A Centimeter Closer

"Thank you very much, Tono-san. I'll let you know when we're ready, but just between us, I think you're going to make it big."

Hearing those words made Takaki's day. Heck, with the way things turned out lately, it was making his year!

Ever since he had quit his previous job as a computer programmer, he had gone from job to job, always trying to find one that was more than just a job. It was not until one of his coworkers had overseen him writing yet another E-mail that he thought of it.

"Hey, Tono, why don't you go into writing? I mean, you do that more than you work!"

It was like it was ordained from above. He silently thanked Akari, wherever she was, for all the letters he had written when he was younger. Those letters had turned into a story in Takaki's mind. The letters had become his "what if." It was these letters that eventually inspired his writing.

His mind drifted for a time. Akari. He wondered where she was. That day, a year ago, he had sworn he saw her by that train crossing. If he had only stopped sooner…

Takaki lived with regrets. The sorrows in his life seemed to compile. His troubles with life were fused strangely into his writing. He was able to find an escape, a hope.

The soon to be writer smiled as he thought back to his two greatest friends. Indeed, to this day, they were the only two he considered to ever have been his friends. He had dated, and had coworkers that he had gone out to grab a sake bottle with, but never had he considered anyone his friend except for Akari and Kanae. He wondered if both were safe, if they had found happiness or not.

A shower of cherry blossoms drifted lazily past him. Five centimeters per second. How long had it been since Akari had told him that? How long since Kanae had said the same thing? Cherry blossoms. They drifted like snow, lazily moving toward the ground. They would bump into one another, get caught in the wind, and then continue on their way, still moving at that five centimeters every second.

Lost in thought, he was surprised to find himself already at his apartment. Fiddling with his pockets, he searched for his keys. It took him a full two minutes of searching before he came to the conclusion that he had lost them. Cursing slightly, he realized there was a sizable hole in his jacket pocket where his keys might have slipped out. He began rushing back to the office, hoping that he had dropped them there. Just to be careful, he kept his eyes glued to the ground.

As he neared his office, he accidentally bumped into a tall man dressed in a business suit. Immediately, Takaki went to the ground. It was not at all unlike hitting a wall.

Rubbing his head, he was surprised to see a hand in front of his face. Taking it, he was hauled to his feet by the man he had run headlong into. He bowed rapidly.

"Excuse me! I lost my keys and I was in a rush. Sorry."

The man waved at his apology.

"Don't worry about it. Keys are more important. Besides, I didn't get out of the way, did I?"

"Y-yes, but…"

"Hey, why are you still here? Go on, find those keys!"

Bowing and apologizing again, Takaki ran off. The man shook his head. Poor guy, he thought to himself. He's got the look of a bachelor. I remember what that was like. I'm getting to re-live it now. Chuckling, he remembered that he had done just what the poor man had done a few months ago. It had netted him a good earful. He had been sad, but simultaneously relieved when they had both decided to try the idea of separating for a while before going full on into the marriage again. His wife had always been looking somewhere else and he couldn't ever find himself in that gaze. He wondered briefly if she was still trying to find that young man after all these years.

"Akari…"

"Akari…hey, Akari!"

Akari snapped back from her daydreaming to find herself once again at an office desk. The frowning face of her boss looked down at her. Miyuki, her coworker next to her, gave a silent "sorry" at not being able to snap her out of it faster. It looked like the manager was in a foul mood today. Akari winced unconsciously.

A few hours later, when she was off for the day, she was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Suddenly, a body half tackled her from behind.

"Whew! You're lucky, Akari! If that had been me, I would have been suspended at least."

Akari smiled back at Miyuki.

"It's because you're so immature. Besides, I don't drift off to sleep nearly as much as you do."

"You get caught less, you mean."

Akari tilted her head in mock concentration on that thought. "True, I guess."

Both women dissolved into giggles.

"Geeeeeeeze! After a day like that, I need a drink. Come on, Akari, my treat today!"

Growing serious, Akari stopped, then frowned. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? You remember last time."

"Awe, come on. He was cute. It's not like he didn't enjoy it. Besides, you're single now, right? What's wrong with a little harmless flirting?"

"Miyuki! I told you, we're not divorced. We're just taking a break to figure some things out first."

Miyuki grinned evilly.

"My bet is that he found that letter, didn't he?"

"W-what?"

Miyuki laughed. "The letter you never gave to him. You know, the one you dug up and started obsessing over. What was his name? Takaki?"

Akari stopped. Yes, it was true. That was the letter her husband had found her reading. It was just a teenage crush, nothing major to note, but still her husband had been suspicious. She looked up at the falling cherry blossoms.

"Five centimeters a second…" she whispered.

"Huh? What? What's that, Akari?"

"Five…no, never mind."

"Ehhhhh…you're acting weird, Akari."

Despite herself, Akari smiled.

"So, how about that drink?"

The two women continued on, eventually passing a small bookstore. The store was packed.

"What's going on here?" Akari asked.

"Eh? Not sure. Hmmm…oh, wow!"

Ignoring her friends childish reaction, Akari pressed.

"What?"

"I don't believe it! It's Sumita Kanae!"

"Who?"

"Honestly, Akari, don't you keep up with local sports? She's the best female surfer in Japan! Heck, she might be the best surfer in Japan period!"

Akari stumbled for a second. She was never one to keep up with local sports, except for Kyudo. She always hoped to catch an elusive name in there…

"You think she'd sign something?" Miyuki said, already fumbling in her pack to try to find something, anything that might be worth it. She was getting gradually more frustrated.

"Looking at the sign, Akari said, "Oh, here. It says she'll be signing tomorrow as well. Why don't you come back then? Tomorrow is Sunday, after all."

"Oh, really? Ok, then. I think I'll try to bring my surfboard!"

"Yah, bring…wait. Where do you keep a surfboard in that apartment?"

"Huh? Oh, I rented a storage shed to keep all my excess stuff in."

"I see…"

"Hey, you ok Akari?"

"Yes…"

Though Miyuki pestered her, she couldn't shake the feeling that she saw. Sumita was about her age, and she was from Tanegashima, the place where she last knew Takaki to have gone.

"Sumita-san!"

"Yes?"

Kanae was forcing a smile. After six straight hours of signing, her face was growing sore. The little bookstore was packed. If it weren't for the favor to her sister, she would have asked the owners to end a long time ago. Still, she had to admit, the little store was packed, and the people really were here just to see her.

She turned to the young man speaking to her. He looked to be in his late twenties, and was not at all unhandsome. His short brown hair was neatly combed, and his eyes were a surprising green. He must have had some foreign blood in him.

"I was wondering if you were free after this. Perhaps you could give me a few surfing pointers in exchange for dinner?"

Smiling, Kanae said in an overly sweet voice, "I'm sorry, but I don't go in for one sided deals."

The man grimaced, but he did not look overly surprised. Feeling guilty, she was about to apologize, but he waved her off.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you get a thousand offers like that a day. I'll just have to look for someone less pretty."

He waved and walked off, only to be replaced by two more waiting to have her sign. She forced her smile and prepared to take them.

"Ok, everyone, that's enough. The shop closed already. Please leave. She will be back, after all."

Moaning about how there was not enough time, the customers all began to wander off. Kanae began to wave them off, genuinely smiling at the fact that it was soon to be done. She caught sight of two women walking outside. They inspected the sign outside. One looked to be excited, while the other was merely looking amused at her friend. The latter looked at her briefly then bent to read the sign. Suddenly, she looked up in surprise, and gave Kanae a look of shock, her mouth open. Slowly she moved away.

I wonder what that was about Kanae though to herself. Maybe she recognized my name from a long time ago. Or maybe we went to high school together or something.

High school. It had been a while since she had thought of that. Her friends had all gone off to continue their education, and she had decided after a year to do the same, but she also entered into surfing competitions, trying to live her life doing what she loved. It had been Tono who had taught her that, to always follow your heart.

Kanae sighed. She had not thought about Tono in a long time. She had always tried to block that one memory out of her thoughts. It was always so painful to remember him. She wondered if that person he had always been sending E-mails to was still a part of his life. She also wondered if he could look at her as a woman now.

These were her thoughts as she helped the store owner pick up. It was a favor to her sister, who had once been the teacher of the man. He was a little pressed for business ever since larger companies had started moving in. The support he received from Kanae helped to boost his business a great deal.

Finishing up, he turned, and placed his hands on his back.

"Ah, this work will be the death of me!"

"Hey, ji-san, take it easy. I can help you with those."

"Who's old? I happen to only be thirty!"

"Hehe. I'm still in my twenties, remember? To me, you're practically a dinosaur!"

"Huh? Come here and say that to my face, you rascal!"

Laughing, she dodged away from the slow attempt to tackle her. Kanae enjoyed the times where she could relax. It seemed like most of her life was either training or traveling for competitions. Still, she had started to really enjoy Tokyo despite (or perhaps due to) the lack of surfing. It was good just to take a break.

After chasing her for a bit, the shopkeeper lay down, and Kanae came over to sit.

"Sumita, why is it that you turn down every offer for a date?"

Kanae's smile faded. The truth was that she was still head over heels in love with Tono, even after all these years. She had tried dating, but the combination of her high profile and eventual lack of interest caused them to fail.

The owner must have seen it in her face, because he very quickly changed the subject to her sister.

The time eventually came for Kanae to leave. She needed sleep if she was to try to do anything worthwhile tomorrow. Leaving the shop, she walked along, her heart a bit of turmoil. She wondered where Tono was right now. She always looked out for him in her travels, always hoping that it would be his face she saw when she finished a competition or when she bumped into someone walking down the street. He had not really spoken to her since he left and she had made no real effort do contact him.

Staring up at the sky, she wished she could see more stars in the city haze.