"You'd be surprised. Some strangers can be very kind." But Akane knew all too well that some of them could be just the opposite...selfish, cruel, vicious. Even so, she still wanted to believe the best of people. There was always a chance they could change.

Akane hesitated, her finger tapping lightly against her coffee cup. "Are things really so beyond repair that you can't go back?" she asked, quieting her voice since they weren't exactly alone. "Feeling like you can't ever go home again just seems so...so sad to me."