While I can't bring myself to type up a chapter of 'The Guardian Angel' I can, however, work on this. So I'm going to type this up while the inspiration for this chapter is still here so I don't have to force myself to try and write something later on.
And right now, there is a literal cat fight going on near the back alleys of my apartment. Ah well.
Disclaimer: I don't own the KHR or the Happy Cafe franchise; I only own Yuuki and any other OCs that appear in this story.
Chapter One
About a month after she had eavesdropped on that conversation, Yuuki was in her new apartment putting away the things that had been shipped on ahead of her so that she didn't have to drag around any heavy luggage once she was at the airport. The only things she did have with her as carry-on was a backpack full of necessities that she might need while she was on the plane and the violin case that contained her violin inside.
She had moved in two weeks before the new japanese school year to give her time to unpack as well as adjust to the time zone difference that was expected when traveling to the other side of the world. For Yuuki, that meant a lot of forcing herself to stay awake during the day when she instead wanted to collapse where she stood.
But she was able to adjust within a matter of days.
Then she moved onto unpacking her stuff and by the time she was finished, she still had six days left before school started. Coincidentally enough, her birthday and the start of the new term were on the same day. She was supposed to be turning seventeen this year.
When her family broke the news about their decision of having her to move to Japan, Yuuki looked surprised as if she hadn't been listening in earlier when she had decided to come down before dinner. They gave her a choice as to whether she wanted to go or not, but she agreed to their idea. She wanted her memories back just as much as they did, and if moving to her old hometown would help her then yes she would gladly go. But the thing was, she'd have to live there by herself since everyone else was already preoccupied with something that prevented them from going with her.
Not that Yuuki minded or anything; she could take perfect care of herself and it would be nice to get away from the awkwardness she had been forced to become accustomed to over the past few months. At least here, she didn't have to put up a brave front to convince her family that she was fine. She could sulk all she wanted and not have to worry about anyone checking up on her to make sure she wasn't having a mental breakdown. She wondered if it had to do with what she was like before the accident.
But she was a bit concerned that she had forgotten to speak and write in Japanese though, though it turned out that her language skills were fine, so she didn't need to be concerned about that.
Sprawled over the wooden floor, Yuuki stared up at the ceiling and wondered what she should do next. She supposed she could watch TV, but she checked it ten minutes ago and saw that nothing was good. Reading was an option, but at the moment she didn't feel like it.
Without getting up from the floor the auburn haired girl's head turned towards the sliding doors that lead to the balcony.
So that left her with the third option...
...leaving her apartment and exploring the town.
Yuuki had been putting that off for as long as she could. She knew that at some point, she was going to have to go out and buy new groceries since she was running low on the ones that she had gotten before or otherwise risk starving to death.
With a sigh and a stomach that grumbled due to the fact she only drank tea for breakfast and hadn't bothered making lunch, she pushed herself off the floor and went to her room to find something to wear. A few minutes later she came out wearing a dark blue spaghetti strap dress with a white fleecy sweater over top. It was a bit cold, but she didn't really feel like fishing out her jeans from the drawers she had just finished organizing.
She grabbed her purse and after making sure that she had everything she needed for her venture outside, Yuuki headed out the door and into town.
Several minutes had passed and Yuuki knew already knew that Namimori was a far cry from New York City. Not that there was anything wrong with New York, but it was just nice to take her time and not have to always rush alongside the crowds of people who always saw it fit to have to hurry every where they went.
Contrary to belief, not all New Yorkers were rude and obnoxious. They just didn't have the time to make sure that someone they accidentally bumped into was alright. Then again, they were some real jerks mixed in with the majority who used the excuse of having grown up within New York's busy streets to act condescending towards others.
As she walked, she noticed that other people were staring at her. She even saw three women whispering to each other as their eyes tracked her movements and while Yuuki pretended that she hadn't took notice, she felt uncomfortable.
Spotting a cafe that didn't seem busy, she quickly ducked inside. Perfect, maybe she could stay inside until the schools let out and grab a bite to eat all the meanwhile.
"School doesn't let out for another hour or so." A voice that had her looking up at the cashier said.
Staring at her was a tall man with green-black hair who she estimated to be in his early twenties. He was handsome, a bit gruff-looking with a scowl on his face even though his eyes didn't appear as angry as his face did. Yuuki flinched a little, but approached the cashier none the less. Her hunger at that moment was overwhelming her fear, which was voiced out loud by her stomach much to her embarrassment. The man raised an eyebrow at her blushing expression, but didn't say anything about it.
"Um," Yuuki's face was still red as she scanned the cakes on display, quickly trying to figure out what she wanted so she didn't have to stay in the man's presence any longer. "I'll have a strawberry shortcake as well as a chocolate cake and..." Her eyes landed on the menu behind him. "An orange pekoe tea please?"
"That will be 1450 yen."
Yuuki fished around in her purse for her wallet and handed over a bill. He handed her back the correct change and taking the two slices of cake he gave her, she went to seat herself at a table that was on the right side of the room.
Biting into the strawberry shortcake, a burst of flavour exploded in her mouth that had her instantly craving for more. The cake was so good!
As she stuffed her face with more dessert, the man came and set down the tea in front of her. She thanked him before continuing on devouring her chocolate cake and finishing it off with the tea.
"What are you doing here?" The cashier asked. Yuuki gave him a questioning gaze and he clarified his statement for her. "None of the schools let out yet and you aren't in uniform."
"Oh." He did have a point; that was probably why people were staring at her. Schooling in Japan was taken very seriously as everything depended on your GPA, such as which high school or college you would get into. "I... I'm not going to school yet."
She saw him staring at her and decided to continue. She wanted to talk to someone but at the same time she didn't; that was probably one of the reasons she had gone outside of her apartment. The silence had been deafening and there was no one to talk to short of knocking on one of her neighbour's doors and deciding to get really friendly with them because of boredom.
"I just moved from America and my parents wanted me to adjust to Japan before school started."
"...I see."
There was silence with neither of them saying anything before Yuuki couldn't take it any more and decided to try and initiate another conversation.
"So do you mind if I get your name?" She asked.
"...Shindou." He replied.
"Oh," Yuuki bit her lip, trying to search for something else to say. "Is that your first name or last?"
"It's my last."
She wanted to ask what his first name was, but the intimidating glance he shot her said that she better not if she knew what was good for her.
As Yuuki stared at the cup she was fiddling with in her hands, she couldn't help but wonder why she was more at ease with the stoic guy at the counter than her concerned family. Probably because he wasn't always asking her questions...
She smiled to herself. Right now, it was a bit of a reverse situation. She was the one asking questions while he answered with as few words as possible. Her eyes wandered the room and landed on the door. She recalled, just seconds before she had entered the cafe, seeing a 'Help Wanted' sign at the front. Glancing over at the cashier, she decided that she needed to work up the nerve and ask him.
"...Shindou-san?" Yuuki said, remembering than the suffix '-san' was the best to use when referring to anyone if you were unsure how to address them. "I wanted to ask about the sign at the front of the store?"
While she had been busy contemplating on whether she should ask about the sign or not, Shindou had been polishing a glass cup. Now he set it down and was watching her, making her even more unnerved than she already was.
"Do you have any experience in working?" He asked.
Yuuki nodded her head. "Um, yes. I used to work in a cafe like this one before I came to Japan." She paused. "If you want, I can bring in a resume."
Unconsciously the girl gripped the cup in her hands even tighter. It was true she had worked in a cafe, but she could only recall the past three months. Hopefully, he wouldn't ask to many questions about that.
The reason why she wanted to get a job was so she could help her parents pay off the bills. She knew that they would protest to the idea, but she had been enough of a burden for half a year so the least she could do was make things easier for everyone by doing her part and the only way she saw how was by earning money herself.
And to do that, you needed a job.
"It's fine." And the man was back to polishing the glass. After a few minutes, he finally said, "Come by tomorrow at around two and we'll see how you do."
Oh, so he wanted to see her at work himself? That could work, she mused.
Picking up her used dishes, she dropped them off at the counter so that Shindou wouldn't have to come around and get them himself.
"Thanks for the meal." She said, bowing. "It was delicious."
0000
Yuuki eventually found herself seated on a bench at the park eating a chocolate ice cream several hours later. She had already dropped off all the groceries she had bought at home but had found the need to go outside again as she already been stuck in the house for days. So the girl had decided that she should go out and enjoy the day more before it got dark.
Not having any place specific to go, Yuuki just wandered around aimlessly as she noted the areas that seemed interesting and that she should look into more later on when she had time.
Looking down at the shoes she was wearing for her day out, Yuuki sighed. What in the world had made her decide to wear heels while she was walking all over the place? Granted that they weren't very high and they matched the dress she was wearing, but still...
She rubbed her sore feet and stretched her legs to prevent them from falling asleep on her. It wasn't a pleasant feeling at all.
As she continued to eat her ice cream, she watched the kids playing on the play ground and the various people who passed her on the bench. She couldn't help but envy them since at least they knew who they really were. The only thing they had to worry about what was in store for them in the future.
But for Yuuki, how in the world was she supposed to face what would come when she couldn't even remember her past? What had she been like? How could she shape a future from only months of experience in the real world?
It was agonizing having to re-learn the names of people and connect those identities to those had she known before and couldn't remember. After an incident in which she found out that someone who had said they had been her 'friend' before the accident had been using her the entire time, Yuuki had found herself unable to trust people easily anymore. Of course, that had been another painful situation for her family when she kept glaring at them suspiciously until they were able to convince her otherwise.
Finishing up her ice cream, she wiped her hands with the tissue that had been provided for her by the vendor and threw it in the garbage.
But that was why she had agreed to come to Namimori in the first place. So that she could learn more about herself and past.
While she was musing about this, Yuuki was also staring up at the blue sky that seemed so much closer than it ever did in New York. And this was probably why she ended up crashing into someone just as she turned the corner at the estimated time she was supposed to when she looked down the street for a fraction of a second earlier. This caused her to trip on her heels and then fall against the person she had walked into, bringing the both of them down hard onto the pavement.
"Tenth!" A loud voice shouted at the same time another one said, "Tsuna!"
Yuuki groaned and was surprised that it was echoed by a second one that obviously came from a boy. But before she could think about that, the person with the loud voice was shouting at her.
"You! How dare you crash into the Tenth!"
"Now, now. I'm sure that she didn't mean... it..." The second voice that was defending her trailed off.
"Ow..." Yuuki ignored them, more concerned about her sore body for the moment. With a quick mental check, she determined she'd have to look at her knees later on.
Feeling something shift beneath her, she looked down and saw the person thar she had obviously knocked over.
"Ahh!" Yuuki immediately jumped up onto her feet, her face turning a bright red scarlet. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
Her unfortunate victim was a boy with brown spiky hair. He was wearing a dark blazer with a black tie and matching black pants; she wasn't sure what school he went to, but she was certain that it wasn't the one she would be going to next week.
"Yeah," The boy said, his eyes still closed as he rubbed his head. "I'm okay."
He opened his eyes to look up at her...
...and stared.
Still concerned despite the unnerving gaze, Yuuki reached out and grabbed the hand he was holding out towards her wordlessly. "Here, let me help you."
Gripping tightly, she yanked him onto his feet. He was still staring at her, but Yuuki pretended not to notice like she had been doing at her old school in New York when she had become the target of school gossip. She had gotten good with poker expressions over the months.
"I'm sorry about crashing into you like that, I should have been paying more attention to where I was going." Yuuki was babbling, she knew that. But it wasn't just the boy she had helped up who was looking at her like she was some sort of oddity; his friends were too.
The silver haired boy with green eyes (she wondered if he was foreigner or had foreign blood in him) just blinked at her with his mouth slightly open while the dark haired boy who had a baseball bat slung over his shoulder was full out gaping at her.
She quickly looked over the brunet; he looked okay, so she didn't have to worry too much about him being badly hurt or anything. "Um, are you sure you're not hurt?" She asked anyways, just to be on the safe side.
"Oh, uh, yes!" He snapped out of his trance. "I'm... yeah... I'm okay." He stumbled over his words.
"Alright." Yuuki smiled at him, though it faded a little when he flinched. "Then I'll be on my way then."
She quickly walked around him and his friends and hurried away. But even as she turned the corner, she could still feel their stares and quickened her pace until she was in front of the main doors of her apartment. By then, she was out of breath and resting against the glass door as she allowed herself to relax. What was up with them? Why were they staring at her like that?
Did they know her?
Yuuki placed her head in her hands. Great, she just let an opportunity slip through her fingers. WHY didn't she stick around and ask?
But as soon as that thought crossed her mind, Yuuki quickly vanquished it. She could imagine how crazy she would seem asking if they knew her due to memory loss.
Removing her keys from her purse to open the door, she put the thought to the back of her mind for the time being. She already had enough on her plate without asking for more.
Hmm... didn't think the chapter would be this long. Oh well, all the more for you to enjoy it, right? Though there wasn't much in drama and action in chapter two... well, except around the end.
Anyone recognize what other manga Shindou comes from? Consider him and the other characters an alternate version from the manga they originally came from!
Anyways, tell me what you guys think! I really want to hear your opinions. Meaning, don't forget to review!
