Authors Note: This story is actually a combined piece by both me and pen name Arramidnight.
For some they have died,
and some they have left me.
And some are taken from me;
all are departed;
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
-Charles Lamb
I shuffled down the hall to the elevator of my apartment building. Even a year later it still felt wrong to go to work and run my life in the same way that I would have as if nothing had happened. Not only that but everyone seemed to have this need to get over it, but why should we act like it didn't effect us how could it have not? The elevator rang at each floor causing it to move monotonously slow as it neared the bottom floor. I walked to the train station looking at all the people waiting with me. The same people that were there everyday. My stop came faster than I would have liked, normally this wouldn't have phased me, in fact at some point in my life I was excited to be working the reflective glass skyscraper that was now looming in front of me. The NPA headquarters, the ending place of painfully mundane daily commute. I followed the stream of other business attire clad people flowing in the mostly empty entry hall. Suddenly I stopped, the room still moved around me, but somehow I couldn't make myself continue into the over packed elevators with everyone else. It was at this moment that it dawned on me, as though I'd walked into an over scrubbed pane of glass.
I really can't do this.
I waited a moment before regaining enough self composure to walk the five feet to the main desk in the center of the room. A secretary was looking down at piece of paper to the side of her computer while she typed quickly. I glanced over her name plate, Kashimora Kana, there were little silver stars surrounding her names interesting what little things could say about a person. I leaned against the desk allowing her to finish before looking up. She jolted ever so slightly when she realized I was there, brown glitter lined eyes lite up automatically.
"Sorry I totally didn't see you there sir. Good morning." Kana said with a surprisingly sincere smile.
"Good morning." I said. "Would you mind if I borrowed a piece of paper."
"Sure of course you can." She handed me a yellow legal pad and heavy sliver pen. I quickly scribbled down a note.
Hi
I'm quiting the force
say good bye to everyone for me
bye
Matsuda
I tore the page off placing the pen and pad back down on the desk in front of me.
"Would you mind bring this up to Aizawa." I said showing her the paper.
"Do you mean the Director?" I nodded, duh she wouldn't refer to him by name, she'd probably never even talked to him. " Then sure I'll get it up there as soon as I can get away from the desk. Will that be soon enough" I folded the paper before handing it to her.
"Yeah that would be great. Thank you." I said turning back towards the exits.
"Leaving all ready." Kana asked brightly. I turned back and smiled at her cheerfully.
"Yep I was just stopping by, I have the day off actually." I walked against the flow of traffic, navigating the other workers until I was back in the train station which was just as overly crowded as it was before, a suffocating number of people moving in every direction around me. What was arriving soonest? I scanned the electronic arrival board for what would be there with in minutes. Gate 13 to Tokyo International. The airport. Somewhere in my subconscious I knew it made no sense to head aimlessly in a random direction, but I pushed the thought aside and hurried to the gate. I sank to a bench, ignoring the strange stares of other travelers who were all trudging along with rolling luggage and duffel bags who seemed to find my lack of either item to be odd. I forced my eyes to the window watching the dark tunnel walls speed by, I would get there soon where ever there might be.
The last stop was outside the airport arrival and departure. As I entered the main terminal it became evident that I didn't know where to start, there were rows of desks for many different airlines none of which I felt any draw towards. I shuffled to the information desk. There was a slight line but much shorter then all the other desks so it was the obvious choice of where to start. When I got to the front of the line there was a man standing behind the desk looking completely miserable sending a glare at the couple who had just left.
"Hey you." He said. "How can I help you?"
"I need a flight." I said.
"Excuse me?" He raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"I need a flight." I repeated.
"Where to? At what time? I really need more information to help you."
"I really don't care where, I just need the first flight out of here."
"Well can I have your name?"
"Oh yeah, my name is Touta Matsuda."
"Do you have an ID or something?" I nodded handing him my ID. "How about a passport?" I shock my head. "So you need to fly somewhere in Japan?"
"No I need to leave Japan."
"You can't do that."
"No you really don't understand. I have things, things that I need to do. Things that I need to do that are not in Japan." Rambling, I'm rambling at this man. But it was important I didn't leave now, if I did I wouldn't come back and at this moment I all that I had to do was get away from everything that I knew.
"I'm sorry, what do you want me to do?"
"Get me the first flight out of here."
"But you can't leave the country." He said clearly trying to show me reason, but I knew there had to be a way that I could do the same for him.
"But..."
"Sir I think you need to think about this. Clearly this trip wasn't very well planned..."
"No." I said thinking about my options. "I'm... Its police stuff... I have to leave for police business." I pulled out my badge waving it erratically in front of me. "Its an emergency you see." I said gaining some steam as my lie started to sound more believable and valid. "Super important stuff I have to do."
"Really?" He looked over the badge. "Is there someone I can check this with."
"Yes." I said that quickly realized that there probably wasn't and corrected myself. "Actually no."
"Yes or no?" He rolled his eyes clearly he was gonna start doubting me soon.
"Umm yes. Yes you can." The words tumbling out.
"I'm going to need that number."
"Can I talk to them quickly." The man made a face like he was going to say no, for obvious reasons... "Listen the mission is really secret and there are only very few people who know about it. So I need to talk to them if there going to give you clearance, but this is really an emergency and it is a matter of national security that I get on a flight... Any flight... If you really need me to call the head of the NPA and have him confirm it I can, but that would really make things take longer so please just help." The man was staring at me clearly trying to decide if he believed me or not. In all honesty I wouldn't blame him for not, any other day I would have thought I was the most suspicious person on this earth. But looks can be deceiving, I also knew from experience that even the most trust worthy can be hiding things so why wouldn't the idea work inversely.
"Fine you can call." He sighed waving a exhausted hand at me, the line was building up and he knew just as well as me that it was better to just let things move along so that I didn't back things up much longer.
"Okay, you won't be sorry." I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Aizawa's office with shaking hands.
"Where the hell are you Matsuda!?" He shot through the phone, pleasant as always it would be hard to convince him to say what I needed, but I would just have to choose my words correctly.
"You haven't gotten my note." Please say..
"No. What are you talking about!?" Thank goodness for little miracles!
"Nothing, nope nothing, um... But I'm having some trouble at the moment. This person at the airport isn't letting me use my badge as ID."
" And just why are you at the airport when you should be at work?" Aizawa let out a frustrated sigh from the other line. Think man...
"I'm... just a second." I said to the man at the desk moving away slightly to make sure was able to see me talking, but was unable to hear what the conversation was about. "I was away for the weekend remember." I said completely lying through my teeth.
"No... Why don't you have ID with you?" As always he sound exasperated by my very being.
"Its a really long story, but if you want me to get back you just have to tell this man that I work for the NPA and you need him to let me get on the plane right now."
"Really, only you could get yourself into this kind of situation I swear..." He muttered.
"Please Aizawa..." I was truly grabbing at straws at the moment, but just maybe...
"Fine, put him on the phone." I let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you so much!" I said turning back to the desk and the glaring man waiting for me. "Here." I handed the phone over. I heard them exchange several questions then he handed it back.
"I'm looking for the next flight." The man told me clicking the keys on his computer with practiced speed. I put the phone back to my ear.
"Be here soon okay?" He snapped.
"Yeah." I said feeling sorry to be lying, after the years working in the task force there was part of me that cared about the other members... "Tell everyone I'll miss them alright?" I managed knowing just how strange the comment would sound to someone who thought they would be seeing me in a few hours tops.
"What are you babbling about Matsuda?" He sounded like he was going to make me explain myself, but I cut in before he could say anything more.
"Bye." I slammed the end button keeping my finger on it until the screen feel dark.
"There is a flight to Portland Oregon. Hows that?" I nodded.
"Thats fine, I mean perfect, yep thats totally great." I smiled sure I was twitching, but at least I was soon going to be on my way.
"Alright." The man said begrudgingly. "I'll walk you to the gate or else there is no way that you would get through security." He lead me away from the desk and through a side passage. He stopped to talk in a hushed voice to a woman at the metal detector who signaled me through. We reached the gate , the plane, which was mostly boarded. The man from the desk talked to another man who was taking tickets. He waved us into the boarding tunnel. Apparently he was to dropped me off once I was actually on the plane and not before. "Your seat is right there." He pointed to a spot in the first class section, ironic it would be my first time here, I thought with a laugh internally.
I walked over to the place the man had indicated. A woman sitting in the seat next to mine. She was young, probably only in her early twenties, and was curled up catlike in her seat. She was a foreigner with swept back blond hair and many dangling earrings. She was fiddling with the frayed holes in the knees of her jeans and on her hooded sweatshirt.
"Hey there" She said in a bubbly way.
"Hi." I said sitting down, she stopped moving her fingers wide blue eyes looking me with a quick glance, than she smiled toothily.
"I'm Rose Jenkins." She held out her hand to me in a friendly way.
"Touta Matsuda." I said oddly grateful to be greeted so enthusiastically by a complete stranger. Maybe it was a good omen.
"What brings you this way?" She asked. "Business? You look like a business person to me."
"Nope not business. I'm moving." I said sinking to the seat, rolling my neck against the rough gray seat and breathing in the smell of recycled air.
"Really? What made you choose Portland." She turned in her seat so that we were facing one another.
"Well actually I didn't really." I admitted with a shrug. "I guess Portland choose me in a way."
"How philosophical of you." I made a confused face, was she making fun of me? "No I totally understand that is exact same reason that I moved to Peoria." she reassured me.
"Wheres that?"
"I really don't have any idea to be totally honest. I heard a story on like NPR or something about this person who moved to Peoria because god told them to do it."
"God didn't tell me to move. I just needed a change and this was the first flight out of here at the moment I arrived." I said looking at the ground sullenly.
"Sorry I didn't mean to poke fun or anything like that." She placed a hand on my armrest in heartfelt way.
"Its alright. I'm pretty used to it."
"Sad." She said. "But really I wouldn't have made fun of you if by some chance you had been looking for god." I laughed at least I was sitting next to someone friendly.
Pretty soon the plane had taken off and was beginning to level out at cruising altitude .
"So..." Rose started.
"Do you always talk this much to random strangers on planes?" I asked looking up from my copy of the stupid magazine selling things that are always placed in planes.
"Nope. You just look like you need help." Thats a weird thing to tell someone after less then an hour of knowing one another.
"I don't need help, but thank you." I tried to turn back but...
"Sure you do. Wheres all your stuff?" Great I was really obviously out of place, but I guess I had already realized that.
"Don't have any." I said looking down at the the suit I was wearing, the only clothes I would have with me when I got to America, at least I had my wallet and stuff so I wouldn't be completely broke. Though money was never endless, I would have to find something else to do...
"Okay sorry my mistake your doing fine." She turned to the window, but I could see her looking back at me.
"Okay, okay, maybe I'm not doing so great but I'm doing fine." She swiveled excitedly to face me once again, clearly glad to know she had figured me out so fast.
"Where are you going to live in Portland?"
"I don't know?" I answered honestly, I don't know why I felt like it didn't matter if I told her, but than again I wasn't really sure why I was doing a lot of things as of late.
"The housing market is kinda high over there at the moment." She said.
"I'll find something." Nerves were starting to set in now, with the plane in the air there was no turning back even if I wanted to and with what she was saying taken totally to heart.
"Can I help?" Did she really just say what I thought she did?
"You want to help me? Sure."
"I know a guy." She smiled widely bearing her teeth again.
"You know a guy?" I reiterated.
"Yeah. I know a guy who owns a building. You'd have at least one roommate, but I've met him and hes fine. Kinda old, but a nice guy as far as people go you know? So anyway its like dirt cheap." She ripped a page out of sky mall and scribbled down a phone number.
"Thanks. I'm not going to call this number and end up calling you or something right?"
"Oh you found me out." She said. "Hell no I don't give my phone number to strange men in airplanes. Do people really try that?"
"Dunno." I noticed the stewardess heading down the isle with the food cart.
"The service here sucks." Rose said. "I fly with them all the time and the stewardesses totally hate me."
"Really they hate you?" I had never known airline staff to be rude, at least not outwardly, to anyone in any of my many times on planes.
"Yes they do, you'll see." She said indicating for me to turn back to the other woman.
"Maybe its 'cause you talk so much." I laughed.
"I really don't talk this much when I travel. I told you that you just seem like you might need a friend is all."
"I have friends." Maybe, though who really knew if that was true or not anymore.
"Thats not what I meant. I mean that you look sad and I just want to help cheer you up." The stewardess stopped next to us smiling forcedly.
"Can I get you something to drink sir?" She asked.
"A coffee." I said. Rose laughed as the woman pushed the cart away after handing me the coffee.
"Told you she hates me." Rose said.
"Wow she kinda does. Coffee?" I held up the cup.
"No I'm good." She said reaching into her pocket. "I bring my own snacks. Granola?" She held out a small bag. I shock my head never having been much for that sorta snack.
"Did you take that out of your pocket?"
"Yeah so. Its your loss. Talk to me again in like six hours when they try and feed. Its growl and bites I swear to you."
The rest of flight went as pleasantly as a fourteen hour plane ride could possibly be. Rose continued talking to me periodically. It helped keep me from lapsing into full boredom, without any entertainment with me, plus she was a huge help in calming me down and cheering me up.
The plane landed through a mass of gray clouds and onto a slick runway. Storms and rain, a good start already. When we got off the plane we had to go through customs. Thankfully the airport had called ahead so they let me through or else I had no real plan how that was going to work.
"Your very important apparently." Rose said as we were let out near the badge claim area where most of the other passengers from our flight were all filing to the assigned carousel. She walked with me to the door.
"Don't you have a bag?" I asked noticing that she hadn't gone in the mass of people either.
"Nope. Don't you?"
"No." I shrugged.
"So, I guess it was nice to meet you." She said holding out a hand with a smile, I shook smiling back at her. It had been, well interesting that was for sure at least she was nice.
"You too." She waved walking away without another word. Leaving me by myself again. At that moment I realized just how alone I really was, and the severity of the situation. I didn't know anyone in Portland, I'd never even heard of the place. Without a single rational thought I had brought myself half way across the world, but for what really? Something had drawn me away from my life and clearly meant for me to here at this moment. But really what it all came down to was what to now that I was here? With as much resolve as I could muster I moved in behind a crowd of people and filed out the door.
