Above the Clouds

Ichiro wondered if it would start raining.

It had been a week since he last spoke to Izumi in person, but the memory of their encounter remained vivid in his mind. Those were the last direct words he heard from her. In class on Monday morning, he thought he could corner her and find out what was happening. However, every attempt to talk to her was met with indifference. She would skillfully maneuver around him, offering a polite “sorry, didn't see you there,” or simply ignored him and left.

Even when they were alone in the classroom, with Izumi sitting at her desk, casually gazing out the window at gathering clouds, she steadfastly refused to engage in conversation with him.

Feeling frustrated with the lack of progress, Ichiro turned to Hina for answers, but faced similar obstacles. She would cling to him, providing the illusion of openness, but as soon as he broached the subject, what happened on the Ferris wheel, she would deflect, change the topic, or retreat to her seat in a timid manner. No useful information there.

So many days had passed with an unusual silence in Ichiro’s typically bustling life. That was, until one night, he found himself unable to study any longer. He absentmindedly scrolled through his phone, ending on Lime and how in the past week he had sent roughly 10 messages to Izumi. All of them received and read, none of them responded to.

Gritting his teeth and feeling at his wit’s end, he typed out one more message. “I want you to meet me here. Just the two of us.” Without hesitation, he pressed send. Then he added a subway stop afterward.

Several seconds went by, as Ichiro watched the unchanging screen, before giving up and setting the phone down. No longer after he had let go of it had it chimed for the first time in what felt like forever. On the home screen was a single word response.

“Fine”

***

With a mix of anticipation and trepidation, Ichiro waited at the designated location, occasionally shifting his gaze upward to the darkening skies. Suddenly, amongst all the other sounds of the bustling street, he heard a soft sound.

Behind him was a soft rhythm of metallic clicks. Turning around, he saw Izumi directly behind him, almost as if she was waiting in line for something. Her head lay to the side with a dejected look to her eyes.

The forlorn look in her eyes was completely betrayed by her bright and colorful outfit. Her simple long sleeve top with a black tank top over it had a cute cartoon cat smile in defiance of her frown. Even her pleated pink skirt reflected against her downcast eyes.

Her hair being held back on each side with vibrant pink clips was just the icing on the cake that made Ichiro have to hold in a chuckle at how goofy she looked to him. He was about to start the pleasantries he was accustomed to, but Izumi cut him off by pivoting her wheels around him.

“Let’s just get going already.”

Watching her push herself forward slowly, Ichiro was only slightly surprised that she hadn’t given him some haughty reaction about her being late and him being willing to wait there forever for her. But she had been so reserved and silent this past week, he was more surprised she showed at all, let alone just a couple of minutes late.

Shrugging the cold shoulder in response with a soft smile, he followed along behind her. He tried once to walk alongside her, but as soon as she did, she slowed down and put some distance between him again. So he too slowed down. Without warning, she suddenly sped forward, keeping the same distance, though now in front of him again. Seeing how things were going, he kept his distance just short enough to be close, but not enough for her to react.

The crowd was thicker than usual, even for a Sunday. Izumi had to pause several times, allowing people to pass by, until she found a clear path to move forward. Occasionally, distracted individuals would collide with her chair, jolting her. Most would apologize upon realizing their mistake, but a few would berate her for being in their way. However, she skillfully ignored them and continued pushing forward, and thankfully, none of them pursued their perceived grievances.

After the second time that had happened, Ichiro felt a sudden surge in his body.

Without warning, Izumi's chair began moving under its own momentum. “Huh?” she squeaked, looking down to see the concrete passing beneath her feet without her input. Turning around, her wide eyes saw Ichiro calmly pushing her through the crowd, his head swiveling as he watched for openings in the crowd to subtly aim her towards.

Her face crumpled inward as her cheeks flared red. “What are you doing? I can push myself,” she cried out, leaning backwards to swat at Ichiro's hands on her chair.

“I'm just trying to make this easier. That's all,” he replied smoothly, his tone devoid of emotion, his focus fixed on their destination as he propelled them forward.

Realizing she couldn't stop him at this point, Izumi went quiet and sat back in her seat. She lowered her face, trying to hide her still reddening cheeks from the passing people.

They made it to their destination in complete silence and at a much faster pace than before. Even after they arrived, Izumi remained quiet, her eyes downcast while being cheerfully greeted by the kind ushers at the entrance, who escorted them inside to shelter them from the gentle sprinkles of oncoming rain.

Silent and entranced, Izumi allowed Ichiro to guide her to the displays in the lobby area, including one with a romantic design for couples. He thought that maybe seeing it would make her chirp up a snarky remark, but instead, her eyes remained focused on her hands, tightly clenching the hem of her skirt around her knees.

After the long excursion they had so far, her wheelchair came to a prolonged halt, and she looked up, wondering what had caused the pause.

And then she saw it.

Before her eyes stretched the vast expanse of Tokyo's skyline, reaching towards the horizon, though limited by the rain-spattered glass of Tokyo Tower's highest observation deck.

Her inky eyes began to glow as she leaned forward in her chair, gripping the safety railing to pull herself closer to the slowly fogging glass. The lights from distant skyscrapers and the sea of cars on the highways reflected in her shimmering irises, which danced around, desperately trying to absorb the entire scene at once.

A soft gasp of awe escaped her lips as she rested her chin on the railing.

“I wish it wasn't raining like this,” Ichiro murmured. Izumi looked up at him with eyes still filled with wonder as he stood beside her with his hands in his windbreaker’s pockets, a pained smirk distorting his soft face. “I'm sure the view would be much better if you could see the horizon like you wanted.”

For several seconds, she continued to gaze at him, her eyes seemingly penetrating his being, causing his cheeks to burn. Slowly, she turned her attention back to the window, silently staring for another long moment.

Then, she vigorously shook her head, causing her once well-combed hair to fall out of place, in disarray. “No!” she exclaimed, coming to another sudden stop, her eyes fixated on the rain-soaked view outside. “It's beautiful, isn't it?”

Without waiting for his response, she watched with wide eyes and a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips as the car lights snaked their way over the distant bridge.

Witnessing her expression, a peculiar sensation ignited in Ichiro's chest. Suppressing it the best he could, he turned his gaze to the window. The darkness through the fogged glass only reflected the two of them back at him. He shook his head and let out a wry sigh.

“Sure, whatever you say.”

***

The rain had intensified, preventing them from leaving after Izumi signaled that she had gained enough from the experience. Her lips had since formed a wide grin, and her eyes sparkled with attentiveness to their surroundings.

As soon as Ichiro saw that expression on her face, a strange thought rippled through his head: So this is what she looks like when she actually smiles. But now, even as he occasionally found himself lost staring at her lips, bigger concerns stared him in the face. They patiently waited for the rain to clear up, and Izumi pointed out that there was a pop-up café being held in the tower itself.

Humoring her excitement and having nothing else better to do at the moment, he agreed to treat her. While Ichiro settled for a simple hot tea to keep himself warm in the chilling air, Izumi went all out.

Their table was presented with a large glass bowl almost the size of her head. It overflowed with a massive sundae, adorned with several bananas and toppings on the sides, and crowned with a tower of whipped cream covered in strawberry sauce. It stood imposingly over both of their heads.

“This looks amazing, doesn’t it?” Ichiro heard someone exclaim from the other side of the ice cream monstrosity. However, he couldn't even catch a glimpse of who said it.

“Uh, sure…” he rolled his eyes, trying to remain nonchalant as he took a sip of his tea, but inside, he felt his wallet crying from what he had just put it through to afford that treat.

“Are you sure you don't want any?” Izumi leaned to the side, attempting to get a better look at Ichiro. It was the first time he had seen her since the bowl was placed between them. “I mean, it's supposed to be for two people, a couple’s dish or something, right?”

“Yeah, I'm good,” Ichiro cringed at the mere thought of consuming so much sugar in one sitting

“Suit yourself,” Izumi shrugged and disappeared back behind the dish, hastily devouring the ice cream as quickly as she could. Occasionally, she'd pause to dispel a brain freeze that attacked her progress.

As he watched her struggle to consume the immense amount of ice cream, Ichiro couldn't help but feel the corners of his lips rise, no matter how much he fought against it. But he also remembered why he came here in the first place. The reason more so than it being on her list.

“So, what happened on the Ferris Wheel?”

Ichiro asked, raising his tea to his face but pausing before taking a sip. He knew being too forceful on the subject could backfire, but he had to get to the heart of the matter sooner rather than later.

Having made quite a dent in her dessert, Izumi was just barely visible around it, but it had become evident she had come to a full stop. She kept her head low for a moment before speaking.

“I don’t know what you want to know,” her voice was low but still clear. “It was just girl talk, you know how those things go, right?”

“And that made you want to leave?” Ichiro set down his cup and rested his head, propped up with his free hand.

“I was tired,” she mumbled softly, “that’s all it was. I promise.”

Ichiro observed her over the slowly melting ice cream tower, but she remained motionless, keeping her eyes cast down at the spoon she had laid down when answering him.

“I will just say this” Ichiro straightened himself up as he spoke, “If there are any problems you are facing, just tell me. I will do whatever I can to help you out.”

Silence. Ichiro remained steadfast as he watched for her reaction.

“I’ve got this.” Her voice was barely audible. “I can do things by myself.”

“I am sure you can.” Ichiro nodded slightly, turning his eyes down to the bottom of the bowl. “But if there is anything you find you can’t, just let me know. I already promised I would be there for you, didn’t I?”

Another long silence.

“I don’t know why you did.”

Biting his lip, Ichiro thought about himself. The only thing that came to him was a burning in his chest as his heart beat erratically. He didn’t know why, either. So instead he reached up and nervously rubbed the back of his head in silence.

“What if you couldn’t play baseball anymore?”

Ichiro’s head popped up with a confused look when he heard these words. Izumi reached up with her spoon once more and took another huge bite of the ice cream. She swallowed and continued again. “What if you woke up one morning and found you couldn’t play baseball anymore? Like never again. What would you do then?”

The searing memories of when he had dislocated his shoulder rushed back over him. Visions of him bitterly cursing his fate and fading future churned his stomach.

Grimacing, he replayed that day over in his mind. But in that pit of despair he found himself in, he saw a girl in a wheelchair sitting next to him with a big grin on her face as she looked up at the raining sky. He remembered how he felt about her as he wallowed over such a small thing compared to her situation.

Internally kicking himself for the way he was back then, he answered. “I don’t know what I would do.”

Once again, silence was felt between them in the busy café. Then Izumi continued, barely audible as she spoke so softly.

“Would you ask me for help?”

Yet again for that day, Ichiro felt a flare in his chest, causing him to have to bite his lip to hold it back.

“If I knew you would be there for me,” He answered, feeling like he could barely get the words out, even though he meant every single one of them, “Then I wouldn’t hesitate to ask you for help.”

Izumi chuckled softly, though Ichiro was wincing from how much it took him to admit what he just had. “You would be the only one to do so…”

“But would this-” Ichiro tried to ask, but was cut short by Izumi clanking her spoon to get another bite.

“No, it doesn’t have to do with that,” she forced out between massive bites.

“Alright, if you say so,” he replied, taking another sip of his tea and diverting his attention to the window beside them while returning his head to his hand. However, the rain obscured the view outside, and all he could see was their reflection in the glass. While his own reflection stared back at him awkwardly, he noticed Izumi's reflection had stopped eating and began trembling at her shoulders. He couldn't be sure if it was the rain hitting the glass outside or a tear trailing down her cheek.

Feeling frustrated, he scratched his temple and let out an uncontrolled low groan. After a prolonged silence, he spoke again, trying to change the topic. “Have you written anything yet?”

He couldn’t explain why, but as he said those words, he could feel his cheeks start to burn and had to squeeze his eyes shut in order to get the words out.

“What do you mean?” Izumi asked quizzically, picking her spoon back up and eating, though not with as much gusto as before.

Ichiro felt his head slip from his hand and nearly crash chin first onto the table. “What do you mean, 'What do you mean'?” He sputtered, almost spilling his tea from her strange response.

“Exactly that, what do you mean?” Izumi replied with her mouth full, leaning to the side of the bowl so she could see Ichiro. One of her brows raised as she swallowed her large bite before continuing, “What are you talking about my writing for?”

“It's the reason I've been taking you to all of these places!” Ichiro wanted to shout, but he managed to keep his voice down by gritting his teeth.

“Oh, you were serious about all of that?” Izumi shrugged, taking another bite.

“Why does this not surprise me?” Ichiro resisted the urge to bang his head on the table repeatedly. As he nursed his recently forming headache, Izumi ducked back behind the bowl once more.

“Honestly,” she slowly started, her voice wavering as she struggled to string the words together. “I… I have been… writing…”

Hearing that, Ichiro raised his head with blinking eyes, more surprised by her delivery than her words. “Is there anything I could read?”

“I-I mean,” she nervously stuttered, “It's only been a few things. Little things here and there. Nothing special. So nothing you can read. Yet.”

Ichiro was about to give up hope, until he caught the last word she held out the longest before offering. “Alright, if you say so.”

Once again, a long moment of silence hung between them, broken only by the soft clinking of Izumi's spoon hitting the glass bowl as she resumed eating.

“I'm just glad you seem to be enjoying yourself,” Ichiro mused quietly, making sure Izumi could still hear him. “You seemed so nervous and not yourself right before we got to the top.”

“I seemed nervous?” Izumi asked, with her mouth full, “Why do you say that?”

“You’ve been quiet all week,” Ichiro chuckled, though he could feel his face souring as he continued, “I thought you might not show up after what happened last time.”

Izumi was silent as she looked away slightly. “I am sorry. It's just… something came up, that’s all.” She fought hard to find those words, holding true to what she had been telling him all this time.

Ichiro blinked, watching her cross the street the week previous and leaving him there alone while he knew she was crying on the other side in his mind. “I understand,” he nodded, the only thing he could think of doing at that moment. But then, he tried to get the conversation back on track, “Again, I'm just glad you enjoyed the trip this time. I wish the view was better though, you know, without the rain and all.”

Izumi was almost done with the entire bowl, and now they could clearly see each other. However, when Ichiro mentioned the view, she furrowed her brow in confusion.

“No, it was perfect. I loved it, especially in the rain,” she shot back, very confused as to why he would think the rain would be a detriment to her enjoyment of the view.

“You know,” Ichiro leaned back, contemplating her words. “I remember you saying that before. Back at the hospital, when we first met, you said that the rain was beautiful. I don’t get it. What do you find beautiful about it?”

She looked down, her eyes as soft as her words, which came from her gently smiling lips. "I don’t know why I keep thinking you would be different.” She shook her head before continuing.

“You saw it from the top like I did, didn't you?” As Ichiro stayed silent and wondered what she was talking about, she continued, “All the lights from all the buildings. The cars that were hurrying to where they were going. All the people desperately trying to get out of the rain. The rain changes everything for them. They end up stuck where they are and all have to just sit and wait while looking up at the sky. And for just a little while, they are all just like me.”

Hearing those words, Ichiro felt a bitter sting in his chest. Unable to find the right words, he just lowered his head and kept quiet.

“Hey! I don’t want to be a downer anymore,” Izumi chirped up again, lifting her spoon towards him. “This is supposed to be a fun time, right? Let’s keep having fun like this together, OK?”

Ichiro watched the tip of the spoon hang in the air for a moment before shooting a confused look back at the girl holding it towards him. She nodded with her eyes sparkling with excitement. He couldn’t contain the smile that took over his lips as he picked up the spoon that was brought for him to eat with.

“OK,” Ichiro tapped his spoon against hers with a loud clink.