Narumi finds out that Kiri is dying of cancer, her newfound dream of becoming a beautician, completely destroyed! Can his passion, bring her hope for survival? Or will something even stranger blossom between them in their days spent together in the hospital? Could it be a four letter word known as love?

Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty Pop or any of its characters, even though I wish I did. But I still hope you enjoy my story!! Kiri x Narumi

"Ugh, why the hell am I here again…?" Narumi muttered, scratching the back of his head irritably. He stood in front of the Koshiba Beauty Salon, debating his next action unwillingly. "Oh yeah… Stupid Mussy head forgot her stupid textbook. How careless and stupid can you get?! Jeez!"

"Who's the stupid one, genius-san? You're standing in the middle of the sidewalk, gawking like an idiot."

Narumi jumped, suddenly whirling around dramatically and angrily. "YOU! IT'S YOUR ENTIRE FAULT THAT I EVEN HAVE TO BE HERE! SHOW SOME GRATITUDE TO YOUR SENPAI FOR GOING OUT OF HIS WAY FOR A GIRL AS UNCUTE AS YOU!!"

Kiri Koshiba yawned lazily as she shuffled past him, brushing off his anger nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah, that reminds me, why are you here anyway?"

Her laid back attitude only managed to flair Narumi's rage even more.

"YOU FORGOT YOUR TEXTBOOK!! WHY ELSE WOULD I BE HERE BRAT?? I COULD BE AT THE BEAUTY COLLEGE TRAINING TO BE JAPAN'S NUMBER ONE HAIR STYLIST RIGHT NOW!!"

"Hmm. If it's so much trouble… why didn't you get someone else to do it?"

"EVERYONE ELSE ALREADY LEFT AND JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE I SAW YOU'RE UGLY TEXTBOOK STARING ME RIGHT IN THE FACE!!"

"How interesting. However that sounds impossible. Textbooks aren't capable of staring."



"DON'T TAKE IT LITERALY!! WHY CAN'T YOU AT LEAST SAY THANK YOU OR SORRY FOR THE TROUBLE??"

"Thanks and sorry for the trouble," Kiri said as she took her textbook and opened the door to the Koshiba Beauty Salon, her usual monotone ringing out clearly.

Narumi's anger deflated noticeably, but he still shook his head and sighed as he mumbled, "No sincerity at all. As expected of a girl as uncute as you…"

Kiri lingered in the doorway, considering whether to hold it open for him or slam it in his face. Both would suffice and provide some sort of feeling of pleasure. After some thought, she rejected the latter and asked, "Coming?"

Narumi looked up from his muttering, surprised, maybe even shocked. "Huh? o-oh sure…" He nervously entered the salon, suddenly shaking as he remembered the bad memories that occurred there. His hand subconsciously went to his head, touching his hair as he recalled the hair cut he'd received in this very room.

"Eh?" Kiri turned to him, a blank look still etching her face but a curious glint flashing through her eyes. "What? You want another haircut?"

"No! Are you kidding me?? Never again! You're never giving me a haircut again, ever!!"

The haircut itself actually hadn't been that bad, but he could never live down the embarrassment again!

She snorted but turned and continued into her house, slowly making her way to the kitchen to make tea. Narumi shuffled around Kiri's house thoughtlessly as he waited, asking himself why he had bothered to stay in the very back of his mind.



"Bleh, whatever," he muttered as he sat back at the table, stretching an arm as he yawned.

Narumi didn't like thinking about complicated things if he could avoid it. It gave him a headache when he had to decipher puzzles, hints, and feelings.

He liked things put simply, honestly, and straightforwardly.

He would rather have something said to his face rather than be muttered shamelessly behind his back.

Narumi despised lying and cheating, especially with money, bribes, and seduction.

Those types of things really ate him from the inside out, stabbing his pride as well as his temper. It made him feel filthy, no better than the very dirt he stepped on. And super genius Narumi Shogo would not stand for that.

His mental thought process was already pumping him up, and as Kiri entered the room languidly, he was already pumped on his own adrenaline.

"C'mon Mussy-head!! Let's forget the tea! You, me, right now, a hair-styling battle! Winner gets to do whatever they want to the loser!"

"Eh. I don't feel like fighting a sick person. You're arm will start acting up again…"

"My arm is fine! Better than ever!" Narumi yelled as a blush threatened to creep up his neck. "Y-you should be more worried about your defeat!!"

"Hmmph. How loud and annoying. You'll bother the neighbors."

"I'll show you bothering!! Why don't you come and say that to my goddamn face??"



"I just did stupid."

"What??"

"Sigh… I'm gonna go grab some ear plugs," Kiri mumbled as she stood up slowly. Was it just Narumi's imagination, or did he just see her flinch for the slightest second?

"Psh, it was probably nothing," he thought to himself. Narumi told himself this, but he had noticed a slight difference in Kiri's behavior. Her movements had been more slowed and labored than usual, her cuts, less beautiful, less graceful.

Also she had been missing a lot of school. He would never admit this to anyone, but secretly he had come to visit her to make sure she was alright, to hear her single-toned voice once again.

But she seemed perfectly fine, maybe even back to her annoyingly sarcastic self.

What had he even been worried about?

Narumi suddenly jumped as a sharp ringing noise startled him from behind. The telephone continued to make noise until Narumi found it unbearable and he finally just picked up.

"Hello? Uh… Koshiba… Residence…" he muttered. It felt so weird to say.

"Yes, I'm Dr. Higa. I'm calling about Kiri's test results. Unfortunately…"

Narumi's eyes widened as Dr. Higa continued to speak, probably unbeknownst that the words were not meant for Narumi's ears.

As Kiri walked backed into the room, her eyebrows raised ever so slightly as she watched Narumi's hand slam down on the receiver.



"Eh? What is it Naru-Naru? What's with the weird attitude?"

He only continued to stare at her with shock, anger, and….

Could that other emotion possibly be sadness?

His hands trembled ever so slightly, as he opened his lips to speak.

"What's wrong Naru-Naru?"

The three words that escaped his mouth were the last Kiri ever expected him to utter.

"You have cancer?"

Whew! Done! Lol I guess that wasn't too long though… Want to read more? I must receive 5 reviews before I update! So tell me what you think of my writing! :)