YAY! Fanfic number two! hehe didn't think I would be writing another one so quickly...didn't even think I would be writing another one but the reviews I got for the previous one motivated me :D
So just wanted to say that this will probably be a small story, like five chapters or so, I really haven't decided yet and as for the new chapter schedule I do not know that either. I'll try having the new chapters up as soon as I can, maybe one chapter per week?
Apologizes for any mistakes and please review to tell me what you think, and as much as I like anonymous reviews it gets on my nerve that I cannot message you to thank you for them, so please don't be afraid and leave me non-anonymous reviews...I don't bite I promise ;)
A slight warning I honestly do not know how a cafe functions behind the scenes and such so please excuse anything that seems silly or inform me so I can make the appropriate changes.
***I do not own Skip Beat and if I did I would be overwhelmed and panicked causing me to give it back to it's rightful owner**
Like a cliché the small café was situated in the heart of the city, surrounded by towering skyscrapers. One might think that the modest building sandwiched between such tremendous buildings would be demolished and replaced with a similar building of stature but that was not the case.
The building, owned by an old couple, would never sell it nor would they even dream of destroying the precious brick structure for various reasons but on top of their list would be the renter who currently occupied the building.
It was a two floor building with a basement. The first floor held two translucent store front glass window panes. The panes were separated by a simple glass door framed with bloodwood. It was a simple store front but the red color of the wooden door stole all the attention until one happened to look up at the sign.
Above the door and the windows on the pure white sign, written in cursive were the words "Fairy Lights". On the top right corner was a small woodland fairy almost the size of the letters. Many a new visitors claimed to have seen that fairy moving, thus catching their attention and piquing their curiosity to enter the café. The regulars would just smile with knowing looks when notified about the impish fairy.
It was not the teasing fairy that made the customers coming back again and again, almost like a delirious addiction.
The items served at the café were what made the customers so loyal and it helped immensely that the owner was a sweet young woman whose radiant personality was contagious to all those who walked through the door.
Kyoko, as she was called had come out from the kitchens in the back to check up on the lunch hour.
Since the store was surrounded by the various companies most of the customers were business men and women from the neighboring buildings. There was also the occasional celebrity come from the famed headquarters, LME.
Although the café served the usual coffee, tea, sandwiches, and light soups it was most famous for its cakes and desserts.
The store wide glass counter in the back of the store made children and adult alike drool with anticipation when their eyes beheld the rows of cakes and pastries. The front of the store was showered artistically with small square tables with matching chairs.
Kyoko would have loved to have decorated the café with all things frilly and pink but her sensibilities and her friend had managed to keep the hearts, roses and fantasies from bubbling out.
Few of the customers greeted Kyoko as she walked around. She returned the greetings and talked to some of them for a minute or two, not wanting to disturb their eating.
Noticing no problems with the customers as they ate in the comfy café, Kyoko turned her attention to one of the cahiers to speak about something.
She stood in her white apron wrapped around just her legs, her back to the door, conversing with Yuki.
The door twinkled and all the clients glimpsed at the blonde haired man who entered. Many woman gave him a once over and almost all of them thanked their lucky stars that they had come at the right time today.
His green eyes surveyed the store and they eventually landed on the young woman whose back was to him.
Yuki noticing his attention stopped paying attention and stared at him. Kyoko turned around to see who had caught Yuki's attention and her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was.
Kuon gave her a small smile and nodded his head in greeting. His bespectacled manager coming up behind him addressed Kyoko.
"Hello Kyoko-chan" he gushed happily.
Kyoko bowed low and returned the greeting to both men.
Once they were done with the greetings Kuon and Yashiro, his manager, took their seats at a table by the windows.
Per ritual a male waiter served the two men, Kyoko had far too many incidents with the female waitress to let them continue serving Kuon. That is not to say that they were horrible workers just that they were human. To have the acclaimed actor, they usually saw on the screen or on the page of a magazine, in front of their eyes was surreal.
Kyoko could not help but take a peek at the man who sometimes confused her. There was something about him that seemed to take her by surprise. Although she heard of him just recently, it was not his fame that kept her on her toes.
Shaking her head to pull herself out of her daydreams Kyoko went back to her work, bidding various customers a good day.
Her pastry chef was hard at works as she step through the kitchen door. Kijima Hidehito was an established playboy but Kyoko liked him for his meticulous creations. A former child actor, he quit the world of glamour and fame to chase his dream of being a pastry chef.
At first Kyoko was reluctant to hire him, due to the fact that he had no prior experience just having got out of pastry school, and he flirted with her almost unmercifully. To say she was uncomfortable would have been an understatement. She looked past his playboy exterior and gave him a trial position and her gamble paid off. He was almost as good Kyoko, not that she would ever brag or even think such a thing.
Along with Kijima was the part-time apprentice, Mika, who did whatever she was told. As usual the two were flirting with each other and Kyoko wished she was back outside. Despite the fact that they weren't in a relationship Kyoko always felt like she was interrupting something private.
Her cheeks tinted pink and Mika saw her first.
"Any problems out there?" she asked cheerfully.
Kyoko smiled and shook her head "No, none Mika-san."
Mika rolled her eyes at the formality, Kyoko never seemed to learn. Forget the fact that they had known each other for two years now; Mika was younger than her for crying out loud.
"Anyone worthwhile?" asked Kijima with a smirk.
Instantly Kuon's face came into Kyoko's mind but she knew he wasn't asking about her male patrons.
Mika playfully threw a cream dusted towel at Kijima.
"Hey! What was that for?" He asked irritated, wiping cream off his cheek.
"You know exactly what it was for, stop asking her things that make her uncomfortable" stated Mika coolly.
Kyoko had her suspicions that Mika had a crush on Kijima, she got along with him well enough but the second his attention turned to some beautiful lady she would be all ice and sharpness.
"Guys!" warned Kyoko as their bickering got worse. They immediately shut up, knowing all too well about Kyoko's demons. When it came to her work Kyoko expected the best and bitter bickering was not what she wanted from her workers while they were on their job.
The waiters came to and fro from the double doors to pick up their orders ignoring the usual occurrence of Kijima and Mika being scolded.
Kyoko went to check up on the individual apple tarts she had put in the oven before she had gone out. The timer showed that 10 more minutes were left.
'Just enough time to check up on the supplies in the pantry' she thought. She made a list each day and brought fresh ingredients each morning for the day's use.
Her day went as it usually did and by the time closing time came around all she wanted to do was go up to her apartment, crawl into her comfy bed, and sleep the night away. Everyone else had gone home, leaving Kyoko with some simple tasks to finish before she locked up for the day.
Kyoko was crouched down, wiping down the inside of the display case when the door twinkled open.
Sighing Kyoko slowly got up saying "I'm sorry, but it's closing time so…"
Her words were lost on her as her golden eyes met with a pair of enticing green eyes.
"Kuon" slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself and she turned the darkest shade of red imaginable on a pair of snowy cheeks, when she realized what she said.
The smile he gave her froze her body and he said softly "Kyoko-san…