ME: Time for some side stories! I've worked all break on these, and I hope that they are to your liking. This particular chapter is sort of a starter chapter, one where I can branch off of and make other side stories from. Of course, this SAYS it is part of the Gray x Hikari that I've been wanting to do for a while but...you get the idea.

I'm probably thinking of branching off to a Boris FF or something like that...

Hikari; Alright! let's go

ME: INDEED!

R&R

Chapter 1:

"Ok, people! That's it for today! It's getting to closing time!" Mr. Bill called out over the counter, catching mine and a couple of other employee/customer's attention. The customers moaned a bit, but began to slowly shuffle out of the place, some ordering more to take home while others throw away their trash and leave completely, out into the midday sun that bears down, making the outside the equivalent to a oven. A couple of last minuters rush in before we completely close up to buy a snack or two before leaving just as quickly.

"Whoa, what a long shift!" I exclaim with a sigh as I pop my neck, shoulders and shake out my aching wrists after about three or more straight hours of kneading tough, sticky dough. A mixture of groans and sighs resonates around me, as that take a lot out of anyone after a while.

"Yes, and you were especially helpful today, even though it was your day off.", Su said as she clasped her hand on my shoulder, making a small cloud of flour poof off of me, "Sorry about that, but with Avery and Riley out sick…"

"Hey, it's cool. You're not gunna hear any complaining from me.", I answer, shaking her off. Hey, I've never been one to argue with working, especially when I'm paid overtime. The joints between my fingers give a throb of discomfort, and I rub at my knuckles to soothe it with a pained laugh, "Ah…my hands are another story though."

"I know the feeling", Tom calls out from the kitchen as he peeks through the door, bits of dough up to his wrists and flour up to his elbows as he has yet to wash himself up yet, "But the Apple Bread you introduced has become a super hit with the customers! We had an overload of orders for just that one item!"

A whistle resounds around us, introducing the boss into our conversation, "I'll say! I thought we'd never get them filled!" he says as he walks over and ruffles my (for once) neatly combed hair, "Thanks again for coming in!"

I laugh and complain a little as I push his hand away, really wanting to change and get the flour out of my pores. I turn toward the hallway to the changing room when I remember something

"Ah! Mr. Bill-"

He lets out a hearty laugh, "Yes, yes, I know. I'll have it waiting for you when you get ready to leave."

With a fist pump of excitement/ accomplishment, I rush off to the back and do a flight-of-the-bumblebee clean up session that would put Peter and his germaphobic tendencies to shame, making sure I got the dough out from between my fingers and off my face and arms. With a chuck of my uniform in the dirty clothes hamper, as they wash your uniform for you, I kick my locker open, smiling when I see the little rubber band of bills. (Yay, OVERTIME PAY!) I put that in my wallet and reach back into the locker to pull out my normal clothes: One light blue, close collared shirt with butterflies on it, (so to not scare people with my scar. Don't wanna repeat of the incident with Alice) a pair of above the knee cut-off jeans (NOT booty jeans, people! It's just about a half inch-inch above my knee), my usual yellow-orange-red scarf double wrapped around my waist and finally, my usual ragged tennis shoes with no socks. (I simply gave no fucks this morning) I brush out the braid the girls put in my hair earlier after I completely change, throwing it into its usual low ponytail afterwards, it being slightly wavy from the weave. And with a wipe of my blue-rimmed glasses to get the caked on flour off of them, I head back up to the front of the store, practically skipping with joy…

…as I bump into Gowland of all people.

"OUPH!"

"AH!" he exclaims, grabbing hold of my shoulders before I can bust my bum, "Watch it, sweet pea! Almost knocked ya' clean over!"

"Ow…I'll say." I moan as I stable myself enough so he can let go. Then, it occurs to me "Wait a minute…What are you doing here, anyway. Shop's closed already"

He chuckles, "Well, other than the fact that this store in general belongs to me, I asked ol' Bill to save me some of them Apple Breads I've been hearin' 'bout. I thought it was about time for a good, ol' fashioned break and thought I'd come pick'em up"

"…Huh." Is all I can respond as I take that little bit of information in. I guess it does make sense though…the Bakery IS on his territory. So he's, like…my Boss's boss or something?

"Ah! You're still here, good." speaking of bosses, here comes mine now, each arm holding a full brown paper bag. He carefully lays them both on the counter, and I smile when one thumps heavier than the other, "Whew~ I think that's everything."

"Damn!" Gowland whistles, "The hell's in THAT bag, Bill? The whole store?"

"The leftovers", he responds with a chuckle, "She takes them all home with her. Good thing too! I'd rather give it away than watch a perfectly good cake spoil."

"I agree!" I laugh, and Gowland follows

"You're just happy you gots sweets"

"No argument here"

We all laugh at that little bit, and start chatting for a little bit about this, that, and another, before Mr. Bill has to firmly kick us out, as he has to lock the place up. With a wave, we walk out into the midday sun, it beating down on the both of us as we weave through what little people were still ambling to the exit of the park. There is a relatively comfortable silence between us for a while, until Gowland stomach growling decides to break it. He gives an embarrassed grin as he scratches the back of his head, ruffling his rusty red-brown hair.

"Why don't you go ahead and try some bread. I'd love to hear your opinion." I say kindly, and he chuckles

"Best idea I've heard all day, darlin'! I'm starved!" he responds as he starts digging through his bag. He pulls out a loaf, and I can't help but watch intently as he takes a decent chomp out of it, humming in delight.

"Whoo~wee! Sum goo eets!" he exclaims with a mouth-full of bread, and I openly laugh at him. He swallow before continuing, "It's simple, yet filling. Flaky crust with a sweet-sour crunch of the tiny apple bits." Another bite, and I have to decipher his full mouth language, "'Ow'd ew um uph wif dis an'waie?"

I cover my grin, recalling the accident on how that particular sweet came into being

"It was actually supposed to be Apple CAKE (*1)", I explain, "But Boris somehow snuck into the kitchen and spilled yeast in my dough when I wasn't looking", and I SO don't even want to go into explaining how much of a cleanup it was. GAWD, I thought I would never stop swelling, and when it did, we had enough dough to fill up every pan in the store, and then some!

"If this was a mess up, it's a damn good one. Maybe I'll share with that mangy cat whenever he shows up.", Gowland says, finishing off his loaf and digging around for a second. Well, Boris better hurry up, or else there won't be any more to share when Gowland gets done!

A thought occurs to me, and a balance my bag on my hip, reaching into my back pocket and pulling out my wallet. I flip it open, flipping the picture of my brothers back and pulling out a folded piece of paper.

"When you see him, give this to him while you're at it", I say, holding out the paper to him, which he takes and opens out of curiosity, "It's the fish recipe he was asking for. "

"You mean the fish-burger thing? (*2)"

"It's actually called a croquet", I correct. Geez…

"Dumb cat and his fish" He snorts with a shake of his head, "Me? Now…I liked that meat pie you made that one time. Mmmm…Smelled so damn good, I could smell it at the other end of the park!"

"And so could everyone else. I swear I had half the park employees in my window that day, even if I do live out of the way a little." I say with a wide smile, happy to hear his praise. Seeing or hearing about people who enjoy the food I make makes me so happy, like a little accomplishment. It's like the effect of getting a gold star in kindergarten or something! So happy! , "If you want, I'll write down the recipe and give it to you."

"Ah…That would be swell!" Gowland says as he reached over and ruffles my hair with his big hand affectionately, "You're such a good girl, Hikari. You'll be a great mother someday"

I can't help scoffing at his statement. I don't have time for love, let alone getting married and having kids. I already have five growing boys (my younger brothers) back in my world who probably need me right now, so I gotta finish my…uh…Game or whatever…pronto!

But…

A wicked grin reaches my lips as I remember a similar conversation like the one Gowland and I are having, but instead it was Kida I was conversing with…and man she got so embarrassed and pissed that I got chased out of the Clocktower, with a blush so hard on her that her cinnamon colored skin turned burgundy

I turn toward Gowland, "Dunno about being a mom, but as soon as Kida and Julius stop being so damn awkward, admit that they actually like each other, and eventually get around to having some tots of their own, I've already called dibs on Babysitter."

He grins with me, scratching his stubble as a metaphorical flower blooms on his noggin, "Daddy Julius...kinda catchy."

"And Momma Kida…has a sorta ring, don't you think?"

"Hehe…yeah"

We pause in our steps for a minute, grinning as we slowly turn toward each other before bawling out in an uncontrolled fit of laughter. As we cackled, we were being particularly careful to not spill our precious cargo all over the sidewalk, cause man, what a waste that would be!

After about a minute or so of good, belly laughter, we start forward again, Gowland wiping a tear from his eyes, "Ahaha...Whee, that was a good laugh! Love the man as a brother, but he's about as comfortable with women as a cat is with rain."

I whistle. I kind of knew Kida was bad, (not like I'm any different) but hearing that Julius was THAT bad made me feel kind of sorry for him. I mean, he's actually not that bad of a guy, when you get to know him. Stubborn and a workaholic, yeah, but he's never come off as a bad guy. And he must be awful lonely in that Tower. And Kida? Well, she's just a cutie all by herself. A stubborn, painfully honest, hardworking, ass-kicking, perfectionist, sure, but she's still a cutie with a heart of gold and a great smile! (When she actually does smile. She usually has this neutral expression all the time.) I think they're made for each other, ever since I saw that pic that Kida drew of him in her sketch pad…so KAWAII!

Either that or Blood…I can picture Kida with Blood…or maybe Boris…Hmmm…I'm getting off track a little

I sigh airily, "Kida and Julius are so damn cute together, but they have this thing going on that make it both impossible to look away and hard to watch."

"Gotta agree with you there, sweetheart." Gowland sighs, "Those two though…I kinda hope something happens. That'd be nice"

"Sure would." I lament/laugh, then blink as I notice a familiar fork in the road, "I'm actually thinking about going to go visit them, maybe in the next couple of time periods, to drop off some of these sweets. I can't possible eat them all myself. If I do, you care to join me?"

"That sure does sound nice", Gowland mumbles disheartedly, "But I got more paperwork to do. I swear every time that bastard Blood comes and 'visits' it gives me more shit to do!"

Ah, that's right. Elliot did visit me at work today, didn't he? He usually only comes for one of three reasons

A: Blood is negotiating (messing) with Gowland again

B: The twins are ditching work…AGAIN

C: To have some carrot cake

My guess is that it had to be a mix of option A and C, because that would explain his sudden exit. I was a little curious as to why he left in such a hurry with a half a piece of cake hanging out in his mouth…I guess that also explains the gunshots I heard in the distance too.

I feel for the man, and pat Gowland sympathetically on the shoulder, "Don't worry. You've dealt with it before. This time will be no different."

"You're right, darlin", he says with a shrug of his shoulders, "Well, I guess I'll be gettin' back to work now. I'll see ya"

"Yeah, see ya.", I wave as I turn down the opposite road that he's going, following the path to my place…well more like temporary residence while in this world.

It's a nice, old, little wooden house at the edge of the park, nothing special, with two bedroom, one (huge, thanks to Gowland wanting to renovate the place.) bath, a decent sized kitchen and a living room. It even came with its own furniture! Old, extremely fluffy furniture, but hey, no complaints from me. And it's just big enough for me and, occasionally, Kida when she's not hold up in Julius's tower with her painting. Funny thing about this house, though, is that it actually borders on Blood's territory a little…like one of my bedrooms and the back yard is on Blood's and the rest is on Gowland's. I wasn't really complaining, considering it was the only place open at the time for me, but you know one Gowland and Blood start getting at it, it's almost impossible to stop.

Shortcut down the alley and out of the initial park area (but still on Gowland's territory), a couple of turns here and there, and there's my house, looking all cute and homely with its back against the forest like that. Sure, it's a little old, and I can't tell you how many times my screams has brought Boris, Ace, or whoever else is in the vicinity at the time to the door just to kill a damn spider, but it's a nice house and it's MY house and I LIKE IT.

I shift my bag to my hip so I can fish my key out of my pocket

"Where are you…hmmm-Aha! There you are!" I exclaim as I pull out a silver key with a round head on it, engraved with a music note, "Sneaky thing, hiding under my wallet. And…in you go!"

The lock gives way with a sound click

"I'm home!", I call out into the empty building, half expecting someone to say 'welcome back' like back in my old world…or those times when a bloody Boris sneaks in through an open window and I have to bandage him up. The house is empty, though, and it leaves me with a rather lonely feeling in my chest. I stuff it back in my heart and walk inside, kicking the door closed behind me. I walk through the living room and carefully into the kitchen to set my bag on the counter

"Ok, let's see what we have today." I mumble to myself as I reach into the bag and pull out its contents. Today I scored a small container of coffee cream pie (about 4 pieces), a two whole topping-less cheesecakes, about half a carrot cake (which is weird considering Elliot usually cleans us out of carrot stuff when he visits), about twelve homemade chocolate-peanut butter candy bars, some peanut brittle in a baggie, and finally, a handful of homemade candies of various flavorings. Wow, how did I carry all of this and not spill it or drop it?! Guess I'm stronger than I thought. I am so totally a BOSS!

I mentally meditate, trying to figure out where I'm going to put/take all this stuff.

'Hmm…I can bring the Coffee Pie with me next time I go see Kida…Julius need to eat something every now and again. Ah, Ace might be there… just in case 'if' he is I might need to bring a peace offering of candy bars so that maybe he will leave me alone. The carrot cake can go to Elliot…or maybe Peter…does Peter even like carrot cake? Well, he is a rabbit, so…we shall see about that. I can save the cheesecakes, the candies, and peanut brittle for later.'

I pause

'If I do end up taking the carrot cake to the mansion, and show up with food only for Elliot, Dee and Dum are going to probably pitch a bitch fit…ok, so note to self. Bring the candy if you are going to Blood's, Hikari.'

I scratch the back of my head. I like the part where Mr. Bill gives me the left overs, but even I know that I can't eat all these by myself. And that's why I share them with my many friends…but sometimes it's hard to figure out who gets what. But for now, I put them in my fridge, so they don't go bad. As I bend over, I can't help but notice that I'm low on a couple of necessities, like bread and eggs…and meat. Gotta have my meat. I should probably go shopping soon.

'Good thing I just got paid overtime…maybe I can indulge a little. I remember Blood saying something about there being a new tea shop in town. Maybe I'll stop by and see what they have. Ah…but I really want to save and get those cute, gun shaped earrings I saw that one time when Blood and his boys first took me to the park.(*3) Grrr…I also probably should get new shoes! My tennis are getting hole-y…AH! So many choices!'

As I mentally argue with myself, I yawn and pop my neck, momentarily leaving the kitchen to wonder into my bedroom. An unmade bed meets my eye as I open the door. A couple of dirty clothes and scrap paper are scattered here and there, but not enough to tempt me to go on a cleaning frenzy. My Mary Poppins approved shoulder bag is lying beside my bed, and on the back of a chair hung my semi-new black and neon green outlined jacket. I had somewhere lost my old, hand-me-down oversized black one during that first week (*4) Kida and I wondered Wonderland. After that, I sorta forget about it and was without a jacket for quite a while. That is, until I mentioned it to Boris during one of his unexpected visits. (I was actually complaining a little considered most of the clothes that were sold for women in this world were DRESSES, and I had to shop mostly in the men's section) He was sympathetic and nice enough to show me where he goes shopping. Which is AWESOME by the way. All cool and punk. And now I have this bitchin techno-looking fluffy as hell jacket. Kida approves too, and was a little jealous at first. Boris tried to snuggle up to her, and she almost threw him across the room. To calm her down, I promised I would take her there sometime, and Boris's response was that he would join us as well.

I absently walk over to the side of my bed and open one my drawers, and nestled on a pile of folded up socks is my little vial with the clover stopper, a little over one fourth of the way full. I frown at it a little. It's been about a month or so since Nightmare explained all this shit to us, and I'm nowhere near figuring out any of it. I'm supposed to be missing something in my heart, right?

I stretch my arms over my head and fall back on my bed,

"A SIGN WOULD BE NICE RIGHT ABOUT NOW!" I shout, yelling out my frustration. Of course, it's silent afterward, and I roll over in my bed, a little disgruntled at my life at the moment.

Of course, when my face is being pillowed my arm, I can't help but have a good sniff of good, clean, underarm stink.

"Shit is that me?" I exclaim and I sit up, sniffing myself. It's me alright, and I laugh a little, "Ok, before any life-changing decisions are made, I believe a shower is necessary."

I do that miraculous living alone walk-strip thing, letting the clothes fall where they may as I walk out of my room and across the hall toward my bathroom. I fight with my faucet a little to get the hot water running (only thing wrong with this house, but Gowland said he's send someone to fix it) before I jump in, letting the water do its thing and trying not to let my glasses get too wet. (Since I'm practically blind without my glasses, I make it a point to wear them all the time, except when sleeping.) I stand there for a moment, head tipped back as I just enjoying the simplicity of hot water as it melts a little of my worries away. After about fifteen minutes of that, I scrub myself down, wash and rinse my hair, and wrap a towel around me as get ready to walk back to my room to scrounge up some clothes. As I pass the mirror over the vanity, I pause, then back step to look. Same long, wavy, almost ragged looking brown hair that's now slicked down with water. Same light brown eyes (honey colored, Vivaldi says. I can't really see it). Same blue-rimmed glasses. Same lightly tanned skin, although now it's a little red thanks to the hot water.

I lower my towel a little

"Same scar." I sigh as I look at my reflection, showing the 'X' shaped scar over my heart. Thanks to the shower, it shows on me more, an almost ghostly mark compare to my heat blushed skin. One of the lines from my shoulder to the middle of my chest is a ragged line while the other is a clean, surgical cut. This is the reminder, the symbol of the hardships I had to endure as I grew up, and is the proof that survived and that I'm stronger because of it. And it's also the symbol of my sins…

"Well…can't really change the past, can I?" I laugh emptily, then shrug my shoulders as I leave my copy behind, "All I can do is go forward."

Back to my room I go, towel secure around my waist as I dig through my drawers for something decent to wear. I find a pair of khaki shorts and a navy tank-top (plus female requirements that I don't think I need to describe here) and throw them on. I take my towel and hang it around my shoulders as I walk back to the kitchen to grab an orange soda from the fridge (because orange soda is AWESOME), opening it with one hand (LIKE A TOTAL BOSS) before lazing toward my couch and plopping on it. My wet hair dampens the fabric, but I don't care

Ok, so I've had my mental/self-analysis of the day, my food is in the freezer, and I've taken a bath.

I put my drink on the table in front of me before laying down, my legs hanging off the arm

Wonder what I should do now…take a nap maybe? Go see Kida? Go shopping? Adventuring?

Hmmm…

And this is the beginning my first side fic. I left it kind of short and open, so that I can maybe build some of my other side fics off of it. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN FROM THIS POINT!

I wanted to start off by getting Hikari set up with her own little place and job, giving an idea on how she's sort of adjusted

1-Apple Cake is an actual family recipe. If you want to know it, PM me

2-Same thing with the cake. If you want to know the Fish Croquet recipe, PM me

3-refers to CH 13 of my first story, Where Blood and his crew take Hikari to the park for the first time and bump into Kida showing Gowland how to play the violin. LOL

4-Refers to first story. Hikari's main items are her handmade yellow-orange-red scarf (Brothers and grandma made it for her for a birthday present. it flows to each color), her wallet with the picture of her brothers, and her pocket knife (Her grandfathers)