If the night would go any more wrong, this would have been the worst vacation ever.  A couple of friends and myself had planned this trip to Japan for about four years now.  Though the plans were just that long, the actual talks were forever. ‘What if’ this and ‘What if’ that kinds of talks ever since our middle school years. I loved that we all managed to stay the same even through our awkward high school years. Even in college, we all seem to keep each other’s interests in mind. They were amazing; at least, until about three hours ago.

                We had just arrived to our hotel. I wish I could remember the name, but I do remember how beautiful it looked on the inside. It was mid-afternoon, almost close to dusk. The flight had left us all jetlagged, so we decided the second we got settled it that we’d find somewhere to get drinks. “So what were your ideas?” one of my friends asks. We had been brainstorming silently to ourselves on the flight. I wasn’t putting too much effort in, we usually always pick the same things. “How about karaoke? That way you guys could get your drinks and have fun at the same time.” It was a suggestion that got plenty of praise. I myself, I didn’t like to drink. But if I were with these idiots, I loved watching them have fun with their liquid happiness. So it was settled. We checked in, stowed our bags away in the room, and freshened up to take on the streets of Tokyo. “Are you going to drink this time?” one of my female friends asks me. “Maybe. I just might if someone pays me enough.” We all laugh. Its not that I don’t like to drink, I could if I would. My tolerance was so much weaker than my friends, so it took a lot less for me while it took about two or three drinks for them. They never had a problem or complaint with it, but I felt it was bad if I didn’t match up to the amounts they could take in. It didn’t take long for us to find a colorful sign with blinking lights surrounding the perimeter of it. The one in our group that was more Nihongo conscious translated the sign. We had found our place.

                Twenty songs and a couple of cocktails, beers, and shots later I was out.  I knew I shouldn’t have, but everyone else was having so much fun, I figured it wouldn’t matter. But when I had awoken from my drunken slumber, I immediately regretted everything. I was awakened by the sound of a car horn. What kind of song has a car horn this loud in it? I tried to ignore whatever fun my friends were having and continued to sleep, but the blaring continued followed by a few shouts. Something wasn’t right. Upon trying to move, I immediately felt a sharp pain in my head. “A- Ouch!” Instinctively, I hold my temples to decrease the pain, but it only made it worse. Slowly I opened my eyes. There was no karaoke room. In fact, there was no room at all. Wedged between a garbage dumpster and a few garbage bags, I realized how much trouble this situation has unfairly escalated to.

                With the upmost hope, I prayed that I wasn’t too drunk to move. I realized it was still night time. I highly doubted that a day could have passed, someone surely would have noticed me. So I begin the strain to get to my feet. It only took three times before I could steady myself without feeling too nauseous. I stumble on, trying to figure where exactly I was. The bright lights of the nightlife made it much more harder to concentrate on moving. My head was throbbing in pain, and it hurt even more with the bright signs blinking in a language I couldn’t even understand. I wondered if I were going to run into someone who spoke English. So far it seemed like people were purposely trying to avoid me; even the cops. I couldn’t take the lights for long. I retreated back to the darker alleyways. At least here, I could focus better on finding my way back without passing out from the immense head trauma.

                It seemed like I had been walking forever. Tears began to streak my dirtied cheeks. I had absolutely no idea where I was. I rounded the blocks around where I had awoken, but nowhere in sight did I see the specific karaoke bar we had visited earlier. The little bag I had brought along with my money and phone also seemed to be missing. I was lost. I was incredibly lost. I had no way of telling people who I was. I had no way of telling anyone anything. This was a nightmare, and I so desperately wished that I’d soon wake up in my hotel room. The night was dragging on. I couldn’t even tell how long I’d been walking for. It also seemed that the further I walked, the number of people and stores seemed to decrease. I couldn’t take this anymore. It would have been better if I wasn’t as intoxicated. I was at a breaking point. Crouching down in a shadow in the alley, I begin to cry. Where were my friends? Why would they let me out of their sights when they knew how bad of a drinker I am? Did they all secretly hate me? The thoughts that doubted them wouldn’t stop flowing through my mind. I couldn’t help it, I was terrified that I may never see home again. So I sat there sobbing. This didn’t help my head any better. I wish someone would find me. I wished that someone would come and would be able to bring me back to the hotel. And it wouldn’t hurt if they also had some pain killers conveniently with them. As I continued to make all these wishes that seemed nearly impossible to fulfill, a sudden chill had overcome me. It freaked me out wholly; but before I could get up and leave from the area a man’s voice filled the silence of the dark alleyway.

“Miss… why are you crying in a terrible place like this?”

                It seemed as if my wish had come true. He spoke English. I know it seemed like I needed help. And by the way he spoke, he sounded like a native of the land with a thick Japanese accent behind each word. I was saved. At least, I thought I was. – “Oh please sir, can you please tell me what time it is? And… do you happen to know exactly where this place is?” I wiped my eyes clean of falling tears. I couldn’t really see his face in the shadows. “It is three to 10 o’clock. And this is near the Hachikokuyama park.” I had no idea where that was or if it was close to the hotel I was staying in. I sigh. “I have no idea where I am… and my friends left me. I just want to go home.” I could feel the tears begin to well up again. I hated the reality of the situation so much. I sniffled, preparing for the tears to fall once more. Before a tear could drop, a cold hand caressed my cheek, wiping it away before it gets the chance to dirty my face even more. “Such a beautiful young woman shouldn’t be crying.” I didn’t notice when he had crouched down beside me, but oh God, I wish he had done it sooner.

                He was a beauty. His features were slightly feminine, but in his eyes there was this intense masculinity that was dominating – demanding. His hair wasn’t the jet black color everyone else on the street seemed to have. It was an unnatural dirty blonde with hints of browns that probably didn’t lift from the bleaching. His hair itself wasn’t too long. It stopped just above his shoulders, but it framed his face so perfectly. Ah… his face. You could tell he was Japanese, but, it seemed like something else could have been mixed in there. European? Chinese? Korean? Whatever his linage was, it was a beautiful one. His exterior was a bit intense. His brows furrowed the whole time he had eyes on me, but I’m sure that was because of the state I was in. His clothes almost seemed like rags, but when I paid closer attention to them they draped around his figure in a style that seemed more superior than mine. His jeans were tight and ripped as his top was. I couldn’t see them all too well since they blended in with the dark of the night. I admired the boots he wore as well; was this guy a model or something?  His outfit was accented with various pieces of jewelry that clanked when he moved. His overall appearance was stunning. Was this really my savior? Were we going to fall madly in love and this was the first meeting? Why was someone so beautiful doing in a place that was so dingy? I wish I knew his name…

                “Miss? Did I say something wrong?” his voice snapped me out of my dream like state. I didn’t even realize that he had been talking to me. “Uh- Oh… My head is hurting me so much, its hard to concentrate.” After spilling the white lie he just nods. “Can you tell me your name?” I reply with the answer he was looking for. “Cute.” He smiles.