Sometimes, it feels like a dream. Other times, it feels like a distant memory.

"Are you fondling your breasts? Geez!"

It seems so far away, shattered into pieces, it would fade from my mind before I can have the chance to capture and piece them together in my head.

"Be careful with your skirt! What are you doing! Put your foot down, there are guys in this room!"

Like magnets, pieces of the scattered dream attract other pieces as though it wants to complete the puzzle. But contradictorily, another part of it repels the pieces as if refusing for such dream to be complete.

"Musubi, everything is Musubi. They twist, tangle, sometimes unravel, break, then connect again. Musubi – knotting. That is time."

Sometimes, nothing makes sense.

"Haven't you heard? The comet's coming!"

Other times, it makes perfect sense.

"What is… your name?"

I have been having this feeling-

-the urge to search for something...

...for someone.

"My name is—"

Dreams, they are special and precious. Undeniably, they held an irreplaceable place in my heart. But it is as though the world itself is against me, I can never recall any of those dreams. Never a thing.

Every time I wake, even as what happen in the dreams is forgotten, this feeling would linger long after I awake from my dream, expressed in the form of endless tears.

"Taki-kun, don't you remember me?"

And so, I begin my pursuit.

"I love you."

Looking for something I should never have forgotten.

The nagging feeling constantly nudging at the bottom of his heart, Taki admitted, was hard to live along with.

But still, admirably, he put up with the emptiness that threatened to tear his heart apart, for a whole year. But those were torturous days, full of mental suffering and pain he had no choice but to silently endure.

Most of the mornings, with unknown reasons, he would wake up with his face soaked with tears.

On more than one occasion, his heart would throb strenuously whenever he saw the setting sun dipping behind mountains.

Every time he gazed up the night sky, the scenery of the starry night of Tokyo would serve as the trigger to his unstable emotions.

Most of the times, when he found himself alone without company, his mind would wander and an image would form: a peaceful countryside town surrounded by towering mountains, free from noises produced by many traffics and city constructions, immersed within the comforting embrace of nature.

He had been experiencing terrible mood swings, it was terrible, they would leave him out of breath every time it happens. He had come to understand depression, that was a feeling he constantly experiences on daily basis.

He had also found himself withdrawn and distant: in the classroom sitting back in the chair, enjoying the peaceful silence instead of fishing his phone out to fiddle. Fading into the background like a shadow, always waiting for someone to start a conversation instead of initiating it himself like he used to, smiling along with his friends when someone cracked a joke.

Was he... quieter? Reserved? Weary? Ragged? Emo? That's how his friends described him when he asked them a while ago.

He wasn't acting like his usual self, and he knew it. He wasn't exactly quiet about it either.

His father, his friends, his colleagues had no doubt noticed his strange behavior as well. And even without them saying it out loud, Taki knew they were concerned, from the glances they would throw at him when they thought he wasn't looking.

But he put up a strong front. He didn't confront them about despite how much he wanted to, for the reason of not wanting to burden them more with what they already had on their shoulders.

The boy sighed, fingering his wrist idly as he looked out the window at the distant skyscrapers. The nakedness around the bare skin around his wrist had been bothering him for quite a while already. Something was missing, always missing. Where was his wristband? Did he lose it?

Where did he get that from again?

"Tachibana, are you listening to me?"

Said boy removed his gaze from his lone appendage, his eyes met his teacher's sharp ones, eyes heavy from the lack of sleep.

"Yes?"

The teacher sighed in exasperation, pushing his glasses up the slope of his nose, "you didn't reply when I called your name, and that's the fourth time in this week already. And yes, I've been keeping count," the teacher leaned in, brows furrowed, "your eyes are swollen and they have bags hanging under them. Do you perhaps don't have enough sleep? Trouble sleeping recently?"

Taki reached up and felt the puffy skin around his eyes, his eyelids were numb every time he blinks, "I'm sorry sensei, but I had trouble sleeping yesterday," he paused, "It won't happen again."

In truth, he woke up in the middle of the night, again. A dream, but had forgotten what it was about when he woke up. What's with all the nightmares recently?

Sensei stared at Taki intently, his expression unreadable. Eventually, he frowned, "that's what you said every time and I can't say I see any improvement. And to be honest, if I don't know any better I would've think you'll need a therapist. But now I just think you are feeling unwell," sensei's gaze softened, "you should go down and see the nurse, maybe head home and take a rest, you look like you haven't slept for a week."

"But—"

"Just go down Tachibana, this isn't up for debate," the finality in his tone was clear even to him, "I rather not have a student lazing around my class."

Sighing heavily, he nodded, and grabbed his bag hanging by his desk, rising from his chair slowly and headed towards the door. He cursed under his breath as stumbled slightly, legs shaking from stiffness.

"Tachibana, do you need someone helping you down? Just sayingm, but you're stumbling quite a bit," His teacher's concern despite the sarcasm was always well appreciated, but the snickering of his classmates was getting under Taki's nerves, and it didn't help with his worsening mood.

"I'm fine," he scoffed as he opened the door, "I'll see you all tomorrow," and stepped through it.

Taki straightened up slightly as the door closed behind him, groaning as his spine popped, and made his way down the infirmary.

He wasn't as tired as he appeared to be. Sure, he'd admit that he was exhausted, but not to such extent. He just didn't felt like doing or talking about anything. In all honesty, if anything, he felt a little dead inside. He had a feeling that a good sleep would not be able to change anything- assuming if he could have a good sleep.

The nurse looked up from her newspaper as soon as she heard Taki slid open the door, she stared openly with slightly wide eyes, lips parted as she took in his ill-looking appearance.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Taki assured as he quickly adjusted his tie. Not quite reassuring enough, though, as his voice cracked a bit at the end.

The nurse narrowed her eyes at his nonchalant tone, a frown adorning her rather young features.

He was immediately sent back home after a decent scolding from the nurse.

Basked in pink and yellow, the world was enveloped in light as dusk came and passed.

"Let's write our names on each other's palm."

Kataware-doki, it was a beautiful view he would no doubt treasure forever.

He took the girl's hand and caressed it as though it was made of glass, slowly spreading her fingers as he pressed the tip of the marker gently on the smooth skin.

An idea came to his mind, and Instead of writing his name, he wrote:

'I love you'

A bitter smile came to his face, his eyes blurry.

"Your turn," he pressed the marker on the same hand he wrote his message, concealing it from her prying eyes.

Time was slipping through his fingers, yet strangely he felt no rush as the girl smiled dazzlingly, dozen times more beautiful than the view of the heaven.

She took his hand- god, how smooth and soft a girl's hand felt like- and prepared to scribe down her name.

The marker was rough against his skin as she wrote the first stroke of her character.

The marker dropped to the ground with a dull thud.

He blinked, the warmth around his hand vanished, not a lingering heat remained.

She was gone when the sun disappeared behind the mountain.

The world dimmed and faded to darkness, leaving him with a hollow feeling.

Taki woke with a start.

He shot up his bed shivering, gasping as he gripped the spot above his heart, for a moment he was afraid to find it punctured from all the pain he was undergoing.

He was sweating, and it drenched the shirt he was wearing, Taki grunted in dismay, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, but then felt something wet on his face.

"…what?"

He glanced down at his sheet, droplets of liquid were staining the blanket with a rapid pace.

Taki froze, he reached up to touch his eyes.

"Am I... crying?"

He rubbed his eyes in hope to get rid of the tears. But it was futile, as more would spill every time he attempted to dry his eyes.

"What's happening to me?"

The tears continued to drop, providing no answer.

Later, he translocated himself from his bedroom to the kitchen.

He didn't bother opening the lights, refusing to take the risk of waking his father up after such a tiresome day. So instead he squinted his eyes a couple times to have it adjusted to the darkness, so that he could navigate around his home without crashing into a wall. He made it to the kitchen without much difficulty but with stumbling steps.

It was until then he found out that he was not alone.

"Taki?" his father said as he turned, standing by the counter pouring himself a cup of water, "why are you up so late?"

He sighed tiredly, hand unconsciously brushing his bangs: of all times…

"Nightmares," he mumbled curtly.

Was it, though?

"Nightmares? Again?"

Taki wasn't in a very good mood for talks, especially after his little episode. He grunted an acknowledgment as he shifted beside his father and poured himself a cup.

His father watched as Taki quickly gulped down the water, ignoring the droplets of water escaping the edge of his lips.

And as the boy was finished with his drink and placed it rather harshly on the counter, ready to head back up to his room, his father spoke, "you know what? Come sit with me, Taki. It's been quite a while since we've really sat down to talk."

It wasn't the usual stern and command-like voice his father spoke to him with, it was a soft and low tone he rarely heard him use, one that left no room for arguments, he complied without a question.

Still in the midst of darkness, Taki moved to sit on the sofa while his father sat on the couch directly across from him.

"Seriously, what's wrong, Taki," his father said, concerned, "you know you can tell me. I know that for a fact nightmares don't act up that frequently."

"You would know, you studied a doctor degree in your university.

"I self-studied a degree in psychology as well, in case you don't know. So I do know a thing or two about human mind and dreams," his father retorted smoothly, "alright now, are you going to tell me what's happening to you lately or are you going to just continue to stall?"

"Like I said, it's just some silly nightmares," he glanced around the room to avert his father's eyes, "no big deal, they'll pass soon, in a couple of days."

"Taki," his father said, almost pleadingly, "I'm your father, just tell me."

He teeth went down hard on his lips until he felt the skin on the verge of breaking. The tightness around his chest further strengthen as he was continued to be pushed, the hollow feeling almost unbearable.

He didn't want to talk about it, he didn't want to share it with anyone, just discussing the subject made the pain worse. It was personal, it was something only he could solve, something that he didn't wish to discuss over with someone else.

But...

Taki glanced up to his father's warm gaze. So welcoming and of love worthy of a father.

What's the harm?

"I... I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you, about my feelings of all things," he chuckled throatily, palming his face, "but honestly speaking? I have no clue," he said truthfully, eyes not meeting his father as he rubbed his left wrist stiffly, "but, what I do know is that there's this feeling, in the bottom of my heart that has been bothering me for quite a while already. I've been acting pretty out of character recently, which I'm sure you've noticed already."

"I won't be a good father if I don't, Taki. It's always the status and condition of the children's mental and physical health that is the parent's first priority, above all work and other stuff," his father mused, "and well, you are not really subtle about it either."

"I know," he sighed shakily, "but... but the real problem is… I don't know the reason I'm behaving this way."

"Puberty," his father commented immediately. Taki deadpanned at that.

"I'm long pass puberty, dad. And I'm pretty sure that all puberty does is making people moodier, not causing people depression issues," he chuckled hoarsely in amusement, "and besides, my voice hasn't gotten any deeper, right?"

His father was silent for a couple moments, unresponsive to Taki's attempt to crack a joke. Then he shifted on the couch across Taki.

"Then what do you suggest is the reason?" he asked, hands clasped on his knees.

"I told you, I don't know," he sighed again, tiredness creeping up his body, "but what I do know is that I've been feeling kind of off lately."

He paused, lips quivering and he had to swallow a gulp of saliva from his mouth.

"I've been feeling… depressed? Easily dispirited? Downcast? Shabby?" he suggested, "well, you get the idea, it's all the ugly feelings. It gets pretty confusing when it acts up randomly out of the blue."

"Taki," his father stated seriously, "be serious and honest with me: are you sure you don't need to see a therapist? Or a doctor? I'm sure they can do something to help your condition because if what you are saying-"

He growled lowly, "I swear to god, for the last time, I don't need any therapists! I don't need you and Mr. Takoda keep telling me that," realization dawned, the slight taste of betrayal bitterly swirling in his mouth, "don't tell me he called you again. He did, didn't he? Not wait! Of course he did!"

"Son, he's your teacher too. He has the privilege to be concerned with your health as much as he does with your study."

He gritted his teeth, mood swinging sideways again as he felt irritation growing in the pit of his stomach.

"I can take care of myself just fine, I don't need him berating me for my wellbeing nor prying into my personal life," he argued tightly, eyes narrowed and fist clenched. He was breathing heavier than usual as his fuse dwindled rapidly.

His father stayed silent for a couple tense moments, before he sighed defeatedly, "fine, I'll tell him that you can handle your problems on your own and tell him not to interfere anymore, good enough?"

He pursed his lips, the anger subduing as he took a deep breath through his nostrils. He nodded in agreement and his father exhaled in relief.

"Now, continuing with the subject in hand," his father resumed, pulling them back into the topic, "have you considered the fact that perhaps you are just feeling a bit under the weather?"

"You think I am feeling a bit under the weather, and for a year no less?" he questioned, a bit sarcasm leaking out, "no, that's definitely not the reason. A menstrual period won't even be able to give me half the depression I am feeling, that is if men can have a menstrual period."

His father shut his mouth, a very annoyed and forced smile appeared on his face as he asked tightly, "then what do you think is the reason, smart son of mine?"

Taki blinked at being the one questioned. He contemplated deeply and carefully.

"Well, there's this… feeling. Like there's something missing in my life, a huge piece if I might add. And... there's need to search for that missing thing. Something, someone, or somewhere. Like a hole that must be filled," he scratched his head in slight frustration, "it's kind of hard to explain it."

"Searching for something, you say? That's specific."

"Look, I don't know, it's all very confusing," he nearly snapped, another wave of agitation rising as he dwelled on the thoughts for too long, "give me a break. They don't make any sense even to me. In fact, nothing does. Why would I want to look for something I have no idea of?"

"Allow me time to organize my thoughts, Taki," his father mused after his outburst, "correct me if I am wrong: for some time already, you have been feeling a bit on the downside, and that caused you to behave oddly compared to your normal self. And the reason why you are feeling gloomy is… because there's something missing in your life?"

"Something like that," he sighed, "I know it sounded ridiculous and-"

"Oh, no. I believe you," the man interrupted, leaning over to pat him on the shoulder reassuringly, as if comforting a child not to burst into tears.

"You do?" He couldn't keep the disbelief from his voice.

"Oh, trust me, I know how vast the sense of loss could affect people, especially someone you dearly love," his father assured, smiling bitterly, "when a huge chunk is torn from your life, it will be your most painful moment. Speaking from experience, I'm sure you'll know."

His wife, Taki's mother. His shoulder shook and shuddered.

Now he recalled, those were memories he had repressed deep in the back of his mind, hoping that one day the pain would be forgotten. His mother died in an accident when he was still at a young age, practically still a child.

After she passed away, it took more than a few years for his father to recover, and even when he did, he's never the same man as he was before.

"Taki," his father said, drawing him back from his thoughts, "at least tell me, what have you done to solve this problem of yours?"

This rendered him silent. He hitched his breath.

"No? None? Nothing? You suffered a year because of it and you do nothing about it? You are not curious of the source causing you all this pain?"

"…I assume that it would pass when time goes on," he stuttered out, "all wounds can be healed by time, right?"

His father sighed in annoyance, "don't give me that crap, I have always hated those little sayings. Well, guess what? Not all wounds can be healed by time, they leave scars. And scars, they don't fade, they stay with you forever."

Taki gulped, his father just swore. He had rarely shown so much outward emotions in the years he had lived with him.

"You know, your grandfather always told me to cope with hard feelings, to deal with it like a man, and eventually they would fade. But I know for a fact, that it is just a bunch of bull," the man's wrinkled face darkened as he spoke, "I'll tell you this, and I want you to keep this in mind."

There was a dramatic pause as his father reached up and took off his glasses.

"My father fought in the World War, and climbed quite high up in the ranks actually. And I think you can guess how bloody and brutal it had been." Taki nodded slowly, still not quite processing what his father wanted to say, "they face death every day on the battlefield, watch brothers who had fought and bleed with them killed in front of their eyes, end a life with a pull of their trigger."

"Like any soldiers, he faced immense stress and pressure after going through several near-death experiences. It wasn't pretty. And it wasn't rare where men had broken down and end their own lives to relieve them of their pain. In a war, mercy does not exist. It's a 'either you die or I die' situation."

"My father was one of the stronger willed ones, he suppressed and coped with his emotions, and fought the war like any brave men would, he was the perfect soldiers to public's eyes," his father snorted, and Taki concluded that his father was never in good terms with his grandfather, "and guess what happened when he came back, all the suppressed stress and grief exploded from the fragile glass bottle; he went mad, he abused me, he became a drunk, and eventually, he killed himself."

Taki flinched, he never knew about that. He knew that his grandfather killed himself while he was still a baby, but he never knew that his father was an abused child.

"My point, son, you don't suppress your emotions, ever. Instead, let them out, let them all out. Cry if you need to, vent on something if you must, but don't ignore them and leave them be."

"Face your problems instead of putting them aside. Repress your emotions and you will end up regretting it," his father patted Taki on the shoulder and smiled, "if you don't know how to let your feelings out, search for a way. You said yourself that there's something missing from you that is keeping you feel this way, so search for your missing piece, instead of straight out neglecting them."

Taki didn't say anything. Or rather, he couldn't say anything with the amount of awe going through him now. Another part of him nodded in agreement at his father's words.

"You are still young, son, it's fine for you kids to lean on someone when you need support. Just know that if you need to talk, I'll be here."

His father gave him a last affectionate hair ruffle before he stood and left the living room, "Give it a good thought, son. Good night."

And Taki was left alone in the living room.

And so, he did.

He kept his father's advice to heart and pursued whatever thing he was searching for.

Deep down, he knew that it was meant to happen sooner or later. Sometimes, some things were inevitable, one way or another. And besides, he was tired of not knowing and ignoring the painful wound carved on his heart, and he wanted to get rid of it. But to do so, there were researchs that were needed to be done.

It wasn't hard to find the lead than he originally thought, as surprisingly, all this feeling started after his little visit to the ruined site of Itomori town, the sketches he still had piled on his desk was a proof of his obsession regarding on the destroyed town. And of course, the unneglectable feeling gnawing at his heart would only intensify every time he laid eyes on a picture of the still undamaged site of Itomori, it only further proved the connection he had with this little countryside town.

And so, with baby steps he decidedly took, and began by doing research on Itomori, reading through articles he had gathered during classes, rushing to the library after school to look for worn-out newspaper regarding on Itomori Town still in its active years, staying up all night to look through forums on the net regarding the mysterious town.

But every time he scanned through the information he had gathered about the comet crash or the background of the town, he had a tingling feeling behind his head that he had already known such stuff.

Four years ago, a comet passed by the Earth. It would have been a magnificent scene, but as it approached Earth, the core split because of the Earth gravitational pull and the shards had landed directly on Itomori Town at night.

The Tiamat Comet.

There was originally the annual autumn festival, but somehow the mayor had been planning an evacuation practice beforehand, and implemented during the day the comet hit. It succeeded in evacuating the inhabitants of Itomori to the only undamaged grounds of a high school minutes before the comet landed. No one had died much to both the inhabitants and scientists' disbelief.

People said that it was a miracle that no one died.

Was it? Was it a miracle?

Some other had said that the mayor had somehow foreseen the crash of the comet and ordered the evacuation practice.

The mayor didn't foresee it, someone told him.

People had a suspicion that it had something to do with the sudden explosion of Itomori substation, which had blown up without any specified reasons. People assume it was an omen from the gods.

Someone planned the destruction of the station, it was a part of the plan, for the evacuation broadcast.

But Taki knew that there was more behind it, something important, something not exposed to the public.

Taki already know for sure, that all this strange behavior he had been going through was directly related to Itomori Town, even if the only time he had been there it was already in ruins.

Literally, the hollow feeling in his chest was yearning for the place. It went without saying, that if there was any existing place that would have the answers to his questions, it would be that small and wrecked town.

And so, he decided to go there searching.

The next day, when Taki walked out of his room clad in full traveling outfit, his father was not surprised. He hadn't been surprised the slightest when he saw Taki packing his bags yesterday night, he merely asked where Taki was going and for how long, when Taki told him that he was going to Itomori, his father didn't question him.

"I will notify the school, be sure to be safe and call at least one time every two days," his father said, returning back to his newspaper, "just go and do what you need to do, Taki."

His father was a stern and strict man, but Taki also knew that at times he was an understanding father who cared for his child's well-being. Not once had his father interrupted him when he was neglecting his studies to search for information regarding Itomori Town, because his father knew how important this was to him.

He bit his lips; his father had done so much for him.

"Thanks, dad, for everything," his father was facing his back towards Taki, but he bowed anyway.

And as Taki stepped out the apartment, even if only slightly, he felt a little tad better. He felt like he was finally making progress with his life.

A breeze blew by and Taki instinctively pulled the scarf around his neck to cover part of his face.

Winter in Tokyo was cold, but here waiting in a deserted station was a worse experience.

Taki glanced at the direction of the train tracks and frowned, he had been waiting for near half-an-hour. Trains in Tokyo arrived in minutes, always on time and consistent. Even if it was usually cramped and suffocating, it would've been better than sitting on a bench with constant sea breeze chipping away his life force.

Taki tilted his head to look at faraway looming mountains and puffed a warm breath as a small smile came to his face. He was near.

Itomori was a faraway town from Tokyo, surrounded loosely by many mountains. Right now, he was forced to take several trains to arrive his destination, where he would pass the night in an inn before continuing with his journey.

He used the same route he and senpai and Tsukasa took when they visited the first time, getting lost sometimes as the memories of the last visit was nothing more than blurry images.

It was as if something was making them blurry.

But he took pleasure in traveling as he wasn't in a hurry, asking people for directions and sometimes chatting with them. It was until yesterday that he had met with a former inhabitant of Itomori Town, much to his surprise.

"You were from Itomori Town? Really?" he eagerly asked the elderly who was sitting on the bench with him in a park.

He had found this lone man in this desolated park, basking in the warm sunlight as he gazed up the clear blue sky as if recalling a distant memory. There was something special with this elder that set him different from the other people he had chatted.

"Oh yes, lived in there for nearly six decades, planned to live there until the end of my life. But well, the damn comet just had to land in our home. You know how life works," Taki noticed that the man had shown his prosthesis leg for the world to see.

Taki turned a second too later, the man noticed his gaze at his prosthesis leg. But instead of frowning or scowling, he laughed, "lost my leg during the world war. Badly burnt when an explosion blew up way too close. Had to cut it off, and that was without any painkillers. I think I fainted half-way through the surgery."

That… wasn't pleasant at all, not the least.

"Can you tell me about Itomori? I heard that it was a pleasant countryside town before the comet came," he deliberately changed the subject, the elder glanced at him before returning back to gaze at the sky.

"Why would you want to know? People these days never bother asking."

"I'm just curious, and I'd always wanted to visit the town," he said, a smile appeared on his face, "I heard that it had a very beautiful scenery. And that people there treated one another like their own."

The elderly man stared at him, scrutinizing him with gray dull eyes. At last, what seemed like forever, he puffed.

"Well, I guess it would be nice to refresh my memories once a while," he touched his chin, "it's a pretty big place for such little people. They used to have a park just outside my home, pretty similar to the one we are at. And I will go spend my day there chatting with the others, old friends and energetic kids alike. Pretty relaxing times of a bunch of elderlies enjoying their remaining days."

A flash, a park filled with bustling kids and elderlies, interacting with one another. They seemed content.

"There was this stair that used to abuse my legs, always took me nearly twenty minutes to get to the top, but luckily some of the kids and teenagers will help. Kind and helpful kids, they were like 'grandpa Yasuke, do you need help?'. Those puppy eyes of theirs would be my death one day, that I'm sure," Yasuke the elderly grinned crookedly, "adorable kids, almost wanted to kidnap a few back my home and adopt them."

Another flash, a long and steep slope of stairs with red worn out railings, school kids climbing the stairs to reach their homes.

"Any place in the town that symbolized Itomori as a whole?" he asked, not noticing how dry his throat had gotten.

"A place that symbolized Itomori? Most of the people would say the Itomori Lake, but I say the Miyamizu Shrine," Yasuke said, "the younger ones never appreciate Itomori's long passed traditions, always had their mind set on modernization. We were pretty damn close to being renovated with that mayor of ours."

"Yasuke-san, the shrine?"

"Right. Sorry, off topic again was I?" Taki nodded, "anyways, Miyamizu Shrine, nice and pretty place. Red gates at the entrance, one of the only traditional Japanese buildings we had in town. A stage for performances and shrine dances. A pretty ordinary shrine that's quite common in Japan."

Miyamizu shrine, high above the mountain on top of sets of stairs, blessed by the local guardian.

Taki's heart throbbed.

"The shrine was owned by the Miyamizu family for generations, performing on every festival, Hitoha the old bat was persistent about keeping the tradition going. They had this workshop in their house, making strings and laces for offerings and for their dances. Very beautiful little things they had made. I still have a couple of their strings back at home."

A kind smile, the elderly woman slowly knitting strings with a content look on her face.

His mouth opened but no word came out. His head stung as if punched.

"Then there's the two granddaughters of hers, always performing on their grandmother's behalf on weekend nights. Poor girls never had the chance to choose to be youthful. To make it worse, their father was the mayor the of town, so literally their arms were tied behind their back all the time."

A young familiar face, dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit, complaining about how long and annoying the sleeves were, whining as a hand messed with her hair.

Taki's throat felt sore as he struggled a deep breath.

"But that aside, the two danced well, just like their mother," Yasuke pondered, "ha! now I remember! Quite amusing to watch actually. They used to make some sort of sake- kuchikamizake if I remember correctly, the youngsters were disgusted when they chew rice and spit it out to make the sake. Immature brats, never understood the beauty of traditions," Yasuke paused, looking back up the sky as he rubbed his stubble chin in deep thought, "hmm, I wonder where they are right now, probably somewhere in Tokyo, or Kyoto. The elder daughter had always whined about going to a big bustling city."

A girl, shedding tears as she smiled sadly, she lips parted as she whispered something, something important, something he must not forget. What was it?

He waited for Yasuke to continue. But after a while he noticed that he had kept his silence for way too long for a rambling old man. He turned to gaze at Yasuke, and found wise gray eyes staring back at him.

"What?" his throat was annoyingly dry and his voice was awkwardly high-pitched.

"You're crying," he replied flatly.

Taki felt his cheeks wet and his tongue tasted something salty. He glanced back down at his hand and noticed droplets of tears gathered a small pool in his palm.

The boy chuckled weakly, sighing in defeat, still gazing at the tears gathered in his hand, "I guess I have been crying a lot recently," he watched as tears leaking through the cracks between his fingers, "worse part is, I don't even know what I am crying over, what I am getting sad about. I don't know, does that weird to you?"

A bag of tissue was offered to him, Yasuke was smiling sadly, his age truly showing for the first time, "clean your tears up, kid, us men don't cry often."

Taki eyed the appendage and gingerly took it from the man's grip. Under the man's wise gaze, Taki felt no embarrassment as he cleaned his face free from tears, but he was slightly frustrated that the tears would not stop. Taki took another tissue from the bag.

"You want to hear a couple words of wisdom from this weary, old man?" Yasuke offered.

Taki chuckled and nodded. The tissues damp in his hand as it soaked up tears like a sponge.

"The last time I cry was four years ago," realization dawned on Taki, "yes, it was when Itomori was destroyed by the meteor."

"But you lived." At this, Yasuke scoffed.

"Don't get me wrong, it was god's blessing that we all have survived, but my home was destroyed, everything I treasured and the memories my wife left me were all gone because of that damn meteor splitting in half." Yasuke said, "I was furious when I knew that people across the globe were rejoicing and enjoying the view while our hometown was demolished and us people nearly died." Taki looked away, he was one of those people.

"That night, when the comet hit our town, I grieved harder than I grieved in the world war. Can you imagine, all the things you had established, all the memories that you had gathered, all gone in a single day?"

Taki shook his head. Yasuke smiled sadly, the wrinkles on his face curled up, "be glad you haven't experienced what I had been through. Of course, like anyone would, I manage to cope with my grief."

"My father told me that holding in your emotions is unhealthy."

"Then your father is a wise man," Yasuke smiled, "I let all my emotions out instead of how others would bottle them down and hope to forget them. I cried my throat hoarse, my son and his wife was so concerned that they asked if I need to go to the hospital or go see a therapist. But the next day I felt a hell lot better, and I was ready to move on with my life."

"Taki, you are young, and you might not know it yet, but you are still suppressing your emotions, and look what that have done to you," he pointed at Taki's eyes and gestured at his pale skin.

That Taki didn't reply immediately. He would be lying if he said he wasn't containing his grief.

Something was holding him back, preventing his raging sadness and emotions from lashing. It had something to do with the missing piece in him like his father had said, it was the key to the chain that held back his feelings.

And so, Taki did not deny the wise elder's statement, and instead replied with a resigned smile, "I know, and that's why I'm here." Searching, he had been always searching for truth, for something, for someone, "I would like to think, that when I have finally found what I am looking for, I would finally be free, and move forward in my life."

Yasuke listened attentively, eyes so wise and sharp.

The park descended into a relaxing silence which Taki found comfort in. For a moment, everything felt so peaceful.

"It will be a difficult path to tread on, son. Full of thorns and twists and turns," the elder said.

Taki's lips curled, something that Yasuke internally frowned; he was so young and had much to learn, yet that smile he wore…

"I know, but even so, that's a path I will take," Taki said, "because I don't think I can live with this emptiness any longer."

Because I promised her, that wherever she may end up in this world, I will be searching for her.

Taki met the ramen chef when he was searching for a place to eat after settling in another inn, and he was glad to see the married couple again.

He ordered a bowl of ramen, the chef grunted as he went into the kitchen to prepare the noodles. His wife, however, sat across Taki and they chatted.

She was a pleasant woman, almost a motherly figure Taki had greatly missed. They talked about his life in Tokyo, about his high school and his friends, of his part-time job and his colleagues.

"Maa, I am jealous of your life in Japan," the wife said pleasantly.

I'm so jealous of you! Living in a big city! To be able to live freely! I'm tired of my town!

Taki gritted his teeth behind his thinned lips as he felt his heart tightened.

"Yeah, I guess so…"

"Are you feeling okay? You look kind of pale..." she furrowed her brows, expressing her concerns.

"I'm fine, just a bit under the weather, I'll be fresh after a good night's sleep."

"Are you sure? I think you should go see a doctor..." Taki wanted to groan. Stop pressing the matter please.

"One miso ramen coming up," the chef appeared by their table and slid the bowl across the surface, "here you go."

"Thank you," for saving me from your mother hen of a wife, he thought internally as he snapped the wooden chopsticks to half, "itadakimatsu."

The restaurant was devoid of customers and was relatively vacant. Taki was unsurprised. After all, the nearest town was a ten-minute bus ride away.

"So, boy, what are you here for, not for our ramen I suppose?" the chef asked when he was half way done with his food.

Taki smiled slightly, "unfortunately, no, I need going to Itomori again."

The couple blinked as they stared at each other in unison. The wife asked, "why are you going to Itomori? It's off-limits. Is it a part of your homework project?" the chef was quirking an eyebrow as he gazed at Taki with arms crossed.

"Last time it was because of an obsession," the boy was silent for a few seconds, and gave the same answer he had given his father and the elderly in the park, "but this time it's for a different purpose. I'm searching for something."

"Searching for what? There's nothing but wreckage there. No offence, dear," the woman ignored her husband's pointed stare.

Once again, the boy gave him the same longing smile that just made him felt so weary and sad, "I don't know, I'm just following a hunch, but what I do know is that it is something important, and that I would not leave until I found what I am searching for there."

The couple glanced at one another with uncertainty in sync. They didn't further question Taki about what he meant.

"You need to hitch a ride? Kid," the man asked, "it's a long walk from here to there."

Taki didn't bother to conceal his surprise, last time the chef gave him a ride he was less than pleased, bordering on annoyance. He would understand if his wife forces him to give him a ride, but for him to take the initiative and offer Taki was something he certainly had not expected.

"I don't want to bother you," Taki said truthfully, ramen now forgotten as he set it aside on the table.

"You don't need to worry about bothering me, kid. I just happen to want to see my born place again. Just shut up and take the offer," the hard glint in the man's eyes and the beaming smile his wife sent him left Taki no choice but to accept.

"I… thank you," he didn't know what came over him, but the next Taki was bowing over the table, forehead pressed against the wooden surface.

He owed the two much, and he felt the need to returning something to the couple.

"Actually," he removed his head from the table and fumbled with his backpack, he found it folded neatly in a pile, "I want to give you this. Consider this a gift."

In his hand was a sketch of Itomori, overlooking the whole town from its perspective. Taki believed that gifting this to the man would stir his memories a bit and remember his times in his hometown.

The wife took the sketch from his grip and blinked in surprise, "it's more detailed than I last remember."

The husband plucked the piece of paper from his wife's fingers and studied it carefully, "you're right, the positioning of the houses was more precise than the sketch you last showed us, and you have the right number of windows of the church. How do you know?"

Taki scratched the side of his head as he said, "someone told me, you might even know him. His name is Yasuke."

The husband blinked, "Yasuke? Yasuke Mochinoha? He's still around?"

"You actually know Yasuke-san?"

"Everyone in Itomori knew of him. He took care of me when I was your age, kids looked for him when they need counseling. He's like the grandfather of all the kids in town," a rare smile appeared on the chef's face, "where did you meet him?"

The boy glanced out the window, and pointed, "pretty nearby, actually, I think it's the town there. Twenty-minute bus ride."

The chef barked a laugh as he wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, "ha! what a small world we are living in, never thought that the old man would still be alive and kicking."

"I want to see him, he sounded like a pleasant man," his wife leaned into the chef's touch, eyes still lingering on Taki's drawing after she snatched it back from her husband.

"Oh, we will," the man glanced at the boy staring idly out the window at the setting sun, "after I get the brat to the place."

The next day Taki woke early, more energized than he had felt in a long time, was it because he was finally going to Itomori after a year? Or was it because he was extremely close the answers he was searching for?

Taki turned on his phone and clicked on his diary app. Today would mark the sixth day of his journey. He did keep his habit of writing his journal, and quickly typing a few sentences on his phone.

Rule 1: Don't fondle my breasts! Rule 2: Don't shower whenever you embody me!

His fingers froze mid-type. This was painfully familiar, and here it came again, the wave of sadness.

Taki sniffed as he furiously rubbed his eyes, getting rid of the excess wetness dwelling in the corner of his eyes.

Deep breaths, don't break down, deep breaths, deep breaths.

The raging emotions settled and Taki sighed in relief at being in control of his emotions, it was too early for another episode.

8 o'clock sharp, he was already down his inn getting himself checked out, slowly making his way to the parking lot to wait for his convenient ride.

Today was stupidly cold, even with another three layers behind his coat, Taki couldn't help shiver as another cold winter breeze ruffled his hair.

Luckily for him, he didn't need to wait long.

The faint sound of tires against the pavement caught Taki's attention, and the boy hoisted the backpack as the van skidded to a stop in front of him. He greeted the chef with an earnest smile.

After almost a year had passed since he last visited Itomori Town.

That day, something happened. It was both beautiful and sad, and questions were made.

Today, something would happen. It would be as beautiful as it would be sad, and some questions would finally be answered.

And maybe, the truth would be uncovered and unravel when the time comes.

12/29/2016: Did some minor changes, alter some of the dialogues so it won't sound so strange and weird. Added something in those as well, but nothing major, the plot stays the same.