The sky was grey, the sun covered, the crisp scent that came just before it snowed filled the air, and the once green grass was a somber brown; winter had clearly come in Tokyo. With such a calm feel in the air it was a wonder that the streets outside the park were bustling with last minute shoppers and people eager to get home to their families. But even the park was not completely free from the chaos. In a tiny pink café, there was still the crazy rushed feeling of Christmas Eve.
"Strawberry, get back to work!" an angry blonde young man yelled at a waitress in a Santa Claus hat under the mistletoe swapping spit with her boyfriend.
The girl pulled away, "Make me!" she shouted and stuck her tongue out at him. She then snuggled back into her other half's arms.
"That's attractive," a dark blue haired girl with a haughty expression mumbled with a roll of her eyes. She took a sip of her tea and inhaled her personal ecstasy.
"If you have something to say to me Mint say it to my face," Ichigo pulled away completely with her hands on her slender hips.
"I have no qualm saying anything to your face. I was merely observing that it's wonder you have a devoted boyfriend with such unladylike displays," the tea drinking girl informed her.
"I think it's cute," the dark haired boy said, grabbing hold of Ichigo's wrist to stop her from jumping the tinier girl. "I'll let you get back to work," he said and gave her a peck on the cheek before leaving.
"You're lucky it's Christmas Eve," Ichigo told Mint with an angry huff.
"I said 'get back to work' and I meant it," the blonde said with a glare at the young couple. He went back into the kitchen, now that the squabble was over he assumed it was safe to trust them to get back to work.
"Ryou, it's Christmas Eve, why such a frown?" a man stirring German chocolate cake batter asked, eyes on the blonde rather than the food.
"Just keeping the girls focused, Keiichiro, it's nothing to worry about," he said with a smile at his oldest friend.
Keiichiro frowned, but said, "If you say so." He went back to his batter.
The rest of the day passed without incident. Many people came in to relax after a long day of shopping, and others were interested in picking up a famous desert for the evening meal. Regardless of the purpose for coming in, everyone left with a smile on his or her face - everyone except a certain red-headed waitress.
The closing of the café was expected to pass like any other day. It was Ichigo's turn to stay late, and she gave everyone, even Mint, a parting hug and wish for that they have a merry Christmas. She wiped down the tables in an empty dining room, and then her boss came in.
"Shirogane, are you heading out early today?" she asked him, obviously confused that he was out.
"No, I just thought you might want some company – after all, it's Christmas Eve."
She smiled, "Oh, thanks." She went back to wiping off the tables; the sooner she was done the sooner she got to Masaya's house.
He bit his lip and could feel his palms getting sweaty. Why did she have to be so cute? Better yet, why did she have to have a boyfriend? He took a step closer to her.
"Do you want something?" she asked with an innocent tilt of her head.
"Damn it, Strawberry, are you that naive?" he thought, there was no way she didn't know what kind of effect she had on him. "Yes, I want you," he whispered and grabbed her face, forcing her lips to his.
She froze, she couldn't breathe, think, or move. She didn't know what to do, she panicked, and finally she squirmed.
He took that as participation and moved his hands down to her waist.
Having freedom to move her face again she tore away and slapped him, "How could you?" she choked and ran out of the café, leaving a trail of tears behind her.
"No, Ichigo, I'm sorry! Please, come back!" he called desperately after her.
She just kept running, ignoring the cries from Ryou, the numbing cold, and the biting wind. Bile built up in her throat and she coughed. When she closed her eyes, she tripped on a rock and started bawling even more. Her soft, charcoal, feline ears and tail popped out.
A green haired, strange looking boy descended from the sky to the mess crying on the stone path, "Koneko-chan, what's wrong?" he asked her, reaching to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She slapped it away, and continued crying. She didn't have the stamina to transform, or even tell him to go away.
"I'll take you back to the café," he offered and went to pick her up.
"NO!" she sobbed, and he looked at her oddly and asked where she wanted to be. "Zakuro's," she answered.
Kisshu had no idea where the wolf mew lived, but vaguely remembered Pai mentioning it was the biggest house he'd ever seen. He teleported to the lab for a quick scan and looked for the biggest house in the country. The one he found was a place in Hokkaido, and he went there with his beloved kitty. He set her down on the porch step and rang the door bell, it was better that he ran away rather than alarm the mew and get punched in the face.
An older woman opened the door, she recognized the girl on the steps as one of her Granddaughter's friends, "Oh, Miss, I'm sorry, I was uninformed that you would be coming to spend the holidays with us," she then saw how distraught she was. "Poor child, come in, let me help you."
Ichigo fumbled into the house, and tried to compose herself, "Th-thanks," she hiccupped. She sat on the nearest chair and the older woman returned with a tray of tea. "Are-aren't you Minto's Nana?"
"Who did you expect, child?" she asked and handed Ichigo a china cup with Chamomile tea. "You're at my home, where Minto spends the holidays."
"O-of course, I just wanted to be sure," she lied. Well, she really couldn't expect Kish to know where Zakuro lived.
The eldest Aziawa smiled as her granddaughter's friend started to compose herself. Then her granddaughter walked in the door, "Minto-chan, how good it is to see you, but why didn't you tell me your friend was staying with us?"
"It must have slipped my mind," Minto said, composed, as if it were the truth, "I'm sorry, Grandmother."
"Oh, don't you fret it, I'll just have the servants set up the guest room."
"Thank you, Grandmother, we'll go up into my room, if that's not a problem."
"No, not at all, you two have fun," she smiled and the two teens went upstairs.
Mint sat Ichigo down on her bed, "What happened, Ichigo, you look horrible?" she asked the red head and pulled her handkerchief out. She wiped Ichigo's eyes to remove the smeared make up from her friend's cheeks, one hand was wiping the tears away, and the other was on Ichigo's shoulder.
"Shirogane, h-he grabbed me and if I couldn't have gotten away, I don't know what he might've done," she said and started sobbing again.
"Ichigo, Kisshu has done that a million times, what's different about this time?"
"I actually liked it," she confessed then she pulled at her own hair, "I feel so dirty, and disgusting, I love Masaya but I can't deny how wonderful Shirogane's hands-"
"Ichigo, I'd feel bad for you if he'd truly violated you, but I can't feel bad that you have every boy you know falling all over you," Mint said gravely, both hands meant to comfort her friend back in her own lap.
"I-I'm so sorry, Mint, I just, I can't think straight right now. I didn't even consider how you'd feel."
Mint sighed, Ichigo was so innocent, and Mint knew she couldn't help it, and she couldn't help but feel bad for her. "I know you didn't, I can't say I'd have behaved any differently if the situations were reversed. I think the real problem here is you feel bad because it feels like you've betrayed Aoyama, and you feel like you can't trust Ryou, and his behavior is also making you think of Kishu, and you're just confused about who's really the best man for you," Mint thought aloud. She put her arm back around her friend, rubbing her back the way her brother always did for her after a play date with Kanna.
"How can I be confused? I made my choice, Masaya is the one for me, he saved my life," she said, finally smiling.
Mint frowned, "I don't want to dampen this, but Ryou and Kishu have both saved your life as well, and you aren't over them. You need to think about who makes you the happiest, what traits attract you, who you can yourself with for the rest of your life."
Ichigo closed her eyes, and thought about each man, what he had done, what was wonderful about each one, and she took time to thoroughly think it through. Masaya was athletic, romantic, an activist, and had saved and threatened her life. He also wasn't very good at meeting any physical needs that may or may not be there.
Ryou was bossy, they fought all the time, but he had saved her butt so many times, and was really caring, and handsome, and passionate, and only truly scarred her once in her life, but he was disrespectful to her relationship with Masaya, so what would stop him from disrespecting their relationship if it ever came to be.
Kish was the enemy, he was insanely possessive, but he had listened to her today, and could be gentle when it really mattered, not to mention he was sex on legs, and completely devoted to her.
"I know who I want," Ichigo said, of course thinking would help, how had she not thought of that?
"You figured it out with your head, but that's not what matters here."
"Huh, but you just told me to think it through?"
"You love with your heart, not your head, baka," Minto told her with a smirk.
"I still know," she said, without a seconds hesitation, "but it's gonna be hard, because I've been really blind. I have a lot of apologizing ahead of me. Thank you so much Minto!" she said and gave Mint a hug. Mint smiled and accepted her friends embrace.
"So, if I helped you figure it out, you at least have to tell me who you're going to be throwing yourself at," the Lorikeet teased her feline friend with a smirk.
Ichigo laughed, "I'm gonna have to do some groveling to Ryou."
Mint smiled, "I don't think you'll have too much groveling to do," she saw that her friend was still in her café uniform. "I'm going to change into my pajamas, why don't you pick a pair and get changed and then give your parents a call to let them know you're here?" Mint led her over to her closet. She then grabbed her favorite light nightgown and went into the bathroom.
"Thank you, Minto!" Ichigo said happier than ever.
Minto wiped her eyes, grateful she was a skilled actress. She felt like a fool for sniffling, but she couldn't help it. Of all the boys falling over Ichigo, she had to choose Ryou. Of all them she couldn't pick her devoted boyfriend. Mint smothered a sob; why had she told her to think about it and to feel it? Why couldn't she just berate her on how lucky she was to have Masaya as her boyfriend? Mint blew her nose; she knew it was wrong, that she should be happy for her friends' happiness. "Pull yourself together, Minto, it's not like there's any reason for you to harbor any envious feelings. You and Shirogane have never displayed any chemistry. There is no reason for this idiotic weeping."
"Minto, what's taking so long? You're grandmother is calling us!" Ichigo said giddily.
"I'll be out in a moment," Minto called. She wiped her eyes a final time and quickly changed. "Ready for supper?" she asked.
"Yeah, but, are you?" Ichigo asked, noticing her friends rosy cheeks.
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" she asked Ichigo with feigned innocence.
"You're cheeks are red, are you feeling okay?"
"As a matter of fact I've been developing a cold, you've just been too distraught to notice. It's nothing to fret about, let's go eat," Mint said and dragged Ichigo to the dining room.
"If you say so," Ichigo replied and they both went done to the Aziawa's elaborate dining hall. Dinner was an elaborate feast of which the only dish Ichigo recognized was ham. Mint and her grandmother raved about the food to the servants, and Ichigo said to be sure to compliment the chef. The dinner was exquisite, and after the meal, they retired for the night. Ichigo was flying home tomorrow to talk to Ryou and Masaya, and be with her family. Mint had agreed to pay for the trip.
~One Week Later~
Mint sighed when she walked into the café for the first time since the Christmas break. Everything was still decorated and Mint was the first of the waiting staff to arrive. She could hear Keiichiro whistling a happy tune as he got out pots, pans, and mixing bowls for the day which was evident by the clatter. Mint walked into the kitchen lingering at the doorway.
Keiichiro turned and smiled at his friend, "It's not polite to linger in doorways," he teased.
She chuckled, "No, I suppose it's not, I'll leave you to your work," she started to walk out of the kitchen.
Keiichiro grabbed her wrist, "You don't have to leave, I was merely jesting," he said, then looked up.
Her eyes followed, "Mistletoe," she squeaked. It wasn't that she had a problem with Keiichiro, but she had been strongly attracted to this man's best friend for a considerable amount of time.
"If you don't want to, we don't have, it's just a silly Christmas tradition," he told her, sensing her discomfort, but she could sense the disappointment.
"It's no big deal, like you said, it's just a tradition," she said and closed her eyes.
Keiichiro leaned down, and closed his eyes just before puckering the slightest bit and just barely allowing their lips to touch. It was so hesitant, and let her feel so comfortable. At the same time it spoke volumes, he wouldn't go any farther than it was clear she was comfortable with.
She respected that, and she loved the slightest taste of coffee and sugar that she got from that slightest touch. She broke her ponderings and composed herself, "That was," she hesitated a moment and finally decided, "pleasant."
"Yes," he said with the slightest blush. He realized they were still standing fairly close, and he could still taste the bit of lavender tea. "I know it's not my place to ask, but are you feeling quite all right?"
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" Mint said, she hoped she didn't upset him by doing anything wrong.
"You had lavender tea, it's well known to relieve stress, I was just wondering if something was causing you anxiety, and if I could help," he explained.
"No, everything's wonderful," she said with a wonderful fake smile.
Keiichiro frowned, "You don't have to lie, if you don't want to talk about this it's one thing, but you don't have to lie," he told her.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," she said, "I really ought to go get dressed, if you'll excuse me" she told him, and left the kitchen.
He frowned, Ryou came down the stairs, and saw his friend's frown, "What's wrong, Keiichiro?"
"There's something upsetting with Minto-chan," he told Ryou.
"How can you tell?" Ryou asked with a puzzled expression.
"She told me once her favorite morning tea is Golden Monkey black tea, she had lavender tea this morning."
"She mixed it up, what's the big deal?" Ryou didn't seem to get it.
"Lavender tea is a known stress reliever, and is often taken to cure insomnia. Something's bothering her or she would've taken another black tea to wake her up."
"Keiichiro, I know you're just concerned for her, but maybe you're over analyzing the situation."
"Maybe," he said but remained unconvinced.
Ryou sighed, "I'll go talk to her," he promised and left the kitchen to go talk to the second mew. He knocked on the dressing room door, "Can I talk to you Mint?"
"I'd prefer if you addressed me with a proper suffix, but yes you may," she said coldly and opened the door.
"Since when has that mattered?" he asked her, confused, okay Keiichiro was not being paranoid.
"Since you're dating Ichigo I started to think that you don't know me that well Ryou-san, and maybe we should just go back to what the civilized world and follow the rules."
"Mint-chan, I thought we all did that because we had all seen each other at our weakest, so we shouldn't feel confined to behave as if we were only co-workers."
"Never mind that, what do you want?" she demanded.
"To know what's wrong," he said, "we're worried about you."
"Nothing's wrong, don't poke your nose where it doesn't belong," she glared at him.
"It's just after Christmas, you should be happy, and you aren't acting like yourself, anyone can see that," he told her and returned the glare with equal intensity.
"Fine, you want to know what's really wrong?" she yelled at him.
"I just drove one of my best friend's into the arms of the man I've been in love with for the longest time, not to mention I just gave my first kiss to his best friend! There, that's what's wrong! Are you happy now?" she yelled at him.
"Minto, I'm-" he wanted to apologize, but he was too surprised to say anything. That was all new information to him.
"Excuse me," Mint said and tried to run, but Ryou was blocking her way.
He grabbed her arms, "Don't think I'm gonna let you run away after that," his eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.
"Ever since I saw you dancing with Ichigo I was strangely attracted to you, and as time here progressed I just noticed little things you did for us, and I couldn't help it. It's not proper for me to make a move, so I waited, I hoped, I prayed that you'd notice me one day, but it never happened. In my observing I noticed how obvious it was that you were in love with Ichigo. Then after she came to my house distraught after you kissed her recently I told her she had to look in her heart and that was all she could do. I never thought she'd pick you, I thought she'd go back to Aoyama-san, but no. It doesn't matter, she picked you, and you had already made your choice. You can ask Keiichiro-san about the rest, let me go," she demanded.
He didn't move, he just stared at her, trying to take in what she had just said.
She huffed and shoved past him, Damn it, why am I crying again? she thought and ran out the door.
"Did Mint-neeechan have a nice Christmas, na no da?" Pudding asked with a cheerful smile. She looked again and Mint was gone. She walked into the kitchen, "Keiichiro-niichan, is Mint-neechan okay, na no da?"
"I don't think so Pudding-chan, I think she's having a bad day," he confessed to the youngest mew. Ryou came into the kitchen with the two, "What did you get out of Minto-chan?"
"She's a little upset about how Ichigo took her advice, and she's a little upset about something else that I didn't quite understand."
"Oh no, I hope I didn't-" Keiichiro didn't think about what that kiss might have done. He knew she had been upset about something else before, but he really hoped that he didn't fan the flame. He took off after her.
"Did Keiichiro-niichan say something to Mint-neechan, na no da?" Pudding asked Ryou.
"I'm not sure that he said something, but Mint-chan is certainly upset with me and Keiichiro," Ryou told.
"What did you do to Mint-neechan, na no da?" she glowered at Ryou in the most intimidating fashion fathomable for the young girl.
"It's more like what I didn't do, I'll explain it to you one day when you're older, go get ready for work."
The monkey mew huffed and went to get changed. She stuck her tongue out at her boss on the way out.
"Mint-chan, please wait!" Keiichiro called after her, but she was faster than him with her genetically enhanced DNA, and in her emotional state her wings had popped out and she hovered up off the ground just enough to fly because that was faster than she could have run. He sprinted and in a very un-Keiichiro-like manner he grabbed her arm and pulled her down to the ground.
She tugged at his arm, "Let go of me, Keiichiro-san!" she yelled and turned away so he couldn't see her tears.
"Please, talk to me, Mint-chan," he begged of her. No matter what, the girls were all important to Keiichiro, but he had always had a soft spot for Mint. The others perceived her as bossy and snobby, but as a man of society, he could see past that. He knew that no matter you were fine and that acting is a daily skill to make sure no one see's you aren't perfect because if you aren't perfect then you don't belong.
"Can't God give me a break for once?"she choked on the words. With her guard sufficiently down, Keiichiro pulled her close.
"You need to let him know something's wrong so he can send help," he told her and just let her sob.
"I can't believe I'm crying," she said and tried to wipe her eyes.
"You're allowed to be upset, maybe your parents taught you different, but it's not a sin to cry," he soothed her, rubbing her back comfortingly. "You haven't danced in awhile have you?" he whispered in her ear.
She shook her head, and clung to him.
He could tell she wasn't ready to talk yet, "When you're raised that emotion is weakness, you find a way to deal with it in an expectable manner. For you it's ballet, for me it was cooking. I chose cooking over society, it seems like you aren't following in those footsteps, but you can't keep those emotions bottled up. So, may I have this dance?"
"There's not any music," she looked at him like he had six heads. She had never known that he had come from aristocracy, but it made sense. He was always pleasant, and always a gentleman, he always dressed proper, and the only thing to suggest otherwise was that he was a chef in a lowly café.
"Sure there is," he said, and far off she could hear a group of Christmas carolers despite that the season had passed.
She thought this was ridiculous, but she just let it go. She let the music fill her soul and all her tears go, and she waltzed. It was such a simple dance, one that she had done since she was five, but her brain couldn't do anything more than something simple. It was filled with raw emotion, and it was just what Mint needed.
That's what I get for writing this after watching Phantom of the Opera. Oh well, I'm actually kinda proud of this. Thanks for the prompt True, it was fun :)