CHAPTER 20

By the time you read this I will have made the journey to the Cliff of Rebirth. I want to move on, and do it alone. I'm sorry for being so sudden about this, but I don't want a big fancy sendoff party or tearful long goodbye. I've made my peace with everyone. I've conquered all the games and met all the goals I desired. Please don't be mad, please don't dwell on your grief. Just be joyful knowing that I have lived a full life as myself now, and I look forward to whatever's next. Thank you for being my afterlife mother. To you and to all the friends I made here, I love you forever. — Akiho

The three of them continued to stare at the letter, laid out on the kitchen counter, wrinkled by Erina's clenched fist and dampened by falling teardrops.

"How could she do that..." sniffled Erina. "Just so inconsiderate of her to just go without telling anybody..."

"She said she was sorry..." Sota muttered, his own eyes welling up.

Kari sighed. "Maybe her soul really was at peace, but... it was a fragile kind of peace... and seeing other people crying over her would've disrupted that peace she had? That's the only explanation I've got."

"I just found out... Oh crap, what happened here?" Hana suddenly appeared in the entryway to the apartment.

"Akiho... Eri-sama's daughter... passed from this world," Kari softly replied. "Nobody knew that she was gonna leave."

Hana was stunned for a few seconds. "What? ... How is that possible? She just say some magic words and disappear?"

Erina looked up and wiped her eyes. "There are three exit points in this world. One is the Eternity Pier at Spirit Bay. Another is Sunset Island out west. The last one is the Cliff of Rebirth on the side of Mount Maeda, the tallest mountain here. They all have huge gateways of dazzling light, and when someone is done with this world, they pass through one of the gateways and just vanish, never to be seen again, moving on to... whatever's next."

"And she really was done? It wasn't, like, an accident?"

"She left a note, see for yourself." Erina passed the weathered piece of paper to Hana. "The Mystics told me the gateways were put in place so that no one would just automatically or accidentally pass on once their souls were rectified. They know when people leave this world, and any legal guardians they had are notified instantly."

"I... had no idea..." Hana stared blankly at the note.

"The Mystics also said that if you reach the hundred-year limit, you suddenly get consumed by some kind of black fog on the spot. They say it's painless and you're not being punished, but I imagine it would still be awkward to those around you."

Hana put the note down and hugged Erina. "I'm sorry you had to go through this."

"Thank you for your concern. I'll be fine." Erina started for the door. "I need to go back home and gather her things."

"If there's anything we can do for you, please let us know!" Kari interjected.

"I will, thanks," Erina replied. "See you later."

The mood was somber and subdued as the Nakamuras gathered around a hot pot for dinner.

"I didn't really know Akiho that well," Hana muttered, "but... I haven't felt like this since I found out Uchi-kun drowned."

"At least when someone passes from this world, it's painless and it's always because they want to," Kari chimed in. "But it's still sad for their friends and all."

"I hope Eri-sama is okay." Sota stared at the game controller that Akiho used to play games with him.

A few seconds of silence followed. Then Kari spoke up. "Hey, I just thought of this... maybe in a few weeks or so... how about we ask Erina to adopt US? We don't have any issues with her, she's been nothing but kind and friendly and very helpful, she'd make an excellent mother to us! What do you say?"

"I like that idea!" Hana replied.

"Yes! That would be awesome!" Sota chimed in.

"And I think we should go back to our kid selves and hold off on adult stuff for a few years."

"Whoa. I object." Hana got up from the table. "Look, I love Eri-sama, she's been like a fun mother to us, but she can still be a mother to me in adult or teen mode!"

"But I want us to still be kids for a little longer, and not deal with boy attraction or any of that stuff!"

"What's wrong with that? There's nothing wrong with being in love with each other! Uchi-kun and I love each other and we don't-" Hana froze upon the realization that she spilled the beans.

"Hah! So you're finally admitting it!" Kari jumped up from her chair and pointed at her. "You're boyfriend-girlfriend!"

"Wait, what? I... I was gonna tell you eventually!" Hana stammered.

"You can't hide stuff like that from me forever, missy! Besides, it's been quite obvious to me for weeks now! We shouldn't be dating boys right now anyway..."

"What are you talking about? Did you forget what world we're in? We're not gonna make babies. There's no diseases."

"Hana-chan! How did you know about..."

"As a matter of fact, Uchi-kun and I already got hot and heavy with each other. Many times now!"

"That was uncalled for!" Kari grabbed Hana's cell phone and waved it in her face. "You go and break up with him NOW!"

"Hana! Kari! Stop!" Sota jumped up from his seat.

"You're being crazy!"

"No. This has gone on long enough. We're going back to the body-mod place and getting our kid bodies back!"

"You're not gonna force me to do anything! I like who I am now!"

"I'M the one in charge here!"

"Nobody's in charge! You're not my mother! Read my lips... I REFUSE."

"Hana! Kari! Please don't fight!" Sota yelled. His protest would prove futile, as Kari viciously slapped Hana.

Suddenly, the two bickering girls fell silent, and stared aimlessly at each other.

Several seconds passed. Kari and Hana appeared to be frozen in time.

Sota fell into a panic. "Kari-chan! Hana-sama!" he called to them tearfully. "SPEAK TO MEEE!"

"What... just happened..." Kari muttered.

"Yeah, what's going on... did I blank out?" Hana suddenly noticed her brother's agonized, tear-stained face. "Sota-kun, what's wrong?"

"Kari just hit you..." Sota could barely get the words out.

Hana stared at Kari in shock for a few seconds, then stormed into her bedroom, slamming the door.

"Onee-chan... why are you..." Sota stopped and rubbed his watering eyes.

"Sota-kun, I'm sorry... I'm sorry you had to see that... whatever that was..." Kari rushed over to Sota and hugged him. "We just got into a fight, you know that's happened before. I'm sure..."

Her statement was interrupted by the sound of a door flying open and Hana rushing over to the front door with two stuffed shopping bags. "I'm leaving."

"Hana-ch-"

"Don't come any closer to me. Just LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE."

Another door slam later, Kari and Sota were the only two left in the apartment. Sota clamped his arms around Kari's waist and cried on her shoulder.

I want to go after her, but... I guess I'll give her some time, Kari thought.

A loud banging on the door interrupted Uchiro's game.

He paused the game, set the controller down and opened the door to find a weary, softly sobbing Hana and her bags crammed with clothes. "Hana-chan? What happened?"

"Uchi-kun... can I stay here for the night?"

"Um... sure... I hope you don't mind the mess..."

"Thank you." Hana entered the apartment, dropped the bags and buried her tear-stained face in Uchiro's chest.

"Family trouble?" Uchiro asked as he rubbed Hana's back and stroked her hair.

"Kari's being so STUPID right now," Hana blubbered. "I don't know if I want to live with her anymore."

"Well... as you can see, my apartment is tiny. Just a living space and a bathroom. And one bed... are... you okay with us sleeping together? It'll just be sleeping, I promise."

"I'm... fine with that. Let me go get changed." Hana dug into one of her bags, pulled some clothes out and lumbered into the bathroom.

Uchiro nervously sat back down in front of his TV and resumed his game. I have a girl staying with me tonight. She's probably naked right now in the bathroom. Those sudden thoughts almost disrupted his concentration.

A few minutes later he was joined by Hana, who was now wearing a yellow tank top and black shorts. She inserted herself into the covers on the bed.

"Twilight Princess?"

"Yeah... it's amazing how some of these games and consoles managed to get copied in this world. Did you want to play something?"

"No thanks. I'll just watch you for now."

Uchiro focused back on the game. An hour went by. He turned and noticed that Hana was silent and still. She's asleep, huh... I guess the honorable thing to do would be to let her have the bed and sleep on the floor, he thought. He turned off the game, tucked in Hana and curled up by the TV.

"Uchi-kun?" a soft voice came from the bed a few minutes later. "You can climb in next to me. I won't bite."

"I... I'm fine."

"Please? It's cold in here. I don't want you to get sick."

"Okay." Uchiro got up. "If you insist." He crawled under the covers and turned his back to Hana.

As he spent the next few minutes drifting off to sleep he felt an arm on top of his waist and warmth on his back. Then the back of his neck felt Hana's warm breath. He tensed up for a second. Then, realizing she was really asleep, he relaxed.

She must think I'm a teddy bear, Uchiro thought in his last conscious moment that night. I guess I'm okay with that.