Disclaimer and other Information:
This will only be on the first chapter, but holds for all chapters after.
I of course do not own in any way Hana Yori Dango or its characters. I am basing my story off the Japanese dramas. Also, this story is not going to be totally culturally correct. I do my best to incorporate both the American and mainly the Japanese culture, but sometimes it gets confusing … and I'm lazy. Basically, I don't really want anyone telling me that I'm using the wrong names (whether first or last) and what not. However, suggestions in this area are welcome as long as they are meant to be helpful. I don't pretend to know everything about the Japanese culture, but I do know most of the basics. That all sounded kind of conceited didn't it? Basically, just please don't attack me…
Chapter 1: The Fated Meeting
Tsukushi ran down the sidewalk on her way to the dango shop while frequently bumping into her fellow pedestrians. She issued a quick apology here and there, but she was determined not to be late for work today. With so much going on in her life now, her time was seriously strained. She felt bad for neglecting her duties at the dango shop though. She had been late the past four days because something or other always came up. Even though Okami-san had said nothing on the matter, Tsukushi felt really guilty.
"Excuse me! Sorry!" she yelled after she bumped into a group of high school girls who were on their way home.
She heard one of them say, "What's her problem?" but Tsukushi didn't care. She was late.
Okami-san was arranging the many sweets and cakes in the glass case as she hummed to herself. She looked up as the door opened and was met with a bent over Tsukushi gasping for air. "Did you run all the way here?" she asked.
Tsukushi stood up and replied, "Yes, I did, but I'm still late. I'm so sorry Okami-san."
"Well you are here now, so let's not dwell on it," she said as she waved her hand as if to dismiss the problem.
"I am very sorry, but thank you. I'll go change now," she made a grateful bow to Okami-san and then made her way to the back.
Okami-san sighed. "That girl…" She used her sleeve to muffle a small laugh. She then continued arranging and sorting.
A few minutes later, Tsukushi reemerged wearing her work uniform. She looked confused and turned to look at her boss. "Okami-san, where is Yuuki? Is she taking a break right now?"
"No, Yuuki called me earlier. She said she had come down with a cold. Although, I could barely make out what she was saying through all that coughing. She sounded terrible." She was caught up in one of her dramatic moments as if that phone call would be the last time she ever heard from Yuuki.
"If it's Yuuki, I'm sure she will be fine in a couple of days. She isn't going to die from a cold you know."
Okami-san turned sharply and suddenly her face became dead serious. "Have you paid her your last respects?"
Tsukushi stood dumbfounded. "O…Okami-san!"
With that Okami-san began laughing in her own special way that she does. "I was only kidding."
Tsukushi just rolled her eyes at the antics of her strange boss. "Anyway, so it's just me today then?"
"No, Alyssa said she could fill in. I talked to her after Yuuki called. I'm hoping for many customers today. I'm sending a strong vibe out."
"Won't that make them stay away?" she said to herself.
"What was that?"
"N… Nothing." She had to think of something. She brought her hands into a Tsukushi "fight-on" stance. "We'll have many customers today!" she recovered.
Okami-san gave her a suspicious glance and continued on with the previous conversation. "Alyssa should be here any moment now."
It then dawned on Tsukushi what they had been talking about before. "Alyssa? I haven't seen her in about a week."
Okami-san gave her a hard glare. "That's because you are always late," she snapped.
Tsukushi gulped. "Oh yeah… heh."
While Tsukushi was trying to think of something to say, the sound of the door chimes interrupted her frantic thought process. They both turned to face the person. A young American girl around Tsukushi's age had stepped into the small dango shop. She was on the short side, but not too short. Her strawberry-blonde hair fell loosely around her face and shoulders in a layered haircut. Her bangs slightly covered her blue eyes. Her skin was very pale but most of it was hidden under warm fall clothing. She had a scattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose that spanned her cheeks as well which were a rosy pink. She was simply wearing blue jeans, a black top, and a light black hooded jacket that had words and designs on it in a silver color. Her boots were simple as well as the bag she was carrying with her. Her body was athletic but slim, but her bust size was a little smaller than average.
"I'm saved," she secretly thought and then happily greeted the girl. "Alyssa!"
The American girl smiled and nodded her head in greeting. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yeah," she replied. She smiled when Alyssa used the honorific "O" before her greeting. She had known Alyssa for a couple of months now, but she understood that Alyssa was hesitant to use plain speech with her.
Alyssa turned and bowed her head to Okami-san, "I'm sorry I could not be here earlier."
Okami-san smiled and said, "There is no need to apologize. I called you in on your day off. Now come on let's go get you changed." She reached out and grabbed Alyssa's hand and led her to the back.
Tsukushi watched as the two disappeared into the back of the shop. She smiled. Alyssa had begun working at the dango shop three months ago, but Tsukushi and she did not meet right away because they had different shifts. Actually, for the first week or so, she had no idea that there was a new worker. Eventually, they bumped into each other when she came in to get her pay. Both Yuuki and Tsukushi were working then, so Okami-san took the opportunity to issue introductions. They had been surprised when an American girl entered the shop but were even more surprised to learn that she worked there too. It took a while for the two to adjust to seeing a foreigner. However, Tsukushi had noticed the look of apprehension and embarrassment their staring had caused. She walked over to this newcomer, stood for a moment, then grasped her hand and shook it. She could still remember the look of confusion and surprise on Alyssa's face. Tsukushi said hello in English. The American girl recovered from her surprised state and smiled. She said hello back.
From that day on, Tsukushi treated Alyssa as a friend and took it upon herself to help her in any way. However, Alyssa never said much about herself, and Tsukushi, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, didn't pry. Alyssa kept to herself and Tsukushi had been so busy with her own messy life, so they only saw each other every now and then at work. But, Tsukushi liked Alyssa. She spoke Japanese, but of course still did not understand some things, whether it was a saying or if it was a cultural question. Tsukushi would help her by explaining it. In return, Alyssa would help Tsukushi with her English and understanding of the American culture. She was happy to find someone other than the F4 who would help her with English. Sure the guys would help her out if she asked, but it made her feel uncomfortable, as if she was wasting their time. Tsukushi and Alyssa had learned a lot from each other.
Yuuki, on the other hand, was hesitant to be friendly with this new girl, not that she was rude to her or anything. It just took her longer to get used to this girl. After awhile though, she began talking to Alyssa much in the same way that Tsukushi did; just probably not as much though. It was her personality.
"Tsukushi?"
Tsukushi had not been paying attention until she heard her name. She looked up and saw Okami-san and Alyssa. Embarrassed, she stopped leaning on the counter and said, "Sorry, I was thinking." Okami-san quirked her eyebrow.
"Well, stop daydreaming and get to work," Okami-san said. With that said she turned around and left to go wherever it was she always disappeared to.
The shift went by with not too much activity. There were many customers, but not the crowd Okami-san had wanted. However, the dango shop had been doing better lately. Tsukushi had some suspicion that Alyssa was the cause of the increase in visitors.
It was hard on Alyssa to be stared at so much. The regular customers were used to her, but people would still come in to see the American girl. While it did increase business, Tsukushi felt sorry for Alyssa.
They were closing up when four tall men entered the shop.
"Hello, welcome…" Tsukushi stopped when she saw who it was. "What are you all doing here?" She said as she crossed her arms in annoyance.
"Is that any way to treat customers?" Akira asked as he walked up to the counter.
Tsukushi rolled her eyes. "Are you going to buy something then? Mr. Customer?" She asked as she leaned forward a bit to rest her elbows on the top of the display case. She then rested her face on her hands and gave them a bored look.
Akira was taken back at her question. "I… Maybe I will!" he said confidently, trying to cover up his embarrassment as best he could.
"Oh?" Tsukushi drawled.
Soujirou laughed. "Well, since Akira opened his big mouth I suppose we should buy something."
Tsukushi sweetly smiled and said, "I thank you for your patronage."
Three of them stood still for a moment as they thought about what just happened. Rui just stood there amused with a half smirk and half smile.
"Wait!" Akira yelled. "You tricked me on purpose!"
Tsukushi kept on smiling. "I couldn't help it, it was easy."
"Hey…" Akira said. "Yeah, ok. You got me. I'll buy something. I'm sure my sisters would like something sweet."
"I played right into your hands didn't I?" Soujirou asked Tsukushi as he shook his head at his own carelessness.
"You sure did," Tsukushi answered. "So why are you all here anyway?"
"Because lover boy over here wanted to come see you," said Akira while pointing at Tsukasa.
"Hey!" Tsukasa blurted out in embarrassment as his cheeks turned red. "I didn't say that!" He saw Tsukushi stop smiling and realized he messed up. "That… that isn't what I meant. I did want to see you. I missed you…" He looked down at the ground like a shy little kid.
"Hey, did you see that?" Akira loudly "whispered" to Soujirou.
"I must admit that I am surprised," Soujirou replied in a normal voice.
Tsukushi glared at them and then faced Tsukasa. "Hey, I missed you too…" She quietly said.
Tsukasa looked up at her and they smiled.
"They are like elementary kids," Soujirou scoffed.
"Yeah, that was kind of cute and sugary wasn't it? How can I buy sweets after watching that? I think I'm at my limit," Akira smiled.
Rui , standing off to the side, smiled as well. He was happy for his two friends. It still hurt sometimes, but not as much as before. He was genuinely happy for them.
"It's too sweet…"
Everyone turned around and saw Okami-san standing behind them. They fell back in surprise.
"What are you doing there?" Akira asked, his hand covering his heart trying to calm down from the shock.
"When did you get there?" Soujirou asked. While he was more composed than Akira, he was still recovering from the shock as well.
"How…?" Rui mused quietly to himself.
"It's a secret that you must never know…" she said in a dramatic and ominous manner.
The occupants of the small shop just stared at her.
She coughed into her sleeve and then faced Tsukushi. "Where is Alyssa?"
Tsukushi looked confused for a moment and then replied, "She went to the back to find more carryout boxes. We only have about three left up here. It's been awhile though, did she get lost maybe?"
"Who is Alyssa? Is there a boy working here now? Why didn't you tell me?" Tsukasa roared.
Tsukushi looked up at him confused. "Huh?"
"Tsukasa what are you going on about now?" Soujirou asked.
"I'm angry!" he snapped back.
"Um, Tsukasa, I think you misunderstood something…" Tsukushi said as she tried to figure out what set him off. She had not quite been able to make out what he said.
"Huh?"
Rui who had been able to make out what Tsukasa was yelling about, walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Tsukasa, Alyssa is not a boy's name…" He said calmly.
"Wait, is that what he was yelling about?" Akira asked clearly frustrated.
"How could you think it was a boy's name…" Soujirou shook his head in disgust at Tsukasa's foolishness.
"Oh…" Tsukasa replied. "Sorry…"
"What are we going to do with him?" Soujirou asked to no one in particular. It was doubtful anyone could even answer that question.
Akira looked confused for a second and then asked, "So who is Alyssa?"
Everyone looked at him, and as Tsukushi was beginning to answer his question, there was a loud crash in the back followed by several thuds. Now everyone's focus was the wall separating the back from the front. Rui, not stopping like the others had, was already behind the counter and then he disappeared. Tsukushi ran after him to see what had happened.
He found a door in front of him and quickly turned the knob opening the door. There, on the floor, was a heap of fallen boxes and what was obviously a person underneath them. Rui moved the boxes and bent down to check for injury. He saw some blood trickling down the young girl's forehead. Realizing that it was nothing too serious, he scooped her up in his arms and brought her out of the storage room. Tsukushi was in front of the door when he turned around.
"Is she ok?" She asked really worriedly. Rui just nodded his head and began to move toward the door. Tsukushi backed out so he would have enough room to get through. He carried her back out to the front of the shop and laid her down on a bench along the wall.
"Alyssa!" Okami-san yelled and rushed over. "Oh my God, is she ok?"
"She hit her head on the floor I think, but it doesn't look too bad."
"Really, this girl… If she needed help she should have asked, she didn't have to do it by herself," Okami-san said as she brushed Alyssa's bangs to the side of her face.
"I don't think it's too bad, but we should probably take her to a hospital…" Rui said.
"Should we call an ambulance?" Tsukasa asked.
"No!" both Tsukushi and Okami-san yelled. The boys looked up at them in confusion.
"We can't do that…" Tsukushi explained.
"Why can't we? If she is hurt, we need to take her to a hospital…" Tsukasa tried to reason.
"We just can't, ok?" Tsukushi replied. Okami-san nodded in agreement.
Soujirou who had been quiet this whole time finally spoke. "She doesn't have a work visa does she?"
Tsukushi's head snapped up as she looked at him. She then looked down at the floor. Tsukushi had known that Alyssa didn't have a work visa for some time. But, she never asked about it because she knew it shouldn't be brought up. There must be a good reason, and for Tsukushi, that was enough.
"I figured that must be it when you two said not to take her to a hospital. You don't want them finding out and then telling the police about it, right?" Soujirou continued.
"Yes, that's right," Okami-san replied solemnly.
"Ok, I understand, I'll check if it's ok with you," Akira stepped toward the bench.
Tsukushi grabbed his sleeve to stop him. "Do you know what you are doing?" she asked.
"Yes."
"He knows what he is doing Tsukushi," Rui told her.
She let go of his sleeve so he could get closer to take a look. "Do you have a first aid kit around?" He asked.
"Yes," Tsukushi replied as she ran to the back. She returned with it and handed it over to Akira.
Akira wiped away the blood and covered up the wound. It was small and superficial, but it was enough to cause bleeding. He carefully examined the rest of her head and checked her pulse. "She is ok, she just got knocked out is all. The cut will heal quickly. He glanced down at her arms and then her feet. He quickly checked her arms for any breaks or sprains. "Her wrist is twisted or at worst sprained, but not broken," He turned around to see the others watching intently. "Ah-hem."
Tsukushi realizing what he was trying to say, turned to the others. "Ok, boys, come on. Turn around."
"What? Why?" Tsukasa asked.
"Just be a gentleman and turn around Tsukasa," Soujirou, who had already turned his back, sighed.
"Oh," he blushed when he realized what was going on.
Tsukushi, whose back was to Akira so she could watch the others, said, "Akira, you better behave yourself. You hear me?"
"I know, I know," he replied back. He rolled his eyes and then moved then moved on to check her legs. With him being Akira, he was able to uncover her legs without exposing anything he shouldn't be seeing. He was going to be a good boy. At least, that's what he told himself. He quickly finished checking and replaced the clothing. "Ok, I'm done now."
"Are you sure?" Tsukushi asked.
"Yes…"
"Ok then, you can all turn back around now."
"Yes ma'am," they all replied.
"She twisted her ankle when she fell too. But, other than those small injuries, she is ok," Akira told them.
"I'm going to go ahead and wrap her ankle and wrist," Akira said and then proceeded to do so.
"B… Bondage?" Tsukasa blurted out his cheeks growing red again.
Tsukushi smacked him and yelled, "That isn't what he meant!"
"Are you stupid?" Rui asked with a serious face.
"Idiot…" Soujirou said as he shook his head again, this time in complete disgust.
Alyssa came to when Akira started binding her wrist. Her eyes fluttered open and looked up at the ceiling. Akira, feeling her move some, looked up at her face. "Hello sleeping beauty…" he said and smiled. "Let me finish this and then you can get up." He swiftly finished wrapping her wrist and then helped her sit up. "How do you feel?"
"Uh, ok I guess but my head hurts…" Alyssa was confused; she didn't know who this person was. She turned to look to where more people were in the middle of talking. She knew she was in the dango shop. She remembered the boxes falling on her. But, she was wondering who all these people were. "Um…"
Okami-san walked back into the front. She had slipped away undetected so she could close the shop. She knew that Alyssa was in what may not be "good" hands, but skillful ones at least. She saw Alyssa sitting up and walked, as quickly as she could in her kimono, over to her and Akira. "Are you ok?!" Alyssa winced while Akira rubbed his ears at her loud shriek.
Her voice brought the attention of the others back to the bench and the previously unconscious girl. Tsukushi ran over to her friend. "Are you ok?"
"Y… Yes. I'm ok." She blushed and looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry I caused you trouble."
"I'm just happy that you are ok," Tsukushi replied with a smile and gently patted her on the shoulder.
"I closed the store, so you can all go home now. And, get some rest Alyssa. I'll open the store in the morning," Okami-san said.
"Yes ma'am, thank you for your trouble." Alyssa stood up and bowed and then Tsukushi helped her to go get changed. She figured that Alyssa did not feel comfortable with the situation and wanted to get away.
"She barely said anything and then left. How rude…"
"Shut up Tsukasa…" the other three groaned.
"She is pretty shy, isn't she?" Soujirou commented.
"Well it was probably disconcerting to wake up on a bench surrounded by quite a few people you do not know," Akira explained.
Rui just sat down and remained quiet.
"Are you happy now? She isn't a guy," Akira sarcastically said to Tsukasa.
"Yeah, I guess not…" he replied.
"She's seemed American to me…" Soujirou mused.
"Such beautiful legs…" Akira randomly thought aloud.
The other three members looked at him. "Akira!!"
"Eh? Oh sorry. I couldn't help but look at them."
"Akira…" Soujirou just tried not to laugh.
"Tsukushi will be mad at you, you know?" Rui couldn't hide his amusement.
Akira was still Akira.