Matching the Matchmaker

A/N: Gee…I feel like I'm already signing my name up for the RyouNami shipping as the OTP. Haha, well then, let's proceed, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own the LCDO characters mentioned. Kure Yuki and KOEI does. Yeah, we have to live with it.

One: Somewhere Out There Lies the Other End of the Red String

One very fine and breezy summer day, a white van stopped in front of my house and honked twice. I almost sputtered the coffee I was enjoying with the surprise on my laptop. "For crying out loud, I told Fukuyama not to honk in the morning!" I hissed as I stood from the table on the backyard. My little flower bed was already in full bloom and their amazing scent almost made me forget the honking incident.

As I rushed to the front of my house, an English villa-inspired vacation house with two floors and two wings set at about a considerable distance from the refreshing Okinawa shores, using the side path and watched with curiosity as the vehicle stopped to purr. A slight shake came first then it went still. I stopped on the porch and blinked at the foreign object.

That's certainly not Fukuyama's van.

The side door clicked open and I felt my heart skip a beat. It slid slowly at first, as if stretching after a long drive. Then, a woman's leg came out…a body, then a hand…then that unmistakably hair color…

My eyes widened.

"KAHOKO!" I shouted and rushed to give a bear hug at the girl. She lost a bit of balance at first but she regained them soon and in no time, we were twirling and jumping while still hugging each other. "Oh my goodness, Kahoko! You're really here!" I said as I pulled myself away to look at her. "I'm not dreaming, aren't I?" tears were almost forming in my eyes as I asked those. She shook her head and pulled me in again for another embrace. "No, Nami. You're not dreaming! We're really here!" she said and we giggled like little girls.

"Nice house." I heard a suave voice come out from the van. His silky long hair was tied up into a lose ponytail. "Yunoki-sempai!" I squealed and allowed myself to be hugged by one of Seiso's most popular guy. "It's been a while, Amou-san. Still vibrant as always, I see?" he humored and we laughed together. "Of course, sempai. With this job, I need to be as energetic as I can be." I said and more feet came out of the door. Shimizu was next and he was closely followed by Fuyumi. Both bowed and uttered a greeting complete with a bow. Hihara-sempai was careening his neck from the loads of bags that he was simultaneously carrying. Yunoki-sempai bid him a helping hand and the trumpeter chuckled in relief. "Wow, Amou-san! You own this house?" his eyes were so wide and sparkling with amusement that I couldn't help but feel proud. "Yes, sempai. A great beauty, isn't it?" I asked and he nodded like a child. "Amazing~" he sang.

Two faint bickering voiced altered our attention to them. Instantly, our minds connected and we knew who the stars of the little act were.

"Careful with that. You don't know how much I paid to keep it safe in this travel." That familiar icy tone almost made me laugh at the sweet nostalgia everyone had brought. A gruff voice immediately came after it. "Then you shouldn't have brought this in the first place!" it retorted. Yunoki-sempai shook his head and walked to the source of the voices.

"Really, you two are still bickering? Why, ever since last night you two were almost ready to kill each other." I heard sempai's calm voice stopping the two, ending the little ruckus. Trudges on the paved streets came after thent he figure of the flutist came first, followed by the signature permanent scowl of the violin professional and then the towering pianist came last. Kahoko laughed a little and helped the violinist. "I thought we talked about being nice, Len?" she asked as she took a bag from him. The violinist looked away and muttered an apology.

Apology.

"And you, Tsuchiura-kun, I thought you promised the group not to let Len's very stubborn and hard head get to you while in the course of this trip?" She then turned her attention to the already apologizing pianist. It made me giggle at how Kahoko seemed to be the mother of the two, paying special attention to the little behavioral problems that may spark between the two for over trivial matters such as…who will carry the water jug.

I clapped my hands to gain their attention. "Alright, since it's the perfect time as well, why don't you all join me inside for breakfast? Also, that would be a great time to explain to me what everyone is doing here." I said and led the way inside. As I opened the door, two little furry things danced around my feet, making Fuyumi-chan, the one right behind me, gasp in surprise. "Oh, meet my babies. Shizuo and Nao." I introduced my dog and cat. Shizuo, with his overly excited wagging tail, barked three times before dancing in circles again. "Shizuo, back to your cot now." I said, pointing to a portion in the living room, which was on the left wing of the house. The bright orange Pomeranian obeyed instantly, leaving the second furry thing still snaking on my feet. This time around, Kahoko and Fuyumi-chan squealed in glee at it. The affectionate white Ragdoll cat purred and the two squealed a little bit more. "Uhm, I think we should first get you settled." I said then opened the door a little bit more for the others to enter. "Wow, the scent of the sea fills my nose! So refreshing!" Hihara-sempai joyfully said as he set his baggage on one side, where the others had placed theirs as well. "It's homey in here. Truly a nice place, Amou-san." Yunoki-sempai added and scanned the living room, going from frame to frame.

"Oh, let me get that for you." I said as I aided Shimizu-kun with his own stuff. Obviously, these people couldn't live without their favored instrument and because of that, the sleepyhead had the biggest baggage of them all. "Thank you, sempai." He bowed and I smiled. "Uhm, I'll get you something to drink first as I prepare breakfast." I said to everyone. "Don't fret too much, Amou-san. We already grabbed a drink and some snacks when we landed a while ago." Yunoki-sempai called. "Alright. I'll just direct you to your rooms. Will it be fine if you share?" I asked and they nodded. "Of course." The flutist answered for the group and with that, I led them up to the second floor.

"Why, you have a lots of rooms in your house, Nami. Considering that you live alone, why choose a set up like this?" Kahoko asked as we walked up towards the hallways. "Actually, I did not live alone here for a few years back. It was only recently that I got this all for myself." I started and paused at the top step of the stairs and looked back at them. "When I was just starting my job here, I met some others who were in the same situation as mine. We decided that until we get really settled with our jobs and had occurred financial stability, we had this house built like a dormitory. All expenses were paid equally by everyone. The lot is under my name since this was originally from a relative of mine who agreed to transfer it to my name to make my living here easier. It has only been one and a half year since my co-workers had separated with me and that is the reason why for someone living alone, I have a house this big." I grinned at them. "You have a nice turn of events here, Amou-san. Quite amusing." Yunoki-sempai said and chuckled. "That's very lucky!" Kahoko joined in and I shook my head. "Of course, there were some problems but we managed. Now, the office seems like a family, thanks to this little venture." I added and waved them up.

There were six bedrooms in the house: five bedrooms on the second floor and mine on the first floor. "How do you guys want to split? Girls together or…" I paused to eye the two couples. "Married couples together?" I added with a smile. Kahoko and Fuyumi-chan's faces both turned beet red the instant I said the last part. "I-I guess girls together is fine." Kahoko quickly responded. I saw Tsukimori sigh in submission. "Hmm, this is not high school days Kahoko. It's totally fine if you and Tsukimori go together in one room. Same goes for Fuyumi-chan and Shimizu-kun." I replied. "Well…" Kahoko looked back at Fuyumi-chan and then to her husband. "Alright, Len and I will share one room." She replied. The timid girl nodded and smiled. "Kei-kun and I will share too." She said softly but solidly.

"Tsuchiura-kun can join Yunoki and me in one room." Hihara-sempai announced. "I hope you don't mind this but…a maximum of two persons can only occupy one room. I'm sorry about that. The rooms are…well, a little bit small that those three persons will do make a crowd." I apologized. "Then I'll be fine alone." Tsuchiura responded with a reassuring smile. "Let's get you in your rooms, then." I said and led their way.

On the first room, it was the Shimizu couple. I thought that it would be perfect for them since the previous owner was like them: soft-spoken, quiet and has a very calming aura thus making the room emanate the same feeling. The room directly faced the left side of the garden where the flower beds and other plants were situated. The Tsukimori couple, I decided, will be rooming the one opposite to the Shimizu couple. This time, the room was directly facing the east side of the sea so this was the place to best view the sunrise. Also, the previous owner of that room asked for a little veranda making it a wonderful remembrance of their romantic Ave Maria duet.

For the two oldest members of the troupe, I had them placed on the one beside the Tsukimori couple. The previous owner of the room was our full time photographer so he needed a lot of space for his lighting and camera equipments. Naturally, the room was big. Also, he was quite a big man in terms of height and muscles so his bed was bigger. Now, I left them the little puzzle about the bed. Last but not the least I made Tsuchiura take the room right beside the Shimizu couple. It was modest one and it was, I think, perfect for him. It was facing the middle section of the sea. There were no distractions like trees. It was a peaceful scenario and it fitted him.

After assuring that everyone was fine, I rushed down to the kitchen and prepared our breakfast. It has been a while since I was able to prepare a breakfast this big but I didn't mind it at all. I was happy to learn that my dearest friends from high school were here visiting me. Not to mention that I was in a much farther place from where the rest are. Kahoko and Fuyumi-chan, who said that Shouko-chan would be much appreciated, came down to help me prepare. After a few more coffee-spilling, pancake-destroying and hand-burning events, the table was set. Of course, Shizuo and Nao had their fills already so they were up and about again, with Shizuo barking happily at the men who came down when we called them and Nao purring on the feet of the girls.

"So," I started when we were feasting already. "What are you guys really doing here? I know you wont fly from Tokyo to here in Okinawa for just a random visit. You guys have a busy schedule and sacrificing time for 'leisure' trips is something that is quite…surprising." I added then took a sip from my mango shake, courtesy of Shouko-chan. All of them stopped and looked at each other. And like a pre-agreed decision, it was Kahoko who broke the news to me.

"We came here to find the perfect match for the Matchmaker." She told me and winked.