These days, Mitsukuni found his days longer. He was bored, drained out of his energy, and it wasn't only due to his old age. His limpid eyes calmly stared out of the french window of the veranda on the first floor as he overlooked the grand garden.

A multitude of chrysanthemums dotted the greenery, adding dashes of color and neatly framing the stone path that led through the garden, from the entryway to the gate. Some smaller walkway went toward the dojo or patio.

Mitsukuni quickly spotted his grandchildren as they ran around the garden. He heard the muffled sound of their laughter from behind the glass, and his wrinkled face bloomed into a light smile.

He hummed to himself, eyes closed as he played his wife's favorite melody in his mind. He saw her eyes, a beautiful obsidian, her smile, sweet and comforting, her laugh, clear as the water, her smile, the sun of his life.

He wondered if where she was, Reiko was happy. If she missed him because for sure, he missed her a lot. More than he wanted to admit and more than he thought was possible. He missed her touch, her voice, her fragrance, her everything.

Her presence in his life.

Eyes closed, he felt a familiar presence get closer to him. He didn't bother opening his honey brown eyes to acknowledge his best friend, merely simpering and humming. "Takashi," he breathed, voice tinged with longing and happiness.

He heard a familiar grunt and he chuckled. "Mitsukuni," the former raven's voice was low and raspy, slightly weaker than when they were students, but it was to be expected. They were old now, gone was the time when he would eat cakes after cakes and Takashi would carry him around. "What are you doing?"

Mitsukuni's right eye cracked open to look up at his tall childhood friend. He grinned, the smile not as bright as it used to be, but just as warm and welcoming. "Nothing, I'm listening to my grandchildren," he said, opening his left eye to glance out the window. "Did Mikoto come with you?"

Takashi blinked as he slowly walked closer to the former blond, he pulled the chair opposing him and sat down. He nodded. "She is downstairs with the children," he explained, turning his face to look down at the garden. He spotted his wife's figure with ease, soon finding his children and grandchildren.

Mitsukuni hummed, his brown eyes rested on Mikoto's figure for a second, before sliding to look at his son and the baby in his arms. His pupils misted over as he remembered the time when he was the one holding their baby in his arms. It was such a beautiful and nostalgic memory.

"Nanako isn't here?"

The question brought a shadow over Mitsukuni's face before he shook his head in mild denial. "She should arrive later in the evening," he whispered as he pressed the button to call up a butler. Thinking about Nanako brought memories of his deceased brother and sister-in-law, both had perished in a boat accident a few years prior, leaving behind their adult daughter and young grandchild.

Takashi nodded, he didn't add a word, knowing that asking further questions about his niece when she wasn't there would only dampen Mitsukuni's mood. There was a brief comforting silence as they gazed out the window until one of the butlers came knocking at the door.

They ordered some tea.

"Ne, Takashi," said male perked up at the call, his eyes flicked to look at the whitish blond. "How many more Host Club gatherings do you think we will have?" Mitsukuni asked out of the blue, his eyes in a daze as he looked far away.

Takashi mulled over the older's words. Deep down, he wanted to believe that they would have many more, that the end hadn't come. But he knew better. They were all old retired businessmen and women, they all had grandchildren and spent their lives relishing in what they had left.

"I don't know," he honestly answered. "I don't want to know," he admitted before taking a silent sip of his freshly poured tea, ending the topic in the process.

Mitsukuni hummed, he picked a biscuit. One with 50% less sugar than usual, and silently nipped on it. It wasn't that he was fonder of the taste, truth be told, he much preferred the extremely sugary and caloric ones. Only, he suffered from diabetes, and every time he wanted to indulge in overly sweet pastries, he remembered his dear wife's scolding.

He couldn't bear to eat them when he thought of her.

Nonetheless, he felt tired. He was, "Tired," he mumbled more to himself than for Takashi to hear.

"Did you say something, Mitsukuni?" Takashi inquired with a raised greyish eyebrow.

The older hummed, casually shaking his head. "No, nothing," he absentmindedly denied before narrowing his eyes. His gaze trailed behind the cheerful figure of his grandchildren before flickering to his friend. "I'm just feeling a bit tired."

Takashi frowned, he habitually leaned over the tabled to take the man's temperature. Although Mitsukuni had gained more than 30cm after High School, to Takashi, Mitsukuni would forever remain the midget he cared for.

"You don't seem to have any temperature," he asserted. Mitsukuni comfortably leaned against his friend's palm, lightly humming in acknowledgment. "You shouldn't tire yourself out too much, Mituskuni, you're old now," he reminded.

The former blond nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing as he watched his friend sit back and take his hand off his forehead. "'Kay, Takashi," he easily conceded.

Takashi didn't voice any answer. Merely narrowing his eyes at the shorter male, he gave a silent sigh. To some extent, he could understand where Mitsukuni's fatigue came from. He too felt it.

The exhaustion that loomed over their figure, even more so over Mitsukuni who only had his descendants left. If not for the fact that Hikaru had recently fallen prey to depression after his twin's death, Takashi wouldn't have been so worried about his friend.

He wished the best for Mitsukuni. Yet he couldn't help but selfishly wish for the male to stay by his side until the end. Like when they were younger. He knew it was impossible.

"Do you have any regrets, Mitsukuni," he brought up, looking out the window to gaze down at his wife's frail back— he wondered if she would leave him first or if he would be the one to leave her.

Mitsukuni lightly hummed in contemplation. Regrets. He had never thought about it, did he have any? He shook his head. "I don't think so, Takashi. I spent most of my life doing what pleased me, had a loving wife and beautiful children, and now I am a grandfather," he mused. "I'm happy, satisfied with my life," he admitted, and Takashi had never seen the male look so appeased, accomplished— it was a look he had only seen once before when Mitsukuni got married.

Takashi's heart squeezed, he felt like Mitsukuni was suddenly very far away. Out of his reach, and that he wouldn't be able to catch up to him, only gaze at his departing back.

"What about you, Takashi?"

Takashi blinked his black eyes out of his stupor. He chased his somber thoughts, focusing back on the older's question. "I don't," he articulated. "I'm happy," he managed to utter a light smile painting his lips.

I'm not, I regret so much. So, so much.

Do you know Mitsukuni?

Mitsukuni's eyes went into a daze for a moment as he observed his friend. He smiled. "That's good, then I'm happy," he chirped before finishing his cup of tea. He stood up, and although he could sense some reticence in his friend's words, he didn't dwell on it.

It wasn't that he disliked Takashi, but he felt much too tired to deal with it. He wanted to end their talk on a positive note. And even if it might be selfish of him not to answer Takashi's expectations, he buried the matter deep in his heart.

He wasn't a teen anymore, he didn't have the energy he once had.

"Let's go down, Takashi," he invited, casually extending his hand for his friend to take. "I'm sure Mikoto will start to worry."

Takashi's gaze fell on Mitsukuni's hand like many times before. He slipped his wrinkled and larger hand in Mitsukuni's, feeling the familiar warmth in his palm, and his heart swelled with feelings.

"Yes."

He felt saddened as he glanced at their joined hands. They weren't children anymore, Mitsukuni rarely reached out to grasp his hand nowadays.

He had the feeling that it would be the last time.

Oh, how he wished he was wrong. How he wished he had told him his thoughts that day. Mitsukuni didn't wait more than a day before heaving his last breath, leaving behind his descendants and a friend.

Takashi felt regretful, yet he couldn't hold it against the male.

Wherever he was, he hoped Mitsukuni was happier.

Either way. He would join him soon enough.

::

Silently humming a classic piece to himself, the sweet and soft voice of the child drifted around the empty room. The child sat atop a desk, his legs carelessly dangling at its edge as he securely kept his black cat plushy in his arms.

His doe eyes were closed, hiding his honey-brown irises from the sunlight that threaded through the long velvet curtains of the office. He could feel under his things the varnished wooden material of the desk, it was a cool and slick material.

He particularly liked it, it reminded him of before. Of when he would sit at his desk, ink pen in one hand, documents in the other as he carefully read them over. He liked the odor of the study, the smell of paper books blended with the lingering scent of tobacco. It was comforting, heartwarming, full of memories.

Securing Reiko in his right arm and keeping her right over his lap, he settled his left hand on the desk to lean on it. He could feel the leather mat that sat atop the desk to protect it from the ink. He swayed his head with the beat of the melody, his right fingers casually drumming against the fluffy tummy of his doll

From his seating position, he heard the muffled sound of footsteps thumping against the carpeted floor of the corridor. One, two people, he mused, a smile tugging at his lips as he lightly chuckled, breaking the peaceful song that spread through the office.

His blond lashes trembled before his eyes fluttered open. He squinted, blinked a few times before sweeping his honey brown eyes over the still empty study. With ease, he jumped down the desk, Reiko carefully secured in his right arm, he dusted himself off with his left one.

He walked around the desk to sit on one of the two leather couches of the study, his too-short legs dangled over the carpeted floor, he waited. He wondered who would be first this time. Ma-chan? Shu-chan?

He hummed in wonder, eyes half open as he lazily leaned into the seating, Reiko snuggled in his arms as he childishly buried his head in her neck. He inhaled her scent before gently frowning. He felt her fragrance was too light, lacking. He would have to spray some more perfume on her ribbon once they finished playing hide and seek.

The footsteps got closer, he heard them getting louder, and the mingled voices of his childhood friends easily echoed around. His ear twitched, his lips stretched into a thin line as he carefully listened to the noise, trying to discern whose footsteps were the closest.

It wasn't any fancy training, but Mitsukuni liked to do it. Half out of habit, half out of boredom.

The door slammed open, letting the sound of huffing a puffing invade the calm study as both children continued to quarrel. Mitsukuni's eyes swept the shelves, taking note of the books, framed diplomas, and martial art trophies before they rested on the two figures by the entrance.

One blond, one redhead. Both weren't older than six and glared daggers at one another. A fiery competitive spirit brewed deep inside them as they regulated their breathing.

"Whoah, you found me!" he beamed, a bright childish grin creeping up his face as he gave the two boys a closed-eyes-smile. He clapped his hands, readjusted his grip on Reiko, and jumped down the sofa. "As expected of Ma-chan and Shu-chan!" he marveled, putting his childish trick to use.

He blinked his large doe eyes at them, looking up from his slightly shorter stature to meet their pair violet and mercury eyes. With practiced ease, he crinkled his eyes, showed off his pearly whites, and giggled.

Killer Blow.

What to say, even in the afterlife Mitsukuni hadn't lost his touch.

New story, hope you'll like it!

Updates should be weekly (probably Saturday) but until Perfect Copy's end, let's say that they are unregular!

Thanks for reading, until next time^^