Red Thread

A young boy suffering from the aftermaths of a musical performance gone wrong, finds light again in a girl he meets one day.

次はきょば�-駅です.” “The Next Stop is Kyobashi Station.”   

The MTR car held only a small amount of passengers compared to the average seen during the city of Tokyo’s rush hours. There was a dull atmosphere amongst the people; their disappearance having no impact on the environment.   Takeo Nagashii sat at the corner row of seats; his face slumped against a metal pole. He laid his guitar, a Yamaha LL6 his parents bought him, down on the adjacent seats.  The 17 year old boy wore a lifeless look on his face, his eyes were dull and glassy and his breathing fast and shallow. He was on the train, commuting back home from a concert he performed in earlier that day. Everything had gone wrong for him: strings going out of tune, fingers missing frets, all while strumming the wrong strings. By the time the show was over, most of the attendees had left.  His parents were so disappointed in him, that he was forced to travel alone in shame and find his own way back home.

“How could you!?! We poured all our efforts into you and your passion!” his mother had screamed.  

As the train approached its next stop, the young man raised his head. Amongst the people in front of him, a young girl caught his gaze.  She looked about the same age as Takeo, had beautiful amber eyes, shoulder-length blonde hair, and was wearing a lovely one piece dress. “

"We have arrived at Kyobashi Station. Please watch your step while departing the train.”

The MTR train sighed as it came to a stop at the station. As the doors opened, Takeo took one last glance at the girl, his gaze fixated upon her face. The girl walked out of the train onto the platform, turning around to come eye to eye with Takeo.  For what seemed like a long time they stared at each other, until the girl turned around and slowly walked away. Takeo looked around, the girl’s image still freshly imprinted in his mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glimpse of red. He went towards the object, picking it up to further examine.  At the top of the card it said “Yobashii High School Student ID.” The picture of the card’s owner was none other than the pretty girl that was just on the train a moment ago. Off in the distance, he could see the girl’s back, slowly travelling up the flight of stairs out of the platform.

 Desperately he called out, “HEY! YOU DROPPED YOUR-.” The train doors closed shut.

 

“The next stop is Shinjuku Station.”

Takeo took a closer look at the ID card. The girl was of the same year as Takeo, born in 98. Her name, Destiny Kazoki, was uncommon amongst the people in Japan.

“Kazoki,” he muttered.

She must also be of foreign descent, he concluded. Aside from her student number and grade, there was nothing else on the ID card that proved useful. 

“Destiny Kazoki,” he repeated.

 here was a certain charm to that name, he thought.

Takeo spent the following week trying to return Destiny’s ID card. He first arrived at the school, but by talking to several students and staff, he quickly realized Destiny did not show up to school often.

“You know, she doesn’t live to far from here,” one of the teachers told him. “Maybe you can go return it?”

Takeo was hesitant, but reluctantly agreed to go return the card personally. The address given to him was within walking distance from the school, so Takeo decided to head directly to the girl’s house.

While walking, thoughts of the concert’s failure came back to haunt him. The day after the performance, he was greeted with mockery and laughter from most of his classmates. The few he used to call his friends avoided talking to him, as if any interaction with him would cause their reputation damage. Takeo’s mother and father treated their son coldly, refusing to give him the support and love they once had. Despite his efforts, the world has tossed him aside and left him for dead. His life was ruined; he had no real reason to continue trying, no reason to continue pursuing his dreams. However, despite these burdens he carried on his shoulders, he figured he might as well do one good deed before he stopped caring.

Takeo paused and stopped walking.

There was a sweet melody coming from a distance, ahead of where he was standing. Intrigued, he tried to find the source, following the trail of music as it gradually grew louder and louder. He followed the sound until he arrived at the front of an old house, the sound coming from an open window. He looked at the house’s nameplate to the side.

“Kazoki.”

“She’s just in this room over here.” Destiny’s mother said, “Destiny, a friend’s here to see you!”  

Destiny slowly opened the door and peeked her head out, a surprised expression forming on her face, from seeing the stranger she thought she would never see again. Takeo took a deep breath and started introducing himself.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you! My name is Takeo Nagashii. I came to return this ID card you dropped while getting off the train before.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been looking everywhere for it. Thank you for returning it!”

“Oh, no problem!” Takeo replied, stuttering slightly. Why am I nervous, he thought? It’s not like I’m hiding anything. “Well’, I should get going” he said.

“You should stay and have dinner with us!” Destiny’s mom suggested. “It’s the least we can do to thank you!”

 “I wouldn’t wish to intrude” Takeo stated.

“It wouldn’t be a bother to us if you stayed for dinner” Destiny joined in.  “You should stay.”

Takeo didn’t have the willpower to say no to the girl. In the end, he decided to stay for dinner.

“You two can wait in Destiny’s room, while I prepare dinner” told Destiny’s mother.

There was an awkward atmosphere in the air. The two sat across from each other in Destiny’s room, not making direct eye contact. Trying to make them both a little more comfortable, Takeo attempted to start a conversation.

“Uh, I heard someone singing earlier? Was that you?” he asked.

Destiny’s face blushed red and she hid her face behind her knees. “Did you hear everything?” she squeaked out.

“Yeah, but I was amazed at how good you are at singing” he responded. “With that voice, I’m surprised your talent hasn’t been discovered yet.”

Destiny looked up at Takeo, her face still a little flushed and her eyes a little watery.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have the confidence to sing in front of people” she said. “I get nervous easily and can’t focus when that happens.”

Along the walls of her room, posters of many different singers were hung up. It was obvious that Destiny had put in a lot of time developing her voice.  Takeo made up his mind. Since his passion was no longer being encouraged, he would encourage someone else’s. 

“Maybe I can help with that” Takeo stated.

 

Takeo could feel his stomach at work. Destiny’s mom went all out, creating a feast worthy for a king. As he lay on his sofa staring at the ceiling, he recalled the events earlier that day.

“Maybe I can help with that,” he had previously stated. Destiny had looked at him, her expression confused.

“Help me with what?” she questioned.

“Help you with your confidence issue. I know a little bit about performances myself” he responded. Well, at least what it feels like to fail a performance, he thought self mockingly. Destiny didn’t respond, her face looking down at the ground. 

“If you don’t want my help, then it’s fine. You can pretend I nev-. “

“Ok, I’ll let you help me!” she interrupted.  Takeo smiled, his eyes no longer dull and glassy. Maybe I’m still needed after all, he thought.

 

Takeo showed up the following week at Destiny’s house, guitar in hand. He hesitated first, and then rang the doorbell. Destiny opened the door. Her hair was braided, and she was wearing a bright green dress. Takeo looked at her and quickly turned away, focusing on something else. Why was his heart beating so  fast, he wondered. He turned back to find that Destiny had reached her hand out to him.

“C’mon let’s get started!” she said enthusiastically.

 

 *SNAP* “Ah, it’s no good” Takeo said frustrated.

This was the sixth string he had broken since this morning. Each time he broke one he got more and more frustrated and began playing more aggressively. Thoughts of his failure came flooding back to him. Why did I let everyone down? How could I do something so horrible to my parents?  His thoughts continued to trail on and got darker with each. I’m just trash, aren’t I? It’s not like anyone would care if I died. Maybe the world is better off without-. Takeo felt warmth on his cheek.

“Ah s-s-sorry?!” Destiny said, fumbling her words in the process.

“You looked as if you were sad so I tri- I tried to cheer you up!” Takeo looked at Destiny, the girl embarrassed but smiling, her arm reaching over her shoulder to rub the back of her head.

From there, Takeo told Destiny about the events of that concert. About how he had played terribly, and had ruined the performance. About how his friends, and parents had abandoned him, no longer believing he is the person he once was. By the time he finished, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest.  He realized, that for the first time since that day, he had talked about his feelings and situations with somebody other than himself. Takeo looked at Destiny. She was just looking at Takeo, her eyes staring at his. Oh god, he thought. She must think I’m a terrible person.“

"Well doesn’t that just mean you’ve got to try again?” she asked. Takeo looked at Destiny in disbelief. Was this person not going to look down at him, he wondered?

“You’re not mad? You don’t think I’m horrible for hurting everybody I mentioned?” he asked, with desperation in his voice.

“No?” Destiny said laughing. “I mean we’re only human, everybody makes mistakes sometimes” she finished.

“But, but I failed my friends and family!” Takeo stammered.

“So you’re just going to give up?” Destiny replied. “Are you not going to try to redeem yourself?’ she asked. Takeo was astonished. Here he was beating himself up for his failure, yet the person in front of him thought the issue wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Here, play for me” Destiny told Takeo, handing him his guitar. “Don’t think about other people and their comments” she told him. “Just think of playing music for the purpose of satisfying yourself.”

Takeo took the guitar from Destiny’s hands and held it in position. He was surprised. For the first ever, he realized how light the instrument was.

 

His hands moved quickly and steadily. His left hand’s fingers pressing down on the frets in sync, with the right hand’s strumming pattern.  There was no note cut off to short or held to long. Destiny joined in, her voice harmonizing the guitar’s melody. It was as if just one singer and one guitarist were conducting a concert. And as Takeo finished the last chord, a note harmonically ringing and fading away, he began to laugh. He didn’t know why he was laughing, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. He glanced at Destiny who was also laughing. Their cares for the world gone; both boy and girl laughing until tears started forming in their eyes. It was pure bliss.

From then on the days flew by quickly, as did progress. The two decided to begin playing music publically, starting in small groups of no more than ten people.. Takeo provided the backing track on his guitar, while Destiny took the lead with her powerful vocals. Individually, they had their own set of complications but the two worked together magically as a duo. As they performed more and more, both Destiny and Takeo’s confidence continued to grow. Takeo began to make fewer mistakes, and Destiny’s nervousness began to slowly fade away, as she gained more self-confidence in herself.  In less than half a year, they were having local community performances of up to a hundred attendees.

 

“Good work today!” Takeo said handing Destiny a drink he bought from the vending machine. They had just finished a live gig earlier, and were relaxing at the mall together.

“Thanks,” said Destiny, She had something cupped inside of her hands.

“What’s that? Takeo asked, pointing there. Destiny held out her hand and opened it, revealing a red thread of fabric.

“It came undone from this.” she explained pointing at her scarf. 

“Why are you holding on to it?” Takeo inquired.

Destiny looked briefly at Takeo and smiled. “Do you know the red thread theory?” she asked.

Takeo shook his head.

“Well…” Destiny began to explain, “You know how people say that there’s someone for everyone out there?”

Takeo nodded.

“It’s believed that between the pinkies of you and your other, a red thread of fate bounds the two of you together, no matter how far away you are.”

Takeo looked at her, confused. “I don’t really get it,” he said.

Destiny sighed and grabbed Takeo’s left hand. “Like this!” She took the red thread and wrapped it around Takeo’s finger and then did the same with her own. “This is how two people are connected by fate!” she exclaimed.

Takeo looked at his hand and then at Destiny’s. His mind could not process what was going on. Destiny seemed to realize what she had done, and was trying to form an excuse. 

“It’s just an example, it doesn’t mean anything!!! I mean I like you, no wait I don’t, but I-I-.” She was fumbling with her words and struggled to find something to say. Tears began to form; she was on the verge of crying from embarrassment. Takeo took his hand and gently placed it under her chin.

“You might not like me, but I do” he told her. Takeo slowly moved his face closer to her’s.

They kissed.

Following the events of that day, they officially became a couple.  However, they maintained their unique relationship as guitarist and vocalist, and they still continued holding live events. On one cold winter day, a letter came for Destiny in the mail. It was an offer from an agent for Destiny to work under the music industry and to become an idol. She told Takeo about it, and the two celebrated the occasion. The happiness was short-lived however.

 

The next week, there was an interview with one of the company’s agents. Being an idol meant a high salary to support Destiny’s family, but it would also mean a lot of travelling. If she accepted the offer, Destiny would have to split away from Takeo. The break-up was not taken easily. Although Takeo understood it would in Destiny’s best interest to accept the job, he was still heartbroken.  The night before Destiny departed Tokyo, they met for one final moment between the two. The torn-apart couple sat on a bench in Shinjuku Park, under the night sky.

“Will I see you again?” Takeo asked.

There was a moment of silence.

“I don’t know.” Destiny responded. “I might not ever come back...  it’d be best if you just forget about me” she suggested. Destiny turned away from Takeo and began to walk away. An image of her back appeared in Takeo’s memories, the first time he had seen her. The time she was walking out of the train platform after their first encounter on the train.

“I’ll wait for you!!!” he shouted desperately. “I don’t care how long! I’ll wait for you! Even if it gets lonely or if I get hurt, I’ll still wait for you!” Takeo’s voice has gone hoarse from shouting. His vision blurred by tears, he stumbled over to her side. “So go. Make your dreams come true” he said.

Destiny turned to face Takeo, her eyes red with tears, yet she still managed to smile. “Thank you” she said weakly. There was nothing more the two had to say to each other.

They kissed.

 

 

TWO YEARS LATER

Takeo packed his guitar, and placed it in its case. The performance earlier that day was a brilliant success. People were praising him as a musical genius. He was a machine, a perfectionist who played with style and emotion.

“What’s the secret to your success?” an interviewer once asked him.

Takeo gave the question some thought and smiled.

“A friend of mine once told me, I had to start playing music to satisfy myself, not others.”  He no longer believed that the world was always against him. Rather all along, it was himself that was applying the pressure to his own life. Instead of focusing on how to better himself, he used to worry about the demands of other people.

The confident young man started walking towards the Kyobashi train station

.

Sometimes he wondered what happened to Destiny. What she’s doing, where she is, or how her career has been so far? Ever since that night before Destiny left two years ago, Takeo made up his mind to live life pursuing his passion again. The music he played was for his own enjoyment, free of criticism and ridicule by other people. If he liked what he was hearing, then others would too.  As Takeo continued walking down the street, he noticed something on the floor

.

Follow me, it read. Attached to the note was… a red thread,

 

For a moment, time stopped for the young man. 

“Have you heard of the red thread theory?” Takeo began to run.  His fingers frantically tracing the path of the red thread.

“You know how people say that there’s someone for everyone out there?”

His chest began to ache and his legs buckled, but he continued to push himself harder.

“It’s believed that between the pinkies of you and your other, a red thread of fate bounds the two of you together...”

Takeo ran down several blocks, his feet feeling heavier with everyone stop.

”... no matter how far away you are.”

He turned the corner, and there she stood. The red thread ended in a knot around the girl’s right pinky.

Author's Note

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Reviews

[TravelinAlaskan]

I think this is a good read. I've enjoyed a good manga from time to time and I think with some additional entries and a little bit of drama this one could be grate. I especially liked how you worked in a bit of Chinese folklore "the red string of fate".

TA