Chapter 4

"Ne, Echizen-kun, do you want to go to a party?" Fuji asked. exactly one week after their parting. Though his tone was casual enough, his heart was beating slightly faster in anticipation of the answer.

There was only silence from the other side. Fuji checked the screen of his cell phone to see if he was still connected.

"Echizen-kun?" he inquired. "Are you there?"

There was a cough, and then a clearing of the throat. "I'm sorry, Fuji-san. What did you say?" Ryoma was confused, for he had believed that Fuji never intended to see him again. He truly thought that Fuji would go back to leading the life of a highborn quality, while he, Ryoma, would go back to caring for his mother. He mentally thanked Fuji for Rinko's health, which was improving, thanks to the medicine he was able to obtain, but other then that, he hadn't really made an effort to contact Fuji afterwards. He supposed he didn't want to seem to dependent on an aristocrat. After all, he still had his one ambition in life to think about, but Fuji just didn't seem like the one he should be targeting.

"Would you like to accompany me to a party?" Fuji questioned once again. He wondered why Echizen was so reluctant about the matter.

"What kind of party, Fuji-san?" the other asked, in a hesitant tone that spoke of his indecisive opinion of the whole matter.

"Oh, it's not that big of a deal. My parents are throwing another get-together this coming weekend." He strove to sound relaxed, not wanting to scare off Echizen, who sounded as if he was about to bolt at the slightest sign of danger. "It's really boring most of the time, but if you came with me, I'm pretty sure that it'll be a lot more entertaining and interesting than if I went by myself."

Once again, Fuji's only answer from Echizen was silence. He kept his silence as well, determined to keep his hopes down and find out the response before anything else went on.

"I…I really think I'm the wrong person to ask for this type of situation," Ryoma finally said at last, his voice breaking through the silence that they had established. "But why is it—"

"Ah, I'm really sorry, Echizen-kun," Fuji suddenly interrupted. Ryoma could hear a female voice calling out Fuji's name in the background. "I have to go now. I'll come over later today and speak with you more on the matter. Is that all right with you?"

"Yeah, I guess that's okay," Ryoma replied, unnerved by the sudden intervention.

"Great. Like I said before, I'm really sorry. Bye, then," Fuji said apologetically.

Ryoma's voice was small as he replied with a bewildered "Good-bye", and was left with the dial tone as Fuji hung up from the other side.

"I wonder why, of all the people he could have asked, he decided to ask me," Ryoma muttered as he stared at the telephone, now emitting a worried beep. Setting it into the cradle, he made up his mind not to worry himself about the matter too much. The plan was already beginning, and sentiments would only get in the way. And I promised myself that I wouldn't get attached to the subject.


As Fuji hung up on his cell, he gave small sigh, fully aware of the position that he'd left Echizen in. "I'm coming, nee-san," he answered to his elder sister's call. He just wished he could have explained a little more of the situation, instead of leaving Echizen with an incomplete picture that he was pretty sure wasn't appealing at all.

He opened the door of his bedroom and stepped out into the hallway, where his elder sister, Yumiko, was waiting. "Where is it that we're going again?" he asked, observing the somewhat fancier than normal outfit she had donned.

She gave a pleasant smile. "Well, I'm sure you've already been told by okaa-san about next Saturday's social festivities, I presume." Fuji nodded, still unsure of where the conversation would be heading. "But I bet you didn't know that the number one corporation owner and his family was also invited."

At this point, Fuji's eyes flew open in surprise. "Atobe? Are you sure about that?"

"You know as well as I do about okaa-san's feelings about this situation, Syusuke," she said, to which Fuji gave an understanding nod. "Well, she's really nervous about the whole ordeal coming up this weekend."

"Okaa-san has always been too immersed in judging other's by their social standing," Fuji replied sagely. His eyes were closed once more, a thoughtful expression on his face. "It's not often that the Atobe family decides to attend one of her fetes."

Yumiko gave him an admiring glance, but was fully aware of her younger sibling's skill to catch up quickly in unexpected situations. "Exactly. She wants us all to be at our best, so…" She paused here, sure that he could figure it out by himself.

"Saa, so that's it," Fuji said quietly. "She wants us to look our best. I suppose this means we have to go and purchase a new attire just for this gathering." He turned and gave Yumiko a smile. "I don't really mind going out at this moment. It's always fun to shop with nee-san."

Yumiko's reaction to his response was to hug her younger brother tightly. "I knew I could count on you to come shopping with me, Syusuke!" She gave him a brilliant smile. "Yuuta's much harder to convince, if at all. When I told him about the situation, he told me that he already had enough clothes and wasn't going to spend a whole day shopping when he could be doing something else more important." She gave a playful sigh. "It's so hard to find a time for the three of us to do something together once again that we'd all enjoy."

"I also have something I want to purchase at the department store, so it's actually quite convenient," Fuji added.

"All right, then," she said excitedly. "Let's go!"

The driver dropped them off at Jusco's, a fancy department store that catered exclusively for the elite of society. Once the two of them stepped indoors, all of their senses were hit.

The place was attractive and elegant, with gleaming marble tiles and soft lights that gave a feeling of richness in the atmosphere. The air was filled with the elusive scents of the various brands of classy and expensive fragrance sprays. All around them were the quiet hum of conversation, like the passing of a burbling stream.

"Ah, Fuji-san, welcome," said a greeter by the door. "I hope you enjoy your stay here."

Yumiko nodded politely, and signaled for Fuji to follow her as she moved further into the store. "Let's see, we don't want something too fancy that says we're trying too hard," she muttered to herself thoughtfully. "But we want to look refined and comfortable in our setting." Her eyes flitted around their surroundings, skimming over the plainer boutiques and skipping past the overly stylish.

"Nee-san, what about that one?" Fuji asked, pointing towards a shop in the corner of the floor. It was mostly filled with solid colors that didn't attract unwanted attention, but wasn't dull enough to be boring.

"Syusuke, you always have the best eyes," she complimented him as the two of them strode over. She walked in and began to immediately rummage around the racks for the perfect outfit, while Fuji decided to take a slower approach. He smiled amusingly at his sister's actions, and, instead, wandered around the store in a random path, gravitating towards whatever rack that caught his attention.

"Syusuke," Yumiko called to him. "Come over for a second, please. I want your opinion on this outfit." He strode over and was shown a crimson sleeveless dress with a frilly, layered bottom. "So, what do you think?"

He looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, and said nothing. Instead, he reached into the rack and pulled out another dress. "I think this would compliment nee-san better," he replied. He held in his hands an evening gown of a rich peach-pink pastel hue. It had a halter-top fastening and tapered towards the waist. The end of the gown was cut at the knee in the front and cascaded all the way to the floor as it wrapped around at the back.

Her uptake of breath was sharp as she inspected it. "Wow, Syusuke, that's gorgeous," she exclaimed, her eyes on the gown. "I didn't even see that one. I must've skipped over it." She took it from him and stared at it reverently. "I should at least try it on to see if it fits or not." She never took her gaze from the dress as she strode into the changing rooms. Fuji was only too happy to help her out, and now focused on finding something for himself.

"Let's see, since I'm going to go with Ryoma," he spoke to himself, "then I should pick something that would match what he would be wearing…" As he came to that thought, he stopped in his tracks. Saa, so that's why he's been so hesitant about the matter, Fuji reflected. He started acting more nervous after I had explained to him about the party. I never even thought about why he might have done so… How cruel of me. But on the brighter side, it means that I can pick something out for him. He smiled once again, just out of the picture his next thought made. We'll make such a cute pairing at the party.

His mood grew even lighter as he slowly picked through what he thought would be close to Echizen's size. I don't think he'd like a light color… So let's go for dark. No, that one's too big, I'm sure of it…


Ryoma was helping his mother tidy up their room when he heard a faint voice call him from outside.

"Echizen-kun, are you there?"

"It's fine, okaa-san," Ryoma said quickly, noticing the worried look she had when she first heard it. "It's Fuji-san." Her expression grew relaxed when her son said that.

"All right, then," Rinko replied. "It's not polite to keep them waiting, Ryoma." She gave him a smile.

Ryoma handed the willow-bough broom to his mother and opened the door to step outside into the sunny sky of a late afternoon. As his eyes quickly adjusted to the change, he was able to perceive Fuji, in a beige-colored coat, carrying a large, expensive paper bag. Jusco's? That's a really elegant place…

"Hello, Fuji-san," said Ryoma quietly, hands inside his black windbreaker's pockets. Before he could say anything else, Fuji held out the Jusco bag.

"Here, for you," Fuji replied, a smile on his face. "I had to guess your size, but I'm pretty sure it will fit relatively well."

Ryoma's face was confused. "Wh-what?"

"Your clothes," Fuji responded. "For the party." He still held out the bag. "Here, I got you something."

Ryoma looked at him warily, hands still enveloped within his pockets. "I didn't say I was going, yet," he said slowly, hoping to stall for time to reorganize his thoughts at the moment.

Fuji gave him a mock gasp. "And after I went through all the trouble of guessing your size?" He face was downcast as he added, "You wound me, Echizen-kun." Ryoma's expression was still somewhat skeptical. "Fine, I'll admit it. The whole process was actually very enjoyable for me," Fuji said lightly in an amused tone, his face back into a semblance of his usual self. He gave Ryoma a brilliant smile. "Plus, I chose something that would compliment the two of us."

Ryoma looked as if he was about to cave in. One last touch, that's all I need to finish this… Fuji thought.

"Come, now. If you don't accept, I'll be forced to go to that otherwise horrendously boring party be myself." Fuji opened his eyes, hoping that Ryoma would change his mind. "Please."

Ryoma shivered as he looked into the cloudy blue-eyes. The various emotions he noticed inside them caused his heart to lurch within his chest. Coupled with the wavering tone that Fuji used with his final plea, it slashed at him. Against the combined efforts, Ryoma was not able to stand firm.

"Fine. I accept," he replied quietly, turning his head away. He grabbed the handles of the bag from Fuji, and blushed a little as his hand slid against Fuji's. He ventured a quick look with the corner of his eyes, and noticed that the blue orbs were clear once more, free of any apprehensions or turmoil. I had no idea it meant so much to him, geez. It was safe to say that Ryoma, though having decided to accept the gift, had no intention of doing so meekly. "Then we're even on our debt, Fuji-san."

"Mmm, not yet," Fuji replied in a considerably more whimsical tone. "You see, I would agree to that if you had decided to accompany me in the first place. However, you also accepted my gift." He took pleasure at seeing Ryoma's expression dawn in comprehension. "So that still leaves you in my obligation."

The wind blew noiselessly in between the two of them as they faced one another in silence. The only noise came about from the crinkling of the paper bag as it swayed a little in the breeze. Fuji was smiling, though his eyes were shut once more. Ryoma's face was expressionless at the moment, contemplating about his next reaction.

Ryoma was the first to make a move. "Che, I suppose," Ryoma replied, turning his somewhat grumpy face away again. Though his expression was somewhat irritable, in no way did it deter the sadist. Ryoma found himself enveloped in Fuji's arms as he was embraced tightly.

Fuji's breath was warm and tickled in his ears as he spoke. "Ah, you're always so fun to play with." He was extremely pleased that Ryoma made no signs of attempting to move away, but knew that it would change in the future. Ryoma was growing more comfortable in his presence, and it would not be long before his true character would cause the other to break free and shine as well. Even today, there were small slivers of it being shown. He's really starting to develop into his nature, both mentally and physically. It's probably just me, but he seems even more attractive than last time, even in a plain jacket and jeans. Finally, Fuji released Ryoma from his one-sided hug, but did not move away.

"Remember, if it doesn't fit, call me," Fuji said, handing Ryoma a slip of paper with his number on it. "I'll be more than happy to come over and exchange it for another size. Or," he added slyly, "you could come with me and we can go look over the stores together and pick something else."

"That's okay, Fuji-san," Ryoma said hastily. "I'm sure I'll approve of your choice." Prolonged interaction with Fuji seemed to be more annoying by the minute. "Don't you have somewhere more imperative to go? Something else more important you forgot to do?"

"Actually, not really," Fuji replied. He chuckled at Ryoma's slightly annoyed look. "I'm just kidding. "I'll come and pick you up around 4:30 this coming Saturday. Is that okay with you?" he asked.

"That's good," Ryoma said, opening the door of the car himself. He nudged Fuji in the direction of the car, who decided to comply without opposition.

"Until next time, then, Echizen-kun," Fuji said softly, at once serious. His countenance was calm and controlled once more.

"Good-bye, Fuji-san," Ryoma replied. Then door of the car shut with a small click and Fuji was gone.


A/N- It seems as if I always end with partings and such. sigh I'm not always for angst, you know. Anyhow, I know I left with a cliffhanger. Sort of. What did Fuji get Ryoma to wear! (Don't worry/I'm sorry, it's normal clothing of what a male would wear in that occasion.) Most importantly, what about the party? Next, chapter people.

Questions(never get these, for some reason), comments, and/or constructive criticism. You guys know the routine.

Thanks for all the comments! You guys rock!

--The Unreal Phantom