The match Strikes! (Pt.2)

Finally, after 8 long hours, well, not exactly straight through, but it is an 8-hour train ride from where we were to Sendai, we made it. There were some...unexpectedly expected stops that I don't really want to talk about, but here we are-

"FINAL STOP: Sendai Station!"

"Hey, we're here." I nudged her. Finally I would at least have a reason to move her head from my shoulder. She keeps getting the wrong idea, but then again, I kinda, only kinda let it happen. I'm not responsible for people's feelings.

"Aughhh, where are we?"

"Sendai. It's the final stop. Sleep here if you want, but you'll be going back to Tokyo."

"And you would leave me?" She asked, stretching while she got out from inside. She wanted to sit by the window the rest of the ride here.

"I just told you we're leaving, so I believe that's your answer. Come on." I'm just glad my shoulder's free. Her head was heavy.

We had stayed at a hotel last night or the night before, I don't know and things...escalated. I don't know, don't blame me. Blame her. She's the one that started it. I don't even know why I invited her to be honest, maybe it was a whim, maybe I didn't want to be alone. But nonetheless, I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy her company. Everything was so easy and simple, no big plans to save the world and what not. No lies, unsaid feelings and stuff like that. She gave me attention and I feel like she sees me for who I am, beyond the image that people project onto me. But unfortunately, it isn't her attention that I seek.

After we boarded the train, I thought it'd be nice to walk out around downtown, look around for a bit and call a cab if we needed to. The one thing that is nice about Japan is that everyone is to themselves. We were walking down the street in silence, side by side, enjoying and taking in all the views. Well, I mean, it's just skyscrapers and food shops, I could use some ramen right now-

"I'm hungry, how about you?" She turned to me, with a little dance in her step.

Mind reader. Creepy. Get out of my head! "Uh, yeah, kinda...I'm kind of in the mood for ramen. You?"

"Uh, sure. If that's what you want. Yakisoba noodles were kind of on my mind, actually."

"Then we can get that too. Not a problem."

"But I want to eat at the same place."

"We...can? Just order your food and eat it where I'm going."

"No! That's kind of rude don't you think? Eating food from another business while sitting down at another."

"Uh...not really? But okay. We can get yakisoba noodles."

"No, but-"

"It's okay. My treat. Wait, you're the rich one. Your treat."

"Not as much anymore, but since we are going to get yakisoba, okay." She smiled. I really forget they're sisters. They're so different, yet alike at the same time. I feel sad no one's told her. It's like a whole part of you is missing. I wonder what her sister's doing...

***

We found a restaurant that served a little bit of everything but there's this takoyaki place where you make the food yourselves, I love places like that. So yeah, we went there. We've been sitting down for a while now, still in silence while we were both putting our food on the hot plate in front of us. Maybe it's subconscious or fate or just curiosity but that manilla folder Rin's father left on the table only, well obviously I opened it, which was probably, no, definitely his point. It's like a rat seeing cheese in a trap. I'm sure that the rat has heard from all his rat homies that it's a trap, but damn, who doesn't love cheese? It only had an address. And that address happened to be in Sendai, the city I'm in now. And supposedly Rin and Ridge have already been here for a couple days, doing their own due diligence, he tells me. I wouldn't use a word like that. But it really makes you think. What could make a man believe so deeply in something that chalks up to nothing more than a fable? I want to believe it's stupid, that I only came here to research Yuzus, and it's some deep conspiracy and this girl that won't leave my head is apart of some grand scheme to sacrifice me on an altar. A little extreme b-

"Ts, are you okay?"

"What, do I not look okay?"

"You haven't said anything since we left the train station really."

"We had a conversation on what we were going to eat, now we're eating. Mm, mhm, so good. It is your treat still, right?"

"I never said that, you did. Claiming that I'm rich or whatever."

"I mean c'mon, don't be obtuse. You are. You act like I didn't go to your house. You're rich, trust me."

"You're a professor, you're pro-"

"Was." God, this food is so good. 

"Oh. Wait, was? What do you mean? I thought you came to Japan specifically for research yuzus." It's no wonder he's in love with her.

"Er, well, it was the reason. Then I got fired, but I don't want to talk about it, it's whatever really, please." I think she got the message. It wasn't the way I had envisioned leaving the university and I was completely blindsided, but not surprised.

We kept sitting in silence for a bit, letting the chatter of the room envelope us, the sizzling of the pan that kept the distance between her and I. But I decided to break it. Sometimes it's not good to let yourself think. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Do you believe in fate?"

"Where's this coming from? You, asking my opinion on something? I didn't think you cared about anyone else's except your own."

I'll be honest and say it's usually the only opinion I take, but as a scientist, it's my job to gain outside approval and consultation. "I do, I mean, I do care about my opinion, but I can only inform mine's by listening to others. So, and I don't mean in the abstract, only your answer, do you think it's real? And if so, can you escape it, divert your path to something else? Or does it always follow you?" I asked, desperate for an answer to be honest. This manilla folder is driving me crazy.

"Wow, that's a lot. I didn't know you thought like that."

"I'm a professor. I think it kind of makes sense."

"But not of philosophy or whatever. It's kind of hard to believe a person the same age is me, especially you-"Of course, no offense taken. Say whatever you want. It's fine, it's fine, "-is a professor, while I'm some sort of fashion major reject. But to answer your question, I think so, yes. Or at least I want to believe so. That there's something in this grand world that each one of us is set out to achieve, do, or be and the only consequence is living to see if it comes true or not."

"But what if it does?"

"Then you achieved it."

"What?"

"What do you mean, what?"

"Achieved what, exactly? What do you gain by fulfilling a life's purpose, or better yet, how do you even know what a purpose is, your fate, your destiny. Whatever you want to call it."

"I don't know. I feel like it was something I was supposed to say. But don't you want to find out? Maybe living without a purpose means more because that way, you'll always have something to search for. I'd like to believe it, definitely. That there's a guy out there for me, a job out there for me, something that pulls me closer and closer towards it until I can touch it. So close it burns me."

"Hm, quite the poet. Maybe you're not a fashion major as much as I'm not cut out to be a professor. Too many needy kids, eh?" I stood up, grabbing my coat from behind the chair. Who knows how much of what she said is true or will hold up to be true, but that sensation in my stomach is tingling again. I have no choice but to follow it. 

"Where are you going?" she asked me frantically. She always thinks I'm going to leave her. Well, I was about to leave but I'm not that cold. Surely the audience doesn't think so, right? Right?

"Fate. Or at least I think so." Actually, it's whatever is inside this manilla folder. Only an address. I hate cryptic people when they're trying to be cryptic. So dramatic. "C'mon, let's go."

----

I dash outside and call the nearest cab I see. It only took about 4-5 minutes until one arrived and when we got in, I show the driver the address through the screen window that separated us and for some reason, he scrunches his eyebrows and gives a funny look. Don't know what that's supposed to mean.

He made small talk with us, mainly it was Ritsika that was talking. Me, I just love observing. Maybe that's the issue. I don't like to get involved, do more than I have to. Only when it concerns me. The mountains that sat atop Sendai were barely visible above the skyscrapers as we passed through the city slowly, going to the more suburban areas where all the rice field and farmers were hard at work. The further away from the city you go, the greener it gets. Trees, open air, all of it I'm soaking in. Like I said, I observe more than I speak.

"Ok, we are here. Good luck."

"Thank you." I bowed towards him. Good luck? What did he mean by that?

The address led to a loading dock that was pretty empty to be one of the major ones for the country. All of the cranes, heavy machinery and noise that usually followed with being in a place like this wasn't. Maybe they'd gone home for the day. There were a couple people walking around in hard hats holding boxes in their hands, passing us by before they left the site for the day. I'm surprised no one has stopped us, even more curious that we could walk all through a site and not even have a clue where we're going. The address only led us here. Nothing more than that. 

Port crates were lined up on either side of us and when we reached the end, because we've been walking for a while at this point, there was only the loading dock where all the boats left to deliver cargo and other stuff I'm assuming. Where was it that we were supposed to go? I fully expected three of his men to escort us to some secret dungeon. Finally, up ahead, near the shore of the port, looked like three people, two women and a man, I think. 

We get closer and closer to the shore, and the closer we get the more recognizable these people are. 

"Ridge?" He turns around, just as shocked as me.

"Shin? What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story, actually no it’s not. We, or I was sent here. I didn’t know it was a port or something like that.”

Truly a coincidence.

“Oh. By who? I find it weird that you’d just be sent to Osaka Industries port. Kind of strange, eh?”

“Maybe so.” 

And there she was. I don’t know what makes time pass so slow when you’ve been longing to see someone that you saw not so long ago. But it feels like it. She was talking off to the side with another woman I hadn’t see before, sporting that smile she always does. 

“Oh. Ridge this is Ritsika, Ritsika this is Ridge. Meet each other.” I left them there, it couldn’t wait any longer. I don’t know what’s gotten into me today. I'll blame it on fate. 

“Wai-whatever. Well I'm Ritsika. Fashion major, Rin’s friend, Foodie, world traveler. Is he always like that?”

“Yes. Nice to meet you Ritsika-san. This is the first time I’m hearing of your name. I’d heard stories only.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Walking over towards her, it slowly became fast paced. It can’t help but dawn on me that since coming back to Japan, for whatever circumstance, has made me feel weird. I don’t like it, nor love it but I want to find out. 

I didn’t care if she was talking or busy, in trouble or whatever, in this moment, I know that fate exists and that I was supposed to be here, and the love of fruit and a promise of a Yuzu made it so. 

She turned to the left a little, doing a double take before she noticed me walking up, smiling while not trying to break the conversation. 

“Excuse me, Ami-san. There’s a friend of mine that has shown up to see me.” She had said or at least that’s what I heard. A friend? I didn’t know you kissed friends.

It seemed that our paces matched one another and no longer was she ahead and I behind but in-sync, meeting face to face right at the edge of the boating dock. 

No words were spoken that day, only the re-ignition of the match that had been lit all that time ago.

***