LIKE WATER FOR MARMALADE

A Marmalade Boy Fanfic

By Ashley Auld

Disclaimer

Update: 03/30/2012 - I picked up this story recently as I was feeling reminiscent. It's been almost 13 years since I saw Marmalade Boy for the first time and I got a copy of the DVD's used off of Ebay and watched them all. I remember why I loved this show so much! But as I was reading this story, I was amazed at the grammar and spelling errors that were running rampant. I've cleaned it up a little bit. Hope that this is now more satisfactory. It probably could be re-written entirely but I don't honestly have the time for that! Anyways... enjoy!

Marmalade Boy story, characters and everything are property of Yoshizumi Wataru, Ribbon Comics and all that. I'm not making any money off of this and I'm writing it just for my pure enjoyment!

CHAPTER 1 - SUNRISE

Meiko... I'm sooo happy! Now that Yuu and I have realized how much we need each other, I know that I don't have to worry anymore. I'm not the least bit worried that he is living in New York. He's going to study hard and become the best architect in the world!

I'm too embarassed to tell him, but someday I hope that we can live in a house of his own design. By the way, when are you and Na-chan planning on being married?

Miki closed the exchange diary and stretched her hands up above her head, yawning loudly.

Please let this last week of school go by fast! It's almost summer vacation!

Miki stood up and walked across the room to sit on her bed, her eyes strayed to the clock. "Yuu's probably just woken up now." She thought to herself, she smiled and touched the top of the dialer sitting next to the phone with her index finger. "I'll call him tomorrow morning like I said I would. He promised he'd be at the dorm to receive the call." She blushed and jumped under the covers, snuggling Kappa-chan and turned off her bedside lamp.

School has been difficult to bear without him, At least I'm much more at ease than I was when he left a year ago... thank God it's almost summer vacation! I'm going to see Yuu... and THIS time, he's going to stay the ENTIRE vacation!

She giggled, snuggling down in the sheets, thinking of what they would do when he got home. She'd make him a special dinner, and she was determined to go on the trip with him that they STILL have never gone on. Yawning again, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The Next Morning…

"MIKIIIIII!"

Miki's flinched, and half opened her eyes to greet a pair of huge blue eyes staring down at her, framed by locks of honey golden hair.

"Michael..." She mumbled, "What are you doing?"

" Miki get up!" Michael leaned over her with an excited, intense look, "The sunrise is SOOO beautiful this morning! You HAVE to see it!"

Sighing, she glanced at the clock and cringed. "It's 6 in the morning!"

"You HAVE to see it!" he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of bed, Miki staggered and stumbled after him as he hurried her down the hallway and took the steps two at a time.

"AHHH—MICHAEL SLOW DOWN! I'M STILL IN MY PAJAMAS! AND MY HAIR IS A MESS!" She tripped on the last step and would have fallen flat on her face if he hadn't been holding her hand in an iron grip.

"You'll miss it if you wait." He argued, pulling her along towards the door, slowing just long enough for them to slip into their shoes. Miki shuddered at the cold leather on her bare feet as he pulled her outside. She noticed her parents were already on the deck, paired in their unusual couples as always.

Miki's face dropped.

Only my parents and a person like Michael would wake up at 6 in the morning to see the sunrise...

Her parents turned to greet her and her mother grabbed her by the other hand, yanking her out of Michael's grip and pulling her towards the railing. "Miki! I'm glad you're up… Look! Isn't it beautiful! It's the most beautiful sunrise I've seen in a long time!"

Miki's eyes widened at the bright gold and red colors of the clouds and the light coming up from behind the hills. Sleepiness forgotten, she lay her arms on the railing of the balcony. Her heart beat loudly in her chest as the rising sun filled her with energy. She breathed in the fresh air.

Today is going to be a wonderful day! I don't know how yet, but I feel like something special is going to happen today.

She turned around and smiled at Michael, concentrating hard to form her words in English. "Thank you Michael! I love it."

"You're welcome Miki! I knew you would!" He replied in English, then laughed and ran back into the house. "Time to make breakfast!"

Miki's parents turned around and walked back into the house talking happily amongst each other, leaving Miki alone with the sunrise. She lingered, smiling as she leaned against the porch rail.

I wish Yuu could be here to see this. I'll have to remember to tell him about it next time we talk.

Smiling, she walked back into the house to get ready for school.

Later that Day…

" 30-40, MATCH POINT FOR ME!" Yelled Ginta as he twirled his racket in one hand. "Get ready Miki! I'm going to win again!"

" Don't be so sure!" yelled Miki laughing. She was glad that she and Ginta had a free first period. It was nice to start out the day with a game of Tennis. She readied herself as Ginta served the ball, smashing it hard and fast to the far corner of the court. Miki sprung into action but couldn't reach in time.

"YAH! I told you I'd win!" Ginta laughed and walked over to her with his racket casually resting on his shoulder. " Ha! Remember our bet?" he held out his hand. " Pay up!"

"BET?" said Miki shocked. "WHAT BET?" She blinked a few times utterly confused and Ginta burst out laughing.

"JUST KIDDING!" He laughed, walked over to the bench and sat down to take a swig of water. Miki sat down next to him with a pouty look on her face.

" No fair you ALWAYS tease me..." she looked away, folding her arms stubbornly.

"Aww- it was only a joke Miki! You're just so easy to tease." Laughed Ginta. "I see why Matsuura has such a fun time with it."

The mention of Yuu's name made her sit up straight, "WHAT time is it?" she asked hurriedly.

Ginta glanced at his watch, " Almost 8:30..."

"-YEAAAHHH!" Miki leapt to her feet and grabbed up her tennis racket and sports bag. "I promised to call Yuu at this time! Excuse me Ginta, I'll talk to you later!" She bowed hastily, turned, and sprinted off the court towards the telephone booth, fumbling to get the dialer.

Ginta laughed quietly to himself. " They've been through some rough weather, but it looks like everything's fine now... it's how it should be."

He gathered up his equipment and walked towards the locker rooms.

St. Andrew's University

Bill sat on the lawn in front of their apartment next to Jinny, uninterested in his homework, "Hey guys... Want to all go out bowling tonight?" He asked while twirling his pencil. "There's a new place that just opened up across from Zach's."

Doris and Brian sat across from them and Yuu completed the small circle of friends. All seemed burned out from homework except Yuu, who had his nose in a large blue book, reading quietly.

Jinny laughed and gave Bill a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. " Sounds like fun! I'll be on your team of course!" she winked at him and flipped her long blond hair back exposing her slender shoulders.

"Sounds good to me," mumbled Brian as he closed his notebook and stretched out on the grass. "Damn, I can't study on a beautiful day like this, the courts are calling to me."

"Is Basket Ball all you can even think of?" replied Doris, also closing her notebook.

"Not the only thing." He replied with a sly grin at her. Doris blushed and looked back at Bill.

"Well you can count me in!" Doris thumbed at Brian "And I'll make sure this big brute comes along too.

"I heard that." Mumbled Brian as he put his hands behind his head looking up at the white clouds passing by with a slight breeze.

"I have a report due tomorrow," Yuu confessed without moving his eyes from the open architecture book. He lay stretched out on the lawn, with his chin in his hands, studying intensely.

"Aww- Come on Yuu! It'll be fun and you could use a break! You're going to study yourself to death!" Whined Jinny.

"Have you ever gone bowling before Yuu?" asked Doris. She followed Brian's example and stretched out on the grass, placing her head on his chest.

" I went once, a long time ago when I was young. " He mumbled, his eyes still glued to the pages.

Jinny laughed. " WHAT is it going to take to get your nose out of that book?"

" I know-" Bill grinned and glanced at his watch... "Yuu- Didn't Miki say she'd call you at 5:30?"

Yuu nodded absent-mindedly, still engrossed in the book.

Bill smirked, and winked at Jinny who sat confused with her slender arms wrapped around her legs. "Well- It's 5:30."

"WHAT?" Yuu's eyes shot up from his book, he looked at the watch Miki had given him for his birthday and swore under his breath in Japanese.

"I heard that." Said Brian jokingly. "You'd better get back to the dorm, if you miss the call, Miki'll fly down here and kick your ass."

"Sorry! Need to run." Yuu jumped up, grabbing the book in one arm and his bag in the other, and sprinted towards the dorm.

Jinny, Bill, Brian and Doris burst out laughing at the retreating figure.

"You certainly nailed that one Bill!" giggled Doris.

Jinny smiled in reflection, "Yuu and Miki have been through some of the worst problems any couple could face, but they're love has outlasted everything... it's SO romantic!" She glanced at Bill. "I've never met a guy so incredibly in love with his girlfriend before."

Bill wrapped his arms around her waist and flipped her onto the grass playfully. "Oh you haven't have you? I'm right here..."

Toryo High

Miki tapped at the glass of the phone booth with her finger. "One ring, two rings..." she ground her teeth as the answering machine came on.

Yuu and I are currently out, please leave a message and we'll get back to you.

Miki waited for a few seconds after the machine beeped. Maybe he was just late in picking up the phone...

Still no answer...

She couldn't control her anger now. How DARE he miss the call when they AGREED upon the time. She was about to hang up when a sly thought ran through her head, it would be fun to tease him. She yelled into the phone at the top of her lungs.. "YUU NO BAKA!" And slammed down on the receiver.

Miki giggled and folded her arms. "That'll show him not to miss my next call..." she thought to herself. "Still, I am a little disappointed." She thought frowning. She stepped out of the phone booth and started walking towards the locker rooms to get changed into her uniform. "He SAID he'd be there, and I wanted to hear his voice...Oh well, I'll call him tonight instead and hope he's there."

St. Andrew's University

No sooner had Miki hung up, than Yuu burst in the front door, breathing heavily. He heard the beep of the answering machine and bent over the phone, dropping his books and bag on the ground. He stared at the little blinking red light for a second.

" I'm dead..." he thought to himself. " HOW could I have missed that call- I can't call back, she's at school now." He sighed heavily, afraid of what the message on the machine would hold. Reluctantly, he pressed the silver play back button, and braced himself.

"... YUU NO BAKA!"

Yuu closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the door frame, "Oh God, she's really pissed off." He ran his hand through his blond hair. Not bothering to erase the message, he trudged out of the room, forgetting to put his books and bag away.

His face a complete blank, he turned around and walked back outside, closing the door behind him quietly and trudged down the steps towards the grassy field where his friends still loitered. His mind filled with thoughts of Miki. "Maybe I can call her late night, she'll be home from school at 3:30, so I can call at 1:30 in the morning... I hope she's not working though. I don't want to wait until the morning to call. I want to hear her voice..."

"EARTH TO YUU!" yelled out Jinny as she waved at him. "We're over here space case!"

Yuu snapped out of his trance and put his hands in his pockets, he walked over to them and slouched down on the grass without saying a word. He didn't feel like talking, he'd been looking forward to that call all day.

" From your expressionless face, I assume you missed the call..." Said Dorris.

"Mmhm.." Mumbled Yuu, he wrapped his arms around his legs and leaned against a pine tree, staring off into space.

Jinny looked at Bill, then at Dorris and Brian. They all knew that Yuu wouldn't feel like going bowling now, not after he'd missed such an important call. He always clamed up and became the social outcast when he was depressed.

"You ok?"

Yuu looked up reluctantly to see Bill's concerned face leaning over him.

"Yeah." Yuu muttered. "But- I miss hearing her voice..."

Bill slapped Yuu on the back . "Hey! You guys have gotten through a LOT more difficult situations! I'm sure you can talk to her later! So come bowling with us!"

Brian sat up and smiled at Yuu. "It'll help pass the time until you can call her again. She's at school now right? There's nothing else you can do until she comes home. So why not relax and have some fun?"

Dorris nudged Brian, "That's the most intelligent thing I've ever heard you say."

Yuu looked up and smiled slightly. " Well, I guess I'll go then. You're right about one thing, there's nothing else to do until she gets home from school."

Toryo High

"YUU NO BAKA!"

Meiko set the voice copier on the table and looked over at Miki, who sat stuffing herself with food angrily.

"Don't be mad with Matsuura-kun," She tried to cheer Miki up. "It's possible he had an emergency, and had to leave! There are lots of things that could have happened. I'm sure he wouldn't intentionally miss a call from you!"

Miki chugged down her juice and slammed the empty can on the table with a clang. "I DON'T CARE!" She caught her voice as several people at different tables turned to stare at her.

"Oops," she lowered her voice and looked at Meiko with distress. "Yuu said he'd be there. He promised! If he would have to miss my call, he could have at least left something on the message machine for me!

"You're not becoming tired again are you Miki?" Said Meiko with concern.

"HUH? NO NO!" Miki held up her hands with a reassuring smile. " Not tired... not at all!" She set her hands on the table, staring down at them as her face became serious. "I was just looking forward to talking with him. I wanted to tell him about the wonderful sunrise this morning."

Meiko set her hands on top of Miki's and smiled at her. " It'll be ok Miki. It's hard being apart from the one you love. We both know that more than anything. But, it's only one more week of school until vacation. Then Yuu will be back!"

Miki giggled, "I've been thinking, what should we do? I want to do something really special for him!"

Meiko rested her elbows on the table thoughtfully. "Why not take a trip? Just the two of you."

Miki blushed a bright red. "That's what I've been thinking! I don't know where to go though! I want to go to a place with lots of neat architectural buildings for Yuu to see. Something that will really impress him!"

Meiko grinned at her, "I'm sure you'll think of something. Oh! By the way- have you decided what you want to do for college yet?"

Miki blinked. "To tell the truth, I have no idea. I've been thinking and thinking about what I want to do with my life. But I can't come up with anything." She sighed and looked down. " I wish I had a dream like you do… or like Yuu does. But I'm not good at anything but Tennis. But I don't know how I could make a career out of that."

" You'll find something Miki! Don't doubt that!"

Miki blushed. " Yeah- I kinda wish I could be an architect like Yuu. We would have the same interests!"

"Miki, you should find your own interests... not just Matsuura-kun's interests-"

She was interrupted by the sound of the bell signaling the end of lunch. The two girls rose from their seats, put away their lunches and walked towards the school building.

" Do you want to go shopping after school with me?" Asked Meiko. " I was thinking of going to Junk Jungle to get some summer clothes."

Miki shook her head. " I think I'll just go straight home after school. For some reason I don't feel much like shopping..." she smiled weakly at Meiko as they parted to go their separate classes. "I'll see you later though!"

As Miki made her way back towards the classroom, she sighed "I guess my feeling was wrong... I thought something special would happen today, but nothing special has happened at all."

That Evening

"I'm home!" Miki closed the front door and took off her shoes, she trudged upstairs and dropped her book bag next to her desk, then fell down on her bed in exhaustion. She looked over at Kappa-chan sitting on her pillow, and held it up in front of her. "You're lucky you don't have to go to school. You don't have any responsibilities to worry about!" She sighed and glanced at the clock. "Yuu's asleep now. I can't call him."

A ring of the phone interrupted her thoughts. Miki set Kappa-chan back on the bed and walked over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Miki!"

Miki's heart leapt at the sound of Yuu's voice. She quickly sat down at her desk, clutching the phone tightly to her ear with a smile spread across her face. "Yuu! I didn't think you'd be awake at this time!" she glanced at her watch. "It's 2 in the morning in New York! WHAT are you doing up?"

"I'm sorry for missing your call earlier- I really wanted to talk to you! So I've been up waiting for you to arrive home from school. Please forgive me for missing your call!" The tone of his voice was filled with such remorse that Miki felt a pang of guilt... she shouldn't have teased him.

"Yuu-" she wanted to reach out and hug him tightly, to be held close to him. " I forgive you. I'm sorry- I didn't mean what I said! I was angry at first, then I thought of teasing you so you wouldn't do it again."

"I'll never do that again! I promise!"

"Aww- you couldn't help it I bet! It's ok." She laughed.

"Anyways-Tell me Miki, how's school going?"

" Good!" Miki puffed up with pride, "I got an 85 on my English test! I studied hard!" She didn't tell him that she only did it so he would be proud of her.

"Good for you Miki! I'm proud of you!"

Miki's face blushed a bright red. " Ohh! Yuu I can't wait for you to come home next weekend! You're going to spend the WHOLE summer here this time right?"

" Well- not exactly. " His voice was suddenly very quiet.

Miki's breath caught in her throat, like someone had just punched her in the stomach. She muttered. "You're, not? How long are you staying for?" Her eyes grew wide, and her face suddenly pale.

"I'm not going home for summer... Haven't our parents told you?" He asked.

"They never tell me anything, but I want you to tell me that you're coming home!" She stood up, clutching the side of her desk, her chair falling backwards.

"Calm down Miki! No need to worry!"

Miki bit her lip, picked up her chair, and reluctantly sat back down. "I"m sorry, but I wanted to see you this summer! Don't you want to see me Yuu? We've been apart for half a year."

Yuu laughed, "Of course I'll see you, you're coming here for summer!"

Miki blinked twice. "What?"