Modern Day AU

Sekirei Girls' Academy was across the street from the store, which meant two, very annoying things: students of theirs frequented this place, and so did their ardent admirers from neighbouring schools.

Staff on morning shift had it the worst. It wasn't due to sheer volume of foot traffic– the stuff they sold were of the generic variety, hardly the kind to inspire rabid loyalty in a segment as fickle as high school teenagers. Adding that Flowing Waves was a squat, cramped structure wedged between a laundromat and an alley, the back road leading to a medium sized mall less than fifteen minutes away, overwhelming patronage had never once been a problem.

It was the colourful personalities of their customers that were the main source of grief.

Kuroshio Ryuu felt his forehead starting to cramp from how long he'd been frowning. Th two hormonal idi– ahem, teenagers, had yet to finish counting out their stack of yen bills. Everything they had placed on the counter had been scanned and bagged, the spread of snacks and bottled drinks enough to feed the JSDF. Yet, the two clowns insisted on continuing their farce of a performance, purposely ignoring, perhaps even relishing that the line behind them stretched and curled around the aisles.

From the blackened faces of Sekirei students waiting to purchase their after-school snacks, these boys were no closer to impressing them than they were to finding their brains.

"Dear customers," Ryuu repeated in a sickly sweet tone, the fifth time these past fifteen minutes. "Your total comes up to twenty thousand yen."

"We know, already. Just give us another minute or two," the taller of the two male students shot back. His reply was identical to his previous, words laden with a brand of condescension Ryuu recognized as unique to Fujikasane High. Private school brats. "Eighteen thousand yen, nineteen thousand yen…"

Almost. Almost there! Ryuu could taste freedom, and it was oddly similar to the blood his tongue licked off his inner cheek.

The other male, a head shorter than the one who had spoken, abruptly cleared his throat. Ryuu quashed the urge to grab him by the ponytail and smash his head into the countertop. A low wave of murmurs rose behind them, the daggers in their backs transforming into full length swords.

"Damn, I almost forgot," tall boy snapped his fingers. "Oi, give us two packs of smokes."

Ryuu's eyes nearly rolled into back into his head. Did they rip that generic line off a daytime drama serial? With neatly pressed uniforms, collars lightly starched and a handkerchiefs peeking from their breastpocket, these boys were as likely to smoke as pigs were to fly. The pair of girls standing behind them exchanged exasperated glances, looking on the verge of strangling the morons.

Ryuu sighed. "Dear customers, your hunger must have gotten the best of you," he said. "I regret to inform you that cigarettes can only be purchased by those twenty and older." Their faces purpled, expressions ugly as a wave of snickering exploded inside the cramped store. The tall student ungracefully slammed the last one thousand yen into the money tray, and Ryuu snatched it before they decided to reassert their manliness by recounting every single bill. "Thank you for your purchase. Would you like a receipt?"

"Keep the stupid receipt, we can afford it." Shorty clicked his tongue. "Hey, let's get out of here. We're already late for the party." Attending a party at two thirty in the afternoon, in uniforms? Ryuu refrained from commenting. If they stayed any longer, his sanity would be completely shot to hell.

The Fujikasane students exited the store, arms weighed by bulky plastic bags, with the entirety of the gathered crowd glaring at their backs. Ryuu wondered how many of their classmates had come together to pool this twenty thousand yen, and how many would be pissed it was spent on fifty packs of vinegar flavoured potato chips and bottled ginger tea instead of girls' email addresses.

Ryuu shook off his thoughts, trying not to laugh. "Next customer, please."

The pair of female students stepped up to the cash register, all smiles. "Good afternoon, Kuroshio-kun," the older of them greeted.

Ryuu wasn't one to change the way he treated people based on their looks, but it was hard not to sound pleased when serving these particular students. "Good afternoon, Kocho-san," he replied. "I apologize for the hold-up."

Kocho Kanae beamed, "Not at all! You can't be blamed for doing your job." Her admirers, peeking out from behind the vegetable aisle, flopped on top of each other. They continued staring with intense,lovestruck gazes, which she ignored with the ease of practice. "It wasn't the best of situations, but you made it through! Let's hope they don't return, or our daily stopover will be more torturous than refreshing."

"I don't think they'll be back anytime soon." Ryuu chuckled as he scanned her two bottles of tea. He grabbed a nearby cloth to wipe off the layer of condensation, continuing, "If not, I swear I'll stop working here entirely." He reached for the remaining items on the counter only for a hand to stop him.

"We'll be paying separately today," Kanae's younger sister said. Her eyes bore into his for a split second before they darted away. Shinobu's eyes were lovely, like a pair of gems fresh from a polish. Ryuu blinked twice to rid himself of the after images and turned back to Kanae, who for some odd reason, was barely suppressing a smile.

"Your total will be five hundred and thirty yen." Ryuu pushed the money tray toward her. "Want a receipt?"

"It's fine!" Kanae chirped, depositing the exact change. When Ryuu retrieved them and tapped the electronic display of the register, he heard her say "I'll wait outside. Don't take too long, alright? I don't want to miss meeting today's patrol."

A fiery blush erupted across Shinobu's face. "Just go already!"

Ryuu startled at the hostile tone, but Kanae floated away with plastic bag in and, giggling. Her entourage of admirers trailed behind her, halfing the store's occupancy at once. Though Ryuu was used to seeing it, he still shook his head in admiration. That girl was far too nice. If he found even one mooney-eyed boy lapping at his sister's heels, he would make sure they regretted being born. He wasn't rich enough to hire Yakuza, but there were different ways to intimidate.

"I'll bag these for you, then." Ryuu reached for the rice balls Shinobu had set on the counter.

"Wait!" They were snatched quicker than he could blink. She cradled them in her palms, her expression swinging between mortification and… was that panic, he saw? "I forgot I wanted to get something else. You can take the customers behind me, first."

When Ryuu nodded, confused, she stiffly strode away with the two rice balls firmly clutched in one hand. He stared after her for several moments, wondering if he'd did or said something to offend her on their previous visit. There wasn't time to ponder on it though, and Ryuu shook himself out of his stupor to greet the next tired face. "Next customer, please!"

Twenty minutes spent clearing the store was well within his expected timeframe. This was the final leg of his shift, anyway. Once over, there was nothing left standing between him and his blessed rest. Ryuu stretched lightly as the last of the student cleared out of the store, including the hanger-ons consisting of Shinobu's own admirers.

There was a Fujikasane student, a tall broad-shouldered teenager with hair tied into a long ponytail, who'd glared at him as he left. Ryuu rolled his eyes. What was with the students from that school? He didn't know educational institutions breds hostility this potent. Was it something to do with the embroided handkerchiefs? A

That particular student didn't look familiar, and Ryuu found himself sifting through his memory of everyone he'd offended. No one he knew looked remotely alike to him, though from the vibes he'd given off, Ryuu guessed he might have been the son of one of his father's estranged friends.

A pinch of envy accompanied that thought. If his father hadn't saddled their family with all that debt and run away in the middle of the night four years ago, Ryuu thought he might have attended Fujikasane High, too. It was the preferred institute for his family's former income bracket. Plenty of rich second generation youths bored out of their minds, looking to mingle with people of similar origins.

Ryuu shrugged off the cloud hanging over him. No point in thinking what-ifs. Besides, if his father hadn't left and made him the sole-breadwinner, he wouldn't have taken the path he was currently on. His work was getting more traction now, and his website portfolio had seen consistent high views these past few months. The number of commissions had grown steadily as well, to the extent where he'd started debating on stopping his current job temporarily.

Just a little more, and his little sister wouldn't need to talk about dropping out to help with household expenses.

"Ry– Kuroshio-kun," someone called. Shinobu approached the counter with the same rice balls. They were slightly flattened, but still looked edible. She pushed them towards him, her expression slightly sheepish. "I… I didn't find anything else I wanted."

Ryuu smiled. "I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it," Shinobu shot back. "I could see it on your face. Since you wouldn't say it, I decided to do it for you. I'd rather you laugh about it in my face then behind my back."

Ryuu watched her expression scrunch as if she'd bitten into a sour lemon. He had to admit it– he vastly preferred this Kocho over the other. Kanae was naturally charming, a charismatic beauty with a personality to match, but it was a kind of perfection Ryuu would never lose his mind over.

Shinobu on the other hand, was like an abstract art piece. Ryuu found her interesting in the way he did Fukahori's paintings. She had the wild beauty of a cracked flute glass, and each meeting seemed to reveal a side to her he had never expected. Her family's genetics were evident in her eyes the shade of amethyst, and it gave her expressions a pronounced sharpness Ryuu sometimes wished to get cut on.

Ryuu scanned the rice balls, one salmon and the other kaarage, his favourite. "The total comes to three hundred and eighty yen." He watched her fiddle with her coins, biting her lip. "Kocho-san? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Shinobu snapped. She put the money in the tray and pushed it to him. He was aware of her gaze on him as he counted the coins, then deposited them into the register. "Sorry, that was rude of me." Before he could absolve her of her guilt, her words more endearing than cutting, Shinobu's eyes lit up. "That's it!" She reached for the rice ball before he could tranfer them into a plastic bag, grabbing the one with an orange sticker.

"So you don't want the bag?" Ryuu asked.

"You can keep it." Shinobu pointed to the remaining rice ball. "This, too. Take it as compensation for me being rude, earlier."

That was not at all what he'd been expecting. Ryuu looked up, expression unsure. Shinobu was watching him, her eyes two purple flints. Waiting. They followed the halting movements of his hand reaching toward the rice ball, her chest unmoving as if she were holding her breath.

Ryuu grabbed the karaage rice ball and pulled it towards him. The corner of his lips tugged up, and he looked at her with a smile that could reflect sunbeams. "Thanks, Kocho-san. I was just thinking what I should have for lunch, so this is great."

"Shinobu is fine. And… it's nothing. I see you working hard almost everyday… it's only right you're rewarded for it every once in awhile," she said, looking away.

Her previous reasoning seemed to be forgotten. Ryuu brushed it aside, saying, "Really, if everyone who came to this store was like you, I'd enjoy this job a lot more." He weighed the object in his hands. "Will you and your sister be back tomorrow?"

Shinobu nodded. "Kanae said this was the only store that sold Shinazugawa-san's favourite tea. It's nearby, too, so it's easy to stop by on our way home."

"I'll be seeing you, then," Ryuu bowed his head. "Thank you for visiting 'Flowing Waves'!"

When Shinobu answered with a shy smile, it was his turn to look away, heat creeping up his neck. When she backed out of the store, Kanae's loud complaint gusted in on the warm air. "Thirty minutes, Shinobu. The tea's already gotten warm! How am I going to give this to Sanemi-kun, now?"

"I told you to go first, didn't I?!"

Ryuu watched the two sisters argue on the pavement outside. An older man with a salt and pepper beard watched them from the driver's seat, the Rolls Royce a sore thumb amid the regular brand vehicles parked along the curb. That was the Kocho family for you. Owning a large pharmacy chain was a sure fire way to stay in the top of one percent of this country.

Ryuu thumbed the rice ball in his hand when he heard footsteps from behind him, his co-worker arriving for his shift.

"Yo, Kuroshio, about your request for a different shift tomorrow," the man began. "Manager said it's either me or Reiko who has to swap shifts, but we're both kinda…"

"Oh, that? No need to change it, I'll be more than happy to come."

"Seriously? Nice!" The man scratched his cheek, grinning happily. "I dunno what made you change your mind, but so long as I don't have to come at eight am, I'm cool with it."

Ryuu grinned back. "Oh and by the way, I have a homemade bento in the fridge. You can have it today," he held up the kaarage rice ball. "This is enough for me."

"Whaaat? If you say so, Kuroshio. No takebacks!"

Ryuu laughed. "No takebacks." He thought about the half-finished drawing of a water lily, done on the back of a blank postcard several nights ago. If he touched it up tonight, there was a chance he could slip it into a certain someone's plastic bag tomorrow… would she like it? Ryuu found himself eager to find out.