Orphan Flower

Sporty

Open minded

Rebel often

A girl on the inside

A few days later….

"How did I end up working in the kitchen with you?!" Izumi glared at the boy she always found annoying.

Takuya grinned. "Hey, at least I can protect you from burning the building down." as he gathered the ingredients and started mixing them into the bowl they were using.

"How did today turn out this way?" she sighed admitting defeat and looked for the spoon as she opened the drawers and cupboards.

Flashback of Earlier that Day-------------

"Eh? She still hasn't woken up yet?" Izumi asked her friend on the phone as she sat down on one of the kitchen chairs to listen what else was new.

"Yeah, not yet. I was thinking that we could make something for her, like cookies." the voice responded.

It was quiet as she thought about it and agreed. "Okay, come at my house in an hour."

"Kay."

-------- hour later

Hearing the doorbell ring, she quickly ran towards the door, opening it slowly and frowned to see the goggle head boy. "Now what do you want? I'm not going to listen to your apologizes or let you do me favors if that's what you plan to do."

He shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I came by to tell you that Juri went with Takato and told me to tell you that she won't be coming by today, and she'll make it up to you."

"There goes my schedule…" she noted as her expression went gloomy, making it noticeable to Takuya.

"Hey, she sent me here to help you, that's her make up favor!" he added with an optimistic expression, making her feel even worse. Seeing her reaction he smirked. "C'mon, it won't be that bad! Don't worry!"

"I think it's a little too late for that."

----------- End of Flashback

"Hm, a little lost in thought?" his voice interrupting her flashback moment as he hugged her from behind on purpose to annoy her.

Making her blush suddenly, it made her annoyed again that he was making fun of her. "Let go of me Kanbara!"

"Mm, I think we look good in this position." he answered back disagreeing with her idea. "Until you finally call me Takuya, I'll let go."

"Never! Do you want to burn this place on fire?!" she exclaimed trying to point a hazardous reason, at the same time looking at the oven.

He thought about it thinking of a good excuse and smiled as he thought of one. "If it means us dying together and being together for an eternity, I'll be ok."

"Idiot! That's not what I'm talking about!" she sighed and noticed something odd about the oven and glanced at it. "Is something burning?"

"I bet it's our love burning with passion together."

Seeing smoke coming out of the oven, she knew what was going on now. "Takuya! The oven is burning!"

Ten Minutes Later

"Good thing we got the fire out before the smoke detector went on." the brown haired boy commented as they cleaned up the mess.

She winced hearing him say that. "I" told you to let go of me, otherwise, we wouldn't be doing this." as she glared at him, only to have him shrug it off.

He leaned closer to her and smiled. "And "I" told you to call me Takuya in order to let go. It's about time you finally did."

"You made me say it. It was the only way." she shot back and paused. "I don't get why you are so interested into making me call you that anyways."

"At least, the cookies are alright, here try one." he offered handing her a cookie.

Hesitating to take a simple sweet cookie from him, she raised her hand to take it and looked at it.

"Izumi. It's called a cookie, you eat it. Unless if I have to make you eat it." he reminded her.

"I know what a cookie is!" as she took a bite out of it and made a sour face. "I hate it." she muttered taking another bite.

He gave her a confused look seeing her eating it but saying she hated it. "So why are you still eating the cookie I made?"

Keeping quiet to avoid his gaze, she looked at the floor. "Because I love it." which surprised him as he was about to say something but she interrupted the moment. "I'd love the idea of having to sue you if I end up in the hospital because of this cookie!" she finished showing the cookie in his direction, making him shocked and turn away as he laughed.

"Why would you… want to sue me?" he asked still trying to calm himself from laughing again at her.

"Hm, I'd like to see you tortured for what you and your groupie has been doing to me and my friends." she simply said giving him a serious look. "And plus, I might need the extra money to pay for the house rent and so that I wouldn't have to work so much to pay off the rent here."

He stopped laughing as he heard this. "Hey, I already told you, my mom and I already agreed that you could live with us. Remember?"

Flashback of that Day-----------------

"Hello mother! This is Izumi my girlfriend!" the goggle headed idiot announced with a grin making his mother shocked and suddenly proud as the blond began chasing him around the house.

"Izumi my dear! I insist that you have dinner with us!" his mom exclaimed grabbing the two kids into the kitchen and sitting them down on the dining room chairs.

Izumi's eyes went wide. "Uh… I'm sorry Mrs. Kanbara! I can't! I…"

"I insist!"

She couldn't help but sigh. "Alright, but do you mind if I can use your phone?" as she quickly ran to make a quick call. After a few minutes and hanging up the phone she sighed in relief that she was able to call for a day off from her work.

"Called your parents?" Mrs. Kanbara asked as she and the two boys were finished setting up the table.

Takuya gave his mom a serious look. "Izumi lives alone."

His mom almost dropping the plates on the floor couldn't help but keep silent and suddenly run over to hug Izumi. "How can a young girl like you be all alone?! You can live with us! Right Takuya? Shinya?" as she turned to glare at their direction to make them say yes.

"No problem." he smirked seeing Izumi glaring at him.

Shinya glanced up to their direction. "So I can have an onee-chan?! That's great!"

Before Izumi could say anything to protest, his mother continued on. "Oh, and we'll have you move into our house and you can stay in Takuya's room temporary! What else should we do?" as she babbled on what else for the house.

--------End of the Flashback

The blond girl opened her eyes from that memory of that day. "Oh yeah, I remember that."

He grinned. "See? You still remember it!"

"I remember declining it." she added giving him a smirk that she made him gloomy.

"Izumi, I know that having to stay even in a room with me is like torture and all-" he spoke up.

"You finally see how I feel." she muttered as she walked towards the bathroom to wash her hands since the kitchen sink was full of unwashed dishes.

"Listen, yes, I knew from the beginning. But it's not a healthy way to live your life alone, even though you have friends at school, you're alone here at home." following her to the kitchen as she began washing the dishes and joined in. "I'll help."

Repeating the words he said to her, it was silent between them as she thought about it, not knowing what to say back to him. "Now what can I say that would be understandable to this goggle headed idiot?" she wondered.

Once they were close to finishing, he was suddenly surprised that she touched his hand. "Alright. I'll move in, temporary." she stated handing him a cookie pan to rinse.

"W-What?" with a speechless reaction on his face that she would give in like that, only to receive a "I'm-not-going-to-repeat-that" look.

"I said temporary, not forever." she reminded him and an unexpected smile appeared on her face, a genuine smile, which was a pretty long time since she felt this way.

"Are my eyes deceiving me? Is the Izumi Orimoto smiling?" Takuya grinned nudging her slightly that he caught her actual personality.

Blushing madly, she took a handful of soap bubbles and threw them at him. "SHUT UP KANBARA!"

"Aw, what happened to the nice Izumi?"

------------------ Meanwhile at the hospital

While Rika, still unconscious at the moment lying down on the hospital bed with no friends to visit her, only one unexpected visitor came.

The pink haired girl walked in Rika's room and closed the door behind her and made sure no one was around to see her and with what she was planning to do. She gazed at Rika's expression which was nothing but an innocent look still sleeping unknown to her fate that has arrived.

"Such a pity that they said you wouldn't wake up yet." Mimi began sighing tiredly as a small pocketknife appeared in her grasp, looking at the oxygen tube that was a line up to the oxygen mask Rika was wearing. "I'm sorry you had to deal with this Rika." as she took the pocketknife close to the oxygen mask, as she smiled. "Sorry you would end up waking up in the afterlife…."