Hitsuzen (Completed)

Chapter 1: The Decision

           Before I knew it, I was in the JR station on the way to Izumoshi, my hometown. There aren’t a lot of people out in the station that time of night so it made me more comfortable that no one would recognize me, but I still decided to wear a black leather mouth mask just in case.

            I looked at my right and saw a Japanese young couple, about the same age I was I’m guessing, huddled at one another at the edge of the bench. They both have those huge backpacks that are usually used for hiking. My thought is telling me they’re parents didn’t know about their night trip either.

            I looked at my left and I didn’t see anything unusual there, a group of foreigners sitting on the red benches on the far left of the station, an old lady whom I’m guessing loves flowers by the way she’s dressing using the telephone booth, a family of six probably going home from a vacation in the city with their baby huddled in the father’s arm and a guy who stands out in the crowd. He doesn’t stand out for some weird reason, he just looks normal actually…triangular shaped face which makes him look very manly even with his wavy jet black hair with a little bit of reddish-brown detail which hangs around his face, a little longer than those neatly cut hairstyles of businessmen, his nose is thin and pointed, he has pink, thin, rich lips that gave him a hint of femininity, his eyebrows thick and black and his eyes…his eyes were dense black like the shiny darkness found on a beetle’s wing, they were deep set which made him look mysterious and they were flashing straight into my own. I wouldn’t have noticed him if it wasn’t for that flashing eyes that were directly staring at me.

 I turned away fearing that he recognized who I was. But the impulses his eyes were sending are too strong. It was like his eyes were telling me to look at it, just look at it. The next thing I knew, my eyes were locked with his eyes once more. It was like I was hypnotized. But how could that be? He doesn’t look suspicious. He was wearing a white polo shirt and the classic denim pants and black boots. He doesn’t look like the hypnotist or magician type at all, looks to me like he’s an ordinary teenager. But why…why can’t I stop staring at those eyes? And why were those eyes so focused on me?

My train of endless question stopped when the sunrise izumo train finally arrived at the station. I grabbed my stuff and got my ticket ready as I got in line. When it was finally my turn, I handed my ticket to one of the conductors. He smiled at me as he pressed a stamp in my ticket saying, “Enjoy your travel time with us.” I immediately went inside and tried to find my compartment. And when I finally found it, I was so mentally exhausted that I just crushed in my bed at once.

For a 9,500 ¥ compartment, it wasn’t that bad. It has a bathroom complete with sinks, toilet and shower with amenities and a phone. But I don’t really see how I can use a phone when I ran away.

I ran away…yes, that about sums it up. I didn’t want to but I felt like if I haven’t I would have break down there worst than I already did. I need a break! I need to remember the good things that happened in my life before this problems started appearing. I need to go back to my hometown where all of the memories I have there are happy, vibrant and problem-free. I need to remember who I was. That’s my decision.

I tried and closed my eyes, blocking away the bad thoughts cramming in my head and before I knew it, I was asleep.

It was so nostalgic. I can see the young me running in a field of peony in a variety of color, wind was in my hair and the fragrant smell of the peony, some floral, some spicy and gingery, some a bit musky and some a little bit light to the nose all filling up all around me. Did you know that different colored peony’s also have different scent? That’s one of the things my grandma told me. Grandma…she loved her peonies. I watched as little me was still running in my dream. I know it was a dream because I couldn’t possibly be a grown teenager standing there watching the little me run by. And soon enough as I expected it, grandma came out of the house with her arms open wide waiting for the little me to get to her with a vibrant smile in her face.