"Slow down Ichigo" demanded Julie "You can't rush tempering, you must take your time. Like this" he stood behind her, grabbing her hands and guiding her through the process.
At that moment all the confusion Ichigo had been feeling, since she had met Julie, vanished. She noticed that unlike with Kashino when he taught her the basics of tempering, her heart didn't beat faster and she didn't feel like her legs were weak. Her face didn't turn read as a tomato and she didn't wish she could stay like that forever...she felt like she always does in Julie's presence. Ichigo noticed then that the feeling she held for Julie weren't the same she felt for Kashino, but rather were closer to the ones she felt for Hanabusa and Andou. But if she didn't feel for Makoto the same as she felt for the rest of her friends, what does she feel for her favourite chocolatier? Suddenly she stiffened at a crazy thought that bumped into her head. She couldn't... could she?
"I think that is enough for now" stated Julie, freeing Ichigo from his hold "What were you thinking just now? I believe that is the first time that you space out during practice".
"Mako... I mean Kashino. I was thinking about Kashino" she answered absentmindedly, not noticing the look of pure jealousy and hurt in Julie's face "You know Julie, he is a sadist, mean and short tempered snobby genius. But he was the one that had always pushed me to be better, to improve and get to his level so I could stand next to him without feeling ashamed. And whenever I felt lost or like I didn't know what to do, he always had the right words to encourage me to keep on moving. Even if he only thinks of me as an incompetent, pig, clumsy and naiA sweve girl, he is the one I think about these last months whenever I want to give up" by now tears were rolling freely down her cheeks, breaking not only her heart but Vanilla's, Shanti's and Julie's "He broke my heart when he proposed training on our own from now on, of going in different paths... he surely can't stand my annoying presence anymore. But what hurt me the most is that he... they never said anything about skipping a year to me. I believed that we were a team, always together... but I was wrong...".
"He is an idiot!" snapped Julie, dragging her into a comforting bear hug "If he can't see what an incredible girl he has in love with him, he does not deserve you".
"Love?... So that's why I feel for Kashino, I am in love with him" Ichigo sighed, almost dreamily, snuggling closer to Julie. Again not noticing how her words caused her friend pain. The peaceful moment was broken by the sound of Ichigo's mobile phone ringing "Moshi, moshi... Francoise-sensei! Shouldn't you be getting ready for you wedding?".
"Everything is a disaster Ichigo!" the panicked tone of her sensei concerned the brown haired a patisserie "There was a car crash and the patisseries I hired won't be able to make it here, luckily the cooks could but we can't have a wedding without the sweet table and specially without a wedding cake! I would do it myself, but with getting ready for my wedding I can't make it on time either. Is your uncle there?".
"No, he left to a neighbour town for some fresh fruits they cultivate there. He won't be coming until tomorrow" answered Ichigo lamenting it dearly "But Julie and I are here, just tell us what you need and we will help you as much as we can".
"Ichigo..." murmured Charlotte, moved by the honesty and kind heart of her student "My son and his girlfriend are students from the St. Marie's French campus, they must be already at the kitchen doing their best. Could you help them?".
"Of course!" she replied without a second thought.
"My son is Nicolas Francoise, he is a year older than you. And his girlfriend is Lemon Yamagishi, she is a year younger. But both of them are great patissieres, so much that they skipped a year each" Charlotte informed her "My son will take care of the sweets with licor, which is his speciality, I am sure that Julie won't mind handling the chocolate ones, since it is what he is best on. You just focus on the wedding cake, and Lemon-chan will do the rest. But if you all want to finish on time and make it the best performance you had ever done you must work together, it might not be a problem for you but Lemon-chan... she doesn't believe in friendship or partnership very much".
Kind of like Makoto at the beginning... Ichigo thought. Makoto?! Since when do I call him that?!
"Don't worry Francoise-sensei, we'll do our best and we'll succeed" Ichigo assured her teacher "Now go and get ready for the best night of your life".
"You are the best petite fraise*" replied Charlotte before ending up the phone call.
"What was that about?" demanded to know Julie.
"We have a lot of work to do" was the only reply he got.
Later on, in the kitchen of the best salon of the town, a fight erupted.
"We don't need your help! We can do this on our own!" Lemon shouted at Ichigo, feeling insecure and threatened by her presence. After all she was a great patissiere scouted by Henri-sensei himself and a student of her boyfriend's mother.
"Lemon-chan! We need to work together if we want to finish on time, you don't have to do it all on your own. That's what friends and partners are for, we can work together and I am sure that we will succeed. Needing help doesn't mean that you lack aptitude or are weak" Ichigo protested, trying to make her see that there was no need to feel ashamed of team work.
"I... I can't..." Lemon started stuttering, not wanting to hear anymore of it because she would end up believing the honest words of her senpai.
"Lemon, I think that it's time for you to stop being so stubborn" Nicolas told her softly, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her sweetly and so intimately that the rest averted their eyes to give them some privacy.
"I think so too, Lemon" Mint, Lemon-chan's sweet spirit, said "Listen to Vanilla-senpai and Ichigo-senpai, they are as amazing as Henri-sensei and Charlotte-san said she is".
"Ok, guide us captain" Lemon relented, knowing when she was defeated.
After that everything ran smoothly, even though each one had an specific task whatever they did helped the others on the team on their sweets. Such as the chocolate made by Julie helped Nicolas with his licor sweets. Or the lemon cake that Lemon-chan did, helped Ichigo to finish the base of the wedding cake. They kind of just clicked together, as if their team had been working with each other for a while now. Their group work after the fight and reconciliation was excellent, so much that it made Ichigo miss her time with the Sweet Princes. Especially since they worked together as well as she did with the Sweet Princes. The only difference being that eve if Lemon called her captain, the one leading the team was Julie not her... not that she was protesting, he was a great leader after all.
YOU ARE READING
Sweet Practice {Yumeiro Patissiere}
Fanfic{Sweet Tears and Sweet Love, Book 1} After loosing against Tennouji's team and having her ex-team saying that they wanted to part ways to practice on their own, Ichigo is left alone and helpless. Especially once she discovers that they had skipped a...
