Author's note (you're crazy if you read the whole thing): First Fanfic ever, and of course it's about unanimous MVP Anime Movie of the Year "Kimi no Na Wa". I absolutely loved the characters, the art style, the voice acting, pretty much everything about this movie was nailed head on. Except for the story at times. But that's to be expected with these supernatural love stories. It's still the best love story I've experienced in my life time, but the more I wrote this fic, the more I sorta realized how silly the story could be at times, especially the ending. I guess it's actually really hard to stay away from anime cliché and not dig into the "fate/chance" bag and make a movie that's gonna shoot for gold. Either way, the movie made me cry in the theater and kept me up for a few nights. But even so it's by far one of the best movies, both anime and live action, I've ever seen. I tried to stay away from this film, simply because I was warned that it was a surefire feels trip, and my history with emotional stories is not pretty. As a result, this poorly-written and extremely cheesy fic was spawned. Despite all of this, I would strongly urge anyone who's a fan of cinematics in general to go see it. That being said, this fic contains MAJOR LEAGUE SPOILERS that will assuredly ruin the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it. On an end note, I own 0% stake or interest in this movie, all rights and IP are owned by the lord of feels Makoto Shinkai.
Just like everyone else, Tachibana Taki and Miyamizu Mitsuha were going through the motions of everyday life. The 22 year old architect and the 25 year old credit union saleswoman embarked on trains that would take them to their respective offices, on paths that are supposed to never intersect. They would work from 9 to 5, get back on their trains and commute home. And do it all again the next day. With little to no variance in the day's proceedings.
One could say that they live very dull and boring lives. And neither of them would argue that. They know how little shift or change there is in their daily routine. Maybe on a weekend they'll hang out with their friends, but that's about it. They live these monotonous schedules with nothing worth writing home about. And to most, it would be a very agonizing experience. But for Taki and Mitsuha, they'd willingly trade what they have to battle inside for a normal life.
8 years passed since the comet Tiamat destroyed Itomori, Mitsuha's place of birth and home for 17 years. A disaster that would've claimed the lives of 500 Itomori residents, very well possibly including Mitsuha's. But the town was evacuated thanks to Mitsuha herself, saving those lives. And while the collateral destruction to the town was beyond restoration, the population of the eradicated town remained unscathed. Many of these people emigrated to Tokyo, a bustling haven of technology, commerce, education, and wellness. It was the kind of environment Mitsuha had always dreamed of. And although she had to move on under tough circumstances, she finally got to become the Tokyo girl she always wanted to be. But even with the transition in scenery, she still couldn't remember what foretold her of the meteor's crash. Even more so, the memory of finding the words "I love you" written on her hand stuck with her and the inability to remember who wrote it tortured her for years.
For Taki, it was another thing in the news. The destruction of Itomori was a headline on the news for some time. But even with its tremendous impact on Japan as a whole, it had very little impact on Taki and his life. Curiously though, he remembers spending late nights studying the details of the incident, including the timing of the impact, the topography of the land, and even the spiritual ideas associated with a passing comet. He even remembers embarking on an insane journey to the wasteland, trekking all the way to the rim of the first crater, only to forget why he was there in the first place.
So they both live in Tokyo, living normal lives and working to make money and get by. An idea that they learned from their studies of Western culture was called "the American dream". But something was missing. The years passing after the meteor struck were spent fighting an emptiness. They remember so little, yet the effects of the comet's landing are profound enough to create an everlasting yearning for something. Or someone.
The commute began as normal. Getting on the crowded train and waiting for their stop. Due to the infrastructure of the railways, trains would often run parallel and close enough for passengers to visibly see into the other train. Taki and Mitsuha made the same commute to work everyday for some time, and every time it felt like something, or someone, they knew was very close by.
On what would've otherwise been a completely normal day for the two of them, one fateful encounter forever changed their lives.
"Kimi no na wa?"
The overwhelming feeling of familiarity with the person before them created a desperate need to know each other. What seemed like an endless struggle to find what they'd been missing for so many years turned to fruition as the memories of switching bodies and living each other's lives came flooding back. For all the years they spent not being able to remember each other's name, it took one question to restore everything they had together 5 years ago.
"Taki" said the woman in a yellow cardigan and pink pants.
"Mitsuha" said the man in a formal business suit.
No other words needed, they knew what was happening. The long days of living with this mysterious void inside them just came to a crashing halt. They stared at each other speechless as tears started to drown their eyes. The search was over. At long last, the two pawns of the comet Tiamat's love game were reunited. And the time lost between them was to be made up immediately.
Without hesitation, they leapt at each other with open arms and caught each other in a passionate embrace, squeezing each other as tightly as possible out of fear that the other would somehow slip away. The tears rolled off each other's cheeks as their bodies and faces clashed as if they wanted to merge into one entity. The two of them hysterically repeated each other's names, audibly expressing joy and relief that they had finally found the one they'd been missing all these years. They held each other for what felt like another 5 years, completely excluding the world around them. It seemed like they were trying to create an empty world for themselves with only the two of them in it. They somehow regained enough composure to deliver an emotional kiss, and they locked lips to make up for what they should've done 5 years ago in kataware-doki. Their tongues waltzed, as they wanted a slow and graceful moment that would last forever.
Miraculously, they came to their senses and realized that they were jeopardizing their prior engagements, and hesitantly broke their kiss. Mitsuha, still in Taki's arms, buried her face into his chest, and barely muffled out "I don't wanna go" while still being choked up from emotion. Taki, still in Mitsuha's tight squeeze, quietly said "Neither do I".
"But we have to. I don't wanna risk my job. Even more so now. Because I wanna be able to take care of you. And treat you like a queen. I want a life with you now."
"When will I see you again, my love?"
Taki paused as he searched for an answer to his partner's question.
"How about right back here at 5:15? I will take off around 5 and run right back here to see you"
"I'd follow you to work if I could" she cutely giggled.
Taki had to fight every ounce of urge in his mind and body to bring Mitsuha with him to work. The thought of holding her and kissing her at his desk began to cloud his judgement and twist his wires. But the knowledge of being assuredly fired on the spot deterred him from taking her up on her offer.
"Hehe" he chuckled nervously. "I don't think my supervisors would appreciate that."
"I was half joking, but half serious, Taki-kun. Anyway, I'll let you go now. And I'll see you back here at 5:15. I promise"
Suddenly, Taki was stricken. He remembered how easily he'd forgotten Mitsuha's name the first time. What if it happens again?
"But just in case something happens, I want to be able to reach you, no matter where you are. Our first mistake was not creating a way to remember each other."
"Uhh, your first mistake. You were supposed to write your name on my hand"
Taki realized his fault and chuckled nervously again while rubbing the back of his head. And before she knew it, Mitsuha began to tear up again and emotion began to infest her throat.
"Instead you wrote 'I love you'," she said quietly, stroking the spot on her hand where Taki wrote his fateful message with her thumb.
"Then let me atone for it. Let me always be there for you. Let me always be by your side, no matter where I am," said Taki as he held out his phone, already turned on to his dial screen.
Mitsuha wiped the tears from her face and took Taki's phone, beginning to enter her phone number. With every stroke and tap of the digits, she savored the idea that she was never going to lose Taki ever again.
She returned Taki's phone to its owner. And solemnly said "5:15, sweetheart. I'll be right here."
"Can't come soon enough," said Taki, as he began to depart in the other direction. "I can't wait to see you again already."
"You haven't left yet, baka!"
Taki couldn't help but laugh, as she was the same Mitsuha he had fallen in love with 5 years ago.
"Oh! Taki! Wait!"
Taki turned 180 degrees on a dime and almost sprinted back to Mitsuha.
"So that I'll always be a part of you. Hold your hand out"
Somehow, Taki knew exactly what was gonna happen. So he enthusiastically held out his wrist. And Mitsuha undid the red corded braid that held her hair together. Without a moment to spare, she began to tie the braid around his wrist, in the same fashion that he had worn the one she threw to him 8 years ago. Before they really knew each other.
This is my Mitsuha. Taki thought this as tears began to jerk again. Dude…I can't walk into work crying, my coworkers are gonna think I'm weird.
As Mitsuha finished tying the braid, Taki regained his composure. He stared down at his piece of his partner that would brand him and forever remind him who he belongs to.
"Time couldn't tear us apart. So there's nothing to be afraid of. Not anymore. 5:15."
Mitsuha could only manage to smile at him before he started walking back towards his destination. As he left her sight over the top of the stairs, she quickly pulled her phone out, waiting for either a call or text message from her life line. She waited for seemingly hours before her phone screen lit up. It was a text message. From a phone number with no contact attached to it. It said very little, but despite its brevity, the words were enough to affirm Mitsuha that her Taki was forever in reach.
'It wasn't easy because you were so far away. But now you'll always be with me. And me with you. I love you.'
Author's note: It's worth noting that I started writing this during baseball practice. I can tell that this movie affected me tremendously because I can remember it vividly in a place where anime would be detested. Looking back over this, I realize that it is indeed extremely cliché and cheesy, and doesn't really differentiate itself from other fics of this movie (not that there's anything wrong with that). But this is how I imagine the events immediately following the ending took place. They make sense to me, at least. I'm sorta faint of heart when it comes to criticism of my creative works (and oddly enough, not my windup or delivery), so go easy on me. I have so much of these fictional characters' lives together planned out that I'd love to put them into words, just in a way that isn't completely cringeworthy. Lemme know what you guys think. Cheers.
