The Soulmate Link | SaneGiyuu

Eighteen - The Healing Process

A week had passed since Urokodaki's funeral, but for Giyuu, it felt like time had stopped. The house that had once been filled with warmth and life was now cold and empty. Makomo had moved in with Leo, saying she couldn't bear to be in the house anymore, the memories too painful. Sabito, too, had been staying with friends, avoiding the place that had once been their refuge. That left Giyuu alone in the big, empty house, and though he understood why they couldn't stay, it didn't make it any easier.

Giyuu had tried to tell himself that it was okay, that he could manage on his own. But the truth was, the silence in the house was suffocating. Every creak of the floorboards, every gust of wind against the windows seemed to echo through the emptiness, amplifying his loneliness. Nights were the worst—he would lie awake in the dark, the weight of the emptiness pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

Makomo and Sabito hadn't meant to abandon him. They asked if he wanted to stay with them, if he wanted to hang out, but Giyuu always declined. He didn't want to be a burden, didn't want to interrupt their healing process. They needed to get away, and he respected that. Running away from Urokodaki's house was their way of coping, and Giyuu didn't want to take that from them.

But the loneliness was unbearable. Giyuu found himself wandering the halls late at night, aimlessly drifting from room to room as if searching for something—some trace of Urokodaki, some fragment of the life they had once shared. But the house was just a shell now, empty and hollow, and no matter how hard he searched, there was nothing left to find.

One evening, after another day of restless wandering and sleepless nights, Giyuu knew he couldn't stay any longer. The house was a graveyard of memories, and it was slowly destroying him. He needed to get away, to escape the place that was causing him so much pain. He needed to find himself again.

So, he decided to sit Makomo and Sabito down for a talk.

They met in the living room, the three of them sitting in the chairs they had once shared with Urokodaki, the air heavy with unspoken words. Makomo and Sabito looked at Giyuu with concern, sensing that something was coming, something big.

"I've been thinking," Giyuu began, his voice quiet but steady. "I need to get away from here for a while."

Makomo's brow furrowed, and Sabito's eyes darkened with worry. "What do you mean?" Sabito asked.

"I'm going to go traveling," Giyuu explained. "I've been saving the money my parents left me in their will, and I think now's the time to use it. I need to get away from this place, from all the memories. I need to see the world, make some decisions about my life, and figure out who I am without Urokodaki."

Makomo's eyes filled with tears, and she reached out to take Giyuu's hand. "Giyuu, you don't have to do this alone. We're here for you."

"I know," Giyuu said, squeezing her hand gently. "But this is something I need to do for myself. I've lost everything, and right now, I need to find myself again. I need to get away from the pain, to find some clarity. And when I'm ready, I'll come back."

Sabito's expression was pained, but he nodded in understanding. "I don't want you to go, but I get it. Sometimes you have to leave to find what you're looking for."

Giyuu looked at his two friends, the only family he had left. "I don't know how long I'll be gone," he admitted. "But I'll keep in touch. I promise."

Makomo let out a small, choked sob and threw her arms around Giyuu, pulling him into a tight hug. Sabito joined in, wrapping his arms around both of them. They held each other for a long time, clinging to the comfort of their shared grief, the warmth of their connection. But even as they embraced, Giyuu couldn't shake the feeling that this was a goodbye, that he was leaving something behind that he might never get back.