Disclaimer: Sakura Kasugano belongs to Capcom. Mickey V. belongs to me.


Last time on First Impressions, Mickey & Sakura finishes their first fight as Sakura came out victorious. After the fight and some light ribbing, the two decided to grab a train to Tokyo. On the train, a bond quickly formed as they made their way to Sakura's residence. When we left our heroes, they were on their way to a grilled meat adventure! Let's reconnect...


"We're close!"

Sakura takes Mickey by the arm as they make their way throughout downtown Tokyo. Lights from stores all around Mickey paint a dizzying array of neon, taking him by surprise. Sounds of conversation and laughter dance in and out of his ears.

Compared to the Japanese countryside, the visual and aural whiplash was less than pleasant. In Mickey's mind, however, Sakura's promises of grilled meat dominated all negative thoughts. Plus, the added promise of rice filled his half-Mexican heart.

"Are we there yet?" Mickey groans, the sound of his tummy's rumbling filling his thoughts.

Sakura smiles, finally stopping near a building. "Well…Yup! Now we are!"

Mickey and Sakura stop in front of an unremarkable building. It's somewhat drab compared to the other, more appealing buildings around them.

Mickey smirks. "¡Ay! Thought it looked…"

He does, however, detect an engaging sound coming from within the building. It's a faint sound, but to him, there's no mistake about it. It reminds him of relaxing with his mother's family in Monterrey with his father's parents.

The sounds…of sizzling meat.

"Yeah, we're here. Come on!" Mickey shouts before making the charge inside of the building.

"But…Mickey-san, you don't even know where it is!" Sakura utters with a weak smile, staring at others staring back at them.

"My hearing's never wrong, Sakura!" Mickey climbs up the stairs before Sakura follows him.


They make their way to the second floor where they stop in front of a winding staircase. Next to it is a wall with the restaurant's logo attached to it. Some beautiful cherry blossom potted plants greet the two fighters nearby.

Mickey grins to the potted plants as Sakura makes his way up to see him, pointing to them. "Hey, look. Sakura, meet Sakura."

Sakura gives him a dirty but hilarious look. "Just for that, we're going back!" She starts to make her way down.

"No, no, no. Sorry, meine Freundin. Couldn't resist."

With a smirk and a pout, Sakura shrugs her arms. "Okaaaay. I guess I accept."

They nudge shoulders before they smile, spotting the logo.

"So, what does that say?" Mickey says, nodding his head towards it.

"Oh. It's Setsuna Yakiniku Bar & Grill," Sakura replies enthusiastically. "It's one of my favourite restaurants!"

"Setsuna..."

"It means a moment or an instant. Like the moment we get some of that delicious rice, we'll be instantly happy!"

"Well, what are we waitin' for?" Mickey beams, taking off his straw hat.

Sakura shrugs. The two make their way up the staircase before they are immediately greeted by two things: the chefs in the open kitchen…and the smell.

Mickey takes a big whiff, unaware of the patrons looking at him with weird stares. To him, it smells like if Heaven opened its doors and he was dragged in by the promise of some of that good meat...times five.

A tinge of bright red suddenly envelops his pupils before they fade to blue. "Wait your turn," Mickey whispers to himself.

Sakura whips around with a curious look. "Who are you talking to?"

"Hmm? Oh, no one important. Don't worry!" Mickey replies hesitantly with a toothy grin.

To Sakura, Mickey's slightly anxious personality is a bit weird but unimportant compared to food. "Oh, okay…" She calls for a waiter in Japanese. "Umm, table for two, please?"

Before being guided to the table, Mickey relaxes and surveys the restaurant while Sakura orders from the menu.

The atmosphere is casual and warm with a bit of a luxurious spin on it. The décor is swanky and stylish, the grill provides the two with some warmth, and jazz music dances through the ears of the patrons of the restaurant. Mickey moves his head to the music as Sakura smiles.

"I knew you'd like it," Sakura says with a gleeful smile. "That's why your 'little sister' brought you here!"

Suddenly, Mickey jolts and sits straight up. Sakura giggles with an impish pose over the table. "Mein Gott…You heard all of that?" Mickey stammers.

"Uh-huh!"

"Uh, well, I—"

"Don't worry, Mickey-san. People normally think I'm, like, Ryu-san's little sister."

"But you and I seem to have a lot more in common. Video games, becoming stronger, rice, grilled meat. I wanna stress the 'rice' part."

Sakura laughs. "But I only met you a few hours ago!"

"And yet, you invited me to a restaurant! Did you do that for Ryu?"

"No, of course not…"

Mickey dons a prideful smirk, savouring another victory…until Sakura continues.

"I cooked for him at one point."

Mickey slouches at his side of the table, looking utterly defeated. Sakura sticks her tongue out and laughs. "Heh, don't worry. I'll cook for you too, 'big bro'. Eventually."

Mickey places a hand over his heart. "Aw, would you now? I'm touched," he teases.

"Shut up!"

They share a genuine laugh as Mickey calls for a waiter. It's the same waiter: a young woman with a pleasant – and slightly amused – smile on her face. "Yes?"

"Um, could we get brown sugar plum wine, please?" The waiter nods as Mickey nods back. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

The waiter looks pleased with Mickey's respectful tone and seemingly fluent pronunciation. She punctually takes care of the two fighters.

Sakura gasps, completely surprised at Mickey's Japanese. "Really, Mickey-san?"

"Don't ooh and ahh yet, meine Freundin. I only know a lil' bit!"

"No, no. ...I thought we weren't buying beer or sake. I'm old enough now for those things too, you know!"

"Oh, I had an idea. That's why we got wine instead. We're startin' off slow-ish. Don't wanna get ya too drunk! Bet ya Ryu ain't as clever as me now, huh?"

Sakura grins while Mickey laughs. Suddenly, the food and beverages make their way to them. First, thick, sliced beef tongue is presented in front of them along with some sticky rice.

"Ohhh, my…" Mickey salivates at the marble of the meat.

Sakura giggles. "But that's not the best part. Watch!"

She takes two slices and puts them on the counter. In two minutes, she expertly cooks the meat in front of Mickey's eyes. The sizzling and the smells put Mickey in a trance-like state. She puts the slices on a plate with some lemon juice drizzled over it. His eyes flash red before they turn to blue.

"Done. Ready?" Sakura smiles, snapping Mickey out of it.

"Hm? Yeah, yeah!" Mickey utters, taking his chopsticks. If it wasn't for his old friend Hush Puppy, his attire wouldn't be the only embarrasing thing about him.

Despite this, they each take a slice and place it over their rice to their surprise.

"Freaky…" Sakura whispers.

"Get out of my head!" Mickey shouts softly in a teasing manner.

Sakura giggles as they quietly salute, starting their grilled meat adventure.

As Mickey takes a bite, his eyes widen. The tongue's tender and silky smooth. Although he will never be the type to diss his mother's lengua tacos, the rich flavour beef tongue eclipses it in taste. It was delicious. "Mmmmm…So good," he mumbles with his eyes closed.

"I know," Sakura says, "It's aromatic and tender. And with the rice, it tastes so good!"

Suddenly, a deeper voice emerges from Mickey as his eyes glow red. "Oh, I hear that!"

His hair eerily turns dark-red with a black stripe as a new side of Mickey introduces himself. Sakura jumps a bit in shock. "What's good? You must be Sakura, right. Pleasure's mine, I'm sure. Soundclash."

"Ohhh!" Sakura stammers, blushing from the sheer and sudden shock. "…Well, hi…"

"I ain't gonna hurt ya. You promised him grilled meat. That's somethin' I like, too! And anyone that sticks up for yours truly deserves my respect!"

Soundclash, Mickey's apparent alter-ego, offers a fist-bump as Sakura slowly, and begrudgingly, accepts. The weird-talking entity looks at Mickey's shirt with a look of disgust. "A Hawaiian shirt in Japan. How touristy can ya get, am I right?"

Sakura nervously smiles as Soundclash takes some beef tongue and outside skirt steak. Cooking it quickly, he gives a few pieces to Sakura and takes the rest. Dipping it in a sauce with diced vegetables, the steak tastes sinfully delectable.

"So, I bet he didn't tell ya 'bout me…"

Sakura shakes her head.

"Well, I'm kinda like the...'devil on his shoulder'," Soundclash mumbles with his mouth full. "An enemy with benefits!" He scoffs and shrugs. "In case ol' Mickey Mouse gets' angry, driven with emotions, or just hangry, I'm here to take the load off him! Damn! This is good!"

Many patrons, including Sakura, are stunned at Soundclash's speed and dexterity as he devours his cooked pieces. Gradually, Mickey makes his presence known as one of his eyes turn blue.

"You're embarrassing me, you know that…"

"You're the one that kept me outta this…"

Back and forth, Mickey and Soundclash have a conversation as Sakura, somewhat scared, clears her throat. "So, Mickey-san or…S-Soundclash, do you have a sister?"

Silence.

Soundclash frowns, wiping sauce and bits of meat from his mouth. "Hm. Well, guess I had my fill. I'll let the other dude hang out wit' ya. But we'll talk again real soon. I promise. ...See ya."

Mickey emerges once more, his hair back to normal. His eyes fade to blue as he stares down at the table. Minutes pass and Mickey takes a long, hard look at Sakura. "I'm sorry..."

Despite being slightly creeped out, a gentle and respectful smile curls across Sakura's lips. "No sweat. So...did you...?"

Mickey is silent, clutching his fists. The thoughts of his mission filled his mind so much, he shakes his head, failing to recall the last time someone wanted to know about...her. He lowers his head.

"Goodness. Mickey?" Sakura utters, taking her friend's hand. "Are…are you okay?"

Mickey shakes his head before he quietly starts to cry, recalling some painful memories.

"She was stillborn. She didn't make it…My…my mama was…My sister's name was gonna be R.J., Sakura. Raquel Jeanette Villanueva. Mein Gott, I couldn't even...h-hold my little sister. I was gonna ha…"

Sakura gasps, shocked and stunned by the revelation. She quickly whips around the table and hugs Mickey. He stops and stares at her before he hugs her back.

"It's okay, Mickey-san," Sakura whispers. "...I'm not the best at this, but..." She pats Mickey's hand. "As long as you can fight for others, she'll always be a part of you." Wiping his tears, she beams. "And as long as you're here, you can call on me anytime you want."

Mickey's eyes open wide in genuine shock as he coughs. Sakura rubs his back before Mickey whispers in her ear. "Heh, th-thanks, Sakura. …I'm positive R.J. would've liked you too."

"Mickey?"

"Yeah?"

"…I got your back."

Sakura offers a fist-bump. Mickey nods with a smile and fist-bumps her back. Throughout the rest of the dinner, Mickey and Sakura sit side by side, enjoying the course in peace.

From ribeye to kalbi to wagyu beef to flap steak, they enjoy a sizzling array of succulent meats. Plenty of rice, seafood, and vegetables accompany their meat smorgasbord. They smile, joke, and talk about their fights in this world. Occasionally sipping some wine, Mickey tries his best not to let Sakura get drunk.

Sakura obliges. It tastes sweet and rich and the temptation creeps in her mind, but she obliges nevertheless.

After the meats, they sample on some cold noodles and dessert: a pear-flavoured popsicle made solely out of ice. Chewy, sweet, and very soft, it's the best dessert Mickey tasted in his life.

After the food and tender moments, Mickey pays for the entire meal to Sakura's surprise. "Mickey-san! How did-"

"You can thank the wallet of a 'mouthy old boxer' for this meal. Don't worry about it, sis…Ooh!"

He covers his mouth but Sakura smiles. "It's okay. Maybe one day, I might even call you 'bro', just to get even."

Mickey smiles wide with his toothy grin. "Heh. You got it…"


Mickey and Sakura walk side by side as they make their way out into the Tokyo nightlife. Suddenly, as they arrive near Sakura's home, they're stopped by an unknown voice…

"Hey, dumbass!" A voice said in Japanese. "We don't want you here. Leave the girl alone and get out!"

Mickey and Sakura turn around to see the same group of young men following them from the train. This time, however…

They're armed with baseball bats and chains.


Find out what happens next time on the last chapter of First Impressions!


Author's Notes: I lost some sleep because I was salivating over yakiniku vids on YouTube. So, I hope this makes you hungry for some meat. Because like Chie always says... "You gotta eat more meat!" Well, I'm out. Be excellent, Stay Golden, and of course...

Later days. - Thicket