• CHAPTER 103 - BACK TO WORK

    What would you tell your boyfriend your reasoning as to why you quit work three months ago? Would you seriously tell him it was because some guys tried to do stuff to you? Nah, I'd pass on that deal.

    After I managed to shake off the awkward aura in the house after a few days--what with Takeuchi and Kira's pranks and me sitting naked in Kai's arms--I opted to tell Kai I wanted to head back to work. He had never asked why I never asked him to take me; maybe he forgot I even worked? I hadn't been back at the restaurant since I was living with Akatsuki...since Kai left me at the orphanage...

    "Hey, Kai?" I glanced up at him after I finished my plate of steamed rice and tofu.

    "Hm?" he responded while cleaning up our dishes.

    "Could you drive me to the restaurant?" I fondled with my fingers. "I'd like to reapply."

    Kai turned to me and cocked an eyebrow, "You quit?"

    "Well...kinda," I fibbed. "I couldn't concentrate since...you know...we were separated at the time."

    "Oh," Kai's face fell. "Yeah, we can go."

    "Good," I smiled. "And I need to see Manager Uratada's baby."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    After finally getting dressed and slipping my shoes on--after endless excited ranting--we finally headed out to town to see Manager Uratada. I was hoping badly her baby was there because I wanted to see it so bad. Yukiko probably thought I dropped off of the edge of the earth after my last day of work. I was hoping badly that she wouldn't bring up the incident with those older teenagers.

    "I need to speak with you after you reapply so make it quick," Kai halfway smiled at me.

    "Aw, what now?" I complained as soon as he parked next to the restaurant.

    "Nothing, just go back in and reapply," he nudged me.

    I exited the car after Kai opened the door for me and I took his hand in mine. I anxiously entered the restaurant while pulling Kai in behind me. At first, there were only a few customers--some of which, typically, were high-school girls with no boyfriends, oogling over Kai--and nobody at the counter. Approaching the counter, I attempted to ignore the stares once more from the googly-eyed girls staring at Kai and he was pretty good at ignoring them too.

    Before my hand reached the bell on the counter, Manager Uratada approached from the back room with a baby carrier on her arm. As soon as her eyes met mine, they radiated dramatically. Yukiko entered behind her and a giant smile sprawled across her face.

    "Arisa!" Manager Uratada cheered.

    "Ohmigawd you're back!" Yukiko cheered as well.

    Manager Uratada set the baby carrier on the counter and embraced me tightly, causing me to release Kai's hand. Yukiko joined in the group hug and I could hear Kai chuckle behind me. We were causing a scene, but we couldn't care less. We finally released each other after several seconds and the questions immediately flew.

    "Where have you been?!" Yukiko interrogated.

    Manager Uratada followed, "What have you been doing all this time?"

    "What happened to your white-haired boyfriend?"

    "Did you date another guy and go back to this guy?"

    "Have you turned eighteen yet?"

    "If you're eighteen, then did you move in with this guy yet?"

    "What happened after those guys--"

    I immediately slapped my hand over Yukiko's mouth after she was halfway done with her question. I panicked inside at the awkward silence that followed shortly after. My hand removed itself from Yukiko's mouth and I switched my attention to the baby carrier, trying to change the subject.

    "S-so is that your baby?" I asked Manager Uratada.

    "Ah, yes," she smiled and attended to her young child. She unstrapped the baby and cradled the two-month-old in her arms. "She's very healthy."

    "What's her name?"

    "Nozomi," she smiled.

    "Wow, that's such a pretty name," I smiled. I suddenly remembered the whole reason I came back and I changed the subject. "I'd like to reapply."

    Manager Uratada's face lit up and she smiled, "Of course you can, it was so great to have you here,"

    "Awesome," I smiled widely. "When can I start?"

    "You may start tomorrow if you have the time," she suggested. "And Yukiko will be filling in for me every now and then and whenever I'm in, I'll be bringing Nozomi."

    After another few minutes, Manager Uratada offered me to hold little Nozomi and I gladly accepted her offer. I cradled Nozomi closely and avoided sticking my finger in her mouth, although she had no teeth yet, "You know, my friend had a baby in March; his name is Toshihiro,"

    "Ohhhhh," Yukiko laughed. "Looks like Nozomi has herself a playmate."

    "Looks like she does," Manager Uratada laughed. "We should have them meet sometime."

    "Yeah, they should," I felt a little uneasy about bringing up Toshihiro because who knew if he would be smart enough to suppress his Werewolf side?

    "So what happened to that white-haired boyfriend of yours?" Yukiko barged in.

    "H-he was never my boyfriend," I held my hands up in front of me. "He was my sister's boyfriend at one point, though. I was only staying with him for a little bit."

    "Oh," Yukiko's face fell but then lit back up. "So how long have you been with this guy?" she gestured to Kai.

    "Almost ten months now," I admitted happily, adding the month of separation while handing Nozomi back.

    "Woah! So you guys have, like, gone all the way, right?"

    My face fell in humiliation and Kai sighed behind me. Just when I thought the embarrassing sex jokes were done for, they started all over again. I sighed and shook my head honestly, feeling no change as to wanting to take Kai and mine's relationship further. In all honesty, the more people would tease me about it the less I wanted to take it further.

    Kai must have read my mind because he tangled his fingers in mine and smiled at Manager Uratada and Yukiko sincerely, "I'm sorry, but we have to depart,"

    "He has such formal vocabulary too," Yukiko smiled.

    "You don't even know half of it," I sighed.

    "Well it's been lovely to see and hire you again, Arisa," Manager Uratada smiled. "I'll see if I have a spare uniform for you in the back."

    "I'll be back tomorrow," I smiled, saddened at our short meeting.

    We departed from the restaurant and climbing into Kai's car; I hadn't realized the weight that lifted off of my shoulders after we were out of the girls' gazes--the girls who were dateless. The car moved forward for only a couple more blocks and Kai parked on the edge of a street. He parked the car and sighed, causing my nerves to act up.

    "What did you want to talk about?" I asked.

    "It's nothing bad," he frowned. "Just something I don't want to do."

    "Like what?"

    Kai tapped his fingers on the dashboard, "In a few days, I'm flying Takeuchi and Miku and Toshihiro down to Miku's parents' house so they can see the baby," he continued to frown. "I'll be with them for about a week to help them out."

    "What?!" I panicked. "No, you can't go!"

    "It will only be for a week," he smiled reassuringly. "Don't be so masochistic."

    "B-but I've hardly ever been away from you for that long!" I complained. "And I don't want to be alone! The Boogeyman could get me!"

    Kai laughed at the Boogeyman part, "You'll be fine. If you feel anguished, then you may stay at Matsuda and Orihime's."

    I clung onto Kai's arm, "Nooooo, don't go!"

    Kai chuckled at my immaturity and kissed my head. His frozen hand caressed my cheek and he continued to press his lips gently against the crown of my head. I frowned and looked away from him, angry that he was leaving again. Why couldn't he just fly down there and come right back?

    "I already explained that Miku's parents would need assistance," he rolled his eyes. "Takeuchi, Miku, and Toshihiro will reside there for about a month."

    "I can't go that long without them!" I whined again, unintentionally turning into a brat.

    "Arisa," Kai cupped my face and stared at me with a gentle smile. "You'll be fine. One week will go by faster than you think."

    "The minutes will drag on like days without you," my face fell. "I'll have nothing to do."

    "Trust me, you'll have fun," he kissed my nose. "You'll finally have the opportunity to be by yourself for the first time in what, eighteen years?"

    "Yeah," I mumbled, forgetting that I had never really been in a house by myself before. "I'm nervous."

    "You could call me whenever you so desire," his lips pecked my forehead again. "Anytime."

    We sat in silence for a few minutes until I spoke up, "So when are you leaving?"

    "Three days; on Sunday."

    I pouted again and my whining ceased as soon as Kai's lips pressed onto mine. We both didn't want to part from each other but maybe he was right; maybe I'd have fun by myself. I'd get a break from all of the pranks Takeuchi and Kira pulled on us, time to relax, soak in the hot spring, adapt my cooking.

    "See? You're already having fun." Kai smiled at me.

    "I'll miss you, you idiot," I frowned and looked away.

    I opted to keep my mind positive about the week without Kai coming up. It was somewhat easy to think optimistically about it, but anything could happen when you're a girl with immortality-granting blood whose by yourself for a week. Nope, nothing could go wrong then.