This page is for Currently-addicted-to-OkiKagu and SweetgirlKagura.

Page X: Fateful Encounter

..

Such a very unfortunate situation welcomed Yato Kagura as she went back to her apartment after her first day from work.

Fierce flame ignited, engulfing such establishments.

"I can't believe this is happening." Kagura sighed as she saw her newly rented-apartment being eating by flames,

She thought of being independent, live on her own, having a decent job with high standard salary far away from her home, away from her family and friends, but it's not that she wanted to stay away from them but because her hometown doesn't offer a decent job she has been dreaming of. She wanted to become rich after all. And it is also a good opportunity to widen her world and experience to live independently.

Yes, she wanted to start a new, she found a decent job with the help of a friend and now her officemate whom she called Mi-chan who also helped her in finding an apartment. She met Mi-chan during the time when she was attending review classes in her upcoming liscensure exam about two years ago.

She graduated with a bachelor degree two years prior in a prestigious university. She was just a simple woman with a rather plain lifestyle.

Kagura remembered when she was just in her earlier years in college, when their batch was assigned to conduct a research about teenage addiction about virtual games. During their research, she met this annoying guy, full of himself and ironically, she somehow developed a crush on him, just slight okay. But honestly, aside from his poor moral character, her crush was the hottest and smartest guy she ever met, she could remember one time when she ALMOST confessed her feelings to him. But she had heard that he was dating the prettiest girl in her batch. So maybe she's fortunate, she hadn't confessed her feelings to him or else it's downright embarrassing on her part if she got dumped on her first confession.

Fate was clearly being horrible to her.

"Wait, why am I thinking of this things, of all times!" She thought after regaining her sanity, "my apartment is on FIRE, for God's sake! what am I thinking!"

Snap!

Sirens could be seen in the vicinity, many people were rushing and panicking as well as her, what would she do now? Her newly acquired flat was gone and she didn't know what to do, she's just new in this city, maybe she could call Mi-chan and ask for help, but before she could call her for aid, Kagura's phone rang.

"Hello! Mi-chan?" The call was from her friend.

"My god Kagura-chan, I heard that there's a fire around the street you're currently residing."

"Yes, and unluckily my apartment was one of the victims of this fire."

"What! Are you okay, did you hurt yourself?" Her friend asked in an anxious tone.

"No, I'm okay, apparently when I got here it's already on fire, the whole building was burning.." She felt bitter.

"Okay, I'm going to pick you up there, you can stay in our house for the meantime, wait for me, alright!"

"Um, okay."

Few minutes later her friend arrived, worriedly shocked at the chaos.

"Mi-chan, I really don't know what to do without you, thanks a lot, you're always helping me!" Kagura said while hugging her.

"You're very welcome." Mitsuba replied with an affectionate gesture.

Mitsuba was such an angel. She's five years older than Kagura, she told the vermillion haired before that she had a weak body so she was left behind by her batchmates, as they graduated college, while there she was in the hospital for treatment.

She always assisted and supported Kagura, she even told her before to stay at their house when the younger girl first came in the city, but Kagura didn't want to abuse her kindness so she rented her own apartment but now it's burned.

"Mi-chan, is it really okay for me to stay in your home for a while?"

"Of course, I always told you that you are welcome to stay in our home." Mitsuba replied.

"But how about your family, is it okay for them?"

"I have informed my brother that you will stay at home and he already agreed and besides it's only me and my brother living in our house, so it's way better having you in our place, the more the merrier right!"

Kagura tugged her lips into a smile. She was talking to a mesiah.

"And by the way, my brother is at your age, you two kinda similar in many ways. You'd probably get along well." Mitsuba continued.

"Oh really, I would love to meet him," Kagura blurted excitedly, she had a feeling her friend's brother must be as kind as Mitsuba.

After a few minutes they arrived at Mi-chan's home. Their house was pretty ordinary but she liked the ambiance of the surroundings. Might be better to settle here for the meantime. She felt refreshed opting to forget her dilemma just minutes ago.

Couple of moments passed when they reached the entrance. The door opened revealing a figure welcoming their arrival.

"Welcome home sis." A voice was heard, it was a very familiar voice, it felt like she had heard that annoying yet nostalgic tone before.

"Oh, we're home Sou-chan." Mitsuba said happily, cutting off Kagura's musings.

"Come in." He spoke again. It was no mistake.

Kagura was definite that the familiar voice and the sight of the wisp of that brown locks were owned by that annoying jerk she met in her earlier years in college.

Oh my gosh! Is this some kind a cliché romance shoujo manga moments?!

"And by the way this is my friend I told you before." Mistuba gently grabbed Kagura's arm introducing her to him.

"Relax, okay calm down. Act naturally!" She told herself repeatedly before she finally looked at him.

"Ni..Nice to meet you!" She muttered forcing herself to smile.

There was a long pause.

Their eyes met. Crimson gaze to the azure ones. Leisurely, a cold gush of wind seemed to pass in a perfect sync.

Another awkward silence followed.

"You.." they both simultaneously said.

Few seconds gone.

"Ahem, you know each other?" Luckily for the both them that Mitsuba broke the ice or their awkward fateful encounter rather.

"Yeah.. sort of." He said in mild shock.

"About five years ago, if I remember correctly, right?" Kagura spoke gathering all her strength to act naturally and composed.

Oh god! For all the billions of people, why did this guy turn to be her friend's brother? Okita Sougo, now she thought about it, 'Okita' was Mi-chan's surname too, but to Kagura, she never in a hundred leaf years thought that they would be somehow related. But hey, no one can blame her, Mitsuba is an angel and Okita Sougo is clearly an incarnation of satan, he would always piss her off, telling her random insults but again, ironically Yato Kagura developed an unwanted crush on him despite all that.

Yeah, call her a hypocrite.

To think that she's gonna be with him under the same roof, the guy whom she almost confessed her fe*lings with, about five years ago! She's very unlucky, indeed. She didn't deserve these disasters happening in her life.

"Oh God help me!"

Wait a second! She could just search for some other place to stay…yes, that's it, find another place to go. Anywhere is fine except here. But before she could even open her mouth, her friend spoke.

"Oh, let's go inside first, you must be tired for all this happenings." Mitsuba delightedly blurted.

Sougo could only stare at the Yato girl as his sister drag her inside their house.

But then he managed to curve his lips into a grin.

His sister doesn't have many friends because of her sickly body so he's very happy seeing Mitsuba hyper and cheerful with a friend. But (un)fortunately, his sister's friend was also the girl whom he met during his college years, the girl who saw his childish, jerkish and arrogant personality. It's kinda strange but then now at the age of twenty-four he had matured already. But still, it's awkward. China, (also her nickname that he loved to call her) was the first and only female he had rom*ntic fe*lings for. But sadly, the girl didn't feel the same. He could sense it because whenever he approached her, she's always scowling and seemed to be irritated.

Sometimes Sougo used to think that maybe she just couldn't express her real feelings like him, so she frequently acted irritated and pissed off. And then he tried to test her, but how? He just only agreed to one of the countless invitations to him by one of Kagura's very clingy classmates to come watch to a movie with her, and with that seeing him with another girl maybe and maybe, China would be jealous even just a little bit.

After his fake date with a random girl, he watched and observed China, if she showed any sign of jealousy, he would definitely confess his fe*lings to her but then maybe he's just so being poorly wishful. China's aura and mood never changed so he was certain she just hated him and his arrogant self. That's why he never made his fe*lings known five years ago.

Okay, call him a coward but that time he was afraid of rejection.

He sighed.

Was this another one of fate's torture to him?! Well whatever it was, he'd face it.

"Okay, relax! Act naturally, stay composed!" He told himself.

..

"Feel at home and by the way my brother is a very good cook!" Mitsuba suddenly muttered excitedly.

"Oh, is that so?" Kagura's curiousity was piqued.

"Yes, and you will really love it!" Mi-chan affirmed feeling proud.

Kagura returned with a smile.

"So he is a good cook," she inwardly mused. Well unlike her who can't even make a proper meal. God knows how many times she attempted to cook properly but though the food she cooked looked decent but it taste like a crap. That's why her mother never let her in the kitchen because even heavens didn't know what seems wrong to her cooking.

"So let's go eat, you haven't eaten dinner right?" Mi-chan spoke happily dragging her again.

Wait! what about her escape plan? I mean her plan on finding another place to stay.

Screw that, for now she would rest here for the night. Let's just think about it tomorrow. Maybe, the fate was plotting to redeem all the miseries it brought to her life by letting her meet her crush again, clearly she still have fe*lings for him or maybe it's another ploy of the fate to torture her. But whatever it was. She'd face it. She's already grown-up anyway.

Fate be damned!

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A/N: Thanks to Rinfantasy, linling, I love okikagu, Ami, mi-chan, lu89, mitsuki, Patsuan, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, LaydiiV, Currently-addicted-to-OkiKagu (Kaya mo yan! Good luck sa College ^_^), SweetgirlKagura, Altify38, haruna19, Starlovers, Darkspider, and Allissa Vermillion.

As for the last chapter, why Kagura knew Sougo's name. It's because she saw his name-plate on his uniform. It wasn't mentioned to leave Sougo intrigue as well as the readers...