The Reasons

CrescentLight

Hiya, people! This is my first Spiral fanfic so forgive me if I mess things up…I will update my other stories, seriously!! I just really need to get this out of my head. lol.

Disclaimer: Don't own Spiral…though I wish I did, then I could change the ending part, but I can't…

Anyways…let's the show go on!

"Excuse me, but do you guys have any strawberries?" Hiyono Yuizaki asked the store clerk, her blond hair gleaming under the sunlight.

"Yes, miss," The clerk smiled," But I'm afraid there aren't any left. That young man," He pointed to a brown head not far from where they were standing," Had just bought them all to make jam." The teen sighed…looks like she'll never be able to taste those lovely strawberries again. Just as she was about to turn, she noticed something lying on the floor, something red...

"Hey, you dropped a strawberry!" She called out. Chocolate brown orbs looked back then turned.

"Nah, you can keep it." He stated and walked away. It took all of Hiyono's willpower to stop herself from pouncing on him. 'What a jerk!' With that thought, she huffed and stomped away.

"Yuizaki!" A stern voice called and a blonde looked up groggily from the pile of books in front of her. Huh? Just then the bell rang.

"You fell asleep again, Hiyono, what have you been doing?" The girl sitting in front of her asked, but Hiyono was too busy thinking to answer her friend's question. She was having the dream version of which had happened to her a few days ago...again. Just remembering that guy made her angry, such a jerk!

"Hiyono!"

"Huh?"

"Never mind," Sighing, her friend picked up her backpack," You coming to the library with us today?"

Shaking her braids, Hiyono smiled," I'm going somewhere else."

"Where?"

"The new ice cream parlor across the street! I heard they've got the best ice cream around!"

"You and food… Well, see you later!"

"Later!" Grabbing her books, Hiyono hummed as she made her way out of the school and into the ice cream parlor she was so curious about.

"What would you like, miss?" A waitress dressed in pink asked.

"I'm like a double chocolate sundae with peppermint sprinklings," Smiling brightly, she said," Thank you!" 'What a nice place.' Hiyono thought while examining the room with a wide grin, but slowly, the grin faded into a grim as she fixed her stare upon a student sitting not far from her.

Ayumu Narumi took a sip of his tea and closed the menu book," Thank you." He said politely. This ice cream parlor is his favorite place; it was always so peaceful and tranquil. Then taking out his copy of Chief, a best-seller cookbook, he was just about to start about planning dinner which he felt something burning a hole in his back. Slowly, he turned around and was surprised to see a girl no older than him with two blond braids glaring at him with huge brown eyes.

'It's that jerk!' Hiyono thought as brown clashed with brown.

'Who's she?' Ayumu quirked an eyebrow in confusion as the girl sitting opposite of him narrowed her glance.

The staring competition could have gone on forever, but…

"Your ice cream's arrived!"

From that day on, Ayumu could never get a peaceful moment at the ice cream parlor. It was always that girl with those laser ray eyes. What's wrong with her?

"Hello, my name's Hiyono Yuisaki, I'm a junior." Finally one day, she stomped over and introduced herself.

"Ayumu Narumi, sophomore." He replied coolly without even looking up.

"Can I sit here?" She asked sweetly, then answered her own question," Of course I could." Plopping down on the chair, she crossed her arms and frowned.

"Alright, why are you always looking at me like that?" Ayumu closed Chief with a sigh. He would probably never hear the end of it…

"I'm here to average for my strawberries' death."

What? The sophomore's eyebrow rose, is this girl nuts? 'Maybe she's princess of strawberries…'He thought,' Or maybe', Finding Hiyono glaring at him again,' She's just a weirdo.'

The first time they met and neither made a very good impression.

"Narumi-san, why are you always reading that cookbook?" Hiyono asked a few weeks after they met," I mean, don't you have homework?"

"No…I don't do homework."

"Then what do you do?" His attitude was getting on the blonde's nerves again.

"I do piano…and cooking." He shrugged and murmured to himself," So that's how you make pudding sweeter."

"So…Narumi-san, what kind of girls do you like?" The junior suddenly asked, taking a bite of her pizza slice.

"I like matured ones. They have talent but they still stay unobtrusive," Ayumu looked up from his book and stared at the window, with a soft glimmer in his brown eyes," They don't necessarily have to be very pretty on the outside, but they must be beautiful inside."

"Oh…so Narumi-san likes old woman." She joked and giggled a bit to cover the sound of her heart breaking. 'Yes, it's official,' She thought to herself sadly,' I'll never become his dream girl.'

Hiyono discovered her feeling towards the brown-haired teen wasn't just simply a matter of 'average for her strawberries' deaths' a while ago, but she can't control it. She can't control her heart from skipping a beat whenever he's near, she can't control her excitement at the thought of seeing him, and she can't even prevent the blush from appearing whenever she thinks of him. No, she can't control anything anymore…but she welcomes this feeling. It could be her reason to stay.

"I'm going home," Jerking from her thoughts; she looked up with a questioning stare," My sister's waiting outside." The brown-haired teen answered her unvoiced question.

"Your sister?" Before Ayumu had the chance to answer, a woman rushed into the shop. She was wearing a white suit with her jet black hair cascading down her back.

"Ayumu," The woman said in a hurry," I just came to tell you I won't be home for dinner tonight. Duty calls." Then with a quick wave over her shoulder, she jumped into the police car waiting outside and quickly disappeared from their sights.

"That was…"

"My sister-in-law, her name's Madoka. She's a policewoman," Then picking up his backpack, Ayumu said," Goodbye." Just as he was about to turn, he felt a tug on his sleeves.

"Do. Not. Ever. Say. Goodbye." Turning around, he found the blonde telling him sternly, her face only inches away from his which is causing a blush to appear on his cheeks.

"Why?" He managed to sputter out.

"Because goodbye sounds like you'll never see each other again, it's too…sad. So please, don't say goodbye, Narumi-san?"

"Whatever."

'Narumi-san's late.' Was the only thought on Hiyono's mind as she watched the hands of the clock move from 3 to 4, then 5… Just when she felt the volcano inside was about to explode, her cell phone rang, signaling a message has arrived.

"My sister broke her leg. Ayumu Narumi," She read out aloud," Should I visit her? Well…since I have nothing better to do."

'Should I go in?' The blonde hesitated for a moment, her hand resting on the doorknob,'We've never even spoke to each other…but let's go in anyway.' But then something happened that made her hands. She heard Ayumu's voice, one that was filled with tenderness, one that she had never heard before.

"Leave it all to me, please?" She heard him say.

"Why?" A female asked.

"Because," Pausing for a moment, the next words he said broke down Hiyono's world…literally," I love you; not in the family love way, but as in the way a man loves a woman."

"Ayumu, I-"

"You don't feel the same way," Ayumu stated quietly," But I still have to thank you, for allowing me to be with you, all these times living with you, that's enough. Those memories are enough for me…really; they are," Then a chair squeaked and in a much lighter tone, he said," Now I gotta go outside and cool down."

Upon hearing this,Hiyono fled from her listening post, her long braids flying behind her. Tears blinded her vision but she didn't care. It was so obvious! He was reading Chief because he wanted to prepare meals for Madoka-san, his ideal woman was Madoka-san. How could she been so stupid? Walking along the sidewalk, she thought, her shadows staggering behind her.

"The orange tinted sky is finally swallowed up by darkness…"She whispered to herself, tilting her head up. A sudden cold wind blew past her shaky form and she hugged herself.

"It's going to be fall soon."

"But Mom, I don't want to go to England." Hiyono whined to her mother who had the same fair complexion and blond hair.

"But honey, what's the reason? Why do you want to stay here?"

"I just don't want to go, Mom."

"Well then, find an answer. If you can't find a satisfying reason and convince me, you're still going to England this fall."

"It's almost fall." She repeated.

Ayumu watched the form shiver in the cool fall breeze. He didn't know she was eavesdropping, but he did catch a glimpse of her braid. Something inside pushed him to follow her and he was glad he did. Another wind and he saw the form hugging herself tighter. Without a reason, he found himself walking towards her and putting his jacket over her shivering form.

"Come on, let's go home."

"I could be leaving anytime, Narumi-san," Waving her spoon around, Hiyono told the sophomore with a serious expression," So you really should treasure our times together."

"Right, right," He nodded absent-mindedly. Reaching out a hand, he brought her hand down to the desk," You might hurt others." Then he returned to his cookbook, acting as if nothing has happened.

Silence ensured…

"So…should I stay? I mean, do I have a reason?" The junior broke the uncomfortable silence, praying he would give her the answer she hoped to hear.

"Well, as far as I can see it, you haven't got a reason."

Hiyono smiled faintly. She had to go after all.

"Goodbye, Ayumu," She said, dropping the honorific," Goodbye." Then without another word, she grabbed her bag and left the shop, hands covering her mouth.

The next day, an e-mail appeared in Ayumu's mail box.

Dear Ayumu,

Sorry for leaving on such a short notice, but my family were in a rush, so yeah…Remember when I told you that I might leave at anytime? Well, this 'anytime' is tomorrow at 5:55pm, will you be able to see me off? Just in case you can't, I gotta tell you here that I really really liked you. Maybe it's not as strong as the love you had towards Madoka-san, but it's just as deep. My mom said that if I could find a reason to stay,then I don't have to go to England, but if I can't...yeah, you get it...But I had thought you could be my reason to stay here...Anyways...I never told you before how much I liked you because I know we'd never have a chance to be together. First, I'm not your type. Second, you have already given your heart to Madoka-san, what's left for me…Anyways, this is goodbye then! Goodbye, Ayumu, thanks a ton for letting me have this wonderful dream about you and me)

Love,

Hiyono

P.S: I'll never think of you because I'll never forget you.

Hiyono felt like crying all over again, Ayumu wasn't at the airport. At the second before the plane took off, she got the feeling that he might come barging into the door and sweep her off her feet, but nothing…

Tears misted her eyes. A voice suddenly said from beside her," May I have the pleasure of sitting here and enjoy this basket of strawberries with you," She looked up and just like the first time they met, it was brown met brown. It was Ayumu!" Since you don't have a reason to stay, then neither do I. I'm going to London, with you, Hiyono." That was the first time Ayumu called her by name, but she hoped that it won't be the last time.

"Why did you come to London?" Several years later, a woman with blond braided hair asked, a silly grin upon her face.

"You're my reason…for everything." The taller figure replied, his mahogany orbs looking at the woman with tender.

You don't have to think of me, not because you didn't forget me, but because I'm here with you, always, for eternity, because you're my reason for everything.

hehe...isn't that cute? click on the review button, guys! thanx:)