Chapter 12: Their Last Bond
Tokyo was alive that night.
The Sumida River Festival was in full bloom—streets buzzing with color, vendors shouting through the evening air, and thousands of people crowding the riverside with glowing lanterns and paper fans in hand. But none of that noise reached the rooftop where Kyoshi sat.
He wasn't alone.
Hikari stood beside him, the wind moving through her ghostly hair, her pale form glowing softly in the moonlight.
Her smile was real.
"I can't believe we're really here," she said, watching the crowd below.
Kyoshi handed her a paper fan—not that she could hold it, but it made her smile anyway. "This was the last one, wasn't it?"
She nodded slowly. "Our final promise. To watch the fireworks together."
He leaned back on his hands, gazing up at the inky sky. "I've never been to a festival with someone before. Not really."
"You have now," she said gently.
The first firework launched into the air.
A shrieking whistle.
A heartbeat.
Then—boom.
Light exploded across the sky. Golden sparks rained down like stars.
Kyoshi didn't look away.
And for a moment, neither did Hikari.
The fireworks reflected in her eyes. And for the first time, she didn't look like a ghost.
She looked alive.
"Kyoshi?" she asked, her voice softer than ever.
He turned to her. "Yeah?"
"When the sparks are gone… and the sky turns dark again… will you remember this?"
"Every second," he said.
She smiled.
Another firework bloomed overhead—crimson, violet, gold.
The wind picked up.
Hikari's form flickered slightly.
Kyoshi's throat tightened. "When will you leave?"
She turned toward him fully now, her expression calm… accepting.
And said, with a soft smile:
"Until the last spark."
Kyoshi looked back at the sky, the lights fading one by one, each firework burning its moment before vanishing.
He held onto her gaze.
Held onto her presence.
Held onto the silence that followed every boom, every burst, every shimmer.
Then the finale came—a storm of light, fire and thunder exploding in the sky like a heartbeat let loose.
He didn't look away.
He watched every last spark.
And when the final one faded into black…
She was gone.
No sound.
No goodbye.
Just the warmth she left behind.
The rooftop was quiet again.
Kyoshi sat alone.
But not empty.
He looked down at the fan in his hand, then up at the sky once more.
He whispered into the dark:
"Until the last spark… and even after."