Akira took a deep breath steeling his nerves for the rather long story. He sat up and sighed. Tears still fresh on his face. He faced Ryan and suddenly started sobbing. 

"You wanna know? You really know about all the scars and baggage I carry?" 

"Please I just want to know the story of your wife" 

"Lad, I'll keep it brief" 

Akira cleared his throat, sniffling before slouching down on the soft mattress. His body making a heavy impress into the mattress' soft material. He brushed his long messy hair out of his face and began to talk. 

"It all began in the fall of '90"

Nirvana was the talk of the town, people wore outlandish clothing and even more eccentric hair. I was nothing more than an outsider, a man who didn't belong. Akira shifted his weight and coughed ruining his narration. 

"Fucking kidding me, I was getting into the story" 

"I'm sorry I breathed in a little dust asswipe" Akira scratched his chin. "Oh yes, now I remember" 

"Good can you please continue!" Ryan said rolling his eyes. 

I was fresh off the boat, dirty, disheveled and down on everything happiness included. now because of my peculiar situation, I happened to be in despite being well of let's see..

Akira started counting on his fingers. 

"Ok I don't care about that just get to the part I'm waiting for geezer" 

"Alright man you're impatient" Akira shook his head. "Kids these days" 

the day Jess and I met was like any day, bright sunny, and warm. just like the smile that was always on her face. Oh, that day. Akira chuckled as a single tear rolled down his cheek. 

The days flashed in Akira's mind to the fateful day. he talked and talked and brought the story to the most important part. a large mall rose into the horizon. Jessica Corvus, a beautiful teen with a head of gorgeous rose hair giggled and laughed as she joked with her friends. Akira on the other hand was sat leaned against a concrete pillar. his hair hung over his eyes and he was covered in blood and stunk to high heaven of booze and defecation. 

"Hey! are you lost?" A calm and gentle voice called to Akira. a beautiful woman held out her hand. "I can take you to my house and give you a shower and some yummy food" 

"A-ki" is all that Akira managed to muster, he muttered softly not wanting to draw attention to his lack of knowledge of the language. 

"Aki? is that your name?" Jess suddenly sat down next to Akira and put an arm around him. she didn't mind the smell, hell she welcomed it. She didn't care if he was a violent homeless man fiending for a new fix or what other possibilities he could be. but something deep inside her soul told her he needed a friend.  

"I'm Jessica but you can just call me Jessie" She sat smiling a grin a beautiful full toothed innocent smile that outshone the sun. Suddenly Jess stood up, she dragged her finger across Akira's face before playfully flicking his nose. 

"I'll be right back stay here" She said in the most gentle tone imaginable. She walked back inside the mall. Akira watched with a sorrowful gaze as she walked away, when she was out of view, he brought his gaze to the sky above and watched wordlessly as several flocks of birds chirped and passed flying overhead. 

"Hey! Aki!" Jess cooed holding what appeared to be hundreds of bags from several clothing stores. "I didn't know what you liked so i bought everything I could grab" She smiled and giggled trotting her way over to Akira. She stumbled nearly toppling forward. She showed the bags to Akira. 

"Well try em on!" Jessica handed the bags to Akira. "You can understand me can't you?" 

"Unda-stan?" Akira parroted tilting his head looking into the several bags of clothing. 

"Yes! Understand!" Jess' face lit up with happiness as Akira began to understand her speech. She pulled out a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a bright yellow "smile" on it. The way she reacted to showing to Akira showed that she loved this thing whatever it was. To Akira, it was nothing but words and pictures. He reached out his palm instinctively. He ran his fingers up and down the waxy printing on the shirt. 

"Do you like it?" Jess asked cocking her head to the side and raising an eyebrow. "I can return it if you don't" 

Akira without thinking nodded. he grabbed the shirt and brought it close to himself embracing it. Tears welled in his eyes. 

"Like!" He smiled locking eyes with Jessica. "Like!" He screamed. Jess smiled and ruffled his messy hair. 

"I knew I made a good choice" Jess stuck her hand in her pocket and fumbled before finally pulling out a set of keys. "Let's go clean you up and get you some good food" She held her hand out and pulling Akira from the street corner. She smiled and laughed as she ran dragging him along, Akira struggled to keep up with Jess' overly enthusiastic and exuberant pace. He was happy, to run, happy to stand, happy to understand. He smiled genuinely, his lips pulling back as tears rolled down his cheeks. His mind raced counting the seconds of ecstasy he felt that someone has taken his hand. Suddenly Akira's mind jumped forward to years later, explosions broke in the sky. Akira looked to his right and saw the love of his life. She smiled as bright as ever. Holding his hand she gave him a peck on the cheek before simply saying. 

"We'll make it out of here, to our baby" Jess made a faux angry face as she giggled. Always so chipper even in the direst straits. A chain, long metallic and silver pierced through her chest. Akira's face flushed with pain. He watched as the one wielding the chain laughed. Everything became dull. Akira could only see darkness. Rage so powerful overcame Akira. he roared and lurched forward. His hands digging into the man's chest, with all of his demonic strength he ripped the magi in half. only for the same damage to be replicated on jess. her body being ripped in half before silently thumping to the ground like a pile of waste. Akira dropped to the ground, he didn't know what to feel, He couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. all he could do was scream. a loud guttural roar left Akira's mouth as he cradled his wife's corpse. with the last of her strength, She gave Akira one last kiss. tears fell down and on to Jess' lifeless face. her face didn't scrunch up cutely like it always did. her lips didn't part into a beautiful pearly smile. She was gone and it was all Akira's fault. Akira sat in the rain as his wife's blood was washed away. he tilted his head to the heavens and sobbed uncontrollably. He screamed and slammed his fists into the mud. Wanting to deny whatever the hell just happened. He bashed his skull against a wall. the sound was comparable to ground beef slapping against a cast iron pan. Akira drew his own blood as the sensation of death overcame him. He collapsed to the ground and within seconds he was back. His wounds healed and his blood back in his system. hours went by as Akira tried everything he could to end his own life. But it all ended the same way. he walked away completely fine, better than he was before death. 

Akira stood up and made for the oak door that enclosed the small 12x34 suite. tears ran down his face and his hair shadowed his eyes. 

"Now you know" he said pointedly. he opened the door and left. The door slamming shut behind him.  Ryan's face was blank he didn't know how to react. He felt a wave of tears suddenly stream down his face. He couldn't comprehend as to how and why but his soul was responding to the sheer pain and grief in Akira's own. Ryan felt the painful buzzing of silence flutter around him like annoying cicadas during summer. The silence continued to magnify and amplify as he recalled every single word of Akira's story. 

"She was dead right there in front of me, I ripped her apart with my own two hands" Akira's voiced echoed like old radio static in Ryan's mind. 

"My reason to live was dead and so was I" Ryan held his head as he screamed, the deep voice that only Akira could own. played back in his mind like a sonogram on endless repeat. playing the same old song the same way over and over. This was the start of an Emotional Adventure. 

To Be Continued...