Declarations
You would think that after the years they'd been working together, Kazuma would be able to read all of Ayano's moods. But, sadly, that wasn't the case. She could still be moody and he would have no idea why.
His normal response to her bouts of moodiness was to ignore her and hope it went away, which it usually did after a few hours...or days.
He had learned over time that asking her what was wrong only made her blow up at him about something that had nothing to do with what was actually eating at her. All it got him was yelled at. If she wanted him to read her mind to find out what was wrong, she was going to wait a very long time.
This current case of bad temper had lasted almost a week which wasn't normal, even for her. He was seriously considering asking her what was bothering her and damn the consequences anyway. She was really being annoying this time, snapping at him over everything. It was getting on his nerves.
Other than that, though, Kazuma felt that things were going pretty well. They weren't exactly dating, per se, but he was sure there was an understanding between them. They were a couple. It just wasn't something he felt he needed to talk about.
Not that he knew much about couples anyway. He had always been alone, except for that brief time with Tsui Ling. The Kazuma who had been with her was very comfortable with his feelings and he declared his love to Tsui Ling daily.
That, however seemed like a long time ago. Maybe it was even a dream. That Kazuma had died the moment that she did. Sacrificed to a demon. The Kazuma of today was not comfortable with his feelings after that episode of his life.
If he had thought about it at all, he might have realized that he and Ayano never did anything that normal couples do. The only dates they went on were dinner dates, and those usually started off with Ayano being miffed about something and demanding that he owed her food.
That wasn't very romantic, but after years of that routine, it was what he was comfortable with. He figured that was what she was comfortable with too. She never complained about it anyway.
Besides, what was the point of saying "I love you" all the time? He felt that he showed his love by his actions. He took her to dinner when she wanted and protected her when it was necessary. Weren't actions more important anyway?
It wasn't like she was professing her feelings for him either. Fair is fair, right?
I can't believe that man! How can someone be that dense? Does he need directions? A roadmap? A smack on the head might do it. No, it would take more than that for someone as thick-headed as Kazuma Yagami!
She paced the entire compound as she fumed. Those that happened to be outside when Ayano passed by took one look at her and quickly found some place else to be. Her expression when she was merely annoyed was like a thundercloud. When she was this agitated, however, everyone knew that a mis-timed "Good morning." could release a raging storm.
The Kannagi's had a worldwide reputation as a tough family, but none of them wanted to be around when Ayano's storm broke. There was a fine line between 'tough' and 'stupid'.
By the time she had made her first circuit around the compound, there was no other person in sight, but Ayano didn't even realize it, she was so locked into her thoughts.
It's been 6 years we've been together and he hasn't said anything. Sure, after that Armagest incident, I gave him some space because he needed to put himself back together, but...it's been 6 years!
I'm 20 years old now. A grown woman by anyone's standard. It's been at least 3 years since he's even tried to call me 'kid'. What is he waiting for?
Does the Kazuma really have feelings for me or have I just been imagining it all this time? Maybe I've just been kidding myself.
The anger was gone for now and all that was left was a emptiness in her chest.
"He's an idiot son, and that's the only thing you need to remember". With that pronouncement, Genma returned to eating his breakfast.
"Well, I can't really argue with you on that this time.", Kirika Kannagi said as she clipped on her detective badge to get ready for the day.
She and Genma had married last fall and Kirika was pretty sure that Ayano still hadn't forgiven her for it. They were friends after a fashion, but she was prickly about Kirika marrying Genma for some reason. Even Ren had finally gotten comfortable with the idea.
Kazuma hadn't batted an eye even though he really didn't seem to understand why she would want to marry "the old man", but Ayano preferred to pretend it never happened. At least, that's how she acted most of the time.
While she certainly didn't marry Genma for the family connections, Kirika decided to take his family name. The Kannagi name was very powerful in Japan and she didn't see any reason not to use it. It certainly wasn't hurting her career.
She definitely noticed the increased respect she received from her superiors in the force. Her opinions now seemed to carry more weight too. The business relationship between the Special Investigations unit and the Kannagi's was easier too now that it was all "in the family", so to speak.
She kissed Genma on the cheek on her way out the door. Poor Ayano. So many things around her were changing. It must be hard for her.
Two years ago, Catherine McDonald had gotten married. Apparently, she had finally given up on Kazuma. It was no surprise that the news made Ayano happier than Kirika had ever seen her. It didn't last long, though.
Right after that, Yukari had married one of her editors at the newspaper she worked at. Most of the main branch of the Kannagi's attended, of course, and it was a very happy ocassion, but it seemed that Ayano was starting to look a little depressed by that time.
Ayano wouldn't confide in her, of course, but Kirika could guess that the relationship with Kazuma might be a little strained now. He wasn't inclined to be the romantic type, and Ayano was the type who needed reassurance. At least a little.
"Well, there's nothing I can really do about it", she said to herself as she started her car and drove off to the station. It was probably going to be one of those days.
Juugo sat silently in the meeting hall as his guest made his appeal. He had already heard the arguments and his mind drifted.
All his efforts over the past several years seemed to have been for nothing. Kazuma still had not taken back the family name, opting instead to keep the name Yagami.
He was around the family compound on a daily basis, but he stubbornly refused to become involved in what he referred to as "Kannagi business, not my business", despite Juugo using any scheme he could think of to reel him back into the family.
Juugo felt that this failure was a direct result of his failure on another front.
Despite all his cunning, he could not seem to get Ayano and Kazuma together. Yes, they still worked together, but that appeared to be the extent of their relationship. He had desperately hoped that they would both realize the feelings they obviously had for each other and act on them.
A marriage between them would have strengthened the family greatly. Strong magic users would surely be the result of their union and Kazuma would be back in the family where he belonged.
Trying to bring two exceptionally stubborn people together was a huge task, but Juugo had felt that it was possible. But, it was not to be.
"Juugo, sir, have you been listening?", asked the aged gentleman seated in front of him.
"I don't feel it is too much to ask that my grandson be considered as a suitor. He is the strongest young fire magic user of all the branch families and his talents will surely grow even stronger."
Juugo roused himself from his dour thoughts and brought his attention back to aged man pleading his case.
"Yes, of course I was listening. It is as you say, Sadako, I'm sure your grandson would be an admirable candidate. I will arrange a meeting soon."
A very happy Sadako let himself out. Sadako Izumi was a member of one of the more powerful Kannagi branch families and his grandson Kei was reputed to be an exceptionally talented magic user.
This was not the first time Sadako had pled his case over the years, but Juugo had put him off, hoping that it would work out between Kazuma and Ayano. It was time to give up on that dream.
Kei was not on a level with Kazuma, but for the sake of the family, Ayano needed to get married and begin a family soon. They no longer had the leisure to wait for something that may never happen. Kei would, under normal circumstances, be a fine candidate to marry his granddaughter.
Perhaps it was time to stop wishing and face reality. Juugo stood up slowly, suddenly feeling older than he could ever remember feeling.
After his meeting with Juugo, Kazuma was still stunned. The reasoning had been explained, but he hadn't really heard much of it, though he could guess. Once Juugo said "suitor for Ayano" and "Ayano has agreed", he had pretty much blanked out.
He did recall that there was to be a party in three days to introduce Ayano and whatever his name was (Ken, Kel, Kevin?) and Ayano had agreed to the party. Kazuma also remembered that he was pointedly not invited to this little gathering.
It didn't even ocurr to him that maybe he should do something about this. He was too numb. The fact that Ayano agreed to this whole thing just scrambled his brain.
Just what the hell am I supposed to do?
The winds began to swirl in response to his agitation.
There were lanterns lit everywhere and tables laden with food, but what Ayano noticed first as she walked into the large hall was the people. Lots and lots of people.
It was moments like this when she realized not only what it meant to be a Kannagi, but how many people were affected by the decisions of the head family. And the decisions of those who were part of the head family, like her.
Her father had tried to remind her of this when he told her of this party and what it was for. He didn't need to remind her of her duty to the family or that her desires had to be put aside at times for the good of the Kannagi's. It was part of who she was.
Besides, it didn't seem that she had a chance to get what she wanted anyway. She hadn't heard from Kazuma in days. She could only assume that he was informed about what was going on and his silence was a sign of his approval.
How could he not say anything to her? Maybe their time together meant nothing to him. Maybe it really was just a business arrangement.
As she stepped into the room, she tried to smile, but she couldn't manage much of one until she saw Ren walk up to her.
"Hi Ayano. You look beautiful." She could see that he was not happy and that he wanted to say something else, but with a visible effort he managed to push his feelings down. She understood that he didn't say anything because it would just make her feel worse.
She loved him for that and she even managed some semblance of a smile for him along with a quick hug before she moved on to greet the other guests.
It wasn't really an official ocassion, but there was an unofficial sequence of events that unfolded at these parties and all the guests were made aware of it before they arrived if they didn't already know.
Ayano was to greet each of the guests, including Kirika, Genma, Nanase and Yukari. She greeted them all except for the prospective suitor. When she had finished, he was to approach her and introduce himself. At that point, dinner would be served with the couple seated side-by-side so they could eat and converse. The people around them were expected to ignore them in consideration of their getting to know each other.
After dinner, it was like any other party. Some people danced, while some gathered into small groups to talk. Sometimes the couple would find their own place to talk for awhile, but that wasn't always the case.
Both of them were expected to participate in the dancing and it was normal for the two to dance with each other at least once, but there were no rules for that either.
In the days following the party, if the two people were interested in each other, then they would arrange more 'dates' to solidify their relationship. If one or both parties were not interested, then they went their separate ways and that was the end of it.
Alone in a corner of the room, Ren watched Ayano move gracefully from guest to guest as she made her way around the room.
He hadn't been this angry in a long time. This party should have been an engagement party for his cousin Ayano and his brother Kazuma. That's what it should be. Not some meeting between his cousin and some pretty boy.
Even as he thought it, he knew that was unfair. He had investigated Kei Izumi diligently, and the guy was a very talent and very upstanding guy. A nice guy too, according to the reports. Maybe a little on the ambitious side, but then, the man's grandfather Sadako was even worse.
They both seemed to be social climbers, but that wasn't necessarily an evil thing, especially within the clans. Marrying Ayano would be reaching the very top of the ladder.
And it all just made him even angrier. He couldn't decide who he was more mad at, Ayano or Kazuma. If they weren't so pig-headed, none of this would be necessary.
It was dinner time, and Ren was going to make sure he got a seat close to Ayano. He needed to hear for himself how this was going to progress. Hopefully, they would dislike each other immediately.
Ayano thought that dinner had gone as well as could be expected. Kei seemed to be a nice enough guy.
Ayano had spotted Kei soon after parting from Ren. He was just as her father had described him, perhaps even more handsome. He wouldn't be hard to look at across the dinner table, at least. The thought didn't cheer her up at all.
After half an hour of dinner conversation, she was not attracted to him at all, yet she wasn't repulsed by him either. She really couldn't come up with a good reason to turn him away. It looked as if her duty to her family was clear now.
Realizing this, her emotions went from anger (It should be you sitting next to me, Kazuma!) to sadness before finally settling in to resignation. All she could really feel was numbness. Like a puppet who's strings were being pulled.
Ren watched Ayano excuse herself and leave the room, presumably to freshen herself up.
He had witnessed Ayano and Kei interacting and it was going as he had feared. They weren't exactly exchanging love poems or anything, but they seemed to get along fine. It was not the outcome that Ren had hoped for.
His mood wasn't helped by the fact that he had to chase girls away from him all night. He was running out of excuses to get away from them. He was used to that kind of attention since he usually dealt with it on a daily basis, but tonight he didn't have time for that.
He hoped that Kazuma had read the text message that he had sent immediately after dinner. He didn't say anything like "You need to be here!" or "What are you waiting for?". Those messages would have had the wrong effect. Kazuma would dig in his heels even further.
All he sent was "They seem to be getting along well." It was all he could think of to do.
"They seem to be getting along well?"
He closed his phone with a snap as he let the air currents take him upwards.
"I've had just about enough of this!"
Ren kept an eye on Kei after Ayano left the room. Sure enough, Kei's father approached and quietly handed his son a small box. The smile on the man's face wasn't evil or anything, but it was definitely a satisfied smile. Obviously, it was a ring box. He intended to propose tonight.
Proposals on nights like this weren't unheard of, but they only happened between people who had already known each other prior to the party. Never between people who had just met.
He had a sinking feeling as he watched Ayano return. As she approached Kei, he knelt down in front of her. There was a delighted "Oh!" as the entire room watched what was happening. Ayano did not look surprised. Much to Ren's horror, she looked resigned. She was going to say 'yes', dammit.
Because of the silence in the room, Kei's voice could clearly be heard by everyone. He looked and sounded as if he was about to be awarded a grand prize or something, much to Ren's disgust.
"Ayano Kannagi, I have admired your for years. Your beauty, your dedication to the family and your great passion for wielding your flames in service to the Kannagi name. I, Kei Izumi, wish to stand by your side as you fight for all of us."
As he opened the box, another "Ohhhh!" went through the room at the beautiful diamond ring sitting within.
"Ayano, will you do me the great honor of marrying me?"
The crowd held their breath as she stared at him. In his eyes she could now see the desire in his eyes. Not a desire for her, but for the position he would hold as her husband. She wanted to be angry at him and refuse, but it didn't matter. The next person that her father put in her path would be the same.
The next one wouldn't likely be any less greedy for power than this one. She might as well say yes and make everyone happy. Everyone except her and probably Ren. Her duty was to the family, not to her own happiness.
"I-"
"No." A soft breeze swept through the room and suddenly Kazuma was there standing beside Ayano. His hand rested softly on her arm, but he was staring intently at Kei.
Kei was as shocked as anyone, but to his credit, he recovered his wits first.
"What is the meaning of this!" he snarled between gritted teeth.
Kei knew who Kazuma was. Everyone in the Kannagi family did. He also knew about Kazuma and Ayano, but he had been assured that relationship was over and he was destined to take his rightful place next to Ayano as the next head of the family.
Instead of answering, Kazuma turned to look intently into Ayano's eyes. She returned the look, still a little confused by this turn of events. Even angry. She wanted to demand that he explain why he was there. Why?
She said nothing, though. She merely returned his intense gaze with her angry one.
"Ayano belongs to me. She is mine." Everyone knew he wasn't really talking to Kei, but to Ayano.
She really thought she should be mad that he made her sound like a piece of property, but instead she felt all the frustration and anger and sadness she'd been feeling fly away from her. She couldn't remember feeling this happy. Now, if he was really romantic, she thought, he would-
Grasping her hands in his, he pulled her close and kissed her.
For a third time that night, an "Ohhhh!" went through the room, but Ayano didn't hear it. All she could hear was his heartbeat and her own. She listened as they beat separately and began to merge as one. She had waited so long for this and it was finally happening.
Kei watched them kiss and knew it was over. What could he do, challenge Kazuma Yagami to a duel to win her hand? He would be knocked flat and he knew it.
With as much dignity as he could muster, he stood and strode out the door with his head held high as the crowd watched him leave. The kissing couple didn't even notice he'd left.
He broke their kiss to look into her eyes again.
"I love you and you are mine. If you are going to marry anyone, it's going to be me. Got that?"
Her eyes were not able to focus just yet, but Ayano managed to say "Yes. I got it. But..."
Not waiting for her to finish, Kazuma began to lead her (or more like pull her) towards the door, as the crowd began to chatter amongst themselves about what they had just seen.
Ren smiled as he heard them talking as they made their way to the exit.
"I'd better be getting a ring!" She had meant to sound angry, but it came out more like a laugh.
"We are going to take care of that little detail as soon as I can find a jeweler who's open this late, Princess."
Winds swirled when they were outside the building and were whisked skyward and soon out of sight.
Ren felt himself grinning like an idiot as he watched them go. After the lovebirds had disappeared, he turned his attention back to the room and found himself surrounded by Juugo, Kirika, Nanase and Yukari. All of them were wearing the same idiot-grin he was. Heck, even Genma almost smiled.
It was Juugo who broke their silence.
"So, let's start planning the wedding!"
The cheers at this pronouncement were deafening.
End