Cookies and Coffee and Airplanes

Miyano Shiho was in the airport. She was flying to America, to find her onee-chan, who'd mysteriously disappeared from Japan a year ago. Shiho had finally been able to pack what few precious belongings she had and save up enough for the ticket and a few months of living in America. And from there, well, she'd just have to figure out how to make a living. It wasn't like her to make such decisions, with no real plan, but it had been an entire year since Akemi had disappeared and she had a dark feeling that if she waited a moment longer it would be too late. She could lose her elder sister forever, the same way they had lost their parents.

She didn't even know for sure if Akemi would be in America. Her sister could've been taken away, could've been (she winced) killed. But… there was no evidence that there had been a struggle, no evidence that there had been a kidnapping or a murder. She'd combed through every piece of news and website for information, and none had shown up with any distinct relationship to Akemi. And what use would kidnapping Akemi be if the kidnappers didn't send out a ransom, or such?

Miyano Akemi's belongings had disappeared along with her. There was no logical explanation, therefore, other than Akemi had moved away of her own will. Shiho was setting out to find why, and to reunite with her. She knew her onee-chan. Akemi wouldn't have just left with no warning, abandoning Shiho. Perhaps she was in trouble, perhaps she would come back. But it had been a year, so Shiho was going searching for her. Her sister was all she had left in this world.

Really, Akemi could've moved anywhere. A small island far away, or a place Shiho had never heard of.

But.

"I wanna go to America someday," a young teen with dark hair sighs.

"I don't see why, onee-chan," a younger girl with creamy-brown colored hair says.

The older girl laughs. "It's just a dream of mine, Shiho-chan. I've wanted to go since we were little girls. Away from Japan, away from all these memories."

The younger girl persists, "But why America? There are so many other places you could go to."

"That's true," the darker haired girl admits, "but America is supposed to be a place of freedom. It's where anyone and everyone can go."

"Onee-chan, you should know better than to believe the rumors that America will free you. It'll just be a foreign country with a different language."

"Stop ruining my dreams, Shiho-chan!" the older girl whines, laughing and poking at her younger sister. "I've always believed that, so even though now you tell me that, it's still somewhere I'd like to go. One day, when I leave Japan… the first place I'll go is America." A dreamy look returns to her indigo-blue eyes.

The younger girl stares at her sister with a touch of sadness in her light blue eyes. "I don't want you to leave, onee-chan. Can't you stay in Japan?"

"Silly Shiho," the older girl tweaks her sister's nose (which she knows Shiho hates). "When I go to America, I'll take you with me. We'll travel the world together, okay? I won't leave you behind."

A faint smile shines in the younger girl's eyes. "If we ever get the chance, Akemi-neechan," she murmurs, "I think that'd be fun."

So today, her shoes making soft clicking noises on the smooth floor, luggage rolling behind her, she was flying to America. She didn't blame her sister for leaving without her— she was a grown girl and Akemi most likely had a reason for leaving and not even sending a message. Shiho trusted her older sister, and she would go to find her if her onee-chan couldn't come back and get her.

She glanced at the clock on the screen that displaying all the flight times and destinations. She still had a good hour before she had to load onto the plane. Unbidden, she yawned slightly. She pursed her lips. Perhaps she'd take the time to get a coffee. Across from where she was seated was a small shop, anyways, and the warm smell of coffee wafted to her.

Wheeling her luggage behind her, she walked over to the shop. Coffee n' Cream, it was called. Inside, a cheerfully smiling man behind the counter greeted her and asked for her order. Shiho was hungry as well, but she didn't want to waste any money getting anything too expensive. Her eyes quickly scanned the pale yellow-cream menu mounted behind the counter, and ended up ordering a cup of coffee along with a rather inexpensive package of cream cookies. She didn't really favor sweet things, but it would do.

Realizing rather quickly that she had her luggage with her and was therefore left with only one hand to carry both the coffee and the cookies, Shiho tucked the package inside her handbag and wrapped a hand around the cup of warm coffee. There was only one empty table left, so she strode towards it and sat deftly, setting down her coffee. An hour was a long wait if she had only coffee to keep her company, but she had thought ahead and brought a book with her as well.

Sipping at her black coffee, Shiho settled comfortably and began reading. About twenty minutes passed before she heard a rustle from across her and the unpleasant screech of a metal chair being pulled back. Looking up from her book and half-finished beverage, she eyed the young man standing in front of her.

"Do you mind if I sit here, miss?" His voice wasn't that deep yet, but smooth. He looked about Shiho's age, with dark coffee colored locks and bright sapphire eyes. "I won't be too much of a bother, and my flight will leave soon anyways. It's just that there are no other seats available here."

Shiho didn't particularly want this stranger sitting across from her, but it would be rude to refuse. She could endure sitting across from him for a while anyways, so she merely shrugged and replied, "Feel free."

She returned to her coffee and book, and was quickly re-immersed. It was five minutes before she heard the crinkle of foil and a crunch of a cookie. She looked up from her book, only to find the previous young man reading his own novel. He had a cup of coffee as well, but what irked Shiho was that his jaw was working on what was clearly a cream cookie. The opened package lay in between the two. Her eyes narrowed. He was eating her cookies. It shouldn't be too much of a deal— they were only cheap airport cookies— but what right did he have in eating them?

Shiho pointedly took a cookie from the package. The young man's electric blue eyes flicked up to meet hers for a moment, and then he resumed reading and sipping his coffee. Perhaps it'd been an accident that he'd taken her cookies? The young man didn't apologize, however, and Shiho took a bite of the cookie rather heatedly. It gave a satisfying crunch and she finished it off, taking another sip of black coffee.

But a minute later, the dark-haired man was reaching for another cookie, nonchalantly eating it and not even glancing up at Shiho. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in.

So he wanted to play that kind of game.

Even though they were just cookies, she didn't want this insolent blue-eyed man to think she'd simply relinquish what was rightfully hers. Pretending to read her book and casually sip her coffee, she took another cookie. And so did he. This went on, with Shiho getting more and more annoyed. Finally, there was only one more cookie. Shiho was about finished with her coffee and her book by then. The young man took the last cookie and split it neatly in half over a napkin, so that no crumbs fell onto the table. With a slight, warm smile he pushed half of the cookie over the table to Shiho. His brilliant blue eyes held mirth and a touch of a smirk. He finished off his coffee, ate the cookie, and stood to leave.

As he rolled his luggage out of the shop, Shiho glared at the half cookie in front of her. Of all the things—! Just who did he think he was? He had the nerve to split the last cookie and hand it over to her generously— and that half-smirk in the end. Shiho toyed with the idea of storming after the man and demanding him apologize, but her rational side quickly ran that idea down. Glowering, she finished her coffee and tossed it into the bin. Tucking away her book, she took her luggage and wheeled it back out of the shop. Her flight would be leaving soon.

She fumed to herself all the way up to the the counter, where a pleasant-faced assistant asked for her boarding pass. She opened her handbag to retrieve it— and stopped in surprise. Her face flushed in embarrassment. There, inside her handbag, smiling cheerfully next to her boarding pass, was a package of cream cookies. The package she'd hastily shoved into her bag and never took out.

So the cookies she'd been eating were the blue-eyed man's.

As she handed the pass to the flight attendant and rolled her luggage onto her airplane, her face stayed colored in shame. So the entire time she thought he'd been eating her cookies— she'd been eating his. And he'd been kind enough to share the last bit and she'd merely glared at him. How rude he must think her to be— and Shiho shouldn't care, because she would never see him again, but still she did.

"Oh!"

"Why hello, miss. It's seems we meet again."

"You?" Shiho resisted the urge to flee. "Your seat is 36A?"

A friendly smile. "Yup. I assume yours is the one next to me, 35A?"

Shiho sank into the seat, face hot in embarrassment again. "Look, I'm sorry about eating your cookies. I didn't mean to— I thought they were mine—"

The man laughed easily, and Shiho's head snapped back to look at the man's face. It was easygoing, forgiving.

"It's quite alright, miss. I don't mind, and I figured something of the like had happened. My name is Kudo Shinichi," he flashed his teeth again, "and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. What's your name?"

Shiho searched his cerulean eyes for any trace of hostility or fake-politeness. She found none. "Miyano Shiho," she murmured. "It's, uh, nice to meet you as well."

/fin/