I feel the change before it becomes visible. The skin of my hand that came into contact with that boy's arm is engulfed in an unfamiliar warmth. Then, a strange feeling of weightlessness joins the warmth, and I know. There's no time left. I turn to stare at her, my beloved Hotaru. This is the end, isn't it? After we've come so far, and even with everything else that we haven't seen yet, it's over now, isn't it? I'm going to die. I should be frightened, terrified. Thinking about it, I am terrified….for a moment, a moment only. Then I hear her voice. She is anxious, worried, frightened for my well-being, frightened of losing me. She cares. She is filled with so much love…for me. And knowing that, I am suddenly unable to be afraid. All that I feel is sadness. Sadness for sweet, kind Hotaru; if only I could avoid this, for her sake. And I feel regret that this is how it's going to end. She deserves better. All this time, and I've never been able to give her what she wanted, what we've both wanted. I've never been able to hold her hand, or embrace her. I've never been able to feel the softness of her lips against mine. But no longer. I extend my arms towards her, and smile.
"Come here, Hotaru. I can finally touch you now."
She pauses, then throws aside the mask, and runs into my arms, smiling. As we connect, I feel the warmth of her engulf my body, like bathwater, comforting, soothing. I feel her, her arms against my back, her face against my neck, against my shoulder. I can even feel her heartbeat against my chest. It's a strange thing, the heartbeat of another person, so different from your own, and yet, so comfortable, so natural. I wrap my arms around her. I have truly, in all the many years that I have lived, never experienced such an amazing feeling. It's like finally reaching a destination that I have been journeying to for a long, long time. It's like coming home.
The weightlessness is consuming me now. There is no time left. I have no regrets, and I have no fears. I hope that Hotaru is still smiling. I hope that she continues to smile for the rest of her days. I hope that she lives a beautiful, wonderful life, full of love. I still remember the day that I first met her. I remember every moment of every summer, each, like a bright and colorful flower lightening my life, marking my existence. I remember everything. Before Hotaru, each day was only a day, each moment a moment. Hotaru gave me a life to live; she practically forced it on me. Thank you. Thank you, Hotaru, for making me feel alive.
"I love you."
I just recently watched Hotarubi no Mori e after watching an a lovely AMV featuring the song "My Love" by Sia. I must say, I really love the story. It's simple, but in a wonderful way that just makes sense. It ended where it needed to end, instead of the author horribly mangling and twisting it to make it last longer. It was short, sweet, and pure. If you don't quite understand what I mean by mangling, you know those books/movies/shows that, after a while, you just wished would end? It's as if all of their creative awesomeness has just been used up, leaving you with a frizzled, wilted, drawn-out, and repetitive story that desperately needs a closure. Well, that's my opinion anyways. Although I can certainly understand why some wouldn't want it to end. To each his own. Well...THANK YOU for reading my little short story and rant! I love you! bye bye now. :)