MADE FOR EACH OTHER
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SHADOW HEARTS
Chapter 7: Katsuragi Night
"I wonder if Alice is alright." Morris paced in the living room, unable to reach a moment's peace, "The Hyugas have not even tried to contact us. Maybe I should call them."
"You will do no such thing!" Wyanna flared, "I don't even think they are in the mood of talking to us right now."
"But Alice…she's the most innocent of us all!" Morris turned on his wife, "She should not have to bear all the blame."
"She's our daughter and that means she has the responsibility to this family too!"
"How can you say that? Have you no shame? If Karin hadn't run off so irresponsibly then her sister wouldn't be in this mess!" He stormed.
Tears gathered in Wyanna's eyes, "So you finally admitted it? I've always knew you loved Alice more than Karin. Admit it!"
Morris softened, "No, I love them both as my own."
Wyanna turned and left the room, leaving her husband mellowing in worry and shame.
She went straight to Karin's room and started rummaging through her daughter's things. Anger and disappointment filled every vein in her body. How could her daughter be so stupid as to give up being Mrs. Hyuga to none other than Alice?
Unbeknownst to others, Wyanna have always secretly compared herself to the former . When she first glanced at her portrait in the Elliot's mansion, it was as if the ghost of the former mistress of the house was whispering Wyanna's incompetence. As Alice grew older, the more she began to resemble her mother, thus triggering Wyanna's displeasure for the young girl.
Finally, Wyanna found what she was looking for. She flipped through Karin's contact books and punched in a set of numbers.
"Hello? This is Nicolai." Came from the other side of the line.
"I know who you are, where is my daughter?" Wyanna said heatedly.
Nicolai's eyes narrowed, "Karin's fine. She's living her dream right now."
"Don't you dare tell me about my daughter's dream! I should have separated you two years ago. Do you think I do not know what you are thinking? The only reason why you persuaded her to leave is because you want her for yourself! You can't bear to think of her married, can you?"
"Mrs. Elliot! I have the upmost respect for your family and my feelings for your daughter have always been noble. You think your daughter would be happy being caged up in a household like a housewife? Then guess again. Karin is like wild fire. Her beauty and talent should be shared with the world, and not be extinguished with endless chores and tradition. I only gave her the incentives, but she made her choice. I would ask you to respect her wishes." Nicolai tried to pacify Wyanna's anger.
But Wyanna was not in the mood for explanations. "Listen carefully, no one knows my daughter like I do. Once Karin calms down and thinks about it, she will see it my way and come back to me. She will know what she really wants in life and I intend to correct this mistake in any way I can. If you really care for her, then stay away from her. This is my final warning." Wyanna said as she slammed the phone down.
Nicolai put the phone down on the other side and tried to suppress his anger. Why couldn't Karin's mother understand the talent Karin possessed?
He looked up at Karin dress rehearsing for the show and smiled. How confident and proud she looked! Nicolai decided that he will try his best to push Karin to the top of the fashion world, and make her the brightest star in the business. But to do that, he needed to keep her mother away from her for as long as possible. Hopefully by then, Karin would have enough resolve to make the right decisions in life and more importantly, to understand just who it was that cared about her the most.
Alice panted heavily as she struggled with her backpack. She rubbed her aching shoulder and looked at her energetic husband in the front.
After they left the house, they took a short flight out and then a car ride to the country side. It was noon when the car left them in the middle of nowhere. When Alice got out of the car, she panicked and looked at Yuri.
'Yuri, where are we?" She asked.
"We're at Katsuragi…well, almost…" He smirked, while breathing in the fresh air.
"So what are we doing out here? Are we waiting for someone to pick us up?" She picked up her backpack and put it around her shoulder. Before leaving, Yuri only took one look at her large suitcase and told her to travel lightly. After only giving her 10 minutes to summarize her belonging, Alice only brought a few essential pieces of items, which were all packed in one bag. Even while she traveled around Europe, never had she traveled this lightly…
Yuri laughed out loud, "You wish, doll face. Come on, I'll show you the way." He started walking.
"Wait for me!" Alice quickened her steps to catch up. She gasped as she looked at the directly he was going. Are they going into the mountain?
"I don't think this is a good idea." She muttered.
"Come on, where's your sense of adventure? Oh, you're city kid…" He sighed, giving her a pathetic look.
Alice pouted softly and refused to be labelled. "Fine, please show me the way." She tried to sound as high and mighty as ever.
Yuri was amused by her confidence and walked away while Alice refused to admit defeat.
But after hours of hiking in the mountain forest, Alice was hurting all over. Her backpack felt like a bag of stones dragging her down with weights and her feet hurt so bad, she thought she might be handicapped for life.
Yet she hung tight because she did not want Yuri to think of her as a wimp.
As her steps faltered, Yuri glanced back constantly at his stubborn wife. He could see the sweat covering her delicate face and how hard she was panting. Secretly, he was a little proud of her, though he would never come out and say it.
"You want some help?" He stopped and turned around.
"Huff…huff…no…thanks….I can…manage…" She pushed her legs to move up the hills.
"Are you sure?"
"…positive…" Alice licked her dry lips and tried to straighten her back. She glanced at him to show him she was okay.
Yuri shook his head and continued walking. The moment he turned his back to her, Alice's expression turned painful. Stopping once again, she put her hands on her knees to catch a few breathes.
"Alright, enough with the heroine act. Let me take this." Yuri came in front of her and took her bag by force. Alice was so tired; she didn't even hear him walk up to her.
"No…I can take it…" Alice pulled on the bag.
"I said enough! You're slowing me down." Yuri frowned as he forced her to hand it over. He swung the bag over his shoulder with ease and grabbed her hand.
Alice tensed when she felt his warm hand.
"Yuri, I can walk by myself." Alice was mortified at being treated like a child.
"Either this or I end up carrying you. Which is it going to be?" He said without turning.
Alice blushed and held her mouth. She looked up at his broad shoulders and smiled to herself. He was being considerate and nice to her, though he would never admit it. Slowly, Alice was beginning to understand her husband. Perhaps this honeymoon will be a good chance to get to know each other after all…
"Finally, here we are, this is Katsuragi!" Yuri said proudly as he released Alice's hand. They have arrived in the late afternoon and when Alice set her eyes on the small village, she was impressed by what she saw.
Katsuragi might be small, but it was filled with beautiful traditional housings and neatly defined rice fields. Every villager they have passed greeted them warmly and seemed to know Yuri very well. After word got out that she was Yuri's new bride, Alice was surrounded and showered by blessings. Embarrassed, she introduced herself shyly and received a warm welcome.
'Yuri!" A young man dashed down the hill and gave a brotherly embrace to Yuri.
"Kurando, how've you been?" Yuri said happily while giving the young man a mocking blow.
"I'm great. Can't wait till I can spar with you to show you how much stronger I have gotten since last time." Kurando smiled.
"Sure thing, maybe after meeting Aunt Saki. Oh, Alice, this is my cousin, Kurando Inugami."
The young man turned and looked fully at Alice, evaluating her. He then smiled at her as well and bowed to her formally.
"Nice to meet you and welcome to the family. Please call me Kurando and I hope you find our village satisfactory."
Alice was a bit taken back by such custom. She smiled nervously at him and answered, "It's lovely. I'm glad Yuri brought me here."
"Please make yourself comfortable during your stay here and follow me to my house. My mother is waiting to meet you both."
As Kurando led them away, Alice pulled on Yuri's sleeve and whispered, "Who is his mother? Are people here that formal?"
"His mother is my Aunt Saki, who's the chief of this village. She's too busy to leave here for the wedding so I decided to bring the newly weds to her instead. She was good to me when I was a kid so I hate to disappoint her."
"…I see."
They stopped in front of a larger house and entered to meet a beautiful lady in the room.
"Yuri! It's been so long!" Saki said to her nephew.
"Aunt Saki, you look as lovely as ever." Yuri embraced his aunt.
"You and your sweet talking mouth… Now, where is your bride?" She asked.
Yuri released his aunt and gently pulled Alice over for an introduction.
"Aunt Saki, this is Alice, my wife."
Alice bowed deeply, remembering how formal Kurando was. "Please to meet you, I'm Alice."
Saki searched Alice's face with sharp eyes. She didn't say anything for a minute before relaxing her expression and smiled. "No need to be so tense, child. You can call me Aunt Saki. Yuri is lucky to find you."
"Eh?" Alice said, giving Yuri a puzzled look.
Yuri shrugged.
"You must both be tired from the hike. Kurando, why don't you show them to their room? We can talk more during supper."
Kurando quietly left after showing them to their room. When Alice entered, she realized that they were to sleep in futons.
"Never slept in a traditional Japanese house before?" Yuri said, noting Alice's uneasiness.
"No," Alice admitted, "I'm not really sure what the proper way of setting it up is."
Yuri showed her quickly on how simple it was, and then promptly went to take things out of his bag. Alice proceeded to do the same, and also to freshen up before supper.
"Hey," Yuri said all of a sudden.
"What is it?" Alice answered without turning around.
"Did you bring that bikini like I told you to?"
His wife's face went flaming instantly.
"Of course not! Stop it with the bikini! It's not like we're at a beach!"
"So you're okay with it if we're at a beach?"
"Yuri!"
"Ok, ok," He put his hands up, "I'm just wondering what you're going to do when we hit the hot springs."
"Hot spring?"
"Katsuragi life is pretty laid back. After working a full day's work, people relax in the local hot spring. My aunt has her own just next to the house. It's great being the village chief."
"Oh, then I must try it sometime." Alice said dreamily.
"I'll probably be sparring with Kurando after supper. Do wait up for me if you're going."
Her answer came as a pillow to his face.
Saki's dinner was grand and delicious. They talked about all sorts of things, including childhood stories of Yuri and Kurando. For Alice, who has been away from her own family for so long, it felt good being included in a warm family. But deep in the back of her head, she could not shake the truth of how it was actually Karin who's supposed to be here.
Sure enough, after dinner, Yuri went off with Kurando for their training while Alice stayed with Saki for the cleanup.
"You are Morris' daughter?" Saki asked.
Alice's head popped up, "You know my father?"
Saki smiled, "Yes, I meet him a few times before I came to Katsuragi. Not only him, I met your mother as well."
"Oh, I see…" Alice said while lowering her eyes.
Saki looked long and hard at the young lady in front of her. She put the dishes down slowly and walked over to Alice. Saki embraced Alice and soothed her hair.
"Child, this is a new beginning for you. Yuri might not look like it, but I can tell he likes you. Don't let him drive you off by his tough acts. Men can be such immature children sometimes. Stand up to him and you'll be a lovely couple."
Alice blushed deeply.
"I can take over from here, why don't you relax at the hot spring? I'm sure you must be aching all over from the vigorous walking today."
"Okay." Alice retreated to her room and picked up her belongings. As she settled into the hot spring next to the house, she looked up at the starry clear sky.
She sighed and let me body loose in the water.
"Alice, you there?" Came a familiar voice that almost made Alice scream.
"Yu…Yuri?"
"The one and only. Want me to scrub your back?" He said mischievously.
"NO!" Alice yelled. Where was his voice coming from? She looked around the pool.
"You can't see me, baby. Too much steam." He said mockingly.
"Are you…are you in the small pool?" She shrieked, hiding her body in the water.
"I might be. You must be red all over. Let me guess, is your hand covering those warm soft round…"
"Yuri!" Alice stopped his from saying more.
"What? I was just saying you must be covering you cheeks with your hands because of the chilly night wind. What did you think I was saying?" He replied sneakily.
"You…!" Alice was trying to find the words to retaliate.
"Where would you cover next? Could it be the…."
"Stop!"
"Haha, alright. How about this? I'll be quiet and leave you alone if you make a deal with me."
"…"
"Come on, there's nothing to lose."
"Fine. What is it?"
"Come for a walk with me after you're done. Katsuragi is really beautiful at night, you'll appreciate it."
"…okay."
"Good! I'll see you soon, darling."
Alice took one last look at herself before leaving in her pale blue ukata, courtesy of Saki. Yuri had been waiting impatiently in the front yard for her. He whistled when he saw her emerged out of the house.
"Nice." Was all he said, making Alice blush slightly.
"Where are we going?" Alice asked.
"There's a cave up ahead. It's the perfect night to see it."
"What do you mean?" Is it because it's our first night on the honeymoon? Alice stopped herself before asking out loud.
He chuckled lightly and took her hand, guiding her towards the slopes, "You'll see."
They both remained silent as they walked up the forest slope. The only accompaniment they have were the busy cicada choirs and the soft evening breeze. Alice glanced at her husband's broad back and couldn't help but smile to herself. She had been terrified when she made the switch, not knowing what her husband was like or how he would treat her. But after spending a little time with Yuri, she could at least read a little of his character. He might be little rough and foul mouthed, but inside, he's gentle and quite easy going.
"Here we are, sweet heart." Yuri said as he stopped in front of a cave.
"Are we…going in there?" Alice replied, as she peeked down the dark entrance.
"Worry not, my dear. You can count on me for safety." He smirked.
Alice smiled a bit, feeling some of her nervousness evaporate by his joking words.
"Wait, before we go in, you'll have to do one thing."
"And what is that?" She arched a brow.
He edged close to her and whispered into her ear, "You need to close your eyes."
"What? No way!" Alice refused.
"Come on, my obedient wife. You do trust me, don't me?" He looked deep into her eyes.
Alice searched his expression and hesitantly nodded. She closed her eyes slowly and put her hands into his.
"That's my girl!" Yuri encouraged as he took her inside.
"Can I open my eyes now?" Alice asked after a while.
"Not until we stop and I give you the signal." He said, carefully guiding her deeper into the cave.
Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the lights getting brighter.
"Yuri…"
"Oh right, now you can open your eyes." He said softly.
Alice slowly opened her eyes and gasped Who knew that inside a small dark cave would lay a scene of unexpected beauty?
A long column of waterfall cascaded down into a clear shimmering pool, with the starry night reflecting off of the watery surface.
"The opening at the top really makes the fountain glow." Yuri looked up at the stars.
"This is a fountain?" Alice asked, looking sideways at her husband.
"Yeah, this place is called the Fountain of Sukune. It's sort of a holy place here in Katsuragi. Only a few are allowed access."
"Are we allowed to be in here then?"
He chuckled, "Sure, we're related to the chief so that makes us cool. You know, they said that if you close your eyes and wish really hard, then the spirit of the fountain will bless you and grant you that one wish."
Alice looked at Yuri skeptically, trying to see if he was jesting.
"Hey, I'm not making this up. It's Katsuragi tradition." He put his hands up.
Even though Alice outgrew her fairy tale days, she couldn't help but be attracted to the romanticism of the place. Without looking at Yuri, she placed her hands together and closed her eyes.
I wish…I wish for…Alice thought long and hard for what's most important to her. I wish for…
Before she could make her wish, she felt warm lips covering over her face and opened her eyes immediately, "Yuri!" She screamed and pushed him away.
Yuri jumped back and licked his lips, "Strawberry…"
Alice blushed and pouted at him, mortified at his reference to her fruity lip gloss. She stomped her feet and ran out of the cave in embarrassment, trying to escape from his glee. Along the way, she realized she never completed her wish. All she had wished for was….Yuri…
