Chapter Three: Love was Lost:

First love costed her heart. She was fifteen at the time. Her parents never paid much attention to her. They worked their contract jobs. Their daughter found herself bored in a foreign country. Why Okinawa anyway? She was happier in Florida. Everything about her new home bored her. She barely made friends at school. She did have a decent home life, though.

Her parents gave her everything she needed. Shelter, food, clothes, and nice gifts were all hers. But, they didn’t give her love or attention. She ate dinner at home alone. She started to wish for love or someone to pay attention to her.

At fifteen, she would get her wish.

His name was Takumi. He was a bit older than her. Quite handsome too. Someone like him surely couldn’t be interested in. But her was. At first, she thought he was waving at someone behind her. No one was there when she looked. The boy still waved at her. She pointed to her chest. This beautiful boy nodded. Intrigued, the girl hurried over to him.

“Me?” she asked.

“Yeah,” the boy said. She moved her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Her cheeks turned bright red.

“Wow!” was all that she could say. The boy started to laugh. She quickly looked away. He turned her face to his.

“You really are cute,” he said.

“Um…” the girl said. His smile made her heart race.

“My name is Takumi,” he said. “What is your name?” She lowered her eyes. She told him her real name.

Days later, they began to date. She enjoyed the attention he showered on her. He stole kisses from her. They held hands. Takumi took her on many dates. He showered her with more gifts. She took it all in.

“I love you,” he told her. She blushed in reply. She couldn’t say it out loud of first. She instead showed him how she felt. It felt good to cuddle with him. Her parents didn’t notice her not there. All they care about was work. Maybe this boy would show her real love. She didn’t see the relationship moving too fast. She last her virginity to him by Christmas.

“Move in with me,” Takumi said. She happily agreed. Within days, she packed up her things and moved in with her eighteen-year-old boyfriend.

Four years later, her love for him died. Maturity is a strange thing. It changes a person over time. She got bored with her life. Her boyfriend became smothering. The gifts annoyed her. She wanted to be alone some nights. Why did she stay? She could do better. Why didn’t she?

She one day looked at her life. What was she doing this for? Sure, she graduated. She wasn’t in college. She worked as a hostess in a small club in Okinawa. She found herself bored. So why didn’t she try and leave? Takumi was so nice, maybe too nice. She thought about breaking up with him, but his puppy dog eyes would change her mind. This wasn’t working for her. She tried to gather up her courage to break up with Takumi.

One night, Eliza met her motive to take the final step. But, her plan to escape became delayed.

-Present Day-

He made it to Tokyo by midnight. He held Eliza’s picture in his hand. He hadn’t stopped looking for her for nine years. His friends tried to tell him she was dead, but he wouldn’t listen.

“She’s alive, I just know it!” he said. His searching would finally be pain off. Eliza-chan, wait for me. I’ll get you home. All of you.

He began his journey to reclaim his lost love. He did it once before. He was determined to do it again.