Mitsuha's grip tightened around the handle to steady herself as the subway car lurched, beginning its ascent from the underground to the tracks above. As mid-spring afternoon light bathed the car with its warmth, glimpses of busy Tokyo life flashed through between magnanimous buildings. Each person walked with contentment lifting their step and purpose driving them forward. The desire to develop and advance was palpable amongst the residents of Tokyo, she noted, the very opposite of what she'd hated about Itomori.

The car stopped its ascent and leveled out. Mitsuha absentmindedly let go of the handle and leaned next to the doors as she stared out the window, gazing upon the grandeur of Tokyo. Her thoughts turned to reminiscing about her past life, something she found herself doing often. Itomori was just as beautiful as Tokyo in its own way, she realized that now, but surrounding its natural beauty was a shackling stagnation. Stuck as the heir to the Miyamizu shrine and the daughter of the infamous town mayor, the conservativity of Itomori was suffocating, and she misdirected her resentment towards all elements of its rural nature. It wasn't until minutes before the impact of Tiamat - where the ethereal starlight fell upon the greens, the blues, and the browns of the landscape to weave a tapestry of natural beauty - that she finally came to appreciate her hometown. As Tiamat drew closer and closer, she refused to close her eyes, determined to sear the image of Itomori in her mind one last time before all was lost.

With the shrine and town destroyed, the Miyamizus no longer had any ties to Itomori and decided to start over in Tokyo. Happy that her dream was at long last coming true, Mitsuha spent her first months in Tokyo fervently exploring the cafes, stores, parks, subways…but as she became accustomed to her new environment, it became more and more difficult for her to deny the feeling that she was forgetting someone. Someone she didn't want to forget. Someone she shouldn't forget. Days where she woke up with tears in her eyes, but not a hint as to why. There was an empty void in her heart that should be filled, that had previously been filled, but gnawed at her as soon as the rush of finding a cute café and meeting new people was over. Despite having moved to Tokyo, her mind and soul were still stuck in Itomori, convinced that there was still unfinished business there. But what could there possibly be amidst the ruin and rubble?

Mitsuha closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the window. Ghosts of her past swam in her mind, and the cool sensation of the glass did little to stop them. 'Maybe it was too much to think that just moving to Tokyo would solve everything,' she thought. 'If only…'

If only…I could find my happiness…

After a moment of wishful thinking, she opened her eyes, and her gaze fell upon the profile of someone in the train riding parallel to hers.

Her breath caught.

Like Tiamat splitting into two, the dam of dull longing within her burst; a rush of surprise, excitement, elation, and a tenderness she couldn't put her finger on sharply coursed throughout her entire being. She hadn't felt this alive since that fateful night eight years ago, as if Tiamat's fission had crushed her vigor along with Itomori. But no longer. Instinctively, she reached out to the man that made her feel. He was the someone that she had been searching for, the someone that she had forgotten. They had to have met before, she was sure of it, but from where?!

Her hand hit the glass, but the pain barely registered. Mitsuha was far more fixated on how close she was to the part of her heart that was missing – just two windows and half a meter of space separated them – and yet so impossibly far. But the sight of her hitting the window made him look up.

Their eyes met.

She saw herself reflected in his eyes. The same nagging feeling of constantly searching for someone that was never there. For a brief moment, their eyes locked and she knew, they knew, that finally, that someone was there.

Their moment together was interrupted when another train barreled through their connected line of sight. When it passed, he was no longer there. The stream of emotions froze, then fractured into panic and fear; her heart began racing again, but for the completely opposite reason. Mitsuha didn't know what felt worse: the slow, crushing throb of not knowing if who she was looking for even existed, or the fast, cutting stab of having had him within almost arm's reach before losing him yet again. But she knew now that he was there, and that he had been closer than she could have ever imagined.

The train slowed to a stop. Her body sprang into motion, racing out of the car and the station and towards the direction of his train. Doubtful thoughts and pains from running on shoes that were not meant for running threatened to slow her down with every step. But her heart refused to stop racing and she refused to stop running until she met him again.

Mitsuha stormed through the packed station, left into a residential area, right into a market street, all the while frantically scanning everyone's faces and awaiting the joy of seeing his. The longer she ran without seeing him, the more her hope ran out and the dull ache began settling back in. She rounded a corner and almost fell down a flight of stairs, grabbing the red handrailing to steady herself. For a moment, she stood hunched over, panting from not only the physical exertion, but also the emptiness suffocating her lungs. Now that she had a taste of happiness cruelly yanked from her, she wasn't sure if she could tolerate living as she did before.

But she had to live, so she straightened up. And in that moment, he burst into sight at the bottom of the stairs and came to a sharp halt as he caught view of her.

For the third time, her heart started racing again.

Butterflies danced in her stomach as she stood there, slack-jawed, fumbling for something to say. For eight years, her heart had longed for this moment, but she hadn't spent a second thinking about what she would actually do if the impossible were to come true.

Similarly at a loss of words, the man looked down, away from her, and started climbing the stairs. Still frantically drawing a blank for how to put her feelings into words, she began descending. Step by step, the distance between them closed.

Three steps apart…two steps…one…

They passed each other in the blink of an eye. The distance they had closed began growing back, step by step. She clutched her purse and shakily exhaled. She still had no idea what to say but she knew she had to say something; once he was over those stairs and gone, her chance to escape the emptiness was gone with him!

But…the doubts she'd refused to even consider earlier now reared their heads. Why hadn't he said anything? Did he even know her? Could she handle it if this person that set her heart and body ablaze didn't know her? These questions froze her conviction, and the distance grew greater. Tears began collecting at the corners of her eyes when-

"Excuse me!"

She froze, her stomach turning inwards.

"Haven't we…" he struggled, trying to put the feelings she couldn't express into words. "Have I met you somewhere?"

Slowly, she turned around to face him. He had turned around from the top of the stairway. His eyes were wild with the same doubts and fears as her, but hope shone unquestionably through.

Tears of joy spilled down her cheeks; the corners of her mouth turned upwards in a radiant smile, almost as if to catch them on their downward fall. "I thought so, too!" she breathed. For a brief moment, they cried happily together on that fateful stairway, their plight at long last over.

The light mid-spring breeze toyed with their hair and took their tears away with it, as if to mark the end of tearful mornings and loneliness and usher in the beginnings of a bright, warm future.

Every connection begins with a first step, and in unison, they opened their mouths and took it together.

"Can I ask you…what your name is?"

A/N: This is a rewrite of the original Chapter 1 that was uploaded over four years ago. More emphasis has been placed on Mitsuha's thoughts, since her perspective is the primary one of this story.

After thinking about it, I've decided to take all the original chapters down and start anew. I intend to hit most of the same plot points as the original, so the coming updates will feel somewhat reminiscent of the old, but I think this is the best way to do it.

In a lot of ways, I'm similar to the Mitsuha of this story. We're both country girls that have now moved out to the city and are pursuing our happiness. That wasn't true four years ago, when I was still in high school, and consequently I didn't have the insight to Mitsuha's psyche that I do now. It also helps that various other Kimi no Na wa stories have been released since 2017 that delve deeper into the characters thoughts.

Mitsuha is about 25 when she finally meets Taki again and presumably finds the start to her happiness. Looking at the road ahead of me, I would consider myself lucky if I was able to achieve the same by 25. But for the time being, perhaps writing about Mitsuha's journey to happiness will hold me over.

I would like to thank those that are still with me on this story for sticking around and those that are joining now. Your support is invaluable and I hope that you are able to find something of value within my writing.