I know it's only been like...3 days since I've last updated, but I really wanted to update again. This is also to make up for my long absence from before. Please review! Thanks!
*No F4
Disclaimer: I don't own Hakuouki.
Chizuru was confused, worried, and in shock. She hadn't expected The Kazama Chikage to accept her request so easily. She had to admit that she was curious about his change of attitude. It's not like she's going to stalk him or anything, but as she hides behind a large tree located a couple of metres away from the school gate where a certain two people were going to meet up, she had to correct herself.
"What?"
"I'll go."
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? You don't expect me to go back on my words, do you?"
"What?"
"I promised you. As long as you call me by my first name, I will accept, no matter the request."
"Oh…I see." So that's why.
As she went over the conversation she had with Kazama, she felt so stupid. And here she thought that Kazama really had a special something for Shizuka. Just then, she notices Shizuka running towards the gate. Chizuru watched on, her body still hidden behind the tree.
Ugh, I can't make out what they're saying, Chizuru grumbled. Hold on, since when did I care? Oh, right. I just want to make sure that Kazama won't do anything to her. It'd be bad if he started teasing her and she got scared. As she continued to calm herself in her mind, Kazama and Shizuka began to walk. Oh, no! They're gone!
Chizuru sighed, stepping out of her hiding spot. Who was she kidding? She had no right to spy on their date. Sure, she was the one who set them up, but that doesn't mean she could follow them and watch their every move. Shrugging it off, she began to walk to work. Right away, she felt something was off. Oh right, I've been walking with Kazama-sama for these past few days… Strangely, she was already used to his presence. It's as if it was already a daily routine, walking to work with Kazama and such.
Before she realized it, Kazama had already made a big impact on her life.
Annoying customers, Chizuru cursed in her mind. Most days are fine, but today, a customer just couldn't stop pissing her off.
Stepping out of the kitchen, Chizuru made her way to the table where a lady dressed in fancy clothing was waiting patiently for her food. Before she could get to the table, another customer walked into the café.
"Welcome!" Chizuru smiled cheerfully. The customer, a man who was dressed in business attire, ignored Chizuru. Instead, he seemed to have found someone he knew and waved politely at her. Chizuru watched in awe as the man made his way to a table, continuing to ignore Chizuru's greeting.
Well then, he's probably just deaf, Chizuru reasoned, trying to calm her temper. She was never good at dealing with rude customers, but today just seemed to be that much harder. Hopefully, there won't be many uncooperative customers today.
Chizuru realized that she was still holding onto the plate of food, so she immediately made her way to the table where the lady sat. She noticed that the man, who had just walked in, sat beside her and was conversing with her.
"Hey, this wasn't what I ordered," the lady complained as soon as Chizuru placed the plate on the table.
"Um…yes, it is. You ordered the chicken and french fries combo with a large Pepsi." Chizuru double checked her notepad as she spoke.
"I ordered no such thing!" The woman denied.
"Miss, it's written right here," she showed the woman her notepad and pointed to her order.
"That's not mine," she turned away, facing the man again.
"What did you order then?" the man asked, eyeing the food disgustingly.
"I haven't even ordered yet. And I would never order something so greasy and fat!" The woman laughed mockingly, fluttering her thick eyelashes at the male.
Sounds pretty fake to me, Chizuru sighed. Now she understood what was going on. The woman had originally planned to eat the chicken and fries secretly. She didn't want anyone to see what she was eating, especially if it was someone she liked. Well, that's her guess anyway, but it's a pretty good guess, isn't it? With an idea in mind, Chizuru picked up the plate and spoke up.
"Miss, would you like me to dispose of this?" Chizuru offered, purposely putting the plate of food close to her nose so she could smell the aroma. She saw the woman twitch in annoyance before answering.
"Yes. Or better yet, you can eat it," the woman suggested before asking for a menu.
Well, that went well. At least she got a tiny reaction from her. That was all Chizuru had wanted. She sighed and began to walk back to the kitchen, but not before the woman asked to place her order.
"Chizuru, are you okay?"
"Yes, why?"
"You seem to get angry...easier today."
"Oh." She hadn't noticed. Well, that would be a lie since the whole situation with the lady with heavy make-up earlier was pretty ugly. She hadn't done anything out of character, but her thoughts were far across the border. Her manager seemed to have noticed.
"Dear, I've known you for years. I know when there's something bothering you," the woman said. Chizuru's manager has always been the one to cheer her up whenever something was bothering her at work. In many ways, she was almost like a mother to her. Plus, her consolation was always the best.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused today," Chizuru mumbled an apology, bowing her head while doing so. "And thank you."
The manager nodded her head in understanding and uttered a few words of encouragement before leaving the staff room.
What's gotten into me? Chizuru wondered to herself. It must be Shizuka and Kazama. Somehow, the two together made her feel uneasy. It wasn't as though she liked Kazama in that way, but the thought of him treating another girl like how he treats her made her feel sick. She didn't like it when Kazama teased her, but it's better than not being able to see him at all.
So, in a way, she did like him. She admired and respected his kindness, the way he cared about her, and the way he never gave up when his eyes were set on something. It was very Kazama-like of him. She didn't know how she knew that from just spending a couple of days with him. It was as though she really knew him from long ago. Childhood friends…that would explain why he's so determined to take care of me. After all, friends wouldn't want friends to suffer. It's a natural instinct to protect the ones you care about.
Maybe it isn't so hard, figuring out Kazama's thoughts and actions.
"So, Kazama-sama, I was saying…"
That little brat…leaving me alone with such an annoying woman.
"…I'm really glad you accepted!"
I was the one who promised to accept all requests as long as she called me Chikage, but who knew she would have requested something like this?!
"…Kazama-sama?"
The next time I see her, I'll teach that little princess the wrath of Kazama Chikage.
"Kazama-sama?"
"What?"
"Oh! You finally responded! I've been calling your name for a while, but it seemed that you were in a maze of thoughts. Could you have been planning on where to go next?"
He stared at the girl, Shizuka. To any other guy, she appeared more than cute with those fluffy features of hers, but to Kazama, she was just like any other girl.
When it was obvious that he wouldn't answer, Shizuka hesitantly went on. It was pretty hard to strike up a conversation with Kazama Chikage. Many would call her brave for everything she's done to provoke a conversation up until now. "So, where would you like to go?"
Suddenly, Kazama had an idea. It was about time for Chizuru's second job at the café. She wouldn't mind if they paid her a visit, would she? A smirk rested on his lips, however Shizuka mistook his smirk for a smile.
"Let's go to a café."
Shizuka immediately brightened up. "Okay!"
"What are you two doing here?" Chizuru muttered, already lightheaded from the previous events that had happened only an hour earlier.
"You're not going to welcome me like how you welcomed the customers in front of me?" Kazama asked with that smirk on his face. Funny how he said "me" when he was with Shizuka. It was almost as though he had completely forgotten about her existence. Ignoring this, Chizuru smiled at Shizuka.
"Welcome, Shizuka-chan! I'll bring you to your table," she said, already leading the way.
"Okay! Wow, I didn't know you worked here," Shizuka commented, taking her seat.
"I did," Kazama said smugly.
"You did?" Shizuka asked with disappointment audible in her voice.
"Yes, Kaza- Chikage's been here on several occasions," Chizuru said, glaring at said man without turning to face him.
"Chizuru, you guys are on a first name basis?" Shizuka asked, eyes wide.
"Well, yeah, basically. He said if I ever wanted something from him, then I should-" Shoot! I shouldn't have said that!
"You should?" Shizuka inquired, clearly waiting for her to finish her sentence.
"Um, never mind. Anyway, what do you want to order, Shizuka-chan?" It wouldn't do her any good if she were to expose the whole reason Kazama accepted the date in the first place.
"Oh! Um...Hmm, let me see. I want…" Shizuka traced her finger over the menu, pondering over what to order.
"I want you," Kazama suddenly said, wearing the same slanted smile on his perfect face. Shizuka seemed to falter a bit, but no one noticed. The two were too busy quarreling.
"I never asked you, did I?"
"As your customer, you should treat me equally."
"You're not even here to eat. I bet you're just here to cause trouble."
"I am here to eat. I came all the way here to eat you."
"Sorry, I'm inedible."
"Guys!"
"What?" Chizuru asked. Kazama didn't move from his position and continued looking at Chizuru. Typical.
"I figured out what I want to order!" Shizuka cried out. Chizuru noticed the disappointment that was written all over her face. Oh right, their conversation just now would have hurt her feelings a lot.
"Shizuka-chan, I'm sor-"
"It's okay, but Chizuru-chan…"
"Yes?"
"I want a strawberry cheesecake please."
"Well, guys. My shift's over. You guys should leave soon too. It's getting dark," Chizuru managed to say before she left the café through the front door. She didn't want to be in the way of their date any longer. It was their date, no matter how one-sided it was for Shizuka, and she didn't have a right to interrupt. She breathed out and continued to walk quicker and quicker until it turned into a sprint.
"Let's stay here for just a while longer," Shizuka suggested. The café operated 24 hours a day, but it was already that time of the day, so a big portion of the place was empty.
"I'm leaving," Kazama said before standing up abruptly.
"Hey, wait!"
Kazama turned around, mostly because she was tugging on his uniform. "What do you want?" Shizuka didn't answer, so he continued. "I'm sure I made my feelings obvious enough already."
"That's not what I'm worried about!"
"Then what do you want? She left, so I have no other reason to be here." The truth is, he had sent a car out to make sure she got home safely. He had specifically told them to drive slowly and not make themselves obvious. Now, as he's being held back by the hands of this little girl, he wonders just how successful his team of security guards are.
"I have a request…my one last request."
"What? You guys lost her? How can you lose someone like that?"
"Oh, I see. She was running. Why was she running?"
"Why are you so useless? Find her immediately!"
"Don't ask me how to find her! That's your job! Firstly, check if she's home!"
"You're already there? Are the lights on?"
"She's home? Alright. Good job. Make sure her door is locked. Drive her to school tomorrow too. I'll contact you tomorrow. Bye."
Kazama sighed and dropped his cell phone onto his bed. Then, he sat down next to it.
"I have a request… on last request."
"What makes you think I'll agree?"
"I'm fully aware that you didn't want to agree to this date. Kazama-sama, you're a cruel man, but you are not unfair. In compensation for something I want, I must give you something of great importance, am I correct?"
"...Go on."
"I will give you what you want, but in return, you must give me something that I want."
"Alright. Tell me what it is that you want."
"What I want is-"
Shizuka's request had surprised Kazama at first, but in due time, it would all be worth it.
Thanks for reading! Looking forward to reading reviews! Positive or negative, I love reading them!
Dear Guest: Haha, so sorry! I know how long my chapters used to be, but I find that updating shorter chapters helps a lot! I really appreciate your review though! Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)
Dear Yehey: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm so glad you liked it! ^^
