Blood-Bound

by kawaii-witch181

Chapter III

Summer I

The new season started with a rainy summer afternoon, wherein a little girl could be found looking out of her glass window. Her parents had some errands to do, so she was the only one in the house beside her grandmother. She had to stay indoors to avoid getting wet and sick. It might be the hottest season of the year, but her frail young body couldn't just stand the rain for long. That, and her mother would be furious.

Sakuno Ryuzaki was bored. The downpour outside was getting heavier. She let out a sigh. What will she do? She wanted to play outside. Perhaps, to take a walk around the neighborhood? But, there wasn't anyone to play with. She idly wondered if there would come a time that someone would be her playmate. Her child self couldn't just endure the loneliness anymore. She needed a friend too, just like the passing group of children she saw the other day.

Sakuno turned the locked of her window, shifting on her comfortable position in the process. She just felt so lonely that her nostrils wanted to catch the scent of the summer rain. Somehow, she got the idea that the scent would bring her comfort. As she raised the window just a little, her chocolate brown gaze caught a glimpse of a vehicle. She raised the window higher, now getting a full view of the outside.

A family was moving in the house across them!

Her discovery brought a big smile on her face. That meant she could finally meet a child her age, and they would become the best of friends, and they would play 'til their heart's content, and…and… Oooh! She couldn't wait.

Sakuno waited for a family to show up, but there was only the vehicle and a few men carrying boxes. The boxes came from the truck. The door of the house was closed, she observed. Same with the windows. The smile on Sakuno's face fell. So, there wasn't any child? So much for cheering up.

"Sakuno! What are you doing? You'll get wet!" Sumire scolded, getting inside her granddaughter's room. "Come on, get down. I'll close the window."

Sakuno obliged, leaving the soft cushion of her seat before settling her feet on the tiled floor. "I was only looking outside, Grandma. I thought there was a family moving to that house." She explained, a sad tone on her voice.

"At this weather?" Sumire wondered, but upon seeing the truck outside, she agreed with Sakuno. "Oh, don't be so gloomy, sweetie. Don't go with the weather. It might rain here inside, too." Sumire joked, patting her granddaughter's auburn head.

"Grandma, that wasn't a nice joke at all." Sakuno said, her sadness slightly going away.

"There, you smiled. You know, you shouldn't look so down. I'm sure a playmate will come for you, Sakuno." Sumire grinned at her. "Just like the weather, the sun will visit you someday."

Sakuno meekly nodded. Yeah, someday.

...

It was around dusk when Shiori and Shintarou arrived at the Ryuzaki manor, both carrying a basket full of red luscious apples.

"Welcome back, Mommah, Daddy!" Sakuno cheerfully greeted, giving each parent a kiss on the cheek. "Where did you go?" She asked curiously.

"To our apple orchard, Sa-chan," Shiori answered with a smile.

"We brought you lots of apples. You love apples, right?" Shintarou smiled.

Sakuno grinned. "Yes, Daddy! Like the apples of Shirayuki-hime!"

"Those were poisonous though, Sakuno." Shintarou let out a laugh.

"But those were like these, very red in color." Sakuno reasoned with a pout, holding out two apples grasped by her two hands. "…Are these poisoned?" She looked down at the fruits nestled on her hands.

Shintarou playfully pinched his daughter's nose. "Of course not. Why would Mommah and Daddy poison your apples, Sakuno?"

Sakuno leaned forward, and kissed her Dad's forehead. "Just kidding, Daddy~" She let out a merry laugh.

...

The sun was long gone, replaced by the numerous twinkling stars in a blanket of black. The dinner in the Ryuzaki manor was, as usual, very noisy and gaily. Shiori and Shintarou chatted about their experience at the apple orchard and proceeded to inform their daughter that she would surely come with them the next time. Sumire talked about the recipes she wanted to try out, naming one cookbook, or two. The present topic was all a retell by an excited Sakuno—about her presumptions that a new family was moving at the house across them.

"How about we bake apple pies as a welcoming present?" Shiori thoughtfully said.

Sakuno abruptly stood up. "Yes, Mommah! I'm sure they'll love it!" She agreed whole-heartedly. She'd put her plan into action. She had to know if a child was with that family. If Shiori really would bake, all there was left was to check the inside of the house for family members. She grinned inwardly. Sakuno loved being all brilliant. Great plan.

...

The next day, little Ryuzaki willed herself to wake up before her usual waking time. She was successful, of course. She wouldn't trade anything for the apple pies. Yes, Sakuno decided to bake the said treat. Well, if helping her Mommah was considered as baking, then yes. There wasn't a trace of any light emitted by the hot sun by her window, so she assumed it was still dark out. Whoa, so this was what it felt like of being awake before the world. A kind of emotion—perhaps, satisfaction—developed inside of you. It felt like you could actually do whatever you want, with no prying judgmental eyes to stare at you.

The clock showed fifteen minutes before five, in full awake characters. When did the clock sleep, anyway?

Sakuno hopped off her bed and ran for the door, giving no care to her messy bed hair. If all her speculations were true, her mother would be at the kitchen by now. Anyway, she was totally out of breath when her feet reached the family's antique kitchen. And by the looks of it, she was right.

"Good morning, Mommah!" Her glee was already shown by the tone of her greeting.

Shiori turned around, confusion wrinkling her face. "Sa-chan?" She glanced up at the grandfather clock. "You're awake at this hour? It's too early. Are you alright?"

Sakuno smiled a big one, her pearly whites showing. Her mother was still her ever caring self. She was sure Shiori assumed she was having a fever again. "Of course, Mommah! Let me help you with baking." She proposed, walking in the kitchen in small strides.

Shiori raised an eyebrow, pausing her mid-whisk. "What's gotten into you?"

Her daughter wasn't that interested in cooking, much less in baking. So…why did Sakuno suggested something like that? Sure, the little girl watched her cooking whenever she had the chance. Shiori had seen that Sakuno enjoyed observing her skill hands; she noticed the glint in her eye. But…Shiori assumed that was all to that. After all, she never saw Sakuno hold anything related to baking stuffs.

"I want to try making apple pies…" Sakuno said, unsure at first. "Just like Mommah. I want to be good, too!" She proclaimed, bouncing to Shiori's side by the counter.

"Sure, hand me that jar." Shiori let a smile decorate her face, a finger pointing at the sugar container far from reach. A quality time with her daughter. Just the thing she needed. It had been a while since they had a bonding time…just the two of them. As a mother, she wished for a sweet activity to do with her precious child. But, she wasn't expecting it to be literal. She almost laughed. Sweet activity, eh?

...

By mid-morning, around nine o'clock, the apple pies were all freshly baked. The signature aroma of the red fruits flittered around the Ryuzaki manor, waiting to be savored. Shiori glistened with sweat and pride as she pulled out the tray of pies from the oven.

"It's done, Sa-chan." Shiori announced, removing a mitten from one hand.

"We'll give it to the new family now?" Sakuno asked with a grin, sniffing the scent of the hot pies.

"Uh-huh. But first, help me wrap these."

And those were the happenings before the two Ryuzakis stepped out of their home and found themselves in front of the house across theirs. The young daughter of the Ryuzakis took the obligation of carrying the basket of apple pies while Shiori rang the bronze doorbell.

A young woman, about the same age as Shiori, was the one who opened the door. "Hello," she greeted with a warm smile.

"Good morning, ma'am." Shiori greeted back with a smile of her own. "We made some pies, and I was wondering if it will be fine to give them as a welcoming present for you and your family."

"Welcome to the neighborhood, ma'am!" Sakuno flashed a childish grin.

"Oh my, thank you very much for the thought. Come in. Come in." The woman said, opening the door wider and stepping aside.

The two Ryuzakis stepped inside. And the door closed.

...

"Please do make yourselves at home," The woman said after she had warmly accepted the freshly baked presents. "I'm Rinko Echizen. It's a pleasure to have you as our neighbors."

"The pleasure is all ours, Mrs. Echizen." Shiori made herself comfortable on the sofa. "We are the Ryuzaki family. I'm Shiori and this is my daughter, Sakuno."

Rinko giggled. "Rinko is fine, Ryuzaki-san."

"Then, it should be Shiori for you too."

Sakuno's curiosity was piqued. Her chocolate eyes couldn't help wandering around. The Echizens were wealthy too, she had observed. Their furniture was very elegant-looking, and the household was spacious, too. But, she couldn't see any other family member around. She almost deflated. So, she really didn't have any potential playmate in the first place?

Then, all of a sudden, her hopes skyrocketed. There in one corner were the picture frames, in all numbers and sizes. One family picture caught her attention. There was a boy included. A boy about her age. A white cap was positioned on his head in an odd angle, and he was holding a sports racket in one hand, which was actually very big for his small hands to handle.

"Ne, Mrs. Echizen, who is he?" Her bubble of excitement reached even the tone of her voice.

"Ah, that's our little Ryo-chan. Our son." Rinko simply answered.

Sakuno's expression changed into a gleeful grin. That means there really was an available playmate! "Is he here? Is he here?" Her eyes literally sparkled.

Rinko nodded. "He's still sleeping, though."

Sakuno turned to her mother. "Mommah! Can I stay? I wanna play with Ryo-chan!" She declared happily.

Shiori agreed. Well, she couldn't deny a possible friend for her daughter, could she?

Finally, a playmate! He's the first playmate she'd have in months!

After about half an hour, Rinko noticed Sakuno's restless self. So, she permitted the little girl to wander around the house and even got to the fact of where Ryo-chan's bedroom was located. Sakuno was more than happy to comply. She didn't even pay any more heed to her Mommah's warning of breaking stuffs.

She took the freedom of looking around the Echizen household, even glancing at the garden outside. There was a wide tennis court at the lawn. But she didn't step outside. She could be lost with her directionally-challenged attitude. Now, Sakuno was climbing up the stairs. Maybe Ryo-chan was already awake. She really, really, really wanted to meet him.

Recalling Rinko's words, she easily located Ryo-chan's room. It was at the farthest corner of the second floor. However, the room was still closed. So, she patiently waited outside, comfortably settling herself on the tiled floor. She didn't know if how many minutes had passed. But, she was feeling bored. The door wasn't opening. Sakuno sighed. What to do at times of boredom? Ah, sing. However, Sakuno didn't know about songs that much. That was why, she hummed instead.

...

Ryo-chan was still in dreamland when a music note hit him square in the face. He bolted up. What the—? He almost groaned. His precious sleep was taken away from him. That was why he hated mornings so much. Early mornings robbed him sleep, and turned him all grumpy. His eyes caught the numbers of time. Oh, it was already past nine. Nah, still early. He decided to lie down again.

However, he heard a soft humming outside his door.

Who could it be? No one in their family loved to hum. At this time of the day, at least. Then, that means… His amber eyes widened by a fraction. There was an intruder in the house!

The humming stopped.

Huh?!

Ryo-chan tiptoed to his closed door. He slowly, carefully, opened a crack at the door. And what greeted him was a human-sized doll sitting on the floor, orbs hidden by closed eyelids. What was a doll doing here? There was no little girl in their home.

Must be Ryoga-niisan's prank again.

He closed the door behind him and went near to the sitting doll to examine her face. Ryo-chan wasn't really a fan of dolls. Well, any guy would deny a doll in the first place. But, this particular doll was…captivating. It captured his attention. He hadn't seen something this beautiful. It was like heaven sent. Ryo-chan scowled. What was he thinking? Ryoga-niisan's pervert thoughts must be rubbing on him.

Then, he froze.

The doll was breathing!

Ryo-chan realized he was mistaken all along. There was no doll. This is a girl! A girl! A member of the female species that would scream bloody fantasies at him. He was literally jumped at by some girl in the past. Not to mention, that little girl even went to the point of ripping his shirt off of him. Not to mention, that same girl was so ugly, he wanted to vomit from the sight of her. Ryo-chan shivered from the memory. That was why he loathed the opposite sex.

But he didn't know why. He just sat in front of this particular kind of female specie, staring at her sleeping face. Any closed eyelids signified a person sleeping, right? Ah, now that he thought of it… this was actually his first time seeing a girl up close. This close.

Hmmm… Female species weren't that bad…when they were not being wild animals, that is.

Ryo-chan reached out a hand. He reveled the feeling of softness as his small hands straightened out her auburn locks and traveling down one single braid.

"Chibisuke?"

He instantly retracted his hand, as if he was suddenly electrocuted.

"Like her?" His brother inquired with a feral-like grin.

Ryo-chan scowled. Why did it always turned out like this?! He threw a random object—which turned out to be a yellow tennis ball residing at a coffee table at the corner—at his brother in frustration. It didn't hit his brother, though; only bounced farther away. His scowl deepened.

"R-Ryo-chan?" Sakuno said sleepily, rubbing the remaining sleep in her eyes. The sound of bouncing ball must have woken her up.

Ryo-chan's hand twitched. Where'd she get that nickname? That was just a joke. And, more importantly, why was she calling him that?

"Why are you calling me Ryo-chan?" His annoyance was already radiating off him.

At this, Sakuno suddenly frowned. "Isn't that your name?"

He noticed her English was a bit off.

He snorted. "Of course not, the name's Ryoma."

She tilted her head to one side. "But, Ryo-chan is cuter."

"It sounds like a girl's name!" He finally snapped.

Sakuno was taken aback by the sudden outburst. "Oh, S-Sorry. I-I didn't mean to offend you." She apologized instantly, head bowed.

But, he didn't answer. Instead, he wordlessly left. Sakuno wanted to cry. Her playmate was walking away from her. Did calling him Ryo-chan made him angry? But…it was just a friendly gesture. She just wanted to be friends with him.

"Maybe he doesn't want to be friends…" She mused sadly.

"Oh don't look so sad, miss. Chibisuke was just being shy. He's not that sociable, you know." Someone said comfortingly. "If you want, we can be friends. I'm Ryoga, little lady."

Sakuno looked up at him—the exact replica of Ryo-chan, except he was more…gregarious. "H-Hai…"

...

When Ryoma's brother and Sakuno reached downstairs, Shiori was gone. Well, the Ryuzaki manor was just across the road, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Ne, Sakuno-chan. Let's eat lunch together," Rinko offered kindly.

But, the little girl declined and went home instead.

Rinko sighed upon closing the door. What happened now?

"Chibisuke was being harsh again, Mom." Ryoga explained by the kitchen doorway. "He had upset her."

Rinko shook her head. "Not again. I thought he already moved on from that little incident."

Ryoga chuckled. "That won't happen, Mom. He already yelled various declarations—all about loathing the opposite sex."

Rinko rolled her eyes. "You could have at least told him off. Such an awesome brother you are."

Ryoga ignored that statement and screamed, "CHIBISUKE! COME OVER HERE! MOM'S TELLING YOU SOMETHING!"

He flashed his dearest mother a large grin. "Now you tell him off, Mom."

Rinko resisted the urge to rub her temple. Her boys were being a pain again. "Fine. Sit in the kitchen, then. The lunch is ready anyway."

Ryoga skipped to his destination.

Ryoma came running downstairs.

And Rinko waited. Ryoma was being beyond rude. He needed some discipline, she'd decided.

A/N: Longer than expected. I didn't mean to! I swear! The chapter just turned out to be like this. *sheepish grin* But I hope you enjoyed the ride. Ryoma was finally introduced~ He was such a disobedient brat, ignoring my instructions like that. I already told him to become a kind boy to Sakuno. But…NOOOOO! So, yeah. See you next week! Reviews are very much appreciated.

Oh, and by the way, in case someone is wondering…both Shintarou and Shiori are always out of the house before Sakuno can even wake up and will come home at the evening. So, they couldn't play with their only daughter that much. You know, medications.

And a huge thanks to my lovely readers: asuna11, Mika Zaraki 141, Guest, ryosakuaddictioneternal, Pozrah, and SaKuRiMo0n. You have my happy gratitude~

As a reply for asuna11's review: I'm sad to say there will be no sequel for SSL. The story is over at twenty four chapters plus one omake; and I don't even know if I can write the remaining two omake. Perhaps, when I find inspiration, or when time will be friendly with me again. But for now, that's it. Thanks for the review, by the way; kinda surprised me that someone out there still found SSL despite it ending last May 2013. And thank you for bothering to read it despite its imperfections and grammatical errors. *does a grateful bow*