Yay! Fast update! :) I've got a busy week coming ahead. It's supposed to be holidays, but there's so much to do it's not going to be a holiday at all. So, while I still can, here is the next chapter... but first, review replies!

ARCtheElite: Let's just say... I'm not too fond of it. :/ It doesn't look all that bad on her, honestly, but when you compare it with Ken's, the similarity is uncanny.

KoumiLoccness: I don't mean to be rude, but it was a little bit of a disappointment to get a review from you, because of two reasons: one – it didn't make sense, and two – it was of no means constructive. Couplings are not always the most important things in stories, you know.

PrincessJaded: Hello! Yup, I thought it'd be fun writing a coupling that is different from the ones that I like! And as for Taichi... he's a pretty cool brother, but to some extent all brothers (older or younger) are gonna be annoying :)

Blazing Chaos: Thanks for the faith! Haha. I hope I live up to your expectations. My stories always tend to be a bit "unsteady" when I first start on them!

Dracula-key: *points to the main characters that I have put for this story* Yup, this one is a Kenkari. Thanks for the review!

Also thanks to KOI Seracus for your lurvely review!


The New Neighbours
Chapter Two


I didn't manage to see any of the Ichijoujis for the whole of Saturday. Miyako called me up to go shopping together and so I did. I walked past their door on the way out, but it was closed. By the time I returned home it was past dinnertime, and yeah, you guessed it – their door was still closed. It seemed pretty quiet in there. Usually it's not difficult to tell if anyone's home in our house, because there's usually quite a bit of noise going on in there. I assumed that they probably weren't home.

I had a nice sleep all night and woke up refreshed on Sunday morning – nobody to bother me this time, Hooray! The delicious smell of apple pie baking made me sit up. Mum rarely baked, but whenever she did the results were marvellous. I washed up quickly and hurried into the kitchen, trying to remember if we had any vanilla ice-cream in the freezer. Warm apple pie and cold, sweet vanilla ice-cream! Just thinking about this perfect combination made my stomach rumble.

Taichi was already up. He was sitting by the table, looking a little grumpy. Dad was probably still asleep – he always slept in on Sundays.

"Something smells really good!" I said happily, walking over to the oven and peering in. A beautiful-looking apple pie was baking inside. "Looks like we're going to have a great tea today!"

"It isn't for us," Taichi said, sounding grumpier than ever. I turned to look at him, surprised.

"It isn't?" I glanced at Mum, who nodded guiltily. I blinked in surprise. "Then who're you baking this for?"

Mum smiled a little at me. "I'm planning to give this to the Ichijoujis as a welcome gift," she explained. "We may have gotten off on a wrong start yesterday, but I want to be on good terms with our neighbours! Hopefully this will bury the hatchet."

This was just like Mum – always so concerned about being nice to everyone, and always making amends even though the fault wasn't hers! I was a little (okay, make that quite a bit) disappointed that the apple pie wasn't for us, but I respected Mum's desire to reach out to others. "Just remember to bake one for us next time," I said, grinning at her.

"Fancy wasting that apple pie on someone who was so mean to you!" Taichi said, still looking a little cross. My brother is always so sensitive when it comes to good food.

"Taichi, don't be so petty!" I said, shaking my head at him. "It's only an apple pie." An idea suddenly came to my head, and I turned back to my mother. "Hey, Mum, do you want us to help you bring the apple pie to them? I want to see how they're like and now would be a good chance to find out."

Mum thought for a moment. "That's a good idea. You two are the only ones who haven't met them anyway, and I'm going to be busy with chores today. Oh, you could help me run some errands after that too! We've run out of washing powder."

"Great! Just as long as Taichi doesn't gobble up the entire thing on the way there," I teased. Taichi pretended to throw the salt-shaker at me, and I laughed.


I spent the morning lazing around the house – checking my email, playing with my now-elderly cat, and reading the newspapers. After lunch, Mum put the apple pie carefully in a nice cardboard box and handed it to me.

"I should think they're home," she told me and Taichi as she helped us to unlock the front door. "Be polite when talking to them, alright? Have a nice time!"

"No problem!" Both of us chorused. The Ichijoujis were right next door to us, and it would be an extremely short walk to their house. Making sure not to tilt the box, I slipped into my flip-flops and walked over to their house, my brother right behind me. Behind us, I heard Mum shut the door with a gentle click.

"I still think it's rather a waste," Taichi whispered to me, eyeing the box.

"Shhh," I hissed at him, "we're reaching already!"

I could hear the sounds of a television programme from inside their house, so that meant that someone had to be home. I reached over to the doorbell and pressed it. A pleasant, short melody rang out.

"Nice," Taichi said. "I wish our doorbell was like that, instead of that stupid clucking noise we've got." Dad had installed our joke-of-a-doorbell on a whim years ago, when the one before that spoilt. When you press it, the sound of a hen clucking away merrily fills the air. It's really loud, too.

"At least it makes for a good conversation starter," I replied, smiling slightly. Taichi and I loved to press it just for fun when it was first installed, and it drove our parents nuts. "Why isn't anybody answering?" I wondered. "Someone has to be at home. I can hear the TV."

"Maybe they're in the toilet or something," Taichi suggested reasonably. "Let's give them a little time."

So we waited. Two minutes later, I couldn't help but ring the doorbell again – a final attempt, and then we would leave if nobody answered a second time round. Half a minute passed and I was tempted to give up when I heard footsteps.

The door flung open and a middle-aged woman with chin-length, curly brown hair stood in front of us. She was wearing a simple blue dress and looked as elegant as I remembered from her interview on the news. It was Mrs. Ichijouji! I couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by her expression, though – it was one of utmost annoyance. I couldn't see properly, because she was behind the gate – but it looked as though her eyes were a little red, as though she had been crying. Or chopping onions, perhaps – for I suddenly noticed a damp tablecloth in her hands. Oops. Had we visited at a bad time?

"Hello, Mrs. Ichijouji!" I smiled at her and bowed slightly. "I'm Yagami Hikari and this is my older brother, Taichi." I gestured at Taichi and he waved, smiling friendlily at her. "We're your new neighbours and we would like to welcome you to our neighbourhood!" I lifted up the cardboard box, trying to ignore the fact that throughout my whole speech, she hadn't cracked a smile. "My mum baked this for you guys. It's an apple pie, still warm!"

That was a few seconds' silence. Mrs. Ichijouji's expression was unreadable. After another slight pause, she said, "I'll go and get my keys." Then, she hurried off.

Taichi and I exchanged looks. "That's weird," He mouthed, and I nodded.

Mrs. Ichijouji came back quite a bit later. She wasn't holding the cloth anymore, and I wondered why she looked noticeably paler – why, her lips were much redder just now! Then it hit me – she must have been wearing makeup, and had gone to wash her face in the time she had gone to take the keys. Two thoughts struck me simultaneously – why was she wearing makeup at home? And secondly, what was the point of washing it off just when people were visiting?

Mrs. Ichijouji unlocked the gate briskly. "Come on in," she said, still without a trace of a smile. Telling myself that she was probably just uncomfortable or feeling a bit shy, I smiled and thanked her, and we entered.

The Ichijoujis' apartment was of similar construct to ours. Even though they had only just moved in yesterday, it looked as though they had already settled in well – there were no signs of unopened boxes anywhere, and furniture was already nicely laid out. The living room was comfortable-looking and clean, with a huge plasma television, cream-coloured leather couches, and an oak bookshelf stacked top to toe with books. There was also a grandfather clock – it looked like an antique and must have been expensive. I thought, a little embarrassedly, of our own house – we kept it as clean as possible, but it was no match compared to this.

"Er, have a seat," Mrs. Ichijouji gestured toward the couches, and we sat down on it. That was when I noticed a photograph frame on the coffee table – it held a picture of a teenage boy, dressed smartly in a suit. He had spiky, dark blue hair and smart-looking glasses. Was that Ken? I didn't like to ask, not wanting to seem nosey.

Mrs. Ichijouji had seen me looking, though, and she swept over quickly, grabbing the photograph and putting it away. I stared in surprise. She was frowning slightly at me and I felt my face growing red. Taichi looked at us and spoke quickly.

"Hey Hikari, why are you still holding the apple pie?" He laughed and took the box from me, handing it to Mrs. Ichijouji. "Here, Mrs. Ichijouji. Just a little gift from us."

"Thank you," she said stiffly, taking the box from Taichi. She put it on the table and then turned back to us. I noticed her quick glance at Taichi's bushy, flyaway hair, and the look of disapproval that flashed across her face. I felt a spark of annoyance inside me – who was she to judge my brother just because he had messy hair?

"So..." I wondered if Mrs. Ichijouji was eager for us to leave, but simply had to entertain us for politeness' sake, seeing how we had just given her a present. "How is this neighbourhood like? Are you two in Odaiba Junior High?"

"I'm in Junior High," I replied as cheerfully as possible. "Taichi's already in High School. He's going to be graduating soon!"

"I see," Mrs. Ichijouji said, nodding. "That's nice." Looking at me, she continued, "If you don't mind me asking, what is Odaiba Junior High like? You see, my son – Ken – he thrives best in a competitive environment, and I've heard that Odaiba Junior is just a normal school. I wonder if it would be suitable for him?"

I felt a sudden urge to speak up for my "just a normal" school. "Oh, it's really fun there actually," I told her. The frown that crossed her face told me that maybe "fun" wasn't the best word to use. "Our teachers are really helpful and friendly, and we have a wide range of extracurricular activities. I'm sure Ken will like it here."

"I've heard that Ken is an excellent soccer player," Taichi supplied eagerly, "Perhaps he could join the Soccer Team. I'm helping to coach it and it would really do the team good to have some fresh talent."

"You're coaching the team?" Mrs. Ichijouji asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Helping to coach," Taichi said, looking a little embarrassed. "I used to be Captain before I graduated."

"Captain?" Mrs. Ichijouji looked surprised – too surprised for my liking. "Well, it looks like Ken will hardly have a problem getting into the team, then."

Maybe Mrs. Ichijouji was just a tactless person – I don't know if you could call her mean, because a truly mean person would have just accepted (or even worse, rejected) our gift without thanks, and not bother to invite us in. But that comment was just plain rude, and from her expression it was apparent that she hadn't even realised it. I saw Taichi's face fall slightly and felt another spark of annoyance.

"Taichi's a fantastic soccer player," I told her, "He holds the record for shooting the most goals in the team so far!"

"That's really sweet," Mrs. Ichijouji said, actually managing a smile. "Ken's excellent at soccer too. His old coach has told him that if he continues, he could probably join the National team when he's old enough. And he was Captain of his old team as well."

"Where's Ken?" I asked, deciding to change the subject. "It'd be nice to meet him. Is he home?"

Mrs. Ichijouji let out a tinkle-like chuckle. It was light, like a bell, and sounded strangely unsuitable for her. "Oh, I'm afraid not," she told us. "He's out, giving Science tuition to a seventh grader."

"Wow!" I exclaimed, impressed. Since he was my age, Ken must also be in the ninth grade, which was only two grades above his tutee. He must be really smart.

"Sounds like a real genius!" Taichi commented.

Mrs. Ichijouji looked pleased at that. "Are you hungry?" She asked. "I'll just cut the apple pie, and you two can have a slice each."

She got up and went into the kitchen. Surprised at this sudden change in attitude, I looked at Taichi, who simply shrugged.

Mrs. Ichijouji returned five minutes later, balancing three plates on a tray. She handed us a plate each, then sat down and picked up the last one for herself.

I took a bite of the pie. Wow – it was good. The pie was still warm from the oven, and my Mum had somehow managed to, on her first attempt, perfect the buttery crust and the moist, juicy apple filling. "This is delicious!" I said, and Taichi grinned his approval.

Mrs. Ichijouji took a small bite and chewed, looking thoughtful. "It's alright," she said slowly, swallowing. "There are quite some flaws with the baking technique, though. I used to win baking competitions all the time in the Tamaichi Baking Club," she told us. "I could offer your mother a few pointers."

For the third time, I felt another spark of annoyance. My mum had spent so much time baking the pie for her – why was Mrs. Ichijouji so darned picky? It was as though she just had to make herself sound better than us in every aspect!

Wanting to be polite, I kept silent. Taichi, who was always the outspoken type, look rather annoyed. "I think Mum's pie is very good already, Mrs. Ichijouji," he said.

Mrs. Ichijouji looked at him and smiled almost pityingly. "It may seem tasty, but the discerning palate can taste the flaws. Believe me, this pie will not sell well in a bakery unless some improvements are done to it."

Taichi looked as though he was struggling not to roll his eyes.

"Er – I love your furniture, Mrs. Ichijouji," I said, making a last attempt to be polite. Anyway, I was telling the truth. I did think her furniture were all very nice.

"Oh yes," Mrs. Ichijouji said, sitting up. "Most of our furniture are bought overseas whenever we go holidaying, which is about twice a year at least. I believe that every house must have good-quality furniture – otherwise, what would your guests think? Imagine buying your sofa from one of those neighbourhood furniture shops – who knows what has been done with the furniture beforehand!"

There was a short silence. Then Taichi said, as calmly as he could, "Most of our furniture are from those shops. And they're perfectly durable."

Mrs. Ichijouji's smile was a little patronizing. "I never did say they're not durable, my dear. I just meant that they're not as... clean, or pleasant on the eye."

"Yeah, right." Taichi made a show of checking his watch – I knew he wanted to leave. "We had better go, Hikari. We still have to help Mum run errands, you know."

"Don't you have a maid for that?" Mrs. Ichijouji looked incredulously oblivious. "We have a daily help to do all these for us. I can't imagine going outside in this hot weather!"

"Yeah, we do have maids – us," Taichi said coolly, gesturing to himself and to me. Mrs. Ichijouji looked surprised and also a little offended at his tone. Standing up abruptly, she walked over to the door and opened it.

"Well, have a pleasant day, then," she said, reverting, all of a sudden, back to her cold and aloof self.

"Thanks for entertaining us," I said, bowing slightly.

"Goodbye," Taichi added.

We walked toward the elevator as the door closed behind us.

"You don't seem to like her very much," I said quietly.

"Did you?" Taichi returned, looking at me.

"Well... not really," I said. "But at least she's not mean, like how she was yesterday."

"Yes, I agree that she's not mean," Taichi agreed, stepping into the elevator. "But I think that she's a snobbish, elitist prude. And that's bad enough for me."

I followed him in, feeling a little upset. Taichi was right. Mrs. Ichijouji was unpleasant in a different way, and I didn't have a very good feeling about the rest of the Ichijouijs now. I was beginning to miss old Mr. and Mrs. Kouzuki all over again.

TBC

In the dub, Mrs. Yagami somehow has horrible cooking skills, but I'm going to go with the original. :) Please review!