Hello! So... ummm... this is my first fanfic... i hope you guys enjoy! (^_^) uhhh... this kinda awkward cuz i don't know who am i talking to...but... *Shrug*
I do not own Yumeiro Patissiere or anything related to it...so that will be my disclaimer and let's get on with the story!
Chapter One: ~St. Marie?~
Ichigo's P.O.V
"Wow! Imai-san, this is so amazing!" I exclaimed as the shiny, polished iron gates swept open and took me into a kingdom of cakes and pastries. Bite-size Madelines, éclairs, petit fours, pain au chocolates, macaroons, and brioches were all laid out carefully like precious gems. They were like a feast to ones eyes.
"Amano-sama! Please don't get too excited," my manager, Imai-san, told me.
"Relax, I'll be fine," I reassured her for the hundredth time as I lead the way through the crowd and toward a beautiful booth decorated with magenta and scarlet roses.
"Amano-sama! Chotto! Wait!" Imai-san yelled from behind, but I was already out of her sight.
Ohayo gonzaimasu! My name is Ichigo Amano. I'm 15 years old and I live in Tokyo, Japan. I love sweets, but unfortunately, I can't make any. Until I was nine, I used to live with my belated grandmother, who was a famous baker in France. I went back to Japan after her funeral because my step-grandfather couldn't take care of me
Ever since I little, I had dreamed to be a famous baker like my grandmother, but I guess luck wasn't with me. My parents doesn't approve of it. Both of them are doctors. Everyone in my family had been doctors for generations. We even own two hospitals of our own. I am not interested in being a doctor.
As the years went by, I had forgotten about my dream, but my love for sweets still remains. I go to every cake festivals I can, but little did I know that the one I'm at right now can change my life.
When I had reached the booth, I was enchanted by the beautifully arranged mini cakes and pastries. Each and every one of them has their own unique designs and themes. Just by looking at them, I can tell that the baker had put a lot of skills and passions when making them.
The blond hair man who owns the booth greeted me with a smile and asked, "Which one would you like, Miss?"
"Umm… I'll take this one please," I told him, pointing to the mini chocolate cake decorated with red strawberries perfectly sliced into a shape of a violet flower.
That cake was filled with thick, red, smooth, warm cherry syrup. As I took my first bite, the mild bitterness overwhelms my taste buds, but as soon as the warm syrup touches my tongue, the bitterness disappears and in its place the warmth and sweetness of the cherry syrup. The two flavors- bitter and sweet- are harmonizing with each other to make and unforgettable flavor. Despite the fact that I've never seen this cake before, the flavor reminds me of my grandmother's chocolate cake.
I must have had a weird expression on my face because the man asked, "Is there something wrong with my cake?"
"Oh, no! Your cake is delicious!" I assured him, "it's just that somehow, the flavor is the same as my grandmother's."
"The same?" he asked me.
"Well, not exactly the same," I told him, "just somewhat similar." Oh, this is so awkward! I thought.
"Similar?" the man asked me again, now looking confused. "I'm sorry! I don't mean to insult you," I apologized, "it's just that my grandmother used to put unsalted butter in her chocolate cake too."
"Did your grandmother go to a school called St. Marie when she was young?" the man asked me.
"Now that you mentioned it… yes, she did," I replied, "in France."
"My name is Henry Renneau," the man introduced himself; "I'm a teacher at St. Marie's main campus in France."
"I'm Ichigo Amano," I told him.
"Could it be that your grandmother is the famous Madame Lucillia Fujioka?" Henry-sensei asked.
"Yes, how did you know?" I asked him.
"Madame Fujioka had impressed her teachers with her talented baking skills while she was a students there," Henry-sensei explained.
"She used to run a well-known patisserie in France," I told him.
"Used to?"
"Um… she died a few years back."
"I'm so sorry for reminding you about such a sad event," Henry-sensei apologized.
"It's all right."
"Wait here, ok?" he told me. A few minutes later, Henry-sensei presented me a magnificent cake.
As I took my first bite, I felt the feather-like softness cake melted on my tongue. The chilled ice cream cooled my mouth like breath mints. The cake is cold but at the same time it is also warm and comfortable. It is bitter but the ice cream sweet. It tasted like how first love would be.
How did you know?" Henry-sensei uttered in surprise, "I used that as my theme."
"Hee-hee," I giggled.
"You have an amazing palate," Henry-sensei said, "Ichigo-san, would you enroll into St. Marie?"
"What?" I gasped, "You want me to go to St. Marie?"
"Yes, there's one in Japan."
"But the new term had started," I protested, "beside, I'll be a year late."
"Don't worry, I'll write you a recommendation letter, and I'm sure you'll be able to catch up," Henry-sensei assured me. Then he gave me his business card.
At that moment, Imai-san finally caught up to me. One look at her glaring black eyes, I can tell that she is angry and out breathe.
"Amano-sama! Never do that again!" she scolded me, "do not disappear like that!"
"I'm sorry," I mumbled, putting an apologetic face, but can't keep it straight.
"Your parents would be very worry if you had gotten lost," Imai-san continued.
"As if they even know I'm alive," I muttered.
It's true; I rarely get to see my parents at all. They're always working late. And even if I see them, it'll be glimpses at breakfast. Whenever my parents want to see me, I'll be because I had done something wrong. My younger sister, Aya, keeps to herself a lot, so we don't really talk. I'm pretty much alone all the time.
"Amano-sama, are you even listening to me?" Imai-san asked.
"I'm sorry, I won't disappear from your sight again," I promised her.
"Uh huh, that's what you always say," she replied, 'but that wasn't what I was talking about."
"Then what were you talking about?" I'm trying to stay calm, but I'm afraid my patience is not that great.
"Your mother just called me," she told me, "her and your dad is expecting you for dinner tonight."
"What in the world did I do this time?" I groaned.
"You didn't do anything."
"Then why do they want to see me?" I demanded.
"They only want to have a nice dinner with you," Imai-san told me, "now is that so wrong?"
"Yes," I turned around and faced her.
"What would I do with you?" I heard Imai-san muttered to herself.
Well, that's the first chapter of my story... hope you guys and girls...like it. if you do please review... :)