Hello, this is my new story 'Café 87', as you may know if you read the title. It is a non-curse, AU story and this first chapter will be mostly information and introducing characters and so on.
Hope you will like it!
Kyo used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat of his forehead. He had just finished with bringing in his last box into his new bought dojo, that would also be his new home starting today. It was just yesterday that he had left his apartment in Tokyo to open his own dojo for martial arts. It has always been Kyo's dream to become a Shishuo like his adoptive father, and since he fulfilled his training a few months ago, he decided that it was time to put that plan into action. So he used his savings to buy a dojo in a small town a few miles away. It was the very dojo he was standing in right now.
As the orange haired man looked around he was pleased. The dojo was not big, it was in fact rather small for a dojo. But it was a good start. It only had one room meant for training, but it was big enough for a class of at least 20 students. it also had one room meant for equipment, and then there was a second floor with a bedroom, a kitchen and bathroom. What Kyo liked most about the building was the yard and location. It was very private, but still not hard to find, and the yard was big, so he could easily hold a class outside if the weather was good.
Kyo smiled to himself as he stood in his empty house, surrounded by boxes. Now at the age of 22, he was ready to start his dream.
Even though Kyo had never been in this town before, he felt that he would like it more than the previous town that he had lived in. It was small and peaceful. His dojo would also be the only martial arts dojo in this town, so he wouldn't have any competition. Even though the town felt strange now, Kyo had a few cousins that lived here that would show him around and maybe present him to possible future customers. It was his cousins that had suggested this dojo to Kyo when he had mentioned to them that he was searching for one on sale. To be honest, Kyo didn't like his family that much. He found them very annoying and frustrating. He remember that they had been especially annoying when he was a teenager, but both he and his family had hopefully matured now, so he would take their help.
He began to unpack his boxes and didn't stop until everything was done. He then immediately jumped on to the new bought bed and drifted of into a deep sleep. He didn't care that he still had his normal clothes on, or that he hadn't brushed his teeth. He was tired and wanted to enjoy his first night in his new bed, in his new house, of his new life.
He woke up the next morning by a loud banging on his front door. He immediately sat straight up since he didn't recognize the room he were in, then a smile spread on his lips since he remembered that it was his new home.
He went downstairs in the same black t-shirt and dark blue jeans that he had slept in. His orange hair was messy and untamed and his eyes groggily as he opened the door to a rather unpleasant surprise. There stood two boys around his age. One with black and white hair and grey eyes. The boy had an aura around him that screamed 'rebel'. The other boy had grey hair, purple eyes and gave the impression of being a perfect gentleman. The two boys were the total opposite, the only thing they had in common was that they were both unbelievably handsome.
Kyo groaned loudly as he couldn't remember why on earth he had wanted his cousins help. They had interrupted his sleep. He usually didn't sleep in, but he had been unpacking boxes until midnight last night and he was tired as hell.
"What time is it?" Kyo yawned loudly with a clear annoyance in his voice. The older of the boys, Yuki, rolled his eyes.
"Still rude as always you stupid cat, thought you would have grown up by now." He said, and Kyo wanted to punch his 22-year old cousin in his face. But Kyo knew better, even if his cousin where skinnier and paler then Kyo was, Yuki was very skilled in martial arts and could beat Kyo if he wanted to. The other boy however, Haru, that was one year younger than Kyo and Yuki, was an easy match for Kyo.
"I would hit you, but I'm soon officially a Shishuo, and a good martial arts master doesn't start unnecessary fights." Kyo said with closed eyes as if he repeated a line that he had memorized from a book. It wasn't Kyo's favorite rule, but if he wanted to be a real honorable Shishuo, he would do his best to follow it nonetheless. Haru and Yuki was clapping slowly.
"You have learned something after all, Kyo." Haru said with a smirk. Kyo's eyebrow twitched in anger.
"Shut up you stupid cow." Kyo said with another yawn. They had come up with the animal nicknames when they were young, and it had still stuck. Haru now also yawned, which caused Yuki to yawn, making Kyo yawn again.
"Yawns are contagious ya know" Haru pointed out with another yawn.
"Yeah,yeah. What are you doing here?" Kyo asked with an annoyed tone, he couldn't careless about yawns.
"We are supposed to show you around town remember? Or is your attention span shorter than I recall?" Yuki asked, and Kyo made his hand into a fist. He hated how Yuki always talked like he was better than him, but Kyo would not give into the temptation and hit him. Not this time.
"YEAH, I KNOW! I meant why this early?" Kyo asked while he glared at him.
"It is a quarter past eight, you are usually up earlier. I thought that we could eat breakfast together and in that way show you the best café at the same time. Then we will move on to the rest of the sight seeing. " Yuki answered and Kyo mumbled something in return and then left. He went up the stairs into the bathroom, brushed his teeth and ran his hand thew his hair a few times. He didn't care about changing his clothes and went downstairs where his cousins waited, put on some shoes and left with them, locking the door behind him. The only thing he brought with him was his keys and his wallet. Not that he had that much money in his wallet, but still. It was also a sunny day, so he did not need a jacket. The t-shirt was enough, and frankly, he thought Haru and Yuki were crazy to wear long-sleeved on a day like this.
"So what is exactly your plan for the dojo?" Yuki then asked Kyo. Kyo put his hands in his pockets as he walked, and kept his gaze at the ground.
"I have decided to start out with teaching kids, ya know? Like around the age 6-8 or something. I thought that it would be weird to teach older ages since they will be so close to mine. I want to be seen as an adult and respected. How many classes I will have will depend on the number of students. But my plan is to teach people around that age, and then as I will keep that class, even as they grow older, so that I will be their Shishuo on longterm." Kyo explained.
"It seems that you have the most of it figured out. But how will you attract customers and create awareness of your dojo?" Yuki asked and Kyo sighed.
"That's the hard part, I am still trying to figure that out." He said and it became quiet.
"So what about you two? What are you working with?" Kyo asked for some reason, maybe because he didn't like the awkward silence or the fact that the attention seemed to be on him.
"I just started working at the local law firm as an apprentice. I finished my education one month ago." Yuki said. He had always been rather intelligent and people had a hard time disagreeing with him so Kyo agreed that he actually fitted as a lawyer. Kyo turned his head to Haru.
"Well, I still don't really know what to do, so right now I am only taking part time jobs. I just quitted my job as a construction worker, and I now play in a band on the weekends and work as a helper in the firefight department. They offered to educate me in firefighting and a full-time job, but I haven't given them an answer yet. Because I am thinking about wanting to teach others to play the electric guitar." Kyo nodded again. Haru had never gone to college, he had taken a lot of random jobs in hope to find his 'call'. So having a new job and plan every time he talked to him wasn't news to Kyo.
"We are here." Yuki informed as Kyo looked up, they were standing in-front of a coffee shop with a green big sign that said, ' Café 87'. Their were a few people sitting outside the coffee shop in the outdoor catering, that immediately looked at Kyo. Probably due to his abnormal appearance, orange hair, orange eyes and tan skin wasn't that usual in Japan.
"Why's it called '87'?" Kyo asked as Yuki opened the front door to the café, causing a little bell to ring.
"Because the street number is 87." Yuki answered calmly, as Haru and Kyo followed him into the café. The theme color of the cafe seemed to be brown and green. Everything was brown except for the couches and some of the chairs. There were more people sitting in the outdoors catering than the indoors, so it was fairly empty inside, and there was no line. There were a few older people sitting by a table playing cards, and another table of middle aged women. In the bar sat two teenagers, but other than that it was only Kyo, Yuki and Haru in the café.
Suddenly a women popped up above the counter and startled Kyo. She smiled brightly at them. Kyo was shocked by her appearance. She looked like she was about his age, maybe younger. She had long brown hair put up in a ponytail. Maybe it was hazel, or chestnut. Kyo didn't know, he wasn't very good with shades to be honest. Her bangs laid perfectly on her forehead, and just below them were two big bright blue eyes. They displayed kindness and another emotion that Kyo couldn't distinguish right now. Her skin was pale and she wore a long-sleeved black sweater with a green apron that had the coffee shop's name on it. Kyo still couldn't get his thoughts of her eyes. Sure, his eye color was unusual and so was Yuki's, but it wasn't so often that you ran into someone with blue eyes either in Japan. Especially not with such a bright shade of blue.
"Hi Sohma-kun! Hi Hatsuharu-san!" She greeted cheerfully as they approached the counter. Yuki smiled and Haru nodded at her, Kyo just followed their lead, feeling out of place.
"Honda-san" Yuki greeted with a little bow that Haru mimicked.
"This is my cousin, Honda-san, he just moved here yesterday." Yuki said as he pushed Kyo forward, so that he stood in front of the line. The girl smiled brightly at him.
"That's great! My name is Honda Tohru, and I would shake your hand, but I am afraid that it is a dirty due to all the coffee beans." She said cheerfully and Kyo nodded at her.
"Kyo Sohma." He just mumbled, and Tohru turned her head to Yuki.
"The usual Sohma-kun? A cappuccino with extra foam, right?" She asked him with that smile that never seemed to fade.
"You know me too well, Honda-san." He stated in his cheesy way and Kyo wanted to gag. His cousin was probably a little interested in the barsita, but the Tohru girl didn't rally seem to share his feeling, and she seemed like she just to acted this nice towards everyone. It was probably just her way. Tohru giggled.
"Well, you have come in here for almost everyday that I have worked here and ordered the exact same thing." She said as she started to work on the different machines behind the counter.
"Ah, so I am predictable, maybe I should change." Yuki joked, but Tohru didn't seem to catch the teasing tone.
"Oh no Sohma-kun, don't change who you are. Being predictable isn't a bad thing, it means that you are trusty worthy and loyal." She said with concerned eyes, but then got an amused smile on her face.
"But yes, I guess that you are predictable when it comes to coffee. I can't say the same for you Hatsuharu-san, you change your order every day, what will you have today?" She asked him with a smile. Haru looked deep in thought.
"I think I will have a….pumpkin spiced latte with an extra espresso shot, and can I get marshmallows on that?" He answered with a straight face and Tohru giggled. It wasn't something that you would normally have marshmallows on.
"What will you have Kyo-san?" Tohru then asked and faced him, her blue eyes catching him off guard once again.
"Ehh..I will just have a black coffee…please" He mumbled awkwardly, and if it was even possible, Tohru's smile seemed to turn even warmer than before.
"I also prefer my coffee black. Gives me more energy threw thought the day." She said and then turned to the machines again.
"Oh Honda-san, can I get a croissant too?" Yuki added with a sweet smile and Tohru nodded.
"Me too, a chocolate one." Haru said and Tohru nodded again and turned to Kyo, expecting him to add something else to his order.
"I can take a ham and cheese sandwich, thank you." He once again mumbled awkwardly. Kyo wasn't very good with socializing, especially not when it came to being polite. But he was determined to get it right in this town, and get a good and respected reputation, he didn't want his career to be taunted by his manors.
"So what brings you here Kyo-san?" Tohru asked politely. Kyo blushed, he didn't really know why. Probably because he was just included in a conversation.
"Well, I am opening my own martial arts dojo to teach kids. And don't call me 'san', it makes me feel old." He said and Tohru became energetic.
"Oh! That's sounds exciting, you must be very strong and talented to be a martial arts master! What age in kids, Kyo-kun?" She asked and Kyo blushed even more. He liked it when she added the 'kun' after his name. No one had ever said his name with so much affection before.
"Around 6-8 I think, but I don't really know how to attract any kids to start taking martial arts." He said, sighing, and Tohru looked at him.
"That's the age of my son, he his 6 years old." She said as she placed their orders on the bar desk. Not noticing how the three males stiffened at the word 'son'.
She coughed.
"That will be 2900 yen (approximately 27 dollars)" She said and Yuki stepped forward in silence and paid for them all. They then quietly went away to a table. When they all sat down, Kyo was the one to utter the question they all thought about.
"She has a 6 year old son? I thought she was around our age!" He whispered, shocked.
"She's 22 years old, exactly like you and me! I didn't know either, if he is six, wouldn't that mean that she was 16 when she gave birth to him?" Yuki questioned, equally shocked and Haru counted on his fingers and then nodded.
"I guess she was kind of a slut in high school and got pregnant. I say thats what you deserve to sleep around." Haru said and Kyo and Yuki couldn't help but to nod and snicker. They all remembered the girls in their on school that was the sluts, they would have certainly have thought that they got what they deserved if it were them that ended up pregnant. The three males suddenly became quiet when another girl that was dressed in the same apron as Tohru, suddenly threw down her washing-up bowl at their table, startling them all.
She was very tall for a girl and had blond hair. Kyo thought she looked like a yankee. Her name tag said 'Arisa' , and she had just been walking around gathering the dirty dishes at the tables when she overheard their conversation
"Don't you guys trash talk Tohru! I have known her all my life, and believe me she is not a slut!" She exclaimed, very loud and angry, but then she sighed and almost looked sad as she continued in a more depressing tone.
" It was her first time, she was 16 and it was her first real boyfriend. He was kind and all, and she thought she loved him. But she…she wasn't ready, but he pushed her to do it. She even begged for him to stop, but he didn't. She cried threw the whole thing, and she avoided him after that. After a lot of hesitation she decided to charge him for rape, since she had told him to stop, but then she found out that she was carrying his child. Tohru grew up without a father, so she was determined to give her child that, even though I told her that he wouldn't be a good father. Tohru is too soft-hearted to go threw an abortion, it would kill her, so she decided to tell him about her pregnancy and raise their child together with him. Just when she decided to tell her mom, her mother got hit by a car and died. She has only slept with the same guy her entire life, I bet that all of you have been with more girls than that." She said, and she was right. Although, Kyo hadn't actually been with a lot of different girls, only two. Yuki hadn't been with that much either. Haru had though, been kind of a player before he meet his current girlfriend, Rin.
The three Sohma's got sick in their stomaches. Maybe it was because that kind cheerful girl at the counter had gone through a lot that she didn't seem to deserve, or maybe it was because they had been too quick to judge. The yankee then continued, sounding angry again.
"That bastard hasn't even offered to marry her yet, they live together, but he is a sucky boyfriend and a sucky father. I hate his guts. So don't you guys dare say anything bad about Tohru ever again! She is stronger than any of you. She even finished high school, even with a baby. And she is a kick ass mother too!" The yankee finished, as she picked up her washing-up bowl and stomped away. Leaving Kyo with an annoying guilt feeling, and when he looked at Haru and Yuki, he could tell that they felt the same. They ate the rest of their meal in silence, and then went up to leave.
"Wait! Kyo-kun!" Tohru shouted from behind the counter, and Kyo turned around, not looking into her eyes. He thought he saw a little pain and sadness in them, and he was almost sure that she had heard a part of their conversation.
"I just wanted to tell you that I will tell everyone at my son's pre-school about your dojo." She stated, causing him to look up at her face, she was smiling kindly but the pain in her eyes were still there. Kyo felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. Why was he feeling so much guilt? He had done worse than to question someones parenthood. Was it because he had never meet anyone that seemed more pure and innocent and simply undeserving of their fate than this girl? Was it because of what happened to her? Was it because she was so nice? If she had heard them, how could she still stand there and say that she would help him attract customers?
"Thank you" Kyo mumbled and Tohru smiled at him and he gave her a weak smile in return as he turned around to leave the café. He spent the rest of the day getting to know the town, just as they had planned, but his mind never left that blue eyed, beautiful barista girl.
