CLICHÈ || Knb《Akashi Seijuro》

Epilogue

The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.

Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Flecks of charcoal fly in the air as Akashi Seijuro stands still, his eyes locked on the white car in front of him.

Da-dum.

Da-dum.

The policemen are talking, sirens are blaring loudly at a distance, but all he hears is his loud heartbeat.

In front of him, several policemen are running around. The forensics team, covered in white uniform from head to toe, are taking pictures and securing evidence. The local police in blue uniforms are talking with detectives in casual clothes, keeping the journalists away and mostly struggling to keep the crowd behind the yellow DO NOT CROSS tape tied across the crime area.

Akashi Seijuro has crossed that yellow tape, and, although the policeman in charge has given him the permission to see the body, he just stands still and stares.

It didn't take him long to reach his mansion from the hospital, twenty minutes at most, but by the time he got there, Enya was already gone. When his butler handed him the letter Enya had left behind, he took it with scrutiny and prepared himself to read some childish remarks or illogical reasons to explain her actions.

He was prepared for anything, everything, but the truth.

He had always blamed Enya for the death of his mother. He never suspected her, never doubted her love for his mother, never even imagined she was capable of doing something like that, but he blamed her anyway.

As he got older, he found out the things Enya and her mother were capable of doing, and his baseless blame turned into suspicion. Later, he came to the conclusion that somehow or other Enya's mother was behind the untimely death of his mother. And he abhorred Enya because he had assumed that Enya knew what her mother was doing but did not stop her. Till this day, he has been vainly searching for evidence that did not exist. An evidence that would prove the things he was certain of.

But for the first time, Akashi Seijuro was wrong.

And, even though the evidence he had been frantically searching for the past couple of years was now at the grip of his hand, he felt every emotion but peace.

Akashi brought out his phone and quickly typed some numbers before hitting the call. He didn't know when, but he had memorized Enya's cell phone number. He ran out of his house, holding the phone firmly beside his ear, and looked around for a cab. Just how he had assumed, Enya did not pick up.

Akashi pondered on the possibility of where Enya might go. Not the hospital. The bakery? He did remember how she wanted to take him to a popular bakery shop, but he didn't remember the name. Could she have gone to her home? Why did she leave anyway after confessing to her crimes?

Akashi Seijuro couldn't help but think of the worst case scenario and went everywhere frantically to look for any sign of Enya. She wasn't in the Tamakitei bakery nor was she anywhere around the Rakuzan high. When he took her address from the students' personal records and went to her house, he had braced himself for the worst.

But even the worst scene he had in mind is nothing compared to what he is witnessing right now.

"You need to identify the body." The police chief said, flashing a small smile. Akashi nods and walks slowly towards the car.

When he looks inside through the window of the driver's seat, his eyes land on Enya's face. With her eyes closed and head resting against the headrest, one may easily mistake her as a sleeping figure. She is still in her uniform and looks like a tired student who has pulled several all-nighters. But her lips that match the color of the flecks of charcoal flying around in the air reminds Akashi that she is indeed gone.