Greywing

Reki's World
Prayer
Final Chapter
Original Air Date: 12-18-02

It is still nighttime in Guri. The New Year's celebrations have ended and everyone is asleep in the guestroom except Reki. She covers Dai up before she leaves. She stands in the doorway and as she does, her halo fades in and out. She says goodbye and walks out. Rakka is awakened by the door closing.

Rakka walks up to Reki's room and enters without even knocking. The light switch doesn't work so she uses Reki's lighter to see around. She looks all around for Reki and she hears some shuffling in another room. She opens the door and the lighter goes our. She relights it shoked to see that the entire room is painted. Reki asks why Rakka is there and she appologizes for intruding. Reki laughs and says that Rakka will never change. Rakka asks about the room and Reki says that it was the dream inside her coccon. She recalled every detail about the dream, how she felt, what she heard, everything, including how she wanted to become a pebble so she wouldn't feel pain or sadness. Reki opens a window which lets light into the room and Rakka puts away the lighter. She remembers what the Haibane Renmei gave her and tries to give it to Reki saying that it contains her real name. Reki refuses to take it because there is no salvation for her. Rakka tries to force it on her so she can end her bad dream. Reki turns around and takes the box hesitantly. She opens it and reads the letter inside.

The letter was from Washi telling the story of a young girl named Reki who had very bad luck and lost those who could help her and her values. She became known as 礫 (Reki) meaning pebble. But Reki also can mean to tear people apart. The box slides from her hands and she drops it in shock. Rakka picks up the little nameboard that was in the box and goes into disbelief seeing that 轢 is written on the board. Reki's body begins to quiver and her halo fades in and out. She breaks herself free and falls towards the ground with the blackness of her wings growing. Her memory becomes clear. She was run over and the path was a path of steel that carries things. It was there she threw away her life. Rakka tries to talk to Reki. She stands up and begins talking about how she thought she was a good haibane, but that was all a joke. To her, the city was a prison, the wall meant death, and her room was a cocoon. She feels like she'll never get out of this room, that she waited 7 years for help that never came. She flashes back to several scenes: she leaving Old Home, she and Hyoko meeting, Hyoko helping Reki get over the wall resulting in pain for the both of them, she bring kicked out of the abandoned factory.

Reki lay on the ground. She felt betrayed by everyone, so she stopped believing and then she became a pebble so she wouldn't get hurt. She laughs because she was able to make everyone believe she was a good haibane when she closed her heart and pretended to be nice when inside, her heart was filthy. Rakka begins to cry. She doesn't believe anything Reki says because she seemed so nice to her. Reki begins to talk about how jealous she was of Rakka and how she never saw how jealous she was because even though Rakka was born with sin, she was forgiven. She feels that she is always left behind. Even when Kuu left, she was jealous and she despised herself. Rakka covers her ears and tries to tune out all that Reki says because of all the nice things she did for her and how much she cared. She asks Rakka why did she think she did that and she explains that it was only a show so she could be forgiven. She drives Rakka almost insane and she begins to tell Rakka that she didn't need to exist, that when she found her cocoon, she was hoping to gain Rakka's trust so that she could use her. She said that it was her mistake and begins yelling that if Rakka understands, she should get out. Scared, Rakka exits without saying a word, only releasing a single tear. Inside the room, Reki comes to the conclusion that in no way would she have had a chance. Rakka stands outside the door with her back to it crying. She crouches down and refuses to believe anything that Reki said was true.

Reki hears a sound like a train and figures that nows the time for her to disappear. Reki's inner child comes to her telling her how Rakka came to help her but Reki says that she has no right to ask for help. Her inner child asks if it's bad for her even to ask for help. She slowly begins to turn grey and Reki tells her to stop. She asks her if she's afraid to trust anybody and she falls to her knees crumbling away. Reki can barely look and shaking her head, she says she doesn't want to be betrayed anymore. She explains that no matter how much she waited, no one came to help her. Her inner child explained that she never asked for help and that's why she never got any. Reki knows what she says is true and can't bear it saying she was afraid no one would come, even if she did ask. Then, she would find out that she was really alone. Her inner child begins to crumble more and just as she finishes crumbling away, Reki tries to hug her, but it's too late.

Reki hears the sound again and looks towards the wall where a light is coming towards her. Outside, Rakka is still outside the door trying to not believe anything Reki said. Wind blows into the room and uncovers the painting of Kuramori. She walks over to the easel and looks at it saying she wants to believe Reki, but she has doubts. She notices something behind the easel: Reki's diary. It contains her true thoughts especially the happy times. One entry caught Rakka's attention. It was written after Reki found Rakka cocoon. She wrote about how happy she was to actually find one. How God made her find it, how she'll be really nice, and also how just like Kuramori, she would always be with it. Also, how she would become a good haibane. Rakka remembers Reki from when she was in her cocoon. She flashes back to the time she was in the cocoon. Reki introduces herself and talks about how happy she is. She explains some things to Rakka inside the cocoon in hopes to ease her after she hatches. She says that she'll always be with her and she will protect her. Rakka comes to the conclusion that Reki really was always with her ever since the beginning and she makes it her goal to become the bird that saves Reki.

She walks to the door and opens it and winds blow out from it. She calls for Reki and finds her laying on the steel path. she tries to go to her but Reki's inner child grabs a tight hold of her saying that Reki can't hear her. However, Rakka still calls for her. Reki stands up on the path and her inner child explains that Reki will disappear in this room. Rakka disagrees saying that Reki wants her help. She again calls for her begging to call back to her saying that she needs her. However, Reki doesn't hear. She stands there shaking as a black blob with a light in the center comes out of the wall towards her. She whispers "Rakka" as it approaches. She begins to cry and she finally says "Help me," and her inner child shatters with a bright light. Rakka looks inside her hand and sees the nameplate has shattered. She hears the noise and looks to see Reki about to be consumed. Rakka calls out Reki's name and dashes to save her.

Reki comes back to conciousness and sees Rakka passed out. She crawls over to her and wakes her. Rakka looks up at Reki and says that she's glad. Suddenly, Reki breaks out into tears for the first time and thanks Rakka. They sit against the wall and Reki wonders if she was forgiven. Rakka looks into her hand and sees that the nameplate is whole again and it has Reki written as 礫 and they are both shocked to see the name has changed again. Washi's voice narrates the rest of the letter saying that if a bird came to Reki's aid her old name would be replaced with her real name meaning pebble while Reki locks the door giving the key to Rakka and Rakka points out that Reki's wings are once again unspotted.

Reki and Rakka say their goodbyes to one another hoping to meet again. Reki requests that Rakka close her eyes since it's tradition that when the day of parting comes, the haibane just suddenly disappears. She closes her eyes and Reki is gone with only a trail of footsteps in the snow left behind. Washi narrates the new story of a girl named Reki who ridded herself of her curse by being nice to other. At first, it was just a show, but then it became her true nature. The older haibane wake up and they look to the western woods where a column of light goes into the sky. In the end, Reki is a blessed haibane. At the abandoned factory, Hyoko has stopped trying to hide the features that physically make him a haibane. Midori asks if he wants to look at the western sky, but he says he already got his reply. However, Midori feels differently. She has a lemon cake Reki made for him but he refuses to take it. Because he's being slow, she gets frustrated setting the cake on his halo ans asking what colour lemons are. He becomes shocked one he figures it out.

Rakka finishes the narration explaining how they went into the western woods and said their goodbyes smiling, like they knew this would happen. They prayed at the worship hall and retuned to Old Home where life goes on as normal but missing one person. Reki left many paintings, many happy and beautiful ones showing that Reki did love the city and Old Home. Winter comes to an end and Rakka wanders around Old Home. In one room, she finds two cocoon spouts side-by-side and she runs off excitedly to tell the others and get help in the same manner Reki did when she found Rakka's cocoon. Finally, she says that she'll never forget Reki.

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