I find a map and draw a straight line
Over rivers, farms and state lines
The distance from 'A' to where you'd be
It's only finger-lengths that I see

The radio was playing one his favorite tunes from youth, and his fingers strummed against the steering wheel to its meaningful rhythm. At the next red light, he pulled his car to a slow stop and adjusted his tie unconsciously. His perfect hair shone even in the dim night lights. His gray suit was dry from the outside rain, thanks to the shelter of his car. As the light turns green, he stepped onto the accelerator with his cleanly shone leather shoes. He was the epitome of the perfect businessman, nicely suavely dressed and charismatic to a fault.

Everywhere he went, the trail of girls that followed his steps never decreased over years and his choice of girls varied in the most random ways. Sometimes, he liked the way her hair feels in his hands. Or perhaps it's the way her eyes sparkled as she spoke of her love with such passion. Once she fell for this girl with strong, lean fingers and it amused him immensely to know that it was the only thing about her that he felt attracted to. It was not something he felt pride for, this charm that seemed to magnetize girls making them fall for his every move, but he had no reason to reject them outright either.

Then, he saw it. The café was still in business at this hour and people were running into it to shelter from the outside downpour. The parking spaces that would provide shelter leading to the café were all occupied so he parked at a distance. By the time he arrived at the doorstep of the café, his suit was drenched by rainfall and he looked a little less primed than his usual. But his eyes shone brightly and water droplets weighed on his hair making him look like a teenage boy again. And he was considerably handsome, even during his teenage years. With a sigh, he flicked water off his suit and hair before walking into the café.

The interior of the café was a startling contrast to the gloomy weather outside, warm orange lighting filled up the air along with wafts of baked bread and aromatic coffee. Laughter rang occasionally from one of the tables, and everyone was happily immersed in the coziness found in this small haven. At the counter, he spotted her. Her chestnut hair was tied in a neat bun and she was dressed in an orange kimono today, and her look was completed with a bright yellow butterfly bow at her waist. Helplessly, he took a sharp breath and that made her look up to meet his eyes. Her eyes still sparkled the way it did back in the days when they were in the Karuta club, her smile warmed and tugged his heart ruthlessly and he was still captivated whenever she showed him this beautiful expression. It was futile to deny that, in any case.

'You're here, again. Not that I'm unhappy to see you but I know what it means when you appear at my doorstep, Taichi.' She picked up a heavy tray of coffee mugs and maneuvered her way to the sink, her steps a tad too shaky for Taichi's liking. He immediately shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, in the next instant, he took the tray from Chihaya's hands and placed it next to the counter's sink. Chihaya perched her hands on her hips and gave Taichi a disapproving look, just as he expected, she was annoyed at his reason for being here and that thought made him bite his lower lip nervously.

'This happens every time! And it's even raining today, gosh! I hadn't noticed your drenched suit!' She ducked her head below the counter and picked up a portable heater and set it near Taichi. It wasn't until the warmth reached him had he realized how he was freezing. 'Thanks, Chihaya.' She gave him a wordless smile and took his jacket before disappearing to the back of the café. He watched the surroundings and observed the crowd, that person was nowhere found. He must be out for an errand today, or maybe there is some special training somewhere else today.

Chihaya returned with a bowl of warm miso soup from the kitchen and Taichi returned his attention to her, smiling at how much she had changed over the years. After six years since they have graduated from high school and she was now observant, caring and mature. But some things about her remained the same.

'So, what happened with her this time, Taichi? Dish it.' She perched her elbow on the counter top and rested her head on her hand and watched Taichi with a greedy expression. 'Chihaya! Are you always that happy to hear about your friend's break up?' He picked up the bowl and took a sip of the miso, which was undeniably delicious and a tad too salty, that is to be expected from Chihaya's cooking. She clucked at him and folded her arms before replying nervously, 'Of course not! Don't read too much into things okay? I'm genuinely concerned, but as always, you seem rather nonchalant about things. People usually make a big deal of break ups!'

Taichi smiled at her earnestly, her blunt honesty made it impossible for him to hide anything from her. 'I'm sorry that I come here whenever that happens. It's like I made this place my hiding spot from the outside world.' Chihaya looked down and watched her lean fingers with intense concentration, 'I don't mind that. I'm actually happy. And that means I get to see you too.' He reached across and held her hand in his cold hands making her jump up to look him in the eye, and she realized how tired Taichi's eyes looked today. She gave his cold hands a squeeze, and placed them near the heater, hoping that it would warm his weary soul. She was just about to pull her hand away, but he tugged her hand back and leaned in to rest against the counter-top.

'Today, I broke up with someone whom I had business dealings with. We got together simply because we both had an unhealthy obsession with work and had spent too much time with each other it became natural. But we tired each other whenever we dealt with an issue unrelated to work. Isn't that ironic?' His voice was low and minimally audible over the chattering noises in the café. She was tempted by an inner voice to lean across the counter and give him a hug, but thought better of the offer. Instead, she rested her hand on his cold, lean arm and hope that her warmth will reach him somehow.

She understood that even though Taichi had a reputation as a player in his industry, he was always earnest towards his relationships. She knew clearly how he would never take advantage of the girls he dated, and if he felt that they would eventually not work out, he would be honest with them and let them go. She knew of his kindness, and his need to balance life between work and his relationship. She knew that sometimes he had carefully considered rejecting these outpouring confessions from girls he meet, and he did try to kindly deter them initially, but some of these girls had taken liberty of his kindness and spread nasty rumors about Taichi. Some of those were regarding his sexual orientation. And sometimes, they even go as far as calling him impotent. It angered her that they disregarded his kindness, and she watched him transformed from a man who would honestly reject the girls to someone who would give them a chance to quell these rumors. It was impossible for her to understand how they could not appreciate his kindness in whole and understood his intentions. So whenever he ran to her café after a break-up, it made her smile just knowing that this was his safe haven.

'I missed you,' her voice was soft and brittle and sounded like it was about to break into a million pieces. He looked up at her with widely opened eyes, his mouth opening slightly to let out a surprised gasp, his hands unconsciously winding tighter around her small, warm hands. 'Sometimes, Arata and I would talk about our teenage years and we would always feel sad thinking that you're not here with us as often now. Sometimes, I missed you so much I would want to call you, but I know how busy you are with work and...' Taichi had let go of her hands before she could even finish her sentence, and he drank his miso without another word. Chihaya quietly retreated to the back of the café and returned with his neatly pressed jacket. She knew better than to say another word, Taichi was in one of his moods and he would be silent for as long as it took.

Once he was done with his miso soup, he left some money on the counter and left with his jacket while Chihaya was preparing a sandwich in the back kitchen. The rain had stopped and the dark sky returned to its quiet state.

-End of chapter 1-

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To my readers:

Always wanted to write a tale on Chihayafuru but I was more curious about the three-sided relationship than anything else. And then I wondered to myself, what if it never got resolved properly and they all went on with their life pursuing different paths? That was a very plausible situation, even in the real world, and then the scenes started forming in my mind and now I have this story to tell :)