"There is one way out, marry Yoshito."

Fumiko could not believe what she had heard but then her grandmother was not one to joke around, especially when it came to a subject such as marriage. Fumiko collapsed into the chair, wondering how things had come to this, how a simple visa renewal had ended up in a marriage proposal. 

Burying her head in her hands, she thought back; all her papers filled in properly and in time, and then her uncle had volunteered to drop them off, which he had confirmed to have done. She had forgotten about it till the she received the news that her renewal had not been done and that she had three weeks to leave the country. A shock from which she had not even recovered from before her grandmother's visit, who had put forward the apparent solution.

And now she understood that it was not an oversight that her visa renewal was not done, it had been intentionally delayed so that her grandmother could convince her for the marriage.

"Obaachan, you did it on purpose, right? You had..." Fumiko stopped, there was not much point in thinking about what had happened, but she had to protest, even if it was only in words, "Obaachan, you know everything, you were the one who filled my head with stories about fate and red strings and now..."

Her grandmother remained unmoved by her tears, "Sometimes, you have to choose which dream you want, chose wisely, my child."

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It had been a dream that she had cherished for as long as she could remember. For over fifteen years, Fumiko had kept his image, and the hope of meeting him, alive in her heart. It could be foolish, stupid even but then with her grandmother's stories about the Red String of Fate, she believed that he was the one for her. She had met John when he had come to spend a couple of weeks with his grandmother, who had moved into the house beside her grandmother's.

When she thought of him, she could still see him as she saw him first, standing near the fence between their grandmothers' houses, under the cherry tree that both the houses shared, gazing at the sky. She had not understood his fascination with the sakura blossoms and the soft downy  petals that rained down in the spring breeze. Her curiosity had driven her to talk to him and though his initial reluctance had almost driven her away, they had soon become friends. Those three weeks were the best days of her life, as the two of them discovered shared interests and common dreams.

They had never met again, but He was also the reason why she had decided to pursue her Masters in America, she had hoped that being in the same country would give her a greater chance at finding him, though she had hardly spent any time searching for him. 

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Yoshito Hayashi looked at the woman he had agreed to marry, though reluctantly. He knew the need to do so, had accepted it but could not keep his doubts at bay.

His father's marriage to his mother, an American, had caused a serious rift in his father's family, it was an unforgivable act, not that it had effected either of his parents, they had been tremendously happy with each other. However, five years ago, after the failing health of his grandfather, the company founded and established by his great grandfather had faltered. Desperate, his uncle had reached out to his father who had refused to help by joining back the Company, though with a great deal of reluctance he allowed his son to do so. Yoshito suspected his mother to be behind that decision. 

He had been unsure, stepping into the company, yet within a few months, he grew to love it, even going so far as to respect his grandfather, albeit grudgingly and when his grandfather had stopped referring to his mother as 'gaijin' he had hoped she was accepted. Apparently, his grandfather had neither forgotten nor forgiven his father, for he set a condition for his successor. Apart from proving his business capabilities, he would also have to marry a Japanese girl, one chosen by the family. It had caused another rift, one that would have broken all relations had not his mother intervened again, asking him to at least meet the girl, before rejecting her.

He had agreed, though he could not help wondering what her compulsion was to agree to an arranged marriage. And as he heard her hesitant proposal, he understood, she had her own compulsions and unlike him, had a solution too.

"They only say we have to get married, not that we stay married..."

That was a slight shock, he had not thought of that, 'married but not staying married?'

"...and then get divorced. Since you are an American citizen, while I am Japanese, there would be no issue for a 'mutual consent divorce'."

'My father, not to mention my grandfather, will kill me, in the most painful way imaginable'

"Further this way, my visa would be renewed automatically as there is a change in status, and I could complete my Masters too. It is a win-win situation, you have the wife you need to head the company, my grandfather's company would have the monetary infusion it needs..."

 'Not if my grandfather has his say, if even the word divorce is uttered, he would not only insist the investment be paid back, he could go the extent of destroying your company.'  

However, he stayed quiet. Fumiko was an attractive woman, despite the unrealistic ideas she had and surprisingly, in spite of having met her only an hour ago, it rankled, just a bit, that she did not think him worthy of a life partner. Yoshito was surprised at that disappointment, a few hours ago, he would have welcomed her idea, it would still invoke the reactions and actions he had observed, but at least he would be free. Now, after having met Fumiko, he felt that being married to her would not be a bad idea and the suddenness of that conviction frightened him. 

Fumiko was alluring like a lovely memory, of cherry blossoms and warm summers, of a time long gone and one that would never come back. As he sat listening to her nervous ramble, he realised the reason for her reluctance and unable to stop himself, blurted out, 'Who is he?"

The startled blush creeping up her cheeks let him know how right he was and there was a tightening in his chest, a feeling that surprised and angered him. He could also see the hesitancy in her eyes, but he still wanted to know so he repeated his question, a little softly though as firm as he had been the first time. 

Fumiko was startled and confused at the sudden question, not that she had been thinking very clearly for the past three days, after her grandmother had dropped the shocking proposal. Three sleepless nights as she racked her brains to find a way out.

She was unwilling to tell but knew she had to be honest, how else could she get him to agree to her scheme? So Fumiko told Yoshito all about that summer meeting and her complacent search for John, "I agree it sounds stupid, especially when I have never met him again and am not even sure how to search for him, but then my heart refuses to give up. It is not fair on my part but..."

She froze when Yoshito laid his hand over hers, "It is funny for me to say it too, but I understand." 

And when she looked into his eyes, she felt a tug and the first whispering of doubt, 'was she doing the right thing by turning him down? What if the dream she had been harbouring all her life was just an illusion and he was the truth?'

He left her hand and she remembered to breathe, the moment over as quickly as it had come. 

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Fumiko was stunned, he could not do that, he had promised her, sort of, that he would sign the contract, agreeing for a mutual consent divorce on the completion of one year. And now, just an hour from the wedding, he refused to do so.

Frustration stung her eyes and she cried, "You promised."

"I did no such thing, I only said that I understood your stance, which you yourself stated was a foolish one. It did not mean that I accepted it. And you have to agree that your proposal was idiocy at its best, neither of our grandparents would have agreed to a divorce, and worse, my grandfather would get vindictive. So divorce is off the table, hence the absence of the agreement."

The silence that followed belied the tempest in her heart and mind, Fumiko could not find words to counter Yoshito. She stood with downcast eyes, staring at her snowy white uchikake with silken camellias embroidered, red for love, yellow for longing and white for waiting, the colours were suitable, she would now spend a lifetime waiting and longing for love.  

"I think you should leave now, the ceremony starts soon, and it would not do to be caught talking to me."

She nodded, there was nothing to do or say, she had gambled and lost. However when she turned to walk away, she felt his hold on her wrist, "You remember the summer vacation, and the cherry blossoms, you still hold on to that piece of red string but you do not remember the boy you gave it to?"

Her heart thumped in a rapid staccato beat as she whirled around, almost tripping into his arms. Holding her at her waist with one arm, he held out the dried sprig to her. 

Her eyes widened in amazement, she would recognise it anywhere.

"The sakura blossoms would fade, Miko, what is the use of taking it with me?"

She had been downcast at that moment too but then with a resilience common to children, she had not given up. Instead, she had stayed awake most of night, painstakingly cutting up the stiff pink silk into poor imitation of the peach petals and sticking them onto a dried sprig. It was rather ugly, with irregular petals and blobs of glue still showing, but all her fears of another refusal vanished once she saw the wonder on his face.

"You made it for me?"

She nodded, "And the red string, Obaachan says it binds two people together, so it will bring you back to me."

He smiled and carefully packed it away in his suitcase, promising to be back the next summer. But then his grandmother had moved away and none of the summers had brought him back.

Ignoring the tears that threatened to fall, Fumiko stared at him, unable to believe what it meant and whispered, "John?"

"Yes, Yoshito Jonathan Hayashi, Jonathan is my maternal grandfather's name and when I was young I preferred John to my Japanese name so...I am sorry."

Her eyes widened as though questioning him and he answered, "I never forgot you but then I slowly stopped hoping that anything could be possible between the two of us. And given the fact that I am half American, I was even less sure of us having a chance. You did feel familiar when I first met you, and when you told me your story I was slightly amazed at your foolishness for holding on to that childish dream yet, also thankful that you had not given up on us." 

Fumiko laughed and reached out to touch his cheek, as though still wondering if it was all for real, "You did not forget me, either, so it is fine. And in the end, it worked out for the best, the red string of fate did bring you back."

Word count 1995

This is my entry for prompt by the Anime Profile.

Prompt: 

The red string of fate: the belief that a red string connecting two lovers together by fate. Following the string leads you to your future mate. At what costs will they go to in order to reach each other? What will they overcome? "

The story had to be written in a maximum of 2000 words.