This was going to be a scene from a larger work, but I liked it so much that I decided to make it a short story. Please tell me if you would like the complete planned work, but I am satisfied with this. I do not own anything except Chihiro, of course. I did not know the names of Kyoya's brothers, but if anyone of you knows, please tell me and those shall be changed. Thank you and please enjoy.

"Father, please forgive me, but she did not accept my offer" said Shota-senpai one evening during dinner. I knew what it was about. A few years before this, Daigoro-sama said the same thing to my father. And now, it was my turn to tell him the same thing and show the same shame that my brothers showed him.

"Kyoya-kun" I heard father said immediately behind his newspaper "Nobuo Matsuda is a worldwide known doctor, who has planted several hospitals all over the world." I knew this, I've heard it before, twice "It is important for our family to stay close to his because it could increase our financial support and reputation. Nobuo has a daughter of 16 years of age. Your brothers did not succeeded in asking her for her hand. You know what you have to do, Kyoya"

"Yes father" I always did what father wanted me to do

I met Chihiro when I was 13, she was 14. I met her, because Daigoro-sama tried to get close to her, and in this way increase our family's reputation. As our parents grew closer, we grew closer and Daigoro got closer to his goal. But the day she rejected Daigoro-sama, I was the first one to know.

"Kyoya-sama" she always called me Sama despite our age difference "I cannot marry your brother, he does not love me" I knew Daigoro-sama did not love her. Why would he do that? I felt sorry for her because she obviously was not aware of the opportunity she was missing. But little I knew.

I did not see her for 3 years after that. I was not aware that Shota-senpai had proposed to her. I did not know when, or where, but I knew why; my father's ambition of good reputation was the number one priority in this family, and I knew what was going to happen if she denied Shota-senpai's proposal. And there I was. In the garden of my mansion, two years after meeting her. My father had organized a tea-party, in which all the families of the coo-workers, including the Matsudas, attended. I was 16 then.

I escorted Chihiro through my garden to my pond. I was quite amazed how a small, ignorant and not very attractive girl had turned into a slim but short, intelligent woman. She had plans to become a doctor, just like her father, and take over his company. Listening to her and her goals in her life made me think of a certain personality. Me.

"Kyoya-Sama" she said as we walked around the pond. It was a beautiful spring afternoon with a light breeze that made her white dress flow "Are you going to ask me to be your wife?"

I felt the adrenaline in my veins, making my heart beat faster. I felt the blood rushing to my face making me blush. It was obvious that it was going to happen, I am not going to lie. But I was not expecting this "Yes" I whispered, turning away from her. I did not want her to see me blush.

And then my face was trapped in her cold hands, making me show my embarrassment to her. In this moment I thought about Daigoro and Shota. Is this how they were denied? Is this what they felt before it happened?

"Could you repeat that, please?" she smiled.

"Yes, I am" And then my shaking hands removed her hands from my face, she smiled again and directed her attention to two koi fish in the water. She sat on the fresh grass and took off her hat, leaving her hair in the wind. I felt sorry for her white dress.

"Chihiro" I sat next to her "You know you don't have to do this. I am the last Ootori son and I know I am not better than my brothers, but I won't be hurt if you do not ..."

"Kyoya," she interrupted with a firm voice "sit down" and I obeyed.

"How many fish do you have in this pond?" she asked

"Well, we originally bought 100 fish. They have been reproducing, nevertheless"

"According to Darwin's theory of evolution, only the strongest individuals in certain population survive and these individuals are the ones that get to reproduce and pass their traits to their offspring" I did not know where she was going. Was she trying to avoid the topic? Her intellect was cute though. She pointed at a fish near us who was just swimming gracefully "See that koi fish over there? It's beautiful! Those scarlet and almost silver scales are just breath taking, don't you think?"

"Yes" It was true. It was a very pretty fish. But why were we talking about fish?

"And look at that one over there?" she pointed at another fish, bigger than the first one, yet its colors were not as royal "That is one strong fish. I would not be surprise if it was the alpha male of all your fish!"

And then she sighed and looked at the two koi fish, twisting in the water, swimming in perfectly geometrical patterns.

"Yet the female preferred that one." she pointed at them "It's way smaller than both of them and barely has any scarlet scales. Nature is a funny thing, don't you think?" She looked at me with a smile on her face and I understood what she was trying to say. Her smile felt like honey in strong and bitter black tea.

"Why do you think the female fish did not pick any of the good fish?" I asked and she chuckled a little bit.

"Because the small, weak fish is better at swimming. He is more elegant and passionate about life. And he radiates a loving and loyal personality" her eyes looked into mine, making me think that in the last sentence she was not talking about fish anymore.

And we both stared at the clear water and the fish dancing underneath the surface. The wind was the major sound, hitting the leaves of the trees and the grass on which we were standing. The grass, who had left green stains on her white dress when she leaned back and allowed me to kiss her.