Noemi and Me

Noemi and Me is a short story set within the Just Another Day universe. It expands on the Cherry Blossom Lake story first introduced in that series and follows in greater detail the first encounters of Aratana and Noemi, two free spirits who meet by the lake side. It was originally intended to be multiple chapters in length, but it proved more difficult to write a pure love story than I had originally expected.

Chapter 1: 生命の美しさ (Beauty of Life)

Our story begins one magical afternoon at Cherry Blossom Lake. It was a day unlike any other. Spring was well underway and Japan was alive with the colors of the season. I had just eaten lunch at a nearby restaurant. Upon my departure, I could not help but admire the spectacle of the cherry blossoms. I took a seat beside the lake. Park benches always inflicted on me a fair bit of sorrow. I would often find myself sitting alone for periods of time. Sure, others would sometimes pass, but there were no real connections. I would instead use those times to clear my mind, with varying degrees of success.

This day was quite different. On this day, I was filled with overwhelming joy as a magnificent woman appeared, as if from nowhere, and sat beside me. She asked in a loving voice, "Do you come here often?" I replied with a smile, "Actually, this is my first time." She smiled back and said, "You couldn't have picked a better time. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom." I looked her in the eyes and said, "It really is quite lovely. I wish it were like this every day." She glanced down at the palm of my hand and said, "Is that a fortune cookie?" I was, at first, hesitant to reveal its contents, but I finally budged and said, "Why, yes. I just had lunch and this was in my order. It reads: Today will be a very good day. Today you will find your destiny." She gave me a blind stare and said, "Well?" Confused, I replied, "Well... what?" She said with a smile across her face, "Did you find your destiny?" I replied with butterflies in my stomach, "I believe so, yes."

With a certain gleam in her eyes, she said, "My name is Noemi. What's yours?" I said with a happy heart, "Aratana Hajimari, but you can call me Mike." Noemi smiled and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Mike." She stood up, and as magnificently as she appeared, was set to leave. I said in a frantic hurry, "Wait, will I ever see you again?" Noemi chuckled and said, "I come here every day at the same time, so there's a pretty good chance." It was a very good day. I found Noemi and was filled with indescribable feelings.

I returned to that beautiful lake the following day. I sat on the same bench, stared longingly at the cherry blossoms - and waited. I wondered if Noemi would actually come. In times nearly forgotten, I would sometimes meet someone new only to never see them again. 2:00 pm rolled around and Noemi was nowhere in sight. Perhaps she had somewhere better to be, I thought. It may have been better if I hid yesterday's fortune cookie from view. She could very well think I was some kind of prophetic nutcase.

Just as I was about to leave, Noemi appeared, as magnificently as she had the day before. She proceeded to sit beside me once more. Noemi said in a loving voice, "Sorry I'm late, Mike. I had to run an errand for my mother." I froze for the briefest moment, turned to her and said with a smile, "I'm just happy you came." Peering out onto the lake, I said with wonder, "Do you live with your mother?" Noemi said with a smile, "I watch over her from time to time. She's not far from my apartment in the prefecture. I..." She paused for a good while before saying with regret in her eyes, "There won't be many more days like this one. The cherry blossoms are falling!"

I reached down and picked up a single cherry blossom petal. Holding it delicately between my fingers, I said with joy, "A day without a cherry blossom will not be a day to regret. It's the company I value most." I rather courageously extended Noemi's left hand, gently placed the petal in her palm and closed her grasp on it. Noemi turned to me and said in awe, "If I didn't know any better..." Suddenly, our eyes became locked. It felt as though time had come to a stop around us. The outside world just slowly slipped away. And then, Noemi began to giggle. I found it quite contagious. Before we knew it, our lips had met somewhere in-between. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It was pure magic. I knew next to nothing about romance, but there I was. I somehow knew at that very moment. I knew that I had met the woman I would marry. The cherry blossoms may have fallen, but this was merely the first of many chapters to come.

Chapter list, per original plans:
Chapter 2: Until Life Do Us Part
Chapter 3: Paul
Chapter 4: In Kyoto
Chapter 5: The Magic Castle
Chapter 6: Reflections
Chapter 7: Just Another Day (Noemi's P.O.V.)
Chapter 8: The Extra Life
Chapter 9: 出産後 (After Birth)