To say that today was eventful would be an understatement. It started out as an elaborate trap to get Raku stranded on an island with her for the day. Once "stranded", Raku took appropriate measures to secure their survival which Marika admired; however, things quickly turned for the worse once night came.
"Haa… Haa…" Marika panted, trying desperately to catch her breath. It's been so long since Marika had an incident and thought one couldn't possibly happen at such a crucial moment.
"Please… hold out… just a bit longer." Marika pleaded mentally, not having the strength to articulate her passionate feelings as she continued to pant.
"Please… right now… Raku and I…"
Thump
Kicked out
It's been two weeks since then and school progressed into the spring semester. The days went by peacefully with no eventful happenings which Raku enjoyed thoroughly, well, besides his worrying about Marika.
"Good morning, darling." Chitoge greeted her "boyfriend" as she took her seat.
"Morning, honey." Raku returned her greetings.
The bell rang which signaled the start of class. "All right, everybody. I'm going to start taking roll." Yui instructed her class.
As Yui read through the names, Raku thought to himself "Where are you, Marika? You seemed totally fine once we got back from that Kiribati vacation. Are things worse than I thought? Will you even be coming back at all?!"
Going down the list and reaching Marika's name, Yui called out "It seems Ms. Tachibana is still-"
A knock at the door interrupted Yui who said "Come in."
As the door slid open, an orange haired student with a unique school uniform appeared alongside of her black-haired bodyguard.
"Marika!" Raku screamed mentally once he saw the person who occupied his thoughts for two weeks.
"Mari- I mean, Ms. Tachibana?!" Yui blurted from her sudden appearance.
"Good morning, Ms. Kanakura. I apologize for my tardiness and my repeated absences. I am feeling well enough to attend school now." Marika greeted her teacher and rival.
As she entered the room, Marika noticed all of the surprised faces and informed the class of the reason for her continuous absences "Right before Christmas break came to an end, I had a medical emergency. I had special treatment in a town called Pittsburgh located in the U.S. There's no need for concern. I've been checked thoroughly and it seems that I've made a full recovery."
Collecting herself, Yui instructed "I-I see. Well, Ms. Tachibana, you've missed a fair amount of school days. I'll have to schedule a meeting with your father to sort everything out. For now, you may take a seat."
Marika did as instructed and the rest of homeroom went by normally; although, Raku had to resist the extreme urge to talk to Marika. Once homeroom ended, Raku made his way towards Marika's seat.
"H-Hey, Marika." Raku greeted awkwardly.
Seeing the person she has been dying to meet, Marika couldn't help but rush out of her desk and fling her arms around him. Marika greeted Raku as if she was greeting an old friend that she hasn't seen in years "It's been far too long, Raku! I've been dreaming of our reunion ever since we parted!"
Although her sudden embrace was embarrassing, it was reassuring for Raku to see Marika in such high spirits. Once she let go, Raku felt more at ease as he asked "Well, I don't want to bombard you with questions, so let me just ask you this; are you really going to be okay? You're not sick anymore?"
"Yes, I'm going to be just fine, Raku. I have to be in good health if I want to be your bride, after all." Marika replied almost instantly.
"You just got back and you're already making ridiculous statements. Learn to place limits on what you say, Marika." Chitoge fumed, overhearing their conversation.
Throughout the day, Raku thought back to his short conversation with Marika. "It's such a relief to see that Marika is okay. Although…"
"I have to be in good health if I want to be your bride, after all."
Her bold words put a small blush on his face every time his thoughts trailed back to them. "That girl's as confident as ever; although, I still can't help but be impressed. Still… there's something that's bothering me…"
"Good afternoon, Raku." Marika greeted Raku with a hug from behind while he was walking through the hallways.
"WAAH! Marika!" Raku yelped as his thoughts of Marika were interrupted by Marika.
Seeing Raku in a panic, Marika quickly let go of her hold on him and apologized "F-Forgive me, Raku. I did not mean to startle you."
Trying to settle down, Raku explained his outburst "Don't… Don't worry about it. I was just startled because I was thinking about you. Then you came out of nowhere and-"
Marika's interest was piqued as she asked "My, you were thinking about me? Tell me, just what kind of image of me were you thinking about? Perhaps we were together at the beach or on a cold winter's day… or were together doing something… indecent." Marika couldn't help but smile as blissful thoughts filled her head.
"I-Idiot! It's nothing like that!" Raku blurted as he furiously blushed. Calming down, Raku explained "Well, I've been worried about you for the past two weeks, so I was honestly just thinking about how I'm relieved to see that you're okay."
Raku's simple yet powerful words overwhelmed her thoughts as a blush rose to her cheeks. "I-I see. Well, I'm glad your mind is at ease." Marika quietly responded.
Scratching his cheek, Raku didn't want to part ways with Marika just yet as he suggested "Hey, wanna get a bite to eat with me after school? Consider it a celebration for your return to school. It'll be my treat."
Marika's eyes started sparkling as her heart started racing and she exclaimed "A-Are you asking me to go on a date with you?! I heartily accept!"
Once again, Marika was beyond reasoning which was no surprise to Raku as he sighed "Feel free to treat it as a date if you want."
"What did you just say, darling?" Raku heard a familiar voice demand with heavy emphasis on "darling".
"How dare you, Raku. When you already have Chitoge." Raku heard another familiar voice threaten menacingly.
"This is the end." Raku accepted his cruel fate as he felt a raging fire from behind and started turning around. Sure enough, Raku saw Chitoge and Tsugumi with indescribably frightening expressions on their faces.
Trying to escape his death sentence, Raku pleaded "H-Hear me out. I was just treating Marika to a meal because she's been through a lot in the past two weeks. I promise there's no deeper meaning!"
Despite not wanting to make things worse for Raku, Marika couldn't help but object "You don't have to be so shy about our date, Raku; but if you insist, these two questionable human beings may accompany us. Just don't feel responsible for paying for them."
Finally seeing reason, Chitoge agreed bitterly "Fine, but you're paying for my food, darling." Tsugumi simply followed Chitoge's wishes and the four of them left the school.
As they walked aimlessly, Raku asked Marika "So where do you want to eat?"
Raku's question caught Marika off guard as she voiced her thoughts "Now that you mention it, I haven't put much thought into it. Honestly, anywhere with you is good enough for me. If you're so adamant about me choosing, I need a moment to think."
Marika's response did give Raku a slight jolt. Although Raku was almost used to Marika's boldness to this extent, he was worried sick about the reactions from Chitoge and Tsugumi who seemed calm for the moment.
Taking into account that Raku was spending money on at least three people's meals, Marika declared with a smile "Let's go to WcDonald's!"
This threw Raku off as he was willing to take the group out to eat just about anywhere. "Maybe she has a craving for fast food after eating so much hospital food or something." Raku tried reasoning as he said "If that's what you want, let's go. Is that fine with you, honey? Tsugumi?"
"No complaints here. This is to celebrate Marika's recovery, after all." Chitoge agreed.
"Milady's wishes are mine as well. Plus, fast food is very convenient." Tsugumi agreed as well.
Chitoge and Tsugumi have been exceptionally cooperative today which made Raku wonder "Were they worried about Marika too?"
Once they arrived at a nearby WcDonald's, Chitoge snickered to Tsugumi "So, what are you forcing Raku to buy you?"
Shaking her head, Tsugumi said "I will be buying my own food. An independent assassin doesn't accept charity."
Sighing, Chitoge complained "Aww, that's no fun!"
While Chitoge's attitude made Raku shudder, he couldn't help but hold Tsugumi in high regard for not adding to the dent in his wallet that Chitoge will surely create with her eating habits. Looking over at Marika, Raku heard her humming to herself as she looked happily though the menu.
"Cute."
"… Wait what? Why did I… I mean, what's so cute about a girl looking through a fast food menu?" Raku wondered why he mentally complimented Marika.
Shaking his head as a means to brush away those thoughts, Raku asked "So, do you know what you'll be ordering? Don't hold back, because I know Chitoge won't."
"I'm still undecided. What about you, Raku?" Marika returned his question.
"Me? I'll probably have a burger and some fries. Maybe a milkshake if I'm feeling up to one." Raku replied.
Suddenly making up her mind, Marika said "If that's what you're getting, then I'll order the same thing. If you don't know what kind of milkshake you want, I strongly recommend the strawberry flavor."
"I'll keep that in mind." Raku noted. If it was just him and Marika, it would've only cost about fourteen dollars; however, the actual cost was thirty dollars.
"In an order initially for two people, how does the price more than double just by adding in a third person?" Raku wondered aloud. As Chitoge's fist hung threateningly in front of his face, he said "I didn't say anything."
Once they got their food, the group of four found a table to sit at with Raku and Marika sitting next to each other, leaving Chitoge and Tsugumi to sit next to each other.
Suddenly realizing she "forgot" to buy a drink, Marika said "Oh dear. It seems I've forgotten to purchase a drink. I'd hate to use up anymore of Raku's money. Why don't we share, Ra-"
Before Marika could even finish, Raku got up and told the group "I'll be right back. I'm going to go buy Marika a drink."
Once Raku was out of earshot, Chitoge lectured "Even if you don't mean to, sometimes you take advantage of Raku's kindness. You could probably pull stunts like that a million times before he gets seriously mad. A bunch of these schemes of yours can be a real burden on the poor guy, you know?" Chitoge didn't say this to put Marika down, but because she knows it exhausts Raku sometimes.
Chitoge's words hit a vulnerable spot in Marika's heart and, for the first time, couldn't bring herself to think of a witty response. It was as if Chitoge punched Marika in the gut as she forgot to breathe for a second and covered her mouth in shock. Getting up, Marika said "I'm… I'm going to go wait with him."
Thinking that this was another attempt to be with Raku, Chitoge was about to stop Marika; however, she felt Marika's drastic change in mood. Chitoge would even go as far as to say Marika looked truly depressed at this very moment.
"Okay, me and Tsugumi will wait here." Chitoge told Marika who nodded and walked away.
As Raku waited for his new order, he suddenly began to feel a faint presence to his side. Sure enough, Marika was standing beside him.
"You can sit down if you want. I don't mind." Raku told Marika.
"Raku… I'm sorry. As you probably know, I purposefully chose not to order a drink in the vain hopes that you would share yours with me. Please forgive me." Marika apologized with a somber look on her face.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I thought it was cute of you." Raku tried reassuring the saddened girl next to him.
Wait.
"Cute of you…"
Marika's facial expression changed entirely at Raku's careless words. With a blush, Marika slightly stuttered "R-Raku..?"
"Oh boy, I've done it now! Why did I have to say such a stupid and reckless thing! I mean, I guess I was trying to cheer her up but I shouldn't be approving of her antics when I've already got a fake girlfriend! Did I mean it? I did say it before thinking about it and that means I said it based on what I was feeling! Oh god, no… Am I really a shallow guy that gets his thrills by taking advantage of other girls' advances?"
"Excuse me. Your strawberry milkshake is ready." Raku heard an employee call out to him which snapped him out of his thoughts.
As they continued to eat, Chitoge and Tsugumi were joined once again by Raku and Marika who were obviously blushing.
Getting irritated, Chitoge demanded "What happened while I wasn't looking?"
"Milkshakes. Milkshakes happened." Raku answered back who didn't want to discuss it.
Once the group finished eating, they decided to part ways.
"Thanks for the food, Raku!" Chitoge beamed at Raku.
"Although I paid for my own food, I appreciated your offer, Raku." Tsugumi smiled at Raku. With that, Chitoge and Tsugumi walked off, leaving Raku alone with Marika and the two started walking together.
"Thanks for buying me this milkshake, Raku. Somehow, it feels like you planned on buying me this from the start." Marika observed as she continued to drink from it.
Scratching the back of his head, Raku admitted "To be honest, I had a thought that went like 'hey, what if Marika tries getting me to share my drink with her?' I already knew you like milkshakes, so all I had to do was to learn your preference and that's why I said that I was thinking about getting a milkshake. I can't fall for all your crazy schemes." Raku ended his explanation with a chuckle.
Raku's explanation astonished Marika. Not only did Raku outsmart her, but he went to such measures just to buy her something she wanted. Marika couldn't help but giggle "You really do overthink things, Raku."
After spending a little while longer walking together, it became apparent that their homes were in opposite directions.
"Well, it was fun, Marika, but I have to go home now." Raku said when he noticed the sun getting ever so closer to the horizon.
"Actually, Raku, about you going home." Marika began to explain.
"… Wait, what? What do you mean 'about you going home'? I am going home, right?" Raku started having terrifying thoughts with his abduction still in the back of his mind.
"The thing is, you won't be living with your family for a while." Marika continued.
"Oh no… She's finally done it…"
"Remember how I said I had a part-time job to raise money to buy a house for the two of us?"
"That combined with her dad's wealth, she probably bought a nice house alright… A house that won't be easy to find or easy to escape. Maybe it's even on the island Kiribati."
If running was a choice, Raku would've been long gone by now; however, Marika's guardian, Honda, is surely hidden somewhere nearby waiting to pounce, or at least, that's what Raku was thinking.
Noticing Raku's panic, Marika asked "What's wrong, Raku? You look terrified."
"Oh, it's nothing. I just don't like the idea of getting kidnapped again and being taken far, far away." Raku admitted as he started to sweat.
Realizing that she was failing to get her idea across to him, Marika suggested "Maybe you should go home, Raku. That will probably clear things up."
"Y-Yeah, I'll do that." Raku agreed as his paranoid thoughts started to cease. "Maybe the whole Kiribati vacation is making me paranoid about being suddenly abducted." Raku wondered as he started calming down.
With a warm smile, Marika parted ways with Raku "I'll see you soon, Raku."
"See you later." Raku said as he started heading home with lightheadedness.
The walk home was normal for Raku who was wary of police ambushes or something else along those lines. Once he reached the gate of his house, Raku was shocked to find the gate closed and locked with a note taped to it that read "Sorry about this, Young Master – Ryu"
"… EXCUSE ME?!" Raku yelled at the top of his lungs and continued his rant "What the hell is this?! Am I getting kicked out?! Why the hell is this happening?!"
His rage boiling his blood, Raku climbed the wall surround his house. Once he reached the other side, he activated an alarm system that he was ignorant about. Sirens ran and guard dogs started chasing him around.
"WHY?!" Raku screamed as he ran at full speed away from the dogs.
After the fiasco with the dogs, Raku finally made it to the door of his room… which was boarded.
"What the hell… is going on?" Raku panted in front of his sealed room.
"Howdy there." Raku heard a familiar voice say.
His rage nearing its limits, Raku shouted "What the hell is going on, dad?!"
Clearing his throat, his father explained "It seems like you've been through quite a lot in the past few minutes. A sudden gas leak erupted in your room so-"
"Bullshit!" Raku interrupted.
"… So your room will be off-limits for about a month. Don't worry though, there's a place for you to stay nearby." Raku's father continued to explain.
"Let's say I believe that my room is truly dangerous. Why can't I just use a guest room for the time being?" Raku tried his best to use reason and held back his frustration.
"Then where will the guests stay?" Raku's father shot back.
"This is a yakuza family! Why the hell would we have guests?!" Raku yelled as his fury started getting the better of him.
"Please, son, just do this for 'her' sake. On the back of the note at the gate, there's an address to your new home for the time being. All your stuff is already there and unpacked. It's best you get comfortable there." Raku's father ended their little debate and started walking away.
Following the directions on the note, Raku found himself at an apartment complex and reached the room number that was also on the note.
"This is it." Raku sighed as he knocked on the door.
Almost instantly, the door flung open revealing Marika in a maid outfit.
"Welcome home, master! Would you like dinner or a bath? Or maybe… me?" Marika greeted with a welcoming smile.
Taking a few seconds to inhale, Raku let out of a very long sigh and complained "Why is this happening to me?"
After the two made their way to the small living room, Raku finally asked "Marika, please, enlighten me. Why, just why are we living together in this apartment?"
With a beaming smile, Marika started to explain "I'm glad you asked, Raku. Remember how I had that part-time job to raise money for a nice house for the two of us? I decided that I would be just as satisfied living in an apartment if it means living with you. So we'll be living here on the money I've earned thus far. As you've probably been informed, this is a temporary arrangement because of the… bug infestation in your room?" This was more of a question than a statement.
"Gas leak." Raku informed her.
Brushing that aside, Marika continued "The details don't matter anyway. We'll be living here together for the time being so please make yourself comfortable. I've saved up for quite some time now so we can live comfortably for the next month. If you need anything, just let me know."
"For now, I think I just want to go to bed." Raku replied, feeling exhausted.
Painting a unique picture in her head, Marika blushed and stuttered "Y-You want to go to b-bed with me? My, that's just so soon, but if that's what you wish, I can-"
If Raku wasn't already so exhausted, he would've blushed or argued. Instead, he simply explained "I'm going to sleep by myself. After being chased by guard dogs and being forced out of my home, I need rest."
Marika couldn't help but be disappointed as she pouted "You're alone with a charming girl for the night and all you want to do is end the day. You're no fun, Raku. Alright, I'll show you to your room."
Raku found his bed with the rest of his belonging in the room Marika guided him to. Sighing with relief, Raku laid down on his bed and said "Well, I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."
"Well, if you're going to bed, I might as well rest too." Marika replied as she started laying down next to him.
"W-What are you doing?" Raku exclaimed with a mad blush.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to bed." Marika answered with a confused look on her face.
"No, why are you trying to sleep right next to me?!" Raku continued his questions.
"You see, one bedroom apartments are cheaper than two bedroom apartments so-" Marika started to explain.
Cutting Marika off, Raku sighed "Well, the couch in the living room looks comfortable too."
Watching as Raku got up, Marika gave in "Fine. You win, Raku. Let me show you something."
Marika guided the two toward an empty wall and started tearing the wallpaper apart.
"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Raku yelled as Marika was tearing apart their apartment.
Once Marika was done, a door was revealed and she explained "When I took your feelings into account, I ended up buying a two bedroom apartment. I had Honda cover up my bedroom in the hopes that you would agree to share a room, but you didn't."
Seeing the lengths that Marika went to, Raku couldn't help but be impressed "Wow. To think that you scolded me early for overthinking things."
Giggling, Marika stated "Just about everything I do is for your sake. You say I'm overthinking things, but doing something like this was more out of instinct."
"Don't tell me you have a seventh sense: the 'Raku' sense." Raku joked; although, her statement did put a blush on his face as he scratched his cheek.
Marika giggled as she said "I guess you could say I do have a 'Raku' sense. I won't keep you up any longer. Enjoy your slumber, Raku. Sweet dreams."
"You too, Marika." Raku replied as he started heading back to his room.
"One more thing, Raku." Marika said suddenly.
Getting his attention, Raku turned around to see Marika's back.
"If I never came back to school… If one day I wasn't around anymore, how would you feel?" Marika asked in a soft tone.
This question caught Raku off guard as he tried formulating a response. Knowing she asked a tough question, Marika turned around and smiled "You don't have to answer, Rakkun. When I left for America, I reckon I was just scared half to death is all."
Feeling more at ease, Raku replied with a smile "Just don't disappear on me, Marika."
This made Marika's smile widen as she turned to enter her room.
Once Raku got comfortable laying down, he finished a troubling thought he had at school earlier "There's still something that's bothering me."
"I'm going to be just fine, Raku. I have to be in good health if I want to be your bride, after all."
As he thought back to Marika's response, he couldn't help but wonder "Why did her response feel so forced, no… rehearsed?"
-A year and a half ago-
Marika was brought before her mother.
"I wonder, why might my mother be summoning me? Surely it's not for something petty like spending time with your daughter." Marika glared at her mother.
Standing aloof, Chika proclaimed "Don't be ridiculous. What use do I have for a daughter like you? I have summoned you today to tell you that I'm relieving you from this household. You're not fit to carry on our family legacy, so I'm letting you do what you wish. Whether its meeting your fiancé or rotting away inside of your father's apartment, I do not care. Just get out of my sight."
Although her words were harsh, Marika couldn't help but be overjoyed as she exclaimed "I can be with my Rakkun?!"
Marika's attitude about the situation was surprising for Chika who replied "Do as your wish. Just be out of this house within an hour. I'm assigning Honda to watch you so that you don't spill any of our, no, my family's secrets."
With that, Marika left the room overjoyed which left Chika bitter as she muttered "How can she be so happy despite her condition..?"
Author's notes: Now I know you weren't expecting me to post this chapter so fast, do you know how I know? Because even I was not expecting to upload the first chapter before Valentines day. I mean, it's only been three days since I finished my RakuXChitoge fanfiction so I thought I would take a short break. I could not hold back the hype. I was filled with determination as I wrote this and the first chapter came out a lot better than I expected.
One of the problems I had when writing this is capturing Marika's tendency to go overboard, but then the sharing an apartment idea came to mind and it works so well with this story and the fact that she's been saving her money to live with Raku.
One thing I'd like to touch on is my picking and choosing how characters address each other. In my previous fanfiction, Raku called Kosaki by her first name rather than calling her by her last name in the manga. Basically, I have the characters are addressing themselves as if they were raised in the U.S. This has been done in several English dubs of anime. For example, in Bleach, Oriheme calls Ichigo by his first name in the English version but calls him by his surname "Kurosaki-kun" in the original Japanese. This is just a preference I have and it's more simple for me than to write "Raku-sama" all over the place.
You've probably already guess this, but with the content I plan to write, I won't be done by Christ- I mean Valentine's Day. Despite how quickly I got this chapter out, the chances of a chapter coming out on Valentines Day is 50/50. I have two projects and a paper due next week on top of work so... We'll see. There's also the Smash DLC coming out today and if I trying writing a paper when all I can think about is playing as a Dragon or Witch, the quality of my writing will decrease. You'll probably have to satisfy your romantic thirst by... (shudders) spending time with your romantic partner, or, if you're like me, watching anime to lessen the void of emptiness not being in a relationship creates. I'm kidding~ But if you don't hear from me until after Valentine's Day, I hope it's a good one!
Special shout out to Moosashi for helping me with the title. I literally spent all day trying to decide on which title I wanted to go with and he gave me his advice which made choosing one a lot easier!
Well, that's about it. Now I have to think of an interesting summary for this Fanfiction (always the part I hate doing the most). And I will see you... in the next chapter... BUH BYEEEEEEE!
5/13/16 UPDATE: This is an update about the title of this fanfiction which used to be "On a Valentine's Day". Since I created this fanfiction, I was really satisfied with the title; however, something nagged away at me and it finally hit me while I was reading my "Zawzse In Love..." fanfiction. "On a Valentine's Day" didn't imply that it was about Marika at all and had none of her presence. So, that's why I changed it to"Marika's Route: On a Valentine's Day". If you were thrown off about this change, I apologize. I will also be posting this update on the last chapter.