Hey everyone! I'm not dead and neither is this story. I've had a bit of trouble with deciding how I wanted to eventually end this story because over the course of many months I looked back on what message both the film and manga wanted to portray. I don't want to give the themes and messages of the original story away but I decided that ultimately, I do want to stay true to the original concept but end it with a more concrete resolution. So I do apologize for anyone who wanted Akari and Toono to end up together by the end, but staying true to my title I still want to tell the story of our characters second chance. So without further ado please enjoy the final chapter.

-Five Years Later

"Dear Akari Shinohara,

It feels strange to write a letter in this day and age where text messaging and phone calls have become apart of everyday life. Apparently even the clerk I bought the stationary from thought it was weird. It's crazy to think how far in life we've come. Right now I'm preparing to go away for a long time. Maybe two or three years. Those numbers no longer feel like an eternity, because truth be told I was waiting for you for a lot longer than that.

In all honesty, I knew that one day I was going to have to move on. But I could never find the way out of my own little box and I always blamed you for that. Despite knowing you never did anything wrong, with every failure I made, in my mind that failure always led back to you. I don't know when I'll see you again or if I'll ever see you again, so I'm going to make this letter count for all the ones I never sent and the last one you never received.

Ever since that kiss, I always hoped that one day our paths would cross again, and we would just somehow magically end up together. I knew life wasn't that type of fairy tale, but for some reason I just hoped. When we promised to see the cherry blossoms together again, I think we both knew that it wasn't going to be a promise either of us could keep. I don't know what you were thinking about at the time, but I was full of anger and sadness. The only thing I could do was cope with it. When I finally moved away, what felt like an eternity passed by. My mother got me a cellphone and I met a girl named Kanae.

At the time I had met her, I went about life just doing what had to be done, just trying to make it to the next day. But Kanae was different, to a certain extent she was a bit of a go getter. She was bright and was probably the best surfer I've ever met. The day I moved, she confessed to me. I knew that she had feelings for me, but I could never return them. Despite how she looked completely fine to me, when I look back at it now, I realize she too has gone through a lot of hardships because of me. It occurred to me many years later that she wasn't too different from me. We both fell madly in love with someone that we can't ever forget.

I don't know how she's doing or if she's mad at me or if she's forgotten about me, but I do hope that she's doing fine. Now before I bore you to sleep with this letter I have a story to tell you, and trust me it's all leading up to something. Five years ago from today, I met a homeless man named Jiro. At first he scared me to death because I couldn't see him as he was trying to setup a tent behind some bushes. But I decided to help him set it up and after I offered him a beer. As cliche as it sounds, Jiro taught me a lot that night. I told him about how I felt about my life and about you that night. He said that I was trapping myself in my own prison. I dictated my life around battling the bottled emotions I had for you and never pursued anything outside of that. I couldn't accept a life without you in it no matter how much the world was trying to push me in the right direction. But then he told me something that I wish I had learned a lot sooner. He said to me "Let her be your guide and your light, not your enemy" and that one day I was going to need the feelings and memories I have of you. Those words have never rung truer than they have for the past five years. You told me once that when I moved to that island I could chase my dream of becoming an astronaut. When I remember you saying that to me, I felt that you believed that I could do it and I did it. I'm going into space! Can you believe that!? The fact is that I owe a lot of it to you. I turned all those emotions I had for you into something that said that you were here by my side all this time.

I hope one day this letter reaches you because the stars and I will be looking over you and everyone else from above and maybe when the time comes around we'll somehow fulfill that promise we made all those years ago and watch the cherry blossoms together again. Shinohara, thank you for being my guide, my light, and most of all my second chance. Wherever life leads you, I wish that it's filled with love and happiness.

Sincerely,

Takaki Toono"

I put the pen down, folded up the letter and put in an envelope.

"What's that you were writing there Takaki?" asked one of my colleagues

"Oh, it was a letter," I said smiling

"A letter? Yeesh I haven't seen somebody writing one of those in forever" he remarked.

"Whose it for?" he pried

"Someone who helped me get to this point," I replied.

"Ahh I see what you mean," he said with a smile.

"Well you better get that to the post office or whatever quick. Mission briefing is in four hours and we'll be really busy the next couple of days before launch, so todays the only day you'll have time to get it there." he continued.

"Yeah I know, well I'll be back then!" I shouted as I began running out of the room.

-Day of the Launch-

Takaki

"You ready there Takaki?"

"As ready as I'll ever be!"

"Haha, let's get this show on the road!"

It was a hectic day. It was strange to be halfway around the world getting ready to leave it. I sat in the cockpit of a rocket with three other people preparing to make the journey to the International Space Station. There was a small window to my right and through my helmet I saw a clear spring day. Amongst the loud machinery and the constant radio chatter coming through I felt calm.

Everyone in the cockpit received the final countdown and as those last ten seconds were slowly disappearing I knew that wherever Akari was, wherever Kanae was, that they were all doing fine.

The sound of the engines roaring and the rockets igniting along with the intense vibration and pressure, the ship rose and began it's trek into space. Through all of this I kept looking out the same window and when I started to see the earth curve, I closed my eyes and imagined the cherry blossoms I saw as a kid.

Akari

I had received a letter from Takaki. At the time I sat down to read it I was trying to lull my newborn child to sleep. After the baby has settled down I opened the letter. It had brought hack so many memories from when I was a little girl. Staying up all night to write letters to Takaki. I smiled just looking at the letter.

Before I began reading the letter I didn't know what to expect. I had only run into him twice after moving back to Tokyo. The second time he seemed more vibrant but to a certain extent I could still see the sadness in his eyes whenever he laid eyes on me. Truth be told, my heart hurt each time I saw or thought of him. But we happily spoke that day and I gave him my address in hopes that he would one day come over and meet my family. However I didn't hear from him since then. That is until now.

As I read the letter I couldn't help but begin to tear up. There was always something in me that knew that Takaki was hurting and unconsciously I lived my life blaming myself. But as I kept reading I could see how much he's grown. How much we've both grown. His letter filled my heart with warmth and I felt like I could wholeheartedly cheer him on once more. I always believed in him just as the letter said. After I finished reading his letter I wiped my tears and smiled once more. The baby had woken up again and I decided to take her on a walk.

It was cherry blossom season in Tokyo. With a baby in the stroller I walked down the familiar path which Takaki and I often took. The baby and I kept strolling down the path until we came to the path where we would watch the cherry blossoms as children. Where I saw him again for the first time after all those years. There were no trains this time. Just the wind and the thousands of cherry blossoms floating down from the trees. Just as the letter said, I too hoped that our promise would be fulfilled one day.

Fin.