That day, the fresh scent of rain reached him from every side of the place. It'd been pouring the whole ride to the adoption facility far off near an open grassy mountain side. Upon his arrival, he was met by some childcare takers who he contacted for the arrangements. It was early morning still, though Sango remained awake the entire ride. Is she anxious? He wondered, though she seemed rather pensive. "Sweetie," Dredger called to her, leading her to snap out of her thoughts and open her side of the car door as the vehicle came to a stop. "What’s with the long face?"

"Nothing, I, um… was thinking, I forgot my scribble.”

"Not to worry, it's here." To her surprise, her father brought out a pen from his pocket. He smiled at the sight of her eyes lighting up. She accepted it, quickly using it to write on a wooden fence with the small laser it let out.

"Sir," someone called out to him, and he was greeted by the supervisor who set up the appointment. "I'm the supervisor here at this private orphanage, the one from the calls you made inquiring fo-"

"How can I forget Freena, you were once in the system too; you still are it seems."

"And you made something big of yourself, not sure why come back," she laughed, heading over to push a fence back. She led them inside where they found themselves watching a group of children through cameras. Seeing that reminded Phil of his younger days when he was but a small boy, with no one. Unlike the other children, Phil seemed to be the only one who noticed the camera. To his surprise, there was one child within that group that was at a corner, staring up at the monitoring camera. It almost creeped him out. Dredger's attention went back to his daughter who was seated, observing the screens from afar. One of the guard's on standby pat her shoulder as Freena announced. "The children are all going out to the meadow, would you like to go and play?"

To this, Sango agreed. “Be sure to make a friend now,” Freena reassured her with a faint pat on the shoulder. Though her father was worried, he knew she'd be the one choosing, not him. It was for her sake.

I'm around, so it’s fine, he told himself, following the supervisor to an observatory room.

Sango shyly watched other children roam around, almost robotically. They’d take some steps around, then space out. In the distance, grey clouds were approaching. A flock of blue birds scooped by, headed for a tree. That’s where she spotted a boy – the same one that had been staring at the camera before. Sango brought her small hand over her eyebrows and went over in his direction, instead of walking about the slope of the mountain meadow.

Dredger sighed. “Come on now universe, is this a joke?” His comment made Freena smile. The woman commented how odd that was. He laughed uneasily, not responding before folding his hands.

Sango pretended as though she was roaming but drew closer to the boy under the shade of a pomegranate tree. She couldn't put her finger on it but felt a draw to him. The boy didn't pay too much attention to her as she simply stared down at him silently, but he soon glanced up to her as she went on to ask if she could sit and he only gave her a slight shrug.

"Tell me some information on that unit,” Dredger requested without taking his eyes off the pair.

"That unit is aged 10, his name is Giovanni,” Freena explained. "His full name is Giovanni number 21927; his parents perished in a lab flame when he was only one."

"His parents are the ..."

"Old acquaintances in your field?"

“No, but I’ve heard of them.”

Ten years old, much like his daughter. He had no memory of any contact information of his relatives or his parents. As Freena kept on talking, he learned that the country that he originated from refused to allow him through due to his parents relinquishing their affiliation to the country upon leaving to Japan with plans of permanently living there. He’s been stuck in Japan for over nine years and processed into the orphanage. Why would his parents do that to their son? Dredger wondered.

His heart sank. He watched a butterfly twirl over onto the boy’s nose and to his shock, his daughter was standing right in front of him. The insect then fluttered up onto the girl’s head and Giovanni looked up, as the only striation of the sun that slipped through the swaying tree branches was blocked by something. When he met the girl's gaze, she held her hand out and smiled at him.

The boy didn’t accept the hand, prompting her to lower it to her side.

-

“Well, that’s really rude,” Haruna mumbled to herself as she glanced at the adult Sango, staring at the familiar scene.

"You could say that," Dredger responded while observing that the boy now had a stick held down while Sango was seemingly using her laser to carve something into it. From his position, Dredger couldn't see, but he wanted to know what they were talking about.

“That girl… is you?” Haruna asked Sango, who looked on with a sorrowful expression. She spaced out but nodded nonetheless, remembering the moment.

In the video, the boy didn’t respond to her right away. She felt attracted to him, felt they were similar. She sat down beside him under the tree and silently watched the roaming horses grazing across the land. Eventually a rabbit made its way to the boy’s brown boots, sniffling and attempted to nibble at what seemed to be wheat stuck below the shoe. Sango herself closed her eyes after a soft yawn, lying her head on his shoulder.

“That day, was the first day I felt the most relaxed. I just went to sleep. His presence felt right. It’s one of those things in life that simply can’t be put into words... or words someone else has made. Euphoria itself, almost.”

Haruna silently considered what she said. As the two set their attention back to the screen, the girl asked Sango what happened next, but she couldn’t bear to tell it herself.

Dredger continued passing through his memories.

-

He had adopted Giovanni, which made Sango very happy. With him around, Phil was able to trust that she’d be safe in a school. He had them attend the same private school and had him promise to safeguard her. They were in the same class, spent a lot of time together; the man thought they developed into great siblings. Because of his responsibilities with the factory he was away from home for long periods of time and only got home late nights, so he rarely knew what was truly going on.

One year turned to two, and then six.

Once Giovanni had turned sixteen, he was given a job at the factory. Dredger asked him what happened to the other job he had, but he simply told his father he wanted a second job. Shortly after, he started to notice odd things around the house when the two kids were together. One night in particular, he caught them too close to each other on the couch and had to give them the talk of acting appropriately as siblings. From that point, he grew more and more convinced that the adoption had been a mistake…

Until he caught them together in bed.

He threw him out, much to Sango’s rage. Had it been for Phil, he’d have killed Giovanni right then and there, but the love for his daughter was stronger than anything. But even after he moved out of the house, Sango still saw him and eventually informed her father she’d be leaving to move with him; he still worked at Dredger’s factory, and that was how everything unfolded into the horrendous ending.

The night that led to Giovanni’s death in the factory.

Dredger waited for the last of the workers to leave, and to his surprise when he went to check who was left, it was Giovanni late at night. He was almost finished tossing meat into a meat grinder, but when he turned to see his boss behind him, his face turned completely pale. Dredger observed the soaking wet clothes the teen had on, then the eyes that drew away from his to continue work.

Biting his lips to avoid all the anger to come out at once, Phil turned off the machinery. A confused Giovanni turned around. “Why- I’m trying to finish this work so I may go home; does this mean I’m done?”

“No, we have to talk.”

“What is there to talk about?” Giovanni responded back. “Can I even call you father after you kicked me out?”

And that was one of the last straws. “Don’t you ever call me that again, you little shit – this talk is about telling you, your work is not satisfactory. You see, we’ve been keeping track of the progress all the workers have made, but you’ve been especially slow.”

“Well, with school and other things... it isn’t so easy.”

Dredger recalled when he’d slightly opened the door to see Giovanni atop his daughter, drawing in every single negative emotion at the sheer voice that was talking to him. He wanted him dead. He wanted that voice to cease. The voice he’d heard over moans he’d never expected to hear. “Oh, I’m sure you have been very busy until now.”

“Huh?” Giovanni stared confused.

Dredger’s voice rose, and he couldn’t help but move forward to grab the teen by the collar of his shirt. “You can’t protect her like you think you can! You’d fail! You’d cause my daughter’s death.” Though he shouted this, he felt more as though he were shouting at a past reflection – one of a younger him that had failed at protecting his wife.

“I won’t ever let her down... I won’t let her die. I’ll protect her and build a bright world for us two and that’s starting here, so if we’re done with this discussion…” Giovanni turned over to face the machine, reaching over to turn it back on.

Those words filled Dredger with a blinding rage. “Liar!” With one full thrust, he shoved his palms against Giovanni’s chest and felt peace in his screams. The teen tripped back into the grinder and those screams only lasted a few seconds. Upon Dredger stepping back, he laughed. Laughed in shock at what he’d just done, at the sight of Giovanni’s body being cut up and sucked in.

That’s when he knew that the circle was complete – he’d finally become the very thing he hated.

 The insanity only grew further with him having to personally clean the mess made. If not physically, the situation permanently scared his psyche. Dredger only focused on cleaning the surrounding machine, but didn’t bother to dispose of the candy in there. He couldn’t. It didn’t go by unnoticed, though.

 A week went by and his daughter grew concerned, as she hadn’t heard from Giovanni at all. The other workers were concerned too. After a long talk amidst tears, Sango expressed her fears and finally told him she was pregnant by her lover. He felt like he couldn’t live any longer after learning that. He had failed again.

Phil Dredger left the house and went to the factory. After a long night, he heard the doors of the factory bust open as the sun came out. He spent his final moments in the office, lamenting over all the pain he’d be leaving behind for his daughter – but was convinced he was better off dead though.

The candies that had been transported had been all reported by customers; one even found a nail in his candy bar, and went straight back to complain. After all of the customers mobbed with the complaints, a report was made and an investigation ensued. That investigation led the Yori back to the factory, back to the discovery of what he had done.

By the time they got to his office, he had already pulled the trigger. All of the pain disappeared for a moment but then he found himself in a darkened space, tormented with the recurring memories of his daughter suffering. He couldn’t move on knowing she was hurt and needed him more than ever, and so his soul was pulled like a magnet to what weighed heavy in his heart.

-

“I reflected. The Tensei allowed me to live so that I could conduct research to turn candies into something that could prevent Setsu from desiring human blood, but among those, are devils in disguise. The specific organization was called Monarka. I did it because there was still a chance you’d be the next chosen… I couldn’t lose my daughter too. I conducted research while operating the factory to prevent food shortages for the world. But my focus dwindled when I found Giovanni had… deflowered you. Removing you from being chosen. Even so, I was certain the boy couldn’t protect you and I didn’t want to lose you – my only daughter.”

There was nothing but his voice filling the void of the plain white room, and the three listened attentively to what was being said; from the corner of her eye, Haruna could see Sango’s face was tinted red, though she wasn’t sure what emotion was causing it.

“For many decades I remained in the old factory alone. Eventually a voice called to me, saying that I wasn’t yet done. The chance was given to me, by a devil. That would help me come back, in exchange for siding with a Shiki. I had to help them, but I could see you again.” Something like a sniffle could be heard coming from him, although his expression didn’t waver. “Now that I’ve seen you, I can let go in peace. All I ever wanted was to be understood by you, my daughter.”

A bright flash spread through the area, further blinding them. Sango, Haruna and Takumi found themselves back at the factory with Giovanni laid on the ground, defeated as Dredger stood over the Hercules Shiki after having impaled its chest.

“Now, end me,” the being asked, restraining the Shiki that tried to take over his body again. He fought it, keeping the ethereal and physical in control while eyeing Takumi.

“Giovanni! Father, don’t!” Sango cried out in desperation, watching the Shiki disappear, as the only form that was left was a teenage Giovanni who stared up at Dredger. At her voice, Giovanni shouted as the Shiki reformed, tossing Dredger back. Retsu flowed throughout the space.

The two giants began battle again, only for the factory to begin shaking violently. The portal up above the factory was suddenly going haywire. “ Get this device installed quickly!”

“We’re trying Shousa! It should be finished soon, but we have to stop what’s powering it!”

“The owner of the factory,” someone said from behind them, their tone filled with fear. Takumi sighed as he heard them and fixed his gaze on the Shiki; he took calm steps towards the two as the Hercules one was paralyzed by Dredger who then flew in straight for Sango. Inside, his pure soul called to Takumi and Haruna.

“Please, stop it!” he begged them for help, a plea that got them in motion.

The pair reacted and intercepted in that small interval before the Shiki could reach its target, and Takumi kicked its left shoulder will full force while Haruna came from under and used her elbow to uppercut it away. The Shiki staggered back and stabbed its claws into the waxed floor. Dredger saw his reflection in the ground and tried to gain a semblance of himself, but he struggled to gain control and lifted his claws up.

“Sango, I’m sorry,” he apologetically repented for all that he had done and tried to stab his own face, but the Shiki controlled the other arm and grabbed the wrist. Sango could only look on, looking past the grotesque façade to see her father below much like she had seen Giovanni in the monstrous form he was in. She took off towards him, bumping past Takumi and Haruna; the latter was going to reach out for her, but Takumi stopped her and shook his head.

Although Dredger lifted a hand to stop her as well, she refused to and kept running for him. The Shiki flicked its tail up, aiming it at Sango but Haruna blocked it before it reached her, shifting its trajectory. Takumi came in and cut down the tail in half, causing both the Shiki and Dredger to scream in unison.

After what had seemed like an eternity, Sango got to her father and tackled him in a tearful hug. She let it all out: all those years she blamed herself for what had happened, she told him. If she hadn’t hated him for not telling her of her mother, none of it would’ve happened. Maybe he would’ve considered Giovanni as more of a son, maybe he would have let him in more.

There is no telling what could have happened, he telepathically told her while holding himself back. He bit down on his lower lip to hold in the urge to bite her face. The creature steadily lost strength over Dredger, but Phil knew that, in doing so, the body would undergo full transition into a Shiki. It was at this moment that Dredger was too far gone; the final stages were set and there was nothing he could do but watch as his vision darkened, and he saw Haruna pull Sango from him and Takumi walked towards him, having finished charging Retsu. Purple flames blew along his body elegantly, his bangs flowing like birds taking flight.

The flames sprawled out, mixing in with the bright space that formed around him, and Dredger smiled for this was the moment he finally could be free. He let go of his clenched jaws and thanked them quickly, while Takumi closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them. The flames intensified, pouring out of his eyes. He lifted his left arm up over his head and, taking a fencing stance, Takumi brought his feet together before swiping his arm to his side. The flames sprawled around and his black claws spread out.

“In the name of the Hachi, of this sacred land of Honshu and Osaka, I cleanse you so that your soul may freely join back to the circular tides from where it came.” Takumi knelt down, swiping his right arm to his side and took off towards Dredger. The flames sprawled up towards the night sky, breaking through what was left of the ceiling. The metal burned to nothing. Dredger looked up to the night sky and enjoyed the sight of the purple flames coming back down towards him in the form of his one and only.

“Gekko...”

Takumi doubled stepped as Sango let out a cry, and it all came down on both Takumi and Dredger, washing out towards them. Haruna clenched her eyes, only to realize the flames passed right by them without hurting them at all. She looked over to see the bright flash of white light was finally gone, purple twinkles replacing it as they fell around Takumi. Dredger was nowhere to be seen. Takumi turned around and in his hands, he had a gem. He tossed it away from him and waited; the fire continued to dance around him and spread around the gem to form Dredger’s human form along with someone else behind him, to the surprise of both Sango and Haruna. 

The woman wiped her tears and gasped at what she saw. Dredger opened his eyes and stared at his bright see-through form and realized he was a spirit again – this time, at peace. He looked at Takumi, who nudged for him to look over his shoulder. When Dredger did, he saw his wife standing there with a happy smile. “ Gekko…” it slipped out of his mouth as his lips parted, and a smile drew on her lips.

“Ge? Mom…?” Sango mumbled.

Takumi closed his eyes with tiredness and explained, “I’ve cleansed you with Hirazawa’s siege. While you did all of that blaming, she watched over you the whole time while grieving. Your selfish actions didn’t only hurt your daughter; it hurt your dear wife and you didn’t even know that she’d been watching over you the entire time, just like you’d been watching over Sango. You were just in opposite spectrums.” A sense of guilt spread through Dredger, only for Takumi to faintly smile when he sensed it. “But you came back from all of that and now she’s happy, so you can both pass on as you are not bound any longer to the laws of this world.”

Dredger turned and reached out to Gekko, who took a step forward before floating to him. The two embraced like never before and then looked over to Sango, who was helped back up by Haruna.

Haruna gripped her upper arm and happily watched the family reunite. After so long, Sango finally had the chance to hug her father truthfully. Something she had longed for, for a very long time. She received the hug of both of her parents, and finally got the touch of a mother. She’d wondered how it felt every time she hugged her own daughter and found that it was the same, but more gratifying coming from her own mother.

The weight that had been on her chest all those years cleared off, and then her parents slipped through her and began drifting up towards the star-filled night sky. The snowy blizzard was no more as the portal disappeared. The Ikigai that were on the rooftop found that the clouds dissipated and the snow stopped, but the grey beam was still on, emitting tiny snowflakes at a slower pace.

“Is there any way you can stay longer? Himari – your granddaughter will want to see you too,” Sango asked, but her father shook his head and her mother finally spoke.

Though her words were harsh, her voice was soothing. “Though we don’t have much time to remain physical here, please take care of yourself and our granddaughter – we’re counting on you to protect her… there are evil forces you don’t see but we do from high up here.”

“Evil forces?”

“We must go,” Phil interjected. “We’ve completed what we’ve had to do here. Now it’s up to you to guide our granddaughter and contribute to the world. The reason we’ve individually and collectively arrive on this planet is the same, moving towards…”

Now, somehow, Sango seemed even more distraught. “How?”

“By building this place up, of course. Bring happiness across the whole world with the aim of destroying all barriers of division of what is already known, my love. Stay strong.”

“And pass a message to the Ginko’s for me,” Gekko said, sending a twinkle of purple Retsu to Sango. The woman’s forehead glowed the same color before taking the shape of a lily flower at the center of her skin.

The two shared a knowing look. “We love you,” Dredger and Gekko said in unison. Dredger looked over to Takumi as a bright light flashed above them, manifesting from the universe; their bodies floated up seamlessly, a soft breeze passing by.

“I’m now able to see clearance. I see how I was played while living. There’s so much to say, yet little time… so I will say the one that manipulated and bent my soul is still here in Osaka. The malicious entities that orchestrated this all are still out there, some closer than you think. Be wary, my young friend.” Takumi listened to what Dredger said, watching the flames that held Sango’s parents together fade. More cracks formed around the gem until it broke and disappeared into the light.

“I…” Sango clenched her eyes shut, and then yelled out to the night sky. “I will! I promise you!”

The fire sprawled down one final time, with both of her parents kissing her cheeks, and then the shining light above flashed as everyone looked away. Sango had tears running down both sides of her face, but by the time they looked up her parents had disappeared. She held her hands together between her chest and glanced over to Giovanni, who smiled from within the Shiki body.

Haruna happily went over to Sango, and the pair were unable to contain a happy smile. “Congrats miss Sango! We’ve got your factory back!”

“Well, now it’s your turn,” Takumi announced, setting his attention onto Giovanni. The entire lobby grew silent, except for the steps he was taking over glass. Sango’s heart spiked up at the sight of the boy moving towards him and ran for Giovanni, jumping onto him with pleading eyes. Takumi sighed. “Get away, or I’ll kill you too,” he said calmly.

Haruna jumped in, shocked at what she heard. “Excuse me?! Takumi… what are you saying?” she stared at him, surprised by his change in demeanor. “We were good a moment ago, don’t ruin our celebration before we’ve had it! Also, did you just threaten her?! There’s no need to do the same to him, they were just reunited!” She reached down, picking up a pipe and held it out as blood dripped down her other arm. “I may not be as strong as you are, but I won’t let you lay a hand on them. Actually, you owe me a favor, remember?”

Takumi’s nose twitched as he finally noticed the blood; all that time, he hadn’t. Now that his senses were aware of it and his fangs grew, his Setsu side became stronger though he ignored it and focused on the task at hand. “Get out of the way, that favor doesn’t compare to this one. I do equal exchanges, squirt,” he warned her, but she stood her ground.

“I won’t! Back off Takumi, try to see things my way for once!” she stomped the pipe down and then swung it back up into her Kendo stance. “You’ll just have to fight me if you’re going to hurt them.” A gust passed by Haruna, moving her hair around as her wound started to heal. 

“You Hasegawa’s… always playing the part of heroes when you’re the actual monsters hidden. Stand down.” Takumi recalled being in his boy state years ago as he sat on a tree and looked on ahead, when he saw his comrades hanging from a tree and a certain someone stood over them. “You’re as bad as your sister.” What Takumi thought to himself, was softly said for Haruna to hear.

“My sister…? As if! Takumi, we came to help her regain the factory and to save your classmate! We’re done, so you don’t have to attack Sango’s partner!”

 “You don’t understand, do you?” he scoffed. “This is a request, not some teenage romance. If he remains here, then Shiki’s will be attracted to her and she will not only be placing herself in danger; this will have all been for nothing, and I’d have to clean that up. It wouldn’t be you, miss loud-mouth.”

“You don’t know that! Stop it Takumi! Miyumi can help-”

“Step aside, squirt.”

But there didn’t seem to be a way she’d budge. “No! There has to be a way!” Hanami held her hands out, hoping that could make him back off even if just a bit.

“You really are as bad and persistent as that bitch of your sister,” he added without giving it much thought.

“My sister? What?”

"When I see your persistence it reminds me of unfinished business I have with those in Hokkaidou, your persistence is like that bitch of your sister..."

 

 "You both need to die, but there's a time and place for everything. That said-" 

“You Hasegawa’s are blind fools that pretend to be warriors who preach to fight for justice when you’re the very ones adding to the problem. That’s probably why your father got killed.” Takumi stared blankly as Haruna’s heart felt as though it jumped, her knees threatening to give in. “Ever since you came to Osaka, you’ve been nothing but a problem."

 

 "What?..."

 

 "I wish you’d just buzz off and disappear, it’d make things a whole lot easier.”

 "This isn't some fairytale where you get whatever happy ending you want" 

What Takumi said hurt Haruna on a deeper level, since she actually thought they were starting to become friends. “To think I was actually warming up to you… you actually compared me to Angia and-”

“I hate you and your stupid kind,” he spat with disgust.

Oh, now you’ve done it, Hanami thought as she quietly stared down at the ground, clenching her hands into fists.