The next few days were strangely quiet. Ryuusei and Aiko still had to wait the two weeks to receive their fake passports, so for the first time in a long time, they allowed themselves to let their guard down, even if it was just a little.
Ever since they began their struggle, every day had been a constant battle, an escape, or a plan to survive. But now, with the need to hide while their new documents were being prepared, they both had to learn something they had almost forgotten: to live.
Aiko took advantage of the time to regain strength, her body still resentful from the wounds of the past. Ryuusei, on the other hand, was forced to learn to be still. It was not easy for someone accustomed to always moving in the shadow of conflict.
To distract themselves, they explored the city as simple tourists. They strolled through Shinjuku's night markets, where they sampled dishes they had never considered before. They walked through parks where couples enjoyed their tranquility, away from the shadows of war they both knew all too well.
"If I survive all this," Aiko said, sipping a boiling takoyaki, "I think I want to open a food stall."
Ryuusei looked at her in disbelief.
"After everything we've done, do you want to sell street food?"
"Why not?" He replied with a mocking smile. Everyone has the right to a happy ending, right?
Ryuusei did not answer. The idea of a "happy ending" had always seemed ridiculous to him. In his world, the stories didn't end well. But at that moment, seeing Aiko smile as she tried not to burn herself with the food, she almost felt that maybe, just maybe, things could be different this time.
During the evenings, Ryuusei and Aiko found a new hobby: watching movies on the hotel's television. They were not mere distractions; for Ryuusei, each one had a message that he was trying to decipher.
After watching Fight Club, the next movie they watched was The Mission. The story of a mercenary who, after having committed horrible acts, sought to redeem himself by dedicating his life to peace and faith. Ryuusei watched silently as the film progressed, saying nothing, but his expression became more serious.
When she finished, Aiko stretched out and looked at Ryuusei curiously.
"You didn't say a word. What do you think?
Ryuusei stared at the unlit screen before answering.
"The man tried to change, but in the end, he couldn't escape the violence," he murmured. Maybe some people just can't be anything else... even if they try.
Aiko glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, as if she understood that he wasn't just talking about the movie. Ryuusei rested her elbows on her knees and interlaced her fingers, looking at the ground with an expression that was difficult to decipher.
"His whole redemption was based on the idea that he could erase what he had done. But the world does not forget. His voice was low, but firm. No matter how hard you try to change, the past haunts you. And when the time comes, it will force you to make a decision: accept peace or fight again. He chose to fight.
Aiko sighed and settled into bed.
"And you?" What would you choose?
Ryuusei did not answer. Not because he didn't know the answer, but because he was afraid to admit it.
Another day, they saw The Society of Dead Poets. At first, Ryuusei seemed indifferent, but when Professor Keating talked about seizing the moment and not letting himself be locked up by the rules imposed by others, something in his eyes changed.
"You know?" Aiko said when the film ended. I imagined you would make fun of this, but you didn't.
"Because it is true," replied Ryuusei without hesitation. We are educated to obey, to follow orders without question. But if we continue to live like this, we are no different than puppets.
He was silent for a moment before adding:
"That's what I want to destroy. Not just the power of those who rule, but the idea that people should live by their rules with no option to challenge it.
Aiko nodded slowly. It wasn't just a physical war. Ryuusei wanted to change something deeper: people's mindsets.
That night, when Aiko fell asleep, Ryuusei returned to the roof of the hotel. He needed air. He needed to collect his thoughts. He looked up at the starry sky, feeling the weight of his own ideas weighing down on him.
—Can it really be changed? He muttered to himself.
The stars, immutable and distant, did not respond. Humanity had been fighting the same wars for centuries, making the same mistakes, seeking redemption without understanding what it really meant. Was their struggle different? Or was it just another cycle, another failed attempt to break something that was doomed to repeat itself?
He thought of The Mission, of that mercenary who had tried to find peace and ended up involved in the usual violence. He thought of The Society of Dead Poets, of the idea of breaking the rules, of challenging the establishment. And, for the first time, he felt that both films spoke of the same thing.
"Perhaps the real struggle is not against the world," he whispered. Maybe it's against ourselves.
For now, he had no answers. But as long as he could fight, as long as he could defy the fate that the world was trying to impose on him, he would not stop looking for one.
She stayed a while longer, letting the night wind ruffle her hair. Then, with one last glance at the sky, he went back down to his room. Aiko slept peacefully, oblivious to the thoughts that kept him awake.
Tomorrow, they would continue to move forward. And even if he didn't yet understand why, Ryuusei was beginning to believe that maybe change was possible.
On the last night before picking up the passports, Ryuusei and Aiko went to a special place: the shrine where it all began.
It was an ancient site, tucked away among the back streets of Tokyo. A small temple with paper lanterns illuminating its entrance, silent and isolated from the rest of the world. For Aiko, it was a place of peace. For Ryuusei, it was the only place where he could say goodbye to his past.
They crossed the entrance in silence. Aiko lit a small incense and placed it on the altar. Ryuusei, on the other hand, stood still, staring at the wish tablets hanging from a sacred tree. Many of them were filled with naïve requests: love, success, happiness. All things that he had never considered for himself.
Aiko held out a tablet and a marker to him.
"Write something," he said.
"What for?" He asked skeptically.
"To get him behind us," she replied seriously. If you really want to start over, leave something of yourself here. Something you can get back when this is all over.
Ryuusei looked at the tablet for a few seconds, then wrote in firm strokes:
"I'll come back stronger."
He hung the tablet on one of the branches, without looking back. Aiko wrote something as well, but she didn't let him see it.
They stood there in silence for a moment, until Aiko gently took his hand and pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Next time we come here, I want us to be different," he whispered.
Ryuusei did not answer. But, for the first time in a long time, he hoped his words were true.
As they left the shrine, the wind blew with a strange calm. The night was cold, but not uncomfortable. And with every step they took, Ryuusei felt like he was leaving a part of himself behind.
Because when the sun came up, the passports would be ready. And his journey would only just begin.