Trade Mistakes (Aichi x Kourin)

42: The End of All Things

A/N: I'm really sorry for the last chapter… That's how it was planned all along, from the start I know that I'll do that kind of ending. I know to myself that AiKou fans doesn't want that, so I did the thing that shouldn't be done. I know this sounds dramatic, but I just can't express myself right now. I love you guys, I hope you continue reading this until the end.
=

Chapter 42: The End of All Things

-

The funeral went by fast.

There were people crying, mourning her death.

It was meant to happen, yet they still hoped it wouldn't.

It was supposed to have a happy ending, yet it never happened.

The knight couldn't protect his princess, the hero couldn't call himself as one.

He watched her as she was at the coffin, until she was being buried. He watched.

His tears fell when she left him, denial filled his eyes. Oh how he hoped this would be just another one of his dreams, yet every time he closed his eyes he would realize it was reality.

Aichi kept on crying, when he woke up Kourin was not there with him anymore. He tried countless times to wake her up, yet she wouldn't. He sees her peaceful face, her smile was there.

That was the smile that made him fell for her.

Aichi embraced her, telling her to wake up, pleading her to open her eyes. He just couldn't take it.

When Kourin was put to the coffin, Aichi would continuously look at her, whispering to her. He tried to accept that Kourin is not there anymore.

So when Kourin was buried six feet underground, Aichi muttered a goodbye, and those three words that are dear to him.

"I love you."

When he closed his eyes and smiled, he somehow felt hands on his shoulders. Cold wind passed him, and Aichi looked around. Yet no one was there, everyone was grieving Kourin and Aichi swore to himself he thought someone whispered at him.

'Is that you, Kourin?'
-

Five years has passed since then, Aichi took care of Eiichi, he raised him just as Kourin told him too. He would smile whenever he looked at his son.

Eiichi resembles Kourin's eyes, and somehow when he gets serious, Aichi reminded Eiichi of Kourin. And Aichi can only smile at that.

Things happened during those five years, Kai and Misaki got married, they also adopted more cats. Miwa became the owner of Kai's cafe, and it was going well, Aichi was the manager.
The Tatsunagi family never hesitated to help Aichi, it even went to the point that Takuto would want Aichi to start a business or to make an agreement with the cafe, and Aichi didn't turn down. Takuto also helped Aichi to go to college and once he finished it, Aichi was thankful for Takuto to help him.
-

Aichi was taking care of Eiichi one day, he was watching his son as Eiichi was drawing on his notebook.

Eiichi then spoke, "Father, look at this!" He gave his notebook to Aichi.

Aichi saw that Eiichi had drawn a family picture, it was him, Eiichi, and Kourin. He looked at Eiichi who was smiling at him.

"You know how your mother looks like?" Aichi asked the blue haired boy.

Eiichi snickered, "Yes! Mother is that beautiful lady with yellow hair on the pictures, right? So I drew her with you and me!"

"I see…" Aichi smiled back, then he looked back at the drawing. "Your mother would be so happy seeing this."

Eiichi's smile fell when he saw his father who looked sad. He never knew who his mother was, he saw her on every pictures that they had on their apartment, but he never saw her on person. Eiichi was curious on what his mother was.

"Say, father… Where is mother?"

Aichi's heart dropped, a simple question that a child asked him made him sadder. "I… I don't know if you will understand…"

"I can understand, father. I just want to know where she is, can I see her again?" Eiichi asked.

Aichi looked at Eiichi and gulped, he pats Eiichi's head before he speaks. "Your mother… she's at heaven now. Do you know what heaven is, Eiichi-kun?"

"Yeah, the place where… people who died goes… right?" Eiichi realized what his father meant, and he frowned. "So mother died… how?"

"She had a sickness, and it took her. You were just four months back then, she loved you so much…" Aichi felt like he should cry once again, but he promised himself not to cry in front of his son.

Eiichi looked down, he then went near Aichi and embraced him. He know his father is about to cry, but he never saw him actually did it. He didn't know what to do, so he gave him a hug.

"Thank you, Eiichi-kun…" Aichi said, and Eiichi let go.

"Father... when you talk about mother, you seem very happy and sad at the same time… But… I want to know her. Can you please tell me a story about her?"

Aichi looked up, he somehow felt the cold wind that whispered on him. He smiled.

'Kourin, I think I should tell him about us… shouldn't I?'

"Okay, this will be a long, long story of how your mother and I met. This will be the greatest story I'll ever tell you."

Aichi saw how Eiichi sat beside him and looked very interested, so he cleared his throat and started.

"It started on a fairly, autumn day. On a park just near this place."
-

END