Echoes of Winter

  Winter of January 2014

  Beijuku, Republic of Edan

  White small flakes heavily pour down in the bustling city of Beijuku which is filled with scarlet hues and romantic ornaments symbolising the forthcoming Valentine’s Day. Out of all the thousand individuals in one of its busy districts, a handsome young lad in his mid-20s is crossing the five-way intersection with his hands hiding in his coat’s pocket — donned in a beige thick long coat, grey thick hoodie, blue knitted scarf, slim cut black trousers and a pair of low-cut trainers.

  He’s leisurely ambling towards the premises of the Hara Medical City for his regular doctor visit.

  “How have you been feeling recently?” The doctor asked.

  “Everything has been normal ever since,” he replied.

  A smile lightens up across the doctor’s face. “Your donor’s kidney really matches your body.”

  “It sure does. And therefore, I’d greatly appreciate it if you would disclose who my donor is. I really wish to personally express my utmost gratitude,” he coaxed lightheartedly.

  “Here you go again…”

  “And I’ll keep on going not until you let me out of the dark, doctor.”

  “It’s not like I’m concealing the person from you, Jin, it’s the hospital’s regulation to maintain the privacy of the donor’s identity unless they themselves wish to let their recipient know.”

  Jin inhaled deeply.

  “Just maintain your healthy routine and keep taking your supplements to keep your immune system in top form.”

  “Will do.”

  Without anything more to discuss, he exited the doctor’s clinic and when he’s ambling through the hospital’s hallway, his phone persistently vibrates — an indication of his incoming call. He slipped out his phone from his coat’s pocket, tapped the receiving button and pinned it against his ear.

  “Ma,” he respectfully voiced.

  “Are you done visiting Dr. Igarashi?”

  “Uhm. I just left his clinic.”

  “How is it?”

  “I’m as strong as a bull.” He smiled.

  A breath of gratitude escaped his mother’s lips in response to his reply. Seven years ago, he was in a fatal car accident that cost him a complication of acute kidney failure and demanded him to undergo an urgent kidney transplant in an effort to reclaim his life from death’s door and keep his normal daily lifestyle. Thank God, in the course of urgency, he immediately received a perfectly matched kidney that allowed him to carry on existing thus far without complications.

  “Are you heading home now?”

  “Not yet. I still have someone to meet.”

  “Who?”

  “Kio arranged another date for me.” He breathed deeply.

  “Oh, I see. Go ahead then. Meet her, son.”

  “Uhm.”

  “Jin…”

  “Hmm?”

  A moment of silence has then risen between the lines. It seems like his mother is in a dilemma to word whatever she initially felt like imparting.

  “What is it?”

  “Enjoy your date. I want you to be happy.”

  For a moment, Jin’s intimidating but expressive dark brown eyes displayed a look of longing but then the corner of his lips subtly formed into a smile.

  “Uhm,” he replied, his gaze drifting to the swirling snowflakes outside the hospital window. A fleeting shadow crossed his face, a hint of the emptiness he couldn’t quite shake.

  Across the line, however, his mother felt a sting strike her chest hearing his short response. As a mother who’s aware of what he’s gone through, she could feel what he’s feeling deep within even in default of being vocal about it. She’s sensible of the unsaid words that lies behind his succinct response. It was never the same as it used to be.

  He was never the same as he used to be seven years ago.

  ——

  Following his annual clinical examination, Jin set forth to the café where he will meet the girl whom his friend had set up for him. Basically, a blind date. He’s actually been going on arranged dates for practically a whole year now but all things considered, none amongst the ladies has really piqued his interest and one of the few reasons being is he’s simply not searching for a potential romantic interest. Not at the moment and perhaps not anytime soon.

  He’s attending the arranged dates in respect to the effort of his friend who fancy doing the trouble for his sake. In addition, although he’s really not searching for a romantic partner, he still wants to give it a chance since the opportunity is given to him.

  “Hi! Are you Yagami Jin?” The pretty lady with fair skin and slim form asked as she stood in front of Jin with a sunshine smile on her face.

  Jin extended his neck upwards to look at the lady. “Yeah,” he admitted.

  The lady’s eyes smiled more. “Hi, I’m Luan Ray,” she introduced herself as she sat across from Jin. “I’m the one that Hara-san has told you about,” she added.

  Jin stared at her for beyond a second in an engrossed demeanour “Luan… Ray…” his voice lingered as he repeated her name but eventually, a smile curved past his lips that beautifully formed into a heart shaped. “Nice to meet you… Luan…” he genuinely expressed. “Excuse me!” He then gathered the attention of the male server of the café. “I’ll have vegetable pasta salad and a blueberry tea,” he ordered as soon as the male server stood on the side of their table. “What would you like to have?” he asked her.

  “I’ll just have the same.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Are you sure? You can have whatever you want,” he encouraged her.

  “I decline. It’s totally fine. I’m into berries just as I am into vegetables, pasta and salad. And I’m also on my diet,” she uttered quietly in her last sentence in a lighthearted manner and grinned.

  Jin smiled at her obvious jolly demeanour. “We’ll have a double order then,” he told the server.

  “I was filled-in that you are a reserve military officer and that you served as an active military officer for five years,” she took the initiative to engage in a conversation.

  “Yeah, that’s right.” He smiled.

  Ensuingly, the two embarked on a smooth and amicable conversation concerning practically everything under the sun and learned that they have several things in common.

  “Oh, I also loved The Last Samurai!” She was enthusiastic when she shared this with Jin. “I even queued promptly in the morning at the movie house in order to watch the final instalment of the film on its first day!” she vibrantly expressed with her eyes forming crescent as she smiled wider. “Did you watch it, too?”

  Jin briefly expressed a reminiscing mien as he stared at her further. “I did.” He then smiled at her.

  With her luminous smile, her eyes fell to the glass window of the café near them and watched the snow fall gracefully from the sky. “I really love winter months more than the other seasons.”

  Jin followed her gaze and his eyes were at once filled with nostalgia. Luan Ray then turned to look at him, smiling. Jin followed her gaze again and smiled back at her.

  “I love winter fashion for that reason,” she chuckled. “What about you?”

  Jin regarded her probingly.

  “Do you similarly prefer winter?”

  A pensive impression was painted all over Jin’s cold-looking handsome face. “I’ve come to be attached to it. I must say…” He smirked then.

  ——

  The sun has set.

  On the other side of the bustling city, Kio Hara, a medical student and on the other side of the world, Xian Maeda, a pilot are presently in the middle of a video call while both of them are in their separate dwelling, in a different time zone and country.

  Kio, who possesses attractive sharper facial features, is lean and fair-skinned, owns a monotone paint all over his flat with a high ceiling and tall glass windows. Xian, a gorgeous lad with strong masculine features, fairly muscular and tanned skin, is currently staying in a dimly lit hotel room.

  Kio is changing his medical uniform with his casual wardrobe whereas Xian just emerged from his closet with a towel hanging on his head, clad only with his trousers.

  “Aren’t you yet discouraged arranging dates for Jin? It’s already been a year and none of your attempts have flourished,” Xian matter-of-factly said as he headed towards his bed.

  “No. I have a strong intuition that this time it will work.” Kio confidently disagreed as he put his sweater on over his black tank top and finger comb his sleek black wolf haircut.

  Xian sat on the side of his bed as he dried his brown curtain hairstyle with his towel. “How?” he asked in a challenging tone.

  Kio jumped on his bed and pulled his laptop facing him while Xian was facing sideways from his laptop. “Ray-chan is my class fellow since freshman year and I observed that she shares several common interests with Jin.”

  “Such as?” Xian asked again.

  “She likes winter and Jin has been fond of winter since we were in middle school. She prefers healthy diets and berries which Jin now usually opts for. Among other things, I heard she’s really into comic strips and is particularly a massive fan of The Last Samurai. Isn’t Jin into comic strips and a massive fan of the Last Samurai?” Kio victoriously grinned.

  Digesting everything that Kio has claimed, Xian scoffed amusingly in the process of slipping into his tees. “Have you gone senile?” he questioned Kio as though he had really gone senile, now facing his laptop and looking at him.

  “What? Why?” Kio arched his brow. “Oy!” he exclaimed, seeing Xian smirking at him.

  “Has it already slipped in your memory who influenced Jin to have such preferences?”

  “Huh?”

  “Spring is what Jin only prefers since he commonly develops heat rashes in summer but he’s never fond of winter since he’s quite vulnerable in extreme cold.”

  “Ah, right!”

  “Besides, Jin only kick-started regularly consuming healthy diets after his kidney transplant. You’re mindful of how he usually consumes take-outs before once his supplies run out. He’s even smoked before.”

  “Damn. You’re right. I forgot.” He sounded disappointed.

  “That punk has always been a soda drinker and he’s certainly not one to fan over comic strips to boot. The sole reason he watched the Last Samurai and even began collecting its entire volumes; did and acquired all the things that you have mentioned was entirely because of…”

  “Lushan Rein,” Kio breathily spelled out the name and in unison with Xian, he inhaled profoundly as though the name alone carries deep emotions and history that tags even their heartstrings. “Jin has developed a better tolerance to extreme coldness all because of her. He started consuming homemade meals regularly…”

  “Because she cooks for him,” Xian finished the sentence. “He has come to like berries because it’s her favourite and on top of that, he only took an interest in comic strips and watched the Last Samurai films because she—”

  “Was into it.” Kio cut Xian off. “How could I forget that? Has it been that long already?”

  “It’s already been seven years.”

  “It’s been seven years yet, Jin…” Kio let out a deep concerned breath. “They weren’t together for that long…” He waved his head side to side this time with empathy.

  “For how long I’ve known him, it was only with her did I witness him offer everything he had — unreservedly. Regrettably, things spiraled 360-degree at a time we all never expected.” Xian’s face appeared somber at the remembrance of an unfortunate past which involved all of them.

  Kio stared at Xian. “What about you?”

  “What about me?” In an almost prickly way, he probingly looked at Kio but looked away at once.

  “Have you already gotten over… her?” he was hesitant to ask this yet he still did. He’s always been like that.p

  “Are you serious?” He sounded cranky and his deep-set eyes sure sharpened at him.

  Kio waved his hand dismissively. “Ugh! Just the thought of her name sends me shivers.” He then rubbed his arms as he felt shivers down his spine.

  “You’re the one who mentioned her!”

  “Oy! Why are you yelling at me now?!”

  “Whatever! I’m hanging up!”

  “Oy! Hold the line!”

  “It’s already 6:00 in the morning here. I still have flight in the evening!”

  “Hold up! When are you returning?”

  “Beats me.”

  “Oy! The three of us haven’t met for years since you decided to reside in Estrella!”

  “It’s only been two years! I’ll just give you a call!” And with that yelled, Xian closed his laptop as if dodging the subject that was unnecessarily brought up.

  ——

  Subsequent to a few more conversations, Jin and Luan Ray decided to head back to their separate places sans any agreement of meeting again.

  Jin enjoyed her company but it never reached the point of him coveting to carry on meeting each other. Since the prime reason why he ended up enjoying Luan Ray’s company was because she reminds him of someone he’s been longing for so long, he discerned that meeting her once more for the similar reason would offer no fairness to the latter. Secondly, he doesn’t prefer feeding his greed at the expense of someone else.

  No doubt he was delighted conversing with her and listening to her stories concerning the things she fancy as numerous of her preferences are similar to the person he longs the most in this world. Talking and listening to Luan felt like enlivening his memories with the woman he loved beyond he ever thought he could love someone.

  He sighed.

  The cold winter breeze then brushes past him on his way back home. In certain moments as today, the coldness comforts him — ironically.

  Jin halted from his pace as he watched the snow proceed on gracefully falling down from the sky to his palm. He lifts his head and closes his eyes to feel the iciness of the snow as it melts into his skin. The coldness — even it reminds him of her. He then fluttered his eyes open and breathed in deeply, staring to no particular spot once again.

  “I wonder what she’s doing now. It’s winter again; the coldness is biting. I pray… that she’s no longer out in the cold, bruised and wounded. I pray that everything that hurts her is now healing…” he mentally prayed.

  And the window of his soul was then filled with uncontrollable longing.

  “I miss her…” Jin sentimentally mumbled. He closed his eyes, relishing in

  the wintriness of the night as if she was there.

  And in the corner of his eyes, tears rolled down his cheek.