Straight To Hunter And Back
A short scene, relating to some chats Cassandra-san and I have had in the last couple of days. *gigglesnort* Doesn't happen for a while from where we are in the timeline... not that it matters, given how we skip around the timeline anyway, so... yeah.
Nine o'clock on Saturday morning found the sun shining brightly thorugh the windows, the birds singing to greet the day, and Amai Kou bustling around the kitchen in the apartment she had at one time (and for a long time) shared with her best friends and fellow Starlights, Hikaru and Josei.
Now, though, Josei was the only one living there--Amai had moved out long before, when she had finally gotten around to marrying her now-husband, Tohma Akari, and Hikaru had moved to another apartment along with Taiga when he had finally gotten around to proposing and wedding the poor girl. The two of them had families now, and children--a son in Amai's case, and a daughter in Hikaru's--and so the apartment they had all formerly shared belonged soley to Josei.
Still, though they no longer lived in the same apartment, it had become customary for the three of them to get together on Saturday mornings to have breakfast together--where they did it varied, depending on their schedules and the schedules of their families. Sometimes they all gathered in Josei's kitchen--sometimes in Hikaru or Amai's. Sometimes they had to meet in the Palace dining room instead.
"Lots of sugar on mine, ne Amai?"
"Aa... I know, Hikaru-san. The same as always."
"Hikaru-baka, if she puts any more icing sugar on that damn toast, you'll get a sugar high that'll make you bounce clear to Hunter."
"Well at least I'm eating something!"
In the kitchen, Amai continued working at the french toast that she was making for herself and Hikaru, dusting it with icing sugar before rummaging for utensils. A few feet away, at the kitchen table, Hikaru was making a face at Josei--who was sitting across from him, giving him a dry look in return, nursing a cup of hot, black tea.
"Josei-san..." green eyes, soft with a hint of concern, looked at her questioningly as Amai set Hikaru's food in front of him; "are you alright? You haven't eaten anything the last three times we did this..."
"Yeah Josei." Hikaru wasted no time in starting to eat, and mumbled his two cents around a mouthful of french toast, "what's your problem lately?"
Violet eyes narrowed in his direction and Josei sipped at her tea. "Nothing. You two worry too much."
Amai's lips twisted into a frown as she set her own plate on the table and sat down between her friends. Hikaru had turned his attention back to his breakfast, shrugging, and Josei was staring into her cup blankly, her mind obviously elsewhere... and, to Amai's eye, looking a tad green around the edges.
"Ne... Josei-san... are you sick? You don't look well..."
"I told you, I'm fine..." she tried to shrug it off again, eyes flicking toward Amai and then down again, but the brunette continued to stare at her silently until she heaved a sigh; "fine... maybe a touch of the flu, okay? I'm just feeling off. I'll be fine, so don't--"
"For three weeks?" The aquamarine-haired Light across from her cut in, and recieved a sharp kick to his shin for his troubles. "Ite! Maaaaa... I was just saying!"
Josei's gaze returned to the table in front of her, and when both of them were silent, waiting for her to finish what she had been saying before Hikaru interrupted, she muttered something inarticulate under her breath and leaned back in her chair, pushing her tea away and crossing her arms stubbornly.
"I'm fine I said! I've just been feeling a little sick when I get up some days lately. It's no big deal."
Amai's eyebrows rose slightly. Hikaru's fork paused halfway to his mouth. Josei blinked slowly.
"...what?"
There was a long pause then, during which Amai's expression shifted between surprised and amused, and Hikaru's jaw dropped open, his food and fork seemingly forgotten. In her seat across from her friends, Josei could only stare and wonder what the hell it was that they--
Amai began to giggle softly, shaking her head slightly. "Maa Josei-san..."
A repeat of her previous question, this time stated as a demand; "what?"
"Uh, Josei..." Hikaru had set his utensil down, and one of his eyebrows was crooked. He looked dubious to say the least. "You've been feeling sick in the mornings?"
"Well... sometimes..." his question and his expression made her answer come out more than a little guarded, and she shifted uncomfortably, frowning in his direction, tapping one finger against her opposite arm absently. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The aqua-haired man's expression faltered then, shifting to disbelief--and then he began to chortle to himself, shaking his head bemusedly, and leaned back in his own chair, eyeing her speculatively, the expression on his face making her squirm a bit in her seat.
A suspicious growl. "What, Hikaru?"
"Never knew you had it in you..."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"And Rui-sama!"
He dissolved into helpless chuckling for a moment, and one violet eyebrow ticked slightly.
"Anou... Josei-san..." Amai gave her a sympathetic smile, "you really don't know what Hikaru-san is saying, do you?"
Guffaws. "She's as dense as me sometimes!"
"Hikaru-baka!"
Further sniggering.
Josei glared. "I don't know what the hell you're trying to say but--"
Soft giggles made her stop and shoot a look in Amai's direction. The petite woman sweatdropped, her laughter fading, and Hikaru heaves a sigh, wiping at one eye absently. For a long moment there was complete silence--and then the two of them exchanged a significant glance; one that Josei certainly didn't miss.
"Would someone just tell me what you're both snickering about!"
"Josei-san..." Amai's voice had a placating tone to it, and she leaned forward a bit, smiling slightly again. "You're feeling sick in the mornings, ne?"
"Yes, yes, we've been over that already..."
A sniff from across the table as Hikaru attempted to curb his chuckles once more, and clearned his throat, one eyebrow raised and a terribly amused grin on his face. "Josei... that would be morning sickness..."
Silence.
"...w-what?!"
*giggles* Yeah... ^^;;;
Nine o'clock on Saturday morning found the sun shining brightly thorugh the windows, the birds singing to greet the day, and Amai Kou bustling around the kitchen in the apartment she had at one time (and for a long time) shared with her best friends and fellow Starlights, Hikaru and Josei.
Now, though, Josei was the only one living there--Amai had moved out long before, when she had finally gotten around to marrying her now-husband, Tohma Akari, and Hikaru had moved to another apartment along with Taiga when he had finally gotten around to proposing and wedding the poor girl. The two of them had families now, and children--a son in Amai's case, and a daughter in Hikaru's--and so the apartment they had all formerly shared belonged soley to Josei.
Still, though they no longer lived in the same apartment, it had become customary for the three of them to get together on Saturday mornings to have breakfast together--where they did it varied, depending on their schedules and the schedules of their families. Sometimes they all gathered in Josei's kitchen--sometimes in Hikaru or Amai's. Sometimes they had to meet in the Palace dining room instead.
"Lots of sugar on mine, ne Amai?"
"Aa... I know, Hikaru-san. The same as always."
"Hikaru-baka, if she puts any more icing sugar on that damn toast, you'll get a sugar high that'll make you bounce clear to Hunter."
"Well at least I'm eating something!"
In the kitchen, Amai continued working at the french toast that she was making for herself and Hikaru, dusting it with icing sugar before rummaging for utensils. A few feet away, at the kitchen table, Hikaru was making a face at Josei--who was sitting across from him, giving him a dry look in return, nursing a cup of hot, black tea.
"Josei-san..." green eyes, soft with a hint of concern, looked at her questioningly as Amai set Hikaru's food in front of him; "are you alright? You haven't eaten anything the last three times we did this..."
"Yeah Josei." Hikaru wasted no time in starting to eat, and mumbled his two cents around a mouthful of french toast, "what's your problem lately?"
Violet eyes narrowed in his direction and Josei sipped at her tea. "Nothing. You two worry too much."
Amai's lips twisted into a frown as she set her own plate on the table and sat down between her friends. Hikaru had turned his attention back to his breakfast, shrugging, and Josei was staring into her cup blankly, her mind obviously elsewhere... and, to Amai's eye, looking a tad green around the edges.
"Ne... Josei-san... are you sick? You don't look well..."
"I told you, I'm fine..." she tried to shrug it off again, eyes flicking toward Amai and then down again, but the brunette continued to stare at her silently until she heaved a sigh; "fine... maybe a touch of the flu, okay? I'm just feeling off. I'll be fine, so don't--"
"For three weeks?" The aquamarine-haired Light across from her cut in, and recieved a sharp kick to his shin for his troubles. "Ite! Maaaaa... I was just saying!"
Josei's gaze returned to the table in front of her, and when both of them were silent, waiting for her to finish what she had been saying before Hikaru interrupted, she muttered something inarticulate under her breath and leaned back in her chair, pushing her tea away and crossing her arms stubbornly.
"I'm fine I said! I've just been feeling a little sick when I get up some days lately. It's no big deal."
Amai's eyebrows rose slightly. Hikaru's fork paused halfway to his mouth. Josei blinked slowly.
"...what?"
There was a long pause then, during which Amai's expression shifted between surprised and amused, and Hikaru's jaw dropped open, his food and fork seemingly forgotten. In her seat across from her friends, Josei could only stare and wonder what the hell it was that they--
Amai began to giggle softly, shaking her head slightly. "Maa Josei-san..."
A repeat of her previous question, this time stated as a demand; "what?"
"Uh, Josei..." Hikaru had set his utensil down, and one of his eyebrows was crooked. He looked dubious to say the least. "You've been feeling sick in the mornings?"
"Well... sometimes..." his question and his expression made her answer come out more than a little guarded, and she shifted uncomfortably, frowning in his direction, tapping one finger against her opposite arm absently. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The aqua-haired man's expression faltered then, shifting to disbelief--and then he began to chortle to himself, shaking his head bemusedly, and leaned back in his own chair, eyeing her speculatively, the expression on his face making her squirm a bit in her seat.
A suspicious growl. "What, Hikaru?"
"Never knew you had it in you..."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"And Rui-sama!"
He dissolved into helpless chuckling for a moment, and one violet eyebrow ticked slightly.
"Anou... Josei-san..." Amai gave her a sympathetic smile, "you really don't know what Hikaru-san is saying, do you?"
Guffaws. "She's as dense as me sometimes!"
"Hikaru-baka!"
Further sniggering.
Josei glared. "I don't know what the hell you're trying to say but--"
Soft giggles made her stop and shoot a look in Amai's direction. The petite woman sweatdropped, her laughter fading, and Hikaru heaves a sigh, wiping at one eye absently. For a long moment there was complete silence--and then the two of them exchanged a significant glance; one that Josei certainly didn't miss.
"Would someone just tell me what you're both snickering about!"
"Josei-san..." Amai's voice had a placating tone to it, and she leaned forward a bit, smiling slightly again. "You're feeling sick in the mornings, ne?"
"Yes, yes, we've been over that already..."
A sniff from across the table as Hikaru attempted to curb his chuckles once more, and clearned his throat, one eyebrow raised and a terribly amused grin on his face. "Josei... that would be morning sickness..."
Silence.
"...w-what?!"
*giggles* Yeah... ^^;;;