Hello everyone. Here I am with an OC story. Very unlikely of me to publish something like this, but you see [takes a deep breath], I've actually written this December two years ago and first published it as an original story. Figuring I wouldn't be able to continue it as it is, I decided to write it as a fanfic instead (because it would be a waste of plot), hoping it would motivate me enough to push through.

I'm still hoping though.

Ah, but you guys don't have to stay tuned to this! Really. I mainly put this out here to archive it. That's it. The chances of fast updates (or any at all) are low. Although, I have the second chapter drafted, and I have the plot all pinpointed out. But you know how lazy authors (like me) are. Plus, I wanna focus on my Momoi + MiraGen centered fic.

Spring's Blossoms

One: Errands

The cool spring breeze was a crisp smack against her skin as she sped her way across the street. A handful of pink petals showered over her, and she could inhale the subtle scent of Cherry blossoms. One tiny petal decided to wander off and rudely make its way towards her nostril. The girl rounded the corner, sneezing.

Kame frowned, scratching the front of her nose with the back of her index finger as she cursed at the petal. She was evidently irritated. But mostly at the fact that she was running almost breathlessly when really she should be enjoying a nice big bowl of hot noodles right now.

Oh, that enticing smell of spicy ramen she had ordered was enough to make her mouth water—even up until now. If only she was able to actually have a taste of it.

Kame had been deviated from her personal agenda to, yet again, carry out some stupid errand. It had been the fourth time this week and it wasn't even Wednesday yet. Her aunt really was a tyrant sometimes. Suddenly asking her to stop whatever she was doing to purchase a bag of Oolong tea leaves and deliver it back home at once. And out of all times, she does this in the middle of her lunch!

"I should've left my phone on silent…" Kame huffed from under her breath. "And what does she need this so immediately for?"

It had been years since Kame's last visit to Japan, and now that she was finally back for spring break she was hoping to get a relaxing vacation out of it. Plus, Kame detested another year without seeing her favorite flowers blossom. That was the highlight of the season. And the festivals! After all, she didn't get much of that back in the States.

But apparently, people in her household didn't understand the concept of 'relaxing vacation.' Kame got how she should be helping around the house—even more so since her family owned an onsen, and they needed all the helping hands they could get. But come on! Kame had a life to live. She had places to see, food to eat! So far she'd been feeling a lot like an errand girl.

Well, at least she had a roof under her head.

Too immersed in her thoughts, Kame didn't realize she had gotten herself stuck in a mass of people. She found this highly uncomfortable. Kame didn't particularly fancy the thought of skin-to-skin contact—or any kind of close proximity with anyone for that matter. 'Space issues' as she'd like to call it.

Kame squeezed, or rather, forced her way through spaces she never deemed possible she could fit. And she couldn't help but wonder if it was always like this in downtown Tokyo. Then it occurred to her. This must be "...Japanese lunch time rush!" Kame proclaimed with wide eyes. So it did happen! And all along she thought it had been an exaggeration.

As she worked her way through the crowd, Kame did her best to avoid getting as much as three inches close to anyone (after all, she didn't want to risk the possibility of getting reprimanded for hitting someone because they got into her personal bubble). And it was working quite well, actually. Kame made it out barely touching anyone. But this didn't stop a shiver from going down her spine.

"Next time, I'm taking a detour."

When Kame was able to take a few breaths, she decided to pick up her pace once again. But as she did, the little bun that was neatly fastened on the back of her head loosened, and in an instant, her hair came undone. Kame's long locks cascaded beautifully down her back like the swift flow of a waterfall… Well, it would have if she had been in a dramatic movie.

Instead, her hair had become an unsightly mess across her face—no thanks to the strong breeze that blew it in disarray.

But Kame could care less about her slightly haggard appearance as she abruptly stopped on her tracks and snapped her head back.

"NO!" She cried out, eyes set on the now stray hair tie that was being whisked away towards some place. Kame tried to chase after it, but once it had landed and had gotten stepped on for more than a few times, there was no way she was going to tie her hair with that. "And that was my last one, too…"

Kame turned away, slightly upset. And just as she was about to take a step forward, a loud thud had sounded. Then she heard of what seemed like a handful of canned goods, a carton of milk, and a bunch of other groceries crashing to the ground. Oh man. And were those eggs cracking?

Kame stood there, half panicking, half-dumbstruck as she tried to process what she had just done. She cursed inwardly. Well, obviously she just crashed into someone and knocked all their stuff down. What was there to process?

Looking down at the person, Kame bit her lip. The guy really looked pissed as he bent down to pick his stuff up one by one. And she wasn't even doing anything to help! She was too busy searching for the right words to say.

"Sumimasen—! Uh… Watashi wa—?"

There were times when Kame wished she was more fluent in Japanese. These were one of those times. It had always been English ever since she could remember, and because of that she couldn't even form a coherent Japanese sentence to save her life! Oh, why didn't she force her parents to teach her more than the basics?

'Because you're in America now… And...' Blah, blah, blah…

Finally at wit's end, Kame gave one last apologetic look (the sincerest she could make) before stuttering, "I—I'm sorry! I have to go!" and dashing off.

Kame felt horrible after that.

It had been passed several minutes. She was a good distance away from the busy metropolis. There were no more signs of people who could possibly intrude her personal space. Everything had fallen into a peaceful silence. And yet… and yet... that annoying thought of what just happened still went on in Kame's head like a freakin' siren coming off from a police's vehicle. It was annoying, and for some reason she just couldn't shake it off.

"What is wrong with me?" Kame whimpered in exasperation, going on about it again for god knows how many times now. A feeling of shame and guilt washed over her. "Sending someone to the ground…didn't bother helping them…"

Then a feeling of embarrassment. "And my Japanese! Why do I suck at it, why? I mean, what did I even say? I hope it wasn't something perverted…"

Then shock and alarm struck her. "What if it was?"

Then mostly Kame just wanted to crawl into a box and be shipped back to America. She did her best searching into the depths of her mind for something convincing enough to possibly rid her from the feeling of utter humiliation—because, damn it, she really screwed up.

And then suddenly, there! A thought so golden and shiny, she felt like a genius winning a prize.

Strangers! They were both strangers. Of course! And they may never even cross paths again. Ever. After all, it was a big country. What were the chances of bumping into the same person the second time?

Kame was more than relieved after that. She laughed at how worked up she got over nothing and happily made her way.

. . .

Kame arrived home safe and sound—disregarding the unexpected events she had gone through. Like the lunch she never had, drowning in a sea of people, losing a hair tie, and going K.O on someone (the exaggeration was necessary). With a sigh, she slid the shoji doors open and entered.

But right then and there has she ever been so disturbed in her life. There was her aunt, wearing the most heart-warming smile Kame has ever seen, with an aura that just seemed to welcome her with open arms. Kame felt goosebumps coming on. This was very unusual. And she had this gut feeling that something unpleasant was going to happen.

"Okaeri."

"Uhm…"

Pause.

And she was right.

"You were supposed to say 'Tadaima' when you arrived!" Kame's aunt broke into a loud roar suddenly, making her jump in surprise (mostly in fear). She felt a strange shift in the atmosphere, and when she dared so much as to take a peek at her aunt. Oh damn, had that been a mistake.

The smile on her aunt's lips had now twisted into a malevolent grin. The veins around her temple were plump. She slapped her slender hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently on the floor. "What did I say about greetings and formalities?!"

Kame cowered back and raised her arms up in a protective stance. "Don't hurt me!" She squeaked.

"And how many times do I have to tell you to take your shoes off and put them in the shelves?!"

"I—I did take them off."

She didn't. But with her super awesome stealth skills, Kame was able to inconspicuously slip them off and toss them towards the said shelves. Then it made an unpleasant thump sound against it, and she failed so hard, her aunt was never more annoyed.

"Put them in the shelves now."

"Right." Kame swallowed anxiously as she scurried her way over to the shelves. She picked up her shoes, dusted them off, and placed them neatly inside the third hole on the right. "Okay?"

Her aunt sighed heavily. "Honestly. When are you going to get this right?"

Kame rolled her eyes. Not this again. Her aunt was going to go on about how she should be doing things the 'Japanese' way. Kame, of course, had no qualms about it. She was Japanese, she was in the country—it was expected. But the mere fact that her aunt was persistent about it ticked her off. After all, Kame practically grew up knowing the western lifestyle. It wasn't easy to shake it off just like that. And besides, it's not like she wasn't trying. If only her aunt could teach her properly, then maybe—

"What was that?"

"N-nothing!" Kame said sheepishly. She should've said that in her head!

"So, were you able to get any tea?"

Of course she did. Kame mumbled a 'yes' and handed over the plastic bag, to which her aunt replied with a smile and a 'thanks'. Now Kame wasn't so sure if she her aunt was being genuine or not (how could she after what happened at the door?) But when she inquired about her day, Kame supposed that her aunt actually cared—at least a tinny-tiny bit.

"Well…" Kame began. "You know, got crushed by a crowd of people. Lost my hair-tie. Ran into a complete stranger and probably wrecked their groceries. Oh. And I missed lunch…"

"Wow, isn't Tokyo just exciting?" Her aunt was being sarcastic. Kame knew it.

She was then about to go on about how it was her aunt's fault that everything turned the way it did, when an annoying ringing came on and made her stop. She waited for more than awhile listening to conversation that went on as follows:

"Yes", "Oh, I see", "I hope you can make it back soon", "Take care".

(Of course, she hadn't understood as single thing since it was all in Japanese. She sighed impatiently.)

Then, just as she was going to speak,

"Kame, I need you to attend to the place for another day. Please remember what I told you. Make sure that the bedrooms are always neat and tidy. Take out the garbage after the room is occupied. Mop the floors in the morning. See to it that the cushions in the couch of the living room are fluffed and in place. The chef is always in, so you don't need to worry about cooking. Everything is self-service so no need to—"

For a moment there, Kame was lost. What was her aunt rambling about? Then it hit her. Kame protested.

"Wait. What? Aunt Riku, I didn't agree to this. I said I'd be helping out a little. A little bit! I've been working my butt off since I arrived!"

"It can't be helped. Our recruit has had quite a busy schedule lately," she replied. "And anyway, it's a small inn. I'm sure you'll be able to manage." Riku seemed confident in her niece, but it was mostly because she was trying to convince her.

Kame though had tuned out her aunt. She glared off into space, balled her fist, and smacked that balled fist into her palm as dark aura started emitting from her. Recruit, huh? Well that person better know what he was getting himself into.

"Uh, Kame are you—?"

"I'm supposed to be on vacation, remember?"

"Come on, what're one or two more things?" Or three. Or four. Kame thought bitterly. She was about to speak, but she had been cut off. "Then I guess that should cover everything."

"But—!"

"Do your best Kame-chan! I'm counting on you!" Her aunt smiled, giving Kame an encouraging tap on the shoulder before disappearing to the back.

Kame, though, was anything but encouraged. And with a dejected sigh, she made her way over to the couch in the living room and plopped down on it.

"Do my best? Sure, yeah…" Kame groaned, sinking miserably in her seat.

In the very least, I hope you enjoyed that ^-^