The weather on the day of the unwanted ceremony was a contradiction. It was a warm and clear, sunny afternoon in Maryland.
Yako took this personally to a degree. Couldn't it be raining instead? Or cloudy? Or even a little bit windy? Why would nature be in the mood to celebrate another death of a kind officer? It was storming the day her father was declared dead. That was more appropriate.
At least having Kanae rooming her in the hotel and with Godai checked into the suite across the hall, Yako was able to overlook these things for a while.
She studied her reflection in the elongated mirror. Her hands slowly smoothed out her black sweetheart lace-cut dress she bought for the occasion, and she left her curls down today. Christian said he thought it was prettier that way.
She turned when Kanae walked out of the restroom in her blouse and black skirt she brought with. "So...how do you think I look?"
"Don't fret, Yako-chan, you look charming."
"Thanks." Yako said. "Let's go out and see if Godai-san is ready to leave now. We have to catch a taxi to take over there."
After the uniform-clad Veterans played The Taps Song on the bagpipes, and the gunshots were fired, and the American flag was folded in a ritualistic manner for its fallen hero, Yako had made her way over to the main crowd surrounding the burial site.
"Excuse me?" She called out to the three figures standing in the front.
Up close like this, Yako knew she wasn't mistaken. The trio had to be Christian's family. She could see a great deal of Christian in both faces of the grieving mother and father. His father had the same dusty brown hair color, but Christian had his mother's eyes—wide and shimmering blue. The woman, who was slightly older than Yako, looked like a feminine version of Christian himself. His elder sister from Rome.
"I am Yako," she continued gradually, bowing to them, half-struggling to find what to say to them in a time like this, and half-remembering how to say it in proper English. She studied her translation dictionary for hours, but it was slipping her mind because of the emotional impact. "I worked with Christian-san when he moved to Japan. We became close friends...and I was...very sad to lose him."
"I know you," the sister stepped forward. Her teary eyes were calm now and she held her hand up for Yako to shake. "Christian wrote about you a couple times in his letters he sent me. I'm Lila Wilkins. I was wondering if you were able to make the trip."
Yako giggled awkwardly, feeling an unwanted blush creep across her cheeks. "He wrote good things, I hope."
Lila flashed her a tender knowing smile. "He adored you."
"He will be greatly missed on my part, Lila-san."
Christian's mother suddenly joined the scene, tugging at Yako's elbow. "Hello, Yako, my name is Dottie. All of us are going out to eat at the diner down the street soon. Come with us, won't you? It would mean so much to us. And please bring your friends from home you have there, too."
Yako shook her hand as well. "Thank you."
The diner buffet was eventually put to a close for their party of fourty, and yet, Yako didn't care about the free food.
She hardly got through a plate of pasta. And she knew Kanae had been staring her down the whole time, silently questioning her shocking lack in appetite while she sat across the room with Godai.
Yako felt obligated to stick with Lila, to fill her in on the personal details about the rescue mission that may have left out in the beginning. They also made small-talk about Christian's most memorable childhood moments and his interests in Japanese culture. Plus, Lila was rather easy to connect with. She had a lot of her brother in her and Yako found it refreshing, healing.
Shortly, Christian's family insisted going back to the Wilkins house in oder to hold one final familial toast for Christian's service in the Force. And although the day was becoming a lot for her to bear, Yako couldn't refuse them. She was not about to leave for the hotel in sheer selfishness. She could tell the Wilkins found that last piece of closure they craved for by having her there in person. Being the single person who was beside Christian at the point of his demise gave her some kind of special entitlement in their hearts; it put her under a courageous light in their eyes. (Whether she fully agreed with it or not.)
All that really mattered was providing Chrisrian's family the ability to make peace with the facts and hopefully, they could move on one day.
Their country-styled house was darling for a typical American family; light yellow sidings with windowpanes painted blue, a wooden perch wrapped all the way around it and the interior was homey and well-kept.
Mister Wilkins had gathered them all inside before he popped the cork off a fancy-looking liquor bottle. Beautiful glasses with long crystal stems were passed around by Lila and Dottie afterwards. Everyone raised their drinks and cheered. The chimes of glasses kissing sounded throughout the house in a celebration to life instead of mourning a death.
And in the end, more kind words and eventual goodbyes had followed. By sunset, half of the visitors had already left, and Yako took the last sip of her third drink of that evening. This bubbling drink tasted like peaches.
When she noticed that the few remaining guests were yet distracted by more tender conversation, she set her glass down on the end table and quietly slipped through the next doorway. She ended up in the kitchen seconds later, facing the island. Palms going flat on the granite surface, her shoulders hunched over and Yako hung her head. She inhaled deeply.
She was reaching an emotional toll. The toast hadn't caused her heartache to fade. In fact, it had ripped her out of her denial. Her denial about a lot of things. Christian was gone forever and just now it felt extremely real. He just vanished from her life, like Sasazuka had, and Sai, and her father.
Yako had once convinced herself that she was alright with their passing, but they still haunted her, at night in her sleep whenever she was alone and the world was dark and quiet. She was just realizing just how much the sight of blood angered her. For the first time she understood, she was angry with Christian for dying too.
It was amazing how one death could make it all come flooding out of her.
Then a familiar gruff vioce shattered Yako's revelation. "Ne…your friend is outside calling the taxicab again, kid. Those other people are getting ready to head out too, it sounds like. I only caught half of what they said though. They might be looking for you."
"Okay, I'll be out shortly," she muttered.
Godai remained in the archway, fists shoved into his suit pockets. "…You...doing okay there, kid?"
"I honestly don't know," Yako sighed, meeting his eyes. But it was fleeting, and she turned from him, collapsing onto one the island stools beside her with her back leaning against the outer edge. "...It's just strange being here, where Christian-san grew up, meeting his family...," her response waned quickly as a hiccup escaped her. "And all the while, I'm still expecting him to walk through the d-door...I'm j-just so sick of feeling like this!"
She soon felt soft pressure across her shoulders.
Godai had sunk onto the stool close to hers, casually tossing his arm around her and looked out the window, not saying anything else.
Briefly, Yako privately noted how this basic gesture had been the closest thing to any sort of real sentimental embrace he'd ever given her, and, she personally couldn't have appreciated it more than she did in this moment.
She wiped away the new tears and she tilted further into Godai's grip.
They sat there in each other's company, silent and undisturbed as Yako cried over her loss one more time—and cried over Godai's relatable loss as well—until Yako was able to compose herself a little longer, and they stalked out to relocate Kanae.
Thankfully, Lila knew better to drag out their farewell. She kept everything sweet and simple by giving Yako a hug and a small pink thank you card with her address in Rome and phone number written in it. "Please keep in touch, Yako."
Yako nodded likewise. "Promise."
The weekend was over; and days later, Yako was back at her apartment, sleeping all through that following Monday.
She wasted away Tuesday.
She couldn't sleep at all Wednesday. She envisioned the future, contemplated over some things again and again.
Yako must have forgotten that was Thursday entirely.
It wasn't until Friday, when Neuro was finished with her pulling a so-called "annual leave" from their work and wouldn't tolerate this stunt any longer.
Besides, from past experience, there was only so much time in which Neuro could count on Godai as Yako's (decent) replacement.
The Dog's cell rang out loudly then. Godai yawned and flipped it open. "Yeah, Detective Yako's Agency?"
Neuro listened in curiosity to Godai's end of the conversation. "Oh, it's you." he said. "What's up?"
He paused.
"Yes, she's still out of the office today. Why—?"
He was evidently cut off by the caller.
"So, what if she hasn't eaten lately? I'm sure she's fine!"
Godai winced at whatever the caller was shouting now. From the high-pitched tone, it was a female caller.
"Alright, alright, I get it! If I hear anything new, I'll call you back!"
And he pressed the end button and snapped the phone shut, grumbling to himself, "Paranoid wench."
"Who was that, Dog?" the demon requested.
"Oh..." Godai looked at him, "it was the kid's good friend—Kanae, or whatever. She's just worried about her."
"Is that all?"
"Well, apparently the kid has been missing a bunch of messages. No one's seen her up and around since we came back. They left her food baskets at the kid's door, but none of it has been touched. You know, I—"
Neuro bolted up, and was already leaping out the window in mid-sentence.
"Ne! W-wait a second! Why you always gotta be so rude, you monster?!"