Final chapter! Thank you all for reading this and please stay tuned for the sequel! Happy Mother's Day!
Flipping through the pages of his notebook, he glanced at his drawings. He ignored his teacher's lecture, paying attention to his unusual sketches. There was a frog standing on its legs, an old lady with a puffy dress and tons of jewelry, and finally two teenagers.
They were staring back at him, holding each other's hands. One of them was in an old fashioned kimono, standing on a bridge with a peaceful background field. On the left, the girl wore normal clothes, standing on a modern bridge with a town behind her. Two worlds, one love, he thought.
The bell rang, allowing the students to leave. Packing his belongings, he was one of the last to leave the classroom. As soon as he left the room, he nearly bumped into the girl he liked. The curly haired girl blinked. Blushing, she smiled. "Hey Akira," she greeted.
"H-Hey Miyu," he replied. Her friends giggled, following the girl past him. His friends appeared, noticing his moment with the popular girl. "You've got a chance there," one of them snickered. Frowning at him, Akira gave a sigh. "Never mind about that," the other insisted. Let's go to the sweets shop!"
Leaving the school grounds, they headed out. As the four boys engaged in a conversation, they turned to the corner. However, Akira walked straight towards his house. "I thought we were going to buy sweets!" one of the boys complained. Giving them a wave, he replied, "Sorry! I've got to go meet someone. Maybe next time!"
He crossed the street, racing towards the direction of the forest. Finally reaching his home, he stood at the gate panting. Walking past the pile of gardening supplies, he said, "Hey mom." A head popped out of the bushes, finding Akira enter through the open door.
"How was school today?" Mrs. Ogino called out, digging a hole for another flower. Hearing rustles and a bag landing on the floor with a thump, she soon heard, "It was great." Akira ran out, replacing his black uniform with casual clothes.
"Heading out again?" she guessed. With a nod, he closed the gate behind him. "Make sure you come home before dark!" she called out. He's just like Chihiro, she thought to herself. Glancing up at the cloudless sky, she thought of her daughter. Do your best in college, Chihiro! Be sure to visit during break.
Meanwhile, the boy raced through the forest, eager to return to the world where he had met the creatures from his notebook from a year ago. Recognizing some of the spirit statues, he realized he was getting closer.
Finding the entrance to the large red building, he took a deep breath. Stepping in, the tunnel soon felt cold and dark. With only the sound of his footsteps echoing in the dark tunnel, he took his time catching his breath. Catching the ray of sunshine at the end, he felt the warmth brush the cold away from his cheeks.
Walking across the field and up the steps, he recognized the smell of spirit food. "Never eat spirit food when you're a human!" his sister would always say whenever they passed the area during the night. Although he had a craving for spirit food, he had to resist.
Instead, he took a small pill to keep himself alive in the spirit world. Reaching the grand bridge to the bathhouse, he stopped at the hill. Hesitant if he should cross it, he looked around. Coast is clear, he thought, slowly taking a step forward.
Something swiftly and silently leaped from under the bridge, approaching Akira from behind. Quickly, he dodged the attacker's foot, running across the bridge. The spirit followed, prepared to unsheathe its katana. As it was about to, Akira noticed something fly above their heads. Is that… he pondered.
Distracted, he tripped backwards, staring up at the hooded face. Taking the hood off, the spirit laughed. "50 to 4!" she cheered. Swinging the katana around her shoulder, she helped him up. "I wasn't sure whether you would come today," he sighed, rubbing his hip.
"You've got to be prepared when you come here, Akira," she snickered. Pouting, he asked, "How's Haku? Have you finally gotten busy with him?"
She gave a shrug. "He's fine, and we- A-Akira?! What are you saying?! O-Of course not!" Akira laughed at her innocence. "What happened to that sweet little boy?" she snapped, crossing her arms. The figure that had flown over them landed beside the girl. Transforming, a young man appeared, replacing the long blue dragon.
As usual, he wore a white and blue kimono with a blue hakama. Wondering why she had turned so red, he blinked curiously. "What did Akira say this time?" he asked, looking at the laughing Akira. "N-Nothing!" she snapped. "A-Anyways, let's go inside!"
Following her in, Akira watched as the couple muttered something.
"It's just like you said… back at the cave… We shouldn't cry under any circumstances. R-Right?" Breaking into silent sobs, the boys stood in the middle of the garden. From afar, two shadowy figures stood at the balcony. The two quietly watched them share their sadness.
The taller one glanced at the one that leaned against the railing. Without a word, the two left. As they left, the shorter one formed a warm smile. "Where are you going?" the taller one blinked. "Are you just going to leave them there?"
The other spirit narrowed its eyes at the ancient spirit. "Of course not Daichi," the spirit shook its head. Catching one more look at the two, the spirit sighed. "I'm going back to my room." Watching as the spirit left the balcony, Daichi continued to observe Haku and Akira. He remembered what he had told the river spirit earlier.
"Chihiro," Daichi began. "She's alive. She's in one of these rooms, regaining her strength. There's no need for you to panic, Haku." Smiling at the past, he caught a few words from Haku. Looking down, he found Haku hugging the crying human.
"Thank goodness," he murmured to himself.
Akira stared at the two spirits, smiling at their relationship. Many years ago, Chihiro happened to stumble into the Spirit World when moving to her new home. Luckily, she found Haku, who saved her from drowning when she was very young. After six years, the two reunited during the middle of a war.
Even though he was young, he could understand Chihiro and Haku's relationship. A human and spirit defied their destinies. Now, the spirits live happily in the Spirit World. Realizing Akira was still in the middle of the bridge.
"Akira, come on!" the girl insisted. Breaking from his trance, he caught up with them. "Sorry," he smiled. "Chihiro." That's right. Two worlds, one love.