A/N. At this point in time, I've probably lost some of you, and I apologize. Just... bear with me. All shall be revealed in the end.

Oh yeah, and a humongous -bungus thanks to Jestry for beta-reading this and massively upping the quality.

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Four Years Ago

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The cold fall air flowed along the streets of Shibuya, stray leaves chasing the crowds and following them into stores where they were quickly swept out of again to continue the cycle. One such gust seemed to carry a slender teenaged boy into a tidy cafe on Cat Street.

A slight smirk crossed his face at the sight of the empty cafe, save for the owner behind the counter. "Honestly, Mr. H. I would have thought you could have done better with the renovations. It looks exactly the same as it did before Sho trashed it. "

"That's the point, Joshua. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I liked how it looked before. " Sanae Hanekoma laughed then, running his fingers through his thick black hair.

"If it isn't broke, then why are you? " Josh replied teasingly, sliding a few yen over the counter. "House Blend, please. "

"I though you didn't like coffee. "

Joshua corrected him with a knowledgeable smirk. "I don't like most coffee… it's often terribly bitter and stains my teeth. Yours is special. "

"Thanks, boss. The secret ingredient is love- my brew's not mass-produced. And I use only the clearest water… "

"I know, " the Composer put in before his friend could really get started. "...Because you love beans. "

Sanae smiled, pushing a steamy mug over to the boy. "How goes everything? "

"The Game's going fine, as you know. " Joshua gave him a suspicious look over his mug. "But... that's not what you're asking about, is it? "

The cafe barista smiled broadly. "Talked to the Bito girl recently? "

In Joshua's defense, he reacted quickly, but even the smallest falter was enough for Sanae. He smirked as Joshua pressed his lips against the coffee cup in a valiant attempt to stop the reminiscent smile and blush from giving himself away.

Silence reigned for a while, Joshua forcibly ignoring Sanae, whose grin was creeping across his face, getting wider and wider. "Soooooo... "

"What? " The teenager growled, admitting defeat.

"How was it? "

Joshua didn't reply- in words, at least. His face, however, flushed to a scarlet that rivaled the leaves outside as a short series of events flashed through his mind flowed through his head like a gentle brook- Rhyme dedicatedly bandaging his hand, the soap battle and the brief kiss after, laying on the couch next to her, the feel of her lips against his, the taste of strawberries and cream...

Mr. H beamed, nudging Joshua affectionately. "Awwwwww.... Joshua's got a girlfriend~~~"

"Shut up. "

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