Asylum

The Batman of Yokohama

Leo Hernandez

I did not have this in mind. Romantic scenery? Check. Blending into the crowd to avoid unwanted interruptions? Check. Bedazzle m'lady with the fancy camera I picked up from the airport? Triple check. What I didn't add on this elaborate checklist was: save some chump on the street in the midst of advancing my relationship, or lack thereof. Oh man, if you love the everlasting suffering of the angsty teen, you're gonna love this story.

So, Sarah and I get out of the cab and walk to the Minato Mirai which, by the way, is the brightest and shiniest place on earth. But super scenic – buildings in the shape of shark fins, a multicolored Ferris Wheel, and the ocean full of sailboats reflecting it all in distorted ripples. To me, this looks really cool, so I can only imagine what Sarah was thinking. I wasn't cruel enough to withhold the camera from her the whole time, so I gave it to her. I know what you're thinking: wow, Leo Hernandez, the hottest guy in the world, that was the kindest thing anyone could ever do, please let me marry you.

Sorry, ladies and gentlemen. I'm off the market until further notice.

Anyways, I give Sarah the camera and that's when everything goes wrong.

We're on the Ferris Wheel, finishing up our cycle, when Sarah peers through her camera, zooming in through the lenses. With one lavender eye shut and the other squinting, she looks like she's trying to get a great shot. But if she wanted that, I could just take the camera and act like her paparazzi. "How do you like it?" I ask, voice a bit jumpy, hands a bit sweaty, heartbeat a bit fast.

"It's got great quality!" she yells in excitement, then cringes when she realizes how loud she is. "I didn't mean to yell, sorry. But it's fantastic. Cameras always seemed so useless back in Asylum, but now there are things I actually want to remember. Like this." She turns the frame to me and snaps a picture.

"Flash!" I shout before it's too late. The camera blinds me and I'm rubbing my eyes until the spots behind my lids disappear.

"I'm so sorry, Leo!" Sarah apologizes.

I find myself laughing. "Stop saying sorry. You're not doing anything wrong. If being blinded is the price I pay for seeing you so happy, then it's worth it."

I wanted her to laugh that light little laugh she does when she's flattered. Normally, she'd do that and push my shoulder, or shake her head and tell me what new level of ridiculousness I've achieved. In case you're wondering, I'm on about level 74. We've either been friends for too long, or I'm just a handful...

But the opposite of what I wanted happens. Frowning, she tucks her cream-colored hair, a bit messy from the Japan sea breeze, behind her ear. Sarah avoids eye contact by filing through her captured stills. "Sometimes," she whispers. "I think you're too good to me, Leo."

What? I'm sorry. What? Is she serious right now? How in the world could I – no, not just me – how could anyone be too good to somebody? From a humanistic view, you should always treat people as best as you can. I'm a firm believer in karma, and if someone wants to act self-righteous to me, then they'll get what's coming to them. It's not up to me to make sure they pay...all the time. But it is a personal goal of mine to try and brighten the day of anyone who's path I come across. Especially if that person is Sarah.

"Why would you say something like that?" I ask her, almost speechless. And to make me speechless, that takes a lot.

"Just because you can't see the scars doesn't mean they aren't there," Sarah tells me, fiddling with the cuffs of her long sleeves. "There are so many, and they're reminders of all the times I wanted to hurt someone." I always knew she was a life-conservationist, and her tear-stained cheeks when we killed off the wolves were evidence of this enough. "Kya said the scars define me, and are more like battle wounds, but as much as I want to believe that, it's hard."