ABOUT FATE AND DESTINY

That destiny is made up of three things: sustenance, soulmate, and death.

Chapter 1: About Destiny and Fate

          At the Ueno Park, Tokyo
          The Tokyo sky slowly shifted into the colors of dusk. The spring air carried the fading scent of Sakura blossoms falling gently across Ueno Park. Amid the crowd of passersby, an old man sat quietly on a bench.
          His name was Toshi.
          His face was lined with wrinkles, but his eyes held the clarity of a man who had once loved, lost, and endured.
          "Destiny and fate..." he murmured softly in elegant Japanese, as if speaking only to himself.
"I could never tell them apart,
until my own grandson explained it to me.
He once told me -- destiny is nothing but the end of fate.
And that destiny is made up of three things:
sustenance, soulmate, and death.
Each of them will remain a secret until they reveal themselves."
          Toshi lowered his gaze, watching a fallen Sakura petal clinging to the worn leather of his shoes. He took a deep breath.
          "Now, after witnessing my own life unfold," he said,
"I finally have the courage to admit... my grandson was right."
         From the old man who sat upon the park bench, whispering to himself, there arose a tale destined to make the world stand still--if only for a fleeting breath--to seek anew the true meaning of "Love."