Officially, Taki was supposed to be doing his site analysis on the second day, with his final report due on the third. Instead, he found himself exploring the ruins of Itomori with Mitsuha, stopping occasionally to take some readings and snap the occasional photo. If Mitsuha happened to appear in some of them… well she was giving him the guided tour, after all. That still didn't explain the presence of Yotsuha.

"You're so borrriiinnnggggg!"
"I'm working!"
"You're just taking pictures of sis!"
"Wha- No I'm not!"

Taki gestured towards the camera's gallery, which was displaying a rather boring picture of a destroyed lakeside with some debris scattered about to complete the scenic look. Not bad for a D-Day landing shot, but utterly pointless for the bored teenager who was trying to get to know her future brother-in-law.

"Yotsuha…" Mitsuha began shaking her head.

"This is just badly taken picture of the lake!"
"I'll have you know that this picture will be the basis of New Itomori! It is my job to recreate this town using data collected-"
"BORINGGGG!"

Taki could feel a vein bursting as he struggled to act his age, while Yotsuha went off on a rant on what she expected him to be. Beside him, Mitsuha could only smile apologetically. She had planned to take a nice morning stroll with Taki, have a picnic at some lovely spot and then strangling the living daylights out of him for causing so much chaos in her life. In private, of course, except that Yotsuha had other plans.

"Onee-chan, isn't Taki-sama a meanie?" Yotsuha wailed.

"No, he's… Taki-sama?!" Mitsuha stopped to stare at her sister and boyfriend. "Taki-sama?!"

"I'm so sorry, Yotsuha-sama. Forgive me for being a boring person." Taki replied through gritted teeth.

Yotsuha-sama?! Are these two messing with me?

As they moved further into the streets of Itomori, the sisters maintained a constant stream of information about the town. About how it was dead in the middle of nowhere, how daylight hours were short, the history of the town and the proud Miyamizu heritage.

"You were a Miko?"
"Well, I was born one. We both were."
"So you can perform magic!"
"What?! No, I - Have you been talking to Tessie!"
"Well… yes, a little…"

Tessie sneezed. Sayaka must be thinking of him, he thought dreamily.

"I mean - ugh!"

Taki and Yotsuha both laughed as Mitsuha continued cursing her friend. Taki had hoped the trip would be enough to trigger any flashbacks, but apart from the high school, the rest of Old Itomori was now underwater. The "cafe" Tessie and Mitsuha built was talking about was likely to be either serving the residents of the lake, or reduced to splinters by the meteor impact. Either way, coming to Itomori proved to be a fruitless endeavor, although it did give Taki a chance to meet with the rest of the family.

The continued moving closer to the edge of the lake, trying to get as close to their old home as possible. Being ground zero, it was long gone, along with Miyamizu shrine when the meteor struck. It was nearly noon when they reached the halfway point and decided to have a picnic at a cliff that overlooked the new half of the lake.

Yotsuha's presence did not deter Mitsuha from her original goal: Find out what on earth was Taki doing here.

"Me? I was drawing Itomori from my memories when your dad saw my drawing and decided I was to be the Lead Architect." Taki stated while chewing on a riceball. Hmm, this tastes familiar.

"You were drawing Itomori from your memories? You said you only came once, and after the meteor hit." Yotsuha observed.

"Hmm, yeah, but I visited an art gallery about Hida. I guess the paintings there resonated with me somehow? Ever since then I became really interested in Itomori."
"Can I see the picture then? I'll be the judge of your drawing skills"
"I don't have it with me right now. It's not as good, anyway."
"As good as what?"
"As the original. I know I have another drawing of Itomori I drew about 8 years ago when I first came, but I lost it ages ago. That drawing was good enough to be used to identify Itomori."
"So you do have some talents after all…"
"Thank yo- wait, I have many talents! I can cook, I can-"
"Oh, Mitsuha, Yotsuha?"

Hitoha appeared behind them, Toshiki following suit right behind her.

"Obaa-chan? Otou-san? What are you doing here?"
"Same as you, I guess. We wanted to take one last look at Itomori."
"One last look at Miyamizu shrine too… before…"

Mitsuha understood. Her father was here seeking forgiveness and closure, after all. Yotsuha leapt to her feet and assisted Hitoha with the approach to the cliffside while Mitsuha invited her father to sit down.

"Taki-kun, I hope the accommodations are to your liking?"
"They're satisfactory, Miyamizu-san. Thanks to your daughters I've made significant progress in my report. It will be ready by tomorrow."
"I see. Thank you. Let us hope for the future of Itomori."

Turning his attention to Mitsuha, Toshiki continued.

"Mitsuha, about why I asked your obaa-chan here."
"I know. Are you planning to visit her now?"

Sensing that he was intruding, Taki quickly excused himself and joined Yotsuha and Hitoha. The kindly grandmother smiled as he approached, her eyes twinkling mischievously as he too remembered their first conversation at Suga Shrine.

"Good to see you again, Taki-kun. I knew you were special when I first met you."
"You too, obaa-san. I never thought we'd meet again so soon, though."
"Fate works in mysterious ways, be it a meteor on your very own home and shrine, or a chance meeting at a staircase. This is Musubi, after all."
"Musubi again, obaa-chan?"

Hitoha laughed. "Of course, Yotsuha! It is what ties us together, even Taki-kun here. And it will be what moves us forward together."

Turning away from the lake, Hitoha retreated to the shade of a nearby tree, Yotsuha and Taki in tow.

"Toshiki and I will be making one final trip to our shrine in a bit."
"You're going diving?!"
"Not the public shrine, Yotsuha."
"Oh, the underworld?"
"Yes, Yotsuha. Taki-kun, I think it would be best if you came along too."

!
The underworld?

"Me? But… why?"
"Aren't you still chasing your dreams?"

!
She knew. She has been pushing us in the right direction all this time.

"I-Thank you, obaa-san!"
"No need, Taki-kun. After all, I'm also helping him chase his."

Hitoha gestured towards Toshiki, who has finished his discussion with Mitsuha and was making preparations to leave.

"His? But I thought…"
"Talking to you has made me realise many things, Taki-kun. My own mistakes, my own regrets. But above all, I regret not loving my family more. So I thank you, Taki-kun. For giving an old lady a chance to make amends. It is far more than I deserve."

Before he could speak, Toshiki and Mitsuha appeared by his side. It seems Mitsuha too had decided to follow them to the underworld.

"Are we ready? I'd like to finish this before sundown."
"Of course. I've invited Taki-kun along too, if that's alright with you."

Toshiki gave Taki a quick once over before shrugging.

"No arguments there. Let's go."

Toshiki led the way to the car, which was parked quite a distance away. Yotsuha tried in vain to start a conversation, but only Hitoha proved responsive. The remaining three were completely engrossed in their own thoughts.

"Mitsuha." Taki whispered.
"What?" Mitsuha whispered back.
"This is it, isn't it?"
"Yeah."

Taki paused. It all came down to this, although he still wasn't sure what on earth was going to happen. As the car made its way towards the mountain ranges, he reached for Mitsuha's hand as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Whatever happens, I'm glad to have met you."
"Me too. So stop talking like that, you're annoying me."

The trek up the hill towards the underworld was fraught with peril. At least, that was what Yotsuha hoped for. Instead, she was disappointed that the path as exactly as she remembered 8 years ago. Thankfully the present company was fun. Mitsuha stayed behind to help her father with something, so Yotsuha decided to go ahead with Hitoha first. She was just joking that grandma brought Taki along just so she had a strong, healthy young man to carry her up and down the mountain path, but she didn't expect Taki to actually take her words as a personal challenge.

As they trekked up the mountain, Hitoha on Taki's back, Yotsuha recalled the last time she came here. Come to think of it, Mitsuha was once as chivalrous as Taki was, offering grandma a ride up the exact same path on her shoulders. That act almost ended the Miyamizu bloodline right there and then. It was around that time that her sister's weirdness went through the roof. Not that Yotsuha minded, of course. Weird Mode Mitsuha was always doing all sorts of funny stuff to brighten things up in their boring old town. She once gave Yotsuha an entire week's worth of allowance to buy ice cream after Yotsuha admitted to eating her ice cream. For some reason, she looked really happy about spending money back then, despite being a notorious cheapskate. most of the time.

"Psst, Taki-sama."
"What is it?"
"Do you find sis...weird?"

"How can you say that about your sister, Yotsuha?" came Hitoha's voice from Taki's back.

"You know what I mean, obaa-chan!"
"Well I don't. I find her lovely and absolutely charming."
"Wow you're really laying on the compliments thick there."
"Well, when in doubt, always compliment the girl - !"

!
I don't have anxiety issues, damn it!

"I felt that." Hitoha whispered into Taki's ear.

You knew.

"That sensation… treasure it. Chase after it, Taki-kun." Hitoha continued quietly. "You never know if it will ever come back, but you know it's out there, waiting."

"Obaa-san… you came to Itomori for-"
"I came to Itomori because I wanted to. Just like you, and everyone else here. Even him."

Hitoha gestured towards their back, where Toshiki and Mitsuha could be seen hurrying up the path to catch up with them.

"This will do, Taki-kun. I'd like to stretch my legs a little.."
"Alright. I'm here if you need me."

Setting her down, Taki kept an eye on the sprightly grandmother as they continued their trek.

Before long, they had reached the rim of the crater. A wave of nostalgia overcame Taki - 8 years ago, he found himself sleeping here overlooking Lake Itomori with no memory of the previous day, except that faint sense of longing that has haunted him ever since. He had come full circle.

Mitsuha too found herself looking at the Lake, but something was off. Her mind was telling her to expect a gourd shaped Lake, but the view was strangely familiar rather than new. She didn't have much time to dwell on that, not since the rest had already started towards the center of the crater. Daylight hours were short in Itomori, and they were hoping to be able to return back to the car before last light.

If the atmosphere back at the remnants of Itomori was subdued, then the atmosphere here was suffocating. As the group shuffled towards the center of the crater, even Yotsuha found herself at a loss for words. Perhaps it was the culmination of a millennia of traditions, or perhaps it was the way everyone was walking, shoulder slumped as if dreaded this moment. Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the underworld. After a short break, everyone gathered around Toshiki as he made his annoucement.

"Toshiki. Are you ready?"
"...Yes."

Toshiki drew a purple object from his bag. Taki did not recognise it, although judging by the solemn expression the others were making it was important.

Turning to face the rest, Toshiki started unwrapping the cloth, revealing it to be a purple kimono with an intricate pattern sewn on it. Those patterns were strangely familiar, thought Taki, but before he could properly identify them, Toshiki unraveled the purple garment to reveal a small ceramic bottle...!

!
Wait, Kuchikamisake? What on earth is he...

As Taki struggled to make sense of the situation, Toshiki began to speak.

"Yotsuha, I don't know if you can recognise this, but-"
"That's mom, right?"
"All that's left of her, yes."
"And you're returning her..."
"To watch over Itomori, like she always wanted, with you and Mitsuha."
"Can I-?"
"Of course."

Yotsuha reached out for the bottle, taking it in her hands gently as the rest looked on. She barely knew her mother, having only spent a few short years with her before her untimely death. Yet she felt her eyes starting to water as she cradled the bottle, whispering softly to it as if it were a baby. After a moment, she then passed it to Mitsuha, who quietly murmured a prayer over it before handing it to Hitoha. Hitoha simply gave it a hug before, surprisingly, handing it over to Taki.

"Wait, I'm just an outsider here!"
"No you're not. You're helping to rebuild Itomori, and I'm sure Futaba would have loved to meet you and see your drawings. She always loved fine art."

Unable to decline, Taki humbly took the bottle from Hitoha, his mind racing. He felt the weight of the bottle, the significance behind it, as well as the eyes of the Miyamizu family on him. Murmuring a silent prayer, he quickly handed it back to Toshiki.

It was heavy... as if the liquid had a life of its own.

As Toshiki contemplated the bottle, Taki felt the familiar sensation overtaking him. This time in force.

"It is complete." Toshiki announced.

!
Complete!

"I will perform the ceremony on her behalf."

!
Complete! Two halves!

"This is your path to take, Toshiki, and yours alone."
"Yeah, we'll be there once you're done, Otou-san. Take all the time you need."
"Thank you. I won't be long."

Toshiki turned and entered the underworld with the Kuchikamisake. At long last, he would have honored Futaba. As the descended the stairs, Toshiki let the tears he had been suppressing flow freely. However, the pain he was bracing himself for did not come. No nightmares, no cold sweat. Instead, Toshiki only felt relief, as if a huge burden he had been carrying was finally off his shoulders.

!
Half! Half of her!

"Mitsuha!"
"Eh?"
"The Kuchikamisake!"
"Wha-?"

!
Half of Mitsuha!

In the darkness, Toshiki could barely make out the ancient shrine. He lifted the bottle to eye level, the words he never managed to convey spilling out as he reached the end of his journey with Futaba.

"Futaba… this is it. Wait for me, alright? I'll be with you soon…"

The shrine was just a few steps away now.

"Farewell, Futaba."
"This isn't farewell, Toshiki."

!
The Mitsuha that was in me!

"Mitsuha, I-"

"CLANG"

A horrible sound echoed from the cave. The unmistakable sound of an object shattering. Then, the ominous sound of silence. Everyone turned to stare at the cave entrance.

"Otou-san?" Yotsuha called out cautiously at first, before calling again in a much more urgent tone, "OTOU-SAN?!"

"Toshiki! Is everything alright?" Hitoha called after him, before starting towards the entrance. "TOSHIKI!"

Everyone hurried into the cave. Something was wrong. Pulling out his phone to illuminate the dark cave, they frantically searched for the source of the noise.

"Mitsuha, what's going on?" Taki asked, largely out of nerves.

"I don't know. I thought he was just going to do the offering ritual, but - OTOUSAN?!"

Laying spread eagled just before the shrine was an unconscious Toshiki Miyamizu. Beside him, the shattered remains of the Kuchikamisake bottle, its contents all over the floor. As they stared at the scene, the light illuminated the culprit located at Toshiki's foot - an object Taki recognised immediately.

His bag, forgotten and abandoned from 5 years ago, when he first stepped foot into Itomori.

^ That's the fourth wall.

SeconDreams here, I'm so sorry to be leaving you on a cliffhanger, but I'm sure you guys would have seen this coming, and can probably tell the ending from here. Or can you?

Anyway, spoiler alert: chapter 17 will be titled "Final Chapter: Ties that Bind", chapter 18 will simply be titled "Epilogue". Yup, 2 chapters left.

I'll try and save the rest of my thoughts to after I finish this fanfic, so if you guys happen to have any questions, please feel free to pm me or leave a review about it.

Lastly, I'm not sure if I should release the last 2 chapters together, or when I'm done writing one. Either way, for everyone following this, expect it to be done in 2 weeks at most.

I'll leave it at that for now, I'll have a proper monologue saved for after the fic ends.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this piece of work so far, and thank you for your support, reviews and favs.

Once again, thank you.

SeconDreams, 16/06/17