Title: Comedy of Errors

Category: Flame of Recca

Author: khay

Language: English

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Humor

Words: 1,522

A/N: For this story, I will be heavily borrowing from Jennifer Crusie's Manhunting and Cyndi Haynes & Dale Edwards' 2002 Things To Do On A Date. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Summary: Alternate Universe. Fuuko Kirisawa braves the dating scene and finds out just how many frogs a girl have to kiss before she can find her prince.

Standard disclaimers apply (there is a reason this is called fanfiction).

Beta-Reader: The awesome Maya-nii (any mistakes that may be found here are mine).

Comedy of Errors

Chapter 2

Things to do on a date # 1950: Admit your quirks (but not too many at one time).

Everything was Recca Hanabishi's fault.

Before Fuuko Kirisawa went back to Japan to pursue a PhD, she was bouncing around the four corners of the world, chasing hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and other hiccups of mother nature. She was very happy and content with her job as a research correspondent in one of the international science and technology channels on television. Travel and adventure was pretty much an everyday thing for her and she thought she couldn't ask for anything more.

Until she had dinner with her friend Recca Hanabishi and his wife, Yanagi.

The moment Fuuko stepped inside the Hanabishi house, Recca unceremoniously shoved Recca Junior at her. Not used to children, Fuuko's eyes widened in horror as she held the year-old baby at arms length. However, when Junior regaled her with a drooly smile, Fuuko promptly and irrevocably fell in love.

Which probably jump-started the tick-tocking of her biological clock.

If it weren't for Recca and Recca Junior, she wouldn't have heard her biological clock and there was no way in heaven or earth that she would have agreed to go out on a blind date with a man thirty years her senior.

Therefore, it was Recca's fault that Fuuko Kirisawa sat in the bar of Ensui, nursing her fourth bottle of beer with none other than the Boy Wonder, Tokiya Mikagami, whom she last seen in person when they were both in high school.

Tokiya Mikagami was one full year ahead of her and Recca. Back in their high school days, the ever-popular Mikagami wouldn't have given her and Recca time of the day. Except that occasionally, Mikagami would go slumming and hang out with them because he was, in some obscure way that nobody can really follow, related to Yanagi, Recca's then girlfriend (and later wife).

"So you and Hanabishi kept in touch after all these years." Mikagami asked with amusement before tilting a bottle of beer to his lips.

"Huh?" A little buzzed from all the tequila shots she'd chased with a swagger of beer, Fuuko was unable to process Mikagami's observation and merely watched, transfixed, as his throat worked when he swallowed the beer. With visible effort, Kirisawa brought her attention away from the man sitting before her and into the conversation there were having. "What was the question again?"

"Kirisawa," Mikagami smirked, not unaware of his devastating effect on the younger woman. "Pay attention. We are having an adult discussion here."

Kirisawa rolled her eyes and pointed at him with her beer. "Then stop being cute with me."

Mikagami's smile widened. "Aha. So you do find me cute. You gave me a few sleepless nights in high school, wondering if there was actually a girl in this planet capable of fending off my charm."

Kirisawa gave an unladylike snort. "You and charm? Not really compatible in one sentence unless there is a not in between them." She frowned at him. "And what's with the Chatty Kathy act? As I recall when we were in high school, you were the broody, silent type. The ladies loved your mysterious aura. In fact, I think I prefer you that way."

Mikagami waited until Fuuko took a swallow of beer. "Charm school." He replied with a superior air.

As planned, the beer went down the wrong way, causing Fuuko to choke.

Mikagami laughed as he helpfully whacked Fuuko's back. He had almost forgotten how amusing the younger girl was.

"Charm school? Seriously?" She asked when was able to speak.

Mikagami nodded. "My P.R. Officer insisted upon it."

"P.R. Officer?" Fuuko's eyes were wide, violet orbs in her face.

"Oh? Didn't I tell you?" Mikagami heard from Yanagi-san that Fuuko spent most of her life now out of the country, so she had no idea of his recent windfall. He made a sign with his left hand to indicate the entire the restaurant. "I own this joint."

"Wow. Not bad, Mikagami." Fuuko laughed. "Though I never pegged you as a business person with P.R. concerns. You used to not care whatever people think of you."

"I still don't." He shrugged. "But, I care about Ensui. If it helps that I be cute and charming in public to promote it, I'll do it. So yeah, charm school." He grimaced. "Almost got kicked out twice for attempting to kill the clueless teachers there, but I made it through." He gave her the charm school smile.

Which made Fuuko groan. "That's scary."

"What is?"

"The smile." She shuddered. "Makes me feel like shark bait in an aquarium full of carnivorous predators."

Mikagami laughed. "Speaking of carnivores, I saw you on TV a while back." He said. "You were running after a hurricane, if I can remember correctly. Was going on alright but then, the hurricane got tired of running away and started running after you."

Fuuko grimaced. "Not one of our better times."

"So why are you here dating your grandfather instead of out there committing suicide by volcanic eruption?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I tell you." Fuuko took one long swallow of her beer.

Mikagami grinned. "Try me."

Alcohol always had the effect of loosening Fuuko's tongue. "Promise me you won't laugh."

Mikagami kept silent, unwilling to make a promise he doesn't know if he would be able to keep.

"You know Recca Junior right?"

"Cute kid." He said. "But I'm not touching him with a ten-foot pole, though." He shuddered. "Questionable substances keep on ejecting from the different orifices of his body."

Fuuko rolled her eyes. "Well, the moment I held the kid with the questionable orifices in my arms, I realized that I wanted one also."

"Of course." Mikagami muttered.

"I heard that." Fuuko said as she finished off her beer.

"Desperate for male donors, huh?"

"Not just donors. I want the whole enchilada. You know, husband, two-point-five kids, a dog here and a cat there, white picket fences." She sighed dreamily as she re-created the picture in her mind.

Mikagami laughed.

"Go ahead and laugh now, Mikagami." She frowned at him. "But I'll have the last laugh twenty, thirty years down the road, when you're old and gray and lonely."

Mikagami merely snorted.

Fuuko contemplated her yet-again empty bottle of beer. "That's it. I'm done." She motioned for the bartender.

Mikagami waved the bartender away. "It's on the house, Kirisawa." He said. "For old time's sake."

"Thanks." Fuuko slid off her stool. Years of living abroad had taken its toll on her and out of habit, she stuck out her right hand for Mikagami to shake. "Well, it was nice to see you again, Mi-chan."

"You too, Kirisawa," he replied with amusement as he shook her hand. "And I'll even call you a cab," he offered when the young woman took a few unsteady steps towards the exit.

"Why is that a nice woman like you is allowed by her big, strong man to go home alone without protection?"

Fuuko groaned. Of all the cab drivers in the world, she just had to get this one.

Mikagami had not only poured her into a cab, he had also paid the driver fare money with more than enough tip.

"He's not my man," she replied shortly.

"So, he's somebody else's husband then, you're just a little piece of muslin on the side." The cab driver leered at her.

"I don't even know what that meant."

"Well, little lady, if you need someone to show you what a real man is, here's my card." Said card was presented to Fuuko with a flourish.

Fuuko blearily looked at the calling card the cab driver was giving her.

Fujimaru.

Cab Driver Extrodinaire.

Fuuko gingerly took the card and slipped it into her purse.

"Tell you what," she told him. "If you keep silent the rest of the way, I'll make it worth your while."

Fujimaru's grin widened. "I always aim to please women. No woman has ever left my cab unsatisfied."

"Great."

"In fact, most women leave my cab with a big smile on their faces, if you know what I mean," he rhapsodized. "I always give a stellar performance, doncha know?"

Fuuko pointedly ignored him.

"I think it's the tongue." Fujimaru continued, undaunted.

"Please don't tell me anymore," Fuuko begged.

"It's very," Fujimaru paused in his monologue to show off his tongue. "Flexible."

Fuuko resisted the urge to pepper-spray the taxi driver, reminding herself that such job was very lonely indeed and that drivers take their jollies where they can.

That thought, however, didn't stop Fuuko from opening the car door and getting out of the vehicle the moment it stopped for a red light.

"This is my stop!" She said to the shocked driver.

Two blocks away from her home, Fuuko sighed in irritation. Her feet, which were pretty much used to Doc Martens and canvas sneakers, protested the unexpected walk in high heels.

No doubt about it, men were more trouble than they were worth.

She thought about swearing men off forever. But then, the ticking of her biological clock just got louder.

Aw, heck. It looked like it was back to the dating pool for her.

to be continued . . .

(most probably soon)