Far Away

I never enjoyed carrying around umbrellas. Most of the time, I'd just rather get soaked in the rain. It's cathartic, in a certain way. Like the water is washing away all of your problems and breathing new life into you. 

That's why I never purchased an umbrella and let Kyoto pour on me whenever it desired.

However, tonight was the complete opposite of that. I found myself drenched to the bones, unable to predict an immense storm would set off a few minutes after I left the McDonalds close to my University.

"Shit, I should really make a mental note to get an umbrella after this," I muttered, my blurry vision only being able to make sense of the streetlights that passed me by as I ran, searching for shelter.

I came across a tall stone stairway, with statues of foxes adorning its edges. I was aware that it led to an ancient shrine and didn't think twice before ascending the steps. I couldn't be picky now, and anywhere with a roof sounded like a good idea.

There were multiple buildings, and due to my lack of knowledge about Japanese temples, I was unaware of the differences among them, so I went for the biggest one, which was right in front of me.

It was rather dark inside, but that was still better than being struck by multiple water bullets. All it took were a few footsteps until I tripped on some sort of fence and my body collided against a hard, cold surface. The last I heard was the sound of something breaking to pieces, followed by a ferocious thunder roar.

"Such a strange attire," whispered a soft, unfamiliar voice.

Is she talking about me? If there's one thing I'm proud of, it's my fashion sense. How rude.

"Her hair color also quite odd..."

Odd? The hairstylist said caramel brown suited my skin tone perfectly. This person has some nerve to insult it.

The feeling of unknown hands sliding through my locks prompted me to open my eyes. I was dazzled by the strong daylight until my pupils adjusted, and I could make out the face of a girl, kneeling by my side.

I saw onyx hair strands tied up in a high ponytail, that perfectly matched eyes of the same color, which were curiously looking down at me. Her features were pretty enough to almost make me forget about how this stranger was insulting me a few instants ago. Almost.

"Who are you?" I asked, using my hands to elevate my upper body, so my head stood as tall as hers.

"I should be the one asking you that," she replied, frowning at me. It looked like she was analyzing every inch of me. "You... you're not a foreign spy, are you?"

"Do I look like a spy to you?" I retorted, making sure my voice showed how annoyed I was getting.

"Yes, precisely... I've never seen clothes like this before, nor a hair color this bright," she answered. "Unless they're from a-,"

"Listen here, missy, I have no idea who you are, but I'm already sick of your insults," I interrupted her, glancing down at her outfit. A traditional Japanese attire, with a white kosode top and navy blue hakama bottom. "I'm sorry if I have a fashion sense, unlike you."

Sighing, I got up, finally making sense of my surroundings. I was still in that temple. Did I fall asleep here while I waited for the rain to stop?

"Where are you going?" The black-haired girl asked, getting up as well.

"That's none of your business," I answered, shrugging her off.

Setting foot out of the temple, I was greeted by warm sunlight that felt quite refreshing compared to last night's rainstorm. The lazy wind was scattering cherry blossom petals all around.

But as pleasant as the landscape looked, I had to get home as soon as possible. There were loads of late schoolwork piling up. 

My footsteps weren't the only I could hear as I walked down the stairway. Shooting a glare back at the obnoxious girl I just met, I asked, "Why are you following me?"

"I'm not following you," she replied in that annoyingly pretentious voice. "I'm simply making my way."

"Whatever," I grumbled, clenching my knuckles.

"You're careless," she calmly said, and I stopped moving. Not because of what she said, but because I couldn't believe my own eyes.

What I saw weren't the busy streets of Kyoto I had grown so used to. Instead, there was nothing but woods and a cobblestone pathway.

"You walk around recklessly when there's a war going on," the black-haired girl said, stopping to stand beside me.

"War?" I asked incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"You really don't know?" She asked, seemingly puzzled. "I'm talking about the lords who are trying to take power away from our emperor. I'm surprised I have to explain that to you, though..."

"Huh? Yeah, that happened, but like, 500 years ago," I countered, frowning at her and reaching for my backpack so I could grab my phone.

On the moment I took it out of my bag, the girl hurried away from me, raising her hands to shield herself. "What's wrong with you?" I asked, extending my arm to show her the device. "Calm down, it's just my phone." 

"Keep that away from me!" She warned, unsheathing a katana and completely catching me off guard.

"YOU keep that thing away from me!!" I retorted, moving away from her. "Who even walks around with a sword? Is that even legal?!"

"I am a samurai, it's only natural I carry around my sword," she replied, as if it was obvious, and carefully putting the katana back into its sheath, but her gaze was still wary.

"D-Do samurais still exist in the 21st century?" I asked, my body beginning to tremble.

She looked at me with a strange look on her face. "It's the 15th century… I think you must have hit your head when you fell in that temple."

I tried absorbing what she said. It sounded impossible, but with all the strange circumstances, there was definitely something weird going on. 

The changing scenery, this girl walking around with a sword and getting scared at a cellphone. 

Did I travel back in time?!

"N-No... listen, you're mistaken," I responded, clinging to her sleeve's fabric. "It's the year 2020! I-I'm from that year... I shouldn't be here."

She stared at me silently for a minute, probably examining the information I laid down upon her, until she said, "I'm afraid that's not possible."

"I thought so too, but here I am," I looked at her pleadingly. "Please, you have to believe me."

"That would explain the... unusual clothes," she answered, seeming somewhat compelled. "And that wicked small box you're carrying around.

"It's just a cellphone! We use this to communicate with other people," I argued, rolling my eyes, then glancing at the screen of my phone, noticing there was no signal. "It's not even working here.

"Fascinating," she replied. "You can use that thing to speak to other people?"

"Yeah… do you believe me now?" I asked hopefully, unsure of why I was trusting this person.

She nodded, responding, "I'm left with no other choice but to believe you... as odd as your story is. What do you intend on doing now?"

"I… I don't know…" I replied, and before I knew it, tears started flowing down my face, as if reality finally hit me.

Everything as I once knew it was gone. I was separated from the most important people in my life and my dreams. All of that was crumbling down before me.

My legs started moving on its own, and I rushed back to the temple, dragging the girl with me, who didn't seem very pleased as she complained, "What do you think are you doing?!"

"The temple! It's the place where all of this started... it must also be the place where the answer lies."

I let go of her as we walked inside. Everything was clear and visible now, unlike the pitch darkness of last night. The first thing I noticed was broken pieces of what seemed to be an enormous statue.

"So that's what happened!" I exclaimed, the past events coming back to me.

"What do you mean?" She asked, watching me in confusion.

"Last night, I was still in my age... but there was heavy rain, and I came inside this temple for shelter," I began explaining. "The last thing I remember was bumping into something... this was probably it... I must have broken this statue."

"This is a sacred statue of the god Inari," the girl replied in an ominous voice. "Breaking it must be a bad omen."

"I-It was an accident," I weakly replied, but I couldn't help feeling ashamed.

I kneeled to touch a piece of the statue, but as soon as my hand came into contact, I felt an electric shock run through my body.

"Ouch!" I winced, quickly retracting my hand.

"What happened?" The girl asked me, bending down beside me.

"I don't know, when I touched this, it was like there was a spark of electricity," I responded.

"This statue is probably what transported you here," she remarked. "I just don't know how... but I do know someone who can help."

The girl stood up and extended her hand to me, a gesture that surprised me, so I smiled as she helped me get up, saying, "Really? Who?"

"The family of priests who have been taking care of this shrine ever since it was built," she replied, brushing away the dust from her clothes. "They're not home now, though, so we must return another time."

"We?" I asked, unable to help myself as my smile grew. "Does that mean you're willing to help me?"

The girl seemed to be caught off guard by my question, and her cheeks reddened a bit. "Since there's no other way around it," she replied, looking away grumpily, but I could tell it's because she felt embarrassed.

"Thank you," I firmly replied, letting her know how grateful I felt. "I guess we started from the wrong foot though, I never even got your name."

"I am Mina, from the samurai clan Myoui," she replied with a dignified air. "My family has been in charge of protecting our Emperor for generations now."

"Wow, so you're really a samurai?" I asked, impressed that such a young-looking girl was actually a warrior.

"Yes," Mina answered, disturbed by my surprise. "And you are...?"

"My name is Im Nayeon, and I'm, uh... a literature student," I replied. "Not as exciting as a samurai, but it has its perks."

"Nayeon? Such a strange name," she commented, and it looked like she was talking mostly to herself.

"Geez, do you really have to voice how you find everything about me strange?" I pouted, lightly hitting her arm. "Well, Mina... despite the circumstances, I'm glad I met you."

She smiled for the first time, and it made my heart skip a beat. It suited her better than the serious expression she had been wearing so far.

"We should go back to the castle, it's getting darker, which means the risk of danger is increasing," Mina said. "I'll explain that I found you unconscious and that you lost your memory... that way, no one will suspect your... manners."

I rolled my eyes when she was about to call me weird again, but let it slide. We walked together through the cobblestone path, and it turned out that the castle was quite close to the shrine.

Mina asked for me to wait a bit in the woods while she went inside to grab what were, according to her, appropriate clothes for me to wear. She returned quicker than I expected.

"Here, put these on," Mina said, handing out traditional Japanese garments.

"H-Here…?" I asked, blushing a bit at the thought of changing clothes in front of a stranger.

"Yes, where else?" She asked.

"Look away," I said, roughly taking the clothes from her hand.

"We're both females," she replied, staring at me with that usual perplexed expression.

"I said , look away!" I repeated, more fiercely this time, aware of how red my face probably was.

Mina obeyed me this time, and when she turned away, I sighed and undressed, switching to the outfit she gave me as fast as I could.

"O-Okay, I'm done," I said, putting my clothes inside the backpack.

"These clothes suit you much more," she said, holding back a smile as she looked at me.

I blushed again, not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not. "Whatever," I said, crossing my arms. "Can we please go now? This forest is creeping me out."

"I hope you're not heavy," the Japanese girl said, confusing me. I only understood what she said when she picked me up from the floor.

"P-Put me down!" I protested, clinging onto her shoulder as my face grew redder.

"You're supposed to be unconscious, remember?" She replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine," I grumbled, stopping to move my body and acting like I was numb.

"You're supposed to look unconscious, not dead," she argued.

"You're too picky!" I complained, feeling even more embarrassed.

"Just cover your face, so they won't see how much of a poor actress you are," she told me, and I could swear she was holding back a smile.

I lightly punched her shoulder but did as she said, hiding my face in the same place I just hit. 

Somehow, her warmth and the sweet scent she had made me feel safe. There wasn't any logic behind that, as I barely knew Mina, but something told me I could trust her.