A/N: Hi guys! *waves* I'm so sorry this has taken so long to update/upload. I've had a couple of chapters done for a while now but just haven't had time to upload them, as such I will hopefully have a few chapters up over the next couple of days. This is a bit of a filler chapter to give you an idea of where Akira and Rai live...sort of.
Italics = something Akira has written
Disclaimer:
I, in no way own OHSHC or any songs/books/films that may be mentioned in this here fanfiction. I'm making nothing off of this and it's purely for enjoyment purposes!
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Chapter 2: That night
The Car ride home was interesting to say the least. Rai had decided to talk Mr. Yushoto's ear off, filling the poor man in on just about everything from his day. I quietly smiled as I looked out the window at the passing scenery, I was glad that Rai had enjoyed his first day as a "normal" student, the poor kid had spent his entire life home schooled. I'd at least had a normal education when I was in France...well as normal as any school for wealthy kids could be, but it was still more than my cousin had had. It wasn't long before we hit the outskirts of our street, I sat counting the number of houses from the start to our house, 7. A total of 7 houses were what lead to our house in a street of houses bigger than many people could ever need but it was what we had become accustom to. Rai having never known anything else and myself having slowly accepted that the semi traditional estate was my knew home, it had in fact taken me 6 months to learn my way around the house without getting lost at least once, a fact that still amused Rai.
As we slowly made our way up the drive I smiled at the row of cherry blossoms and oak trees planted just off to the side of the house, the space that I considered my refuge when I needed to get away. My uncle had even been so kind as to place a small studio like area out there for me, semi sheltered from the elements but not completely cut off from Nature. The way I loved it and something that I would always feel a deep sense of gratitude towards my uncle for providing. I was slowly brought out of my own day dreams by Rai poking me in the side of the Ribs.
"Kiki, you can get outta the car now" he half laughed at me pointing to Mr. Yushoto who was patiently standing with the door open for me. I nervously smiled a small blush creeping onto my cheeks as I clambered out of the car stretching as I did.
"Dinner will be ready in half an hour" Mr Yushoto said as we walked to the front doors with him. Rai smiling widely at the mention of food. sometimes I wondered how that kid stayed so thin, I just smiled gratefully to Mr. Yushoto before bee lining it to the second kitchen, the one I used for baking. I had always wondered why the house needed two kitchens but appreciated the fact in situations like this as it would be hard to do anything with extra bodies in the kitchen. I already knew I'd be dealing with Rai for at least part of the time that I was baking. As I placed a batch of egg tarts in one oven and fished the dango I had just made out of the ice water placing them in an air tight container to be heated at school tomorrow afternoon Rai meandered into the kitchen taking up residency on the other side of the bench on one of the stools. I quickly made use of him handing him a whisk and some egg whites I had just separated. he shrugged slightly and began whisking as I pulled everything out to make the green tea sponge and cream. I tapped him on the shoulder signaling for him to stop as I took away the egg whites and handed him the cream. I quickly set about separating the egg whites into two bowls one for meringues the other macaroons. Half an hour later my aunts face peeked into the kitchen.
" There you two are. Dinner is ready" she said smiling faintly whilst sniffing the air and walking in "Is that egg tarts I smell baking?" she quickly added. I just nodded and indicated in the oven they were baking in just as the timer buzzed. I smiled grabbing a tea towel and pulling them out placing them on the cooling rack. As I did this I also managed to slip the green tea sponge into the oven to bake I also quickly put all the things needed to make the cheesecake for Honey, Dorayaki (including a more savory bean paste for Mori), Puits d'amour, Strawberry Mochi, cream (as nothing beats freshly whipped cream) and the sweet soy syrup I had quickly made for the dango in a container and into a bag next to my school stuff for tomorrow, I'd be back to finish the green tea sponge when Rai wasn't around. He had a nasty habit of eating it straight out of the oven.
Dinner was fairly uneventful. Rai talked none stop about he's first day at school and even mentioned he's new "friends" leaving out the whole thing about them all being a part of a host club. I shook my head slightly eating quickly so the sponge didn't burn. I quickly raced back to it placing it and the cool egg tart in a separate container next to my bag as well. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day, my first day as a "Host" the unintentional shiver that ran up my spine at the idea of being in such close quarters to a whole lot of students was unnerving, but I couldn't back out, that would mean Rai was alone with a bunch of people who knew nothing about his allergies and they idea of not being able to do anything to help him if he had a reaction was even worse than the idea of having a whole bunch of students possibly touching me or asking awkward I got ready for bed, my over sized sweatshirt and shorts a dull reminder of my mother and our last trip together, my mind raced with a million possible situations for tomorrow, not all of them good. It was the low thud from the room next door that reminded me that Rai would keep me from the worst of the questions and help make it clear to customers, and Honey, that I don't deal well with being touched by strangers.