Author's note: Another one of my ideas, it's a princess and the pauper type story. Most of it's from the Barbie princess and the pauper film (Cause I'm that cool to have watched it X-D) .
Kuki was obviously pretty popular with boys in Cleveland, and why not? She was pretty, had a great personality and a great life to match it. So they thought. In Kuki's mind, she never really felt totally free. Her mother was pretty controlling and her father was always out on business, her sister wasn't much help, she'd moved to her gran's house one day when she had a fight with mum. True, it was only down the road but still, Kuki felt pretty alone in her family, her personality didn't seem to match any other of the Sanban or Chiba (Mothers side of the family) genes. Her relatives were all grumpy, snobby workaholics. After spending a day with them Kuki would often lie in bed and pray that she'd never turn out like them.
One place where she really felt at home though, was her other family...The Teens Next Door They were all now around thirteen years old. Each one of the team members in sector V seemed to play a role in Kuki's mind. Nigel was always the distant cousin who'd check in any time during reunions or celebrations, since he went to galactic KND (now galactic TND), he could only keep in touch through phone or transmissions whenever possible, They hadn't seen him properly since he'd left.
Hoagie was the cheerful uncle whom you could never get rid of. Although he was the loveable one of the group. He'd started to lose quite a bit of weight, but not drastically, he was now more muscle than fat.
Abby, Kuki's most bestest friend, was the cool, caring motherly figure. She always had time to listen to each of them and was now the leader of the group who all of sector V loved and respected. Anything Abby said went, and if not there was hell to pay.
Kuki was obviously the youngest member of the family, naïve and happy-go-lucky. She was also the one who the rest of the team all took responsibility for and took care of. It could get pretty annoying at times, It made her feel crowded and overprotected at times.
Wally, he was just the annoying brother, well, half brother due to his size. Whatever he did he would mess it up for the rest of the gang, even if he meant well. Kuki had to admit, she had a real soft spot for him, he was the boy who could drive her crazy, yet she still liked him...maybe even loved...And he'd also had his teenage growth spurt, making him a few centimetres taller than Kuki, he was around the same size as Abby. It was pretty funny, until they'd turned into teens and grown, Kuki never realised that she was also pretty short compared to the rest of them. (a/n: It happened to me)
Genki, her mother didn't think much of Kuki's friends, as much as she tried to support her daughter by letting her see them and play with them. She didn't really like the idea of Kuki playing with such ruffians. When Kuki was born, her parents had decided that to stop her from making the wrong choices in life, they would always choose her husband for her when the time came. Genki decided that now was the time. Due to her beauty and outgoing personality, she thought that any older and Kuki would be likely to fall in love and possibly make the wrong choice and have her heart broken, Genki couldn't bare that, so came to conclusion that now was the time to find her a good husband. She had a pretty good idea of him, her boss at work had a charming son about a year older than Kuki, he'd be a good match and a good influence on her daughter.
However Kuki didn't know about any of those plans yet.
Kuki was told to be polite and calm when her mother told her that her boss was coming over, she always hated it when people from her workplace would come over, she'd always be so bored when she had to sit quietly as mother and her workmate would sit and talk endlessly.
She was told to dress nicely, so wore a short white summer dress that came to her knees, it had black, oriental style flowers all over it and a thick black bow at her waist, on her feet she wore black dolly shoes to match. She put her hair into a half ponytail and made the hair that was left down into giant curls, to finish, she added a big white flower on the side of her head and put on candy floss pink lip gloss with a little eye liner and mascara to her eyes.
The doorbell rang and Kuki stood on the first step of the stairway as her mother opened the door.
"Jackie! nice to see you!" Genki said as she kissed her guest lightly on the cheek.
"Hello Genki, I'm sure you remember my son Robert." Her boss smiled.
Genki nodded curtly at both of them. "May I introduce my oldest daughter Kuki, I'm not sure any of you have ever met."
Robert stepped forward. "Nice to meet you." He smiled. Holding out a hand.
"You too." Kuki replied, politely shaking his hand.
"Oh, here this is for you." Robert told her, holding up a white flower with his other hand.
Kuki beamed. "Thank you, it's beautiful."
"Oh, it matches the one in your hair sweetie!" Jackie pointed out. "I always did like roses."
"Erm, this is a carnation ma'am." Kuki corrected her politely.
"Kuki!" Her mother hissed, Robert chuckled.
"So, you know your flowers?" Jackie beamed.
"Yeah, I love them, foxtail lilies are my favourite." Kuki replied.
Jackie gave an impressed beam. "I like lilies too."
Kuki smiled. Her mum grinned at her proudly and held out her arm to show the living room, she took her guests and invited them to sit down. "Well, Jackie would you like a tea, coffee?"
"Tea would be prefect thank you, two sugars." Jackie replied.
"Robert, would you like anything?" Genki offered.
"Na, I'm good thanks." Robert replied.
"Kuki, do you making the drinks please dear, I'll have a coffee please." Her mother smiled, Kuki nodded and walked into the kitchen. She pulled out the cups and put the kettle on boil. Kuki looked behind her when she heard someone walk in and sit at the small table. It was Robert.
"Sorry, mum sent me in here so that they can have a mothers meeting." He smiled.
"No problem." Kuki laughed, "Are you sure that you don't want a drink Robert?"
"I'm fine thanks." He replied. "And I prefer to be called Bobby. I don't feel as old and posh."
Kuki giggled and finished making the drinks.
"Bobby it is then." She smiled, taking the drinks through then coming back at sitting at the table with him.
"So, any nicknames for you that you prefer?" Bobby asked when she sat down sipping at her juice.
"Well, one of my friends calls me Kooks, but that's more his nickname for me so just Kuki's fine." Kuki replied.
"Sure." Bobby smiled. "I thought that my mum said you had a sister."
"Oh yeah I do, she stays at my Grandma's, she escaped from my mum." Kuki replied.
Bobby chuckled. "Well, will we see her before the wedding...?"
"Wedding?" Kuki interrupted in confusion. "Who's getting married?"
"Oh, you don't know about it, sorry." Booby smacked his forehead .
Kuki was now very intrigued. "What? Tell me!"
Bobby shook his head and made a zipping motion on his lips. Kuki pouted.
"Kuki, can you start getting dinner ready? I'll be come in a moment!" Genki called from the kitchen.
Kuki sighed and stood up to do as she was told.
"Can I help?" Bobby asked. Standing up and walking over to her.
Kuki smiled at him. "Thanks, can you peel these vegetables?"
He nodded and did as he was asked. Genki came in a few moments later.
"Oh, there you are Bobby, are you helping out? Aren't you sweet! Do you mind if I take over, I need to speak with Kuki." She smiled.
"Sure Mrs Sanban." Bobby replied, walking into the living room to his mother.
"So dear." Genki said, looking at Kuki. "Getting along with Robert?"
Kuki nodded. "Yeah, he's real nice."
"Good, because you two are arranged to be married in three weeks." Genki said casually.
"What!?!" Kuki exclaimed, dropping the soy sauce on the floor, it smashed. Sighing, she knelt down and picked it up.
"It was always a descision that your father and I had, You're the right age now and..." Genki tried to explain, closing the door so their guests didn't hear.
"I'm thirteen!" Kuki yelled. "I'm not old enough to get married!!! Anyway, Don't I even get a say in it?"
"It's either him, or one of your fathers choices!" Genki told her.
Kuki sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to win the argument. When she cleared up the mess on the floor, she got back to helping her mother.
"We'll have to start all of the arrangements soon." Genki said quietly. Kuki didn't reply.
Genki went through and showed them to the dining room while Kuki put the food onto plates, Genki came back in and they served food.
Kuki and Genki sat on one side of the table, Bobby and Jackie sat opposite.
Kuki stared at Bobby as they ate, she had nothing against him, he was handsome, with thick brown hair and grey eyes. He was Asian too. From what she had seen of him, he seemed pretty nice. She just didn't want to get married.
There was a ring of the doorbell.
"That'll be Abby, Hoagie and Wally." Kuki said wiping her mouth and standing up. "Mother can I be excused?"
"Kuki, we've got guests here, you can't go out." Genki told her.
"You said that I could yesterday." Kuki reminded her politley.
"Oh, so I did." Genki remembered. "Can't you see them tomorrow?"
"Aw, mum it's Abby's birthday! We were going to have a party for her." Kuki said.
Genki rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, do you mind?" She asked the mother and son opposite her.
"Not at all." Booby shook his head.
"No, it's fine, let her play with her friends." Jackie smiled.
"Okay Kuki, but finish your meal first." Genki told her. Kuki nodded and stood up to let her friends in.
"Hi guys." Kuki smiled as she opened the door. "Come in, I just have to finish my dinner."
Her friends followed her in and stood quietly in the doorway as Kuki sat down to eat.
"Hello children." Genki smiled. They all greeted her politely. "Happy birthday Abby."
"Thanks Mrs Sanban." Abby nodded curtly.
Wally was looking at Kuki's guest, wondering who he was Kuki obviously noticed.
"Oh, guys this is my mum's boss Jackie, and her son Bob...Robert." Kuki introduced them.
"Hey." Bobby said with a smile.
"'Ello." Wally replied with a gruff tone.
Kuki finished her food and took her plate to the kitchen. And walked back into the dining room.
"Bye mum! Bye Jackie, bye Robert, it was nice to meet you." Kuki said curtly before leading her friends out.
"Be back by half eight Kuki!" Genki called.
"What a beautiful girl!" Jackie stated.
"Yes, she looks a lot like my mother." Genki smiled.
"You must be so proud of her." Jackie replied with a smile.
Genki nodded as she heard the door close.. "She's a good girl, she's got a wild side though."