Perpetual Rain ✓

Little-Girl

Eighteen hours and three secret ops missions to steal pretzels and soda from the rolling cart the flight attendants used later, your plane finally landed. You scurried off the craft with the flood of passengers and stepped into the international terminal of Tokyo. 

Tokyo, how'd you end up in Tokyo? Well upon reaching the biggest international airport closest to your little home town, it was the first departing flight you saw out of the country. Not to mention, it was a familiar city, at least to some extent. The school trip your class had taken in high school brought your mind to quickly pick that flight without so much as a second thought. 

You had no luggage, no passport, no travel plans. It was just a spur of the moment thought that brought you back to a country you didn't even know. A lot less hassle than traveling 'normally', then again you could have done without the eighteen-hour plane ride that was completed in a sense of mind-numbing boredom. 

You were starting to feel like some high-class thief that no one was able to catch. You could take anything you wanted, and it seemed, do almost anything you wanted while going completely undetected. You had to admit, it felt like a bit of an ego booster. 

Heading out of the airport, you took your first steps on international soil after five years. It was already past 10pm there and to your faint surprise... it was raining. You were an entire country away and it was still ... fucking ... raining. You enjoyed the rain, but this was getting a bit ridiculous. 

'Whatever'. You thought with a roll of your eyes as you pulled up the hood of your black jacket and stepped out from under the awning where people were waiting to be picked up by loved ones and family. You wandered through the sea of parked idle cars, letting your thick leather boots beat against the untouched terrain. You spotted a bus just down the way, public transit that would help take people into the city in place of someone to get them. Such an industrious way to avoid the rapid pollution problem that the country already had. 

You wiggled your way onto the bus and let it whisk you away to the wonders of Tokyo. 

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You spent your bus ride sizing up the people around you. They were all speaking in a tongue you couldn't understand, well all except for the New Zealand couple near the back of the bus who looked to be newlyweds on their first adventure, quietly giggling with excitement as they pointed out the window. A middle-aged Japanese man was seated beside them, dressed to the nines with a newspaper in hand and a sneering look to the pair as he clearly preferred the ride to be in silence. 

Though, there was something that caught your eye from the stiff blue bus seat you were perched on. A child, two rows ahead, turned in her seat as she stared into the back of the bus. Her innocent doll-like black eyes roamed the vehicle before settling right where you sat. 

It wasn't likely, but you felt as though her gaze had met yours. Staring at you with a sense of confusion and wonder that only ignited your own, she wouldn't break her gaze, she wouldn't look away. She couldn't have been more than five years old. She had the most adorable hair cut, straight-laced bangs covered her forehead and brushed just above her eyes. Her hair, the color of the night, was pulled back into a tight ponytail that likely her mother had done up just right based on the adorable poppy flower pinned just above the elastic band. 

She reminded of you of a jet black kitten, finding its first toy and waiting to pounce on it and play. Eyes that seemed bigger than her stomach and small hands gripped onto the navy blue seat as she refused to turn back around despite her mother's nudging. 

If she wasn't staring at you, however, what was she looking at? You sat near no one, and to the world, the seat would just appear empty. Maybe it was the window? You tossed your gaze to the large glass pane and stared out to see nothing more than darkness and the soft silhouette of trees. There was nothing of any bewilderment out there. At least, not to such a young girl. 

You cast your gaze back to her and sure enough, there she was, still staring. You felt your stomach turn, swallowing your empty throat as you felt as if you were on display for the entertainment of a child. Slowly, one hand released the seat and raised into the air, holding her tiny palm up in your direction. It took a moment, but she finally shook her hand back and forth in a nearly unnoticeable but unmistakable wave. 

Your brows crunched, slamming down closer to your eyes. The look you were displaying was likely annoying and uninviting, but she couldn't see you, right? Still, despite being painfully aware of your lack of existence to those around you, you slithered one hand from the warmth of your jacket pocket and raised it up in front of you. You wiggled your fingers in return to her gesture. 

The young girl's face instantly lit up like a Christmas tree, a sparkle in those charcoal eyes. Her toothy grin - that was missing a few teeth - brightened up the air around her like the warmth of a camp-fire. Your eyes rounded, left in a state of shock. Could she see you?! 

Your eyes darted about, trying to think of a quick way to try and figure out if she knew you were there. Clearly just asking would do no good, even if she could see it was unlikely she understood English. 

Raising a hand slowly, you placed your index finger just below your eye and pulled the skin down. You let your tongue stick out of your mouth as you tried to think of the most innocently silly face you could make in that split-second moment. 

The girl's smile became bigger, and she started to giggle. You could see her buck-teeth brushing onto her bottom lip as she tried to contain her laughter and was failing. But her disturbance quickly caught the attention of her mother who had finally noticed she was turned around in her seat and staring at something behind her. The woman glanced back, seeing nothing in the place of her daughter's eyesight and lightly grabbed her shoulder, motioning for her to turn back around as she whispered to her in Japanese. 

The girl's carefree smile turned into a frown as she did as her mother said with the cutest pout. You were fairly confident now that she could see you, though you had no solid proof. No one was supposed to be able to see you, yet it appeared as though a small child could. Where was the logic in that? 

The bus finally came to a rolling stop and people began to stand, collecting their luggage and heading for the exit. The little girl looked back to you as her mom gathered up their things. Her doe eyes pierced the distance and met your gaze for a second time. This time, you raised your hand and let it sway back and forth, silently telling her goodbye. 

Once again, despite your skepticism and being unprovoked, she raised her little hand, that was nearly the size of an apple, and returned the wave. Her mom grabbed her hand after that and began to lead her away. She never stopped looking at you, not until she was finally pulled off the bus and lost in a sea of people. 

You still couldn't be sure, not completely, but you felt as though she knew you were there. Your first interaction with anyone in the past week was with a strange little girl in an entirely different country. Getting up from your seat, you quickly departed the bus before the doors closed and stepped onto the sidewalk of Tokyo. That simple gesture, a wave of the hand and a little giggle, seemed to lighten the heavy weights that had been dragging your heart down into a sea of black. 

Lowering your head, you couldn't help but let a smile creep across your lips. You pulled your hood snugger against your head, hanging your head low as you didn't try and suppress the joy you felt. You still tried to make it go unnoticed should someone be watching - then again who would be? The sounds of the pouring rain became lighter, but it was no longer enough to dampen your mood.