Hana's Heads-Up: Hey, everyone! It's been a while. Heh, like, half a year. ^^" You're probably wondering, "Why now? Why back on Christmas Eve?" And I appreciate all the reviews and story favorites during the time I disappeared. They mean so much to me. :) Anyway, I hope some of you still remember me. *Cries*
Whatever, that's not what's important! I've returned with a new story! :D Hope it's entertaining. This takes place about a week after the last episode of YPP. Not much more to say, so please enjoy! X3
Chapter 1: Perfect Pair
"Class, we are going to be starting the parenting unit today."
Loud groans echoed throughout the classroom.
"No complaining, everyone. This is required of you to graduate. Now what will happen is that I'll partner you up with a classmate of the opposite gender. The project that you'll be working on together will count for a large percentage of your final grade..."
Kashino stared blankly at the teacher as he droned on with his explanation. The bored teen slowly clutched his pen and fiddled with the cap. This is ridiculous. He set an elbow on top of the desk and rested his head against his palm, sighing quietly.
"You and your partner will make a cloth baby doll using the skills you honed from our previous clothing construction unit. The two of you will be responsible for caring for your baby all of next week."
Silence entered the room. You could hear the blizzard winds rattle against the window outside. The ominous aura simply hung there, thick.
Kashino shifted uncomfortably in his chair, now feeling slightly anxious.
"Well then, I'll begin partnering you up." The teacher grabbed a clipboard from his desk and began to call off pairs which he'd arranged beforehand. "Akihito-san, please join Tachibana-san right now. Ryouhei-san..."
Kashino held his breath. There wasn't any girl in his class that he knew. At least no one except...
"Kashino-san, I'm assigning you and Koshiro-san as partners."
Ojou...? The blond's face turned ghastly pale. His heart literally stopped beating for a moment. No, I must've heard wrong. Trying his best to maintain his composure, he calmly asked, "Excuse me, Kimura-sensei. Could you please repeat that for me?"
"I said that you're with Koshiro-san," the teacher stated once again.
Crap. Kashino licked his lips nervously and gulped. "T-thanks."
"Honey~! Did I hear that correctly? We'll be partners working diligently side by side for the next two weeks!" Miya squealed toward Kashino from the back of the classroom.
Her so-called darling carried on to facepalm himself and sigh dramatically. He slowly rose from his seat to walk to Miya's desk, but she was already at his side by the time he stood.
"I can't believe this! This is totally a dream come true!" The hyperactive girl exclaimed as she glommed onto the blond.
I can't believe it either, Kashino thought sullenly to himself as Miya suffocated him. This is totally a nightmare.
~x~
Kashino slammed the back door of Le Rêve Couleur behind him, shutting the winter storm out. Ichigo, who was baking alone, turned around at the sound. "Hey!" she beamed.
No response was received. Her face fell as she watched him roughly yank off his scarf and coat, throwing it carelessly over the back of a chair. He proceeded to storm past her to the sink and twisted the knobs in a violent manner.
"Kashino, are you okay?" Ichigo wore an alarmed expression as she observed his agitated movements. "What happened?"
The blond ran his hands under the faucet with soap and warm water. He stared daggers at the suds that formed. "I don't understand at all. It's just crazy and so insensible..." he muttered.
"What is it?" Ichigo removed the tray of finished pastries from the oven and frowned.
Kashino sighed deeply as he wiped his hands dry. "Okay, so we started a new unit on parenting today in Life Skills class."
"And?"
Kashino peeked over his shoulder at the curious brunette. "For our parenting simulation project, sensei assigned my partner to be... Ojou."
"Koshiro-san?" Ichigo gasped.
"Yes." Kashino gritted his teeth. "Argh, why her of all people?"
"Don't be so irritated about that. She's not a terrible person," Ichigo reasoned patiently. "Besides, you haven't started working yet."
"Oh, but I definitely know how it's like to work with that girl," Kashino snapped. "I'll never forgive her for what she did during the Cake Grand Prix."
"Come on, you negative devil." Ichigo stuck out her tongue and flicked Kashino's forehead playfully. "Don't assume too much ahead of time. That's the past. People do change. Doesn't she seem a bit more mature now?"
"Who's a devil?" Kashino growled, but he was smiling. "I'm not positive on the mature part, but maybe she's changed the slightest bit. Oh well, we'll see."
"Good boy!" Ichigo cheered.
"Oi, you cake pig. Get back to your cake already and quit dilly-dallying."
"Hold on, I was just trying be a good friend and give you some support! I don't deserve such rudeness!" she whined. "And I'm done already!"
"Whatever you say." Kashino grinned as he joined Ichigo at her side. "So what did you make?"
"A banket! It's a Dutch dessert popular during the Christmas season. I was thinking we could add it to our shop menu. What do you think?"
"Amano, Christmas was last week." Kashino raised an eyebrow.
"But it doesn't hurt to serve it nevertheless!" she argued. "A-and I know that it was last week." She looked down and blushed as thoughts of the kiss from that day crept into her mind.
"I suppose," Kashino reddened also. "Um, well... We'll ask Lemon and Johnny then. But first let me have a bite. It looks good."
Ichigo obeyed and eagerly cut a sample for Kashino. Without thinking she quickly shoved the small piece into his mouth. Both of them grew wide-eyed at this sudden action.
After a few seconds of frozen staring, Kashino stumbled backwards in surprise and uneasily swallowed the chunk of pastry. Ichigo clung to the counter, fork still in hand. "Um... Sorry," she whispered.
"I-it's okay. It was delicious." Kashino gasped for air and rubbed his heated cheeks. "I guess we could add it to the menu."
"You really think so?" Ichigo's face lit up. "I'll work hard to discover more new sweets then!"
Her face was flushed and her eyes twinkled with a stunning excitement. Kashino couldn't resist not smiling at her passion, not to mention her... cuteness?
"So, where are Lemon and Johnny anyway?" Kashino decided to change the subject.
"Grocery shopping," she replied as she continued to slice the banket into smaller chunks. "I sent them out for ingredients."
"Oh. How long ago?" He asked, grabbing his tempering tools and placing them beside Ichigo's batch.
"Not long before you came. It'll take them a while since I requested for a ton of stuff," she admitted sheepishly.
"Ah well, better to keep that idiot out for as long as possible." Kashino smiled at the thought of not having Johnny around for an hour.
Ichigo shook her head wistfully."Why do you despise him so much?"
"I don't dislike him, he just gets on my nerves." Kashino replied, starting to heat up a pot on the stove and thinly chop the chocolate.
"How so? Johnny's a nice guy."
"I hate it when he sweeps you off your feet like he always does. And it's irritating how sometimes he acts like he owns you."
"I wouldn't go that far..." Ichigo blushed. "But I guess it does get a bit alarming at times."
"Hey, Amano." Kashino abruptly stopped cutting the chocolate, but kept his gaze fixated on the knife. "How do you... feel about Johnny?"
Ichigo gradually turned bright pink. "What? Wait, you mean-"
"Actually, I don't want to know," Kashino frantically interjected, catching himself. "Sorry, that just slipped out all of a sudden." He hurriedly threw the chocolate bits into the heated pot.
"Kashino." The blond suddenly felt arms wrap around his chest and a weight leaning into his back. "You know the answer already." Her soft voice entered his ears, causing wonderful chills to run down his spine.
"I... do?" He was paralyzed in shock. Ichigo paced backwards and broke the subtle embrace. The skin where she'd touched still tingled with a lovely sensation.
"What do you think?" She smiled warmly.
"I-I..." Kashino stammered heatedly, feeling airborne.
Ichigo simply hunched her shoulders shyly before returning to her work.
Kashino didn't dare to steal even a furtive glance at her. His face was burning a fiery red. Concentrate, concentrate! He tried his best to calm down as he began to make the chocolate silky and smooth. Get your mind back into sweets!
After he was satisfied with his tempered chocolate, he finally peeked at the brunette. "Hey."
"Yeah?" She turned to look at him.
"Try this." He took a spoonful of chocolate and stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation. Her pupils dilated with astonishment. "How is it?" he questioned.
She slowly swallowed and he removed the spoon. "It's delicious," she breathed, amazed. "It's been a while since I've eaten your chocolate like this."
"It was my turn to surprise you," he grinned.
Ichigo flushed crimson. "I enjoyed it, thanks." She remembered something then and turned to the clock hanging on the wall. "Oh, how long has it been since you came? Those two are taking quite a while."
"Oh no, it's that time already? I have to go," Kashino groaned after peering at the clock.
"Why? Now?" Ichigo gazed at him with curiosity.
"The parenting project... Ojou asked me to meet her at the library at five. So looking forward to this." He laughed sarcastically to himself, insides filled with dread. He began to clean up.
"Oh yeah, that." Ichigo smiled reassuringly. "You can do it! Remember what I said about people changing. And they aren't always as they seem at first."
"Let's see if that applies to the Heiress too," he grinned back weakly. He dragged his feet towards the chair holding his coat.
"Be more confident! Where's that Kashino I know who's certain about everything?"
Kashino looked her in the eye. "You know what? You're right. It's just a project, not some permanent situation. Okay, I can totally do this!" He proudly stood tall and beamed.
"That's the spirit!" Ichigo cheered. She opened the fridge and pulled out one of her special strawberry tarts. "Here, take this."
Kashino took the wrapped treat from her as he slipped on his winter wear. "For me?"
She nodded. "You might get hungry in the middle of everything. And maybe it'll serve as a source of support?"
Kashino laughed. "You're the one who would get hungry."
"Hey!" Ichigo exclaimed.
"Thank you though. I'm glad to know that someone... cares." He fingered the tart gently while bearing a wide grin. "Wish me luck, Amano!" He headed for the door.
"Go face her!" She hollered back, waving goodbye and directing towards him a thumbs-up.
~x~
Those were foolish words I said. I take all of them back.
Amano, what you said does not apply when it comes to people like this girl.
Kashino covered his face with his hands in frustration. Why did I ever agree to come?
"Makoto-kun! Do you want a boy or a girl?" Miya leaned across the study table and purred into his face.
I'm so glad we're in a study room. We'd be kicked out by now otherwise. "You decide," he replied nonchalantly.
"Aw, Darling! We're supposed to decide together!" She formed her lips into her signature pout.
"Fine, I'll think about it overnight." Kashino crossed his arms.
"Yay! I have names for either gender," she sang. "Darling, I'm still so overwhelmed with joy that we're partners! We make a perfect team! Isn't this lovely?"
"Oh, yes. Quite," Kashino responded sarcastically.
"I can't wait to spend time together~" Miya lunged for the blond and made an attempt to hug him tightly. However, he avoided her before she could latch onto him.
"Ojou, I just want to make things clear," he sternly told her. "I don't have feelings for you, I'm only cooperating because I need a good grade, and if we fail this, you'll be sorry."
"Whoa, that stung," she remarked to herself. "Come on, Makoto-kun! Have fun with this!"
"I can't have fun if you act so lovey-dovey with me. It's distracting."
"But we're a couple!" Miya argued. "We even have a child!"
The tips of Kashino's ears turned bright red. "Don't say it like that, please."
"I don't see why we can't act romantic towards each other then," she continued, wearing a flirtatious grin.
The blond grimaced. "Um, could we please go back to the project? That's the whole reason we came here."
"Oh, yes!" Miya squealed.
Kashino took a deep breath. "Okay, so let's start with the doll plans." He pulled out a sheet of blank paper and began to sketch an outline of the doll.
"Make him have rosy chubby cheeks," Miya sighed blissfully. "So adorable..."
"Okay." Kashino shrugged and did as he was told.
"And make him have your eyes, hair, and mouth. Oh, and my nose, eyebrows-"
"Ojou, you're just ordering me around." A vein popped out of Kashino's forehead. "Could you at least help with the drawing?"
"But I don't have a pen." The redhead made the excuse with a whiny voice.
Kashino shuffled through his bag. No extra writing utensil. He sighed. "Why don't you call those servants of yours in that case?"
"I told Satou and Shiotani to leave us alone when we work from now on," she smiled. "Isn't that marvelous? Now we can work undisturbed." Kashino saw a glint of desire in her eyes.
He forced himself to stay calm, although his insides screamed with frustration. "Fine, I'll do the plans myself."
"And I'll keep giving you details!" Miya agreed.
Kashino groaned and lowered his head over the paper. He continued onto the doll's torso and limbs.
"What clothes should he wear? I saw this adorable outfit the other day. We could try replicating it for him!"
Kashino didn't answer and simply concentrated on his drawing.
The Heiress began to take a detour with the topic of her ramblings. "Hey, Valentine's Day is in a month or so. What kind of chocolate do you want this year? I'll make it the best you've ever eaten, dear husband~!"
The blond slammed his pen harshly onto the tabletop. "Ojou, could you please shut up? Or just be quiet and quit jabbering away randomly. You're causing me to become unfocused."
"Okay, I'll stop talking," Miya wore a playful expression, "if you take me on a date."
All relief that Kashino had contained for a split second vanished immediately. He gaped at her in horror. "A date? Not happening in my lifetime."
"Pwease?" Miya puckered her lips in persuasion. "Or else I'll keep talking."
This girl... I can't take it any longer. What was that about people maturing, Amano? "You know what? I think we should call it a day. I'm starving." He remembered the Sourire de l'Ange in his bag as he gathered his materials.
"If you say so! I'll treat you to dinner," Miya offered eagerly.
"Sorry, I already have something to eat." Kashino flatly turned her down.
"Aw, fine. Maybe next time. See you tomorrow at eight, okay?"
"In the morning? Why so early on a Saturday?" Kashino mumbled. "And for a project like this too."
"We need to make everything perfect! Don't you want a good grade on this?" Miya giggled. "Plus, it's a time for the two of us alone."
Kashino cringed in terror. "Y-yeah, I guess. Meet here at that time." He put on his coat in a hurried manner and grabbed his bag, darting for the door.
"Bye, Makoto-kun! Don't be late!" Miya blew several kisses toward him.
"Bye," he called back warily, exiting the room and shutting the door behind him. I don't feel like we made much progress.
Kashino walked out of the library into the mild blizzard and fished the strawberry tart out of his bag, taking a bite. It provided him the tiniest bit of comfort.
He trudged heavily through the snow toward the dorms while finishing off the rest of the tart. I'm dying to meet again tomorrow. Yes, absolutely DYING.
Well. Poor Kashino has it tough. Let's see how it goes for him in future chapters. Ufufu... B)
So what do you think? Sucky idea? So-so? I feel like something's missing for some reason. But it's not unusual for me to feel unconfident about my writing. orz Please review! Leave any tips if you wish! :3
If all goes well, I'll update sometime next week. I'm going on vacation for a few days. c(: So happy holidays to all you readers! Hope to drop by one last time before the year ends! :D