Chapter 1: Ember

"Sayu-chan. Why aren't you coming home?" Silence.

"Sayumi. Answer your mother."

"Kaa-san. Tou-san. Gomen nee. But I need to stay here."

"There's no reason for you to stay in Japan anymore, honey. Come back to America." Silence.

"We all miss him very much, but you need to understand, he's gone."

"Gomen nee," answered the small voice from the other end of the call. The phone clicked.

"Kineno Sayumi-san!" a voice yelled. The long-haired girl leaning on the wall at the entrance of the school looked around to see who was calling her name. A boy carrying a big sports bag was headed her direction. She straightened up and flashed a friendly smile.

"Congratulations to you and your team yesterday. You guys were great," complimented the girl when the boy stopped in front of her.

"There's a game next week. Don't miss it," said the boy before heading towards the gym where the rest of the boys were practicing. The girl closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When she finally opened her eyes, she was shocked to see a face just a few inches away from hers.

"Yuki-chan!" yelped the surprised girl as she pushed her friend away. "Don't do that!" A chuckle came from the curly-haired girl standing next to them, followed by the laughter of the other two friends.

"Sayumi-chan's expression was so funny," Yuki said while suppressing a giggle.

"Did the vice-captain of the basketball team just ask you out?" Meiko questioned curiously.

"No, nothing like that," laughed Sayumi. "He just told me that there's a game next week."

"You like him right?" asked Yuki. Yuki and Meiko both grinned and expected a reply.

"As a friend," confessed the girl.

Dissatisfied with her answer, Yuki continued, "You always stare at him during the games. You must like him right?"

"I like his style. The way he gets ready to shoot reminds me a little of my brother," Sayumi confessed as she walked ahead of her two friends. The two friends were immediately filled with guilt for bringing up her late brother. While the long-haired girl skipped ahead, the two girls tried their best to come up with a better topic.

Sensing the tension, Sayumi turned around and laughed. "I forgot my pencil case in the classroom." The two girls were relieved to see that their friend was not at all affected. "You two can go home first," she insisted, knowing that the two lived pretty far away. The two friends nodded and watched Sayumi take the shortcut through the quiet park.

After running a few blocks, Sayumi stopped to take a breath. Since there was really no need to go back to school, she walked to the nearest bench inside the park. She sat down and closed her eyes waiting for her panting to stop.

It was already a good few minutes, but the thumping sound of a heartbeat didn't seize to stop. In fact, it probably just got louder. Louder. Faster. Boom. The girl shot up after hearing the sudden noise. She grabbed her bag ready to leave the park, but stopped when she heard the steady beat again.

She recognized that sound. It was a sound she knew her whole life, yet couldn't recall. Sayumi pushed through a few branches sticking out and finally found what she was looking for. As if drawn by an invisible force, Sayumi planted herself on the stone bench at the side of the basketball court. Her eyes were glued onto the tan skinned boy dribbling with unbelievable ease. His tall stature and well-built muscles all coordinated with each other. His style—flawless. Every time she got up to leave, his movements would hypnotize her to sit right back down. Never once after her brother had passed, did she dare imagine that she would ever be able to watch someone else play basketball with such presence. He was a miracle.

If not for a sudden phone call coming from his phone, the boy probably wouldn't have stopped. After the call ended, the boy threw a white towel over his navy-colored hair and picked up his dark blue sports bag. Without paying any heed to his one audience, he walked out of the park. The sky was suddenly much darker and the girl found it best to follow the stranger out. She kept a good distance from him and watched as he drank from the nearby water fountain. He was drinking nonstop for a good minute until he stopped and glared at the girl behind him. When her gaze met his glare, she immediately shied away. The boy then continued gulping the water, and afraid of coming off as a stalker, Sayumi rushed out of the park back home.

When Sayumi arrived at the doorstep of her house, she dug out her key and as quietly as she could manage, slipped the key in and turned the knob. She took off her school shoes and slipped into her cushioned slippers and slowly tiptoed across the narrow wooden hallways. She triumphantly smirked when she successfully passed the kitchen without being detected. But before she climbed half the stairs, she was stopped by a voice.

"Sayumi-san. Your parents called," reported the old lady in the burgundy yarn sweater. The elderly lady watched as the girl slowly walked back down. The quiet lady continued, "They want you to go home."

The girl opened up her school bag and dug out her blue wallet. "Obaa-san. This is the money for this month." The girl bowed and held out the month's rent. "We had a deal that if I can continue paying for my own living expenses, I can stay in Japan." The elderly lady looked at the money in the child's hands disapprovingly. "Please," the child pleaded while extending her arms further out. The elderly lady walked away, leaving the child bowing.

The girl's head lifted when she saw an old man holding a wooden cane walking out of the kitchen. The girl greeted him with a slight nod, but instantly returned to bowing. As the old man passed the girl, the money was taken from her hands. The girl smiled and thanked the elderly couple before running up the stairs.

Upon entering her room, Sayumi locked the door and headed towards her closet. She opened the drawer, bent down, and pulled out a plain looking box. And for the first time in three years, she lifted the cover.