Me: I'm. Officially. The.
Kashino: Huh?
Me: Most. Cruel. Writer.
Kashino: What?
Me: In. The. World.
Kashino: What do you mean? Why are you the most cruel writer in the world officially now?
Me: ...
Kashino: Whatever. Hoshimi doesn't own Yumeiro Patissiere and she hopes you enjoy the story.
Amnesia and misunderstandings
Chapter One: Bike ride
Amano Ichigo was a happy-go-lucky person. She was happy with her accomplishments; grateful for everything she had. Every night, before she slept, she sincerely thanked fate for pulling her friends and herself together to gather at the place she loved – Saint Marie Academy. Her life was smoothed out; all the flaws and careless mistakes she made in the past forgotten. She had something to be proud of. In fact, she had many things to be proud of.
She had won the Grand Prix with her teammates…Hanabusa Satsuki, the rose loving, flirtatious, green-haired narcissist that once had a crush on her…Andou Sennosuke, the sweet, calm 'old-brother' who was now dating her friend, Koizumi Kana…and lastly, him.
She wasn't sure why she fell in love with him all of people. Whilst people said love was a passionate, deep emotion, Ichigo believed it was all too confusing. What…what was love? It was complicated and hard for her. She was dense to the point she couldn't find her feelings. Maybe her heart hammered hard in her chest when she saw him, maybe her cheeks burnt a dark shade of scarlet when she saw him, but she didn't understand love. After all, she was dense and found it difficult to pick up on the signals. As much as it sounded like a weakness, it made her life easier, and she was more carefree that way. But…he brought a smile to her face, he…He made her life more colorful and enjoyable. Without him, her life would be as dull as a black and white movie.
Kashino Makoto. His golden hair shone under the sunlight and shimmered; practically giving him a halo, or as Ichigo described, a golden aura. His blond bangs sweeping over his eyes, sometimes hiding the emotions that were brimming in his beautiful, warm caramel colored eyes. As much as Ichigo hated it, he was a devil, a perfectionist, and a master in chocolate. But he was cruel, mean and sadistic to Ichigo. He was, much to Ichigo's dismay, practically flawless at everything. Sometimes Ichigo wondered why he chose her and why he confessed to her…after all, he was so perfect, and she was, indeed, sometimes a clumsy baka.
When Ichigo first met him, she thought he would be her enemy for the rest of her life. She gritted her teeth and promised to surpass him in baking skills one day. His blunt, careless remarks and bitter, cruel insults were like knives stabbing her heart mercilessly. He never cut her any slack, all the mean words were just pouring out of his mouth. She thought he never cared about her emotions or how she felt. Until everything changed. They were teammates in the Grand Prix; meaning they were supposed to cooperate. They were supposed to work together…So they became friends.
Afterwards, everything seemed to fit somehow. If her life was a jigsaw puzzle, all the pieces were now fit into place. Kashino and Ichigo became friends; maybe even more, after the Grand Prix. After opening their shop, they were challenged into a competition; a pact that Koshiro Miya and Johnny McBeal were playing as rivals in.
That was when Kashino transformed into an almost completely different person, Ichigo believed. He changed into a sweeter person, complimenting the brunette shyly and occasionally. He blushed more often. He liked to talk to Ichigo more often. It was almost magical; how the two had progressed their feelings.
Then there was that one snowy day the brunette could not remove from her mind.
The pure white snow lay like a beautiful carpet on the ground, the lake beside them slightly frozen. Everything was covered in snow. Leaves, flowers, bushes and trees were all slightly white, due to the cold weather. Houses looked like white cottages. Steam poured out of the chimneys, the houses obviously all cozy and warm inside. Puffs of white clouds escaped the brunette and blond's mouths when they talked to each other. Soon, Kashino had embraced her into a warm hug. Almost everything happened in slow motion after that; his confession…and then they fell into a bush, their lips accidentally meeting in the process.
Johnny had given up on taking Ichigo as a girlfriend, much to the brunette's relief. However, a certain…Koshiro Miya hadn't managed to forget her everlasting love for Kashino Makoto.
Ichigo sighed, still deep in thought. Suddenly, two arms wrapped around her waist in a snakelike way. The brunette turned around, to meet the blond's soft warm kiss. Instead of closing her eyes as she usually did when their lips came in contact, she widened her chocolate brown eyes. She admired his features; from his shimmering blond hair and bangs, to his beautiful golden eyes. They broke apart, smiling.
"Today, I get to choose what we do for our date, right?" Kashino inquired, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Ichigo nodded slightly, backing away at his evil plan – which the brunette could read clearly from the blond's smug smile.
~X~
"A bike date?" Ichigo echoed, "What do you mean?"
"I have two bikes here; one that used to belong to my older sister, and my own bike. We could just bike around, you know? Stop for a snack, I guess – " Kashino sweat dropped when the brunette's eyes shone like diamonds, "…And then we could watch the sunset. Or we could go biking, watching the sunset, and then eating a snack – "
"But…" Ichigo huffed impatiently, "What's so fun to watch about the sunset? It's just a boring old sun going down, and then it turns into night! It's kinda boring…"
She pouted, but Kashino carefully and steadily diverted his gaze from her; knowing how persuasive her big puppy eyes was from experience. He patted her shoulder, assuring her, and handed her the bike and a helmet. "Wanna go for a bike race?"
"…No." Ichigo rolled her eyes, reluctantly putting on the bike helmet.
"Yep, you're saying no to the afternoon tea as well…" Kashino fastened the hard helmet onto his head, securing the straps tightly. He stared at the brunette, smirking sadistically, "So, make your decision now, bike race or not – "
"You…are so on." Ichigo gritted her teeth.
She would seriously do anything to eat a sweet.
~X~
"Wow…This is so pretty." Ichigo gasped, awestruck.
It was true; the sunset was amazingly beautiful. There were bright colors all over the sky; as if the sky had been lit on fire. Tangerine orange…royal red…deep violet…It was all so beautiful. The white, fluffy clouds floated lazily around the sky. The rims of the clouds were hinted with color, as if there was a yellow or pink colored ring surrounding each fluffy cloud. The bright colors were nothing like the light blue that colored the sky a few minutes ago. A huge bright circle sank slowly down the horizon.
Mesmerized, the couple continued watching. The sun dimmed and the colors of the sky changed again. From orange to yellow, from red to pink, from violet to lavender. The clouds were almost invisible; so hard to notice because of the neon shades of colors. It was almost as if the clouds were transparent.
"Sunsets…are so beautiful." Kashino murmured quietly.
"Let's watch it again! Like, now!" Ichigo cheered loudly, pumping her fist up into the air and jumping, almost punching Kashino's jaw off. The blond pushed Ichigo's arm down, unable to stop a smile on his face that only showcased amusement.
Kashino laughed at Ichigo's carefree mind, "You can't, baka."
"Mou! You meanie!" Pondering on the thought, Ichigo's chocolate brown orbs suddenly grew wide as she broke into a bright, mischievous smile. "Kashino, You haven't bought me a snack yet, let's go now!"
~X~
"One more." Her wide brown eyes pleaded, "Just one more candy cane."
Kashino tiredly sighed and reluctantly agreed. "Fi-ne…I'll go buy it for you."
"I'm capable of buying it myself!" Ichigo argued brashly, wanting to decide the amount of candy canes she was able to buy. She pulled her boyfriend's wrist and tugged it, stopping him from crossing the road just yet. She dropped his hand after a few seconds, realizing the awkwardness of the position. "It's just across the street, Kashino! I'll be able to cross the road and then go to the sweets shop."
"Nah." Kashino stuck out his tongue at her childishly. He grabbed the coins out of his pocket and crossed the road. The brunette stomped her foot angrily, still burning in fury on the pavement.
"BUY TWO!" She yelled loudly at Kashino, who was crossing the road, causing the whole street to stare at her as if she was an insane, crazy patient that ran out…escaped, from an mental hospital. She ignored the rude stares, shouting at the blond.
Kashino smirked at her, his hands slipping into his pocket to retrieve more money. The coins fell from his hand to the ground, making a small click sound. A bill floated to the road too. Ichigo's mouth watered at the amount of money the blond had.
If I was him…I would buy sweets! I'll go buy some ice cream too…and some candy floss! And then I'll eat the candy canes!
At the thought, Ichigo ran out onto the street, about to cross it and pick up the bill. What she didn't realize was that the traffic light had changed. A tall truck with furniture at the back started driving; the driver too tall to see Ichigo.
It was just a split second.
So little time…so little time…so little time…
But Kashino had to do something. To protect her. To defend her.
Before Ichigo could see the car – she was still bending over and picking up the bill – Kashino ran to where she was and pushed her onto the pavement, the bill also flying out of her grip.
…A mere moment…
Ichigo, pushed away by Kashino, landed on the pavement, rubbing her knees. She had bruised herself. Standing up, she was about to…
"Mou! Kashino! Don't be so selfish, just – "
Her jaw dropped open and her chocolate brown eyes widened. A heartbroken expression in her eyes, her muscles tensed. She stared in disbelief, this couldn't have happened…this was just a dream, a nightmare…Not reality, not reality, not reality…
A loud screech of the car before it halted. The blond collapsed onto the street, lying limply, his body touching the car. The van had crashed into his weak body, he had tried to run out of its way, but failing to, as he used the time he could have run away to push Ichigo away. Red liquid was everywhere, blood drenching his clothes.
"Makoto!" Almost in slow motion, Ichigo ran to the middle of the road, kneeling down at her boyfriend. Tears fell from her eyes, although she never remembered them swelling in her eyes and blurring her vision. "What the – I'm so…sorry!"
The crumpled bill sat next to him. He opened his eyes, the caramel colored orbs showing his pain. He never seemed so fragile. Weakly smiling, he managed, "Ichigo…The money…Go buy sweets! Don't worry…I'll be fine – "
He couldn't even finish his sentence. The bill in his hand was grasped tightly, but he offered it to the brunette. His eyelids slowly lowered, and he became unconscious. She widened her eyes.
"Makoto!"
"Ma-ko-to!"
"MAKOTO!"
"MAKOTO!"
Each of the brunette's pained screams became louder and louder, her heart aching to see her boyfriend in a condition like this. A kind onlooker on the street who had seen the scene unfold, called the police and the ambulance. Some people gathered around Ichigo and Kashino. She kneeled next to him, burying her head into his chest, broken-hearted, next to Kashino.
"I'm nothing without you! Wake up, devil! Perfectionist! Chocolate master! Meanie! Playboy! Wake up! Don't leave me!"
"Ne, it should be okay…the ambulance is coming." Someone tried to comfort her, but Ichigo just shook her head, screaming loudly, more tears escaping the corners of her eyes.
"Leave me alone!" The sentence was enough to stop him from comforting the heartbroken brunette. Ichigo's tears streamed down her cheeks, one of them sliding down swiftly before landing into the puddle of blood that surrounded the blond's head.
"MAKOTO!"
It was useless…
It was useless…
It was useless…
~X~
"I. Am. Going. To. Murder. You." Kashino's mother, Kashino Rei, gritted her teeth and vowed to Ichigo. "You – you took my son out on a date and he came to push you away so that he would be the one hit by the car!? Are you stupid!? Insane? After I finally made up with my son and started trusting you – you…!"
Ichigo visibly trembled, crying. Her loud, pained sobs did not affect Kashino's mother. The blond had made up with his parents a month ago, which was why his mother was always concerned about him and willing to care for him.
"I'm sorry…" Ichigo muffled her cries, "What…What is his condition? Is he…"
Ichigo couldn't end the sentence. The last word was too much for her. She couldn't handle it. She wouldn't be able to say that word out loud. More pain and anguish filled her heart, the warmth from her eyes disappearing and her usual bright smile nowhere to be seen.
"Am I really going to tell his ex-girlfriend that?" With a hiss, Kashino's mother turned and stalked away, down the long corridor. "He's gonna break up with you the second he's fine again."
Ichigo was slightly relieved, 'fine again' meant he wasn't dead yet, right? Taking small gasps in order to catch her breath again, she leaned back into the chair outside the line of patients' rooms. She had been so selfish, just for a candy cane…just to satisfy herself, she had cruelly hurt him. She began sobbing again just at the thought.
"Hey…are you okay?" One of Kashino's cousins wearing a white coat sat down next to the brunette. He patted her shoulder comfortingly and sympathetically, "I heard about Makoto…are you his girlfriend? I heard his mom talking to you about…breaking up."
"…I used to be his girlfriend…a few seconds ago…" She answered miserably, before her eyes lit up and a smile appeared on her face. It was like a shimmering rainbow appearing on a dark, rainy day. "I know this might be a lot to ask for…but…if you know that Kashino was injured in a car crash…"
"Uh…I think I'd prefer if you…Call him Makoto-kun or Makoto. There's…a bunch of – of Kashinos here…"
Ichigo nodded quickly, understanding immeadility, "If you know that Makoto is injured, you must know what his condition is, right? What happened to him? Can you tell me?"
"…All right. I'll tell you…But just a firsthand warning…"
"What?" Ichigo raised her eyebrows. She was eager to find out if Kashino had merely just broke his leg, or suffered from a small disease, but she could feel the unease and reluctance in her heart. She didn't want to know what happened, but at the same time, she did. After all, she was still so deeply in love with him.
"I'm just going to apologize first…I'm just goning to say sorry for not being able to do something better…"
Ichigo stayed silent at his remark as she steadily kept her stare on the floor, more tears following.
"I'm sorry." He took a deep breath, and began explaining.
Caramel: So that was what you meant by the most cruel writer in the world-desu…I see-desu! But on the bright side, Hoshimi-chan, this is a good beginning for a –
Chocolat: A good beginning for a pathetic story that could be deleted.
Me: Wh-whatever…at least…I'm gonna promise, it'll be a…a happy ending.
Café: This chapter doesn't seem very "happy" to me.
Me: Yeah…I know.
Caramel: Please review-desu! :) Tell Hoshimi-chan what you think she needs to improve-desu! Also, tell her what you want to happen and what you guess will probably happen-desu! What do you guys think of this beginning-desu?
Me: …Yep! Oh, and please tell me what you want to see published/updated more soon! For example, do you guys want to see an update of "I love you-desu!" or an update of "Unique anniversaries and special birthdays"? Or do you guys want to see something new published (like an Andou x Kana drabble, or an marriage one-shot for Kashino and Ichigo)…or just a whole new multi-chaptered story?
Caramel: When she says multi-chaptered story, she means 'Heated Argument' or 'Electricity Crisis'-desu!
Me: O.O I rambled so much just now…Anyway, my point was…Please review! :)