Chapter Seven:

That night, before she went to sleep, Sadie checked the cell phone she'd steadfastly refused to acknowledge for three days. Half expecting there to be messages piled up, she was surprised to see her inbox completely empty. She chuckled once, bitterly. So, she's not at all sorry for ratting me out, huh? Not that I'd expect her to be contrite…

~'Because you're friend's a complete nutcase.'~

She stiffened at the words, but refused to acknowledge the voice. Snapping her phone shut, she laid her head down on the pillow and tried to clear her mind.

Which worked out similarly to Mura-kun eating a salad.

Sadie sighed and gave up, instead reflecting upon the strange events of the afternoon. She recalled the determined look in his eyes when he realised she wasn't going to be attending school – and the bold decision of asking her father for work. Slave work… Mura-kun wants to eat my food that badly…?

It was just so confusing! One moment he was pouty like a child and wanting nothing more to do with her, and the next he decided it was a good idea to spend almost every afternoon – and weekend – working together with her. The boy is a walking contradiction, she resolved. And knowing how bad his grades were already only served to make her even more determined to convince her father of his mistake.

~'Don't worry, sweetie,'~ the voice said cooingly, ~'It's only for your cooking. Don't overthink it.'~

She actually opened her mouth to respond to the taunt, but closed it when she realised there was no way to rebuke the statement. Doubt crept in and, unbidden, memories returned of Mura-kun's words during school.

"You always have good food on you… That's why I hang out with you at lunch."

Yeah, well, she thought bitterly as she rolled onto her side, Your company isn't exactly what I'd call 'pleasurable' either, you lazy, droopy-eyed giant. Sadie paused as an idea came to her. I won't even have to speak to Dad about firing you… Because your own laziness will get the job done for me.

Feeling much more at ease, Sadie closed her eyes and finally found sleep.


Early morning starts are a special kind of hell, Sadie realised the next morning. As she entered the shop through the back, she smothered a yawn – and another. Then one more. She had a whole dessert and savoury bake to get through, and she was operating on four hours sleep…

This calls for some serious caffeine.

Sadie thought for a moment, and then raided the small fridge beside the chopping bench, emerging victorious with an energy drink from her father's not-so-secret caffeine supply. Guess Dad was pretty exhausted after all, huh… I wish he had asked me for help. A few sips later and she was back in the zone.

She glanced up at the clock, which read five o'clock; she had approximately two and a half hours before the morning customers would start trickling in for coffee and light snacks, and then after that would be the breakfast rush. Which meant savoury items were to be baked first before quickly moving on to the sweets for the afternoon customers. It was going to be a busy day; but before all that, there was one important ingredient she needed…

Music.

This morning she was feeling more of a tranquil vibe – something that was pleasant to listen to, but wouldn't distract her from her tasks. Because despite what many people believed, making good food involved a positive and constructive mental attitude. Which meant a nice Studio Ghibli piano playlist would do just perfectly. As the opening notes floated through the room, Sadie immediately felt herself settle.

Alright, let's do this!

Slapping both cheeks, Sadie immediately began to prep her work station, firing up the stove-tops and ovens. Although they were a restaurant, they also sold products from a take-away food cabinet, which Sadie was – as of a few days ago – solely responsible for. Once upon a time, back before Link left home, she had worked with her father to create the most beautiful American-style cakes and slices to sell. People were continuously surprised and delighted by the treats they had cooked up together, and half of the takings for each day were items that were bought from their precious take-away cabinet. While starting on the pastries, she recalled with wistful clarity the joy her father had every day when they worked together in the morning before school, and a few hours afterwards. One time she made a white-chocolate and passionfruit tart all by herself, and he had immediately put it on the top shelf, right in the middle where only the most popular cakes sold. Sadie had been beside herself with happiness and pride.

~'And now your Daddy can barely look you in the eye. How proud he must be…'~

The knife slipped in her grasp; it scored her finger, and the sharp pain made her gasp in alarm. At once she rushed to rinse the wound with water, digging around underneath the sink for the first-aid kit. She cursed to herself. Dammit, you made me lose focus. Why couldn't you just stay quiet? Huh? She waited for a response, but was left puzzled when none came. Oi! Why're you so silent all of a sudden?

Still there was no reply, but instead of pursuing the issue, Sadie let it slide with a shrug. Whatever moments of peace she could get to herself were always more than welcome.

Wound treated, Sadie resumed her bake, and for the rest of the morning, she didn't hear a single peep from the voice in her head.

Later that day, just after the lunch-time rush, Sadie was just finishing stocking up the cabinet when she happened to glance out the shop windows – and spotted Link making his way across the street three blocks away. She squinted to catch a better look; he was heading away from the shop, in the direction of what looked to be a small arcade. Sadie frowned at that, wondering what he could possibly be doing… But suddenly, he stopped in front of a pole and waited.

What in the…

He waited there for what seemed like ages; at one point, Kimiko called out to Sadie to get back to work, and even when she came back from the kitchen he was still standing in that one place. Sadie waited a little longer, hoping for something to happen so she could at least have a clue

"Sadie-chan! What are you doing over there?" her mother called out – again. You have work to do, don't just stand around spacing out."

"Hai," Sadie sighed, and was about to move away when it happened. From the street, a small, hooded figure approached Link. When he caught sight of the person, he immediately straightened – Sadie couldn't exactly make out his expression, but he didn't seem overly happy to see them. Huh. Guess that rules out my theory of a secret lover… So then, who would he be meeting at a time like this, and for what purpose…?

They conversed together for a moment, and then made their way into the arcade. As they walked away, she picked up a few more details about the hooded figure; such as the fact that they were wearing a skirt and high socks with black shoes. A high school student! She looked harder, trying to make out more… Black skirt with a single white stripe. Black socks… Yosen. This person goes to my school.

Sadie's suspicions sky-rocketed. She desperately wanted to follow him and find out what – who – he was hiding, but with her duties in the shop it was impossible. Not to mention that her father had forbidden her from participating in any outside activities… Dammit! How was she going to learn anything like this?

"Sadie!"

She snapped to attention under her mother's sharp tone. "H-Hai!"


"Hey, Sadie-girl."

Sadie glanced up from what she was doing to see her father standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He was smiling pleasantly, but there was a strange tilt to his smile that hadn't always been there. Not since… She shook her head and put it out of her mind, returning her father's strained smile with a notably cheery one. "Hey Dad, what's up? Where've you been all day?" Usually he was right in here with her to lessen the workload. Thus, she'd been responsible for taking orders as well as making up products for the cabinet… Lazy old man.

He scrubbed his head and his grin became a little sheepish. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that… I had a lot of paperwork to get through today."

Immediately Sadie was ashamed. Seriously, when would she ever learn to stop underestimating her father? "Right, sorry. I didn't realise it was so important."

He shrugged. "It's not, really. But I suppose if we want to keep the important stuff going –" he gestured around him "– We gotta get the hard stuff over with, yeah?"

"Yeah." She cocked her head. "So if you have stuff to do then why did you come?"

"Oh, well… I was just checking up on you, I suppose." He chuckled self-consciously as the smile quickly melted off Sadie's face – to be replaced with stony indignation. "Have you had a break today?"

"Yes," she replied shortly.

"Is that so… That's good then." When he didn't say anything else, she asked shortly, "Is that all?"

He studied her face, noting the quiet fury in her eyes, and let out a tired breath. "Sadie, I'm sorry it has to be this way. I never wanted this."

Sadie threw down the potato-peeler she was holding and faced him with one hand on the bench – bracing her. "Really? Are you sure about that?"

"What does that mean?"

"Well, you are getting everything you wanted, right?" She gestured around her without taking her eyes from his. "I'm here, baking and not doing anything you aren't one-hundred per cent aware of. Link is back home, working for you again and staying out of trouble –" she broke off when she recalled seeing him creeping around with that high-school girl "– Although even then, I don't know if that's the complete truth. Isn't that the way you've wanted it since we moved here?"

While she spoke, her father crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the door. "That's not it. I don't want to hold any of my children back from pursuing their dreams."

She scoffed once, turning away to pick up the peeler again. "Isn't that the same as preventing them from making mistakes? From discovering themselves, and learning about their own flaws and limits?"

Abruptly, he shrugged away from the door and stalked over to her. She glared at him as he reached forward to snag her arm, locking it in a tight grip that betrayed the tension he was feeling from her words. With deliberate slowness, he asked, "Are you seriously trying to justify what you were doing to yourself as a good thing?"

"No," she grated, "I'm not. But I am saying that I didn't want your interference. You shouldn't have gotten involved."

His hand loosened, then fell away to rest by his side. "So you're saying… that I should have just stood by as you wasted away to nothing?" He ran a shaking hand over his face, and when he spoke next, his voice was ragged. "As if I hadn't already done that. As if I didn't notice, all this time… As if I couldn't see what you were becoming right in front of my eyes. I… should have…"

"Hey," Sadie interrupted, suddenly alarmed at the face her father was making. "Hey. Dad, it's alright." But when he just gazed unseeingly at something behind her, she took action by grabbing at his shirt and shaking him hard, once. "Old man! Don't ignore me!" Finally, those brown eyes met hers, but… they were all wrong. Sadie noted with growing dismay that they were completely devoid of their usual cheeriness, now filled with a terrible sadness that ate at her. With a sinking sensation in her stomach, she realised something that made her want to throw up.

I did this… I put that look back in his eyes.

~'Oh, such a shame… And you worked so hard to get rid of it the first time. What are you going to do now, Sadie-girl?'~

Sadie stilled. It's back…

~'Sweetheart, I never left.'~

For a moment, she puzzled over that, wondering why it had stayed silent all this time, but then quickly pushed it to the back of her mind; her father was waiting for her response. And now more than ever she felt in her gut it was important to reassure him.

"Dad, you can't control everything about me. There are some things that… even you, who have tried your best to keep us together as a family for this long, can't pick up. Especially since I was trying my hardest to..." Suddenly feeling terribly exposed, Sadie took a gulping breath and tried again. "I'm sorry I made you feel this way. I know it's my fault. But I don't want you to worry anymore. I will fix this, okay? I'll fix all of it, so don't worry."

Her father studied her, taking in the trembling upper-lip and the way her fingers were twisting together from tension, and sighed before dragging her into his arms. "Stop blaming yourself for everything, Sadie. It's not all your fault."

She nodded, then chuckled. "What's funny?"

"I don't know," she replied with another giggle. "I guess it's just… I really am a lot like you, you know? We both keep blaming ourselves so much…"

He thought for a moment, and then echoed her laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

A sniffle from the doorway brought both their heads around; Kimiko was standing at the entrance to the kitchen with a napkin clasped in one hand and the other covering her mouth. Evidently she had heard, if not all, then most of their conversation. When she saw them staring at her with droll expressions, she let out a small, "Oh!" of surprise and wiggled her small fingers frantically at them.

"No, don't look at me… I'm a mess… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to… eavesdrop… I just… happened to hear… And now, I… can't stop…" She sniffled, clearly trying to gain control of herself, but then dissolved into a puddle of tears. Again.

Andrew sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Seriously… You're hopeless, woman." But he waved her over, and when she stumbled to him, he wrapped one long arm around her shoulders and brought her head underneath his chin. "Geez… Too many emotional women around me lately."

Sadie straightened scowled at that, propping her hands on her hips. "Oh, I'm so sorry my presence is such a bother for you. Maybe I should just leave now and leave you to deal with the bake, the stock, the customers, and the – oof!"

She broke off her tirade when he extended another long arm and dragged her into his embrace. She wriggled, grumbling at him, but he just chuckled at her attempts – meanwhile her mother was blatantly clutching his shirt and sobbing uncontrollably. She raised a critical brow at that.

Man, and he thought I was bad…

But he was smiling down at them both, and Sadie felt her chest begin to lighten when she saw that his brown eyes were once again warm with their usual cheer. Tension leaked from her body, and she had to stop the sigh of relief that built. Crisis averted…

~'Wow, that's awesome! You have the power to both give and take your father's happiness.'~

She tensed at the words, scowling at her father's shoes. You know, I liked you a lot better when you were silent.

A small chuckle was her only reply.

"Oh, S-Sae-chan! I completely forgot!" Kimiko stepped away from them and swiped her tears. "Murasakibara-kun should be here any minute. Did you want me to prepare a snack for him?"

"Hmmm…" Her father stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That's right. He'll need a regular supply of food; Sadie-girl's food, of course. That was our bargain." He grinned ruefully at his daughter, who was still unimpressed with the way things had played out.

It's all right, just let him learn the consequences of his decision on his own… He'll see.

Sadie smiled, nodding once to her mother. "You're right, I'll start making him something now."

"Would it be easier to give him something out of the take-away cabinet?"

She bristled at the words. "No! That's… not a good idea. I was going to make him something a little more substantial anyway. He just lives on snacks all the time."

Her mother frowned in puzzlement. "If that's what you think is best…"

"Oh trust me, he'll love it." He'd better love it. "I'll start on that now, then."

Her father made his way to the entrance, pushing Kimiko to do the same. "I'll be back for the dinner rush, Sadie-girl. Murasakibara is just going to be sticking to dishes, floors and bins for today. He should be gone by seven p.m. Don't let him touch any of the dangerous stuff; I don't want to have to pay anymore bills…"

"Hai," she replied absently, flicking her fingers at him. "Go, go, I'll be fine." He chuckled fondly at her and left with Kimiko. Sadie sighed and started on Mura-kun's favourite snack of hers – spring rolls.

A few short minutes later she heard footsteps approach; the door swung wide to reveal the over-sized body of Murasakibara. Behind him stood her mother, who was looking at him with something close to awe – which quickly changed to bewilderment when his head met the doorframe with a hard thunk!

Just like lunch times at school. Abruptly she was seized by the nagging feeling of nostalgia. Perhaps she… did miss school with her friends. A little. Mura-kun was as predictable as ever, only this time, there was no Himuro-san to help –

"You have to lower your head a little, Atsushi."

The purple-haired giant grunted, and bent his neck over to finally enter the room. It was then Sadie saw the one figure she hadn't expected to show up here, of all places.

Himuro-san grinned a little, and sent her a small salute of greeting. "Long time no see, Sadie-san. How have you been?"

Sadie stared at him a little longer – still dumbfounded – and replied without thinking. "It's… only been a few days, Himuro-san."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," he conceded sheepishly. "Have you been working hard?"

"Yeah…" Snap out of it, baka! "I mean, yes. I've been working hard. Here." She swallowed once, glancing awkwardly up at Murasakibara – whose eyes were all over the shop. Like a kid in a candy store…

He chuckled in response. "Well, that's good, I suppose. But I thought that since you and… you know… Momoi-san, aren't talking at the moment, you haven't been receiving any homework. And since Atsushi doesn't concentrate in class enough to take notes, I thought it best to bring you the notes myself."

Sadie blinked, surprised at his kindness. "Wow. Thanks, Himuro-san. That's really… thoughtful." She glanced up at the elephant in the room, then back at Himuro. "But… wouldn't it have been easier to just give the homework to Mura-kun to give to me?"

The person in question was presently rubbing the inside of his ear with his pinkie finger – going to have to make him wash his hands thoroughly – and he supplied in that monotone voice of his, "That's what I said. But Muro-chin wanted to give you the homework in person as an excuse to talk to you about that tiny-crazy-girl."

"Atsushi," he chided softly, but in resignation. Evidently he was more than used to his friend's overly-blunt attitude. "Her name's Momoi-san. And he's right," he admitted as he turned to look her in the eye again. "I have also come to speak to you about Momoi. She's… been under a lot of stress lately."

Sadie crossed her arms at that. "Oh, really?"

"Yes."

"I don't see how that's my problem." She kept her tone low and devoid of emotion, as though she wasn't the least affected by his words.

He took a step toward her. "Sadie-san –"

"Hey, Sae-chin. Can I have some food before I start work?" Mura-kun's eyes were pleading.

She nodded an affirmative. "I was just making you some spring rolls."

"Yes!" he burst out with such energy that even Himuro was momentarily surprised. He gazed at the roof dreamily and began muttering things under his breath. "Hmmm, Sae-chan's spring rolls… So good… Been so long… All mine…"

Sadie couldn't stop the blush that coloured her cheeks from his strange words. Beside her, Himuro-san was studying his friend with a quizzical expression; evidently he had never seen Yosen's basketball ace behave in such a way. "So this is what happens when he goes without Sae-chan's cooking for a while… Kind of like an addict who hasn't had his fix."

More blushing. Geez, does he have to use such an over-dramatic analogy?

Clearing her throat, Sadie forced herself to get a grip and used the knife she was holding to point at the overflowing bins by the back door. "Mura-kun, empty those for me, please. You'll find new bin-liners to replace them underneath the sink to my right."

He pouted at her, clearly sizing her up; deliberately, she ceased her chopping and faced him with hands on her hips and a raised brow that said, 'Hop to it, boy.' He shrugged uncaringly and made his way over to the bins.

Satisfied, she resumed her chopping. "Now, what were you saying, Himuro-san?" When there was no answer, she shot him a puzzled look, only to be met with a strange expression. "What is it?"

"Oh…" He snapped out of his haze. "It's nothing… just… I've never seen him so… obedient."

"Huh? Obedient?" Sadie analysed her new employee critically, noting that he'd clearly never learned to change a bin in his life, and turned back to Himuro with a frown. "He looks the same as ever to me. He's working here now, so he has to do his duties."

"Yes, but it's different…" He shrugged. "Well, never mind. As I was saying, I think it might be a good idea to check up on her soon. Just to… clarify things."

Sadie studied him with a wary countenance. "Did she say anything to you about it?"

"No. In fact, she's been outwardly behaving like nothing is wrong. But I can see it; she doesn't smile."

She snorted a little at that. "Momoi doesn't smile much as a rule, so I doubt anything's changed there."

"You're wrong."

Quickly growing tired of this conversation, she placed her knife on the counter-top and faced him fully. "How is that, Himuro-san?"

"She used to smile. A lot." His eyes were firm and filled with disapproval as they met hers.

Sadie bristled at the look, and her tone became unintentionally sharp. "Well, as Momoi-chan's best friend, I can confidently count on one hand the number of times I ever received a smile from her. Not that I care about something like that, anyway."

"I know that something like that wouldn't bother you," he agreed in an even tone. "But I still say you're wrong. She did smile at you a lot; when you weren't looking."

Suddenly taken aback by the odd revelation, she was left momentarily speechless; Himuro sighed and placed his notes on the countertop. "I just think it is within your best interests to talk to her, perhaps tell her how you feel. And ask her to do the same. You owe it to each other as friends to do this."

She considered him for a moment, taking in his earnest expression, and then nodded once, reluctantly. "I'll message her when I can and see if she wants to meet up."

"I'm sure she would appreciate it," he agreed with a nod. "Anyway, I'll keep bringing you homework notes; I don't really trust Atsushi to do it for me."

The boy in question stiffened at the words. "Hey, Muro-chin, go away. You keep distracting Sae-chin; can't you see she's trying to make my food?"

Sadie's brow twitched. "Why don't you worry about yourself, Mura-kun? Those bins still look full."

He pouted at her jibe, but replied with a drawn-out, "Hai…"

Beside her, Himuro-san chuckled fondly. "Ah, this is going to be interesting. I think I'll end up coming here for the entertainment value."

Something occurred to her then – her shop wasn't exactly close to Yosen High. Coming here for work was one thing, but to make the journey for such a selfless motive… "Hey, Himuro-san… I'll make you a snack before you leave, alright? Would you care for some spring rolls."

From across the room, a loud sound of protest left her new employee; she shot him a reproachful look and it quickly died off. But Himuro shook his head at the offer with something akin to trepidation on his face. "Uh, no thanks, Sadie-san… I don't think that would be… wise…"

For a moment, she was a little wounded by his words, but then realised something. Has Himuro-san ever actually tasted my food…? She couldn't recall an instance. Baffled, she asked, "Why not?"

"Uh… well, you see, it's like this…" He scratched the back of his neck uneasily and then rushed out, "It's just that everybody who tastes your food becomes addicted to it, and I don't really want to be caught under anyone's spell for the time being, you understand? I've got school and basketball and the book club and chores at home – I don't have time to worry about another person amidst all that…"

Sadie stared at him unblinkingly after his confession, and then threw back her head in laughter. "Himuro-san… Eating my food won't be like starting up a – a relationship with me… Ha ha!"

"I-I know that," he stuttered crossly, frowning at her. "That's not what I meant. Don't laugh!"

"Ha ha… I'm sorry… You're just unexpectedly bashful, is all." She couldn't stop giggling at the sight of his red face. "It's kind of like you were turning down my love confession…"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Mura-kun was suddenly there, looming over her shoulder to glare at his friend. "A love confession? What are you still doing here, Himuro-san? I thought I told you to leave." His surprisingly fierce tone brooked no argument.

Himuro crossed his arms and reiterated, "It's not like that."

But Murasakibara continued like he hadn't even heard him. He plonked a large hand on Sadie's head and decreed in a low tone, "I won't let you have her all to yourself."

Oh, my God…

What is this…? What is this? What is this?! Whatisthiswhatisthiswhatisthis –!

The door to the kitchen swung wide, and Link stood framed there. "Hey, Sae-chan, can you make some spring rolls for me, I'm starving–" He broke off when he realised they weren't alone, and his eyes rapidly turned hard as he took in the scene; Himuro's tense stance, Mura-kun looming over his little sister from behind with an overly-large hand atop her head, and her quivering, blushing form.

"Just what," he said in a dangerous tone, "Is going on in here?"


Author's Note:

Good? Like where this is going? Please leave me a review!

Thank you 'Tara' for leaving such awesome input in the reviews. I love to see how people think after they read about my characters. I'm glad you enlightened me on your perspective.

This fanfic is still a work in progress; I am working closely together with my beta to hash out both the technical flaws, as well as plot/character flaws and ideas. So far things are going very well, however the plot is still not completely set in stone. Things will change depending on my character-to-character interactions.

Do you have an idea as to how things are going to progress? Let me know. Feedback is good motivation.

Until next time!

- MP