Chapter 4: Gin's fiancée.

Gin woke up early next morning. When Titania walked into the kitchen over half an hour later, he greeted her with a smile. He noticed the girl was still wearing the dress she had been given at the Organization facilities.

-Good morning, Titania -he spoke-. I didn't know which one you liked the best, so I've made both coffee and tea. What would you like to eat? There are toasts, rice, biscuits...

-I'd like... toasts and coffee... -she muttered.

Gin nodded and turned to make some toasts for the girl.

Sitting by the kitchen table, Titania ate in silence. Gin watched her from the sink. Suddenly, as she was about to start her second toast, Titania seemed to realize something and looked up at him.

-Is there anything wrong? -he asked and sipped his tea.

-You... -she started, the knife she held about to dig into the jam jar- you don't eat?

-I already did -he answered with a hand gesture-. Don't worry.

-You are very kind -she commented-. Thank you.

-You don't need to thank me –the boy replied-. By the way, I must say your Japanese is very good.

-It was... worse... when I met Vodka -she explained-. And kanjis are very difficult...

-Yes, they are -he agreed with a brief laugh.

Much to Gin's delight, Titania ate both her toasts and had a whole cup of coffee. He did the dishes while she did her hair, and it was a matter of hardly twenty minutes for them to be ready to go.

-We're heading to a couple of shops I usually buy at -he explained as they walked out of the apartment-. You'll be staying for a couple of weeks at the very least, so you'll need a good handful of clothes...

-Well, well – what a gorgeous friend you have here!

Gin turned at that familiar voice and couldn't help a smile and a sigh.

-Good morning to you too, Mrs. Yamada...

His next-door neighbor, a middle-aged black-haired woman, was standing next to Titania, notably admired at the girl's beauty.

-Have a good morning, you two -Mrs. Yamada answered. Then, she turned back to Titania-. What is your name, my dear?

-My name's Julia -the girl spoke in a casual tone that surprised Gin very much-. Nice to meet you.

-What a beautiful name! -the woman commented-. I'm Kanako Yamada. Everyone calls me Mrs. Yamada, but you can call me Kanako, if you like.

-Thank you -Titania responded with a smile.

-Do you happen to be a foreigner, my dear? -Mrs. Yamada continued-. That fair skin of yours looks like a European's...

-I was born in Ukraine -Titania answered- but I live in Japan now.

-She has recently moved into my apartment -Gin explained, as if it wasn't a big deal-. She's my fiancée.

-Your fiancée? -Mrs. Yamada repeated-. I had no idea! Congratulations, you two! When will be the wedding?

-We'll tell you in time -he responded-. And please keep our secret! You're the first to know.

-I will, don't you worry -the woman promised with a nod-. And now, go and have a nice day!

-We will, Mrs. Yamada -Gin answered with a smile as he made a gesture to Titania-. Have a nice day!

The two of them walked away, and it wasn't until they were in the lonely garage that Titania broke the silence:

-What does... 'feeance' mean?

-It means that you are going to marry a certain person -he explained while strolling towards his car-. Mrs. Yamada now thinks you are going to marry me. Taking into account that you're staying with me for some weeks, I believed it would be safer to make people believe that we're engaged.

-And... what are you going to say... when I leave? -she inquired.

-I'll wait for another couple of weeks, and then I'll say we have broken up. By the way, I like that fake identity of yours -he added with a smile-. Julia, the Ukrainian girl.

Gin finally arrived next to his Porsche and opened the door for Titania. The girl took a seat, and he soon followed her. When he was about to start the car he heard her mutter:

-It's was my best friend's name.

Gin turned at once. Titania had her gaze fixed on her own hands, which rested on the skirt of her white dress.

-I was raised in an orphanage -she explained without looking at him-, and my best friend was a girl named Julia. A Ukrainian couple adopted her when she was twelve. She died at fifteen after they had a car accident.

-I'm... I'm sorry -he whispered as he looked away.

-It's okay -she replied-. It's been a long time.

-My brothers died at fifteen, too -Gin commented, talking to himself more than to the girl at his side-. I was thirteen.

-I'm sorry -she spoke, turning to look at him.

-It's been a long time -he repeated. He kept quiet for a moment and then added-: Anyway, let's go shopping!

Their shopping morning turned out to be very nice. It had been a while since he last went shopping with someone else, and the fun Gin had with Titania made him realize how much he missed it. She seemed to enjoy it, too, although she didn't speak much. Titania looked calmer when surrounded by other women, and her fair skin and shiny hair kept getting compliments wherever she went, which made her smile inevitably.

They had lunch in a quiet restaurant near the city center and then spent most of the afternoon organizing her new clothes (including some underwear, which she had chosen all by herself) before they watched a movie until dinner. Again, she kept quiet most of the time, speaking little more than when answering the boy's questions.

That second night, when Gin lay down on the couch, he thought things were going pretty well.

He didn't know that was not going to last much.

Author's notes:

¡Hola! Hello! Hallo! こんにちは! Salut! Here comes Sherry Furude, ready for attack!

Here we are again! Thank you for reading this far. Did you like this fourth chapter. I hope so!

You may be asking yourselves why Gin is pretending to be Titania's fiancé. Actually, regarding this detail, the fic differs a little bit from its original request. Among other things regarding the plot, the anon stated that 'Gin decided to take her and let her live with him by becoming his fiancée.' I thought that actually getting engaged could be too much, as they hardly knew each other and I saw no important reason for them to do it, so when I wrote the fic I decided to make them pretend to be engaged instead. But don't worry, anon - this might be the greatest change between your request and the final product. I've tried hard to write exactly what you wanted. I hope you like the fic!

Even if I may sound repetitive, please let me encourage you to let me know about any kind of mistake you may find. Also, I will be more than glad to know your opinions on the chapter!

Lots of love and see you next week!

Sherry F.