©Fujiwara Hiro

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Chapter 10: Caffeine and Calcium Over Breakfast
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Food...wake up, sleepyhead. We want food!My senses kept poking me in my sleep.

'Hmm,' I rolled over & as usual, I fell off from my bed. I cursed; what a good way to start a day. I cracked open my bleary eyes & frowned; I couldn't feel my legs.

I sighed tiredly. I was a tangled mess with my blanket. Again.

I began picking myself when I smelled it. The unmistakable, mouthwatering fragrance of my dad's cooking.

I jerked up from the floor. Because I was still half-asleep & the blanket was restraining me, I smashed my own face on the door when I turned around. I thought that thing was open!

'Ow! Damn it,' I muttered, rubbing a sore on my forehead. That did a very good job of waking me up. I growled as I yanked it open & ran downstairs. My loud footsteps resonated through the hard, wooden floor.

I skipped towards the kitchen, smiling widely as I did.

'Good mor-' I was cut short.

My eyes widened & the air hitched in my throat. The person cooking in our kitchen had his back on me but I knew in an instant that he was not my dad. Unless Sakuya dyed his hair blonde & had a major work out to reduce his weight. No, he was definitely notmy dad.

My heart thundered & realization slapped me square to my face: my parents were actually away on a business trip. They left the country last night for an important convention in some far, far away land with the other officials & today wasn't even Saturday. And the blonde person standing by the stove...

'Oh, shit!' I groaned as silent as I could & buried my face in my palms.

'You know it's not a very nice thing to say so early in the morning, Misa-chan.'

Yup, you guessed it right; it was none other than Prince Takumi. The sore on my forehead suddenly felt so overwhelmingly painful & I wanted to drop senseless on the floor. But unfortunately for me, I got a very stubborn consciousness.

'Takumi, what the hell are you doing in my house?' I sighed exasperatedly.

'Good morning to you, too,' he grinned mischievously. 'That pink pajamas looks so cute on you & I love your morning hairstyle. It really turns me on-'

I snapped my head up, gasping loudly. Oh, god!My cheeks burned. I totally forgot that I looked like a complete mess every freaking morning. I made a mad dash back to my room, screaming: 'Takumi, you pervert!'

'Hurry up or I won't save you some food,' he called out after me. I could hear him chuckling which made my face hotter.

I slammed my door shut & locked myself in. I hurried to the bathroom, stifling a scream once I came face to face with my reflection on the mirror.

I looked hideous; my hair was like a fountain of black water spurting out my head, the thin cloth of my pajamas was crumpled & almost see-through! My forehead & cheeks were crimson red. But despite that, my eyes were ridiculously twinkling in delight.

Well, obviously, since the prince was waiting for me downstairs. My gorgeous prince.My pounding heart reminded me that I am in love with that perverted outer space alien. I wish it wasn't true but hell, it's all goddamn true!

He's here!I suppressed a giggle. It had only been five days & I can't believe I missed him so much.

His dazzling face kept on flashing like neon lights in my head as I tried to tame my wild appearance. I splashed some cold water to my face. Not good; that will add more redness on my skin. I combed my hair & tied it to a messy bun, as I usually do whenever I'm inside the house. I brushed my teeth fiercely & put on some fresh clothes.

I slowed down my pace when I reached the dining area. Taking a deep breath as if it was my last, I stepped inside.

The foods were already laid out on the table neatly. It looked & smelled divine; my stomach boiled.

'Wow, that was fast,' Takumi emerged from the kitchen, holding a cup of what smelled like coffee.

As much as I was so happy to see him, I still don't get why he was here. I stood there; partially immobile while watching him carefully set the steaming cup down.

'You're staring,' he said. How the hell did he do that? I mean, he couldn't possibly see me from his bending position & eyes hiding behind those thick, blonde fringes of his.

'I-I am not!' I exclaimed.

'Yes, you are,' he smiled his breathtaking smile as he stood on the opposite side of the table casually.

'No, I'm not,' I blushed. That gave me away.

He smirked, 'yes, you are. End of discussion. Now, be a good girl & sit.' He quickly moved beside me, pulling the chair & gestured with another smile for me to sit.

Right, on a second thought, I didn't miss him at all.

'Hmp,' I grumbled as I plopped down on the chair. He sat down next to me, putting his elbow on the table & resting his head on his hand. A complete calmness & amusement etched on his handsome face.

'Eat,' he ordered softly. He took a plate of omelet rice & shoved it on my plate. He pushed the cup of coffee to me. It was coffee with cream. I made a face at the cup as if its existence offended me. Well, a bit.

'What?' Takumi asked curiously.

'I don't drink coffee,' I said, pushing away the cup with my index finger.

'Why?'

'Let's just say, caffeine & I don't mix pretty well,' I simply put.

He pouted, 'alright then, what do you want? Juice?'

I shook my head.

'Tea?'

I shook my head again.

'Chocolate?'

'No.'

'Uh...' he fumbled to think about another option. His eyebrows furrowed & his lips were pursed adoringly.

I chuckled, 'your brain's bleeding already?' I stood up & I swear my hand acted on its own when I affectionately ruffled his hair.

Takumi blinked twice like he was trying to comprehend something so complex. He gaped at me with his unnerving, saucer-sized emerald eyes. I drew my hand back.

'Uhm, haha!' I nervously laughed. 'Uh, I-I'm going to make my...you s-stay here,' and as if ruffling his hair out of the blue wasn't bad enough, I even had the guts to pat him on the shoulder. I swear to all of the gods out there, I didn't mean it! Well, at least not in my conscious state. But with my sub consciousness...

I escaped to the kitchen & burst out all the air from my lungs. That was pretty stupid. Playing intimate touches with the prince is a very bad-hey, we kissed already!

I groaned as another embarrassing flash back assaulted me. I had to fight the urged to bang my own head on the countertop. What's got into me? My brain went haywire just being in the same room with the prince.

Okay, stop. Take a deep breath & I try to channel it out of your mind, Misaki. Yes, that's right.Another voice in my head instructed me in a mocking voice.

'Ugh, why do I even have to fall in love with him?!' I muttered angrily as I made my drink; a glass of milk. Sorry, I'm childish that way.

Takumi was still sitting there, his smirk mode activated. I tried to ignore his scrutinizing eyes as he followed my clumsy movement back to my sit.

The stupid pervert stifled a laugh when I set the glass down & the milk spilled because my freaking hands were shaking.

I shot him a sharp glare.

'Sorry,' he bit his lower lip which made him flaming hot. That conjured thought turned my face flaming hot, too. In a completely different meaning.

'So...milk,' he said, a grin threatened to spread across his face.

'Yes,' I said coldly. 'Go on, laugh all you want,' I added.

He didn't laugh like I was expecting him to but the wide, amused grin was a strong evident that he find it so funny to see a 16-year-old teenager rejects a cup of caffeine for a glass of children's milk.

I turned my attention back to the foods once I gave him a hard punch on the shoulder & stuck my tongue at him.

'Now I know why you have such strong knuckles,' he teased, rubbing the spot on his shoulder.

I tuned him out & focused on my breakfast. The foods, they were all my favorites & it tasted like my dad's cooking. All tasted so glorious. But that was impossible; he left last night with my mom. They won't be back for another two days.

I looked at the alien beside me, who was watching me with the most entertained expression I've ever seen present on his face. And did I mention that he was getting more & more drop dead gorgeous just by the freaking seconds?

'You cooked all this?' I asked incredulously.

'Uh huh,' he smiled, fluttering his eyes so innocently adorable I wanted to pinch him between my nails right there.

'H-how did you-'

'Your dad taught me yesterday,' he answered my unfinished question.

'Why?'

'Because no one will cook for you since they're going away for a while.'

Wow. Nice. A prince learned the path of gods just to cook these heavenly dishes for me. I am so honored. [No sarcasm intended.]

'I can fend for myself,' I said stiffly. What an ungrateful b*tch. PrinceTakumi thoughtfully cooked food to fill your empty stomach yet you can't even say a simple 'thank you'? Brilliant, Misaki, very brilliant. [Apply as much sarcasm as you can.]

'With your history in the kitchen, I doubt that you can survive breakfast without sending your house to the flames of hell,' he sneered.

I rolled my eyes. 'I am not that decapitated, you know. I can cook noodles,' I pointed out.

'Liar.'

'What?!'

'According to your mom, you have the ability to burn water.'

A certain memory surfaced. I choked & flushed red.

'So, to cut short your mental discomfort, & possibly to strain the sudden outburst of aggressive fires in the castle, I volunteered to be your exclusive chef while your parents are gone. How's that sound?' He remained resting his head in his palm but he leaned closer to my face.

'Ridiculous,' I answered in a low voice. My thumping heart was getting louder in my ears. There he goes again, messing up with my head & practically with all the organs in my body.

'Hm, why?' The powerful [& seriously beautiful] kaleidoscopic color of his eyes matched perfectly with the soft, evilly alluring voice of his. 'Is my cooking not enough? Would you prefer me to serve you breakfast in bed? Or...'

I gulped. My throat went dry as Sahara desert at noon in the middle of summer. Roaring waves of blood came in my ears & my stomach flipped. He was about a few inches from my face.

'...would you want another kind of service,' he whispered.

The way he said 'service' actually sent a good trail of goose bumps down my spine & arms.

'Eat first. Then we'll discuss about this 'special service',' he said, a seductive crooked smile on his lips. He brushed a stray lock of my raven hair behind my ear; successfully making my heart ran a 40-meter dash.

I blinked & obeyed robotically, with him watching me.

Then I remembered something from the previous chapter-I mean, previous day. I cleared my mouth with a small gulp of milk. I forced myself to face him without turning into red tomato. No success.

'You didn't tell me you have a brother,' I said in an almost accusing tone.

He looked genuinely surprised & frowned. 'That's because I don'thave a brother. Why do you ask?'

I glared at my plate. That stinking liar... I thought angrily. Oh, but come to think of it, he didn't say anything about him being Takumi's brother.

'What is it? Who told you that I have a brother?' Takumi nudged me.

I shook my head, 'no, sorry. I just assumed he was your brother since he looked exactly like your reflection on the mirror with a black wig.'

His frown deepened. Then his face cleared; realization dawned on him.

'Gerard...' he muttered coldly.

'Uh, y-yes. Him,' I stuttered. His usually-warm glow plummeted a few degrees below freezing point.

'When did you meet him?' He demanded. In a dangerously soft way of demanding.

'The other day. In the yard,' I answered truthfully. Takumi looked at me in the eyes for a while then he sighed & ran his fingers through his already-messy blonde locks. Imagine how cool he looked with a shadow partially hiding his sharp eyes. No, sorry, forget what I said. Don't imagine it. It might incinerate your mortal brain, just like mine.

'Gerard's not my brother. He's my cousin.'

'Oh.' That makes sense. But something in his voice told me Takumi was ready to murder Gerard just by spitting his name.

'He got his own way of understanding things. Misaki,' his eyes went smoldering liquid emerald. 'Be careful,' he spoke softly.

I wasn't sure what he meant but his face told me he already closed the Gerard cabinet. 'Whatever you say, your highness,' I shrugged nonchalantly.

But deep inside, I was really boiling with curiosity. Why would he want me to be careful? This is the castle, for Pete's sake, the most secured ground in the entire kingdom. The way he was giving me a seriously worried face, it was like I'm about get in a whole lot of trouble. And it seemed Takumi wasn't at all fond of his cousin.

He smiled. But the troubled expression was still on his face. I eyed him for a moment & went back to finish my breakfast. He resumed his entertainment by watching me.

We threw random conversations until I was done eating.

'Don't forget to drink your milk,' he jeered.

I stomped on his foot.

'Ouch! Oh, don't you have something niceto do to welcome your honey home other than stomping on his foot?' He whined childishly, nursing his turning-violet toes.

My left eye twitched. 'Honey?' I slowly turned to him with an award-winning disbelief on my face.

'Yes. Can I call you honey?'

'No.'

'Why not?'

'Coz it make me sick to my stomach,' I made a gagging sound to emphasized my point.

'Why?'

'Coz it sounds so cheesy & older couples use that endearment all the time.'

'So, you want something unique. Let's see...how about 'sweetheart'?'

'No.' Then I added, 'and it's not unique either.'

'My angel?'

I rolled my eyes & sighed exasperatedly.

'Darling?'

I shook my head fiercely, 'No. No. And no! Will you stop it already?'

He paused for a second. 'Uh, what about 'baby'?'

'Damn it! Takumi, shut the hell up!' I finally snapped. God, he was annoying as hell.

'Aww, my little kitten is getting feisty now,' he grinned.

I glowered at him, thinking something like, I am going to kill him.

'Okay, okay. I'll stop...' he turned serious. 'Ifyou kiss me,' he flashed his eyes temptingly.

My heart pounded so hard I was afraid he might be able to hear it. He leaned closer to me & I couldn't tear my eyes off his. He stopped a few inches from my lips.

'Now what?' He whispered ever so softly, prompting me to close our distance on my own. His warm breath smelled like chocolate with peppermint.

'T-Takumi, I-' I tried pushing him away but my arms were so weak & my hands trembled. My ability to think started to become blurred, sending me to the edge of panic.

'Do you have something to say to me, Misaki?' He continued to stare into my eyes.

I should've say, go to hell, stupid perverted alien! Come back again in the next pre-cambrian era!But at that moment, my mother's words were the first to flash neon green in my mind.

Tell him how you feel with all the confidence you have. If you continue to deny it then one day, you'll be waking up with a sack of regret weighing you down.

Should I tell him? Should I confess my feelings to him? What if he rejects me? What if he doesn't feel anything romantic towards me? What if he just loved to entertain himself by constantly teasing me?

So many questions, so many what-if's and so many possible futures ran in my mind in lightning speed. In short, I was driving myself down the road to an asylum.

I filled my lungs with enough air to last me for a 10-minute diving spree. I have decided.

It's now or never.

'Takumi...' I said in hoarse whisper.

'Hm?' He hummed. My eyes were still held in his captivating emerald ones. His perfect nose was slightly touching mine, making a proud band of goose bumps appear on my arms.

'T-there's something I want to tell you...' How in the world did our conversation lead to my confessing?

'And what would that be, my lady?'

'I think I-'

And he kissed me. Soft & gentle, like always. It lasted about an eternity in my clock but in reality, it didn't even last a full five seconds.

Usui Takumi pulled slightly, just enough to let air pass through. Resting his forehead on mine, he whispered, 'I love you.' His eyes burned with sincerity & honesty.

I blinked twice. I should be the one confessing, right?

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10/12/12 OWARI
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SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

Hello, Sora here! How are you, guys? I hope you're having a fun week unlike mine, which was jammed pack with final exams & a hell load of thesis defenses.

But anyway, I'll live through all these crap because after that, my long-awaited semestral break. Hallelujah! That means I can write more & update faster!

Thank you to all the readers, reviewers, favoriters & followers who always wait patiently for my update. Thank you so much! Sorry for taking so long. I know how you feel, gomenasai m(_ _)m

I hope you like this chapter, please tolerate some mistakes because I'm on my zombie mode, I'm awake for about 19 hours straight complete with a mind-blowing exam, hehe!

I'll see you soon (hopefully)!

[On a side note, I noticed that almost every chapter ends with a question -_-]

Attn: sheetal. indi: Hi there! Thank you reading! about your question: wat does "kkkkyyyyaaaa.." means in japanese? Actually, it just a scream. A really, high-pitched girly scream, haha!

To other guests who reviewed, I can't reply to you so I'll just scream it out here, THANK YOU! :D