Spring is coming.

There's always been something about it. A certain peace at seeing the beauty and life come alive. But always lingering, somewhere deep inside me, lay a quiet simmering melancholy. Like something was painfully achingly missing but I could never quite place it. No matter what I did, I could never quite make the feeling go away.

Then, on a chance day at school over a rooftop lunch, I met you. All of a sudden, the little missing pieces; the hole in my chest that I hadn't known existed, started to fill in. You reminded me of something. I didn't know what it was then, but I think I do now. Your eyes, so full of life, sparkling with mischief. A teasing voice followed by a huff of laughter. A somehow achingly familiar smile. Too many little things started filtering into my mind, seeming like memories I had somehow forgotten. Things that felt so precious I could never hope or wish to lose them. It wasn't right away, but I started to realize what it, this familiarity, this comfort was.

It was the face of somebody. Someone. A past life and love. A life cut tragically short. But now here you are… standing here with me. Healthy. Happy. With an energy and an easy joy I had believed I would never see again.

It's the moment I've been waiting for all my life.

I remember.

You, Okita Souji. Now standing next to me on the damp grass peeking through thin white powder. Above us, trees gently shake water from their branches and clouds roll through the sky as new life begins to blossom anew. Blossom anew indeed, for here you are, breathing and alive through a miracle of no sickness and no pain. Only joy and love and a hope for the future remaining beyond the sorrows of the past, tied together with a bond of fate between us that holds so strong not even death can tear it apart.

And now here we stand, together, watching green leaves and pale buds slowly poke through melting snow. The flowers will bloom soon. The harsh cold air of winter will be chased away by warm winds and beautiful colors. They seem to be brighter this year.

I release a breath. My eyes meet yours; endless emerald depths that are far too easy to get lost in. You smile. I take your hand. You are here.

The heavy weight in my heart seems to lift a little lighter each day.

.

.

.

Spring is coming. But this time I don't have to face it alone.