8 Years and 3 Month, Present time
The cemetery is quiet as usual with different tombstones lined in a row. In this empty solemn place, two people stood in front of a simple tombstone. The older woman sighed while the younger man gave a solemn look. The woman glanced at her companion and raised a brow.
"Are you sad?" Mairu Kira asked. Though she looked older than before, anyone can see that her stunning looks and body remains.
"More like I'm relieved" the man answered. "We're visiting a grave we should at least look sad right?"
"You can drop that act, we're the only one here"
"You're right" the man's expression changed and a refreshing smile appeared on his face. The two looked back at the tombstone.
"But seriously, that woman, Seven…" Mairu sighed once again and the man chuckled.
"My sister is really wild"
"It's not the time for laughing, Kenji," She scolded the man beside her." She's rash… and because of that… she…"
Both stared at the tombstone in front of them when the woman stopped talking.
"At least everything is back to normal" Kenji smiled and his companion nodded.
"Let's go back" Mairu said and started to walk away. "When is their arrival?"
"In three days" Kenji followed the woman.
"Her death anniversary… Seriously why are we here in Japan three days before them?" the older woman complained and the man beside her laughed.
One last time, he looked back to check the dirty and flowerless tombstone. "Everything did return to normal but someday this peacefulness will be disturbed again. And when that time comes, you'll regret you died" He whispered to the grave. "But then again, a lot of people are glad you're gone…" he said before running after the older woman. Kenji smiled from the bottom of his heart, "…Including me"
They left the gravestone the way it was, dirty and flowerless. And as the years go by, the buried will be forgotten, even the carvings on the stone will vanish: In memory of Yodogiri Jinnai. May you rest in peace.
The life of the people left behind by Seven continued to live 'normally'. Celty and Shinra, despite their huge differences, are still going strong. The bartender would sometimes roll his eyes in disgust just by seeing them. Shizuo continued his work and in his free time, he visits Celty and Shinra. These past years, the doctor kept on bugging the bartender to find a girlfriend but of course he never did. Kasuka, suprsisingly, is still a popular actor. Though the three people who knew him well, found it weird that he would fly to Italy once a month. Their theory: he visits his girlfriend in that country since 7 years ago. But it still piss them off whenever he gives that 'I-know-something-you-don't-know' look. The actor is currently in Italy and his last call is something about going home in three days with a surprise that will shock them to death.
Their lives did went back to the way it was but they never forgot what happened. 3 days to go and her ninth death anniversary will come again. The whole day is already planned out and the activities are the usual things they do for the past 8 years.
"Shizuo, did you ask Kasuka if he'll be present?" Shinra asked the seated man on the couch opposite his beloved Celty. Shizuo raised a brow upon seeing him cuddling a pillow while fixing his bed hair.
"Surgery all night?" Shizuo asked and the doctor nodded. He checked his phone for messages before answering the doctor's question. "Kasuka said he'll be back in three days right? He'll definitely come but maybe late"
He also said something about a surprise, why will he have a surprise exactly on the same day? Celty typed and showed it to Shizuo, Shinra doesn't need to read since he knows how she thinks.
"A surprise will be nice. We can't always be sullen in that day" Shinra smiled and slumped on the couch, beside Celty.
"Shinra's right." Shizuo smiled. They kept quiet, reminiscing their times together with her. As time passes by, their wound start to heal.
The blond bartender was about to leave when he felt his phone vibrate, he checked the caller ID before answering. "Yo Kasuka."
"Put it on speaker." Shinra told the man who did what is asked.
"Are you with the others?" the voice of Kasuka emitted from the phone.
"We're here." The doctor replied.
"...So, the reason I called is to tell all of you to celebrate Sev's death anniversary in Shinra's apartment."
"'Celebrate' is not the word Kasuka…" the three sighed.
"That's that. Bye." And the call ended leaving the three wondering.
Mairu sat on the sofa of Namie's office, drinking coffee while her companion is intently studying the strokes of an illegally obtained painting. The owner of the lab listened to her sponsor and as her story ended, the younger scientist dropped her cup. The sound of breaking made the man turn his head and his violet orbs met Namie's. The man she didn't noticed from the start convinced her to believe Mairu's words. After 8 years, she finally smiled in relief.
3 Days Later
She looked at the poker face sitting with her on the back seat of the car. Their conversation months ago replayed on her head. He convinced her to finally meet the people on her memories but she really doesn't care, finally meeting up with her brother is enough for her.
It's been a year when she woke from her coma, which was caused by the mixture of the virus spreading in her body and the drug to temporarily stop her heart with a side effect of a retrograde amnesia. It was explained that she only maintain her memories of her brother's death and nothing else. In that one year, she will sometimes recall vague memories and the man beside her will always remind the names of the people in her dreams. In her eyes, he is a complete stranger but she felt she knows him for an eternity thus gaining her trust. It is even said by her brother that the poker face always visits her once a month even before she woke up.
"Tell me Kasuka, how did you know I'm not dead?" She asked. The fact was not hidden from her until it slipped from the actor's mouth one time in their conversations.
"Because you've always been a liar." He simply replied.
"So how did you find me?"
"Luck."
It was indeed luck. They were supposed to shoot a scene in the streets of Italy when a violet-eyed man caught his attention. Kasuka straightforwardly approached the surprised man, he expected him to run away but instead, he smiled and showed the way. At first, the female doctor who greeted them was infuriated by the man until she sighed in defeat and let the actor in. Inside, Kasuka found her lying on the bed but unresponsive.
"Nice talking." She commented. He smiled, at least they're talking like in the old times.
The two remained silent until the car stopped in front of a high-class apartment building. Kasuka peeked outside and poked his companion to get her attention.
"What?"
"Last floor. There's only one door." Kasuka said opening her door and signaling for her to go out. "Visit your apartment first. I paid the rent for the past years but the place is untouched so expect a thick covering of dusts."
The woman got out of the car after getting the key from the actor. She looked up to check the last floor, she knew that Kasuka is telling her that she might gain some new memories in visiting her old apartment.
'I decided to remember everything so I might as well check the place out.' She thought.
The actor remained in the car and watched the woman enter the building. A few minutes later, a familiar man in fur jacket also entered the establishment, he smiled. Kasuka heard all about his role from Namie. The female scientist and he had a long discussion three days ago after she learned the truth from Mairu and Kenji. The woman mentioned about how the informant will always visit the apartment and he constructed this scenario for them to meet. His reasons are not fully clear why, but he felt it was the way that's supposed to be.
"Let's go." He ordered the driver. The car soon moved again.
"Do you think she'll remember him when she wasn't able to remember me?" the driver asked.
"But she felt she knows you. There are things the brain forgets that only the heart remembers, keep that in mind, Sazaku Rin."
She entered the room while covering her nose, expecting dusts to attack her. The woman looked around and lowered her hand. The place is spotless.
"It's clean…" She told no one and continued to examine the place until her eyes landed on the vase on the table. Her fingers poked the wilting flower and watch the last petal fall, she did the same with the other six.
The stacks of drawing books in the corner got her attention. She took five and sat on the carpet before starting to scan each like a kid looking through an album. Everything inside are portraits of different people and their names. She recognized every person drawn, either from her memory or her dreams, except one.
She tried her best to remember the smirking man on the paper but with no avail. The drawing was clumsily erased but she can still see the outline and the smile of the man except his full face. In all of her drawings, it is the only one which doesn't have a name.
"The informant." She read the only thing scribbled on the paper below the drawing. She closed the drawing book and was so engrossed with her thoughts that she wasn't able to hear the door open.
Orihara Izaya stopped in his tracks. He opened his mouth but no words came out, for the first time, he was speechless. When a body was presented to show she is dead, he didn't bother to check it, instead he just openly accepted her death. But did he really? Izaya would always ask himself why he would continue leaving flowers in her apartment, but he would always comeback anyway. He asked himself why he would hang around her apartment if he want to relax and to do this, he paid for the rent every month. His actions do baffle him but he never cared.
Izaya didn't even realize that the woman is already staring at him. Her mischievous and dark eyes betrayed her innocent but mature face. Her long hair is tied in a loose braid, her messy hair style is no more. The informant stared back and smirked. Her surprise ended for a second and was replaced by that believable smile she always wore eight years ago.
"Do I know you?"
Izaya raised a brow but his smirk disappeared upon realizing her words are true. "Do you know me?"
"Should I?" She asked, obviously hoping for an explanation. And Izaya noticed it too. She stood up leaving the drawing books on the carpet.
"No." He answered with a straight face.
She raised a brow at him. She knows he's hiding something, instead of asking him further, she asked a different question. "What are you doing here?"
"As the owner of this apartment building, I regularly check on my residents. I am surprised that the owner of this apartment is finally home." He lied.
"Is that so?" Her suspicion about the man didn't change as he walk towards the table to change the flowers. "Do you know me?"
"No."
The two started a staring contest.
"Well, did you?"
"I suppose." He smirked.
The smirk is enough for her to remember the sketch earlier. Seven is now certain she did know the person standing in front of her and her intuition screams that he helped her before.
Do I owe him a favor? It feels like it.
"Then," she started. "Would you like to accompany me to Russian Sushi? Fatty tuna, maybe?"
A gentle smile appeared on Izaya's face.
"I would like that."