Me: Hi guys! Sorry for deleting the other story "Sweet Life". I have a reason, sooo...forgive me?
Kashino: Why did you delete it in the first place?
Me: Well, I guess I just couldn't continue the story since it didn't really make since to me. So I decided to delete it. *blushes in embarrassment*
Kashino: Puh...HAHAHAHAHA! So...you finally realized your bad writing skills, huh?
Me: Wel-...I had a reason behind everything, okay.
Kashino: Yeah, yeah. You had everything under control. *snickers to himself*
Andou: All right, all right. Let's stop fighting, okay?
Me: Fine. I do not own Yumeiro Patissiere.
Side Note: Keiko's foster parents are called Mother and Father.
Keiko's blood parents are called Mom (or Mommy) and Dad.
Tarte Tatin Tears
"Waaawaaawaaaah...do I...really have no talent at all? Why can't I be like my brother and sister? Am I...just useless?" Tears streamed down my face as I tried to wipe them away. At that moment, I felt that nothing, NOTHING, could cheer me up. My wall of insecurity arose.
"Keiko? Would you like to have some?" A gentle voice sounded behind me. I wiped away my tears and looked up.
"Mommy." I stared into her soft, milk chocolate brown eyes. Those were the eyes that had always comforted me when I was down.
"Just one taste and those painful feelings will fly away."
Hesitantly, I grabbed the plate and gave the sweet a taste. It was true. Immediately after, my feelings of happiness returned, replacing the insecurities I once had. "It's yummy," I smiled, blissfully masticating away the remaining dessert.
"So the spell worked, didn't it?"
"Yep!"
xXxXx
"What...what was that? Why did I say 'mommy'? Who was she?" It was early morning, and I had woken up from a…...dream? I wasn't sure how to put it. What was wrong with me?
"Keiko! Wake up! Let's go to the party already," Yuki shouted, nudging me on the shoulder.
"Okay, okay. Can you wait a bit while I get ready?"
"Hurry up!" Yuki skipped out of the room, with a wide smile plastered on her face.
Giggling to myself, I sleepily walked to the bathroom. Before I knew it, nine years had elapsed since the day I was adopted into the Andou household. The owner of the household, which I call "Father", is a dear friend of my blood parents. In fact, he, Sennosuke Andou, is my dad's childhood friend! To top it off, they own a delicious sweets store specializing in the fusion of Western and Japanese confections. Just one taste of their matcha caramel and you'll fall in love again. You might think that I'm angry at my parents for leaving me, but on the contrary, I'm actually very grateful to them. If I had the chance to meet them again, I would definitely thank them for leaving me in the hands of a gentle and reliable family.
"Keiko, are you done yet? I'm gonna punch down that door if you don't come out in 10 seconds!"
"Wait, I'm coming out right now, so please don't damage the door any further," I plead, trying to tie up my long, blond hair into a pony tail.
"10...9...8...-"
Before Yuki can call out "seven", I slammed open the door, grabbing my pink handbag on the way. "Let's go," I sighed, happy that I saved the door from anymore injuries, though I was sure that I heard a crack as I slammed it open. Oops.
Yuki and I raced down the stairs, but because of my clumsy nature, I slipped and rolled down the staircase.
"Bam!" My face slams into the floor boards, causing a loud echo to spread through the house.
"Keiko?" From the corner of my eyes, I saw two pairs of legs frantically running my way. I sat up and came face to face with my Mother, Kana Andou, and Father.
"Are you alright? Any injuries?" my Mother and Father asked, with a worried countenance spread across both of their faces.
"I-I'm alright, sorry for making you worried," I chuckled.
"Geez, you're as careless as ever, Keiko," Yuki commented with a sigh.
"...When you act like that, you really remind me of your Mom," Father reminisced, looking pass me as if expecting to see my parents to walk in through the front door.
When he said that, I could see tears accumulating in the back of Mother's eyes. "She must have really missed her friends," I thought.
Before things could get any worse, I grabbed Yuki's hand and told Mother and Father that we were going to the party held at the Bonbon Mall. Not wanting to see her crying face, I rushed out of the house with Yuki's hand in mine.
"Have fun and don't get lost!" Father hollered after us.
After 10 minutes, we arrived at the bus station. I waved to a taxi and within seconds, we were on our way to what I like to call "The Dessert Town".
"I can't wait to get on stage!" Yuki squealed, "Though singing before a crowd of people will always be nerve wracking for me."
"Don't worry, Yuki. Just sing like you practiced and everything will go smoothly," I assured, "Besides, I'll be there to encourage you along the way."
"Thank you...Keiko." When she gave me her unwavering smile, I couldn't help but feel jealous.
Ever since I was a child, my skills in everything was average or poor. I guess I just didn't really have the talent to do anything. But, after Yuki entered elementary school, things went downhill for me more than ever. She excelled in everything she did, beating me every time. However, because of her stage fright, Yuki would always need some soothing assurance before her every performance. So, as the big sister, I would constantly give her encouragements to calm her nervous self.
"Am I just a child with no outstanding talent?" I sighed helplessly.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the Bonbon Mall. The place was packed with people going in and out of sweet shops, with bags full of different confections. In the near distance, a beautifully decorated stage was set. Colorful lights decorated the stage front, showering the performers in a charming glow. Music rang through the mall as groups of people gathered around the stage.
"Shall we?" I asked Yuki as we got out of the car.
"LET'S GO!"
xXxXx
Everyone clapped as the 10th performer left the stage.
"Her voice was really beautiful, wasn't it?"
"Yeah...it was so calming and angelic with the perfect level of pitch and echo. The way she expresses her feelings with the lyrics is even more amazing."
"It just...can't get more euphonious than this, don't you think?"
As more and more compliments crowded the room, I couldn't help but feel proud. Yuki had accomplished the impossible as usual.
xXxXx
"The winner is...Andou Yuki!" the emcee announced. Cheers and applause were heard everywhere around the stage, congratulating the winner.
"Yuki, you did it!" I cheered loudly, clapping so hard that my hands started to sting. Though Yuki was blushing beet red, I could tell that she was overjoyed. Her sparkling eyes matched the beauty of the golden trophy she held in her hands.
"Do you have anything you would like to say, Andou-chan?" the emcee asked, handing the mike to Yuki.
"U-um, I would like to thank my sister, Keiko, for always being by my side, cheering me on whenever I'm in the dump. She may be annoying at times, but she's...my greatest supporter ever!" Yuki stuttered as she said those last words of thanks, "Th-that's it."
"Yuki..." I couldn't think. There was so much I wanted to say, as one of the staff member ushered me to her side.
Yuki looked me in the eye with an adoring look. As I jumbled for the right words to say, Yuki had already seized me into an embrace. All of a sudden, tears streamed down my face. Slowly, but hesitantly, I returned the hug. "Thank you, Yuki," I whispered into her ear.
xXxXx
When the performance had come to an end, the crowd dispersed and went on with their day at the mall. Yuki and I decided to check out the new patisserie that had recently opened. The second we entered the shop, the fragrant scent of freshly baked peaches wafted towards me, as if luring me to try them.
"Welcome to Miel Patisserie. How may I help you?" A female with short blond hair reaching her shoulders, appeared behind the counter. On her pocket, a name tag was pinned on it. The tag read, "Honey Tennouji."
"That name looks so familiar," I thought, "I wonder if I've seen it before?"
"Um, Miss?"
"Oh, sorry. May I ask if you are possibly baking some peach desserts in the back?" I asked, curious about the fruity scent coming from the back of the kitchen. Taking another sniff, I noticed that there was something deeper to that fruity scent. "Could that be...honey and...cinnamon?"
For a second, the lady looked surprised. But quickly regained her composure and said, "Yes. Would you like to have a taste?"
"Yes, please!" As usual, my desire to eat sweets overpowered any logic or elegance I had in me. But, I didn't care. If I could eat desserts, then I was satisfied.
"You really have no limit to how much sweets you can eat, do you, Keiko?" Yuki shook her head and sighed deeply.
"Whaaat? Desserts are yummy and you can never have enough, okay?" I pouted.
When the lady heard that, she chuckled and left to get the confection. As if in response, my cheeks turned a deep shade of red.
Seconds later, the lady returned with two slices of Peach Tarte Tatin. On the slices topped a large, round scoop of vanilla ice cream. As a finishing touch, honey was drizzled over the slices.
Without saying a word of 'thanks', I had already dug into my slice. The moment the dessert entered my mouth, a surge of emotions flashed before me.
"This sensation...I wonder why.." The aroma and flavor was so familiar, but I couldn't describe what it was.
"What is it, Keiko?" Yuki inquired, with a worried look on her face.
"No, it's nothing. But would you excuse me for a moment?" I said, getting up from my seat.
Slowly, I walked to the counter where the lady was working behind. Noticing that I was holding her dessert with a questionable expression, she asked me if there was something wrong with the Tarte Tatin.
"No, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just that the flavor of this Peach Tarte Tatin reminded me of something from the past. But I'm not sure...what it is." Suddenly, the dream from this morning appeared in the mind. "This...it tastes like the Apple Tarte Tatin that my Mom once made for me. "
The lady looked surprised at what I said. "May I ask if your Mother is a patissiere?"
"I believe she is a famous patissiere, from what I heard," I answered.
"From...what you heard?"
"Well, my parents left me when I was four so I don't really know what they were like. But, my foster parents told me that my parents are both patissier and patissiere. So, yeah..."
"I'm sorry for reminding you of something sad," the lady apologized, clasping her hands together.
"No, that's alright. Besides, I'm not mad at them for leaving me or anything."
"If possible, may I ask who your mother and father are and where they studied at?"
"They're Kashino Makoto and Amano Ichigo. I believe that they both studied at a culinary school in Japan and Paris called St. Ma...what was it again?"
"St. Marie Academy. I see, then that would explain why your mother's dessert taste so much like mine. She did graduate from the same school as me after all. But to taste the similarities with just one bite, you really have incredible taste buds, I must say."
No way. Did she just say that I have incredible taste buds? "Everyone always only says that I have a stomach like a pig when it comes to eating desserts," I mumbled.
"Oh right. Do you mind telling what your name is?"
"Sure. I'm Keiko Andou for your information."
"Then, Keiko-chan, would you like to attend St. Marie Academy to become a patissiere like your mom? I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time learning about these delightful desserts!"
"Patissiere..." I've never thought about being a patissiere, but maybe it'll work out for me, since I love eating desserts in general.
"I would be happy if you attended. You, Keiko, have the talent of interpreting between various ingredients with just one bite, which is an important skill a patissiere needs. So will you give it a go, Keiko-chan?"
I wonder if what she said is true. If I became a patissiere, I wonder if I will be able to meet my parents? Maybe, just maybe, everything will work itself out. "I want to attend St. Marie Academy," I declared, with confidence.
Me: Was that a better story than before? If so, please R&R. I hope you enjoy this new version of "Sweet Life"!