Strawberry Spice

                                                                               Chapter 1

          Watanabe Chiyoko heaved a drowsy sigh. Wednesday always seemed to be the busy day for the bakery; almost as busy as the much anticipated Valentine’s Day. It was quite normal for her drained of energy. However, the lack of energy was a bit more extreme today. 

        “Jeez…If only Hanako had not decided to mess around like that, I wouldn’t have burnt out so quickly. So troublesome…” Her high pitched voice seemed to rise an octave as she regarded the other girl.

       “Goodness, Chiyoko! You are getting the icing all over!” 

       “Eh? A-Ah!”

      A light shade of blush heated her face as two delicate hands slipped over hers and the soothing scent of strawberries and honey abruptly became present. Chiyoko trembled. Nausea began to gnaw at her stomach. Those were Hanako’s hands… Which meant… She timidly permitted herself to look up, only to gaze into the loving eyes of Yamada Hanako. The other girl greeted her with a soft smile. ‘Even though she is smiling, I can see the worry in her eyes. Why can’t I stay focused?’ As the bitter thought crossed her mind, Chiyoko lowered her head in shame. She cast a guilty glance at the cake she had been icing. The white icing she had been applying to the cake had been distributed all over the counter in delicate fluffy lines. ’I am such an airhead…How can Hanako put up with me…?’

      “Chiyoko-chan shouldn’t be so hard on herself. It wasn’t her fault.” 

       ‘H-How did she know I was thinking it was my fault…?!’ 

       “You are incredibly clumsy, so I am not mad. Besides, I could not forgive myself if I bruised Chiyoko-chan’s cute face.”  E-Eh?! Chiyoko twitched at the presence of the sentence. She didn’t at all find herself cute. ‘Hanako-sama is probably joking with Chiyoko-chan….I-I am not cute at all.’ But when the girl risked a glance into the face of the older girl, she saw only truth and security. Hanako never said anything she didn’t mean….and she wasn’t about to start now. 

       “I think I have Chiyoko-chan’s hands back in order.” The subtle warmth of Hanako’s hands became absent as she spoke. “Be more careful, okay~!”

       *Ding~a~ling~a~ling*

     Blush suffused Chiyoko’s face as she watched the older girl saunter to the door. The bell mounted on it had jingled, signaling a customer. She unconsciously placed on a delicate hand over her heart, only to feel it pounding in her chest. Yamada Hanako was a girl capable of making anyone’s heart beat for her. It wasn’t necessary to inquire why. She possessed a figure every girl desired: perfect curves sloping delicately inward, long, slender legs, a well-matured chest, and softly sloping shoulders that defined her collarbone. It wasn’t only her body, however; it was her angelic face. A face that only belonged to a true angel. It was an oval shape with a distinct perfect structure. Her black bangs which fell into her lavender eyes complimented her face. Even her luscious lips were much sought. Chiyoko had always been curious, but…would she really kiss her just to quench her curiosity…?

       “Chiyoko-chan! The woman has come to retrieve the cake she requested! Please finish up!”

     The younger girl yanked herself from her thoughts and obediently resumed icing the large spongy cake. She had just recently began working in the ’White Chocolate’ bakery. It was a little rough and grueling, but she was managing to pull through the first month. All this fast-paced labor nearly drained all the energy from her fragile body after she had attained half way through her daily shift. Hanako would always coax her to take a break while she scurried around tending to customers, kitchen, and the cash register. How she managed  to keep that same amiable smile on her face each arduous day was a mystery to Chiyoko. Sometimes she wondered if the older girl was just faking it.

         “My apologies for taking so long! Here is your cake, ma’am!” Chiyoko dropped into a low bow and presented a secure white box painted with the bakery’s name to the waiting woman. The woman thanked her gratefully then proceeded to the register. Hanako regarded her warmly. 

       “That will be twenty five hundred yen.” 

      “Here you are.”

      “Take care~!”

     *Ding~a~ling~a~ling*

     A heavy silence clouded the bakery as the contented woman disappeared out the door with a joyful bounce in her long stride. Hanako heaved a sigh, the smile fading from her face. “That was the last one. A week before Valentine’s day, and White Chocolate has seen nothing but a never-ending flood of customers daily. I don’t want to even imagine what Valentine’s Day will be like for the bakery...”

     Chiyoko’s eyes flicked to the black haired girl now collapsed over the counter. Her eyes were closed and her face was half veiled by her arms which lay stiffly on other side of her head. The younger girl giggled.

      “If Hanako-sama falls asleep there, I am not going to carry her to bed!” There was a playful edge to her high, sweet voice.

     The older girl glared at her with narrowed wine-colored orbs. “I would quite like it if Chiyoko-chan carried me…Especially like this!”

    A squeak of surprise erupted from deep with Chiyoko’s chest as Hanako slid her arms around her chest and legs before tilting her backwards. Her feet left the ground and she begrudgingly threw her arms around Hanako’s neck. It wasn’t the overwhelming fear that triggered her to do so; it just felt….natural.

    “Ha-Hanako-sama! P-Put me d-down!”

    “If Chiyoko-chan insists!”

    Hanako threatened to let go, grinning at the alarmed shriek from Chiyoko. The younger girl clenched onto the older girl tighter and pressed herself securely against her soft chest.

    “Hanako-sama is so mean!” She suck her tongue out, emulating a young child.

   “Chiyoko-chan shouldn’t make such a face! I am not hesitant to bite her tongue she has so childishly exposed.” Chiyoko’s body twitched at the words. She immediately ceased the childish action out of fear that the other girl would actually bite it. She wasn’t too fond of the idea…

   “I am going to clean up.” Hanako gently set Chiyoko down with a loving smile. “You can head on up and get ready for bed if you like. Chiyoko-chan has worked really hard today, so she deserves to get a lot of sleep.”  

   Chiyoko mentally groaned as she felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. She was almost reluctant to be put down, but if she hadn’t, her heart would have exploded. ’I am really tired but I should help Hanako-sama. It’s the least I can do to repay her for letting me sleep in an extra hour the entire last week.’  The girl flipped the open sign to closed and quietly disappeared into the kitchen to clean. She scrubbed the pans with a soft, worn-out sponge resembling the head of an adorable smiling kitten with shaded oval eyes. Chocolate, icing, sticky batter, jelly-like fillings, and vanilla flooded into the drain from the messy pans.  A sweet aroma lingered heavy in the kitchen. It was because of this sugary aroma that cleaning the pans was a job Chiyoko actually looked forward too at times. The reassuring scent would wash away the stress; soothe her. She inhaled deeply before drying the pans with a soft white towel and arranging them orderly in the glass cabinets resting on the east wall.  ‘I should check if Hanako-sama requires further assistance now that the kitchen is in order.’

       The girl strolled out of the kitchen eagerly. “Hanako-sama! Do you require any furth- Ah…?”

      Chiyoko could not help but smile at the older girl. Draped over the check out counter with a half-boxed pastry meant to be moved to the display window in hand, looking so delicate and vulnerable, was the lovely Yamada Hanako. ‘I am still not carrying her to bed.’ With a soft giggle, Chiyoko disappeared up the stairs. There was no need to probe if further assistance was needed…

         Because Hanako…was asleep.