Two Taiyaki Please
by Diana-san
Author's Note: Taiyaki literally means "baked sea bream," is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Taiyaki is made using taiyaki or regular pancake/waffle batter. The batter is poured into a fish-shaped mold, or a taiyaki-ki, for each side. The filling is then put on one side and the mold is closed. It is then cooked on both sides until golden brown. credits go to wikipedia
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Summary: "Do you believe in true love?" For her, she never believed that such a thing existed. For him, it was all he ever wanted. Can such a thing exist between these two complete strangers?
"Do you believe in true love?"
That one sentence changed her whole life forever.
Taiyaki One
The day started like any other ordinary day. It was beautiful day with the sun shining brightly down on the small town called Konoha. The sky was a brilliant shade of light blue and the clouds seen up high indicated fair weather. Back down on solid ground, a small bakery shop was at its busiest hour as customers filtered in and out. A group of middle school girls giggled to each other as they crowded around a menu board that listed today's specialties. Customers were seated at their tables as they relaxed during the lazy Saturday afternoon while sipping on their cup of coffee or chatting with their friends.
Haruno Sakura, was at the front of the store where she was standing behind the glass counter that displayed cakes and sweets of all kinds. A cash register was to the left of her and every now and then, a small ding will ring as she rang up the cost. She was busy alright and she barely had any time to stop and rest. The customers came and went by in a blur as the clock ticked down the minutes. She didn't know how many people came in and out of the store but she couldn't wait until her break came.
After a couple of more customers, the line started to get shorter and finally she could relax a little. Sakura handed the change to the grandpa in front of her and he kindly accepted it as he hobbled away on his walking stick with his cake box in one hand. The next customer stepped up as Sakura glanced down at cash register where she typed in the amount of money received awhile ago.
"What would you like to order?" Sakura murmured without bothering to glance up as her eyebrows furrowed when she read the digits on the long receipt sticking out of the register. That shouldn't be right, Sakura thought to herself.
"Two red bean taiyaki please," a deep voice spoke.
Sakura nodded while turning to the taiyaki-ki behind her which was already heated up on the stove and two red bean taiyaki were slowly cooking. Beside the taiyaki-ki were four taiyaki that was cooling down on the tray. Sakura took a piece of wax paper as she wrapped it around the taiyaki before slipping it in the store's signature bag. As she gingerly held the bag of slightly hot contents by her fingertips, Sakura turned to hand it to the young man in front of her.
"That will be 250 yen please," Sakura said as she rang up the price.
The young man in dark blue handed her 500 yen. Sakura reached out to take the money and for a brief moment their fingers touched. The man quickly pulled back when Sakura's fingers grazed against his own as if in shock yet his face showed no expression. Sakura glanced at him strangely and decided to ignore the guy's strange reaction. Sakura pressed a button on the register as it opened and she quickly grabbed the change.
Then out of nowhere, the question hit her.
"Do you believe in true love?"
Sakura quickly looked up from the register in surprise. The question came out of the blue and caused Sakura to drop the change on the floor. The coins clinked as they hit the ground and they rolled around the floor before coming to a complete stop. Even though the question was randomly directed to her, Sakura didn't have to think about what her answer would be. "No," she answered flatly.
Before the man could say anything else to her, she bent down to pick up the coins on the floor. She stood up and brushed away a strand of hair from her face as she turned to hand the change to the man but when she looked, he was nowhere in sight. The door to the shop was still swinging slightly to indicate that someone had just left. He left without his change, Sakura thought.
"What a weird guy," she murmured absent-mindedly as she clutched the change in her hand.
"Excuse me miss." The sound of a customer got Sakura's attention. Sakura turned to look at the customer and smiled and bowed in apology. "Sorry madam," she said in apology as she slipped the 250 yen change into one of the small pockets of her apron.
"What would you like to order?" Sakura asked as she placed the strange, young man out of her mind.
The next day Sakura had completely forgotten about what happened the other day as she started her work at the bakery shop. It was raining that day and the customers were fewer than usual. Everyone was staying home and away from the storm.
Sakura rested her head on the glass counter top as the sound of the ticking clock above her filled the silence of the small shop. It was past noon and close to reaching one o'clock, usually the store's busiest hour, but instead now as empty as the tip jar on the counter top. She sighed as she watched a a couple outside was rushing to their parked car for shelter from the rain. Sakura sighed again as she turned her head to the side to face the wall of the shop.
Sakura was just beginning to doze off when she felt a presence shaking her shoulders. She grumbled in her sleep as she tried to shake it off with a wave of her hand. The shaking continued and Sakura's head shot up.
"What?!" she snapped with a hinge of annoyance in her tone.
Sakura gasped when she saw a customer in front of her. Apparently that wasn't a dream and that she was still indeed at work. What surprised her even more was that the customer was the same man from yesterday. The same guy who asked her if she believed in true love.
"I-it's you," Sakura stuttered out.
The young man nodded and made no show of anger for her earlier reaction. He raised two fingers at her. "Two red bean taiyaki please."
Sakura only continued to stare at him in surprise. He cleared his throat and that snapped Sakura back to attention. "O-oh! Right! I'll get on it right away!"
Sakura turned around and turned on the stove with the taiyaki-ki on top and waited for it to heat up until both sides were warm.
"Umm, it will take a few minutes before it is ready," Sakura said as she turned to him.
The man nodded and went over to a small table and sat down and waited. Sakura looked over to him in interest. Here's a guy who came all the way out here in the pouring rain just to get two taiyaki. I wonder if he is sane, Sakura thought to herself.
Sakura turned and opened up the taiyaki-ki and then spread vegetable oil in it. She added in the batter until it filled up to about halfway. Sakura added azuki beans over it and then the rest of the batter. She closed the taiyaki-ki and rinsed her hands through cold water at the small sink nearby. After wiping her hands with a small towel, she smoothed out the wrinkles of her pink striped apron.
"Mister," she called out to the customer. "Are you eating here or is it to go?"
The man looked up at her. He pondered over it for awhile before answering. "For here."
Sakura nodded in reply. She picked up the coffeepot from a nearby cart and grabbed a cup. Sakura walked over to him and set the cup in front of him as she poured out a cup of hot coffee.
The man protested. "I didn't order this."
"Don't worry," Sakura assured. "It's on the house. Since it's a cold day I might as well pour you a cup of hot coffee." Sakura straightened herself up as she held the coffeepot in one hand. "Or would you prefer tea?"
He shook his head. "No, coffee is fine."
Sakura smiled brightly at the response and returned to bring him cream, milk, and sugar along with a spoon.
"Thanks," he murmured as he removed his hands out from the warmth of the pockets of his black overcoat. Sakura murmured a reply as she walked back to her place at the counter where she set the coffeepot down and then turned the taiyaki-ki over so that the other side of the taiyaki would brown evenly.
After a minute, Sakura turned off the stove and opened up the taiyaki-ki. The aroma filled her nose and she sighed happily. She let it cooled down before taking it out and putting it on a plate. Sakura brought it over to the young man and set down the plate in front of him. She brought over the coffeepot to refill his half empty cup of coffee.
The young man said nothing as he continued sitting there and appeared to be deep in thought.
Sakura looked at him strangely. "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked him.
"Why don't you believe in true love?" he asked.
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You're still going to ask me that?"
The man glanced up at her. His onyx eyes penetrated Sakura's own emerald eyes. "I'm just curious. Don't most girls believe in love?"
Sakura set the coffeepot down on top of the table. "Then I guess I'm not like most girls."
"Why?"
The question lingered in the air. It was a simple and direct question and she had a simple and direct answer to it. She knew why. She had an answer. Everyday, she would ask herself this question. Yet, at the very moment, she was struck silent and did not know how to respond. She was at a loss of words.
It was quiet for a moment as Sakura stared blankly at the cream colored walls that blended in with the orange frames of the windows. "Why?" Sakura repeated in a faint voice.
She finally found her courage to speak as she gripped the handle of the coffeepot. Sakura's usual bright emerald eyes darkened as she set her lips in a grim line. "There is no such thing as love. It's a give and take world. Beneath this so-called "love" is a bunch of lies."
"That's a lot to say from someone who hasn't experienced love."
Sakura's head shot up. She slammed her hand on the table. "Who says I haven't experienced it?!"
"So, have you?"
She drew back her hand. "N-no," she admitted. "But that's not the point! No matter how hard someone tries to reach for love, they will never get it. It's like trying to grab a star out from the night sky. Sometimes it looks really close to you and that your hand can reach out for it but in reality, you will never be able to get it."
Sakura bit her lower lip. "Love is supposed to bring people together, isn't it?" she asked softly.
The man gave a slight nod. "In a way, I presume."
"Yet, all I see is it tearing people apart. My mother and father said they would be together forever in their wedding vows." Sakura scoffed. "I guess together forever meant living in different countries and away from each other. They never showed me any signs of affection either. I was always the one taking care of myself. No one to comfort me or take care of me. From the start, I was all alone."
"Alone," Sakura repeated. "That's what we are all in this world."
The man looked thoughtful for a moment before taking a sip of his coffee. "I see."
Sakura blushed a deep red of embarrassment. "Sorry! I said a lot of things, didn't I?"
The young raven-haired man shook his head. "No, I was the one who asked you such personal questions."
Sakura remained silent. "So, what about you then?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "What about me?"
"You keep mentioning this "love" stuff so I expect you must have some sort of a story."
He gave a disheartened laugh. "You would think that I must be madly and happily in love."
"Yes, most likely."
"The truth is I got dumped."
Sakura almost fell over when she heard that. "What? You?" she sputtered out.
"Hard to believe?"
Sakura regained her composure and nodded. "You don't seem to be the type…"
"The type to get dumped?" he finished. Sakura nodded. He stirred his coffee. "Yes, but apparently it did happen to me."
"It hurts doesn't it?" Sakura asked.
"What does?"
"Love."
"Of course."
"My advice to you then. Don't ever fall in love."
"There are some things that you just can't control," he replied. He glanced at his watch. "I have to go now." He stood up and pushed his chair back. "It was nice talking to you."
He took out his wallet and placed a few bills on the table before turning to leave.
"Wait, you didn't even touch your food!" Sakura called out to him. He turned and stopped to gaze at her. "You can have them. I never eat them anymore anyway."
Sakura stood there motionless as she watched him stepped out into the pouring rain.
"Wait!" she called out as she ran behind the counter where her umbrella was stored underneath her bag. She grabbed the yellow umbrella and ran out into the streets with it. She stood on the sidewalk as she looked in both directions for any sign of the mysterious man. Finding no sign of him, she admitted defeat and walked back to the store.
Sakura was about to push open the door when it opened by itself. The tall raven-haired man stood in front of him with his hair slightly wet from the rain but his jacket soaking. Sakura dropped her umbrella in surprise. "You're still here?" she exclaimed in shock.
He nodded as he held up a taiyaki in his hand. "I realized I felt hungry so I took one."
Sakura gazed up at him and nodded. His onyx eyes met her own emerald ones and she dropped her gaze and glanced at her shoes. She picked up the umbrella and handed it to him. He looked at it with confusion written across his face. "What is this?"
"An umbrella," she responded. "It's raining hard so you should use this or you might catch a cold in this rain."
He took it gently in his cold hands. "Thanks, but I don't know when I can return it-"
"Anytime. You can drop by here and return it anytime."
He nodded as he held the umbrella over his head. "Thanks."
Sakura nodded as she stepped back to let him through. He walked out to the rain with the yellow umbrella and didn't turn to look back as he made a turn left and disappeared.
Sakura slowly walked back into the store as she collapsed onto the chair the man sat in awhile ago. "Why did I do that?" she asked herself even though she wasn't expecting an answer. Sakura slapped herself on both cheeks to snap herself out of her daze.
"I didn't give him that umbrella just to expect to see him again, did I?" Sakura asked as she rocked back and forth on her seat. She shut her eyes. "What's wrong with me?" she moaned as she banged her head against the table. Sakura stared at the half drunken coffee cup sitting in front of her as she listened to the raindrops fall against the rooftop.
"I didn't even get his name."