Chapter Text
Aki found a bench by the river. If he was an old man, he probably would have used it to feed ducks by the river with some bread crumbs. But he wasn't old, nor did he have any bread. Instead, he had a lot of things to think about.
After sitting down, he put his head in his hands, forcing his eyes closed. The wind chimes and the steady ebb of the river being the only things he could sense.
Aki never got any time to think. Ever since he met Robin in that dingy dark room, he never got a chance to breathe. Between shootouts and small respites, he never had the chance to look back and think; "What the hell am I doing?" Now he was stuck in this... limbo. Left with the consequences of his actions before he could even theorize what they were.
He had gotten over his grief. Finally realizing that Popi's "suicide" wasn't his fault laid a huge burden off of Aki's back, and in it's place was a carnal rage. One that almost got him killed. Looking back at it now, he couldn't blame himself for doing that. There was just no other way for him to process that realization.
He had saved Robin. He had saved an "intergalactic pop-star" from his former employer and hopefully gotten her back to her homeworld before they could do anything to her. That was probably the most noble thing he had done in his entire life, the fact that he almost died in the process almost made up for his past atrocities. They were still there, of course, but maybe now he had a chance of repenting.
But how? He was trapped in this small area--it was nice, of course--but there was nobody nearby. Nobody to talk to. Just him and his thoughts. Aki felt like he was inside a snowglobe. Seeing a giant eye in the sky wouldn't surprise him.
Aki thought back to when he first got here. He remembered seeing red, immobilized as he watched Oki snicker while plunged a knife into his heart. Then he blacked out and woke up on a bed in a cabin by a lake, his injuries healed and his arms... Normal.
He had two theories as to what this place was.
One. He was in a coma and this was his mind prison.
Two. Robin saved him. Using her infinite resources, she put him in a medically induced coma and fabricated this... whatever you call it inside his own head.
Aki laughed at himself and thought of becoming a sci-fi writer after making that second theory. It was impossible. He destroyed the Space Anchor. He willingly sealed his fate so that Robin could escape safely. He was going to die.
But he couldn't help but still hope in that last theory. It wasn't far off, and he had told Robin that this is where he wanted to be after he was satisfied with himself. A cabin by a lake.
Now he didn't know what was in store for him.
What was he going to do once- no, if he recovered? Penacony sounded like a nice place, he would probably take her up on that bodyguard offer she offered him a while ago. But could he ever cope with never seeing Earth again? He would have to learn an entirely different culture, learn new manners, and whatever the hell else was in store for him. Could he do it?
He chuckled to himself and popped up off of the bench.
If he could get past his grief and topple a criminal organization by himself, he could deal with this minor adjustment.