Disclaimer: I do not own Yumeiro Pâtissières

Bittersweet Rivalry

Chapter VI:

Partner Trouble

Jun's POV

An angel found its way into my dreams tonight.

I found myself lying down comfortably on a green meadow completely surrounded by white roses and the full moon was shining brightly above me serving as the only source of illumination to the surroundings. I didn't bother to move or stand up because for some strange reason I felt very relaxed and calm. Instead, I tried my best to enjoy the peace and serenity this dream offered me while it lasted because I knew the moment I awoke the stress of reality will be the first thing I will feel.

All was well.

That was, until I heard a soft chuckle.

The soft chuckle alerted me because I knew I wasn't alone and because of that I stood up quickly facing towards the direction the soft chuckle came from and feeling a bit annoyed as well because that someone had the nerve to bother the peace this dream was giving me right now..

That was when I saw her.

She stood tall and proud just like how she's known to be.

The moon's rays shone on her making her seem to glow even more than she already was. She wore a long white dress as if she were a goddess, her beautiful blonde hair swayed gracefully with the calm wind, her skin was as white as snow and her eyes… Her emerald green eyes were so divine and so captivating I would gladly drown in them if I could and to top it all off she had that smile on her face that made this heart of mine skip a beat.

"Sweet dreams…" She whispered softly.

And just when I wished that I never wanted to wake up anymore and just live in this dream-like state forever the sound of my mother's complaining and banshee like cry made that next to impossible because I was finally pulled back to reality.

"JUUUUUUUUNNNNNN-PYOOON~ finally you're awake! Now hurry up or you will be late for the triiiip!" My mom screamed and I swear if she kept that up my eardrums would explode.

Trip…? Ah, Now that mom mentioned it, I did remember one of our teachers saying something about a school trip but I completely forgot that we were supposed to have the school trip today because I didn't really care about such trivial things about trips like these and the like. I then thought about skipping it since not attending doesn't affect my grades in anyway plus, I don't really feel like travelling around in a bus while hearing the idle chatter of my classmates. It was bothersome, noisy and annoying that if I were given a choice I would rather travel alone.

So in short, I could hardly care less about this trip. I really wish I could skip it like every other trip this school forced me to go on but I knew that each and every time I tried my mother here would always find some miracle to somehow force me to join whether I liked it or not.

"I won't make it anymore. Look at the time." I reasoned out knowing full well that it wasn't enough to stop my mom.

"You will! The bus leaves at 9:00 am it's only 8:15 if you shower now and move quickly I can drive you to school before the bus leaves and you don't have to worry about your things because look," She then pointed to a duffel bag that was next to my bed, "I already fixed everything you need for the trip."

"Mom, what did I tell you about going through my stuff?" I scolded her but she just gave a teary-eyed face like I was the cruelest person on earth.

"I…sniff… Just wanted…sniff… to help…" She said between tears.

I just stared at her. I wasn't going to be fooled by this lame trick again and if she thinks she can get away with it by looking like a lost puppy then she better think again. Too many years have I been fooled by my mother's great talent for faking tears to get what she wants and even though she can still fool dad, I, on the other hand have learned my lesson so she better try and think of another way to force me because this crying act won't work on me anymore this time around.

"When I say no mom it means no and faking tears won't change my mind."

"Well then I guess I better postpone you're special lessons with Ricardo then." She said with an evil glint in her eye.

"You. Wouldn't. Dare."

"Try me son. He's just a phone call away."

Mom knew my weaknesses all too well. She knew I idolized Don Ricardo ever since I was little because I wouldn't shut up about the guy back then. I mean, who wouldn't idolize Ricardo? That guy was a very famous chocolatier known worldwide and was very skilled and knowledgeable about chocolates that I considered him one of the very few people in the world of sweets that I highly respect. He was a chocolate genius that every time I attended his lectures I always learned something new so when dad gave me some good news one day that I was one of the lucky few Ricardo chose to give some special lessons to I was beyond thrilled because that guy was a really busy person. So for him to take some time off just to give us lessons was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I knew that if I let that opportunity go I would never have the chance to grab hold of it again.

I looked at the duffel bag then the time then to my mom's evil and triumphant smile. And to think dad said she was like an innocent angel… he must have been seeing an illusion all this time because what kind of innocent angel threatens people to do what she wanted?!

It was my once in a lifetime chance to meet Ricardo in exchange for a tedious school trip.

I looked at the time and my mom once more.

Damn, she won this round.

Maria's POV

School Grounds, 9:10 am

The sitting arrangement assigned to us inside the bus were by partners and that meant I had to sit beside a person I knew disliked me as much as I dislike him. It always made me wonder why some of my female classmates envied me because of this, saying 'I was lucky' but on the contrary I didn't really feel lucky because I for one was not very thrilled at the idea of travelling long hours sitting beside Jun Kashino of all people. So imagine to my relief when I found out he might not be able to make it and just go straight to the destination instead. It was a good thing though because it meant I had a more space for myself and with him gone my travel to the destination would be a peaceful and stress-free one.

I looked around once more at the entrance of the school making sure Jun Kashino would indeed not be travelling with us before I entered the bus. The moment I entered the vehicle and sat at my designated place, I found myself already shivering from the cold and the culprit was the air-conditioner in full blast that it was a bad idea for my choice of clothing right now because I only wore a thin white blouse and what makes matters worse was I forgot to bring a jacket. Darn it Maria.

"So now let's do a head count." The teacher said after we placed our baggage in the baggage compartment above our seats. I brought two bags with me on this trip, the large one was for all my clothes and necessities while the small one I had here with me was where I placed important stuff like my cellphone and my wallet. As the teacher started counting students I then took that time to look out the window to see the other buses of the other classes. We were bus number five and since that was the last bus we were going to be the last one as well to leave the school. After looking around a bit I got bored easily since there was absolutely nothing remotely interesting to look at right now but the same old scenery so I gave up and was about to look away until another bus arrived and positioned itself right next to ours. It immediately caught my eye because it was different from the others and it really stood out. The bus was a bit smaller than the others and had a big yellow star at the center and it was the color white the windows were transparent that I could practically see inside it and the chairs looked really nice, comfy and fancy compared to what we were sitting on now despite us being the top section in the second year batch.

"Man, I wish I was in the student council. I mean look at how cool it must feel like to ride with them." I heard a student say as majority of them turned to look at the white bus that had just arrived as well.

"And not to mention you get to stay and breathe the same air as Andrei Lucas! KYAA!"

"That bus must really be comfortable to travel in huh?"

"Sendou is one lucky girl if you ask me. Not only is she in the student council as well but imagine having Lucas-san that close to you! If I was in her place I would never ever leave his side and just cuddle up to him all day!"

"True, too bad for us huh? We can only look but never touch."

"Don't think so negative girls! Have you forgotten? They may have the king but we have the chocolate prince with us!"

"Yeah, if only Kashino Jun could still make it in time… He and Andrei are the only reason this trip even interests me in the first place anyway because if they weren't coming I would probably still be at home sleeping."

"I agree! It's a weekend after all."

"Yeah, such a bummer."

And on and on I heard my classmates babble about Kashino and Lucas. I disregarded their nonsense chatter and looked at the white bus once more, no wonder it looked like it was a cut above the rest so the bus was for the student council after all.

"Hey look! It's Sendou and Andrei-san! Kyaaa! I hate to admit it but don't they look great together!"

"A prince and princess in the flesh!"

"Royalty couple for sure!"

I then clenched my teeth and balled my hands into fists as I saw Sendou-san go aboard the bus with Andrei just behind her and just like our bus, their bus must be very cold as well with the way Sendou suddenly shivered and Andrei being the gentleman as he was took of the jacket he was wearing and handed it over to Sendou while carefully escorting her to their seat and waiting for her patiently to sit down comfortably before he followed suite and sat down next to her making sure he didn't make her feel crowded. Andrei treated her like she was a princess and because we could see everything because of the transparent windows my classmates all squealed once more and starting saying things like how Andrei was such a gentleman, how lucky Sendou was and how they wished they were in her place.

I hate to admit it but I was wishing the same thing. It must be nice to have him right next to me and treating me like a princess, to have his jacket wrapped around me and to see that smiling face up close.

"Must be nice-," I was then cut short when I felt a thick jacket land on my face.

"What the-!" I hastily removed the jacket from my face and the next thing I saw was the devil himself towering over me. The devil looked like he had just gotten out of the shower with the way water dripped from his brown locks and it was obvious that he was in a hurry because it looked to me like he wore anything he could get his hands on but despite that he still managed to look stylish in them.

If I had to describe his mood he looked like he was out of breathe, tired and beyond annoyed and the squeals of his fan girls didn't help one bit because it only seemed to irritate him more.

"Get your bag off my seat." Jun Kashino told me menacingly and before I could even grab my bag he beat me to it, muttered a "Tsk, too slow" and threw it towards me harshly. Seriously, what was with this guy and throwing things! And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse than this he then had the nerve to push me towards the window seat (and in a rude way too) so that he could sit down. He could have just asked politely! How ungentlemanly of him! If only Andrei were to take his place right now because I just know Andrei wouldn't act so rude like how this ruffian was acting right now! Normally, I would just try my best to keep calm and let him be but this was getting out of hand and there is a limit on how rude you can be towards someone, so no way was I going to just let him get away with that attitude of his right now that easily. I wasn't going to give in to him without a fight.

For some strange reason, this person had some kind of magic that could make me boil up in anger just with his mere presence.

"Move over! You're taking up too much space!" I complained and shoved him to gain a little bit of space. He seemed to be taken aback by this sudden gesture of mine because he wasn't used to me getting this worked up and I took that opportunity to shove him farther away from me even more.

"Sorry princess, but I prefer it like this." He said and shoved back squishing me further. Really now, the nerve of this guy! We then had a shoving fight and kept on pushing each other and neither of us were backing down that we were already starting to attract attention. He may be a guy but that doesn't mean he would have the upper advantage against me. Just being close to this guy was a disaster! Why did he have to come! Why! Why couldn't he just leave me alone and enjoy this travel in peace.

"Ugh. Just do what you want Jun! I don't care anymore." I sighed after a few minutes of shoving each other not realizing the fact I called him by his first name out of pure frustration. I knew that fighting with him like this was pointless and that I was just wasting my time and energy at that so I just opted to surrender and let him have his way. But that didn't mean it was going to be like this all the time oh no, I just didn't want to attract so much attention and show people I had this kind of unruly behavior. So for now, Kashino Jun just got lucky. I was already expecting him to tease me about giving up so easily but to my surprise not a single word came out of his mouth instead, he stopped squishing me and positioned himself properly this time so that both of us shared the space fairly. Alright, something was definitely wrong here. What trick was he playing at now? Because one thing I found out about this guy was that every action he made always had an ulterior motive behind them and most of the time I don't like it.

"Wear my jacket." He ordered. I then remembered that I was holding his jacket but instead of wearing it I threw it on his face as a payback for what he did earlier. He then threw it back and I thought we were going to have a throwing contest this time but he just sighed and looked my way with tired looking brown orbs.

"Look, I know your cold because you're an idiot for wearing such thin clothes, so just do me a favor princess and wear the damn jacket already? I wouldn't want to be blamed for letting you freeze to death."

"What about you?" I said while pointing at the plain black v-neck t-shirt he was wearing, "aren't you cold? And can you please stop calling me princess hearing it come from the likes of you irks me." I hated that nickname he gave me it just sounded so wrong coming from him.

He smirked, "I'm used to the cold. And no, I will not stop calling you that because I can call you whatever the hell I want."

I then felt myself shivering once more from the cold and begrudgingly wore the jacket earning a triumphant smirk from Kashino which I just replied with a roll of my eyes. The jacket was indeed very warm and to my utter disbelief I seemed to like the warmth it radiated not to mention it smelled like chocolate and cinnamon that I found it very relaxing… I then remembered how Andrei gave Sendou his jacket that it made me wonder what it would feel like wearing Andrei's jacket. Would it feel this warm as well? What kind of scent would it have? I shook the thoughts away and looked towards Kashino who was busy rummaging for something inside his bag. This guy may come off as annoying most of the time but I should at least say thank you because if he really didn't care he would have just left things as they were and let me freeze to death but instead he did the complete opposite and offered me his jacket and I considered it as a rather sweet gesture, seeing as it came from him of all people. I knew it wasn't easy for him to do something like this because in his eyes I was, for a fact, public enemy number one. So even if we were each other's worst nightmare I think he still deserved a thank you for lending me his jacket.

"Thanks." I said shortly.

He didn't bother to answer me and found what he was looking for inside his bag and it turned out to be earphones. He plugged the earphone into both his ears and started choosing songs from his phone, after scrolling a bit he finally chose one and started listening to it completely ignoring me.

I coughed and repeated myself, "I said thank you."

He ignored me again and looked away from me as if I was nothing but air.

"Jun Kashino, I said thank you!" I said louder this time making sure he heard it but I received no reaction.

"I hate you." I huffed while crossing my arms and looking straight ahead at the teacher. If he was going to ignore me then so be it. Two can play it that game.

But little did Maria know, Jun heard everything. He did his best to hide the small smile that was about to creep on his face by covering it up with his hand and tried to act like he didn't care. He loved annoying and riling her up, it was just very entertaining for him to watch. She could go head to head with him and she could keep up with him that there was never a dull moment with her.

To him, Maria was his most interesting form of entertainment.

"This school trip's not going to be a total nightmare after all." He thought with a smirk.

Andrei looked towards Maria one last time before the bus of the student council started making its way towards the exit out of the school. All he could do was frown when her figure grew farther and farther away until she was no longer in view.

Andrei witnessed everything that had taken place and everyone could feel and notice his sudden change of mood. The idea of Maria and Kashino didn't sit well with him. In fact, he felt really, really, really displeased about it all. Her reaction the moment Jun Kashino arrived, the way both of them fought, when she wore Jun Kashino's jacket, when she tried to tell Kashino something but was ignored and the way she pouted and looked ahead at their teacher. He saw all that and not once did Andrei dare avert his eyes from her. They looked like an old couple arguing.

"Are the students arranged by partners?" Andrei asked out of the blue.

"Yes they are. Don't you remember Andrei? You're the one who decided it to be that way in the first place so as to teach the students that partnership is important." Sendou answered with a puzzled expression as to why Andrei would ask such a thing.

Andrei gave a "tsk" sound making it clear to Sendou that something was bothering him. "My mistake." Was all Andrei muttered and Sendou thought that it would be wiser to not ask about it and didn't bother to push the topic any further.

Jun's POV

"Where are we going anyway?" I asked out of boredom as the bus made its way to the highway but was yet again ignored by the blonde-haired woman beside me. Ever since I ignored her a while ago she never spoke a single word to me and because I was bored to death and wanted to annoy her again just to appease my boredom, I started bombarding her with useless questions but never once did she turn to face me that it was starting to annoy me more than it should have.

"Are you really going to keep ignoring me like this?" No reaction.

I then thought of an idea and leaned closer to her so that our faces were merely inches apart.

"Maria~ Don't ignore me… I'm starting to feel lonely when you look away like that." I whispered in her ear and because this girl was not like most girls I knew, instead of getting all flustered up like I wanted her to be she instead had a blank look on her face and turned towards me to stare at me straight in the eye as if she were thinking deeply about something.

"It's your fault… You idiot, making me feel like this…" She said as she looked at me. Her blank expression was nowhere to be found because right now the expression she had changed to a more… How can I describe it…? Innocent and fragile looking one?

"You're such an idiot…. Jun." She then looked like she started to cry with the way her eyes started to tear up that it made me wonder if this was the same Maria I had always known or if she was possessed by someone else.

"What the hell? Don't tell me you're really crying?!" I thought I was just hallucinating things and that she would revert back to her stoic and uncaring self but she really was crying as I saw tears fall down her face and her fragile looking form along with that face that made her look like a lost deer made me suddenly want to protect her. When she looks like this… So weak, harmless and delicate… Even I find it hard to resist her.

I then did what my instinct told me and I hugged her and it really felt downright awkward I had to admit but somehow no matter how strange it still felt so right. Her form fit perfectly with mine and it was a good thing most of the students were asleep because if any one of them saw this scene I swear I wouldn't hear the end of it. I caressed her hair and it was smooth and silky like I imagined it would be.

"I'm sorry okay. I really didn't mean it I was only playing with you. I won't ever do that again so stop crying already damnit. I wouldn't know how to handle you if you're like this…" I said and subconsciously pulled her nearer to me to hug her tighter. I was so out of character I swear I can hear the rational side of me yelling curses at me this very moment but just for this moment I shut him away. Just for this moment, let me allow myself to feel content.

Just then, a white bus caught my attention and there inside between the transparent glasses was none other than Andrei Lucas and in that split second, as their bus overtook us, I swore to myself that the glimpse I saw of the prince charming everyone thought him to be was nowhere to be found. The look he gave me was no prince charming that's for sure it was more of a menacing and dark one but I didn't bother to look any longer because it was probably just my imagination… Right?

"Jun…" Maria said and for some reason every time she says my name like that it makes me feel so weak like she had this control over me. I hated it though because this means she had some kind of advantage against me but no matter how hard I try to resist… I just can't.

"What? Is something the matter princess? Tell me." I said as gently as I could but she pushed me away softly to stare at me right in the face. I looked at her with utter disbelief. Long gone was the weak and fragile princess because it was now replaced by a tearless, smug and victorious expression.

In short, the real Kaidou Maria.

"Gotcha." She smirked.

I knew it. I just knew something was off. Bullshit, just when I told myself I wouldn't be fooled by this lame old trick again because I learned my lesson from mom here comes Kaidou ruining it all for me. From the start I knew it was just too good to be true that the mighty Kaidou Maria would become so defenseless just like that. I knew I shouldn't have let my guard down. What a big letdown. Argh, this cunning and devious woman! I swear I'll get back at her no matter what the cost for playing me around like this.

"Who knew those acting classes would pay off one day. Oh come on Kashino, don't give me that sour-looking expression this was just payback for surrendering to you a while ago so now we are equal. It's a 1 to 1 now." She said as she gave a soft chuckle and all I could do was sigh heavily and chuckle along because I had to admit she got me there real good.

"That was a good one. I admit defeat this round, princess." I said and she looked at me with an amused expression.

"Why is it every time I call you by your first name you seem to be kinder than usual is there a specific reason behind that?"

"No, you must be just overthinking things." I lied. No way was I going to tell her that the sound of her voice calling my name seems to have some kind of effect on me. And it wasn't helping that she looked and sounded like the angel I saw in my dream last night that I wanted to curse at myself for actually dreaming about the enemy to the point of being dazzled and entranced by her.

"Hmmm… Is that so… Jun?" And just like that I felt my face burn up.

"Interesting… I should call you that more often." She grinned.

I take it back, this trip was going to be a nightmare after all.

Maria's POV

"We are going to have a stopover here for about an hour or so. So if any of you need to eat, go to the washroom or buy something important now is the time to do so because this is the only stopover we will have during the whole trip so make use of the time wisely. You must all be back here before 3:00 pm failure to do so will result to you cleaning the bus for garbage and I know how much all of you detest cleaning so be sure to be back early okay? And one more thing, stay with your partners and don't leave each other behind at all cost because you are both responsible for one another as partners. That is all I have to say so you may go now." The teacher said as he gave us final reminders when we reached a stopover.

The stopover was like some mini mall so it had everything from café's to restaurants to grocery stores and etc. that I didn't know where to go first. I didn't need to buy anything important since I came ready but I was feeling a bit hungry so I thought that maybe I should eat first.

I was about to start walking when I felt myself being yanked backward and I sighed because the only person who even had the nerve to man handle me like that was none other than Jun Kashino.

"The teacher said stick together Kaidou. Don't go running around without me." He said.

I rolled my eyes, "Well, I'm hungry. So I was thinking that we should go find some nice restaurant or something."

His eyes seemed to lighten up as I said this and he nodded in agreement, "Good, I'm feeling hungry as well and I know a nice restaurant around here that serves the best sushi and ramen that it will make you keep coming back for more! Plus, it's super cheap."

He looked like a child as he said those words that it made me believe that the food in the restaurant was really appealing to make a person like him, who does nothing but complain all the time, appreciate it. Might as well give it a try then.

"Can I have your autograph Mister Lucas?" My ears perked up the moment I heard the name and automatically my whole form turned around to find where the voice came from and it landed on a small boy who was holding a pen and paper and was handing it out to Andrei for his autograph. Andrei replied with a sweet smile as always and signed it for him and because of that more and more people started approaching him asking for his autograph and because Andrei is such a gentle and nice guy he catered to all of them without showing the least bit of irritation, and there, smiling nicely and proudly beside him while assisting him was Sendou Marya.

Tsk, of course he would be with Sendou. She was the Vice-President after all and they were a so-called couple so it was obvious that they had to stay together. For some reason I hated seeing them together like that. She wasn't worthy of a guy like him and yet why is it that right now they looked so perfect for each other. I was unaccepting of it really and did they really both have to wear white like they talked about wearing the same color of clothes beforehand? It made them look even sweeter than they already were.

"I'm sorry but we have to get going. We are very busy right now so forgive me if I could not cater to all of you." I heard Andrei say. Sendou and him then walked away from the crowd and headed towards an expensive and elegant looking restaurant to dine in. Elegant and classy did define Andrei and his tastes so his choice of restaurant was already to be expected that I'm sure you would never catch that kind of guy dining in a steakhouse or some cheap restaurant or fast-food nearby.

"Oh wow! Who knew Kaidou Maria and Jun Kashino were here too! Superstars are crawling everywhere here today! I'm gonna get their autograph too!" A kid said as he ran towards us.

"Hold up kiddo," Kashino said as he raised a hand stopping the kid in his tracks, "We aren't interested in signing autographs or anything like that so run along now and leave us be. Oh yeah, don't bother asking again anytime soon because I'll be answering the same thing got it?" Kashino said harshly before I elbowed him in the stomach causing him to writhe in pain for a bit but it was already too late because upon hearing Kashino say that the kids already looked too embarrassed to come near us and decided to walk away with dejected looks on their face muttering words like "Tse, Andrei was kinder." And the like.

I looked towards Kashino, eyebrow raised and arms folded across my chest looking as snooty as ever while mustering the best why-the-hell-did-you-do-that look I could give. "Why did you have to say it like that?"

"Don't give me that damn expression it's annoying that it makes me want to cringe! Look, you saw how they were swarming up to Lucas over there like bee was to honey right? I only told them off so they wouldn't bother us and you make it look like I'm the bad guy!" he reasoned out.

"But you could have said it in a nice way Kashino! You looked and sounded like some cocky jerk!" I shot back.

"Well, sorry I couldn't tell them off like that prince charming did a while ago because let's face it, I am a cocky jerk! There, I admitted it already so you happy now?!"

I could feel both our heads boiling in anger because of each other that even if I wanted to strike back I tried to hold myself back thinking that we were in a public place and if we continued making a scene we would not only tarnish our reputations but the reputation of the school as well.

"You know what Kashino, let's just eat already and head back to the bus. The sooner we get back the sooner we can ignore each other." I said shortly while walking ahead of him. Seriously! I cannot be left alone with this guy without causing a fight or making a scene that it made me wonder if I'll ever get along with him in the near future. Probably not.

"Gladly." Was all he said.

Remember the kind of restaurants I said a while ago you wouldn't catch Andrei Lucas dining in? Well it was the exact restaurant Kashino Jun brought me too.

The place was dirty, hot, cramped, noisy, unhygienic and downright disgusting I was amazed on how some people even had the will power to eat their food at such a place like this. People were gambling and drinking at the sides, others were making out shamelessly, people cursed like sailors and there were a lot of pushing and yelling going on that I think I was gonna faint. I wasn't used to these restaurants I swear. My taste in restaurants were like Andrei's. Quiet, classy, clean, sanitized and everything this restaurant was not! Was Jun Kashino intentionally trying to torture me like this? I knew he can afford a much a better restaurant than this believe me when I say that Jun Kashino was not poor in fact he was one of the richest bachelors right now so I bet he was just doing this to spite me!

"They say your tastes in restaurants says a lot about you." I murmured and Kashino heard it despite all the loud noises.

"So are you saying I'm a ruffian with poor etiquette? Hmmm princess?"

"Obviously."

"Ah, but its better here than in those fancy ones you frequent. Here you feel more free don't you agree? It's better than that elegant and suffocating place you prefer." He said as he guided me towards an empty table and he sat down ahead of me not bothering to offer me a seat first. Such a gentleman this one was. Tss.

"At least they aren't dangerous and dirty." I said getting back to our conversation about restaurants.

"But the food here is great though."

"But is it safe?"

"Ugh, you complain too much about everything woman!" Kashino then sighed and all I could do was look at the menu the waiter handed out to us.

"Let's… Just get this over with. I'll have a salad." Was all I said.

Kashino rolled his eyes, "As you can see oh highness they don't serve salad."

"What about Herb-Crusted Halibut?"

"They don't serve that either."

"Bourbon Pecan Chicken?"

"No."

"How about Seafood Pasta?"

Kashino then shut his menu loudly and angrily, "There's a reason they gave a menu Kaidou. Don't be stupid. This is a low-class restaurant so obviously they don't serve whatever the hell you're asking for!"

"Well, it's because there's nothing here in this menu that I would like to eat!"

I then threw my menu at him angrily. I know I was acting like a spoild child throwing a tantrum but I just couldn't take it anymore! It was just so unfair that I had to keep up with all of this! Why does he have to decide everything? Why is he my partner? Why is it I have to always deal with him? I'm human people! Even I can get tired too! This guy was testing my patience too much that my calm and cool composure was slowly breaking down that I didn't care anymore if I was whinier than a girl on her period. I just had enough of all of this! I had enough of Jun Kashino period!

He threw the menu back at me before clapping his hands at the way I acted.

"Wow Kaidou just wow! If only you're so called fans can see how you are now. Funny how they put you on such a high pedestal when in fact you're nothing like they make you out to be. Looking at you now and watching how you behave? You're not perfect at all you're more like a wreck. A whiny, spoilt and annoying wreck." He said with a sarcastic and mocking tone.

That was the last straw.

"I never asked for this Kashino." I said as I stood up and walked away from him.

In my whole life it was very rare that I would cry.

My pride just wouldn't accept it.

I never cried in front of anybody not even my parents.

But right now, I just felt tired and emotionally and mentally drained that I couldn't stop the tears that fell from my eyes.

And this time around, it wasn't an act anymore.

"Maria…" His voice called out to me as I cried pitifully at the dark corners of a less crowded area so that no one could see.

No matter when and where this person was always there when I needed him to be.

I looked towards where the soothing voice was coming from and saw Andrei Lucas from the distance looking at me with a worried look on his face and because I felt really hurt, stressed and sad right now I didn't think twice and rushed towards him not caring anymore if I looked like a wreck or if I was still crying like an idiot all I thought was I needed this person and nothing else mattered and in return he enveloped me in a tender and protective embrace.

"Sshh… It's alright my angel. I'm here now, no need to be afraid."

And it was only then…

That everything in me calmed down.

I felt peace and at ease.

Kashino gritted his teeth and punched the table with much force making the table rattle a bit and causing a bruise on his right fist as he watched Maria walk out the restaurant.

He never really could understand her.

She was difficult to figure out. She could be so angelic and sway him in many ways but in mere seconds like a snap of a finger she can instantly turn into the most unbearable person he's ever met.

"Such a troublesome princess I have found indeed." He told himself.

And that's chapter 6 folks! Sorry for making Andrei a little bit possessive I like possessive guys so I made him exactly like that hehehe and for those who keep asking if this is a MariaxAndrei or MariaxKashino well it's still a secret for now ^_^ Once again forgive me for such late updates I haven't given up on this story guys but updates will take some time because I always have lots of work to attend to and can't seem to find the right time to type this story so forgive me

Sorry for any grammar mistakes I know there are a lot

Next Chapter: His Angel, His Princess

Till next time!

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