In This Together
Evening of July 26th – Tempo Felice
The hustle and bustle of a restaurant kitchen during the dinner rush could seem chaotic from an outsider's perspective, but to someone who thrived in this setting the whirlwind of activity was exhilarating. As she moved through her station's area Rui called out instructions here and there to the chefs assigned to her, making sure the various types of pasta were being prepared both timely and correctly. She moved towards one of the newer staff members that had been hired after she returned and was newly assigned to her that day, noted her nervous expression before she reassured her, "It's okay. Everyone is nervous at first, just remember to stir this occasionally," she paused to give the boiling pasta a stir, "And keep on eye on how long it's in there. If you need any help let me know."
The other woman took a breath before she replied, "Right. Thank you Tachibana-san, I will." With that she steeled herself and set to her assigned task.
Smiling at this, Rui continued through her station to see if anyone needed any direct assistance and when she saw that they didn't she moved to another nearby station, fish to be specific. Once there she waved down the station chef and asked, "How're things here Kajita?"
"Ah, Tachibana. We're a little behind on the order for table number twenty but other than that no issues here," Kajita responded, looking up from a clipboard he'd taken to carrying around with him.
"What happened? Any idea how much of a delay?" she asked, worried about having to have the pasta and sauce for the same order wait longer than intended.
Kajita sighed as he answered, "Whoever stored the last shipment in the freezer was careless and the packaging was damaged. A lot of the fish got freezer burn, but we found some in good condition. It should only set the order back about five minutes, I've already informed Sakura-san so patrons will be informed we have a limited amount today. I was about to come tell you as well."
"Got it, five minutes should be fine. Thanks Kajita," Rui said with a nod as she turned to go let the sauce station and her chef know about the delay for that order, Kajita calling out a "You're welcome" as she did so. After informing both she made her way back to her own workspace, taking a look at the time as she did so. She smiled as she thought, "Half passed six already? We're probably through the worst of it then unless some huge crowd comes in... I don't think I saw any large reservations on the books today... but you never know on a Friday."
Several minutes passed as she checked to make sure all the pasta orders were on schedule when her father suddenly entered the kitchen in a hurry and called out to everyone, "Can I have everyone's attention for just a moment? It will be quick I promise!" The near constant sound of conversation and food preparation quieted, but did not cease entirely. Once he was satisfied that he'd gotten their attention Jou continued, "First: thank you all for being an amazing crew! Second: we've got a large party coming in," the staff groaned, "I know I know. They apologized for it being last minute, they had reservations elsewhere but that restaurant double booked. I'll be in here helping out for the rest of the night after I greet them so don't be afraid to ask me."
With that the kitchen returned to its normal noisy state as Jou made straight for Rui, when he arrived she asked, "Everything okay dad?"
"Yeah, sorry to drop this on you though..." he said apologetically as he handed her a piece of paper with his hasty handwriting on it.
As she quickly scanned the paper her eyes widened slightly before she asked, "Is this for the group that called in?"
Jou nodded before he explained, "Since it was so last minute for a large group I asked to get a general idea of what they're going to order. I'm sure you can handle it, but if you need me to help out..."
She thought for a moment as she skimmed the note again before she answered, "We don't have enough pasta on hand for this and the other orders already placed... I have someone I can trust to take over managing the station for a bit while I handle this. You help out whoever else needs it."
"That's my girl," he stated proudly. He then called out, "They'll be here any minute so I better get out there to greet them. Be back soon!"
Not wasting any time Rui went to one of her more experienced pasta chefs and asked, "Inoue-san, you've finished the order you were working on right?"
The slightly older man turned to face her, confusion and slight annoyance on his face as he answered, "Yeah, why?"
Rui suppressed her urge to groan at his tone. While he'd never been openly antagonistic towards her and was capable of following her instructions it was no secret that there was some level of slight resentment that she'd been promoted over him upon her return. She simply held out the paper her father had handed her and said, "This is why."
His eyes also widened at what he saw before he asked, "Twenty people?! This is the group Mikimoto-san mentioned? This much pasta?"
"That's right. We don't have enough on hand to fill this group's orders and manage other patron's orders too. I need to you cover the station and help out anyone who needs it while I work on making more. There's already dough that was set aside to rest right?" Rui explained, shifting into her authoritative mindset.
Inoue nodded as he answered, "Yes, I finished making a batch about an hour ago. It should be ready by now."
"Perfect. I'll start rolling and cutting it into the noodles we need. When someone you trust to do it finishes an order pull them out to start making replacement dough so we have enough to get through the rest of the night," she instructed as she started getting out the equipment she'd need to properly prepare the large amount of noodles.
"On it," he said simply as he quickly made his way back over to the station and announced, "Alright everyone Tachibana-san is going to be busy making all the noodles we're going to need for these orders. If you need any help with anything call me over while she's handling that! Hey Mitsuki! If you're done with that we're going to need more dough made!"
Rui laughed to herself quietly as she listened to the controlled chaos happening all around her. She could understand Inoue's resentment; from his perspective he'd been working towards this longer than her, nearly a decade, and she'd been promoted over him. She'd spent the last nearly three months working hard to ensure everyone there that she hadn't gotten the position through sheer nepotism, though she knew that thought would always be in the back of their minds. She knew she could trust him to fill in for her while she handled this, and was glad he was able to put his resentment aside in the moment to make sure things went smoothly.
She shook her head slightly – she couldn't afford to let anything distract her at the moment, and as she started taking the dough out of storage she declared to herself, "Right then. Time to get this done."
Later that evening – L'Amant
"It looks like she's running a little late, a big group came in so she ended up having to stay longer. She's almost here though," Miyabi announced as she put her phone back down on the bar top.
Kobayashi chuckled as he replied, "Ah the tumultuous schedule of a chef. I do wonder how large the group must have been... and without a reservation from the sound of it!"
"I don't think I could handle a high stress job kike being a chef, let alone being in charge of a whole section of the kitchen like she is," Kasumi remarked, taking a sip of her drink.
"If it's half as stressful as I remember modeling to be then it takes a special kind of resolve to do it," Misaki added with a nod as she stood wiping a few glasses clean behind the bar. Putting the last glass down she added, "I've always enjoyed cooking, but I don't think I'd last a day in there."
As the three women chatted quietly among themselves Kobayashi surveyed the cafe, confirming that besides Miyabi and Kasumi the only other patrons were an elderly couple seated at a booth near the door and a few college students at one of the corner tables, the early evening rush having subsided. He cleared his throat before saying, "Misaki can you check in with those customers while I tidy up in the back? After you're done you can leave the rest to me, you have fun with the girls tonight."
"Are you sure Boss? I'm still on the clock until closing," Misaki asked in surprise.
"Of course! The rush is over, it'll probably be quiet for the rest of the night... but I do reserve the right to have you help out if another wave of people end up coming in," he replied with a wide smile. Misaki gave him a smile of her own and a nod before she went off on her assigned task. He turned to the other two and asked, "Anything you need before I head into the back?"
"I think we're good for now Mari-san, thank you though," Miyabi answered as she checked how much of her own drink remained, Kasumi giving a nod in agreement. They enjoyed a comfortable silence as Misaki tended to the other customers, confirming if they would like to order anything else and refilling drinks. It was as she was passing along an order for a side dish that the door opened causing the bell to ring and alert everyone that somebody else had arrived. Looking over her shoulder Miyabi saw who it was and greeted as she stood and walked to a nearby booth, "Rui!Let's move to this booth."
"Hey Miyabi!" Rui returned the greeting with a tired, but enthusiastic tone before turning towards the others and adding, "Kasumi, Misaki good to see you!"
Kasumi laughed as she followed Miyabi to the booth and countered, "You say that like I didn't see you this morning neighbor."
"That feels like a year ago..." Rui grumbled as she plopped down onto the booth seat beside Miyabi, opposite Kasumi.
"You do look exhausted Rui-chan," Misaki teased as she sat down beside Kasumi, "Long day?"
"That's putting it lightly. A last minute party of twenty people showed up without a reservation," Rui answered as she rubbed her temples softly in an attempt to relieve the slight headache that had formed.
Miyabi's eyes widened as she sputtered, "T-twenty people?! You said it was a big group but I didn't expect that. I suppose they couldn't just be turned away?"
Rui shook her head as she explained, "Since we had enough open tables to accommodate them no. They did call ahead though so at least there was that. But we didn't have enough noodles on hand for them and the rest of the night so I spent the last hour and a half rolling dough and cutting noodles.. my hands are killing me."
The three other women shared a friendly laugh at Rui's expense as Kobayashi walked up with a drink in hand, placed it in front of Rui and said, "Welcome Rui-Rui! I went ahead and made your usual for you. Can I get you anything to eat? Pasta perhaps?"
Groaning audibly at his jab Rui replied, "I don't even want to look at pasta until next week Boss... Something light though... a chef's salad?"
"Coming right up! Anything else for you all?" he asked look across all of them.
They all thought for a moment before Miyabi suggested, "How about that side sampler platter you started offering? That way we can all take a bit of what we want from it." When the others all agreed Kobayashi ensured them he'd have it to them soon and returned to the back, his face visible through the window to the kitchen so he could keep on eye on things in the front.
"So you have the weekend off from the sound of it?" Misaki asked as she turned her gaze back towards Rui.
Giving a slight nod, Rui answered, "Yup. Dad decided based on business the last few years to give everyone this weekend off. Very few people want to get Italian food when there are so many local festivals going on. It'll be the first full weekend I've had off since I got back so I'm looking forward to it."
"Oh that's not all though, I'm sure you can't wait to spend the day with Natsuo at the festival tomorrow," Kasumi teased with a knowing grin.
Rui's face grew a few shades darker, being caught of guard by the friendly teasing that she still wasn't fully used to. Misaki took the opportunity to interject with a question, "Speaking of: where is Natsuo? I thought Fridays were your designated date nights?"
"Normally yeah... But with the restaurant being closed all weekend we expected I'd get stuck late and Tougen-sensei needed his help with something today. Plus we're going to the festival tomorrow to make up for it. Miyabi only asked if I'd like to hangout earlier today and I figured it would be fun," Rui explained before taking a sip of her drink.
Nodding, Miyabi added, "When I saw him at the club meeting this afternoon he told me he felt bad about breaking your routine tonight, so I figured we could have a girls night instead of you spending the evening alone."
Her face shifting to a smirk as a thought occurred, Rui turned to Kasumi and asked, "What about you? We hardly ever see you without Fumiya, where's he tonight?"
Kasumi sighed as she responded, "He's been out of town all week. He and his folks are visiting a sick relative. It was sudden or I'd have tried to get time off to go with them, they'll be back tomorrow though unless something happens. I thought Natsuo would've mentioned it to you."
Sighing as she thought back over the last week, Rui slumped slightly in her seat before she answered, "This week has been hectic for both of us; the restaurant has been super busy so I've been working long days and he had finals plus Forester work and helping Tougen-sensei. It must have slipped his mind... or he told me and it slipped mine... Sorry Kasumi."
"No worries. I thought I hadn't seen or heard much from you two all week, makes sense now," Kasumi shrugged in response nonchalantly.
Before anyone else could change topics, Misaki smirked as she saw an opportunity to tease and asked, "Oh? Do you normally hear them much? Such discourteous neighbors."
Kasumi and Rui's faces both took on a red hue at her implication, while Miyabi looked at Misaki in confusion and asked, "What do you mean? I don't think they've ever been too loud when I'm there, or are the walls there that thin?"
"Oh my, I never would have thought you three would be that adventurous Miyabi-chan. You learn something new every day," Misaki responded with a smile and laugh as the other two's faces grew another shade darker.
"Adventurous...?" Miyabi trailed off as she noticed that Kasumi and Rui were doing their best impressions of a tomato. Her eyes widened before she too blushed and sputtered out, "O-oh my god! N-no! That's not what I meant at all! Cut it out Misaki-san!"
The group was spared more of Misaki's teasing when Kobayashi returned with the ordered food, chuckling as he placed it down, "Ah it sounds like this girls night is off to a great start. So do tell, what juicy gossip has you all this flustered?"
"Just how Kasumi-chan often hears Natsuo and Rui-chan from next door," Misaki sang with a smile.
"Oh my! How scandalous," Kobayashi laughed, "Ah to be young and in love!"
Kasumi spun around and hissed, "That is not what I meant and you know it Misaki-neesan!"
Misaki and Kobayashi shared another laugh before he calmed himself and said, "Well I won't intrude any more than I have. It's good to see you all unwind like this, just let me know if you need anything." With that said he made a quick round to check on the other customers before returning to the bar.
As the group recovered they sat in a peaceful silence as Rui tore into her food, both realizing she was hungrier than she'd thought and thankful for the distraction, as the others nibbled on various treats from the platter. It was Misaki who broke the silence as she asked, "Are you okay Rui-chan? Did I go too far?"
Rui looked up at her, surprised by the question as she asked, "What do you mean?"
"It's just... you were frowning just now. I didn't mean to upset you..." Misaki replied cautiously. She knew she had a habit of teasing others, but she'd not thought others minded it that much.
"Oh... No you're okay Misaki," Rui replied with a reassuring smile, "Just... something on my mind..."
After she'd trailed off the others waited a moment before Kasumi jumped in, "Well don't leave us hanging like that. What's going on? Something we can help with?"
Shaking her head quickly Rui answered, "No I don't think so... it's just... Promise me you won't tell anyone?" She waited for confirmation from the three before she continued quietly, "Well... Natsuo and I... we haven't... well you know, since I got back."
Another silence hung over the group before Misaki asked, "Wait, not once since you got back?"
"Yeah..." Rui replied solemnly.
"Do you think... it's because of what happened?" Kasumi questioned cautiously, trying to avoid the specifics.
Rui nodded her head as she answered, "I'm positive it is. It's not like we haven't tried several times; one of us will initiate and it will be going well but the moment it gets further than kissing he suddenly gets sick to his stomach and we have to stop. He's actually had a panic attack more than once..."
The group barely heard Miyabi mutter under her breath, "Damn her."
"Damn her is right," Misaki commented before reach across the table and putting her hand over Rui's and saying, "Just give him some more time Rui-chan. You know it's not you he's reacting to like that, his mind is jumping back to what happened."
Smiling at Misaki gratefully, Rui replied, "I know... thank you. I just hate that she's had this much of an affect on him. She's lucky I couldn't get to her."
"I don't doubt that for a second. What ended up happening...? I know things got resolved but I never wanted to press for details," Kasumi asked when it was clear that Rui's mood was shifting back towards the positive.
"She was committed to a psychiatric hospital, one with very good security. Her family got a psychiatrist to examine her, and with their diagnosis her lawyer was able to argue that she needed treatment. From what we were told whether she's released or not will depend on how well she responds to that," Rui explained with a huff, clearly not happy with the clause that would allow her to be out and about.
"Either way, there's an indefinite restraining order in place right?" Miyabi asked, knowing it was the silver lining in the situation.
"Yeah, if she does get released and tries to have any contact with Natsuo we can have her arrested for violating that order. If she's genuinely mentally unwell then I want her to get the help she needs... but at the same time I want her locked up forever," Rui muttered as she glared daggers into the empty space between Kasumi and Misaki, resulting in the two exchanging a short look.
Misaki was again the first to speak after a silence had fallen over them, "That's enough about her, she's not worth the energy spent thinking about her. Tonight is supposed to be about having fun and relaxing after a long week isn't it?"
"That's right! So Rui, what was up with that large group?" Miyabi asked quickly, happy to get the conversation away from the topic of Nene and her impact on Natsuo and Rui's sex life.
Rui turned to give Miyabi a deadpan expression as she asked, "That's what you want to talk about? I'm more curious about what Forester has planned for fall semester performance. I couldn't make the last one so I missed out, and when I ask Natsuo he's been vague about it."
"Yeah! I've heard good things through the grape vine about Forester's shows. We should all see if we can make time to go see the next one!" Kasumi added energetically.
"I have to admit I've been curious ever since I found out you're their top actress Miyabi-chan, I think all of us going would be a great time," Misaki agreed with a cheerful smile.
Having been caught off guard by the conversation being flipped on her, Miyabi stared for a moment before she responded, "Well we don't exactly have a specific play locked in right now, all we've settled on was the theme we want to do. After summer break we'll be figuring out which play to do... but I'll let you all know as soon as I can. I'd love to have you all there!"
As the night continued and their conversation drifted from topic to topic, Rui felt her stress that had build up all week slowly fade away until she found herself joking and laughing without a second thought. When she realized how much she'd actually relaxed she caught herself thinking, "I need to do this with them more often... Never understood the appeal of a 'girls' night out' before now," her thoughts paused before drifting to Hina for just a moment, "I wish you were here too Hina-nee, I think you'd enjoy this... I hope we're wrong."
Meanwhile – Across town
"You sure I'm not being a bother? Don't you usually have plans on Friday nights?" Tougen asked as he unlocked the door to his home, carrying a small bag of newly purchased writing supplies.
Natsuo, carrying two much heavier bags, replied, "I'm sure Sensei. Rui expected she'd probably get stuck working late since the restaurant will be closed all weekend, and she's 'out with the girls' now."
"Even so, you better make it up to her; that girl is a sweetheart," Tougen ordered dryly as he set the bag down on a table.
Laughing quietly at the poorly disguised sternness Natsuo responded, "I take it you liked the food she had me bring over for you last time?"
Freezing in place for a moment, Tougen tried to maintain his normal facade before giving up with a laugh of his own, "Ha! You got me... let her know that was some of the best food I've had in ages."
"I will, she'll be happy to hear you liked it. After she saw what you normally eat she almost had a fit," Natsuo assured with a grin.
"Yeah well... I should be more careful about what I eat, so she was right to give me an earful," Tougen remarked thinking back on when Natsuo had introduced Rui to him. After a moment he added, "Seriously though, make it up to her. And let her know I'm sorry for dragging you around tonight."
Placing the bags he was carrying down, Natsuo replied, "We're going out for lunch tomorrow then to the festival, and then probably having a quiet day at home on Sunday. It's the first full weekend she's had off in a while so she wants to make the most of it."
"Good," Tougen said simply as he sat down. Once settled he asked, "So, how's this new book of yours coming along? Anything you want me to look over?"
"It's coming along. Since the first part of it only involves Misaki I've gotten a decent way into what brought her to Tokyo and her modeling. It'll be a bit before I get into the heavier stuff... plus I still need to interview Hina-nee for her consent and part before I can plan that out," Natsuo explained happily, though ending with a sigh.
Tougen shook his head before asking, "She's still not back or responding to anyone?"
"We heard from her briefly back in May when... well when all of that happened. She called to check on how I was but none of us have heard from her since. I get the feeling Boss and Misaki have either heard from her or seen her but they're being quiet about it," Natsuo responded, frustration creeping into his voice.
"It's been over three months now right?" Tougen asked, continuing once Natsuo had nodded in confirmation, "Then I'd be willing to guess she'll be turning up sooner rather than later. Unless she's found some kind of job wherever she is I can't imagine she has enough funds to keep this up much longer."
Letting out another sigh Natsuo said, "That's a good point. Is it weird that part of me is anxious about her showing back up? I'm honestly worried about whatever it was that made her vanish on us like this in the first place."
"I think it would be more concerning if you weren't anxious. Anything that can make a person up and disappear themselves while going no contact with friends and family is a serious matter," Tougen answered, pausing before asking, "Still no idea what it was?"
Natsuo hesitated a moment before replying, "No... I can't think of what it could be."
Tougen narrowed his eyes as he studied Natsuo's expression before he said, "Well that's a shame. If you knew what it was then you could mentally prepare yourself for her coming back." He took a moment to stretch before he yawned and added, "Well I think I've kept you long enough, get out of here and have a good night."
Surprised by the abruptness Natsuo took a second to reply, "Oh, like I said before it was no trouble Sensei. Have a good night."
As he made his way out the door and down the road towards the station he frowned to himself. He hated being dishonest with his sensei, but worst of all he knew that Tougen knew he was being dishonest but didn't want to pry. Entering the station his mind drifted back to a conversation he and Rui had a few weeks prior...
Evening of July 7th...
Rui stood at the stove, humming in contentment as she prepared a simple dinner for the two of them, having had a restful Sunday together. She let out a quiet "Oh!" of surprise when she suddenly found that Natsuo was embracing her from behind, his arms wrapped securely around her waist as she reflexively leaned back against him.
"That smells delicious, what's on the menu tonight Chef Tachibana?" he asked playfully as he rested his chin atop her head.
Being unable to suppress the smile or the butterflies he still managed to give her she giggled out, "Just omurice, I didn't want to do anything too elaborate. I trust that's okay with you?"
"Of course it is! You should know I'm more than happy with anything you decide to make. But you know you don't have to do all the cooking right? You cook all day at work, I can handle it too," Natsuo replied, slight concern creeping into his voice.
She brought her free hand up to rest atop his as she answered, "I know, and I love when you do. I just had a craving for this, you were busy going over things with Misaki and I didn't want to interrupt you." She paused before a smirk formed and she coyly said, "Though if you want to make it up to me... I wouldn't say no to some tiramisu when you have the chance..."
"You know you can just ask me to make it whenever you want," he replied just as coyly before kissing the top of her head.
"Oh I know! I just like having an excuse to do so," she stated proudly, the smile on her face somehow growing even wider. They remained like this for a moment before Rui pulled away and said, "Alright, this will be done soon, can you set the table for me?"
Releasing his hold on her he replied, "Of course. I'll get some drinks out too; you want water, tea or soda?"
"Tea please. I made a fresh pitcher earlier, it should be cold by now," she answered as she tended to the food, giving it a taste test before adding more seasoning.
The couple went about the rest of the preparations in a comfortable silence until the food was finished and once she plated both servings Rui quickly brought it over to the table to join Natsuo. After taking a few bites he spoke, "This is just as good as it smells, my compliments to the chef."
"You're never going to get tired of that joke are you?" she asked with both a deadpan tone and expression in between her own bites. Natsuo's only response was to laugh at both his joke and her response, but once he'd stopped she asked, "Did you finish double checking everything you needed to with Misaki?"
"Yeah. We went over everything she gave me before and I've got a pretty fleshed out map of the beginning of the story: everything from what made her want to be a model through coming to Tokyo and what ended up happening to her face," Natsuo explained, pausing mid bite to do so.
"That's good! I-I mean about having the beginning mapped out... not the thing that – you know what I mean," Rui spiraled until she shook her head, "I still can't believe some other model would get so jealous to resort to something like that. So what's next? Do you start writing the story or do you map out the next section?"
Natsuo thought for a moment before he answered, "I think for this one I'll start writing it. Misaki's schedule is still restricted for now until she clears the program at the end of the month. And besides that I still need to interview Boss and Hina-nee for their parts."
"Right..." Rui trailed off at the mention of Hina. Her mother had only told them that Hina had called to check on Natsuo after they'd gotten back home the following day and all attempts to reach her afterwards had failed.
"I've been thinking," they both said in unison, surprising each other. Natsuo laughed before he motioned for her to continue.
Nodding, Rui said, "About Hina-nee... I've been thinking a lot about why she might have left. There's really only one thing that makes any sense..."
Seeing that she didn't want to say what it was, Natsuo picked up, "It's me."
Rui's eyes widened as her gaze snapped up to meet his eyes as she asked, "How?"
"I've been thinking about it too, and it's the only thing I could come up with," he admitted, a frown forming as he did.
A matching frown formed on her face as she said, "It's just like when she left town after she had to end things with you. I really thought... or hoped, that we were actually passed all of this. She's been so supportive of us..."
Knowing where her mind was headed Natsuo reached across the table to take her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. When she squeezed in return he said, "So did I. I don't know what might have caused this, but I think she left because she was conflicted and didn't want to risk doing anything she'd regret. Hopefully when she gets back we can all talk and get this sorted out once and for all."
"I hope so too... but more than that: I hope we're wrong. I hope we're completely wrong about why she left and we're worrying for nothing. I don't know what I'd do if she came back and suddenly declared her love for you," Rui grumbled, one hand still squeezing Natsuo's while the other clutched her chopsticks tightly.
Natsuo stood up, still holding onto her hand, and moved over to her side of the table before he sat down and pulled into another hug as he responded, "I don't know what you'd do either, but what I do know is that I love you. I understand being worried about what she might say or do, I am too. But I promise you: if it comes to that I'll back up however you want to handle it."
"I love you too," Rui replied simply as she returned the embrace, moving onto his lap to do so, and finding herself smiling despite her worries. After a moment she continued, "I'd be lying if I said some small part of me doesn't still worry about you and her. It's usually easy enough to dismiss it, but the more I think about why she must have left..."
There was a brief silence as Natsuo collected his thoughts before he said, "I get that, I do. Honestly... what happened between she and I will always be a part of me, there's no way around that. And it's an important part of me because... if things hadn't happened the way they did I don't know if we'd have what we have now. I mean... I think I had to go through that to realize what I felt for her wasn't actually love; I wouldn't be able to fully appreciate you and what we have... I'm rambling and probably not making sense -"
He was cut off by Rui capturing his lips in a passionate kiss, rendering him speechless for a moment as she said, "Thank you, I know what you mean. Hopefully it won't come to it but I'm glad you'll have my back if it does... we're in this together." Simply nodding in response, Natsuo captured her in another exchange of kisses before she nuzzled against his neck with a satisfied giggle. They stayed like that for a moment before she patted his chest and said, "If we stay like this for too long the food will get cold. The chef won't appreciate us letting it go to waste."
"Well we can't have that. I have it on good authority you should never slight a chef that's made food for you," he joked in response and the two shared a hearty laugh before returning to their meal.
The Present – L'Amant
Kobayashi flipped the sign on the door to "CLOSED" with a content sigh before twirling around and calling, "Thank you for another long day of work Misaki-chan! Sorry to have to have you come in so much this week."
"Oh it's no trouble Boss. With the end of the program coming up I've had more free time, and with Fumiya having to leave last minute it couldn't be helped," Misaki replied as she finished wiping down the bar.
As he made his way back over towards her Kobayashi asked, "So did you enjoy your time with the girls? It looked like you were all having a blast."
A large smile crept onto Misaki's face as she answered, "I did! If I'm being honest I'm still surprised with how quickly Rui-chan warmed up to me. I wasn't expecting that after everything I put you all through."
"Ha!" Kobayashi laughed loudly, "If it had been the Rui-Rui I first met she probably would've just glared daggers at you. But no... she knows how much you mean to both Natsuo-chan and her sister, and she trusts my judgment if I can toot my own horn." He took a moment to regain his composure as he flipped up chairs onto the bar top before adding, "I'm glad you all could get together and unwind... poor Rui-Rui being the only one not able to order alcohol though..."
It was Misaki's turn to let out a loud laugh as she responded, "She may have expressed some frustration about that. She hadn't realized that Kasumi-chan and Miyabi-chan were a year older than her, must never have come up. Her birthday is in September right?"
"It is! Between you and me: I've started planning something special for her; I got in touch with her mother and father to coordinate. It won't be on her actual birthday though, safe to assume that day is reserved for Natsuo-chan," Kobayashi answered wistfully with a gleam in his eye and a smirk.
"Well I'm looking forward to it, assuming I'd be invited that is," Misaki said hopefully.
"Of course you would be! It may only have been a few months but I dare say you'd be considered a 'friend of the family' in their eyes," Kobayashi responded jubilantly.
The two continued their work, with smiles, for a few moments before Misaki spoke again, "Speaking of their family... when was the last time you saw or heard from Hina?"
At first the only response she received a resigned sigh, but before she could say anything else Kobayashi answered, "The last time I actually saw her was back in May, when Natsuo was in the hospital after what happened. She's checked in a few times to let me know she's okay, but refused to talk beyond that. The last time was about a week ago, how about you?"
"The same. She told me that you and her saw each other and spoke when that happened... but she didn't elaborate on it. When I tried to talk to her about Natsuo she shut me down, saying she'd realized what she needed too and needed to figure out what to do. I tried to get her to walk me through it so I could help but... well you know Hina," Misaki explained with her own sigh as she threw the dish rag into the bin, "Any chance you can tell me? I really don't like being stuck between them like this, Natsuo is my friend and so are both Hina and Rui-chan."
Kobayashi thought for a moment as he sat down on one of the few chairs still in its normal position. With another sigh he answered, "She had me drive her out there, to see Natsuo-chan at the hospital. We got there a little before visiting hours would have ended, but we never saw him. Hina-chan froze when she saw Rui-Rui and their father entering the hospital ahead of us, and she had me drive her back here. Natsuo-chan and Rui-Rui have no idea she was there."
"That's... She should've still gone in to see all of them after going all that way..." Misaki trailed off as she leaned against the wall near where Kobayashi sat.
"I agree," he said simply before taking a breath and explaining further, "But in that moment Hina-chan realized something about herself that made her unable to face them then and there: she was jealous of her sister. When we got back here I pushed her more than I normally would... but she needed to admit it to herself if it's ever going to get better. In hindsight that may be why she hasn't talked to either of us much since then."
"I hate this," Misaki groaned tiredly as her head thudded against the wall in exasperation, "The only reason I haven't told them at this point is because I think they already know – or least they already suspect it. Whenever Hina is mentioned around either of them they look uncomfortable until the topic changes."
Kobayashi nodded as he said, "So you noticed that too. It's not surprising, Rui-Rui is sharp and while Natsuo-chan can sometimes not pick up on things it would be crazy for him to not notice the similarities between this and when she left last time."
"So we just leave it to them then?" Misaki asked as she took a calming breath.
As he stood back up Kobayashi replied, "That's all we can do at this point since Hina-chan has iced us out for now. This is between those three in the end. I have a feeling this situation will be coming to a head soon... we just need to be there for them in whatever way they need."
A little later...
"Being the youngest in the group sucks..." Rui grumbled as she and Kasumi left the station, the former keeping an eye on the latter to make sure she didn't stumble again.
Giggling to herself Kasumi responded, "Oh don't be that way Ru-chan! In a few months you can order booze like one of the big girls too!"
Sighing in resignation that the new nickname Kasumi had given her after a few drinks seemed to have stuck, Rui responded, "Well at least Misaki can't drink while still in the program... and Miyabi only had one. You on the other hand..."
"Well I have a designated walk-me-homer so I got to indulge!" Kasumi joked as she put her hand on Rui's shoulder in gratitude. She thought for a moment before she asked, "Does Natsuo drink much? He only had a couple drinks at his birthday dinner."
Shaking her head Rui answered, "Not really. He's had a handful of drinks the last couple years on special occasions, but he's a lightweight so he's never been crazy about it. I think he only had those drinks at the dinner because it was expected he would."
"That's good then. Once you can drink with us he'll be a dependable walk-you-homer!" Kasumi laughed again.
Before Rui could respond, a male voice called from behind them with a laugh of his own, "Definitely better than letting you both walk around after having drinks!"
Smiling at the recognition of the voice, and laughing at how Kasumi jumped in surprise, Rui turned slightly and asked, "How long have you been there Natsuo?"
Jogging to catch up to them Natsuo replied, "Our trains must have arrived at the same time, but the crowd was pretty dense so I couldn't catch up until now. Looks like you had a fun time."
"We did! It was so nice getting to hang out, even Misaki-neesan was able to join," Kasumi cheered happily.
"So I heard, I'm glad it was a good time," he responded with a smile.
Rui tugged Kasumi's arm to signal they needed to keep moving, Natsuo following suit. As they walked Rui asked, "Everything alright with Tougen-sensei?"
"Yeah, he just needed to run some errands but was feeling very tired today. He says sorry for dragging me out tonight though," Natsuo answered as he slowed his pace to match the girls.
Giving a small huff Rui commented, "Feeling 'very tired' huh? That's why I told him he needs to watch his diet. Someone with his medical issues shouldn't be living off of convenience store food and take out."
Chuckling at her concern masked as indignation Natsuo added, "He also says thank you for the food you had me bring over. He said it was the best he's had in a long time."
"Well in that case I'll make some more for him. Can you help me with that on Sunday and bring it to him when you go there Monday?" Rui asked, her indignation giving way to her want to help.
"Of course, I'm sure he'd appreciate that," Natsuo replied simply with a small grin.
"You two are so sweet... if I have a hangover tomorrow can I get some food too?" Kasumi asked hopefully, bring her hands together as if praying.
Her face shifting into her trademark deadpan, Rui responded flatly, "You did this to yourself. It's different."
"Ru-chan! Pleeeease!" Kasumi pleaded frantically, clutching onto Rui's arm tightly.
Groaning at the scene Kasumi was causing, the other people on the street looking curiously over at them, Rui relented, "Okay fine... I'll bring something over for you for breakfast but you're on your own after that."
"Yes!" Kasumi cheered as she suddenly skipped ahead of the couple, humming as she went.
As the pair watched her, Natsuo asked, "Exactly how many drinks did she have?"
"I wasn't keeping track... I didn't even realize she was having alcohol until she started acting drunk," Rui answered as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Her attention was soon caught by Natsuo snickering to himself, to which she asked, "What is it?"
"Just imagining how you would act if you had that much to drink. I wonder if you'd be like that," Natsuo stated as he pointed to Kasumi who was currently spinning around a street light post in celebration.
Rui slapped his arm playfully as she replied, "I doubt it. Now help me get her home before she hurts herself." Giving a nod in response Natsuo followed as she quickly made her way to their friend and continued on the short walk back home, for the moment all worries and concerns forgotten.
AN: Not much to say here other than I hope the time jump isn't too jarring, the only noticeable events glossed over by it are Natsuo's 20th birthday on July 6th and Kajita still winning the competition that let him head back early. I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you enjoyed reading it!
