"Hello!" - Flashbacks

The Knocking Ground was surprising cool that morning. It was usually rather hot like that of a desert. Yet, now, its temperature was like that of winter anywhere but that of the arctic and desert. This cool temperature was what woke up the green-headed Saiseiya, Teppei. There he lay, asleep, when out of nowhere an unusual cold wind blew into the room through the open window. His purplish eyes squeezed a bit before they opened in slow motion. He blinked a few times in question on why he woke up. After the next cold wind came in, he realized at last that it was the unusual cool atmosphere, which woke him up. He sighed, not at all fazed by the cold air. He snuggled his nose into the black night hair of his wife, whom was asleep and in his arms at that moment.

The man lay there in silence, as he enjoyed the change of weather for a few long moments. He opened his eyes once again then looked down at his sleeping wife, Rose. Her mouth was open a bit. The quiet sound of her slow breathing was heard. Her usually emerald sparkling eyes of mischief were closed. Her black long hair spread a bit across her side of the pillows, but most of it stayed in place. Teppei smiled a bit in amusements that she had not woken up from the cold air. Yet, then again, the mere fact that she was used to the cold climate could be few of the many reasons.

Teppei unraveled one of his arms from her body. He got comfortable by laying on his back. Her much smaller form snuggled closer into his side, still unaware of the world around her. The husband stroked her back with his fingers, as he drew invisible pictures on the pale skin with his nails. It got a shiver from the female in her sleep but still refused to wake up. His purple eyes looked down at her; once again, he watched her, captivated by her beauty. He had been gone for a few months on a somewhat long mission. He had no wish to go on the mission, as he didn't want to leave his now pregnant wife, whom he married 5 years ago, behind. But she put her foot down and said that he needed to go and not worry about her. Only yesterday, he returned home.

Teppei exhaled through his nose. Rose was damn stubborn when she set her mind on something. He looked down at the stomach of the woman's, which now changed from its flat state to a small bulge. The man could not stop himself from grinning in a child-like manner as he stroked the bulge with his other hand. Rose made a small noise in her sleep, but did not wake up. The green-headed man kissed her forehead. He thanked whoever was up there that she no longer had those nightmares of hers. She needed as much rest as possible, if what his grandmother said was true of the last months of the pregnancy.

Looking down at his wife, Teppei could not help but smile at the memories that they created together.

-ooOOoo-

21-year-old Teppei walked out of Life. He had gone there to report to Yosaku about strange occurrences at the Human World. Ingredients had started to disappear to the point of extinction. Some that revived just plane out disappeared off the face of the Earth. Even stranger, he heard from his grandfather of strange occurrences that took place in the Gourmet World. Some of which he saw himself. These occurrences had begun a few months ago, and there was suspicion that the Gourmet Corp. was behind it, but it could have been something else. After all, the corporation was not strong enough to go into the Gourmet world.

Teppei frowned as he made his way home when something strange occurred. He just got off the train then walked the rest of the way back to his house when he saw a body lay down in the distance. Confused, he believed that it was yet another ingredient. He squinted his eyes a bit only to realize that the body format was all wrong. It looked almost human. It took Teppei only 10 feet before he finally realized that it was, in fact, an unconscious person. He ran over. He then realized with a quick glance that it was a woman. He kneeled down beside her small body and started to shake her, but she did not wake up. The man noticed that she bleed rather heavily. Teppei unclipped one of his earrings. He let his hand, which held the object, hover over the dry ground and let a drop of liquid hit the dry soil. A plant, the Doctor Aloe, shot out of the ground in lightning speed. When it finished growing the Saiseiya ripped one leaf off then looked where she was bleeding. It was hard to tell, because of the large amount of blood that covered her and soaked her... black cloak? Teppei did not even know what she wore, but he knew one thing for sure. Unless she wanted to get a heat stroke by wearing only black, she had chosen the right clothes. Teppei would have guessed that it was because of the heat stroke, but the blood said otherwise. Who did this to her? Did she do this to herself? Who was she?

Teppei shook his head. This was not the time to question who she was! He would get some answers later, unless he wanted to keep her alive. The Saiseiya had no choice but to rip the heavy cloth open to be able to figure out where the bleeding was coming from. He usually left the injured women to the female doctors and Saiseiyas. But there weren't any nearby and he had to stop the bleeding, now!

Ripppp

A rip sound echoed as he ripped the front open. He almost let out a sigh of relief when he saw that she had a thin t-shirt underneath. When he checked, it looked like she bled from her left side. Teppei wrapped her entire torso, as it was better to be safe than sorry. After that, he gathered her up with carefulness into his arms to make sure that he did not made the injury any worst. Once he stood up, he looked and felt surprised at how light and fragile she felt in his arms. He was strong, do not get him wrong, but even he felt how light the woman's body was. It was as if... as if she had not been eating right. Yet, from the expensive looking clothes that she wore, she wasn't from one of the poor countries. So, who was she? Where did she come from? Again, the questions swirled around his mind. His green clothes begun to stain from the female's' blood, but he did not care. His house was closer. He had the right ingredients, and equipment to keep her stabilize until either she woke up or he took her to Life.

With that, he left to his house.

-ooOOoo-

It had been a month, a whole month since Teppei had found this mysterious woman, and she has not woken up yet. By the second week he had debated with himself whether he should sent her to Life and let them deal with her. The problem was that he received a visit from his grandfather. That, in itself, brought more questions than answers. His grandfather, once he saw her, stated to Teppei with rare seriousness that he was the one to look after her. His reason was that it was because Teppei was the one that found her. It wasn't a good enough reason for the grandson, but he wasn't about to argue with the old man. Like any other time, he would lose whatever argument that he brought forward. The old hunter then muttered something underneath his breath. It sounded a lot like a 'witch' as well as 'what is she doing here?' This made no sense to the grandson. But when he began interrogate his grandfather, the old man kept his mouth shut.

As much as Teppei loves his grandfather, he had to say this:

Damn it

During that month, Teppei took the time to study this mysterious woman. After his grandmother came over to get the woman cleaned up, he was able to look into her body's condition. She was small, which made him believe that she was about 16 or something. Yet, to his shock, he discovered that she was, in fact, 19 years old. He would discount the abnormal size as malnutrition, if it wasn't for that this woman looked rich.

Teppei almost winced at the thought of the ruined clothes. Even when he reached her they were somewhat ruined. With him ripping a large part of it open left it not wearable, so he had to throw it away. He had to replace those clothes with some of his old ones from when he was a teenager. It turned out that it wasn't much of help as his shirt became a dress on her small figure.

It was then that he noticed something about her body: The body was decorated with many scars. These scars sent shivers down his spine. He had never seen so many scars on one person before. Not even he had as many. The one scar that made him pale was that on one of her arms there was writing of 'I must not tell lies'. He had seen his fair share of scars that people wrote on themselves. But this scar looked like it went right into the bone and in such a clean manner it was as if somebody wrote it into her skin. Kami, who did this to her? What has this woman been through to have her end up in this situation with these scars?

It took him about a week to get over the scars, as well as the crazy amount of questions that hadn't left him alone! Once he calmed down, he begun to study the woman once again. He never once noticed up until then just how beautiful she looked. Her midnight hair reminded him of the night sky. Her pale skin, even with all the scars carved into it, looked and felt soft. It almost made him grin with amusements at the thoughts when the said woman was unconscious. Yet, he couldn't get it out of his mind that even though she looked fragile, his instincts cried out to be wary of her.

Who was she?

So, finally, after a whole month, the mysterious woman woke up. Teppei simply checked on her heartbeat when out of nowhere, her eyes flew open. He was startled for good reasons. Her emerald eyes (was it even possible to have those kinds of eyes?) stared at him like daggers and out of nowhere she attacked him. The Saiseiya grabbed her wrists with faster reflexes pinned her down onto the bed. She screamed at him as she struggled:

"Let me go! You better bloody let go of me or I'm going to hex your balls off!"

Teppei would have flinched, but he understood nothing what she threat him with. The 21 year old said as calmly as possible:

"Miss, you have to calm down. I'm not here to harm you."

Seriously, he began to wonder if he found a psychopath with the way that she acted. It also did not help that the things that she said made no sense! Once she heard that, she stared up at him with emerald eyes that held shock, confusion and fear. Now that Teppei relaxed a bit, he found himself captivated by her eyes. Never in his life had he seen these kinds of eyes before.

Teppei soon snapped out of it once he realized that her breathing slowed down from its panic mode.. He, slowly and carefully, let go of her wrists as he stared down at her wary. After she was confident that he wouldn't attack her, she broke the silence as she asked:

"Where am I?"

"My house"

She stared at him with suspicious eyes. Her eyebrows frowned, almost knitting together.

"Why?"

"I found you bleeding heavily nearby."

At this, a look of realization shinned in her eyes. Her head hit the pillow after it hovered for a good few minutes. She rubbed her eyes with her shaky hand. Teppei sat there on the edge of the bed in silence, his purple eyes watched her. He somewhat understood about why his instincts were wary of her. But his curiosity was not satisfied enough. She had claws, but so what? It couldn't be that it was enough that his instincts would freak out over her. As it would seem, neither was the woman satisfied.

"Who are you?"

"Teppei"

She gave him an annoyed look, as if he had done something wrong.

"What's your last name?" Now it was Teppei's turn to look at her annoyed, but was mostly suspicious. People did not have last names... not for a long time at least. The last time a surname was documented, was before the 100 years war. "Will you answer the question?"

Okay, now the green-headed man was annoyed, which was, in itself, almost impossible. The look that she sent him pretty much said that he was an idiot, which set him off. He responded rather emotionlessly:

"I don't have a last name."

"Oh..." Was that all she had to say after annoying the hell out of him? This was why he didn't treat people and sent them to Life or another healer. At least they knew what to do with such impatient and rude people. Heck, she studied him as if he was a suspicious person. This is what he gets for saving her life? Now that he thought about it, how was it even possible for someone to tick him off? She seemed to hesitate before she said, "My name is Rose, Rose Potter."

Teppei stared at her surprised. This was the first time he heard a surname. He blinked at her a few times, which got him a glare. The woman, Rose, sat up. She reached over to pull out the wires from her inner elbow, but was stopped when a gloved black hand grabbed her wrist. She looked at him only to send him, yet, another glare.

"I'm fine! Let me go!"

"No"

"What do you mean no? Let me go and I'll be out of your hair in no time." Teppei sighed once more. Why did he have to deal with this woman? It is because you saved her, stupid. Plus, grams will skin us alive if we let her go still injured. A small voice in the back of his head pepped. Great, now he was hallucinating... even though what the voice said was true. Rose stopped from trying to pry his hand off her wrist. Her eyes were wide in shock, for some reason. She asked in panic, "Did you see a stick lay beside me?"

Teppei stared down at her in confusion. He thought back to a month ago, but could not remember ever spotting a stick. He shook his head. This made Rose look rather torn, sad and angry. She cursed rather colourfully for such a fragile looking woman.

"Was it important to you?" The Saiseiya asked. Rose twitched, as if what he asked was forbidden. She bit the bottom of her lip before she looked up at him then responded with a nod. "I'll go look for it, but I need you to describe it to me."

Rose looked at him rather surprised at his generous offer. She debated within herself whether she should tell him, but knew that she had no choice since she was stuck in bed. Finally, she begun to describe the object. She had yet to realize that he let go of her wrist until she showed him how long the stick was by using her hands. Her emerald eyes looked at her wrist with a surprised look. But it did not stop her from describing the stick.

Afterwards, she was forced to promise that while he looked for her possession that she had to stay put.

It was only after Teppei brought in a tray filled with food for her to eat that he left.

The black headed woman looked at the strange food in front of her. She did not recognize any of them. This led to her asking aloud into the empty house:

"Where am I?"

-ooOOoo-

6 months had gone by since Rose first woke up.

A few discoveries, three to be precise, had been made:

First, Rose had recovered, but for some odd reason her body gave away at the most randomness of times. The first time it occurred when she began to make her and Teppei a drink. Her body froze then collapsed onto the ground, which made a lot of noise. That noise was what brought the Saiseiya to the kitchen, where he discovered the woman lay on the ground in an almost paralyzed state. She frightened him greatly when he saw her in such a state. It was only until later that both found out the reasons behind that. One of the reasons was that the strong blow that she took to her torso had damaged quite a few of tissues and nerves. Even when Teppei gave her some creams and other medicine to help, it was still a slow, painful process. The final reason was that she also took a blow to the head. This shocked her, because she couldn't remember getting hit in the head.

Second, the green-headed man discovered that she woke up from nightmares, every night. He wasn't sure what they were about, but they made him worried for her mental state. The things that she said in her sleep, as well as her reactions, weren't normal. He would have gone to Life, but they dealt with the physical body, not the mental mind. This gave Teppei no choice. He gave her almost every night a serum that would put her into a dreamless sleep. The reason he hadn't given it to her every night was because it can become addicting, and that was the last thing that neither of them needed.

Finally, after the Saiseiya returned one day with a familiar stick he got some answers. The woman admitted to him that the stick wasn't just a piece of wood, but it helped control her powers. At first, he thought she meant Gourmet Cells, which made no sense. These kinds of people didn't need such things. She quickly corrected him that she meant something else: Magic. Teppei was skeptical. Yeah, he had encountered some strange things in his life, but nothing like magic. Magic was a story that was told to children for bedtime. It wasn't real. He was proven wrong when she levitated him off the ground a good feet into the air with that sti- wand. Yeah, he had to continue to remind himself that it was a wand, and that he was housing a witch, who can do magic. You can see where he was going with this.

Let's just say, Teppei still debated whether him rescuing her was the right thing to do. Yet, then again, he was a kind person so he couldn't have just left her there to die. It didn't matter to him that she wasn't a normal human. To him, she was a human being and deserved some respect. Other than the magic part, she revealed nothing of her past, which frustrated him a bit. Okay, a great deal, but you get the point.

Even now, she was full of surprises.

Rose announced today:

"I want to see this world of yours."

Teppei raised a thick green eyebrow behind his wooden counter. He was just about finished organizing some ingredients. It was mostly because it needed to be done, but also because he was bored. Her wording was what caught him off guard though: His world. As much as he made it seemed like he was just puzzled, he actually was connecting the dots. Let's just say that Rose was bad at hiding her secrets. She may be good at hiding her past, but never her secrets. Slowly, an amused smiled appeared on his face. He said lightly with amusements:

"All right, just let me finish here and we can go."

He returned his attention back to the now revived ingredients. But some of his attention stayed on Rose, whom sat down on one of the stools as she simply watched him in silence. Nowadays he found her more amusing than anything, which made him question his own sanity.

Rose watched from her seat as the green-headed man was focused on... whatever those things were. Some of them she recognized, but they had such a weird shape as well as colour to them that made her stop and stare. The thing that he dealt with now looked like grapes. But they had a different color, almost unnatural in her opinion, as well as they had a bit of a different form. Even to this day, she wondered in what world she landed in.

Now, Teppei was a different matter. At first, she was cautious around him. She wasn't sure whether to trust him or not. Usually it would be the latter, but because he actually saved her life and was kind enough to keep a roof over her head without asking for much in return made her pause in her attitude. Her emerald eyes looked away from the strange ingredient to the man that held it. She couldn't help but admire his persona. It was... unique. He was a quiet man, but at times had a weird habit to talk with nonstop that made her want to laugh. At times, he had this weird mood swings that affected his speech, which she found weird at first but soon it became hilarious. He had a sly tongue that rivaled hers, but he was kinder than she could ever be. He didn't ridicule her when she was confused with her new surroundings. He had patience, though, at times, her sarcasm annoyed him. Plus, his physical appearance wasn't all that bad. She had never met a person like him before in her life, but maybe it was typical for every man in this world? She was going to discover soon enough.

After an hour, Teppei finally finished and they left.

Rose thought that she had some grasp on this strange new world, but now realized that she knew nothing. They had gone to a place called Gourmet Town, and she had one word to describe the place: Insane! What is going on here? She thought in great shock. There were so many people that it was hard to even see the ground. They stretched miles and miles in all directions. Everywhere that she turned, there was food after food, restaurant after restaurant. This world was practically revolved around food. She never saw such obsession over something so... simple and common. She was surprised that nobody was fat from all the meals that took place. If a few people she knew came here, she knew that they would eat this place alive.

Rose soon recovered from her cultural shock. An amused, and yet suspicious, Teppei grasped her hand into his then dragged her around. He introduced her to his world. He got her to eat many different types of food. Some looked strange while others looked familiar looking. Though, she would admit it that the food was delicious. The man continued to babble one thing after another about his world. The topics ranged from different kinds of ingredients chefs used to the simplest facts.

"What's your world about?" Teppei asked out of nowhere after he handed to her a medium sized can of some sort of a drink as they sat at a table. It was so to allow the witch time to recover before she would collapse once again. Even though she didn't say anything, her eyes gave relief when they found the table and rested. Rose nearly dropped her drink in shock at what she heard. Her head snapped towards the man so fast that it could have snapped at the sudden force. Her eyes narrowed at him. She wondered how he found out. It appeared that the Saiseiya knew what was going on in her mind, because he chuckled and said, "You really aren't good at hiding secrets. Only a few hours ago you said my world, which means that either you're mentally ill, which I highly doubt, or you're from a different world. I showed you my world, so it's only fair for you to do the same thing in return."

Rose wanted to scoff and flip him off, but she grudgingly agreed that it was only fair.

That was how the rest of the day went. The duo told one another stories about their world until it was time to head to bed back home. Still, even after those stories, Teppei knew that Rose held back quite a bit. She only spoke about the world in general and did not go into any specific details. He also knew that one way or another he would unravel the mystery that took refuge underneath his roof.

-ooOOoo-

A few years had gone by since Rose came into Teppei's life. He had to say that those few years were the most confusing, greatest and most challenging years of his life.

What was the problem?

He ended up liking Rose Potter, as in he fell in love kind of a manner; that was what!

Somehow, after those challenging, yet happy, days he'd ended up falling for the raven headed beauty along the road... somewhere. How in the world that happened, he had no clue. It was one of those moments that he wanted to turn to alcohol, but he wasn't like his grandfather. No, instead he went for a better solution: His grandmother. She was the only female figure in his life that he could turn to when he couldn't turn to his grandfather.

That little fact led him to her restaurant.

Her restaurant, though quite famous, was a rundown one-storey wooden house building. There was a sign at the entrance that said 'closed', but Teppei knew better. He slid the door open and saw his grandmother behind the counter. She looked to be meddling with one ingredient or another. She was a short pink-headed woman with eyes that were always squinted, every second of the day. Hearing the door slid open then shut; she looked up and smiled brightly when she saw her grandson.

"Teppei! Come in, come in."

"Hey grams"

Teppei replied as he raised a hand in greetings. He shut the door then grabbed one of the seats that stood at the front of the counter.

"What do you want to eat?"

Setsuno asked with a cooking utensil in each hand. Her grandson shook his head.

"Actually, I came here for something else. I need advice."

"Oh?" The old woman voiced in curiosity. "Is it about Rose-chan?"

The green-headed man stared at his grandmother in shock.

"How did-"

"Woman intuition" The elderly woman explained straight away. An amused smile almost split her face in half as she stared at her grandson. The Saiseiya shook his head in wonder. Why did he even bother to try to understand women? They were a mystery either way. "What seems to be the problem?"

Setsuno asked as she meddled once again with the ingredients. Her eyes were on the activity, but it was clear that her entire attention was on him. Teppei tapped his index finger onto the counter. His eyes moved a bit from one object to another as he gathered his thoughts on how to say this. Finally, after what felt like ages, he announced.

"I think I fell for Rose"

Setsuno stopped her actions. She looked up at the man and her smile only brightened.

"That's great. I'm going to have a granddaughter."

"G-Grams!"

Teppei stuttered in shock at the second comment, his face resembled that of a tomato.

"Oh, shush you. Now, what's the real problem?"

A deep sigh escaped the male's lips. His face turned back to its natural color, but there was a touch of red hue on his cheeks.

"I can't believe it and I don't know what to do. I'm starting to ramble on about anything and everything around her-"

"You're already doing that."

"I don't know much about her background-"

"That's not a problem. You will learn in time."

"We've lived together for a few years already-"

"That's good! Then you don't have to adjust to living with her when you two get together."

"Grams!" Teppei groaned. He resisted the urge to hit his head onto the table. "You're not helping!"

Setsuno giggled with great amusements. She turned her back to him to stir the soup that was behind her.

"Don't think too much about it Tep-kun. Just give love and time do their work."

Teppei made a small noise in the back of his throat of distrust and annoyance. He returned to tap the table, but this time he rested his head against his fist.

"But this is the first time I actually fell for someone, and I don't know what to do."

"Why not talk to her?"

Setsuno asked. She turned around to meddle with the ingredients again, only to throw them into the soup and stir it once again.

"Didn't you hear what I said? I ramble on and on now whenever I'm around her."

He got smacked on the head with a ladle.

"Ow!"

"Man up and talk to her! You have your grandfather's' charms. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Did you have to smack me on the head with a ladle of all things?"

Teppei muttered as he rubbed his ache head.

"Yes, now get a move on or your grandfather and I will deal with-"

"I'm going! I'm going!"

The Saiseiya cried out in panic and ran out of the restaurant. Setsuno grinned with amusements and shook her head.

"Just like his grandfather. He'll be fine."

-ooOOoo-

A week had gone by since Teppei's meeting with his grandmother. He hadn't spoken to Rose about what his grandmother wanted them to talk about. One thing he did not expect was for her to come to him. But not for the reasons that he thought about. He had just returned from yet another mission, and was confronted by the short black headed witch. She looked anxious, almost unsure of what to say and do. It was rather cute in the man's opinion.

"We need to talk."

Rose finally said. Teppei tilted his head a bit and asked:

"About what?"

She hesitated, almost as if she did not wish to speak at all.

"About my past, this should explain about my nightmares and how I got here."

Now that got the man's attention. He was curious, but lately he just... let it go, he guessed. Additionally to her stay, she never, not even once had spoken about her past. Then again, recently her nightmares had gotten worst. Not even the medicine he gave her helped anymore. So maybe she simply wanted to explain to him what was happening and end with it... or there was another reason.

He wasn't a miracle worker.

Thereafter, the duo sat together and the witch told him much about her past. Not once had he opened his mouth to ask a question or gave a comment. He feared that she would stop talking once he spoke. The only way that he let her know that he listened was by small actions, like a rub on the back or a small squeeze on the hand.

Rose wasn't sure why she continued to talk to him about her past. She had planned to summarize her past and just get to the point. But once she opened her mouth, she found it hard to stop, especially since she felt a lot of support from him. She knew that if she broke down into tears that Teppei would be by her side and comfort her. That was the sort of a man he was. Somebody that she always hoped to be with since she never got any support in her childhood, school days and even adulthood. She was the rock for her friends, honorary uncle and godfather. She was the rock for the wizards and witches when it came to Voldermort. She was the punching bag that her family verbally and physically abused.

At some point, Rose didn't even realize that her lips stopped and, instead, tears escaped her eyes. It wasn't until she was brought into a warm, gentle hug by Teppei. She clenched onto his green jacket as if he was the last string between her and life itself. She buried her face into his chest and simply cried. All the build up from all her life just unleashed. There was no sign of her stopping anytime soon.

The two stayed in that position for a long time. Soon, Rose fell asleep in his arms from emotional exhaustion. Teppei scooped her up bridal style, careful to not awaken her. He headed to her bedroom, which was across the hall from his. He laid her down onto her bed. After he took off her shoes, he covered her with the blanket and sat there on the edge of her bed.

Teppei thought about the things that she told him. It was hard to believe the kind of life that she lived through. What kinds of the selfish people were they that they didn't get off their butts to do the job, instead of a child, just because of a prophecy? That was a bad excuse, no matter how one looked at it. Then again, human beings were known to be selfish. There were rare cases where it wasn't so, and one of those cases laid in this bed, asleep. But, to kill another human being. To be thrown at monsters with no former training with a high chance of being killed. To be abused emotionally and physically. Those were things that he could not, would not, and refused to forgive those people for.

It was time for her to truly rest, and he would give her a place in his home for that exact purpose.

He leaned over to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"Good night, Rose."

Not once that night, did she wake up from a nightmare.

-ooOOoo-

A week had gone by since that emotional day. It was as if the Rose he came to know disappeared only to be replaced with another woman. This woman was more confident, happier and kinder (with an accent of mischief). It was much unlike the colder and low self-confident female that lived under his roof with him. At first, Teppei was worried, but once he really got to look at her, he realized that this was the real Rose Potter. Somehow, he became more in love with her. It was to the point that it was not even funny and more complicated compare to what he felt for her beforehand. He already had a hard time to stop blabbering. This time, he couldn't stop stuttering and turning red.

Teppei knew that he had to make a move sooner rather than later, but he was nervous. He never felt this way and didn't know how to act. Still, if he didn't do anything then his grandparents would need to step in and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

So, there he was, at one of the small circular tables in his shop. His fingers drummed onto the wooden surface. His eyes were closed, as his cheek rested on his fist shaped hand with a frown on his face. What to do, what to do... damn these feelings.

What Teppei did not realize was that the only female in the building watched him. Rose raised her eyebrow in curiosity at his actions. He had been unusually quiet for the last couple of days, almost a week, with no explanation. He also looked rather troubled, judging by that frown on his face. She grinned. He was rather cute with that frown-almost-pout look on his face. She smiled wickedly as she had an idea. So, with a mischievous smirk on her face, she left.

Teppei still did not move from his spot. He groaned and ran his hand through his green hair, which made his hair deformed from its usual style.

"Gah! This is impossible!"

Next thing he knew, cold water was dumped onto him.

"GAH!"

He cried out in shock while he jumped onto his feet. His whole being was completely drenched in cold water. His clothes clung onto him as if their life depended on it. What the-? Teppei then heard a familiar laughter came from behind him. He turned around to discover Rose with a bucket in her hands.

"Rose!" Teppei complained. Rose laughed even more. "This isn't funny!" A smirk slowly appeared on his face, "You know, I'd like to be warmed up."

The next thing that Rose knew, he wrapped his arms around her body and lifted her up a good foot into the air. Her body squeezed against his, drenching her clothes with water in the process.

"Teppei, put me down."

Rose shrieked in laughter as she punched his chest. Teppei chuckled.

"This is what you get for your prank little missy."

Rose stopped her assault and pouted. She looked at his face, only to realize how close it was to hers. It seemed that the man noticed too, because he froze in his spot, like a statue. His cheeks began to color in light red, almost nonexistent, but it was still there. The black headed woman gave a small grin. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Teppei grew nervous as his stomach did some flips.

"Rose-? Hmph!"

A pair of lips silenced his. His purple eyes widened in shock when he saw the woman he loved kissing him square on the lips. Slowly, his brain started to work once again and he realized something: S-she kissed him. On the lips. Rose kissed him. It seemed that his brain was stuck on that small fact, because the next thing he knew she pulled away. His lips tingled excitedly. He already missed her soft, warm lips. Her emerald eyes held a touch of mischief, but there was something else in there that he could not figure out.

Rose pouted at him:

"Was that really a bad kiss?"

Teppei's purple eyes snapped into hers. The look in those eyes brought a pleasant, excited shiver up her spine. He spoke, surprisingly, with a casual and calm voice:

"What was that for?"

"Teppei, I'm not stupid about your feelings towards me." Rose replied, resting her forehead against his. She gave an amused smile. "Plus, your grandmother may or may not have said something."

Teppei held back the urge to groan at that. He wasn't sure if to thank his grandmother later or shout at her. He hoped that his feelings did not ruin the friendship and trust that the two formed together.

"So..."

He started awkwardly, not sure what to say next. Rose sighed. She flicked his forehead, which got a small whine from him.

"You, mister, are too bloody oblivious for your own good. Do you really think that I'd kiss you just to shock so that I can get away? I have a wand for that genius. Merlin, you'd think a smart guy like you would get a clue."

Teppei huffed.

"Hey! It's not my fault that I never felt this way to anybody before. I didn't know what to do. Heck, I still don't know what to do."

Rose rolled her eyes and smirked a little.

"How about you start with shutting up and kissing me?"

Teppei blinked a few times. Once he realized what she said, he began to smirk as well. Next thing she knew, his lips slammed against hers. Her shocked squeal was muffled. After a few seconds, she closed her eyes and kissed back.

Teppei, decided, that maybe he should thank his grandmother later.

-ooOOoo-

Teppei chuckled deeply at that last memory. Even though it hurt his pride that she had to step up to get things moving, he didn't argue with the result. A soft mumble escaped from his wife's lips. Slowly, her emerald eyes, the ones he loved so much, opened lazily. Those eyes blinked a few times then closed. Rose snuggled into his side even more.

"Good morning sleepy head."

Teppei said softly as he kissed her head. She replied in a grumpy sleepy manner:

"Stupid sun, turn it off."

"Rose, you can't turn off the sun. I told you that many times."

Her husband replied with a laugh. She was silent for a moment.

"Then I'll need to find a spell to do that." Teppei rolled his eyes at her comment. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Hm?~ Nothing much. Just thinking."

"Shocking." She started dryly, "About what exactly?"

"Just... thinking."

With that, the couple continued to lay in bed in comfortable silence.

"I love you"

"Merlin, what has gotten into you so early in the morning?"

Silence

"I love you too"