๐™จ๐™š๐™ซ๐™š๐™ฃ | โ ๐™ฌ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ'๐™จ ๐™ฎ๐™ค๐™ช๐™ง ๐™ฃ๐™–๐™ข๐™š? โž

_________ ื‚ื‚เซขเผ‹เผ˜เฟ

It had been twelve years since the comet had crashed into Itomori. He now had a short black and wore a black tank top with a half-buttoned sweater. He stares at his palm, standing at the train station as he did on that day. His bike was currently at the repair shop because it broke down, so he used the train station.

He stares out the train window, the sun warming half of his face as the train slowly comes to a stop. It announced its destination repeatedly as some people got up and left the train. He was about to look away and pull out his phone, but something caught his eye. He saw a woman with (H/c) hair and (H/l) walking by, her hand going through her hair as she wore a braided bracelet.

His eyes widened, and he didn't hesitate to rush out, earning a few eyes full of people. But when he looked around, she disappeared. His tense shoulders sagged as he looked to the side.

"I'm always searching for something. This feeling possessed me somewhere along the way."

Later on the day, Mikey and a group of people found themselves clapping and smiling at an event. He had attended Pah-chin and his fiancee's wedding as one of his best men, proud of his friend for attaining the happiness he deserved. He'd go up to tease his friend and congratulate him for the achievement before going around and talking to everyone.

This was the second wedding he had gone to; Emma and Draken were the first, and soon, Takemichi and Hina were going to be the third.

In the evening, after the party ended, Mikey, Emma, and Draken decided to stop by the cafe they always go to to get a cup of tea. Sipping his cup, Mikey watched his brother-in-law and sister talking to each other with happy smiles. He noticed Emma placing a hand on her stomach, a little bump showing her pregnancy.

"How many weeks is the kid again?" Mikey decided to bring it up, knowing how that'll enjoy Emma for forgetting quickly. Heaving a sigh, she smiled. "About eight weeks. Why?" The ravenette just shrugged, a smirk forming. "Nothing. I'm just going to make sure that I'll be their favorite out of you."

"You wish."

"It'll happen; just wait!"

He felt his phone vibrate on the table and picked it up to see a new message.

"Maybe I'm searching for a person or a place. Maybe I'm just looking for a comfortable life. I'm not sure, myself."

Mikey had made his way to his eldest brother's motor shop, entering as the entrance bell indicated. Shinichiro was seen walking out; a smile was embraced when he saw his younger brother. "Hey, how was the wedding?"

"Pretty fun, shoved Pah's face in his cake plate and almost caused a scene."

"That's normal for you, though."

Shinichiro let out an exasperated laugh, nudging his head to the side. "C'mon, almost done fixin' her up." Stepping into the shop's garage, the male was met with his old bike. Despite its age, people would assume if it was recently bought or it was a new model due to its mint condition, well, besides now. The tension bolts and chains had to be replaced.

Mikey watched his older brother work from a stool, eyes fixated on Shinichiro's entire face. He's watched him repair many bikes these past years, but he can't help but be fascinated every time he does. He heard Shinichiro let out a low hum, catching his attention as he spoke. "You said something?"

"Oh, no, I suddenly remembered Itomori and how we went there once, right?" Mikey's posture was straightened; thoughts of that event recall in his mind vaguely. "You were in high school back then, so it must have been..."

"Ten years." Mikey filled in the blanks. Shinichiro placed his tools down and glanced over his shoulder with raised brows. "That many?" He turned back around, returning to work. "Man, I forget all sorts of things." Shinichiro let out a sad sigh. "I miss my twenties... and I'm still a damn virgin. Takeomi, Waka, and Benkei were right, dammit..." Mikey let out a small chuckle, his smile fading when he began staring into space.

'There's not much I remember from back then, either. I spent the night alone on some mountain. I came back to Tokyo alone, without my two siblings and friends. Maybe we had a fight? That's about all I remember.'

The evening soon darkened as the once busy streets began to calm down. Mikey waved his brother goodbye, both walking their separate ways. The ravenette placed his hands in his pockets, resuming his earlier thoughts. 'But at one point, I had a weird obsession with events surrounding that comet.'

He looked up at the town's billboard, seeing its blasting images of Itomori's destroyed city and its remembrance. 'Half a comet destroyed a town in that disaster.' He watched the old footage of the news covering it. An emergency helicopter had reached its destination, opening its doors to spot a group of the townspeople at the high school. 'But miraculously, almost all the residents were unhurt. The entire town happened to be holding an emergency drill, and most of the locals had already been evacuated from the impact zone.'

He turned his head away and continued to the station, passing by a window full of newspaper clippings of the Itomori's events, retelling, and interviews written on the papers. 'After such an insane coincidence, rumors about the event popped up everywhere. I intently read those articles back then.'

Returning home to a cramped apartment, Mikey reread the Itomori articles, his chin resting against his left palm. 'What caught my interest so much is now a mystery to me. I didn't even know anybody in that town.' Placing his phone down, he leaned against the backrest of his chair; a sigh heaved out.

But then, he lifted his right hand and stared at his palm. He pursed his lips, a frown almost etching.

"I'm always searching. For someone, or something."

The TV played mindlessly in the background a laugh track can be heard along with clapping. Mikey felt himself become bored. His restaurant was permanently closed on Sundays, meaning he could stay up as much as he wanted and relax for the day. Deciding to do something, he got up from his seat, turned off the TV, grabbed an umbrella due to the light raining outside, and went out on a walk as the pitter-patter of the rain rushed down on the protective cover.

Mikey felt his feet drag themselves to the local cafe he always liked and decided; why not? Entering and ordering a hot coffee, he received his drink in a matter of a few minutes and sat down on one of the lone chairs against the window,

He went through his phone, texting one of his friends while sipping his cup.

"Y'know, I'd like to go to at least one more bridal fair." A girlish voice spoke behind him. Mikey felt himself pausing on whatever he was doing. For some reason, her voice sounded familiar yet so different. Maybe she was a local customer or possibly one of his co-workers. He heard someone let out a sigh. "They're all the same." That voice. He felt a familiarity with it too. It sounded tomboyish. "I want to look at a Shinto-style ceremony." The high-pitch voice suggested while the other girl sighed. "You said you wanted a wedding in a chapel."

The high-pitched girl let out a hum, drinking her tea. "Oh, and Sadako." The hell? Why did he feel himself turning wide-eyed at that name? He doesn't even know anyone named Sadako, and yet he's reacting so dramatically. "You should cut your bangs. They're going to go past your eyelids at this point. I'll lose a few pounds for you, 'kay?"

The woman, Sadako, rose a brow at her fiancee and grumbled. "But you're eatin' cake." Her fiancee paused, her mouth still open while the cake was waiting on the fork. She hastily placed the fork down and giggled timidly. "I'll start tomorrow."

Mikey heard their chairs squeak, quickly turning around to only be met with their backs. He watched the short girl wrap her arms around Sadako's, her head leaning against it as they exited the building and thanked the employee.

It didn't take long for Mikey to start his journey home. The rain continued to pour. It looked like it was going to rage throughout the night. Pulling the umbrella over his head and opening it, he walked along the sidewalk until he reached a bridge. A few citizens passed by, all holding umbrellas or hoods on. The click of heel boots sounded in the quiet area as a woman held her phone against her ear with her right hand, listening to the caller talk.

Mikey and her pass each other, but what makes Mikey stop is a small chime coming from her. Nothing stood out of place for him, glancing over his shoulder, but the passerby was hurrying home. He turned around and resumed walking. Unaware of him, the woman stopped moving the moment he turned around. She glanced over her shoulder, doing the same thing he did.

Her eyes landed on his figure, but nothing came of it as she turned around and went along with her night.

Mikey lay in his spacious bed, staring at the ceiling for how long. 'Why does something like this wring my heart so?' He turned to his side, now facing his wall. 'Babal pieces of scenery in a town that no longer exists.' He turned to his side, now facing his wall.

_________ ื‚ื‚เซขเผ‹เผ˜เฟ

A few days had passed.

Mikey woke up from his slumber; the accustomed tears that flow every morning appeared once more as he sat from his bed and stared at his palm. The mysterious woman from before had also been dealing with this dilemma, sitting on the edge of her bed and staring at her palm.

He and the woman had gotten ready for the day, putting on their work clothes and heading out the door. Locking the door, Mikey turned his body around and couldn't help but capture the land's beauty in front of him. He ripped his gaze away from the scenery and headed to the train station to meet up with his brother and friends.

The woman arrives at the station, places her entry card against the scanner, and pushes herself through the security gates. They both arrive at their respective trains. They look out the window to watch the other trains fly by and see the buildings of Tokyo. The woman had earphones on, the music playing lowly while pressing her hand against the train's door window.

A train had reached her train's pace. She didn't think much of it, glancing at the figure that shadowed her. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. Her heart rate began picking up. Mikey felt like someone was looking at him as he looked back at the woman. Their faces held astonishment and bewilderment. He nearly felt himself let out an audible gasp.

The woman (Y/n), and the man, Mikey, felt lost in each other's gaze.

"I was always searching..."

It was them. They both found each other.

"Searching..."

The trains began departing from each other. Mikey pressed his hands against the glass, almost as if trying to reach out to her. But his view was blocked when the train started approaching the station, and instead, he was staring at a wall.

"for someone!"

As their trains arrive at their stopping point, they rush through the crowds of people, ignoring the angered looks they receive, and start running out to the outside world. Shinichiro, Draken, and a new friend, Inupi, were waiting for the ravenette to show up to tell him they had fixed his bike into mint condition.

They noticed his figure approaching the station entrance and went to greet him; instead, he sprinted past them. They share odd looks, wondering what he's doing as the male shots his head around and runs around, hoping to find her somewhere in the city.

(Y/n) was currently running at the side of a highway, catching her breath. She found herself in a secluded neighborhood, rain puddles glistening the streets as she looked around and to her right. Mikey, too, had reached the area she was in, looking at the two paths in front of him. He took in deep breaths, glancing at the two before turning left.

His sandals hit against the puddles, wetting his ankles. (Y/n) felt herself almost tripping a few times due to running in her new heels. Their running and adrenaline continued, turning to their lefts and rights until they reached a stairway. They abruptly stop. There, they stood. (Y/n), at the top, and Mikey was at the bottom, both just looking at each other.

A thought rushed through the woman's mind. 'Could this be...?' A wave of disappointment waved through her when she saw Mikey's face contort. She watches him climb his way up the stairs, avoiding her eyes. She decided to do the same, staring at the ground and descending.

They pass each other, feeling embarrassed about that whole ordeal. (Y/n) felt herself tear up. Why? Just why is she feeling this way? Ever since the evacuation of Itomori, she's been longing for something--someone. Each time she thought she had found the answer, she was right at the beginning. Lost in her thoughts, Mikey had reached the top, stopping himself from going away.

He thought about how his shoulder approached this. Should he call out to her? Should he not? It was embarrassing enough as it was, running around for someone whose somewhere else now. But then again, should he call her, she could be the answer to this longing.

Pursing his lips, he turns his body around and shouts. "Excuse me!" He could see her visibly tense and stop moving, a gasp letting out. He swallowed. "Haven't we met?" (Y/n) slowly turned around, the tears still edging her eyes as they shined. She clutched her chest, a warm smile brightening the area as the tears--relieved--- flowed. "I thought so, too!" Her voice croaked, and she sent a closed-eyed smile.

Mikey felt a wave of happiness flow within him. The happiness he was searching for. And he found it. It was her. Tears cascaded down his cheeks, and a chuckle let out. But one thing's for sure, they both had one question in mind:

"What's your name?"
"What's your name?"

_________ ื‚ื‚เซขเผ‹เผ˜เฟ

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