A/N: I did not include the first part of this chapter where Tsurara came back to bring the tea and snacks requested by Rikuo. I think it's not really important so I scratched the scene out.

I don't want to make excuses why I posted the last chapter after a long long time but my hard drive crashed and all the updated stories have written so far were on that hard drive. T.T

Anyway, Hope you enjoy the final chapter!

Warning : Tsurara doesn't sound like Tsurara at all. Haha

Part II

It was already dawn. The night is starting to loom over the surroundings, and the air was starting to get cooler. I tilted my head to the sky, seeing that it is turning darker in red by the minute. I knew I always paid attention to the sky whenever I had the time, but I never saw it this red before. It's so bloody red that it made me aware of a growing blush on my cheeks.

Hours ago, while I was on my wallowing state in which Rikuo's words played on my head over and over again just like Kurotabo's singing stupor when he's drank and he thinks he's like a Diva or something when he holds a mic (but he's just belting out the same line until he passes out), Kejorou had checked on me what the reason was behind my glum face while stirring my frozen yogurt mindlessly.

I told her what had transpired inside Rikuo's room and to my aggravation, she laughed her butt out from it. After a few teasing here and there though, which I believe were just playful remarks from her since I was so sure that I behave so well when I'm with Rikuo, she gave me a serious advice on how I could get back on our Supreme Commander for the insensitive reamrk he had thrown at me. That was really unexpected, just like the reaction she had worn when I told her Rikuo that considered her sexy. She just raised an eyebrow to it like she was not actually pleased with what Rikuo had said.

"Strip in front of him and let him see the full glory of your curv-''

I did not let Kejorou finish at that point. Sure, I did say that it was a serious advice from her, considering that she had an all serious look on her face, but what she had said was totally incredulous. Strip in front of Rikuo? Oh God. Not over my dead(sexy) body.

But that comment from Kejorou was getting me embarrassed by myself until now.

Great.

"Tsurara. What are you doing here?"

That voice again. I dreamily jerked my head at where the sound came from but as soon as I realized who the owner of it was, I vigorously shook my head out of the trance. Damn that sexy voice.

"Nothing Waka. Am I not allowed to be here?"

Rikuo scrunched his eyebrows as he ignored my question. "Should not you be at the kitchen at this time of the day?"

He was right about that. I should be on the kitchen preparing dinner but Kejorou decided to boss around Kubinashi while she was on it so I was not needed in the kitchen anymore. I felt sorry for Kubinashi but I like it when he's getting whipped by Kejorou.

"Oh that. Kubinashi filled me in for that post tonight."

Rikuo groaned. For what reason, I had no idea.

It was then I noticed the epitome of black on his side. Ryuuji.

Oh, they're still together.

"Good coincidence. We were just talking about you." Ryuuji grinned. It wasn't exactly sinister, or dark, or threatening, or scary, but I felt like he was up to no good with the way his lips were twisted. It didn't even help when I noticed the look of panic that crossed Rikuo's eyes. Or it might just be my imagination.

"Drop that topic already. Let's just head straight to my Grandfather's room. We might lose him if we stay here even for just a minute."

Eh? I let the words sink in on my head before I managed to find my voice.

"Waka, it will take you longer if you are taking this route. You could have just used the route near the dining room. It's much easier to get to the First's room through there."

"I know that."

Whoah. Did Rikuo actually snap at me the second time?

Though, that didn't stop me from noticing the flustered look on his face, which was to my utter disbelief.

"Uh, okay." Oh. I didn't know I could utter a single word as a response to that, much more two words. Hooray.

I turned to Ryuuji, remembering what he said a while ago. I didn't know if I should be asking it since Rikuo seemed like he didn't want to talk about it but, the more I wanted to know what it was for the same reason. "You were saying?"

Ryuuji smirked as he sauntered towards me with a wide grin on his face. I suddenly had a feeling I should not have asked that stupid question. Especially when Rikuo looked like he was torn between running away alone or yanking Ryuuji with him.

"Tsurara do you know what it implies if a boy tells a girl that she is not sexy?"

Oh great. Not that again. I suddenly had the urge to create a wall of ice between us. Why did he suddenly bring it up?

"Hey! Who are you calling a boy?" Rikuo reacted with a scowl on his face. I hope they turn to each other instead and completely forget about me. I could take advantage of that and slip away unnoticed.

Wishful thinking.

Ryuuji completely ignored Rikuo and before I knew it, he was already beside me.

With an arm draped around my shoulder.

As if it was the most casual thing for him to do.

Too stunned with his sudden action, I stood immobile on my feet on the floor for a few seconds. And even before I could process what was happening, he nonchalantly turned to Rikuo and smirked." It means that you are not sexually attracted to her. Which means that you don't like her in a romantic way. Which means you are not in love with her. Don't tell me now I am wrong?" Ryuuji raised his left eyebrow challengingly, as if daring Rikuo to refute what he just declared.

I would really find this situation funny and humorous if I wasn't the one they were talking about. I wanted to smack Ryuuji in the head and to whack his arms away from my shoulder but my attention was fully absorbed by Rikuo when his face darkened with a tomato blush, although he looked like he was going to bite Ryuuji's head off his neck. And I think I could feel that it was the reaction that Ryuuji was waiting from Rikuo.

"What love are you talking about? Don't put any malice in the relationship I have with Tsurara."

Damn right. Damn you, Rikuo.

"So, if I court her, you won't hunt me down with your Hyakki?"

The return of the scowl on Rikuo's face meant that it didn't sound well with him for either of the two options, he didn't like the idea of Ryuuji courting me or he didn't like the idea that Ryuuji thinks that he likes me and that he would do something as stupid as that just because of it. I'll bet on the second option. I don't even know why the first option existed.

"You can do whatever you want to do and it's Tsurara you are going to court, not me. I have nothing to do with it so please, don't drag me into it. "

Ryuuji looked down at me and brought his face a little closer than what I could be comfortable with. I could even smell his minty breath when he spoke. "You have nothing against it, right, Tsurara?"

I don't know why I'm letting this man wrap his arms around my shoulder and talk to me like we were besties for life but I didn't feel anything bad about him, except for his obvious motive to annoy Rikuo. I'll just go along with him for now since I'm still mad at Rikuo and seeing him make (boederline dangerous)faces was rather cute. I paused... Damn. Why do I have contradicting ideas on my head!

"Well, no. I don't really mind."

"What?!" Rikuo blurted out with an appalled expression on his face that made me think that he was actually expecting a different answer from me. With the long strides of his legs, he got in front of me in a matter of a second like he was a bull charging for a red cloth. "Just because he told you that you are sexy doesn't meant that he really meant it!"

Before I could even respond to his outburst, not that I could really respond in a timely manner since my brain was still trying to process what he had just said, he turned to Ryuuji with narrow eyes. "And you, you'd better take your arm off her shoulder."

"What if I don't?"

I stiffened involuntarily. Rikuo looked seriously pissed right now for something that was so petty.

That reaction was totally out of the blue.

The veins on his neck were starting to show and his jaw was moving visibly like he was grinding his teeth. I just hope this won't turn into a duel, or a fight to death, or something like that. Knowing these two guys, they could have an impulse sometimes.

But then, I think I sound like I didn't care at all. Maybe, I was waiting for that to happen?

Oh great. Why am I conjuring these stupid ideas on my head?

After a brief moment of eye to eye contest( I don't really know what to call it since Rikuo was doing the glaring and Ryuuji was just staring back at him) between the two, Ryuuji let go of his hand with a chuckle. "Okay, I get it."

He sounded well too amused that I doubt he got intimidated by Rikuo. I just don't get what was going on in his mind. The same applies for Rikuo too. Their actions and words don't make any sense to me at all. Could it be that they're making fun of me? I felt a prick on my forehead at the thought.

Which suddenly dissipated when Ryuuji spoke.

"So, when you said that Tsurara isn't sexy, you actually meant the other way around? And when you said that you don't mind if I court Tsurara, that was actually a lie?"

A dark shade of red returned full force on Rikuo's face at the sudden onslaught of questions that slit through the open air. This time, it even spread to his ears and neck. And I believe I was seeing a steam rising from his head. He abruptly turned to Ryuuji to give him one of his deadliest glare yet, barely managing to suppress himself from shouting, " Think as you like!" before he walked out on me and Ryuuji.

" You must be feeling very very sexy right now." Ryuuji's smirk was something that would have gotten on my nerves on any normal situations but since I currently found myself in a rather surreal,out-of-normal, impossible, unimaginable(state all of adjectives that come close to the words mentioned), the only response I got from myself is,

You bet.

But I did not get to say that one aloud.

Or even whisper it.

Heck. I could not even move my mouth. It seemed like a glue had been stuck on my lips for whatever reason.

Also, I'm quite like a frozen statue right now.

Or a frozen ice cream kept in a cold storage, except that inside, I'm burning as a feverish heat infiltrated every nerves of my body that suddenly, I thought that stripping might not be a bad idea afterall.

The End

To those who want to know why Ryuuji acted like that, haha, I'm not telling you guys.