Wow… O.O Only the 14th chapter and I have 97 reviews… Speaking of which…
New reviewer thanks to~
Lulu!
Well Lulu-senpai… The reason some of the things are so much like everyday life is because they are sometimes… ^^'
Anyway, you all have no idea how wonderful it makes me feel that you would take your time just to review my story! I feel so excited every time I see 'New Review' on my email inbox! Thank you all so very much!
Akira M: Miss De does not own this manga, anime, or anything involving its actual creation. She does, however, own this story, and her OC's…
Me: Domo arigato Morinozuka-san! I can't say that I own some of my ideas for this story or the songs I use because a lot of my friends help me out with that! Thanks Senpais' and Kaoru~! I love you all!
WARNING: Soon Fusei's end will come… but for now, let's embarrass Mori! ;D Also, at the song, I'm going to keep the things that say x2 for the repeat of the song sections… One more thing… I've been watching Panels with Travis in them recently and there is one thing in here that he said rather loudly… Look out for it! XD
Ch. 14 Things will get better...
Normal P.O.V
'Mmmm… what time is it?' Mori thought. His eyes slowly opening up… Only to stare straight into the still sleeping face of one, Ichi Kitsune. He jolted back a bit at how close they were and a bright blush spread across his face from shock.
Her head had been right next to his and he had one arm over her but one of her legs was over one of his. It looked extremely compromising so he had no choice but to be embarrassed.
'H-how did I end up like this?' He was mentally freaking out and quickly looked down only to sigh in relief that they were both still clothed. He slowly removed himself from her and the bed but when he looked back down at her, she had whimpered in her sleep and snuggled into the blankets more.
'She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping…' He thought. Then, an idea formed. He placed a warm hand-made quilt over her and watched carefully.
Slowly… An almost invisible smile formed on her lips… A real one…
Doki Doki! (Thump Thump!)
'A-ah… Her real smile…. It's so small, but… It's better than the others…' So many thoughts formed in his head now… He didn't know how he ended up falling asleep like that… Nor did he know why his heart was pounding. What he did know though, was that he always wanted to see her real smile, as long as she was smiling at him.
He glanced at the clock and saw that it was an hour before his mother would make breakfast. He was glad that they didn't hire unnecessary things like a chef and staff. He didn't mind cleaning after his pets or doing other chores unlike all of the other hosts. The only difference with Mitsukuni was that he had special chefs to make his cakes for him…
"Mmngh…" A grumble sounded from the bed. He quickly turned his head toward Ichi. She was stretching out her arms and legs in a cat-like way and he quickly stepped towards the door and acted as if he just entered.
"Hmm?" She mumbled. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room. When her eyes landed on Takashi, she blinked her eyes awake.
"Oh! It is you Mori-senpai! Good morning! I hope they haven't started cooking breakfast yet… I wanted to help…" She said while rubbing her neck sheepishly. Mori barely raised his eyebrow in confusion but she caught it.
"Oh um…" She blushed. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday… That was rude of me to run off like that… I-I just didn't know that you all worked with…. with sw-… Those…" She blushed lightly and looked away with a small frown. She was upset with herself more than anyone else.
"It's ok. Just get dressed." He said. She looked back up at him quickly and that faint smile appeared just before the fake one did. Just before he left the room, she called him.
"Thank you… For everything…" She said. He nodded and left to get changed in his own room. When Ichi got out of the bed, she wasn't surprised to see her kimono still on. After all, she did fall asleep with the animals before she got into her bed.
'Wait… Did Mori-senpai bring me to my room last night?' A small blush heated her face as she quickly got dressed. She wore black knee-length shorts, a somewhat large on her green shirt, and a pair of black converse. On the shirt and shorts –Which were actually a two-piece outfit- there were blue butterflies.
She hurriedly limped down to the kitchen and saw that no one was there yet. She quickly went to work making breakfast while Fumi stood by the kitchen door looking in on her with interest.
"Ah! I know I can't use eggs or anything with chicken because that might upset Mori… Umm… I know! I'll just make a vegetable hash… Oh and I can also make some home-made sweet rolls because Maman loves those… Hmm… what else… I don't want to upset anyone if I make the wrong thing!" She was hopping about the kitchen with flour on her face and in her hair, there was also a toothpick in her mouth and she had pinned her hair aside with a blue butterfly pin.
"Hmm…. I know what I'll do with the drinks though! Cho will only drink milk if I flavor it, so I'll just make this a cinnamon spice and honey mixture since Satoshi-kun likes spicy tea…" Fumi smiled warmly at the flustered girl and chuckled, catching Ichi off balance. She slipped and the cup of flour she was holding landed on her head.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! Are you alri-" Ichi hurriedly jumped up with white covering all the way down to her shoulders.
"No, I'm fine! Don't worry about it! I should be apologizing for wasting all this flour…" Ichi rubbed her neck sheepishly as Fumi went over to the sink, wet a washcloth with warm water, and walked back over to Ichi.
"Now now, don't worry about the flour… Stay still so I can get it away from your eyes…" She slowly wiped her face off as Ichi blushed red in embarrassment. Soon she was done with most of her face.
"I'm fine now that I can see, thank you very much! I wanted to make you all breakfast this morning because I felt bad for running out like that yesterday…" Ichi bowed low to Fumi but she just shook her head and tied an apron around herself.
"Don't worry about that ok? I'm surprised that you know so much about my boys already… How did you know about Satoshi's tea?" Ichi made a face and touched her stomach. "Oh… Sorry… Now, you go ahead and fix the things you were making earlier, but I was wondering if we could fill the sweet rolls with some fresh whipped icing? I'm good at that!" Fumi smiled bright at Ichi while she thought about it for a moment.
"Yeah that sounds good… So breakfast will be a vegetable hash, cream-filled sweet rolls, Cinnamon spice and Honey milk, and…. I can make some Onigiri?" (Filled rice balls) She was chopping up some vegetables while thinking aloud and Fumi nodded in agreement.
"That sounds good… The fillings should be salmon with carrot, cod roe with celery, and if you could think of a sweeter one for Cho that would be alright…" Ichi nodded and made a noise as if she were thinking.
"What about…. a plain apple and seaweed one? That way the sweet won't override the natural rice and seaweed texture…" She looked up after she finished cutting her vegetables into really small slices.
"That sounds good… I'll get that done, you just work on the drink, the hash, and start cooking the bread…" They both nodded to each other and went to work.
Soon the hash was fried and flattened into the perfect form and set on all of the plates, the bread was just about done, the onigiri were formed and filled, and the milk was seasoned. The only thing left to do was to make the Cream-filled sweet rolls.
"Could you come over here and help mix this while I get the bread out of the oven?" Fumi asked.
"Ok! How do I mix it?" Ichi looked at the mixture in the bowl and then looked at the fancy mixing machine in her hands.
"Oh, be careful with that! Turn it on medium-low and just rotate it around the bowl until it thickens." Fumi carefully got the bread out of the oven with her oven-mitts on and placed it on the counter top to cool down as she walked over and watched Ichi mix the icing.
"Ah!" The blender got away from her for a moment and a splash of sugary cream hit Ichi and Fumi straight in the face.
"I-I'M SO- Hehehe- Sorry!" She blurted out in between giggles. Fumi just stood there for a moment until they both burst out laughing.
"Here, h-have some more!" Fumi said as she took some off her face and rubbed it on Ichi's cheek. Ichi just laughed more and soon enough, icing was being tossed this way and that at each other while they laughed loudly.
At this time, Mori came down the stairs. When he heard the two girl's laughing away, he thought that they were gossiping about silly things and smiled to himself. But… when he actually went into the kitchen…
'SPLAT!'
Ichi had missed Fumi and had hit Mori right in the face with some icing.
"M-Mori-senpai! I-I'm so sorry! Here, let me help!" She quickly got another wet washcloth and pulled his face down to her level. He lightly blushed but it wasn't noticeable and waited until she was done fussing.
"There, all better! I'm so so-" Mori had reached over, wiped some icing off her cheek, and tried it. She blushed in surprise but with all the icing on her he couldn't see it.
"It's good." He said before he started to clean up the kitchen. Ichi joined in too and by the time they were finished, they were both slightly dirty.
"Now go change into some clean clothes before we have breakfast… You don't want Satoshi to start a food fight next…" She chuckled and shook her head at the kids who were now blushing in embarrassment before they walked upstairs to change.
"Heheh… Sorry for having you help clean up Mori-senpai… I could have done it by myself so I also wanted to thank you…" Ichi said while they walked up the stairs. Mori just shook his head.
"It's ok." He said before going into his room. He was only dirty due to cleaning so she thought that she could just take a quick bubble bath and get all of that sticky stuff out of her hair.
Ichi slowly took off her clothes so she wouldn't hurt herself and wrapped a towel around her. She picked out some clean clothes and limped her way out into the hallway. She was surprised her ankle was healing so fast but then again, it was only a sprain. Right before she opened the bathroom door across the hall from her room, another door was heard opening. She had just turned to face the sound as Takashi stepped out of his room.
Luckily, he was still taking off his shirt and he couldn't see her. She blushed lightly and quickly went into the bathroom. After placing her dry clothes far enough away, she turned on the bath water and added a good amount of bubbles. When it was filled with steamy water and tons of bubbles, she climbed in and sank beneath to wet her hair.
"Ah~ This is such a big bathtub! I can't even see myself in it! Haha!" She was giggling and enjoying the warmth of the bath as she sunk down into the bubbles. Now only her face was visible but her ears were under water as well and her eyes were closed.
Suddenly the door opened and in came a shirtless Takashi. He hadn't heard the bath water running because he was trying to get his shirt over his head at the time so he had also thought that he could get a quick shower before breakfast.
Just as he began to set aside his own pair of clean clothes, he heard a splash of water. He quickly whipped his head around and as soon as he locked eyes on the person in the bathtub, his eyes widened and he had to cover his mouth before he gasped.
Ichi was relaxing in the water with her eyes closed. She had bubbles covering up any certain areas but she had just raised her leg up out of the water and propped it against the wall supporting the tub. Mori couldn't breathe, move, or hear at the moment but as soon as he got the feeling in his body back, he sprinted out the door.
Once outside the bathroom, he slowly slid down against the door and covered his face with one hand.
"Idiot. Idiot. Idiot." He kept saying to himself. He felt like a total jerk at the moment and he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to sit at the same table as the same girl whom he had almost seen fully naked. He slowly got up and decided it best just to put on some clean clothes and go eat breakfast.
Everyone was already downstairs by the time Ichi returned and soon they were all seated except for her as well.
"Ok! So I wanted to make you all breakfast this morning to apologize for last night and to also thank you for letting us stay here for the time being…" She bowed to Akira and Fumi before continuing.
"With a lot of help from Mrs. Morinozuka-san, I've made a vegetable hash, some onigiri, sweet rolls filled with freshly made icing, and for Satoshi-kun, I've made the milk a cinnamon spice flavor with honey as well. I hope you all like it!" She said as she finished setting the plates out.
Mori, Akira, and Satoshi were all surprised at what Ichi had made. She had managed not to use any kind of chicken related product, she made a drink that was sweet with a little spice especially for Satoshi, the Sweet rolls were fantastic, and the onigiri was perfectly shaped.
Satoshi eyed her curiously though. She had not sat down to eat but she was eyeing the plate at the open chair every once and a while.
"Kit-chan what are you doing?" Satoshi finally asked. She jumped at the sound and sheepishly rubbed her neck.
"Well I thought Ha-" She was cut off by the outside door closing and footsteps being heard.
"I'm here!" Hani shouted cheerfully, "Good morning!" As soon as he saw Ichi, he tackled her in a hug. Instead of falling, she caught him, hugged him, and set him in the open chair.
"Good morning Honey-senpai! Go ahead and eat up! I made it with some very good help from Mrs. Morinozuka…" She said. He eyed it for a moment before trying it. His eyes got large and he started eating at a fast pace before Ichi stopped him.
"Calm down Honey-senpai! I have more! If you eat to fast you can get a stomachache… Try the sweet roll… The icing was made by Mrs. Morinozuka but I made the bread and sugar glaze." She said. He took a big bite out of it and smiled brightly.
"Wow Kit-chan! You can cook anything!" He cheered. She patted him on the head and laughed.
"Not anything but I do love cooking…" She said. Cho thought otherwise though.
"Yeah! Mama's the best at everything, right Nii-san?" She asked while looking at Mitsukuni. He stopped eating and looked up at her with a cute blush.
"H-hai Imouto-chan…." He said in a surprised tone. Then his smile softened and he laughed along with Satoshi and the others. Ichi giggled and kissed Cho on the forehead while trying not to look at Hani's flustered face. She went over and hugged him instead and whispered a thanks in his ear. He beamed brightly and hugged her back.
"Kit-chan~" Satoshi said in a warning tone. She 'Eep'd' and went into the kitchen as the others gave Satoshi weird looks.
"I'm ok Satoshi! I wasn't going to break my promise!" She said as she came back in with her own plate. She sat down in-between Mori and Cho and began eating as well.
"Good!" He cheered, "You should really try the rolls! Mom's icing is the best!" He shouted. Fumi scolded him lightly for yelling so loud when everyone was in the same room and he blushed embarrassingly.
"I will, thank you very much Mrs. Morinozuka-san!" Ichi said and took a bite out of her roll. Her eyes shined in happiness and she blushed cutely. Suddenly Hani, Satoshi, and Cho were hugging her.
"Kawaii~" They cooed. She blushed more and sat Cho back in her seat before sinking into her own.
"T-thank you…" She whispered. Soon breakfast was over and everyone was in a comfortable state. Right now, the kids and Mitsukuni were playing in Satoshi's room while Ichi started on the dishes. Anna offered to help as well as Fumi and Akira but she declined politely.
She felt kind of sad though because after her bath, Mori hadn't spoken a single word to her, looked her way, or even acknowledged her. She didn't know why Mori was acting like this because their morning was so fun in her opinion.
"Maybe I did something wrong?" She asked herself aloud, "I-I didn't mean to… Did he not like breakfast? I'm so confused…" She frowned at her words and finished drying the last plate. When she turned around, she saw Mori looking out of the window and sighed while walking out of the room.
"Ah, Mrs. Morinozuka-san!" Ichi said as she entered the living room. Fumi looked up at Ichi with a bright smile.
"Please, call me Fumi! Morinozuka-san makes me feel stuck up…" She rubbed her neck sheepishly while still smiling at Ichi.
"Oh, ok! I have to go back to work today and I have the morning shift since it's the weekend… I'll be back around two in the evening but don't worry, I can eat lunch there… Well, I'll see you later Fumi, thank you so much…" She quickly hugged the older woman and dashed out the door.
"Be safe!" Fumi shouted after her. She was surprised that Ichi already felt at home here and smiled warmly at her retreating figure.
"What was that?" Mori asked while walking into the living room. Fumi looked up surprised but replied anyway.
"Oh, Kitsune just went off to work. She said she'd be back around two…" Mori stiffened before nodding and slipping his shoes on.
"I'm going. What if he's there?" Mori was actually nervous of going though. Not because of Fusei, but because he was still embarrassed about this morning…
"That's very sweet of you Mori. I'm also going to tell you this once… Don't avoid her if you've done something wrong on accident. Oh and… Always knock…" She laughed aloud and patted him on the shoulder before walking into another room.
Now Mori was extremely embarrassed. How did she know? Was what he was thinking. He hurried out of the door and walked down the sidewalk. It wasn't very far from his house to Taberu so he didn't feel the need to take the limo.
Today, Ichi's outfit was a Cat suit… It was all black and white leopard print and it was a full body suit including a tail and ears… She hadn't asked for something like this though. All she wanted was something to cover up her scars… She should have known better when she saw the song she was supposed to sing today though…
When she got up on stage there were many wolf whistles and banging sounds on tables but she silenced it with a move of her hand.
"Alright everybody! Today it's me and my girls singing "When I grow up" by the Pussy Cat Dolls…" More cheers echoed through the place as some more waitresses got up on stage. Ichi turned around and began to sing while the others sang back up.
[X2]
"Boys call you sexy,"
(What's up, sexy)
"And you don't care what they say
See, everytime you turn around
They scream your name"
When she'd turn each time, all the men would shout "BLACK!"
"Now I've got a confession
When I was young I wanted attention
And I promised myself that I'd do anything
Anything at all for them to notice me
But I ain't complaining
We all wanna be famous
So go ahead and say what you wanna say
You know what it's like to be nameless
Want them to know what your name is
'Cause see when I was younger I would say
When I grow up
I wanna be famous
I wanna be a star
I wanna be in movies
When I grow up
I wanna see the world
Drive nice cars
I wanna have groupies
When I grow up
Be on TV
People know me
Be on magazines
When I grow up
Fresh and clean
Number one chick when I step out on the scene"
She stepped off the stage and started 'prowling' around the room. By now, Mori was there but she didn't see him.
[x2]
"Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it
Y-you just might get it
Y-you just might get it
They used to tell me I was silly
Until I popped up on the TV
I always wanted to be a superstar
And knew that singing songs would get me this far
But I ain't complaining
We all wanna be famous
So go ahead and say what you wanna say
You know what it's like to be nameless
Want them to know what your name is
'Cause see when I was younger I would say
When I grow up
I wanna be famous
I wanna be a star
I wanna be in movies
When I grow up
I wanna see the world
Drive nice cars
I wanna have groupies
When I grow up
Be on TV
People know me
Be on magazines
When I grow up
Fresh and clean
Number one chick when I step out on the scene
[x2]
Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it
Y-you just might get it
Y-you just might get it
I see them staring at me
Oh I'm a trendsetter
Yes this is true 'cause what I do, no one can do it better
You can talk about me
'Cause I'm a hot topic
I see you watching me, watching me, and I know you want it
When I grow up
I wanna be famous
I wanna be a star
I wanna be in movies
When I grow up
I wanna see the world
Drive nice cars
I wanna have groupies
When I grow up
Be on TV
People know me
Be on magazines
When I grow up
Fresh and clean
Number one chick when I step out on the scene."
This time she saw Mori and blushed crimson when he looked over at her. He blushed as well, but it was well hidden. She started going around people while singing the next verses.
[x2]
"Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it
Y-you just might get it
Y-you just might get it
When I grow up
I wanna be famous
I wanna be a star
I wanna be in movies
When I grow up
I wanna see the world
Drive nice cars
I wanna have groupies
When I grow up
Be on TV
People know me
Be on magazines
When I grow up
Fresh and clean
Number one chick when I step out on the scene
[x2]
Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it
Y-you just might get it
Y-you just might get it."
She finished back up on stage with the girls and they were all holding their hands out like paws. More whistles, cheers, and drunken shouts sounded around the room but Ichi ignored them all and walked over to Mori who still wasn't being served.
"Mori-senpai, did you want to sit down and eat? It's a busy morning so I'm sorry that you haven't been seated earlier…" She said. She was looking away from him because she wasn't sure if he was mad at her or not and when he didn't reply, her she looked up at him with a big and bright 'smile.'
"O-ok… Right this way Morinozuka-san…" She mumbled. She looked away again when he looked at her in surprise and he followed her to a booth seat.
"I-I'll just get you another waitress then… S-sorry…" She mumbled and scurried off. Mori was shocked by this and felt guilty for avoiding her.
'She's fake smiling too much again… I didn't mean to upset her…' He thought. Suddenly Sheila popped up beside of him.
"Hey there tallness, Miss Ichi says you must be mad at her or somethin' because you aren't even looking her in the eye… This true stud?" She wore the usual biker's outfit consisting of leather pants, a black tank, and a leather jacket with some Gang's name on the arm and back of it.
Mori looked away and frowned slightly.
"I'm not mad at her…" He mumbled. Sheila heard him and sat down across from him while leaning against the table.
"Then what's the matter? There aren't many girls like her 'round here ya know? If you aren't mad at her then you'd better apologize… That kid's like family here and I'd rather not see her upset alright?" She scolded. Mori looked at her and nodded.
He told her what he accidentally did and she laughed out loud before shaking her head at him.
"Listen here, the worst that could happen is that she could faint or blush like a tomato. You haven't done anything wrong on purpose so don't worry about it… I bet that if you tell her here soon she'll even laugh or tease you about it!" She patted him on the back before walking turning around.
"Hey Blacks! Get back over here!" Ichi looked up from her downcast position and then looked down nervously. Sheila walked away as Ichi came back up to Mori's table and she was fiddling with her tail shyly.
"W-what would you like to e-" Mori looked up at her with a serious expression that immediately made her stop talking.
"I'm sorry…" He said. She blinked before sitting down in relief and sighing.
"Phew… I was so worried that you were mad at me! Why would you be sorry though?" She asked with her head cocked to the side. He felt a knot in his throat and knew that he couldn't say exactly why to her yet.
"I was avoiding you without reason." He managed to get out. She giggled and playfully punched his shoulder.
"It's alright Mori-senpai… Now, what do you want to drink? You can't stay if you don't order anything! Or did you just come to see me in my leather attire?" She laughed loudly and he caught the faint smile before it faded and blushed in embarrassment.
"Water, please…" He said. She giggled again and left to fetch his drink. Sheila smirked at him and he sweat dropped before surveying the place.
It didn't look as if Fusei was around and he sighed in relief. He knew that if he could, he'd most likely knock that man unconscious for a few… days…
"Here you go! Are you sure you don't want something to eat? I have this really great dish I wanted you to try!" Her eyes shined with happiness and he knew that it would hurt her if he said no.
"Ok…" He mumbled. She cheered and quickly hugged him before running back into the kitchen. Mori was shocked from the hug but didn't think to much of it as he gazed out the window.
He could have sworn he had just seen Fusei but then a car passed and he was gone. Mori sat up straighter in the booth and searched all of outside the window but Fusei was no where in sight. His heart slowed down and he relaxed once more.
"Hey Tallness, she says close your eyes!" Sheila shouted to him. He mentally deadpanned at the nickname that was bound to stick and closed his eyes. Soon the sound of a plate being set down was heard but just before he opened his eyes, hands were clasped over them.
"Wait not yet!" She said excitedly. Chuckles were heard from around them and Mori blushed lightly. "Ok, now!" She let go of him and put her hands near her face in anticipation.
Mori looked down at his plate and sweat-dropped… It was a piece of cake.
"No, you have to try it! I promise it isn't like anything you've ever had!" She reassured. He picked up his fork and slowly took a bite of the cake. His eyes widened and he looked over at Ichi in surprise.
"How?" He asked. The cake looked like a normal, chocolate shaving covered cake, but no, the cake is a lie!
"Your mom told me that you really liked coffee cake… I wasn't sure if this is what she meant but… I'm so glad you liked it!" She blushed cutely.
"It's good…" He said. She clapped her hands excitedly and laughed.
"I'd hope so! It's the only one I made since the stuff was kind of expensive… I really wanted to make sure you liked it though! It's made with Dark chocolate French truffle shavings, Italian nutmeg, Brazilian coffee blends, and the bread and crust is an Irish gingerbread…" She said while making the thinking face. Mori blinked in surprise before looking up at Ichi again.
"Why?" He asked. She chuckled at the one word responses before looking at him directly.
"To thank you… Well, you most of all because you were the first person to offer my little family a place to stay… I don't know what I would've done if something bad happened to them…" She said the last part in a whisper as she frowned. She quickly caught herself though and looked back up. "But it's ok no-" Mori reached over and wiped a tear that had escaped off her face.
Ichi's eyes widened and she blushed, embarrassed by her sign of weekness.
"It will be ok." Mori said in a stern tone. She looked into his eyes and saw the truth of those words and immediately a few more tears rolled down her face. She wiped these ones away herself this time before the faintest smile played on her lips.
"Yeah… It will…" She said. Mori's breath caught in his throat for the umpteenth time that day as she actually directed a real smile towards him. Soon she was finished with her shift and they were walking back to the house in a peaceful silence.
In the background you can see anger flash in steely eyes before fading again. Only one thing was on Mori's mind though.
'Today is the first day in seven years that she has really smiled… And she smiled… at me…'
I wanted to make her hug him like every five minutes but I restrained myself… XD
Whoever gets the little blooper quote is awesome and should message me sometime… ;D I love the anime panels on YouTube… It sucks I can't GO to one yet though…
Guess what~ Someone EVERYBODY hates gets maimed next chapter~! And no, it's not Renge! *Laughs*
Song previews:
"I lay alone awake at night~" ICHI!
"But you're coming undone~" Not ICHI!