CHAPTER 01: The First Kiss of My Fiance

Isogai could tell that this night was a fine one. For once, the weather was a windy one instead of a rainy weather, because thanks to that, Isogai's plan of eating dinner at the roofless balcony was a success. Although his eyes were trained on the three actresses talking together on the screen, trained on the foreign movie in the television, one question had entered Isogai's mind. Megu snuggled down further in his arms, seeking for his warmth. As he read the subtitles, his mouth began to move on it's own accord.

"Megu."

"Hm?"

"...can you tell me who your first kiss was?"

The silver-haired woman didn't seem bothered by the question. She continued watching, making no reaction whatsoever. That is until she moved her position into one that consisted of her head lying down on his lap and her legs dangling on the arms of the couch. Her eyes remained glued on the screen while she laces her fingers around Isogai's.

"Promise not to make a big deal out of it."

Now that statement was something that made Isogai's brow twitch. He calmly answered, "sure." It's not like they're someone I know.

"Well, just so you know, if we're talking about lip contact, then that would be with some girl from 5th Grade."

A girl? "Oh," Isogai reacted, and couldn't help but ask. "You don't consider that as a first kiss?"

"Of course not," Megu answered while she glanced at Isogai with an amused smile. "It was just a peck on the lips- just a second only. Even if she's too forward about having her first kiss with me, I don't consider it my first." She glanced back at the television while airily chuckling. "Sometimes I find it funny that a few girls used to have crushes on me back in school."

Indeed. Isogai had witnessed a confession once.

"Then... who was it?"

Megu's hand clasped with his, slightly firm but still gentle. "Who is what?" She playfully asked.

Isogai gulped absentmindedly. It was kind of disappointing that he wasn't her first kiss, but it can't be helped. And adding to the pit of negative feelings inside him, for some reason, the future responses she'll be giving made him feel a little nervous to ask. "Who was... your first kiss? As in, a kiss that lasted more than a second."

"You sound funny when you ask that."

"Megu..."

Megu giggled. Then she sighed contently.

"I had my first kiss with your best friend."

Just as her response finished, his mind went into a rampage. A mental rampage that almost made him space out. Best friend? Hi-Hiroto? What? No... He knew how flirty and tricky Maehara was back when they still go to school together, but being the first kiss of his fiance? It was... absurd. Unbelievable.

"You still alright?" Megu had asked, clearly amused.

"You're... not joking, are you?" Isogai asked while the smile that was previously plastered on his face began to look so odd on him.

"Of course not. I wouldn't lie to my fiance."

The word fiance seemed to make the tension within him loosen a little bit. It was as if he was soaked with cold water from head to toe, relieving him from the intruding warmth that made him feel betrayed or violated, basically anything negative. Clearly, Megu knew how to stir this little issue. Still, after four years of being in a relationship with her, why didn't he knew from the beginning?

"So your first kiss came from Hiroto? H-how?"

"Quite a shock, I know," Megu indirectly answered his first question. "It had happened when we were in 7th Grade...? Yeah, 7th, when we became classmates for the first time. We were cleaning the classroom."

Isogai tried to picture it. A young Megu Kataoka and a young Hiroto Maehara, alone in the classroom and cleaning. And it felt... bad- really.

On that day, sun rays were being blocked by fluffy clouds. It was a cloudy day, and it looked like it was about to rain too. The meeting with the other class representatives had just finished, and Megu, being the class representative she is, went back to her classroom to see if someone was cleaning the room. She planned to help them out as well, seeing as she still has time before catching the train.

Opening the door, she expected five students cleaning- maybe even three; however, only the sight of a single person named Hiroto Maehara greeted her, sweeping the floor.

"Ah, Maehara!" Megu greeted with surprise. "Let me help you out." It was always him who does the easy stuff like arranging the chairs, and then leaving eagerly, so just this once, he looked like he's feeling productive and kind to clean up the room.

"Thank you Kataoka," Maehara briefly thanked her. "I won't exactly finish quickly if I was alone."

"Alright. Why don't you give me that broom? I'll sweep the floor while you wipe the board and the teacher's table. Good?"

"Sounds like a plan," the boy immediately agreed before handing the broom to Megu.

It took about twelve minutes for them to finish cleaning. Megu remembered how Maehara behaved that day. It was probably because Isogai, his best friend at the time (and still is), was absent that day because he caught a flu, or something like that. She couldn't remember properly. Maehara was known for being a jokeful, handsome flirt, so seeing him this quiet and serious was rare. Looking over to the boy who was oddly silent and out of the mood, she found him searching for something in his bag. He visibly grasped his water bottle, only to find it empty. Megu grabbed a handkerchief and cleaned the wet rim of her water bottle while simultaneously asking: "Want water from me? I still have some more left. It'll save you a trip to the water fountain."

For a whole seven seconds, Maehara only stared at her. And it weirded her out. Did she do something that made him act like that?

She was about to call his name when he suddenly grinned, chuckling sheepishly. "Can't say no to that!"

Megu gladly handed the bottle of water to him. He approached her, but he didn't take the bottle in her hand. Megu's thought process wasn't quick enough, because once her mind finally worked, she realized that... she was having her first kiss from this jokeful, handsome flirt named Hiroto Maehara.

And it was out of the blue. He caught her off guard, making her freeze and tense up. Her eyes never closed though; instead, they were the size of saucers from surprise. Maehara on the other hand, closed his eyes and cupped her face gently, tilting his face slightly so their noses won't be an interference. Megu hadn't expected this, that's why the feeling of his lips on hers made her knees weaken. Despite shutting her mouth, Maehara found a way to make his lips connect with hers perfectly like fitting puzzle pieces. It was a sensation Megu couldn't explain properly.

At the present time though, Isogai's hand squeezed his fiance's hand. "What'd you do afterwards?"

When about eleven seconds passed, Megu abruptly pulled away and socked Maehara on the jaw.

"Ow!"

"Y-you-!"

Megu wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "W-what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"R-relax, I was just stealing a kiss."

"That's- it's not- you caught me off guard! I mean, I didn't give you permission or anything like that!"

Maehara slightly tilted his face. "So you prefer that I ask you first before kissing you?"

"Not what I meant!" Megu snapped, before stepping back, away from him. "You shouldn't do that. That's like... trespassing a private property in real life."

Maehara frowned slightly, rubbing the back of his head. "Weird. I thought you'd kiss back."

Megu blushed after this, getting a little confused and conflicted. The boy continued though, with a statement that infuriated her. "Other girls return the kiss willingly."

Megu crossed her arms in front of her. "So is this an experiment? A test to see the effect? A joke to you? Because there's one thing you should know, and that is... I'm not like other girls."

Megu tossed her water bottle in her school bag before shaking her head in disapproval. "Look, let's just forget that this ever happened." At that moment, the past Megu Kataoka knew she won't be able to forget this moment, because it was her very first kiss. "We're done here. Make sure you get home safely." Just as she said this, Maehara's eyes slightly widened at this. Megu noticed it and added, "don't think you've done nothing wrong-" not really, she mentally stated. "Just don't do that ever again, okay?"

With a sigh, she brushed past Maehara, head bowed down. Her blush didn't leave her face until she exited the campus.

Isogai stayed silent throughout the story, listening patiently. Megu looked up a the ceiling to the spot near his head. "The next day, when we saw each other, Maehara greeted me like he normally would. I on the other hand, well, I greeted him back. I remember it, being an awkward girl when I talk to him. But as time flies, I... didn't really... I just forgave him."

Isogai looked down at her and then cupped her face, a thumb gently tracing lines on her jaw.

"It was just a stolen kiss," Megu stated. "And he didn't do anything bad to me in the future, so yeah, I really forgave him and forgot about it. I... wouldn't hate him very much either," she looked directly at Isogai with her warm, alluring eyes. "After all, he's the one who helped us confess to each other. Do you remember that?"

The memory brought a smile to Isogai's face and nodded. "Yeah, I do." It was thanks to Maehara that Isogai had confessed to her, and Megu returned the feelings. Maehara had set them up, together with a few friends they had. He wouldn't forget that, of course.

Megu sat up and gave Isogai a long, wet kiss on the lips. Pulling back, she hugs him closely and sighed contently. "Don't worry. I still love you Yuuma."

Isogai was happy after that. He didn't let the fact that Megu and Maehara, his future wife now and his best friend forever, who had kissed in the past, bother him. After all, once Megu had told her story, she had questioned Isogai with how his first kisses were like. His first kiss (lip contact, according to Megu) was from a stage play back in elementary- she knew that already. The young girl Isogai was supposed to be just confessing to with his character, suddenly pecked him on his cheek. His first kiss came from someone he genuinely liked, but never became his girlfriend. Isogai just hoped Megu wasn't comparing herself to that girl. Megu Kataoka is the woman he wants to spend his life with, for a lifetime or an eternity.

That night, he and Megu lay on their bed, with the woman already sound asleep. A moment later, Isogai's hand was occupied with a cellphone.

In another house, Hiroto Maehara received a message just after he locked all the doors in his house.

FROM: A. Yuuma

U never told me u kissed my fiance.

Huh? I never kissed Megu...

And then his eyes widened.

Author's Notes:

There you have it folks: Kataoka Megu & Maehara Hiroto.
Btw, the title was just at random. I was looking through a foreign book of mine. Alternate title: Sandalwood and Peppermint. I have a thing for essential oil. It's been a long time since I've posted something, so reviews will be appreciated. I don't take requests, but I want to see what rare pairs readers/writers like, and why they like it- so make a review, please!