Surprises and Nostalgia

~March 23, 2007~

While Takuto Hirukawa spurred through his sleep, he began to dream. A very nostalgic dream.

Sometime, somewhere, in the past

"Ne. Takuto," a female voice said to him. She seemed to be smiling as she called his name. "We're going out, right? So that means, we're lovers. But… Even without hearing that from someone, you'd already know the fact that we are. You'd love me forever and always think about me. No matter what happens, or how far apart we are from each other, I'll always be in your heart, mind, and soul. The same goes for me; you'll be with me in my eyes and entire being every fraction of a second for all eternity. After all, our love will never end." Her fingers and the bottom of her palms came together in front of her chest as she kept smiling at Takuto. "I love you, Takuto. I'll always love you with everything I have."

In the dream, Takuto stepped forward. "Yeah. I feel the same way. You're the only one for me, and I'll always protect you, Rina."

When he held his arms out to embrace the girl, the dream became blank, and his present self woke up from the slumber and opened his eyes.

Back in his bedroom, Takuto Hirukawa lazily blinked. Sleep filled his eyes, despite the fact that they were opened. He knew he was awake, but his whole body felt lethargic as it usually did after some shut eye and daytime hours of work. Without any warning, his eyes lowered a small fraction.

"…Ngn…" He tiredly let out. "…What was I even dreaming about?" He sighed, still laying on his bed. "I don't even remember, but it felt very familiar for some reason. Just… what was it?" He slowly blinked, and looked at the analog clock sitting near his bed on a tabletop after turning to the other side. Then, his eyes widened when he saw the time. "Crap! It's already nine?! I better get going—and fast, too!"

The light blond quickly jumped out of bed, washed his face, brushed is teeth, and went out through his house's door. He made sure to lock the doors after closing them and rushed to Le Renard Noir that morning. In a rapid sprint, he finally arrived and started to pant, placing his hands on his knees until he caught his breath; soon he regained his composure right in front of the bar owned by Atsumu Kashiwabara. Then, he entered through the front door calmly. Once he was inside, he saw said owner and Hiro Sarashina—both were childhood companions of his.

"Alright, I'll say this once and only once, you got it?!" he began with his eyebrows furrowed toward the center of the top of his nose bridge. "Sorry for being late." Takuto's face had tints of pink on his cheeks as he tried his best to face the pair looking at him. It became awkward for him to say anything else once he uttered those words of apology to them.

When they heard the light blond's word choice, they were puzzled.

"? Why are you apologizing, Takkun?" Hiro asked, still perplexed at Takuto. "It's not even noon yet, and you're here to say sorry to us for something? That's strange. We're not opened for business at this time."

Atsumu smiled and nodded. "I get it. It's about tonight's mission, right? If that's the case, I'll have to tell you that you're not late at all, Takkun. In fact, you're quite early." He beamed and let out a wholehearted laugh. "Ahaha! It's actually rare to see you come visit the bar at this hour. I bet you haven't eaten anything yet!" His expression relaxed itself and he opened his eyes. "Wait here. I'll get you something to start the day off." He walked into the kitchen and prepared a Japanese-style breakfast for the three of them to eat together.

Takuto was frozen in place with a confused look of his own. "Huh? I came here early? What was that about?"

"That's what we'd like to hear from you," Hiro smiled lightly. "Did something happen for you to get up and come all the way over here? It's not often for you to say that you're sorry for arriving late. To be precise, this is the first time you've ever done anything like this."

Takuto's shoulders slumped while he exhaled. His expression was now solemn when he gave his answer to Hiro's questions. "I'm not sure how to say this, but… I had a really mysterious dream. I don't remember the events that occurred in it, but I know it felt very familiar to me like a sort of soothing effect." His eyes narrowed as if trying to find out more information about something. "I think… it might have to do with what happened a long time ago."

Hiro tilted his head to his left. "From a long time ago? Do you remember the time period of the dream?"

Takuto nodded with precaution. "Yeah, I think so. It was probably around the time when I was in college. I can't seem to remember much except…" The blond trailed off, uncertain of the dream he had sawn before he woke up to the morning rays shining through his window. "…Rina was in it. I couldn't see her eyes, but she was smiling. It's very peculiar. I haven't seen her in years, but I still remember her smile. It's as though it never left my mind, not even once since the last time we were together. Even now, I still can't get her image out of my heart."

Hiro's fascial expression softened, with tranquil eyes and a warm smile to go with his realization of his friend's emotions. "So it was a memory of you two."

Perhaps…the orange-haired twenty-one-year-old thought, it's finally occurred to him how much he really wants to see Rina again. It's been a while since he hasn't mention her until now.Hiro giggled. Maybe Takkun has changed a bit, just a bit.

"Argh!" Takuto gritted his teeth angrily. "Why can't I stop thinking about her?! This is too frustrating!"

Hiro laughed at the sight of the blond's infuriated state. "Haha!" He grabbed his sides as he kept going on. "Ah! That look on your face! It's really funny, Takkun! Ahaha! Ow! My stomach! Someone help me!"

"Hiro!" Takuto chided. "It's not funny! My head actually hurts from thinking about Rina! Everything's popping inside and you're not helping the crisis I'm having!"

Hiro opened his left eye. "Sorry, sorry! I had a strong urge to laugh just now, Takkun! I don't mean any harm by it, really! Anyway, Boss is almost done with the food, so it might be a good thing that you're about Rina for once. She's an important person to everyone, you know."

"More like a nerve-wracking nuisance who's still invading my concentration," the light blond retorted. "I'm not into little girls who are the same age as you, Hiro. Older guys wouldn't suit a girl who's over a year—or more—younger than them. It's the same for older girls dating younger guys; it doesn't work out, and you know it."

Hiro's eyes widened. "But Rina's not the way you're describing her, Takkun. In fact, you've never said anything like that about her until now." Then, he frowned. "What's wrong? All of a sudden, you're saying these insults like an irritated thirty-year-old man. It's not like you to say something rude about Rina."

Takuto turned his head toward the counter. "I only said that due to an impulse. It happens all the time, so don't think of it as something out of the ordinary. Focus on your own life, Hiro, and stay out of mine for a while."

Atsumu came up to face the two standing in his bar with his casual manner. "Well, I'm sure it was the dream's effect on you, but it was also a part of the past you saw. It could be a sign of some sort, so try not to think too much about it right now. I believe your hunger's also getting to you, so why don't we drop the subject and go eat our meals? An empty stomach isn't going to help you through the day, after all, Takkun."

Takuto sighed. "Fine. I'll go eat your disgusting food, Beardy." After that he added, "But you better make me a bowl of pork noodles later. I can't do my part of the job without them to finish off for the night."

"Of course!" the wavy-haired brunet beamed. "There's nothing that can beat the noodles I make here, except for some of the other food on the menu." He paused for a couple of seconds. "Huh? Wait. Hey!" His look transformed with anger when he realized Takuto's harshness towards his food. "My food is not disgusting! Everybody eats it, and they all love the taste!"

Takuto frowned nonchalantly. "Yeah, whatever. No one really cares."

Tears formed in Atsumu's eyes as he averted his gaze to his right without moving his head. "You're so cruel, Takkun… I really care about you, yet you shattered my hopes and dreams."

Closing his eyes, the owner placed his right hand over his mouth in agony over Takuto's indifferent comments. He pretended to let out anguished and sorrowful cries with his mouth while his hand still covered it. Takuto, on the other hand, was already repulsed with the 'middle-aged' man's actions. Simultaneously, Hiro smiled with his mouth opened, giving a "Haha…" to what he and Takuto were witnessing. It seemed as though their day was going to drag on for many slow and [internally] painful hours before the restaurant was opened for business.

XXX

Having finished work for the afternoon, Takuto took a stroll around Ginza. There was not a lot for him to do that day, as with each and every day he woke up to. He always seemed to be the one (besides Hiro) to have more than enough free time, excluding a few occasions. Nonetheless, he was bored the whole time and even going home was not something he felt like he could gather any energy to execute yet. It was an ordinary day, but it was as if something was missing deep within himself. Coming to a stopping point, Takuto frowned with a gaze that was looking down on the sidewalk.

Why…? He thought. Why does it keep recurring to me? My time with the girl whose face I can't get out of my mind today is still binding me to her.

Takuto sighed. "There's no way I'd ever see her again. I need to get a life of my own and concentrate on getting things done without making any mistakes." After shaking his head, he strolled forward again. However, it was a short amount of time before something caught his attention as he glanced to his right. His eyes widen in surprised at what he saw. "?! Hiro?"

Several feet across from where he was standing, the art student was sitting at a table inside a café with a girl who had long, light orange hair [which reached past her waist a little], and eyes of the same color.

"You know, you can hang out with me sometime," Hiro suggested. "I can also introduce you to the gang and it'd be a fun experience for everyone, especially for the two of us. How does that sound?"

The girl sitting on the opposite side laughed. "You're funny, Hiro. But no thanks." She turned down the youth's offer with a raise of her right hand. "I have other things to do than go out and talk with your group of male friends and female companion right now. Besides, I'm still at work and I have my own interests. I'd feel bad to disrupt your daily life with my presence. While your life does sound very lively, I can't go and become a part of the family-like atmosphere all of a sudden. It would become a burden to me if I did."

Hiro pouted. "But, Sayuri~, I want you to have a good time with us since you said you didn't have many acquaintances to contact in Japan. Plus, you're still new to the country even though it's almost been a month since you came to this world. Can't you just say yes and come to my place—I mean," he corrected himself, "—LRN, instead? There's more than enough room for you, and I'm sure you'll like it there."

Sayuri shook her head. "No can do. I'm really sorry, Hiro, but try to think more about yourself, rather than about me. I appreciate your kindness and everything you've tried to do for me, but I don't really need to have such a wonderful gift from anyone. I can just work here during my stay in Japan and live in the café for a while. That's the life I want right now, and I don't want anything to change it yet."

"Mm…" Hiro looked at the female worker and continued to smile as he did so. "Then, why don't we share something we can both drink together? I'll try not to say any more about it if we can at least do something with just the two of us."

Sayuri's expression softened slightly as she placed her right hand [which was curled] near the side of her mouth. "Do you want the Milk Tea Special? Or perhaps, a tropical fruit juice in a large glass with two straws? Either way, we'll both be staring into each other's eyes while we drink it together."

"Ooh!" Hiro's eyes widened before an agreeing smile appeared on his face. "Those are great ideas! We should get milk tea today and save the tropical juice for next time. Both options will make everyone think of us as an actual couple, rather than just friends."

"But you're the only one who would request to hold my hand," Sayuri blushed moderately with a smile of her own. "The owner's been letting you off every time since you're such a popular customer, and you're always here to see me. Don't you have any classes to attend? You're still in college, aren't you? I'm sure that would fill your schedule up for a few portions of the day. Also, you have a part-time job at Le Renard Noir." Then, she frowned. "Can you really waste time here for an employee such as myself?"

Hiro kept smiling. "You do have a point there. I really like art and going to class is a nice start for me. I've studied many types of artwork and they make my heart melt with admiration, but you're important to me too, Sayuri. I mean, college courses are great and all, but I don't have to go to my class every single day in order to kill some time. Working at Le Renard Noir has its perks. I get to make people smile when I serve them. Yet. I've also helped out here after meeting you, so it's not such a bad life. Just being with you, Sayuri, is what makes me happy."

"I know," Sayuri responded. "I'm really grateful to you, Hiro. However, I feel anxious about how you're always so carefree with your life. It's not like I hate anything about it, but I do worry about you since you're one of the only people here whom I've come to trust." She continued to smile tenderly at Hiro as if he were the only person she considered her ami.

But then… The look on her face seemed to show more than that.

… She trailed off into her cognitive depths. Perhaps, it wouldn't be so bad to take him upon his offer someday. Hiro doesn't know, but… Another concern is for me to finally convey to him… It would be nice to tell him everything, if only I had the correct opportunity to do so.

Likewise, Hiro gazed back with compassionate eyes. Despite the fact that the friendship they had with one another was simplistic, and had a hint of fascinating interaction to it, their relationship was quite misleading to those who saw them together. They were notably mistaken as a loving couple with being no more than twenty percent affectionate with each other. Furthermore, they would often be seen talking and eating together, but there were not any lip contact or skin ship aside from Hiro's habit of holding Sayuri's hand; as a result, many people believed they were lovers.

Outside where he was still standing, Takuto stared at Hiro and Sayuri from the opposite street that was facing the café. He had a longing expression, in which his eyes burned with a small kind of envy before the turned his head to the center. After a few seconds, he looked down with lowered eyes and drew out his gray flip phone. He opened and stared intently at the screen with a depressed expression on his face. His heart was encased with melancholy for what felt like a long time before he closed the flip phone in his hand. He slipped it back into his pocket and resumed his pace to take his mind off his prolonged feelings.

XXX

Later that evening at Le Renard Noir, Hiro and Atsumu were working in the restaurant, briskly serving the customers that came in. Many of them were either regulars or tourists whom were excited about consuming the food and drinks, and piled up faster than those whom came during the daylight hours. There was plenty of pressure in the air as Hiro ran back and forth to take orders and serve the abundant numbers of people. He was getting tired quickly, running like he had never ran before. His heartbeat was pounding like crazy and the side of his stomach began to hurt, so he rested outside to catch his breath and wait for the pain to go away. It was truly a first time experience for him and as his palpations were starting to slow down, someone came up to him, which in turn, made him look up at the person.

"Takkun…?" he said, somewhat puzzled at the light blond. "Are you here for your pork noodles? It's crowded in there, so you might have to wait for a few minutes before Boss can serve you a bowl."

With his usual nonchalant expression, Takuto replied. "I could tell by the exhausted look on your face. Why don't you take it easy until a fourth of the customers in there have already paid for their meals? It might help you relax more if you wait until going back."

Hiro smiled wryly. "Thanks, but… I'm the only one besides Boss who can help with serving everyone for now. Kenny and Riki are still working at their jobs, and being there for Boss is something I can do since we always seem to have up to a full house in the bar. Why don't you start helping out sometime, Takkun? You have more free time than you can handle on your shoulders, so maybe you can at least help with cleaning up the tables. I feel like I'm about to pass out here!" The college student began to fan himself using his right hand and it was clear his words were true. "Hah… hah… Ooh, that's hot!"

Takuto frowned. "I can't really say I'm good with cleaning up after others, but I think you should sit down inside, instead of staying out here. You'll be fine if you stand up and walk yourself to a chair."

Without lending a hand to help Hiro, Takuto stepped into Le Renard Noir in a casual manner. This gave the former a chance to react as he instantly stood up and followed behind.

"Hey! Wait, Takkun! I'm coming, too!" he shouted moderately, doing his best to hurry into the bar.

When they came into the busy restaurant, some of the customers were leaving from their tables to go and pay for their bills. As always, Atsumu gave a generous smile and dealt with them with courtesy, thanking each and every one of them for their patronage. When he saw this, Hiro immediately went over to the empty tables and quickly cleaned up, wiping off the surfaces, and taking the dishes back and forth to the kitchen. Soon, the rest of the people who had savored their foods and drinks began to leave, emptying the restuarant. While Atsumu washed the dishes and put them away, Hiro made sure to clear the tables and cleaned them properly without any failures. At last, they could have some peace to eat without any outside disturbances after closing for the night.

"Good job, Hiro!" Atsumu beamed. "The way you handled everyone coming in tonight was amazing!" He added—approvingly, "I should have you work here full time when you graduate. It'll be fun, and we could run LRN together. What do you think? Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?"

Hiro gave a strained smile and sweat-dropped. "Uh… That's a nice idea, Boss. I might think about considering your offer later on, but don't you think we should get some more helpers around here? It was pretty packed up once the clock hit seven, and I'm only one person. We could have a few more people come and work here. Everyone else has their hands full with their careers, but let's gather a bigger group this time. We've always had the five of us, in addition to Mitsuki; plus, Rina used to help out as well."

"Hmm…" Atsumu trailed off, contemplating the suggestion. "Well, let's see if Takkun agrees to it. We might get some more positive feedback from—"

Takuto grimaced. "No thanks. We have more than enough here." At that moment, the blond went back to his bitter self. "Are my noodles ready yet, Beardy?"

"Takkun, be patient," Atsumu pouted in a pleading manner. "Please~?"

Takuto's eyebrows furrowed and his face displayed his ruthless anger. "The way you said that was horrifying! I can't put up with this unless you act more mature, so get to it already!"

Atsumu's shoulders slumped and he sighed in resignation. "Alright… I'll get them for you. You don't have to yell every time…" He turned around and prepared a bowl of pork noodles for Takuto, smiling fondly as he used careful methods to complete the serving. His eyes closed and he giggled as though relishing Takuto's severe reaction to him.

I'm really loving this, he thought. I hope Takkun doesn't say something rude to a girl, though. He probably will, but he just needs to like them more. Atsumu sighed with a barely changing expression after opening his eyes. It's been a while since then, huh? I wonder if he'll reconsider things later on. It makes me worry seeing him like this. He used to be more tolerant about being around them. It was a bit of a shock to see him go through a transformation that's left him to be an empty shell. He shook his head and looked down.

No. This is an ordeal he has to face on his own in order to decide what he wants, but his stubborn personality won't let him do what's right. Oh, Takkun. Thick streams of water flowed down his cheeks when he closed his eyes with a lifted head. Why did things have to go this way? Everyone here loves you, so why can't you accept our feelings?! Ah ha...! My little boy's been so cruel to me and it hurts! Wahhhhhh!

Takuto tilted his head to his right, confused and perturbed by the restaurant owner's emotional alteration. "What's with him? He's going to make the pork noodles taste bad with all his crying."

Hiro sweat-dropped once more. "Who knows…" He had a feeling it would come to this, but he did not say more to it.

XXX

Now that everyone was gathered inside Le Renard Noir, they were about to discuss the night's mission. It would only be several minutes before they began. With a completely different attire from before, each of them were preparing their duties and plan.

"Now that everyone's here," Atsumu initiated the conversation with his laidback quality of speaking, "You all know what to do, don't you? It's very important that we get this painting back from being sold to the black market, so—"

Riki sighed, brushing off the speech and giving a wave from his right hand. "Yeah, yeah. We all know how much of a prized possession this is. Let's start the mission. We don't have all the time in the world for this, Boss."

"Before that, I'd like to announce something," Hiro declared in a jubilant fashion. "We have another member coming."

Everyone else except for Atsumu glanced at the youth with perplexed looks on their faces.

"Another member?" Riki asked.

"Who is it?" Kenshi also inquired curiously. "We don't have anyone else in our team besides Saionji, and she's in Europe right now. There couldn't be another member on the team, Hiro. It's just not possible."

Hiro's lips curled into a sly smile. "Oh, but there is. It's someone we all know, so it should be obvious who's going to 'join' us tonight. I can't exactly reveal their identity, but once they're here, you'll all thank me and rejoice for this."

"Huh?" Riki, Kenshi and Takuto said at the same time.

The three of them glanced at each other before looking back at Hiro, who only smiled lightly at them. At that time, a set of footsteps were coming closer to Le Renard Noir.

Riki stared at the youngest member of the group with a stern expression. "Hiro, care to explain what you mean by that? We need to get this over with as soon as possible. Time's ticking and we're waiting for someone to aid us with this mission? Come on. You can't expect us to wait for this mystery person."

"Well…" Stalling for time, Hiro trailed off with closed eyes. He did not mention anything else besides, "It's a secret."

"Huh?" Riki blinked. "A secret? What the hell are you talking about?! We don't have time for—"

As he was about to reprimand the orange-haired young man, someone stepped into the bar. All eyes immediately turned to look at the person standing near the entrance. Hiro and Atsumu smiled when they saw who had arrived, while the other three were suddenly filled with a mix of shock, surprise, and astonishment.

"RINA?!" they shouted in unison.

To add to their stunned positions and facial expressions, the blonde young woman [with long hair that flowed down to her upper thighs] closed her honey-colored eyes and smiled, putting her right hand up almost as if she was about to wave at them [which she didn't]. Dressed in a black sleeveless shirt with a white collar, along with a pair of near knee-length shorts that had white turn-up folds, faded black quarter hose-length socks, and black ankle boots with many grinded gold and brown square rhinestones showered onto them, giving the boots a glittery effect, she asked, "Did you miss me?"

It was truly an unanticipated moment for Takuto, Riki, and Kenshi as they stared at the sight of their former comrade. Many emotions stirred in Takuto's heart the most at that moment, pulling it in different directions.