Outing Gone Awry
I don't own any of the Inu X Boku SS characters. All copyrights belong to the author, Cocoa Fujiwara. This story is told in Ririchiyo Shirakiin's perspective and takes place after the ending of the anime when Miketsukami and Ririchiyo is already a couple.
Note: -sama means master.
Here I am on a Friday night getting ready to go out. Albeit a bit reluctantly, I dressed in a simple white t-shirt and black skirt. I brushed out my long, black hair, and I waited by the door for my monotone, pink-haired friend, Roromiya. I bent down to put on my shoes and saw a pair of shiny black shoes approaching me before I heard a voice call out to me.
"Ririchiyo-sama!"
Judging by the formal tone, I knew it was my Secret Service agent, Soshi Miketsukami. As I straightened up, I saw a crisp pair of black slacks followed by a freshly pressed white shirt along with a black jacket. Standing more than a head taller, he looked down at me, and I defiantly met his eyes. Being as predictable as he was, I prepared a snappy remark to whatever he had to say.
"Where are you going at this hour? Don't you know how dangerous it is for you to go out at night? At least allow me to accompany you," Miketsukami chastised.
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I brusquely replied, "I'm going with Roromiya to watch a midnight showing of a movie that just came out. I don't know which one exactly since she refused to tell me. And no, you may not 'accompany' me because Roromiya will be there; she's quite capable of protecting me herself should any dangerous situation. She IS an agent just like you."
"But-" I cut him off.
"That's final. Don't make me dismiss you again after I just rehired you. I'm quite capable of putting up a challenge for any attackers thank you very much. I'll be back in a few hours. Don't you dare come looking for me."
"Okay, as you wish master," Miketsukami sighed. I watched him walk away dejectedly.
Secretly, Roromiya actually invited me to go out with her but not to watch a movie. Even if he tried his best to question me, I wouldn't know any more than what Roromiya told me yesterday over breakfast in the lounge. I recalled our conversation from yesterday.
The morning looked and felt like just like any other typical morning. Alone, I sat at a table closest to where breakfast was served in the lounge. Absorbed in my breakfast, I didn't notice the presence that was gradually approaching me from behind.
"Ririchiyo," a monotone voice quietly said.
Surprised, I dropped my forkful of scrambled eggs, spun around in my chair, nearly knocking over my cup of coffee in the process, and faced Roromiya.
"Ack. What are you doing sneaking up behind me like that Roromiya?!" I exclaimed.
"Sorry. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to hang out with me tomorrow night."
With that statement, I became wary. Nothing good ever comes out with the plans she make. However, I had wanted to get away from Miketsukami for a while, so I hesitantly asked, "Where are we going?"
"It's a secret. I won't tell. Just dress nicely," is all that Roromiya let on.
"Will it just be the two of us?" I asked, just to distract myself from the bad feeling I had.
"If you want to invite anyone else, I wouldn't care," she replied nonchalantly.
"No. It's fine if it's just the two of us," I hurriedly replied.
"Then it's settled. Get ready by 9 tomorrow night, and I'll meet you by the entrance," Roromiya threw over her shoulder as she walked away.
Once again, that is how I find myself all dressed up and ready to go out tonight. I normally don't go out at night and prefer to relax in my room after my bath, but I felt the need to go out without that damn agent trailing me like a shadow. I figured what better way to do it than to go out with Roromiya especially since I have no idea where she's taking me. One moment the world was shrouded in light and color; the next moment all I could see was darkness and felt something soft cover my eyes.
"What-" I began to raise my hand to the blindfold before Roromiya eased my concern.
"As I have said, where we're going tonight will remain a secret, and it will remain a secret until the moment of arrival."
I felt Roromiya lead me by the hand. I could tell she was leading me out of the building and into a vehicle of some sort, a limousine most likely, judging by the way my legs have so much room to stretch. The slight sway of the limousine combined with the darkness of the blindfold, lulled me to sleep easily.
Eventually I felt a gentle hand waking me from my slumber. What felt like a five-minute nap was actually an hour ride with an extra half hour added to it because of traffic. Since Roromiya refused to take off the blindfold until we exited the limo, it was hard to wake myself up when all I could see was the dark. Like earlier, I felt her lead me out. When she felt that I was stable enough to stand on my own, she untied the blindfold, and I saw that the limo was parked on the curb right outside of the entrance. I looked to my right, and the sight of a long line that wrapped all the way around the block greeted me. Incredulously, I looked over at Roromiya; she was just smiling at me, expecting me to say something probably. All I could think of was how long we'd be lining up.
"Don't worry Chiyo. We won't need to wait that long to go eat. I made reservations a few days before I asked you last night. Plus, you'd be surprised to see who runs the restaurant," Roromiya tried assuring me again that night.
"Wait, how were you so sure I would accept your invitation for tonight?" I questioned.
"I wasn't. If you really didn't want to come, I would have asked your childhood friend, Sorinozuka, or our neighbor, Watanuki," she replied matter-of-factly.
Looking towards the entrance again, I saw someone waving at us from the entrance.
With eyebrows furrowed, I asked, "Who's that?" as Roromiya started walking towards the person in question.
"He has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, Haru," Roromiya introduced when we reached him, "Haru, this is Ririchiyo."
"Nice to meet you," we both said at the same time.
"I'll take you to your table first, so you can get comfortable. The food and drinks will be right out soon. I do hope you trust my choices and find them to your liking," Haru said while looking between the both of us as he lead us through the main lobby, past the dance floor in the middle of the restaurant to a secluded corner with a beautiful view of the nighttime city skyline. Beyond the window, I saw an array of lights from the surrounding buildings twinkling like the stars above us. Cars zoomed by on the road, and people rushed around on the sidewalks. It wasn't holiday season, but it sure looked like it.
When we finished settling into our seats and he turned around to service other customers, I took the chance to look around the restaurant only to gasp at what I saw. There, dressed in the same outfit from earlier and sitting on the other side of the room at the bar, was my entire reason for coming out tonight. He seemed to not notice my discovery. If he did, then he masked it quite well. Accusingly, I looked over at Roromiya, thinking she had betrayed me and told Miketsukami of my whereabouts. Roromiya was just as surprised as I was.
"What's HE doing here?" I hissed.
"I honestly don't know. Doesn't he follow you wherever you go even if you ask him not to?" Roromiya glanced at me from the corner of her eye.
"I don't think he does. The only times he has shown up were at the last moment before I can get hurt. I never questioned him about it because I was grateful, and something always came up to make me forget that I needed to ask him about it. Even if he does secretly follow me, I can't do anything to stop him because he'll find ways to keep me in his sights. Some girls might actually like the idea of someone who's as loyal and faithful to them like a dog, but it's just plain annoying. I guess he's reliable though. He's always there."
"Ririchiyo, do you like Miketsukami?" Roromiya innocently asked.
Flustered, I hurriedly stuttered out, "W-wh-what gave you that idea? I don't like him. He's so annoying, and he's always stuck to my side. I can't do anything by myself, and when I do try, he gets all dramatic and makes it sound as though I'm abandoning him for good."
"Your mouth may be in denial, but your pink cheeks that are getting redder by the second are telling me otherwise." At the end of her statement, she smirked just a little. Correction, she smiled like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.
With that, I began feeling my cheeks. True to her words, they felt warmer than usual.
"Whatever. When the food arrives, let's hurry up and eat. The sooner we leave, the better. I don't want to give him an excuse to come over here."
Not long after I finished that thought, I saw a waiter fast approaching with our dishes. I noticed he was carrying the plates on shaky hands. Little did I know that Miketsukami was watching me the entire time and had gradually moved closer to me. What happened next seemed to have occurred in slow motion. The waiter approached us unsteadily and tripped over his own foot. The two plates he carried, one in each hand, flew towards me. Dumbfounded beyond action and coherent thought, I shut my eyes and prepared for the food to hit, but I never felt anything. All around, gasps rang out, and I distinctly heard a small gasp escape from Rorimiya's mouth, so I opened my eyes and looked around. People all around were staring at our table, specifically, my savior. I looked up and above me stood Miketsukami shielding me, splatted head to toe by the majority of the food.
Before I had time to ask him when or how he got to our table so quickly, he cut me off.
"Mi-"
"Ririchiyo-sama, are you alright? What were you doing here in the first place? I thought you were going to watch a movie," Miketsukami worriedly asked.
"Uhh… I am. We were going to watch it after dinner," I said quietly, nervous from the amount of attention we were receiving.
Choosing one of the best moments interject, she revealed, "There is no movie planned. She made it up herself. It was her excuse for coming out tonight. I actually planned on taking her to a club." Or so I thought.
Shocked to the core, I screamed, "WHAT?! Why would you bring me there? We're not even old enough to enter!"
"I have connections," slyly replied Roromiya with a glint in her eye.
Before I could come up with a retort, Roromiya had grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the restaurant. In the distance, I could hear Miketsukami calling after me. I was yelling at her to stop the whole time she dragged me. I literally exited the restaurant kicking and screaming. I must've been quite the pretty sight to withhold. Lesson learned: I can't trust Roromiya to plan hangouts in the future, and if I decide to join, I should bring Miketsukami with me.