Since it's fall, and I'm in a bit of a romantic mood, I thought I might throw one of my little scribbles into this post for your reading pleasure ^_^

It was beautiful. “Deriku! Hayaku!” “I’m coming, I’m coming.” Awestruck by the golden trail he journeyed upon, Derek could not help but stand still and gaze at each bare branch that hung above his head. Having given their leaves so that the ground would create a walkway worthy of any girl from Kansas, the trees now stood entirely at odds with the photographic euphoria they had created. Fixed in the ground, and as unmoved as the snowcapped mountains flanking them, the black and brown timber only served to remind each observer that their suffering was responsible for the colors they ogled. Noting each twenty-four karat leaf upon the ground, Derek’s eyes worked tirelessly to engrain the scene into his mind. A deep blue, cloudless sky accompanied by leaves that would shame any New England autumn had brought him to the realization that no photo could ever evoke the peace he felt then. Only his mind could properly capture the moment in all its glory. He would not only be able to fall back on this tranquility later on, but it would also be his alone to be lost in. No one would have this but him. No one would ever see what he saw.

Everyone saw Mio though. Enthusiastically playing under a tree that refused to give up its few final vestiges of summer, Mio had gone to kicking and tossing the product of the oak’s failed enterprise. No less innocent than a child smothering themselves in a pile of leaves, Mio continued to enjoy the crisp crunch of each leaf as well as the dry, smoky smell that overpowered her senses with each new batch she pressed to her face. Derek could not help but smile. He loved this playful innocence. For Derek, there was nothing more breathtaking and wondrous as the innocence of a child. It’s what made Mio so radiant. Though twenty-five, she often allowed herself to give in to childish whims that left Derek standing to the side with a shy smile and folded arms. Swinging his messenger bag around, Derek pulled out his camera. Digital cameras had been created to capture images just like this. Taking picture after picture, he imagined the conversation he would have with friends and family afterwards. “Takumi, check this out.” “What is it?” “It’s Mio being Mio.” “What do you mean?” “Just look.” “Ok. What is she doing? Wow, she looks like a child.” “I know. Isn’t it great? She’s just so cute.”

The truth of the matter is that I am actually in a good mood. In fact, I'm in an amazing mood. Being in Japan has does just what I hoped and more. I am quickly becoming the man I want to be and it seems that I might have just found the icing for my cake. Her name is Aya. She is not the whole cake, far from it. She is the icing which finishes and perfect this delicate pastry.

The weather is finally changing here, and I couldn't be more happy. Being greeted by a cool breeze each time I walk out the door fills me with feelings that I just can't describe. I think of Halloweens spent freezing outside people's doors. The birthday Marathon my family has in November (Father, Brother, me) and the smell of leaves swimming through the continuous currents of wind which sweep through my city from the surrounding mountain passes.

If nature can be seen as any sign for future circumstances, I think that this Autumn and Winter will be memorable, to say the least.