Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If this isn't the end, please let me hear it.

The love I've shut out, the dream I once chased...

Back then, if just for a few moments, we had it all.

Has too much time passed? Is it too late to ask for something...

Somewhere?

-other than goodbye?

~~~

"--Wait!" I shout towards the mystery girl, something driving me not to say goodbye yet. "-What's your name?" 

The hazel eyed girl gasps, she's caught in the unstoppable current of people getting off the train. She frantically undoes whatever is tying her hair up and tosses it through the crowd, towards me.

Her voice is frantic, rushed, like she's pleading. Like she's running out of time.

"My name is--!" 

~~~~

--!

Taki was awoken with a start by someone tapping his shoulder irritability, his vision clouded by tears.

“Yo, Taki? You okay? You fell asleep and started crying.” Shinta’s voice faded it's way into Taki’s ears. “...You get enough sleep last night? You don't usually fall asleep in class.”

Taki sighed, wiping the mystery tears from his cheeks. “Yeah, I’m alright. I think I stayed up too late.”

“Try and get some sleep tonight, okay?” Tsukasa added, eyes fixed on Taki in concern.

Taki murmured a “Yes.” And turned to glance out the window, trying to recall the dream he just had. The history classroom was brilliantly illuminated by the dull morning light, shadows reaching from the window to the opposite end of the room. The clouds formed brilliant cotton candy streaks across the sky. Taki turned his attention back to his sketch of Itomori.  

Why does the scenery of a town that's no longer there… Make my chest feel so tight?

 In all the damned cities Mitsuha had moved to since the destruction of her hometown, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, etc, she had felt lost. She couldn't describe the feeling, but she almost felt as if she were running out of time. But being here , in Tokyo… Felt right. As if there were something here waiting for her to just reach out and grab it. She was getting closer. Closer to what though, she couldn't exactly pinpoint.

The instant Hitoha, her grandma, had mentioned moving to Tokyo, Mitsuha was buzzing with nerves and excitement.

She gazed at the train station around her, feeling nostalgic for some odd reason. Her sister was already pulling at her arm to leave.

Guess there's no stopping to rest in Tokyo… Mitsuha mused.

This building feels familiar… Mitsuha thought as she rested her forearms on the railing in front of her apartment door, gazing at the nighttime Tokyo skyline laid out before her star-filled eyes. The view was leaving her short of breath. An amazed, “Woah…” escaped from her lungs as her grandma quietly shuffled next to her.

“Breathtaking, isn't it?” Hitoha laughed. “I remember my first time in Tokyo… Buildings upon buildings as far as the horizon stretches...” She mused. “As much as I miss the quiet life, I will enjoy looking out at this view for the time we're here.”

Mitsuha put an arm around her grandma, her gaze still fixed on the brilliant structures that reached for the sky.

“Grandma…” Mitsuha started. “I think I want to stay in Tokyo for a long time.” 

Taki sat at his desk in his math class, the room now illuminated in grey morning light. Mixed with the soft sound of rain, the conversations of strangers sound a bit like secrets. 

"Hey, have you heard about that new girl?' 

"--Apparently she's from that town that got hit by a comet." 

"I'm pretty sure her dad was the mayor of Itomori!" 

"So, who's gonna ask her out first?" 

"I don't even know what she looks like!"

Taki turned his attention from the sketch of Miyamizu shrine to the conversations happening to his right, the word Itomori ringing a metaphorical bell. Someone from Itomori is coming to Jingu High School? Taki thought, getting up from his chair to pack up his things. 

On the way to history, Tsukasa wrapped an arm around Taki, followed by Shinta. 

"Ready for your Favorite class?" Tsukasa said, his obviously sarcastic voice high-pitched and excited, a sharp contrast to the otherwise gloomy day outside. 

"...Ready as I'll ever be for the most boring class in the school..." Taki muttered. 

"I'll say..." Shinta agreed. 

Taki sat down in his chair by the window and took out his sketch of Miyamizu shrine. 

"...Hey, Taki?" Tsukasa tapped his shoulder from the seat next to him. "I have a question." 

"Ask away." Taki dragged his gaze up to Tsukasa's now concerned eyes.  

"Why are you literally always working on some sketch of Itomori? You've been obsessed with that town ever since we went on that weird trip there with Mrs. Okudera." 

Despite it being a reasonable question, Taki felt as if he was being caught. His pulse began to hammer in his ears.

"I-- uh," Taki sputtered. "It... Has nice architecture. I take a lot of inspiration from it for my own work-- And drawing the town itself helps." He hoped that was a good excuse. 

Tsukasa shrugged, his eyes going back to his paper. "Cool. I Like to base my work off of Kagoshima." 

Taki sighed in relief. They would never understand that he drew to try and remember.

 Mitsuha walked timidly, her hands clasped behind her back, her school bag weighing down her left shoulder. Why does this high school have so many textbooks?! Her first class of the day was apparently Math. Drowning out the timid whispers of New girl and Itomori, she put herself down on the chair closest to the door. 

"Hey, uhm, that's my seat you've got there..." a gruff but warm voice filled her ears. Mitsuha looked up at the source, and her eyes instantly went wide. 

"--Tessie?!" 

"--Mitsuha!?" 

Mitsuha stood up at the speed of light and wrapped Tessie into a tight hug. "Tessieeeee!!! --I knew coming to Tokyo was the right idea!" She laughed into his school uniform. 

"What do you mean?" Tessie flashed an amused, curious smirk at Mitsuha as she pulled away.

"Ever since the comet, we've been moving to city after city, every year, and we never found anywhere suitable but... Now I have you here! What about Saya? Is she here too?!" Mitsuha was practically bouncing with excitement by this point. 

"Yup!" Tessie exclaimed, his cheeks flushing a shade of red. Mitsuha took note of this, and with one suspicious glance into Tessie's avoiding eyes, she backed up in disbelief. 

"...No. Way." Mitsuha gasped. "You two are a thing?! When did you get together?! Who asked who?!"

Tessie nervously gestured for Mitsuha to quiet down. "I asked her last year. She said yes, and now we're here!"  

"Now who's here?" Sayaka walked into the classroom, and was swept off her feet by a crushing hug.

"Sayaaaaa!!!" Mitsuha squealed.

"Mitsuha?!?! Is that you?!" Sayaka shouted once she was back on the ground. 

"Who else would it be?" Mitsuha laughed. 

 Mitsuha was now walking to her 2nd period class, which was history, according to the crumpled schedule in her hand. Her childhood friends were now at her sides, showing her where her class is. She was so, eternally grateful to whatever gods there are up there that her friends went to the same school as her in such a big, beautiful, daunting city as Tokyo. She said goodbye to her friends as she neared her next class, promising to meet the two of them in the courtyard during lunch.

Mitsuha took a deep breath and entered the classroom, mentally bracing herself for the whispers and glares. Avoiding eye contact with anyone, including the teacher, she found an empty seat by the wall opposite from the window of the classroom and plopped herself down on it, leaning her heavy bag against the chair leg. She gazed at her desk, her eyes distant as the teacher came into the class and announced his presence. Her thoughts were wandering to how soon lunch was, as every minute not spent around Tessie and Sayaka felt longer and longer. 

People from cities feel so distant... Mitsuha mused to herself. I remember hating how close-knit Itomori was, but it's pretty odd to just-- walk past someone without sparing them a glance. Well, at least I have Tessie and Saya. And I said to grandma that I wanted to stay here. Maybe I'll find what I'm looking for, too. 

Still, Mitsuha had zero idea what she was looking for. But ever since the stars fell on her hometown of Itomori, she had been following that sense of hope, living her teenage life in search of something that was always a step ahead of her. In that journey hope has taken her on, she has now arrived in Tokyo. And she felt as if she was closer to finding what she's been searching for than ever. She couldn't tell if that feeling put her on edge, or made her excited. 

Mitsuha was jolted out of her thoughts by a popular-looking girl sitting next to her. 

"Hey, new girl," She started, tapping her shoulder. "-Country girl. You're Mizuha, right?" 

"Uh," Mitsuha fiddled with the braided cord in her hair. "...It's Mit-su-ha, but yeah." 

"-I don't really care. I'm just telling you the amber-haired wimp by the window's checking you out. I dunno how you haven't noticed yet." 

Mitsuha shifted her gaze to the window parallel to her, scanning for a head of messy, short amber hair. She found herself knowing exactly what to look for, oddly. 

Suddenly she felt the air thicken. Her lungs couldn't take in the right amount of oxygen, leaving her breathless. Her chest felt tight and her stomach dropped miles. Coherent thoughts and logic seemed to fail her as she gazed, wide-eyed at the amber-haired boy, her pulse hammering in her ears. 

"-Who..." Mitsuha got out, so quiet she didn't know if she had said it or thought it. "...Who's that?" 

"He's one of those weird architecture kids who hangs out in the corner of the courtyard during lunch," The girl answered. "Don't worry, he'll stop staring soon. All the new girls get checked out by everyone here." The girl glanced up at Mitsuha, her gaze still glued to the amber-haired stranger. 

"Hello?" She waved a hand in her face, failing to get Mitsuha to react at all. She turned back to her friend. "Great, the new girls got the hots for a wimp." 

Suddenly, the strangers eyes shifted up, and for a split second, he looked into Mitsuha's wide eyes, and a momentary connection erupted between the two. As Mitsuha tore her gaze back to her polished wooden desktop, a whirlwind of emotions surging through her, her scrambled thoughts all converged at one question.

--Is he what I've been looking for?

 If there was a more forceful way to describe tearing your eyes from someone, this is where Taki would've used it. 

Why is this stranger so damn familiar?! He internally shouted in frustration, his emotions a suddenly chaotic mess in contrast to a neat line. That's her... Who's her?! Is she what I've been looking for? What's her name?! 

By this point, Taki was basically pulling his hair out, slumped over his desk in frustration. He dared to glance in the stranger's direction one last time. 

--That ribbon in her hair! I know that from somewhere! Where?! 

He darted for his school bag and fished out his book on Itomori's culture and customs. He swept everything to the side and set the book down, flipping through the pages until he found a page on braided cords. Faint, dull memories of an elderly woman and a beautiful sunset over a small town on a lake teased his inner monologue as he skimmed over the information on braided cords, his heart leaping up to his throat. 

Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled by the sleeve into the hallway by a flash of short black hair and glasses. 

"Tsukasa?! What are you doing?!" He nearly shouted when they got into the hallway. 

"--Okay Taki, I can't keep quiet about this anymore, and especially not now." He started, silently telling Taki just let him talk. 

"2 years ago, you took me and Okudera to Itomori because you wanted to find someone you couldn't even contact. You somehow don't even recall the fact that it was destroyed by a comet, then you tell us to go back to Tokyo while you went somewhere else. You show up not even remembering why you went, and you suddenly become literally obsessed with everything to do with Itomori. Now there's a new girl from the same town, and you're pulling your hair out over your desk!" Tsukasa's eyes flashed with concern even as his voice was raised in frustration. 

"Taki," He grabbed him by the shoulders. "You need to tell me what happened when we went back to Tokyo. Whatever happened clearly hurt you somehow. I mean, you were quiet and reserved before, but now... I can't explain it, but you're just not happy."

Taki gazed at Tsukasa in stunned silence.

"...I know this isn't helping my case, but-- I can't remember what happened. All I can recall is waking up on some mountain and going home." Taki guiltily gazed at his feet. 

Tsukasa put his hands over his head and sighed. "We'll continue this conversation at lunch, okay? Sorry for pulling you out of class." 

"--Uh, It's okay. Thanks for your concern, Tsukasa." 

"Mitsuha? Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." Sayaka put a hand on her friends shoulder. 

"Gah-- Yes! I'm okay, I promise. Tokyo's just... a little daunting, is all." Mitsuha laughed nervously, internally praying they would buy the excuse. 

The group of three were now sitting on one of the walls in the courtyard, leaning against the metal fence, (Sayaka choosing to lean on Tessie instead) munching on their own lunches. Luckily the rain had stopped before lunch, and although the day was still grey, the courtyard had dried off for the most part. 

Suddenly, Mitsuha frantically shifted her gaze from her food to the ground, her cheeks glowing red, as she briefly caught a glance of the same amber-haired boy she saw in history class walking into the courtyard, trailing behind two of his friends.  She briefly felt a pang of concern for him, as earlier he had been pulled out of class by the sleeve by his angry-looking friend. 

Sayaka turned her head towards the small group heading towards the corner, then back to a flustering Mitsuha. 

"...No way..." Sayaka said breathlessly.

Tessie glanced at the group, now seated, and then back at his flustering friend, and instantly caught on. 

"On your first day?!" Tessie exclaimed. 

Mitsuha looked back up at her friends. "What on my first day?!" She said, pleading ignorance. 

"How are you already falling for someone on your first day?!" Sayaka pressed. "That's not even mentioning the fact that your falling for Ta--!"  Mitsuha sprang up at light speed, nearly spilling her food and ruffling her hair to cover Sayaka's mouth before she could finish. 

"--ki..." She muffled into Mitsuha's palm. 

 "T- Taki?" Mitsuha let out, her throat not able to hold the name any longer. 

"Mhm. One of the architecture kids." Tessie said. 

Ta-ki. 

Those two syllables echoed in Mitsuha's ears and through her entire body as she lowered her faltering hand.

Ta-ki.

Two syllables, somehow so achingly familiar, like the sight of a small town on a lake, or a tangled braided cord. 

Tessie waved a hand in Mitsuha's face. "Mitsuha?" 

 Taki grew smaller and smaller under the scrutinizing, but concerned eyes of his friends as they sat down in the corner to eat lunch.

"--Taki, I'm really encouraging you to go see the school therapist." Tsukasa said, finishing up his food. "Something's wrong up there, I'm telling you." 

"Yeah, you haven't seemed very happy at all since you went on that trip and stole Tsukasa." Shinta added. 

"-That was two years ago! And Tsukasa invited himself." Taki backpedaled. 

"And yet, here you are, two years later, still not happy." 

Tsukasa put a hand on Taki's shoulder. "It's been pretty obvious this whole time. I'm not taking another 'I'm fine' excuse. You're not okay, Taki." 

Taki frowned. It was true that he hadn't been genuinely happy in a while. But trying to explain why, especially to his two closest friends, seemed like an insurmountable task. But he did know his friends would at least try to understand. They always have been trying. Even when Taki brushed off their concern as paranoia, they tried to understand. A pang of guilt shot through Taki's heart as he spoke his next words. 

"Guys..." He started. "I'm sorry. I've been really ungrateful for your help and companionship these past two years, and I think I'm just now realizing my mistake." He bowed to Tsukasa and Shinta. 

"...If I try to explain what's wrong with me, will you do your best to try and understand, and not call me crazy?" 

Both his friends nodded adamantly. 

Taki sighed. "I've never actually said these things out loud before, so I apologize if I start to ramble." And with that, he began. 

"...Some mornings, I-- I wake up crying without knowing why. That sort of thing happens every now and then. Whatever the dream was I had, I can never remember it. But... the only thing that does last when I wake up, is a sense of loss, like I've lost something or someone dear to me. And that lingers for a long time afterwards." 

Tsukasa and Shinta listened intently, nodding their heads in affirmation like a therapist. 

"...I'm always searching for something. --Or, someone. I've been consumed by this feeling... Ever since I woke up on that strange mountain next to Itomori." Taki dug his hand into his cheek. 

"I draw things around Itomori to try and remember whatever it is I was searching for, because whenever I look at a picture of Itomori before the comet, I always get a sense of nostalgia, as if I've been there before the comet actually struck. That leads me to believe Itomori is part of what I'm searching for, and I think that's why I'm so obsessed with it." He said.  

"But it's just one piece of this vague puzzle, and I know there's more to be found, whatever it is."

"...Does you flipping out in history have anything to do with this?" Asked Shinta. 

Taki felt his cheeks heat up and his chest tighten, his emotions starting to scramble a little bit. 

"I...!, Uhm..." Taki stuttered. "I can't believe I'm telling this to you guys, but... I think that new girl... S-She's what I'm looking for." 

"Who's what you're looking for?" A sudden, feminine voice sounded from behind Taki. 

"Gah!" Taki jumped. "Sayaka? What are you doing here? How much of that did you hear?" 

"Just the last sentence." She said matter-of-factly, holding out a small notepad and a pen. "I need your number." 

"Wha- Why?" Taki said, Tsukasa and Shinta curiously gazing at Sakaya.

"Oh, for god's sake, could 'ya just write down your number please!?" 

Mitsuha loved her friends to death, don't get her wrong, but that was just it. 

To death.

And right now, Mitsuha was figuratively and literally dying. 

The instant she swung open the door to her apartment, she ran to her half-decorated room, ignoring Yotsuha's cries for her to have tea with grandma, those same syllables reverberating through her body to the strum of her heartbeat as she sprinted through her bedroom door and slammed it shut behind her.

Ta-ki. 

Ta-ki.

Mitsuha threw herself onto her bed. "Taki, who are you!?!" She screamed into her pillow, clutching the small piece of paper in her fist. 

Ta-ki.

Ta-ki.

She heard soft footsteps shuffle to her door frame, and she instantly recognized them as her grandma. She sat up quickly and straightened her back, silently praying her grandma didn't hear what she just screamed as the door opened.

"Grandma! Uh-- I was just-" 

Hitoha put a hand up, gesturing for Mitsuha to let her guard down. Mitsuha relaxed her shoulders and let her grandma sit down next to her on the bed. 

"-Yotsuha wanted to come up here and check on you. She said you were actin' 'weird' again." She smiled. "I came up here to ask you somethin'." 

Hitoha grinned up at her granddaughter. "You told me you wanted to stay in Tokyo for a long time. Why's that so?"

Mitsuha pondered for a long moment. She couldn't bare the thought of trying to explain her complicated web of uneasy, nostalgic, fantastical emotions that have gathered since the comet struck. But, at the same time, her grandma would at least try to understand, right? It was Hitoha Miyamizu after all, Shinto priest, leader of Miyamizu shrine. She should understand something out of the ordinary.

"...I've never really said this out loud before, so forgive me if I ramble." Mitsuha started.

"-You know how... Whenever you think of a memory from when you were small, you can't remember anything specific, but you remember the feeling it gave you like it happened yesterday?"

Hitoha nodded thoughtfully.

"...That's how a lot of it feels before the comet. I can't describe it well, but after the comet, I feel like I lost more than just Itomori. I lost something precious. Something... That I should be remembering, because I had it at one point, I know I did, but... I can't remember what it was. Ever since the comet, I've been searching for what I've lost. ...But it's hard when the only thing I have to go off is a feeling." Mitsuha said. 

"We've moved around so much the past 5 years, and each city we go to, I had the sense that I was no closer to finding what I'm looking for then when I started. But Tokyo... I got this feeling when I stepped off the train, like I was closer to finding whatever I'm looking for than ever. That's why I want to stay here." 

Hitoha sighed blissfully. "Well, Mitsuha, to me, it seems you've been searching long before Comet Tiamat." 

Mitsuha blinked rapidly in surprise. "--Huh?" 

"-There was one day you came here, to Tokyo, and you told Yotsuha it was a date. But I think we're all aware you were searching for somethin' then, too." 

Hitoha put a reassuring hand on Mitsuha's shoulder. "We can stay in Tokyo for as long as it takes you to find your missing link, whatever it may be, n'then some." 

Mitsuha gazed at her grandma, teary-eyed and smiling, before she wrapped her arms around her. 

"Thank you, grandma..." 

Chapter Text

'Gran, can I ask a favor?' Mitsuha's long hair is chopped short. She isn't the Mitsuha I know anymore.

'Oh, yeah. The comet. It'll be at it's brightest today right?'

Tessie and the others invite her out. 'Let's go watch the comet.'

'Mitsuha, don't!' I shout from behind the mirror, in the peal of wind chimes, as the wind stirs her hair.

'Mitsuha, no, you can't go there! Run! Get out of town before the comet hits!'

But my voice doesn't reach her. She doesn't notice me.

On the night of the festival, Mitsuha and her friends look up at the comet, now closer than the moon. The comet suddenly splits, and it's shards shine, becoming countless shooting stars. One massive fragment of rock becomes a meteor and begins to fall.

Even then, gazing at it, her only thought is, 'It's beautiful.'

'Mitsuha, run!' I scream at the top of my lungs.

'Mitsuha, run! Please run!'

'--Mitsuha! Mitsuha!--

 "-- MITSUHA! "

Taki sprang up from his bed, his eyes blinded by tears and the morning sunlight, his forehead coated in a thin layer of sweat. His bedroom door swung open to reveal his dad, only half-dressed for work, with a frightened and concerned look in his eyes.

"-Taki?! Who's name did you just scream? Are you okay?"

Taki's breath came out uneven and shaky. His chest had that same tightness he felt when he imagined Itomori, his heartbeat audible in his bright red ears.

...Who's name did I just scream? He thought, gazing down at his hand.

Taki's father shuffled up to the bed. " Taki , I said are you alright?"

Taki shook his short amber bangs around in an attempt to regain a sense of reality, feeling his thoughts about to consume him. "-Yeah, dad, I'm okay. I think I had a nightmare." He reassured, wiping the tears from his eyes.

His dad's eyes softened as he sighed in relief. "Okay, good. For a minute I thought you were being attacked." He made his way to the doorframe. "-I'll make breakfast today, you hurry up and get dressed for school."

The door closed. Taki was alone with his thoughts again.

It was lunchtime at Jingu highschool. Mitsuha, Sayaka, and Tessie sat at their usual spot in the courtyard, eating their lunches and conversing casually about classes and their home life.

Suddenly, Tessie and Sayaka gave each other a glance and got up, gesturing silently for Mitsuha to follow suit. They began to walk towards the far corner of the courtyard, shuffling about 5 feet before Mitsuha realized what was going on.

"--Oh, no no, I am not doing this..."

Sayaka pulled at Mitsuha's arm. " Come ooonnn, Mitsuha! Just introduce yourself! Me and Tessie'll do it too!"

Mitsuha sighed, her cheeks turning red at the thought of talking to Taki. "...Alright, fine, I'm introducing myself, and that's it."

"Yes! That's all we want." Tessie smiled, pumping a fist infront of his chest.

The three walked towards the group, Mitsuha faltering behind Tessie and Sayaka, her hands clasped behind her back and her gaze shifting anywhere but the corner of the courtyard.

"Hi! Sorry If we're intruding on a conversation, but we'd like to introduce ourselves."

Sayaka sat down in front of the three, Tessie and Mitsuha doing the same. Mitsuha couldn't help but notice the sharp contrast between the two groups, Tessie, Sayaka , and herself sitting in the traditional Seiza style, while Taki and his two friends lounged on the dark green concrete, legs crossed in front of them.

Mitsuha's heart skipped a beat when Taki caught her glancing at him, and she frantically looked down as one of Taki's friends spoke first.

"Well, I'm Tsukasa Fujii. I'm a senior here, and an aspiring architect." He bowed slightly towards the group of three across from him.

"-I'm Shinta Takagi! I'm an aspiring architect as well, and I also train in Judo and Muay-thai at Shibuya gym."

"...I'm, uh--I'm Taki Tachibana. I also happen to be an aspiring architect." He said with a nervous chuckle. Mitsuha flustered internally at his awkward demeanor.

"--Don't forget Itomori studying enthusiast!" Tsukasa teased Taki, pushing him on the shoulder.

"--Hey! Don't mention that! All three of them are from there!" Taki flustered.

He studies Itomori?

"... No, no, it's okay. Actually, I think that's very thoughtful of you... Itomori may be gone, but I'm glad it's not forgotten." Mitsuha found herself saying to Taki, the gratitude swelling in her chest failing to keep itself hidden.

"I'm Mitsuha, by the way. Mitsuha Miyamizu. I aspire to be in the fashion industry when I graduate." As she made eye contact with him while talking, she turned her head sideways slightly to avoid looking like she was staring straight at him.

Taki looked at Mitsuha with wide eyes that faded into an thoughtful gaze. "I-- uhm, It's nice to meet you, Mitsuha." He said, getting visibly more tense.

This is wrong. Mitsuha got a feeling in her chest as she awkwardly grinned back at Taki. -- I've met you before somehow.

Sayaka went next. "Well, I'm Sayaka Natori, but I think you already knew that. I'm aspiring to open my own bakery one day. This is my boyfriend Tessie." She said, planting a petite hand on his shoulder.

"--Hey! I can introduce myself!" Tessie fired back.

"I bet you would mess up somehow..."

"I-I would not!"

The other four giggled at Tessie and Sayaka's bickering.

"Anyway, I'm Katsuhiko Teshigawara, but that's a real big mouthful, so you can just call me Tessie."

"-Well, that's the longest name I've ever heard." Tsukasa grinned.

"I know! I don't even know wh..."  

The conversation started to fade from Mitsuha's consciousness as she swiped another glance at Taki, who now looked stressed, or maybe deep in thought about something, his shoulders raised and his hands clamped tightly around his lunch. She took a few risky moments to study his sun-kissed amber hair and deep, entrancing royal blue eyes, and she started to get that uneasy feeling of nostalgia in her chest again as her heart-rate started going up.

Ta-ki.

Ta-ki.

"...My dad's making me join his construction firm once I graduate, but... I don't wanna do that at all. It's the last thing on my list." Tessie said solemnly. "I want to get into the radio industry if I'm honest."

"Is this a situation where you can't tell him otherwise?" Tsukasa pressed. "Like, is he making you join, without any choice in the matter?"

Tessie sighed. "You got it. If I ever tried to tell him how I feel about it, he'd just tell me to shut up and do what I'm supposed to..."

"Does he know you don't want to join?"

"Why would I ever tell him that? "

"-Do you have a mother? What does she think?"

"--She's always just... stayed out of the conversation whenever we talk about it. It's not like she would get a chance to say anything anyway, my dad has more of a 'I said it, so get it done, no exceptions' kinda attitude."

Tsukasa pondered a moment. "...I think your best bet is to get your mom on your side. If anyone can convince your dad to let you do what you want with your future, it's the woman he married, right?"

The rest of the group gave supportive looks to Tessie, making him grin.

"Maybe I'll do just that."

Shinta suddenly chuckled. "Tsukasa, I didn't know you had a talent for therapy!"

Sayaka laughed. "Oooh, could you ever do couple's therapy?"

"Now hold on, why would we need couple's therapy?" Tessie grinned down at Sayaka, now resting her head on his broad shoulder.

"I dunno," She shrugged. "It might be useful?"

Tsukasa suddenly burst out laughing. "Guys, guys, c'mon, I'm not a therapist, I'm just helping out a friend." He pushed up his glasses and grinned warmly at Tessie, who happily grinned back.

Watching all of this, Mitsuha felt torn. Of course she was happy that she, Sayaka, and Tessie had found some new friends to be around during school.

But can I handle being around Taki often without--

--Going crazy...?  

Taki was sitting at his desk in his room, slumped over his homework, trying to force the familiar flashes of smooth hazel eyes, soft-looking lips and silky black hair from his mind.

During lunch, he had learned her name. Or, re-learned? He almost went into a state of panic trying to figure out where he knew Mitsuha from.

Mit-su-ha.

Mit-su-ha.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated on his desk, making a loud, jarring noise that startled Taki back to reality.

LINE: YOU HAVE 1 NEW MESSAGE.

Taki swiped the message open and was surprised to see it was from an unknown number.

[Mitsuha: Hello Taki, it's Mitsuha, Sayaka gave me your number. I just wanted to tell you that I'm v glad our friend groups are closer now. Us Itomori kids need someone else to be around than just ourselves : )]

Taki found himself chuckling as he typed his response, even if his nerves were starting to tighten their grip because, Mitsuha was texting him!

[Taki: Hi Mitsuha! I'm glad we met you guys too, us Tokyo kids need some small-town friends to balance us out!]

[Mitsuha: You told me during lunch that you study Itomori. If you don't mind of course, I'd like to know more? A Tokyo boy studying a small town doesn't sound too common!]

Taki suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She might find what I do offensive...

[Taki: I find your town's culture and architecture really interesting. It's so radically different from Tokyo, I base a lot of my work off of Itomori.]

[Mitsuha: What seems so interesting about it?]

[Taki: I couldn't really tell you, if I'm honest. There's just something about the town that gives me a nice feeling. I'm sure that's how it was with you too, when you lived there.]

[Mitsuha: Actually, I despised Itomori when I lived there. I was a v ungrateful child, haha. My dream was to move to Tokyo once I graduated and break into the fashion industry.]

[Taki: Still chasing the same dream, huh?]

[Mitsuha: Of course! It's been my passion for a long time.]

For some odd reason, despite his nervousness, talking to Mitsuha seemingly came naturally to him. It was like talking to someone he'd known forever. Taki glanced over at his History homework, remembering he and Mitsuha were in the same History class.  

[Taki: Have you finished the History homework?]

[Mitsuha: ...Yes.]

[Taki: Are you lying?]

[Mitsuha: Okay, okay, I'll get on it now. Thanks, Taki.]  

[Taki: Just looking out for you. If you need any help, text me. Tokyo homework is another beast.]

[Mitsuha: Okay!]

Taki was right. Tokyo homework was hard. But right now, it didn't really bother her.

I just talked to Taki! Without making myself sound like an idiot!

As she paced through her homework, she tried to force the flashes of sun-kissed amber hair and royal blue eyes from her head. But she couldn't just not think about Taki.

She thought of texting Taki about her homework, just to continue talking with him, numerous times. But eventually her homework was done for the night.

She instantly reached for her phone on the other side of her desk, but as soon as she had opened it, she heard a call from the dining room.

"Siiiis!" Yotsuha shouted. "Dinner time, c'mon!"

Mitsuha groaned and forced her fingers through her hair. Guess I'll text Taki after dinner... She mulled, setting her phone back down on the desk and trudging to her bedroom door.

Late summer usually meant long hours of daylight, so around evening time, the sunset cast it's brilliant, dim glow through the windows of the Miyamizu apartment.

"There you are, Mitsuha. You've been cooped up in your room all afternoon." Hitoha was pouring tea, smiling at her disappointed-looking granddaughter. Mitsuha put herself down on the floor in front of the low table and shifted her lower legs under her thighs, her lips twisted into a regretful frown.

"If there's anything I don't like about Tokyo, it's the homework..." She mumbled.

"-It's not that bad for me." Yotsuha said, scooping a wad of rice into her bowl with a smug look on her face. "And the school uniforms are pretty comfy!"

"You call that Comfy? " Mitsuha gestured to her room where her uniform hung over her desk chair. "Mine itches like crazy! And the skirt is shorter than any other one I've had, It makes me feel too exposed... And since when do girls wear ties?! Tessie had to teach me how to tie one, it was really embarrassing."

Yotsuha passed the pot of rice to her older sister. "I thought you said you really liked Tokyo for some reason?"

"--Hey! I do love it here! It's just-- Well... Gonna take some getting used to."

"That's the spirit, Mitsuha." Hitoha grinned, re-adjusting her glasses. "And you found your friends from Itomori here, too."

Mitsuha felt her lip curve upwards as she put a scoop of rice in her bowl and passed the rice pot to her Grandma. "I am glad for that."

Mitsuha shuffled back to her room once she finished dinner and cleaned her dishes, so as not to look like she wanted to leave her family's presence. The instant she closed her bedroom door though, she made a beeline for her phone and picked it up, internally praying that Taki had texted while she was away.

LINE: YOU HAVE 2 NEW MESSAGE(S).

She slid open the message to reveal two texts from Taki. She pumped a fist in the air and held her phone close to her chest, flopping onto her bed and sighing in relief.

[Taki: Hello Mitsuha, I wanted to apologize for distracting you from your homework earlier.]

[Taki: I hope you got your history work done?]

Mitsuha laughed into her palm.

[Mitsuha: Don't apologize, silly! I'm glad I texted you, I wouldn't have got my homework done if I didn't.]

Something about talking to Taki felt so natural to Mitsuha. Too natural for total strangers. It was as if she had known him forever.

...Have I?

[Taki: Good! How's your evening been?]

[Mitsuha: Did homework, ate dinner, now I'm lounging in my bed. I thought Tokyo life would be a bit more exciting than this, to be honest.]

[Taki: Yeah, If you don't go out much, Tokyo gets pretty stale. I'd say go explore whenever you get the chance, you'd be amazed at what you can find. My dad says it's big enough that you can live here your whole life and still find something new everyday.]

[Mitsuha: Well, tomorrow's Saturday, so I might as well look around.]  

Mitsuha watched the three dots that indicated Taki was typing with baited breath. He was taking more time than usual to respond. Mitsuha figured Taki was typing something on the longer side and shut off her phone, taking the chance to sit up and undo her hair, fiddling with the braided cord as she fell back onto her bed with a huff, her long black hair now dancing in every direction across her pillow.

Her heart rate jumped as her phone vibrated harshly, telling Mitsuha she had a new message. When she opened it, her heart nearly burst.

[Taki: If you want, maybe we could meet up at a cafe near Jingu High School and we could grab something to eat? I could show you around the area too.]

Mitsuha silently thanked the gods for whatever made her so lucky to be in Tokyo as she eagerly typed her response, a stupid grin spreading across her lips.

[Mitsuha: Yes!! Omg, I've never been to a Tokyo cafe before!! What time works for you?]

[Taki: 7:00? That's about half an hour after I get off work.]

[Mitsuha: Of course! Send me an address and I'll be there tomorrow!]

After a long Saturday afternoon of carrying plates of Italian food to nameless faces, Taki was a bit exhausted.  

He sat in the chair of the supply office, having just finished changing into more casual clothes. He was undeniably lucky to be allowed to get off work half an hour early.

The door clicked open, and in stepped Mrs. Okudera.

"Leaving so soon?" She asked slyly, noticing Taki was gathering up his things.

"-Yeah, I was allowed to leave half an hour early."

Okudera grinned. "And why are you leaving early again?"

Taki almost didn't want to tell Mrs. Okudera exactly why he was leaving, for fear of being made fun of, especially by her. But he couldn't think up a proper excuse in mere seconds, so he conceded.

"I'm, uh-- Meeting with a friend that's new to Tokyo at seven. I think it's important to show newcomers around, it's pretty easy to get lost in a city like this."

Okudera's grin widened as her eyes squinted in curiosity. "--A friend ?"

Taki felt his muscles tighten. "Yeah, she's new here, so I'm showing her around."

Okudera leaned in a little closer and put her hands behind her back. "-She?"

Taki sighed, fighting the blood rushing to his face. "It's not a date, Mrs. Okudera. I promise."

"Okay!" She giggled. "I believe you, I know you would tell me somehow if it were a date. Which you better." She added threateningly.

Taki opened the heavy metal door to his apartment and stepped in, sliding off his shoes at the entrance.

"Hello father! I'm home!" He called out.

"Hi Taki! How was work?"

Taki sighed, leaning against the entrance to the kitchen where his dad was sitting at the table, typing on his laptop with a small plate of sushi next to it. "Same as ever, besides the fact that I left half an hour early."

Taki's father gazed up at his son with a suspicious look plastered on his face.

" Uh -- Don't worry! I had permission! I'm meeting up with a friend that's new to Tokyo so I can show them around our neighborhood at seven."

Taki's dad let his guard down, shifting his eyes back to the laptop. "Well, okay. Please try to be back by eleven. And don't get lost."

Taki nodded in affirmation and made his way to his room. With the curtains open, the bright lights of Tokyo poured in through the window, as did the retreating evening sunset.

He tossed his bag onto his bed and glanced at the clock, which read 6:15. He began digging through his clothing rack for an outfit to wear.

As he searched, he pondered.

...Why do I need to look nice? This isn't a date or anything, all I'm doing is meeting her at a cafe for a bit and walking around. But... This is the first time she's gonna see me not in my school uniform... Or, has she seen me before? --Whatever. I should make a good first impression, right?

Eventually, he had on a pair of light blue jeans, a grey sweater with a dark blue zip-up hoodie, and a pair of white sneakers.

He bid farewell to his father and made his way out the door, soaking in the Saturday night lights of Tokyo as he walked to the train station near his apartment.

Taki boarded the train, realizing his nerves had been suspiciously calm in the lead up to meeting up with Mitsuha. This thought caused his chest to tighten and his mind to cloud, the full weight of what he was about to do hitting him like a metaphorical truck as he found a seat on the evening train.

As he checked his appearance obsessively in the window, her eerily familiar name started to echo through his head.

Mit-su-ha.

Mit-su-ha.

Ta-ki.

Ta-ki.

"Sis, which one's better, the pink one or the red one?" Mitsuha darted through her words, holding up two dresses in front of Yotsuha.

"-I thought you told me this wasn't a date." Yotsuha said, her arms crossed in front of her chest, looking up at her sister.

"I-It's not!" Mitsuha sputtered, fighting the blood rushing to her cheeks. "I just wanna make a good first impression!"

"You'll make a good first impression in anything but your school uniform!"

Mitsuha's room was not always spotless, but everything was at least tidy. Save for today, in which there were skirts, dresses, shirts and pants thrown on every surface in a so far unsuccessful attempt to find something good to wear.

Yotsuha sighed. "What time did you say you had to leave again? Six-thirty?"

Mitsuha nodded quickly.

"It's six-fifteen right now, so I'll make you a deal. You put on the dress I've literally been telling you to wear for the past hour, " Yotsuha picked up the slim-fit navy blue dress and held it out to her older sister. "And I'll straighten up your room for you while your gone."

Mitsuha grimaced. "That one's so revealing though!"

The shorter of the two pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sis, It's perfectly fine, and how can it be revealing if it goes down to your knees?" She grumbled.

"Because It's slim! I already tried it on, it highlights all my curves!"

Yotsuha shoved the dress into her older sister's hands. "That's what dresses are supposed to do, dummy! Now go!"

Chapter Text

Why do I torture myself like this... Taki mulled as he tapped his index finger on the table. 

Taki had planned a bit too far ahead, and now he was nearly twenty minutes early. Time seemed to be going slower and slower no matter how much he did to distract himself from the analog clock that was mocking him from his phone screen.

Vicious butterflies had possessed his stomach ever since he stepped on the train, and his heartbeat was steadily increasing as the minutes to 7:00 inched closer, images of bright, deep hazel eyes and silky, long black hair plaguing his mind. 

Anticipation was chipping away at Taki's nerves as he glanced at the time on his phone. 6:46. 

--It's only been two minutes?! 

Mitsuha walked timidly to the cafe, her hands clasped in front of her and her eyes fixed on the ground ahead.

She was undeniably excited to go to a Tokyo cafe for the first time in her life, even if Tessie and Sayaka had already beaten her to it.

But the fact that she was about to meet up with Taki, and the (In her opinion) revealing dark blue dress she sported beneath her thin cotton black jacket made her stomach swarm with the most vicious butterflies she had ever felt.

...Why am I so nervous, just to meet up with a friend?! This isn't even a date, all were doing is grabbing something to eat and walking around for a little bit!

Taki looked to the clock again. 7:08. He glanced out the window. 

And there she was. 

She was hurriedly walking to the door, the loops of the strangely nostalgic braided cord in her hair swinging this way and that, her cheeks rosy and flushed, her bright hazel eyes visible even from behind the window. She wore a deep blue slim dress that caused Taki's lungs to momentarily fail him as he took in the sight of the familiar stranger. As much as Taki hated to admit it, she looked totally stunning beneath the Tokyo lights. 

Mitsuha was hit instantly with the calming scent of coffee and oak wood as she stepped inside her first Tokyo cafe, but her nerves were far from calm as she finally laid her eyes upon him. 

Taki was on his phone, tapping his finger on the polished wooden tabletop, his deep royal blue eyes shining even from this far away. She briefly felt a sort of buzz, like a strange connection to him.

Oh no! It looks like he's been waiting for a while! 

His grey sweater was slightly oversized, the sleeves covering part of his hands. It was strangely endearing to Mitsuha. 

She took a deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat as she began to walk towards him, gripping the strap of her purse for dear life.

"-Taki!" Mitsuha called out to him. "I'm so sorry I'm late! Did you wait long?"

Taki looked up from his phone. "Mitsuha..." He said breathlessly. "You're here! --And no, I-I haven't waited too long." 

Mitsuha sighed in relief, raising her purse strap over her head and removing her outer jacket. "I'm glad." 

"Uhm- How was the train ride here? Did my directions help?" Taki said, tearing his gaze from the stunning blue dress. 

Mitsuha found herself chuckling as she laid her jacket over the chair in front of her and placed herself down, burying her hands between her lower thighs. "Well... I didn't get lost, so I'd call that a success!" 

Taki laughed, feeling himself starting to relax already. Maybe this'll be less stressful than I thought... 

Taki mimicked a gag. "Mitsuha, that's the most sugary thing I've ever seen!" 

Mitsuha chuckled. "Oh, give me a break! It's my first ever Tokyo cafe, I've dreamed of this moment since I was a kid!" She said, taking out her phone and swiping open the camera. "And I can't say I agree with a blueberry scone and a black coffee either." 

Taki held his coffee cup close to his chest. "-Hey! It's a mature thing to order!" 

"Oh c'mon Taki, you don't have to be an adult twenty-four-seven!" Mitsuha laughed. 

Taki set his coffee cup back on the table. "Well, either way, I don't have a sweet tooth." 

"-Shame..." Mitsuha sighed dramatically, snapping a picture of her raspberry cake slice with powdered sugar. 

To both Taki and Mitsuha, it was almost frightening how close they had become in under an hour. Talking to the other came as naturally as breathing, and both couldn't remember a time they had laughed and joked so genuinely and frequently with another person. All traces of worry or anxiety dissipated in mere minutes, and Mitsuha was even starting to feel comfortable in her slim dress. 

Again, it felt a little too comfortable for 2 total strangers. There was an air of familiarity in the way they went about being around each other, as if they had known each other before. But, neither payed it any mind, deciding to just enjoy the moment. They could think about it when they got home. 

Taki and Mitsuha walked out of the cafe side by side, Mitsuha verbally reflecting on her Tokyo cafe experience.

"How many cafe's are there in Tokyo? 'Cuz that one was amazing! I swear that's the best cake I've ever had." 

Taki smiled. "I find your enthusiasm for something as simple as a cafe pretty entertaining, if I'm honest." 

Mitsuha lightly shoved Taki on the arm. "Haven't I told you why?! Back in Itomori, the closest thing we had to a cafe was a vending machine next to a bench! Me, Saya, and Tessie fantasized about Tokyo cafe's for hours, we even placed bets on who would visit one first! We even made a mini-cafe out of logs and an umbrella, although for some reason I can't remember building it very well." 

Taki pondered for a moment. "Maybe your obsession with Tokyo cafe's is just part of a larger obsession with Tokyo. I mean, everyone outside of this city looks at it as some dreamland."

"That's because it is!" Mitsuha laughed sweetly, making Taki's heart stutter. "Do you even realize how big this place is?!" 

Taki chuckled. "Fine, I'll give you that, Tokyo is massive." 

"--Massive's an understatement..." Mitsuha said. "I got soo confused looking at a map when I moved here." 

"Oh, when did you actually move here?" Taki asked. 

Mitsuha laughed to herself at how ridiculous her answer was. "-Just last week..." 

"--Woah! I'm glad I'm showing you around now, then!" Taki said. "Speaking of which, we should probably start doing that, we already just passed like, 2 blocks." 

Mitsuha darted her head behind her. "Oh, crap!" 

Taki and Mitsuha were now sitting on a staircase that led to an alleyway, the lights of Tokyo dimly shading their faces. 

"...I knew Tokyo was big, but... Wow. And that was only like, two percent of it." Mitsuha reminisced. 

Taki chuckled. "Our neighborhood is pretty small compared to others, so yeah, I'd say two percents a good number." 

"...As much as I love it here, it's really daunting... How do you live here without getting lost everyday?" 

"-Well, 18 years of living here helps." 

"Compare that to a week!" Mitsuha countered. 

Taki laughed. “-Anything else to complain about?”

“Well, let's go down the list! The trains are way too cramped, I feel like everyone’s staring at me when I walk down the street, my apartment is almost too small to fit my family…” She rambled.

“...But on the other hand, Tokyo is really pretty…”

Taki watched Mitsuha’s bright hazel eyes mull over the Tokyo skyline, his heart stuttering just a bit. He felt a newfound appreciation for the city he lived in, watching this strangely familiar small town girl with beautiful long black hair treat Tokyo like a godsend throughout the night. 

As he shifted his eyes to Mitsuha, he can’t stop smiling, and his face won't cool down, because something just right has slotted into his chest as they sit in comfortable silence beneath the lights of Tokyo. Something about being right next to Mitsuha Miyamizu felt oddly relieving. 

As Mitsuha shifted her eyes to Taki, she can’t stop smiling, and her face won't cool down, because something just right has slotted into her chest as they sit in comfortable silence beneath the lights of Tokyo. Something about being right next to Taki Tachibana felt oddly relieving.

Realizing they were both staring into the others soul by this point, they tore their gazes away. Mitsuha swiped away the bangs over her face impatiently before she laughs like some freshman with a crush instead of an adult woman. 

"--Shouldn't we be heading back to the station now?" Taki chuckled. 

Mitsuha regained control of herself. "Let's do that, I guess." 

As Mitsuha awkwardly but tenderly hugged Taki goodbye at Yotsuya station, she felt herself getting hooked to the sensation of being wrapped up in Taki's arms, and hesitated to let go, longingly watching Taki leave with her hands clasped in front of her, the ghost of Taki's body leaving goosebumps where he had touched. She giggled when she caught Taki glancing back at her. 

As she walked home, catching Taki glancing back lingered in her mind, and on the quiet, (thankfully not overcrowded) nighttime train, she pulled out her phone and texted him. 

[Mitsuha: Caught you staring!]

[Taki: Oh, come on!] 

The instant she had opened the door to her apartment, she missed Taki's presence dearly, feeling his absence.

She said her hello's and brief rundowns on how the meet up went to Yotsuha, soaking up the compliments on her dress and accepting a mug of tea from her grandma with a bow, and went inside her room, saying that she was tired, and that she promised she would braid her cord tomorrow morning. 

She put her tea down on her bedside drawer and undid her braided cord in the mirror, the reflection staring back at her sporting rosy, flushed cheeks and mildly windswept hair. She let her hair fall to her shoulders and changed into a night skirt, sitting on her bed with a huff and sipping her tea. 

That feeling she had got on the stairs, like something right had slotted into her chest, it hadn't really left since then, only dulled. And as she stared at nothing in particular on the wall, her hands wrapped around her warm mug, she tried to process how just one person being next to her could possibly make her feel so light on her feet. 

She closed her eyes and reminisced on her night with Taki, smiling like an idiot when she remembered Taki's bickering about how much sugar was in her cake. 

Her mind drifted back to that moment on the stairs. The look Taki gave her that was burned into the back of Mitsuha's eyes. They way they had looked away and laughed like children. Hugging him at the station. Taki's arms wrapped around her torso.

"Gah!" Mitsuha shook her head, her face heating up and her stomach filling with butterflies. To her horror, all her thoughts converged at one point. Her eyes shot open.

...Am I falling in love? 

 It was nearly 2 in the morning when Taki sat up quickly like a spring in his bed, having just woke up from a dream about... 

Mitsuha! Taki rejoiced inwardly. The dream I just had was about Mitsuha!  ...But why?

Suddenly his phone went off. Taki jumped and grabbed the phone from under his pillow. When he opened it, his eyes were blinded by the mechanical light pouring out of his screen, and he lowered the brightness and checked the notification he had received.

LINE: YOU HAVE 2 NEW MESSAGE(S).

...Who could be texting me at 2 AM?

[Mitsuha: Taki, this is gonna sound crazy, and I know its 2am] 

[Mitsuha: But i just had a dream about you]

Taki was star-struck. His heart started to pound out of his chest as he typed out a response. 

[Taki: You're not crazy. You popped up in my dream too]

[Mitsuha: Really?!? What was it about?]

[Taki: We were both standing on some mountain, the sun was setting, and all i can remember was that we were laughing together.]

[Mitsuha: This is really creepy, I just had the same dream.] 

[Taki: As in, the exact same dream as me? And I was in it?]

[Mitsuha: Yes!] 

[Taki: You know, we should talk about this tomorrow morning, when it's not 2AM and we can both think.]

[Mitsuha: Agreed, I'll text you tomorrow morning.]

[Mitsuha: Goodnight!]

 "--Wait!" I shout towards the mystery girl, something driving me not to say goodbye yet. "-What's your name?" 

The girl gasps, she's caught in the unstoppable current of people getting off the train. She frantically undoes whatever is tying her hair up. 

"--Mitsuha!" She shouts, extending the cord out to me. "-My name is Mitsuha!" 

I reach for the cord and grab it tight. 

 Taki darts up in bed, gasping for air as the morning light shines it's way through the window. 

--Why am I having dreams about Mitsuha? Have all my weird dreams been about her? 

He spared a glance to the baby blue sky, not a cloud in sight. The bright flash of the morning sun loomed just over the skyline, turning intricate buildings into black silhouettes.

Taki turned his attention back to the bed, picking up his phone and swiping open the missed text he received. 

[Mitsuha: Good morning Taki! i hope you slept well after that weird dream last night.] 

He chuckled dryly.

[Taki: Well, I slept as well as I could after sharing a dream with someone at 2AM] 

[Mitsuha: That's what it's called?!]

[Taki: Yeah, you do remember it, right?]

[Mitusha: Of course I do!]

 As she sat on the floor of her empty, quiet living room, the curtains hung over the windows doing little to block the morning sun pouring in, Mitsuha took a moment to evaluate her feelings towards Taki, as scary as they may be. 

She twisted colorful threads round and round themselves, losing herself in the process of making her family's treasured braided cords. 

In a way, Mitsuha felt like she had always been in love with Taki, somehow. 

She couldn't pinpoint it, but there was a feeling Taki gave her last night that she had been looking for ever since Comet Tiamat. Mitsuha couldn't deny that she was in love with that feeling. 

But what scared Mitsuha was the fact that Taki Tachibana and that warm, happy feeling were starting to become synonymous with eachother. 

Maybe Taki really was what she had been searching for all these years. But that begged the question: 

-Searching for Taki? ...Why?

Chapter Text

As Taki stood on the cramped morning train, running an errand for his father, who had just come down with a cold, on a sunny Saturday morning, he gazed down at his left hand longingly. 

This hand held something precious at one point... 

It had been a week since Taki met up with Mitsuha at a cafe. Since then, His emotions have been all over the place.

Accepting that he might be in love with Mitsuha was a tough pill to swallow, especially for Taki. But he knew, some part of him had always felt this way.

Somehow, he had always been in love with Mitsuha. There was a feeling she gave him, a warm, complete, jittery feeling that he had been searching for ever since he woke up on that strange mountain.

As for the shared dream, Taki couldn't do much about it besides wonder why it happened. He and Mitsuha talked about the dream over texts and calls for hours on end in their bedrooms, what it might have meant, what it implied, etc. And while those conversations were interesting, nothing came out of them besides the knowledge that Mitsuha was just as in the dark about the dream as Taki. 

And yet, Taki couldn't shake the feeling that the dream was something more than a random occurrence. Maybe it meant something. Maybe he and Mitsuha were somehow spiritually connected.

Maybe Taki was just imagining things. 

"-Shinjuku... Shinjuku station..." 

The train ground to a halt, and Taki stepped as out of the way as he could to let the groves of people getting off the train by.

He squeezed back through passengers back to his original spot, and took out his phone, when suddenly, someone bumped into his back a little harder than what was normal for a packed Tokyo train at 9 in the morning. 

"-I'm sorry!" The stranger pleaded as Taki turned around. 

"T-Taki?!" Mitsuha jumped. 

"Mitsuha?! What are you doing here?" Taki asked, suddenly very self-conscious of his low-effort outfit in the presence of Mitsuha. 

Mitsuha sported a red flannel that was a bit too big, a grey t-shirt, slim sky blue jeans and grey sneakers. For some odd reason, Mitsuha in casual clothing made Taki fluster more than he should.

The train began to move forward again.

"I-I was just running an errand for my grandma! We just ran out of tea and rice, so I'm picking some up at the farmers market in Minato." 

Taki found himself smirking. "-Without getting lost?" 

Mitsuha's face turned shades of pink. "-Hey! I'm starting to know my way aro- hah!" 

The train hit a small bump, lurching Mitsuha right up against Taki. Despite being used to crowded trains, the sudden intense proximity to Mitsuha made his cheeks flare with red. They were very nearly chest-to-chest, Taki could smell the shampoo in Mitsuha's hair as every detail on her head from her bright hazel eyes to her soft lips and intricate braided cord in her hair lay mere inches from Taki's eyes. His heart stuttered wildly, and for a moment, he can't stop staring, as if he had been put in some sort of trance by her painfully familiar beauty. 

Yet again, he briefly got an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, or déjà vu, as if somehow, Mitsuha had been pressed up against Taki on a train like this before.

"S-sorry..." Mitsuha flustered, her eyes hesitantly finding Taki's. 

Taki figuratively snapped himself out of it. "-Wha? I-it's okay, Tokyo trains are crowded. Any bump will send you flying into the nearest stranger, so you just kinda learn to deal with it. It takes time."

"...Can't a country girl catch a break at 9 in the morning?" Mitsuha sighed, her words vibrating Taki's chest. 

Taki smiled. "Do... You want me to come with you so you don't get lost?" 

"Huh? -You're probably busy though!" Mitsuha gasped.

"My father just caught a cold, so I was just going to the grocery store to get some hot food for him, but a farmers market sounds pretty good too!" Taki rubbed his arm and shifted his gaze down. "--Plus, it would be nice to spend some more time with you..."

Although squished against each other, Mitsuha managed to lightly shove Taki's shoulder. "Don't be such a care bear!" She said, her cheeks growing redder. "...And uhm- Yes, I do think it would be really nice of you to come with me..." 

Mitsuha and Taki made their way through the crowded market, connected at the shoulder as if they were still squeezed together on the train.

"-You've been here before, ...right Taki?" Mitsuha asked, her hand hovering around her chest. 

"I have before, although I was just a kid." Taki said. 

"Oh! Then you know where the rice is? -And the tea?" 

"-If they don't have those at a Tokyo farmers market, I'm ashamed. But I couldn't tell you exactly where." 

Mitsuha huffed, glancing around the market. 

"Oh! Taki! That stand is selling rice!" Mitsuha grabbed Taki's wrist and darted forward, pulling him behind her. Her silky black hair fluttered behind her as she ran, kissed by the morning sun shining down on the market, her braided cord holding two loops of hair together. Taki's heart stuttered.

Mitsuha briefly glanced behind her, catching a glimpse of Taki, his sun-kissed face filled with surprise, his lips parted and his cheeks shaded red. Mitsuha's heart stuttered.

She shuffled up to the stand, Taki in tow, and politely asked for a 5-pound bag of rice from the shorter, sweet-looking old man leaning on the front desk.

As the man set the bag of rice on the counter, Mitsuha put her yen next to the bag and bowed to him, seeing as he was an elder. 

"Say, is that a braided cord in your hair?" He asked as Mitsuha came back up. 

Mitsuha smiled, reaching behind her head to undo the cord. "Yes! I, uh... I used to live in Itomori as a shrine maiden, so I got pretty good at making them!" She laughed, holding out the interwoven pieces of fabric to the man, the braids in her hair falling to her shoulders. 

The old man leaned down the study the cord. "What's your name, young lady?" 

"-Mitsuha." She said. "Mitsuha Miyamizu." 

Recognition seemed to flash through the eyes of the man, and a smile began to form on his face. "...You were a maiden at Miyamizu shrine! No wonder this cord is so beautifully woven. Tell me, 'how's Hitoha?" 

Mitsuha jumped. "You know my grandma?!" 

"-I am also from Itomori, you know." 

Mitsuha's hazel eyes filled with stars as she gasped. "Really?! It's so nice to meet you! What's your name?" 

"Orito Hiroharu. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mitsuha." He bowed. 

Mitsuha bowed back, holding back a wide smile. "-My grandma's doing amazing, thank you. We try to keep the tradition alive and braid cords at least every other night, but there's not much else we can do without a building for a shrine. I'll tell her Orito says hello!" 

"Please do." Orito smiled. "And thank you for buying from my stand." 

"-My pleasure." Mitsuha said, tying the cord back into her hair and picking up the bag of rice.

 Mitsuha made her way from the stand with a child-like grin spread across her face. Taki noticed this as he walked beside her. 

"-Taki that was amazing! There are so many millions of people in Tokyo, and I just found one that's from Itomori!" She gushed, her star-filled eyes meeting Taki's. 

Taki felt his heart skip a beat or two when Mitsuha looked at him with that wide smile and happy eyes. 

He made a mental note to make Mitsuha smile more. 

Mitsuha butted open the heavy metal door to the Miyamizu apartment with her shoulder, her hands full of a couple boxes of tea and the bag of rice. Again, she felt the absence of Taki next to her. 

"Good morning grandma, Yotsuha!" She called. The door shut behind her. 

She slipped off her shoes and put the tea and rice on the kitchen counter just as her grandma's bedroom door opened. 

"-Mornin', Mitsuha." Hitoha smiled. "Thank you for running errands. I know the train ride wasn't the easiest." 

Mitsuha flustered internally, recalling Taki guiding her down the streets of Tokyo and putting directions into her phone for her.

"It wasn't a hassle, grandma. I'm just glad we have tea again." She said, grabbing a pot from the cabinet. 

"Oh, no, no Mitsuha, you just went far enough to get tea and rice. Go sit down in the living room, I'll make tea for us." Hitoha made her way towards the kitchen. 

Mitsuha nodded and thanked her Grandma. "Also, I met someone from Itomori at the market! He told me to say hello for him, his name's Orito." She said, shuffling in front of the table and pinning her legs under her thighs. 

She heard her grandma laugh from the kitchen. "He's a sweet man. Maybe I'll go visit him soon." 

As the scent of green tea began to fill the small, sun-filled apartment, Mitsuha's phone went off in her pocket. She tilted her head and swiped open the message.  

[Taki: Today was really fun even if we met up by accident!]

Mitsuha flustered slightly, imagining Taki's voice uttering the words appearing on her screen. 

[Mitsuha: I'd say let's meet tonight, but I already made plans to sleep over at Tessie and Saya's house. Sorry!]

[Taki: Hey, no worries. I actually had plans to meet up with Tsukasa and Mrs. Okudera, so we're even.]

[Mitsuha: Who's Mrs. Okudera?] 

Even asking the question, Mitsuha felt like she had heard the name before as flashes of a sewed together skirt and a dimly lit restaurant flashed through her mind. 

[Taki: Right! Sorry, you don't know her. She's a friend and co-worker of mine, her and Tsukasa are dating.]

[Mitsuha: Aww, cute. I'd love to meet all your friends at one place sometime.]

[Taki: Oh no, trust me, that would be the most chaotic thing you'll be a part of.]

[Mitsuha: Says the Tokyo boy!]

Yotsuha walked through her door frame and sniffed. "I smell green tea!" 

Hitoha chuckled. "It'll be done in just a minute. Your sister's waitin' for you at the table." 

Mitsuha rapidly typed a text to Taki. 

[Mitsuha: I'm sorry! I gotta go for just a bit, drinking tea with my grandma!]

Just as Yotsuha set herself on the floor in front of the table, Mitusha shut her phone off and stuffed it in her pocket. 

"So, sis, how was your morning?" Mitsuha tried to start conversation with her little sister while her grandma finished the tea.  

"It was alright... I woke up like, an hour ago." Yotsuha sighed. 

"Hah- Middle school does wonders to you huh? Never heard of you sleeping in 'till eleven." Mitsuha teased. "I remember I was the one getting woken up by you in Itomori." 

"Yeah! Guess who was always touching their boobs when I walked in!" 

"-Gah! geez, Yotsuha! Don't mention that! It was an embarrassing time for me!" Mitsuha flustered, although for some reason, she could never recall doing it. 

  Taki, Shinta, Okudera and Tsukasa were sitting around a low table at a traditional restaurant under the nighttime lights of Tokyo, munching on sushi rolls in between stories or small talk.

Taki watched on with envy looming in the back of his mind as Tsukasa raised a salmon roll up to Okudera's face with his chopsticks, and Okudera snatched it with her mouth, a wide grin spread across her face.

The two had started dating last year, after realizing how sickeningly perfect they were for eachother when they hit it off during Taki's journey to Itomori 2 years ago.

He was happy for them, as they were his friends, and he always wanted his friends to be as happy as possible. But Taki just couldn't ignore the faint, sinking, envious feeling that pooled in his gut whenever Tsukasa and Okudera were together. 

Maybe it's because it made him think of him and Mitsuha. 

Taki popped a tuna roll into his mouth and turned his attention to Shinta, who was telling a story about his Martial arts training he had gotten into over the past two years. 

"So this guy I was training with, I showed him how to do a simple leg kick, and I told him 'okay, now you try,' and this guy totally whams into my upper leg, and now I have a yellow bruise almost all the way down my outer thigh!" Shinta rambled. "I think he forgot we're not practicing on each other!"

Everyone at the table grimaced, but laughed as Shinta told his story. 

More silent laughter came as everyone watched Shinta hopelessly flirt with the waiter, his awkward demeanor a sharp contrast to his intimidating frame. 

Tsukasa and Okudera told stories of awkward dates with the other, which actually made Taki laugh, hearing about Tsukasa's awkward, affectionate side as opposed to his normally stoic, to the point attitude.

When it was Taki's turn to tell a story, he froze up a bit. Work was dull, not much out of the ordinary happened there. Home life was the same as it had always been, and Taki didn't go out of his way to look for exciting things to do during school. 

By all means, he didn't have anything to talk about, but as he fiddled with his phone in his pocket, he was suddenly reminded of Mitsuha. Flustering, he pondered for a moment.

As much as he didn't want his friends to know a thing about he and Mitsuha's relationship, he had made a promise that he wouldn't keep too much of his life from them, seeing as his friends were always happy to talk about their personal lives to Taki.

"...Well, all of you have a lot more engaging stories than me," Taki started, massaging the back of his neck. "But I guess I'll tell you about Mitsuha..." 

"-About Mitsuha?" Shinta's lips worked their way into a grin. "This'll be good!" 

Taki laughed nervously, putting a hand over his face. "It's not like that! I promise, this is just the most interesting thing that's happened to me the past two weeks!" 

"-Yeah right!" Okudera squealed. 

Tsukasa chuckled and put a hand up. "Guys, guys, at least give him a chance to talk first would 'ya?"

Taki took a breath. "So apparently, that girl named Sayaka that asked for my number the other week gave my number to Mitsuha... I have no idea why, but I'm almost glad she did, looking back on it. Me and Mitsuha went to meet up at a cafe last week so I could show her around Shinjuku, and make sure she knows how to get around in Tokyo." 

"Tsk- Awww, Taki, how gentlemanly!" Okudera smiled. 

"This is the same Mitsuha you told me you felt like you were 'looking for', right?" Tsukasa questioned. 

"Gah! Yes! I mean- no- I..." Taki stumbled. "...Yeah. She is." 

Okudera shot Taki a glare from Tsukasa's shoulder. -We're talking about this tomorrow! She mouthed at him. 

Taki sighed, embarrassment possessing his features. 

I wish I could text Mitsuha right now...

 Mitsuha was scrolling through older texts conversations with Taki, smiling like an idiot as her long hair swept over her pillow, her prized braided cord hanging loosely around her fingertips. 

She spared a couple moments to glance at the cord, dimly lit by the bedside lamp and the Tokyo lights outside her window, remembering the explanation her grandma always gave for the importance of the interwoven pieces of fabric. 

They twist, tangle, unravel now and then, break, and reconnect. -That's what Musubi is, What time is. 

Mitsuha sometimes used the words her grandma spoke about Musubi and braided cords as a sort of prayer, as if she were childishly giving the gods a reminder that the reconnecting part still needed to happen for her fate to be complete.

'-Hey! Kami! I'm still here! Still not reconnected!' Mitsuha giggled lowly at the thought.

Soft padded footsteps sounded from outside, and Mitsuha's bedroom door opened to reveal her grandma, sporting a green kimono, gazing longingly at the door.

"-We 'oughta turn these into sliding doors one day..." Hitoha mused, her eyes making their way to her oldest granddaughter. "Oh? Mitsuha, shouldn't you be leaving to go be with your friends for the night?" 

Mitsuha smiled, setting her phone down on the bed. "No grandma, I don't I have to be there 'till 8. It's only 6 right now."

Hitoha padded over to the bed. "Can I sit for a moment?" 

"-Of course." Mitsuha scooted over to make space for her grandma. 

"I wanted to ask you about somethin' before you left tonight. Do you remember a couple weeks ago when you told me about 'searching for 'somethin'?" 

Mitsuha nodded, her lips parting in slight confusion as to why her grandma was bringing this up. 

"I just wanted to ask... How's that goin'?" 

Mitsuha got the feeling from the sincere gaze of her grandma that this wasn't a question about religion or even an attempt to lecture her about it. Her grandma genuinely cared about Mitsuha's search for her missing piece, whatever it is. 

She took a moment to ponder, her chin resting in her hand. 

...Had she found what she's been looking for? Surely not, the hole in her heart was still too wide, the longing in her chest still too profound to ignore. And yet, some part of Mitsuha felt like she really had found what she needed, and all she needed to do was reach out and grab it. Like she had found a missing puzzle piece, and she just needed to figure out where it fits. 

"...I met someone at school, when I got there. I-I felt like I recognized him from somewhere." She admitted, deciding not to keep Taki from her grandma any longer. "We were awkward around each other at first, but we met up at a cafe, and from there we just... clicked. I really don't know how to describe it, but it was as if we already knew each other or 'somethin." Mitsuha flustered internally thinking about how well she and Taki's first meet-up went. 

"-Part of me thinks he's what I'm looking for, but I can't be sure of that yet." She finished. 

Her grandma sighed blissfully. "Ah... Young love." 

"--Gah! Grandma! It's not like that!" Mitsuha jumped, her hand instinctively hovering around her chest as her cheeks flushed red. 

Hitoha simply laughed and got up. "I'm glad your search is going splendidly. I'm going to fix some tea and go to bed, please let me know you're leaving when you go to Sayaka's. And tell your friends and their parents I said hello." 

Mitsuha was left dumbfounded on her bed as the door shut. 

...My search is going splendidly? What does that mean?

Chapter Text

 Taki was lounging on a chair in front of the dining table in his small kitchen, playing a game on his phone that had become muscle memory for him, which allowed him to think while he played. It was a decent way to pass time when there was nothing to do. 

He paused and loomed his thumb over the "Exit game" button. Every muscle in his fingers wanted to text Mitsuha, just to ask how she was doing, or tell her how his dinner with friends went. But Taki knew Mitsuha was at a sleepover with Tessie and Sayaka, and she probably wouldn't be too happy getting interrupted by a text he could just send later. 

He heard his fathers door open, and padded footsteps sounded from the hallway.

"Taki? You're not waiting for me to cook dinner, are you?" Taki's father said, shuffling into the kitchen. 

"Huh? Oh, no. -Sorry if I mislead you." Taki looked up from his phone. "I just went out for dinner with my friends, remember?"

Taki's father slapped his forehead. "Right," He said, sitting down in front of Taki and unfolding his Laptop. "I didn't even realize you were gone."

"--I didn't tell you I was leaving? I swear, I came right up to your door and told you." Taki questioned. 

"Hm. I must've been asleep." 

Taki and his father sat in silence at the table, both going about their evening their own way, as if they were both in their own personal bubbles. He looked out the window, mulling his eyes over the bright, fluorescent skyline, contrasting with the pitch black sky laid over Tokyo. As always, his mind wandered to Mitsuha. 

-That dream we shared. Taki thought back. We were laughing on some mountain and... -Wait, ...Some mountain?  Was I...? 

Taki's eyes widened as he started to make a long-awaited connection in his mind, his fingers now tapping the windowsill incessantly. 

...I dreamt about the mountain I woke up on! -And have literally all my dreams I can't remember been about Mitsuha? 

Mitsuha knocked on the door to the apartment Tessie had told her to come to, the night air slowly placing goosebumps on her skin.

Tessie's apartment was on a comfortable street in Shinjuku, not far at all from Yotsuya station, with a great view of Tokyo tower. He was pretty lucky to live here. 

The door swung open to reveal Sayaka, sporting a pair of slim jeans and a very over-sized white V-neck t-shirt, probably one of Tessie's. Her hair was braided, but it was frizzy and messy, like it had been messed with by something or someone, and her cheeks were shaded a faint red.

Mitsuha burst out laughing, nearly doubling over right there in front of Tessie's door as Sayaka simply stared with an amused grin on her face. 

"-If you're done laughing at the fact that couples kiss each other, we can go inside now, it's cold." 

"--Okay, okay I'm done!" 

Mitsuha slipped her shoes off at the entrance and padded into the living room with Sayaka. "Woah, Tessie this apartment is really nice, way bigger than mine!" She mused. 

"-Having a father in a construction firm helps!" Tessie called from the kitchen. 

Tessie had planned this night for awhile, mapping out the one day of October where both his parents were out for the night. Mitsuha was grateful that Tessie chose to restrain himself from just inviting Sayaka. (Who knows what those two would've done with a free night and an empty apartment)

Eventually, all three friends were seated on the couch in the living room, save for Sayaka, who was sitting half-way on Tessie's lap. 

As they watched through a few bad anime films, making fun of the stories and laughing at the characters, Mitsuha sneaked glances at Tessie and Sayaka every now and then. 

The two were completely intertwined with each other, Sayaka's arms wrapped around Tessie's shoulders, Tessie hugging her torso close as their eyes sparkled with a simple glance at each other. 

Mitsuha tried not to let her jealousy get in the way of being happy for her best friends, as she was the one who encouraged them to get together for the majority of her high school life. 

But it was impossible to ignore her own feelings, and it didn't help that Taki had been on her mind more than usual lately. 

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Tessie incessantly tapping her shoulder. "Mitsuha! Are you not seein' this?!"

Mitsuha shook her head. "-Wha? Seein' what?!" 

Sayaka laughed. "-There's a character in this movie named Taki!"  

Mitsuha groaned and put a pillow over her face, hiding the redness she knew was filling her cheeks as she fell backwards onto the couch. 

"Mitsuha's in looove!!" Sayaka squealed. 

Mitsuha launched the pillow that was covering her face at Sayaka. "--Am not!" 

After they were done watching movies, they all got to work setting up the futons they brought over in the living room, occasionally throwing the mattresses at each other, but eventually, the living room had been turned into the ideal sleepover set up. 

"Well, sadly we can't stay up too late, we do have school tomorrow." Mitsuha said as she flopped down on her futon, her hair flying in every direction.  

Sayaka groaned from the kitchen, grabbing a snack. "...I don't wanna go to school tomorrow!" 

Mitsuha tilted her head. "-Hm? Why not?" She called out to her. 

Tessie flopped down on his own futon. "...Do you not remember?" 

Mitsuha was dumbfounded. "Can someone seriously tell me what's going on?" 

Sayaka sighed, padding into the living room. "...The autumn festival's tomorrow." 

Mitsuha's hazel eyes went downcast, their childish sparkle dimmed in moments.

"...Oh." She sighed. "-I totally forgot." 

Taki slipped into consciousness as the grey morning light barged into his room, thinning his eyes. He groaned softly into his pillow and sat up, acknowledging the rain streaking down his window and lifting the blankets from over his body before he had the chance to procrastinate it.

Strange, Taki thought to himself as he loosely made his bed and gathered his school uniform. I barely ever go to sleep without dreaming.

'-Today is the anniversary of the Comet Tiamat disaster, exactly five years ago today, Comet Tiamat split in two and crashed into the small town of Itomori, Injuring some, but killing no one.'    

Fitting weather for the anniversary of a town getting destroyed... Taki thought as he read the news report on the billboard brandished above Shinjuku Station, his interested stare slowly faltering into a solemn gaze.

...I need to see how Mitsuha's doing before I head to my first class. Taki decided as he weaved through faceless strangers and stepped off the train, too impatient to wait until second period.

He stepped through the doors of Jingu High School and headed straight for the fourth art classroom, which he knew Mitsuha had first period.

The rainy autumn morning leaked through the glass ceiling and cast its solemn rays over the schools interior as Taki waited outside the classroom, leaned against the wall.

After maybe three minutes, Mitsuha popped into Taki's view from in between groups of friends clumped into the hallway. "-Good morning, Mitsuha!" He waved, making his way over to her.

Mitsuha's posture was noticeably more rigid as she stood in front of him, a couple strands of rebellious black hair falling down her cheeks. Her eyes were sad, their normal child-like hazel glow now diminished to a distant gaze, even as she looked Taki in the eyes. Her lips were pressed together lightly, strained, as if trying not to frown. Taki was almost taken aback.

"-Good morning," She said simply, elegantly, almost too properly, her arms wrapped around her schoolbooks. "How'd you sleep?"

Taki sighed. "Mitsuha… I hate to sound rude, but... You know what I'm gonna ask, right?"

Mitsuha simply averted her eyes and started walking toward her class, a tense silence looming over the two, Taki glued to her side. Even Mitsuha's footsteps sounded sad. 

Mitsuha slowed to a stop outside the door of her classroom.

“I could use some company... After school.” She said. “-To pass the time until I have to be home...” 

Taki tilted his head. "You're going home late?" 

Mitsuha nodded. 

"-You wouldn't want to be with your family on a day like this?" 

Mitsuha then shifted her sad gaze to Taki, silently answering his question.

Understanding flashed through his eyes as he put a hand on Mitsuha’s shoulder.

“-I'll meet you after sixth period.” Taki promised, his determination to help Mitsuha stronger than ever. “-Where is it?”

“...Ms. Yukino’s literature, classroom 18.” She sighed. “-Thank you so much, Taki.”

Taki brushed off her thanks. “Hey, Mitsuha, no need to say thank--!”

The chime of the morning bell echoed loudly through the now nearly empty interior of Jingu high school, startling both Taki and Mitsuha.

“-Hah! Get to class, Taki! I’m sorry for holding you up!” Mitsuha jumped, darting towards her classroom door.

Taki began to run towards his first period. “It’s okay! I'll see you after sixth!” He shouted over his shoulder.

After skipping multiple stairs on the way down to the first floor, he slid open the door to his classroom and made his way next to Tsukasa and Shinta, avoiding the scrutinizing gazes of his classmates and the teacher.

“-Sleep in again?” Tsukasa grinned as Taki swung his bag over his shoulder and sat down, leaning his bag against the desk leg.

“No.” Taki said matter-of-factly, surprised by the seriousness in his tone. “I had to go check on Mitsuha before I went to class.”

Both Shinta’s and Tsukasa's eyes widened. “--Is she okay? What happened?” Shinta asked.

Taki frowned. “What happened is that a comet destroyed her hometown, as well as Tessie and Sayaka's, exactly 5 years ago. --Today's the autumn festival.”

"...Right." Shinta realized, his gaze briefly shifted to his desktop. "-We should help them as much as we can when lunch comes around." 

Tsukasa nodded solemnly in agreement.

Taki would have been pretty happy that they could all agree on something together, an occurrence that was few and far between. But right now, his head was somewhere else as he shifted his distant gaze to the grey autumn sky.  

To be honest, Taki's heart had been stuttering for all the wrong reasons, and not just because he sprinted to class. 

He tried not to show it around her, putting on a mask of mature concern in the hallway, but seeing Mitsuha so pained, secluded, and distant, shook him. It went against the basics of human nature!

Mitsuha was bright, constantly curious. Always thrilled just to be in Tokyo, always looking to make herself and the people around her happy.

Just yesterday, he had made a note to make Mitsuha smile more.

I’ll live up to that promise… Taki swore. ... If it’s the last thing I do today.

Mitsuha, Sayaka and Tessie all skipped lunch in the courtyard, opting to meet in Ms.Yukino’s usually empty classroom to eat lunch.

Sayaka had called it “Not forcing our bad moods on the others,” and "Avoiding the rain," but they all knew what they were really doing.

“--I don’t want pity. I’ve already gotten way too much from teachers.” Tessie sighed, sitting stiff and criss-cross on a desk. “-I know they’re only trying to help, but... You wouldn’t understand unless you were there, you know?”  

Mitsuha and Sayaka nodded.

The three ate lunch in understanding silence, gazing out at the vast, rainy Tokyo skyline, none of them wanting to talk about anything in particular. What wasn’t said out loud was communicated through glances, and sighs.

Suddenly, the door to the classroom slid open, ripping through the dense silence hanging over the classroom.

“Oh! Hello, you three.” Ms. Yukino stepped into her classroom.

“Hello, Yukino Sensei.” Mitsuha bowed.

“-You’re technically not allowed to be here if I’m not in the classroom, but I’ll allow it, you’re not causing any trouble.” She said, sitting down at her desk. “-Lunch ends in about ten minutes, if you were wondering.”

“-Thank you.” Sayaka bowed lightly.

Ms. Yukino suddenly giggled, causing the three to tilt their heads in confusion.

“-I’m sorry, It’s just… There’s no need to bow to your teacher so formally.” She smiled.

“Guh -- We’re sorry.” Mitsuha said, fiddling with the cord in her hair.

Ms. Yukino took a couple moments to soak in the atmosphere of the silent classroom, instantly sensing something was definitely wrong with the three students sitting next to the window, bathed in grey, rainy light. But she also got the feeling that they were in no state to express the emotions hidden under their distant gazes, a feeling she knew all too well.

So she decided she’d make other conversation with them. She did have a bit of work to do before her next class, but these students looked too down to ignore.

Plus, Yukino knew as well as anyone, that a simple hello can save someone's life. 

Yukino got up from her teachers chair and shuffled over to the group of three, sitting on a desk alongside them and shifting her knowing gaze to the Tokyo skyline.

“--When I moved here from Shikoku, I looked out at that massive skyline and thought, ‘How am I supposed to know my way around that? ’” She chuckled, catching the attention of Mitsuha, Tessie, and Sayaka.

Mitsuha shifted her gaze to Ms. Yukino with her head still down. "...Isn't it the biggest city in the world?" 

Sayaka sat up a bit. "...Yeah, and even though I've lived here for at least year now, It's still really daunting..." She mused.

"...Things were so much simpler in Itomori..."

Yukino gasped inwardly. Itomori... The town that was destroyed by a comet 5 years ago?

She suddenly realized why three of her students were sitting by the rainy window, looking so down on their luck.

They were from that town. 

Yukino got an idea. 

"...Life is a balancing act." She started. 

"-So easy to slip..." 

Mitsuha looked up at her literature teacher, who seemed to be reciting a poem of some sort. 

"-But things that fall, can rise again ... Wait for tomorrow's new day."  

There was a moment of silence between the four, and just as Mitsuha was about to open her mouth to say something, the lunch bell chimed its monotone song. 

"It's time for you all to go to class." Yukino stood up. "-I'll see you in sixth period, Mitsuha."  

Mitsuha watched her classmates eagerly leave Ms. Yukino's classroom, happily conversing about future plans, or school drama. 

She rested her head in her palms and turned to the window. The rain had let up, and the sun was peeking its afternoon rays through the former storm clouds, illuminating the puddles that dotted the streets of Shinjuku. 

She suddenly heard an exasperated sigh come from the front of the room. 

"...Yukino Sensei? -Is everything okay?" 

Yukino folded the letter from Takao in her hands, glancing at her schedule for the day. "-Yes, Mitsuha, I'm okay. I wanted to stay here and read this letter I got from a good friend, and talk to you, but unfortunately I have a meeting to attend to in 5 minutes." 

Mitsuha perked her head up. "Uhm... You wanted to talk to me? -I'm not in trouble am I?" 

Yukino laughed. "No, of course not. --I just... I know you're from Itomori, and I know you've been looked at with nothing but pity today, so I'm gonna say something that you probably haven't heard today." She said, walking over to Mitsuha's desk.

"--The way you feel is normal and okay, and despite the grief you feel now, your friends, your family, your heritage, tradition... It isn't forgotten. I want you to remember that, alright?" 

Mitsuha was slightly taken aback by Ms. Yukino's genuine kindness, as before today, she had never spoken a word to her besides basic questions in class. "Y-yes Yukino Sensei." She stuttered.  

Yukino smiled, pleased that she had gotten her word in to her grieving student as she made her way to the door. 

Mitsuha stood up from her chair. "--Wait! You're... Not gonna kick me out before you leave?" 

Yukino shook her head as if to say, It's not a problem that you're in here. She closed the door with a final smile flashed at Mitsuha. 

Silence now hung over her head as Mitsuha slumped over her desk once more, bathed in the dim, orange light of the fleeting sunset. She sat there for what must have been ten minutes, letting her mind blank out as she stared into space in the sunset-kissed, dark classroom.

Eventually, footsteps out in the hallway faded their way into her ears, and Mitsuha briefly panicked, realizing she had done nothing to fix her appearance for Taki's arrival. Even her braided cord was laid out across her desktop, her hair falling in all directions across her shoulders. 

She straightened it as best she could with her bare hands before the door slid open, and in stepped Taki Tachibana, in all his amber-haired, blue-eyed, boy-ish glory, a steaming mug in each hand. 

"...I- Uhm..." Mitsuha stuttered as Taki put one of the mugs down in front of her. 

"-Here. Drink." He said, gesturing to the mug and pulling a chair in front of Mitsuha's desk. "-Before it gets cold." 

Mitsuha reluctantly picked up the mug and brought it to her lips, recoiling in surprise when the sweet taste of peppermint washed over her tongue. 

"--Peppermint?!" Mitsuha exclaimed. 

"--Oh, crap, I'm sorry, I didn't even ask if you like peppermint..." Taki flustered, his hand massaging the back of his neck. 

"-No, no- Taki..." She said, picking the mug back up. "...Peppermint's my favorite... How'd you know?"  

Taki picked up his mug, his cheeks starting to heat up. "I-- I swear, I had no idea! I just thought I'd find some kind of sweet tea for you, I know you can never get enough sugar..." 

Mitsuha took another sip. "-Thank you so much..." 

"Wha-! No, really, It's not a problem. -I don't have anything do to today anyways." Taki stuttered, taking a seat in the chair he pulled up. 

The two sat in companionable silence for a while, sipping their tea and gazing at the sun-kissed skyline laid out before them. Mitsuha felt an odd comfort from Taki's presence, the knowledge that Taki was keeping her company, making her tea, simply being in front of her filled her with a warm, content feeling that managed to dim the grief of losing Itomori forever.

"...Hey, Taki?" Mitsuha spoke up when her mug was empty. 

"-Yeah?" 

"-Can I... Y-You don't have to, but could I see your drawings of Itomori?" 

Taki very nearly spat out his tea. "Uhm-- Well, They're not very good, and I'm not doing Itomori any justice with these drawings, but of course, you can see them." He said, reaching for his bag under the desk. 

Taki pulled out a couple of his drawings from his Itomori-related folder and laid them out on the desktop. 

Mitsuha scanned her hazel eyes over the intricate sketches. "...That's my family's shrine... The elementary school... Wow, Taki these sketches are really accurate! It's like looking at a photo..." 

Taki laughed nervously. "Ha-ha, thanks, I spend way too much time on them-" 

"--Is that my room?!"  

Taki jumped. "Huh?!" 

"-How did you-- How do you know exactly what my old room looks like?!" Mitsuha's eyes were wild, confused. 

Taki postured himself up to see the drawing she was looking at. It was a sketch of the strange, spacious bedroom he remembered when he thought back on Itomori. He had sketched the room many times, it was one of the most solid things in his memory. 

"--That was your room?!" 

"-Yes!" 

"I-- I swear, I'm not a stalker! I base my sketches of Itomori off of what I remember! That room is one of the clearest things I can remember. But the odd thing is... I've never been to Itomori before Comet Tiamat." 

Mitsuha shook her head. "-Wha? So you're tellin' me your sketches are from your memory, but you've never been to Itomori before it was destroyed?" 

Taki frowned. "Mhm." 

Mitsuha fell back in her chair with a huff, still holding the sketch. "-Weird... How is my old room in your memories?" 

"--I wish I knew! The only time I've ever been close to Itomori was when I went there with Tsukasa and Ms. Okudera two years ago, and I can't even remember why we went. All I even remember from that trip was waking up on some mountain top shaped like a circle, which also happens to be the mountain we were on when we shared that dream last week."

"Some mountain...?" Mitsuha breathed. "W-Wait, Taki-- I remember! The mountain we were on is the sacred relic of my family's shrine!"

Taki gasped. "That means... That means I woke up on your family's sacred place..." He sighed heavily. "Okay- can we... Talk about this later? It's a stressful topic that needs hours of time to really dive into." 

"-Yeah. Of course." Mitsuha put the sketches down on the desk with a solemn glance. 

A couple more moments passed, the quiet generator the only sound filling the room.

"...Hey, I know I'm asking an obvious question, but I'd still like to check in. -Are you doing alright?" Taki said, his royal blue eyes filled to the brim with concern.

Mitsuha sighed deeply.

"...I-It's just hard, you know? -Looking at everything you knew once." She breathed. "-Itomori's an especially hard topic for me, 'cuz it feels like losing a relative you never got to say goodbye to. I've said this before, but I hated it when I lived there. I was so ungrateful for everything my town had to offer me, I was reluctant to do anything that celebrated the town's history, because I had this stupid grudge against it."

Tears started to sting her eyes as her fists balled up under the table. 

"...I had to watch everything I took for granted be blown apart right in front of my eyes..." She sobbed quietly, tears now spilling down her cheeks.  

Watching this, Taki got a horrible sinking feeling. He had never seen Mitsuha this... sad. He decided to do something about it. 

Taki got up from his chair. "I'm sorry for showing you the drawings..." He said, shuffling over to Mitsuha, extending his arms to hug her. 

"--No! No, It's my fault for looking!" Mitsuha's watery laugh broke through her tears, attempting to push Taki away. But Taki was relentless, and his arms found their way around Mitsuha's torso in a warm embrace. 

Despite her protests, Mitsuha instantly melted into Taki's touch, throwing her arms around Taki and resting her head on his shoulder, her long black hair flowing down Taki's school uniform.

The two stayed like that for a while, Mitsuha finally sobbing her pent-up grief into Taki's shoulder while he rubbed comforting patterns on her back, lacing his fingers through her silky, sun-kissed black hair. 

"...Thank you, Taki..." 

Chapter Text

 The bell chimed happily against the Plexiglas door as Taki walked into the restaurant he worked part-time at, a warm feeling still surging through his chest from earlier, despite his still racing heartbeat. 

Taki couldn't describe it, but somehow knew when he had embraced her in Ms. Yukino's classroom that he was completely in love with Mitsuha. He didn't know why, he didn't know how, but being intertwined with Mitsuha like that had felt so right that it sent a hole through his gut the size of Comet Tiamat, and his heart rate had skyrocketed. 

He felt relieved that Mitsuha could go home without totally dreading being around her family. Of course, no matter what Taki said, it was still the 5 year anniversary of her town being destroyed right in front of her, and her family would probably be doing autumn festival traditions throughout the night, much to her chagrin. 

But he was glad he could send her home with a sense of support, a sense that at least someone understood why she was avoiding her home for as long as she could. He had also made Mitsuha swear to text or call him immediately if she felt like she was about to break.  

Taki finished getting into his waiter's outfit, shuffling out of the changing room and pinning on his name tag. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Okudera, walking toward him with purpose. She suddenly grabbed his sleeve without a word and dragged him towards the supply office. 

"Guh-- Mrs. Okudera, you don't have a shift right now!?" Taki asked, trying to take his sleeve back.

"--I'm on a quick break." She said simply, closing the door behind her. 

"Okay, what's this about?!" Taki questioned. The lights of the office were dimmed, making the whole room feel smaller than it already was, as if he was being interrogated. 

Okudera suddenly grinned. "-Do you not remember what I told you yesterday?"

Taki pulled his sleeve free from Okudera's grip. "No!" 

She gestured for Taki to sit as she hopped up on the counter with her arms and sat down. "So," She started, something sinister lurking behind her olive green eyes. "-You're gonna tell me exactly what's going on between you and Mitsuha." 

"-Wha?!"

¨--Oh, and I may or may not have sources, so don't bother lying! I'll know." She added happily. 

Taki groaned and forced his fingers through his hair. This is gonna be a long shift...

Mitsuha undid her braided cord and set it down on her dresser, flopping down on her bed with a huff, letting her hair drape itself over her pillow. 

-Can my heart stop beating so fast?! She internally shouted at herself. 

Ever since Mitsuha had cried out her grief onto Taki's reassuring shoulder, her heartbeat had been keeping at a steady pace of ten million beats per second. 

She couldn't describe it, but she somehow knew when she had accepted his embrace in Ms. Yukino's classroom that she was completely in love with Taki . She didn't know why, she didn't know how, but being intertwined with Taki like that had felt so right that it sent a hole through her gut the size of Comet Tiamat, and her heart rate skyrocketed. 

As Mitsuha sank into her bed, trying to slow her racing heart, her door opened, and her little sisters head peeked its way through the crack in the door.

"Grandma said we should be in the living room in fifteen minutes. Here's your kimono." Yotsuha said, tossing said kimono onto Mitsuha's bed. "-Also, why are you home so late?" 

"I had a lot of work to do." Mitsuha said, her gaze stubbornly fixed on the ceiling. "-I'll be in there soon." 

Yotsuha closed the door with a shrug. 

Mitsuha's room was dark, only dimly illuminated by the Tokyo skyline faintly shining through her thin curtains, and her small night light. After procrastinating getting back up for maybe 5 minutes, she lifted herself out of bed and began changing into her Kimono. 

She tried to ignore the ghost of Taki's arms wrapped around her torso as she tied the piece of fabric that went around her slim waist, feeling tingles of heat crawling up her face at the thought. 

Solemnly tying her hair up in the old style she used during her days in Itomori with her braided cord, she clicked open the door to her bedroom and padded out into the small kitchen, where Hitoha was making tea and organizing three bento boxes, sporting an elegant kimono with white floral patterns sewn up and down the length of the faded green robe. 

"Afternoon', grandma." Mitsuha greeted. "-I'm sorry I'm home late, I had a lot of homework to do." 

Hitoha smiled up at her granddaughter. "That's alright. -At least you're home before we get to our cords." She said. "Your mother's kimono looks beautiful on you." 

"Oh,--" Mitsuha grinned, looking down at her robe. "It's amazing, but I'm not gonna call it mine." The kimono she sported was a deep, silky red with black trim, elegant white cherry trees dotting the sides of the robe.

Suddenly Mitsuha got an idea as she padded into the living room where her little sister was resting on the couch, sporting her own elegant, plain blue kimono. 

She pulled out her phone and angled the inner camera upwards so she could get her face and the entire Kimono in the frame, grinning and snapping the photo when Taki's reaction came to mind. 

Ignoring how bad her face looked, she sent the picture to Taki. 

[Mitsuha: -Image-] 

[Mitsuha: Might be a sad night, but at least the kimono sure looks nice!] 

Setting her phone back down on the table, She pinned her lower legs under her thighs and sat up just as her grandma walked in with three delicious looking bento boxes.

"-Yotsuha," She said once she sat down. "Could you give me and your sister some privacy for a minute? -We won't be long." 

"Sure, grandma. Just tell me when it's time to eat." Yotsuha got up from the sofa, mouthing a smug, "Good luck" back at her older sister behind her grandma's back as she walked into her room.

Mitsuha got a hole in her gut as her grandma shifted her knowing gaze to her. She knows I wasn't doing work after school...

"So, Mitsuha. I should first let you know that you're not in trouble. I can see that look in your eyes." Hitoha laughed, re-adjusting her glasses. 

A deep sigh of relief escaped Mitsuha's lungs. 

"-Your Literature teacher called earlier. Ms. Yukino, was it?" 

Mitsuha nodded, the hole in her gut returning. 

"She told me she saw you and your boyfriend share a-" 

"-Hah! H-He's not my boyfriend!" Mitsuha jumped, painfully aware of the heat rising to her face. -Dammit, Yukino Sensei! Were you stalking us?!

Hitoha simply laughed. "Yes, yes, she saw you and your good friend share a heartfelt hug, and she decided to leave you two alone and grab her things tomorrow. She also told me congratulations that your daughter has found someone meaningful, and special. -Now I do want to know, the boy she's talking about... Is that the boy you told me about that you met at school?" 

Mitsuha averted her eyes. "...Yes. I was uh-- I've been pretty down the whole day, obviously, and Taki came to see me after class and brought me tea, comforted me until I felt better..." 

"-Oh? His name's Taki?" 

Mitsuha slapped her hands over her mouth instantly, her hazel eyes going wide.

"--Uhm..."

Taki was slumped over his sketch on his desk, reflecting on why in a thousand suns he had told Mrs. Okudera about his relationship with Mitsuha when his desk vibrated harshly, startling him back to reality. 

LINE: YOU HAVE 2 NEW MESSAGE(S)

He picked up his phone and swiped open the notification in a panic, remembering making Mitsuha promise to contact him immediately if it all became too much.

[Mitsuha: -Image-] 

[Mitsuha: Might be a sad night, but at least the kimono sure looks nice!] 

Taki breathed a sigh of relief. -Okay good, she's at least doing okay.

His sigh of relief was quickly rendered useless as he opened the image Mitsuha had sent him. 

Heat started to prickle up his face as he laid his eyes on the brilliant red kimono wrapped around Mitsuha's frame, a gaping hole forming in his gut.

"Woah..." Taki let out. He started typing his response. 

[Taki: Uh, wow. I'm speechless.] 

[Mitsuha: You don't like it?!] 

[Taki: No No! That's not what I meant! It's a beautiful kimono that looks even better with you in it]

[Mitsuha: I thought I told you to stop being such a care bear!!] 

Taki laughed. 

[Taki: What, did I fluster you?]

[Mitsuha: No!!] 

If they thought sharing one dream was an odd experience, Taki and Mitsuha were in no way prepared for what came. 

In the four days following the anniversary of Comet Tiamat, the dreams were totally relentless. 

Every night, every time they went to sleep, they dreamed of each other. 

On the first night, they dreamed of being squished together on a cramped afternoon Tokyo train, but Taki was shorter than he usually was. Mitsuha was exactly as tall as him in the dream. 

On the second night, they were on the strange mountain, or now known to Taki as the Miyamizu shrine's relic, the sunset brilliantly illuminating the sky. Mitsuha had her hair cut abnormally short, tears were leaking from her eyes, and Taki had Mitsuha's braided cord on his wrist. 

On the third, they were on the pedestrian bridge over Shinanomachi Station, holding their phones up to their ear like they were trying to call someone. Mitsuha was in her Itomori high school uniform, and Taki was wearing the clothes he wore after his mysteriously scheduled date with Okudera. 

The fourth, and probably the most jarring of all the dreams, they were sitting on the concrete at night, somewhere in Tokyo, gasping for breath, trying to speak, but failing, as if the wind had been knocked out of them. Mitsuha had a strange grey and blue braided cord in her hand, and Taki had Mitsuha's cord in his. 

The strangest thing about the dreams besides the fact that they were both having them at the same time, was that Taki and Mitsuha couldn't do anything to call out to each other. They were somehow stuck in their own bodies, able to think clearly, but their bodies acting on their own. They could also remember the dreams in extremely specific detail when they woke up, something foreign to the both of them. 

Taki being the logic-based analyst he is, began to sketch the locations he saw in these dreams in an attempt to make sense of them. 

One day in class, Taki was sketching the pedestrian bridge when Tsukasa leaned over his shoulder. 

"-Hey, you're not sketching Itomori for once!" 

Taki quickly turned the picture over and scowled at his friend. Tsukasa simply laughed and went back to his work. 

Mitsuha meanwhile, couldn't do much to find closure in the dreams, other than look at Taki's sketches and ponder. 

The dreams did stop after four days. They both sighed with relief when they woke up without sweat beading their foreheads or their heart beating out of their chest. 

If one good thing did come out of these dreams, it was the closeness that emerged between Taki and Mitsuha. 

Sure, they had been close before, after their meet up at a cafe, but the dreams had changed something. It felt like they had some kind of bond. 

It felt like they were close enough to be a couple.

And that was the thing that put Taki and Mitsuha slightly on edge. 

 "--So, how's it going with Mitsuha?" Okudera suddenly appeared behind Taki while he was finishing his night shift and wiping down tables, her hands behind her back. 

"--Gah!" Taki jumped. "Geez, Mrs. Okudera, don't scare me like that!"  

Okudera chuckled. "I asked a question." 

Taki sighed. "It's going well. I'm actually going to her apartment to pick her up after this, and meet her grandma and her sister, then we're going to my place." 

"-To your place?" Okudera cooed. 

Taki fought the heat prickling up his face, groaning audibly. "It's not like that!" 

"Then what is it like, Taki?! By this point you've gotta realize the feeling's mutual! I say you ask her out as soon as possible." 

As fast as she came, Okudera disappeared behind the supply room door before Taki had a chance to respond.  

Taki knocked on Mitsuha's door, shifting his weight from foot to foot as a shorter girl with pigtails who looked eerily familiar to Taki swung open the door. 

"It's you." She said flatly. "-My sister's in her room, panicking over how she looks like always. Come on in." She gestured. 

"You're lucky you're a little early, It's actually pretty funny to watch." She chuckled. "I'm Yotsuha, by the way." 

"-Taki." He responded, slipping off his shoes and hesitantly finding a seat on the couch. "It's nice to meet you. You're in middle school, right?" 

"Yeah, Eighth grade." Yotsuha said as her grandma padded out of the kitchen with two cups of tea. 

"-My, my, Hello Taki." The old woman greeted happily, a knowing look flashing in her hazel eyes as she sat down in front of the low dining table. 

Taki's eyes widened, and not just from the fact that Mitsuha's grandma seemed eerily familiar as well. "-Wha? You already know my name?"  

"You actually think she doesn't talk about you?! It gets annoying!" Yotsuha groaned, striding towards her room. 

The grandma laughed. "-Here, Taki. Come sit, I made some tea." 

Taki obeyed, swinging the strap of his bag over his head and setting his bag down, making his way to the table and sitting criss-cross in front of it. All around him were flashes of Itomori, taking the form of everything from small banners to family photos and Saké bottles, highlighted by the nighttime lights of Tokyo streaming in through the thin curtains. He was mesmerized. 

"-Oh? Do you know how to sit Seiza?" The grandma gestured towards Taki's legs. 

Taki massaged the back of his neck. "-I uh, I never learned. I've lived in the city my whole life." 

Hitoha stood up with a smile on her face. "I'll show you, Here. Stand on your knees and lay the top of your feet as flat as you can." 

Taki did as told. 

"-Now simply sit back, as if your the heels of your feet were a chair."

He sat back, instantly feeling a harsh strain in his feet and thighs. "Ah- I don't think I'm flexible enough..." 

The grandma chuckled. "That's alright. If you really want to learn to sit traditionally, practice sitting like that every day, you will eventually grow flexible enough that it will feel like nothing at all. The reason it comes so naturally to me is because I've been taught to sit like this since I was a young girl."  

Taki nodded, going back to sitting criss-cross. "So, what's your name?" 

"Hitoha Miyamizu." The old lady smiled, sitting back down and setting a cup of tea in front of Taki. "-It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard a lot." 

Taki took a sip of the tea he was offered. It wasn't super special, simply sweetened barley tea, but it's shockingly good washing over Taki's tongue. He downed the small cup in a second sip. 

"-Guh, wow. You make some awesome barley tea, Hitoha." Taki beamed. 

Hitoha grinned, pride leaking through her carefully elder voice. "An Itomori tradition since Mayugorou's great fire." 

The event sounded familiar to Taki, although he couldn't pinpoint where he had heard it. 

As Taki and Hitoha talked, Mitusha suddenly burst out of her room, wearing only jeans and a plain black T-shirt, her hair void of her braided cord.

"Grandma, have you seen my--" She cut off her sentence as she spotted Taki sitting at the table. 

"Hah! Uhm-- Hi Taki! You're earlier than I expected..." She twisted her fingers round themselves in front of her. 

Taki tore his eyes from Mitsuha's black shirt and slim fit jeans and up to her sparkling hazel eyes. "-I rushed to finish up my shift, maybe I rushed too much!"  

"Why would you rush your shift?!" 

"--I wanted to get here faster!"  

Hitoha chuckled. "If you're talking about your denim jacket, it's hanging up by the door." Hitoha pointed to the entrance. 

Mitsuha ran over to the door and threw on her jacket. "Okay, I'll be right there Taki, I just have to tie my cord!" She said, making her way back to her room. "And stop rushing your shifts!" 

Taki sighed embarrassingly, heat prickling up his face. 

"Excited to get here, were you?" Hitoha said. 

"...Yeah." 

There were a couple moments of contemplative silence as Taki pulled out a couple sketches from his bag, being careful not to take out the sketch of Mitsuha's old room. 

"...Hey, Hitoha? I wanted to ask you a favor. -If you don't mind of course." 

"Sure thing." 

"So, I like to sketch things. Not people, but real things, like structures or landscapes. I've made plenty of sketches of locations around Itomori, a-and I wanted to know if you could look over them, just to make sure they're accurate." 

Hitoha held out her hands, and Taki placed a couple of the worn papers in her outstretched palms. 

"...I'd like to learn a lot more about Itomori, too." 

The old woman mulled over the sketches, re-adjusting her glasses with a knowing smile on her face. "-These sketches are like looking at a photo, Taki. You have a real talent for this." She said, handing the sketches back. "And yes, whenever you're over here, I'm happy to tell you all about Itomori. It's not very common that a city boy cares so much for such a distant town." 

Just as Taki was about to respond, Mitsuha's door opened. "-Alright! Ready!" 

Chapter Text

Of course Mitsuha had to follow Taki to his apartment on this train line, the one line that's crowded at nighttime. 

The train had hit multiple bumps on the way to Yotsuya station, lurching Mitsuha and Taki within millimeters of each other multiple times. 

The first time it happened, Taki laughed as Mitsuha flustered wildly, remembering the dream. 

"--Seem familiar?" Taki mused. They were close enough that Mitsuha could feel the vibrations of Taki's words ripple through her body. 

Mitsuha burst into a giggle fit. "Geez Taki, 'didn't know you had a talent for well timed jokes..." 

Taki swung open the door to his apartment and stepped out of Mitsuha's way to let her in. 

"-Hi dad! I'm home, I brought my friend!" He called as he slipped his shoes off. 

Mitsuha took her own sneakers off and walked through the hallway, admiring the compact urban apartment with her hands linked behind her back. She got yet another odd sense of nostalgia as she padded into the kitchen. 

"Hi Taki!" Taki's father called back from his room. "--Dinner's on you tonight, I already ate!" 

"-Okay!" 

Taki walked into his room and gestured for Mitsuha to follow, quickly ruffling his hair into a more favorable shape as she stepped through the door frame. 

"Your room is so much bigger than mine..." Mitsuha whined. 

Taki smiled. "-It can't be that much bigger, mine is pretty small compared to some apartments in outer Tokyo." 

Mitsuha crossed her arms dramatically and sat on Taki's bed with a huff. "-You have so many sketches on the wall. You really made all of these?" 

Nodding his head with pride, Taki closed the door and plopped down next to Mitsuha on his bed. 

With the door closed, the air seemed to shift, a noticeable sense of expectancy starting to loom over their heads. They both got a small hole in their gut. 

"I sketch a lot, but you knew that. I only put the one's I'm really proud of on my wall." 

"There's like-- Thirty!" 

Taki laughed.

"So... Is there any homework you have?" He asked hopelessly. 

Mitsuha shook her head. "No, It's friday, why would I have homework?" 

Taki slapped his forehead. "-Sorry." 

"-It's okay." 

A couple more moments of baited breath and silence, Mitsuha spoke again. 

"-Wanna go somewhere?" 

Taki and Mitsuha were walking towards Shinjuku National Garden, connected at the shoulder and hiding their flustering from the other. The chilly autumn night air dotted goosebumps across Mitsuha's arms as the Tokyo lights bore down on the pair. 

Taki, wearing his puffy dark blue jacket, took notice of the goosebumps on Mitsuha's arms, and the way her shoulder was starting to tremble against his. 

"Here." Taki said, stopping to remove his jacket. "-You look cold." 

Mitsuha held out her arms. "I'm fine, I promise!" 

"-You're not fine, look at your arms. I have sweater on under this anyways. Here," Taki pressed. "I can feel you shivering against my shoulder." 

Mitsuha pouted and reluctantly took the jacket from Taki's outstretched arms, swinging the navy blue piece of fabric over her shoulders and putting her arms through the sleeves. 

Taki instantly devolved into a mess of laughs and chuckles as he doubled over.

"--Hey! It's your fault for giving me a jacket that's too big!" Mitsuha defended.

The jacket's sleeves extended well beyond where Mitsuha's arms ended, the torso reaching to her lower thighs. 

"-It's not-- It's not that it's too big, It's the fact that it looks really cute on you!" Taki laughed, still trying to catch his breath.

Mitsuha zipped up the jacket and groaned, painfully aware of the heat creeping up her face. "-I'm not cute!" She said, her feet planted firmly on the ground and her chin raised in defiance.  Taki only laughed harder.

The two entered the gates of the garden, using the dim lights to navigate along the path until they reached the lake in the middle of the park. 

"Oh! Hey, there's a park bench we can rest on." Mitsuha pointed to a roof bordering the small waterfront. 

As they got closer, they noticed an unnatural light illuminating the ceiling of the bench.

"-Is someone there?" Taki asked. 

Mitsuha shrugged. "I dunno." 

Suddenly they figured out what the light was coming from. 

"--Mitsuha?!" Ms. Yukino jumped as they walked up to the bench.

"--Yukino sensei?!"

"Hi! I uhm-- had no idea you came here." Yukino laughed. "-Is this your boyfriend?" 

Taki and Mitsuha jumped, disconnecting their shoulders. "W-We're not together!" They backtracked in unison. 

Yukino chuckled and moved to the other side of the bench to make room for the two. "My mistake. -What are you two up to at 9 at night?" 

Taki massaged the back of his neck at he sat down, Mitsuha following close behind. 

"W-We were just walking around, honestly we have nothing to do, so we figured we might as well stop somewhere to sit down." Taki spoke up. "What about you? Are you here often?" 

Yukino smiled, setting her laptop down next to her and folding her hands in her lap, the memories of this bench playing through her mind. "I've been coming here for a long time. I was just getting some grading done so I can meet up with an old friend this weekend. I was actually just grading your essay, Mitsuha." 

"-Oh? really? -What did I get?" 

"I'll tell you on monday." 

"--Yukino Senseeeiiiii..." 

"Okay fine, you got a perfect score. -Don't worry." 

Mitsuha sighed with relief, dropping her shoulders and accidentally grazing Taki's hand with her own. Both retracted their hands in milliseconds, fighting the heat crawling up their faces as they kept their glances stubbornly opposite from each other. 

"...So, how are you two doing?" Ms. Yukino asked. The undertone was obvious despite it being a very normal question, proven by the concerned glint in her eyes and the tilt in her head. She was talking about the comet. 

"Uhm- well, I'm doing okay now. I powered through all the rituals at home." Mitsuha offered, her head screaming at her to mention what Yukino Sensei saw after school that day. After a couple moments, the words wouldn't stay down. 

"-MygrandmatoldmeyousawmeandTakihuggingafterschool!" Mitsuha blurted.

"Wha-!" Taki jumped.

"-You didn't hear anything, right?!" 

Yukino laughed heartily. "-Yes, I did see you two comforting each other after school, I thought it was sweet. But I left after I saw you. I didn't hear a thing." 

Mitsuha and Taki sighed in unison, relieved. 

"Good. That was some pretty heavy stuff." Taki mused. 

"-Must've been." 

Taki, Mitsuha, and Ms. Yukino ended up talking for a long while, the awkwardness of seeing a teacher outside of school, and in Yukino's view, seeing students outside of school, quickly fading. 

"-So, wait, how did you end up teaching at Jingu anyway?" Taki asked.

Yukino smiled. "Well," She breathed. "It all started at Kotohani High School in 2013... I was a literature teacher there, and I quite enjoyed my job up until... Well, up until some students started spreading rumors about me. I think you know the details of the rumors, as it was high school junior girls." 

Mitsuha frowned. "Oh no, Yukino sensei..." 

"The rumors got so bad that I was regularly bullied out of my classroom, and eventually I just... Stopped showing up. I went to the train station every morning, but... I could never bring myself to go back there. I always ended up coming to this bench, having chocolate and beer. It must've been all I ate and drank for at least two months." 

"-Judging by the fact that you're here right now, I'm guessing this story has a happy ending?" Taki said. 

"Oh yes, it does." Yukino smiled, glancing down at her handmade shoes. "One rainy morning, I was skipping work. Sitting here, drinking beer and eating chocolate, when a sweet looking high schooler walked up to this bench. I found out later that his name was Takao Akuzuki. -We didn't talk at all at first, I'm pretty sure the only reason we said a word to each other was because he dropped his eraser and I handed it back to him. After a couple of days, he kept coming back here in the mornings, but only when it rained. I learned later that he was skipping school too, but only on rainy mornings. So I ended up praying for rain every night, because he made me feel like more of a person then I had felt in a long time. He even had me eat real food for once!" She chuckled. 

"-Did he know you were a teacher?" Mitsuha said. 

Yukino chuckled. "...He found out eventually. We spotted each other when I was at school for the last time, signing resignation papers. After that we found our way to this park again and tried to talk it out, before a crazy thunderstorm hit. We sheltered up in my apartment, and I told him I was moving away. Once he left, I ran after him, because I never got to tell him how much he meant to me, for saving my life, and making me feel real again. But instead, he told me off for being so closed off and distant, and not telling him that I was a teacher. 'Turns out he had feelings for me because he didn't know my age until that point." 

Taki grimaced. "That must've been awkward..." 

"--Actually, I may or may not have broken down on his shoulder while he was yelling at me..." Yukino frowned. "-But we made up after that. He even gave me these handmade shoes." She said, swinging her right foot up to show off Takao's work. 

Mitsuha suddenly gasped, propping herself up on her arms excitedly. "-So that friend you're meeting up with...!" 

Yukino nodded with a smile. "After that, I did end up moving still, and teaching on Shikoku, but I moved back here a couple years ago, and decided Jingu High School was the best option to continue my career. I think it was the right choice." She added, warmly grinning at Taki and Mitsuha.

"...Point is, finding someone special is, well... Special. It can even save your life one day." 

Taki and Mitsuha glanced at each other, heat beginning to crawl up their faces once again. 

The tension when they returned to Taki's room was palpable. Okudera's words, I say you ask her out as soon as possible were practically pounding through Taki's head, and Mitsuha couldn't stop thinking about the fact that both her grandma and Yukino Sensei had assumed she and Taki a couple. 

Taki had fixed up some tea, although not as great as Hitoha's, it still managed to ease some tension as the two sat on Taki's bed in silence, sipping their tea and gazing out at the Tokyo skyline through Taki's window, the thin curtains pushed to the side. 

Both Taki and Mitsuha had always felt this odd sense of belonging when they were around each other. No matter how tense the moment, what emotions they were feeling, or where they were, they felt comfortable in the other's presence. Like they had nothing to worry about, because everything was fine as long as the other was with them. 

Taki glanced at the time. 10:13. Crap, it's almost time for me to take her home...

He looked at Mitsuha, Tokyo's glory reflecting in her deep hazel eyes, her hair almost covering one side of her face, her braided cord tied neatly in a sea of black silk. 

Mitsuha looked at Taki, The new, daunting city of Tokyo perfectly reflecting off the surface of his royal blue eyes, his amber hair out of place and messy. 

They spoke their next words in unison. 

"--Weshouldgooutsometime!" 

"--Doyouwannagoonadatewithme?!" 

There was a brief moment of stunned silence, until both doubled over with laughter. 

"Did we-- Did we just ask each other out at the same time?!" Taki laughed. 

"I think we-- We just did!" Mitsuha got out through her laughter. 

"-Taki, you know you didn't have to come all this way with me just to drop me off at my apartment, right?" Mitsuha offered at her doorstep after they had shared a tight embrace that lasted a little too long. 

"It's not a problem. Plus, I have to ask your grandma something." 

Mitsuha gave Taki a flustering, skeptical look as she swung open the door. 

"Hi grandma! Yotsuha! I'm home!" She called out. 

Hitoha stepped through her doorframe. "Hello, you two. I hope the train ride wasn't hard." 

Taki smiled, shaking his head. "It wasn't." 

"Okay, I'm gonna get ready for bed. Text me when you're home, Taki!" Mitsuha lightly shoved Taki on the shoulder, her hand lingering for a moment before she disappeared into her room in a flash of wavy black hair. 

Taki stood still for a moment before turning to Hitoha. "Uhm-- Hitoha?" He started, getting her attention. "I... I wanted to ask you something, but it's kind of a big favor." 

Hitoha grinned. "Well, tell me what it is and I'll see what I can do." 

Taki got on both his knees and kneeled before the old woman. "If you're willing, I wish to learn the art of making braided cords from you. It would be an honor." 

Hitoha's smile grew, her eyes lighting up brighter than the skyline to her left. "Taki. -It would be my pleasure." 

Taki got up and grinned with surprise. "R-Really? You'll teach me, an outsider?" 

"-Of course. You may as well be part of our family, seeing how close you are with my granddaughter." 

Taki sighed with relief.

"Oh! Speaking of Mitsuha..." He lowered his voice carefully. "I don't want her to find out about this. I'm... I want to make one for her, and for it to be a surprise." 

He had no idea smiles could be so wide until he saw Hitoha's, and he could've sworn there was a tear leaking from one of her eyes. 

"Such a sweet young man..." 

Chapter Text

Two weeks before the date

"--EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" 

Okudera's squeal of delight shook the restaurant like an earthquake, turning heads of innocent customers in an instant. 

"--Gah! Would you quiet down!?" Taki shushed. 

Okudera was buzzing like she was high on caffeine, the sparkle in her olive eyes bright enough to dim the sun. "--You asked her out?!?!? What did she say?!? How'd you do it?!?!" 

Taki massaged the back of his neck. "I uh-- We kinda asked at the same time last night. Like, in total unison. It was almost scary." 

Okudera stood on her toes, shaking Taki's shoulders. "-Do you know what this means?! You're going on a date!!! We have to dress you up, when is it?!" 

"Next weekend. But please show some mercy and not dress me up, I can dress myself, you know." 

"Too late! I've made my choice." Okudera said, walking away. "You'd better be ready!" 

Taki groaned. -Why did I tell her about Mitsuha... 

"...Oh. My. God." Sayaka backed away from Mitsuha, pure shock radiating from her eyes as they waited for the crowded crosswalk. "--Mitsuha got a boyfriend!!!!" She squealed, throwing her arms around her. 

Mitsuha laughed nervously, heat crawling up her face. "I...Guess?! We're only going on a date..."  

"Yeah, that's still big news!! -You've never even been on one!" Sayaka smiled, pulling away. 

"-And hey, as much as we're gonna make fun of you for this, we're happy for you Mitsuha." Tessie grinned. 

Mitsuha was walking back from school to Shinjuku Station with Sayaka and Tessie, the autumn sun casting it's rays through the Tokyo skyline.

"--Thanks guys. It was actually really weird how we asked each other out, ya know." 

Tessie's eyebrows shot up. "-How'd it happen?" 

"We were sitting on his bed friday night, just drinking tea, when we looked each other straight in the eye and asked the same thing at the same time. I wasn't even planning it, it just... came out. It was creepy, but... We both just laughed."

Sayaka clasped her hands to her cheek. "Awwwww..." 

Mitsuha shoved Sayaka's hand down. "Gah! Hey, don't fluster me!" 

"Think' it's a bit too late for that." Tessie chuckled. "-Look how red your face is!" 

Mitsuha stuffed her face into her hands. "You guys are gonna make this hell for me, huh?" She murmured. 

 For the next few days, anytime Mitsuha happened to be anywhere else, Taki was cooped up in the Miyamizu's living room with Hitoha, slowly but surely getting the hang of sitting traditionally and tying threads round and round themselves. 

Taki was infinitely grateful he had met Mitsuha's grandma, a fountain of information and teachings when it came to Itomori. They spent hours simply talking about the long-lost town, it's culture, history, legacy, and plenty of stories while they braided cords, and by the the time there was a week left until the date, Taki really started finding his stride with the thin bands of fabric. 

"-So, what did you have in mind to make for my granddaughter?" Hitoha asked Saturday night while Mitsuha was sleeping over at Sayaka's house. 

"Well, I have an idea, but I don't know if I can finish it by next Saturday."

"Sure you can. What are you planning?" 

Taki grinned. "-A blue and grey cord with the words 'Welcome to Tokyo' etched into it." 

"My, my. Ambitious, I see?" Hitoha laughed. "-Well let's get to it." 

At school, their feelings for each other now made known, Taki and Mitsuha couldn't be any closer. They used any opportunity they had to be around each other, Mitsuha even asking for the history teacher to switch her seat next to Taki and his friends because the girls she sat next to were "Too distracting." 

They met up outside of school too, although it was tricky for Taki to weave his way between being with Mitsuha and making her braided cord behind her back, but he went through it as best he could, and so far, Mitsuha had zero clue about her grandma teaching Taki to braid cords. 

They had even gone back to the bench at Shinjuku garden a couple of times, all but once finding Ms. Yukino there, grading papers or resting. Yukino had laughed heartily when she was told about the upcoming date. 

"So, I wasn't wrong last friday?" Yukino smiled once she stopped laughing. 

Taki sighed, fighting the heat crawling up his face. "You were. But we uhm--" 

"--We may or may not have asked each other out right when we got home that night..." Mitsuha butted in. 

Yukino simply chuckled and got up to make space for the new couple. 

Throughout the week, it seemed like Taki and Mitsuha simply couldn't get enough of each other. Always feeling a gaping hole in their gut when the other wasn't by their side. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Taki and Mitsuha were something special, but pinpointing why was something that everyone, especially Taki and Mitsuha themselves, had yet to figure out. 

 Five days before the date

 It was getting colder and colder as autumn creeped up on Tokyo, the leaves turning red and the air getting more chilly everyday despite the sun being out, hence why the six were bundled up in the school uniform's suits in the courtyard during Monday's lunch. 

Taki and Mitsuha sat next to each other, connected at the shoulder but still too shy to interlace their hands despite their confirmed feelings towards one another. 

"So... yeah, we're going out Saturday night." Taki laughed nervously, massaging the back of his neck. 

While Tessie and Sayaka simply smirked, knowing and amused, Tsukasa and Shinta recoiled in surprise. 

"Wha-- Taki, you didn't tell us about this sooner!?" Shinta said. 

"--I was gonna! I just couldn't find the right time..." Taki defended. 

"-Let's see, you had Literature, History, every passing period..." Tsukasa listed off the missed opportunities smartly on his right hand. 

"Alright, I get it! I 'shoulda told you earlier, I froze up. Sorry." Taki put his hands up in surrender. 

Shinta laughed. "I'm glad you two are a thing now though. -Took long enough." He crossed his arms cockily, leaning back on the concrete wall. 

Both Mitsuha and Taki opened their mouth to tell Shinta off for assuming them a couple, before they snapped them shut in unison and went back to flustering silently.

"So, who asked who?" Tsukasa said. 

Sayaka excitedly postured up from her traditional sitting position. "-Mitusha told me they asked at the same time! Like, literally in unison!" 

"--Wow, maybe you really were made for each other!" Shinta laughed. "Sounds like something right out of a cheesy movie." 

Two days before the date

Mitsuha was relaxing on her bed, scrolling through her phone and contemplating texting Taki even though she knew he was at work. Suddenly her door opened a crack, startling her, as she didn't even hear any footsteps. 

"--Hey sis, I just wanted to say I'm really glad you're going out with Taki on Saturday. He's actually really nice, from what I've seen of him." Yotsuha said as she peeked her head through the gap between Mitsuha's door and the frame. 

Mitsuha barely had time to process what her sister had told her before she disappeared behind the door. 

...Does she know something I don't? -She has that look in her eyes...

Suddenly her phone went off in her hands, and she dropped it in surprise, thinking the text was from Taki. She tilted her head in confusion when she picked up her phone and it displayed a message from an unknown number. 

[Unknown: Hi!! Are you busy right now?] 

[Mitsuha: I'm sorry, who is this?]

[Unknown: Oh? I thought Taki gave you my number already, of course he didn't. You probably don't know me, but I'm one of Taki's friends, Miki Okudera, or just Ms. Okudera, because that's what everyone calls me.] 

[Mitsuha: Oh yeah!! I know who you are, Taki and his friends have mentioned you before!] 

[Ms. Okudera: Well, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to meet up somewhere? I know this is random, and you barely know me, but you seem nice, and I'd love to meet you before your date with Taki.] 

Mitsuha flustered. --She knows?!?! Damnit, Taki! Once she regained control of the heat crawling up her face, she pondered. She didn't have anything going on for the rest of the day, almost all her homework was finished, so why the hell not? 

[Mitsuha: Okay, that sounds fun!] 

 "So, I really only have one question. Why Taki of all people?" Okudera smiled, her cup of coffee looming in front of her face. 

Mitsuha tilted her head and downcast her eyes towards her slice of cake, fiddling with her braided cord behind her head. 

"I dunno... He's just..." She stumbled. "-He's just really cool, and patient, and caring... I don't know how to describe it, but he always gives me this feeling of comfort when I'm around him, and I don't think he even tries. Since I met him, he's always looking out for me, always been there for me. It's as if I'm his first priority like, all the time! There's just... -There's no one like him, 'ya know?" 

Okudera laughed, setting her mug down. "That's hilarious, oh my god..." 

Mitsuha tilted her head further. "Huh? -What's hilarious?" 

"It's just... I've always seen Taki as a little brother to me, in a way. Quick-tempered, a little macho, impatient, never to be trusted on his own... So it's pretty funny to hear you describe him as patient and caring. But," She added. "If that's really what he's like around you, I'm glad you bring out the best in him. -It sounds like you're pretty in love." 

Mitsuha covered her red-tinted cheeks with her hair. "Gahhhh!" 

"What? You've already admitted it to him!" 

"-No I haven't!" Mitsuha defended. "All we did is ask each other out, that doesn't prove anything!" 

Okudera leaned back in her chair, chuckling. "Are you deaf?! That proves everything! I can see the look in his eyes whenever he talks about you, it's almost scary how much he likes you. He's long past falling head over heels, more like over a cliff. He's in love, and so are you." 

Mitsuha flustered silently. 

"No response?" Okudera smiled, crossing her arms. "-You're only proving my point." 

Mitsuha tossed a napkin at Okudera. "Gahhhh!!" 

One day until the date

"I'm nervous, alright?! My heart's been pounding out of my chest all day, and you can't blame me!"

Taki was ranting to Tsukasa on the train from school, his nerves starting to get the better of him. 

"-Hey, at least it's Friday." Tsukasa said cooly. 

"Yeah, for you that means you get to relax. I have a date tomorrow night!" 

"You'll be fine! Just treat it like one of your meetups, but with nicer clothes on." 

"-That's not how it-" Taki cut himself off and cast his eyes down, heat crawling up his face. 

"Look, Taki. You can start freaking out and getting anxious tomorrow, 'cuz I know Mitsuha's gonna find it endearing. But you still have a whole day and afternoon. Freaking out now is just unnecessary. You're only making yourself more stressed." 

Taki sighed. "You're right..." 

"It's perfect." Hitoha mused, admiring Taki's now completed braided cord in her palms.

"Wha- It is?" Taki jumped. "A bunch of the lettering is off center, and some of the threads have a bit of space between them." 

"-Time, and life would not be what it is without flaws, and mistakes. Embrace them, Taki." 

Taki studied his work, imagining Mitsuha's reaction when he hands the cord to her. 

The flawed, but intricate stands of fabric joined to create a thick string of royal blue that faded into a light grey, the off-center words, "Welcome to Tokyo" Visible through the messy fabric. 

"And, if it's any condolences, Mitsuha will think it's perfect." 

Taki put a hand on the back of his neck. "You really think so?" 

Suddenly a voice sounded from the other side of the apartment. "-Hey Taki! Mitsuha's on her way home!" Yotsuha shouted. 

"Gah! Okay, thank you Yotsuha!" 

"No problem, and good luck tomorrow!" 

Taki threw on his jacket and stuffed the cord in his pocket, slipping on his shoes at the entrance. 

"Thank you, Hitoha, for your hospitality and knowledge. You and and your younger granddaughter have been very kind to me the past two weeks." He bowed lowly. 

"-I should be thanking you." Hitoha smiled. "You've been very kind to Mitsuha. She seemed lost, and... Sad before she came here. You seem to have brought a sparkle to her eyes again. So thank you for making my granddaughter happy." Hitoha bowed back to Taki. 

"-Now go! Before she gets back!" She shooed. 

Mitsuha walked from Shinjuku station to her apartment, counting the hours until Taki was scheduled to pick her up tomorrow. She wrapped herself in Taki's oversized jacket under the cotton pink sky as the fleeting sunset kissed the clouds, her braided cord swaying with the wind.

Of course she had been nervous about the date all week, and the week before that, but today Mitsuha was more nervous than ever, because tomorrow was the day. 

Sayaka and Tessie had told her she was more nervous than she should be, and maybe they were right. But Mitsuha just had this feeling about tomorrow, like something big was coming. Bigger than a simple first date.

She felt as if tomorrow would be some kind of turning point, that every vague, mysterious emotion that had gathered since the comet would somehow, someway, be justified. 

And that put her on edge the most.

As she turned a corner, she bumped into someone, and as she turned around to apologize, she was met with a handsome face she recognized.

"Wha- This again?! I swear if we were in the middle of an ocean I'd still bump into you!" Taki exclaimed.

Mitsuha laughed. "What are you even doing here?!"

"I-I was just running errands for my dad again!" 

Taki decided to walk alongside Mitsuha for a little bit. 

"Oh-- You still have my jacket!" Taki flustered, honored that Mitsuha felt like wearing it on her own time. "It still looks pretty cute on you." 

Mitsuha shoved Taki's arm. "What did I tell you about flustering meee!" 

Taki chuckled, heat starting to crawl up his face. "But it's fun!" 

Mitsuha crossed her arms and defiantly stuck her chin in the air, closing her eyes and turning away from Taki. "-You're just so..." Suddenly she burst out laughing.

Taki laughed too, the joy of simply being with Mitsuha and watching her smile and laugh showing through the cracks.

After they had gotten to another corner, they hugged goodbye, pulling each other impossibly close before pulling away and looking right into the others eyes. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, Mitsuha." 

"I'll see you tomorrow, Taki." 

The tenderness and fondness in which they had said each others names left a hole in their gut as they turned opposite ways on the corner. 

Taki nearly burst out laughing at the thought that he had just been right in front of Mitsuha while carrying her braided cord.

Chapter Text

Night before the date

The sooner I sleep, the sooner the date comes.

Mitsuha continued to repeat this to herself as she restlessly sunk into her pillow, the only thing on her mind being tomorrow.

She attempted to push away the fantasies of what could happen, though the effort was fruitless. Everything from Taki picking her up to the end of the date was flashing through her mind at a pace she couldn't keep up with.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened when she imagined connecting her lips with Taki's. Truthfully, she had thought about that same thing many times, but tonight was more flustering, as she knew full well the possibility of that fantasy becoming a reality.

She did eventually sleep, albeit for maybe four hours, but it was something. Her eyes fluttered open just before dawn, and she groggily sat up in bed and reached for her curtain, shoving it to the side and letting the light of dawn flood her room.

It was a cloudy morning, but spots of deep, royal blue were dotted in the cover of clouds, the sun only just beginning to rise, painting the bottom of the canvas that was the Tokyo skyline a faded orange. The apartment was still dark, dimly lit by the Tokyo morning. Mitsuha had always found solace in mornings like this back in Itomori. The apartment was quiet, ghost quiet, and free of judgement.

Mitsuha glaced at the clock. 5:32. Geez, it's early.

She softly opened her door and padded into the kitchen, starting a pot of water for some tea as she looked out at the Tokyo skyline, the only thing on her mind being well, Taki.

As she let her water heat up, she made her way to the bathroom and set her palms flat on the sink, scrutinizing her reflection that sported uncertainty and eagerness like a suit of armor. Her hair was sleep-tousled, and sticking up in places, the indent of the wrinkles on her pillow covering her left cheek.

Throughout the morning, her heart rate was about as consistent as a panicking koi fish. One moment, she would be fine, gazing at the skyline from the sofa in the living room, or playing a game on her phone, and the next she would be filled with eagerness and anxiety, desperately panicking over what she would wear, what could happen.

What if he has an extra shift? What if he has to cover for a coworker? What if I don't know what to say and the conversation gets stale and awkward? I've never been on a date before...

Embarrassingly, her grandma had woken up right in the middle of one of these panicking sessions, and she had taken a seat next to her on the sofa and calmed her down.

"I'm just... I've never done this before, grandma. I'm so nervous I'll get something wrong, or mess something up..."

Hitoha grinned. "What you're feeling is normal. I'd be worried if you weren't nervous. But I promise, everything will work out just fine, Mitsuha. There's no need to stress yourself."

 Taki was sitting in the kitchen when a knock on his front door sounded.

He sighed weakly. Okudera had been relentless, and now she was in charge of Taki's wardrobe choices from here until the date.

Taki swung the door open to reveal a giddy-looking Okudera, sporting an ear-to-ear smile and bag of clothes. "Let's get you ready!"

Okudera slipped her shoes off at the entrance.

"-You know I don't have to be baby-sat while I'm in my last year of high school, right?" Taki said while leading Okudera to his room.

"I know!" Okudera said a bit too cheerily. "-But this is a special occasion! I already know you wouldn't put on the right things for a day like this."

Taki jumped. " Guh-- Hey! I would too! Just because you're in the fashion industry doesn't mean you know how to dress everyone!"

For what must've been at least an hour, Okudera put Taki in different outfits, testing which ones she thought would get Mitsuha the most flustered.

"Are we done? " Taki breathed, now sporting a crisp red dress shirt and dark grey jacket, slim dark blue jeans and brown dress shoes.

"No no, Wait! Roll the sleeves up, and tuck the dress shirt under the sleeves so it's showing!" Okudera took a step back, admiring her work. "-Now we're done."

Taki glanced down at his outfit. He had to admit, Ms. Okudera had done a good job, despite Taki's wishes to dress himself. A grin broke through the cracks.

"Oh? So you like it?" Okudera teased, leaning forward with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Well-- I like it, but... Are you sure Mitsuha will?"

"Hmm... It's young, and modern, just fancy enough that you could wear it to a date, but simple enough that it doesn't look like you over thought it. --If she doesn't, I'm suing, 'cuz I put way too much effort into that." She laughed. "When are you supposed to be at her apartment?"

Taki glanced at the time, his heart stuttering. 4:47. "-She said she'd be ready at 6."

"Oh! You should hurry and grab everything you need! You've only got half an hour until you should leave."

Taki rushed through gathering his things, making sure he had everything, but trying to speed things up, as every second spent not being on this date was figuratively killing him.

He had been mind-numbingly nervous since the moment he woke up.

"Man, you really are nervous..." Okudera chuckled, watching Taki gather his things at blistering speed with her hands clasped behind her back.

"I'm not-- Nervous, I'm just anxious to get going!" Taki defended, his cheeks flushing a shade of pink.

"So... Nervous. -I get it."

Taki groaned. "-Fine! Okay, I'm nervous as hell, have been since I woke up this morning! I just... I really don't wanna mess this up. There's too much at stake."

"What's at stake, Taki? You're treating this like it's your only chance."

"-Because it basically is! I can't explain it, but thinking about the date... It feels like this is some kinda turning point, like destiny ... Or something like that."

Okudera laughed. "I mean, it's always seemed like you and Mitsuha were pretty much made for each other. You fit together like puzzle pieces, and everyone can see it."

"It's her fault for being too pretty ..." Taki murmured under his breath.

"--Ha! I heard that!" Okudera shouted, taking out her phone and typing what Taki said. "-I'm texting her that you said that right now."

"Nononono!" Taki pleaded. "-Please don't tell her I said that, that's really cheesy."

"Let's make a deal. I don't send this, you promise to kiss her before the date's over."

Taki sighed. "But--"

Okudera's finger loomed over the send button. "I'll do it."

"Okay! Okay! I'll... I'll try."

Okudera smiled. "Such a gentleman..."

"You look amazing, Mitsuha." Hitoha said, brushing Mitsuha's silky black hair into place.

"I-- Well, I dunno..."

Suddenly her phone went off in her pocket. Mitsuha picked it up and was surprised to see Sayaka was calling.

"Hey Mitsuha!! We just wanted to call you and tell you good luck before your date! Tessie's here too."

"Oh-- Hey guys! Thanks so much. I'm nervous , though..."

Tessie's voice crackled through the speaker. "I'd be worried if you weren't!"

"Gah, Everyone's been telling me that!"

"-Well, it's true! You're gonna be nervous on a day like this, so just embrace it and enjoy your time with Taki, Okay?"

"Okay." Mitsuha breathed. "Thanks, you guys."

"-Just helping out our friend! Now go get your man!"

Before Mitsuha had a chance to tell Tessie off for flustering her, the call was ended, leaving Mitsuha with heat crawling up her cheeks.

"-They're such sweet friends, aren't they?" Hitoha mused.

Mitsuha sighed. "They are, but... They fluster me about Taki all the time."

Hitoha laughed. "-Don't we all? We do have the right to."

"I knoooww, but it still gets on my nerves!"

Mitsuha was sitting on a chair set up in the middle of her living room, her grandma brushing her hair so it was light, and wavy. After a couple hours of searching with her little sister, she had on a maroon blouse with a long denim skirt, the same black jacket she wore to her and Taki's first meet-up, and maroon women's dress shoes. She abstained from putting on too much makeup, in the hopes of not looking like she had put too much effort into her appearance, opting instead for simple foundation under her eyes, hiding her four hours of sleep.

"You may have to learn to deal with it, it won't simply stop on command."

"I know..."

"Here. Your hair's finished. Stand up and 'gimme a twirl." Her grandma smiled, re-adjusting her glasses.

Mitsuha got up and spun around, her skirt twirling with her. A grin escaped her anxious features. "-I think I really like the blouse."  

"Oh! I have an idea." Hitoha padded to the coat hanger at the front door. "How about the hat I wore when I was your age? I'm sure it'll fit you." 

The neat, straw hat was a deep tan with a red bow tied around it, and it fit Mitsuha perfectly so she could wear the hat and her cord.

"I get the feeling you won't have this cord much longer..." Hitoha mused as she tied Mitsuha's cord into her hair.

Mitsuha rolled her eyes playfully. "-I won't lose it, grandma."

Hitoha smiled knowingly without saying a word.

"There. All done."

Mitsuha thanked her grandma with a bow and rushed to her room to see herself in the mirror.

Well, it's not perfect, but it's too late to change it now. -I just Hope Taki likes it...

"Sis! Taki's coming at six, right?!" Yotsuha shouted from her room.

"Uh-- Yeah! Why?" Mitsuha called out.

"Well it's quarter to six right now!"

Mitsuha gasped, her eyes darting to her analog clock.

"Oh god! -Only fifteen minutes!" She cried, darting out of her room.

"Grandma! Have you seen my bag?"

Hitoha calmly pointed towards the kitchen table, containing a cup of tea and Mitsuha's purse.

"Gah! Thanks!" Mitsuha downed the sweet peppermint tea and swung her bag over her shoulder. "Also, thanks for making peppermint tea!" 

Hitoha laughed, taking a seat on the sofa. "It's your special night, why not make your favorite tea?" 

Mitsuha sat down next to her grandma. 

And now... We wait. 

 Taki shuffled up the stairs to Mitsuha's apartment, his heart beating out of his chest.

...What if Mitsuha's not taking this date as seriously as I am? I might just be making a fool out of myself in this fancy outfit! 

Taki reached the door. Taking a deep breath to slow his racing heartbeat, and to calm down the fire rushing to his cheeks, he gave the door a soft knock and took a step back, clutching the strap of his bag in his fists, the braided cord he had made for Mitsuha feeling bigger in his pocket. 

The door opened to reveal Hitoha, beaming like the sun in front of her. "-Good evening, Taki." 

Suddenly, Mitsuha appeared behind her grandma. "H-Hi Taki!" She greeted, her hands clasped in front of her. "I'll be right there, I just need to grab my jacket!" 

Her maroon blouse and long denim skirt softly fluttered in the wind, her silky black hair kissed by the fleeting afternoon sun, accented by the tilted straw hat resting on her head, her sparkling hazel eyes filled with anxiousness and anticipation all the same. Her soft lips were parted, and her cheeks were flushed a shade of red. Taki almost forgot how to breathe. 

"Uhm... Y-yeah, It's colder than it looks." Taki said hopelessly, the heat rushing to his face shading his cheeks a dark red. ...Crap, she's way too pretty today!

Mitsuha rushed to her room, and Taki slipped off his shoes at the door.

"-Do you have the cord?" Hitoha whispered up at Taki. 

"Mhm." Taki nodded, lowering his voice, fighting the blood rushing to his cheeks. "-I'll give it to her before the date's over." 

Meanwhile, Mitsuha was slumped against the wall in her room, attempting to catch her breath, and calm down her racing heart. 

Oh. My. God. -I can't do this! Just look at him! Who gave him the right to be so attractive?! 

She pulled out her phone and texted Sayaka. 

[Mitsuha: Saya. Help. I can't do this. Taki just walked through the door, I looked at him once and now I'm flustered out of my mind. Currently hyperventilating in my room]

[Sayaka: Hey!! Calm down! How much you wanna bet he's just as flustered right now?] 

[Mitsuha: No way!] 

[Sayaka: Just go out there and talk to him, you'll calm down if you just get used to how cute he looks.] 

[Mitsuha: No no, this is some next level stuff.]

[Sayaka: Are you really being like this? What's he wearing anyway?]

[Mitsuha: Deep red dress shirt, grey jacket, messy hair, blue jeans and dress shoes]

[Sayaka: So, he planned an outfit for you. Did you not do the same thing? Just get out there!!] 

Mitsuha sighed, her heart still racing. 

[Mitsuha: Okay. I'll go. Wish me luck.] 

Mitsuha swiped her jacket off the bed and slipped it on, nervously shuffling out of her room.

Taki stuffed the cord in his pocket at light speed, his eyes going wide. 

"Okay, y-you found your jacket? -Ready to go?" Taki stumbled, the sight of Mitsuha still flustering him senseless. 

"Yep! My bag's right next to you." 

Taki picked up said bag and handed it to Mitsuha, getting up from the couch and giving her a hug. 

"You look way too pretty..." Taki snuck a whisper into Mitsuha's ear before he pulled away. 

Mitsuha's hands shot up in front of her chest defensively, her cheeks getting even redder as she gave Taki a death stare.

Eventually, Mitsuha had hugged her grandma goodbye for the night and said her goodbyes to Yotsuha, and was on her way out the door. 

"Taki," Hitoha addressed before he was about to close the door on his way out. 

"Go meet your destiny." 

The words sent a spike of both anxiousness and determination through Taki's heart, and he closed the door with a nod and a bow. 

As Mitsuha and Taki walked down the stairs of the apartment building, Mitsuha spoke first, her hands clasped around her purse strap in front of her. 

"So... What are we doing tonight? You never told me any plans." 

Taki's heart stuttered as he took two rectangular papers out of his pocket and handed them to Mitsuha. 

"T... Tokyo..." Mitsuha struggled with the words as her eyes went wide at the sight of the tickets. "Tokyo skytree?! Taki I-- I've always wanted to go there! H-How'd you even get the money?!" 

Taki put a hand on the back of his neck. "I saved up some money from work, I guess... I just wanted to take you there 'cuz, well-- You love Tokyo so much, why not take you to the highest point in it?"

Mitsuha suddenly threw her arms around Taki's torso, her hat falling off her head. 

Taki hugged her back, albeit flustered out of his mind, and pulled Mitsuha close before pulling away and picking up her hat. 

"Did I already say this hat looks way cute on you?" Taki said putting the neat straw hat back on his girlfriend's head. 

As Taki walked away, Mitsuha scowled at him before running to catch up. She snuck a glance at his sunkissed amber hair, and momentarily felt her heart stutter before grabbing Taki's hand and shuffling to his side. 

Taki almost recoiled, and as Mitsuha watched a blush spread across his face, a grin slowly tugged at her lips. 

"--Hah! Now you're the one who's flustered!"

Even as Taki batted away Mitsuha's accusing finger in protest, he could've sworn at the moment Mitsuha locked her hand with his that the air sugar-blossomed.

Tokyo skytree. A towering, shining pillar of metal and glass, a beacon of development in the middle of a city that never sleeps. 

Taki had been mesmerized by it since he was a kid, and the first time he had gone there, it had been with his mom, long before Taki could remember what age he was. But the memory of seeing the shining metropolis that went on with or without him, as if Taki were simply an observer, from above it all, stuck with him forever. It was his introduction to Tokyo, to architecture.  

Mitsuha had never been to the skytree. As a kid growing up in Itomori, she could merely look at pictures and fantasize about one day visiting the city of lights, riches and adventure with Tessie and Sayaka. 

The distorted lights of the skytree danced across the surface of the Sumida River, and Taki and Mitsuha couldn't help but gaze up at it with awe for a few moments, their grip on the others hand tightening slightly. 

It was a young Saturday night, so Mitsuha and Taki were again squished together on the crowded elevator up the skytree.

The elevator finally stopped, and faceless strangers weaved their way off one by one, until Taki and Mitsuha, plus a couple others were left. 

"Wait, Taki, we should be getting off here, right?" 

Taki closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Nope. We're going to the top floor." 

Mitsuha's eyes sparkled for a moment until she was jerked by the elevator continuing its course up. Taki chuckled.

Eventually, the door opened, and Taki shuffled out and scanned the two tickets. 

The top deck was less crowded, as it cost more, so the moment Mitsuha stepped off the elevator, she felt her breath running away.

Mitsuha stared, mesmerized by the view laid out before her. 

"--Hey," Taki laughed, pulling on Mitsuha's arm. "You can stare at the view from the window!" 

Tokyo had always been the city of lights to Mitsuha, the skyline was always bright, even lighting up her room for her. But seeing the skyline like this, from high up above, had Mitsuha frozen in place.

The the stark, violently-colored lights were unburdened by distance, going further than Mitsuha could even see, spreading far and wide, as if Mitsuha were looking down at speckles of glitter thrown haphazardly across the landscape. The arrogant city moved on its own, a hundred people to a car, a thousand to a train, trains criss-crossing the city in blurs of light that never stopped. But the vast, dark sky above still made the city feel small, as if the tall skyscrapers of Tokyo were begging for the gods attention.

"...Woah..."

Taki glanced at Mitsuha, who's bright, restless hazel eyes were fixed stubbornly on the never-ending city like it would disappear if she looked away. 

"-It's a great view, isn't it?" Taki put a hand on Mitsuha's shoulder. When she didn't move, Taki waved a hand in her face. "--Mitsuha?" 

"Guh-- Yes?" 

"Wow, is the view that mesmerizing? You got totally lost in it." 

Mitsuha spared the breathtaking lights another glance. "I mean, look at it! I-- I don't even know what to say... Thank you, Taki." 

Taki massaged the back of his neck. "Hey, it's my pleasure, really. -Watching how much you adore Tokyo only helps me appreciate where I live more."

After more time was spent gazing at Tokyo from above, Taki tapped Mitsuha's shoulder. 

"So, this isn't the only thing were doing today, you know." 

"Wha-- What else could there be?!" 

"-Does sushi for two sound okay?" 

"Taki..." 

Mitsuha and Taki walked into the small sushi restaurant with their hands clasped together, Taki occasionally rubbing comforting circles into Mitsuha's palm that secretly flustered her more than it should have. 

The sushi restaurant was a very traditional place, the wood walls, lanterns, and tatami rooms adding to the old Tokyo vibe.

Mitsuha and Taki found a Tatami room and slipped off their shoes, Mitsuha chuckling the whole time. 

"-You know you have to sit traditionally here, right?" She said, doing just that. 

Taki calmly sat down on the floor in front of the table and pinned his legs under his thighs with ease, a smug grin escaping his features.

"Guh-- W-Wha... When did you learn to sit like that?!" 

Taki froze for a moment. "I- I've been teaching myself lately..." 

"Oh," Mitsuha smiled. "Maybe now you can look normal when you sit down at my house." She laughed. 

Taki watched her cinnamon-cream hazel eyes twinkle sweetly as she chuckled, and his heart stuttered. He wasn't getting used to how attractive she was anytime soon.

After awhile, the waiter had come with their food, and two plates of sushi with a bowl of ramen were placed in front of the two. 

Mitsuha and Taki thanked the waiter in unison and started eating. 

Mitsuha suddenly chuckled as Taki brought a sushi roll up to his mouth. "Hey, Taki, you should put wasabi on that roll." 

Taki scowled playfully. "You think I can't handle it?" 

Mitsuha crossed her arms and gave a smug grin that sent Taki's heart soaring for a moment. "I bet you couldn't!" 

"What-- You think I'm some city boy who doesn't know anything about traditional food? Sushi's popular in Tokyo too!" Taki scooped some wasabi onto his sushi roll and dug in without an ounce of hesitation, having had wasabi before.

Suddenly, his tongue began to burn. After a couple moments of trying to hide it, his face contorted and Mitsuha tilted her head smugly, holding up a glass of water in front of Taki. 

Taki gave in and took the glass, much to Mitsuha's delight. 

"Guh-- That was way more spicy than I expected it to be..." 

Mitsuha laughed, happy to have the high ground for once. 

"So, what was the sky tree like? You looked pretty mesmerized by it." Taki said once things had calmed down.

"-Not just the tree, the view- Oh my gosh, it was amazing. I've never seen anything like it! But it also... It also got me thinking about Itomori too." 

Taki's royal blue eyes shifted from vague and loving to concerned and pinpoint. "-Do you mind me asking what about?" 

Mitsuha sighed. "-Well, I always talk about how Tokyo is so daunting, and I think seeing it from the sky tree only proved my point to myself. In Itomori, It was small enough that it felt like the town... Stopped for you. Like when my mom--" She cut herself off and cleared her throat. "When my mom died when I was little, the whole town had ceremony for her. Your neighbors problem was your problem. But Tokyo... Doesn't wait for you to catch up, does it?" 

"-No," Taki mused. "It really doesn't. I don't even remember what my mom looked like by this point, I was so tiny when she died, I must've been five or six. But the thing that stuck with me is how cold the city felt, even when I was little. It didn't stop for me, It didn't care that my mother was gone, it just... continued on with it's life. But for me... I've started seeing that as a good thing. It taught me that life goes on, that no matter what you're feeling, it's still important to keep going, ya know?" 

Mitsuha tilted her head in admiration, her hazel eyes filled with a soft look that spoke for itself. 

"That's really sweet, Taki. I had no idea you could be so thoughtful." 

"-What, was I not thoughtful before?" Taki teased.

"Oh-- You know that's not what I meant!" 

The bridge above Shinanomachi station glittered in the night lights of Tokyo as Mitsuha interlaced her fingers with Taki's. They both got a strange feeling of nostalgia standing on this bridge together, and not just from the dreams. 

"-Hey, Taki, this is the bridge we saw in our weird dreams." Mitsuha pointed out. 

"Hah- Yeah. Those dreams were weird... I had been having weird dreams for awhile, but none like that." 

Taki stopped walking, feeling for the braided cord in his pocket. 

"Hm?" Mitsuha stopped at Taki's side, still holding his hand. 

Taki took a deep breath. "Mitsuha... I wanted to get something for you for this date, but I figured buying something would, one: make you complain about wasting my money, and two: be pretty cliche." 

Mitsuha chuckled, her hands looming in front of her chest. "-You got the first one spot on." 

"-So, I... Made you something instead." 

Taki took Mitsuha's hand and pulled the blue and grey cord from his pocket, setting it in Mitsuha's palm. 

Mitsuha stared at the cord wide-eyed, pure shock and admiration reflecting off her lustrous hazel eyes. 

"T-Taki... You..." She struggled to find words as she read the words sewn into the cord, "Welcome to Tokyo." 

She closed her fingers around the cord hesitantly and suddenly dashed into Taki, throwing her arms around him at light speed. 

"Why are you so good to me?!" She muffled into Taki's jacket, holding back tears. 

Taki hugged Mitsuha back, his lips curving upwards. "Because you deserve it, that's why." 

"How'd you even make this?!" 

"-Hitoha taught me. Anytime you weren't home, I was probably at your place, learning how to braid cords with your grandma."

Mitsuha pulled away and gazed up into Taki's loving, warm, royal blue eyes with her lips parted, tears brimming her own eyes. Taki's hands lingered on Mitsuha's waist as the air seemed to shift, the look in their eyes more telling than anything they could have said in that moment.

Mitsuha's lips came crashing into Taki's without hesitation, swinging her legs up and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, the cord still in Mitsuha's closed palm. 

As soon as Taki kissed back, something snapped inside both of them. A feeling of total unison washed over them, a giddy feeling of happiness that couldn't be dimmed by anything. This was home, right here. This is where they belonged, in each other's arms.

Mitsuha couldn't help but laugh into the kiss, and they separated gasping for air, their eyes stubbornly fixed on the other.

--I love you. They thought in unison.

 "-Ita--!" 

 Mitsuha tripped over a crack in the sidewalk while she was distracted, gazing down at the cord in her left hand while her right hand was intertwined with Taki's.

"Gah! Mitsuha, watch where you're stepping!" Taki helped Mitsuha up. 

"Sorry..." Mitsuha said, standing back up. She winced in pain when she stood on her right ankle. 

"Oh, no... where's it hurt?" 

Mitsuha pointed to her ankle. 

After looking at it, Taki determined it wasn't serious, but he was going to carry her the rest of the way to the station. 

"Wha-- No! You'll get too exhausted carrying me!" Mitsuha defended.

"-I could care less! You're hurt, and I don't want it to get worse."

Mitsuha reluctantly climbed onto Taki's back and linked her arms in front of his chest, trying not to reveal how much she was flustering.

"You know, sometimes it seems like you care more about me than you do yourself..." She said when Taki started walking. 

"I just want you to be happy! Is that so evil?" 

Mitsuha scowled, heat crawling up her face. "You even-- Ugh, you even made a cord for me!! What did I do to deserve you..." 

"-Exist?"

Mitsuha scowled again, her blush deepening. "I didn't even get you anything...!" She suddenly came to a realization as she reached a hand behind her head and undid her braided cord.

"Here," She said, waving the cord in Taki's face from his back. "You gave me a cord, so I'm giving you mine." 

"Wha-- That's yours! -That has way too much history and too many childhood memories for me to just wear like it's my own."

"I insist! The cord I have now means a lot, and now we'll both have a cord to remind us of our relationship." 

Taki pondered. "If I keep the cord, the cords we have represent a promise." 

"-And that promise is...?" 

"...To always stick together." 

Mitsuha smiled, heat rushing to her face once more. "-To always stick together." She repeated.

Chapter Text

Chilly night air

a city sleeps

like a wind-driven cloud

I run,

to you.

~~~

"--Okay, you can put me down now." Mitsuha tugged lightly at Taki's hair. "I promise my ankles fine!" 

The night skyline glittered in the distance, so close yet far away, monoliths of concrete soaring out of the ground, reaching for the stars. 

Taki obliged, much to his dismay, and set Mitsuha down at the bottom of the stairs that led to her apartment door. 

Mitsuha made it up the stairs, although a dull pain still emerged in her ankle. 

"Get some ice on that when you get inside, okay?" Taki said. "-It might start to swell." 

Mitsuha rolled her eyes playfully. "-Okay, Dr. Tachibana..." 

Taki burst out laughing. "Don't-- Don't call me that!" 

Mitsuha chuckled. "I'm gonna call you that whenever you care about me too much." 

"-You know what? If it means you stay unharmed, then fine, I accept your dumb nickname." 

Mitsuha smiled before her eyes lost a bit of their sparkle. "-I guess... This is goodbye for tonight..." 

Taki sighed. "Yeah... It's late, I should be getting home." 

Taki looked at Mitsuha and gave her a quick peck that startled her. But Mitsuha returned with her own, and eventually, Taki and Mitsuha were totally intertwined with each other, pulling the other impossibly close while they let their lips speak the words they were too shy to say.

Much to their chagrin, air is not infinite, so the two pulled away gasping for air, their cheeks tinted a deep red and their eyes wild, the Tokyo skyline reflecting off their surface. 

"B-Bye, Taki." Mitsuha tried to get her words through her flustering. 

"Talk to you later..." Taki tried to do the same as he began to walk away.

Mitsuha watched him leave until he disappeared behind the staircase, her hands clasped in front of her.

She opened the apartment door and slid off her shoes at the entrance, breathing a sigh of relief, and admiration all the same, leaning her back against the door.

-Did that just...

"--How was it?!" Sayaka squealed into her phone. 

Mitsuha was lounging on her bed, her hair spread across her pillow in waves of black silk, her ankle resting on a small ice pack. She held Taki's cord he had made for her in her left hand, her phone held up to her ear.

"It was... I-I'm still in shock, I don't even know what to say! It was amazing!" 

"Well, what happened?!" 

"He took me to the Skytree, Saya. The Skytree! I got to see Tokyo from its highest point, it was insane! -After that, we went out for sushi, we opened up to each other about our childhood, too. He was really nice about it. Told me that Tokyo goes on without you, like it or not, so just embrace it and go on with your life, just like Tokyo does." 

"Woah, I didn't know he had a sweet side..." 

"Oh, -You think that's it? Guess what he did on the walk home! He made me a cord. Like, homemade, traditional braided cord. I couldn't help but just hug him, I didn't have any words." 

"He did?! Did you kiss him?" 

"Guh--!" Mitsuha turned over and stuffed her face into her pillow.

"...I'm taking your silence as a yes!"

"Ugh-- fine, yes we kissed, a couple times actually. -We couldn't really help ourselves..." 

"Awwww... So Mitsuha had her first kiss!!" 

Mitsuha flustered. "I guess I did..." 

"Tessie!! -Mitsuha had her first kiss!!" 

"-No way!! Congrats, Mitsuha! I'll be teasing you about this until the day you die!" Tessie's voice filtered through the speaker, further from Sayaka's phone.

Mitsuha rolled her eyes, her cheeks already beet red thinking back to her and Taki's first kiss.

After she had given Tessie and Sayaka the run-down on what had happened, she felt exhaustion tugging at her eyelids, and promptly yawned graciously.

She plugged in her phone and changed into her nightgown, falling with a soft huff into her bed and pulling her blankets under her chin.

As she was close to drifting off, she made sure Taki's braided cord was between her fingers.

She fell asleep with a dreamy grin permanently plastered to her face.

Ta-ki.

Ta-ki.

 Taki yawned as he padded into his room, sleep pulling at his eyelids. Apparently a long afternoon of sickeningly sweet smiles had drained him. 

The look Mitsuha had given him before diving in for a kiss was practically burned into the back of his mind as he changed out of his date outfit and into a comfortable pair of athletic shorts and a white t-shirt. 

Crawling under the covers, he was about ready to drift off, until his phone began to vibrate harshly. 

[Ms. Okudera: Taki!!! You said you'd text me when the date's over!]

Taki sighed. 

[Taki: I just got home!] 

[Ms. Okudera: How'd it go?!?!? Did you kiss her?! Where'd you take her?!]

[Taki: I took her to the skytree. It was great, she was totally awe-struck by the view. Then we went out for sushi, and then she tripped and fell, so I had to carry her to her apartment, haha.]

[Ms. Okudera: You didn't answer my question!] 

[Taki: ...Yes, we kissed, a couple times.] 

Taki stuffed his face in his pillow and groaned, fighting the blood rushing to his cheeks. 

[Ms. Okudera: Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Proud of you, and happy for you!!] 

-She really is like my older sister... Taki mused as he typed his response. 

[Taki: Thank you, Ms Okudera] 

Once he was finished texting Okudera, he plugged in his phone and took Mitsuha's braided cord from his windowsill, wrapping it between his fingers as he drifted off to sleep, a stupid, dreamy grin plastered onto his face. 

Mit-su-ha.

Mit-su-ha.  

-I'm standing on the edge of the mountain that wraps around my family's sacred Musubi shrine in a huge, perfect circle, the fleeting sunset casting its somber glow over the underworld.

-I realize I'm in Taki’s body as I glance down at my shoes, the lack of hair brushing my neck now very apparent.

I look to my left, and I'm met with the sight of… Me? ...With short hair?

-I'm on the peak of the strange mountain I now recognized from my dreams. The tree and the rock in the middle were encircled by the top of the mountain in a great, crater-like circle, kissed by the retreating sunshine.

I realize I'm not in my own body as I feel hair tickle my neck, and I look to my right instantly.

My eyes meet... Myself?

 “--Magic hour.” I say, my unnaturally deep voice trembling.

Just as I lock eyes with Taki, my vision starts to cloud. For a moment, I feel dizzy, and light-headed.

And then suddenly, it hits me.

Memories start to flood in as rapidly as my tears, and I can see them in front of me as if I were reliving them.

"--Magic hour."

I, or- Mitsuha, locks eyes with me and says something I can't make out fully, because the second I lock eyes with her, I feel my head start to swim, and my vision fades. 

The memories come crashing in like a comet.

"-I  hate this town! -I hate this life! Pleeaase make me a handsome Tokyo boy in my next life! "

-Waking up in Taki’s room, using the bathroom, trying to act normal at school.

"You... got lost..." 

"...Y-Yeah." 

"-How'd you get lost on the way to school?" 

"Well... A girl..." 

"--A girl?" 

"--I mean...!" 

Going to a cafe, working Taki’s part-time job, getting friendly with Ms. Okudera.

"-You've got a feminine side."

Tessie and Saya getting concerned about my behavior and telling me the things I did while Taki was in my body, expensive sweets, setting up a date with Ms. Okudera.

 -Waking up in Mitsuha's room, groping her chest, trying to figure out her school, and friends.

My co-workers confronting me for Mitsuha walking home with Ms. Okudera, standing up to Mitsuha's school bullies, beating the boys at Mitsuha's school in basketball.

"-To return to this world, you must leave behind what is most important to you."

Offering Mitsuha's kuchikamizake at the foot of the musubi altar.

"Oh? Mitsuha... You're dreaming right now, aren't you?"

Tears.

Trying to call Mitsuha after my date she set up with Ms. Okudera.

Going to Tokyo to find Taki.

'One thing is certain... If we see each other, we'll definitely know right away!'

Finding him on a train, heartbreak. Giving him my braided cord.  

"My name is--!" 

Going to the autumn festival.

"Mitsuha... W-What happened to--"

"Your hair..."

-Dying.

 Traveling to Itomori to find Mitsuha.

"Hey... That's a sketch of Itomori, isn't it?"

Discovering the ruined town, finding Mitsuha's name in the list of victims of Comet Tiamat. 

Remembering Hitoha's words about Musubi and braided cords. 

I have to go somewhere. Go back to Tokyo without me. I'll be back soon. Thanks. -Taki

Traveling to Goshintai.

Crossing the river, drinking Mitsuha's kuchikamizake, learning of Mitsuha's past. 

Waking up in Mitsuha's body, devising an evacuation plan with Tessie and Sayaka, failing to convince Mitsuha's father. 

Stealing Tessie's bike, finding out Mitsuha went to Tokyo, running around the mountain, hearing her but not seeing her.

Waking up in the underworld in Taki’s body, seeing what was left of Itomori.

"-So... Does that mean... I... Died?"

Hearing Taki call for me.

Running around the mountain.

A fleeting sunset.

Total happiness.

Finally seeing Taki in front of me, finding out he drank my saké, getting “I love you,” scribbled into my palm.

Total happiness.

"Taki...? Taki...? -You're really here..."

Mitsuha crying when we finally see each other, writing "I love you" on her palm, Mitsuha suddenly vanishing.

Promising to find her again no matter what, suddenly forgetting her name, falling asleep on the mountain. A stinging sense of loss.

-I suddenly remember it all.

 Trying to evacuate the town. 

"Wait a minute... I... I Can't remember what his name is anymore!" 

Tessie yelling at me, running, tripping seeing what Taki wrote on my hand. Newfound hope.

"...Don't tell me you're back..."

Convincing my father, the comet splitting, the explosion.

--I suddenly remember it all.

 Mitsuha sat up in bed at light speed, tears brimming her eyes as she ripped the blankets off of her and darted to her closet, not even bothering to turn on a light. She threw a maroon coat on over her sleeping blouse, put on two random socks she could find, swiped Taki’s braided cord off the bed, and sprinted through her bedroom door to the front hallway.

Sliding into a pair of shoes, she swung open the heavy metal door and bolted out of her apartment at full speed.

As Mitsuha gunned it down the streets of Tokyo, she didn't pay a thought to where she was going. She simply chased the feeling she had been chasing for years, the feeling that had been chasing her for years. The feeling that drove her and shattered her all the same.

But now, she knew what that feeling was attached to. Who that feeling was attached to.

Taki.

I don't want to forget again, I don't want to forget again, I don't want to forget again! She repeated to herself, knowing full-well that most of the time, she eventually forgot what she dreamed about.

“I’m comin', Taki!” She cried into the night air. “I remember! I remember it all!” 

 --I don't want to forget again, I don't want to forget again, I don't want to forget again! 

Taki repeated this to himself as he ran through Shinjuku as fast as his legs could take him, his emotions scrambled into a mess that only connected at one point. 

Mitsuha. 

He turned corner after corner, alleyway after alleyway, street after street, looking for her, knowing that she was searching too. She must've had the same dream I had! 

"Taki!? -Where are you?!" He heard somewhere in the distance. He instantly recognized the voice, and his heart leapt out of his chest.

"M-Mitsuha! I can hear you!" He shouted back, gunning it down an alleyway that seemed to lead to where her voice was coming from. 

He turned another corner, and suddenly, the wind was totally knocked out of him. 

Mitsuha had been sprinting around the same corner, and the two collided with each other at full speed, toppling to the ground instantly. 

Both tried to speak as they sat on the ground, their wild, tear-brimmed eyes fixed on the other, but couldn't, as the only thing coming out of their lungs were puny attempts to regain their breath. 

Taki took a deep breath and steadied himself, feeling his lungs finally come back to him. 

"Mitsu--!" 

"--Takiiii!!!!" Mitsuha cried, barreling into him and throwing her arms around his torso.

Taki simply held back tears and pulled Mitsuha impossibly closer, burying his head in her shoulder. "--I remember, It's okay, I remember." He muffled into her jacket. 

Mitsuha continued to sob into Taki's jacket audibly, unable to stop the river of joyous tears. "I found you.." She choked out. "I really found you..." 

Mitsuha suddenly pulled away and grabbed Taki by the shoulders. "I found you!!" She repeated, as if she needed to prove it to herself once more. 

Taki was about to respond, but as he gazed into the wild, hazel eyes of Mitsuha Miyamizu, he felt his throat close up and his eyes well up more, and suddenly, he was sobbing too. 

They stayed like that for a long time, Mitsuha and Taki both sobbing into the other's shoulder and gripping the other as if they would disappear if they let go.

After things had calmed down, Mitsuha sat next to Taki and rested her head on his shoulder. "I can't believe it... Taki, I-- Guh--! What am I even supposed to say? It just feels like I've been looking for you forever... It's hard to believe you're really here."

"I'm... I'm so sorry, Mitsuha." 

"Wha-- What could you be sorry for?" 

"I-" Taki took a breath. "-It's my fault we didn't remember each other after magic hour. When I went there and drank your Saké, I didn't offer anything. So by doing that, I basically offered our memories of each other to the gods, and so when we left, we forgot everything." 

Mitsuha sighed. "-Maybe you slipped up there, but I can't thank you enough for what you wrote on my hand." 

Taki jumped, putting a hand over the back of his neck. "Hah-- Oh, that. yeah." 

"--No, really. It gave me the drive to keep going and convince my father about the comet, I would've given up and died, again, If it weren't for that. I wouldn't've remembered what 'Taki' meant if you wrote that." 

Taki sighed. "So... When did you forget? You know... All of,"  He gestured in between him and Mitsuha. "This." 

Mitsuha pondered for a moment. "Well, I was running back into town with Tessie, and once we got the shrine, we were yelling at everyone to get to the high school when something just... faded. It was so sudden I started crying, and when Tessie asked me what was wrong, I told him 'I can't remember his name!' and he got all confused and started yelling at me to go try to convince my father to evacuate the town." 

Taki laughed. "-You told him that? There's no way he would've understood." 

"Gah, I know, but I was so overwhelmed I just had to say it out loud. -How did you forget anyway?" Mitsuha said. 

"It was pretty much right when Magic hour was over. I started repeating your name over and over again, 'Mitsuha, Mitsuha, your name is Mitsuha!' and then I suddenly forgot. When I tried to write your name on my hand, I totally blanked and started ranting at the sky. Maybe to the gods, I don't know. But eventually I just screamed, 'What's your name?!' at them. All I could remember once I woke up was that I had lost something... Precious."

Taki heard a small whimper from his shoulder. 

"Oh, Mitsuha, no don't cry..." 

Chapter Text

Total happiness.

In whatever part of the city they had ran to, it was ghost quiet, the night air filled only with the soft sound of the wind dancing with the leaves that clung to the tree Mitsuha and Taki had relocated to. They sat there under the lights of Tokyo, simply basking in the others presence as they cuddled close.

"-Hey, Taki. 'Gimme your hand." Mitsuha fingered through her sleeping blouse pocket, pulling out a marker and uncapping it.

Taki felt his right hand being swept away. "-Hey! What are you--!"

" Ahp -! No peeking!" Mitsuha flashed that adorable tight-lipped, closed-eyed defiant look at Taki. The same one from magic hour all those years ago. - You're just so...

Taki basked in the ability to think back to those years and finally remember. He sighed with a smile and covered his eyes.

After a few moments, Mitsuha spoke again. "Okay- open 'em." her hands were closed around Taki's right, and her cheeks were shaded a deep red. "-Don't you dare look at your hand until you get home, alright?"

Taki nodded, puzzlement possessing his features. "Oh... Speaking of, I hate to say it, but... We should really be getting home, I have no idea what time it is. I left in such a hurry after that dream, I forgot my phone."

"-But you didn't forget the cord." Mitsuha smiled, holding up her grey and blue one, a soft-spoken secret told to the fabric of Taki's shirt.

Taki dug through his pocket and held up Mitsuha's. "Of course I didn't." He grinned sheepishly. "Now, c'mon. Let's get you home. You're probably tired, so am I. Is your ankle still hurt?"

"I'm fine... Guh- " Mitsuha yawned heavily.

"...Okay, maybe I'm... A little tired. -But my 'ankles fine."

"'Better be."

The rising sun cast it's bright rays over the unending skyline as Mitsuha slowly awoke.

...Taki.

--Wait, Taki! I remember! She thought excitedly as she recalled her memories with ease. Grabbing Taki's cord from her nightstand, she held it close to her chest and sighed blissfully, sinking back into her pillow.

...

I wonder if he’s seen his hand yet…

Taki slowly came to from his slumber, squinting his eyes at the morning sun that invited itself into his room, painting the walls gold with it's glow. He loosely made his bed after heaving himself out of his blankets.

He saw it when he reached for his phone.

He blinked, once, twice, three times. Pinched himself even. This had to be a dream.

Taki stared wide-eyed at the mildly smudged letters written on his hand, tears threatening to spill over his eyes.

It suddenly became much more clear to him that he had been waiting to hear that response for a long time.

Writing those fateful words on Mitsuha's hand under a glorious sunset where nothing bothered them, years ago, was his call out to her.

And now, after years, her response was on his hand.

And it made him sob the happiest tears he had felt stream down his cheeks in a long time.

Four simple words that carried so much weight. Four simple words that tied up the loose ends, justified everything he and Mitsuha had gone through together, patched the hole in Taki's heart and filled a void of doubt that had tormented him for 2 long years. 

Four simple words, scribbled purposefully in black, sun-kissed ink on Taki's palm. He imagines Mitsuha's voice as he reads them.

I love you too.

私も愛してる.

Chapter Text

3 Years later

Tokyo wasn't known for snow days by many, but when it snowed, it snowed. 

Mitsuha was running a comb through her hair in the mirror of her and Taki's apartment, pouting whenever she hit a knot. She might be in her mid twenties now, but she was still childish as ever. 

Taki rose from the bed and lifted himself out of it, spotting Mitsuha struggling with her hair out of the corner of his eye. He let his eyes adjust to the grey morning light streaming in off the blankets of white that covered the streets, and padded over to her. 

"...She is beautiful," He started, locking his hands in front of her torso and nuzzling his head into her shoulder. 

"As seen in the sun-kissed black hair

flowing softly through her comb 

her eyes begging for summer,

-she is beautiful." He finishes, his hold on her torso tightening. 

"Taki..." Mitsuha sighed, leaning into his embrace with a grin spread across her now red-tinted cheeks. "-Did you just come up with that?"

Taki shook his head and mumbled a no into Mitsuha's shirt. "My dad has that poem hanging next to a picture of my mom in my old apartment." He said, "...It makes me think of you."

Mitsuha blushed deeper. "...Care bear..." She pouted, lacing her fingers through Taki's amber hair. 

Taki pulled away. "What? It's a nice poem." 

"But it's--" Mitsuha cut herself off. "Never mind. Thank you." She kissed Taki deeply. "I'll get breakfast started, okay? Come help once you're done freshening up." She said with a smile and a squeeze of Taki's hand. 

"-Okay. Thanks." 

Taki basked in soft days like this. A lot of the time, they didn't get to see each other in the morning, Mitsuha left before Taki did to work at the cord shop in the morning, and while she always left hot black coffee on the bedside counter and a fluffy note on his hand (They didn't need paper when the others palm existed.) when she left, Taki only got to experience waking up next to Mitsuha and spending his morning with her on weekends. 

Their dreams had crossed paths when they opened Miyamizu Itomori Braided Cords and Memorabilia. Or just "The cord shop" as they referred to it. It was simply run by the two of them, Hitoha offering to make items and cords for the shop without any pay. Taki had designed the building. Mitsuha decided what went in it. It was a perfect balance, a testament to a city boy and a country girl. 

The snow was falling hard outside of the window, and Taki spared a few moments to the silent snowfall before padding into the kitchen.

Mitsuha couldn't help pausing what she was doing as Taki walked in and stretched his arms out. Taki in the morning never failed to steal air from Mitsuha's lungs. His skin was kissed by the white light streaming in through the window, his head of frizzy amber hair misshapen from laying on his pillow, wrinkle marks dotting his arms, royal blue eyes shining in all their glory as they met Mitsuha's hazel. 

"-Can you grab the leftover rice in the cooker?" Mitsuha said, narrowly avoiding getting lost. 

Taki set the pot of rice down on the counter. "What do I do?" 

"Uhm- I'll slice up some vegetables, you can cook the eggs?" 

Taki planted a chaste kiss to Mitsuha's head and got to work. 

They both prepared breakfast in comfortable, productive silence, only pausing to kiss the others head occasionally.

Once breakfast was finished, they both sat down at the low dining table (Mitsuha had demanded they get a traditional one when they moved in, and as payback the bed could be a mattress on a bed frame as opposed to a futon.) and ate their breakfast over small talk of how bad the snow would get, what they were going to add to the shop, how their families were doing, etc. 

"Yotsuha's in high school now." Mitsuha mused, laughing. "-It's crazy to imagine. It seems like just yesterday she was my bratty little sister, 'ya know? Waking me up in the 'mornin and yelling at me that breakfast was ready." 

"-It seems like just yesterday we were chasing our own bodies around your families shrine, screaming at each other." Taki giggled. 

"I'm still mad at you for touching my boobs." Mitsuha gave a defiant huff, though her lips tried to curve upwards. 

Taki stammered. "I--I was a teenager! You know how these things go!" 

Mitsuha laughed. "-I'm kidding, dork. I don't care. ...It's nothing you haven't seen by now anyways." 

Taki groaned. "I guess.." He flustered. 

After breakfast was consumed and the dishes rinsed, Taki and Mitsuha threw on some extra layers and set off outside, to visit Shinjuku Garden while the snow was still falling. 

Taki watched Mitsuha's snow-lit hazel eyes sparkle as she tried to catch snowflakes on her tongue while still holding Taki's hand, her cheeks flushed from the cold. Snowflakes dotted Mitsuha's hair as the grey and blue cord bounced with it.

"-Maybe let go of my hand?" Taki smirked. 

Mitsuha was relentless. "I've almost-- ahh- got it!" She laughed, letting the snowflake melt over her tongue. Taki still hasn't heard anything sweeter. 

Once they got to the park bench, they simply sat there for what felt like hours, cuddled close, talking and watching the silent snowfall disappear into the pond.

"Wait, Taki-" Mitsuha sat up. "You have on the jacket! The one you wore during magic hour!" 

Taki glanced down at himself. "Woah! I didn't even realize--" 

Mitsuha cut him off with a lingering peck to his lips, and her cheeks were heating up despite the cold. 

"-'Wonder who's cord that is..." Mitsuha mused as she fiddled with the cord wrapped around Taki's wrist. 

Taki laughed through his nose. "I guess it's a mystery..." He said, looking into Mitsuha's eyes, something vivid shining behind their hazelnut color. 

Taki leaned in and kissed her, hard. Overcome with affection and attraction towards his girlfriend. 

In a moment, Mitsuha was kissing back, exploring Taki's lips with her own like she knew them better than the back of her hand. She sort of did. 

Mitsuha never admitted it, probably never will. But when she was in Taki's body all those years ago, she sometimes simply touched his lips, just to get a feel for them. Just to imagine what a moment like this would be like. 

All those years ago. 

For some amazing, unexplainable, fantastic reason, the universe had put them together like puzzle pieces from two different sets. 

An optimistic, yet pained highschooler that wanted nothing more than the lights and glamour of Tokyo. An aspiring architect who simply wanted something more than what he had.

A girl struggling to connect her past and her future in a town she couldn't hide from. A boy trying to find his place in a city that could care less for him.

A country girl. A city boy.

Mitsuha and Taki.

And as they met, really met for the first time, under the glow of a fading sunset and a streaking comet, Taki could simply only say her name when his eyes opened. Everything that had happened up to that point, the body switching, the notes, the travels and trials of two people impossibly in love, Taki could only breathe her name. And Mitsuha could only blubber his.

And that had led them to now, where Mitsuha and Taki had disconnected their tingling lips in the biting cold, after kissing each other senseless.

And Taki could still only sigh her name like a mini prayer.

The end.

終わり.