Chapter 26 The Offer
Somewhere unknown
"What a profound plan..." a voice resonated within the shadows of an unknown place, which seems to be coming from the voice of the recently-escaped KND captive and Crimson lord Sydonay "Are you sure it would pull out?"
"Of course..." A much more darker voice, which seems to be from the same man that infiltrated the KND Moonbase, the one that the KND hated the most, replied to him in an assuring way "But you must do your part first..."
"Is that all? But there is this seal..."
"The seal is influenced by his decisions, by his very own decisions, that is the only way we could remove it..." the mysterious voice replied to him again "I've got intelligence that the seal might as well be past its deadline, so maybe it is much weaker, but you still must be careful."
"I know, and if you are really right that the Mystes will join us, will you also help us?"
"I can only help you on fulfilling what you are destined to do..." the mysterious voice smirked "But you could be assured that your part is to separate those two... lovebirds, I say... by manipulating world events for your Master's return. Remember, Flame Haes are still powerless once a massive conflict not involving the Crimson Realm arises"
"So it will be, Prophet..."
December 31, 2012 10:30 pm Misaki City, Japan, local time
The whole bunch cannot believe their eyes...
This is the first time in Yuji's life where the Osechi, a traditional New Year's food arrangement placed in a tiered box of different designs, was this full, and it seems so attractive to be eaten.
As a matter of fact, each and everyone in the household has a different arrangement of such dishes based on their preferences, and this is something that never occurred before in the Sakai family and in Shana's life. Generally, the Osechi that they have contains the takoyaki brought earlier by Chigusa, but it also has everything that a high-end Osechi can have, with the ingredients fresh and symbolizing a very fruitful, great, and peaceful year ahead.
Despite of this, however, each of them have a different piece contained in the bottom rightmost corner of the Osechi. Britain's Osechi has the fish and chips dish in it, while Chigusa and her husband's Osechi contains the herring roe. Yuji and Shana, has the red sea-bream in it. Whilhelmina, on the other hand, has the Konbu seaweed in it, which is already present elsewhere in the dish. In the middle of Shana's Osechi is a piece of Melon bread that Shana really likes the most.
"Wow, this really seems delightful Mrs. Sakai..." Britain remarked "And you seriously added my favorite dish!"
"Well, that does not explain why I don't have mine in my Osechi..." Yuji took noticed of his arrangement's oddity. On that, Yuji's mother responded "Well, I just thought that maybe as a family, we might as wish that we'll be together for now, because time is running out for us to bond together..."
"Oh, that's why..." Yuji responded.
After some time, they where all about to sit down and eat when they heard 3 knocks on the door. Expecting about this, Chigusa opened the door, and someone manages to greet and say "Hello there, hello Yuji..."
"Wow, dad, you are as late as ever..." Yuji remarked.
"Why, of course, my flight took a long time..." Yuji's dad replied to him. He took of his coat and kissed his wife, and continue telling his son "Well, I heard you managed to have a lot of friends, and how is your schlarship going?"
"Fine dad... I have learned a lot around the world!" Yuji replied with the smiled.
"Don't worry about that Mr. Sakai, he is studying a lot." Britain said. "And it sure is a great student..."
"And I also heard that you already had a girlfriend Yuji..." this then caused Shana's spine to shiver and mutter "Curse you Arthur." inaudibly as Mr. Sakai continued "I never thought the same charming lady you have would be that one."
"Well..." Yuji first stared at Shana who looks at him in a death stare, but then he stared back at Arthur with a scarier death stare and seems to be ready to bring out his wand of mystical wonders, and then stared at his father and said "It's actually fun, having a girlfriend, well, I never thought that will ever happen..."
This then popped a vein of anger to Shana, but then Yuji's father jockingly said "Well, I just hope you never commit the same thing I did to your dear mother Yuji, or you'll blame yourself for the rest of your life!"
"Dad, we, don't want to do that thing..." Yuji replied, with Shana clueless on what that term even meant "Besides, we have just become official earlier..."
Just then, Kentaro Sakai soon took notice of Whilhelmina and said "Oh, looks like you also brought in her mother, wow, you really are even swifter than I were in your age..."
"I'm so sorry Mister, but I'm Shana's guardian, her parents died in a car accident a long time ago..." Whilhelmina replied to them, lying as the truth is that Shana is discovered crying after she is abandoned in a portion in the city of Hong Kong. After that, Whilhelmina, alongside a Crimson Lord named Shiro, raised her to become the successor of the title Flame-Haired Fiery-Eyed Hunter, a story that will be reserved in a much later time.
"Oh..." Kentaro paused. "Sorry for that..."
"It's alright..." Whilhelmina replied to him, but still showing no inch of emotion "... but I have to take care of her as much as I can."
"Is that so..." Kentaro followed. He then Surprisingly uttered "So, whens the marriage going to be?" And this caused Yuji, Shana, Chigusa and Whilhelmina simultaneously yelled "What?" with Shana adding "Hell no." which then caused Kentaro to chuckle and then laugh extremely hard.
"What's funny? What is funny?" Shana suddenly remarked akwardly.
At that, Kentaro calmed down and said to everyone "Wow, that never gets old, but seriously, Yuji, you should look out for..."
"Shana is too young for that matter..." Whihelmina remarked "But I do approve of their relationship to not cross that boundary."
"Yuji, you have your job cut, just don't break that woman's heart, son." Yuji's father continued, but then Shana muttered "And I'll break his skull later..." under her breath.
The silent evening in the Sakai residence was suddenly broken when a loud "Thank you for the food." is said by the entire household.
Everyone began to eat the osechi served right in front of them, with Chugusa and Kentaro acting extremely sweet to one another. Yuji and Shana are just staring at them while they stood across the table, with Shana whispering to Britain "Is that what a Couple is supposed to do?"
"Go to France and you'll see much worse than that." Britain sarcastically reminded her. "Besides, it should be normal, they are more than a couple, more like, how should a put it, husband and wife."
"Well, we could try that..." Yuji jokingly (albeit forcibly) teased, but then Shana replied "Hell no."
"Still denying, huh?" Britain said towards the seemingly confused Flame Haze "Well, Shana, let me tell you one thing: what you feel for Yuji is something you can't deny."
"What I'm feeling for him? How do you know what I feel for him?" Shana immediately replied to Britain in a stark voice, but deep inside, something is causing her heart to beat faster than normal, different and unique even during the times she is facing a creature related to the Crimson Realm.
"Confused on whether this interferes in your duty? The way you wanted to beat him up because you see something in him that you admire in him? The way your heart beats faster than normal whenever you are around him? You can't deny it Shana..."
"Hell, it's just... it's just..." Shana looks down and said "Arthur, we need to talk...". She then stood up and said "Sorry, but there is something me and Athur must discuss." and left towards the front door, with Arthur following "Kids these days... let me talk to her..." and Britain followed. This then left Yuji, Whilhelmina, Kentaro and Chigusa on the table.
"What are the odds..." Kentaro said "Well, Yuji, I think they may have overheard of something..."
"Something about what?" Yuji then remarked.
"Well, you see, me and your mom are thinking of transferring you in a different scholarship... but I think the same scholarship that both of you have right now is the reason why you and Shana have become a couple in the first place..."
Surprised by this, Yuji immediately asks "Wait, what scholarship is that?"
"Well, it is underneath something known as the Benedictan scholarship award for talented and gifted teens, a well-known scholarship grant in the US..."
Meanwhile, in the KND Moonbase, at the exact same time...
Numbuh 362 is again busy sorting through her paperwork when she notice something odd...
She looked up the file and it read "Welcome to the Benedictab Scholarship Award for Talented and Gifted Teens...
Where your teenagers will be taught to be a good people in the society, with an average of $1000 pension to a select few students above 13 years old with good grades, with free tution fee, lodging, and book expense all throughout their highschool and college years..."
Just that, Numbuh 162 read on the bottom and read the following note:
"From Numbuh 9954, I think Father manages to have a new way to recruit teenagers, we have reports that the dorms are teen ninja bases of some sorts... needs further investigations to confirm..."
"But I already have one, and I'm happy to be with Shana for the scholarship that we have."
"Well, if you just wanted, we could switch it... but I think we can't push it because you are happy to be with your girlfriend..." Kentaro remarked. At that moment, Shana and Britain came in, but this time it seems that Shana shed some tears nad is wiping it. At that moment, Britain remarked "What have I missed?"
"Oh nothing..." Kentaro remarked.
"But we are just talking about..."
"Dear, we already know what Yuji wants..." Kentaro remarked. Just then, his phone suddenly rang and he answered it, and excused himself from the table and went outside.
"Wow, he is still busy as ever..." Yuji remarked.
Unknown to them , however...
Kentaro said to the voice on the phone "Well, he didn't agree, what he feels for his girlfriend seems to be stronger..."
"Well..." the voice, which has the same tone as the voice that Sydonay is talking to, conversed to him the words "... he wouldn't resist anyway..."
"What shall I do Boss, I can't convince him otherwise..."
"Leave that to me... those two beautiful moths made a mistake that they would soon regret... just stay there and have a rest with your family... oh, and Kentaro, make sure you have another child..."
"Um, why?"
"Just make sure of it... and how about that country?"
"Well, he's still here with them..."
"Don't tell a single information about my name to him..."
"Yes, Boss..."
"Well, good job, I'll have your raise soon... oh, and you could stop calling Boss, due to your services, you can now call me Benedict Uno, or maybe even..."
"But I still need to be careful... bye boss, I mean Father..."
Upon closing the phone, Yuji's Father begins to contemplate and said "Is this thing that I'm doing is right?"
Meanwhile, after everyone decided to finish eating, they went out to see the fireworks that will light up the skies at the start of the new year.
Just as everyone begins to stare at the sky, Yuji was surprised that Shana whispered to him the following:
"We need to talk."
The two went close to each other, with Shana telling him "I really... really can't understand Arthur... he is pushing me to even go far as to kiss you..."
"Wa...wait up Shana, we aren't supposed to really be a couple... we only have to just pre..."
"I know we shouldn't be one... but... but this... unusual feeling that I have whenever I'm around you... I can't understand a thing about it... Arthur said something that the way I feel for you is something I cannot understand until I kiss you... but why the bloody heck does he want me to do so? That doesn't make sense! I mean, when he he even talked to me about how close we really are, I- I can't... understand why I even cried, as if I just wanted to released something inside of me..."
Yuji begins to think about what Shana said, and why Arthur is pushing this relationship. Shana is confused, Arthur is determined to somehow even force Shana to do things she couldn't even understand. But on the other hand, she also cared about Shana, even more than a friend, but knowing her, she wouldn't even risk it, because she doesn't understand things like how a normal teenager does. At that, he stared at the fireworks and replied "Shana, so what do you want to do now?"
"I don't know... Yuji, maybe if we could just, at least... maybe... become a couple like Arthur suggested? I mean, Arthur did sent some points that maybe... perhaps I could feel at peace if we do so?"
"But Shana, being a couple entails a lot of things, and I think we are not yet ready..."
"I understand... but let's just promise that until we know what Arthur really wants, we'll stay like this..."
"Alright then..."
Meanwhile, the love fairy Cupid is watching the scene unfolding on the roof of the Sakai residence. But alongside him is Jorgen, who seems to be surprised on the development that is happening between the two young couple. Jorgen seems to be a little delighted, seeing as he finally had some rest after carrying that heavy pink plate for days, and he decided to take some rest and visit cupid in his job.
He then asks him "Hey, Cupid, what is the notice between the two?"
"It's even greater than I imagined!" Cupid responded "Although those two never kissed, those two destinied-to-be decided to really become official!"
"Ah, if I where they, they are just digging their own graveyard!" Jorgen chickled, with Cupid half-hertedly laughing, following that sarcastic remark with "Jorgen, you're married, why are you that anti-romantic?"
"Because there are things more than romance!" Jorgen replied to him "Besides, I thought that boy with Draco did his job well?"
"Well... if he just listened, I had that podcast with me..." Cupid responded to him.
Just then, the two made a silence, then Cupid remarked "Um, Jorgen, What are your opinions regarding this? Why do you even went as far as to say that they are digging their own graveyard?"
"Because that is the secondary reason why those two are motivated to do their thing!" Jorgen replied to him. Just then, his watch rang and the following was inside its note:
"Meeting regarding the Intervention: We are pushing thru... Yuji decided to follow his heart and not listen to Dan."
"See, I told you cupid..." Jorgen replied to the love fairy "Well, have to go..."
A/N: Well, this is a little bit of surprising...
I have to admit, I am planning for Shana and Yuji to kiss, but given my inexperience (and unwillingness due to special reasons) on the said matter, I'll be reserving that to another date...
Besides, a relationship isn't about how many things you did as a couple, it is about the amount of trust you gained with each other...
Anyways, the Saga is still continuing! Update is slow because I'm keeping up my studies.
Besides, I'm already trying to rush things in this saga because current events tends to correspond on how exactly Saga 4 is supposed to happen (given the fact that Saga 4 is somehow supposed to be surrounded by the pressure of nostalgia of prophecy), so sorry for the rushed writing...
Anyways, I'm still finding a Beta to help me out.