Jump Pulse! [Skip Beat! Fanfic]

Prologue to a Remix

There was a loud ruckus going on his floor. It was unusual, given the apartment complex's tenants, so his curiosity was slightly peaked. He opened his door and stepped out and found two teenagers fumbling with boxes as they headed into the apartment beside him at the end of the hall.

The young blond boy was the loud one, complaining about having to hold onto the boxes for so long, while the young dark-haired girl next to him was whispering apologies and platitudes, but wearing a happy smile on her face regardless.

So he had new neighbors.

As long as they, probably being the kids they are, don't continue to be loud and disrupted, he didn't care. He didn't even expect to run into them anytime soon or talk to them at all.

That's why he was caught off guard to have his doorbell rung two days later, and opening his door to come face to face with the young girl. She had long black hair and eyes the color ochre. She was slim and wore modest and very plain clothes, and wore no makeup.

She immediately bowed, holding a packaged gift.

"Please to meet you. I am Mogami Kyoko and I am moving into apartment number 325. I hope we can be good neighbors."

He blinked, caught off guard by the overly formal greeting and tradition. It wasn't common anymore to give gifts to neighbors and greet them, with most just tending to keep to themselves, but that a young girl like her was doing so was even stranger.

"Thank you," he said quietly, accepting the gift and giving a slight bow in return. She straightened up and he hesitated.

"I am Kuresaki Yuki. Please to meet you and I hope we can be good neighbors."

~*~*~

She'd given him tea leaves from Kyoto and small but very soft hand towels, with a card bearing her name and someone named Fuwa Shoutaro and written in a beautiful flourish that he'd guessed was her handwriting. It was presumptive of him, but he doubted the young boy with her had anything to do with the gift giving at all, especially as he didn't even come with her to greet their neighbors like himself.

He hardly saw her though. On occasion, he'd glimpse her returning very late, and he'd frowned at her haggard appearance and how late she was coming back. It wasn't safe for pretty young girls to be wandering around the streets at night.

He saw even less of the boy she was with. Fuwa Shoutaro (for who else was the boy but the other name on the card) seemed even harder to catch a glimpse of, but it wasn't an issue he was having. Inwardly, he decided he was quite glad. He felt that it helped keep his peace and quiet, and allowed him to either rest or work without bother.

Nearly five months had passed before he had any more interaction with his new neighbors. He was coming home late and found himself entering into the same elevator as the young girl.

"Good evening, Kuresaki-san," she gave him a bright, if tired, smile. Ah, so she managed to remember his name.

"Good evening, Mogami-san," he greeted quietly in return. He glanced at the heavy bags of groceries she was carrying. "Did you go shopping?"

She blinked before giving him a sheepish look. "I went shopping after work, but I need to hurry and make dinner."

It was nearing eleven o'clock.

"How long do you work?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Oh, um...I work at Moz Burgers from 7 to 4, and I also work at another part-time job at a restaurant from 4:15 to 11," she informed him. "It was slow today, so I got off early."