Memoir

Epilogue ~ Clear sky

                           (One year later)

You never even got the chance to say a proper goodbye.

How cruel.

How pointless.

You remembered that cursed day like it was yesterday.

The way his blood splattered all over your face.

The way his body fell lifeless in your lap while you couldn't even comprehend what had just transpired.

The way you couldn't move for at least an hour.

Death was easy.. compared to watching him die.

Alive yet cursed to pick up the pieces of your former self.

No sappy goodbye, no nothing.

Just a fucking bullet.

Just..

Rindou: "hey.."

You looked behind with tears in your eyes only to see Rin with a bouquet of purple orchids waving at you.
He placed them carefully on his brother's grave and sat next to you.

Y/n:  "hey.. "

You were never good at small talk.. even though Rin has been by your side ever since Ran passed. Truthfully.. He probably needed to cling onto something.. he wanted to hate you, so so bad but you were the last thing Ran had ever loved so he couldn't bring himself to.

Rindou: "You should bring her here."

Y/n: "She's not ready."

Rindou gave you half a smile and patted your back.

Rindou: "She's a baby."

Y/n: "I'm not ready.."

He hugged you tightly holding back tears. Rindou has been the only one to keep you going. He had to.

Rindou: "I know.. but you owe it to him. He would've been a great dad, you know? "

You placed a hand on his grave and started crying again.

Y/n: "I know.. i know."

As your head rested on his shoulder your mind wandered back in time.

After Ran passed, there was nothing left of you. You walked free but.. what was the point of it all, you wandered.

You had nothing left.

Or so you thought because after passing out on the street from blood loss, you woke up in the hospital to a whole new revelation that tore apart tremendously the fabric of your existence.

You were pregnant.

There were no words to describe the overwhelming emotions flowing inside of you ranging from disbelief to grief and uncertainty.

It was hard to digest the ways of the universe, it all felt like a cruel joke.

How could life blossom from a wreckage of betrayal and loss?

Yet.. 8 months later, when you first held your newborn baby into your arms you knew it was nothing but a blessing.

She was everything.

With her big lilac eyes and her tiny wandering hands.. there was no doubt in it. You looked her and you saw the perfect haunting resemblance of  the man who was undoubtedly the love of your fucking life.

He left you with the most precious parting gift of them all. A living testament of his love.

A daughter.

You didn't have to go through this alone because standing right beside you at all times, offering unwavering support and compassion was the brother of the man you lost.

Rindou was a mess too but he stood strong for you.. and for Yumemi. She was after all his family too.. the only family he had left so despite his own grief, he was there for you.

The two of you formed a bond born from shared sorrow and a determination to honor the memory of the one you both loved in your own way.

A bond that can never be broken.

It wasn't romantic or anything like that. Rindou never would've even think of replacing Ran.. and for you.. for you it was clear from the start that no one ever could but he did marry you.

Not for love.

Not for lust.

He just thought that you and your daughter deserved to take the Haitani family name and you, of course, accepted it, in the loving memory of Ran.

//

After he brought you home you payed the babysitter and sat down on the couch cradling your daughter.

Holding her in your arms gave you peace. It constantly reminded you of the complexities of life and the resilience of the human spirit.

Though the road ahead may be full of uncertainty and challenges, you took comfort in knowing you were no longer alone.

You had a family, both in choice, in blood and in memory.

A family strong enough to stand any storm that the promise of tomorrow may bring your way.

          
                                   The end.