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Kodocha's story is also the story of Hayama's redemption. Once Akito's family problems start being solved, he begins to think about all the people he caused pain during his life and the ones he keeps hurting (like Sana, even if unintentionally). He's mortified by those inner demons and eventually decides to do something about it.
Since Sana was his savior when no one dared trying to understand him, it's precisely her the one Akito lends a shoulder to cry when needed. When her mother is about to publish the book which will reveal her true origins (she was abandoned and adopted as a baby), Sana is scared to death thinking that her mother may have stopped loving her. Hayama is the only one who notices this, since she's so desperately trying to hide her feelings from others. Then he tells her: "if you ever feel like crying, you can come to me". With that words, he actually manages to make Sana very happy, and one of the very few true sincere smiles we'll see from Akito escapes his lips then.
Akito is an extremely honest person, he always says what's in his mind. That's why when he makes a promise, you can be sure he'll do whatever in his hands to stay true to it. And so, just as he promised Sana, he becames her refuge, a place she can always come back to. Hayama is the one thing that makes Sana keep smiling, even when she's doubting her own mother and needs to escape from her own home. Just as when Sana was there when Hayama's father colapsed and was brought to the hospital. They support each other in case of need.
At one point of the story, Hayama finds out he has hurt yet another person without even noticing about it. Komori Kazuyuki is an extremely shy boy who goes to the same class as Akito. He admires him from afar and considers him a friend even if he hasn't spoken to him once. Actually, Komori is a very messed up kid. He lives with her mother alone and she pressures him to be the son she wants. Once Komori finds out Akito doesn't even know his name, he runs away from home and threatens to commit suicide. Yup, he's crazy like that.
Hayama somehow feels he has to be the one to fix the mess, since he kind of caused it. he tracks down Komori to a forest and confronts him. The boy has actually more of a killing intent than anything else, and Hayama ends up letting the boy stab him in the arm, just to show him the reality of it all. That makes Komori snap out of it, and Akito finally manages to make him go back. However, Akito's wound is very serious and it almost makes him lose his life due to the heavy bleeding.
Even if he finally recovers and stays alive, it's not without a permanent harm. He loses movement and sensibility in his right hand. This is a pretty bad hit for him, since he's been practicing karate for a while now and has become a true passion for him. However, Akito seems to see what's happened to him as payback for his past actions, and decides to keep going and overcome the difficulty. Hayama's new-found optimism shocks Sana big time when she learns of it, and it's at this time when the two finally can begin going out together and be a true couple.
Kodocha's last arc is, nevertheless, one of the most heartbreaking. Hayama-chichi tells his family they're moving to the US (they later find out it's al for Akito's arm rehabilitation), something which will lead to something which both Akito and Sana never imagined. Akito finds himself torn by the news. He doesn't want to part with Sana, but on the other hand he's got a family now and having his father asking him to go with him is something he never dreamed with. Sana is shocked by the news. And this is when we learn about a portion of Sana's childhood which wasn't included in her mother's book.
When Sana was 7 years old, she fell ill for 15 days. That disease, which the doctors called "mannequin disease", made her lose all expression in her face. When Akito tells her about his future departure, it happens again, even worse than before. Akito decides he must be the one to cure her (just as she cured him before) and stays at her side at almost every moment, trying to find a way to make her react. He complies to her every wish, and they eventually go away from home so they can "become adults faster" as Sana says. It's when Akito finds himself alone with Sana, unable to do anything about her state, that he bursts out. Ignoring Sana's mother instructions to keep her calm, Akito shouts her, shakes her, begs her to snap out of it. And he cries for the very first time since Sana (and the readers) has known him.
Seeing Akito's tears for the first time, makes Sana realize the situation and they hug till they fall asleep, while Akito claims he'll be the one to feel lonelier when they separate. Slowly, Sana begins her recovery and Akito finally decides to comply and go to the US. His bond with Sana is not something that can be broken just because of a few thousand kilometres between them.
