Match Made In Heaven
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Takehito Koyasu © or Project Weiß ©. The fanfiction belongs to me.
Warning: Yaoi. Trust me. If you flame despite these warnings… well, I can only say that you're retarded.
Plot Cockroach: Okay, so being match made is a good thing if it's successful… but what if you have a younger sister bent on getting you the love of your life? It sure won't be fun… or it may be. Sit back and relax…
Pairing: Everyone x Ran (literally)
Note: The characters look like that from the manga. AU, more of a weird parody than anything else. Takes place before the explosion, when Ran was still a happy-go-lucky bestest big bro in the world.
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Part Two – In Which The Sun Shines For Flowers
"So, um, what's up?"
Ken was twiddling his thumbs as he walked down the sidewalk with his date, attempting to make small talk on their journey to the field. So far, all they had achieved were comments about that day's weather, a bird sitting on a trashcan and a shriveled worm lying in a crack. And Ken wanted to take things further. The redhead stared at him.
"Things. The sky is up, for example," Ran said easily, half-smiling at his own feeble attempt at a joke. But to his surprise, the brunet guffawed out loud at it.
"You got me there," Ken replied, scratching his head absently. "Y'know, most of us seldom have the time to appreciate stuff like the sky and all, and that's why every weekend we just gotta get out and have some good, plain fun." He paused and looked at Ran again. "You're kinda pale, I take it you seldom venture out?"
"Hardly," the redhead admitted. "It's… just not my thing."
"Oh, yeah, you seem more like those nerdy accountant type –" Ken blushed. "Ga-ah! Sorry! I didn't mean that as an offense! You're just too pretty to be an outdoor type! I mean; I, uh…"
"It's okay," Ran shrugged easily. Ken was amusing, and he wouldn't hurt anyone, Ran knew.
"Sorry, anyway. I'm kinda clumsy with my words and all. Everyone says that. Aww, you know, kinda of those Tarzan complexes," he thumped his chest as he spoke, grinning. "Me Tarzan, me no know English good. Me smart, but me stupid too."
"You sound like Windy," Ran smiled.
"Who's this Windy?"
"Oh, a random faceless fruitcake," Ran replied. "But you're luckier, I hear he's delusional. Also that Bush thwarted his attempts to take over the world. Apparently he had been under the influence of someone he called Sephiroth, but no one believed him."
"Do you?"
"No."
"But it would be great to take over the world without winning an election, won't it?"
"Hopefully," Ran sighed. The pair stared at each other for a moment and then burst into a round of hearty laughter. "Oh, right, we're supposed to be on a date of sorts and we're discussing fruitcakes, world domination and politics. What else does the day have in store for us?"
"Well, there's a pie throwing contest the kids have arranged in the nearby field…"
"You're serious?" the redhead lifted a brow.
"Hey, if I'm not, I wouldn't be suggesting it to you," Ken grinned. "C'mon! To eternity and beyond!"
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The field itself was hardly crowded; it was packed. There were colorful mats on the floor for parents to sit and watch, though most of them were participating in the tournament. A large banner loomed overhead, and the redhead smiled in amusement to read it.
"Pie Master Championship Death-match?" he voiced it aloud. "Who came up with this, anyway?"
"I did," Ken grinned. "Cool, huh?"
"You're kidding me, right?"
"Nah," the brunet's grin grew inches wider. "I thought the kids and their parents would like some action this summer. I got all the Saturday working parents to take a day off, and take part in this. See? The preliminaries will start about twenty minutes from now, and then comes the semi-finals and then the ultimate death match. Participants go in pairs. Great idea for dates, huh?"
"Is that a hint?"
"No, that's a request," Ken winked and got to his knees. "Oh, my beloved darling Ran, will you join me in a duel of wits?"
"Why, of course, my noble handsome muscular Ken," the redhead replied as stately as he could. The pair shook their heads and laughed again; dragging themselves to the application booth… uh, make that the application table on a mat.
"Hey, Alf! Sign us up for the death match, please!"
The boy looked up and grinned. "Ken-niichan! You came! Uh, is that your… girlfriend?"
"No, no, he's not a girl!" Ken blushed beet red. "He's my friend, and he's kick-ass in Kendo! Well, that's what his sister said, anyway. So I thought that a guy with good concentration through Kendo would help us win the rounds!"
"You wish!" Alf laughed. "Me and Daisy, we're gonna knock you down!"
"I'm sure you will," the redhead nodded kindly. Ken poked him.
"Hey, no encouraging the competitor!" he mock-frowned. "Good luck, kid! You'll need some!"
"Right on!" Alf got back to the paper. "Um, Ken-niichan is in, and… what's your name, mister?"
"I'm Fujimiya. Fujimiya Ran."
A little girl giggled. "Ran shounds wike a fwower's name. Yoo know, those purdy wittle orchids… Yoo're very purdy too, Mister Fujimiya!"
"Thank you."
"Yoo're welcome!" the girl skipped off, having fulfilled her dream of talking to a purdy niisan. Ken laughed.
"That's Daisy," he explained. "She likes beautiful things."
"Oh…" Ran turned red. "I see."
"Anyway, we gotta get a move on! There're changing booths there, where they provide free clothes so you don't get your normal attire dirty! Some cool guy donated tons of them, there's one for every size! I kinda know his name, but then again, I kinda forgot too. It's familiar, but never mind that! Let's go!"
They made their way to the changing booths and Ran glanced at the clothes. His eyes grew round. "Hey, that's my old shirt… and pants!"
"They are?" Ken sidled over for a closer look. "How'd they get here?"
"These are all my family's old clothes," Ran laughed; it had finally hit him. "My father's donated them all to charity! And this is the charity festival!"
"It sure is," Ken grinned. "The spectators pay about ¥ 50 per seat and the participants pay about the same price to participate."
"You didn't pay back then," Ran said. Ken nodded and shrugged.
"I paid in advance, I HAD to join the tournament. Or those kids will never speak to me again!"
"You got this planned out? Why you manipulative –" Ran was cut off by a ringing of a bell. Ken bundled him into a booth.
"Hurry! That's the starting signal! You've got only minutes left!"
"…I'll pay you out later." With that final threat, Ran retreated into the booth.
"Fathers, mothers, granddaddies and grand mommies and kids of all ages! Welcome to the Pie Master Championship Death-match, the coolest summer festival this week!" a little blond boy screamed into the hailer. "The preliminaries will start in five minutes! Ten pairs will be joining in the competition, since many of them backed out in the last minute, but that's OKAY! Because the fearsome Ken-niichan is taking part, and everybody was scared!"
There was a squeal of joy from the girls and random shouts of "Go Ken-niichan" and "I wuv yoo Ken-niichan". Ken could only grin and wave at them.
"And then, when Alf sent us the list, we couldn't believe it, but Mr. Fujimiya, our sponsor's also taking part in this event!"
"What?" Ran's eyes widened. He looked over the contestants and froze. There stood his father and mother, dressed in shirts and pants, and grinning over at everybody! He looked at the crowd of spectators and nearly fainted again. His sister was waving at him impishly. Why, that little monkey! She planned this! They were all in a conspiracy against him! The redhead felt lightheaded. He looked at Ken. "You knew?"
"Hey, hey! It wasn't my idea!" Ken replied hastily, still grinning. "Besides, she said you'd enjoy this!"
"But I…" he trailed off as the speaker passed the hailer to his father.
"Why, hello everybody, I'm our sponsor, Mr. Fujimiya," the man railed on cheerfully. "We decided to have a good family day for everyone here and so we wanted to sponsor this event. I'm also glad to say that I'm proud of my daughter and Ken for fixing this date today, and all of you for taking part in it and watching it. I'm also proud of my son for joining in this death-match, or duel of wits, as Ken would put it. Thank you, everybody!"
"It's treason!" Ran hissed at his father as the man walked by, but he simply grinned and ruffled his son's hair. Ken laughed. The bell rang out again, and the matches began.
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It was already late in the afternoon when they were done with the event. Everyone had cleaned up, and Aya had pestered and insisted the pair go on completing their date. Ken had simply agreed, while Ran shook his head and nodded after much persuasion. And you know what? They won the death-match!
Ran looked down at the gigantic pink stuffed bunny holding a stuffed pie, cradled in his arms. But he had to admit, they had had a very good time, one of the best he'd had in ages. It had been some time since he'd enjoyed a summer day in that way. He looked at the brunet and half-smiled. "So, what do we do now?"
"I don't know," Ken replied easily. "You know, I kinda thought we'd have something to eat."
"After all that pie, I thought you'd be full," Ran squeezed the rabbit's ears unconsciously.
"But then, there's no limit as to how much ice cream one can eat!" Ken laughed.
"Those pies sure were cold…" the redhead shivered a little at the memory of ice cream dripping down his collar. He must've looked ridiculous with cream all over his face and dripping down his eartails, but the notion of his parents looking worse than he did probably made him feel better. And Ken… Ken looked adorable. Ran blushed at that thought.
"Hey, you're turning red…"
"…Uh?" Ran stopped himself in time, trying to hide his blush. "Well, it's nothing, what do you want to eat, anyway?"
"Some ice cream… just not vanilla," Ken grimaced. "Those pies were vanilla, and I've had an overload. I'd like some raspberry swirl, like now!"
"Well, there's an ice cream stand there," Ran pointed down the park, on arm round the stuffed rabbit. He didn't notice some high school girls looking their way and giggling at the rabbit. Ken looked at the direction of his finger.
"Hey, so sit down for a sec, okay?" the brunet grinned. "What's your flavor?"
"Excuse me?"
"I mean; which flavor would you like, Princess Fujimiya?"
"Don't call me that!" Ran bopped Ken on his head with the stuffed rabbit. "I'd like strawberry, please."
"Matches your hair," Ken noted.
"What?"
"Nothing!" the brunet strode off to the stand, leaving Ran to squash the rabbit to death in his arms. And in a thrice he returned with two cones, one his, and another one for the redhead. "Here, it's on me."
"Thank you."
Silence reigned over the two men for a while, as they sat on the bench eating their ice cream. The stuffed rabbit sat in between them, holding his pie.
"So…" Ken began, after he had gulped down his ice cream. "Do you wanna go around the park? It's kinda nice now, the summer flowers are in full bloom."
"Sure," Ran looked down at his hands. Ken stared at him.
"Hey, are you okay? You kinda went quiet…"
"I'm fine," the redhead looked up again. "Just a little tired."
"Oh, yeah, you're the indoor type," Ken mused, smacking himself for forgetting. "Well, then, if you're too tired to walk, how about going round on a bicycle? They're renting some here!"
"I… I can't cycle," Ran looked down. "I lose balance, and fall. That's why I learnt to drive as soon as I reached sixteen."
"Bummer," Ken said. But he brightened up suddenly. "Hey, how about you ride behind me?"
"What…"
"C'mon, Ran!" Ken smiled and tugged at the redhead's hand. "Please? It's summer, and I want you to see it to its best with me! Summer's only complete when flowers are involved! It'll be fun!"
"Okay…" Ran got up and picked the stuffed rabbit up, before the irrepressible Hidaka Ken dragged him away again. Before long, they'd stumbled to the woman in charge of the rental, and Ken had picked out a blue one. He settled onto the seat and motioned the redhead behind him.
"Put your hands round my waist, so you won't fall," Ken instructed. Ran complied by sandwiching the bunny between him and Ken and holding on to the brunet from behind. He was glad somehow that Ken couldn't turn around and see his blush. The brunet grinned. "Right, are we ready?"
"Yes."
"That's not how you say it," Ken corrected him. "You're supposed to say, 'Ready, Captain!' and I'll say 'Right on! To eternity and beyond!'"
"Alright." The redhead suppressed a sigh. Ken was fun to be with, but he could be… embarrassing at times. But Ken was oblivious to his discomfort. He grinned on.
"Right, are we ready?"
"Ready, Captain!"
"Right on! To eternity and beyond!"
And they were off. The bicycle traveled up and down the slopes of the field, on a path. It was on a steady speed, quite slow and comfortable pace, and yet not slow enough to cause imbalance. Ran could see the flowers of summertime blooming round the hedges; sometimes so close he could smell its scent, however delicate it was. White, yellow, pink, blue, green, they all whizzed past but were not a blur, and time flew by, till the sun was beginning to set.
The blue skies were now tinted a mellow gold, and red streaked the clouds, but Ran neither cared or noticed. The real world had then been shielded off, and all was left was his little one, and that of Ken's. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek carefully against Ken's back, inhaling his scent of musk and dawn. And beyond them, the world rushed by.
Summer was only complete with flowers, and that was the truth, because it was then when the sun shines for them.
~*~*~ End Part Two ~*~*~
Note: Okay, the second part's complete. :D I'm taking such a long time… Ran out of ideas, I did. Well, please don't vote yet! Things have just started moving on! XD
Here's especially to my precious reviewers, thanks so much! I'm sorry, but I can't reply to reviews now, I'm kinda tied down, but still, they're worth a lot to me, your kindness! I keep them in my drive! But anyway, I'll still mention you guys here! XD See, there's:
Misura (thanks, but the dates will be evil, as usual! Romantic will be hard to do! Oh, and I blended everything with Farf's blender!)
LittleIsa (mama-chan! Thanks! XD Nope, Bush won't be in… unless you want him to marry Ran, which I don't? o_0)
CherubKatan (Oh, it's okay, take your time! Maa, I wish I had doujinshi, but I don't! NO FAIR! At least I made them live up to my dream, oh well… Thanks, by the way!)
Anata (Thanks for reviewing, I can't wait either… but then again… ^^;; I'm writing it! Maa, I just have writer's block! I can't think! But Yohtsuki (new friend!!) gave me the idea of a pie competition and he saved my life! He's actually more of my muse now… I'm scared for me. He's such a slave driver. -_- And trust me, he's scarier than Chris.)
Yoko-chan (Hey, good to hear from you again! Is your writer's block still there? o_0 I'm having one right now! Oh, man! But then again, thanks! You helped plenty too, keep us going like that! As for where I've been, I moved, that's why I'm so offline now, but I'm settled down, and having fun!)
Faraway4today (Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Well, I like Crawfish too! But as for being the best… well, we need to hear what his luvvers say!)
Pandora.81 (Thanks for your feedback! Is it original, this idea? I keep thinking someone's done it before… ^^; But Schwarz will be tough to write. I hope I'll be able to do this! Are you gonna… *Schu's mind reading technique* Vote for Farfarello??? XD)
