"What...is...Hotohori's...problem..." Ji-na said
to herself as she threw random belongings of hers
into one of her trunks.
"He's...not...listening...to...anything...I...say..."
Chichiri stuck his head in her room.
"Want to come outside with me no da?" he asked.
"I was just there," she said as she continued to throw things into the trunk.
"You're not thinking of seriously going home, are you no da?" Ji-na nodded. "Why no da?"
"I don't want to marry Hotohori." Ji-na felt like she was fighting a losing battle. "Aside from the fact that he's my cousin and I don't feel like it's right that he marry me, he's changed so much since I last saw him. It's a little scary to see him after all these years and find him acting like a different person."
"But you know why he's acting like this, don't you no da?"
"It's because of what happened to his family, isn't it?"
"Exactly no da. I'm sure you know what happened to him. Ever since he took the throne, he's had to mature quickly. He has to keep a sensible head on his shoulders, so he hides his emotions no da."
"Like you?" Ji-na could have kicked herself for saying that. She knew he would probably hate her now. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean that."
"No," Chichiri said. "You're right. I also hide my emotions." There was a far-off tone in his voice as he said it. "So give Hotohori another chance no da," he said, the far-off tone in his voice gone. "Because he was probably freaking out, too. He just didn't show it no da."
"I...guess..." Ji-na said. Then all of a sudden, she started crying. "I'm sorry," she said through her tears. "I'm just so mixed up. I'm not quite sure what to do."
"That's alright no da," Chichiri said, giving her a hug. "I felt the same way with Kouran and Hikou." Ji-na hugged him back.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I feel a lot better now."
"So you're staying no da?"
"Of course."
"You're finally together! I knew it was a good idea to try and hook you two up!" Chichiri and Ji-na looked up to see Miaka bouncing up and down excitedly in the doorway.
"Miaka, we're not together," Ji-na said, quickly wiping the tears away from her eyes.
"Yes, we're just friends no da," Chichiri said.
"Oh, come on," Miaka said, starting to annoy Ji-na greatly. "I saw you two hugging. It's a case of true love."
"No," Chichiri said. "We're not in love no da."
"Please, Chichiri," Miaka continued. "You're just denying it. I'm sure that if I walked in on you any later, you would've been kissing - "
"MIAKA!" Chichiri yelled. "BE QUIET NO DA!" The whole room fell silent. It was unusual for Chichiri to loose his temper. Even Ji-na knew that. "STOP THINKING THAT JI-NA AND I ARE IN LOVE, ALRIGHT NO DA?" Chichiri started to pace the room and talk very animatedly. "WE'RE JUST FRIENDS! WHAT MADE YOU THINK THAT WE WERE IN LOVE IN THE FIRST PLACE NO DA? I MEAN, I'M A MONK FOR SUZAKU'S SAKE. MONKS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO FALL IN LOVE!" Everyone, including Chichiri just stared with their mouths open. "I'm...sorry no da," he said. "I don't know what got into me."
I'm so stupid, Ji-na thought. How could I have ever thought that Chichiri would return my love? He's a monk with a hard past who's eleven years older than me. How could I have ever gotten my hopes up?
"Ji-na?" Miaka asked. "What are you staring at?"
"I wasn't staring," Ji-na said. "Just...thinking...about how stupid I am to think that Chichiri could ever love me back." Ji-na wasn't quite sure whay she said that, but she knew she had to tell Chichiri face-to-face about her feelings sometime.
"Ji-na no da...?" Chichiri asked.
"YES!" Ji-na said. "I'm madly in love with you! You heard that I loved you when I had that argument with Hotohori, but you didn't know how much. Now you do. I would go to the ends of the earth and back for you, Chichiri. That's how much I love you." Ji-na felt all shaky after saying that. She wondered how Chichiri would respond.
"I...don't know what to say no da," Chichiri said. "I'm...flattered...."
"Uh, Ji-na," Miaka said. "Don't you think you should tell Hotohori about all this? I mean, this is only your second day here and you're supossed to marry him."
"Good idea," Ji-na said. "But what should I say? 'Hey, Hotohori, guess what?! I'm not going to marry you because I'm in love with a monk!' And anyway, he already knows I like Chichiri."
"O.K., well that's over and done with," Miaka said thoughtfully. "Now we have to think of a way to try and avoid this marrige...hmmm..."
"Wait." Miaka turned to look at Ji-na. "Shouldn't we let Chichiri have his say about what's going on? He hasn't said much about this situation. So as far as we know, he could be estatic about me marrying Hotohori." Ji-na turned to Chichiri. "So, what do you think?"
"I...I...I..." Chichiri said, evidently trying to say something but not being able to find the right words. "I care for you deeply, Ji-na, but I'm not sure if I love you or not no da. Even though it's only been two days, we've been through a lot together, and you've gotten to know me pretty well no da. I feel a lot more comfortable around you, and you feel more than just a friend, and...sweet Suzaku, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore no da."
"It's hard to pay attention when you're in love," Miaka said slyly.
"Can you just be quiet no da? I'm trying to tell Ji-na that I love her, and it would be a lot easier without interruption no da." Ji-na and Miaka took one look at each other and burst out laughing. Chichiri looked furious with himself.
A/N: Hey, everybody! More thanks to give out! TA Maxwell: Thanks a lot for reviewing the third chapter! You're my complete idol!
Gloriaklompen: thanks for reviewing each chapter!
Rythmandsoul: maybe it was a little fast-paced, but there's a lot more to come.
"Want to come outside with me no da?" he asked.
"I was just there," she said as she continued to throw things into the trunk.
"You're not thinking of seriously going home, are you no da?" Ji-na nodded. "Why no da?"
"I don't want to marry Hotohori." Ji-na felt like she was fighting a losing battle. "Aside from the fact that he's my cousin and I don't feel like it's right that he marry me, he's changed so much since I last saw him. It's a little scary to see him after all these years and find him acting like a different person."
"But you know why he's acting like this, don't you no da?"
"It's because of what happened to his family, isn't it?"
"Exactly no da. I'm sure you know what happened to him. Ever since he took the throne, he's had to mature quickly. He has to keep a sensible head on his shoulders, so he hides his emotions no da."
"Like you?" Ji-na could have kicked herself for saying that. She knew he would probably hate her now. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean that."
"No," Chichiri said. "You're right. I also hide my emotions." There was a far-off tone in his voice as he said it. "So give Hotohori another chance no da," he said, the far-off tone in his voice gone. "Because he was probably freaking out, too. He just didn't show it no da."
"I...guess..." Ji-na said. Then all of a sudden, she started crying. "I'm sorry," she said through her tears. "I'm just so mixed up. I'm not quite sure what to do."
"That's alright no da," Chichiri said, giving her a hug. "I felt the same way with Kouran and Hikou." Ji-na hugged him back.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I feel a lot better now."
"So you're staying no da?"
"Of course."
"You're finally together! I knew it was a good idea to try and hook you two up!" Chichiri and Ji-na looked up to see Miaka bouncing up and down excitedly in the doorway.
"Miaka, we're not together," Ji-na said, quickly wiping the tears away from her eyes.
"Yes, we're just friends no da," Chichiri said.
"Oh, come on," Miaka said, starting to annoy Ji-na greatly. "I saw you two hugging. It's a case of true love."
"No," Chichiri said. "We're not in love no da."
"Please, Chichiri," Miaka continued. "You're just denying it. I'm sure that if I walked in on you any later, you would've been kissing - "
"MIAKA!" Chichiri yelled. "BE QUIET NO DA!" The whole room fell silent. It was unusual for Chichiri to loose his temper. Even Ji-na knew that. "STOP THINKING THAT JI-NA AND I ARE IN LOVE, ALRIGHT NO DA?" Chichiri started to pace the room and talk very animatedly. "WE'RE JUST FRIENDS! WHAT MADE YOU THINK THAT WE WERE IN LOVE IN THE FIRST PLACE NO DA? I MEAN, I'M A MONK FOR SUZAKU'S SAKE. MONKS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO FALL IN LOVE!" Everyone, including Chichiri just stared with their mouths open. "I'm...sorry no da," he said. "I don't know what got into me."
I'm so stupid, Ji-na thought. How could I have ever thought that Chichiri would return my love? He's a monk with a hard past who's eleven years older than me. How could I have ever gotten my hopes up?
"Ji-na?" Miaka asked. "What are you staring at?"
"I wasn't staring," Ji-na said. "Just...thinking...about how stupid I am to think that Chichiri could ever love me back." Ji-na wasn't quite sure whay she said that, but she knew she had to tell Chichiri face-to-face about her feelings sometime.
"Ji-na no da...?" Chichiri asked.
"YES!" Ji-na said. "I'm madly in love with you! You heard that I loved you when I had that argument with Hotohori, but you didn't know how much. Now you do. I would go to the ends of the earth and back for you, Chichiri. That's how much I love you." Ji-na felt all shaky after saying that. She wondered how Chichiri would respond.
"I...don't know what to say no da," Chichiri said. "I'm...flattered...."
"Uh, Ji-na," Miaka said. "Don't you think you should tell Hotohori about all this? I mean, this is only your second day here and you're supossed to marry him."
"Good idea," Ji-na said. "But what should I say? 'Hey, Hotohori, guess what?! I'm not going to marry you because I'm in love with a monk!' And anyway, he already knows I like Chichiri."
"O.K., well that's over and done with," Miaka said thoughtfully. "Now we have to think of a way to try and avoid this marrige...hmmm..."
"Wait." Miaka turned to look at Ji-na. "Shouldn't we let Chichiri have his say about what's going on? He hasn't said much about this situation. So as far as we know, he could be estatic about me marrying Hotohori." Ji-na turned to Chichiri. "So, what do you think?"
"I...I...I..." Chichiri said, evidently trying to say something but not being able to find the right words. "I care for you deeply, Ji-na, but I'm not sure if I love you or not no da. Even though it's only been two days, we've been through a lot together, and you've gotten to know me pretty well no da. I feel a lot more comfortable around you, and you feel more than just a friend, and...sweet Suzaku, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore no da."
"It's hard to pay attention when you're in love," Miaka said slyly.
"Can you just be quiet no da? I'm trying to tell Ji-na that I love her, and it would be a lot easier without interruption no da." Ji-na and Miaka took one look at each other and burst out laughing. Chichiri looked furious with himself.
A/N: Hey, everybody! More thanks to give out! TA Maxwell: Thanks a lot for reviewing the third chapter! You're my complete idol!
Gloriaklompen: thanks for reviewing each chapter!
Rythmandsoul: maybe it was a little fast-paced, but there's a lot more to come.