A Chance Encounter

"Haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?"

I blinked once to snap myself out of my daze and focus on the voice I had assumed was speaking to me. Turning my head slightly to the left, I found a cheerful young woman with rather narrow eyes sitting beside me. She appeared to be somewhere in her early twenties and had black, shoulder-length hair. I shifted my gaze over to my untouched drink. "I'd rather not give my name away to strangers," I said quietly. "I apologize if it offends you, but let's just say I've had trouble trusting anyone for a long time."

I glanced at the woman's face and watched her nod solemnly. "It's alright. I don't blame you for being that way." She grabbed her drink and gulped it down almost in an instant, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Well, do you at least have something I can call you? A fake name, is what I mean."

"It's not like I'll be here for very long," I muttered, "so I don't know why you need to know my name."

"Just wanted to have a nice conversation is all," she said. A pleasant smile stretched across her complexion. "It's not often that I even see a friendly face. Recently, things in this city have been awfully dark and somewhat discomforting, if you know what I mean. Your face stands out like a nightingale among crows, if that makes any sense."

I made a face at her. "I think I understand..."

"Good. Anyway, I might as well introduce myself. The name's Yuta. Yuta Zalia. It's nice to meet you, stranger. And I mean it when I say that. Like I said before, I can tell just from a glance that you're different. It's hard to explain, but your presence gives off this aura like I've never seen before. Forgive me if that sounds a bit awkward." Yuta clenched her teeth and laughed, scratching the back of her head needlessly. "I'm not very good with words."

I cracked a small smile. This woman reminded me somewhat of somebody I used to know. I couldn't quite place my finger on who it was, though, which bothered me. "I suppose..." I began, lifting my head slowly to meet Yuta's gaze. "...you can call me Hiro. I've always liked that name."

Yuta raised her eyebrows as her lips parted into a slight grin. "Hiro, huh? I like it. So do you drink often, Hiro?"

I narrowed my eyes, confused by the odd question. "Not really. Just when I'm feeling depressed."

"Oh, that's a horrible time to drink," Yuta snapped in a motherly tone. "You should only drink when you're happy. If you drink when you're sad, you'll only end up worse off. Trust me. I would know."

My eyes widened a bit as I stared in wonder at her. She didn't look even remotely sad. In fact, at that moment, I could have been comfortable with saying she looked like the happiest person I had seen in my entire life. I took a few quick glance at my drink before heaving a tiresome sigh and pushing it away from me. "You're right," I confessed. "I guess I was just letting my loneliness control my actions again. I'm not getting any closer to what I've been trying to accomplish for the past five years, and it's really been getting to me. I really need to find better ways to settle my depression besides drinking and standing in the rain."

"Hiro...what on earth have you been doing with your life?"

Okay, now she really sounded like my mother.

"I honestly don't know how to answer that question," I said, almost afraid to look at her expression. Upon doing so, I instantly regretted it. Yuta appeared heartbroken. Suddenly feeling a hint of tension growing between us, I nervously spoke up. "You don't have to feel sorry for me, really. Sympathy is the last thing I deserve."

"Please don't say that about yourself," Yuta pleaded. "No one deserves depression. Not even those who've lost count of their mistakes. Everyone deserves happiness, and that means you, too, Hiro. Excuse me if I'm prying, but I've heard that a good way to relieve depression is to talk to someone about it. Wait...or is that stress...?"

A quiet laugh escaped my lips as Yuta began contemplating her dilemma. "I appreciate your concern," I told her, sincere gratitude in my voice, "really, you seem like such a kind person. But I'm afraid this isn't really something I can talk to you about, nor is it something I'll be getting over any time soon..." I hung my head and lowered my gaze, now staring absentmindedly at the stocked glass shelves behind the counter.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Puzzled by her strange statement, I lifted my head once again and shot Yuta a questioning glance. But by the time I laid eyes on her, she had already plucked a small slip of paper out of thin air and was scribbling something on it with a sparkly pink pen. "What're you...?"

Before I had the chance to piece together a comprehensible question, Yuta was already holding out the paper to me, urging me to read what she had written. Slowly, I allowed my gaze to fall upon the tiny writing on that slip of paper. I knew just from a glance that it was an address of some sort. But why had she given it to me? I wondered.

"It's the address of the coffee shop where I work," she explained concisely, as though she had heard my unspoken thought loud and clear. "Now I'm not going to force you to go, but I'd highly recommend it. It's a really great place. I'm friends with all of the people who work there, and they're all amazing people—quite eccentric, but in a good way, of course. The atmosphere is über relaxing, and I don't mean to brag, but our service makes it even...better..."

It was no mystery to me why Yuta's voice, somewhere along the way, had gradually begun to lose its conviction. She must have taken notice of the unvarying look of sadness on my face. I wasn't fooling her.

"Hiro, I just want to help you," Yuta whispered. "I know we just met and all, so I'm not gonna go into that whole 'your pain is my pain' crap, but I mean it when I say that the look on your face right now is hurting me. You're special, Hiro. I can tell just by looking at you. I don't think it's right for anyone to stay depressed all their life. I'm not a therapist, or a doctor of any sort for that matter, but I know for a fact that one of the best ways to cure sadness is to avoid being alone. So how about you do us both a favor..." She reached over and tenderly took my hand with both of her hands, then squeezed it gently. "Stop by. I promise you won't regret it."

I slowly lifted my eyes to look at Yuta's expression. Truthfully, I was slightly fearful of the guilt it might bring me. Her eyes were opened much wider now, and for the first time since I had met her, I could actually see the color of her eyes. They were green...a bright, gorgeous, lively green. They looked just like...

Like...her eyes.

As I stared at our hands resting on the edge of the countertop, my thoughts began to wander. What's with this girl? Why is she doing this? We barely even know each other, so why is she trying to help me? And why does she remind me so much of...my wife...my wife who's been gone for over two years now...

I had to bite my tongue to refrain from saying anything stupid out loud. Even still, I felt on the verge of tears. I didn't know what would be the right thing to say at a time like this. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to relieve myself of this depression for a little while...but then again, who knows how much time I have left... I pulled my hand away from Yuta's, then carefully slipped the paper into one of the pockets of my jacket. "I'll consider it," I told her. She flashed another one of her bright smiles, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you so much, Hiro."

+++

What am I doing here? I specifically told myself last night that I wouldn't come here, so why...?

I let out a prolonged, disgruntled groan as I gazed down at what was caught firmly beneath the weight of my fingertips.

Kiyoko's Cafe

322 Westblock Road

I'd really appreciate it if you would come. You won't regret it!

~Yuta

Crushing the paper in my hand, I tossed it into a nearby trash can, then took a step forward to place my hand on the doorknob of the cafe. But I stopped right there. Do I really want to do this? I thought. It wasn't long before I made my decision, for the realization that I was being stared at urged me to open the door and enter the cafe.

"Hiro!"

Upon hearing this name being called, I lifted my head to look for the one who had uttered it. Surely enough, I found Yuta standing behind a long, marble counter just a few yards away, her cheeks stretched by a grin. She appeared even more cheerful now than when I had seen her the previous night. Her eyes lit up with a sense of delight, and her black hair almost seemed to shine beneath the overhead light of the cafe. The second we made eye contact, she beckoned me to come over to her. So I shyly inched closer to the counter and greeted Yuta with a very quiet 'good morning.'

"Good morning to you, too, Hiro," she beamed. I could tell just by her expression that Yuta was relieved I came. I hadn't a clue why, though. My life and problems were nothing for her to be troubled about. It almost made me wonder if she had some other motive.

"So why did you-"

"Just hold that thought, Hiro," Yuta blurted. She quickly spun around with the kick of her foot, calling back, "Just wait there! I'll be right back!" Then she disappeared.

I waited patiently by the counter, taking this opportunity to admire the change in scenery. Yuta was right when she said that this place had a relaxing atmosphere. It almost seemed to be of perfect size: not too big, not too small, and also not filled with too many people. There were only a few customers occupying the seats of the cafe, one of which was an old man, two of which were teenagers typing away at their phones. It was nice and quiet.

Before I knew it, Yuta had returned to the front counter, but this time she had brought someone with her. "Hiro," she began, taking a quick glance at my face, then at the face of the man beside her. The first thing I noticed about him was how similar he looked to Yuta. His eyes were just as narrow as hers, but I could still see that they were the same exact color of green. His hair was snowy white, falling in thin bangs just over his forehead. "This is my brother, Ushio," Yuta introduced. "He works here. Ushio, say hello to my new friend Hiro. He's the one I told you about."

"A pleasure to meet you, Hiro," the man said. His voice was rather silvery and pleasant sounding, which honestly dispelled a few of my nerves. The two of us shook hands. "It's always nice to see a new face around here. So how did you and Yuta meet? She did prattle on about a handsome man to me last night, but she did leave out a few details..." He shot Yuta a look, one that was almost demanding an explanation.

"Oh, relax, Ushio, it's not like I threatened him or anything," Yuta assured him. She waved her hand dismissively. "We met at a bar the other night, and I decided to invite him." Her eyes found their way to mine. "Thanks again, by the way. I'm glad you came, Hiro."

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, turning my head away. "It's no problem."

"Would you like some coffee?" Ushio offered, and before I could even reply, he was at the coffee machine, beginning to prepare the drink. "So tell me about yourself, Hiro," he called over his shoulder.

I thought for a moment, soon finding myself drawing a blank. "I don't really know how to answer that..." I mumbled. "I lead a rather dull, uneventful, unsuccessful life. There's not really much I can say."

"I see..." Just a few moments later, Ushio returned to the counter, carrying a steaming cup of coffee carefully in his hand. He placed it on the countertop, then pushed it towards me, urging me to take it. I reached into my pocket to get my wallet, but before I could even grab it, I noticed Ushio shaking his head. "It's on the house," he said with a kind smile. I widened my eyes in surprise.

"But why?" I asked. "It's not like I'm a family friend or anything..." I allowed my shoulders to droop, and I stared down at the cup of coffee now in my hands, confusion continuing to build up inside my mind. "I just don't get it. What's with you two?"

There was a strange bit of silence that lasted nearly ten seconds, as the two siblings looked at each other, undefinable expressions on their faces. Ushio took in a small breath, then released it, turning his head slowly till he was looking at me again. "Let's just say...you remind us of someone we once knew," he told me. Yuta nodded in agreement.

"An old friend," she added.

I frowned, slightly becoming sorrowfully at their seemingly heartfelt statements. I pressed my lips together in a thin line, fighting back the urge to say anything that might offend them. "I hope...I hope you're not using me as a replacement for this friend of yours..."

Yuta let out a quiet laugh, waving her hand in front of her as if to assure me that my assumption was incorrect. "That's not it at all," she soon said, and I felt slightly relieved upon hearing these words voiced by her. "I already told you why I came over to talk to you last night. I told you why I invited you to this shop. And I told you why I wanted to rid you of that sorrowful look you had on your face." She paused, lifted her head, then opened her eyes wide enough for me to take in her full expression. "That look is still on your face. I swear I won't stop until I can see what true happiness looks like on you." With that, Yuta gave me another one of her great, big smiles, this time followed by a delightful laugh.

Yuta's brother looked down at her out of the corner of his eye, and I was only left to wonder what was going through his mind.

It was then that I heard the bell to the shop's door ring, signifying that a customer had just arrived. I turned around just in time to see a young girl, looking to be somewhere in her late teens, approaching the counter with a rather stressed look on her face. She had short, puffy looking blue hair and a pair of round glasses, which she pushed into place the moment she stepped beside me in front of the counter. "You would not believe what happened on the bus this morning if I told you," she said, breathing a sigh of exasperation.

"Ah, good morning, Yui," said Yuta cheerfully. "So you had trouble getting here this morning?"

"Yeah..." Yui groaned. "But that doesn't matter now. I just need my coffee-.....and who, might I ask, are you?"

I flinched, suddenly realizing that this blue haired stranger was talking to me. "U-uh, hello there, uhm..." I began to sweat nervously as I struggled to remember what Yuta had called this girl.

"It's Yui," she said.

I swallowed my breath, embarrassed by own stupidity. "S-sorry. I'm Mor-..." My eyes shot open. In that moment, I felt all the blood drain from my face, till the point where I thought I would pass out. I suddenly felt as though I had been placed in a spotlight, and a thousand pairs of eyes were fixed solely on me, when in reality it was just three. "I'm Hiro," I blurted. Yui raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's...nice to meet you, Hiro," she said, still giving me a strange look.

Nice save there, Hiro. I mentally high-fived myself.

Ushio cleared his throat loudly, purposely doing so to break the tension in the room. "So, uh, Yui, you want that coffee now?"

"Heck yeah, I do."

"Coming right up."

As Ushio turned around and went to prepare Yui's drink, I decided that now would be a good time to take my leave. I had started to make my way over to one of the empty booths of the cafe, but Yuta stopped me before I even made it halfway.

"Hiro, wait."

I glanced over my shoulder to get a look at Yuta's face, only to find her walking quickly towards me. I let out a small breath and turned to face her, then asked the question, "What is it?"

Yuta was standing directly in front of me now, her head tilted slightly to the side, eyes avoiding mine as if she were nervous or afraid. "Could you-..." She paused, exhaling deeply, almost looking as though she were preparing herself to say something important. "Could you...come by later?"

Yuta's question puzzled me, so I raised an eyebrow in question.

"After the cafe closes," she said. "There's something that I want to show you."

"And what would that 'something' be?"

"A special little hobby of ours," Ushio called from over by the coffee machine. He slowly spun back around, walked over to the counter, then placed Yui's drink in front of her. "We take great pride in it, so be honored that we even plan on showing it to you."

Showing what to me? I demanded mentally. These guys are acting awfully suspicious...

"I'll stop by early tomorrow morning for work, just like you asked me to. Okay?" Yui said to Ushio. Then she took her coffee and left the cafe without uttering another word.

"So back to my question..." I began, clearing my throat to make sure they were listening. "What's this hobby of yours you were speaking of?"

As soon as I inquired this of them, Ushio and Yuta looked at each with a suspicious gleam in their eyes. I shot them an immensely confused look, which they both found amusing enough to laugh at. "It's a secret," Yuta said with a wink. "If you're curious, I think you should really consider coming back at 10:30 tonight."

"But-....." I looked at Yuta and Ushio's faces once more. Their expressions both seemed to be urging me to come. But why? I still didn't understand. Although, the longer I stared at them, the more I thought, 'hey, why not?' Heaving a deep sigh, I gave my response. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to pay another visit later..."

Yuta practically bounced with joy, her eyes widening with excitement. "You won't regret it, Hiro!" She exclaimed, just as I had turned my back to head over to the exit of the cafe. "I'll see you later!"

I guess you will...

+++

June 12

10:30 p.m.

Here I was again, standing outside Kiyoko's cafe, waiting to greet a couple of strangers who had already begun to treat me as a friend. I tried to peer into the cafe through the glass door, but a sign that read 'closed' blocked my view. Soon, however, the door was opened by a familiar, snowy haired man. "Good evening, Hiro," he said with a smile. "You can come in, now. Everyone's already here."

Everyone? Who does he mean by everyone?

I soon dismissed the thought and followed Ushio into the cafe, closing the door behind me.

The cafe was completely empty now, but the sweet smell of coffee brewing lingered in the air. The window blinds were all pulled down, blocking any views of the world outside. I glanced around the place, the first question on my mind being, 'where's Yuta?' I eventually verbalized this question, only to receive an immediate response from Ushio.

"In the basement," he said. "With our special friend."

"What do you mean by 'special friend?'"

"Just a guy who happens to share this special hobby of ours."

I narrowed my sight at him. "Would you care to show me this basement?"

"Of course." Ushio smirked, walking over to a door behind the front counter. He placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly opened it, then the two of us made our way down the staircase that led to the secretive basement.

It wasn't long before we reached the end of the staircase, and the place we ended up in nearly took my breath away. It looked more like a fancy apartment than just a basement. There was a pool table, giant television screens and computer tech of all sorts, paintings hung up on the walls, comfortable looking furniture, and even a model train that followed a circular path around the entire basement perimeter. My jaw dropped in astonishment as I stared in awe at everything that lay before my eyes.

"Goodness me, what do we have here?"

My eyes grew wide, and I frantically looked around the room in search of the source of the voice. When I found nothing, I looked at Ushio, who simply smiled suspiciously. "Hiro, I'd like to introduce you to Kyo, the son of the cafe owner," he said. "Kyo, please show yourself."

"Who the heck is that?" The voice hissed.

"This is a new friend of mine. His name is Hiro," Ushio explained. "If you would be so kind as to come out from underneath the couch, I'd like to formally introduce the two of you."

Shortly after these words were spoken, a quiet shuffling sound could be heard from somewhere on the other side of the room. Then, slowly but surely, a dark haired man rolled out from underneath one of the sofas. He lay there for a moment, completely still, not uttering a word. I turned to Ushio again, shooting him a puzzled look. He rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry about him," he sighed. "He may act like a child, but I swear he's 26 years old."

"I heard that," the man grunted, shooting upward from his position on the ground. He sprung to his feet and marched over to where Ushio and I were standing, then took off his shades to reveal a pair of bright, mysterious blue eyes that soon locked onto me. "Hello," he whispered.

"H-hello, sir."

"The name's Kyo." He held out his hand to me. "It's a pleasure to meet ya, Hiro."

I shook his hand, trying my best to put on a smile. Kyo jabbed his thumb in the direction of an elaborate computer setup, raising an eyebrow as if to ask, "Shall we?" After giving a slight nod in response, I followed Kyo over to the computers, Ushio following shortly behind.

Kyo took a seat in front of one of the numerous laptops that were hooked up to a single router, then began furiously typing away. "We've been doing this for years," he said, without at first giving an explanation. "It's been hard work, but let me tell you, it was all worth it. We've gathered an incredible amount of data, more than we know what to do with."

"And what exactly have you been doing?" I asked.

"Researching," Ushio replied. I lifted my head to look him in the eye.

"Researching what?"

Before I could get a reply out of Ushio, the voice of a certain dark haired girl entered the conversation. "A beautiful creature!" She said, tone and expression brimming with enthusiasm.

"It's about time you showed up," said Kyo, heaving a sigh of annoyance. "I swear, Yuta, you are the most-....ah, here we go. These documents can be a real pain to sort through sometimes."

Kyo's sudden change in topic caught my attention, and I dropped my gaze to stare at what had shown up on the laptop's screen. "So what is this?" I asked him, before even taking a proper look at the document.

"This is most definitely the finding we're most proud of. Took place in December, 2 years ago. You can read through it yourself, if you'd like," he offered, getting up out of his chair so I could sit down and get a better look. "I bet you'll be impressed..."

I sat down on the surprisingly comfortable chair and peered at the screen of the laptop with intent.

December 3: 11:05 p.m.---

We spotted him at the fountain in the center of the city. He was alone, as we suspected, and we watched from a distance to avoid catching his eye. Ushio brought the camera.

He was still--absolutely still. He was wearing that long black coat, just as he always did. He stared into the waters of the fountain, as if longingly.

We made sure to be completely and utterly silent as we readied the camera. I offered to take the pictures for Ushio, not wanting to have him experience an incident like last time.

Just as I had gotten ready to take the picture, he spotted me. His eyes were like bullets that dug into our skulls as we hurried to make our escape. However, he was fast, and he was clever. But I had come this far and refused to let an opportunity like this get away. In a reckless attempt to snap just one photo of him, I received a back injury, as well as a broken rib. On the bright side of things, Ushio was unharmed, and I did manage to successfully take one good picture of him.

After all this time, we were finally able to get his picture for our data banks. That's one objective to check off our list, so that's one step closer to achieving our goal.

--Kyo Noraki

"You...went this far...just to get this guy's picture?" I stared in disbelief at Kyo after I had finished reading the entry. To my surprise, there wasn't even the slightest bit of regret in his expression.

"Heck yeah, I did," he said proudly. "My injuries have healed up since then, and it was definitely well worth the trouble. Although...ever since the day we took the photo, we haven't seen the guy again. I guess it makes me feel even more relieved of our accomplishment. Do you want to see it?"

"See what?"

"The picture, of course."

I nodded hesitantly, removing myself from in front of the laptop to allow Kyo to retake his seat. Then, with the click of a few buttons, he opened another file, one that revealed a photograph of a man in a black coat. And just upon seeing that photograph, my heart nearly stopped. Eyes opening wide, I could feel my knees begin to grow weak. My whole body shook immensely, both my heart and my mind now racing uncontrollably.

"Uh, H-Hiro...?" Yuta approached me cautiously, no doubt noticing the panicked look on my face. But she wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Are you alright, Hiro?" Ushio placed his hand on my shoulder. "Is something wrong-?"

"Five years I've been searching for him...five freakin' years...and now I get to see him...in a photograph. Do you know how pathetic that makes me feel? How worthless my efforts have been?"

I could just feel tension increasing in the room as I so bitterly uttered these words. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure if I was angry. Anger wasn't an emotion I typically felt. I was relieved, for one thing, but also scared. What has he been up to these passed years I've been searching for him? Why was he avoiding me? Has he forgotten about me? I felt a sharp pain in my chest as these thoughts jumbled themselves in my mind. "Dang it, Hanako...what are you doing with yourself?"

"Hanako?"

I craned my neck to look at Yuta, the one who had whispered this name thoughtfully. "Is that his name?" Her expression showed sincere concern mixed with confusion and fear. "Do you...know him, Hiro?"

I continued to stare at the picture. "Yes," I replied, fighting back the tears that were getting ready to fall from my misty eyes. "He was...a good friend of mine...my best friend. He disappeared 5 years ago after that incident here in Aobasani. You know, when the entire college burnt down."

"You mean he was there when it happened?" said Yuta, sounding surprised.

I nodded. "It was just one year after the two of us started college. After he left, I decided to drop out. And ever since then I've been trying to find him. I hadn't come any closer to my goal than when I first started...until now." A slight smile crept up onto my face as I looked deeply into the face of the man in the photograph. "It must have been fate that I met you, Yuta. You just may end up being the one who becomes responsible for reuniting me with the most important person in my life..."

My sad...broken...wrecked life that just may have meaning again.