I'm kind of nervous. I didn't exactly keep Kanda and Yumiko in character, but what the heckk, I love what I wrote.
It's pretty long, compared to my other chapters, but I think you'll find it worthwhile. :)
Brayham is my original character. I totally own him.
... Oh, yeah, & Yumiko too. LOL.
Kanda stared down at the pebbled road beneath him. His legs were dangling and being thrown around as the horses pulled the wagon farther and farther away from the train station. It has been about an hour since they've been on the same gravel. He sighed, raising his view from the path to the sky. It was pure blue, pure bliss. Only a lonely small cloud drifted above him. Where was it going?
Next to him, Yumiko stirred. Her head rolled around his shoulder and her hand squeezed his arm delicately.
"Yuu," She whispered, still dreaming.
He stared at her for a moment... then used his thumb to wipe away a trace of drool dangling from the corner of her mouth. As he made a face, he flicked it away, watching it get whipped away with the wind.
"You disgust me," Kanda told Yumiko. She just buried herself further into his shirt. Oh well. Not the answer he expected, but he'd accept it anyway. They were in the middle of their annual get away. Every year, they would take time off of work to escape and re-center themselves; hide away in the mountains. There, they would meditate, and rest. This way, they would be able to train themselves mentally, releasing that bad energy that had been entrapped in them from months of stress.
"I have a good feeling about this year," said Kanda, his hair swishing left and right as the carriage moved. The monotonous trots of the horses calmed him. He loved the sound. It was intriguing—addictive, even. So subtle, but at the same time it was interestingly poppy.
"Yuu," Yumiko craned her neck again, rubbing it against Kanda's sweater. She crawled closer and kissed his chest. Kanda felt a tug at his throat, like as if he was thirsty. And he desperately needed water (figuratively speaking, of course). He felt warmth spread throughout his body; all sources traced back to the contact of her lips and his chest.
Oh god, damn it.
"Yuu!" Yumiko shouted, pointing at a bakery sitting quietly across the stone cobbled street. They were linking arms together like the couple they were, strolling around the nice town to clear their minds.
Kanda was dressed in an honest dark coat and black hat. A thin wired clock-pendant wrapped around his pale neck, draping low and loosely.
Yumiko held onto her hat with excitement. She bought the straw hat as they were stopping by the countryside to change terminals. An elderly woman was weaving them by hand, selling her merchandise on the train station as she did so. There was a pretty blue ribbon that flowed as the breeze flew by.
She was wearing a square neck summer dress. It was in the middle of autumn, but who honestly gives a damn? This girl could make the seasons change, no matter how stupid she could be.
Kanda smiled.
"What are you laughing about Yuu?" She pouted, her mouth opened widely. So very un-lady like of her. So typical of Yumiko.
Kanda gently shut her jaw back up, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. She froze him, staring at him with frightened eyes. Her reaction would have been the same if he had slapped her.
"Let's go," He said, clearing his throat. How awkward.
Yumiko cracked a smile, and grabbed his arm, tugging him to the bakery like a kid at the candy store. Kanda sighed, happy but at the same time he couldn't help but to feel disappointed. Didn't she like him? Weren't they together?
"I'll stand out here," Kanda shuffled, retracting his arm from her, leaning against the door way.
"But, Yuu—"
"I can't stand the smell of sweets," He said, nodding his head.
"You want me to get you anything?" She frowned, stroking his shoulder.
A man opened the door to the bakery, provoking the bell stationed at the top to ring. The scent of sweet chocolate exited, sneaking its way to Kanda's nose. He flinched, covering his nostrils and coughed.
"Sourdough would get rid of that smell," Kanda groaned, disgusted.
Yumiko didn't say anything. She just smiled at him, and pushed the door to get in. Sourdough it is then. Kanda scratched his neck, breathing through his mouth. Was the smell of milk chocolate gone? Did it pass away and evaporate into the air?
He quickly stopped pinching his nose to sniff the air.
Nothing but the scent of fall leaves.
The door bell jingled next to him. Kanda twisted his head to check if it was Yumiko. Nope, just the man who walked in before her. He had thick glasses on… Dark skin. Messy purple hair poked out under his expensive top hat. In his gloved hands was a hot buttered scone wrapped in a napkin. The other held a pink box: "Brayham's"
The man's deep footsteps of his boots paused. He turned around to smile at Kanda. Waved.
Kanda nodded his head in response, wondering who the man with the thick glasses was. He looked familiar.
Suddenly, the bell rang again. Yumiko stepped out of the shop, talking to a boy in an apron. He had a dark complexion, like the man in the thick glasses. His hair was thick and wild, but the wispy locks were tamed. Almost gypsy like, he additionally had a lip piercing. However, despite his outward appearance, his voice and eyes shined, signifying he had a good personality.
"Thank you, Brayham," Yumiko laughed, patting his shoulder, "I'll come again, I promise."
"You better, sis," Brayham smiled, briefly scratching his nose, "Coz you promised."
"I always keep true to my word," She said, stepping up to hold his hand.
The boy wiped his nose again, sniffing slightly. His mouth was big, and his smile was even wider. Kanda felt his elbow twitch. What the hell was that about?
Brayham Santiago was working in his father's bakery shop one day. He was dressed in the usual attire: A striped sweater, dark pants, an apron, and a name tag. He just got out of school and was still wearing his buckled shoes his Mother bought for him two Sunday's ago.
Brayham was chewing on the stick end of his lollipop as he pounded on the dough. The only people in the building were two giggling school girls on the other side of the room and him. Mr & Mrs weren't in store today; they were off to spend an afternoon with themselves. He smiled, taking a break from kneading dough and fantasized:
He was in love with love.
The bell rang. A handsome Japanese man with dark blue hair walked in. A classic thin coat covered his entire upper body to his mid thigh. For a moment, Brayham could have mistook him for a woman. He blushed in embarrassment and quickly went back to work.
"G-good afternoon, Mister," He mumbled, scratching his nose. It was an awful habit that showed when he was nervous.
The foreigner just grunted in reply and coughed.
"B-Bye Brayham!" One of the schoolgirls called out to him, waving frantically. She almost stumbled to get to the door. The other one was shaking and grinning non stop. The first girl gave her an urging look, and nodded.
She almost yelled out, "I love you!"
And with that, they ran out, giggling.
Brayham frowned, shook his head, and continued working. It wasn't that he didn't like the attention… It's just that it wasn't the right attention… from the right girl.
The stranger mumbled something angrily as he threw a wrapped loaf of taro bread back into the pile it was in. Something like: "Damn it, why does everything have to be all sugary sweet in here?"
Brayham perked up. A chance to help someone!
"W-Would you like to try our Naan?" He said excitedly, "I'm making it myself."
The man took a while to answer. Eventually, he shook his head and headed straight for the door. Guilt washed over Brayham. When a customer walked out empty handed, he felt more unsatisfied than they could ever imagine.
"It's free," He smiled, plucking up the courage. Besides, this was his first time making naan. Hopefully, it would taste good enough to convince.
The Japanese man twirled around.
"… Is it sweet?"
"It's Indian flat bread, sir," Brayham resumed kneading the dough, "It won't kill you."
He nodded, and stepped back in center. Brayham smiled, pointing to a couch near the front door, "Sir, you could sit over there if you'd like."
He jumped to the conclusion that the stranger was fragile, considering his feminine figure.
"Do you need help?" The stranger asked, ignoring the young man's kind suggestion.
Brayham looked at the clock, counting how many hours it would be until his parents came back from their afternoon out. Just two. Naan would take about half an hour to make. Just in time.
"Would you like to help me knead the dough?" Brayham beamed, motioning him to work next to him.
The man shrugged, and shed from his coat. Underneath came out a gorgeous Japanese man. His hair drifted softly. Brayham gaped at his muscles that were hidden underneath, and then compared it to his own. He felt like a caterpillar next to him.
"Kanda," He said, eyes without a spark of interest what so ever.
"B-Brayham," The boy said, awkwardly shooting his arm out to shake hands with him, "Junior!"
Kanda raised a brow in confusion. Probably wondering: 'What the hell is this dumb shit talking about?'
No! No! Brayham couldn't risk such a bad opinion about him! He wanted to impress this customer. Being an only child, he had always dreamed of having an older brother…
"Junior!" Brayham repeated again, scratching his nose, "Brayham Jr."
"Oh," Kanda replied dully, his attention span averting elsewhere.
"B-Before you work," Brayham said slowly, "I need you to answer a question of mine…"
"What is it, boy?" Kanda asked sharply. He was an impatient man, and his jagged demeanor both impressed Brayham and make him shrink with fear.
"What is young love?" He asked shyly, rolling the dough up. He quietly plucked round pieces of it and set it in a pan. Kanda's eyes seemed to penetrate through his soul and seep into the cold bone.
After a minute or so, Kanda came up with an answer.
"It means that you're too young to get pregnant," He sneered, and pounded hard on the dough. The counter cracked a bit.
Brayham flinched.
Oh shit, this guy was buff.
The Japanese man noticed his fear and smirked, removing his golden ring with a watch embedded in it. As he did so, he tied up his hair into a classic samurai ponytail.
"Come on," He grunted, "I want that naan."
Yumiko had spent the entire day working out and sitting in the sauna. She had the entire day to herself. Alone. How could Kanda ditch her? Was it because she didn't react to his kiss? Maybe she was too much of a turn off. Too bossy? Did he need his own space?
Was it too early for her to say she loved him? Did he feel the same way at least?
What if…
She sighed, walking into Brayham's bakery for the second time that week. The young man was very promising. And even if he had a rough exterior, he was incredibly gorgeous on the inside. His personality shined through easily.
The first time she walked up to that cashier, they clicked instantly. The boy was in love with love, and Yumiko was determined to help… even if she couldn't help herself.
He was like a little brother to her, even if they had talked for just five minutes. And within that time, he spilled out everything to her: His problems in school and his affiliation with this girl he was desperately in love with.
She knew Kanda would be too stubborn to help, so she decided to go to the bakery by herself and volunteer every once in a while to help out her new friend.
Yumiko walked in, expecting Brayham to be wiping the counter or scratching his nose and yelled, "I'm here!"
"I could see that, you ass," Kanda's familiar sarcastic voice spoke out.
She whirled around and saw him chewing on a piece of flat bread. Next to him sat a plate of burnt Naan.
"Y-Yuu!" Yumiko sputtered, utterly confused, "Where have you been all day?"
"In this goddamn bakery," He said without much emotion.
"I thought you hated the smell of sweets," She exclaimed.
Kanda sighed and said, "There's some sweets I can tolerate."
"Oh," She said flatly, and took a seat next to him on the couch. Brayham was busy serving a long line of customer, so she would have to wait.
"He's a nice boy," Kanda said as he chewed his food.
"Don't speak with your mouth full," Yumiko smiled, poking his nose.
"Shut up shortie," He snapped. But of course, they both knew he was playing around. Though, the customers looked at each other uncertainly.
"Yumiko," Kanda said, "I need to tell you something."
Yumiko's eyebrow shot up in interest, and she put her bread down. She had a feeling this was important. Oh no, was he going to break it off?
He cupped his hands around her ear as she waited impatiently for him to say something.
Instead, he kissed her cheek. She flinched with shock.
"I love you," He whispered. Yumiko felt his lips curl up into a smirk as the words sent a feeling of warmth throughout her body. The source was coming from those three words alone.
"I-I love you too," She stuttered, feeling the warmth taking over her cheeks.
Kanda leaned back and snatched her uneaten piece of bread.
She had to do something in return!
Yumiko lurched forward as her stomach churned, and hastily grabbed the sides of Kanda's face. She thrust herself to him, but in the process, she accidentally got her finger in his eyes.
"Damn it Yumiko!" He yelled, knocking over the plate of Naan.
"Yuu! Are you okay?" Yumiko abruptly stood up, sweat dropping.
From the counter, the cashier smiled at their moment. How romantic. Even if Yumiko did spoil it, it just added onto the cuteness of it all. And how wonderful it was!—All this happening in his bakery. He felt proud of himself.
Kanda's head was facing the other way and his hands were covering his face. Suddenly, he was pointing directly at Brayham without facing him.
"You're too young to get pregnant!" Kanda shouted at him, knowing exactly what Brayham was thinking, "Don't you get any ideas from this!"
He was taken back by the sudden outburst for a minute, but then chuckled.
"I know, big bro," Brayham beamed.
He no longer felt alone.