April 1st, 2019
Beginning of a new school year;
5 months since the incident
That morning was particularly red. The dawn of the rising sun just before the start of a new school year five months after the end of an era. Cursed energy, as it was known, had ceased to be. In practicality, energy cannot be created or destroyed; it does still exist. It could be found dwelling deep within the prison realm and sealed without a key to ever unlock it. The key had perished.
Like many notorious mornings, the students had been rudely awakened by a zealous instructor all too eager to begin the day. However, unlike in previous fashion, the students were asked to meet at the front of the school. The reason was unknown. Given the task of responsibility, the newly appointed third years saw to the organization in getting everyone out of the dorms in prompt fashion.
Gathered at the front entrance of the school under the illustrious glow of the red, rising sun, the students waited exhaustively. Many heads bobbled up and down trying to rekindle the last moments of peaceful sleep and many others yawned. Though the students were always on time, they should know better than to expect the same of their instructor, Gojo, who was nowhere to be found.
About to resign themselves from the trouble of waiting, it was then the infamous figure came into view on the horizon. At his side was someone unrecognizable to all. The sight mustered some attentiveness in the students' faces as they strained their eyes to make out just who Gojo could have brought with him. It was a girl upon closer inspection, once the two had crossed onto the school territory; the wind whistled sweetly through the trees as it kicked up the tips of her dark hair pulled back neatly into a pony tail. With her, she had a suitcase that she pulled by the handle which rumbled and clattered noisily behind her against the uneven pavement.
With his hands firmly tucked into his pockets, Gojo leaned back to admire the crowd, "What a lovely reception we have!"
"You told us to be here," Maki curtly corrected.
"There's no better way to welcome the newest student than with all the current students in attendance."
The way Gojo's last words tore insensitively at the tender wounds of everyone's hearts became visibly pronounced in the students' expressions. A few had shifted their gaze to the floor and some took a new interest in the sky. Yuta's mood was especially dampened. It had been almost six months, but it still didn't feel like enough time had passed for the pain to begin subsiding.
Oddly though, there were several moments throughout the day that would contradict the tragedy of the past. It would be when raindrops, as they fell, wouldn't leave the students' skin as rapidly as they felt it should; the drops would cling as if saying they wanted to stay a few seconds longer against their skin before falling. The breeze wouldn't slice through the air with the notoriously frigid intensity like it did years prior; it felt gentler in the past few months.
Gojo placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and gave her a light push forward into the spotlight of everyone's attention, "Let's start the morning with light introductions shall we? You go first newbie."
The girl turned her head back to look at Gojo over her shoulder; he nodded in affirmation. The grip on her suitcase handle tightened nervously while her other hand fiddled with the hem of her casual shirt, "My name is Chihiro. I'm a first year student starting today."
It was only her name, but that was enough— Yuta's eyes lit up immediately, remembering something that brought out from his glum. While he stared, astonished, like he had just seen a ghost appear before his very eyes, the rest respectfully gave their greetings to her, wishing her well as she progressed through the years here. Without thinking of anything else, Yuta took a cautious step forward. His eyebrows knitted together trying to piece fleeting bits of information from his memories. Inumaki noticed Yuta trying to come forward and got out of his way, gesturing to the rest that they should step aside to let Yuta come forward. All were confused, but followed as Inumaki had directed.
Yuta came to the front of the crowd, still studying her expression, features, and stature with great but confused interest though he had absolutely no basis to go off of. Chihiro, too, noticed the peculiarity of his gaze and felt as if she should take a step back out of precaution. Before she could do that, Yuta gave her a small, hollow smile, "This might sound farfetched and I could have the wrong person, but I have to ask because there's a small chance. Chihiro, did you perhaps know someone named Namie, Kohaku several years ago?"
Every face fell. The shock was insurmountable; it's not that Haku's name had become a taboo to speak, but that most refrained from mentioning their name due to the resurfacing of pain associated with every thing in relation to a dear friend. Each ear keened with interest for the words to follow. Chihiro's eyes said all Yuta needed to know.
Her jaw dropped slightly, taking several moments to process what Yuta had asked her so suddenly; a name she hadn't heard in years apart from her own memories from a time long ago. A name that she too hadn't spoken aloud from the pain that surfaced every time she thought of her dear friend from the past. Chihiro's legs weakened and her knees began to tremble slightly. As her eyes quickly darted about the vicinity before her reply like a passionate child, "I did— Haku. You know Haku?! Is Haku here right now— HAKU!" She let go of her suitcase's handle as she stood on the tips of her toes trying to look past the crowd.
Yuta waved his hands frantically, "Ah— no, I mean," he looked over his shoulder to see everyone's curious and inquisitive expressions at just how the three of them were connected to one another. Yuta flashed them a worried smile before returning his attention back to Chihiro who appeared as visibly distraught as the rest felt internally, "Chihiro, come with me for a moment."
She nodded quickly and Yuta took her wrist in his hand, wasting no time to whisk her away as the two broke out into a light jog in the morning's air, suitcase disregarded as it fell over with a thud in the wake of their hurry. Clueless but placing all her trust in a boy she just met just a few minutes ago, Chihiro struggled to keep up with Yuta's long strides but she didn't complain. He expertly weaved through the campus and eventually the destination he had in mind came into view: the zen garden.
Yuta led Chihiro into the zen garden behind the school's infirmary and finally slowed his pace to match the leisurely atmosphere. He dropped the loose grip he had on her wrist and pointed just up ahead, "The water, let's take a seat near the water."
Still confused as to why Yuta brought her here, she nodded shyly but didn't refuse. Following the boy just a few paces behind, he sauntered through the grass and eventually took a seat. She sat beside him, the morning dew felt refreshingly cold against her skin as she ran her hands in the grass on either side of her. Cautiously, she eyed Yuta every now and then but he was very focused on the pond's water that rippled every now and then as a bug or dew droplet broke the surface.
"You're probably wondering why I dragged you all this way, aren't you," Yuta's mellow voice blended into the comforting atmosphere of the garden. He sat with his knees drawn protectively to his chest, holding tightly to his arms as he spoke, not directed at her, but the ground as if scared to look her in the eye.
Chihiro wasn't nervous like she was earlier, "Strangely, this place is really relaxing. So I don't mind"
"This was Haku's favorite place to be too." A sweet smile graced his lips.
Chihiro turned to look at him, his soft expression and eyes of hope, "So Haku is here?"
"They were," He sighed, unable to hide the grief behind his words, "unfortunately Haku passed away last year."
"Haku's... dead," her voice cracked, squeaking out the last word but just barely.
Yuta finally looked her way. Chihiro's shock and brimming wetness of her eyes made her appear as if she seemed to be frozen in time. A heavy smile weighed down his features more than his fatigue.
He nodded only once for confirmation, unable to bring himself to speak it out loud. "But I don't think Haku is really dead. There's too many instances that occur throughout the day that remind me of them for Haku to truly be gone. I think they're still here in ways we can't see, especially here in the garden."
Breaking the illusion, a single tear rolled down her cheek followed by more until she started sobbing. She also brought her knees to her chest as she quietly sniffled and the only sounds to come from her were the choking gasps and faint cries. Yuta could only watch with a shared empathy; he knew that feeling well and relieved it every night since. It took many minutes, but once the force behind Chihiro's sobs had lessened and he could be sure that she was listening, Yuta quietly indulged her in something he hoped would bring her joy.
"Haku was always a really private person, but they told me about you once; you were one of their most precious memories. I know you meant a lot to them. That's why I went out on a limb and asked if you knew Haku— I thought it would be better to find out now, rather than by accident later.
Chihiro lifted her head, wiped her face on her sleeve and flashed him a small smile, "Thank you. I guess it's just a bit hard to hear."
"I understand. It's still hard for me to process it and I was there."
The two shared a knowing silence, letting the serenity of the garden fill the lapse in conversation only grief could fill. As much as she didn't want to pry, curiosity had already killed many things since its conception, what's one more. "You said Haku passed away. I don't know if this is insensitive of me but... how did Haku die?"
"Selflessly," Yuta replied without missing a beat. "There was an incident and lots of people had already died, but many more were about to be killed. Haku bravely stepped forward and prevented that from happening, but in the end, no matter how much we tried, we couldn't save Haku after all."
"What was Haku like when they were here as a student?"
"Stubborn," also without missing a beat, but Yuta hid a laugh in his reply. "You could hardly get Haku to change their mind once they were set on doing something. It was admirable. But also painful knowing that there was little you could do to convince them otherwise. Haku was gentle. They moved with a certain grace and elegance that was unreplicable. Haku was... beautiful. In every aspect, a kind soul with a sharp tongue that never lied. Courageous, and unlike anyone else I've ever met."
Chihiro had been watching the way Yuta's face lit up in particular moments when he spoke about Haku. It warmed her soul to know that Haku had truly found something wonderful in the years they weren;t present in each other's lives. Yuta was practically glowing as he sat there reminiscing with her. "It sounds like you were really close with Haku um..."
"My name is Okkotsu, Yuta."
"Ah, I'm sorry Okkotsu Senpai."
"No need for that, it's alright. But to answer you earlier... yeah... we were close. Haku was my best friend"
However, those words filled Yuta's expression not with fondness, but a sorrowful longing. A subtle shift, but Chihiro could visibly see the pain that absence inevitably brought. She knew that. A heavy sigh inadvertently left her as she almost missed Yuta's question.
"Why did you choose to come here, Chihiro?"
"I don't really know..." Her words trailed off recalling the moment with clarity, but the feelings she had behind that particular instance could not be put into words. "One day a pamphlet came to my mailbox advertising a religious private school in the heart of the mountains here in Tokyo and the pictures of the campus were really pretty so I studied and submitted my exam scores on a whim. My family moved away from Tokyo when I was 10 to live in the country so I've always wanted to come back. In February I received a letter of acceptance and made my decision to come here."
"This is anything but a religious private school," Yuta broke into a fit of laughter.
"Is it?!" she gasped, " I told my parents it was..."
Yuta was still laughing, but he managed to get it under control enough to explain, "It's highly unorthodox, but I doubt it'll be too much trouble. Honestly, I was surprised that this school would even be accepting any more students considering there's not much need for a school like this anymore."
Still visibly distraught, looking around the area, "What should I do? I can't go back..."
"You should stay here," he said seriously, a solemn firmness to his conviction. Yuta swallowed thickly before inhaling a deep breath and reaching into his pocket, "I have something that I think was meant for you all along." He shifted and pulled out something and held it out for Chihiro to take.
She inched closer and slowly took the gift from Yuta's hand. It was light, it was paper. A paper doll, something she would make as a child. Something she knew she had done with Haku when they were kids as well.
"This is Shiro— Haku's first and last Shikigami that they ever created. Haku gave Shiro to me before I went overseas for training and we exchanged lots of messages during that time. I also know that Shiro also kept many of us safe on more than one occasion. I've held onto it for all this time, but I know Haku would want you to have Shiro if they knew you were here."
Chihiro turned the shikigami over in her hands with a smile that practically reached both her ears. A warmth spread from her cheeks to her chest as she hugged it close, "Thank you, Okkotsu Senpai. I'll cherish this."
Yuta watched her with a fond smile, "That's exactly how Haku thought of you. Haku said that in their time with you, they really cherished you Chihiro."
Chihiro lifted the shikigami away from her chest and held it up to catch the sunlight when she noticed a detail she hadn't before. Illuminated by the backlight of the sun, in silver script that hadn't been there moments before. A message had been written along the paper doll.
Don't turn back. The rest of the roads are yours to discover by yourself. I can only bring you here.
She brought the paper doll back down with wide eyes as if she had just seen a ghost as she inspected every surface with renewed vigor. However the message was no longer visible in absence of direct sunlight to let the script shine through.
Yuta eyed her with caution, "What's wrong Chihiro?" Her complexion had paled for a moment, but the color was soon returning to her skin.
"Nothing..." She whispered breathlessly, not taking her eyes off of the paper doll. She sniffled once again, "I'm suddenly just really glad I came here. That's all."
In her fascination, she hadn't seen the white butterfly that had fluttered just above her head. Yuta's eyes had been pulled away from Chihiro to watch the small wings flap with intensity around the garden, skimming the water's surface causing a ripple of its own creation. Yuta smiled when the butterfly had drawn closer once again. He held out his finger and to his surprise, the butterfly landed there like with the weight of a feather. The freshly washed wings sparkled in the light like several glittering gems.
The butterfly remained there, unbothered by the attention. Yuta obliged, not wanting it to fly away so soon. He hoped it would remain with them for a while longer.
☁︎ ┆ A U T H O R ' S N O T E
hi, it's been a while. thanks for staying on this journey with me :) the main story has come to an end, but i hope to continue it in a 5 part side story to come detailing the events of what happened in haku's 6 month mission request a while back.
the ending took a long time to write because i dug myself too deep a hole to tie up nicely and i think this is the best i can do. also, the sheer length of it has crashed my google docs on more than one occasion. it's more than 170,000 words.
also, the will to finish the story was hard to find because i put pressure on myself to make it perfect. but i have to remind myself that i hate my story because i've read it over a thousand times, but hopefully you a reader don't hate it as much. as i hit publish on these final chapters, it's a bittersweet feeling.
thank you again for all your votes, comments, insightful reactions that made me smile and laugh. thank you for your support. thank you for believing in this book more than i ever did so that it finally got finished.