Chapter Forty-Nine: Ashes


"It's been a while, Yukiko."

She didn't flinch in surprise at the sudden presence that joined her in the living room. Her eyes remained glued to her hands. The shaking had finally eased, only because of how tight they were clasped against each other on her lap.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, not bothering to face the man who had spoken. "I have nothing else to do with your organization."

Heike watched her with those unreadable eyes of his, arms crossed by his waist. For a moment, he had just settled with the silence, eyeing the small apartment she had apparently shared with their genius Code:Breaker. The living room was simple, with just the necessary pieces of furniture. The air smelled of cleanliness. She sat herself on the couch nestled by the walls. Her hair moved at the soft breeze that slipped in from the open windows and his eyes moved to observe her present state.

Her skin looked paler than usual and she appeared to have lost quite a bit of weight. Her breathes came out slow, eyes almost closed that almost gave the image that she was asleep. No, she looked like she was just waiting for death to take her.

"If you're here to tell me he's gone, I already know," she suddenly spoke, momentarily breaking his train of thought. His eyes shifted to her face, finding her staring at the view outside her open window.

"Kanda told me," she added. "She came to visit me a few weeks ago but I already knew before she told me. The moment Hitomi said goodbye, I knew what that really meant."

A sad smile formed her lips, easing back on the couch she sat on.

"But...you being here...only cements the fact that he's no longer here." She rubbed her eyes, just to cover the fact that she felt herself crying all over again. He nobly pretended he didn't notice, knowing that she was still grieving.

"Do you regret it?" He asked after a moment of silence, waiting patiently until she had collected herself once again. "Do you regret meeting him?"

"Never," was her instantaneous response. Despite the weariness, the exhaustion, and the pain she was drowning in, she managed to let a genuine smile.

"Despite everything that's happened…meeting him was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."

Her hand involuntarily moved to caress her abdomen, which did not go unnoticed by the man but wisely did not make a remark about it.

"I see," he said.

"Why did you come, Heike? Surely you didn't come here just to ask me that," she asked tiredly.

Rather than answering, he sauntered up towards her, presenting a package he had brought with him. She eased herself up to a seated position to accept the package, wondering what it was. She removed the wrapping from the box. Upon removing the adhesive tape from the box, she opened the lid and found a simple glass urn inside.

"Before you and Hitomi had left Eden, Hitomi had asked me to do a favour for him."

"A favour?" She asked.

"He said that he would like to be returned to you."

Her eyes grew wide at that revelation. Her hands trembled as she looked back at the package. Even without opening the urn, she already knew what was inside.

Tears began to fall down her cheeks and she held the urn closer to her as she cried.

"Hitomi..."

He was back in her arms.