Fate's Correspondence: A Love Written In Words

WEIGHT OF REGRET

Kyoshi walked home from school, his mind a whirlwind of emotions. The familiar streets, the passing faces of neighbors and classmates, all seemed surreal in this second chance he’d been given. It was like walking through a dream, knowing exactly what would happen next, but now with the power to change it.

As he neared his house, the nostalgia hit him harder than he expected. His family home stood there, just as it had all those years ago, its wooden exterior bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun. The door opened before he even reached it, and his little sister, Emi, came bounding out to greet him.

“Onii-chan! You're finally home! Mom’s been waiting to eat dinner with you,” she chirped, her eyes sparkling with the innocence of childhood.

Kyoshi smiled at her, though his heart felt heavy. He hadn’t seen her like this in so long. In his previous life, their relationship had grown cold and distant, and the gap between them was one he never bridged. Seeing her now, full of life and love, made him feel an ache in his chest.

“I missed you, Emi,” Kyoshi said softly, ruffling her hair.

She giggled and looked at him as if he had said something strange. “You’re acting weird today, Onii-chan. Did something happen at school?”

“Maybe,” Kyoshi replied with a shrug, trying to keep things light. But inside, the weight of everything he had lost, everything he had done—or failed to do—pressed down on him.

He followed Emi into the house, greeted by the scent of dinner. The warmth of his home, the clatter of dishes being set on the table, the faint hum of the television in the background—it all felt so achingly familiar. His mother stood in the kitchen, her back turned as she finished preparing the meal.

“Mom, I’m home,” Kyoshi said, his voice catching slightly in his throat.

His mother turned around, wiping her hands on her apron. “About time! We were just about to start without you,” she teased, though her eyes softened at the sight of him.

Kyoshi walked over and, without thinking, wrapped his arms around her. He held her tightly, breathing in the familiar scent of soap and spices, something that had faded from his memory over the years. In his past life, this moment had slipped away far too soon.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

His mother stiffened slightly, taken aback by his sudden affection. Kyoshi wasn’t the type to show this kind of emotion, not since he had entered his teenage years. She pulled away gently, looking up at him with a mixture of confusion and amusement.

“What’s gotten into you today? You’ve been acting strange since this morning,” she said, eyeing him with suspicion, though there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

Kyoshi only shook his head. He didn’t know how to explain it. How could he tell her that he had lived a lifetime without her? That he had lost her too soon, and the pain of that loss had shaped everything that came after?

Instead, he just smiled, grateful for this moment.

The rest of the family gathered at the table—his father, strong and dependable, and his younger brother, Hiro, still full of the boundless energy of youth. They all sat down to eat, laughing and talking about the day as if nothing had changed. But for Kyoshi, everything was different. Every word, every glance, every sound felt precious, like pieces of a life he had forgotten how to appreciate.

As they ate, Kyoshi found himself staring at each of them, drinking in the sight of their faces. His father, the man he had looked up to for so long, was still full of life, with that same commanding presence that had guided the family through so many storms. His mother, the glue that held them all together, was radiant, her voice full of warmth as she spoke to his siblings.