Syaoran is a professional photographer who accidentally takes a breathtaking picture of an unknown, enigmatic woman. He searches far and wide for a chance to meet her, refusing to give up. But little did he know that the entire time, she was right under his nose.
Disclaimer: I'm only saying this once: I don't own.
Photograph
Chapter 1: The Perfect Place
Pictures are worth a thousand words. Whoever came up with that saying was a pure genius, because it really is true. Being a photographer myself, I understand those words. I know what it is like to be behind the camera, to snap my finger on that one button, to hear the satisfied click, and to see that quick flash come and suddenly vanish, as if it was never there. Then as the film is full and pictures start to form, the very scene taken from the camera is imprinted on paper. It looks so vibrant, full of unending life, giving one the cherished memories to keep inside forever. Looking back at old photos can renew reminiscences and bring back all the emotions. Thousands of words can be used to describe a single photograph. But I did not fully comprehend the saying until I unintentionally took a picture of her…
A young man stopped in his tracks and looked out the wide Tokyo airport window, while setting down his heavy luggage. His warm amber eyes surveyed the land, trailing contently across the beautiful landscape of Japan.
The springtime cherry blossoms trees swayed in the gentle wind. Their fragile petals unattached themselves from the branches and fell slowly, blotting the ground with its pink hues. The rumbling cars appeared like dots shifting around on top of the leveled cement. Looming skyscrapers sprang up from the ground, as if they were attempting to reach for the infinite, sapphire sky floating above them. Small clumps of clouds tarried overhead, only moving whenever a breeze persuaded. Dozens of birds glided all around, offering the city the delightful sounds of their melodic chirps.
The man's fingers ran down his chest until it ceased at the familiar feel of the camera that hung around his neck. His long, slender fingers began to itch at the cold touch around the lens, giving him an urge to start taking pictures immediately. But looking out into the city, a soft sigh escaped his lips. The sight of Tokyo was gorgeous, but it simply wasn't breathtaking. It was too urban for his taste.
"I already get enough of this in Hong Kong." He whispered silently to himself.
He then stifled a yawn, aware of how the faint jetlag from his plane flight from China was affecting him. Yet he strangely felt replenished somehow, peradventure from the thought of his new assignment.
One of his hands ran through his tousled chestnut hair, giving it a messier look than it had to begin with. He stood still, allowing his amber-filled eyes to trail across the eventful city and his thoughts to wander afar. All time seemed to stand still until the sound of his name reached his ears.
"Ah, Li-kun!"
Li Syaoran blinked a few times before turning around, his mind awakening from its reverie. His eyes met those of a delicate young woman with two female bodyguards at her side.
"Hey, Daidouji."
The woman's welcoming smile broadened as she embraced her old friend. Pulling away, she looked up with a recognizable gleam in her big violet eyes. Her long, black hair was tied up into pigtails with cherry red ribbons that matched her lips. She had on a long lavender dress with dozens of ribbons tying together at different ends, augmenting the simple decorations strewn on. It was most likely designed by her--Daidouji Tomoyo, one of the most successful fashion designers in all of Asia.
"I'm very sorry, Li-kun! My work hours had to be extended, and there was so much traffic…" she apologized.
Syaoran smiled lightly. "It's all right. I understand how that goes. I haven't been waiting long anyways."
Tomoyo let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." She said as she took some of Syaoran's suitcases and handed them to her bodyguards while carrying one herself.
"This is your first time in Japan ne?" Tomoyo asked as the small group began to walk.
"Aa." Syaoran plainly answered as they made their way towards Tomoyo's limousine.
"I see…anou, Li-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"If it is not too much trouble, do you think you could be the photographer for one of my fashion shoots? Like old times in China?" Tomoyo gave her friend a small smile, her eyes pleading with gentle chiding.
"Of course I will." Syaoran answered, teasing her by creating a face with such obviousness.
"Arigatou!" she said with gratitude, pretending not to notice his expression.
They soon reached Tomoyo's fancy limousine, placing the luggage in the trunk area and quickly stepping inside. As Tomoyo's chauffeur slowly started the engine, Tomoyo asked, "Will you be taking pictures in Tokyo?"
Her companion's lips suppressed themselves in a thin line, unsure of how to answer her. His bushy eyebrows collided at the ends, revealing a sense of contemplation. "I don't know yet." Syaoran admitted sheepishly.
Tomoyo slyly smiled at him. "Is Tokyo too urban for your taste?"
Syaoran's eyes blinked for a concise second, surprised at the accuracy of her inquiry. "How—?"
She giggled at his astonishment, and her big violet eyes twinkled with perceptiveness and amusement. It was then Syaoran remembered how keen the girl's perceptiveness actually was. It gave him a type of eerie feeling, since her qualities of discernment was like an exact duplicate of Eriol's, his cousin who was very good friends with Tomoyo. Eriol was a well-respected journalist with whom Syaoran worked with. They were a wonderful team; Eriol wrote his stories with such description and an adventurous air in his words while Syaoran provided the pictures to compliment Eriol's stories and amaze the readers. However, they had such a peculiar relationship. Eriol's mystifying and devious personality often times irked Syaoran to no end.
Both Eriol and Tomoyo never failed to figure out his emotions, which aggravated the photographer in the sense of feeling violated. Sometimes he would wonder why Eriol and Tomoyo have never gotten together yet. Their personalities were so alike, and the way they would look at each other definitely wasn't the way normal friends would look at each other. Only a matter of time, Syaoran guessed.
"I had figured you would probably feel that way, so I went ahead and made plans for you to stay at a very small town not too far from here. It's exceedingly small, serene, and many beautiful plants and such surrounding the place. The name of the town is Tomoeda. The town is very peaceful, so I think you will like it. My mother bought herself a summerhouse there, so you are welcome to stay there. Unfortunately, I can't come with you to Tomoeda because of work, but I will come visit you in a few days. I bought you a train ticket, but the trip should not take too long. So what do you think, Li-kun?"
Syaoran crossed his arms amusingly. "Very clever and efficient; I'm impressed."
"Those are two characteristics that must always be present in the business world, Li-kun." She reminded him with a smile while handing him a small packet.
"That's true." Syaoran admitted as he opened the packet, finding a bus ticket, directions, and a key to the summerhouse. "Arigatou, Daidouji. I'm always indebted to you."
Tomoyo beamed. "Ah, there's no need for you to pay me back. You were always at my fashion shoots and shows whenever I asked, so this is my form of compensation I suppose. But—it is too bad Eriol wasn't able to come."
Syaoran listened to her trail off at the last of her words. "Yeah, he was really busy with other articles, so he wasn't able to come right now. He'll be coming to Japan in a few weeks though."
"Aa, I heard it all from him on the phone. It's all right; I can wait until then." piped Tomoyo, trying to cheer herself up and concealing any more traces of disappointment.
The long, black sedan came to a complete stop. Rolling down the window, Syaoran saw that they had arrived at the train station. Both friends exited the car and went behind to retrieve his belongings. As they were taken out, Syaoran's eyes wandered to the fairly long train. The long, sleek train glinted in the sun and stood still on its rusty roadtracks while its engine quietly worked as it waited for the passengers to enter. A small quantity of people was already beginning to board the vehicle. The two hurried to the sliding doors. Before entering the train, the photographer gave Tomoyo one last word of gratitude.
"Anytime, Li-kun. Now, if you need to call me, you know my number. I'll see you in a few days!" she bid goodbye, smiling.
Gradually, tired amber eyes fluttered open, awakening Syaoran from the pleasant nap he had on the bus. The sound of a superficial voice reached his ears.
"We will now be stopping at Tomoeda. We will now be stopping at Tomoeda."
The strange voice continued to repeat itself for a minute or so to let everyone onboard know. Syaoran shook himself fully awake. As he rubbed his eyes, a slight yawn escaped his mouth. The train slowed its pace as people around him began to gather their belongings. He followed their example, slinging a duffel bag onto his shoulder. When the train finally stopped, the brunette got up to depart. A blinding ray of sunlight hit his eyes as he stepped out. Syaoran squinted and covered his eyes. Within moments, his eyes adjusted to the abrupt change and finally received the chance to observe the surroundings.
A small town stood in front of him, very quiet and still. An undisturbed presence loomed over the town. A few people were scattered here and there, walking lackadaisically. Just beyond the small city was an overflow of luscious green trees and mountains. The town was a very ordinary and unadorned, yet it had an attractively natural flair to it that somehow appealed to Syaoran. He smiled, mentally applauding Tomoyo for her choice.
There were cherry blossoms growing from the earthly soil, like in Tokyo, except here they were much more abundant. A tiny petal freed itself from the rest and started to fall. Syaoran's eyes watched as ethereal wind carried and twisted it around, dancing with soft pink petal with such elegance. The wind soon died out and whooshed it towards him, welcoming his arrival to this new and beautiful place. Syaoran slowly reached out and took it. His fingers stroked its smooth, fragile surface carefully. A small grin appeared on his face as he lifted his hand and blew on it like one would blow a bubble. The petal curved upward rapidly then swooned in a descending swinging motion until it dropped on the ground.
This was the place—the perfect place, Syaoran thought.
It was perfect not only because of its beauty, but soon he would see her in this tiny town—the woman who would deeply intrigued him…
05.06.08
Just a little note to point out how I've changed the story from a first point-of-view to a third point-of-view. While I was rereading my story, I personally felt there was a kind of choppy flow in my writing, so I decided to shift perspectives. I really suck at first point-of-view. Ahah...