Chapter 51 – Naomi’s Solitude and Akagi’s Warmth.

Chapter 51 – Naomi’s Solitude and Akagi’s Warmth. Announcement

Two Chappies!

Naomi never expected that she would feel so hollow after achieving her goal of revenge. When the news broke that the Mitsuhide family had been killed, she couldn't even bring herself to feel joy. She didn't regret asking for Akagi's help, but at the same time, she also couldn't help but feel that it was pointless. Their deaths wouldn't bring back her family, nor would it fill the hole within her heart. When she returned home that night, she cried in Marin's arms, not tears of joy, but tears of sadness and despair.

With the death of the Mitsuhide family, Naomi lost her reason to live and she had never prepared for the future beyond that.

Ending her own life was one option, but she quickly dismissed that, believing that doing would not only hurt those she cared about but, would also rob her of the chance to payback Akagi's kindness. In the intervening weeks, Naomi operated on a kind of auto-pilot. Her staff treated her like normal, but she felt like her mind was slipping. Even her friend Marin was unable to pull her out of this rut. Night after night, she was plagued by nightmares, forced to relive the death of her family. But strangely, whenever she woke from those horrible dreams, she felt a warmness around her. Much like the feeling of her mother wrapping her arms around her when she was a child. At first, she thought she was going insane, but one of the maids told her that perhaps it was a sign that her family still loved her and wanted her to live on.

Then, on the night before the School Cultural Festival, she decided to read the letter Yumi had given her. At first, she wanted to discard it, but one of her maids told her to give it some time and make that decision when her mind was clearer. After giving it some thought, she figured that while she could not forgive that family for what they did, she might as well honor Ryuji's last wish and read what he had to say.

Opening the sealed letter, she read what he had to say.

Spoiler

Hello there, my sweet child,

I don't know if you're reading this, but if you are, please let me start by saying that I am so sorry for what my son and my family did to you.

I will not ask for your forgiveness, as neither I nor my family deserves it. But if you are willing, please hear my story.

Your father was a good friend of mine, and a valued colleague and your grandfather was a fine man and one of my best friends. I'd known Yojaro since we were young men. Our formative years were spent competing with one another, in both love and academics. When the time came for us to part ways and move on to college, we agreed to keep in touch. He was planning to become a businessman and take over the Tokugawa family companies, while I foresaw a life in politics and so I went to law school. Over the years, he and I met frequently, and he would tell me tales of your family history and its glory. Some of the tales he spun, sounded like things out of a fairytale, but he tried to assure me that they were real. During one of our meetings in Tokyo, he asked me for help. He told me that he wanted to rebuild his family's prestige and honor and make the Tokugawa family a proud and strong part of Japan once again. At the time, I thought him foolish, the Tokugawa family had, by that point, been a pariah for nearly two centuries, and there was little I could see in him that could change that. To this day, I regret not agreeing to help him right then and there.

Your grandfather continued to pursue his goal, without my help, and eventually built up a business enterprise over his life. Eventually, your father was given control of the family, and he approached me for help, just like your grandfather did all those years prior. By that point, I was already an old man well past his prime, but my failure to help Yojaro all those years prior led me to agree in hopes of righting my wrong. Your father was a man with even more drive than Yojaro, and he began to acquire real tangible political capital. Even I began to believe that your family would return to its former glory and that one day you would be a powerful and influential young woman. But that was not to be. By the time your father began his rise to power, I'd already given over control of the family to my son Nagumo. I'd thought I'd raised him to be someone with morals, but I was quickly shown just how depraved both he and his sister were. The two ruthlessly crushed anyone who threatened their power, and when they saw your father's breakout into national politics, they decided to take action.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you about how I tried to stop my son or how I pleaded with him not to do something unthinkable. For it does not matter what I did. In the end, my son ignored me, and as a result, your family was killed. When I heard what he did, my heart broke, and I suspect my wife's grief is what caused her to die not many years later.

I am writing this letter as the last surviving member of the Mitsuhide family. The woman you sent to obtain your revenge has done her duty, and I do not blame you or her for what has happened. It may be strange to hear this, but thank you. If my family was allowed it to continue unchecked, I fear they would have caused much more pain and misery. It is a shame that those not involved must suffer because of my children's sins, but I trust the gods to sort everything out on the other side.

Please my child, if nothing else do not let my son's foolishness cause you to give up on your own life and your own future. You have so much to live for and so much to do with the time you have. I know it may seem hard now, but I know that one day you can become the young woman your parents and grandparents always knew you would.

Sincerely,

Ryuji Mitsuhide.

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As she finished the letter, Naomi began to cry. While she could never forgive the family for what it did, reading Ryjui's final words was like reading a letter from her own grandfather. She'd known the man since she was a child and had seen him frequently over the years. She never knew how he felt and assumed that he was part of her parent's death. So when he told her to live on and become someone she could be proud of, her heart melted.

"Pffffff" Naomi busted out laughing.

"What? Is me wanting to help so funny?" Akagi got more embarrassed.

"No, it's not that. It's just I never expected you to care like that. I figured that Yumi and Kana were special exceptions, but it's nice to see your heart is not made of stone." Naomi couldn't stop laughing.

"I'm not heartless." Akagi sighed. "It's just that I'm picky about who I show kindness to is all."

"I see, so was that warm feeling I got when I woke up from those nightmares you too?" Naomi asked. "Because it was really nice."

"I can neither confirm nor deny anything." Akagi gave a cheeky smile.

"Thank you, really for everything." Naomi bowed. "I guess now, I need to figure out what to do in the future."

"Well, for starters, I think you should pull out of the underworld dealings," Akagi commented. "I can handle that stuff on my own now. So you should try and live as normal of a life as possible. There's no need for you to be involved with such things anymore." Akagi wanted to steer her away from the path she'd been on.

"You're probably right." Naomi agreed. "But I still want to repay what you did for me." She walked closer to Akagi and gave her a hug which Akagi returned.

"It really is like when my mom would hug me as a child." Naomi giggled.

"I still say I'm a little too young to be your mom." Akagi chuckled.

{Though you wouldn't be the first person to call me that.} Akagi sighed internally as she thought of a certain little girl.

"But I don't mind being there for you if you need it kid. We all need someone to rely on. Nobody can truly be alone forever." She thought back to all the time she spent with Yumi and the others. She might have put out a loner façade, but she was never truly alone. "And you don't need to worry about repaying me. I mean, what else are moms for." Akagi said sarcastically, which caused Naomi to giggle more.

"Well then, mom." Naomi looked at her. "Can I ask you to stay with me until I fall asleep tonight? I think the nightmares are over, but I would feel better with you here." Akagi thought her request was amusing but decided to honor it.

"Sure kid." She smiled. "When you fall asleep tonight, I'll be right here."

That night, Naomi slept better than she had in years. Akagi's presence was like a warm blanket that soothed her battered heart.

Spoiler

Naomi reading the Letter!

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