There is something so peaceful about sitting by this stream. In the middle of a sprawling suburban area, it has managed to eek it's way through the concrete and pipes, flowing slowly but steadily amidst this tiny copse of trees. Planted next to my apartment complexe's parking lot, it was only meant as a decoration to distract from all the asphalt, but it quickly took over its small corner of the lot, despite the ground keeper's attempts to tame it. What started as a few pathetic saplings and some dirt are now tall, strong trees, thick bushes and wild flowers, and in the middle of this tiny forest is this stream. I used to live in this city when I was younger, almost 15 years ago, and though I don't remember much, I do know that this entire area used to be real forest, and that instead of a little stream there was a river. I just wish I could remember that river's name.

"Chihiro!"

I startle from my thoughts and look up from the small boulder I am perched on where I have been observing the gentle bubbling of water.

"Chihiro, I've been calling you for like 5 minutes." Stumbling through the foliage is my old childhood friend, Rumi. We had been the best of friends as girls, staying in contact when I moved to a different town and school, retaining our "best friends forever" status. When we graduated, I moved back to my old hometown and we got an apartment together.

"I'm sorry." I smile at her, turning back to the stream. "My mind was wandering."

"Yeah, and I think it still might be." she laughs lightly.

Reluctantly, I finally pull my attention away from the water, giving myself a mental shake, and laugh back. "You might be right. Sorry."

"Oh, it's not like you're not always this way." she grins, looping her arm through mine and dragging me through the trees. We emerge onto the small strip of parched grass that separates the wooded are from the blazing heat of the sun reflecting off of the asphalt parking lot.

"Ugh." I grimace, wrinkling my nose at the little waves of heat eddying up from the lot. "You dragged me from the nice and cool, why again?"

"Because you have a date, remember!" she shakes me, none too gently.

I grumble. "It's a blind date, Rumi. I don't even want to go."

"No way, you promised! Remember? It's this really nice guy who just moved to the area, and he doesn't know anybody! You don't have to think of it as a date, I guess, but you did promise."

I sigh, knowing she's right, and knowing that as much as I'm objecting to what is most certainly a date — despite Rumi's attempts to gloss it over — I could never be so unthoughtful as to leave this guy hanging.

Speaking of.

"What was his name?" I ask as we make our way towards the main road and the conveniently close bus stop.

"Ko."

"Ko?"

"Yupp. I asked if it's meant to be like the kanji for "child" but he didn't say."

"Well can you blame him, being called baby all his life?"

"I wouldn't mind." Rumi waggles her brows at me and I laugh.

"This isn't America, and that isn't English."

"Semantics." she waves my words away and I just shake my head at her.

Once we're seated on the bus she turns to me, her voice serious now. "Listen, Chihero. If you really don't want to do this, I understand. I guess I kind of pressured you into this double date thing, it wasn't very fair of me."

"No, it's fine." I pat her arm. "Besides, with a name like Ko, how bad can he be?"

Her shoulders relax and she winks, "Let me tell you, not too shabby at all."

"Oh, really? Well don't let your admiration of this Ko guy make Ren too jealous." I joke.

"Please, he would love that. It would only give him an excuse to fuss over me more."

"True." I giggle.

Ren went to school with Rumi and is head over heels in love with her, and as much as she jokes about it, I know she feels the exact same way about him. Any day now I expect to have my ears assaulted by the shrieks of joy an engagement will produce. I'm so happy that Rumi has found someone she can spend the rest of her life with, but I will miss her sorely when that time comes.

"I knew it. I knew you were lying, you really are upset about this date!" she exclaims, seeing that my mood has suddenly turned morose.

"No, no, no!" I rush to reassure her, "I, uh, I was just wishing that my love life was as great as yours! And..uh, that maybe this is just the opportunity I need to make that happen?" I don't want to make her feel bad and rush to come up with an excuse, and luckily she doesn't here the question mark in my hastily constructed explanation.

"Awe, Chihiro. You'll find your prince charming! And if Ko isn't your one true love, then at least you'll be nice and warmed up to try with someone else, right?" she bumps her shoulder against mine.

Her statement only manages to produce an image of her and Ren in full medieval attire. professing courtly promises of devotion, but it pulls a grin from me nonetheless, and Rumi is satisfied.

About ten minutes later, we are in the center of our small, bustling city, and we get off the bus, heading towards our favorite Ramen shop. It's not the classiest joint, but what it lacks in high end decor and atmosphere, it more than makes up for in price and what are arguably the city's best noodles.

Pushing through the door, we wave and call our hellos to the cooks behind the counter who know us well from our regular patronage, and head towards our usual table. Ren is facing me, his nearly buzzcut hair made less severe by his boyish face and warm eyes which become even brighter as they land on Rumi who promptly squeals and races ahead to throw herself into his arms, like she didn't just see him last night. I laugh and turn my attention to the man who's back is still to me. From this angle I can only see his hair, grown to his broad shoulders and left straight. As I come up next to the table, Rumi extricates herself from her boyfriend's grasp and motions to me and Ko, going through the usual formal introductions as I turn to finally look at his face.

I can't help the shock that goes through me, leaving my knees wobbly.

I know this man...But that's impossible...

His hair grows to his shoulders, but also down over his forehead in a fashionably untamed way, narrow lips and high cheekbones making him striking. But it's his eyes that punch the breath from my longs. They're a soft green, which is unusual considering we're asian, but otherwise a rather unassuming shade. More than their color, though, it is their depth that is so shocking but, somehow, familiar. I've read enough cheesy romances to know that describing someone's eyes as deep, pulling you forward and in, is the biggest cliche in the book, but damn if these green eyes aren't doing just that, the lights reflecting in them in a swaying, dancing motion. His eyes are boring into mine with such an intensity that I know I should look away, except that that focus seems to be saying something, so I stare back, trying to understand their message. Maybe it's just 'why are you glaring at me, strange girl?'

"Chihiro, I hope you don't mind if I sit next to Ren. I know you're supposed to sit across from your date so that you can oggle each other properly, but I want to be next to him." Rumi breaks the connection - probably saving me from embarrassing myself any further - as she lifts her and Ren's clasped hands into my line of sight by way of further explanation. "So, is that okay?"

I stare at their twined fingers, lost for a moment as my sense of deja vu grows, adding to by already befuddled state. "Oh, um, yeah. Yeah-yeah, that's fine, of course, sorry," as I quickly plop myself down next to Ko with a quiet, "Nice to meet you." I've already made the poor man uncomfortable with my awkward eye contact, no doubt, so I do my best to remedy the situation by being polite.

My eyes widen slightly as I watch him slowly lift his hand and gently run a finger over the cord on my wrist. Despite being little more than a length of woven thread meant to function as a hair-tie — even if a lovely, shining one — I got it when I was a girl, though I've forgotten where exactly, now. I only remember that it has always been one of my most cherished possessions, despite its humble nature, and I've never not worn it. Ko's finger now traces it, so lightly that if I wasn't looking I wouldn't even know he was, before pulling away in what I can only describe as a reluctant manner. "It is...It-" he pauses and clears his throat, "It is truly so nice to meet you, Chihiro." he finally tells me, and with so much sincerity in his voice that even though I promised not to make any more confusing eye contact (for his sake as much as my own), my gaze snaps up to meet his once more.

And I lose my breath again.

Because this man I've only just met, a stranger, is looking at me in the most heart breakingly hopeful way; he is looking as me like he had lost something incalculably precious and he has just found it again.