December 8th, 2017

Akira stared down at the gravestone in front of him, a bundle of spider lilies in his hand. The sun was out, but there was a chill in the air. It was a day to stay inside in the warmth, next to someone you love. It was the wrong day to be at a cemetery.

But he had to be here. He had been putting it off for far too long. It's been a year to the day.

He crouched down and placed the lilies at the base of the gravestone before kneeling and offering up silent prayer.

There was part of him that thought it was more than what was deserved.

The rest of him knew he needed to be better than that.

He stood up from his prayer and placed his hands in his pockets.

"I doubt you'd want me to be here," he said aloud. "You'd probably try to kill me for even daring to try and offer some last respects."

Akira chuckled and shook his head. "You know, for all the lies, for all the hatred, I'd like to think we could've been pretty good friends. I remember one of the last times we spoke, you said you hated me. I believed you. I still do."

From his pocket Akira produced a black glove. It was light, but there was a weight to it that Akira couldn't explain.

It represented a promise. A guarantee. A symbol of hatred.

Of understanding.

"The thing is… I can't bring myself to hate you in return.," he said quietly. "Even after everything you did, all the pain, all the suffering… all the death… I don't hate you."

Crouching down, he placed the glove next to the spider lilies.

"I don't have many regrets," Akira proclaimed, his expression grim. "Not saving you is one of them. I didn't want you to die. You did a lot of terrible things, and you needed to face justice for them, but it shouldn't have been this. I'm sorry."

He got back to his feet and looked around. "I don't think I'll come by again. You can be grateful knowing that, at the very least."

Akira turned his head up to the sky. "I don't know where you ended up… but I hope you found some peace."

He stood there, watching the clouds roll by, before taking one last look at the gravestone.

Goro Akechi

June 2nd, 1998 - December 8th, 2016

Without another word, he turned and walked out of the cemetery, leaving the memories behind.