From the Ashes of Grey

To stand somewhere and never see what is right in front of you can be the greatest curse that one could ever imagine being submitted to. Many can go through life and try to do everything right, or at least what is expected of them and never know what it means to love or be loved. I believe this because I have been there and never wish to return to that state of being. Surviving and continuing, but never once living. So to better explain what happened, and how it happened, let me tell you a story.

It was a few years back if memory serves, and I was standing in the living room of my apartment. I was gazing out the sliding glass door that led out onto the balcony. I was thinking about my purpose in life, or rather questioning myself about what my purpose ought to be. I had been spending so much time trying to be the best person I could be or, looking back now, perhaps I was trying to live up to an expectation that I set for myself. I wanted to be everyone's go-to guy. I wanted to always make everyone else happy or sought out the approval of others just to try and justify my own feelings. I was hollow. I was lonely.

To set the "scene" for you. This was my first apartment that I lived in on my own. Well, I wasn't on my own, I had two of my high school friends living with me. We split everything and I was tasked with taking care of the kitchen and doing the cooking, which I loved to do. Not really sure why I am telling you this, but it has some bearing on me or rather perhaps my own desires.

We had a three bedroom apartment in a quieter section of town. It was in this apartment that I first realized that I wasn't happy. I had a job, wasn't anything fancy, but a job nonetheless. We all worked and most of the time, since I had the least hours, I would be at home by myself with not a whole lot to do. I would pass the days away by either talking on the phone with some distant friends, or would find a new video game to play, or sometimes just sit and stare outside and wish for something better. I truly felt lost.

It was on one of these usual, calm, quiet, and lack luster days that I met her.

I met the woman that would change everything that I thought I knew, and show me a whole new world around me. Her name was Kiraki Yashimoto.

CHAPTER 1

It was a Thursday, one week until Thanksgiving, and I was supposed to be at work. I say that I was supposed to be because I was scheduled, however, due to what I believed was food poisoning, or just a stomach flu, I was unable to return to work. I only mention this because I remember being extremely uncomfortable and one of my other friends was also sick. Before you think that I am a terrible cook, and got everyone sick, we happened to eat out earlier on Wednesday and it was that evening that we started feeling ill.

I was sitting in front of my computer writing a story when a knock at the door happened to snap me out of my stream of consciousness. Frustrated and slightly curious, since we never had any company ( That would be again because we all worked so much. I went to the door and peered through the peep hole. Only thing I was able to discern was that a woman was standing outside the door. She knocked again and I heard her voice.

"Is anyone here? I am looking for a Mr. Kazuke Shiro... Hello?"

"Yes, this is me," I answered, now very confused.

"Oh, fantastic, I was hoping this was the right address, she paused then continued, "Would it be possible for me to speak with you for a few moments."

"I suppose so, I am not doing anything terribly important right now. By the way, who are you and why are you looking for me?" I opened the door for her.

Standing at my door was a very pretty woman. She had brown hair, slightly longer than shoulder length. Hazel eyes that almost seemed golden. She had light brown skin, I would say a strong Native American ancestry. She wore a bright red shirt, it had frills or something of the sort around the edges across her chest and on the shoulders. Her faded blue jeans had a single tear in one knee, the left one I believe. What had my attention the most however, was her smile. Bright white teeth, and pink lips.

"Who are you?" I stated.

"Oh, right, my name is Kiraki Yashimoto and I am doing a college term paper on new aspiring novelists of the current decade. I was hoping that I could ask you a few questions. Your last book was amazing and I wanted to meet you in person." I felt like she was talking a million miles a second and I missed the last bit of what she was saying.

"Wait a second," I said and shut the door on her. My last novel? When did I write a book? What is going on here? I bet anything its a bad joke that Yeri instigated. Always trying to play pranks on me, we had grown up together and went to the same school since we were really little and this was common. But something about this doesn't make sense. Yeri never got someone that we didn't know involved in her jokes. I wonder? My thoughts were interrupted, when a female voice came from the other side of the door.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Shiro?" She seemed a little nervous now. "Perhaps I will come back at another time."

"Hold on," Taking a deep breath, I opened the door again. "There is a bench at the bottom of the stairs, you can't miss it. I will meet you there in a few moments, okay?"

For a moment she looked upset and then realizing that I wasn't sending her away, I could see her eyes light up. She smiled and headed down the stairs.