Chapter 68: Tear and Healing

The sky was dark, and the rain poured down at noon. At Monor City Cemetery, the young Satsujin Otoko and their mother, Amu, were dressed in black, their eyes reddened by tears. For Amu, it was the loss of her husband, and for the children, the loss of their father.

Sally and a few others attended this poignant scene. Sakolomé, Salomé, and Bakuran seemed inconsolable, while Bakuzan tried to hold back his tears, attempting to appear more mature. However, tears flowed down his face, mingling with the rain that refreshed his gaze.

Amu was devastated by the sight. She had never imagined it could happen one day. She took Bakuzan in her arms, trying to comfort him.

"Be strong, my son. You're the one who suffers the most because you were the closest to him among your brothers and sister."

Bakuzan remained silent, his gaze lost in the void, his mind submerged in grief.

Salomé cried heavily in Sakolomé's arms, who was also crying inconsolably, as was Bakuran beside him.

Uncle Baham looked at Niyus's grave with sadness and compassion.

"My poor Niyus... You leave your family alone with all these challenges. I hope that from where you are, you continue to support them."

Sally observed everything with a compassionate and empty gaze.

"It's really sad. I never thought I'd see such a scene one day."

The sky cleared slightly, the rain stopped, and it was now 2 PM. Amu stood before Niyus's grave, covered in flowers and bearing his name. She was pensive, looking at her husband's grave with deep sorrow.

"Niyus... my dear husband, do you think I could handle all this alone? With you by my side, it was so much easier, but now you're gone. What can I do now?"

A gentle breeze danced Amu's hair in the void, and a small smile appeared on her face.

"I see, you know very well what's happening right now, don't you? I know you don't like seeing us sad like this, right?"

Amu knelt down and made a silent prayer before saying:

"Rest in peace now; it's up to me to take over. May the goddess Mü Thanatos grant you the rest you deserve beside her. I'll first try to bring a smile back to our children!"

Amu stood up, turned around with a smile on her lips, and seemed lighter and ready to move forward.

She noticed Bakuzan sitting under a tree, lost in thought.

"Bakuzan, why didn't you go home with your brothers and sister?"

Bakuzan replied weakly:

"I was waiting for you, Mother..."

Amu was surprised.

"Ah, yes?"

Bakuzan stood up and said:

"Yes, I want to be alone with you for a moment... just like that."

Amu looked at Bakuzan with compassion, noting the emptiness in his gaze. She smiled and said:

"Let go, Bakuzan! You may have become a big boy, but you're still my baby. I'm your mother, and I'll always be here to comfort you."

A tear rolled down Bakuzan's face.

"Mother... he's really gone forever."

Amu took Bakuzan in her arms and said:

"Yes, Father is really gone. You won't see him again."

Bakuzan let himself cry in his mother's arms.

"It bothers me so much... why did it have to happen like this? Why? Why? And it's even more disturbing that I can't change any of this!"

Amu replied:

"That's life; it's like that. We can't always predict what will happen. We have to accept it and live with it... my son."

Bakuzan continued crying.

"I hurt so much, Mother... so much... sniff... sniff... Father is really dead!"

Amu said:

"Cry, my son... go ahead, don't hold back. It will help you feel lighter."

Amu stopped for a moment and added:

"When you told me about Rivhiamë, I immediately understood it was a serious matter!"

Bakuzan replied, still with a trembling voice:

"How so?"

Amu explained:

"Rivhiamë, the last time I saw her, was when Niyus and two men from my tribe went into the world of myths."

Bakuzan was suddenly surprised and pulled away from the embrace.

"What?"

Amu continued:

"Yes, I know Rivhiamë. She's a demon with white hair and red eyes. She's very adorable and hates violence."

Bakuzan noted that the description of her hair and eyes was correct, even though he hadn't mentioned her physical appearance to his mother.

Amu added:

"After that world of myths, I don't know what happened, but when I saw Niyus again, he was alone. I asked him where Rivhiamë was, and he told me that he was one with her and would have died because of the God of Destruction... If Niyus had died that day, you would never have seen the light of day. So, it's partly thanks to Rivhiamë that we're here. If I had seen her, I would have thanked her for everything!"

Bakuzan looked at his mother with amazement.

"Well, let's go home now. I need to talk to you about something important with your brothers and sister."

Amu began walking, followed by Bakuzan behind her.

At the Satsujin Otoko home, the atmosphere was depressing. Salomé and Bakuran were crying nonstop, while Sakolomé was thoughtful and silent.

The door opened, and attention focused on Amu and Bakuzan returning.

Amu looked at her children and said:

"Why are you still crying?"

The young ones looked at their mother, still as devastated.

Amu said to Bakuzan:

"Go sit down, Bakuzan!"

Bakuzan nodded and went to sit with his brothers and sister.

Amu sighed and said:

"Why can't you stop crying?"

Amu's children looked at her, lost in their sorrow.

Amu, compassionate, added:

"Yes... I know we've lost your father. It hurts me just as much as you, but maybe it's not a reason to always be so down... Earlier, when I was at your father's grave, overwhelmed by grief, I felt a warmth comforting me, the same warmth I often felt with your father when I was lost and disoriented. It reminded me of something... do you know what?"

The young Satsujin Otoko looked at Amu, intrigued and still grieving.

Amu continued:

"It reminded me that your father may be dead, but something of him lives in us: his will. Your father's will is in each of us."

Amu clenched her fist and looked at her children with a determined gaze.

"Your father never wanted us to be sad. You know that; he always did everything to keep us smiling. He was the most involved in making sure we always had a smile and joy in life, no matter what."

The young ones' gaze seemed to brighten with hope and comfort under Amu's words. The incessant crying even seemed to be calmed.

Amu continued:

"You know, children, in a way, the dead aren't really dead. It's just under our plane that they die, but they live elsewhere and watch us in the world of the dead. If your father is dead, he's surely watching us in that world. And knowing him, do you think he'd be happy to see us sad? Especially because of his death? If the dead could come talk to us, your father would surely say something like..."

Salomé interrupted Amu and replied, creating:

"He would probably say: Who allowed you to cry during my death? Laugh and move on!"

Everyone looked at Salomé with amazement, then Sakolomé said in turn:

"Or he would say: Crying continuously won't bring me back, so I ask you to move on. That's an order from your father!"

The young ones all laughed together.

Then Bakuran said:

"After that, he would tell Sakolomé to clean his room and get rid of his stinky old sock!"

Salomé and Bakuzan laughed, except Sakolomé, who felt embarrassed.

Bakuzan added:

"That's a truth Bakuran took advantage of. Sakolomé will clean his room, his stinky old sock!"

Everyone laughed again, except Sakolomé, who jumped on Bakuzan.

"We'll see who'll smell the old sock after I've redone your face!"

On the couch, Bakuzan and Sakolomé roughhoused in a comedic atmosphere under Salomé and Bakuran's laughter.

Amu watched them, happy. Tears of joy couldn't help but flow.

Amu's children noticed this situation and Salomé asked:

"Mother, why are you crying?"

Amu replied with a trembling voice:

"No, it's nothing... I..."

Bakuzan said:

"Because of Mother crying, Father might show up here and mess everything up stupidly. Mother, you should stop crying to avoid that!"

The young ones laughed again.

Amu wiped her tears and said with a smile:

"Shut up, Bakuzan! I'm not your grandmother!"

Amu's children stood up and all hugged their mother.

Amu was surrounded in her children's arms.

Salomé said:

"Mother... we love you so much!"

Sakolomé added:

"Thank you very much, Mother, for comforting us. We feel so much better now..."

Bakuran said:

"Mother, you're the only one we have left. We adore you so much..."

Bakuzan said:

"Mother... thank you from the bottom of my heart for being our mother. You're the best."

Amu was moved, so moved that she cried out loud with tears of joy.

She also took her children in her arms and said, crying:

"Mother loves you too. You're all my treasures. If I lose you all, it's like I've lost everything in my life... sniff... sniff... you're so good!"

A comforting hug sealed a moment of intense silence from the family.

Amu said inwardly:

"(Niyus... my love... I hope that from where you are now, you're happy watching us...)