Side by side they raced down the slope, a different slope, a new slope, but running next to Sentaro it still felt the same; a sense of adventure and life and warmth. A new slope, but they made it theirs. With the ocean as their backdrop and the tide in his ears, Kaoru felt alive.

Hand in hand they picked their way down the rocky cliff, Sentaro guiding their steps with an ease born of practice, and Kaoru had to wonder how many times Sentaro made this trek without him, if he ever climbed down this slope and thought of him, the way he thought of Sentaro when he walked the path to school, when he played the piano, when he heard a few stray notes of jazz; always, always Sentaro was on his mind.

Arm in arm they watched the sunset, leaning against each other, into each other, trying to catch their breath but failing whenever their eyes met. Neither seemed to mind.

Heart in heart they kissed each other, years of loneliness melting away against sea-chapped lips and tears of relief, of joy.

When the sun finally set, they took the long way home.


[Everyone seems to have their own version of the final episode, so here is mine: short, poorly written, unedited, and I do not care. Grammar has been sacrificed for flow and tone, so the mistakes you see are intentional (I hope they're not too jarring; that would defeat the purpose).

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Though this was rather short and you may not have much to say, reviews are still appreciated!]