Fateful Encounter

"Wow!"

Ivy could not suppress her excitement. This will be the first time for her to go to Japan, the "Land of the Rising Sun". It's also her first time to ride an airplane, to be apart from her family, her first time to go abroad. She cannot stop the thrilling feeling in her chest, and she kept on looking at the window and amazed how small everything looks like from above.

She opened her phone and took lots of picture of the magnificent view of the wide blue ocean, with spots of white that she later realized were large ships. "How could they look so small!" she thought. She marveled on the vastness of the ocean and the beauty of the clouds. It looks so peaceful, and so amazing.

She was like a little girl who just went for the first time in an amusement park. Indeed, she was feeling like that for the first 30 minutes after the plane took off.

Then, she felt something hit her stomach, like she's about to vomit due to the sudden movement of the aircraft.

"Please fasten your seatbelt, dear passengers. We are experiencing some turbulence".

She closed her eyes and prayed endlessly. "Dear God, please don't let me die here. I can't fly! I'm still young and haven't even been kissed! I want to have at least three children, even just let me have a child. A husband is not necessary, but it's not bad either if I could fall in love. So please save me, I promise to be a good girl!" Ivy thought that she was saying all of these in her silent prayers. Never thinking that she was saying these in normal voice.

Hiro's expression was unchanged the whole time that the plane was in turbulence. He kept his eyes closed and was thinking about the problem that he has to solve once he goes back to the company. Staying in another country for only 3 days already caused some havoc with some clients. "How did I ever hire a bunch of imbeciles!" He was thinking to himself. Then he heard that the girl sitting beside him murmured words that he couldn't quite understand. Until he slightly opened his right eye and peeped at her. For a while, he thought she reminded him of his little sister. The girl has her eyes closed, both hands were grabbed firmly on the armrest and speaking what seems like a prayer to him. His lips twist a little in the corner when he clearly understands what's going on. "This girl is funny". He thought. "How could she want children when she doesn't want a husband?". Then, he was surprised to see tears streaking to her cheeks. "What the heck! She is crying? She must be terrified." Hiro felt uncomfortable. He was not the type of person to revel on a woman's tear. He hates crying women. It makes him feel to want to comfort her. With a deep sigh, he hugged her to his chest firmly.

Ivy felt like she was pulled to her left and against a warm and wide chest. She smelled a good male fragrance. But her mind was still terrified. She kept her eyes closed and put her arms tightly around the person hugging her. Hiro was surprised. She hugged him! So tight! He closed his eyes and after a bit of hesitation, patted her head gently, and murmured, "Hush, it's going to be alright". He smiled to himself and wondered if he would be able to do this even to his sister.

The plane became stable after a while, but Ivy still hold on to the person she doesn't even know. Somehow, she felt safe, and drifted to sleep.

Hiro was amazed. He couldn't believe that a woman just fell asleep while he's embracing her! When he realized that the plane has stabilized, he was about to let her go but he realized that her arms hugging him became a bit loose, and her breathing became even and steady. Then he looked at her, sleeping! "How dare she! Now I am a pillow". He thought. He slowly and gently pushed her to her seat so she won't wake up. As he closely looked at her, tears could still be seen on her naturally thick eyelashes. Her cheeks were also stained with dried tears. And her small pinkish lips were slightly open. Hiro felt something in him, and he castigated himself for being turned on by a complete stranger.

He waved at the stewardess and asked for a blanket. Then he covered her. "How carefree, she didn't even wake up". He thought and smiled warmly.

He then noticed a small purse dangling on her left arm and took it. It was not his character to be privy of other people's belongings but he became curious. He opened the purse and found a passport, a wallet, and a handkerchief. He took the passport and opened it. He instantly memorized her information. The handkerchief fell on the seat and as he took it, he was attracted to the feminine smell on it. Without thinking, he put it on his pocket and returned the purse on her as if he didn't touch it.

After a few hours, the plane started to descent. Ivy was still sleeping. The plane landed and she was still soundly sleeping. Hiro cast a glance at her before leaving his seat. There was a trace of warm smile on his thin lips.

Ivy woke up with a gentle touch on her shoulders. It was a stewardess trying to wake her up! They already landed

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said and immediately stood up, only to realize that her seatbelt is still on. She felt embarrassed. She unbuckled it and took her backpack from the cabin along with her purse. She looked around only to find that she's the only passenger left on the plane. She felt her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and kept on saying sorry to the plane staff all throughout the way to where she would pick her luggage.

She got her 2 pcs of luggage after a while and wondered at how huge the airport in Tokyo is. So many people! She felt a bit dizzy with all the people walking around and all the things she's seeing for the first time. She then walks towards the arrival gate and saw someone with a big namecard with her name written on it. She approached the pretty lady and they talked for a while. She was then accompanied by the lady to a university bus and they drove away from the airport.

Hiro was standing somewhere not too far from where he saw the lady in the plane took her luggage, spoken with a lady and went with her to a university bus. He took note of the logo on the bus. Then he made a phone call.

Ivy woke up with the alarm. She turned it off and stayed sitting at her bed for a couple of minutes, muttering a silent prayer. She then gets out of the bed, went to the window and opened it. She stretched her arms while inhaling the fresh air. Only to be so surprised.

She couldn't smell the familiar fragrance of rice field and the sound of the crickets! And what's more, instead of rice farms, she saw skyscrapers everywhere! Lots of cars and people walking on the road. She then realized that she is now in Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun.

"Japan! Here I am!" she shouted at the top of her lungs with her arms stretched. With that, she went back inside her room and began to do her morning routine. She realized that with just her clothes and books on her luggage, she actually doesn't need to buy that much, except for food. Everything she needs is in her room. It was just a small room, with a bed good for one person, a cupboard, an aircon, refrigerator, IH cooker, water heater, coffeemaker, and microwave. She went to the toilet and wash room, and there is already a washing machine in there. The beddings and curtains were even provided.

She opened the cupboard and took a small mug, and poured herself a steaming brewed coffee. She smelled it with a satisfied expression on her face.

"So, this is Japan! Everything is so convenient!" she thought.

After about an hour, Ivy went out of the building. It was a student's dormitory, where she stayed at the 8th floor. The building has 15 floors, where the first 7 floors are designated for male students, and the remaining floors are for female students. She wondered about the set up but did not think too much about it.

It was April 2nd, and she felt the cool breeze of spring on her face. She was wearing a knitted long sleeve tops and a scarf on her neck, with casual jeans and sneakers. She had her backpack on it and her long, black straight hair was hanging loose up to the middle of her back.

Yesterday, when they arrived at the university, she was already given a brief tour around it to be familiar. She was awed by everything she saw. She has not seen a university in her country that are like skyscrapers. From the dormitory, it will take her about 20 minutes to walk on foot. There is a train that stops near the university main gate but she did not dare to since she still doesn't know how to use the system here. She never rides a train before! Also, she enjoyed so much the scenery going to the university. She saw many different flowers that she never saw in her country. She was especially mesmerized by the cherry blossoms that she saw along the road. It was so majestic! She thought. So white and so pure.

She then made her way to the classroom, where she's supposed to learn Japanese language and culture for a few months before transferring to the university where she's supposed to take her MS degree. There, she met other foreign students like her. After some introduction with the Japanese teacher, they started the class, which was so interesting for her. Ivy has been fascinated with Japan since she was a little child. She loves Japanese anime so much, and would spend so many times daydreaming about her as one of the lead characters in some anime. After the class, as Ivy was gathering her things, a guy approached her.

"Hi", he smiled at her, showing a set of white teeth. He is handsome, in some way. He has deep set of eyes, thick eyebrows and pointed nose, with lips that looked like he doesn't smoke.

"Hi there" Ivy replied. "Lyndon, right?", she smiled too, showing a tiny dimple on the right cheek near her mouth.

Lyndon was speechless for a moment.

"Yes, how about lunch together?" he then offered, "we still have a class this afternoon, right?". He was walking at her side as they go outside the room to the elevator. He pushed the 1st floor button as their classroom was at the 7th floor.

Ivy hesitated for a while. She was not hungry yet, so she decided that she will look around the university to familiarize herself with the surroundings instead of having lunch. But she doesn't want to be rude for the first time of him inviting her.

"Oh sure, why don't we just grab something at the shop then walk around? I want to explore the university as much as I can. You know, I will only stay here for 5 months then I will move to a different one after that. How about you, will you stay here?" she asked, while they were walking and without looking at him. They just finished buying a bread and water from the shop and were now walking around aimlessly. Ivy is so excitedly looking around as she was admiring the beautiful landscaping in the campus. It gives her so many ideas about her dream house in the future.

"Yes", Lyndon replied, "I will be stuck in here the whole time until I finish my program". There was a hint of sadness in his voice as he cast a look at her, but she was not paying attention to it.

They found a bench under a big cherry blossoms tree and decided to sit there. They eat while chatting about each other. Ivy learned that Lyndon is here for his PhD, and he is only 3 years older than her. He said that he is an only child, and a veterinarian by profession. What's more, they live in the same province. They were talking about everything until they noticed the time and decided to go back to the classroom.

Not too far from them, a man dressed in black suit was watching Ivy and Lyndon talking and laughing at each other. There was a deep frown on his noble face while a lady beside him was telling him his schedules for the rest of the day. He waved his hand, and the lady stopped talking, then a man walked near him.

"Do your job". He crisply ordered the man.

"Yes, Mr. Yamamoto ", the man bowed and walked towards where Ivy was having her classes.

Hiro put his right hand on his pocket, and touched a familiar piece of cloth there. He still remembered her face very clearly; her scent still lingers on him everywhere he went. He thought of him holding her in his arms, then he realized that it's still broad daylight. He has to return to his office, he thought.

Ivy knocked on the door of the Foreign Affairs Section Office. She received a notice from her Japanese teacher that she has to go to the FASO as there is something there that needs her. The staff that handles the matters related to foreign students greeted here with a smile and asked her to come inside a room. In there, Ivy noticed the very neat and orderly interior of the room. She nodded in admiration. "When I return, I would like my office to be as neat as this", she thought.

Then the lady took out a folder, with the documents written in Japanese. It has been a week since she started to learn Japanese and of course, she still cannot read the document.

"This is an offer of a part time job for you as a language tutor", the lady explained that this kind of offer is very common especially in this part of the country, where everybody wants to learn different languages apart from their own. She introduced herself as Miss Kai. As a foreign student, she can work part time at a maximum of 28 hours per week, otherwise it would be illegal. Ivy was intently listening to the lady as her English has a mixed accent of Japanese on it. She was so surprised that she was offered ￥5, 000 per hour as compensation, including transportation to and from where she will meet her client. The lady then took a copy of her passport, her residence card as well as her bankbook. After 15 minutes, Ivy realized that she just accepted the offer without even thinking about it. "Wow, " she thought to herself. She already made a mental calculation of how much she would earn and she was shocked and excited. She would earn her whole month's allowance in less than two weeks with her part time job! She couldn't believe it. "Is it really that easy to earn money in this country?" she thought and went back to the classroom.

Miss Kai put the folder inside her drawer and made a phone call. Even herself, she cannot believe that such an offer was just made. How could a foreign girl like her earn that much with a part time job, almost like she is working full time! But it's not her business, she was just following orders so she did not dwell on it too much. She has her own job and she must focus on it.

In one of the tallest and largest building in Tokyo, a knock was heard. Hiro did not look up from the document he was reading, and just said "come in". His personal assistant, Yano, came in and told him that the offer was accepted. Hiro put his pen down and smiled mockingly. Of course! Who would refuse such an offer, especially for a foreigner. Hiro decided that he can't wait to meet her again, and a playful smile warmed his manly face. Yano was interested with the expressions which come and go at his boss' face. It's very seldom that his boss would take an interest to a lady, even a foreign one. "She must be exceptional", he thought.

Two days after Ivy accepted the offer, she was surprised to receive a call from Miss Kai, asking her to go down the dormitory as somebody will pick her up for the part time job. Ivy looked at her watch, it's almost 9 in the evening. She just finished taking a bath and is already in her pajamas.

"Can they wait for about 10 minutes? I will get ready", she said and changed clothes. Since it's just a part time job, she decided to wear something casual. A baby blue knitted long sleeve body-hugging one-piece dress that is almost touching her toes, with a small slit at her right that exposed a smooth leg. She paired it with a pinkish lady sneaker and put on a wide belt that emphasized her small waist and wide hips. She put her long hair in a bun as it's still a bit wet from the shower, coz she noticed that Japanese people don't go out with wet hair. However, she is not fond of using hair dryer. She also applies a light face powder and lipstick then took her backpack and went for the elevator.

In front of the building was a tall man dressed in navy black tuxedo beside a black Audi noticed her as she walked and looked for the person who will pick her up. She noticed the man, how could she not! He is taller for an average Japanese guy, maybe around 180cm, with a muscular built, and a handsome car. Of course, she will notice him. She did not expect that he will walk towards her and greeted her in Japanese.

"Konbanwa", he said, which she knows that it means "good evening". She smiled and also replied in Japanese. Then he motioned for her to get in the car.

"Wow!" she thought, she never dreamed that she could ride inside this car. She used to just use this car as she plays on the video game. But as a professional, she just nodded and pretended to be naturally familiar with it. She went in the backseat and the man just drove away. She enjoyed the so many lights in the street emitted by the cars, and buildings, and realized that it is indeed a beautiful country. They were caught a few minutes in some heavy traffic but it was not as heavy as those back in her country. She was feeling sleepy but her excitement with the travel kept her awake. She looked at her watch and after 25 minutes, they stopped in a parking. She did not notice when they entered the parking but did not make a fuss on it. All the while she was thinking that her student might be a rich girl since she can afford that hourly rate, and have her pick up with an expensive car, with a handsome driver at hand.

The man motioned for her to enter the elevator and she did, no words were exchanged between them as she knows that her Japanese skill is not even 1% and this man might not understand her in English. She noticed that they stopped at the 49th floor. She doesn't have a fear of heights but she felt a bit dizzy with the elevator.

The man with her knocked on a closed door, said something in Japanese, and they heard a word that said come in in Japanese. The man motioned for her to go in and she did, then was surprised when the door was closed behind her alone. She looked around the spacious room, it has so many books that are neatly piled in several cabinets. The color of the interior was light beige, and some sofa with a big center table and a flat screen tv as large as her window in the dormitory can be found on the right side. On the left side, she noticed a door that must lead to another room. There is also another room that she figured would be a toilet, or a kitchen. On the center of the room, there is a desk with a man sitting behind it. Because he was facing her against the light from the window on his back, she couldn't see his face, but she's sure that he is a man, from his form. The man stood up, and she immediately bowed a little, saying good evening. She learned that when meeting a Japanese for the first time, the younger one should make introduce herself first. She tried her best to introduce herself in her limited Japanese, as what she has learned in the class, until she heard him speak.

"That's enough, please sit down, Miss Castillo". His voice was like that of a radio announcer, and Ivy instantly thought he must be handsome and very manly. And she was not mistaken. When Hiro stood in front of her, she was able to see him clearly. He is taller than the man who picked her up, wearing a long sleeve blue collared shirt, with the top two buttons undone and tucked in a black pants, polished black shoes, and of course he noticed the expensive watch in his left wrist, the right hand was inside his pocket. His hair was thick, chocolate brown and a bit longer up this ear, thick eyebrows highlighting a deep set of dark brown, round eyes, a prominent nose, smooth skin, and kissable lips. "Hey, why did I think about kissable lips?" What captivated her the most was his smell, it's like an aftershave or cologne that smells so nice and elegant.

"Did I qualify to your standard?" His mocking tone, and the slight twist on his right eyebrow caused Ivy to return to reality. She blinked several times, cheeks burning and smiled a little. The small dimple on her right showing, and caught by his quick eyes.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to stare", she said "You are so handsome". She decided to say the truth.

To her surprise, the man laughed, sexily. "Why, thank you", he said, satisfied, and motioned her to seat on the sofa.

She sat down opposite to him with the center table in the middle. It was so soft and she felt like sinking. The man just kept on looking at her, and she felt shy. She pretended to look inside her bag for a pen, while saying "So, are you my student?".