long before they would need to head back to Gran Torino’s agency. 

“Does it ever get any easier?” she whispered, listening to his lungs expand in a deep sigh as he thought over his answer. 

“I don’t want to say it gets easier. Because for me, it still hasn’t. There are instances when Nana is all I can think about, when I do nothing but question what I could have done differently. What I could have changed to curb the outcome of her fate.” She looked up at his face when his voice became strained. His eyes held so much pain and regret as he watched the streetlights come on around him. “The pain becomes less frequent, I suppose. For me, being around you makes it more bearable. I guess because you bring me so much peace and love that it outshines the grief.” 

Reina planted a kiss on his stomach, her heart fluttering with love and pain. “I hope that works for me too, Toshi. You’re the sun in my life right now.”

He laughed quietly, his hand running through her hair gently. “Is that a blonde reference?”

“It might be.” She giggled as she pulled back, raising a brow up at him. “If anyone can keep me from losing myself, it would be the laughing blonde giant I so happily tied myself to.” 

“Well, I suppose you’re not wrong there.” He smirked down at her, scooping her up in a bridal style hold. Gasping in surprise, she clutched her bag to her chest, knowing what he was undoubtedly planning next. “Let’s go home. I have an in home spa package for Mrs. Yagi.”

“Spa package, huh? Are you planning on stealing the cucumbers again?” she asked as he walked towards an open spot in the trees. 

“Hey, cucumbers are extremely good for puffy eyes.” he defended. 

“Yeah, but you have to put them on your eyes, goofball. Not eat them.” 

He scoffed. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. So not HIP!” On the last word he launched them into the sky, jumping the short distance back to Gran Torino’s agency building. 

For those of you wondering, she did somehow convince both Toshinori and Gran Torino to put mud masks on. 

He refuses to admit it, but Sorahiko loved it. 

Toshi did in fact eat all of the cucumbers. But he made up for it later. 

Whew! Book one is now complete. Thank you all for sticking with me this long. In the next few weeks, I will be writing chapters one through five of book 2, Syphon’s Devotion, so keep an eye out for that. I love you all. As always, Plus Ultra!