Forced Manipulation

Chapter Fifty

"Phew, here we are!" Hank huffed as he and Kiyoshi finally came up to the Hakaba's entrance. "The Hakaba was quite farther than it usually was, right?"

"No, I don't think it has. Maybe it's because you've gotten older!" Kiyoshi snorted, which caused Hank to smack Kiyoshi's shoulder. "Ow!" He laughed as Hank sent him a playful glare.

"Hey, I may be twenty years older than you, but I'll still kick your ass!"

"Sure, whatever you say!" Kiyoshi said as he walked through the gate. "Which way is Misato's grave, by the way? I kind of forgot the direction it was in!"

"No, let's go to Katsurou and Rika's grave first. It's closer to us."

"Are you sure? I don't mind walking the distance to her grave first!"

"Yeah, I don't mind walking with you to Katsurou's grave!" Hank gave the brunette a soft smile. "You can lead the way if you want. But after that, I'm going to head to Misato's grave by myself. We can meet back at the entrance if that's ok with you."

"Deal!"

As the two began to walk in the direction of Katsurou and Rika's grave, Hank couldn't help but feel...tense. Wasn't there supposed to be a good amount of people here? Surely people were visiting their friends and families here! It wasn't that late, was it? Other than the two of them, the whole area seemed to be like a ghost town! The eerie silence overtook the two of them as they walked through the path, passing all the other graves. The countless number of names cut into the stone, except for the occasional graffiti painted over the names. Hank sighed as he looked away from one of the graves, an expletive drawing sprayed on the name. It disgusted him to see random delinquents desecrating someone's grave. A person that they didn't know. If it was up to him, he would catch these people in the act of their crimes, and knock some sense into them. Yet, all he could do was think about it while he walked with Kiyoshi. Hank couldn't help but glance around, hearing the birds chirping in the air. He usually never heard them due to the number of people talking to their dead relatives. He would rather hear them talking, rather than listen to a combination of the birds chirping and their shoes slapping against the concrete. He had no idea if it was because he had grown accustomed to listening to them whenever he visited the Hakaba, or just because it made him feel less alone. All in all, it creeped the former medic out, and he had to break the silence.

"So, Kiyoshi," Hank asked, finally mustering the courage to break the awkward silence that built between them. "How is Miku doing?"

"She's managing it pretty well," Kiyoshi started, looking back at his deceased husband's brother-in-law. "Based on the circumstances, you know?"

"Uh-huh."

"I make sure to keep in touch with Miku, to check in on her mental health. I still go to my therapist, she's been helpful with me moving on. You've been helping me a lot, too! She told me I was beginning to go paranoid about it, though. Like, I'm obsessing over preventing this from happening a third time. Thank you for recommending her, Hank."

"It's no problem, Kiyoshi," Hank smiled. "That's what families do for each other. I know you would have done the same for me."