To Dream or Not to Dream

Foreigner- Extra

Author's Note: I recently returned to Japan for a short stay after a few years. Japan will always have a dear spot in my heart, but this chapter was born out of a bit of bitterness I felt while traveling there last month.  It is somewhat based on real events, but of course anything to do with Yuzuru is obviously fiction. It is not meant to be a reflection of Japan as a whole, but many of these written interactions did happen and this is almost a therapeutic way of getting it off my chest.

Mature themes.

Read with caution.

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Years Later-  Japan

It had been two years since you moved to the farthest place possible from where you were born.

To say that you loved this foreign country was not a stretch in any sense of the word.

As a young child you had been enraptured by the unique artistry you had found on the internet. The beautiful graphics and eclectic storytelling was entirely different from anything you had seen previously.  At that time, you had no idea that coming across something as simple as cartoons would suck you into a lifelong fascination with another country.

When you were a few years older, you counted yourself lucky to have been blessed with a video game console that allowed you to play the finest JRPGs that existed. Yes, Final Fantasy did change your life, although your best friend would definitely argue that Zelda was far more epic.

They were stories that had succeeded in taking you out of some of the most difficult times of your life. When your sister died, not only did these games allow you to occupy your time, but they helped escape into a different reality. It was a reprieve, although momentary, that you would forever be grateful for.

These stories were the beginning of your fascination with the culture as a whole.

When you were in high school, you were lucky enough to get the chance to take part in a foreign exchange program in Osaka. You stayed there for almost a year. In that time, you realized that your love for the country wasn't just make believe- but real. Even with your feet on the ground, you still loved it just as much.

In turn, it led you to learning a beautiful language that was incredibly complex and described feelings your own native language had no word for- it changed the shape of your thoughts. It made you grapple with being unable to fully comprehend the various hierarchies of societal structure that existed in the world in general- it changed how you viewed relationships around you. You found a passion for understanding the differences and nuances in perception of those around you in regards to history, theology, respect, and love.

You fell in love with the differences and the similarities alike.

Yes, Japan was the first true love story of your life.

When you graduated with a degree in foreign language studies, it was a dream of yours to return to the country.  After working for a tourism agency, you knew with certainty that one day you would. You had assisted many others in doing so, but you still weren't sure when you would get the chance yourself.

That was back when your dreams were half-baked and ill-attempted.

You could say a lot had changed since that time.

In your wildest dreams, you never would have imagined the manner in which you would return. Following a man you were desperately in love with to the other side of the world was not something you ever could have planned or accounted for, but it was certainly an odd twist of fate.