CHAPTER 1
Yuzu was in her third year in University, after Mei had left her she had found a strange comfort in burying herself in studying.
It wasn't until her last year in high school that she realised she wanted to pursue a career in medicine, especially after her Father died of an unknown heart disease Yuzu knew she wouldn't want anyone else going through the pain that her mother and herself went through.
As usual she was running late for her class, she sprinted down the street.
Without looking she quickly turned the corner -BANG-
In seconds Yuzu was on the ground rubbing her head as it seemed she had just run into someone.
Papers were scattered all over the footpath. "Ohhhh i'm so sorry" Yuzu kept apologising as she tried to pick up all the sheets of paper without ruining them.
After hearing no reply she looked over at the raven haired girl who had her back to her and was dusting her skirt off.
She knew that black silky hair anywhere "M….Mei?"
Yuzu saw the figure stiffen as she said the name. Slowly turning around their eyes met. Purple met Greens.
Mei felt like she couldn't breathe, her heart was racing and her head was throbbing from just being run into by the blonde.
"Yuzu" Yuzu jumped up, she startled Mei as she gave her a hug.
Yuzu quickly pulled back as her phone rang "Hello?…ahhh yes, yes im on my way"
Looking to Mei she quickly wrote her number down on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
"Here is my number Mei, give me a call sometime and we can hang out, if you want"
Before Mei could even reply, Yuzu was already running down the street. Mei stood there as she watched until Yuzu was no longer in sight.
Mei looked at the number she held the piece of paper close to her chest "Yuzu"
Yuzu managed to only just make it in time as she rushed to her seat and placed her books on top of the table. "You like living life on the edge dont you" A girl with long dark brown hair and red eyes shook her head as she spoke to her blonde friend.
"Ohh come on Yui, my alarm didn't go off" Yuzu gave her friend an apologetic smile as she turned her attention to the teacher.
The rest of the day went pretty normal for the blonde "Are you waiting for someone important Yuzu?" She quickly placed her phone back in her pockets as she just realised she was just staring at her blank phone.
"Ohh no, no, I just thought I would have had at least a message by now" She shrugged her shoulders as she rubbed the back of her head with her hand.
"If you say so. Well this is my stop, ill see you tomorrow and make sure your on time" Yuzu and Yui hugged briefly before they separated ways.
After another 15 minutes of walking, Yuzu was home "I'm home" she slowly took her shoes off and entered the kitchen area. "Welcome back Yuzucchi"
Yuzu gave her friend a smile as she poured herself a vodka and lime. "Bad day huh?"
Yuzu looked back to her friend as she sat at the table "Yeah you could say that" taking one more look at her phone, she sat back in her chair, leaning back she looked up at the ceiling.
'She probably thinks im a weirdo, i mean who would react like that after 5 years' Yuzu was brought out of her thoughts as she felt Harumin's hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Looking up at her friend, Yuzu let out a small sigh "I saw Mei today"
Harumin instantly sat down next to Yuzu and grabbed her hand "What!? Really? what happened? i mean whats it been now, like 5 years?"
She just nodded her head as she answered the questions "I kind of ran into her, but I was running really late this morning, so I just gave her my number and told her to call me sometime to hang out if she wanted to"
Yuzu let out a long sigh as she continued "I mean, what happened between us was so long ago. I just thought that she would have contacted me by now"
Harumin gave Yuzu's hand a squeeze as she spoke "You dont still have feelings for her so you? I mean you do have-" Yuzu pulled her hand away from Harumin as she waved them in front of herself "I know what you mean Haru. I honestly just thought we could have a catch up, thats all"
Harumin just gave her friend a sad smile as she stood up and made her way back to the kitchen "O.k, if you say so Yuzucchi, I just dont want to see anyone get hurt. Especially you" Yuzu looked at her best friend, she knew that Harumin would always have her back no matter what and she was so grateful that she had a best friend like her.
After having dinner together and talking about the rest of their plans for the week. Both girls decided it was time to go to bed.
Yuzu laid there staring at the ceiling again her mind drifting back to her high school years and how much things had changed. Harumin was studying to become a fashion designer while Matsuri wanted to become a detective.
Mei had spent most of the day in class thinking about a certain blonde. Her life had taken a pretty dull appearance now, all colour in her world had left when she decided to leave Yuzu.
She was sitting on the edge of her bed now, looking over to her bedside clock she mentally scolded herself "12:10am what are you doing Mei?" she must have dialled Yuzu's number over 100 times by now she already knew it off by heart.
Looking down at the phone with the number already in there, all she had to do was hit the call button. She shook her head as she went to press cancel.
Mei sat there in silence for a moment, trying to make sense of everything she was currently feeling. Then she could vaguely hear a voice 'Hello?" Mei looked to her left and then to her right but no one was there "Hello" 'That voice again, where is it coming from?'
Her eyes widened as she looked down at her phone and realised that she had hit the call button not the cancel button. She quickly placed the phone to her ear and the sound of Yuzu's voice came through clear as day. "Is anyone there?" Mei let out a small sigh which Yuzu clearly heard.
"Mei? is that you?" Her voice got stuck in her throat as she tried to speak.
"Mei?"
"ummm Hello Yuzu" She heard the blonde girl let out a sigh of relief as she waited on the line to hear if the blonde had anything else to say.
"Is everything o.k? Did something happen?" Mei was lost for words, she didn't know what to say, she was never really the one to make conversations.
"I…umm did you want to meet up sometime?"
Mei heard Yuzu give out a small giggle as she answered her "Yeah, sure Mei. I'm pretty busy with classes all week but i'll be free on Saturday if thats ok with you?"
Mei felt a smile come across her face. After organising a time and place they finally said their goodbyes and hung up.
Mei held her phone to her chest as she could feel her heart beating faster, it has been the first time in 5 years that she could actually feel something. She was nervous, excited and happy all at once.
Yuzu on the other hand was feeling some emotions as well. She didn't know what to call it exactly, but she was happy that she had a chance to catch up with her step sister. Her mother was always bugging her to get over whatever fight her and Mei had. She always avoided bringing Mei up in conversations, she was so angry and bitter at her for leaving the way she did. But Yuzu felt like she had at least matured during her time away from home.
She was studying hard, working a part-time job and had her own apartment. Well she shared with Harumin but she was still living away from home so Yuzu counted it as she was being completely independent.
The week went pretty fast for both girls and before they knew it Saturday was here.
"Yuzucchi your gonna be late, didn't you say your meeting Mei at 10am?"
Looking at her clock Yuzu cursed to herself "Shit its already 9.20am"
Yuzu turned as she heard the door knob turn and the door swing open "Honestly, whats taking you so long?" Harumin gave her friend a worried look as she saw nearly Yuzu's entire wardrobe all over the floor and bed.
"I dont know what I should wear" Yuzu sat on the end of the bed as she gave out a sigh of defeat.
Harumin quickly grabbed a couple of pieces of clothing and placed them in her hands. "Here, just trust me. o.k?"
Closing the door as she walked out Harumin went and sat on the couch, waiting for the blonde.
Trusting in her friend, Yuzu threw on the clothes Harumin had given her and quickly exited the room.
"See, didn't I tell you to trust me" Harumin gave her friend a wide smile as she looked her over.
Yuzu was wearing faded blue skinny jeans that had tears in the front showing her smooth skin underneath. Dark green v cut top which complemented her eyes perfectly and a black leather jacket. She wore her white chux sneakers and just a bit of light make up. She had done her hair in a braid and pulled it to one side, leaving half of her neck exposed.
Wearing her favourite heart shaped ear rings Yuzu gave a model like pose as she grinned back to her friend. "Thank you Haru, i'm always relying on you like this."
After the 2 friends hugged Yuzu made her way out the door.
Harumin stood there for a few minutes staring at the door as she was lost in her thoughts.
'Good luck Yuzucchi, I hope you know what your doing'
To Yuzu's surprise she was the first one at the Cafe, she took a seat inside and started to play on her phone as she waited for the raven haired girl.
After about 10 minutes Yuzu heard the door open and close, she turned around to see Mei standing there with her emotionless expression.
"Mei over here" Yuzu waved her arms as she got the girls attention.
As Mei made her way over to Yuzu, she couldn't help but notice how beautiful the raven haired girl looked.
Mei was wearing a dark blue button up blouse that only deepened her eyes and grey skirt that fell just below her knees. Wearing just some simple black slip on shoes.
Mei had her hair down as she used to in high school, Yuzu noticed that the younger girl was wearing a small amount of make up.
"Mei, did you find the place ok?" Yuzu spoke as she got up and gave the younger girl a hug.
"Yes, thank you Yuzu" Mei quickly took a seat.
To start with the conversation was awkward, but after about 10 minutes everything seemed to flow smoothly as the 2 step sisters spoke about what they had been doing for the last 5 years.
Both girls seemed to be avoiding certain topics like the arranged marriage and their love lives.
Yuzu seemed to direct most of the conversation as Mei added a few comments in every now and then.
"So what are you doing here in Tokyo anyway Mei? Last I heard from Mama you were studying online from home" Yuzu raised her hand as she waited for a waitress to come over.
"Yes I was doing online studying, but I decided to finish my last year here so I could get some more practical experience, and some other reasons" Mei's voice went quiet during the end of the sentence. Yuzu just nodded to Mei as she saw the waitress heading over.
"Hello Doctor you want your usual" Mei watched in silence.
"Ohhhh come on Gina you know im not a Doctor yet, and yes ill have my usual"
Yuzu turned her head to Mei as she continued to speak "What would you like Mei?"
"Could I ple-" Gina quickly butted in "Ahhh so is this your new squeeze? she's a beauty"
She looked Mei up and down, Mei was beginning to feel very uncomfortable.
"What? No, this is my step sister Mei" Yuzu then gestured between the 2 women as she introduced them to one another.
"Mei this is Gina, is a tea fine for you Mei? you still like tea, right?"
Mei bowed politely to Gina as she then turned and nodded to Yuzu.
"Wow super polite to, are you sure your sisters?" Gina giggled as she gave Yuzu a smirk.
"Step sisters, Gina. Mama remarried when I was 16 to Meis Father"
The first 2 words made Mei bite her bottom lip. Yuzu waved her hands, gesturing for Gina to go.
"Hey dont you have some tea to make?"
Mei saw Gina give Yuzu a seductive wink as she turned on her heel and went behind the counter.
"Sorry for that Mei, she is always like that"
Mei wanted to apologise to Yuzu for the way she left, but she didn't really know how to bring up the topic. She wanted to tell Yuzu everything.
"Im sorry" Mei had her head down as she spoke. Yuzu looked around as she didn't really know if Mei was talking to her or not. Yuzu went to speak when Mei spoke again, more clear this time.
"Sorry for the way I just left you and-" Mei stopped halfway through her sentence as Yuzu placed a finger on her lips. She raised her head to be met with soft, caring green eyes.
"There is no need for apology Mei. We were only teenagers then and I understand the reasons why you did it the way you did"
Mei gave Yuzu a small smile as she spoke "When did you become so mature?"
Yuzu gave a little giggle as she answered he step sister "We all have to grow up eventually, right?"
"Heres your Latte, double shot, 2 sugars and almond milk" Mei watched as the 2 seemed to exchange warm smiles to one an other, Gina then turned to Mei as she placed the cup down.
"And one green tea for you"
Yuzu felt that something was wrong as she took a sip of her drink "Mei is something wrong?"
Mei blew the top of her drink in an attempt to cool it a little before she took a sip.
"Do you come here often? You seem like a regular"
Yuzu gave a nervous smile as she answered the raven haired girl. "Yeah, pretty much everyday, its on my way to class. I probably drink too much coffee though" Yuzu laughed at the end of her sentence.
Mei stared into Yuzu's eyes, they were still as beautiful as she remembered, shining bright with so much love and care in them.
"So your going to be a Doctor?" Mei spoke as she kept her gaze into Yuzu's eyes.
Yuzu gave Mei a nervous smile as she spoke "Yeah, well after everything that happened between us….."
Yuzu paused for a moment as she was thinking of the exact words to say.
"After some time, I realised that I love helping people and what better way then to save lives. And after the way my Papa passed, I dont want anyone else to have to go through that pain"
Mei could see the pain Yuzu still felt about her Father dying. She gave Yuzu a smile as she spoke softly to the blonde "He would be proud of you Yuzu"
Yuzu gave Mei a wide smile as she took a sip from her drink.
Both girls lost track of time before Yuzu's phone rang "Sorry Mei, I gotta quickly take this"
Yuzu excused herself from the table as she stepped outside to take the call.
Mei watched from inside how happy Yuzu seemed to be with who ever she was talking to. After about 10 minutes she came back inside.
"Sorry Mei"
Just nodding in return Mei spoke "Is everything o.k?"
Yuzu Quickly sent off a txt as she spoke "Yeah, I just had to rearrange some plans I had, thats all"
Yuzu noticed the look of guilt in Meis eyes as she looked down.
She quickly got out of her chair which caused Mei to look up.
"Do you wanna go get something to eat Mei?"
Yuzu rubbed her stomach as she waited for a response. Mei's eyes widened as she looked at Yuzu she started to feel warm inside. Normally the only time people wanted to spend time with her is because they wanted something. But not Yuzu, all she wanted was to actually spend time with Mei. Not Mei Aihara Heir to the Aihara name, but just simple Mei.
Nodding to the older girl Mei stood as she started to follow Yuzu out of the cafe.
"See Ya Monday Doctor" Gina flashed a wide smile at the pair as they left.
They were walking for about 10 minutes "Where are we going Yuzu?"
Mei looked over to Yuzu who gave her a wide smile "Well there is this really great restaurant about 10 more minutes from here that does a really great seafood dishes"
Yuzu then stared forward as she continued to speak "You still like seafood, right Mei?"
Meis nodded and before she knew it, a small smile had grew on her face.
Even though Yuzu was the one that suggested getting food, she only decided to go to a place that Mei would like.
She quickly looked at her phone '2pm, I didn't realise that time went that fast'
After 10 more minutes they finally made it, Yuzu opened the door for Mei who blushed at the gesture.
The restaurant was full, Mei looked around and thought for sure that they wouldn't be able to get a table, she had heard about this place and she knew it was very expensive and you would have to book months in advance if you wanted to eat there.
They waited patiently for the waiter to approach them.
"Yuzu, this place looks really busy"
Yuzu looked around, she looked to Mei and gave her a soft smile "Dont worry Mei"
"Ahhh Yuz, hows it going?" A tall young man with short red spiky hair and deep dark green eyes waved as he walked towards the girls.
He walked with grace, wearing a dark blue suit. "Shiro how ya going?" Yuzu jumped into the guys arms for a hug.
Mei felt a pain in her chest, she knew that this was just how Yuzu was with everyone but she couldn't help but only want the blonde to touch her.
"Mei"
Mei was quickly brought out of her thoughts as she looked up and saw Yuzu and Shiro looking at her.
"This is my good friend Shiro. Shiro this is my step sister Mei"
Mei quickly bowed "Im Mei Aihara, very nice to meet you"
Shiro copied Mei's motion as he also bowed "Shiro Kiasaki, nice to meet you"
As Shiro stood back up he spoke "Table for 2 then?"
"Yes please Shiro"
Yuzu and Mei followed the tall young man as he lead them through the restaurant.
As they walked passed the main seating area Shiro snapped his fingers and 2 of the waiters disappeared behind some doors.
After walking through another door Mei noticed the same 2 waiters setting up a table right next to the window.
"Thanks Shiro" Both girls thanked him as he pulled out their chairs for them.
"Not a problem, I must be going now. We will have to catch up soon"
He gave a smile to both girls before he left.
"Choose whatever you want Mei, everything on the menu is delicious"
After they placed their order both sisters fell into a comfortable silence.
Mei looked around, the restaurant seemed very high classed, Mei wandered exactly how much Yuzu had changed over the years and these new people she knew.
Although Mei did know that Yuzu never was the kind of person to struggle to make friends.
She easily befriended everyone at the Academy before she left.
It was something that Mei became aware of after she had left the goodbye letter for Yuzu.
Even though she no longer interacted with the blonde she found that more and more people would ask her if Yuzu was o.k.
She unconsciously gripped the ring under her shirt as the memories seemed to be flooding her mind.
"Mei"
Mei looked up to see Yuzu giving her a concerned expression as she spoke again.
"If you are tired we can get this to go"
Mei shook her head slowly as she tried to avoid eye contact with the older girl.
"No i'm fine, sorry I just spaced out"
Yuzu let out a laugh as she grabbed her glass of water and had a sip.
"Your still the same i see"
Yuzu took in a breath as she spoke again "This place probably doesn't seem like me, does it"
Mei had a shocked look on her face, was she really that easy for Yuzu to read.
She looked to the blonde and was caught in those bright emerald orbs.
Yuzu gave her a wide smile as she spoke with a bit of seriousness in her voice.
"Shiro's family own this restaurant and a few others around the city, I'm really close with his sister, we are in the same class" Mei let out a small sigh of relief.
A waiter came and placed the food on the table. The smell made Mei's stomach growl, it looked and smelt delicious.
"Dig in before it gets cold Mei"
Not another word was spoken as the 2 ate their meals quietly.
"Ohhhh i'm so full" Yuzu rubbed her stomach as her and Mei made there way onto the footpath just outside the restaurant.
"Thank you Yuzu that was delicious"
Yuzu gave her signature smile and peace sign to Mei, thoughts of her and Yuzu having dinner everyday when they were younger came to her mind.
"Do you wanna share a taxi Mei?"
Mei went to answer when she saw a dark figure coming from behind Yuzu, she felt her heart beat faster and fear creeping in to her mind.
The person's arms opened up as they went to grab the blonde, Mei went to say something when….
"Gotcha!"
Yuzu was picked up from behind and swung around in circles, Meis heart started to calm down as she heard the blonde laugh a little before speaking.
"hahahah i'm so full, dont spin to much"
Mei looked at the man as his face was lit up by a street light.
He was taller then both her and Yuzu his hair was a sandy blonde that seemed to sit perfectly, his skin had a nice tan and his eyes were a vibrant blue.
Mei watched as Yuzu turned around in the embrace as he kept his arms around her waist, his black and purple suit was immaculate as he stood tall.
Yuzu looked into his eyes, she closed her eyes as she felt his lips on hers. For a moment everything faded away and she felt like it was just the 2 of them.
Her eyes shot open as she remembered she wasn't alone.
She pulled back as she turned to Mei, she saw the hurt look in her eyes and for a second she felt her heart ache. She grabbed the man by the hand and pulled him over to Mei.
She didn't know why but she felt so nervous as she spoke.
"Ahh Mei this is my Fiancé Ren"
He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a ring as he spoke "Speaking of that"
He grabbed Yuzu's hand and slid the ring on her finger, Mei felt like an invisible knife was stabbing her in the heart right now.
"You forgot it at my place again" He gave a smile to Yuzu.
Mei watched as Yuzu looked at him, she knew that look. Yuzu used to look at her like that.
"Sorry babe I was running late again" Yuzu's voice was soft as she spoke.
Mei grabbed the ring under her shirt, it was like another knife in the heart.
'She seems happy'
Mei quickly took a breath in as she re composed herself.
"I'm Mei Aihara, nice to meet you" She bowed as she prayed her voice wouldn't crack.
TO BE CONTINUED…..
So how did I do?
Im not sure how many chapters this one will have, but I hope that everyone enjoyed it.
Please leave a review if you have time, happy reading and have a great day :)