A/N: In no way do I own any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters. I do, however, own this story. This story is based on my true life events with a little bit of a Rurouni Kenshin twist to it because… they make all stories more interesting lol My first year in Tokyo was perhaps one of the craziest, yet happiest experiences in my life and I'm glad to share these stories with you through the Rurouni Kenshin characters. I'll do my best to make this as exciting as I possibly can! Also, I need to revise the summary. It's way too cheesy for my tastes lol
This story will be great for those interested in how it would be to live as an ALT in Japan! Or even for those just interested in what life in Japan in general would be like.
JET- Japanese English Teacher (usually a native Japanese person)
ALT- Assistant Language Teacher (usually a foreigner)
An ALT must always work with a JET and is not allowed to use Japanese within the classroom. Constant coordination and planning is necessary for a smooth class.
Time is set in Modern Day Tokyo. Okay, enough chit-chat, let's begin!
Tokyo in Love
Chapter 1 – A New Life
Kaoru Kamiya had just graduated from college a couple of years ago. She was currently working as an administrative assistant for a small company, saving up money for her move to Tokyo next week, which would be the beginning of May. She had spent a year studying abroad in Kyoto a few years back and was half-Japanese herself, so she really enjoyed the culture. She applied to teach Enlgish at a company in Tokyo and they accepted her in a heartbeat. Maybe it was because of her beauty or charisma during the interview, but either way, she was thrilled to be moving to Tokyo soon.
She was looking at herself through a small compact mirror she held in her hand. She took a quick look at herself, making sure her mascara hadn't smeared and given her a raccoon look. But her eyes looked bright blue as usual and her long black hair flawlessly cascaded down her shoulders and down to her mid back where the ends were just lightly curled. All straight was just too boring for her. She adjusted her bangs to frame around her face the way she wanted then quickly shut her compact mirror and slid it into her purse that was laying on her lap. She could hear the footsteps of someone approaching from within the office.
"Kaoru, we are going to miss you." The company president walked towards the reception desk with a card in his hand and placed it in front of Kaoru. The card had a picture of a plane flying off with the words 'Fly to your dreams…'
"Aww, thank you Mr. Smith!" Everyone who had ever known Kaoru knew that it was her dream for the past 7 years to become an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Japan. It's basically all she ever talked about. Kaoru stood up and gave the president a hug. He was like the black father she never had. Literally. No figure of speech here, guys. He was black, and he was really like a father to her. He always worried about her and asked about her family, not that there was much to say about her family. "Remember, if you're ever in Tokyo, let me know! I'll be your personal tour guide!" Kaoru beamed a smile at him, putting her purse strap onto her shoulder.
"Giiiiirl, you gotta bring me some of that sushi when you get back." Layna butted in, walking towards the two. She was one of Kaoru's good friends and co-worker she had made within the company.
"Okay, but don't blame me if it tastes a little fishy!" The three chuckled together and said their final farewells. For some reason, she was so busy with packing and processing paperwork that she didn't have time to feel any sadness. She only felt excitement in her heart.
Kaoru stirred awake as she felt the plane's force slow down as it not so gracefully landed on the pavement of Haneda Airport. She looked out her window and saw many lights in the distance, but it was hard to make out anything because of the exhaustion of a long flight. But she had made it to Tokyo!
"Please keep your seatbelts fastened until the plane has come to a complete stop and the seatbelt light has turned off." And of course, everyone unbuckled his or her seatbelts despite the plane still slowly moving towards the terminal. Well whatever, everyone else is doing it, so will I. She followed all the other passengers, picking up her luggage, going through customs, and then finally going through the doors. There, her friend Yumi gracefully waved and beckoned for her "Kaoru, over here!" Kaoru walked over to Yumi and they embraced each other for a moment. Kaoru had met Yumi while studying abroad in Kyoto, and now they were going to live with each other since Yumi had a vacant room.
"Thank you so much for coming to get me!"
"It's no problem! Thank you for coming and living with me!" Yumi winked. Her outfits were just as revealing as how she last remembered her. Despite this, Yumi was a really beautiful half-Japanese, half-Chinese girl with perfect English. Kaoru always admired Yumi's beauty and talents. The girl spoke 3 languages perfectly!
"I'm so tired and ready for bed!" Kaoru yawned, looping her arm with Yumi's.
"It'll be another hour or two until we get home, honey!"
"Speaking of which, are we taking the trains to your place?"
"With all of your luggage, don't be silly! You wouldn't be able to fit in a single train car with your load! My boyfriend is parked outside. I just texted him to pull up front, so you should be able to meet him pretty soon." They walked outside the airport, and sure enough, a car lightly honked at them to come over. A medium height man came out from the BMW, kissing Yumi on the cheek and then extending his hand out to Kaoru.
"The name's Shishio Makoto. You can call me Shishio." He had really rough skin and a husky voice, not to mention a creepy smile.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance… Thank you for picking me up." Kaoru replied, lightly shaking his hand.
"Ha, your friend is more Japanese than any of my friends! Is she really from America?" Shishio smirked at Yumi, to which Yumi just rolled her eyes.
"She's just really sweet. Now grab her luggage and put it in the trunk!" After the two playfully bickered for a bit, they were on their way to Yumi's and now Kaoru's place.
"How long have you two been dating?" Kaoru asked curiously. They were stuck in traffic and it looked like it might be another hour before they'd arrive.
"Saaa, how long has it been, Yumi?" Shishio asked as he placed his hands on her thighs.
"16 days to be exact!" Yumi replied, placing her hand atop his.
That's really… short. Well, this is kinda awkward…
"You two sure are lovey-dovey, aren't you?" Kaoru joked, wishing she had someone like that in her life. Yumi simply smiled back at Kaoru. Kaoru looked out the window as they went over Rainbow Bridge. It had such a fantastic view of Tokyo! The lights from all the buildings at night twinkled blue and white and Tokyo Tower glowed in its orange radiance. It was like she was flying through the city at night. It all looked so surreal to her. But it was real.
And this is just the beginning… Kaoru smiled to herself.
After they were dropped off, Yumi gave Kaoru a tour of their apartment. For an apartment in Tokyo, it was quite large to Kaoru's surprise. Upon entering, there were stairs to the left and the bathroom to the right. Past the bathroom was a very large living room with very little furniture. All that was inside was a two-seated sofa, a television, and a small computer desk. She could see that the room received a great deal of natural light from the back wall, which wasn't a wall at all- it was a giant sliding glass door that led to a laughable amount of backyard space. Glancing around the room, she couldn't help but to notice how empty the place looked. There were absolutely no decorations to top it off.
Sensing what Kaoru was thinking, she nervously laughed. "Well, I'm living by myself, so I didn't want to fill it up with only my stuff. There's space for you're stuff, too!"
"Oh, okay! Hahaha, I'll definitely get us a kotatsu to put in here! I just adore them!" Yumi laughed and nodded, walking back to the front door. (a/n: kotatsu- a Japanese coffee-like table with a heater connected inside and a removable blanket) Kaoru followed Yumi and up the stairs. The stairs led to two doors directly across from each other. To the left was Kaoru's room- it was Japanese style, in that it had sliding doors and tatami mats. The room was of normal size, but the smell of tatami was trapped in the room. Not that she minded, but it did smell kind of strong. Yumi's room was across from hers, and it was western style. Her room was overflowing with random things such as clothes, stationery, etc. Yumi quickly shut her door after letting Kaoru peek in. "Haha, I really need to clean it some time!"
"Well let me know when, and I'll be glad to help!" Kaoru smiled at Yumi. After saying goodnight to each other, Kaoru went into her room. She felt so excited to have a Japanese style-room! Placing her luggage into the corner of the room, she opened up a giant brown package containing the futon that she had ordered and shipped a week beforehand. She quickly jumped in and immediately fell asleep, exhausted from her long journey. Japanese futons always felt like there was someone on top of you, lightly snuggling you till you fell asleep.
The next morning Kaoru spent her time shopping with her roommate at a 100 Yen shop called Daiso, followed by other home furnishings at a store called Nitori. She had never really lived with anyone for a long amount of time, so it was really exciting to be shopping with another girl. Kaoru picked out a kotatsu, leaf-patterned curtains, and other necessities while Yumi picked out a rug and smaller things. The two enjoyed the day together, exploring the area around these two stores. Even though it wasn't it the very center of Tokyo, there were plenty of stores everywhere!
Kaoru was amazed at how green Tokyo was! Most modern cities were 95% cement and structures, but everywhere she looked, she could easily find trees or bushes. The Japanese really don't want to lose their connection with nature, that's for sure. She was already in love with this city. The only part she didn't like was where their apartment was located. Nothing was nearby except for 1 convenient store. The entire area was residential only. Not only that, but it took 15 minutes to walk to the station! (A/N: Most people prefer to generally live between 5 and 10 minutes from the station)
'I guess I'll be staying fit…' Kaoru mused to herself. At least rent was pretty decent. 50,000 yen per month was honestly really good in her opinion. (A/N: Roughly $500 USD) You wouldn't be able to get a nice place at all for $500 a month in her state.
After having dinner at a ramen shop, the two practiced English and Japanese with each other.
"I hate katakana words so much!" Kaoru exclaimed as they walked home. (A/N: Katakana words are foreign words pronounced with a strong Japanese accent)
"Eh, why?" Yumi asked curiously. Katakana words weren't that difficult to her.
"Because it's like butchering a language! The other day I spent forever trying to spell out 'Australia' in Japanese! How is it o-su-to-ree-ri-a? I think that if the katakana system were gone, the Japanese would be much better at English. A lot of people depend on the katakana pronunciation, and it's just not precise at all!" Kaoru sighed in exasperation. She had begun teaching business classes for a week now and realized how bad English pronunciation is in Japan because of the reliance of the katakana system.
"Well, it's an important part of their culture. Some words are cute, I think! Like… Rabu-rabu(Love-Love= lovey-dovey), or pinku(pink)." Yumi giggled at the last one.
"I guess I should just try harder at katakana words!" Kaoru laughed.
They reached their apartment after a long walk from the ramen shop and plopped onto the couch. They each had bought themselves an interesting drink from the convenient store on the way back. Kaoru sipped at her coconut milk with small tapioca inside. Her eyebrows shot up in amazement. "Wow, Yumi, try this! This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth!"
"And just what have you been putting in your mouth?" Yumi squinted her eyes at Kaoru as she took a sip of Kaoru's drink. Kaoru rolled her eyes at her.
"Wow, this is really good! I'll have to get some next time!"
"What did you get?" Kaoru asked, watching Yumi stick a straw into her drink.
"Oh, just milk tea. I didn't feel like being adventurous today!"
"Laaaame." Kaoru commented, turning back to her creamy coconut drink. Yumi leaned back into the sofa and looked down at her milk tea carton in her hands.
"Ne, Kaoru, I have a question."
"Hmm? Sure, ask away." Kaoru set down her drink because of the seriousness she sensed in Yumi's voice.
"How old were you when you lost your virginity?"
Kaoru choked on a tapioca ball and turned beet red. She glanced over at Yumi, who was still looking down at her drink.
Is she seriously asking me this? Really? She's been boy-crazy since I met her and she's still a virgin?
"I'm asking because I've never done it with anyone before. I've had plenty of chances, but my parents raised me to protect the one thing that can always be mine." The room was silent for a while and Kaoru managed to swallow the one tapioca ball stuck in her throat.
"I think I was about…" Kaoru pondered for a second, doing some calculation in her head as she looked up at the ceiling. "20 years old."
"I really want to do it with Shishio. He's so sexual all the time, I find him so tempting…"
… Really? Kaoru internally grimaced. "Well if you love him, I don't see a problem with that. But if you don't and are just looking for a reason to have sex with someone, I don't think that's the brightest of ideas."
"Were you in love with the first person you did it with, Kaoru?" Yumi finally looked over at Kaoru.
"I was, very much so." Kaoru turned her face away from Yumi and sunk into the couch. "But that's all over now."
"I'm sorry, Kaoru. I didn't mean to make you feel sad or anything. I don't want you to dwell about the past if it saddens you." Yumi rubbed Kaoru's shoulders in remorse.
"No, I'm alright. We were together for a long time, but it's been almost a year now and I've become a much stronger person because of it." Kaoru gave a sheepish smile at Yumi.
"Well, go take a shower and go to bed. Didn't you tell me that you start work at a junior high school early tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I do! I have to meet the teachers and attend the school's morning ceremony. I'm excited, but jeez, it takes me an hour by train to get there! If you include the walk from here to the station and from the station to the school, the total travel time is one and a half hours! Can you believe it?" Kaoru stood up, throwing away their now empty drinks.
"Sleep early and get lots of rest!" Yumi smiled.
"Yes, I definitely will try my best to." Kaoru slumped her shoulders as she went to take a shower.
"Sweet dreams, honey!" Yumi shouted as she passed the bathroom door to head upstairs.
"You too, sweetheart!" It certainly was a bit interesting living with Yumi.
A/N:
Although some scenes are exaggerated, there are a certain number of scenes that were completely fictitious. Can you guess which scenes they were? Have a guess and I will reveal and explain at the end of the next chapter!
Please comment your thoughts! They are greatly appreciated!
Also, I'm starting Chapter 3 right now, though still in the process of revising Chapter 2. I will be taking a road trip this weekend and will be back to post Chapter 2 either Monday or Tuesday! Please wait for it! :P
Preview of Chapter 2 – The Meeting:
Moving her eyes to the next person, her eyes widened in surprise as she saw that he was staring directly into her eyes. She quickly looked down at the papers sprawled all over the table, pretending to read them. She could still feel his intense gaze on her as the time passed. In the few seconds that she had looked at him, she could tell he was a handsome man. She had caught a glimpse of his brown, almost red-like hair tied down in a low ponytail. His eyes were also a strange hue of… was it violet that she saw?
