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═══ A CHANGE IN WIND ═══

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WITH A COUPLE HOURS TO SPARE, Akiko had decided to be spontaneous and went to visit Chifuyu. On her way over to his apartment complex her phone rang with a call from Seina.

"I'm sorry for leaving right after the funeral. But the best way for me to deal with grief is to jump straight into work and trust me, I have a lot of it."

Akiko nodded to herself, glad that Seina couldn't see the gloomy expression on her face. "It's alright. As long as you're going to be okay. Just know you can call whenever you need someone to talk. We have many years to make up for, after all."

"That we do. Well, I have to go. My pager is going crazy. I'll call you back some time this week."

Though the conversation was short, Akiko felt her heart mending a little. To know that she was finally making amends with her family was a great relief. No pressure, no insanely high expectations, no threats. Their bond was finally healing.

Chaos had set them free. Pressure had made them resilient. Hope, determination and a strong will had made them warriors who fought until the bitter end.

And even though Akiko was still at the beginning of her life, she chose to believe in Itachi's words that there was a bright future ahead of her.

Because after a storm, there was sunshine and a rainbow.

Her heart was still pounding with nerves and excitement when Akiko knocked on the front door of the Matsuno apartment. Chewing on her lip, she anticipated whomever would open the door. She had yet to face Mrs. Matsuno after the incident with Kurayami and Ken, and she wasn't sure what to expect. Pessimism and anxiety usually made her expect the worst.

Which was why she was pleasantly surprised to be embraced tightly when Mrs. Matsuno opened the door. The woman wasted no time in throwing her arms around Akiko's petite frame and pulling her against her chest.

"My dear, I'm so happy to see you," exclaimed Mrs. Matsuno. "Chifuyu told me what happened. My condolences. You poor thing, no one should have to go through that."

"Oh, uhm, it's fine. It's over now," Akiko responded awkwardly.

Chifuyu appeared behind his mother, grinning sheepishly. He had already slipped on a jacket and a pair of shoes, ready to head out. It seemed he had prepared to visit Akiko.

"Well, be sure to come over as often as you want," said Mrs. Matsuno pulling away, and she caressed Akiko's cheek, straightened her shirt and smiled warmly, just like a mother would.

"I will," promised Akiko and bowed quickly. "Thank you, obasan."

"Off you go," she shooed them outside and shut the door.

A giggle escaped Akiko's lips when she took notice of the rosy tint on Chifuyu's cheeks. Quickly, to cover up his embarrassment, he draped an arm over her shoulders and guided her down the stairs. For a moment, Akiko leaned her head against his shoulder with closed eyes, enjoying his presence without the constant fear lurking in the back of her mind.

"How does it feel to be back home?"

Strolling down the sidewalk, they took a familiar route heading for the park.

"Strange. Growing up in that house wasn't easy but I've emotionally detached myself from it over the past year, now I feel like a stranger in my own home."

He kissed her lightly on the temple. "You know you're always welcome to stay over. You heard my mum. She even said you would make the perfect daughter-in-law."

Blood rushed to her cheeks, tinting them in a pale shade of pink. "We'll move out anyways. Mum is currently on the hunt for a full-time job, but we won't be able to afford the house anymore. It won't matter anymore if I feel at home or not. The house will be gone from my life for good."

They entered the park. It was the afternoon, schools were over and kids were enjoying the last warmth before autumn came around and the days would be felt with a coldness, wind and rain. Akiko remembered the almost-kiss they had shared, the thought deepening her blush.

On a more positive note, she said, "I'm ready to make new memories in a new home. A fresh start. A new chapter in my life."

"It's what you wanted this whole time," Chifuyu pointed out and gave a closed-eyed smile. "And I'll be there with you every step of the way!"

Akiko giggled and pinched his cheek. "My knight in shining armor."

He groaned and lowered his head. "Can we please forget that I ever said that?"

With a broad smile, Akiko shook her head and kissed his cheek. "Never. Because it was you who said it. Yes, it was silly but you meant well with it and wanted to protect me. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Again, Chifuyu groaned, this time out of frustration. "Why do you have such a way with words? I'm the one who reads romance mangas! I should be the one flattering you, not the other way around!"

At this, Akiko gave a hearty laugh. "Don't worry. There's no need to become a perfect boyfriend overnight. There's no need to change at all. Just be who you are."

Lifting his head to meet her eyes, Chifuyu grinned smugly. "Boyfriend, huh?"

Now, Akiko groaned and hit his arm, looking off to the side. "You know what I mean."

She was jerked back slightly when Chifuyu stopped walking, and in a matter of seconds she found herself in his arms, hands flat on his chest as his arms circled around her waist. His face was completely serious.

"Is that what you want me to be?" he asked. "Your boyfriend?"

Heart thumping furiously in her chest, Akiko kept her eyes fixed on his chest, suddenly overcome with nerves. "Y-yes, but only if you want to be!"

"I would be a baka if I said no."

"You are a baka, Chifuyu."

"Don't ruin the moment!"

"Gomen! But it's the truth. You're a baka, but you're a cute baka and now I get to call you my baka."

"Out of all the things you could have called me, you chose baka," he sighed in defeat, shaking his head.

A sly grin made its way onto her face as she teased him, "Would you prefer it if I called you my knight in front of Baji and the others?"

He paled and shook his head furiously. "Please, no! I would never hear the end of it!"

Cupping his cheeks with her hands, Akiko locked eyes with him and smiled lovingly. "Guess I'll just have to call you mine."

'Damn. That was smooth,' he thought.

It was this one line that showed Chifuyu how much Akiko had changed throughout the past month. She was more willing to come out of her shell, open up to people and share her feelings with them. She was no longer afraid of being herself. She had gained a little more confidence and seemed more relaxed. But most important of all, she was still Akiko.

Without warning, he leaned in for a kiss, pulling her a little closer. Both hearts fluttered joyfully.

"Now that you're my girlfriend," Chifuyu trailed off quietly, "would you do me a favor?"

"After everything you've done for me, I owe you about a hundred favors. What is it?" Akiko asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Can you tutor Baji? He failed another test. I would help him but you have a much better understanding of the course material than I do."

Akiko grinned. "Baji is my friend. Of course I'll help him."

Sighing in relief, Chifuyu hugged her, apparently grateful to leave Baji in Akiko's care. "Thank you! You have no idea how hard it can be to tutor Baji."

"Are you sure you're not just lacking as a tutor?" she teased him.

His mouth hung open, perplexed. "You're supposed to support me, not bully me!'

She laughed in response. "It's called teasing. Now, come on, let's get some ice cream. My treat."

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──── ˚✩ ༘*ೄ˚ ────

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SUNSETS WERE A BEAUTIFUL END to a beautiful day, as though the sun used its last rays to promise its return, a bright day ahead. After parting ways with Chifuyu, Akiko had taken the route to the Sano house, a place she had come to love and call a home. Lips grazed with a joyous smile, the brunette walked with a light skip in her step, humming mindlessly to a random tune stuck in her head.

Dreamy.

Something she could never truly be before.

Now, she fully dived into all the dreams and aspirations knocking on her mind's door, barging in recklessly and filling her head with beautiful dreams of the future. More than one of those dreams revolved around Chifuyu, a pink hue tinting her cheeks and making her heart flutter, while other dreams depicted visions of a future career. Settling on a career path was difficult, and Akiko was still young with plenty of time to decide on a profession, but she couldn't help feeling excited at all the opportunities she would have, all the choices she could make, instead of being forced to walk down a path that she could never picture herself taking.

"I gotta say, your smile is the prettiest I've seen in a long time, dollface."

Abruptly stopping in her tracks, Akiko spun around to see Hanma leaning against the building she had just passed by, too lost in thought to notice his presence. The mere sight of Hanma made her stomach turn upside down — until she remembered he no longer worked for Pandemonium now that they were being investigated and the executives had disappeared.

Fists clenched tightly, her whole body tensed as she craned her neck to meet golden eyes. A smirk seemed to be ever-present on his face. He lifted his arms, the 'Sin' and 'Punishment' tattoos on the back of his hands contrasted his skin, and he locked his hands behind his neck as he casually leaned against the wall.

"Leave me alone," hissed Akiko, swiftly faced the other way and stomped down the sidewalk.

She should have known that Hanma would be more persistent than that. Instead of taking the hint, he simply chose to ignore it and walked alongside her until she sighed and stopped again, not wanting Hanma to follow her all the way to the Sano house.

"What do you want?" She spat out the question, venom dripping from her tongue, and fixed the tall brunette with a glare.

He chuckled deeply. "Ah, you got me there. Well, there ain't much that I want. It gets boring when there's no business. Thought you might know where there's any trouble."

"Why?" Akiko scoffed. "Just because I'm a Hoshino? Or is it because I'm related to the Sanos? Whatever it is, I'm not interested."

The smirk on Hanma's face turned into a wide grin as his eyes lit up. "Look at you, all feisty and defensive! I like it."

"Good for you," Akiko responded monotonously and proceeded to start moving again. "Now, if you would excuse me, I'm busy."

An arm stretched out in front of Akiko, stopping her once again. She sighed loudly, crossed her arms and shot Hanma an annoyed look.

"What now?"

"It's not the name that's got me interested in you, dollface," Hanma retorted and leaned closer to where his lips hovered next to her ear. "At least, not anymore. You intruige me. I want to know more about you. You're bubbling with potential and I'm interested to see where you go in life."

Akiko quirked an eyebrow. "Potential? For what?"

"Only time will tell, little angel. Just know that I'm not done with you yet."

With that, Hanma backed off, smiled at Akiko one last time and was on his way again. While she stood frozen in place, processing his words, Hanma came racing out of an alleyway on his leopard print motorbike and drove into the sunset.

Whereas before, Akiko had dreamed of a future where she was mostly carefree, she now worried what kind of trouble Hanma would be causing her.