a/n: hope you enjoyed this story so far, sorry this is a short chapter, but we are almost coming to an end..
Silence covered the room, and the tension could be cut with a knife. Yukino was staring at Rei whose arms were crossed and face was turned the other side. She was only taking quick side glances.
"I can see you glance you know," said Yukino. Rei didn't respond. "Doesn't matter all you have to do is listen to me."
Rei started to loudly sing a simple melody.
"So childish, yet you are this clan's leader. It shouldn't be a surprise, I know your parents," she chuckled. "What do you think you'll gain by doing this?"
Rei stopped. "First of all, I won't be hearing your voice."
"Huh, what could I have done to gain this much hatred?"
Rei's eyes flared. "Are you kidding me? Other than basically forcing my parents to marry me to your son?"
"Now is that such a bad thing? It's not like you were going to marry someone else." Rei hissed at her. "And you cannot not marry, you have to continue your lineage, I simply arranged for you a great partner, and it was practically Shin's dying wish."
Rei flinched. "What? What are you talking about?"
Yukino smirked. "Your little Shin, ah what a boy he was... He was best friends with Yuki, loved him like a brother, he would be here every other weekend. He was so serious even at that age."
"We are talking about the same Shin right?" Rei grinned.
"To you he may not have been like that, after all you were his most beloved. But about you he would also be most serious about. He would even have talks with me about you when we were having tea."
Rei didn't interrupt.
"And once, we were having tea, he took a sip and put it back. He looked straight up at me looking very serious and asked me to promise him one thing."
"What?" asked Rei.
"That if anything would ever happen to him, I would make sure Yuki would take his place next to you."
Rei huffed. "Right." She rolled her eyes.
Yukino slapped her. "Don't be insolent, I am telling you why I have done all these. I would have helped your clan anyway without a bargain. We are allies and honestly I respect your parents, but I respected Shin too, even if he was just a kid, I respected him because of his love for you. And I even respected his dying wish and engaged my no good son to his strong, determined and self-assured beloved. I thought after hearing this you would too."
Rei's head faced the ground and her hands were on where Yukino had hit her. She didn't look up.
"Rei?"
Rei looked up. Her eyes were full of tears. "Shin, he is just so cruel to do this to me," she sobbed.
Yukino patted her head. "I know."
"It's been awfuly quiet," said Gin. He and Jin were feeling uncomfortable next to the others. Masaru had went back to his family so there were only the tigers and Yuki and all four of them were glaring at him.
"Look it is not my fault she woke up before you all came back," said Yuki finally.
"We aren't mad about that, well except for him, because he won the race," Konoe pointed at Kiyotora. "No we just want to know what kind of an idiot you are to not wanna marry our beautiful daughter."
"Yeah, Jin told us you were repulsed by the idea." Rei' mom glared at him.
Yuki glared at Jin. "Why are you mad at me, your daughter is the one who doesn't want to get married."
"So you're okay with it if she is?" asked Shin's mother.
"I never said that," Yuki retorted.
Just then Yukino and Rei came back. Relief filled the wolves' faces. Jin hugged Rei and quietly said, "I am so glad you came back."
"Yeah," she patted his head as he let go. She turned to her parents. "We should celebrate, we've just won a war, besides we could make it a double celebration."
"For what?" asked Kiyotora.
"For mine and Yuki's engagement," said Rei.
"Well, she's okay with it, your turn," said Shin's mother to Yuki.
"What happened?" asked Yuki as he walked closer to her.
"Apparently us getting married was Shin's dying wish," said Rei.
Yuki took a step back. "No way, I am not going through with this. The engagement is off." He said as he quickly went away.
"Yuki!" yelled Yukino angrily after him.
Jin and his father were dumbfounded, the four tigers were mad and growling, Rei was speechless. She didn't know what to feel. She felt everything and nothing. She knew deep down she should have felt glad, but she was disappointed and terrified.
This was not what she wanted.
"Go after him," said Yukino to her.
"Us, Tigers are proud, we do not chase," argued Kiyotora and the rest.
"Guys, give it a rest," Gin came in betweeen them to prevent a fight.
"Rei," Jin put his hand on her shoulder. "Hiyo would say something like follow your heart, cause she's the one good in these situations, but listen to me: listen to him."
"Thanks Jin," she ruffled his hair, "you are a great friend." She kissed his cheek and went after Yuki.
Coming Soon...
