Grind

"All right, here you go, ma'am." Takasu Ryuuji said as he happily handed a steaming cup of coffee to a grateful middle aged woman. He was dressed in a sparkling white dress shirt coupled with dark blue jeans and brown shoes. His eyes still had their ferocious dragon-like appearance, although the rest of his body had changed considerably. He had grown noticeably taller, standing closer to six feet now, and he was more muscular, results of an increased focus on exercise.

His face was still largely the same, although if one was to look closely, they would discover far more lines running across his face from the stress of his new life, although his black eyes were still vibrant and full of energy, normal for a younger man like him.

As he watched her eyes light up as she drank the brew, he couldn't help but feel his heart swell in pride. He took a deep breath, savoring the heavenly scent of roasting coffee that permeated the room.

It felt good to know that he owned the most famous coffee shop in the Los Angeles area.

It wasn't the largest thing, only taking up a small storefront in the middle of an outdoor mall. Inside lay several wooden tables and some wooden chairs that were up at the front of the store, while the back consisted of a counter which contained his cash register. Even farther back behind the counter lay the storage room, where he kept most of his ingredients. Inside, a large fanon the ceiling turned lazily, not really providing any ventilation at the time, considering that it was the middle of winter.

Although it was true that Southern California didn't experience snow like Japan did, it didn't mean that it wasn't cold at times, and it didn't mean that there would a shortage of paying customers.

Sure, the shop wasn't making the big bucks by any means, but it was successful enough for him to own a nice apartment, and most of all, it was his. He felt a sort of inherent pride in knowing that he had created it, and that something he had created actually turned out well, and that he was possible of creating something successful.

Not like his marriage.

Knowing the thoughts that were going to overtake his mind, he quickly pulled out a towel and began wiping down his counter, trying to keep his mind occupied. He scrubbed vigorously, not neglecting to catch the spots that normal people would miss.

However, doing housework for most of his life had sharpened his instincts in that regard, and as a result, he kept one of the cleanest establishments in all of Los Angeles. He had never received a grade lower than an A from the health inspector, a fact that he was particularly proud of.

He glanced up at the clock as the woman exited the door, causing a little bell that was attached to the door frame to ring slightly. It was already closing time, although he could probably have guessed it from the fact that it was pitch black outside already and that most of his fellow shopkeepers were closing up shop as well.

As he deemed the counter acceptable, he smiled and breathed out a sigh of relief. For the most part, life was good, just as he had expected when he left Japan. His mother had been a little upset that her little boy was moving away, and he had been pained to leave her as well, but in the end, they had both accepted that he just couldn't stay in Japan anymore. Not after what happened with Taiga.

So he had decided that the best thing to do was to move to America, somewhere where he could get could get lost and forget all about her. So far, it had worked out well for the most part, even if he did get a little homesick at times. However, he felt…clean now that he was in America. It was as if he had a chance to start his life over, and to make something out of it.

Walking over to the door to close up for the night, he flipped the sign on the door from "Open" to "Closed." Just as he locked the door and turned to turn off the lights, however, he heard a knocking on the door.

Sighing at the late customer, he reluctantly unlocked the door and let them in, not being one to turn anyone away.

"Welcome to Dragon Coffee." He said cheerily, not even looking at who had just entered the door. At this time of the day, all he wanted to do was to serve the person and go home.

"Ryuuji?"

He could feel his blood suddenly stop dead in his veins as he heard the familiar voice.

Slowly, he turned his head until it was facing his customer, and his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets in surprise. He rubbed his eyes once just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming, but even after he did, the figure was still there, confirming the sight.

Snow white skin over a toned and slim figure draped in an alluring red dress complimented by a black cardigan, deep violet eyes that were wide in excitement, and the most distinctive feature of all, beautiful flowing cobalt hair that cascaded down the sides of her face and reached down to her chest.

Ami Kawashima.

"Ryuuji, is that you?" She asked in a sweet voice, the same one that had not changed since high school.

"Yes." He stammered, trying not to ogle her more developed body, although it was much harder to do know than it had been in high school. Her appearance had not changed for the most part, but there was something different about the way she carried herself. Sure, she always had a confident personality, and she had every reason to be that way. But now, as she stood in front of him, she gave off an air of maturity that he had not seen before from her in the past.

"I can't believe I'm meeting you here!" She cried out happily, pulling him into a deep hug and nestling her head into his chest. Awkwardly, Ryuji stood there for a moment, having the life squeezed out of him by her forceful grip before slightly moving his arms up and reciprocating the hug.

She pulled away and placed a hand on his chest.

"Say, Ryuuji, you look great!" She exclaimed, to which he blushed a bit. After all, he had always thought that she was beautiful, and getting a compliment from her felt great.

"You don't look half bad yourself." He replied, leading her to a table in the corner, so as to be undisturbed. It didn't occur to him that the shop was empty anyways.

"So, Ryuuji, you came to America too, huh?" Ami asked, taking a seat across from him, face just illuminated by the faint glow of the dim lamp he kept on.

"Yeah, I just had to kind of find my way in the world, you know?" He replied.

Ami nodded, "I understand. I mean, we weren't going to stay in high school forever, right?"

At those words, Ryuuji instantly felt saddened and nostalgic at the same time. On one hand, he missed their carefree days back in high school, but on the other, he knew that he could look back at his memories any time he wanted, and that there wasn't much use in dwelling on them any more than he had to. He had tried to move on, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Still, I kind of miss having everyone around. I know that I never really acted like it all the time, but I really did like everyone. You, Yusaku, Minori. I even kind of miss Taiga." She said, eyes dimming as she thought back to a few years ago. Suddenly, they widened and quickly darted around the room.

"That reminds me, is Taiga around too?" She asked, and as she did, he bristled at the sound of that name.

"We haven't been together for a while." He said softly, and immediately, Ami looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea. You never told any of us…" She trailed off, understanding that she shouldn't prod any more.

Ryuuji put his hands up and laughed, "It's fine. We just got into things too young, and it didn't work out, simple as that."

"Well, nice to know that you've moved on already." Ami replied gratefully.

"So, Ami, what exactly are you doing here anyways?" Ryuuji asked, moving behind the counter to pour her a cup of coffee anyways.

He poured out some of the steaming brown liquid into two cups that he capped and returned to her, handing one cup to her and keeping one for himself.

"Well, I'm currently working on a movie here. I'm making my American debut." She said excitedly, causing Ryuuji to smile in response.

He remembered that Ami had gone off to act and model straight out of high school, and even remembered catching a few of her movies in Japan. However, when he had moved to America, he had sort of forgotten about her career, but now it seemed that it was just about to start.

"Well, I wish you luck with that." Ryuuji said sincerely.

"Thank you. And thank you for the cup of coffee." Ami said gratefully.

"No problem." He replied, sitting back down across from her.

She took a sip and instantly, her eyes widened.

"Wow! This is really good!" She cried out.

At this compliment, Ryuuji grinned and took a sip of his own. It really did mean a lot to him that Ami thought that his coffee was good.

"Maybe you should stop by here more then. I've got new brews coming out all the time." He said, getting excited at the talk of brewing.

Ami stared at him for a second before laughing.

"Is there something wrong with that?" He growled, upset that she was laughing at him.

"No, not at all. It's just your face. It looked so happy when you started talking about cooking. It really doesn't fit your appearance at all!" She gasped as her body was rocked with giggles.

Comforted by the knowledge that she was not laughing at him, Ryuuji stared at Ami for a second. In this moment, she was more candid than he had seen before his entire life. No masks, no tricks. Just Ami. And with this fact on his mind, he couldn't help but to join in on the laughter.

And so they sat there, laughing until their sides hurt and they managed to calm themselves down.

"Thanks Ryuuji. I really needed this. I haven't been able to just cut loose and relax for a while." She said, rubbing tears out of her eyes.

"Same here. It really feels nice to laugh sometimes. It makes me think less of the past." Ryuuji agreed.

"Well, the past isn't all bad, right?" Ami remarked, to which he nodded,

"I guess not. There are still some good memories with Taiga, I suppose."

"Right, Taiga." Ami said softly, suddenly looking crestfallen. Ryuuji stared at her in concern for a second, confused in the sudden shift in personality. He didn't understand why she suddenly seemed so sad. She was the one who brought up the topic, right?

Meanwhile, Ami glanced up at Ryuuji, noticing his confused face. He was oblivious, she knew.

Then again, it was probably her fault. She just couldn't come right out and say it, and Ryuji, being who he was, still had no idea.

That was part of the reason she had come to America in the first place, so that she could forget about him and finally move on. But then she had to go and come into his shop. Seeing his face again reminded her of just how hard it had been to watch him as he forgot about her. She couldn't do anything but to face the fact that he didn't notice her feelings, and he probably never would.

Just why did she have to run into him here of all places? Her life was finally starting to come together! She had a movie role, and she was getting offered more jobs than she could handle. She had finally put him out of her mind, and she was ready to move on.

But now, here he was, looking for the same fresh start as her. It was as if the past had been wiped clean, and she had been given a second chance.

With a new sense of direction, she stood up from her chair.

"Sorry, but I have to go right now. I'm starting the filming tomorrow, and I have to get up early." She apologized, but Ryuuji waved it off.

"No problem at all. I was closing up anyways." He said, ushering her to the door.

"Thanks again for this." Ami said, just as she opened the door, allowing a cool breeze to roll in. She took one last look at the sign, and at Ryuuji, who gave her a reassuring smile.

"Dragon Coffee, huh? Maybe I'll come back soon."

As she left the shop, she could see Ryuuji waving at her, and blew him a kiss in response, causing him to blush in embarrassment. He probably still thought that she was joking around with him, but soon, she would prove him wrong.

She managed to crack a smile at that thought. Maybe it was fate then that brought them together again. The universe was telling her that she had one more chance, and she sure as hell wasn't going to waste it.

Gosh, Ami x Ryuuji is just so...right. I don't know why, but it just is. I wrote this as kind of an open ended one shot that could stand on its own, but also had the potential to be a longer story. So, if you would like me to continue this, please review! I would really appreciate any thoughts or ideas, either in the form of a PM or a review! Thanks for reading!