Nao

A small brunette sighed and placed her hands on the railing. The city was crowded on a daily basis yet that day was suffocating. Maybe it was because it was the beginning of summer; or maybe the sun got everyone wishing to spend the day outdoors. Who knew? There were children who were playing around; women trying to move through them; teenagers gossiping and there was even a clown!

Overall, the view was marvelous. It was a pity for a photographer to dare miss such scenery. That wasn’t going to happen, though. A young and tall man took pictures of every detail; every group wandering around; every expression and every move. His eyes landed on foreigner woman leaning against the railing. He couldn’t stop himself from taking a picture of her. Her hair was loose and the tips were curled, maybe from humidity; her body was small but compared to Japanese women she was definitely more curved; her eyes were fixed on a spot, like she was longing for something that seemed out of reach. She looked beautiful.

Without noticing, the man walked closer to her. He couldn’t resist the force that seemed to bring him closer. He was intrigued and he wanted to see her up close. To look manlier, he took another picture of her. He had his camera in front of his eyes and was very concentrated. He didn’t realize that she turned her head and noticed him. He got perplexed when his objective met a pair of beautiful green eyes.

“Sorry.”

Since she was a foreigner, he thought she wouldn’t know Japanese so he excused himself in broken English. She ignored him. She wasn’t preoccupied at all by his presence. She turned into the same position he had found her in and started to act as if he wasn’t even there.

He sighed. He mirrored her movements and shifted his attention on the view. The water was calm and clear. There were fishes swimming here and there. He could actually see the path they were going on. He grabbed his camera quickly and started to take pictures.

Sensing that she had been impolite, the woman turned her head towards him. She watched him closely. His face was contorting into different expressions depending on the shoot.

“I’m fine with it.” He heard a soft voice mumble. 

He stopped mid-action and glanced at her. He put his camera down and chuckled, almost nervously. He wasn’t actually expecting a response from her, to begin with.

“About the pictures you took with me. I’m fine with it.” She repeated firmly. He nodded and smiled to himself. Somehow, he felt as if he should start a conversation. It was awkward.

“Where-uh-from-“He was stuttering while trying to find the right translation. She raised an eyebrow.

“Where am I from?” Her response was in Japanese. He stopped and laughed at his thoughts. How could he not think she might have known Japanese? “I’m from England but I’ve been in Tokyo for 3 years now.” She tilted her head to the side continued to stare at him closely. “Any more questions?” He sighed and brushed a hand through his hair.

“You look ready to stretch your hand towards the horizon?” He wasn't sure of what he wanted to say. His question ran deeper than he intended, somehow. Her mood dropped from superiority to sorrowful. She sighed heavily and turned to look over the lake.

“I guess I am searching for something; maybe a reason;” She furrowed her eyebrows in frustration while he simply copied her actions. “Maybe answers.”

“Answers to what?”

She sighed again and fully turned to him. She leaned against the bridge and bit her lip.

“Life is quite long don’t you think?” Hearing such words, the poor man thought he might have started a conversation with a woman who wanted to commit suicide.

“There are people who would like to tell you otherwise.” She scoffed.

“You need a reason to live, right? But what happens when that reason changes? What if it wasn’t there to begin with?” That seemed to perplex him for a second.

“I guess,” He trailed. “I always thought it’s better to follow the wind. Life is often misunderstood and when you get fed up with it you choose the easy way out.” She continued to watch him silently. His theory sounded quite philosophical and she was curious to hear it out. “I believe there’s also good in life. You can’t expect happiness to fall from the sky. You have to sweat for it.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She seemed deep in thought; probably analyzing his words.

“So,” He started. 

He walked a little bit closer to her and smiled. She raised her head and looked into his eyes. It was hard to understand what was going through her head.

“What do you need to make you happy right now?” She blinked. When she realized what he asked, she opened her mouth yet no sound came out. She had no idea.

“Anything, I guess.”

He bit his lip and started to think about his next move. He caught sight of two people -two lovers- who were amused by the clown’s actions. He grabbed her hand and figured exactly where and how to plant a smile on her lips. Even if he didn’t know her, he didn’t care.

While walking on an unknown path her eyes traveled to their tangled hands. It felt strange, like energy from his body was slowly slipping into hers. His hand was warm and seemed to fit hers perfectly.

"So strange." She whispered, trying not to get his attention. He stopped when they reached their destination. There were more clowns and definitely more children.

"This is the place I like to come to.” He raised his head and let the wind go through his short messy hair.

Her eyes trailed from him to the scenery. There were a few small shops that gave street food and drinks; there were a few children around two clowns who were trying to be funny and creative; the wind blew and took one of the many balloons with it. It looked beautiful. She got entranced by the view and forgot about him.

"Oi!"

He exclaimed when he saw her walking towards one of the street shops. She didn't turn nor react in any way. Instead of trying to get her back, he let her lead the way.

Her smile was contagious. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of sushi. It was funny to see her lick her lips and get so excited over food. The photographer chuckled bemusedly and took a picture of both the working women and the excited customer.

"So you like it?" He asked after he bought two plates. She nodded and took a bite of her newly bought sushi. He laughed softly and both walked in silence.

Out of nowhere, one of the clowns came and grabbed the photographer with him. He was perplexed by the action but she only started to laugh loudly.

"Are you scared?" She asked walking beside him.

He couldn't respond because the clown pulled him closer and started to make signs towards the children. They started to laugh when he made a funny face but the photographer wasn't amused.

"Come on-"

She stopped. She completely forgot to ask his name. Her lips formed a thin line and she started to think how she got somewhat kidnapped by that mysterious guy.

The clown told him to take hold of a box since he was tired and it was too heavy. He did so. At one point, the box started to shake. When it finally stopped, he backed off. It was too strange. At that time, the box opened and he got a pie thrown into his face. He didn't look too happy. When he saw how hard she was laughing and how much fun she was having, he felt his lips curve into a smile.

"Your face was priceless!" She exclaimed when he got off the handmade stage.

He still had a few pieces of vanilla on his cheeks and nose, even though he did clean up. Seeing how she was too amused, he took a piece from his cheek and placed it on hers. She stopped and playfully glared at him. She hit his arm and cleaned herself up.

"Where should we go now?" It was more of a question for himself but she responded.

"I have an idea," She said having his full attention. "Why don't you tell me your name first?" Her expression was funny. She had one eyebrow raised and she was biting her lower lip in a weird way.

"Nao," He said while leaning closer to her. "My name is Nao." He repeated and started to walk away.

"Doesn't he want to know my name too?" She whispered to herself, a little confused by his behaviour. Well, at least she knew how to call him. She caught up to him quickly.

"Where to next, captain?" She asked in English and made an army sign. He smiled and shrugged.

"Wherever."

She puffed her cheeks and nodded. Wherever they were going to end up, it was definitely going to be fun. She was sure of that.