Akihiko Sanada was a very handsome, studious man indeed. Most people knew him from his awards and achievements in boxing. But he quitted that major and became a policeman instead in 2020. The year of 2020 … that was exactly 10 years after his fateful encounter with a woman in his old memories of SEES.
The woman was a year younger than him, she was his junior. Her hair was as red as cherries. She always uses 5 hairpins on her hair—Akihiko would never forget what she looked like back in 2010. Her smile would always melt his heart, she always giggles every time he asks her to a date. He would never forget about her. He would always remember her anytime he is in his works, every time in his free time, every second in Christmas Eve.
This time too, exactly 24 December of 2020, Akihiko walked from Iwatodai train station and continued his journey to Paulownia Mall—a certain place where they shared their first and the last Christmas Eve.
As he thought, that place changed so much. Many things probably happened in that place, there were more couples in that mall, and so many shops opened and they were busy in that time of speaking. And the best thing was, he spotted not a Lost in that place. He smiled and turned his back. He knew that everything happened here all because of her.
'She sacrificed everything for this future we always hope,' He thought.
"Good evening sir! Do you want to take a look to our special prices? The finest and nice jewelleries we imported for all of the couples in Port Island! Special Christmas sale!" the woman outside of a jewellery shop shouted to Akihiko.
That man stopped on his track. He looked back at that shop and decided to take a look.
'I haven't bought her anything for this Christmas huh …' he thought once more.
He looked at an aquamarine necklace in the glass stand. He smiled sarcastically. Back when 2010, he couldn't provide money to buy this kind of expensive necklace, but he could now. Because he had worked for thousands of times and gained a lot of money.
"I would like this aquamarine necklace, please," He said while pointing his finger to the necklace. Soon the shopkeeper took it and he bought it immediately.
He walked faster to a certain place where he could always meet her. That place was a private hospital of Kirijo Group. He decided to go there as fast as he could and he arrived. The nurses and the administration of that hospital would always know that someone with gray hair would always come to the hospital every Christmas and every month. They knew Akihiko from his routines.
"Good evening, Sanada-san," the administration said while Akihiko was walking toward the automatic door, "You must be waiting to see her, she is always in the usual room," the nurse said.
Akihiko nodded as thanks. And he walked to the elevator to take him through her room. After in the highest floor, he walked on the corridor. Thus he spotted a very specific room that was apparently different from the others, and then he walked to there. He knew that Mitsuru had moved her to a suite class for her safety and comfort.
He opened the door, and then there was his little angel found. The little figure was lying weakly on the bed. He finally met her; he could embrace his angle tightly on her bed. Then he decided to stay away from his wonder and walked to her side.
"Hey …" he muttered, "How's it going for you?" he knew that she wouldn't respond to his question. The thing she did is to breath with the helper and hearing the beats of her hearts from the machine. She was in comatose, and she was not to wake up for 10 years.
"You haven't changed much, huh," he said while his eyes were checking on her figure. She had still this silken red hair, her tiny pink lips and her smooth pale skin. She looked like she hasn't changed much since 10 years ago. He spotted some wrinkles, but that didn't matter. She was still a beauty.
He touched her cheek, he brushed her hair, and he finally fell down on her chest. He wanted to shed another tear for her, but he knew that it was a waste of time, then he muttered while he was still lying down on her chest, "I'm sorry that I still feel like this, it's just …" he stopped.
"It pains me to see you suffer—did you remember our talk back when I didn't want to see you hurt in battles against those shadows? This pain—it grows," he said again.
"But I know that if you stop suffering, all the world will suffer in place of you, and you were trying to prevent that back in 2010," he said, "So I'll stop moping around and stop wishing you to go back to us, but—"
He finally shed a tear, "It's hard to live on without you beside me, Minako."
He continued without falter and he finally raised his head up, "So keep watching me from your place, and you'll know soon that the me you had changed would not disappoint you," he stood up, "And you would know how much I love you—until now, do you feel it, my feeling just for you?"
He brushed her hair again, knowing that she wouldn't smile and giggle for him anymore. He was like talking to no one, but he knew that her soul was still there, was still keeping the seal so Nyx would not come for the world.
He remembered about his gift to her that he promised every year, "Here, another gift for you in Christmas, see? There are so many jewelleries in your music box now,"
Akihiko opened the door and glanced to her once more before they parted, and then he closed his eyes and muttered, "Even though we were so close … I felt that we were separated so far … That I couldn't reach you with merely my hands."
Thus, he went downstairs and walked out from the hospital, knowing that she would still always watching him from afar, even though he couldn't see another of her energetic features, but he still remember how she smiled for him back in 2010.
He couldn't back down now, he needed to move on. And so he did.
Another tribute of mine for the fandom, I'm happy that I can finally upload this Minako and Akihiko archive to the fandom! Note to add, this pairing really need much more love. :)
Sincerely,
Prophetor