THE SAKURA JEWEL

CHAPTER 02

Puzzled, Kogure looked at Hanamichi. The loud, childish and self-confident boy he knew was not here. Here was... Somebody else. A boy... Much more mature, if the expression could be use to describe Sakuragi... A surprisingly calm young he didn't know... Neither he knew how to deal with... An unfamiliar person who seemed a little sad and... Afraid !? Yes... Afraid. Afraid because of this woman. Afraid of what she could said...

He shake his head. The situation was... Rather strange. Kogure turned to face the first person really able to perturb the red-haired he ever met. *Her simple presence !!! It's enough to... Transform Sakuragi ? In such a way ? * This woman was... Beautiful. Has anybody ever see such a perfection ? Kogure doubted about that... A little tallest than the other, with her figure moving with an almost feline grace, her long, long smooth legs and slender arms, she looked like an antique goddess, a Venus or... much more a Diane, with this aura of freedom and independence that surrounded her. Something salvage, pure and lightly... Dangerous. She smiled and Kogure felt like hypnotize by this sensuous smile which surely captivated a number of men.

Suddenly, Kogure realized that she scrutinized him from her long dark lashes. He shivered, seeing her brown eyes which seems to see so much more than other people... He wondered what was going in her head. She seems so clever, he felt like naked, there was something behind this lovely face he couldn't really touch... But he felt it. And she seemed so familiar... That was frightened... Like if...

Coming abruptly to a stop, Kogure's eyes widened. Yeah ! She was familiar ! How come he didn't seen it sooner... Her smile... Her eyes... The exact color of Sakuragi's ones ! An unique warm brown... And the way she looked at him... But no, that was impossible!

Something... Kogure blinked. Was that just his imagination or Sakuragi has just said... Something ? Surprised and a little shameful 'cause he didn't heard what his younger teammate has just said, he looked at Sakuragi.

"Please, Megane-kun... Can you let us alone ? Just some minutes..."


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Under her smiling mask, Lara felt... Surprised. Of course, she'd she the photos... She knew this... 'Step-brother' of her looked like her father... Not so much in fact, but he had the same eyes... The same she has , the brown he shared with her lost father... This color she was so proud of...

But... But... Now she was here, and she can see that he has not only her... Or 'their' father's eyes, he moved like him too... And he seemed honest in his behaviour, she felt something... Like an hidden innocence, one couldn't feel it at first glance, 'cause he seems so rough and simple... But there was still a naivete around him, like if she'd just met a child... Somebody she wanted to protect and she was frightened by her sentiments... To trust somebody so quickly...

Turning her eyes, she observed her... Brother's friend. A young man, taller than other Japanese... But not as tall as... HIM. Short black hair, seemingly a calm and intelligent young... Well-built, gentle eyes behind his glasses... The way he acted towards... The other youth and tried to help him, she could say he sincerely cared for him. Her instinct said her it was a person she could trust too... *But it's not normal ! How can I be so trustfull with them... It's probably a trap ! I shoulda know it... So why...*

Now, she felt uneasy. But the young's reaction were... Interesting. First he was surprised to see his friend's stupor. Surprised... Totally surprised and curious. Curious to see her, visibly ignoring and wondering WHO she was and WHY her presence affected his friend so much but so curious... Admiring, too, but she was used to it. And yet this stupor. The way he suddenly looked at the Redhead and at her again... Like if he'd seen something... But what ? *Has he felt something in me that remind him of... My brother ? As I felt something in this one that remind me of Dad...* Hearing the Redhead's voice, she felt her heart tightened. The same voice !!! Just younger than her father's one.

The other youth hesitated but finally nodded.

"Okay... But we go to the infirmary after ! I wait you a little further..."

"Yeah... Thank."

The boy glanced at her, clearly wondering if he had to say something or not, before finally inclined his head courteously and distance himself from them. The Redhead sighed.

"Kogure is always like that..." Looking at her, he murmured: "Hrr... I, hmm..."

Lara kept silence. Her bro... The Sakuragi boy raised his arm, his hand massaging his nape as he tried to find his words. Behind her impassible mask, Lara felt her heart tightened. He seemed so uneasy... A child. A real child... She wanted to take him in her arms and hug him. She took her handkerchief.

"You're bleeding." She said calmly.

"Uh ? "

Lara's smile widened as she cleaned his forehead. He looked at her with surprise in his eyes, surprise and... Joy and hope ? But his hesitations were obvious too, it was clear that he was not sure about... Her. Why she was here, what she knew about him, If she would accept him perhaps...

"Mm..." She fixed him some seconds, saying nothing.

" ??? "

"..."

"Lara..." Almost a murmur... Surprised, she looked him directly in the eyes. He blushed. "Hrr... I shouldn't... I mean, I... You... Don't want me to call me like that ? I... If you mind, that's not important, you... Hrr, Croft, I..."

"Tchhh... Calm down. You can call me Lara. Actually..."

"Oh !... Thank. Thank a lot..."

The silent again. His reaction amazed Lara. Just that. It was enough to... Make him smile ! And such a smile... Frank, open... A beautiful familiar smile, a smile which has the power to brightened the whole day...

"You know who I am. " That was not a question.

"Hrrr... Yeah. You're... You're..."

"I'm ? "

"I know.... I think I'm... I mean, you're... My sister. I guessed..."

"I'm... Quite surprised you know about me."

"Why not ? "

"I didn't about you until... Recently."

"It's normal..." A whisper. If she had not be very attentive, she would have miss it.

"Normal ? "

"I... Well, after Dad's death, I... Well...Your mother knew about me, but you probably not, so..."

"Mmm... 'Dad'... You knew him... Well !? "

"I see him when I was a child... I don't remember a lot about him but... Well... I tried to learn who he was..."

"You know my face... You'd no problem to recognize me, even if we never met before..."

"You're famous ! I've all the articles witch speak about you. You're life, you're job, what you're doing, ect... It's amazing !!! You've such a life... But it's often dangerous, isn't it ? Sometimes, I'm a little anxious about it... But 'seems like you're immortal !!! You..." He suddenly interrupted himself.

" ??? ' Lara raised an eyebrow. He was so animated some minutes before !

"You..."

"..."

"You look..."

"What ? "

"You look like her..."

"Who !? " Lara felt a little nervous...

"Your mother..."

"You knew her too !? " Now, she was stunned.

"Yes, I... But Dad never knew it... He spoke her about us... Mom and me... That was normal, 'cause after all they were married, even if they'd had separates lifes at the time I'm born. Your... Your mother wanted to meet mine... So a day she had to go to Kyoto for I-don't-know-what, she managed to meet Mom... And after, every time she went to Japan, she came and visited us... That was great... She was a very gentle person..."

Lara looked him silently some minutes. That was right. She was only 12 or 13 year old when her mother suddenly had a violent passion for Japan... She remembered, she was very pleased 'cause there were so many video games that didn't exist in England... And it had gave her the possibility to meet... That was the country where she learnt archeology... Where she learnt to love all those civilisations... This week she spent with the Aïnous... Lara shake her head. That was not the point... But her mother had always wear a mysterious smile when she spoke about Japan...

"I feel really happy to meet you, Hanamichi..."

There. She said it, without even realise what she was doing... She was about to add something else when she saw... Something. A shadow, nothing important but her instinct told her she had to be careful. Smiling brightly, she kissed Hanamichi on the cheek. Caressing his hair gently, she said:

"Your friend wait for you... See you later. Okay, Hana ??? "

He nodded. He seemed so happy... And he was not the only one. Despite of this shadow, she felt strangely... Serene. Inside of her, there was a peace she never felt until her parents and engaged's death... She was not forgetting the danger, in the contrary she felt strangely... Focused on herself, she knew who she was and what she was in a way she never felt before... Like if she was suddenly able to control herself with a new strength she'd never knew she had before... Something new, yet strong... And she felt so good...

But now, the most important thing was to eliminate the danger... But she knew it was better to avoid it for the moment. She didn't want the boy... She didn't want Hanamichi to be hurt. She already cared for him, as if he was really her brother... In fact, she was sure that he was her brother... How, she didn't know, but she was sure of it.

*I'll protect him...*

She wasn't conscious that in her bag, the mysterious locket was glimmering, casting a calm and soothing warmth...

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Kogure was stunned. This beautiful young woman had... kissed Sakuragi !? A light, gentle kiss, full of tenderness... And Sakuragi had not blushed or been embarrassed, as he was normally when near a member of the female sex... As he SHOULD have been when this marvellous woman KISSED him... And he reacted like if it was normal.

The conversation had been animated or so he seemed to his point of view. Animated but not violent. And now the woman... This 'Lara' was walking away with Sakuragi who looked fondly at her, a little smile on his lips and his eyes full of joy and... Love !? He seemed calm, so different to the boy Kogure knew... He couldn't help to wonder was Sakuragi's relationship with this woman was exactly. She seemed so familiar. But not only because something in her and in Sakuragi was strangely similar... He shake his head. For the moment, the most important thing was to examine Sakuragi's wound.

End of Chapter 02

I know, there's no action in this chapter... But I think it was important to understand Lara and Hanamichi's feelings. Especially Lara's ones: Normally she's a so suspicious person... I had to explain WHY she suddenly trust Hanamichi, in what might have been a trap. And personnally, I like this moment when she kissed Hanamichi... "^_^"

Rukawa_Who DARE to touch MY Do'aho ?

Zeynel_Rukawa-kun !!!

Rukawa_YOU write it ?

Zeynel_Hrrr...

Rukawa_Omae o Korosu !!!

Zeynel_*run so fast than even Carl Lewis is jealous now* I'm soorryyyyy!!!!! But it was an innocent chaste kiss!!!

Hrmm... I know, our lovely Kaede-kun is not in the chapter... But he must training, you all know that. And who think possible than Akagi let him skip practice ? Even for his Hana-kun... Beside, actually NOBODY (exept Ayako... Or so I think...) know what he really feel for Hanamichi. And I didn't want him to disturb Hanamichi and Lara's first meeting !!! He's so jealous...

Oh !!! Before I forget... The Aïnous were the first Japan inhabitants. It's an other culture, very interesting. There was (and unfortunately there is still...) a lot of racism against them in Japan. They are very close to the nature. Physically, they look like Mongolians.

_ZEYNEL_