Title: From A Prince to A Peasant

Summary: Shuichi's father is the person with the most power in Japan so naturally; Shuichi became the most wanted guy in Japan. Yuki is just a poor teacher living in a small village at the old country side with his family. These two people are from two different worlds but an accident created a chance for them to meet. Having very different life styles, would they be able to stand each other? What would happen at the end?

Disclaimer: None of the Gravitation Characters belongs to me… isn't it obvious?

Chapter 12 – A Childhood Friend

Ryuichi cheered loudly as he jumps on the big bed. "Ryuichi likes this bed! I should buy one and bring it back home!"

"Ryuichi, can your room even fit this big bed? Yes sure it will, but then there will be no room for you to put other stuff." Tatusha explained to the green hair boy.

Ryuichi gave a 'humph', and continued to jump on the bed.

"Oh my god Ryuichi, please stop doing that. It's annoying." Hiro said, annoyed.

Ryuichi jumps down from the bed and landed gracefully on the carpeted floor.

"But this is Ryuichi and Kumagaroo's room!" Ryuichi said with a pout.

Hiro gave a sigh and shook his head slightly.

"Ok, ok… Ryuichi will settle down." Ryuichi said as he joined his three friends at the round table.

"It was really nice of Shindou-san to let us stay here for a few weeks. Not to mention we each got an $8000 credit card." Tatusha said.

"The Shindou is the riches family in Japan. A few $8000 is nothing to them." Yuki said coldly.

"Nice to see the ice king is back. Anyways, but if you ask me, I think the rewards that he gave us are actually quite cheap, considering that they are the Shindou." Hiro said with a scowl.

"Why do you think that Hiro-chan? Ryuichi is happy with the rewards." Ryuichi said.

"It's not that Ryuichi. Do you know what these rich people are most concerned about? Having a heir of course. Since Shuichi is the Shindou family's only successor, and we saved him from death, don't you think we would get more then these?" Hiro told his friends.

"You still don't get it Hiro? They are looking down on us. Remember Shindou Syuu said earlier that he did researches on each and every one of us. He knows we are form a poor environment and he thinks that a few $8000 credit cards and a few free room in the mansion would satisfy us already." Yuki said. "We are nothing to him."

Ryuichi gasped. "But-"

"That's why I said we shouldn't have come in the first place. He is making us look like fools. They should be laughing behind our backs right now." Yuki said with anger in his voice. "That's why I hate rich people."

Light tapping noises fills the room as Shuichi types on his laptop.

-Knock Knock-

"Yes?" Shuichi called out.

"Is me Shuichi." A female voice came from the other side of the door.

"Mother!" Shuichi said in a panic.

"May I come in?" Miaka asked his son politely.

"Of course!" Shuichi said as he rushed to open the door for his mother.

Miaka steps into the room with a tray with a piece of cheese cake and a pot of tea in her hand.

"Mother, you shouldn't have." Shuichi told his mother.

"Is it wrong to bring a snack to my own son?" Miaka said as she sets down the tray onto a nearby table.

"Of course not mother. Thank you." Shuichi said with a small bow.

Then suddenly, a hand shot out and touched Shuichi gently on the face.

"Shuichi, I am very glad that God brought you back to us." Miaka said softly.

"Mother…"

"You wouldn't believe how worried I was when you were kidnapped. And even after you came back, you didn't even bother to stop by your mother's room and say hi." Miaka said as tears begin to fall from her eyes.

Shuichi rushed to his mother's side and put an arm around her shoulders. "I am sorry mother, but the maids told me that you had not been feeling well latterly and you were resting. That's why I didn't come to see you."

"Shuichi," Miaka continued to sniff. "I know I should have spent more time with you. I had been thinking more and more about it since you had been gone. I felt so guilty Shuichi."

"Mother," Shuichi pulled her mother into a hug. "I am back."

Miaka nodded and gave Shuichi a tight squeeze, before letting go.

"Let's go out to eat hotpot tonight! Just me and you. We haven't tried that before!" Miaka suggested.

"Mother, we would be dipping our chopsticks back into the same pot over and over again. I thought you never liked to eat the commoners' way." Shuichi said, raising an eyebrow.

"True, then let's go eat sushi! I will book a room at Ichiban Sushi!" Miaka offered again.

Shuichi smile slightly and nodded. "Whatever you wish mother."

"Ok then. It's settle. I will come get you when it's time. I will leave you alone with your works then. Work hard Shuichi!" Miaka said.

Shuichi narrowed his eyes to look at the three piles of papers that were stacked on his desk.

"I wonder how long it would take for me to catch up at school." Shuichi said with a big sigh.

Miaka gave Shuichi a pat on the back. "Take a break, eat the cheese cake and drink the tea."

"I would have much more preferred a strawberry short-cake." Shuichi commented.

"Don't complain or next time you are not getting any at all." Miaka said, before walking out the room and closing the door behind her.

Shuichi gave a small chuckle and sat back down on his chair. "Better continue to work or else I would have to O.T."

&&&

The next morning

-Knock Knock-

Shuichi groan loudly and pulled his blanket over his head.

-Knock Knock-

"Shuichi-sama! Is 4:35am already, Syuu-sama had told me to come and wake you up." The maid half shouted from outside of Shuichi's room.

-Knock Knock-

"Just a few more minutes Tatusha… I went to bed only two hours ago." Shuichi mumbled tiredly.

-Knock Knock-

"Shuichi-sama, Syuu-sama said that if you can't leave by 5am, then you would have to walk to the Shindou corp." The maid said.

"What?!" Shuichi shot right up from his king size bed.

Shuichi looks around and slowly took in his surroundings. "Oh ya… I am back home…"

-Knock Knock-

"Shuichi-sama!" The maid shouted once again.

"Ok, ok! I am awake now." Shuichi shouted back.

Shuichi quickly jumps out of bed and ran into his bathroom.

"Oh great… I still have to finish my homework by tonight or else I am dead meat." Shuichi said as he begins to strip.

&&&

In an amazing record, Shuichi managed to take a shower, brush his teeth, put on his clothes, gel his hair into place, and gather his laptop and homework papers with in 15mins. Shuichi pants heavily as he hurried into the dining room.

"4:50am." Syuu read aloud as he looks at his watch as Shuichi took a seat beside him.

"At least I made it in time." Shuichi coldly said.

A maid walks up to Shuichi's side with a tray.

"Green tea, a piece of smoked salmon, and a bowl of miso soup. Enjoy your meal sir." The maid said as she puts each food item in front of Shuichi.

"Thank you." Shuichi politely said.

The maid bowed and walks away.

"Just to let you know before hand Shuichi, you are going to take the position of vice president in the company." Syuu said, while taking a sip on his coffee.

"V.P? But father, don't you think I should build up experiences first? I am not qualified to be a VP yet." Shuichi tried to explain.

"You major in business management Shuichi, so now is your chance to show me what you have learned in the university." Syuu said.

"But-" Shuichi struggled to find the right words. "But- VP has a lot of work to do, don't they? I don't' think I can handle the pressure just yet. I still have a lot of homework I must catch up on for class." Shuichi told his father truthfully.

"Then you will just have to work even harder to keep up with your schedule. I won't tolerate laziness." Syuu told his son.

"Right…" Shuichi replied.

For the rest of breakfast, neither of them spoke to each other again.

&&&

Shuichi walks closely beside his father as they stepped into the Shindou building. This building had been standing long before he was even born, and this is his family's property. But when Shuichi thinks back in his whole life, the times that he had actually been in the building was not over 10 times. Nothing is familiar to Shuichi in this building as he looks around in wonder. New faces, new elevator, new doors, new clients, and the list can go on and on.

"Syuu-sama. Shuichi-sama." The employees would each greets and bow as the father and son passes by.

Even though it's not very visibly, Shuichi could tell that Syuu's smirk grows a bit wider each time they pass by a bowing employee. While waiting for the elevator to reach the top floor, his father kept on giving Shuichi small lectures, but for what Shuichi really doesn't know since his mind had already wander off to space. All he remembers was his father's voice continuously talking, and he talked, and he talked, and he talked some more. It was not until the stop of the elevator which brought Shuichi back to reality.

"Shuichi, this is the 20th floor. Only your office and my office are located here. Since you don't have an assistant yet, you can also use mine for the time being. Her name is Shiya." Syuu said as they stepped out form the elevator.

Shuichi turns to look at the clock on a nearby wall. It reads 5:45am.

"People sure come early for work. There are already a lot of employees here." Shuichi commented.

"Of course, we have a joint project with the government and we are planning to release this new project out to public by the end of this year. All the employees are required to take turn to come in at 5am each day." Syuu explained.

"And they don't complain?" Shuichi said, raising an eyebrow.

"Just have to raise their salaries." Syuu plainly said.

Shuichi nodded in understanding. "Money makes the world goes round."

"Shiya-san still hasn't arrived yet, but she sits here." Syuu pointed at the empty desk outside of his office. "Come" Syuu motioned to Shuichi to follow him.

They stopped in front of a closed door. "This is going to be your room. You can decorate it any way you want, but there is already a leather sofa, shelves, a desk, wireless internet, a mini bar, a plasma TV inside."

"Are all those things also in your management-level employees' rooms as well?" Shuichi asked curiously.

"Yes." Syuu answered.

Shuichi's eyes widen in surprise for a moment. "No wonder your employees love to come to work. Look how much you are spending on them. Are you sure we are making a profit, not losing?"

"Do you think I will do something that doesn't benefits the company?" Syuu asked.

"True…" Shuichi agreed.

"Ok, that's it for the now. You can stay in your room until Shiya-san arrives." Syuu instructed.

"Finally!" Shuichi said as he walks into his room and closes the door behind him.

Shuichi walks to his desk and set his bag down. Shuichi took a deep breath a smiled. "Haaaaa, fresh new room."

"Ah." Shuichi clamps a hand over his mouth. "Why in the world am I smiling?"

Shuichi shook his head and walk over to the touch-floor window.

"No wonder father likes to come to work." Shuichi said as he gazes down onto the still emptied streets. "It makes on feels like they are at the top of the world from the view up here."

Shuichi's moment was interrupted when someone barged into his new office.

"Hey! Knock fir-"

Before Shuichi could finish his sentence, the person had already leap onto Shuichi. He stumbles back a few steps before finally able to balance himself again.

Shuichi let out a breath of relief, and then glare down at his attacker. "Why are you always like that?"

"Shuichi!!" The person cried. "I thought you will never come back!"

"Kacy, how did you know I was back?" Shuichi asked as he tries to push the girl away.

"Shuichi is Japan's most wanted bachelor right now! News about you spread fast!" Kacy said, while clinging tighter onto Shuichi.

"And you are here because?..." Shuichi said while rising and eyebrow.

"Mou Shuichi!" Don't be so cold to your childhood friend! I was so worried about you!" Kacy said with a pout.

Shuichi let out a sigh. "So you woke up early in the morning just to see me? Does my father know about this? I am at work right now."

Kacy nodded. "I told Uncle Syuu before I came. He said it would be good for me to see you."

Shuichi tried to pull Kacy away from hi again but failed.

"Kacy! Don't cling onto me! Reporters will make a fuss about this if they see us like this." Shuichi half yelled.

"But I am Shuichi's future bride!" Kacy said boldly.

"Huh?" Shuichi said in surprise.

"Remember? We made a promise when we were young! You said you will take my hand in marriage!" Kacy reminded Shuichi.

"You are still going on about this? Kacy, we were kids!" Shuichi said.

"I know." Kacy smiled. "But I wasn't playing around. I had never forgotten about it."


Author's Note: Uh…. Lol, so…sorry….. I was really busy. I just recently finished my English mid-term. ''' I know you guys are angry. It's been like 5 months… sigh but I already finished writing the whole story and I just need to type it now. I promise from now on I will release one chapter per week. So please forgive me and come back to read my story?? XD ….. . Thanks so much for all reviews for the previous chapter! Please continue to support in the future.