~Makoto~
Makoto felt great today. She's starting her first job. It was only a part-time help at a small bakery, but for her, it's a huge opportunity. Mainly she would be waiting tables, but she would help in the kitchen when they had several advanced orders. That part mattered to her. She longed work in the food industry professionally. She couldn't wait to finish high school and use her cooking and baking skills.
Plus, Makoto loved Mrs. Ito, her neighbor at her apartment. Makoto baked them some cookies and cakes to welcome her and her family when they moved in. Mrs. Ito had been praising Makoto's food ever since. Now that Mrs. Ito's bakery was doing well, she asked Makoto to help out on weekends. Makoto didn't think twice before accepting the job.
On Saturday, the bakery opened at 6 o'clock, but Makoto had to be there before 5 in the morning.
"Good Morning, Makoto," Mrs. Ito greeted her. The bakery was still family-run. Only Mr. and Mrs. Ito and their daughter, Hina, worked at the store.
"Morning, Makoto. Lovely to have you here." Mrs. Ito embraced Makoto tightly. She had been treating Makoto like her family. Over time Makoto had come to respect this kind, generous lady almost as her own mother.
"Hina will help you get familiar with our store," Mrs. Ito said and led Makoto to her daughter.
"Good morning, Hina." Hina was merely a few years older, but Makoto held her in high respect.
Hina showed Makoto around the bakery. After a few instructions, Makoto put on her apron and started preparing for her first shift.
"We'll start slow. You just wait on customers today. Maybe help us pack to-go orders," Hina said with a smile.
This shouldn't be too difficult. The bakery only had five tables.
When the shop opened at 6, not many people coming into the cafe section yet. Makoto mostly packed pastries and cakes for advanced orders.
Around 7 o'clock, the cafe started to get busy. Several early birds came in to hang out with friends and families.
"Makoto, take this to Table 1," Hina said and handed her a tray with a small plate of a blueberry scone and two glasses of orange juice. "And this one to Table 2." Hina handed her another tray with a cup of black coffee and two whole-grain toasts.
Makoto picked up the trays from the counter. She glanced at the tray with a coffee and toasts, her eyes furrowed. Who came to a bakery and ordered dry toasts?
She carried both trays. It was not difficult to balance them on her hands and arms. Her senshi training equipped her with strength and stamina. She walked over to Table 1 first, laying the order on the table with an adept of a seasoned waitress despite her lack of experience. "Here're your scone and two glasses of orange juice."
She then turned to Table 2. She gently laid down the tray. "Here are your black coffee and toasts."
The guy at Table 2 looked up. Her heart almost gave out.
How could she have missed when he walked in? The guy had a large built with wavy long brown hair, hanging down past his shoulders. He wore workout clothes, probably just finished jogging or working out. His hands were holding a newspaper. His appearance reminded her of someone she has lost.
"Nephrite," she muttered. He tilted his head to the side. His eyes narrowed, eyebrows squished together.
Makoto was so stunned that she stepped back, dropping the tray on the floor.
The shattering sound drew Makoto back to the present. She realized what just happened.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." She knelt down to pick up the broken mug and plate and wiped the coffee off the floor.
He put down his newspaper and knelt down beside her. If she weren't already flustered, she would have been now.
"Did I get you? Are you hurt?" She looked at him. Couldn't believe her eyes. Nephrite was here.
"No, I'm fine." His lips curved up slightly. Exactly like Nephrite's usual solemn smiles.
He's helping her pick up the pieces of broken china until Hina came in to help.
"Don't worry, Nobu. We'll take care of it. Your order today is on us," Hina said.
"Don't worry about it. I'm ok," he said, waving his hand.
"We insist," Hina said.
He nodded and returned to his seat. Makoto couldn't help noticing his lingering gaze on her.
After cleaning up the mess, Makoto was back behind the counter. She just made a huge mistake on her first day. Not only did she make a fool of herself as a waitress, but she did it in front of Nephrite.
"I'm so sorry, Hina. It's my first day and I already messed up." Makoto covered her face with her hands. The whirl of emotion washed over her. Embarrassment. Frustration. Confusion.
Hina patted her shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Makoto. It's your first day. Just be careful next time." Hina was as kind as her mother.
"Maybe you should try carrying one tray at a time first. We are not that busy, anyway," Hina suggested.
Makoto nodded and let out a sigh. Even though she knew Hina and her mother were nice, for a minute there, she thought she was going to get fired.
"What made you startled anyway?" Hina asked.
Makoto automatically darted to him.
Hina widened her eyes. "You like him?" She whispered
Makoto felt blood filling her face. She cursed herself for her inability to hide anything. Makoto looked down at the floor. "I. I …." Her tongue glued to her mouth.
Hina grinned. "Well, Nobu came here all the time. Every Saturday actually."
"Every Saturday?" Makoto asked.
Hina winked. "Yep."
Makoto nodded. She would see Nephrite every week.
Even while working, her eyes kept glancing at Nephrite, or Nobu according to Hina. She studied him carefully. He seemed to be in his early 20s. He looked so serious reading the newspaper as if he was reading it for school assignments. Not surprising, though. Nephrite took everything earnestly, too. He was arguably the best military strategist in the Golden Kingdom.
But she hadn't seen him looked at her. Not once.
Maybe he didn't remember their past lives. Of course, he wouldn't. Just like she didn't remember anything before meeting Usagi.
As much as Makoto wanted to walk up to him, the cafe got so busy, robbing her of any opportunities to talk to him. Nobu looked very much like Nephrite. The hair. The eyes. The face. The way he carried himself. Was Nobu the guy she thought she saw on the street the other day?
When she had a small break from work, she noticed him getting up and walking toward the door.
Makoto made a quick decision. She would seize the moment.
She quickly put a cupcake in a box and ran after him.
"Wait!" She called out.
Nobu turned around, the newspaper still in his hand.
"This is an apology from me. I'm so sorry for my clumsiness." She bowed and handed up the small box.
Nobu waved his hand. "Don't worry about it."
"Please take it. I'll feel better," Makoto pleaded.
He shrugged. "Ok, if it makes you feel better." He reached out and took it.
"I'm Kino Makoto," she said.
"Yamamoto Nobu."
A small bit of silence hung in the air. For four years, she had been dreaming of this moment to reconnect to Nephrite. How come she felt tense and speechless when the moment actually appeared?
He glanced around nervously, searching for words, his lip pressed together. "Ok. See you." He waved and started to walk away.
"Mr. Yamamoto."
He turned back to her.
She knew this was incredibly forward, but he's Nephrite. There was no way she would let him slip away again.
"Would you like to have coffee sometime?" She finally got the word out.
His eyes darted to the cafe.
She shook her head, waving her hands. "No. Not here. Somewhere else." That was stupid. We were at a cafe. Duh!
"Hm, sure." He shrugged.
She smiled, "My number's on there." She pointed at the bakery box. "Give me a call."
"Sure." He nodded.
"I'll look forward to it." She gave him a gentle smile.
"Ok. Hm, see you then."
Makoto could do nothing but nodded and smiled. She's already picturing their happily ever after.
He would eat the cake and think of her. She beamed at that thought. She wished she had given him something she made instead of the bakery's.
That's ok. There would be plenty of time.
Makoto felt her heart swelling. Happiness filled her like thunderstorms' electricity coursing through her veins. This was it. This was their chance at a happy ending.
The happy ending they both deserved.
~Nobu~
Despite still being a junior in college studying law, Nobu was already interning at his father's firm. Not that he minded. He desperately wanted to. Everyone thought being the only son of a law firm's owner would be easy. They thought he would be a successor of the firm when his father retired, but things were never easy with his father.
Everyone knew Mr. Yamamoto was extremely strict. His father made it clear since Nobu was young that if he wanted to succeed, he had to work hard. When Nobu decided he wanted to be a lawyer, his father told him Nobu wouldn't be given the firm unless Nobu proved he could handle it. His father would rather sell the firm or gave it to other junior lawyers than letting it crumble in the hands of his own son.
Nobu liked that his father was strict. His father made him work harder. He loved that he had to prove himself. He wanted to win.
Nonetheless, he felt stressed sometimes. Nobu found solace in his morning run and enjoying coffee at a small bakery before he started working every Saturday. His mother complained that he worked too much. Maybe so, but Nobu liked working. It gave him a sense of purpose and accomplishment. What was there to life other than work? Work was a legacy he would leave behind. That mattered to him the most.
Today when Nobu walked in, he noticed a new girl working behind the counter. She seemed young, probably still in high school. The girl's towering over Hina, looking physically strong, but at the same time so gentle.
He didn't know why he was looking at her. He was merely observant, a mark of a good lawyer. That's why.
He had been a regular here since the store opened over a year ago. Nobu liked to order the same thing every time, eliminating one decision from his day created more room for his mind to tackle significant matters
He was concentrating on the newspaper. Seemed like the government would be passing a new law on cryptocurrency soon.
"Here's your …."
He looked up at the server. Not Hina, but the new girl.
She looked startled and dropped the tray. He helped her pick up the broken china.
Once he sat back in his chair again, it was difficult to continue reading. He looked at the newspaper, but his eyes kept darting to the new girl. He heard Hina called her Makoto.
He was sure Makoto didn't notice his glance. He excelled at plastering his poker-face. That's why he would make a good lawyer, his father told him many times.
Not only his eyes kept darting to her, his thoughts too.
He didn't understand why.
That bothered him. He liked knowing what happened, despising anything beyond his controls.
She was just pretty. That's all. It was his stupid male biology causing him to think about her.
He shook his head. Girls are distractions. Loves are distractions. They would derail him from his goals.
Once he reached his goals, there would be plenty of time to find a wife and start a family.
His father approved of that. Actually, it might have been his father's idea, but Nobu agreed. His career's clock was ticking.
As much as he kept telling himself he's not interested in dating, he couldn't stop thinking about Makoto. His mind kept wandering to her so much that he couldn't continue reading at all. Words were all jumbled in his mind.
He had to go somewhere else to find peace. He left the money on the table and walked toward the exit.
He barely left the door when Makoto caught up to him and offered him a small box. Must be a cake or a pastry.
He tried to refuse. She looked so apologetic, and he didn't want her to feel bad. Any gentlemen wouldn't refuse.
Then she invited him to get coffee and ask him to call her.
Did she just ask him out?
But what he didn't understand was why he said yes. He had no intention to date anyone right now.
His father always told him not to date until he finished college. Girls were terrible distractions, he said.
It was ridiculous to follow his father's order, he knew.
But he was a good son. Always a good son.
Maybe he could try? Just once? It couldn't hurt to go on a date with this girl just one time. He would never let any girl distract him from his goals anyway. He just wanted to know this girl.
That's what he told himself.
AN: Honestly, I'm not really in love with how I wrote this chapter for my favorite couple. But I'm stuck, and I need to move on. Otherwise, I might not finish the story. Maybe I'll come back and revise it later. This is what I have for now. Hope it's good enough.
SilverMoonFlower18 –I love Rei and Jadeite too. I like Rei's personality.
i1976 - blu notte – You'll see Usagi and Mamoru soon.
godess bubbles – Might be a while before we see Junichi again. Hang tight.
KageNoNeko – Glad you like two POVs. I can't decide whose POV I want to write, so I did both, lol.