8th of August 2014
Japan
Minato Ward, Tokyo
3:00 P.M
The afternoon sun blazes with an intensity that befits the current season of summer.
People walked to and fro with umbrellas to shield themselves from the intense heat of the sun. Some people went to malls or cafes to escape the scorching heat and feel the cool winds of their air conditioners.
Though the majority of people are quite averse to the blistering weather, some, like a lone boy in a park, love to feel the heat on his tan skin.
The boy is reading a book to pass the time as he waits for his tardy friend to arrive.
"I told her that she should at least be on time today." The boy thought as a strong wind blew through the park and he thought it was nature itself agreeing with him. He unconsciously puts a stray black hair back to where it belongs.
After several minutes of more waiting, he can hear the pitter-patter of sandals on pavement then to soft ground as it nears him.
The sounds of panting can be heard as his friend tried to regain her breath from all the running that she did. Thankfully, another gust of wind blew through the park and cooled her down somewhat.
The boy raised his head to look straight into her red eyes "You're late. Again."
The girl fiddled with her sun hat and looked at him bashfully "I know, I'm sorry. I forgot to mention to you that I promised my mother yesterday that I would help with cleaning up the house today. You know I always keep my promises, right?" She pumped her fists to accentuate her point
His eyes lingered on her before he huffed in resignation "It's fine, Sahori. I'm used to you being always late." He moved his Jack Frost bookmark to the page that he was reading and closed the book.
"Ehhh, I'm not always late, Jasper." Sahori pouted as she patted down her red sundress and took off her sun hat as she fixed some of her loose red hair.
Jasper looked at her blankly as she tidied up herself "Right, let's just go to that ice cream parlor that you saw yesterday." He stood up and stretched his legs to remove the numbing in his legs from sitting too long. Picking up his messenger bag, he put away the book that he was reading and walked to the exit.
"Ah! Wait for me!" The red haired girl hurried to him and walked with the impassive boy side by side, cheerfully talking about how her day went all the while.
Walking through the streets of Tokyo and silently marveling at his surroundings, he could scarcely believe that he was given a second life when his first one had ended so abruptly.
When he was born in this new life he felt confused, being transported away from what he assumed was Heaven after he died would do that to any person.
Still, instead of feeling regret, he did all he could to make his second life a fulfilling one. He would cherish every waking moment in this new lease of life that he was given.
A certain part of his brain opined that, perhaps, the Lord Almighty was the one who put him here. If he did, then, he would be forever grateful for his benevolence.
"We're here!" The dark haired boy was shaken out of his musings by Sahori's exuberant voice.
He looked at the place that Sahori brought him to and he was surprised that he was looking at a rustic wooden and stone building. The ones that you can see when you go to the countryside for confectioneries and such.
Looking at a big wooden signboard just above the entrance, it read 'Nozomi's Icy Love'.
He pushed aside the glass doors and stepped inside the shop. The air changed to a pleasant coolness that you know came from an air conditioner.
Already, Sahori can be seen darting around everywhere and marveling at the, admittedly, expansive ice cream flavors. His eyebrows raised in surprise as he read a flavor named 'Skadi's Special'. What does that even taste like?
On the end of the shop he saw a beautiful well-endowed blonde woman manning the cash register. She was looking on with amusement as Sahori ran towards her and showed her a piece of paper.
"Oh, Cailleach's Mixture is made with wild strawberries imported straight from Europe and I can guarantee that it is quite tasty. I know because I made all of these myself." The woman winked and Sahori became starstruck and rattled off a series of questions of how she made all of these.
The woman smiled with delight and patiently answered all her questions.
Meanwhile, Jasper was ready to order and waited for Sahori to quiet down. A few minutes passed and it seemed that the woman had answered all of his friend's queries.
Then, the woman's gaze turned to him and she smiled "How about you, young man? Do you have any questions?"
"You really like myths, don't you? I've read your ice cream flavors and some of them have a deity's name on it. Like, Skadi, Cailleach, Boreas and others." The boy smiled lightly and gave her a knowing look.
The woman nodded "That's right, I'm quite a fan of myths and the like. I just felt like naming my creations after those gods. It just felt right, for some reason." She squinted, looking perplexed with a hint of delight "I'm surprised, though. I didn't think a kid would know of them let alone pronounce their names correctly. You must be pretty smart." She ruffled his hair while Sahori laughed. He flushed in embarrassment as the two teased him.
"Jasper is pretty smart!" Sahori teased him as she poked his cheek."He's ranked first in academics on our grade level, you know, and he can answer any question that you ask him!" His friend loudly boasted. "Unlike me, ehehehe." She scratched her cheek in embarrassment.
Jasper rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Don't sell yourself short, Sahori, you're pretty smart too, you know. You're second in academics on our grade and you're one of the most athletic people that I know." His face grew a smirk. "And you're the most beautiful person that I know." He poked her cheek and watched as she became red like a tomato.
Sahori cuffed his head and pinched his cheeks as retaliation. All the while the woman watched their byplay with increasing amusement.
The two were interrupted by the sound of two stomachs growling. They looked at each other, huffed and looked away while becoming beet red.
The woman laughed at the two adorable kids "Man, you kids sure are a riot. Name's Nozomi, by the way." Nozomi put on an apron and got a scooper. "Now, seeing as you guys are really hungry. What can I get you?"
The answer was quite a lot. Both children ordered numerous ice cream scoops, ranging from soft serves, yogurts, gelatos and mochis, by the end of their eating spree both of them wore a contented face.
"You kids better have the money to pay for all that you ate." Nozomi says as she collects the used dishes "If you don't, then you'll be helping me with the dishes.
"Don't worry, Nozomi-san. I can pay for all of that." Jasper took out his wallet and counted the amount of necessary bills that he would have to pay. "Here you go, Nozomi-san."
"One, two, three, four and five. Yup, that's 5,000 Yen. Pleasure doing business with the both of you." Nozomi looked behind him and smiled. "Don't forget to wake your friend up." He looked where Sahori was and sure enough she was asleep on the bench that she was sitting on.
As he was waking Sahori up, he heard the sound of a bell as the entrance opened and a tall man went inside. He disregarded him as he gently woke Sahori.
"Hmm? Oh, Jasper, good afternoon. Are we going home now?" Sahori yawned as she stretched her arms and legs.
"Not even going to ask if we already paid?" Jasper asked, his eyebrow raised in question.
"I know you already paid for the food, Jasper, you always do. It's because you're always so responsible." Sahori let out a knowing smile and patted his head.
"Let's go home, then. It's getting late and our parents will be worried about us." The sky is getting dark and dusk is nearing. The city is a different place when night arrives and who knows what kind of person would they be running into when that happens and Jasper is not keen on finding out.
"I know, I'll just say goodbye to Nozomi-san." Jasper follows her with the intent of doing the same. 'The woman was nice to them and her ice creams are quite delicious, they'll definitely be returning here.' He thought to himself.
At the counter, he could see the tall man had stopped talking to Nozomi and Jasper could see Sahori looking at the tall figure with confusion and…. there's something else in that stare of hers that he can't quite put his finger on.
For some inexplicable reason, he hurriedly put himself between Sahori and this man. Now that he took a good look at him, the man possessed one of the most average looking features that he has seen. The ones that you could pass by the street and never remember coming across them. Something about him is definitely odd and looking at his face he seems to be quite normal. But why is his face suddenly so wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG-
"Jasper, Sahori, something I can do for the both of you?" A pleasant voice cut through the haze of fear that overtook the children. When they looked at where it came from they saw Nozomi asking them with such a radiant smile that both of them almost forgot the wrongness of the 'person' next to them.
"Oh! I just wanted to say goodbye to you, Nozomi-san and how I really love your ice cream. Well, Jasper and I really loved it, right, Jasper?" It was Sahori who recovered first and she tightened her hold on Jasper's hand. 'When did we even hold hands?' Jasper absentmindedly thought as he nodded to Nozomi.
"Oh! You two are so sweet, just for that I'll be giving you something." Nozomi squealed at their cuteness as she took out two stones from her pocket, one a shiny white blue and the other a bright red.
"These stones are from my collection, I collect these stones for good luck and I have a feeling that you guys might need a lot of luck in the future. Don't forget to go back sometimes and buy some of my ice cream." The children are still rooted in their place, not because of the fear they had felt earlier, but because of the sense of bewilderment that is going through them now.
"It's getting late, both of you should go home. Shoo! Shoo!" Nozomi went around the counter and playfully pushed them away.
That did the trick as both children bowed their heads and expressed their thanks, then promptly exited the ice cream parlor.
A moment of silence was left in the wake of the children's departure, but suddenly a gravelly voice rang out from the silence.
"Is it wise to let them go, my lady?" The man, who was quiet until now, suddenly spoke. "They've clearly seen through me, you know what must be done to those-"
"You will not harm a single hair on those two children." Nozomi interrupted him, her voice firm and her gaze stern. "Those two are special."
The man held her gaze for a moment, then he bowed his head in deference "If that is what my lady wishes, then I shall oblige."
"See to it that you do." Though the man has acquiesced, her gaze remains hard on him. "Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?"
"Was it necessary to give them such magic items? I've felt the power in those gems and it is nothing to be scoffed at. Surely, such formidable items should not be given so freely?" The man inclined his head questioningly, perplexed by his lady's actions.
"It is but a whim, nothing more. A queen must remain magnanimous to those who she feels deserves it. Is there anything else?" For a moment, The man stares at her, but shakes his head. Seeing that the man has no more questions she waves him away. He bows to her and swiftly departs.
She waits for a few minutes and she senses that he has departed the vicinity. Now that she was truly alone. Nozomi sits on a chair and thinks of the two children that have caught her eye.
"Such potential." Remembering the feel of their souls is like basking in the heat of the radiant sun. The heat washed over her like a purifying ray of sunshine after a long depressing winter.
She was sorely tempted in abducting them, to train them to become her own loyal vassals, but her conscience immediately trampled that thought underfoot.
'Besides,the rigors of life will mold them to perfection. Any undue interference from me would only taint their potential and I wouldn't want that.' A haze of smoke coalesces in front of her and it displays the two kids walking hand in hand back to their homes and talking with each other with a smile on their innocent faces.
"I will only instruct the both of you if you come to me, until then, your lives are yours to lead." She lovingly whispers to the image of the two children.