Itchi Shimasen

[Gobbo]

It was a cool autumn day in Japan, the leaves just starting to change color. Summer had ended, and thus began the next semester for Hiroshi and several thousand other students. Most of the college's housing had been claimed before the last semester had ended, but luckily Hiroshi had managed to grab one of the last apartments for rent nearby. It was only a single train's ride away from the school, so it was far enough to keep him away from the students that took school less than seriously, yet close enough that he wouldn't need to leave two hours before his class.


He stepped onto the train platform, adjusting the bag on his back. He was just carrying his clothes and his laptop, having hired movers to take his furniture from his last apartment to this one. The apartment was located just on the outskirts of the city, so it was quiet as he was hoping. He made his way through the narrow streets, soon turning the corner that lead to his destination.


Sure enough, the moving truck was there, and movers were already hauling stuff up to his apartment. He followed them up, sighing quietly.


The apartment itself was much bigger than his last one. He wasn't sure why he got the deal he did on it, but he wasn't going to complain. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a living room, it was almost like a western style apartment than the single room he was used to. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with all of this extra space, but decided it would just be something to think on once the movers were done and gone.

 

[thefierysiren]

Chigusa sat on the floor of the livingroom in her new apartment. Her hair was a wild mess and she was wearing the tshirt and sweatpants she had slept in the night before. Her sketch pad was in her lap and the force behind the strokes of her pencil showed that she was annoyed. She had forgotten to renew the lease on the upscale, single bedroom apartment that she had been living in throughout her college career and she was not happy about the consequences. Sure the new apartment had two bedrooms, but it was no bigger than the one she inhabited before. It was definitely less luxurious.


This wasn't the first time she had forgotten. Normally her father would pull some strings so that she'd have nothing to worry about, but this time he couldn't. Her mother had made it very clear that she was to be in charge of finding her own place to live, and she was to have a set allowance every month. Once the money was gone, it was gone. After much searching she found her current residence at an affordable price and knew it was an offer she couldn't pass up.


She blew at her dark fringe in frustration as she recalled her mother's speech about becoming a responsible adult and it being time that she learned to do things for herself. She had been living in the apartment two days already and she didn't feel like a responsible adult yet.


Her hand faltered and she was drawn out of her brooding when she thought she heard noise outside of her door. She wasn't going to move, but curiosity got the best of her as the noises grew louder. She stood up walking over to the door and ripping it open to see movers and a boy around her age. Noticing that they seemed to be headed her way, Chigusa gave them a confused look, "May I help you?"

 

[Gobbo]

Hiroshi was so caught up in not wanting to be around the movers that he almost didn't notice the door fling open, revealing a girl around his age inside. Once he did though, his eyes went wide for a moment.


Before he answered, he tugged the renter's agreement out of his pocket, unfolding it and checking the apartment number. He looked at the number on the door, then the paper, and back to the door again before looking at her.


"What are you doing in my apartment?" he asked, more quizzical than irritated. He was just confused, wondering if it was a typo on the agreement he had signed or not.


The movers seemed rather confused as well, and used this chance to lower the furniture they were carrying and chatter to themselves. Meanwhile, Hiroshi just stared at her curiously, awaiting her answer.

 

[thefierysiren]

Chigusa blinked in response to the boy's question. "Um... Excuse me?" She only paused long enough to snatch the paper from the his hands skimming it quickly before checking the apartment number. "Well Mr..." She read his name from the paper, "Hiroshi. I think there must be a mistake. I assure you that this is my apartment. I moved in two days ago." She gave him a small smile hoping that it was a mistake.

 

[Gobbo]

Hiro frowned slightly, partially at her snatching the paper from him and partially through her use of his first name. "This must be a mistake. Hold on." he said, pulling out his phone. He walked a little ways down the hall and dialed the landlord, intent on getting some answers.


"Hello? It's Hiroshi. Yes. No, I was calling because there's been a mistake." he said, listening to the person on the other end of the line.


"No, there's someone else in my apartment. I didn't say I'd-" he paused, having been cut off.


"What? What do you mean, there's no other space? Look, I can't- No, listen, seriously. You'll either need to find me a new place, or find her somewhere else." he said sternly. After a few more moments of arguing he sighed dejectedly, hanging up the phone as he walked back over to her.


"The landlord says there's no other rooms available. Either we share the apartment, or one of us has to find somewhere else to live." he explained, obviously agitated about the situation.

 

[thefierysiren]

Chigusa narrowed her eyes at the idea of having to find some other place to live. She had finally done something on her own and just because she wasn't happy about it didn't mean she wasn't proud of herself for it. She met Hiroshi's eyes. She could see that he was obviously as distressed by the situation as she was, but she wasn't about to give in without a fight.


"Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy and all, but I'm not going anywhere. I was here first and if anyone is leaving, it's you." She pushed his paper to his chest forcing him to take it before stepping back into the apartment while calling out "Good Luck."


Chigusa slammed the door in his face and locked it before taking her former place on the floor and returning to her sketch.

 

[Gobbo]

Hiro was a bit taken aback by her shoving the paper back at him. He was willing to share the space with her, but before he could say anything about it the door was suddenly slammed shut. Unfortunately, he was standing right in the doorway, and caught the door right in the face. He stumbled back and fell on his ass, his nose gushing blood.


"Oh, god damnit." he groaned, pinching his nose. A few of the movers laughed at him, eliciting a glare from Hiroshi. The embarrassment was almost enough to distract him from the splitting pain in his nose, his face red as he stood and leaned over so he wouldn't get any more blood on his clothes. He moved over and knocked on the door, calling in to her.


"Well, if you're just going to leave me homeless, let me use your bathroom to see if you broke my nose or not."

 

[thefierysiren]

The point of Chigusa's pencil snapped when she was startled by the sound of laughter. She had heard Hiro swear, but she had assumed it was because she slammed the door. She stood up taking a step towards the door, her curiosity once again beginning to get the best of her when she heard him call out about his nose being broken.


"Oh what are you going on about?" She rolled her eyes before opening the door. A gasp escaped her lips and her silver eyes widened as she took in the sight of his blood. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry! Uh.. Come in!" She awkwardly stepped aside waiting for him to come in.


"Let me get you a towel." She runs off and grabs a towel from one of her unpacked boxes and holding it out to him.

 

[Gobbo]

Hiro sighed quietly when she opened the door, his eyes narrowed in irritation. He held his nose so he wouldn't bleed all over the floor until she got him the towel, holding it up to stem the bleeding.


"Not the worst thing to happen to me today. Don't worry about it." he said flatly as he headed to the bathroom. "I'll replace the towel if it helps the situation."


He checked his nose in the mirror, luckily it didn't look too twisted out of shape. He'd have to go to the doctor to get it checked out.


After a few minutes the bleeding had stopped and he cleaned himself up, sighing quietly. The day had gone from bad to worse in an awful hurry. "Hopefully it doesn't get too cold before I can find a new place." he mumbled under his breath, looking at the bloody towel.


"I'll throw this out for you. Enjoy the apartment, I'll drop off your replacement later." The hurt in his blue eyes wasn't from the pain, she would notice, if she looked close enough.

 

[thefierysiren]

Chigusa debated with herself the entire time that he was in her apartment. On one hand, she was used to being alone. She was an only child and as such she was never expected to share anything. That was the way she preferred things. On the other hand, she wasn't a mean person and she didn't want to throw the poor guy out on the streets, but she just didn't think it wise to live with a random guy that she didn't know.


By the time he had walked into the bathroom, she had decided to let him leave. She would say nothing. Sure she'd feel guilty for a while, but she'd get over it...right? Besides, he didn't seem to affected by the recent developments.


Chigu's body stiffened when he walked out of the bathroom. All she had to do was keep her resolve until he left and this whole charade would be over. She'd probably never see him again. But as he bid her farewell, and promised to replace the towel, she made the mistake of looking him in the eyes. For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw hurt in his eyes, but before she could dismiss the notion, she heard her voice call out to him. "Wait... I don't mind living together... If you're okay with that." Her voice was uncertain and she shifted her weight as she anticipated his response.

 

[Gobbo]

Hiro paused at the door, glancing over at her when she spoke. He would have preferred to have the place to himself, seeing as he wasn't the most outgoing person... But this was a better option than sleeping on the streets. After a few long moments of silence he finally spoke up, an eyebrow raised.


"You're okay with that? I wouldn't mind sharing the place with you... So long as you promise not to smash me in the nose again." he said, a slight curl to his lips indicating that he was teasing.


"Don't worry, you'll hardly know I'm here. I'm usually too busy with work to do much of anything else." he explained, motioning the movers in. "Which room is free?" he asked, glad that he didn't have much to bring in. Just his bed, drafting table, and dresser, with boxes of clothes and books alongside.

 

[thefierysiren]

Chigusa felt her face heat at his teasing and was so focused on the slight embarrassment she felt that she barely heard his question.


"Oh! The room on the left is empty." She pointed to the room. "Honestly, I've never lived with anyone before, so I can't promise that you'll 'hardly know I'm here', but it should be fun! Although, I do feel like we've started off on the wrong foot."


She holds out a hand waiting for him to shake it. "I'm Nagawara Chigusa. You can call me whatever you'd like... It's nice to meet you." She gives him a bright smile when she's done talking.

 

[Gobbo]

Hiro took her hand and shook it, still wondering if this was a good idea. He was rather introverted at times, but decided that living with someone probably wouldn't be any worse than living by himself on the street.


"Iwata Hiroshi. Hiro for short, if you want to call me that." he said, offering a smile in return. It was then that he realized he was still holding onto her hand and let go, his cheeks reddening slightly as he quickly turned to lead the movers back towards the room.


"Give me a little bit to get things situated, and I'll go and get some stuff to cook for dinner. If that's alright with you, that is." he offered, waiting by the door to his room as the movers brought in the last of his things.

 

[thefierysiren]

Chigusa almost laughed aloud at his reaction to the lingering handshake. An amused smile crossed her face as she watched him walk away. When he offered to cook, she felt her eyebrows raise.


"Oh. Yeah, that's more than alright. My idea of cooking is cup ramen from the convenience store; so I'm not complaining." She laughed and her smile widened. "I can even go shopping with you if you'd like!" Her head tilted in inquisition at the end of her offer before she turned an walked away, not waiting for a response.


She went over to one of a few that were scattered around the living room and grabbed another towel before disappearing into her bedroom for a moment. When she emerged,the towel was draped over her arm along with an outfit. "You know, you don't have to replace that towel. I have tons of them. That box is filled with them." she gestured to the large box before continuing. "It wont take me long to shower and get dressed. I should be done in no time."


With that, she waltzed into the bathroom to take her 30 minute shower.

 

[Gobbo]

Hiro raised an eyebrow at that. "Yeah, I think I'm going to have to be in charge of the cooking around here. Eating too many of those things will kill you." he said, watching as she motioned to the box. He nodded, though he probably would still replace it anyways. He didn't mind her offering to go with him, considering that he didn't know if she had any allergies or anything he'd have to watch out for.


"You can come too. I don't want to get anything that might trigger an allergic reaction or anything." he replied, moving to his room. He nodded when she mentioned that she was going to get a shower, deciding to head into his room and get his things organized.


He was surprised that she was wiling to share the apartment with him, and though he was irritated that he didn't have the place to himself, it was better than trying to figure out another place to live.

 

[thefierysiren]

As she showered, Chigusa thought about how unexpected the day had turned out to be. She went from learning to be independent in living on her own to living with soneone she'd never met before. She wasn't looking forward to explaining this one to her parents, but then again why should she? They wanted to make her live responsibly, and as far as she was concerned, getting a roommate was a responsible thing to do. Especially one who cooked.


Fresh out of the shower, she pulled on her designer jeans and sweatshirt before pickingup the towel from the floor and walking to Hiro's room stopping in the door way.


"I'm ready when you are, Chef Hiroshi." She hastily rubbed the towel on her dripping hair not even bothering to actually dry it. "I hope you're not a big seafood fan. I'm allergic to shellfish."

 

[Gobbo]

Hiro had all but finished getting his room set up. His drafting table was in the corner, surrounded by his pens and stencils, books up on the shelves nearby. He glanced over at her and brushed a hand through his hair, thinking for a moment. "I see. That might be a problem, but I'm sure it'll be fine." he explained. He loved seafood, but if she had an allergy, he'd have to find some other way to prepare it.


"Let's get going. I'm starved."

 

[thefierysiren]

Chigusa stared at him for a moment before speaking, "Judging from your response, you like seafood...I can eat ramen whenever you'd rather have seafood. I stock up on it everytime I go to the store so I never have a shortage." She turned walking over to the door and slipping her shoes on as she continued speaking. "Speaking of the store, there's a grocery shop a few blocks down the street. That's where we're heading, correct?" She turned and smiled waiting for his response.

 

[Gobbo]

"I can make other things... Eating ramen all the time will give you a heart attack." he said, heading out with her. "That's right. It's the closest one that I can think of." he replied, returning the smile with a small one of his own. He still felt awkward about being around this girl he hardly even knew, and only hoped that the awkwardness would go away soon.


He started walking through the streets, heading towards the grocery store. He didn't say much, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. He was running through the series of events that brought him here, and what he should do about it. Living with her was going to be a challenge, but he had been through worse challenges in his life. It didn't take long to get to the grocery store, and he grabbed a basket.


"Aside from ramen, what do you like?"

 

[thefierysiren]

"I've been eating ramen almost everyday for the past four years and I'm as healthy as a horse. Pretty sure it's not going to kill me." She retorted following him out of the door. She wasn't normally an awkward person so she chalked her nervousness up to the unusual circumstances. Chigusa found herself annoyed at the prospect of not being herself so she racked her brain for something to say as they walked. She let out a small sigh of relief when he began talking.


"Let's see...I like fried chicken, and chips, and cake, and pizza...and hamburgers, and ice cream, and... sukiyaki and udon, but really just noodles and chicken in general." She looked off into space for a moment as if deep in thought. "Snacks are always good. I'm always up to trying the newest snack food on the market. What about you?" She glanced at him and her eyebrows raised.

 

[Gobbo]

Hiro thought for a moment, staring at her with a surprised look on his face. "You eat all that? You should be several hundred pounds by now. Do you exercise?" he asked, walking slowly through the aisles. "I normally eat rice and vegetables... Seafood, chicken, beef. I try to stay away from junk food. I usually pack on pounds if I have so much as a bag of chips." he said as he gathered up noodles, chicken, and various spices that he would need.


"Fried noodles with egg and chicken sound okay?"

 

[thefierysiren]

"Sure, I exercise...if by exercise you mean sleep." She giggled a bit as she followed him through the isles. "Ew, who actually likes vegetables? If you ask me, they're just fillers." She stuck out her tongue a little to show that she was joking. "But of course fried noodles with egg and chicken sounds great! Ooh--I'll be right back."


Chigu spotted junk food a short ways away from where they were and took off down the aisle with the hand basket she had grabbed when they walked into the store with snacks. She completely ignored the wet floor sign that was posted, and as she hurried down the aisle she lost her footing on the wet floor. She let out a shriek and tried to catch herself by grabbing the shelf nearest her but only succeeded in causing all of the chips to tumble off of the shelf and onto her sprawled figure. Her head landed next to the wet floor sign and she could only laugh as she looked up at the ceiling. "Guess I should have read the sign, huh?"

 

[Gobbo]

Hiro smirked slightly at that. "Because you said that, I'm tempted to make nothing but straight vegan food from here on out." he teased. Maybe she wouldn't be too bad, she was nice. He picked out a few more ingredients as she headed over to the junk food, shaking his head slightly. He couldn't understand how she could eat nothing but junk food and stay as slim as she was.


He was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of her slipping, followed by a shriek and a crash. He whipped around and stared for a moment, jogging up to her.


"Are you alright? You didn't hit your head or anything?" he asked, setting his basket down. He reached down and slid his arm around her shoulders, picking her up off the floor and setting her carefully on her feet.


"You know, they have these signs up for a reason..." he said with a little smile as he bent down to start picking the chips up and put them back.

 

[thefierysiren]

"Meh. It doesn't hurt that bad." She rubbed the back of her head absentmindedly, "I've had worse falls."


Chigu blinked in surprise as he started to put the chips back on the shelf. In all honesty, she would have just left them there. "Uh... Here, I'll help." She dropped to her knees and threw more bags of chips into her basket than she put on the shelf before pushing herself to her feet. "Thanks for--" her words stopped abruptly as she put her weight on her right ankle to stand up. Ignore the sharp pain she felt, she stood up anyway and forced herself to smile back at Hiro. She couldn't let herself be a nuisance just yet. They'd only just met. "Thanks for helping me up. Do you have everything you need?"

 

[Gobbo]

"Alright, so long as you're okay." he said, finishing putting the last of the chips up on the shelf. He couldn't help raising an eyebrow when her words suddenly stopped short, but decided not to question it.


"No problem. Yeah, I think I have everything I need." he said, turning to head towards the front of the store to pay for his things. He was surprised that she could take a fall like that and be just fine. If it had happened to him, he probably would have gotten seriously injured. She was interesting, that was for sure...