Hey guys! So I know I promised a JD update soon but this idea came into my head and I kept at it all weeks to try and finish it for you guys. So its my first TOE mini-chapter. Something related to events that happened before the story but has already been important for the story now and will be important later on. Soooo it's probably a good idea to read XD. I mean you totally don't have to... but it'd be nice if you could :p

Either way, enjoy!

Title: Passerby Part 1 (TOE mini chapter)

Characters: Misaki A. and Tora I.

Summary: Tora had met Misaki before the day she took him on a race. Even though he himself didn't understand why he trusted her in the first place. There was a reason why he sat in her car and invited her for lunch. Friendships aren't made in a day you know.

Rating: T

Dedicated to: Rebecca (Guest) and Padfoot Starfyre

Thanks for helping me figure out what to do with the gaps guys

Little Tora ran down the street, his arms swinging freely by his side. He had escaped from the boring lessons for the day and was out freely roaming the city. Tokyo was an incredible city and it would be a shame for him not to be able to explore it. Especially when all the other little kids were running back from their regular schools to meet their parents.

Tora couldn't even remember the last time he saw his. They were always off somewhere or another being busy being the big Igarashi mascots that they were. I mean sure they loved him, they did always give him whatever he wanted, but they sucked at actually being around him. Though mama was nice once in a while when she was actually home. She did read Little Tora stories from time to time before bed.

But papa was always a bit scary. Just being around him made Tora stand straighter and taller to stand in attention like a soldier does. But once in a while papa always patted his head. Whenever he did well or pleased him, papa would come down and pat his head and tell him that he was such a good boy. Those were the moments Tora lived for.

For now, though, the two were off to make some business deal in Europe or wherever, so Tora was free to fool around and bother his tutors and just make a mess of things. It was also why he took the opportunity to escape and enjoy the day. He had even taken some money with him to buy some treats while he was out.

Tora ran down the sidewalk and ran head first into an older boy who was around 12 years old. About 5 years older than Tora himself.

"Watch it you little runt!" the angry boy called out. He and his friends turned to face Tora with intimidating glares.

"Sorry…" Tora called out as he tried to bypass the bigger boys.

"Hey hey, where do you think you're going?" One of the boys called out.

"Ya, don't you have any manners? You've got to show us some respect you know. We are your seniors after all." The one who got hit said.

"Uhm… I said sorry, what else do you want me to do?" Tora asked looking very confused. These older boys were incredibly rude he thought to himself. Its not like he hurt them too much. And he did say sorry. His manners tutor taught him that if he did something wrong he should apologize for it and then move on. That's what he did, so why didn't these boys get it.

"You've got to give us your money runt! To pay back for hurting me!" The one who was hit said.

"But I said sorry, did your tutor not teach you that that's what you say when you do something wrong?"

"Hahahah, this brat has a tutor, must be a rich daddy's boy right?" one of the other boys called out.

"If you guys want you can learn from my tutor too, she's nice but a little strict. She'll teach you all the right manners that you don't have" Little Tora said innocently.

The older boys scowled "What're you saying! That we don't have manners! Screw this, we'll show you who doesn't have manners. Stupid little brat!"

The boys took a menacing step towards him. Tora frightened took a step back before turning on his heel and booking it down the street. He had no idea where he was going but he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"AFTER HIM!" the leader called and the 5 boys charged after him.

Tora ran and ran before he arrived in at a dead end. He turned around, hoping to make a break for it and to make up for his mistake, but the older boys had caught up to him by this time.

They were panting and were out of breath, especially the one whom Tora had run into and now seemed to also be their leader. He was a heavy set boy with short black hair that stuck to his face because of sweat.

"Now… we've… got… you!" he wheezed out.

Tora whimpered as the boys covered the entrance to the alleyway. His knees were knocking together so hard he could hear them and he almost slipped down to the floor in fear. What was wrong with these boys! Didn't they have any manners at all? Tora thought fearfully as they attempted to regain their breath.

"Now that… you've… pissed me off… I'm gonna… have to… beat you up… brat!" panted the leader as he raised his hand to lunge at Tora.

At that moment though, a rock came flying towards his hand at brutal force. He pulled back yelling in pain as it slit through his knuckles and the back of his palm. The boy could also feel the shock pass through his arm at the force of the hit.

He looked up and looked around wildly for the source of the attack.

"You're really stupid Matsumoto" came a strong voice from above Tora. Tora swivelled his head around to see a young girl about his age standing above the dumpster that was behind him. He hadn't even heard her come.

The leader, Matsumoto it seemed his name was, snarled when he saw the girl. "You!" he screeched in a high pitch voice.

Tora could see that although he tried to hold it together, the fear was written all over his face. "You know this is my territory Matsumoto, and I've beat you and your stupid friends up a billion times before. Why on earth would you be so stupid as to waltz right in?" the girl asked.

Tora couldn't believe such harsh words could come from a cute looking girl who looked even more delicate than him.

"I uh… I…" Matsumoto stumbled for words.

"Leave now. Or else I'll get my army to pelt you with rocks until it breaks your skull" The girl threatened in a cold voice. It was obvious to see that she meant it.

The five boys were so afraid that they turned on their heel and sprinted down the alley and onto the main street. The young girl snorted and jumped down from the dumpster and landed beside Tora.

"You're stupid too you know. What's a rich boy like you doing out in the rough neighborhoods? You're just asking for trouble" the girl scolded.

Tora was too in awe of her to say anything. The girl was probably around his age standing a bit shorter than him. She was scrawny and her clothes were in horrible shape being tattered and roughed up and she had dried blood on her knees and dirt streaked across her face. In all, she looked like a street orphan, but he could tell that she wasn't. Something about her confidence and the way she held herself made him realize that whoever had brought her up, had brought her up to have a lot of confidence.

Besides, she had cute little stud earrings on, and an orphan couldn't have gotten those. It seemed her clothes were only in disarray because she liked to run around the streets and play rough games. How un-lady-like Tora thought to himself.

"What're you staring at rich boy? I'm not gonna hurt you. If I was I would have done so already."

"I uh…"

"What? Spit it out already" The young girl then turned away from Tora and called out to the unseen people above her "Oh, you guys can go now, we'll meet again tomorrow, we're done for the day."

"Alright, bye Misa!" a chorus of voices called. There were probably 20 of them, the girl wasn't kidding when she said she had an army.

A soft and cute looking girl skipped to Misaki's side followed by a sullen looking boy with blonde hair.

"Great job Misa-chan! You scared away those scary bullies!" the little girl congratulated.

"Hah, that's only cause she had all of us waiting there to strike. So useless on your own Misaki" the little boy taunted.

The girl, it seemed Misaki was her name, turned to glare at the blonde boy. Tora couldn't see her glare but he saw the blonde boy cower slightly due to its intensity. "I was just kidding…" he muttered under his breath and Misaki turned away from him.

"Who are you?" Tora finally managed.

Misaki frowned at him "How rude, don't you know you're supposed to introduce yourself before you ask someone else for their name? Did your parents never teach you manners rich boy?"

Tora stared dumbfounded at Misaki. She was right, how could he forget something so simple that his tutor had taught him. "I'm sorry, my name is Tora Igarashi, and you are?" he asked politely.

"Misaki Ayuzawa, nice to meet you. These are my friends, Sakura-chan and Kuuga-kun."

Tora nodded towards the two of them and they waved back awkwardly.

"So what are you doing here Tora-kun? You shouldn't be running around in this part of the city on your own. Its not safe" Misaki lectured sternly.

"I just wanted to go exploring!" Tora whined "I got away from my tutors for the first time so I wanted to go see what the rest of the world was like."

Misaki stared at him thoughtfully. "You're still stupid for trying to come on your own. You're a little kid, anyone could take advantage of you."

"So are you!" Tora argued petulantly.

Misaki snorted "But I grew up here, I know these streets like the back of my hand, and most of the people here are either my friends or are too scared to mess with me anyways."

"Why?" Tora asked curiously.

"Because I'm the leader of this area. I keep an eye out for all the other kids who join my crew and we watch each other's backs and make sure no one fools around and messes with us. Many of them don't have family, or have families that suck, so we have to take care of each other."

"So… you're their boss… that's so cool!" Tora said with sparkles in his eyes.

Misaki blushed at the compliment "Uh… thanks…" Then she cleared her throat slightly "Anyways Tora-kun, since you're here to explore the city why don't I take you around?"

Tora looked at her surprised, he hadn't expected her to offer but now that she had… "Of course! That would be great!" he agreed thankfully.

Misaki grinned at him and asked the other two if they wanted to join, Sakura had little hearts in her eyes so Kuuga translated that to mean no thanks.

Misaki grabbed Tora's hand "Let's go tora-Tora! I'll take you to the best places in Tokyo!" Misaki yelled excitedly as she led Tora out of the alley and onto the main street.

She expertly weaved through the crowd, actually happily greeting many of the people she passed by. The two ran through, stumbled through and crashed through many more people and objects and animals but they were laughing the entire time as people grumbled to let them pass, many angrily yelled after them but they were too happy and too quick to notice or care.

Misaki first led Tora to a small little candy store that all the children in the area were familiar with. It had a very grungy appearance on the outside with a dusty sign that was probably supposed to light up, but instead it blinked on and off giving anyone who looked at it too long a headache.

Misaki let Tora towards the front door and was about to open it when Tora stopped her. "Wait Misa!"

Misaki turned to look curiously at Tora, "What's wrong tora-Tora?" she asked.

"Are you sure this place is safe?" he asked as he looked nervously around. There were garbage bins and bags all around the area, and he was pretty sure he could see a huge rat grinning out at him through one of the bags. He could imagine the saliva dripping down its huge fangs as it waited for him to step into a huge trap that would catch him and cut him into tiny little pieces and…

"tora-Tora don't be silly" Misaki said breaking his scary train of thought.

"But…"

"Nuh-uh, Candy-store is my friend! You can trust her" Misaki said confidently, now hurry up and let's go!" With that Misaki opened the door and gestured for Tora to follow her inside.

Tora followed quickly after her, too afraid to be left with the giant rat who he was sure was now settled in waiting for his treat to arrive.

Tora expected the worse as he followed Misaki up a narrow set of stairs with paint peeling off the wall and one light bulb that illuminated the entire place with a scary light.

Tora shuddered as he finally reached the level with a large metal door. Misaki pulled it open and Tora was bathed with a warm friendly light. He blinked stupidly for a moment as Misaki held the door open for him waiting for him to enter.

"Come on tora-Tora! Don't you want candy?"

Tora nodded before scrambling quickly into the room after Misaki and the door swung close softly.

Inside was a small area that was stuffed from wall to wall with candy and chocolate and all types of sweets imaginable. Tora's eyes widened in awe as his head swivelled from side to side trying to take it all in.

"How come it looks so bad on the outside?" Tora asked Misaki curiously.

Misaki chuckled "Silly tora-Tora, the store's front is on the other side of the street, but the entrance is on the back because it's a small plaza. It only looks creepy outside right now because the trash hasn't been picked up yet. Normally its not too bad, and if Candy-store wasn't so lazy she'd also clean up out there once in a while."

"Who're you calling lazy you little rascal" someone called out.

Tora turned to see a tall female with long strawberry blonde hair leaning on the counter with her chin in her palm. She had a bored expression on her face as she looked towards the two kids.

"Candy-store!" Misaki called happily. She quickly ran over to her and as was tradition was lifted into the air for a hug.

"Hello to you too Misaki. What trouble have you been causing today? I over heard Matsumoto talking about how his son had come home frightened for some reason. I knew it had something to do with you."

"Hmph, he's just a big fat cry-baby. Always runs in groups and tries to bully all the new kids. I was just teaching him to stay away from my turf and my friends" Misaki said stubbornly.

Candy-store rolled her eyes and she put Misaki gently on the ground. "This protective habit is going to get you into trouble some day" she muttered as she ruffled Misaki's already messy mop of hair.

Misaki just giggled and then gestured for Tora to come forward. "Candy-store meet my friend, this is tora-Tora. I met him today after kicking Matsumoto's butt."

Candy-store looked Tora up and down with the same neutral expression on her face, her eyes though were observing him keenly. "What's a bratty rich kid doing here? Doesn't he have any sense of preservation?"

"I'm exploring…" Tora offered awkwardly, this was the third time that someone had asked him why someone like him would be in this area. Was it really that abnormal?

Candy-store chuckled "Well lucky that you met Misa then. She probably knows the city best with all her running around and causing trouble. You're clearly Sakuya's daughter."

At that Misaki puffed out her chest proudly. Her old man was the greatest and to be compared to him was the greatest compliment she could have received.

"So… what can I get you kids?" Candy-store asked, resuming her bored face.

"I'll let tora-Tora decide, since its his first time."

Tora was then led around the small space and he picked up all of his favourite sweets and even some that he hadn't tried before but Misaki had recommended.

He brought his spoils to the counter and placed it on top and as Candy-store began scanning it all in, he reached in his pocket for his money bag that held his allowance.

"That'll be 1134 yen."

Tora pulled out a 1000-yen note as well as a 500-yen coin and handed it to candy store. He received his change and his bag of candy.

"Thank you" he said with a huge smile on his face. He'd never had so much candy at one time before and was super excited to try it all.

Candy-store smiled softly at his excited face. She reached for something behind the counter and came up with three small bright blue goodie bags and handed two to Misaki and one to Tora.

"Share some with little Suzu ok? Oh and don't tell anyone."

Misaki grinned happily and stuffed the two bags within her pockets and saluted to Candy-store "Yes ma'am" she said.

"Now get out of here and show Mr. Tora around the city. Make sure he gets to try some real ramen ok?"

"Of course! We're gonna have dinner there before he goes home!"

"Good, good. Now go already, my peace and quiet has been disturbed for too long" Candy-store said as she shooed Misaki and Tora out.

The two children, giddy with so much candy in their hands ran out the door giggling and waving out goodbye to Candy-store. She shook her head "Good riddance" she muttered before giving her attention to the book she was reading before she was interrupted.

Misaki led Tora back out on to the main streets and she led him to a slightly better off area than the one she was in before and through a maze of small suburban looking homes. She arrived at house number 1346 and written on the post was 'Ayuzawa'.

"Come on!" Misaki called as she led Tora past the front gate and to the door. The house was old looking but was in pretty good shape, with lots of greenery surrounding it. Someone took very good care of the garden.

Misaki pulled open the door and dropped her shoes at the front before calling "I'm hoooomeee!"

A little girl even smaller Misaki came quickly into the room. She smiled when she saw Misaki "Onee-chan!" she called out and ran to give Misaki a hug. "You're back early. What did you do today?" she asked cheerfully.

Tora stared in awe at the cute little sister and when she noticed Tora she shyly waved at him. Tora smiled and waved back. He'd never had any siblings so he wondered what it was like.

"I'm Tora Igarashi, nice to meet you" he said while holding out his hand.

The little girl eyed him warily before extending hers, while the rest of her still hid behind Misaki, "Suzuna Ayuzawa, nice to meet you too."

The two shook hands as Misaki watched smilingly. Just then an older version of Misaki came into the room "Oh Misaki-chan you're home early. How was the turf today?" she asked mildly.

Just then she noticed Tora "Oh hello there little boy, and who might you be?" she asked while walking up to him and bending down to his level.

"I'm Igarashi Tora, nice to meet you" he said politely.

"Oh what good manners, Misaki you should learn from this young man."

Misaki rolled her eyes "Mom I know my manners! Daddy taught me!" she said proudly.

Misaki's mother chuckled and ruffled her daughter's hair. She was a little whirlwind. "Now you two go get washed up, you're just in time for lunch. Your papa will be here soon too so we'll eat together."

"Ok mom" Misaki called and led Tora to her room, she turned back quickly and slipped a blue bag into Suzuna's hand "For you Suzu" before she headed back to her room.

The room was small and simply furnished, Misaki having not many toys or objects to play with since she spent most of her time outside with her friends. Misaki placed her candy on the dresser and gestured for Tora to do the same. "We can come get these after we're done lunch."

She then directed him to the bathroom where they both cleaned up. Misaki was looking much cleaner by this time so the two headed downstairs for lunch. As Misaki led Tora into the dining room, she was suddenly picked up from behind and was wrapped in a pair of strong arms.

"Daddy!" Misaki screeched happily as she was lifted upside down as her father held her by the ankles.

"Hello my little princess! What trouble have you been causing today?" he said as he gently placed her down on her back.

Misaki giggled and stood up to wrap her arms around her dad's leg. "I haven't been causing any trouble! Just protecting my friends!" she declared.

Sakyua Ayuzawa rubbed his stubble thoughtfully "Oh really now, was it this little boy here?" he asked looking to Tora.

Tora nodded shyly "Nice to meet you, my name is Tora Igarashi."

Sakuya smiled and shook hands with the little boy "Sakuya Ayuzawa, welcome to the Ayuzawa household!" he declared and he led Tora to the dining room.

The entire family sat on the table and began to dig into the delicious food made by Minako Ayuzawa, as Tora learned her name through the conversations. The family was very lively, each making contributions to the conversations and joining in on joking and teasing each other throughout the meal.

Tora was amazed by how bright and warm the worn out little kitchen seemed. It was slightly cramped, and he knew they had to pull a chair from another room to accommodate him, but he didn't feel out of place at all, in fact they continuously welcomed him into the conversation joking, laughing, and making him feel like he was part of the family.

It was completely different from how it was in his own home, where his meals were served in a large dining room that was more often than not empty due to his parents' business responsibilities.

After lunch Misaki ran up to get her candy and dragged Tora outside to continue exploring the city. She got some change from her dad for the ramen after promising to be a good kid and to not be home too late. Misaki and Tora ran through the neighbourhood and Misaki led Tora to the neighbourhood park. Misaki waved hello to some of the children as she passed by the swing set and the slides. Past the park, and the benches and the small walking path she went, Tora following close behind before they arrived to a line of trees and bushes.

Misaki creeped through a small hole under one of the bushes and disappeared. Tora looked around nervously before following her through and entering a small grove with trees all around. Misaki was no where to be seen.

Tora panicked and began to call out her name loudly "Misaki! Misaki! Misaki where are you!"

"Shhhhh" came Misaki's voice quieting him.

Tora stopped yelling but began looking around wildly for the source of the sound. "Where are you?" he whispered.

"Look up!" Misaki's voice called. Tora tilted his head up to see Misaki's face poking out from branches in the tree.

"How'd you get up there so fast?" Tora asked amazed.

Misaki giggled "There's a ladder behind the tree to get up here. Come on! I've got to show you something!" Misaki's head popped behind the tree again.

Tora quickly ran to the other side of the tree and saw the wooden ladder that had been nailed into the trunk of the tree. He scrambled up and was surprised to land on wooden planks when he reached the top.

He looked around in amazement at the mini-treehouse that he had entered. There were no walls, rather there was a think roped fence around the edge making it more of a treetop terrace than a treehouse. There was a small container with a lock on it as well as two waterproof chairs with a miniature table.

"This is my secret place!" Misaki said proudly gesturing around "What do you think?"

"It's so cool!" Tora said with sparkles in his eyes. He knew exactly what he was going to ask his parents for when his birthday arrived.

"Hehehe, daddy helped me build it last year. Suzu and I even had a camping trip here over the summer. I'm pretty sure daddy slept under the tree to keep an eye on us but he didn't bother us."

"What do you have in the box?" Tora asked while eyeing the bright red box with the lock on it.

Misaki put her finger to her lips before reaching under her shirt and pulling out a chain, on it there was a simple pendent with her name on it as well as a small key. She pulled off the chain and unlocked the little box to reveal pads of paper with crayons and coloured pencils, as well as snacks and little toys that could be used while staying at the terrace.

Misaki reached into her pocket and deposited the blue candy bag into the box before closing the lid and locking it up again.

"Wow! You've got everything you need up here!"

"Yup, I'm always prepared! Just like daddy taught me to be!"

"Your dad taught you a lot huh?"

"Yup, he's always taking me and Suzu out to places and showing us new things. And he always teaches us how to take care of ourselves as well!"

Misaki's face practically glowed as she talked about her father. Tora gazed on with a simple smile. He was in awe. Not only of Misaki, but also of her family. They all worked together so well. He wished he was part of it too.

Tora's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe what he had thought. He shook his head to rid himself of the idea before it took hold. What a terrible thing to think, he thought, how could he ever betray his parents like that? Sure they weren't always there, but they had given him everything and they loved him lots too. He could never think something so horrible.

Misaki noticed his worried expression, "Are you alright tora-Tora?"

"Uhm, yes, I'm uh just amazed. It's such an awesome place!"

"You can come visit anytime you know?"

Tora looked to Misaki in surprise "What do you mean? This is your secret base."

"But I showed it to you. That means you're allowed to come whenever you want."

Tora grinned happily at Misaki's invitation "In that case I'll come visit whenever I get the chance!" he promised happily.

Misaki grinned back, "You'd better. I think mom and dad really like you."

"Really?"

"For sure. Mom probably thinks I should learn manners from you."

Tora laughed "I was taught by really good tutors."

"Hmph, are you saying my manners are bad?" Misaki demanded angrily.

"No, no, no, no, no! You're really nice Misa, and super friendly and you're really cool too!"

Misaki blushed "Gee, thanks tora-Tora. You're really fun too you know."

Tora said nothing but grinned in thanks.

"Alright then! It's time to continue our adventure! Let me show you all the cool places I've seen around here!" Misaki cheered before heading down the ladder.

The two spent the whole day running all over the neighbourhoods and through the hidden parts of the city. Misaki took him to little alleyways with interesting sights, she showed him where all the animal families lived, such as the stray cats and she even took him to one that had kittens. Tora had been allowed to pet one under the careful eye of the mother as the kitten purred softly.

He had also been taken to the weird and wacky stores with anime figurines, toys and all types of merchandise that wasn't found in most places. One of the coolest places Misaki had taken him was a store with actual samurai swords. Most of them were for decoration, but the owner, a man named Hideoki-san was nice enough to show him the real swords, the ones that could cut through anything.

Misaki took Tora to her dojo, where she learned a variety of martial arts and he greeted her sensei as well as her seniors, who treated Misaki like a little sister. The two left most of these places with little treats and snacks since everyone adored Misaki so much.

He even got the chance to help an old lady who was trying to make it home. It seemed the oba-san and Misaki were really good friends since Misaki was there to help her everyday whenever she needed it.

The two got a delicious basket of homemade chocolate chip cookies when the lady heard that Tora was visiting. She sent them on their way after smothering them both in a warm hug and waving as the two children ran down the street to their next destination.

By this time the sky was starting to get darker as evening began to settle. "You hungry tora-Tora?" Misaki asked as she felt her stomach rumble.

Tora put a hand on his stomach and felt it vibrate under his hand loudly. In all his fun and running around he hadn't even realized how hungry he was. "Yes, I'm starving!"

"Good, then its perfect time for us to try…"

"Try what?" Tora said as he followed Misaki through a large crowd of home-going people. Many of them were in suits and school uniforms as they headed back from their daily activities.

Misaki didn't answer but kept walking past the huge crowd. Tora almost lost sight of her till she stopped and grabbed his hand in her own. She pulled him through the onslaught of people till they arrived at a small stand with two bright red lanterns on either side and bright red banners around it.

"Ramen!" Misaki called out happily "It'll be your first time right?"

Tora nodded. "So I decided to make it special, standing up and eating ramen is super fun! And this is the best ramen place in all the city!"

"Oh stop exaggerating you. You're just trying to get me to give you free ramen" said a voice from behind the stand.

Tora looked up startled to see a young teenage boy with a chef's hat leaning a hand on the stall. He seemed to be at least 17 with a mop of black hair and a small star tattoo on his right cheek.

"Tsubaki-nii!" Misaki called out happily.

The boy grinned back and picked Misaki up as she came to greet him. "Hey you. Still running around and causing trouble for people huh?"

Misaki pouted "Why does everyone say that! I only cause trouble for those who deserve it!"

Tsubaki snorted and put her down "Sure you do little Misa-hero." He reached over and ruffled her hair till it was a complete mess.

"Hey! I just fixed my hair too!" Misaki whined.

"What're you talking about, it was a mess from before!" Tsubaki exclaimed. He suddenly bent over in pain as someone smacked him on the back of his head.

Behind Tsubaki stood a large man with a protruding belly and a larger chef's hat on his head. "Are you bothering my best customer Tsubaki?" he scolded.

"I am not!" Tsubaki whined as he rubbed his head and turned to glare at the man behind him.

"Izumi-san, Tsubaki-nii was ruining my hair!" Misaki complained.

Tsubaki turned his glare to the evilly grinning Misaki. The little rascal was trying to get him in trouble.

Izumi mock gasped and turned his stern face to Tsubaki "It seems like all the customer service I've been trying to teach you is going down the drain. Kami-sama, why did you give me such a useless son?" Izumi said in despair.

Tsubaki rolled his eyes as he gave up the fight. His dad was just using this as an excuse to bad mouth him.

"So what can I get you Misaki-chan?" Izumi asked cheerfully as his son moved out of his way to get more supplies ready for the evening rush.

"Two shoy-yu ramen bowls please!" Misaki asked while pulling change out of her pocket.

"That'll be 1000 yen" Tsubaki said as he finished putting the last bowl in place. His father had already started getting the bowls ready.

Misaki pulled out two 500 yen coins from her pocket and handed them to Tsubaki. "So, who's the little boy with you?" he asked after he put the money away "I hope he's not your boyfriend, you're too young to get one" Tsubaki scolded, with the ferocity of an older brother.

"Of course not Tsubaki-nii. tora-Tora is a new friend I made today. I was showing him around the city."

"Ahh, makes sense. That's good, little boys and girls should only remain friends" he said in all seriousness looking relieved. He even pulled a smile as he went to shake Tora's hand.

"My name is Tsubaki Andou" he said.

"Tora Igarashi, nice to meet you Tsubaki-san." Tora said respectfully.

"Wow, you're such a polite kid! Make sure you learn from him Misaki."

Misaki just stuck her tongue out at him "I have good manners ok" she said in an annoyed voice.

Tsubaki just laughed as he reached over to grab one of the finished bowls of ramen. He noticed that his dad had added some extra meat in both bowls for the children and he smiled at the excited looks on their faces.

Misaki and Tora took the bowls with a thankyou and began to dig in. They noisily slurped their way through the entire bowl until it was wiped clean.

"Thank you Izumi-san! That was even better than normal!" Misaki complimented.

Tora nodded enthusiastically "Yes, thank you very much! That was the yummiest thing I've ever tasted!" he said truthfully.

Izumi smiled at the two children as he accepted the praise "I'm glad you liked it, I put my secret ingredient in it today to make it extra yummy for you two."

"Really?" Misaki asked in awe.

Izumi nodded his head while patting the side of his nose with a finger "Yup, but don't tell anyone ok? The secret ingredient is only for important customers. They'd all want some if you told them."

Misaki and Tora nodded their heads vigorously and promised to take the secret to the grave. After that they headed out since the stand was starting to get busy.

"Bye Tsubaki-nii! Bye Izumi-san!" Misaki called as she led Tora away.

"Take care of yourself kiddo!" Tsubaki called in farewell before he became busy in taking orders.

"That was so awesome!" Tora said excitedly as Misaki led him away to a less crowded street.

"Do you have to go home now?" Misaki asked as she turned to look at Tora sadly.

Tora noticed the darkened sky and he nodded his head, his face losing its grin.

Misaki bit her lip before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a string with a pendent on it. The pendent showed a dragon on it and Misaki held it out to Tora.

He looked at it in surprise before slowly reaching out and taking it into his hands. He looked it over carefully and ran his finger over the engravings. It was a very detailed image now that he could see it clearer. And the pendent felt heavy in his hand.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Misaki nodded. "Yup, I know you were lucky to get out today, and I don't know if I'll see you again since we're both really far away. But this way, you'll always remember today and how much fun we had. It's also a promise to stay friends even if we never see each other again."

Tora looked up to smile at Misaki "I promise. We'll always be friends."

Misaki grinned back at him "That's good. Though, it'd be nice if you could come and visit sometime. You know where I live, so be sure to stop by ok?"

"Of course."

Misaki smiled before turning to continue leading Tora down the street. They arrived at a cross roads and Misaki stopped there. "Do you know how to get home from here?" she asked as she turned towards him.

Tora nodded his head. He turned to look down the street that would lead him home and he knew he would find someone there looking for him.

He turned to say one final goodbye to Misaki when he was suddenly engulfed in a hug. "It was really nice meeting you Tora. Never forget me ok?" Misaki said as she let go of him.

"Never" Tora promised "Not as long as I live. And you'd better not forget about me too Misa!" he said.

Misaki giggled "How could I?"

Misaki and Tora smiled at each other for a second. Neither knew when they would meet again. But they knew someday they would, they would just have to wait for that day.

"Bye Misa, see you soon!" Tora said as he turned to head home.

"Bye tora-Tora!" Misaki called waving bother her arms in the air. Misaki kept waving until Tora had disappeared out of site before she headed home to her family.

Tora looked back once before he turned before forcing himself back towards his regular life. He clutched the pendent he wore around his neck and promised himself to never forget. Even if he never met her again in this life, the two would always be friends.

*/*

Current day Tora arrived home after listening to Misaki's story and put his things away. What Misaki had told them all today was her opening up a lot after not sharing for years on end. He returned to his room and reclined in his chair thinking about all that he had heard.

Absent mindedly he pulled out a pendent he had around his neck that was on a silver chain. The string had worn away years ago but he had kept it safe by putting it on a new chain. He stroked the dragon engraving as he sat lost in thought looking out his window into the busy city of Tokyo.

How'd you like that? I actually thought it was kinda cute. If you're wondering, no, neither Tora nor Misaki have any idea who the other is. It's been what... 11 years since they met. I'm not saying there won't be some interaction other wise (spoilers) but nothing that would make them realize who the other is.

Hope you enjoy! If you'd like to see more mini-TOE stuff or JD stuff be sure to check out JAD once in a while. And if you'd like me to write something specifically for you send me a pm or review. I'll write a special chapter dedicated to you :)

Peace out

PWNAGENINJA