Snow fell in slow, quiet sheets as you and Aki walked the path to the cemetery tucked into the hillside. The world was hushed, blanketed in white, as the crunch of your boots was muffled by fresh snow. Denji and Power had tagged along to Hokkaido too, but they'd wandered around and were probably stealing other grave offerings.

Eventually, his family grave came into view, a tall, weathered stone haka, its surface etched with the names of his family. Aki stood in front of it, brushing the snow off with care. Then, in silence, he took a step back and pressed his hands together in prayer, lips barely moving as he whispered something only he and the wind could hear. You stood a short distance behind, giving him space until after he finished speaking. Aki stood and turned to you, his eyes tired and vulnerable in a way he rarely let himself be.

"I didn't want to come here alone," he said. "But I need you to know. I'm not ready to lose you. Not like I lost my family. Not like Himeno." His jaw tightened. The snow swirled between you, soft and silent. Aki stepped closer and gently rested his hands on your shoulders.

"I love you. I swear, I’ll protect you. No matter what." His hands lingered a moment longer before dropping to his sides. He stood there with you in the quiet for a while, the snow slowly gathering in his hair and on his coat. Aki hesitated, looking down, then back at you.

"We should check on them. I don't trust what quiet means with those two." Aki's voice was calm, but there was the smallest trace of dry humor in it, an anchor to something normal after anything heavy. He glanced back at you, eyes softer now, like the tension in him had eased, just a little, in your presence.