A/N: I made a banner for this fanfic. It's on my profile page. Also, I changed the little pic for the fanfic. It is now a pic of Misaki (as seen better in the banner). It also features (a rather poorly edited) Shadow!

Tap tap.

There was a knock at the door and a brief pause before the door was slowly pushed open.

"Grandmother, I'm here. Have you made your decision?" Misaki asked, moving to stand right next to Rin. Said boy anxiously watched the famed food critic take small bites of the dishes he had prepared quicker than she had expected.

The elder Himawara woman nodded, setting down the fork and turning to face the teens. "Take him to the kitchen and tell Miyazawa that he's in charge of Okumura."

Rin couldn't believe that he had just spent the day working as a chef for a famous five-star restaurant. He had been so busy preparing meals all day that the realization hadn't hit him until it was over.

"Rin-kun!"

"Huh?" Rin blinked out of his daze, his eyes meeting Misaki's worried ones.

"Are you alright? I've been trying to get your attention for a while now."

Rin's face turned red when he realized he had been staring at her this whole time. "S-sorry. I'm fine. What were you saying?"

Misaki gave him a look that said she didn't believe him, but repeated herself anyways. "I said that I'm going in the staff room to thank everyone for their hard work today. You can have a seat in the waiting area until I return." Misaki pointed to the lobby they had passed through near the entrance earlier in the day. "I'll be right back."

As Rin watched her disappear around the corner, he decided that he really liked the uniform Misaki was wearing. The pristine, long-sleeved white blouse with ruffles on the chest and sleeve cuffs was neatly tucked into a black, high-waisted skirt. The skirt fit snugly around her waist and hips then flowed down to her knees. Her black leggings had a slimming effect on her legs and the black Mary Janes she wore completed the look. The elegant uniform certainly reflected Misaki's personality, what with her polite speech and mannerisms. Rin supposed that she was raised to be very lady-like.

A heavy sigh pulled Rin from his thoughts just as Misaki all but collapsed on the couch right next to the armchair he sat in. "My feet are killing me," she groaned, stretching and rubbing at her shoulders.

Rin had no doubt about that. Just watching Misaki dash from table to table and back and forth from the kitchen tired him out. How she could do so for more than 12 hours straight without a break was beyond him. She hadn't even stopped to eat lunch or dinner. And now that he thought about it, she hadn't eaten breakfast either.

Before Rin could voice his concern and ask her if she wanted him to make her anything, she started speaking. "How was it working in the kitchen of a five-star restaurant, Rin-kun? It seemed like you were having fun with the other chefs whenever I was in there." She shifted to lie on her stomach, placing her crossed arms on the armrest and resting her head on top of them.

The very thought of his day made Rin's sapphire eyes sparkle with excitement. "It was amazing! I learned a lot from those guys and I got to make dishes with such high grade ingredients! I never thought I'd ever get to use Kobe beef in a dish in my life!" The encouraging smile Misaki gave him prompted Rin to continue excitedly voicing his experience.

"But you were really amazing out there, Misa-chan! You were practically flying from table to table! It was like you were that one waitress on rollerblades in that one movie you showed us last week!" He waved his arms around for emphasis. "You stayed up all night, but still came here to help! And even though you were probably tired, you didn't mess up any order or drop anything! You're a real pro!"

Rin then remembered that she had yet to eat anything. "Hey Misa-chan, you haven't eaten all day. Do you want me to make something for you?" A soft snore was his answer.

Misaki was sound asleep, her face nestled in her arms.

"Huh, she really was tired." Rin's gaze softened as he took in her sleeping form. It was the first time he got a chance to really look at her.

Rin noted that the light layer of makeup she had applied prior to escorting him to the kitchen earlier made her round face look older and more mature. However, some of it had rubbed off and no longer hid the dark circles starting to form around her eyes. Misaki's long eyelashes gently brushed her rosy cheeks. The corners of her parted lips were slightly upturned even in her sleep. Her normally straight hair was curled and brushed over her shoulder. Misaki's breathing was deep and relaxed, the muscles in her face and body unwinding from a long day of work.

Rin felt his face heat up at how close her peaceful, sleeping form was to him and debated whether or not he should wake her up. He knew that their driver was outside waiting to take them back to the school and that he should make her something to eat since she hadn't eaten anything at all today. However, he didn't want to wake her up from the only bit of rest she had gotten since the two nights ago.

Just as he decided it would be best to let her rest, someone behind him cleared their throat.

A surprised yelp escaped Rin's lips before he slapped a hand over his mouth and glanced back at Misaki. His shoulders dropped in relief when he saw that she was still fast asleep. He then turned his attention to the person behind him.

Kaede Himawari's steely gaze bore down on him. Before Rin could get a word out, the Himawari elder turned her attention to her granddaughter. "Take her out to the car."

Rin did as he was told immediately, lifting the sleeping girl into his arms and shifting her a bit until she was in a comfortable position. As he got into the car, he noticed that Misaki's grandmother was already sitting on one side. Gulping nervously, Rin took a seat and set Misaki down in the seat beside him, feeling the eyes that matched Misaki's watch his every move.

"Okumura."

"Yes, ma'am?" Rin tried to meet the woman's eyes, but the stern look she was giving him made it very difficult.

"What is my granddaughter to you?"

The question caught Rin completely off guard. "W-what do you mean?"

It was clear that Kaede was not one for beating around the bush. "I mean exactly what I said. What is Misaki to you?"

Now that Rin actually thought about it, he wasn't exactly sure of their relationship himself. They hadn't known each other for very long, but he already saw Misaki as a very good friend. However, he didn't know what she thought about him. She was very open and relaxed when she was around Minami and Hanako. On the other hand, when she was around him, his friends, or anyone other than Minami and Hanako, she was slightly more withdrawn and even seemed a bit cautious. She always gave them a hesitant smile and usually sat further back with her two friends instead of immersing herself in their group. As Rin thought about it, Misaki seemed to be uncomfortable whenever she was around them.

And then there was the matter with the Valentine's chocolate. Rin turned pink when he thought about what a girl giving a guy chocolate meant under normal circumstances. He shook his head at the thought.

"Well?"

Rin jumped in his seat. He had forgotten what had gotten him onto that train of thought. "I'm… not really sure."

Kaede's brow furrowed at the answer. "You are unsure?"

Rin nodded. "I'd like to say that she's a friend and a classmate, but at the same time, it feels like she's more than that." He then realized what he sounded like he was saying. "N-not that I think of her as a girlfriend or anything! I mean, she's a nice girl but— Wait! I don't mean it like that! There's nothing wrong with her or anything!" Rin decided to just stop while he still had the chance.

"You are unsure of your relationship with Misaki because you know nothing of how she views this relationship. Is that correct?"

Rin's eyes lowered and he nodded. "I don't want to force her into a friendship or anything if that's not what she wants. Misaki is a really nice person and I really want to be there for her, but I can't if she won't let me. She did rely on me today, but I was probably just a last resort. I told her I'd be there for her if she needs me, but I don't think she really believes me."

Kaede's gaze stayed on the boy for a little while longer before focusing on the large building on the other side of the window. "Misaki has gone through so much for someone so young. I'm sure that one day she will tell you about them if you can gain her trust. She simply needs someone to reach out to her and pull her out of the lonely world she has forced herself to stay in. That is something at that even I cannot do. I leave you with this bit of advice, Okumura Rin: do not give up on her."

For the first time the entire ride, Rin met the woman's gaze.

"I won't."