ring
Chapter 3 ~Citan's Ring
"You dropped this, Fei?"
Fei jumped from his seat, his chair fell. "YUI!!!!" He then saw the item
that Yui held with her two fiingers. "THE RING!!!! You found it!"
Margie, Bart and Billy, who were all sitting at the Gun Room table,
stared at him and the beautiful mother figure standing in front of him.
Yui smiled. "So this is yours, indeed."
"What?" Fei blushed. "No, I mean... that's..."
"Say it loud, Fei. That IS your ring." Bart snickered behind his
shoulders. "Good choice."
"Elly likes golden more than silver, she'll like it." Margie joined from
Bart's side.
"She will? NO! I mean..." Fei coughed. "Uhm... no, well."
"Yes, she will, Fei." Billy tapped Fei's shoulder. "You don't need to
hide it, almost everyone knows by now."
"Everyone what???" Fei widened his eyes. "No way!!"
"So, Fei, are you going to take it?" Yui asked again. She hid her laugh
behind her hands, and looked amused at Fei's crimson face.
"IT IS NOT MINE!!!!"
Billy shook his head. Fei could hear Bart grumble "fool" or something
like that.
"So, if it's not yours, let me have it, Yui!" Margie took it from Yui's
hand. "I always wanted a shining gold ring."
"NO, GIVE THAT TO ME!!!" Fei grabbed it from Margie quickly before she
had a chance to wear it at her middle finger, when he realized what he was
doing. Everybody was staring at him, their faces filled with shining grins.
"I mean... uh..."
"BUSTED!!!!" Bart shouted, then he laughed.
Fei ducked his head, Yui somehow heard him mutter. "don't let this happen
to me... I'm doomed before I'm telling this to Elly..."
Yui patted his shoulder. "You are not, Fei."
"Yeah. Need a lot of courage telling *the word* to a girl."
"What word?" Fei somehow knew, but he didn't believe Bart did.
"Marria---"
"WAAAAA!!!!!!!" He shrieked, closing Bart's mouth with his hands
instantly, "Youpatethicfoolifyoueversaythatagainiwillinstantlykillyou."
Bart muffled behind Fei's hands while Billy confused saying, "What did he
say?"
"Yes, Bart's right though." Yui sighed, closing her eyes.
"By the way, Yui." Marge started. "I don't see you wearing a ring. I've
never seen you wearing one. Aren't you supposed to be married with Citan?"
Yui looked at both her white slender hands. "Yes..."
Fei, Bart and Billy's eyes followed Margie and Yui's gaze, and Margie's
words were right, she didn't have *the ring* circle her middle finger. "It's
because I don't have one."
"What?" The others stared at her, puzzled.
"But, aren't people supposed to exchange rings when they're *married*?"
Margie questioned again with the tone at the last word.
"Yes, they are." Yui nodded.
"But why---"
"Margie." Yui cut her words with no intend to hurt her feelings. "There
are some reasons why Citan didn't give the ring."
"Huh?"
"You know, what you all call marriage isn't always symbolized with
rings." Yui touched her ring finger. "We believe that. We have our symbol of
marriage right here." Yui moved her right hand, pointed right to her heart.
"I didn't know Citan could be *that* romantic---"
"Shhh!!" Margie elbowed her cousin, stopping his sentence. "How romantic!"
Yui laughed. "Margie--- I've never thought that was romantic. Those are
our beliefs... Citan sometimes could be such a---"
"Sceptic Person."
"Citan!"
The doctor was standing behind his wife, rubbing his chin with his right
hand. "You always say that, Yui. Well, never seen you gossiping behind my
back."
"Citan, Yui didn't mean to---"
"I know, Margie, I always know my wife." He smiled, looking at his wife
meaningful, while Yui smiled back at him.
"Oi oi." Bart interrupted them by waving his hand in front Citan's face.
He closed his eyes. "You don't need to do that, little one. I'm not a
lovestruck guy who can't say the words of love to his lover." He grinned,
enjoying the words that he played, and made the king of Aveh and Fei stunned.
"Uh-huh, that's hurts." Billy whispered behind them.
"Alright, dear. I must check the food in the kitchen. Excuse me." Yui
nodded again and walked pass Citan to the GunRoom exit.
"Wait, Yui!" Margie ran. "I'll help you---" those were her words before
her voice disappeared in the Gun Room.
"Yui!" Margie still ran after her when she hit Maria in the middle of the
way.
"Ouch!" Maria shouted. "Margie!"
"Sorry, Maria! I want to talk to Yui quickly, Hey Yui!" Margie ran again
before Maria could say anything.
"Hey, my goggles!" Maria shouted, when he saw that her goggles
were(accidentally) carried by Margie's hands. "HEY! Give them back to me!!!"
Maria ran, following Margie's path, when finally she found her
questioning Yui at the kitchen.
"Yui, I want to know something. Can I ask you something?"
"You already did." She smiled. "And I have this funny feeling that I
already knew your question."
"You're looking like Citan's gaze when I asked him something." Maria
commented.
"Husbands-wives... they are all the same." Margie grinned. "So, tell me!"
Yui sighed, she looked at her dishes.
"It's a long story though... when I just met Citan... how many years is
it?"
~Flashback~
"So, you're the one giving me food this day?" His grayish eyes studied
her behind his glasses. "Put it over there, please miss, thank you." He
smiled, and in an instant, his concentration was back on the book he held in
his hands.
"I think you're enjoying your imprisonment." The girl remarked when she
put the tray. "Solarian."
"Yes, that's right, Shevite." He replied without even taking off his gaze
from the book. ".... interesting..."
"That's not an act of a Solarian spy when he is imprisoned!" The girl
half screamed. "Just because the cell is full, you don't---"
"Yes, you're right... that is not right to act like this." He chuckled
but it seemed like he was being amused by something out of the book.
"Listen to me, Solarian! Don't mess around while you're in the library!!!"
"I will not make a mess in the library, I will return all the books to
their previous shelves." He said again without seeing her. "Let's see..."
~Back~
"Typical Citan." Margie snorted, while Maria nodded, having the same
opinion with Margie.
"Yes." Yui had her quiet laugh.
~Flashback~
"Can't you take your eyes off the book?"
"Oh, you again, the twentieth time this month, you come more often than
anyone does." He smiled, and returned his reading. "Interesting..."
"I guess that's a no." She put the food tray at the usual spot. "Weird.
You've read that book twice."
He suddenly stopped reading and closed the book, staring at her.
"Interesting, yes."
Yui felt her face heatened when she saw his eyes looking forward to her.
"What?"
"The fact that you know what I'm reading."
"Of course I know! I know this library like the back of my hand, and I
know all the books with only seeing them from 20 meters far."
"Liar."
"What?"
"You can't guess the color from 20 meters far." He opened back the book.
"Color-blind Shevite."
"I'm what---?" Feeling nervous, she moved herself closer to him.
"I said Color-blind Shevite." He said back, staring at her, a mere 30
centimeters away. "You see, you can tell a Color-blind Shevite when you see a
gray spot in a golden eyed Shevite pupil."
"I'm sorry? Am I hearing this from a Solarian with glasses?"
He smiled. "Believe me, you are."
~Back~
"Oh, come on. Citan SAID THAT? And you TOO?" Margie widened her eyes.
"Don't you think it's like... OOC... out of character?" Maria added.
"We were teenagers,too." Yui smiled his motherly smile again.
~Flashback~
"I like this book." Yui pulled a green book from the shelves. "It's
about---"
"The terrestial creation of this planet." Citan cut.
"Why you---"
"I have been here for 3 months, and I know this library like the back of
my hand and I know all the books with only seeing them from 20 meters."
"I've heard that somewhere before..."
"Sure you are." He took another book from the same shelf, and sat down,
starting to read again.
"Hyuuga..." She opened the book she held, pretenting to read it. "Do you
think you could ever be free?"
"That, I do not know." He said shortly, changing the page.
"You've been gone from Solaris for 3 months, and... do you think they
would recieve you back as a spy that has been missing?"
"Well, it is not your concern though."
"What will happen to your family?"
"I do not have any."
"So, you don't have any place to go back to?"
Silence for a while and he suddenly laughed.
"What?"
Citan tried to control his laughs. "You want me to stay here, don't you?"
"WHAT?" Her face reddened. "I do NOT!"
Citan suddenly stopped his laughs. "How about this, Yui. Do you want
yourself to be the place I want to be back?"
"What?" Yui repeated, but this time with a different tone, full of
surprise.
"You see, you are not preparing with consequences when you said
something, Yui Uzuki, that's all..." He smiled again and closed the book. "It
is getting late, your father will search you. Go Yui, don't look at me like a
confused person."
~Back~
"I was always wondering how Citan proposed to you, and now I found
out!" Margie clapped both her hands.
"Citan was... proposing?" Maria wrinkled her eyebrows, "It sounds like
a...." Maria didn't find the words matched with her thoughts.
Yui chuckled. "I know what you mean."
//The atmosphere went silent at that moment, and Yui never continued her
story since then... we can only wonder, how Yui accepted Citan's proposal. We
knew that she knew our demands, but she kept quiet... Maybe, that's another
long story. But, I then I heard something funny from my husband...//
~Meanwhile at the same time, in the GunRoom...~
"Fei."
"What, doc?"
Fei, Bart, Billy and Citan were all sitting in front of the bar in the
GunRoom, while Maison was scrubbing the glasses even though they were already
clean.
"Where did you get that ring?"
"What ring?"
"Your ring for Ell---"
"WHAAAA!!!!" Fei screamed. "Don't ever say that!!!!!"
"I just..."
"SorrydocbutIfounditattheyardofyourhouseinthemountainpathbackthen,
IthoughtthatwasMidori'sringbutshetoldmethatitwasntandtoldmetokeepthat!!!!"
"Wow, that was fast." Billy wisphered to Bart.
"I thought only girls can do that." Bart commented Billy's statement.
Citan nodded and continued his drink.
"Why?" Fei then questioned.
The doctor just shook his head. "No, it's alright."
The others just stared at him, confused... But one of them had something
in mind about Citan's reaction, then when his future wife told them about her
conversation with Yui, he told this story...
Yui sighed. She remembered what Midori said to her... before they came to
Lahan...
//Mother, do you know that father actually has a ring for you? Well, I'm
sorry mother, but I read his mind... It's the only thing he has left from
his unknown family. He promised to himself that he would give that to you
when *all is finished*.//
Yui released her breath once more. "Why do I have this funny feeling that
I won't get that ring?"
~Fin~
please, forgive me for my lack of english, grammar and plot.
Dedication:
Melissa McClendon: if you're reading this, I'm terribly sorry what I've said... stupid me.
Frances: My beta reader.
Lenna_Aki, amanda, sakura, Dave, Killiko Jun-chan, raurenu for reviewing.
Chapter 3 ~Citan's Ring
"You dropped this, Fei?"
Fei jumped from his seat, his chair fell. "YUI!!!!" He then saw the item
that Yui held with her two fiingers. "THE RING!!!! You found it!"
Margie, Bart and Billy, who were all sitting at the Gun Room table,
stared at him and the beautiful mother figure standing in front of him.
Yui smiled. "So this is yours, indeed."
"What?" Fei blushed. "No, I mean... that's..."
"Say it loud, Fei. That IS your ring." Bart snickered behind his
shoulders. "Good choice."
"Elly likes golden more than silver, she'll like it." Margie joined from
Bart's side.
"She will? NO! I mean..." Fei coughed. "Uhm... no, well."
"Yes, she will, Fei." Billy tapped Fei's shoulder. "You don't need to
hide it, almost everyone knows by now."
"Everyone what???" Fei widened his eyes. "No way!!"
"So, Fei, are you going to take it?" Yui asked again. She hid her laugh
behind her hands, and looked amused at Fei's crimson face.
"IT IS NOT MINE!!!!"
Billy shook his head. Fei could hear Bart grumble "fool" or something
like that.
"So, if it's not yours, let me have it, Yui!" Margie took it from Yui's
hand. "I always wanted a shining gold ring."
"NO, GIVE THAT TO ME!!!" Fei grabbed it from Margie quickly before she
had a chance to wear it at her middle finger, when he realized what he was
doing. Everybody was staring at him, their faces filled with shining grins.
"I mean... uh..."
"BUSTED!!!!" Bart shouted, then he laughed.
Fei ducked his head, Yui somehow heard him mutter. "don't let this happen
to me... I'm doomed before I'm telling this to Elly..."
Yui patted his shoulder. "You are not, Fei."
"Yeah. Need a lot of courage telling *the word* to a girl."
"What word?" Fei somehow knew, but he didn't believe Bart did.
"Marria---"
"WAAAAA!!!!!!!" He shrieked, closing Bart's mouth with his hands
instantly, "Youpatethicfoolifyoueversaythatagainiwillinstantlykillyou."
Bart muffled behind Fei's hands while Billy confused saying, "What did he
say?"
"Yes, Bart's right though." Yui sighed, closing her eyes.
"By the way, Yui." Marge started. "I don't see you wearing a ring. I've
never seen you wearing one. Aren't you supposed to be married with Citan?"
Yui looked at both her white slender hands. "Yes..."
Fei, Bart and Billy's eyes followed Margie and Yui's gaze, and Margie's
words were right, she didn't have *the ring* circle her middle finger. "It's
because I don't have one."
"What?" The others stared at her, puzzled.
"But, aren't people supposed to exchange rings when they're *married*?"
Margie questioned again with the tone at the last word.
"Yes, they are." Yui nodded.
"But why---"
"Margie." Yui cut her words with no intend to hurt her feelings. "There
are some reasons why Citan didn't give the ring."
"Huh?"
"You know, what you all call marriage isn't always symbolized with
rings." Yui touched her ring finger. "We believe that. We have our symbol of
marriage right here." Yui moved her right hand, pointed right to her heart.
"I didn't know Citan could be *that* romantic---"
"Shhh!!" Margie elbowed her cousin, stopping his sentence. "How romantic!"
Yui laughed. "Margie--- I've never thought that was romantic. Those are
our beliefs... Citan sometimes could be such a---"
"Sceptic Person."
"Citan!"
The doctor was standing behind his wife, rubbing his chin with his right
hand. "You always say that, Yui. Well, never seen you gossiping behind my
back."
"Citan, Yui didn't mean to---"
"I know, Margie, I always know my wife." He smiled, looking at his wife
meaningful, while Yui smiled back at him.
"Oi oi." Bart interrupted them by waving his hand in front Citan's face.
He closed his eyes. "You don't need to do that, little one. I'm not a
lovestruck guy who can't say the words of love to his lover." He grinned,
enjoying the words that he played, and made the king of Aveh and Fei stunned.
"Uh-huh, that's hurts." Billy whispered behind them.
"Alright, dear. I must check the food in the kitchen. Excuse me." Yui
nodded again and walked pass Citan to the GunRoom exit.
"Wait, Yui!" Margie ran. "I'll help you---" those were her words before
her voice disappeared in the Gun Room.
"Yui!" Margie still ran after her when she hit Maria in the middle of the
way.
"Ouch!" Maria shouted. "Margie!"
"Sorry, Maria! I want to talk to Yui quickly, Hey Yui!" Margie ran again
before Maria could say anything.
"Hey, my goggles!" Maria shouted, when he saw that her goggles
were(accidentally) carried by Margie's hands. "HEY! Give them back to me!!!"
Maria ran, following Margie's path, when finally she found her
questioning Yui at the kitchen.
"Yui, I want to know something. Can I ask you something?"
"You already did." She smiled. "And I have this funny feeling that I
already knew your question."
"You're looking like Citan's gaze when I asked him something." Maria
commented.
"Husbands-wives... they are all the same." Margie grinned. "So, tell me!"
Yui sighed, she looked at her dishes.
"It's a long story though... when I just met Citan... how many years is
it?"
~Flashback~
"So, you're the one giving me food this day?" His grayish eyes studied
her behind his glasses. "Put it over there, please miss, thank you." He
smiled, and in an instant, his concentration was back on the book he held in
his hands.
"I think you're enjoying your imprisonment." The girl remarked when she
put the tray. "Solarian."
"Yes, that's right, Shevite." He replied without even taking off his gaze
from the book. ".... interesting..."
"That's not an act of a Solarian spy when he is imprisoned!" The girl
half screamed. "Just because the cell is full, you don't---"
"Yes, you're right... that is not right to act like this." He chuckled
but it seemed like he was being amused by something out of the book.
"Listen to me, Solarian! Don't mess around while you're in the library!!!"
"I will not make a mess in the library, I will return all the books to
their previous shelves." He said again without seeing her. "Let's see..."
~Back~
"Typical Citan." Margie snorted, while Maria nodded, having the same
opinion with Margie.
"Yes." Yui had her quiet laugh.
~Flashback~
"Can't you take your eyes off the book?"
"Oh, you again, the twentieth time this month, you come more often than
anyone does." He smiled, and returned his reading. "Interesting..."
"I guess that's a no." She put the food tray at the usual spot. "Weird.
You've read that book twice."
He suddenly stopped reading and closed the book, staring at her.
"Interesting, yes."
Yui felt her face heatened when she saw his eyes looking forward to her.
"What?"
"The fact that you know what I'm reading."
"Of course I know! I know this library like the back of my hand, and I
know all the books with only seeing them from 20 meters far."
"Liar."
"What?"
"You can't guess the color from 20 meters far." He opened back the book.
"Color-blind Shevite."
"I'm what---?" Feeling nervous, she moved herself closer to him.
"I said Color-blind Shevite." He said back, staring at her, a mere 30
centimeters away. "You see, you can tell a Color-blind Shevite when you see a
gray spot in a golden eyed Shevite pupil."
"I'm sorry? Am I hearing this from a Solarian with glasses?"
He smiled. "Believe me, you are."
~Back~
"Oh, come on. Citan SAID THAT? And you TOO?" Margie widened her eyes.
"Don't you think it's like... OOC... out of character?" Maria added.
"We were teenagers,too." Yui smiled his motherly smile again.
~Flashback~
"I like this book." Yui pulled a green book from the shelves. "It's
about---"
"The terrestial creation of this planet." Citan cut.
"Why you---"
"I have been here for 3 months, and I know this library like the back of
my hand and I know all the books with only seeing them from 20 meters."
"I've heard that somewhere before..."
"Sure you are." He took another book from the same shelf, and sat down,
starting to read again.
"Hyuuga..." She opened the book she held, pretenting to read it. "Do you
think you could ever be free?"
"That, I do not know." He said shortly, changing the page.
"You've been gone from Solaris for 3 months, and... do you think they
would recieve you back as a spy that has been missing?"
"Well, it is not your concern though."
"What will happen to your family?"
"I do not have any."
"So, you don't have any place to go back to?"
Silence for a while and he suddenly laughed.
"What?"
Citan tried to control his laughs. "You want me to stay here, don't you?"
"WHAT?" Her face reddened. "I do NOT!"
Citan suddenly stopped his laughs. "How about this, Yui. Do you want
yourself to be the place I want to be back?"
"What?" Yui repeated, but this time with a different tone, full of
surprise.
"You see, you are not preparing with consequences when you said
something, Yui Uzuki, that's all..." He smiled again and closed the book. "It
is getting late, your father will search you. Go Yui, don't look at me like a
confused person."
~Back~
"I was always wondering how Citan proposed to you, and now I found
out!" Margie clapped both her hands.
"Citan was... proposing?" Maria wrinkled her eyebrows, "It sounds like
a...." Maria didn't find the words matched with her thoughts.
Yui chuckled. "I know what you mean."
//The atmosphere went silent at that moment, and Yui never continued her
story since then... we can only wonder, how Yui accepted Citan's proposal. We
knew that she knew our demands, but she kept quiet... Maybe, that's another
long story. But, I then I heard something funny from my husband...//
~Meanwhile at the same time, in the GunRoom...~
"Fei."
"What, doc?"
Fei, Bart, Billy and Citan were all sitting in front of the bar in the
GunRoom, while Maison was scrubbing the glasses even though they were already
clean.
"Where did you get that ring?"
"What ring?"
"Your ring for Ell---"
"WHAAAA!!!!" Fei screamed. "Don't ever say that!!!!!"
"I just..."
"SorrydocbutIfounditattheyardofyourhouseinthemountainpathbackthen,
IthoughtthatwasMidori'sringbutshetoldmethatitwasntandtoldmetokeepthat!!!!"
"Wow, that was fast." Billy wisphered to Bart.
"I thought only girls can do that." Bart commented Billy's statement.
Citan nodded and continued his drink.
"Why?" Fei then questioned.
The doctor just shook his head. "No, it's alright."
The others just stared at him, confused... But one of them had something
in mind about Citan's reaction, then when his future wife told them about her
conversation with Yui, he told this story...
Yui sighed. She remembered what Midori said to her... before they came to
Lahan...
//Mother, do you know that father actually has a ring for you? Well, I'm
sorry mother, but I read his mind... It's the only thing he has left from
his unknown family. He promised to himself that he would give that to you
when *all is finished*.//
Yui released her breath once more. "Why do I have this funny feeling that
I won't get that ring?"
~Fin~
please, forgive me for my lack of english, grammar and plot.
Dedication:
Melissa McClendon: if you're reading this, I'm terribly sorry what I've said... stupid me.
Frances: My beta reader.
Lenna_Aki, amanda, sakura, Dave, Killiko Jun-chan, raurenu for reviewing.