Title: Chocolate Makes Everything Better
Author: Sicilian Maiden
Pairing: Narumi Ayumu/Yuizaki Hiyono
Fandom: Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna
Theme: #23—candy
Rating: PG (minor language)
Disclaimer: All characters of Spiral are the property of Kyou Shirodaira; I allege no possession of said characters. I only request to take them to over-rowdy soccer games and force them to play at gunpoint. There will be a hint of Kousuke/Ryouko in here to spice things up. n.n
Summary: Ayumu had never had much of a sweet tooth but Hiyono's determined to change that.
3/30 wow... that's a lot of stuff I gotta write. whoa. O.O this story is dedicated to 4thFromTheFurnace. Thank you for all the encouragement... I love you!
-o-
Spring had come and gone, Summer was near its end, and autumn was just around the corner. Fall brought cooler mornings, changing foliage, and one of the best holidays of all... Halloween!
Students of Tsukiomi High were preparing for their annual Autumn Festival where classes were pitted against one another in an all out bake sale. Booths would be set up offering such treats as candied apples, Halloween shaped cookies, and kettle corn. Other students would hold cakewalks, bobbing for apples, and the award for the best costume.
While many students were geared up and ready for the festivities to begin, one such student was not. This teenager chose to sit and watch the booths be erected in front of him while he spent his time, nose-deep in a cookbook.
"Oi Ayumu! You gonna help or not?" a loud voice shouted at the drifting junior. It wouldn't have been that bad if the shout was coming from across the room but no... The person who had yelled at him was only a mere foot and a half away. Realizing that he might be deaf in his left ear, Ayumu turned to look at the redhead who had decided to ruin his afternoon. A bored look was etched on the brunette's face before he whipped back to reading his book; he didn't not want to be a part of what was about to happen.
"Kousuke! What the hell is your problem?" Takamachi Ryouko appeared behind the loud-mouthed redhead, a ruler in her hand. Gladly, the young track star swatted Asazuki Kousuke with said measuring device.
"Ow... Hey Ryouko! What was that for?"
"Hmm, maybe for screaming and practically giving me a heart attack. Don't forget, I have to run in next weeks track finals," the feisty brunette began to tear apart Kousuke, limb by limb. Just as Ryouko was about to take another swing at the emerald-eyed male, a small figure popped up between the two, swiftly plucking the instrument from the enraged brunette's hand.
"Would you please stop making all that racket. It's hard to concentrate when you two lovebirds are busy quarreling like a married couple," a soft, calm voice called. Both Kousuke and Ryouko's heads snapped down to see Takeuchi Rio standing defiantly, both hands on her hips, the ruler in one of them. Her silver hair was pulled back into a messy bun; she didn't feel like dealing with pigtails today.
As co-director of the decoration committee, Rio had been called to four different classrooms in the last fifteen minutes. On her way to see class 2F, she had paused by Ryouko's class only to hear the brunette fighting yet again with her childhood friend Kousuke.
"We," two voices rang out together, "are not lovebirds!"
"Uh-huh. You two keep telling yourselves that," Ayumu called from his seat. Anger burned through Kousuke's emerald eyes at the thought of being tied down to Ryouko—though part of him didn't mind. Now it wasn't just anger, but embarrassment and a hint of... was that acceptance?
"You have no say in this Mr. Denial," someone sneered. It wasn't Kousuke though; it was Ryouko. Seeing Ayumu's shocked face, the young track star pushed farther, "Don't tell us to deny what we have when there is someone right in front of you waiting for your approval."
Before Ayumu had a chance to rebut, Kousuke decided to join the onslaught. Quickly he spat, "I agree. Don't tell us what to do when you have Hiyono at your side and still you refuse to see what is in front of you!"
Ayumu, about to tell off the two angry teens, was stopped when a sweet voice called out, "Did someone say my name?" All eyes shot to the young, honey-haired newspaper reporter.
"H-Hiyono," Rio stuttered. The petite girl strolled over to her once rival and placed a tentative hand on Hiyono's arm. An excuse left her lips before she could even register the thought, "Could you come help me in class 2F? I need some decorating advice," here she forced a chuckle, "And to think that I was voted co-director of the decoration committee."
A smile quickly grew on Hiyono's face, "Sure. I'd love to." As Rio pulled her out of the classroom Hiyono called, "Ayumu, meet me in the front of the school before you leave okay?"
"Sure."
The two girls disappeared from view once the door closed behind him. The young brunette became strangely aware of a threatening presence behind him. Slowly, he turned to see the menacingly dark glare of Kousuke.
"If you do anything to hurt her, I'll kill you," the young man snarled. He had seen Hiyono hurt many times by the careless detective and he would be damned if he let the jerk get away with it again.
"He's right you know," Ryouko said.
"Hey, I don't need you two telling me what to do okay? It's not like that between us—"
The redhead had heard enough. Raising his voice to a level that he usually didn't use, he shouted, "Get your head out of that damn book and pay attention!" Once noting that attention was given, (not only from Ayumu but half the student body), Kousuke continued in a quieter tone, "Hiyono likes you okay? I don't care if you like her too but you better tell her what you want.
"She's a very unstable girl who needs support because obviously, she doesn't get it from home. After she made friends with you, she seemed to be really attached because you were the only one who actually sat down and really made conversation with her."
Picking up where he left off, Ryouko smiled softly, "She needs you Ayumu. It's that simple. She needs to know if you'll help her. She needs your care and guidance."
As the pair left, Ryouko called, "Please help her."
A stunned Ayumu leaned back in his chair watching the two retreating silhouettes. Psh... what did they know? They were already denying themselves so why should he listen to them? They were preaching to the choir... right?
-o-
"So Rio, what did you need help with?" Hiyono asked when the small, silver-haired girl pulled out a roll of light blue butcher paper.
"We're making signs for the different booths but we didn't know how to design them. You still up for it?" Rio looked up with hopeful eyes.
"Of course Rio! Just tell me what to do," Hiyono smiled grabbing a black marker.
"Hm, I guess "Welcome to the Autumn Festival" or something along those lines," the young girl pondered what to write before a thought hit her and she eagerly started on a yellow piece of paper. Hiyono watched her in wonder. The Blade Children had really changed from the first time she saw them.
Hiyono pulled off the cap of her own pen and began to scribble words on the poster. Silence shrouded the duo for a few minutes before Rio spoke up though more to herself than the caramel-eyed girl next to her.
"So... Ayumu?"
Hiyono's gaze snapped to the small girl who was more or less mumbling to no one in particular. Her mouth opened slightly; a retort on the tip of her tongue. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she choked out, "Excuse me? A-Ayumu?"
"Yeah, how are the two of you doing?"
"Two of us? Uh... I guess we're okay...?" Hiyono contemplated where this conversation was headed. When the room was quiet again, the honey-haired girl sighed in relief guessing Rio was satisfied with her answer.
"Yuizaki, you're still not with Narumi yet?" a voice called causing the girl in question's heart to jump out of her chest in surprise. A small, strangled "meep" was uttered from the girl's lips when she fell over in shock. Another girl, Isho Koharu, patted Hiyono on the shoulder in encouragement. Her emerald-eyes gave Hiyono a gentle glance.
"Don't listen to Masaki. She's just jealous cause she don't have a boyfriend yet—"
"Koharu!"
"—and she wants to set other people up to fill that gaping hole." Koharu smiled wickedly at Masaki's blank expression.
"Whatever my reason is," she gave Koharu a dirty look, "I think you guys are meant for each other. If you don't hurry up and snag that cute piece of meat, someone else will do it. Better yet, me!"
Hiyono blushed when they referred to Ayumu as a 'cute piece of meat' (the other's giggled at her reaction)but was saved from further embarrassment when a tall, brunette made her way into the room.
"Okay you heartless vultures, enough is enough," Ryouko pulled the raven-haired girl and her partner-in-crime, Koharu, from the helpless Hiyono.
The two teens doubled over in laughter before being shoved out of the room by Rio. The silver-haired girl slammed the door behind them.
"Sorry about that, "Ryouko began apologizing, "they don't mean any harm but they can be quite ruthless when given the chance."
Rio nodded in agreement, "It's best to ignore them." Taupe eyes glance at Ryouko quickly catching the reassuring look that was being given. Snatching a paintbrush, Rio threw it at the brunette. Being a talented athlete, her reflexes were sharp and she smoothly caught the flying applicator.
"How's Ayumu?" Hiyono looked slightly flushed from asking such a question after the discussion that had just happened.
"The guys are talking to him," Ryouko mumbled impassively.
"What?"
"Oh yeah... he's getting the 'talk,'" Rio snickered at the thought of nearly fifteen guys glowering at poor little Narumi.
-o-
"What do you think you're doing Narumi?" a fair-haired teen clasped his hand on Ayumu's shoulder. Though it was in a good-heartedly fashion, a dark look gleamed in his grey-blue eyes.
"Yeah pal. Hiyono's a good girl... play nice," another boy—this one with shaggy, auburn hair and intense, onyx eyes—leaned forward on the desk the startled detective was sitting at. His fist met his other hand and he slowly cracked his knuckles.
"Akida, don't be so mean," a younger looking boy cautiously stretched his arm out in hopes of calming the fuming senior. His soft, brown eyes pleaded with his friend as he ran his hand through his sandy locks.
"Sheon, you're too nice. This punk deserves a beating if he thinks he can just step all over Hiyono," the blonde boy, Yoshida Haruki, took his hand off Ayumu and stepped back to stand next to Oriso Sheon, his pearl-grey eyes watching the smaller boy.
"I-I'm not stepping over Hiyono!" Ayumu yelled defensively. What had he done wrong? Why was everyone on his case? Wasn't there a festival in like three days? Shouldn't they be working on that instead of interrogating him?
"Oh yeah? Did you even stop to think about her feelings? Huh?" Akida stooped closer to the auburn-haired teen. Said male watched his redheaded friend lean casually against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. Kousuke's yellow-tinted glasses were close to slipping of the bridge of his nose but he looked like he could care less.
Care less about the glasses and the current situation the young detective was in. Seeing that he did owe the chocolate-eyed male something after he had helped free the Blade Children, he stepped forward.
"Guys, enough. I can handle it from here," he said smoothly.
"But Kousuke—" Haruki's eyes widened. Why was he defending this scumbag?
"We're done here," Akida growled faking an advancement before leaning back on his heels and observing the young man once again. His eyes narrowed in disgust as he motioned the other boys to leave. One final glare for good measure and the three teens left the room closing the door behind them.
"Dammit Kousuke, what was that all about?" Ayumu shot from his seat, his precious cookbook forgotten. Anger serged through the young man.
"You know damn well what that was about. Don't you dare think of screwing with me Narumi. When it comes to Hiyono, I don't play around."
"What the hell are you talking about!? Why are you being so confusing?"
Enjoying himself, and noticing that school was about to end for the day, Kousuke merely shrugged at the disgruntled teen. Said angsty teen threw his hands up in exasperation as he stormed out of the class.
-o-
After making signs with Ryouko and Rio, the news reporter gathered her belongings and crammed them into her backpack. Heaving it over her shoulder, Hiyono made her way to the front of the school where Ayumu was going to meet her before they departed home. She felt rather giddy for some odd reason whenever she thought of her and Ayumu walking home together. Sure, they had done it many times before but after that little 'chat' that the girls had had with her, today seemed a bit special.
'Geez, Hiyono, get your head out of the clouds and pay attention,' she scolded herself when she almost ran into another student on her way out. When she reached the gates, her eyes scanned her surroundings searching for a certain head of messy auburn hair. Not seeing it, she sat down on one of the benches.
'He might just be a little late. Nothing to worry about.' Thinking about what Masaki and Koharu had been talking about, her face flushed at the possibility of her and Ayumu going out on a proper date. Or even Ayumu looking her in that way for that matter.
"See ya Ayumu!" someone shouted.
"Ayumu!" Hiyono shot from her previous seat to see a brooding detective coming her direction.
Nothing new.
"So, you ready to head home. I was thinking—"
"No."
"W-what?" Hiyono was taken aback. Had she done something wrong to make Ayumu mad at her? She didn't remember saying anything mean or acting out. So, why was he being so moody?
"I said no," he repeated in a deadpan voice.
"But I thought that—"
"Well, you thought wrong." With that, he was walking past her and on his way to his own house. No reasons for his behavior, no goodbyes... nothing.
"Wait... what was that?" Dozens of students made their way around the perplexed reporter on their way home. Dark clouds billowed around the school sending foretelling a terrible storm. Chilly winds blew through the school grounds causing some of the girls to let out surprised gasps when the gusts sent shivers down their spines. Three girls quickly latched onto their respective boyfriends seeking warmth.
Hiyono could only pull at the collar of her jacket in hopes of storing whatever body heat she had. Solemnly walking down the sidewalk she spotted a mop of brown hair turn the corner. A part of her wanted to chase after him and demand answers for his crappy behavior but another part, her more reasonable side, told her to let him go and sort out his own feelings. The normal spark inside that gave Hiyono her usual peppiness was gone. For once, she did not feel like tracking him down. It seemed like that was what she always doing—running after him. He was always in the forefront solving some impossible case and she was just there to cheer him on.
'I really am useless.'
-o-
Throwing the door open, a very grumpy Ayumu stalked into the cozy apartment. Oddly, a sweet aroma wafted through the small flat. Peeking around the corner, he spotted his sister-in-law standing patiently in front of the stove, a wooden spoon in her hand. A large Dutch oven was sitting on the cooktop—hot steam rising from it.
"Madoka? What are you doing?" Curiosity ate at the young man. Why was his lazy in-law working?
A small laugh slipped through her lips. Smiling she said, "What? I can cook—you just never asked." Sensing her brother-in-law's unhappy mood, she asked, "What's wrong with you? Bad day?"
"Sure, if that's what you want to call it," he mumbled throwing his heavy, powder blue overcoat on the couch along with his bag. Slumping into the soft cushions, he exhaled deeply. What had those boys been talking about? Did he do something wrong? What did Hiyono had to do with it?
"Dinners ready!" Madoka happily shouted from the kitchen. Slipping on her oven mitts, she called, "Can you set the table?"
"Huh? Oh, sure," Ayumu rose from the couch and grabbed two place settings. Madoka set the heavy pot on a ceramic platter.
"Fish stew. Eat up!" The two Narumi's placed their hands together in thanks before digging into the stew. Hoping to start a conversation, the dark-haired female took a quick bite of her dinner before asking, "How's school going? Isn't there a carnival or festival or something going on?"
"The Autumn Festival starts next Monday. It's like an early Halloween celebration. If you want, you can come."
"Really? That's great. What booth are you running?"
"I'm not," he answered simply.
"You're... not?"
"No." With that, he stood from the table, muttered a thanks for the meal, and walked to his room. Why did he feel like crap? He sighed for the umpteenth time that day as he fell onto his bed.
'Hiyono... what did I do?'
-o-
"Hello?" a small voice sounded over the phone.
"Rio?"
Becoming aware of the sadness in the reporter's voice, Rio urgently asked, "Hiyono, what's the matter?"
"I think I did something wrong."
"Elaborate."
The caramel-eyed girl took a deep breath before plunging in, "I went to see Ayumu today because we were supposed to meet before we went home. So I saw him but he didn't look too happy to see me. I was going to ask him why he looked so made but then he told me we weren't going to walk home together. I went to ask him why but then he cut me off and just told me 'I thought wrong.' What did I do?"
The ash-haired girl could hear the suppressed sobs on the other line. Deciding that she couldn't handle this on her own, Rio quickly three-wayed someone she knew could help.
Hiyono heard ringing on the other phone line and then a sleepy, "Hello, Ryouko speaking."
"Ryouko, we need your help," Rio's soft voice spoke.
"What is it?"
"Ryouko?" a third voice asked.
"Hey Hiyono. You okay? You don't sound so good," Ryouko sat up from her position on her bed when she realized that her friend was on the verge of tears.
"She's afraid she did something wrong because Ayumu blew her off today," Rio decided to speak first.
"Why that jerk! You want be to kick him?" Ryouko asked eagerly.
"N-no Ryouko, that won't be necessary," Hiyono stuttered.
"So, he ignored you did he? Well, I've got a foolproof plan that will win the stupid jerk-head over." The two other girls listened carefully to Ryouko's scheme.
"What!?" A bright blush painted her fair skin.
"It'll work okay. You just gotta go through with it," Ryouko reassured the startled girl.
"A-alright."
"Night ladies."
-o-
The cool crispness of autumn was evident when Hiyono stepped out onto the sidewalk—a small bag clutched in her gloved hands. Her face was still flushed from last night.
'I hope you're right Ryouko,' Hiyono worriedly thought.
Seeing the grumpy detective heading her way, she gulped anxiously. His eyebrow quirked upward when he saw Hiyono's bright, red face.
"Um... Ayumu, do you want chocolate?"
"Not really, I don't like sweets," he responded, wondering where this conversation was headed. Unwrapping a small chocolate kiss and popping in her mouth, she let her tongue run over the silky smooth candy. Fighting off the furious blush, Hiyono smiled slightly, stepping closer to the confused male.
In one quick motion, the honey-haired girl rose and planted her lips on the oblivious young man before her. His eyes widened in surprise at her movement. Her soft lips caressed his and soon, she felt him relax against her. Ayumu's arms wound themselves around Hiyono's tiny waist as her made their way to his neck. Deepening the kiss, he opened his mouth to her and was completely shocked when the sugary flavor of chocolate was still there. He wasn't one for sweets but for some reason he didn't mind the taste.
Pulling away, Hiyono opened her eyes awaiting his reaction. The auburn-haired detective licked his lips savoring the sweet taste. His eyes opened sluggishly to see a fully flushed girl fidgeting.
Remembering the line Rio had told her, she quickly asked, "How about now. You still hate chocolate?" The young man pulled Hiyono close to him in a tight embrace; his nose resting on the crown of her head.
Inhaling the scent that was distinctly Hiyono, he mumbled, "Actually, I think I like it. In fact, I think I want another." Not even bothering to get another chocolate kiss, Ayumu crashed his lips down on Hiyono's.
Maybe he could get used to sweets.
-o-
I hope you guys liked this story. I'm so sorry for making you guys wait so long. (-hits own hand- Bad Sici-chan!!) Thank you so much for the sweet words!! I wasn't looking for a pity party or anything—I was just letting you know that my stupid osteosarcoma came back with a vengeance and because of that, I was band from my computer for stupid chemo.
Sici-chan smashes osteosarcoma with a wooden bat screaming, "Die dumb cancer DIE!!"
"Uh... Sici-chan, it's already dead."
Sici-chan continues to beat evil Osteo-san. Finally realizing that it's dead, Sici-chan does her fav happy dance. "Fastpitch and soccer here I come!"
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for the nice words and the reviews. I love it! The only thing that kinda bugged me was the fact that I have over 400 hits but only 15 reviews. Do you guys just not like the story or something? I really want to know what you guys thing... REALLY! I don't want to have to be a review-whore pining for reviews but... you know what will make me feel better after a nice (-coughnotcough-) session of chemo? More reviews!! Please—for my health...? (I'm so ashamed of myself XD)
Prodigey Keyblad Wielder : Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter...
sarangxseohaee : Wow, what a name. Arigato! XD
Sony 89 : I love your stories. I hope this story appealed to you. Thank you so much!
4thFromTheFurnace : Yes... this story is dedicated to you! If you read this, please update Kiss the Cook... please? It's okay... I often make up analogies from out of thin air! XD
BeAuTifuL SmiLe : Oh wow... -blushes- That's the best thing an author can wish for.
Mrs.Ash Ketchum : I'm glad you liked it! Here's the update...
Jurroku-sama : Thank you for agreeing with me. I hope he isn't overly OOC in this.
bluangel205 : Sorry if it wasn't up to par. I know that he seems OOC in the last story but like I've said, in order for us to elaborate on their relationship, you've got to take a few chances. n.n I hope the chapter was long enough to sustain you for now.
sasukesgirl89 : Thank you! I feel better. Hope you liked this one.
Pure Essence : Aw... thanks!
ClampLover : Your review made me very happy! Thanks... I'm very glad your a fan!
Jewely2951 : Thanks. I hope you liked this story!
Oh, and thanks to Machi-chan, my selfless sister from another mister who decided to take my place for a while. Sadly, you're not needed anymore. -kicks Machi-chan to the curb shouting "don't let the door hit you on your way out!"-
Um... for those of you who have read the manga, (all of it) then you know about the little secret at the end. I don't know if you want me to follow the anime or the manga. Your input would be greatly appreciated!
-cough- well, that's it. If anyone is interested in helping me by becoming my ever trustworthy beta (not you Machi-chan!!), then please let me know. I realize that I ramble a lot and boy am I sorry... done now.
Grazie tutti and ciao bello!