Keep Fighting

𓊈卍 𝟖𝟒 卍𓊉

"I do. I need you... To salvage what we have left of our family."

Nakano's sudden revelation shocks everyone into silence. Do their ears deceive them? Or does she mean that...

"Are you... Are you saying that you and Izana are..." Takemichi trails off, just as aghast as everyone else.

"Siblings. We're half-siblings, Izana. I am your little sister, and you are my big brother." Nakano's voice carries over towards Izana, reaching him with gentle impact. "After years of being apart, we've finally been reunited."

"How do I know you're not just saying this to get in my head," Izana asks out of suspicion. Out of denial.

Out of fear.

"I learned only recently that my mother, a Filipino woman, was with another man before she met my father. That man had a wife in Japan and was later murdered. Does that sound familiar?"

Izana stiffens. That follows the story he told Nakano on the rooftop. His life story links to hers so precisely. So terrifyingly accurate that there's a strong possibility of this being true. He can't deny it, but he won't so easily admit it either.

"Don't fuck around!" Izana tries to let out a furious yell, but it trembles as if a sob is stuck in his throat. "It could have been any man!! That could have been any woman!! You don't know that for sure!!"

"I thought it was just a coincidence too. Before I truly got to know you, that is."

Nakano slowly starts approaching Izana as her body is drawn to him. It's like a part of a broken puzzle is desperately trying to link onto what it has left of the beautiful portrait it could've been a part of.

"I felt like I was walking closer to a home I didn't know I left. Now, I'm standing at the door, waiting to be let in. You've been standing at that door too, Izana, but no one was there to open it. So you locked it up, built your own fortress, and shut yourself in. It was like Shinichiro-san was only visiting you on the other side of a barred window. You almost let him in, and you would have if he hadn't mentioned Manjiro. Is that right?"

Izana tenses. He refuses to admit it. He refuses to have his walls broken down. But with every word she speaks, with every truth she reveals, Nakano is chipping away at his impenetrable iron walls and shining light inside through the small holes she created.

"Shinichiro-san wasn't your older brother by blood, but he treated you like his little brother. He taught you things you use in your life now. It may not have been much, but in a way, he raised you. But the cruelty you experienced twisted you to make use of those lessons in an evil way. As for me, my blood-related father tortured me for the sake of his entertainment. Just like you, the only person who truly cared for me was someone I didn't share the same blood with. I cherished every moment I spent with him, and I loved him as if he were my grandfather. He too has taught me how to fight to protect myself. But I used that lesson to justify killing others if I thought they deserved it. I never cared to consider what made them this way. I thought death was the only way to fix anything."

Nakano takes in a shaky breath, taking a moment to regain her composure. She looks at Izana, and deep into his orchid eyes. He says nothing, which allows her to continue in hopes that he's listening to her.

"But something I neglected to do, was to ask for help. All the chances I had, I stayed silent and tried to fight all on my own. I still believe that if I had told my grandfather, he would've been still alive, and we could've been living together. Had you reached out to Shinichiro-san, you would've had a family of your own. You could've been truly happy. But we've made the mistake of staying silent, condemning ourselves to suffer alone. Drowning ourselves in our darkness, refusing to let any light through. But I was fortunate enough to be given a second chance."