Cleaning

Ding! The oven rang, signaling the end of its job. Kosaki stood before it, patiently waiting for that sound. With oven mitts, she pulled out what she had been working on. A simple loaf of bread. As a new student, she needs to complete the preliminary test before starting official course work. Looking at the loaf, it certainly appeared to be quite tasty. However, she knew that looks weren't everything. Picking out a piece, she slowly placed it in her mouth, hoping for the best. What she got was the worst.

"Bleh!" She gagged, spitting out the piece. It was horrendous. How could something that looked so good, taste so bad? "I just don't understand. What am I doing wrong here." After the 15th attempt, some frustration was to be expected. She stood there alone, thinking to herself. What good is she if she couldn't even bake a simple loaf of bread? What hope was there to even completing this class?

"What are you doing here?" A voice said to her, breaking her train of thought. It was Anadama. "I wasn't expecting you to be in the class kitchen right now. Why aren't you with Chiffon?"

"Oh well you know, tomorrow is my test."

"I know that, I'm your tester after all." He scolded. "I mean why not back at home, we have a perfectly good kitchen there." As always, he never wanted to sound nice for her. At this point she was used to it. Yet there were times where she felt that was a facade.

"I just wanted a more private place, that's all." The thought of them seeing her futile attempt at baking was embarrassing enough. "I hope that's not a problem for you."

"While I think that's weird, I guess there's no rule against it." He conceded. "But today I am supposed to clean up this place."

"Clean up? You don't have people you pay to do it for you?"

"Well we could, but saving money is always nice. At least that's what he tells me." His voice filled with disdain.

"He?" She asked. Ignoring the question, Anadama scanned the room seeing how difficult his job was going to be. The filled up sink answering his question.

"Looks like I got quite a long day ahead of me." He sighed.

"I'm sorry." She started up again, believing that he simply didn't hear her. "Who were you talking about?"

"Who else? my father of course."

"Your father?"

"Yes, I do indeed have a dad. I know you haven't seen him, but I do have a dad and mom just like anyone else!" He snapped back, causing her to recoil in fear. Turning her face away from him, unable to look him in the eye. Realizing his mistake, he changed the subject. "Anyway the point being that I'm the one who's doing the cleaning here." Seeing that her mood hadn't changed, decided that he should probably sound a bit nicer. At least for the moment. "Anyway, you should get yourself home."

She looked at him, where he didn't have his cold look right now. Instead it was replaced with something much more warm inviting one. Only for a moment, before he seemed as though he was acting as if he was doing her a favor. His hot and cold behavior always confused her. Her mind couldn't take it much longer, she just had to know. That meant doing something that her high school self would have trouble doing.

"Why don't I help you then?" She asked. Offering to spend more time with someone who was still nearly a stranger was nerve racking for her.

"What?!" He couldn't believe it. He thought that she'd want to avoid him at this point. That's what Chiffon does. "I'm sure you've been here for a while, I imagine that it's rather tiring for you."

"I mean, you're right." She responded. "I got down here as soon as I woke up. I've just been really worried, about, you know." She shyly blushed, answering his question. She didn't want to admit that her concern about this school. Especially to him of all people as a person that would get her kicked out the moment he learned. Still though, there was a part of her that was hoping that she might succeed after all.

"You shouldn't be. I'm sure you'll do fine." He stated it with so much confidence, that it didn't sound like a statement one makes to try and make someone else feel better. He made it as if this was an indisputable fact to her. "My father's never wrong about this kind of stuff. If he says you've got potential, then you got potential."

"But I don't remember ever meeting him though." When looking at the photos, she was confident that she never saw his dad walk in the family store.

"He's never met you either." He answered. Making his way to the sink to begin cleaning. Realizing that continuing this conversation was slowing him down at this rate. At the same time he was hoping that she take the hint and leave. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't the case. She followed, peering over his work as he turned on the sink.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask for the details. You'll have to ask him yourself. If you can." He murmured that last statement under his breath.

"I guess I will then." She wasn't sure how she was going to do that, since living her, she still hadn't met the man. Peering over Anadama's shoulder, she realized just how big of a mess she made. Maybe now would be a good time to offer help. "That seems like a lot of work there. I should clean a few of those."

"Please don't, I really don't need you getting in the way." This was going the complete opposite of what he wanted. "As a grown man, I can handle this."

"It just doesn't seem right that you have to clean up my mess."

"I really don't mind, it's not that big of a deal." He placed the first finished bowl down to dry. "If it helps, it's not like I hate doing this. I hate dirty kitchens more, in fact." But this wasn't a good enough reason for her, she still felt that she'd feel wrong not helping, knowing that he would be doing this on his own.

"Well it wouldn't be right leaving you here." She stepped up beside him. Grabbing another bowl covered in the mix of ingredients used. He sighed resignedly, knowing that words weren't going to stop her.

"Fine, but as soon as we're done with the dishes, you leave. I'll finish up the rest by myself." He wanted to make sure she wasn't here any longer than she should have been. At this point he would have preferred kicking her out like he usually did. But she was much more assertive than most. Then again, most people were usually glad they weren't the ones doing the cleaning.

"Alright, no problem then." She responded. Beside him, she put on rubber gloves and picked up a plate. They quietly scrubbed on the dirty dishes, the sounds of clinking and running water breaking the silence. This just wouldn't do, she thought. At this rate all that she would accomplish was helping someone else with the chores. "So how's the weather?" Probably the worst thing she could have thought of to start a conversation.

"Last time I checked, we didn't agree on talking while working." Trying to keep their interaction to a minimum, that was all he wanted to say. But she wasn't going to let him off that easily.

"Why do you try so hard not to be friendly?" It felt bold, but after waiting weeks for a chance. Kosaki just couldn't keep it in anymore. "Why do you try so hard to push everyone away from you!" She covered her mouth, that came out louder than intended.

"Well now I know that you aren't just ignorant of that!" He came back at her. "I was beginning to think that you're skull was so dense that nuclear radiation couldn't reach your brain."

"I-I'm sorry..." She resigned herself back to the dishes, almost in tears. "I'll stop talking then." Anadama knew his outburst was a bit much, but he was getting what he wanted, except the boy did feel bad making her cry. Why should he care, he thought. He didn't want to be making friends with her, he didn't want to make friends with anyone associated with this school. This wasn't the first time he felt this way about her, so what made her so special?

"No… I should be the one apologizing." He replied. She turned and looked at him. "I-It's not because I care or anything, I'm just no savage." Quickly adding the last part in.

"I don't get you..." She responded.

"I mean, it's not like I'm trying to get you to 'get me'. I'm trying to get you to avoid me." Confused at her response, he was beginning to wonder if she was clinically insane.

"Well it's just, you're so mean most of the time." That was obvious to him, if she was going to tell him why he needed to be so distant, he'll just ignore her. "But then there are times when you go out of your way to be kind." He was about to answer to what he thought she was about to say, when he paused.

"What? Name one time I was ever nice around you." He asked, expecting to stump her.

"What about when you baked a cake for my birthday? There's no way you could already have forgotten that."

"Well there's a difference between doing it out of the bottom of your heart and doing it because of obligation." He retorted.

"Did you you ever do that for Chiffon then?" She asked.

"Well… no. But that's only because she went home to France to celebrate." He reached in for another plate, only to be greeted with nothing but the bottom of the sink. "Huh? Oh I guess we're done here." He said as he took of the gloves. "That also means we're done talking here." While he appeared glad that was over, she was the opposite. She knew she needed just a little more time, then maybe there might be a chance to find out. "I'm gonna grab a mop, so just get whatever you brought over here and leave." He headed towards supply closet to grab one. She knew this was it, and this time there would be no distractions. No otherworldly interruptions and she had the right answer for this.

"I saw you help that old lady cross the street!" She shouted, definitely way too loud. While it might've been the right answer to her conundrum, it certainly wasn't the most graceful of executions. Her words were enough to get Anadama to stop in his tracks. There was silence between them for what felt like an eternity before the boy finally spoke up.

"What did you just say?" He asked, turning around to face her. She stood before him, still with her gloves on. Water dripping from her fingertips as they paused, seemingly stuck in time.

"My first day at the school here." She began. "I saw you help that lady cross the street, before you got in." A part of him thought this was ridiculous. It was so simple that it didn't cross his mind as he remembered doing that.

"S-so what?"

"Because that was when I knew that your mean act was just that. An act." The look on his face was proof to her that this worked.

"W-well I mean it's just c-common courtesy to help the elderly h-here." He stumbled on his words trying to refute her theory. But she only smiled in response.

"Before that happened, I thought that your cold attitude was just who you were. Which really isn't a problem for me, but I know that what I saw that day, was the real you." After her last words, silence. She could feel her heart about to burst out of her chest. It was going at a million miles a minute. He wasn't saying anything, did she anger him? Or was he insulted? Wondering what his next words were going to be, filled her body with dread.

"So what if it is?" He asked. His tough affront was replaced with one that was much more reserved. "I don't treat you, or anyone else here, with any kindness. So why care about what things I like to do for other people?"

"Because I don't get it." The dripping from her gloves, still soaked, leaving a puddle on the ground. "You clearly looked happier that way, why treat us so differently?"

"You wouldn't understand." He stated directly, turning away to grab the mop. She gave chase.

"People only say that when they don't want other people to understand." She told him as they reached the closet.

"Then I'm sure we both understand what I what then!" He replied, opening the door and taking a mop from the closet. "Those same people also use it as a means of telling others to mind their own business!" Yelling at her causing Kosaki to recoil.

"I-I see..." She resigned. Maybe this wasn't going to be the breakthrough she was looking for. Looking at the ground in disappointment she noticed the trail of liqud she left behind. "Oh no! I'm so sorry about this." She told him, startling him as well as confusing him as to what she was referring to in the first place.

"What? Oh..." Looking at the ground, she was right. There was a lot of water on the ground because of her. "This… well I'll just clean it up."

"No, I should clean up after my messes." She said, feeling bad for making him do it.

"Last time I checked, we agreed you only get the dishes. Everything after that, you're gone."

"Well that was before I did this." She grabbed the mop and pulled it towards her.

"My kitchen, my responsibility." He pulled back.

"My mess, my job." They engaged for a battle for the mop, forgetting the tone from their conversation before. Though they were both very serious about themselves, anyone seeing this would be astonished by the absurdity from these two.

"Look we can't spend all day arguing, at some point you're just gonna have to give up!" He pulled with much more force, hoping for enough to get her to release her grip. Unfortunately when the ground you're standing on with slippery wet. That kind of pull makes you lose your footing. Which is exactly what happened to Kosaki.

Feeling the feet under her sliding, she let go of the mop and tried to grab anything that could help catch her fall. Seeing her falling towards him, Anadama let go of the cleaning tool, bracing for impact. Colliding with the force of a truck, they flung straight into the closet. In her efforts to keep from falling, she had onto the door handle. As they flew in, her wet gloves lost their grip on the handle and she slammed right onto him.

"Owww!" They screamed in unison, feeling the pain of the impact. Regaining his bearings, he tried to push her off of him, only to realize that there was little room for either of them to move.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" she apologized immediately. Getting herself off of him, barely standing next to him without interfering with him standing up as well.

"You better be sorry." He reprimanded. "Let's just get out, so I can forget any of this has happened." She agreed, feeling around on the door to find the handle in darkness, she finally got what she was looking for. But pulling on it, she got the opposite from what she was expecting.

It wouldn't budge.