Somewhere on Autumn Woods Drive
Disclaimer: I do not own YYH. This disclaimer will be for all future chapters of this story
By Rikku Lin Minouke
Chapter One
I guess you could say that this is the most important story of my life. There was so much that happened to me within that year, I don't know where to start. Do I start telling you about why I left school? Or do I start with the doctor appointment? In the end, it probably doesn't matter where I begin. The ending is always going to be the same. That was the year you came into my life.
…
The steam drifted up from my coffee cup as I leaned back into the charcoal, metal weaved chair. Snow sprinkled from the clouds, coating the sidewalk at my feet. Night had fallen more than an hour ago, casting a morbid tint on the world around me. Raising the cup to my lips, I sighed into the liquid. The top of the decaf mocha rippled against my breath. The coffee lid lay upside down on the top of one of my knees with little snowflakes collecting slowly with every passing second. I checked the yellow plastic watch on the underside of my wrist as I stood. Momentarily forgetting the lid, until the clack of the plastic rang through the quiet air.
I bent at the knees to pick it back up. The fresh snow was cold and soft as my fingers brushed the sidewalk while retrieving the plastic. In the parking lot in front of me, there was two cars including my own ten year old Taurus. Rust had started to spread around the metal by the wheels. The other vehicle belonged to the teenage girl I was working with tonight. Tossing my cup and lid into the green garbage can, I turned to head back into the warmth of our coffee shop.
"Question!" I heard the new girl call from the back. Her voice louder than the bell over the front door that I walked through. Shrugging my black sweater into a more comfortable position, I took my time walking toward her until I reached the back room. My shoulder pressed against the metal door frame as I watched her for a moment with raised eyebrows. Her aqua blue hair was tied back in a French braid under her black and brown baseball hat. The beige apron was tied in the front with the deep brown strings criss crossing behind her back to meet under her bust in a bow.
"Answer?" I cocked my head slightly as she turned to face me with her hands on her hips.
She blew an invisible hair off her face. "I thought," She paused briefly, "I would start night chores while you were on break." She bit her lip and gave me a pleading gaze. I had to remind myself she was only sixteen.
I glanced at my watch again. "You do realize it's only five, right? We still have almost four hours until close." Around here, everything but the bar closes at 9pm. She nodded at me, but her puppy eyes didn't go away. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," she held up her hands defensively.
"That's a start." My tone was heavy in my throat.
"However…" I could almost see the beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "I spilled the bag of nutmeg behind the counter."
My head slowly shook back and forth. "Cool your anxiety girl," I almost laughed at her. "Just grab the broom and dustpan in the corner there." I pointed her in the right direction, my own blue bangs swishing back and forth. "I won't tell John, just make sure it's all cleaned up."
"Thank you so much!" Her squeal was high enough to make my ears ring, so I turned promptly and headed back to the counter.
"Plus, Juri," I said over my shoulder, "I honestly don't see Koenma getting mad because you spilled a little nutmeg. This is still your first week; it's practically required to make mistakes for another few weeks."
"He intimidates me," she murmured from close behind me. The lack of self confidence was clear in her voice. I didn't need to see her to know her shoulders were slumped and her forehead was scrunched in frustration. It was obvious that this was her first job, but it was encouraging that the new hire wanted to do their best. Let's hope this one sticks with the shop.
As we approached the counter, I saw a dark green Toyota pull into the front parking space. The headlights illuminated the chocolate brown tiled floor. Straightening the stack of gift cards, I stood behind the counter with a clickable permanent marker in hand. Behind me, the swoosh of the bristles from the broom over shadowed the music sampler playing through the speakers. My mauve eyes followed any movement I could make out through the frosted glass.
The bell rang over the door as a man walked into the shop. His eyes drifted around the empty room slowly before casually walking toward the counter. For a moment, he stopped and gazed at the coffee cups we had on display. I watched as he fingered one of our Geek Week collection cups. Probably a Star Wars one; it is that time of year. I'd imagine another one will be coming to theaters in the near future.
The brushing behind me stopped as Juri walked toward the back with the full dustpan and broom. I let my attention follow the girl to the back, even after the swish of the backroom door had settled. When I turned back to watch the man, he was only a few feet from the counter. Planting on a bright, fake smile, I greeted him.
"Welcome to Grounds," I said with a small tilt of my head; people usually liked that kind of thing. If it worked for dogs, maybe I could pull it off? It hadn't failed me yet, at least. Looking up at the man, the first thing I noticed was his past the shoulders, fire truck, red hair. Next were the shining jade eyes. They were so vibrantly green, that it was a moment before I realized that I was staring. "What can I get going for you today?"
His eyes left my face as he glanced up at the board behind me. The man reached his right hand to his back pocket where he pulled his worn brown leather wallet out. "I think I'll do a large peppermint white mocha with an extra shot."
My left hand reached for the cup and I started writing on the side. "Can I have your first name?"
"Kurama."
Nodding my head as I finished the cup, I set it on the counter and typed his order into the computer. "Alright Kurama, your total is $5.25."
"Do you want me to make it?" Juri whispered behind me. Glancing back at her, I nodded. The sound of her feet shuffling followed in her wake. The metal cup clinked on the counter as she set up for the drink. Out of the corner of my eye, I watcher her pour the milk, pump the mocha, and place the steam rod in the cup. The hissing of hot air filled the room as Juri went to grab the paper cup.
"Here's six," the man handed me two crinkled bills. I tapped the screen and the drawer opened, banging me in slightly in the hip. The corners of my mouth lifted a bit as I handed him his change.
"Your drink will be ready in just a moment, Kurama," I told him and turned to look at Juri. She was still reading the cup. A red tint had started to spread across her face, probably embarrassment. "What are you stuck on?"
"What drink is this?" her voice was quiet and I noticed her empty hand was fidgeting with the edge of her apron.
"Peppermint white mocha," I told her. "It's just like the peppermint mochas you did earlier today. Did you add the white mocha to the cup instead of the regular mocha?"
"Yes." The smile she gave me was uneasy and weak.
"Ok," I nodded. There are fine lines between babying, helping, and being too stern. I may drift too close to babying, I will be the first to admit it. "Then just add the peppermint to the cup and start your shots. Remember, he is getting an extra shot." She blinked twice before pumping the sugar free syrup in the cup and setting up the espresso shots.
"Training?" The man's voice shocked me. My head shot up to look at him over the bar walls.
"Excuse me?" I asked, because honestly, I hadn't expected him to say anything else to me after giving him the change.
"Are you training tonight?" he asked with a little side smirk. He was rather attractive; I couldn't deny that even if I'd tried.
"Yeah," I nodded. "I believe this is her third day, right Juri?"
"Yep!" Her chirp sounded as she swirled the syrup and espresso in the bottom of the cup.
"Are you new as well?" he asked and started at my face as if he was trying to place me in his memory. I gave a short harmless laugh and shook my head. "I can't say I've seen you here before."
"Are you a regular then?" I asked, stressing the the first two words and felt the edges of my mouth turned up into a playful smile.
"I guess you could say that," he nodded with his eyes turned up like he'd never thought of himself that way. A few strands of his bright hair moved with the movement of his head.
"Hey boss," Juri said lightly and I glanced over at her. "What do I put on top?" Her hands circled the top of the cup, taking care not to actually touch the beverage.
"Whip and peppermint crumbles." I told her matter of factly. Looking back at the man, he was still picking apart my appearance. "What?" I was surprised how demanding and defensive my voice came out. My hands instinctively came together in front of me like a safeguard from what this unknown man.
"If you aren't new, then why haven't I seen you before?" His questions made me sigh internally. The green of his eyes were shining bright. Almost as if they knew a secret and were holding it hostage.
"Pushy," I laughed to show him I wasn't actually offended. "I've been here for almost seven years. The last few, though, I was away at college for the most part. I have been coming back on breaks and holidays."
"Are you on break already? I thought classes were still going on?" he grabbed the cup of coffee that Juri was offering.
"No," I told him. "I'm done with school now."
"Well, congrats on finishing," he said and raised his sbrown cup as if he was toasting my accomplishments. It made me chuckle slightly at his attempt. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn't graduate. One hundred percent college dropout right here.
"Thanks." Smiling at him, I unclasped my hands and picked up the froth filled pitcher. Quickly, I turned around and ran it under the warm water before setting it upside down on the black drying pad.
"Well," he paused waiting for me to face him again, "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow." I could hear the smile in his voice before I even looked back up at his face. His tight grey zip up sweatshirt did nothing to hide the broad shoulders that he shrugged once before shifting his feet.
"I'll be here." Honestly, I tried to sound nice, but by the raise of Juri's eyebrows, it must have come off as otherwise. Coughing lightly in the back of my throat, I tried to change my tone. "Have a great night, Kurama."
I watched him take small strides to the front door. Setting his hand on the door release, he turned to look back at me. "What's your name? I'd look at your name tag, but you don't have one."
That actually me break out into a real smile. It was something that Koenma and I always argued about these days. The boss always told me that I had to have one. Of course, I refused and kept telling him that most people in this small town already knew who I was.
"It's Botan."