Standard disclaimer applied. Sorry for the grammar / spelling mistakes - my beta readers seem to only criticize my plots and such.... Thanks to Yvenne for helping me along the way ^.^
Pink Yuki
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Chapter 3
Fuuko grabbed a can of sports drink from the fridge and threw it at Domon. Opening one herself, she drank half its contents in one gulp and smiled. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem girl. That's what friends are for, right?" Domon finished his drink and laughed.
It has been exactly one week since Fuuko stayed in the Mikagami residence, and somehow she has gotten herself a decent apartment near the university. Despite the lack of luggage, Domon still offered to come and help her move.
"But what I don't understand is, why doesn't Mikagami come help? It would be so much easier, not to mention cheaper, with his car…" Domon's comment trailed off as he saw the wind wielder walked towards the window.
"Simple. I didn't tell him I am moving out today." Fuuko opened the window and let the gentle breeze reminded her of what happen. How could I stay in the same place as Mikagami now? He has seen me CRY! Maybe he didn't notice… whom am I kidding? It's Mikagami we are talking about here…. She let out a sigh under her breath and turned back to face Domon, who looked absolutely lost at what he just heard.
"Anyway, why don't we start unpacking? No… that box contains my underwear! Don't you dare touch that you gorilla!"
**********
Mikagami was slightly surprised that he didn't smell the usual homemade food when he stopped at his door. Am I getting dependent of Fuuko's cooking now? That's not good. He silently reminded himself while letting himself in, with his editor in tow.
He walked into the apartment cautiously, half expecting a certain purple head to pop out from the kitchen with a loud shout of "Okaeri!", thereby embarrassing him and scaring his editor. No. The apartment was absolutely quiet. So much for me to make up an excuse saying that she is a maid here already…
Mikagami showed the editor in and excused himself to the kitchen. He opened the fridge hoping to get his guest a glass of water, but what he saw stunned him. The entire refrigerator was stocked up with food, and to be more precise, homemade food all ready for reheat. On the top of a bowl was a letter.
"Hi Mi-chan!
Found a place yesterday but didn't have a chance to tell you. Anyway, I am moving out today. Will contact you if I got into any troubles, just you wait!
Fuuko
P.S. US$300 is attached, will pay you the rest later in the month.
P.P.S. Sorry I read your new story… but it was just sitting there on the coffee table!"
Mikagami neatly folded the letter back and put it on the kitchen table. So she is gone. He robotically poured the water and walked back out to the living room where his editor awaits.
"Mikagami-sensei, this is the first installment to the story right?" His editor waved the manuscript at him. "I guess… another two installment should finish it right? I am looking forward to them." With that he carefully put the manuscript in his briefcase and prepared to leave.
"One more thing, Mikagami-sensei, there have been quite a lot of phone calls lately asking for interviews and such…" His editor slowly stood up while avoiding Mikagami's stare.
"Didn't I say I don't do any publicity?" Mikagami answered coldly, surprising himself as the words were a little more distant than he wanted to sound.
"Yes, but…" His editor grinned good-naturedly, inching towards the door. "But if you ever change your mind you should give me a call ASAP. In any case, give me a call in a month to discuss the last chapter okay? Bye." With that the man slipped through the door and departed.
Mikagami merely nodded to the closed door as he finished his water and absent-mindedly walked up the stairs to his room. He sat in front of the computer for a moment, and began feverishly worked on the second installment of his story.
It wasn't until midnight did he stopped. Mikagami was surprised at the speed he wrote, but more so at the content. On the computer screen, black and white, was the condensed version of Fuuko's love life. His had the strongest urge to delete the entire content, but was unable to bring himself to do so.
Fuuko.
Mikagami suddenly wondered how Fuuko is doing right now. For some odd reason when he thought of the purple-haired tomboy the image of food immediately entered his mind. Fuuko was right. He had been eating instant food for almost all his life, and a week's worth of homemade food has spoiled him.
Fuuko.
But food was not the one thing he remembered the most. It was that look on Fuuko's face while she cooked. Mikagami came across her kneeling in front of the oven last night, staring intently while waiting for the apple pie to baked. The innocence and determination on her face made him stopped in his tracks for a second. He could feel a genuine smile approaching his lips as he watched.
But Fuuko's tears scarred the image. No, he did not see her crying face, but that only made the situation worse. Imagination is a horrible thing.
Fuuko.
There were nights when he seemed to hear her sobbing in her room. Imagination or not, he still did not know. Yet at those times he would walk to her room, staring straight at the door, debating whether he should check on her or not. However, he would always stop himself before he turned the doorknob, this is none of my business, and he would turn and walk back to his room with concern written over his eyes.
Mikagami stood from the computer desk abruptly, knocking down his chair. He panicked. The sudden awareness of this paternal feeling over Fuuko has proven to be more than a shock for him. A glass of water. Yes, a glass of water should do me some good right now.
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Fuuko looked around her new apartment. Damn Tokyo land prices, this place isn't even as big as Mikagami's master bathroom! She winced as she idly picked up books on the floor. She still needed to clean up her room, or else there would never be enough space to spread out her futon.
She blindly put books onto the bookshelf until she reached a hard covered fiction – Mikagami's "Glaring Dream", of which she has persuaded Mikagami to simply give it to her."You can ask for free ones from your editors anyway." She cheekily reasoned while Mikagami just waved behind his back in annoyance.
Mikagami.
Fuuko flipped through the first few pages. It was rare for her to want hard covered books, but it was even stranger how she now so easily associated Kagamiya as Mikagami. The thought of Mikagami struggling with romance plots brought an involuntary smile to her face.
Mikagami.
But what made her smile widened was the look on Mikagami's face whenever he returned from his evening seminars. Every time she heard the doorknob turned and looked, she would see Mikagami stood there at the doorstep, taking a deep breath of the food's scent. It was then did she realize that cold front he put up was nothing but to hide the child in him.
An exquisite bland of childishness and maturity, she mused, was what Mikagami was. She could not forget the awkward embrace they shared. Despite her tears, she discovered that the man whom she regarded as nothing but an arrogant bastard was actually quite caring. She felt oddly safe in his arms, and that was why she pulled away.
Mikagami.
It was that brief second of security that made her paused at his door in countless occasions. She knew that the second she knocked on the door Mikagami would be there, that he would silently listened to what she had to say with a slightly irritated look on his face. Mikagami was not a man of words, but she knew she could trust him. Not the kind of trust she had in him during battles, but reliance between… friends.
Fuuko dropped the book and fell back onto the floor. She stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. She had lost track of when she started seeing the older boy as a friend. Mikagami was a comrade, an acquaintance, and she thought that's all he would ever be.
But obviously I am wrong. She toyed with the idea of grocery shopping with Mikagami or going to the movies with him and let out a laugh. Mikagami would not welcome the thought of being a FRIEND. She smiled sadly, and sat up to continue with her unpacking.
