Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 4
Nishikado Shun; the eldest but emancipated and disowned son of the Nishikado family sat down at his desk and rubbed his temples wearily. It had been a long, long day of work at the hospital where he worked as a doctor. He had performed a total of three operations in the span of twelve hours and he was thoroughly exhausted. He leant back in his chair and his eyes stared at the picture that stood on his desk. Leaning forward, he picked up the picture and a bittersweet smile formed on his lips. He let his fingertips roam over the picture, as if trying touch the person in the picture.
"Doctor Shun?" his nurse called as she entered with a large hamper in her hands.
"Hiromi-chan?" he asked. He'd been so lost in his oasis of memories that he hadn't heard her knock, nor did he hear her enter.
"Sorry to bother you Doctor Shun but thanks to your help Kei-san and his wife were successfully able to conceive a pair of twins. They sent this in appreciation" she said as she placed the giant hamper on his desk.
"Thank you Hiromi-chan" he replied.
"Excuse me Doctor Shun but I thought you might be happy considering the fact that you achieved the impossible. There was only a ten percent chance that Kei-san and his wife would be able to become parents" she replied.
"I'm sorry Hiromi-chan, I am happy but it's just that I'm feeling a little nostalgic at the moment" he said and glanced at the photograph that he'd set back down on the desk. On his desk there were at least six photographs. One was of his whole family, another was of him and his beloved younger brothers Soujiroh and Sho and the rest were of him and her. Every time they'd taken a photo together, just the two of them, he'd framed it up. He held her in the highest regard and every night before he went to sleep and every morning when he woke up, it was her face that flashed upon his inward eye. The only explanation that Sho could come up with as to why he never got what he wanted, was that he was jinxed. Nothing worked out between him and the woman he loved, his life was lonely and meaningless. He had been born into a family that held high hopes for him to uphold traditions that he neither understood nor cared about.
"Isn't that Matsuoka-san?" Hiromi asked as she walked over to stand beside him, looking at the pictures.
"Yes" he replied simply.
"She's very beautiful ne?" Hiromi asked looking admiringly at the woman in the picture.
"Mmm" he agreed.
"I definitely remember her" Hiromi was saying in that excited chatter of hers. "Even though the last time she came in here was almost seven years ago, I'll never forget her face. What a beautiful face ne? And her hair, so soft" Hiromi said enviously and Shun had to agree. As a testimony to her beauty, he'd never forgotten her face now had he? Nor could he ever forget the flowery scent of her straight black hair and how soft it had felt under his fingers. He'd been haunted by it in his dreams for a long while now.
"Anyway thank you for bringing the hamper Hiromi-chan" he said hoping she'll take the hint and leave him alone. He wasn't in the mood for her idle chatter. Usually she was pleasant to be around and he didn't mind her company. She usually talked about her two young children or the patients and sometimes about anything she could think of. But today he didn't feel like talking nor did he feel like listening.
"It's no problem Doctor Shun", she replied from her place beside him. She was still looking at the frames that sat on his desk when she noticed one particular picture. "Are they your brothers?" she asked pointing to the picture of Soujiroh, Sho and him that was taken just days before he left home.
"Yes" he replied "that's my younger brother Soujiroh in the middle and my youngest brother Sho on the left".
"He looks very familiar" she replied suddenly, pointing at Soujiroh.
"Familiar?" Shun asked looking at her curiously.
"Hmm" she replied looking thoughtful.
"Did you by any chance err…sleep with him?" he asked hoping to god that she hadn't slept with him.
"No although I might have liked to" she replied wistfully.
"Oh thank god" he exclaimed. Although this drew attention to the fact that Hiromi could be classified in the category of the five percent of Japanese women who were below the age of thirty and who hadn't slept with Soujiroh.
"No I've actually met him before" she replied. "Like a long, long time ago but I'm trying to remember when".
"Really? You've met Soujiroh but you haven't slept with him?" Shun asked curiously.
"Yes" she replied furrowing her brows. "Oh yes!" she exclaimed "now I remember, I met him a few years ago, just about a week after Matsuoka-san came to see you. I think at that time he was going out with Nurse Seiko, although their relationship lasted a total of thirteen hours. He's Nishikado Soujiroh from the F4 isn't he?"
Shun blinked as the realization hit him. That was indeed how Soujiroh had met Hiromi. Shun had remembered his anguish when he realized that it had been Soujiroh sitting in those awful orange hospital chairs, waiting for Seiko to pick up a few of her things that she'd forgotten. Shun had immediately pulled on his operating mask in a pathetic attempt to hide his features from his brother. He thanked his lucky stars that at that at that point in time none of the nurses had known his family name. They'd always called him Doctor Shun; he'd started off that way. He didn't want people knowing he was a Nishikado; it would have only brought impending doom onto him. He was strictly professional anyway and didn't mingle with the rest of the staff so his personal life was never exposed.
"Oh my gosh!" Hiromi exclaimed. "If he's you're brother then wouldn't that make you a Nishikado too?" she asked.
"Yes Hiromi-chan" he replied dully and prepared for the tirade of question that his reply would bring from her.
"But- but Doctor Shun how come you don't use your last name? All this time I thought your last name was Shun" she exclaimed with a laugh.
"Look Hiromi-chan" he said slowly. He was beginning to get a migraine and she was adding to it greatly. "The reason why I don't use my last name is because I'm not part of the Nishikado family anymore. I would rather people didn't know about my relation to the Nishikado family Hiromi-chan so please keep this to yourself" he said. Somehow his words seemed empty and hollow. There was absolutely no way that Hiromi was going to keep this vital piece of information to herself. Like all the other nurses in their department, Hiromi positively thrived on office gossip and this was definitely the goldmine of all office gossip to date. He was sure that by tomorrow the whole department and possible the hospital would know his relationship with the Nishikado family.
"Anyway Doctor Shun or should I say Doctor Nishikado, I have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow" she replied in a sing song voice which only provided Shun with more evidence. She was most definitely rushing off at this very moment to tell the rest. Casting a longing look at Shun, Hiromi rushed out the door, exuding excitement.
Shun groaned and put his head in his hands. There was no doubt about it, he was most definitely jinxed.
Yuuki looked up from her sketchbook as the doorbell rang. Racing to the door, she positively beamed when she opened the door to reveal a grinning Akira.
"I thought you might not have had lunch yet so I brought you a little something" he said holding up two bags of take away.
"Rei, Akira-san is here" Yuuki called and laughed as her daughter's excitement was heard all the way from the little girl's bedroom.
"Akira-san!" she yelled and launched herself at him.
"Careful Rei" Yuuki lectured as the little girl almost toppled Akira over.
"No Yuuki-chan, its ok" Akira replied. He handed the bags to Yuuki and picked up the little girl who was tightly hugging him around the waist.
"How's my favorite girl today?" he asked looking at her fondly.
"She's been a little mischievous today" Yuuki added as she set the food onto the table.
"Is that so?" Akira asked Rei who simply buried her face in his neck in her shame.
"It took a few threats to get her to turn off the television. Plus our little missy over here refused to have her shower and take her vitamins" Yuuki explained to Akira, although she didn't sound angry.
"Hmm, is that so Rei-chan?" Akira asked Rei pretending to sound strict.
"Yes" she replied in a small voice that was muffled as her face was still buried into his neck.
"Rei-chan you should listen to your mama ok?" he said.
"I know, sorry" she replied in that same muffled voice as her face remained buried in his neck.
"You shouldn't be apologizing to me, you should say sorry to your mama. She's doing her best" Akira replied.
Rei slowly turned her face to look at her mother and stared at her with large teary brown eyes. "Sorry mama" she said.
"Its ok baby" Yuuki replied with a large smile.
"That's a good girl" Akira praised and Rei smiled bashfully at him. "You must be hungry, come let's eat shall we?" he asked and both Yuuki and Rei nodded.
He sat Rei down at her chair and went into the kitchen to help Yuuki bring out the plates. "By the way" he said to Yuuki when they were alone in the kitchen. "What did you threaten Rei-chan with?"
"Oh" she replied with a laugh "I threatened her and said that if she didn't do those things then she can't go with you today or stay over at your house tonight".
"And she obeyed you immediately after that?" Akira asked hiding his happiness.
"Immediately" Yuuki agreed.
"Oh" was all Akira replied but inside his heart was rejoicing. He realized how much Rei must love spending time with him and it immediately set him in an ecstatic mood. He was usually in a good mood when he spent time with Rei. Her happiness was infectious and he often succumbed to it. He looked forward to spending time with her and after a hard day, all he needed to do was call up Yuuki's house and Rei's unfathomable chatter would put him at ease.
Soujiroh was supposed to be meeting Minako in about twenty minutes. She said that she'd meet him in front of the Café Dune and that's precisely where he was at the moment. It was very out of character for Soujiroh to be punctual; he was one who preferred to be fashionably late. That way, he could make a grand entrance and be the centre of attention. This time he'd been so restless that he'd decided to hop onto his bike and ride around, which was why he was early and waiting outside the café. The women that passed him gave him appreciative looks and one even boldly dared to ask him for his number. She was a pretty creature, with curly black hair, but remembering his current engaged status, he had to decline. He pulled out his cell phone and was about call Minako when the door to the café opened, accidentally banging into him. Soujiroh waited for the person to apologize to him, but he carried on walking. The man was oblivious to the fact that he'd bumped into someone important and he kept on walking.
"Oi, you!" Soujiroh called angrily after the man. "You bumped into me and you don't even have the manners to say sorry". If anything pissed Soujiroh off more than his mother, it was rude people with no manners. Soujiroh was already in a bad mood and usually this made it easier to lose his temper and flare up. The man stopped in his tracks and Soujiroh smirked at his back and placed his hands on his hips. There was no way this man was going to get away that easily. Although the smirk on his lips vanished at once, the minute the man turned around.
There was no mistaking the impeccable Italian fashion of his clothes and the smooth leather of his shoes. Despite the sunglasses shielding the man's eyes from the sun, there was no denying that the man who had bumped into him was indeed the eldest and only son of the Mimasaka family.
"Akira?" he asked; confusion evident on his fine features.
"Eh? Soujiroh?" Akira asked, his expression mirroring Soujiroh.
Soujiroh's eyes shifted to Akira's hand that seemed to be clasping another smaller one. He blinked twice as he realized that he hadn't even noticed Akira holding the hand of a young girl. He hadn't been aware that Akira knew any little girls apart from his twin sisters. His eyes did a double take when he caught sight of her smiling face and those big, brown eyes.
"Hello mister!" she said and waved enthusiastically at him. Soujiroh realized that he must have been openly gawking at her.
"Rei-chan?" he asked as his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. This time it wasn't just Soujiroh who was gawking; Akira had looked totally abashed and was staring back and forth between Rei and Soujiroh.
"Hello" Rei greeted again.
"You-you know him?" Akira asked, unable to process the idea that Soujiroh and Rei had met previously.
"Yes" Rei replied with a nod of her head.
"How-how? Where? When? Why?" Akira asked as his mind began to work in a speed that only a race car driver would be able to appreciate.
"Well, mister over here helped me when I was lost. He wanted to help me find mama but before he could find her, I already found her" Rei replied. The air deflated from Akira like a balloon.
"Did he meet your mama?" Akira asked Rei and she shook her head.
"No".
"Oh" Akira replied and relief flooded him.
"How do you know her?" Soujiroh asked Akira, looking curious.
"Her mother is a really good friend of mine" Akira replied truthfully.
"Now I'm positive that this is the same Benji" Soujiroh said looking at the teddy bear in Rei's arms. "I thought I recognized him when I fist met Rei-chan but I wasn't sure".
"Yes, Benji used to be Akira-san's" Rei put in helpfully. "But when I was little he gave Benji to mama to give to me. Do you want to hold him?" Rei asked Soujiroh whose eyes were still fixed on the brown bear.
"Eh?" he asked.
"Do you want to hold Benji?" Rei asked as she held out Benji to him.
"No it's ok I"- he broke off as she thrust the bear into his arms. Before he knew it, he had unconsciously pulled the bear closer to his chest.
"I let my mama hug Benji too" Rei said. "Sometimes when she's sad, I let her hug Benji. He makes her feel better".
"I see" Soujiroh replied as he held the bear up to stare at its face. It looked the same as he remembered but a little more worn and there was an added smell about it. It was a combination between talcum powder and a flowery scent. It was like he'd known that smell in a dream, like he'd somehow smelt it before. He identified the smell with comfort, security and even love. After all he'd given Akira Benji as a symbol of his platonic, brotherly love for his best friend. Without thinking, right then and there in the middle of the sidewalk, he pressed his nose into Benji's fur and took a deep breath.
The expression on Akira's face was priceless "Soujiroh?" he asked cautiously but his friend didn't seem to hear him. Rei wiggled her little fingers into Akira's palm and he immediately closed his fingers around them. She was smiling brightly as she watched Soujiroh.
"Maybe mister is sad too?" Rei offered. "Benji will make him happy" she replied.
"Err…" was all Akira replied as he watched as Soujiroh patted the chocolate fur of the bear.
After seconds that seems like minutes, Soujiroh realized that he was cuddling Benji openly in the middle of the pavement and he immediately thrust the bear back at Rei.
"Well we'd better be going" Akira announced "we've got a lot to do ahead of us don't we Rei-chan? We've got to go to the amusement park and we're going ice skating later" he replied.
"Don't forget that Rui is throwing me and Minako a celebratory engagement party at his house tomorrow night" Soujiroh told Akira who nodded in understanding.
"Take care" Akira replied in farewell.
"Bye mister" Rei said and to his great surprise she hugged him around his waist. "Don't be sad mister, cheer up" she whispered and with a smile, she held out her hand to Akira who took it in his own.
Soujiroh looked on as Akira and Rei walked away from him. Rei was dressed neatly and well. She was wearing a maroon dress that looked expensive and tailor made. Her shoes were leather and white frilly socks reached her ankles. Her hair was tied up in pigtails with maroon ribbons, although the ribbon on one of her pigtails had come untied. Soujiroh watched with avid fascination as Akira stopped and turned to Rei, gently retying the ribbon. It was only after watching this tender display did Soujiroh have such horrifying thoughts. Rei wasn't Akira's daughter, was she?
"Nishikado-san?" came a smooth feminine voice from behind Soujiroh. He whirled around and was greeted by Minako's pearly white bleached teeth.
"Oh, Minako-chan" he said.
"What are you looking at Nishikado-san?" she asked.
"Nothing" he replied and although she didn't look like she believed him, she kept quiet about it. With a small smile, she led him into the café where they would have their pretend date. Although, Soujiroh knew he would be useless company for his thoughts were too focused on the prospect of Rei being Akira's daughter. He didn't think his friend would lie to him, but he also knew that Akira had his own little secrets. Soujiroh just hoped Rei wasn't one of them.
It was almost one in the morning when Soujiroh, unable to quell his festering imagination, rang the doorbell to the Mimasaka household. It was a Friday night and normally he would have been out, painting the town red. Though, since he was engaged to Minako he had to practice some sort of self control, which was why he decided to put his wandering mind to rest instead. He was going to ask Akira once and for all, if he was Rei's father. Their relationship itself probed much curiosity in Soujiroh. He wondered why Akira of all people would bother spending time with a little girl. He had known Akira for practically all of his life and he knew that in all his twenty eight years, Akira had never spent more than a minute with a child who was not his sisters.
It took all of five minutes for someone to answer the door and to Soujiroh's great surprise; it was Aimee Mimasaka who greeted him. He had known for a fact that Aimee Mimasaka had always gone to bed at nine. According to her, at least ten hours of sleep was essential for beauty reasons. Yet there she stood before him, a vision in white with a crown of jasmine flowers resting on her head.
"Aimee-san" he greeted with a small bow. She'd insisted he call her Aimee since according to her they were 'old friends'. He had felt uncomfortable with the idea and had opted instead to add a 'san' at the back.
"Soujiroh-kun!" she exclaimed in excitement and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. Despite the fact that he had rung the doorbell at one in the morning, she hadn't seemed angry or irritated at all. If someone had disturbed Soujiroh and rung his doorbell at that ungodly hour, they wouldn't be alive to witness the next rising of the sun.
"How are you Aimee-san?" he asked politely.
"Fantastic!" she exclaimed clapping her hands together. She gave Soujiroh the impression of someone who had swallowed a whole bottle of anti-depressants.
"Is Akira around?" he asked.
"Yes, he's upstairs. Come in I'll take you to him" she replied cheerfully, her smile never wavering from her face.
"Err…Aimee-san I don't mean any offense but how come you're awake at his hour? Don't you go to sleep early?" Soujiroh asked as they walked up the grand staircase that led to the second floor.
"Oh yes I do but when Rei-chan is around no one sleeps" she replied with a laugh. "That little girl really knows how to liven things up. I haven't played so much since the twins were that age" she reminisced fondly.
"Rei-chan?" Soujiroh asked.
"Yes, Rei-chan is spending the night here. Akira just loves Rei-chan" Aimee replied.
"She's spending the night here?" Soujiroh asked incredulously.
"Ummm hmmm" Aimee murmured.
"Does she stay here often?" Soujiroh asked.
"Not often enough" Aimee replied. "But she stays here at least two days a week and I can definitely say that everyone else waits for those days".
Soujiroh looked curiously at the door of Akira's room where loud upbeat music pulsated through the doors. What the hell was going on? He anticipated the seconds that led up to Aimee opening the door to reveal a very peculiar scene. There was a large, white plastic sheet lying on the floor of Akira's monstrous bedroom. The white sheet had yellow, green, red and blue circles on it. The four occupants of the room apart from Aimee and himself were laughing and dancing to the music while jumping on Akira's gargantuan bed. Soujiroh's mouth dropped open in horror as he realized that Akira was among the 'bed jumpers'.
"Akira?" he exclaimed and if his pride permitted him to faint, Soujiroh would have collapsed right then and there on the marble floor.
"Oh hey Soujiroh" Akira causally greeted mid-jump. Soujiroh's eyes shifted up and down, following Akira's movements. He was definitely going insane. No, Akira was going insane. A second later, Akira seemed to realize that Soujiroh really was standing there and he practically fell off the bed. "Soujiroh!" he exclaimed as soon as he scrambled to his feet. "What are you doing here?"
Soujiroh shrugged. "I was bored" he remarked. "I just wanted to see what you were up to and apparently you're busy" he said quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh" Akira replied and two faint spots of pink colored his cheeks.
"Soujiroh-san!" The twins exclaimed in excitement.
"Emu-chan, Memu-chan" he greeted with a smile. It was then that his gaze landed on the little girl who had been in the center of his thoughts since he'd seen her that day.
"Mister?" the girl asked.
"Hello Rei-chan" he greeted and he couldn't help but smile. There was something about her, he had to admit, that made him feel happier.
"Are you here to play too mister?" she asked and he wasn't sure how to answer her.
"Yes Rei-chan" came the reply. Aimee Mimasaka had taken the liberty of answering for him. Rei had just only realized Aimee's presence in the room and she beamed.
"Aimee-san, you took a long time. We were waiting for you so that we can start the game" she exclaimed. "Is Mister playing too?" she asked looking somewhat excited at the possibility that Soujiroh might have been there to play too.
"Game?" Soujiroh asked.
"Yes Soujiroh" Akira replied somewhat irritably. "We usually play games when Rei-chan is around and tonight its twister". Soujiroh was slightly taken aback by Akira's snappy tone. The latter was the most pleasant of the F4 and must have really been irritated to show it so openly.
"I'm not"- Any protests at playing that Soujiroh had attempted to voice had fallen on deaf ears as Rei bounced over to him and grabbed him by the hand. Looking up at him with hopeful eyes, he couldn't help but give in. "Oh alright" he said with a resigned sigh. Akira narrowed his eyes at Soujiroh and eyed him suspiciously.
"Hold on a second Rei-chan" Akira said. "Soujiroh and I need to talk for a second ok?"
"Sure Akira-san" she replied and flashed him the cutest smile Soujiroh had ever seen on a child.
Akira grabbed a hold of Soujiroh's arm and pulled him into main hallway, shutting his bedroom door behind him. "What are you doing here?" Akira hissed.
"I came to see you" Soujiroh replied casually.
"At one in the bloody morning?" Akira shot back.
"Well I wanted to talk about Rei-chan" Soujiroh replied.
"What about her?" Akira asked defensively.
"Is she your daughter?" Soujiroh asked. He was never one to beat about the bush; he always got straight to the question.
"What? Are you mad? Soujiroh have you lost your mind?" his best friend asked.
"No, I mean you seem so close so I just thought that"-
"Well be realistic, if she was really my daughter don't you think I'd have done everything in my power to keep her with me instead of getting to spend two measly days with her a week?" Akira replied with a bittersweet laugh.
"Well I just thought"- Soujiroh began.
"Well you thought wrong" Akira replied and Soujiroh detected a hint of bitterness in his friend's voice.
"How do you know her?" Soujiroh asked.
"I told you that she's my good friend's daughter" Akira replied tiredly. "Haven't we already been through all of this?"
"Yes but I'm curious as to why you would spend two days a week with her if she wasn't your daughter. Your situation actually reminds me of a divorced couple sharing custody of their child" Soujiroh remarked humorously.
"No" Akira replied and the humor was lost on him. "Forgive me if I fail to see the humor in this but it's not like that at all. Her mother just happens to be a really good friend of mine. She's a single mother who's trying to earn a living and by me spending those two days with Rei-chan, it gives her mother a little break and it brightens up my week" Akira replied, like he's already pre planned this answer and was ready to narrate it to anyone who asked. Perhaps he'd been asked this question far too many times to count and the answer had been embedded into his mind. Or was he lying?
Akira's room door opened and Rei poked her little head out. "Akira-san, Mister? Are you coming to play? We're waiting!" she said with a toothy grin. Upon seeing Akira's smile, Rei opened the door wider and walked over to Akira, tugging his hand. With a backward glance at Soujiroh, Akira disappeared into the depths of his room.
Half an hour later
Soujiroh had read the Kama Sutra cover to cover and he'd memorized most of the positions listed in the text and even tried out a fair few for himself. But never ever, had he been in such a position that he was in now. His body was a little distance off the ground and supported by his arms and his legs. His limbs were twisted in odd angles and his muscles were crying out with the strain and yet he was enjoying himself. Though he would rather kill himself than to admit it.
"Akira-kun" Soujiroh heard Aimee Mimasaka call "left foot on red".
Beside him, Akira groaned "that's the last thing I need". Slowly and steadily he raised his left foot over Soujiroh's arm, placing his foot on the red circle.
"Soujiroh-kun right hand on green" Aimee cooed and Soujiroh looked around for his target. He carefully maneuvered his right hand, grunting slightly at the effort it took, and placed it on the green circle; which was right underneath Akira's backside.
"I feel so violated" Akira announced and the Mimasaka twins giggled. "I'm being molested here!"
"Oh shut up" Soujiroh snapped "I know you secretly enjoy it don't you? Do you like it if I do this?" he asked as he lifted his hand from the green circle to pinch Akira's rear.
"Oi! Stop it! What the hell do you think you're doing, Soujiroh you'd better stop it! I'm warning you" he said. When Soujiroh didn't cease his assault on Akira's backside, Akira let out a furious "Soujiroh you bastard! You're going to make us lose!"
"Ahem!" Aimee cleared her throat warningly as she gestured to Rei who was seated beside her, looking curiously at Akira.
"Oh!" Akira replied understanding what his mother meant. "I mean Soujiroh you basket! Yes, that's right you're a basket Soujiroh!"
"Basket?" Soujiroh asked with a snort "that's the best you could come up with? Basket?"
"Memu-chan, right hand on yellow" Aimee called.
A little distance away, on another identical mat, the twins were battling it out. Since at first there had been too many to play on one mat; what with the addition of Aimee and Rei, they had decided to use two mats. The teams had been divided with the Mimasaka women one mat and Rei, Soujiroh and Akira on another mat. A short while later, Rei and Aimee had been out of the game having had enough. The twins remained on their mat challenging their brother and Soujiroh to a showdown. They had decided to see among the two teams, which team could hold out the longest.
"Ah-hah!" Memu let out in triumph as her hand claimed her circle.
"Emu-chan, right foot on blue" Aimee called as the spinning wheel in her hands came to a stop.
"Oh no" Emu groaned and crossed her leg on top of her sister's thigh in an attempt to place it on its destined circle. "Yes!" she exclaimed in triumph as her leg landed on the circle.
However a few seconds later Emu's leg trembled slightly with the imbalance and the twins collapsed onto the mat in a heap.
"Emu!" Memu chided "see what you did?"
"HAH!" Akira exclaimed. "We won!"
Rei squealed and climbed onto Akira who was still in his winning position. With a loud "oof" he collapsed onto Soujiroh who groaned in pain.
"YAY! You won Akira-san!" Rei squealed and hugged him. She then climbed off him when Memu called her.
"Come on Rei-chan, time for you to change and brush your teeth" she said and Rei bounced towards her, leaving Soujiroh and Akira alone.
"Is this what you?"- Soujiroh started to say but he was cut off by the shrill ringing of Akira's cell phone.
"Sorry I have to take this" Akira apologized as he glanced at the screen of his phone. Moving a little off to the side, Akira answered the phone. "Hello? Oh yes, don't worry. She had dinner a long, long time ago; it is three in the morning after all" Soujiroh heard him said with a chuckle. "We played twister, she's just gone to brush her teeth and change. Yeah don't worry I don't bruise easily. The first time she kicked me off the bed I got a rude shock but now I'm pretty much used to it. Alright then, see you in a few hours, take care. Bye".
He moved back to stand near Soujiroh who was looking at him curiously. "Was that Rei-chan's mother?" he asked.
"Yes" his best friend replied "she was worried that Rei-chan wasn't behaving herself which is ridiculous because Rei-chan is the most well behaved child I know".
"She's different from most children" Soujiroh remarked having seen a full display of her personality and spirit over the course of the night.
"She is" Akira agreed looking fondly at the little girl who'd come back into the room looking fresh from a wash up. She had changed into pink pajamas and was now skipping over to the two men.
"I'm back" she exclaimed throwing her hands in the air.
"Did you brush your teeth?" Akira asked.
"Yes Akira-san" she replied sweetly flashing him her teeth as evidence.
"Ok well go hop on the bed, I'll be there soon. Which story do you want to hear today?" he asked.
"I want to hear the story of the princess and the pea" she replied jumping around excitedly.
"Ok princess, I'll tell you that one, why don't you go and take the book from your cupboard?" he suggested and giving him a bright smile, she hurried over to the corner of the large room where a pink cupboard stood.
"Give me a couple of minutes I'll just read a story to her and she'll fall to sleep quickly. I'll try and be back soon" Akira told Soujiroh.
Soujiroh nodded and walked over to the corner of Akira's room. He sat down on one of the armchairs waiting patiently for Akira to finish. He could tell that Akira would have actually preferred it if Soujiroh left but there was no way he was going to do that. He had too many questions that he wanted to ask, he was curious and surprised at the relationship between Rei and Akira. He sat there a little longer until he felt the urge to get up and walk over to the bed.
"And so the prince took the princess to be his wife for he was sure that he'd found a real princess and they lived happily ever after…" Akira concluded and closed the book. Soujiroh watched as Rei let out a yawn and with a sleepy smile she reached out and pulled Akira closer to her for a hug.
"Goodnight Akira-san" she exclaimed and kissed him on the cheek.
"Good night Rei-chan" Akira replied with a loving smile on his face. Soujiroh couldn't explain how he felt at that moment but it was then that he decided that kids couldn't all be bad and if this was how a father and daughter acted that maybe he wouldn't mind being a father at all.
"Goodnight Mister" Rei said suddenly and Soujiroh realized that she was looking at him.
"Goodnight Rei-chan" he replied.
Crawling over to the edge, she reached out her hands and Soujiroh looked startled for a second. Akira chuckled and shook his head finding Soujiroh's surprise highly amusing.
"Err…Rei-chan what are you doing?" Soujiroh asked but she didn't appear to have heard him. Instead she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Soujiroh could only blink dumbly. She let go a few seconds later and crawled under the covers; closing her eyes and hugging Benji closer to her. It wasn't long before her breathing became even and she was lost in a world of slumber.
"Come on" Akira said beckoning to Soujiroh and they moved over to sit down in the corner of the room where Akira's 'mini living room' was. "How about a drink?" he asked and Soujiroh nodded. With slow precision, Akira took out two glasses and filled them with ice and bourbon and placed one in front of Soujiroh.
"How come you have a random pink cupboard in the corner of your room?" Soujiroh asked Akira, gesturing to the object of his question.
"Oh that's Rei-chan's cupboard. All her clothes and storybooks and toys are kept in there for when she comes to stay" his friend replied.
"Your family doesn't mind that Rei-chan stays here two days a week?" he asked and Akira shook his head.
"You saw them earlier, they love having her here. She's like a daughter to my mother and a sister to the twins".
"What about your father?" Soujiroh asked.
"He doesn't mind Rei-chan at all. He's hardly home but when he is, he dotes on her. He always buys a present back for her when he goes on his business trips" Akira replied. "I think it's because he likes Rei-chan so much that he keeps pushing for me to get married".
"Oh, what about Rei-chan's parents? You said that her mother's raising her on her own right? What happened to her father?"
"He's just not present" Akira replied and though Soujiroh sensed that there was more, he didn't push it.
"So this Rei-chan's mother must be some beauty" Soujiroh remarked after a sip of his drink.
"Eh?" Akira asked.
"I mean Rei-chan's going to be one hell of a heartbreaker when she grows up so I'm guessing her mother must be good looking too".
"Yeah, you have no idea" Akira replied absentmindedly.
"You're coming tonight right?" Soujiroh asked suddenly.
"You mean to the party that Rui is hosting for you and Minako?" Akira asked.
"Yeah" Soujiroh replied.
"Yeah I'm coming don't worry" Akira reassured.
"Thanks" Soujiroh replied.
"Eh Soujiroh, do you really want to get married?" Akira asked and Soujiroh shrugged.
"It's expected of me. I'm the Nishikado heir after all. Plus I don't want to end up like my brother. I don't know where he is now. My and I family aren't that close but I don't think I would want to stop seeing them for the rest of my life" he remarked. "Sometimes I wonder what happened to Sho and I wonder what he's doing at the moment. It seems like just yesterday that he walked out of the house, I think his leaving made my mother's heart turn to stone" he remarked.
"Hmm" Akira said thoughtfully. They slipped into a comfortable silence after that, the only sound was of the ice clinking against glass.
Yuuki's eyelids drooped and her head hurt. She had been up the whole night, drawing new designs. Michael had ordered twenty new designs due in a day and she barely had enough time; she was juggling her time between work and Rei. Having slept only a few hours at Akira's, Rei was taking an afternoon nap while she was busy trying to finish up some of her designs. Her cell phone buzzed and a shrill ringing echoed throughout the house.
"Moshi, Moshi" Yuuki answered.
"Moshi, Moshi Yuuki Chan?"
"Oh Minako-san?" Yuuki asked.
"Yes sorry to bother you Yuuki-chan but I was wondering if you could help me out?" she asked.
"Sure Minako-san, what with?"
"Well I ordered a gown by Roberto Baleen and it was supposed to arrive today from Italy but I'm kind of worried that the dress won't arrive today. I was wondering if you had any dresses already made that I could buy off you to use for tonight, just incase. I'm going to use it as a back up; I've got a function tonight. Oh please Yuuki-chan I promise I'll make it worth your while" she pleaded.
"Sure Minako-san I'll be glad to help you. I have a dress that's perfect for you. I actually designed a turquoise dress for myself for a friend's wedding a good few years ago and I made an identical one just a few days ago but it's got an added train plus Swarovski crystals along the bodice and silver embroidery along the skirt. I hope you don't mind that the concept of the dress isn't new, seeing as I made myself a dress of that design a long while back, but I promise you the new additions I've made to the design looks a lot nicer".
"Sure, no problem Yuuki-chan besides I doubt anyone would recognize the design" Minako replied with a laugh.
"So I'll bring it over tonight?" she asked.
"Yes I'll give you the address for the place. It's my fiancé's friend's house but tell them that you're there to deliver my dress and they'll let you in" she replied.
When Yuuki had taken down the address, she sighed and rested her head on the table. She'd have to find another babysitter for Rei.
Yuuki had gone to the front entrance but upon eyeing her attire of a jeans and turtleneck, the bouncer had immediately inquired why she was there. She'd told him honestly that she was there to deliver a dress for Minako when she'd shown him the dress, he directed her to the back entrance. She was in no state to be seen by important people.
"Minako-san" she called upon knocking the door of the room that she'd been let to use as a changing room.
The door opened to reveal Minako clad in a stunning burgundy gown. "Yuuki-chan!" She exclaimed with a smile as she saw Yuuki.
"You asked me to bring the dress?" Yuuki said.
"Oh yes, come in, come in" Minako said ushering her into the room. "Thank you for bringing the dress but my gown came through after all. No matter, I'll just pay you for your trouble and I'll buy the dress as well" Minako replied. There was a knock on the door again and Minako called "come in". The door opened and a servant walked in carrying a try with tea and some cakes.
It happened so fast that no one saw it coming. The servant tripped over a fold in the carpet and Yuuki felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. Cake and tea seemed to fly all over the place. Then came the loud piercing shriek over the sounds of breaking china.
"MY DRESS!"
"G-g-gom-m-men" came the meek, stuttering apology of the servant but it was too late. The damage had already been done.
"GET OUT!" Minako shrieked surveying her dress with horror and the servant didn't need to be told twice. She bolted out of the room.
"Don't worry Minako-san" Yuuki soothed "you have a spare dress remember?"
"But what about my hair and make up? It was all done just half an hour ago and now I've got tea and cake in my hair" Minako wailed.
"Don't worry" Yuuki said smiling reassuringly "I'll help you out. I did a few courses in make up. Just in case if in the future I have a fashion show, I know what make up designs I want my models to have. How about you go and take a shower and freshen up and after that I'll help you".
"Thank you Yuuki-chan, I know you must be busy. Sorry to trouble you" Minako said humbly.
"It's alright" Yuuki replied knowing that Rei was at the Domyouji household where the babysitter was watching over her and Tsukashi.
Soujiroh was growing impatient. Minako was supposed to be there half an hour ago. The Hanazawa family's dining hall was already packed with people and all that was missing now was the leading lady of the entire function.
"Where's Minako-chan?" Rui asked in his calm collected demeanor.
"I have no idea" Soujiroh replied. "She was supposed to be down half an hour ago".
"I let her use one of the guest rooms as a changing room, perhaps she's still not dressed yet?" Rui suggested.
"How long does it actually take for women to get dressed?" Soujiroh asked, his voice laced with irritation.
"A long time, believe me" Akira added with a tired sigh.
"Yes" Tsukasa agreed "back when we were dating Makino used to take a long time to get dressed too and she didn't even have that many clothes to choose from". He glowered at his wife when she stepped on his foot, grinding her heel onto his instep.
"What?" Tsukasa snapped "I was just being honest besides it's the truth".
"That doesn't mean that you have to go around and tell everyone" Makino hissed.
"What do you mean? They're not just anyone, they're like my brothers and it's not like they didn't know that you were dirt poor before you married me" Tsukasa hissed back.
Akira, Soujiroh and Rui rolled their eyes simultaneously. "This is really getting tiring" Akira mumbled to himself.
"Can the two of you just shut up for a minute?" Soujiroh snapped in annoyance.
"Oi Soujiroh" Akira said "relax".
Soujiroh let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "It's just that this party is yet another reminder of how real my situation is" he replied.
"Well Rui took a lot of trouble to prepare this for you" Akira remarked, ever the voice of reason.
He didn't get a chance to say anything further as Minako walked into the hall. There was no doubt in Soujiroh's mind that she was beautiful. She was wearing a magnificent dress. It was a turquoise so rich that Soujiroh felt like he was drowning in it. The little crystals along the bodice seemed to emphasize her ample cleavage and narrow waist. He noticed that her make up was also very well done and it brought out her eyes, making them appear more glamorous than he remembered. Her hair was done in elegant curls, falling to her mid-back. Perhaps this arrangement between them might not be so torturous after all. Yet there was a niggling at the back of his mind that he couldn't ignore. There was something about her that looked so familiar that he felt that sense of déjà vu.
"Minako-chan" he greeted as she glided up to him in her ethereal turquoise gown.
"Nishikado-san" she replied with slight bow of her head.
"You look incredible Minako-chan" Tsukushi gushed coming to stand before Minako with the rest of the F4.
"Thank you" Minako replied shyly.
"Although I thought you were going to use the burgundy Roberto Baleen gown?" Tsukushi asked.
"Yes but due to some unforeseen circumstances I had to use this one instead" she replied.
"It suits you though" Tsukushi complimented and Akira and Rui agreed. Soujiroh nodded but he didn't voice out his agreement. Tsukasa meanwhile was looking at Minako in a way that could be deemed as comical. His eyes were narrowed to slits and his fingers were splayed on his chin. He looked to be in deep concentration. Every two seconds or so he would tilt his head and furrow his brows muttering quietly to himself.
"I got it" Tuskasa finally exclaimed after a while.
"What?" Makino asked and Akira, Soujiroh and Rui turned their attention to him.
"I thought Minako-chan's dress looked familiar. I've seen it before. Eh Makino didn't your friend wear a dress like this for our wedding?" he asked as he turned to his wife.
"Eh?" Akira and Rui asked in unison while Soujiroh began to mirror Tsukasa's actions of a few seconds ago and began staring at the dress.
"Nonsense, Yuuki-chan wore a different dress. Minako-chan's dress is more glamorous" Tsukushi replied trying to cover up her husband's discovery.
"Did you say Yuuki-chan?" Minako asked suddenly. "As in Matsuoka Yuuki?"
"I err…Yes?" Tsukushi replied nervously. There was no way she could cover up now.
"Matsuoka Yuuki made this dress" Minako answered and Soujiroh, Tsukasa, Akira, Rui and not to mention Tsukushi gaped at her.
"She what?" Soujiroh exclaimed suddenly.
"Yeah she made this dress for me for tonight" Minako replied. "In fact she delivered this dress to me earlier. She was here just here a few minutes ago but she's probably left now. I"-
Soujiroh didn't wait for her to finish speaking. He raced out of the dining hall and out into the corridor. Letting his feet guide him, he ran out of the house and onto the long never ending gravel driveway that led to the Hanazawa mansion.
"Yuuki-chan" he called out loudly to a lone figure walking down the gravel path, towards the main entrance of the Hanazawa mansion. Soujiroh was breathing heavily and sweat was beading at his forehead from the anticipation of finally seeing her after all these years.
The figure stopped in her tracks and turned around slowly. She looked the same, if not better than Soujiroh remembered. Her long straight hair which hung to her mid back was half shielded under a black velvet barrette, and though she was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Soujiroh thought she looked beautiful. The moon hung low like a pale gold orb in the sky, illuminating her sharp and delicate features. Her eyes widened in horror as soon as they met his. He watched as her mouth dropped open and she seemed frozen to the spot. It had been seven years since he'd last seen her. Seven years. And yet all he could do was utter her name over and over again like a broken record.
"Yuuki-chan, Yuuki-chan, YUUKI-CHAN!"
Author's note: Muahahaha hello my pretties, finally what was bound to happen after seven years has happened!! I am evil aren't I? Sorry to leave you hanging on a cliff like that…but it had to be done! I do hope you read and review and tell me how you feel about it!