Joker

47. Four years after Joker

Four years later, Aki returned. I am actually back... God it's been so long. And I'm alone here fantastic. Everyone else from Card had gone their own ways. Kenma had shifted to Cali to work with Google. Gale had gone onto Washington for his law practice. San had retired from a life as a professional gamer and taken up commentary for e-sports and was only getting more and more famous and he lived in LA. Emi and Arjun had moved to London since Arjun got a job offer there as a CEO of a corporation and Emi had gotten a new job from a different architecture firm. Their little girls Aru and Inu were happy there too. Aki? Aki had spent his time in Sydney studying. He actually acquired degrees. But he also got therapy, professional help for his childhood trauma, anxiety and his guilt from a contact of Gale's. And he had indulged a childhood dream of his, letting out everything and feeling a lot better about himself as a person.

He was back in Ellesmere now though. 30 years old in a month and ready to attempt to put in two final pieces of his broken shell. The first piece was a certain starry eyed puppy-like brat. He didn't know where to start. He didn't just want to walk into his old house and yell 'SO I AM NOT DEAD! Also please let me explain I swear I'm not as bad as you think.'

That wouldn't work. Especially not since the second, bigger piece was there. The love of his life. His euphoria. Not now. First goal is to talk to Ayu. He wanted to finally make good on his promise of always finding Ayu. It's time to find him.

Unable to think of any other place, Aki went to the park. Feels like so long ago. Nine years ago, Aki had sat there, right after killing Vladimir Sergei when he sat on a bench and saw a crying toddler near a tree behind him. He found the bench all right. It looked the same but the original tree was gone. There was a tree further back where a few children were hanging out. Aki's eyes fell only on the one sitting in the centre and he couldn't help but break into a smile and feel his eyes well up with tears.

A tall, long limbed, thin teenage boy with a mop of slightly messy black hair. Big brown eyes whose starry appearance Aki could make out despite the distance. A familiar, endearing mischievous smile. A loud but lovely laugh. The fluffy brown cheeks and the cheeky look he always seemed to have. He hadn't lost that cheeky look or his sharp sense of style. The kid was dressed in a smart red and black checked shirt tucked into blue jeans held up by a simple brown belt. Aki chuckled. He always was a fashionista wasn't he? Aki smiled widely as the boy's eyes suddenly met his and he waved.

The boy scrambled up and ran from his friends, running towards him "AKI!"

"AYU!"