The response came quickly, as he had suspected and hoped it would.

Madam Rossa appeared resplendent in a scarlet dress and matching fur cardigan, perfect from the tight curls of her hair to the shine of her high heels. She was haughty, glamorous and restrained.

"Yuki. I heard you had inherited this place. It is proof of what a good whore you were that you could somehow weasel your way into Akito's will." Her anger was barely contained under her spiteful words.

"A pleasure to see you too, Madam" Yuki answered suavely.

He had had his doubts about whether she would come, after their last encounter. But if there was someone who couldn't resist a deal it was Madam Rossa.

"I don't have the time to spend on angry words, though I am sure you have many for me. I called you here for business." Not for the first time Yuki realised he sounded just like Akito.

Madam Rossa pursed her lips but didn't say anything. She was annoyed and indignant, but interested.

"I am currently in possession of 6.5% of the Sohma Company. You have 2.3%. If you were to combine those shares you would have more then your husband. More than any other individual shareholder. You would have the majority."

Madam Rossa was staring intently at him, hungrily. Yuki almost smiled.

"I want to sell my 6.5%. I want to sell it for a good price. The best price. I will be speaking to other potential buyers also. But I have called you here first Madam, because of our history, because I know you to be an ambitious business woman, and because I need a good lawyer to verify some transactions discretely. And you have such a lawyer."

She could barely contain her excitement. It betrayed itself in the rising flush in her powdered cheeks.

"So, do I have your attention? Or shall I ask my staff to arrange a meeting with your dear husband?"

Yuki's head swam. There was a pounding behind his eyelids with the focus of maintaining this conversation. He was so tired. But he hadn't began choking yet and betrayed how desperate he was, so this meeting was going well. Madam Rossa licked her painted lips nervously.

"You have my attention" she breathed.

"Excellent Madam, let us discuss numbers then."

.

Yuki lay sprawled on Akito's bed. It had been almost a month but he still considered it to be Akito's bed. He still considered everything to be Akito's. Did he... still consider himself to be Akito's? Maybe...

But he was making progress. In the few hours of each day he had enough strength he would meet with Akito's old business partners and sometimes with representatives of the Sohma family. With each day they became more desirous of buying the Estate and the shares from him. No-one had said it aloud yet but through implication several had intimated that they wished to continue with the secret brothel. Yuki did not meet with those again.

For a few hours each day he was charming and well-presented. He would laugh and talk and discuss business. He was playing a game with all these people, playing them against each other and against the clock.

Then he would stagger to Akito's quarters and collapse, exhausted. His fingertips were always numb now and a disturbing tremor had begun to chase its way up his hands and arms. He could barely sleep because he would suddenly have difficulty breathing.

But then one day Madam Rossa's lawyer sent him the confirmation. It was done.

Those lines of code had been removed from Yuki's ownership. They had been removed from any ownership. They had ceased to exist within any system. Because they were not lines of code anymore. They were people.

It was amazing what money and secrecy could do. What a rotten world.

And with this condition Yuki sold his shares of the Estate to Madam Rossa, for a considerable price. And through her lawyer the money was split into thirteen new bank accounts.

Yuki met Madam Rossa and her lawyer to sign the shares away. Her lawyer was a silent, intimidating man, but he had done everything Yuki asked and Yuki appreciated his efficiency and discretion. Many, many papers were signed. There was much documentation of the transfer of shares. More than there ever had been for the transfer of people.

When the meeting was over Yuki shook hands first with the lawyer, then with Madam Rossa. She reached to cup his face in a delicate hand, as she had done many times before, as she had done for years. He took an abrupt step back.

"Don't do that. Do not touch me."

She looked slightly perturbed but nodded shortly and lowered her hand. They left, and that was the last time Yuki saw them.

He looked at the paperwork scattered around him on the desk. He dropped the pages concerning the Company into a drawer. Then he gathered a bundle of envelopes together on the desk. Eleven contained a simple letter, a declaration of the termination of a contract of ownership. They bore a stamp and the signatures of Madam Rossa and her lawyer; Yuki had wanted to remain un-involved. Kyo's was slightly different. As he had already been granted his freedom by Akito this was mere confirmation of his continued freedom and the non-interference of the Sohma Estate, Company and Family in his life. All also contained details of a new bank account in their name, with a share of the money from the sold 6.5%. He had seriously considered excluding Shigure from the share but something made him relent in the end; Shigure had been screwed over by this world too.

There was a gentle knock on the office door and the head of staff entered, as Yuki had requested.

"These are named" he began, indicating the envelopes, "Distribute them please. These," he indicated to five of the envelopes, "need to be posted as they do not live at the Estate. The 'workers' will be freed and may leave the Estate as soon as they please."

The woman's eyes grew large under her dark fringe but she didn't question him.

"They may take as long as they wish to leave the Estate. They might want to set things up first. Give this to those who are leaving the Estate." He handed her a bundle of freshly-printed sheets which contained lists of local hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. "I think they'll want to leave soon, but offer them any food from the Estate they want to take, and any other possessions."

There was a final letter on the desk, which Yuki hadn't realised he'd been holding. "Oh, please send this also." The woman took it and nodded. It was addressed to Tohru Honda and contained details of her new bank account also.

"And... I don't know how it works but can you dismiss most of the staff too?" The woman looked like she was about to say something but Yuki continued, "I've paid them for a years work already but I don't need them all here in this big empty Estate. They can get another job or do whatever the hell they want. I just need... a couple people to make food and you I guess. But don't worry, I won't keep you here for long" he said ruefully.

"And... please don't let the others come here. After you give them the letters. Ask the guards to keep them away. I'm sorry that's a lot... Thank you."

The woman did a remarkable job of almost hiding her surprise as she nodded and left him.

And Yuki looked down at the plush leather chair, at the cufflinks glinting in the light, at the glass of iced water on the desk. And he realised who he had become. And he laughed and laughed. He laughed so hard it hurt his chest. Until he had run out of air and his head was swimming. Then abruptly he stopped. And looking at him know you would never have known this man could be capable of laughter, that a smile could have grown from the barren, impassive stretch of his mouth.

.

He watched them leaving. Saw as they cautiously made their way to the gate of the Estate from the French windows of Akito's bedroom. They all left that evening, even Ritsu. He looked nervous but Kagura walked patiently beside him. He saw Haru and Momiji reach the gate first, seemingly nervous and excited. Both clutched several plastic bags of items. Yuki spotted a playstation controller snaking its way out of the bag Haru carried and he wanted so desperately to talk to his old friend. To laugh with him and tease him and just... to get comfort from him.

Haru and Momiji had tried to see him after they got their letters but as instructed the guards had stopped them. Yuki had almost faltered and let them in, he was so desperate to see them again. But he didn't. He stayed inside and ignored their shouting. He wondered if he should have seen them... but it was better if they just left. If they got out now and didn't know the truth.

Because Haru didn't know. None of them knew. They thought he had abandoned them and been Akito's partner until the end. And he couldn't blame them. He had done some awful things. No... he was awful. And it was better they got out now, left forever. He would waste away here and he wanted them to forget him.

A life like his didn't deserve to be remembered. And they deserved to be free of the darkness of this world.

The head of staff did indeed dismiss the majority of the staff, leaving herself, a chef, a girl for serving and cleaning and a bodyguard. Then the Estate felt very empty. Awfully, achingly empty. Like Yuki's chest.

He lay in bed most of the day and night now.

They brought him food and he made a half-hearted attempt to eat it. More than once he had wanted a beautiful tall vodka, but had always managed to ignore this craving.

Every day more offers came in for the Estate. The family wanted to procure it before the public or the Company shareholders realised it was in the possession of boy whore.

Yuki waited and waited.

The head of staff was bold enough to voice her concern for his health. Yuki couldn't help but laugh bitterly. When she insisted on phoning for a doctor Yuki commanded her not to. She didn't mention his health again after that but he saw the concern in her expression. People were so transparent.

Yuki felt himself growing more bitter and more sad as the days passed.

He could hardly sleep or eat now and his pain morphed itself into anger. He knew he deserved the guilt which coiled around his heart but he didn't think he deserved the memories which haunted his dreams. His life had been dark and cruel before he had a choice in the matter.

Finally he called Mrs Jones back.

He had received a substantial offer from the representative of a relative of Akito's for the Estate.

When she was shown into the bedroom and saw him propped up in bed she stopped short. He smiled wanly and a bit mockingly up at her. She was parading another suit, navy this time.

When he told her he had decided to sell the Estate she seemed satisfied.

He told her to sell it to the relative and sort out all the paperwork.

"Once you've taken your cut or whatever, split the remainder of the money into these accounts."

He passed her the details of the accounts of the others and Tohru. She consulted the list and looked back at him.

"But... what about you?"

This time his smile was tinged with bitterness. "Oh I don't think a holiday to the Bahamas is really on the cards for me."

He dismissed her and settled back against the pillows.

Once he was alone again his expression turned a little sad.

.

At the same time the days seemed longer but also to slip by like sand in cupped hands.

All the business had been taken care of. The shares. The Estate. And the others.

They were free and he had made sure they had money.

His last effort was almost over. But it had been so worth it.

One morning on impulse he made his way out to the gardens. Padding automatically to the bench he sank down. The birds were chirping lightly in the trees. Around him the flowers were blooming brightly. At the edge of the flowerbed was a spread of a beautiful blue, delicate plant, with tiny flowers. Yuki took in their beauty and it gave him a moment's comfort, as they had for years before. The orange tea roses weren't in bloom at this time and Yuki was almost grateful he didn't have to face them.

It was almost beautiful, somehow reassuring... the rhythmical patterns of the flowers' lives. Changing always. Growth and death and re-birth. He would be gone soon. Vanished completely. But there would be nothing beautiful about that.

Yuki was suddenly struck by a pang. He thought he had wanted to be forgotten. To not exist and to never have existed. But... he didn't want that. He knew he should want that... but he was selfish. Or maybe he was just human.

Disappearing completely. Forever. At twenty-one. It was... difficult to accept.

If someone remembered him, thought of him once in a while. Knew a little of his life and what he had felt and the things he had done... then he would have existed. If not he really would disappear the moment he closed his eyes.

Yuki's head sank forwards into his hands and a single tear ran down his cheek before dropping off his chin onto the grass below.

Yuki made his way slowly inside. That was the last time he was in the garden.

.

Yuki had no energy to leave bed now. The head of staff tried once more to call a doctor but he insisted she didn't and she had to agree that it would hardly do any good at this stage.

Yuki's breathing became laboured and painful and he hardly talked now. Instead he wrote.

When he first picked up the paper and pen he doubted himself, as he always did. But he strained his memory and remembered how to write. He remembered Tohru teaching him the alphabet then simple words, short sentences... she had been so kind, and had given so much time and patience... and... love. And how had he returned it? By shattering her into pieces.

She was the first person he wrote to.

He didn't know what to say. There was so much. And it was slow and tiring to form the words.

He wanted to say thank you for meeting me, finding me, digging me up from the debris of broken pieces...

He wanted to say when you came into my life it was like seeing the moon from the bottom of a well...

But he didn't know how to say this.

So in the end he said only: I'm sorry. Thank you for letting me count your freckles.

She was the one he wanted to say the most to but that was all he could manage. But it felt like enough. It felt like everything. To the others he managed a little more.

To Haru he thanked for being a true friend and apologised for hurting him.

To Hiro he apologised that he had been hurt and humiliated because of him.

To Momiji he apologised for betraying him by increasing his working hours.

To Ayame he apologised for always dismissing him and for betraying him to the clients.

He begged all of them to forgive him, wished them all happiness in their lives and gave them his love.

This would make him feel so much better. It would be some form of closure. It would be so peaceful... But it would be reminding all these people of his unworthy existence. And he knew that was selfish. If they could forgive him it would be so good for him, but they shouldn't have to know him, to remember him.

He called in the head of staff and instructed her to destroy them.

He would not drag them back into this darkness.

.

The head of staff took the bundle of letters Yuki handed to her. She watched as he turned over in bed, trembling and muttering "Don't deserve... to be remembered..."

He was pale and clammy and thinner than ever. His eyes shone brightly in his wan face. She took the letters and left the room. They were written in large clumsy handwriting and she could see the effort they had taken him.

She was a professional woman. She had begun working for the Sohma family as a young girl, a shy serving girl. She had worked diligently for many years and had now held the proud position of 'head of staff' for many years. There were many secrets in this family and the walls of this Estate practically breathed secrets and lies. She had followed every order she was given, never overstepped her position, been an invisible but always present force within the house. But now... she faltered.

She held the bundle of letters in her hands, turning them over.

She had known Yuki for many years. She had witnessed his horrible life from afar. She had remained detached. She was always detached; you had to be in such an environment. And now... everything was changing. Akito was dead... Yuki was running the Estate... and he was quite clearly dying. All the others, the staff and clients were gone. With Yuki's death her time here may finally be over.

And the boy, this poor boy... he didn't think he deserved to be remembered. He didn't want to reach out to his loved ones... or he didn't feel that he was good enough to.

She was always detached... but she felt somehow involved in this.

Yuki was wasting away. And she knew what he wanted her to do, and why he wanted that... but she couldn't do that.

For the first time in over thirty years, she disobeyed an order. She stamped the letters and sent them quickly before she could change her mind.

She was usually so sure of herself, and she couldn't exactly say what had made her act so out of character... only... she knew...

Yuki deserved to be remembered.

.

Yuki could not or would not eat.

The serving girl came to him that afternoon.

"Can I get you anything to eat master?" She almost whispered.

"Don't- don't call me that. Ever" Yuki breathed. "Just orange juice. In a wine glass."

He was overwhelmed by a fit of coughing and the girl left to get his juice.

From that point onward all he would take was orange juice in a wine glass.

But the head of staff noted that he seemed happy with this. He was removed from himself, as though he was dreaming. He would sip the juice and a tender smile adorned his skeletal face. Gazing out of the window with his head tilted slightly, seeing the plants and the sky, but not really seeing them. She wanted to do something, to help, but she felt that whatever feelings or memories he was managing to rely on were giving him some sense of peace and she understood better than to interrupt this.

Yuki moved himself painstakingly from the large, elaborate bed to the armchair by the window.

Only when he struggled to breathe would his gaze from the garden become broken.

He sat by the window, sipping orange juice, as his lungs laboriously struggled.

He could no longer speak but he wrote sometimes.

The head of staff thought of the letters she had sent and prayed they would be quick enough.

.

In the armchair where he had spent so much time of his short life, Yuki finally closed his eyes on the garden.

He had been gazing out in relaxed contemplation. There was a physical pain in his chest but his in his mind everything was oddly softened.

The colours were beautiful, merging into one another. He thought of how it would be out there, to feel and smell and hear all of that... And he noticed again the spread of periwinkle blue flowers, and he thought how beautiful they were... and how... in another life... he would gather them up and offer them to a girl with freckles... every day of their life together... and when she smiled... he would finally be home...

And when Yuki closed his eyes with a last stuttered breath, he was finally free.

...

When the head of staff entered the room that afternoon and saw him she was almost relieved.

He just looked so peaceful.

He had discarded the rich velvet coverings of the bed and chosen a simple cotton blanket. It was wrapped loosely around his gaunt frame. His head has fallen sideways against the armrest of the chair, his face directed towards the window. The weak sunlight illuminated the pale skin of his once beautiful face. By the side of the chair was a wine glass, half-filled with orange juice.

He had been suffering so greatly that it was almost a mercy for him now. And he looked so peaceful and so beautiful now.

But she was also suddenly and desperately sad that the letters had not reached their recipients in time. Or maybe they had and no-one cared. Either way she felt a poignant injustice for this young man... for this boy.

.

They came the next day. Too late.

All who had recently left the Estate went to the same small hotel as they were unsure what to do now they were out and staying together was definitely preferable to being alone. When Haru, Momiji and Hiro received letters they knew something was wrong. They discussed with the others and began piecing everything together.

In half-desperation Haru went to Ayame's house. He had also received a letter and phoned Shigure and Hatori. When he heard that the others were all free and Haru shared his theory his face became ashen. His usual jovial manner had deserted him. In a sort of hopeless despair he told Haru Tohru's address and they went together.

Kyo answered the door and they could tell from his grave expression that something had happened. Presently they discovered Tohru too had received a letter.

"Look, I don't know what's going on," Haru began urgently, "but we were all freed after Akito's death and then Yuki stayed on there as the owner. And now suddenly this- he's writing saying he's sorry and that I'm his best friend and saying how important I was to him- what's that meant to mean?" He didn't wait for an answer but went on, "Look I think we've got to go back. I'll go back anyway, if no-one else will."

Returning to the Estate was a difficult thing to consider but Haru knew he must do it.

He wasn't sure what he expected but when they all agreed they had to go back immediately he was surprised and touched. They left straight away, the four of them walking quickly.

"I went back before," Kyo said, "and Yuki didn't seem bad. He had something in mind... something about why he was in a relationship with Akito... I think- I think we're all thinking the same thing here- that Yuki was the one who freed us? And then what? He stayed there? Why would he do that?"

No-one answered but they all hurried quicker.

Tohru glanced nervously at Kyo. She hadn't known he'd seen Yuki when he returned to the Estate; he was always so secretive about what happened that night. Now she hurried with the rest of them.

Thank you for letting me count your freckles...

What did that mean? It sounded like... Tohru felt a sharp, desperate pain somewhere deep within. Yuki had hurt her. Really hurt her. She had trusted him completely and he had chosen to return to Akito. She had thought she wasn't good enough...

Whatever the reasons behind his leaving, she had been hurt badly. But she had recovered... she was recovering. She had her grandfather. And then Kyo appeared. He was so full of bravado and anger that it was difficult to see how much he was hurting. But Tohru saw. And they helped each other.

Now she only prayed Yuki was alright.

.

The head of staff shook her head reluctantly.

"I'm... so, so sorry. I'd hoped... the letters. I hoped they would reach you in time." She tried to clear the lump in her throat.

The four young people who stood before her were pale with fear but exertion and emotion had coloured their cheeks patchily. She knew them, all of them, had watched silently as they were used, manipulated, hurt... and now she dreaded to say the words. For despite their youthful appearance there was something incredibly, tangibly breakable about these people. And she knew they had done that to them. She cleared her throat in the moment of silence.

"Yuki died yesterday... It was peaceful. And he'd been suffering for a long time... he's going to be buried this afternoon."

Tohru felt very light, as though all the weight had been suddenly removed from her. As though completely detached from the Earth she imagined herself scattering through the air like ash, too weak to resist the buffets of the wind.

As though through a fog she looked to the others. Kyo was running a hand through his hair and she saw that tears had appeared in his eyes. Haru was moving , restless, contorting his face and shaking his head as though he could somehow change this by denying it. Ayame stood stoic. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes empty and eternal. She saw him stagger against the wall without seeming to realise it.

Thank you for letting me count your freckles...

Tohru thought of the long evenings when they had lain together, Yuki counting her freckles over and over, insisting they were almost magical... She couldn't stop the tears which trailed down her cheeks.

Oh Yuki, what happened? What did you do?

.

The others all appeared for the burial. Thirteen of them stood around the small grave. It was in the back corner of the Estate, in a slightly wooded area where several members of the Sohma family were buried. Yuki was buried not far from Akito's elaborate gravestone.

"Couldn't we bury him away from here? I'm sure... why would he want to stay here?" Kagura asked, her voice hitching slightly.

Hatori reminded her that Yuki didn't technically exist, so burying him in the public cemetery would be complicated. She nodded but didn't seem satisfied. None of them were.

Yuki had spent so much time dreaming about leaving the Estate, and now he would rest here forever.

The burial was a quiet, subdued affair. The new owner of the Estate was moving his staff in the following day to make preparations for him, and he wanted this matter handled quickly and discretely before he arrived.

Ayame, Haru, Kyo and Momiji carried the simple wooden coffin out of the house and across the damp grass. Yuki's body was tiny, dwarfed even by this slender coffin. He had been dressed casually, in the loose clothes he always preferred to the smart attire worn for meeting clients.

Tohru, who had been drawn to a delicate blue flower in the nearby gardens now placed a small bunch into the coffin, resting delicately on his tiny chest. She caught Haru's eye and he nodded; they knew how important the garden had been to Yuki. As she stepped shakily back to the others, Tohru gratefully felt Kyo take her hand on one side. She took Momiji's on the other.

The coffin was closed and slowly lowered into the ground.

Ayame was crying now, silently yet somehow devastatingly. Standing between Shigure and Hatori they both supported his trembling, shuddering body. Haru was vocal in his grief, sobbing and shifting and cursing in response to the pain he felt. Momiji beside him, who was crying quietly and gently, comforted his friend. Kyo's lips were pressed tightly together but tears still escaped his overflowing eyes. Tohru looked around, taking deep breaths. Some like Isuzu and Kagura stood further back, but all were moved. There was a profound sense of grief and of loss. For someone so young but also... someone so good.

.

They stayed at the Estate late that night, sitting out on the porch, wrapped in blankets and passing hot tea and bottles of wine round.

All the other staff had been dismissed so only the head remained to see this strange and touching scene.

As morning approached Haru wandered over to the grave. There was only a small, unmarked grave stone. They couldn't really write who he was... who he had been... on the grave stone. Yuki's whole life was a secret. But they would know. All thirteen of them knew.

Haru poured himself a mug of wine. "Ahh... it might be in bad taste... but I know you'd appreciate it. I'ma have a drink for you." He raised the mug to the grave and drank deeply. "Ahh..." He reached and gripped the top of the smooth stone. "I'll miss you Yuki. I already do. I'm sorry..."

They left the Estate that morning, but they stayed together. They helped each other. They needed each other.

Seven of them had just left the Estate and had barely had lives before they moved there. Kyo had experienced the transition, as had the older ones, so they tried to help. The group of seven bought a flat, finding the concept of having so much money staggering. They could easily have bought seven flats, but really they only wanted one. They wanted to be together. They were used to company and not much space, and to be suddenly alone would be difficult.

It wasn't just practical considerations and adjustments; they also needed support. They needed to talk about what had happened. And they could only talk to each other about this. Different people needed different things; some wanted alone time to think, others wanted to be busy. Some dealt with the memories through art, through anger, through humor, through hard work... but they all understood. They had all experienced the same underworld.

What they needed could differ drastically. In the afternoon Haru could make Kisa feel better by telling her jokes, but need to be comforted by Kagura when he woke screaming from nightmares in the middle of the night.

It was Haru who first realised. He woke in the middle of the night and realised Yuki had had a plan. As clear as anything he suddenly knew Yuki had killed Akito. He knew Yuki had been trying to free them, for so long. And as he looked out the window at the sun dawning on a new day, and around the dimly lit small flat they shared, he was infinitely grateful and sorry. Yuki had been too good for that world.

And Tohru realised Yuki had been dying when he returned to the Estate. She was a little sad that he felt he wasn't able to tell her... but she understood. Yuki had told her sometimes that he had to remain detached, that he didn't care about the others because it made everything so much harder. But that was the issue; Yuki had always cared. He had cared so much and felt things so deeply. And so now she understood why he had returned... well she could hardly have expected anything else of him. He had returned there for his final years so that the others may be free.

And she was desperately sad, but overwhelmingly proud. He had given so much.

Tohru adapted her own method of coping, of processing. She went to the park. She went to the bench. The bench where they had met, and where they had spent that memorable night drinking orange juice in wine glasses. When she sat there during the day she looked around, absorbing all the vivid life around her, seeing the people and the animals and the plants interacting. And she made a sort of promise... maybe to Yuki... that she would always appreciate this beautiful life.

And when she sneaked into the park at night she sat on the bench looking up at the scattering of stars. She felt the absence of Yuki beside her keenly then. But she knew. She knew she had loved him, and she knew he had loved her. And that time they had together had been difficult... and wonderful. She would always remember and cherish it. She wanted to tell all the stars the story of Yuki; to tell them of his difficulties and his selflessness. She knew the best thing she could do now would be to remember him, but to embrace life.

And she knew now that she would be fine. No, more than that. With Yuki's inspiration, she knew she would be brilliant.

.

As the months passed they drifted apart slightly, some finding interests to occupy their time, others buying places of their own to live. But they all stayed near. Hiro and Kisa went to school. All thirteen of them looked after each other.

They left the Estate that day... but they did go back.

Once a year, every year.

The new owner got quite a shock when he saw them all approaching the following year. They appeared an intimidating and boisterous group of misfits to him. He used the Estate largely for Sohma Company business and didn't want these people on his property. But... it soon transpired there was little he could do.

The tall gothic looking man was loud and shouted awful profanities. There was a red haired one likely to engage in a fight with his guards and several of the girls would try to get involved too, shouting for all they were worth. There was a man in a dress who would inevitably begin crying at the fighting. Ultimately the noise and commotion generated by these peoples' desperation made him realise it wasn't worth it to stop them.

So every year he watched as this unusual group traipsed across his lawn to the corner of the Estate grounds. They spent the whole day there, with much noise. They would eat and drink, and bring flowers. They always brought orange roses and drank orange juice in wine glasses. And he could only watch in bemused despair.

Every year, without fail, they would appear. And over the years their numbers grew as they brought girlfriends, boyfriends, then husbands, wives. When they began bringing babies and toddlers the owner realised how old he was getting.

The elderly head of staff watched on with a watery smile, pleased. They knew they owed Yuki their freedom, and she was proud they remembered this.

.

Yuki was free now.

He had suffered, he had struggled. Sometimes he had failed, but he had persevered.

Akito and him had destroyed each other.

But now Yuki was free.

And he would never be forgotten.

...

.

Wow, thank you so, so much for reading this!

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