A.N.: Okay so after the first four reviews I changed the names to the Japanese originals. Now I have six and you guys are just as divided as I was in the beginning.
As before, the characters are not mine, but many of their experiences, feelings, words and smells are. You'd be amazed just how tiring it is to work ina candy factory. Oh and that reminds me, do you want to know the website of the company where I (and therefore Usagi) worked? It is in the States and the website has an explanation about how they create the candy and chocolates etc. Let me know; if you do I'll post that site in my next chapter. Hugs for those of you who took the time to review. I appreciate you, yes I do.
Man that last line was totally Kenshin inspired...
Chocolate Scented: Chapter Two
By Magawa
The bell over the door always sounded different when it was her walking in under it. Happier almost, as if the bell knew somehow that it had a friend in the pretty blonde that usually danced her way into the arcade.
So when the bell chimed its usual greeting to the girl, Mamoru was ready to see the little pixie waltz her way in and unknowingly claim every male eye. He was not; however, ready to see said pixie dragging her feet wearily as if her cat had been run over or as if she'd been sick for weeks. She couldn't have been sick though; she'd looked healthy enough yesterday when he'd seen her.
But there she was lackluster and almost gloomy with tiredness. He was so busy staring that he had to give himself a mental shake as she slumped into the stool next to him at the counter.
He pushed his coffee cup towards her as he took in a deep breath of her. "You look like you need this more than I do, Odango Atama. What on earth happened to you?"
"Ugh, don't call me Odango Atama! I hate when you call me that. I just started my first day of work that's all," she said, taking in a huge gulp of his coffee before wincing away at its sharp taste. "I don't know how you drink it like that with no cream or sugar or anything in it."
She looked back up at him with clearer eyes (clearly a fast-working brew) and a slight smile. His mumbled answer of the coffee being stronger that way hardly made itself to her ears. She was sitting next to him, drinking out of his cup and talking to him. This was just like one of the fantasies she'd had once!
Mamoru was in a similar state of contentment. Not only was this carefree, beautiful young woman sitting next to him drinking out of his cup (and without complaint), but she smelled almost overpoweringly of chocolate. One whiff caused him to relax, the second caused him to swallow, the third whiff…
… had him leaning in closer to her asking her about her day and what she'd done while at work. He didn't want to think about what he'd have been doing if his resolve hadn't been so ironwill…
A refill later had him letting her pour ridiculous amounts of cream and sugar into his black abyss of coffee, which they still shared.
And not much later on than that saw his little pixie scurrying for the exit and home as she was late (again). Every male eye returned to their previously scheduled whatevers.
Mamoru returned to his now cool and sweet coffee as the memory of her sight and smell replayed in his head.
The days followed in a kind of monotonous rhythm. She'd return to the candy company every day after school for four hours and help to pack away the delicious chocolates and candies created there. In the evenings after work she'd stop in at the café to see him. Something had changed between them, for he rarely argued with her now, and even when he called her 'Odango Atama' it seemed to be almost an endearment. She certainly didn't mind it when he called her that in that tone of voice.
He'd also taken to adding cream and sugar to his coffee before she arrived. She always looked at death's door when she first walked in; tired and cold from being out in the wintry air. He always pushed his coffee to her and she always sipped at the warmth he offered gratefully.
There they had their best conversations. It was so damnably hard to get to know her with all her endlessly chattering friends surrounding her. And as much as he knew it to be otherwise, her friends almost made her seem an idiot. Oh it was obvious they loved and cared for her – that much was obvious. But sometimes the ridicule and pressure they piled on her, like they expected so much more from her constantly, made him wonder why she allowed their high expectations and sharp words. Although he had not been much kinder to her until recently either.
But now he could see exactly why her friends had such expectations for her. It was obvious to those surrounding her even if it wasn't obvious to herself. She was the epitome of all that was good and kind. She was soft and gentle, yet stubborn and unyielding to those that were unkind, unjust or hurtful to those she loved. She was loyal and kind and sweet and funny; a whirling mixture of volatile emotions that all played out beautifully on her innocent and expressive face.
To him, she was more than other girls. She was perfect, an angel. And she certainly smelled heavenly. Everyday when she came to him at the arcade he could smell it on her. It permeated the air around her and he would subconsciously lean closer to her. He could smell it in her hair, on her clothes and lightly dusting her skin. And that was dangerous. Or rather, made him want dangerous things. Made him want to do dangerous things…
Just breathing her in was relaxing and exciting. Just like the paradoxical emotions she always portrayed. She was completely one thing while being something completely different and wonderful too.
What's more was that he'd taken to waiting for her at the far end of the counter (away from prying eyes and the cold of the door). He'd tried sitting in a booth once where he'd pretended to study, but he missed having her sit next to him. In the booth she'd taken the seat opposite him, and while that afforded an uninhibited view of her face, he'd lost all the joy of being so close to her. It also made coffee sharing more difficult.
It was a night like any other night really; and he was waiting for her with his coffee cup all sweetened and ready, but she didn't come in at her usual time. She was normally finished and at the Arcade by 7:15 p.m. sharp. By 7:20 he was looking at his watch nervously. At 7:30 he'd finished his sweetened coffee and was tapping his leg up and down in jittery distraction. By 7:45 he was almost ready to walk out into the cold to search out his bunny. He figured he'd give it til 8 and if she didn't show by then he'd send out the search dogs, or at least Tuxedo Kamen.
He was lucky that neither action was needed. She dragged herself in unheard of hour of 7:56; just as Mamoru was really watching the clock and preparing to pull on his gloves, scarf and coat.
She looked more tired than usual today, and he figured the extra 45 minutes she'd been out probably had a lot to do with that. He was right of course. And a quick wave to the waiter for more coffee had Usagi telling him all about why she was late.
Mamoru was adding the "perfect" amount of cream and sugar to his coffee as she slumped forward on the counter so she could rest her body completely. As usual she smelled almost overwhelmingly of chocolate. He pushed the now "perfect" coffee towards her and leaned closer.
One deep breath caused him to relax, the second had him wanting something sweet in his mouth and the third had his hands on her back as she half-sat, half-laid against the counter. He massaged her back in firm, gentle circles that had her almost purring as she slumped bonelessly against the marble of the countertop.
Mamoru grinned in sheer male satisfaction as Usagi closed her eyes in her pleasure. This was exactly what she needed after having worked so hard. A minute or two more and she sat up shrugging his hands off and groaning with the effort.
"It'll probably be like this more often now," Usagi stated. "It's so close to Christmastime and everybody and their brother wants Christmas candy." She took another fortifying cup of coffee. "I've never seen so much chocolate in my entire life! Huge bricks of it!"
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at chocolate the same way. I'm not sure if it even smells good to me anymore. Oh god, what am I saying?" She shook her head forcefully as if to clear her head of those blasphemous thoughts.
Mamoru chuckled lightly. "You do know that you reek of chocolate, right?"
"I do? You've got to be kidding me!"
"Why would I kid about something like that? If it's any consolation though, I like the smell. Seems to fit my little Odango Atama, you know?"
"Ha. Is that so? Well then, I'm sad to say that I won't smell like this forever. All of us that work above the shop making candy will be laid off on the 23rd, right before Christmas. They won't make any candy again until mid-January, in preparation for Valentine's Day."
"Mmm that is too bad…" Mamoru mumbled quietly before taking a sip of their coffee. He figured he could probably really learn to like taking his coffee this way if she was going to be around to share it. Don't you hate how dangerous thoughts like that just seem to crop up at the most inopportune times?
"Oh, but today I got to do something different. I actually helped make the candy! One of the regular girls was sick and so she couldn't come in and so I helped my boss by putting all kinds of things on the belt to be chocolate-fied! And then one of the girls had to go on break for a little while 'cause she'd been working all day and so she showed me how to mark the candy! I made little x's on millions of little candies! And they said I was really good at that and that I should help them like that more often! Isn't that neat?"
What was really neat, he figured, was how she had been bone-tired just a few minutes ago, and somehow had found all this energy after just a few sips of his coffee.
"That is neat. So what do x's mean?"
"Kisses, of course!" she giggled. "Not really. I'm just kidding. That means that the cream inside all the chocolate is a chocolate cream."
"Oh. Does all the candy get marked that way?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Swiss creams get S's, orange creams get O's, coconut gets a C, raspberry gets an R – those are hard, Tomoko complains about those all the time…And hmmm… butter creams get two I marks and maple creams get three… regular caramels get a mark…. double chocolate nut caramels get these little fly-swatter type marks hmm… cherry cordials get little circles, but bourbon cherries don't…"
"Wait just a second… bourbon cherries? You don't eat those do you?"
"Well, uh, I had to at least try one…"
He laughed at her audaciousness. "I'm sure you've tried one of everything now haven't you?"
She wrinkled her nose at him. "Of course not. Some stuff is just to gross to even consider trying!"
He laughed again. It was so easy to laugh with her. "I can't imagine how anything covered in chocolate can be considered gross."
"You've never heard of chocolate covered orange peel then, have you?" Usagi replied with conviction. "That stuff is nasty."
"I'll take your word for it."
"Eeep! I can't believe it's this late already! My mother must be worried!" She paused thoughtfully. "I hope she left me some dinner…"
Mamoru laughed again at her quick switch of emotion. He wasn't even thinking when he offered to drive her home. And of course she accepted. Hey that was another fantasy that she'd had brought to life.
It was a short drive, punctuated with quick comments and easy laughter. When had it gotten to be so easy to talk to each other? It wasn't that long ago that there had been either bickering or silent tension between them. Now things just seemed much easier. Things that should have been hard to say came easily. So Usagi was hardly surprised with her last flirtatious comments as she stepped out of his car and towards her house.
"Hey Mamoru, which do you prefer, dark or light chocolate?"
That also meant that Mamoru was hardly surprised with his reply.
"Well, you do know that dark chocolate is preferred by lovers worldwide."
Usagi's laugh sounded crisp in the cold air. "All right then dark chocolate it is. I'll try to bring you some sometime."
"I'd like that. They do say a way to a guy's heart is –"
"—through his stomach? Ha! Mama taught me that forever ago. See you later Mamoru!"
"Goodnight Usa," he whispered before smiling. "Sweet dreams."
A.N.: That's all for now. I hope to have the next (which is probably the last) chapter up in just a few days. Do I need to remind you to review? It's like eating chocolate for the authoress without all the calories... A natural high. ---- 12/29/05