Atobe: Becoming neighbours?!
Alya: Yep yep :) More interaction time~
Kikyo: What?
Alya: Hee hee~ Enjoy chapter 7!
7. Living Next To Him
Kikyo lived in a traditional Japanese style house, with full tatami flooring, wearing kimonos in the house. It was one early weekend morning in late Spring, that Kikyo was informed by her house butler that they would be having a new neighbour after so long, and they were moving in that afternoon. Three years back there was an old grandmother living there, but she died, and that house had been vacant ever since. Still wearing nothing but her sleeping kimono, Kikyo excitedly ran out barefooted to have a peek at the new neighbour.
A familiar single black limousine drove up the drive way, stopping just after Kikyo's house main doors, where she was peeking out from. The chauffeur then got out and opened the doors for the person in the car, and out stepped Atobe. Shocked, Kikyo stood at her main doors, speechless. Atobe, not noticing her, instructed the chauffeur to send a message back, to get people to prepare the gifts to be given to the new neighbours.
Turning, he finally noticed her as his new neighbour, but he did not recognise her as Hanazono Kikyo. He then bowed and approached. Placing her house butler in front of her, Kikyo ran back into the house, immediately going to her room, pulling her kimono hastily over herself, tying the obi flustered before combing her hair, tying it into a neat pony tail.
" Ojou-sama, are you not going to meet the Young Master of the new neighbour's?" her old house butler asked politely.
" Get someone to come neaten my dressing. I'll meet him later. He just came, he must be busy giving instructions to the servants and workers moving their things." Kikyo said.
" Ojou-sama, the whole family would not be staying here. It would be one of their study houses, where their Young Master would live in to finish school, and thus only the Young Master would be around." her butler explained.
Only Atobe... This thought made her strangely excited.
As soon as the maids were done neatening her clothes, she moved to the living room, where she usually took guests. Sitting down, she got her butler to invite their new neighbour in. Atobe came in, clad in a cream outer coat with high collars, wearing a dark blue checked shirt, and long black jeans.
" Nice to meet you, I'm Atobe Keigo. I'll be staying beside you from today onwards, please take care of me." he said sitting down in the traditional manner.
" Atobe," she called with a teasing voice, sniggering.
" Hanazono?!" he literally yelped at her voice.
" What are you doing?!" she hissed at him, taking her fan that was stuffed into her obi, to knock his head lightly.
" Well, I complained that it was hard to study at home especially with my father talking about his businesses with guests all the time in the living area, and thus my grandparents bought me a house to become a studyhouse," he explained.
" Splurging your money like that..." Kikyo sighed.
" Its an investment that will reap rewards in the future, and it is close to school too, meaning ore-sama can sleep in somemore," he egoistically referred to himself as the reward, " Besides, why are you in a kimono?" he asked.
" My family was the traditional type," she said, showing him to tatami floors, and the rice paper sliding doors.
" Well, here are the gifts," he said and place an elaborate box on the table.
Opening it, she saw nestled inside the box, side by side were cute little rice cakes, made into many different shapes, with rabbits, chicks and many more. Delighted, Kikyo covered the box back, and handed it to her butler which was waiting by the side.
" Thank you for the gifts, I hope you have a good time staying beside me," Kikyo smirked.
" Of course ore-sama would," he smirked too and left.
The following day when they had to go to school, Kikyo was already dressed in her Hyoutei uniform and was ready to leave the house. Putting on her shoes, she took her bag from the serving maids, and went out of the doors that were already opened for her.
" Ojou-sama, itterashai," her old butler said as she went out.
At her main gates, she was surprised to see Atobe, sitting at a bicycle, seemingly waiting for her. Going up to him, she peeked about, as he setted the cushion of the back seat nicely.
" A-to-be~" she sang his name.
" Just on time," he looked at his expensive platinum watch, " Hop on, we're going to school," he flashed her a smile.
" You're bringing me to school?" she asked a little incredulous, " On this?" she pointed to the bicycle, " I thought you usually took the limousine to school," she commented.
" Are you coming or not?" he asked a little annoyed, " The great ore-sama has just offered to fetch you to school," he pointed out, " Can't you be a little more grateful?" he scowled, " This is also training for my leg muscles. Its not only for you that I'm doing this," he said, " You're the extra weights for me to train," he told her.
" You're saying I'm heavy?" Kikyo whacked him, " Un-gentlemanly," she grumbled and plonked herself behind him.
" I didn't say it," he replied, " You inferred it," Atobe said as he stepped on the paddles preparing to cycle.
" You implied it!" she whacked his arm.
" Hold on tight," he said, " I don't want you falling off," he took her hands and wrapped it about his slender waist, causing her to blush slightly, " We're going," he told her and started cycling.
" Idiot," she murmured, " We're like lovers now, doing this," she leaned on his warm back.
" Admit it," he egoistically said, " You like it," she could imagine his smirk as she heard him.
" Idiot," she replied and kept quiet all the way to school.
Atobe: Ore-sama didn't do it for you!
Alya: Then what was the cushion for hmm?
Atobe: Shh!
Kikyo: Telling me to be honest with my feelings when you are not honest with your own~
Alya: Reviews are a nod nod :)
