After much fuss, I'm finally beginning this story. Heehee. I know it's weird pairing Yui and Tomo, especially since they rarely had any interaction in canon and even if they do, those were never romantic. But I'm a non-canon writer and I love writing stories on Yui and the bishies. Since I don't like Suboshi much for Yui and pairing her with Miboshi, Ashitare and Soi seem weird, my only options are Nakago, Tomo, and Amiboshi. Very limited pairings indeed. [Well considering that Yui is an easy match for Nuriko, Hotohori, and Tasuki…]
Anyway, I hope you'll like my first full-length story on Yui and Tomo. I finally found inspiration for this! Yay!
Disclaimer: FY is not mine.
Chapter One
By Slavedriver2008
"RYOU CHUUIN IS THE MOST HANDSOME GUY IN THE WORLD!" a female voice screamed and another familiar voice giggled loudly in confirmation. Yui looked up from the book and was not surprised when she saw her two closest friends exchanging gossips over a teen magazine.
"He's so cool! Did you see him last night in Forbidden Love? He's so dreamy!" The shrill voice belonged to Miaka and Yui rolled her eyes as the brunette leaned on her cheeks and flushed.
"Yeah and I heard he's still single—"
"And probably gay," Yui pointed out and the two glared at her. Yui sighed and leaned on her seat. "You two should stop daydreaming about him and start studying." The two knitted their eyebrows and gave her sharper looks. She would have been bleeding by now but she was used to their stares to get hurt.
"Hmp! Yui the spinster is ruining our mood again!" Aya told Miaka and the brunette nodded vigorously. They were already college juniors but the two were still acting like high school girls. Now that Yui thought of it, Ryou Chuuin has been the apple of the eye of her two friends since high school. And they never seemed to grow out of it even with boyfriends.
"Yeah, stop being the scrooge Yui! Do you want me to read what Ryou Chuuin wants in a girl?" Miaka asked and she heaved a sigh, turning her attention back on the book she was reading. The lazy afternoon in the university made her sleepy and the last she wanted was to hear another squeal to disrupt her concentration.
"Superstar and heartthrob Ryou Chuuin wants a girl with long straight hair and teal-colored eyes, a sexy and beautiful girl with a warm smile," Aya started to read and Yui wanted to plug her mp3, only she had forgotten it at home. "He said she needs to be mature enough to understand his busy schedule and could whip up a scrumptious dish to satisfy his monstrous appetite. You know Yui, if you're not too absorbed in college, you'll be the perfect girl for Ryou Chuuin!" Aya squealed.
Yui closed her book with a sound and sighed. "Its no use. I can't concentrate when you two are around," she said, not caring about the superstar. "Especially when you're both gushing about that guy." She placed the book on her bag and stood up. "Let's just grab something to eat—I'm hungry."
"Yes! I'm hungry too!" Miaka squealed and Aya stood up as well, closing the magazine and then embracing it tight as if it were some prized possession.
The three were on their way to the cafeteria when a throng of squealing girls caught their attention. They all turned to the direction of the commotion and Yui frowned as numerous girls rushed toward the already ecstatic crowd.
"What's happening?" Aya asked one of the girls and the girl squealed.
"Don't you know? Ryou Chuuin is in university! He's shooting some scenes for his soap opera!" The girl answered in a loud voice, immediately running toward the mob. Yui's two friends were squealing as well and before Yui could stop them, Aya and Miaka were already storming toward the crowd.
Yui was about to call them back when she changed her mind and headed toward the cafeteria, shaking her shoulders. She was hungry and she seldom asked any of the girls to eat so she's taking advantage of the fact that they were not on her tail. Let them run after their Ryou Chuuin, she'll spend the day eating and reading her book in a faraway bench under one of the numerous trees in the university. Ah, it was perfect.
The cafeteria was bare except for a lone man who was standing in front of the food selection, deciding what to get. He was wearing an old university warmer and a worn-out baseball cap. He must be a freshman, Yui thought. She slowly pulled a tray and ordered roast chicken with mashed potatoes. After a thorough thought, she ordered orange juice and headed off to one of the numerous vacant tables. After getting seated, she pulled out her book and immediately turned to the page she was reading earlier. The book was about oranges, how the fruit started in Asia and then brought to the West until it became one of the trademark commodities of the Western world. It was such a simple topic but the writing was engaging and informative. And as she drank her orange juice, Yui could not help but nod in some of the intriguing facts the book presented.
"Excuse me, can I share the table?" a smooth voice asked and when she looked up, found a pair of dark gray eyes. The "freshman" was standing in front of her, holding a tray with the same things she ordered. She looked around, slightly surprised that he wanted to share a table when there were hundreds for the taking. "I don't like eating alone. It ruins my appetite."
"Oh, sure." She motioned with her hand and the man immediately sat down in front of her. She returned to her book only to be distracted again.
"You study here?" he asked and Yui looked up.
"Yeah," she answered thinly. She gave him a quick smile and then returned to the book she was reading.
In California, nearly all lemon trees are grown on orange roots. This sort of thing is not unique with citrus. With the stone fruits, there is a certain latitude. Plums can be grown on cherry trees and apricots on peach trees, but a one-to-one relationship like that is only the beginning with citrus. A single citrus tree can turn into a carnival, with lemons, limes, grapefruits, tangerines, kumquats, and oranges all ripening on its branches at the same time…
"What course do you take?" he asked again as he started to eat his chicken. Yui looked up and her brows creased, clueless. "From what college are you?" he repeated and recognition flashed over her eyes.
"Oh, I'm from the college of medicine," she answered. She looked down on the book again and a slight laugh left him. Instead of looking up, she continued reading.
In California, nearly all lemon trees are grown on orange roots. This sort of thing is not unique with citrus. With the stone fruits, there is a certain latitude. Plums can be grown on cherry trees and apricots on peach trees, but a one-to-one relationship like that is only the beginning…
"Freshman?" he asked, ruining her thoughts. Yui looked up again, blinking repeatedly.
"No, I'm already a junior." She took her orange juice and slurped, surprised that her cup was already empty. Redness spread over her cheek when he laughed.
"Do you want me to get you another glass?" he asked and she shook her head, placing the glass back on the table. She smiled thinly and looked back on her book, sighing out of humiliation.
In California, nearly all lemon trees are grown on orange roots. This sort of…
Yui closed the book and looked at him as she placed the book on the table. It was useless to read when she's sitting in front of a man who kept on asking her questions. He smiled and her face felt warmer when she realized that he was handsome despite the worn-out clothes and he seemed to be older than her initial guess. There's no way he's a freshman, she thought.
"Do you go here?" she asked and he smiled, realizing that she was giving him her whole attention.
"I used to. Was part of the baseball team," he said, pointing to his cap. She nodded and she started to eat. "Ah, you finally decided to give the poor guy some attention," he teased and she smiled, shaking her head as she ate the roast chicken on her plate. "Pretty good roast huh?"
She swallowed hard and shook her head. "I can cook better than this," she said and he snorted with disbelief. "No, seriously. My dad adds a special ingredient to the marinade and he taught me how to do it. But I won't tell you—it's a family secret."
The man laughed loud and Yui grew conscious of the attention. She was talking to a stranger and she was making him laugh. When he settled down, he leaned on the table and looked at her intently. "You know, I make pretty good orange juice too. But I won't tell you how I do it—it's a family secret." He winked and she blurted out laughing, flushed.
"Fine! I don't know what type of secret concoction can add to the orange-ness of an orange juice, though," she said, still laughing lightly. The man looked at her intently and they ended up looking at each other. He was very familiar—she'd seem him before, she was pretty sure. She just can't remember where. "Hi, I'm Hongou Yui and you are…?"
He raised an eyebrow but he seemed all the more pleased that she was clueless. He cleared her throat and smiled softly. "It's nice to meet you Yui, I'm—" Their mobile phones rang loud and Yui both scrambled to open her bag and pull out the phone. It was MIaka.
"I have to go, my friends are looking for me," she said and the man nodded, still smiling, as he showed her that someone was calling him as well. She hastily slung her bag over her shoulders and carried her tray for the dishwasher as the phone continued to ring and cause havoc in the cafeteria.
"Hello, Miaka?" she answered once she was outside.
"Yui—where are you? We're at the benches near the field—Ryou Chuuin hasn't come out yet!" she screamed and Yui winced as her friend's loud voice reverberated through the handset. "Come here now! Let's get a picture with him once the crowd thins!"
Before she could answer, Miaka ended the phone call and she rolled her eyes as she walked toward her friends. Once she arrived at the bench, Miaka and Aya were standing on their toes to get a good view of the visiting superstar.
"What took you so long, Yui? Oh my god, Ryou Chuuin came out—Do you see him Miaka?" Aya asked as Yui sat down on the bench. She sighed and then opened her bag to take out the book she was reading earlier. Her eyes widened when she found it missing.
Yui hastily stood up and looked at the ground around her. Did she drop it? She cursed silently as she opened her bag again to search more meticulously. No, it was gone. Where had she placed it? She was in a state of panic—she loved that book. She can't lose it while she's still reading it! Miaka and Aya screamed louder and Yui was too engrossed with looking for the book to notice that someone had walked toward her direction.
"Hongou Yui," a familiar smooth voice called and she halfheartedly looked up. She blinked when a long-haired handsome man waved her missing book. "You left this with me."
"Eh?" she asked, trying to remember who he was. He placed the baseball cap over his long hair and her eyes widened when he smiled. He was the man in the cafeteria! His hair was tucked inside the cap earlier so she thought he had it short but seeing him now, Yui realized she was a single girl who might need a boyfriend just like him.
The man handed her the book and she took it. "I'm Ryou Chuuin, it's nice to meet you." He took her hand for a handshake and she was taken aback. This was the man Aya and Miaka have been fantasizing for the last five years—and they were right. He's a handsome and dashing and dreamy…
Ryou Chuuin pulled her hand and she was surprised when he slowly leaned down to whisper on her ear. The girls squealed louder but her thoughts were floating. "Call me, I'll make that secret orange juice for you." His breath was warm on her skin and it made her heart pound on her ears.
The superstar slowly moved away and let go of her hand, leaving her with a warm familiar smile. The girls clammed toward him when he turned and Yui blinked repeatedly as he moved away, getting into the swarm of college girls who eyed her murderously for taking their beloved's attention.
"Ryou Chuuin—Look here!" the girls squealed and it finally broke the spell he had easily casted on her. Miaka and Aya squealed and jumped for joy as they embraced her.
"Oh my god, Yui—Ryou Chuuin talked to you!" they said in unison. "What did he say? HE EVEN KNOWS YOUR NAME!" The squealing continued until the superstar and his whole crew left the university.
Yui looked down on the book and turned the cover. On the lowest part of the cover, the bishounen had scribbled his telephone number and a message that made her heart pump loud.
Beautiful Yui, when you think of oranges, I hope you'll remember to call me. I'll wait. - Chuuin
A/N: That's it. Please leave your reviews. Btw, the orange quote is from the book Oranges by John McPhee.