Episode Two

Stalker

Lita carefully arranged the flowers by color in the vase she was putting together. After choosing a mixture of pastel roses, Asiatic lilies, carnations and daisy poms, she stepped back from the table and looked at her arrangement. "So how are your classes?"

"They're fine." Raye said, handing a rose to Lita.

Lita took the rose and put it in the vase. "What classes are you taking?"

"Ancient Japanese history, College Mathematics, Introduction to Philosophy, College Success, and Speech."

"Hmmm, sounds rather boring to me."

"I'm sure it is compared to culinary school." Raye handed Lita more flowers.

Lita faintly smiled. She was taking classes at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Tokyo while working part-time in Kaori's Flower Shop and Garden. She enjoyed her school and work greatly, and it was taking her towards her dreams in life. Satisfied, Lita took a pink bow lace and tied it around the vase. The arrangement was finished. "What do you think?"

Raye held onto a rose for a moment and looked over the arrangement. "It's beautiful."

Lita picked it up and moved it off the table. She then turned to her clipboard and looked over her paperwork. "I think that's the last arrangement I need to make for today."

A woman with long brownish-red hair walked into the back of the shop. As she was walking, she untied her apron. "Lita, dear, I need you to do be a favor."

"What is it?" Lita looked up at the woman. Her name was Kaori, the owner of the small flower shop and Lita's boss.

"My son is sick and needs to be picked up from school. Can you finish out the day and close up the shop at 4:30?" She asked, somewhat frazzled.

Lita nodded. "Sure thing. Not a problem at all."

Kaori pulled the keys from her pocket. "Thank you, dear. You're such a blessing." Giving Lita the keys and a quick hug, she made her way out the backroom of the shop.

Lita led Raye into the front of the shop where the display arrangements were and the cash register. Lita took a seat in front of the register while Raye stood next to her and leaned over the counter. "So it sounds like college is going well for you."

Raye nodded. "Yes, it's fine."

"Have you met anyone new?"

Raye froze for a moment. The image of the professor instantly flashed through her mind. "No, I haven't," She uttered, awkwardly.

Curious, Lita stared at Raye for a moment. "Are you alright?"

Raye jerked her head over. "Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Lita shrugged, still suspicious. "I don't know. Just wondering."

Their conversation was interrupted when the door opened and the small bell above the door rang. Lita looked up. It was one of the regulars. She immediately looked back down to the keys of the cash register. He was a young man probably in his early twenties. He frequently visited the small shop about once a week and he would always buy a small arrangement of flowers. As Lita kept her focus on the register, the young man casually walked around the store looking over everything on display. Raye looked over at him. He had shaggy brown hair, and by his clothing style, she guessed he was an artsy person. After a few moments, he walked up to the counter. "Is this all you have or is there something in the back I could see?"

Lita looked up and stared at him blankly for a moment. She shook her head, snapping out of her daze then forced herself to speak. "I have one arrangement just made up today." Clumsily, she stood up off her stool and walked into the back room. Raye and the young man exchanged glances while Lita was gone, but she soon came back into the room with her new creation.

The young man's face lit up as he saw the arrangement. "That's perfect. I'll take it!" He dug into the back pocket of his jeans for his wallet.

Lita started to ring up the price of the arrangement. "Alright, that will be ¥3,500, please."

Usually, the young man would pay in cash, but today he pulled out his debit card. Lita took the card and focused in on the name. "Hiroyuki Wantanabe," She read in her mind. After she finished with the card, she gave it back to him with a receipt. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." He grabbed the arrangement and pulled it off the counter. "She's going to love these," He said as he walked away. Soon the bell above the door chimed again, and he was gone.

Raye looked over at Lita. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

Raye motioned towards the door. "That guy! You were all quiet and weird when he came in here. What is wrong with you?"

Lita shrugged. "Nothing. He's just a regular in here, that's all."

"Regular, eh?" Raye leaned back against the counter. "Maybe you should ask him out for coffee sometime. He was pretty cute."

"I'd rather be asked out then do the asking." Lita put her hands on her hips. "And besides, it looks like he already has a girlfriend." Lita pondered for a moment. He bought flowers ever week from the shop. "Yeah, she must be one lucky girl. I don't think I've ever had a guy buy me flowers, and she gets them every week." She looked over at Raye. "And look who's telling me to go out on a date? Miss I-Haven't-been-on-a-date-in-a-year…"

"Eleven months!" Raye interrupted.

"Whatever!" Lita exclaimed. She dug under the counter and pulled out the record books to record the recent transaction. She was silent for a few moments as she wrote down the information of the purchase. "So Serena told me that I'm paired up with Andrew at the wedding."

"And?" Raye asked.

Lita sighed. "I don't know. It's just still a little embarrassing when you tell a guy how you feel, and he doesn't feel that way at all."

"Wasn't that four years ago?"

"Yes, I'm totally over it, but it's really embarrassing." Lita shook her head. "Speaking of which, do you remember when our dress fitting is?"

Raye pondered for a moment. "Saturday at 2:30." Raye looked up at the clock. "I probably should get going. It was good to see you, Lita."

Lita nodded. "It was good to see you too."

Raye departed from Kaori's Flower Shop. The small flower shop was very close to University of Tokyo. When she had spare time, she would often go to visit Lita on her breaks. It was growing late in the day, and it was time for her to go home. Instead of stopping at the multiple bus stops she passed, she made sure she got on the same bus that she first saw Professor Kawamori. For the last couple of days, she experimented with different times to try and see him again, but she never saw him on the bus. That morning she even got on the bus at 6:00AM to see if he was there, but he wasn't. Finding no luck at on the bus, she decided to search through the names of faculty who taught in the Letters Department. There was no Professor Kawamori.

She got on the bus only to be disappointed again. The professor was not there. She sat down in a seat by herself with the other tired students and sadly stared out the window. Tilting her head back into the seat, she wondered why she was going to so much trouble over one man. It was stupid and ridiculous. Here she was getting up at the crack of dawn to watch someone that she never met. She stopped her thoughts—she was a stalker. Knowing that behavior like this was completely inappropriate and bizarre, she closed her eyes and promised herself that this madness would end, and that she would stop thinking about him.

The bus ride was long and quiet. Eventually, the bus reached Hikawa Shrine, and Raye gave a gentle tug on the bell to stop the bus. The bus pulled over and let her off. The sun was still out that early night since it was still the summer, but it was pushing 8:00PM. With her messenger bag over her shoulder, she walked down the sidewalk towards the long stairway into Hikawa Shrine. It was quiet except for the pounding of footsteps against the sidewalk. She turned around and looked for the source of the noise.

He was a runner. In black mesh shorts, a sweaty grey tee-shirt, and an ipod attached to his arm, the professor ran down the street. Raye stopped for a moment, drinking in the view of the man she had been looking for three days. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and his toned muscle was better viewed in a tee-shirt rather than a button down collar shirt. He was running closer.

She didn't know what to do. She debated just turning around and walking away, but contrary to her though processes, her hand instantly went up and waved at him right as he ran past her. He jerked his head to the left quickly to see what the distraction was, but without looking, he ran right into a lamppost and fell over.

"Oh, my gosh!" Raye exclaimed, putting her hands up to her mouth. She felt like the biggest idiot in the world for distracting him and making him run into the lamppost. She stepped down off the first step and ran over to him. He lay on the ground holding his head in pain.

"Are you alright?" Raye asked, terrified.

He groaned. "I think so." He tried to stand himself up. Raye took a hold of his arm and helped him up. "Are you sure you're alright? Do you want me to get you some ice or something?"

"No, I think I'll be okay." He kept his hand over his head, and his eyes closed in pain. "I'll just go home." He started to walk, but he wobbled down the sidewalk.

"I really don't think you're okay." Raye walked up to him and caught him as he wobbled back and forth. "Let me look at your bump." Standing before him, she gently pulled his hands away from his face. He opened his pain-filled eyes—they flew wide open. It was as if all the pain left him. In a daze, he stared at the face of the woman who stood before him.

"Are you sure, you're alright?" Raye asked, slightly confused with the way he was looking at her.

"Yes, I think so," He uttered, still staring at her.

"I can get you some ice. It's really not a problem."

He gently nodded, still a little shook up. "Yes, perhaps you're right. Maybe I should get some ice."

Raye took him up the arm and slowly led him up the stairs to the Hikawa Shrine. The Shrine was closed to visitors by that hour, but she would be sure that her Grandfather would make an exception to this wounded man. Together, they finally managed to make it up the tall stairway into the Shrine. Raye let him through the courtyard, past the Shrine structures, and towards her house. The light of the house illuminated the darkness of the courtyard. The wonderful scent of cooking seeped out of the house as her grandfather worked on preparing dinner. She led the wounded man into the kitchen and sat him down at the kitchen table. Her Grandfather wasn't in the kitchen at the moment. She started into dig in the freeze section of the refrigerator. "Grandpa, we don't have any ice!"

"Yes, we do!" He hollered from another room. He walked into the kitchen a moment later. "It's in the back freezer." He noticed the gentleman sitting at the kitchen table holding his head. "Who's this?" He asked with a bit of surprise and excitement in his voice. It wasn't everyday that Raye brought a man home.

"He hurt his head," Raye said sternly, responding to her Grandfather's playful and flirtatious tone of voice. "I really need to get him some ice."

"I told you. It's in the back freezer." Grandpa sat down at the table across from the stranger.

Raye sighed. "I'll be back in a few minutes with some ice." The stranger nodded and faintly grunted in response. She walked out of the kitchen. There was a large deep freezer in one of the sheds of the Shrine. Raye would find the ice there.

Grandpa folded his hands together and looked over the stranger. He seemed like a fine young man that would be prefect for marrying Raye and giving him grandchildren. "So what is your name, occupation, and do you have any tattoos, piercings, or have been involved in any sort of illegal trouble?" Grandpa asked casually.

The man looked up at Grandpa, the pain of a headache written all over his face, and stared for a moment. "No, I don't have any tattoos, piercings, or have been in any illegal trouble," He answered, somewhat confused.

"Good. Good." Grandpa nodded. "So what's your name? What do you do for a living?"

"My name is Kawamori Akira. I work at the University of Tokyo." He reburied his head in his hands.

"Excellent." Grandpa nodded fervently. "Kawamori-san—that's a very good name." Grandpa leaned forward towards Kawamori-san. "Now tell me, what is your religion?"

The man, named Akira, looked back up at Grandpa, still confused. "Shinto."

Grandpa slapped his hand on the table. "Hot dog!"

"Hot dog?" Akira looked utterly confused.

The gears in the old man's mind started to turn as he looked over the man sitting at his kitchen table. This newcomer seemed like the prefect candidate to date his granddaughter. "Would you care to join us for dinner, Kawamori-san?"

Akira's heart throbbed with pain too much to even comprehend eating at the moment. Seconds later, Raye walked back into the kitchen with a bag of ice. She handed it to the man, and he put it over his forehead. Carefully, he stood up and started to walk out of the kitchen. "Thank you all for your hospitality, but I must be going now."

"Are you sure you're going to be able to walk?" Raye asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." He uttered, painfully, but still trying to be kind. "Thank you for the ice." He walked out of the kitchen. Raye followed him to the front entrance of the house. He bit another rushed goodbye then stepped outside.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?" Raye asked.

"No, thank you. I'll be fine." He said as he walked away, holding the ice pack to his forehead.

Raye sighed deeply as he walked away. She wanted to say more and convince him to let her take care of him, but it was her fault he was in this mess anyway. Closing the door, she leaned her forehead against the door and closed her eyes. She wondered how she could be that much of an idiot. "So much for first impressions," She thought to herself.

After recollecting herself, she walked back into the kitchen. Confusion washed over her face as she saw her grandfather grinning like a wildcat. "Is there something wrong?"

Grandpa shook his head. "No, nothing," He answered, still smirking. Raye rolled her eyes and turned to the refrigerator. She started to dig around for something to drink. Her Grandpa sat silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Kawamori-san seems to be an interesting individual."

Raye looked back out of the fridge towards her grandfather. "You talked to him?"

"Yes, while you were getting the ice."

"What'd he say?"

Grandpa's grin grew from seeing the curiosity in Raye's eyes. "You know, just the usual. What was his name, and where did he work."

"Those are things I don't even know. What did he say?"

"His name is Kawamori Akira, and he said he worked at the University of Tokyo."

Raye stopped searching through the refrigerator and pondered for a moment. She had looked through the entire faculty at the University of Tokyo and there was no Professor Kawamori. Even though that was a troubling fact, it was pushed to the back of her mind. His first name ran through her mind as she began to associate his face with the name. "Akira," She gently uttered aloud while her head was in the refrigerator. She faintly smiled to herself.

Her index finger gently traced the rim of the tea cup as she sat in the booth of the coffee shop. She watched Serena slurp down a frozen vanilla bean frappuccino—Serena never really liked coffee. Ami had suggested the place to meet to catch up on life. Raye was fairly busy with classes and working as a Miko. Ami was almost chaotic, but the blue-haired girl never seemed to notice. And of course, Serena had way too much time on her hands waiting for the wedding of the century to take place. The two of them waited for their third member to arrive.

Serena sucked on the straw, trying to suck up the last remaining bits of the frappuccino, but she looked up at her friend. A small, faint, smile crept upon the raven-haired woman's face as she traced the rim of tea cup with her finger. She appeared to be living in another world that moment, and it made her smile. Serena smiled at the sight. Raye rarely smiled just to smile. Something was up, and of course, she would be the one to get to the bottom of it. "Raye, what's with you?"

Raye snapped out of her daze and looked up. "Huh? What?" She pondered for a moment. "Nothing's wrong."

Serena watched her for a few moments. The woman looked away then a larger smile swept across her face. "There!" Serena pointed her finger at Raye. "You're smiling! What's going on?"

Raye looked back up. "I told you! Nothing!"

"Liar!" Serena started to pout. "I can't believe you wouldn't tell me if something was going on. I mean, you're in my wedding and all, and you can't even trust me…"

"Stop trying to manipulate me. I told you. Nothing is going on."

"Sorry, I'm late! Things were hectic in the ER. Some paperwork got lost, and I had to help document…"

"Have a seat, Ami." Serena scooted over in the booth and made room for Ami. Ami looked over at Raye. The two friends took hands and squeezed for a moment. They hadn't seen each other in a few weeks due to their lifestyles. Of course, Serena, saw all of the Sailors frequently due to lack of obligation.

"So Ami," Serena said, playfully. "How are things going between you and Shun? Any inter-office romance you want spill with us?"

Ami rolled her eyes. So did Raye. Ami looked over at Serena and folded her arms over her stomach. "We're really just friends."

"He bought you lunch, Ami!" Serena asserted.

"Because I forgot my lunch money, Serena," Ami asserted back.

Raye shook her head. "Yeah, Serena, it is possible for a girl to be friends with a guy and not have anything romantic going on."

"That would explain why your life is so boring!"

Ami gasped before putting her hands over her mouth. Serena knew she was in trouble while Raye's face went into a cold hard stare. The blonde woman sunk back into her seat expecting to be yelled at any moment, but nothing came. The beautiful amethyst eyes saddened for a moment then looked back down to the table. "Some things aren't as easy for others, Serena."

Serena fell silent while Ami nervously tried to ease the discomfort of the situation. "Well, Raye, is there anyone you might be possibly interested in?" She asked gently.

Raye shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think it matters."

"Why not?" Ami asked.

The raven-haired woman looked up, eyes full of sadness. "I don't think something could work out between us."

"Well, who is he?" Serena finally spoke up.

Raye was silent for a moment. She usually didn't discuss these things with anyone, but they did weigh on her heavily. "I think he lives near the Shrine in the apartment complex. His name is Kawamori Akira."

"Where did you meet him?" Ami asked.

"I first saw him at the Shrine, but then I saw him at school."

"So he goes to University of Tokyo then?" Serena asked.

Raye pondered for a moment. She figured it would be best not to disclose the fact that he was a college professor. She already felt dumb for telling them as much as she did. "Yes, you could say that," She danced around the subject.

"Well, have you talked to him?" Serena asked.

Raye shook her head and put her hands up. "Look, it really doesn't matter. Just forget what I said." She looked at her watch. "I probably should be going." She got up from the booth and left a few Yen for her tea.

"But we all just got here!" Serena said.

"I'm sorry. I have to go." Raye left the coffee shop. Raye always had a habit of leaving if a conversation became too uncomfortable.

Ami and Serena sat silently and pondered on the abrupt exit that Raye made. Serena sighed then turned towards Ami. "Ami, I know what I have to do."

"What?"

"I have to find out who this guy is."

"Why?"

With determination in her eyes, she looked up and held her head high. "The Red Ninja of Love must be called into action once again! I am going to set Raye and this guy up! Raye deserves a little happiness in her life!"

Ami leaned down and held her head in her hands. "Serena really needs a job," She thought to herself.

"Honey, do you really think this is a good idea?" Darien sat on the couch and while reading the newspaper.

"Of course it is!" Serena walked frantically around her fiancé's apartment looking for tools to put in her utility belt. "Raye obviously needs a little help in the love department, and I'm the one to do it."

"Don't you think love needs to take its own course?"

Serena blew a raspberry. "No! Haven't you ever watched the Hallmark Channel?"

"No, can't say I have." Darien turned the page. Serena was making a lot of noise by digging through the kitchen drawers. He turned around and looked at her. "Aren't there any weddings plans you could be going over."

Serena turned to him. "Don't worry! I have plenty of time to plan our wedding and help Raye fall in love." Serena shut the drawer and walked over to the table. She looked over some of the wedding notebooks she kept. "Did you decide who will be your last groomsmen yet?"

"No, I'm still thinking."

"Well, you've better decide, baby. Time is running out."

"I know. I think I have someone in mind."

Serena walked over to the couch, threw her arms around Darien's neck and leaned over to kiss him. He responded to the kiss then reached up to take a hold of her arms. "Our wedding will be perfect, Serena. Don't worry."

Raye got on the bus that morning at the normal time she needed to go to class. She decided that today would be the day that she would put this nonsense behind her. After causing him to run into a lamppost, she figured there was no way he'd ever even want to look at her let alone anything else. She sighed. It didn't matter anymore. She was putting this behind her.

She was putting it behind her until the bus stopped, and he stepped onto the bus that morning. Being the friendly person that he was, he greeted the bus driver. Terrified, Raye grabbed a hold of her JJ magazine and covered her face. The man looked over in her direction, but all he saw was the cover of the magazine. He sat down as usual, but instead of grading papers, he pulled out a book—Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

Raye peered over the top of the magazine. He was wearing his glasses today and reading British literature. She pondered on what kind of man this was. He apparently taught Japanese grammar, liked to run, and read British literature. The more she thought about him, the more she liked him. She didn't understand what her problem was. She saw attractive men everyday in Tokyo so why was she going nuts over this one? She sighed, feeling herself becoming more like Serena and Mina every moment. She thought about last night when she gave him ice. She stared hard at his forehead—there was a bump and small bruise. What if he recognized her as the woman who made him crash into a lamppost? Would he be friendly, or would he be angry? Slowly, Raye pulled down the magazine and laid it on the seat next to her.

For the entire ride, the man never even looked up once from his book. Finally, the bus reached the University, and he got off still reading. Raye sighed as she stood up in the aisle, grabbing her messenger bag. "Akira," she uttered to herself as she watched him walk away from the bus. Why did he captivate her so much?

Raye got off the bus and headed to her first class in the Letters and Law building of campus. As usual, she was very early, but perhaps she might encounter the professor of her heart on the third floor. Opting for the stairs, as she always did, she reached the third floor. He wasn't there. Raye sighed.

"Dang it!"

Raye's ears tickled from the hushed expression. She walked down the hallway heading towards the intersection. The sound of a door trying to open filled the emptiness of the floor. Slowly, she turned the corner. Raye rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. Walking down the hall quietly, she made sure her feet made no noise against the carpet. Finally, she reached her destination.

"Raye! You scared me!"

"I scared you?" Raye crossed her arms over her chest. "You're supposed to be a ninja, and I'm the one who sneaks up on you?" Raye's face turned to a scowl. "What are you doing here, Serena!"

Serena, dressed as the Red Ninja of Love, looked over at Raye but still tired to pick the lock on the door. "I found out who your Kawamori Akira is. You didn't tell me he was a faculty member!"

"Why should I? You shouldn't be in my business!" Raye said, defensively.

"Anyway, this is his office."

Raye jerked her head and looked around. "You're breaking into his office! Serena, that's a crime!"

"So it dating a professor, but I didn't say anything."

"I'm not dating him."

The lock broke open and the door flew open. Raye looked inside the dark office. It was neatly kept office with a simple look to it—almost as she imagined. Serena smiled through her red mask then pulled the mask off. "Ready?"

"This isn't a good idea." Raye looked around the hallway again.

"C'mon! Don't you want to find out more about him? Like if he's married or not?" Serena enticed.

Raye stood silent for a moment. That was a question she did want to have answered. She looked around again then stepped into the small office. Serena followed behind and closed the door.

"Okay, look for pictures first."

Raye turned to Serena. "You've done this before?"

Serena shrugged. "All in a Ninja's work."

Raye didn't ask anymore questions. She looked around at all the pictures. There weren't many—in fact there were only two. Despite the fact it crushed her spirit, she smiled at the pictures. Akira looked absolutely handsome in the picture, but the little boy in each of them was adorable.

Serena came over with a third picture. Raye's heart sunk even more. This picture had another woman along with the little boy and Akira. Serena pondered for a moment. "I'm sorry, Raye. He must be married."

Raye closed her eyes. Why did these things always happen to her? "We should probably get out of here."

The handle of the door started to turn. Serena and Raye's eyes shot wide open. There was absolutely no place to hide in the office.

"The class tends to have higher scores on their entrance exams. I think they would be perfectly capable of starting out with a research paper," Kawamori-san said outside the doorway.

"I don't want to overwork my students either. For goodness sakes, they did everything to get into this school in the first place."

"Well, you decide, Hashiba-san. They are at least academically ready."

"Thanks, Kawamori-san." The other professor walked away.

Soon, the door open and the lights flipped on. He walked over to his desk and stood before it looking for papers. Just underneath the desk were a cramped Serena and Raye trying to hide.

Serena felt it. A long belch was rumbling in the pit of her stomach, traveling up her throat and going to exit her mouth. She couldn't help it, but with pure instinct, Raye quickly put her hand over Serena's mouth and stopped the belch.

Akira looked up at the clock. "I better get to class," He said aloud to himself. He put his papers down and walked over to the corner of the room. He grabbed a messenger bag then walked over to his bookshelf. He grabbed two books: Canterbury Tales and Beowulf. The lights were shut off, and he exited the room.

Raye released a great sigh of relief. "Serena, this was the stupidest plan!"

"Hurry, if we run, we can sit on in his class!"

"Okay!" Raye agreed. The two of them quickly scrambled out from under the desk and left the office. They charged down the opposite way to try and catch him from the front. As they were running, they almost collided into the passing students. Serena ran past a coffee cart that she almost crashed into. To keep the coffee from spilling, she grabbed a hold of the tray with four Starbucks coffee cups. While they were running, she passed them over to Raye.

"Why do I want these?"

"Just take them!"

She didn't have time to stop and put them down so she continued to run with them. They turned the second corner, hoping to get there before the professor, but as she turned the coffee flew out of her hands. Finishing the turn, she saw the hot liquid fly into the air and land on the professor's white button down collar shirt. He hollered instantly from the hot coffee and ran away towards the men's bathroom. Before a scene started to form, Raye ran away from the area while Serena followed.

After they ran away and returned to the classroom that Raye was supposed to be at, they stopped in front of the doorway and took a deep breath.

"That was a close one!" Serena exclaimed.

Raye gave her a cold look. "Serena, just go away," She said sternly.

"Raye, I…"

Raye walked into the classroom and slammed the door in Serena's face.

"…I'm sorry." The Red Ninja of Love failed her mission.

Raye rode the bus home her usual time instead of trying to guess when the professor would be riding home. She had told herself before that it was over, but this time she really meant it. After the trial of fire and ice she put him through, she was positive he'd never want to even look at her. She sighed. And besides, he was married. There was no way on Earth that she would ever steal another woman's husband. This fantasy had to be over, and it really did feel like it was over when he stepped onto the bus that afternoon. Her heart was too crushed to be spirited by the sight of the man. She merely sat there and focused on her book: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. As she read through Act One, she could relate greatly to the lovesickness and pain of Duke Orsino for Lady Olivia.

The man gave the bus a glance over. He looked over at the raven-haired woman who always seemed to be reading. He smiled for a moment—Twelfth Night was one of his favorite Shakespeare plays. He preferred it over JJ magazine any day. He pondered for a moment, thinking the woman looked familiar, but he couldn't place her. He pushed his glasses up his nose. It didn't matter. He was just some guy on a bus.

She rarely cried, but she found herself weeping heavily on her pillow that evening. Many thoughts, feelings, and emotions circled through her mind and heart while lying on the bed. She couldn't believe she fell for a married man. She couldn't believe she made him hit his head and spilt coffee on him within 24 hours. She couldn't believe she was that stupid to believe love could happen for her. Reaching down, she dug between the crease of her mattress and box spring. She pulled out the wooden charm with a pink cover. She squeezed it tightly. Love charms were nothing but a waste of time. The gods weren't listening to her. Angrily, she got up out of bed, charged across the room, and flung her door open. She was going dispose of this stupid charm and put silly thoughts behind her. She charged outside a few steps through the courtyard. Her arm was raised, ready to throw the charm, but she stopped dead in her tracks.

The man was walking slowly with her grandfather among the courtyard. She put her hand down and looked at the charm. Quickly, she tucked it in her clothing and curiously walked over to her grandfather and the man.

Grandpa looked up at his approaching granddaughter and beamed happily. "Ah, Raye, I'm glad you're here."

"What's going on?" Raye asked.

Grandpa motioned to the man. "Kawamori-san is a devote Shinto and expressed interest in becoming a part-time Priest." He looked to the man. "I believe you are acquainted with my lovely, single, granddaughter Raye."

Raye gave Grandpa a cold look but her face relented when Kawamori-san bowed to her. She returned the bow. "I'm glad to hear you are interested in becoming a Priest, Kawamori-sama."

He smiled. That smile of his made her heart melt. "You don't have to call me that. Akira is just fine."

Raye nodded. "Akira-san."

Grandpa stretched his hands up in the air and yawned. "I suppose I should get dinner started. Would you care to join us, Akira?"

Akira nodded. "Yes, I would be most grateful."

Grandpa started to walk away. "Raye, would you give Akira a tour of the Shrine while I go make us some dinner?"

Raye turned to her grandfather and walked up to him. "But you're always the one who gives the tours!" She snapped under her breath.

"Not today!" Grandpa said while still smiling, quietly so Akira wouldn't here.

"What do you think you're trying to pull, old man?" She hissed.

"I'm trying to get you married before you're 35!" Grandpa was still smiling. He waved over at Akira. Akira waved back.

"Grandpa, I don't need your help! And besides, what if he's already married?"

"What if he's not?" Grandpa started to back away. "Thank you for being so kind, Raye!" Grandpa yelled out loud so Akira could hear. "You two have a wonderful time exploring the Shrine!"

"Thank you, sir!" Akira waved towards Grandpa.

Sourly, Raye walked away from her Grandfather and came up to Akira. "So where would you like to start first?"

Akira looked around the courtyard. "Probably with the outside structures since we have little daylight left."

Raye nodded. He was very intelligent. She started to walk towards the garden area, and he followed behind her. He was quiet for a few minutes as they observed the beauty of the gardens.

"You're the woman who gave me the ice, aren't you?"

Raye's face flushed red. She nodded. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to distract you and make you hit that pole."

They were silent again for a few more minutes. "So Raye, are you in school at all?" He asked, trying to make conversation.

"Yes, I'm actually at the University of Tokyo."

"Ah, me too." He reached out and ran his fingers over a bamboo plant. "What is your major?"

"Japanese History."

"I'm a Letters major."

Raye jerked her head over. "What? You have a major?"

He was confused. "Yes."

"But how is that possible?" She was completely stunned. "Aren't you a professor?"

He shook his head, still confused. "No."

"But I saw you teaching a class one day."

Akira pondered for a moment. "I'm a student-teacher for the Letters department. I have my own office and everything. I mostly grade papers, assist in research, and fill in when professors are sick. I actually got pretty lucky to have a job like that while I'm in school."

"What year are you?"

"I'm a junior."

"How old are you?"

He was a little confused from the blunt questions, but he answered. "I just turned twenty-one a few months ago."

Raye blew out some air in relief. Everything that seemed to be wrong was now looking so right. He wasn't a professor, he was only three years older than her, and he was in college with her. "So do you have any family?" She changed the subject.

He kept walking. "I have a sister and a nephew that I still talk to. I don't see my parents much."

Raye walked around silently for a moment. She realized that the sister must have been the woman in the picture and the nephew the little boy. She looked up. Akira was staring at her. She looked confused from his stare. He raised his finger and pointed at her while he pondered. "You're the woman who split coffee on me this morning."

Raye cringed.

"And you're the woman that I see constantly reading JJ magazine on the bus."

Raye cringed again. "I don't really like that magazine. I just get bored."

Akira stood pondering for a moment. "And you were reading Twelfth Night today."

"You remember all that?" She asked. "I was hoping you'd forget."

He nodded. He stood silent for a moment with a faint smile on his face. "You know, I was only distracted and ran into that pole because I thought you were beautiful." His face blushed madly.

She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say. Her chance was ruined when her Grandfather stepped onto the deck of the house and hollered for the two to come inside and help him with dinner.

He let her go in front of her and lead the way, but as she walked, she reached down and touched the form of the charm in her pocket. Maybe this thing wasn't so useless after all.