SkyGem: Hey y'all! Okay, so, for my last chapter, I got a reviewer or two who thought that it was a little rushed, and I totally agree with you all XD. I was in a rush to finish and update it, so it didn't come out a good as it could have. So today, I went back and revised it a little, starting from when Bianca got home. I can't promise that it's absolutely spectacular, but it's a little better. Check it out first, ne? Anyways, I've got a chapter to write~
Asari was on his way home after spending most of the day in town doing business, when he was bumped into by a young woman with her black hair in a bob cut and skin as pale as snow.
Ever the gentleman, he helped her regain her balance and said, "Whoa, there, you should be more careful, little lady."
The woman gasped, and when she looked up at him with her pale, pale blue eyes, he recognised her immediately.
"Master Asari!" she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "I'm so sorry for bumping into you! Are you okay?"
Asari just let out a chuckle, then said, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Anyways, you're not working right now, so please, just call me Asari."
"Oh, I couldn't do that," said the girl, shaking her head frantically.
Asari just chuckled again and was about to ask her what she was up to when the smile was completely wiped off his face. Putting a hand to the girl's cheek, he didn't notice the blush that tinted her pale skin. "What happened?" he asked with a frown. "Your face is swelling."
When Bianca realized what he was seeing, her eyes widened, and she began stuttering, saying, "I-it's nothing! I'm fine, Master Asari. I just . . . t-tripped and fell."
Sighing, the man removed his hand, and crossed his arms across his chest, taking note for the first time that she was still wearing her uniform. "Uh huh," he said in a sceptical voice. "I'll believe that as soon as pigs fly."
Bianca didn't know what to do; she had seen her master like this before, when Takeshi got hurt, and she knew that he wouldn't relent until he got whatever information he wanted. On the other hand, she really didn't want to trouble him with her problems.
When she didn't reply, Asari's expression became worried. "Bianca, please, won't you tell me anything?"
The maid quickly averted her gaze, knowing that if she continued to look into his eyes, she would be hypnotized into confessing everything. "It's nothing you need to worry about, master."
A barely inaudible sigh brought her gaze back to the Japanese man, who was now wearing a pout on his face. "I know it may be presumptuous of me, but you should know that I and the others think of you as family, and a family is supposed to help each other out, you know?"
Bianca blushed a little when she heard this. Finally relenting, she said to Asari, "It really is nothing. I just had a small argument with my fiancé."
"And he hit you?" he asked, his eyes widening.
Bianca nodded tentatively, worried at Asari's reaction. "But it's not entirely his fault!" she said; even after all he had done to her, she felt the need to defend him. "I slapped him first, after all."
"But still," said Asari, looking upset. "A man shouldn't raise his hand against a defenceless woman; it's his duty to protect her, not to hurt her."
Bianca was struck by his sweetness and, not for the first time, she wondered why on Earth any woman would ever want to leave his side.
After a moment of silence, during which Bianca didn't know what to say, Asari finally spoke up, "So does this mean you have nowhere to stay for the night?"
"Well, I certainly can't go back home," she said slowly. "But that's okay! I can just go stay at a friends place or something."
Asari didn't say anything, just scrutinizing her closely. Her gaze was starting to make her a little uncomfortable, but just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, he said, "I think it could work. You're about the same size as her."
The twenty-three year old blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon?" she asked, not knowing what on Earth he was talking about.
"Elena," he said by way of answer. "You guys seem to be pretty close in size, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind lending you something to wear."
Bianca was completely bewildered by the sudden turn of events. From the way master Asari was talking, it sounded as if . . .
"Are you inviting me to stay at the mansion?" she asked incredulously.
"Of course!" he said, wearing his usual, laid-back grin on his face. Grabbing her hand, he turned around and headed towards a car that was parked nearby. Opening the passenger-side door for her, he gestured for her to get in, and she reluctantly agreed.
After Asari had walked around to the other side of the car and settled himself in the driver's seat, he took off, weaving professionally through the slowly thinning afternoon traffic. "A-are you sure this is okay?" she asked as he drove. "I don't want to be a bother, and what if the others don't want me there?"
Asari hummed happily, as carefree as ever; then, turning to look at Bianca for a second, he smiled, then turned his gaze back to the road. "Of course it's okay," he said. "Like I said; you're family, and family needs to help each other out every now and then. And I'm pretty sure Elena would love to have another female at the dinner table."
"The dinner…table?" asked Bianca, her eyes the size of saucers. She would be having dinner with the guardians? That was completely unheard of.
It wasn't that they weren't welcome, on the contrary, all the guardians and their children were constantly inviting the maids (and other staff) to come eat with them, but due to the differences in schedules (and not to mention the slight intimidation they felt at the thought of eating with their masters) the invitations were always politely declined.
By the time she snapped out of her thoughts, they were already at the manor, and she suddenly felt a sudden bout of nervousness. Now, she had been in there tens of hundreds of times, but this was the first time she was there as a guest instead of for work, and for the first time since she first saw it, she realized just how big and grand it really was.
After getting out, she walked slowly behind the rain guardian, and when she stepped in behind him, the quietness really blew her away. During the day, the place was bustling with people going to and fro, doing some kind of work; now, when almost all the servants were gone, a kind of peaceful atmosphere permeated the air.
Stepping in, he gestured for her to follow, and they both headed upstairs, to Elena's room. When they got there, Asari knocked once, and called inside, "Elena! I need to talk to you for a second!"
There were a few notes of silence, and still, the door didn't open.
"Are you sure she's in there?" asked Bianca worriedly; during the day, the woman was almost impossible to find, never staying in the same place for long.
"Of course!" Asari said in his usual tone of voice. "She's always in there at this time, reading or talking on the phone with family and friends."
Just as he finished saying this, the door was quietly pulled open, and Elena smiled out at them, looking beautiful even in a pair of simple, black flannel shorts and a red tank-top. Her pretty blond hair was tied back in a ponytail and her bright blue eyes looked at Bianca curiously.
"What's up? What happened to Bianca?" she asked, obviously referring to the dark purple bruise that had formed on the girl's cheek.
Asari looked at Bianca, as if asking for permission, and when she nodded, he said to Elena, "She had a fight with her fiancé and doesn't have anywhere to spend the night."
Upon hearing this, Elena turned to look at Bianca. "Oh, you poor thing," she said, putting a gentle hand on the younger woman's uninjured cheek in a show of affection. "Come inside, I'll get you something more comfortable to wear."
Although still a little worried, Asari decided to leave the two women, and went in search of his son.
After a minute of thinking, he remembered that today, everyone would be hanging out in Ryohei's room and slowly made his way there.
When he got there, he opened the door a crack and poked his head in, asking, "May I come in?"
The kids stopped what they had been doing to look at him, and Takeshi got up from where he was sitting on the bed to come over to him. "Hey dad!" he said, hugging his father and kissing both his cheeks in greeting.
"Hello uncle Asari," the kids chorused from their various seats and Asari stepped into the room, saying, "Hey guys! What are you all doing?"
"Tsuna, Hayato, and I have a test in history tomorrow, so the others are helping us study," Takeshi supplied happily.
"Really? And how is the studying going so far?" asked the rain guardian, taking a look at their study sheets.
"It's going really good!" said Tsuna. "Earlier today, after the guests left, uncle G taught us some techniques to help us remember things better."
"I see," said Asari, something the brunette said catching his attention. "I didn't know we were expecting guests today."
"We weren't," said Takeshi. "They came without calling."
"Really now?" asked Asari in surprise. "And what were they here for?"
"To take Hayato away," said Tsuna with a pout. "But then, Hayato said that he didn't want to go with them, and papa made them leave, and everything was okay!"
"I see," repeated Asari, starting to feel worried. "But who would want to take Hayato away, and why?"
"It was Asako and her husband," said Hayato, speaking up for the first time since the conversation had started.
Asari froze upon hearing the dreaded name. "Asako?" he asked, and from the way Hayato's eyes glinted dangerously when he nodded, Asari knew that the boy knew the situation.
"You know they would have to go through us first if they ever wanted to lay a hand on you, right?" Asari asked of the boy, who nodded and smiled shyly.
Nobody in the room would have realized that it was time for dinner if Ryohei's stomach hadn't growled. Looking up at the clock, the boy said, "It's EXTREMELY time for dinner!"
Laughing, Asari got up, and together, they all made their way to the dining room.
When they got there, Asari stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Bianca wearing a pair of light pink cotton pyjama bottoms with bunnies on them that Elena rarely wore, and a black tank-top similar to the red one that Elena was wearing.
It was the first time he had seen the woman wearing something other than her uniform, and for some reason, he felt his stomach start doing flip-flops.
SkyGem: *Sigh* You know, I have a feeling opinions will be split about this, and I'm sorry to those who don't like where this is going, but hey, the single guardians need women in their lives! They can't stay (totally hot) bachelors forever. Anyways, please do leave a review, and I promise that in the next chapter, you'll get to see more of the kids. Ciao~