Me: Hi-hi! It's Wednesday! Just like I promised!

Kashino: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Me: W-what? D:

Kashino: When you said Wednesday, you meant the following week! Not some random Wednesday TWO YEARS LATER!

Me: Uwa, don't be so mean to me Kashino!

Ichigo: Kashino, calm down!

Kashino: ...

Me: I realize it has been a long time... And, I've been looking back on this series and noticing how bad it is. Haha. I don't like where I went with it from the end of the first chapter. LOL. So, sorry to get your hopes up, but this isn't a fourth chapter. It's actually a re-written version of the first. I chose to add it on to the story so that you would all see it and be able to compare it to the original!

I plan on making this a three-shot, with a clear vision in my head now. So, I hope to finish it before summer ends! Please enjoy! And as always, I do not own Yumeiro Patissiere.

The Blue Mists, The Return

Chapter 1: Chilled

The night was foggy, feeling almost heavy against his skin. The aspiring chocolatier sighed, pulling up his collar to cover his mouth. It was quite the chilly spring morning. He considered that fact that it was only about 5:30, and the sun had yet to peak over the horizon. As the breeze continued to blow by him, his teeth chattered.

Why he decided to embark toward the kitchen classrooms at such an hour was beyond him. But there were only so many things you could do when you couldn't sleep. Nonetheless, he was grateful he considered the cold, being bundled up in his grass green sweater; overtop his usual blue winter coat.

When he got to the kitchen classroom, he was aware how cold it was in the unused room. Rubbing his hands together, he switched on the heater, as well as pulling back the curtains that covered the tall glass windows.

Kashino always enjoyed the sunrise. It was one of his favourite sights to see, and it never really did get old. The way the sun crept over the trees, like a mischievous child playing hide and seek; playful and bright, smothering the evergreens.

The sky was a dark shade of navy, though lighter than it was at the pitch of night. The sun would be up in a matter of minutes. As the sky lightened, he was able to see the thick fog settling across the campus; water droplets, appearing mysterious in the lukewarm air.

It was weird to him, to be in the kitchen classroom alone. The clatter of the tools, the crinkling his clothes made as he moved, the silence was almost eerie. However, he continued on with his tasks, beginning to temper chocolate, the sound of his metal tools as his only companion.

Sunlight began to filter in through the frothy glass window, spilling onto the floor. The blue mist surrounding the building seemed to almost turn white, wispy like clouds. The strangest thing however, was seeing a petite figure, walking through the mist.

More accurately, the petite silhouette seemed to be stumbling.

The chocolatier continued to stare at the struggler, finally coming to the realization that he knew this clumsy person. He knew it from the way that they walked; the childlike skip but stumble. The shadow of their hair, flowing ribbons in a ribbon dance; yes, there was only one person it could be.

He watched her for a moment, wondering what in the world she was doing. He figured she was having trouble seeing where she was going, because she was wandering quite blindly. Kashino wondered if he should go out and get her, though wasn't sure if he should. Though, when he saw her fall to the ground, he quickly made up his mind.

Grabbing his jacket that he had hung just by the door, he ran out to meet the silly brunette who had fallen to the floor.

He found her on the ground, wobbling to get up. Her eyes were wide, shiny with tears, stunned to have fallen so harshly. All she wore was a delicate purple shirt and jeans, her milky skin prickly with goose bumps. Her teeth chattered, and she rubbed her arms in an attempt to get warm. "Ouch..." She mumbled to herself, "It sure is hard to see with all this mist everywhere."

She hadn't so much as noticed the chocolatier standing beside her, until he spoke up, "Amano, just what are you doing?"

The girl squeaked, hearing his voice suddenly, looking this way and that for him. "W-what...? Who are you?"

"Baka, it's Kashino. I'm right beside you. Can't you see me?"

Ichigo turned to her left, before laughing, seeing him in plain sight. "Oh. Yeah, I can," She said, "Sorry, I just woke up, so I'm a little bit out of it."

"I can see that," He replied dryly, watching her chattering teeth. Her lips were pale, with the slightest tint of blue, "You didn't even have the conscious to dress warmly."

She shrugged, "I didn't think it was this cold, my bad."

"I guess it can't be helped," The blond said with a sigh. He peeled off his blue winter coat, draping it around the brunette's shoulders. He still had his green sweater, so he figured he would be fine.

She was silent for a moment, slipping her slender arms into the designated sleeves. "Kashino, don't you need your jacket?"

"I have a sweater," He replied stubbornly, proceeding in leading her toward the kitchen room, "You're going to catch a cold if all you have is that flimsy shirt to cover you."

Ichigo giggled, zipping up his jacket. It was a few sizes too big for her, her dainty fingers just peeping out from the ends of the sleeves, "Thanks." She sniffled, before a cute little sneeze came from her nose.

The chocolatier sighed, "See? You're already sniffling, come on, we have to get you warmed up."

She smiled tenderly, before slipping her hand into his own. His fingers were surprisingly warm, or maybe that was just her hands being awfully cold. "Alright, lead the way."

Kashino froze, for just a moment. He couldn't process the situation for a moment. Her sudden action had caused blood to rush to his cheeks, him taking on the slightest shade of pink. He was almost tempted to pull his hand away, though could never do that to her. After a while, he came to enjoy it, her fingers, warming under his touch; holding onto him, because for once, she depended on him.

That alone put a smile to his face, and despite the loss of his jacket made him feel warm inside. But then again, that was just how Ichigo was, and she always seemed to make him feel that way.

Inside the kitchen room, it was already beginning to warm up, due to the heater Kashino had turned on previously. Though, the room was quite big, and it was still quite chilly. It was too cold for Ichigo to take the jacket off. Even the seat she sat in was cold, making her legs feel like she was sitting on ice. She watched Kashino continue to work on the chocolate he had been working with before going out to meet her. She already knew what he was doing. Of course, it was just like the chocolatier to make chocolat chaud, which he had already made for her countless times.

Though, she never really would get tired of drinking it. After all, if it was Kashino making it, she would always accept it.

As she watched, she felt a tickle in her nose. Before she could stop it, she sneezed once again, rubbing at her nose with the back of her hand. Kashino had just begun to pour the hot chocolate into mugs, looking at her with worry etched on his face. Not that he was ever going to admit it to her, but he cared about her wellbeing.

He set down the mug of chocolat chaud in front of her. Steam rose from it, tickling her flushed cheeks. With a smile gracing her face, Ichigo slowly blew into the mug, before taking a sip of the soothing drink. It almost seemed to melt her body with its warmth. "Thank you, Kashino," She said thoughtfully, before sniffling once more.

The blond took a sip from his own mug. She already looked like she was catching a cold, her cheeks were flushed, along with the tip of her nose turning red. He really didn't want that for her. He wanted to see her happy and healthy, because that's when she acted best. Not that he would tell her, but he liked her company. He doubted she would be able to be an optimistic company while down with the flu. "Are you still cold?" Kashino asked her.

She looked away from her mug, her chocolate eyes blinking once or twice, taking in his question. "Y-yeah," She admitted sheepishly, "But thank you for everything. Besides, if I'm with you, it already feels warmer."

Her sweet words sent the blood rushing back to the boy's face, and he quickly turned from her so that she wouldn't see it. "W-whatever. It doesn't matter. If you're cold, you're going to get sick." Without another word, he unzipped his sweater, before draping it around her neck like a scarf, "Is that better?"

The brunette, who was almost buried in Kashino's outer clothing, nodded. "But Kashino, what about you?"

Indeed, the blond was left with only his black t-shirt, the exposed skin already beginning to tingle from the cold. Though, he didn't want to admit such a thing to her. Had she known, she probably would have given him back both his jacket and sweater, "I'm fine. I've got chocolat chaud," He said, gulping down some of it. "Don't worry about me, just keep yourself warm."

"O-okay..." Ichigo responded. With a gleam in her eye, she reached forward and poured some of her chocolat chaud into his own mug, "At least have some more chocolat chaud to keep warm."

Kashino was aware that his face was flaming again, "Y-yeah, yeah. Whatever."

XxXxX

Ichigo awoke to sunlight streaming in through the window. Sitting up, she stretched her arms out, before rubbing her eyes. She was in her room again. Actually, she didn't remember how she got there. Unbeknownst to her, she had fallen asleep shortly after finishing her chocolat chaud. Kashino had carried her back to her room, and since it was a Saturday, turned off her preset alarm.

She was surprised to notice that she still wore his jacket, though his sweater was gone. Ichigo could indeed tell it was Kashino's jacket. It smelled like chocolate, just like he did, and the thought itself calmed her a little.

With a content sigh, she snuggled into it, pulling the hood over her head and just taking it in. Kashino could be a devil, but sometimes, at times like this, he could have that streak of angelic qualities.

XxXxX

Kashino was aware at how badly he had screwed himself over. He had dropped Ichigo off at her room at around 6 in the morning. He had nearly frozen to death just getting her there. Though he didn't want to, he had to take the sweater from her, because he was so cold. In fact, his fingers were numb, to the point where he couldn't even zip it up.

He had gone back to his room then, burying himself under his blankets, trying to warm himself up. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep and woken up again at around 9:30. Rather than feeling better, after sleeping and warming up, he was aware that he felt quite worse.

His head throbbed furiously, despite the extra sleep. He had chills, shivering quite vigorously, though sweating. A few coughs escaped his mouth, making him feel like his lungs were being shaken up inside him. Pressing a weary hand to his sweaty forehead, he sighed.

Just as he thought might happen, in defending Ichigo from catching a cold, he had gotten it himself. He sneezed, sending an electric like pain through his brain. Moaning, the blond lay his head back down on his pillow. It was already warm, from all his body heat. Kashino stared at the ceiling for a while, watching it swirl and twist from his fever muddled mind.

He allowed himself only a few minutes rest, before finally getting up. Though, it was quite the challenge. His muscles felt weak, and he stumbled across the room, trying to regain his balance. Hobbling into the bathroom, he freshened himself up, trying to look presentable. Bundling up, he left his dorm room, in prospect of doing something productive. He wondered if Ichigo was up already, and if she was okay, and that she hadn't caught a cold, like him.

Heading down the stairs, he was aware to the fact that he was extremely dizzy. He fumbled for the railing, holding onto in tightly, to the point where his knuckles turned white. His mind felt all hazy, and he thought it might have been better just to stay in bed. Though, he was Kashino Makoto, and he never did that. There was always something he needed done, something to occupy the boy's time. Certainly, there was no time for resting and recuperating.

Though, his body begged to differ, achingly sore and almost throbbing. The blond managed to get down the stairs without much hassle, though swayed when letting go off the railing. His vision was blurry, and things seemed to spin before his very eyes. His blond hair had begun to stick to his forehead from perspiration, and he gingerly tried to swipe away the strands.

He vaguely though he heard someone calling his name, though everything sounded waterlogged to him. For a second, everything seemed 5 shades brighter, before suddenly the edges of his sight seemed to burn black. Before he knew it, someone caught him by the arm, pulling him back upward. It was Andou, his friend since childhood. He had that look of concern on his face, and Kashino felt almost guilty for causing him distress. Though, he didn't get to say anything, before his spotted vision blacked out, and he fell unconscious in the taller boy's hold.

Me: So, how was it? I hope you all liked it! I really hope you're all satisfied. I plan on getting the next chapter out in the coming days, I pinkie promise this time! I hope I'm a lot more reliable than I was 2 years ago. *Sigh*

Anyway, thank you for your lovely reviews, which is part of the reason why I was inspired to pick the series up!

~*Reviewers' Corner*~

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Keep the reviews coming and tell me what you think! Ja ne!

xoxo

~Mikashi-chan :)