they say that letting go of the past helps you move forward to the future- and that's exactly what kokonoi hajime was doing.

after dropping off the young manager at the prison center, he decided to make one final stop to the past that anchored him down for the last twelve years.

where you may ask? the cemetery of course.

how long has it been since he last visited? a decade or so? ah who knows, all that's in his mind right now is to visit one particular family tombstone that's located at the very back of this depressing place.

he hated going here when he was still a teen- couldn't handle the smell of incense and chrysanthemums that people would leave on the foot of their loved ones' resting place.

but of course, he needed to at least give inui akane a proper goodbye, it's what she deserves to say the least.

the soles of his dress shoes crunched the luscious green grass beneath him, eyes landing on the familiar marble just in the distance. the silver-haired man silently thanked the gods that the place was relatively empty- save for the stray cats that were lurking about, but that's about it.

and as much as he dreaded looking down at her engraved name on that stone, he was finally standing in front of it with his head down in respect.

kokonoi wasn't a very religious man- growing up with only money on his mind never really gave him the headspace to think about anything else, so his 'prayer' was just him being silent for a long minute.

dark eyes solemnly looked at the burned-out incense and dried-out flowers, wincing inwardly to himself- should've at least bought flowers you know?

"yo, akane. it's been a while hasn't it?" he began, a sigh leaving his lips as he sat down on the stone ground beneath him, not caring if his suit was going to get dirt on it or not.

as expected, only the sounds of the fluttering birds above him was his only response. not that he minded of course, he was the one talking to thin air.

if he was the same man that he was back then, his eyes would've welled with tears by now- chanting his usual 'i could've saved you' like a prayer.

the man grew out of it, of course, knowing and accepting that all things happen for a reason- and if the gods planned to take akane from this world at a very young age then so be it. even with mountains of wealth under his name, he wasn't a god to have a say on it.

"sorry i haven't visited in so long, kind of busy with my work and all." he had a solemn smile etched on his features, eyes never meeting the marble stone as he watched the leaves fall from their branches.

"a lot has happened the past few years, and when i saw a lot i mean a shit ton of it."

kokonoi hajime never thought that after a decade of not seeing her, he would've expected himself to be sad- telling her all of the things that had happened with a pain struck heart. but for some reason, all he felt was relief.

"i still like money- obviously. and i'm also now a part of a big shot criminal organization, hooray i guess." god did he feel pathetic talking to no one else but himself, but it's alright.

as long as he says what he's come here to say, then he wouldn't mind talking to thin air for an hour or so.

silence dawned upon him, dark eyes trained at the incense that was letting out its final smoke- a trail of grey fluttering up into the heavens like some sort of offering.

"hey... did you remember the promise that i told you back then? you know... the whole 'i'll marry you when we grow older'?" a chuckle left his lips, eyes closed trying to dull down the pain that he was feeling.

even after how much time passed by him, it still hurts like a god damn bitch.
but you know, it didn't hurt as it did back then- or even a month ago way before he met l/n y/n.

"you told me that you'd wait for me... didn't you?"

to let go is to grow- taking down the chains that keeps you strayed at the bottom of the ocean and swimming to the surface. forgetting about the past and focusing on your future, that's what it means to let go.

"well... i'm here to ask you a question."

"inui akane, will you wait for me a little longer? for another life for us to be together?"

and now kokonoi hajime has let go of the girl that he once fell in love with and swam to the surface where l/n y/n was waiting for him.

his fingers weaved themselves through his silver tresses, a sigh escaping from his lips as a small smile etched itself onto his features- never feeling so relieved in his entire life that he finally had the courage to let go.

"i know that i promised you that you're gonna be the one who i'm marrying in this lifetime but... fate had other plans for us no?"

the sounds of the leaves dancing with the wind serves as his white noise, giving him a calm ambiance that soothed his nerves.

it is painful of course- but that's the best part of growing up. the pain only lasts temporarily, and if he can take a punch or two from his opponents then he can take a little bullet to the heart.

another wave of silence dawned upon him, hands supporting himself as he leaned back to appreciate the warmth of the sun above him- afternoons in tokyo were always the best time of the day for him.

his mind flashed him an image of the young manager, a smile etched on her face with a dandelion in between her ink-stained fingers. he can still weirdly smell the fresh scent of the peaches and dandelions that they visited earlier today.

kokonoi couldn't help but smile to himself with a mix of glee and adoration- completely acting like some love-struck teenager from a movie, g

"you see... there's this woman that i like, and at first she reminded me of you in a very peculiar way but- it was all in my head."

"in reality, i was scared to admit that i was falling for her because i didn't want to end up being heartbroken again... but i couldn't really help it."

right now, he couldn't care whether the birds stop singing or the trees stop dancing- because right now, he's letting down the girl whom he promised a life with for another who his heart was beating for.

"she's an amazing woman. with the softest (h/c) hair and those vibrant (e/c) eyes, i continued to fall for her even deeper than i imagined myself to be."

"her name is l/n y/n- and she's the woman who i want to spend this lifetime with."

kokonoi gave the stone a closed-eyed grin as if to tell akane that he was just fine and happy right now- which he is of course.

a small smile etched itself onto his features, eyes looking down at her engraved name with a look of endearment.

"so if it isn't too much to ask. i'd like for you to wait for me- and in our next life, i promise to marry you."

and just like magic, the silver-haired man felt a gentle gush of wind- hair blowing forward with his eyes slightly widened.

was this inui akane giving him an answer? if so then was it a yes?
the wind was a gentle one, complementing the afternoon sunshine that shone above his head.

kokonoi chuckled knowing that the wind was nothing but a natural phenomenon- but it's couldn't hurt for him to imagine it as her reply.

he stood up, dusting his pants and giving the marble stone one last smile.

"then that settles it."

"see you in our next life, akane."

with a final salute, he began walking out of the place with his hands inside of his pocket just in time that someone called him.

raising a brow, he took it out. the look of confusion on his face was replaced with a softer one- pressing the accept button with a smile on his face.

"y/n? are you done?" he heard her hum in response, chuckling to himself as he took out his car keys and began walking to his car before starting the engine.

"alright then. i'm coming to pick you up."

"can we go eat after?"

kokonoi couldn't stop himself from chuckling at how cute she sounded- softly asking his permission just like that. oh god, he couldn't help but feel his heartbeat erratically inside his chest.

"anything for you."

some people would tell you that letting go of someone that you once loved hurts- and that the pain would never disappear even when you have found some else to hold.

but in kokonoi hajime's case, l/n y/n was the only solution for him to forget about the ungodly amount of pain that he had been through.

and oh, remember when he told us that he would never love again after akane?
well... if it was for the young manager then it wouldn't hurt for him to try again.