Yuno's Room
Yuno sat on her bed, surrounded by the faint glow of twilight. Her eyes wandered to a faded photograph on her nightstand. Gordon's bright smile stared back, and her heart swelled with emotion.
In her mind, she replayed a conversation they shared on a warm summer evening:
"Gordo, what if I make mistakes?" young Yuno asked, snuggling beside her brother on the porch swing.
Gordon's eyes sparkled. "Mistakes are okay, Yuno. They're like stepping stones. You learn from them, and they make you stronger."
"But what if I hurt people?" Yuno's voice trembled.
Gordon wrapped his arm around her. "Then you apologize, and try to make it right. That's what family does. We forgive, and we move forward."
Yuno's gaze drifted back to the present. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She missed Gordon's guidance, his unwavering optimism.
The memory lingered, a bittersweet ache in her chest.
Karl's Departure
Downstairs, the front door closed, signaling Karl's departure. Yuno's resolve hardened. She couldn't forgive him so easily after finding out his reality of corruption
The Street
Karl stepped out into the evening, tears streaming down his face as memories flooded his thoughts. He wiped the tears with his sleeves.
A happy picnic flashed before his eyes. Gordon chased Yuno around a colorful blanket. His wife Yui smiled warmly as Karl snapped a family photo. Laughter and sunshine filled the air. The ache in his chest intensified.
Lost in thought, Karl failed to notice the approaching car. A screeching halt mere inches from his body jolted him back to reality. The driver's irate face appeared in the window.
"Watch where you're going, lazy f*cker!" the driver shouted, before speeding away.
Karl apologized, though the driver was already gone. He continued walking, aimless and defeated.
Hours passed, and Karl found himself at a dimly lit bar. The sign creaked in the wind: "Rick's Tavern." He pushed open the door and slid onto a stool.
Rick, a grizzled bartender in his sixties, polished a mug with a white apron. "What can I get you, friend?" he asked, eyeing Karl's disheveled state.
"Whiskey. Whatever you've got," Karl replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
Rick poured a generous serving. They have known each other for a long time. Karl downed it in one gulp, wincing as the liquor burned his throat. Rick refilled the glass without a word.
As Karl drank, Rick's expression turned sympathetic. "Sorry for your loss, friend."
Karl while drinking "it's okay. I can't bring them back."
Rick leaned in, his voice low and wise. "You can't bring them back, Karl. But you can make their souls rest."
Karl's expression widened, and he locked eyes with Rick. For a moment, the numbness lifted, replaced by a spark of determination.
"Make their souls rest," Karl repeated, the words echoing in his mind like a promise.
The whiskey's haze began to clear, and Karl saw a glimmer of purpose. He would find justice, no matter the cost. His family's memory deserved nothing less.
Rick nodded, as if reading Karl's thoughts. "You're not alone, friend. We've all lost someone. But it's what we do next that matters. If you sit in a tavern and drink like a hopeless b*stard then you will live your remaining life like a miserable man. "
Karl's grip on the glass tightened. He would see this through. For Gordon, Yuno, and Yui. For their memory. For justice.
The darkness outside seemed a little less daunting, and Karl's heart, a little heavier. But he would carry that weight, and make it his driving force.