It had been a good morning. So far. Now came the hard part. The part that he dreaded twice a day, every day, since he had arrived in Tokyo.

He stared from a good few feet away as the metallic sliding doors parted. Before they had managed to even fully open people had begun to appear through them, pushing their way out like a piñata so full of candy that it burst open on its own.

He brought his thoughts back to the present; this was Japan, not a birthday party from his childhood back in the States, and it was people, not treats which had sprung forth, starting with a small trickle and escalating to a full flood within a matter of seconds: businessmen, students, old ladies, children going to school dressed in uniform - a concept alien to Jared - there was even one girl (if that's what she was) with hair so bleached it had taken the texture of straw and a face as orange as the setting sun. Jared smiled inwardly to himself, his mental imagery was far more…complimentary than he felt she deserved. There were all sorts, from every different social background imaginable, but they all had one thing in common: they were all Japanese. And he stood there amidst the veritable sea of people, sticking out like a sore thumb - tall, blond hair, blue eyes. Western.

He braced himself for the inevitable shove from behind him as people tried to force their way into the tiny space. It came all too quickly. He had never felt so helpless as his body was hurtled into the already crowded train carriage by a tsunami of commuters. It made up his mind for him; when he got to work he was going to accept their offer of a chauffeured vehicle. Getting to know the city better be damned, their public transport's insane.

Jared spotted her almost too late. She wasn't paying attention to the oncoming danger, instead she was shifting a delicate-looking potted plant from one arm to the other, completely unaware of the fact that if one of them didn't do something quickly he was going to crush her against the perspex window.

Inches away from her and with no other apparent options available to him, he dropped his briefcase and slammed his hands against the train wall on either side of her head, causing her to jump. She looked up at him, shock in her unusually light eyes. There was evident strain in his face as he used his strength to prevent people from pushing against his back. He offered her an awkward smile and a tentative "Gomennasai?" hoping that he hadn't made her feel too uncomfortable.

Their bodies were practically touching.

A high pitched wail from the person next to her cut her off before she could even answer him, followed by an obviously upset mother spewing out Japanese at a mile a minute. What was worse was all the anger and tears seemed to be directed towards him.

He watched the pair in front of him, blinking owlishly, utterly confused and a little frightened at what was happening. The woman was talking too quickly for him to understand with his basic grasp of Japanese and as she shouted at him her hand kept pointing from his briefcase on the floor to her crying child's head.

It took him a second or two, but he finally understood what must have happened. As he was being bullied onto the train, he must have accidentally dropped his suitcase onto the little girl. "Gomennasai!" he exclaimed, feeling terrible for having made the woman's daughter cry. He looked down at the child as she rubbed the sore spot and repeated the same, "Gomennasai." She kicked him in the shin.

He tried to hide his grimace of pain but the hiss escaped through his teeth. He kept his mouth shut once he had recovered, and simply smiled weakly at the pair. He did, after all, deserve it. Kind of.

The woman eyed him evilly before turning herself and her daughter away from him, mumbling something that sounded vaguely like "baka…" and "gaijin."

Jared was just grateful that she hadn't hit him too.

A light giggle had him turn his head back to the young woman in between his arms. Most Japanese women would have acted too mortified in their current position to be amused by anything (or at least would have pretended to be), but this one seemed rather bold. He lifted his eyebrows at her smiling face, conveying his feelings of mock betrayal. He had saved her from being nothing more than a squashed fly on the train window and instead of thanking him, she had laughed. He wished that he knew how to that in Japanese, and then maybe ask for her phone number. It was times like these he missed the States terribly.

From somewhere behind him he heard the doors slide shut and the train jolted forward suddenly, causing one of Jared's hands to slip from the wall.

He fell into her, only narrowly avoiding crushing her little orchid by her quick reflexes. Her free hand was pushing against his chest. He looked down at the long, delicate fingers splayed against his shirt and inwardly relished the warmth they spread through his body.

She removed her hand quickly and looked away, slightly embarrassed. As she turned, her ebony hair glistened a slight maroon under the fluorescent white light…How unusual. He looked above her to see an advert with a heavy red background. Ah, a reflection, that must be it.

He steadied himself as best he could, only to find that he was being pushed from behind again. He gave her another, awkward "Gomennasai," before putting his hand back on the wall by her head for support.

Her eyes sparkled in mischief as she smiled again. "Is that the only word in Japanese you know how to say?" she asked in a lilting voice, heavy with an accent.

For a second he was taken aback, but without missing a beat he smirked and said, "Iie. I can also say 'domo arigato', 'toire wa doko desu ka' (where is the toilet), 'Watashi wa America no Kaigun no suihei desu' (I am an American sailor) and 'Fohku o kudasai' (Please give me a fork)."

The young woman let out an unlady-like snort, her hand automatically reaching to hide it. She looked down quickly, laughter bubbling out as much as she tried to prevent it from doing so.

"Don't laugh, those phrases have proven to be very useful," he said, bolstered by her reaction.

"Are you going to stay in Japan for long?" She readjusted her plant.

His firm had sent him over to supervise the opening of the new branch in Tokyo, which meant that he was going to be there for at least a few years, but Jared was easily familiar enough with women to know that more than likely it wasn't the type of answer she wanted. He was tempted to be direct and say something like 'long enough to have some fun', but looking at her, completely serene amidst a crammed and crowded cell, holding the flower like it was a precious gift, he just didn't want to be so forward, and maybe, he almost allowed himself to hope, she didn't want him to be either. So he simply said "Yes."

"Then you may need to learn more phrases to survive here," her smile was genuine, "for example, what will you do if you cannot find the milk in the shop?"

He raised his hand from the wall for a moment to wave off her comment, "That's an easy one. You go to the store and say 'moo' until they understand what you want."

She rolled her eyes. "Cows say 'mo' here. Not your 'moo'."

"Mo? Seriously?"

She nodded gently with amusement.

"Well, you learn something new every day. So can you tell me what that woman said to me earlier?"

Her eyes shifted to the back of the mother's head before resettling on his again, a small smile playing on her lips. "You do not wish to know," she replied, pushing back a long strand of her dark hair behind her delicate ear and revealing a fine ruby star earring.

He stared at it for a moment and smiled before quickly turning his attention back to her. "Was she not complimenting me on my stunning good looks?"

She lifted one of her dark eyebrows at his comment, "No. She was not."

"Ah," he said, "then I won't you ask again, miss..."

She gave him a mischievous smile at his unspoken question. "It is impolite to ask for my name if you do not give me yours first."

"I suppose it is," he mused, momentarily distracted by the lightness of her eyes; they weren't exactly blue but hinted at violet. An unusual occurrence, but a striking one. "My name's Jared."

She frowned slightly, "Excuse me, I did not understand...Ja…"

"Jared," he pronounced more slowly.

"Jate?"

"Almost, a lot of people have trouble pronouncing my name here." A stray lock of blond hair fell into his eyes, he brushed it away and replaced his hand next to her head again, feeling more comfortable in his position now that they were talking. "Why don't you make up a nickname for me? Something easier to say."

"A nickname?" she asked, shifting her plant again from one arm to the other, "But I do not know you. And I also wish to learn how to say your name. It will help me speak better English," she said with a sense of conviction.

He couldn't fault her for that. "You don't give up easily. Let's try again then, shall we? Jared."

Her features suddenly lost their sparkle, setting themselves into neutral. There was something in the way he'd said it. Something more than familiar. Before she could stop herself, another name tumbled from her lips, "Jadeite."

His voice died in his throat as the train suddenly halted, the name sending a wave of haunting familiarity through him. It must have affected her too, her bright eyes almost darkening to a deep purple. "Close enough…" he whispered, the soft tone almost causing her to shiver.

The doors of the train opened with a mechanical hiss and the spell was broken, dispersing into the air like vapour. He suddenly felt inappropriately close to her, like she had invaded his personal space. Jared reasoned the slight queasiness at the pit of his stomach was due to the train's stop-start jerking and that the sudden constriction of his heart and lungs was a simple case of mild claustrophobia.

Even with his justification, he was more than happy when the mother-daughter abusers got off and allowed him to move next to the young woman instead of practically lying on top of her. He bent down to try and pick up his briefcase, only to have one of the newcomers knock it to the other side of the woman. He sighed, leaving it by her feet and just out of reach. For the moment he didn't want to twist across her and pick it up, not after what he'd just experienced.

The train sped back into life, although this time Jared was prepared and in a better position to keep himself upright.

"My name is Rei," she offered, obviously having recovered from whatever it was that she had felt as well. "I think my name is easier to say than yours."

His chest felt easier as the train gathered speed again. "Rei..." he repeated, testing it and liking how it felt. It suited her. "There's something very beautiful in that name."

He was flattering her and she knew it. "My friends say it is a boy's name in Western culture."

"Yeah, I suppose it is." He stopped suddenly, dropping his smile and pretending to look mildly panicked. "Wait, you're not, are you?"

"Not what?"

"A boy."

She rolled her eyes as he started smiling again. "Do I look like I am one?"

"No," he said, "you most certainly don't." He knew she didn't miss what he'd meant because a faint blush rose to her cheeks. She looked down at the delicate orchid in her arms, re-tucking her hair behind her ear.

"You are standing very close." Her voice was slightly less warm than before.

'Have I said something wrong?' "Gomennasai again, but I don't have much room to manoeuvre," he said, going back to being less intimate.

Rei frowned slightly as the train made a stop, "Man- manuv? I'm sorry I do not understand this word."

"Manoeuvre. It means to move around."

"Ah, I see. Our trains are very crowded sometimes, ne? It must be difficult for you, since you are very tall."

"No kidding. I think today is going to be my last day using the Toyo rail system. From now on I'll stick to cars."

"The traffic is very bad during the mornings and in the evening."

"At least I'll have space to move."

For a few seconds they stood looking at each other, not really having anything else to say. Neither were willing to divulge too much information. For Jared there was something that put him on edge, but more compelling was his need to know more about her. As for Rei, she appeared equally interested, although when he seemed to show his attraction to her, she became cool. It was all very intriguing for the blond man. He didn't want their conversation to end, and judging from where they were and the name of the last stop they had made, it was going to be cut short soon. Once again, she looked down at the pot in her hand. Stuck to it was a white label with cute stick drawings and colourful shapes, "What does the writing say on your plant?" he asked, unable to think of anything else to start the conversation up with.

"This?" She raised the pot slightly higher.

"Yeah."

Rei suddenly smiled. "It says 'good luck in your new job! Love Mako-chan!'"

"Is he your boyfriend?"

She snorted. "She is one of my best friends."

"Oh, sorry," the smile seemed glued to his face. "You have a new job? Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"What do you do?"

"I am teaching at the university."

"Wow. What subject?"

"Philospohy."

He leant back suddenly, his sky blue eyes scrunched as he looked her up and down, "Aren't you a little young? You can't be over thirty."

Her eyes widened, "First you ask if I am a boy, and now you ask my age. Jared-san, you are very forward."

"Hey, you got my name right."

She smiled, "Yes. I am very clever, which is why I am under thirty years old and teaching at university."

"Touché." He leant his back against the rattling wall of the train, "I never really imagined a philosophy professor being a young woman."

"Will I regret asking you what you do imagine a philosophy professor to be like?"

"I have this image of old men with grey beards and togas."

"Togas? Not all philosophy comes from Ancient Greece."

"No, but their clothes were genius. I think more people should adopt their sense of fashion."

"I am inclined to disagree with you, Jared-san."

"Think about it. One day, people will learn to accept it. Togas are more comfortable, and it's easier for people to dress up."

"I mean no offence, but I don't consider thinking about the advantages of wearing togas to be a productive method of spending my time."

He chuckled, a sound that was deeper than she expected, but no less pleasing. "So, your friend's name, Mako-chan was it? What is it in English?"

She looked at him before answering. "I assume you say it the same way: Mako-chan," she said, slightly confused, "but here we use endings like 'chan' for endearment. Her full name is Makoto."

She didn't get what he'd been asking, "I meant, what does the name itself mean? If you were to translate the kanji, what would it be in English?"

"Makoto? It is difficult for me to translate." She thought for a moment before answering, "Honesty of Wood? I think that is the best."

"Honesty of Wood? It sounds quite poetic, almost tranquil."

"Her name suits her personality very well. It is very soothing to be with her."

He smiled, "I can relate to the feeling." He noticed this time that the blush didn't quite reach her cheeks. "What does your name mean?"

A soft, crackled voice, somewhere in the distance announced yet another stop.

She raised one charcoal eyebrow, amusement lighting the rest of her features, "Spirit of Fire."

"Beautiful…" he whispered, but before he said anything else, something suddenly clicked in his mind, his eyes widened as the train came to a halt, "I think this is my stop." This was too soon, he needed to know more about her, he wanted to see her again, "Sorry, I need to-"

She shuffled away as best she could, "Oh, of course."

Jared thought about his next move as he bent down to retrieve his briefcase, which was still on the other side of Rei's legs. He'd give her his business card, it seemed like the best option since it had his number on it. If she was interested, she'd call.

He was finding that it was difficult to reach the briefcase, so he moved off the wall and into the crowd, pushing slightly so he stood in front of her again. But Jared was a rather tall man, bending in a confined space proved to be difficult. Rei noticed he was struggling to not get his head knocked by people, while at the same time trying not to touch her. "Here, hold this," she pulled him up lightly and gave him her plant with an enchanting smile, bending down herself to pick the case up.

He watched her, not being able to help briefly checking out her ass. A slightly devious grin crept onto his face as she rose, but he kept himself in check, keeping his comment to a simple, "Thanks." He considered himself, afterall, a gentleman.

As she lifted her hand to swap items, the doors of the train swished open. Jared suddenly found himself caught in the flow of people as they spewed out of the confined space of the train. He tried to fight against the tide, "Wait, hey, excuse m- Move! I have to-" but just like he entered, once again he was helpless, only able to watch as she tried to reach him to get back her plant and give him his briefcase, "What the hell? I need my- Wait!"

"Jared-san! My plant!" She watched him being pushed out, deciding in an instant that it was a better idea for her to leave as well. She joined the throng of people as they herded out like cattle, jostled by others who flowed in the opposite direction. The doors were about to close, Jared had already been all but thrown out. Rei managed to squeeze her body through the opening, only to have her leg caught between the two doors. They beeped loudly as she struggled to free herself, an angry reminder that she was holding up the railway's impeccable time schedule. Jared wrapped his arms around her waist, causing her breath to hitch in her throat and immobilising her immediately. He pushed one of the doors open, pulling her out and placing her well onto the platform before letting her go. He offered her a soft "Gomennasai," and a sheepish grin.

The train stopped beeping as the doors were finally allowed to slide shut, picking up speed and slipping away into the distance. Rei stood motionless, blushing slightly as she watched him pick up her plant from where he'd put it on the floor to help her. He offered it to her silently as he took his briefcase, "So," he said, "your name means 'Spirit of Fire'?"

She smiled. "It does. And since you have caused me to miss my train, I think it is only the polite thing that you should buy me some tea."

He raked a hand through his blond curls. "I'd like that very much."