mission complete

2. earth

noki comes out of the other side of the portal. wait. it's a door now? and why is the ground wet? he looks around to see he made it right outside akios house. the sound of rain hitting the ground is loud yet calming. he stares at the door. he's about to knock then pulls himself away from the door. he steps out into the rain as droplets slowly go down his hair. he starts walking away from the house. the city changed within the last time he was there. it all went down three years ago. he died at 14. he walks as the memories flood his mind. he manages to make it to a cheap motel. he managed to get earth money as they call it. he manages to get a somewhat decent room. he locks the door and puts a couple of a chairs in front of it, making it safer to him. after locking the window and closing the blinds he sits on the bed. still wearing a white silky shirt with some comfortable white pants, he moves his body so that he's laying, pulling the covers over him. noki lays on the bed trying to get as comfortable as he can on the thin mattress, hearing springs pop up making him jump slightly. he eventually falls asleep.
   The next morning he wakes up to see the sun pour through the blinds. he sits up rubbing his eyes. he hasn't experienced sleeping like that in a long time, he didn't need sleep in the afterlife. he gets up and starts getting his stuff together.
   "i might need a phone." he murmurs. he makes the bed and gets his stuff together scanning around the room for anything he might be missing. once satisfied he grabs his bag and his pocket watch stuffing it into his pocket and putting his bag on his shoulders. walking towards the door, he removes the chair, unlocks the door, and goes on his way. he stops by the office to give the key back and continues walking.
    "maybe some new clothes as well." he says as if he's talking to someone else. while walking he comes across a store. the store where he and akio went to almost every time they got their weekly allowance. walking in he's hit with that smell of a store that he still couldn't figure out. he walks right over the area where clothes are folded on shelves and hanging from hangers. skimming through the clothes. he finds a few things. grabbing them off the racks. he walks over to the cashier and gets checked out. before leaving he walks to the bathroom to change. before he makes it to one of the stalls he sees himself in the mirror. he's pale. very pale. his eyes are still bluish green but with a grey transparency coated over them.
    "disgusting." he walks into the stall and quickly changes shoving his old clothes into his bag. leaving the bathroom he takes one last look in the mirror. disgusted with his look he walks out of the bathroom and outside. he walks down the path he and akio took to school all of the time. halfway to the school and bumps into someone.
     "sorry" he mutters. looking up he sees someone he wasn't expecting to. a wave of anxiety hits him. he feels heart beating faster and faster. he feels a thin layer of sweat about to cover his face.
      "oh it's alright." the person says with a soft smile. noki keeps looking at the other person as he feels his stomach drop. he opens his mouth to speak.
       "akio?"