Title: TIES THAT BIND
Series: 2
Chapter: 8 of 8
Author: Mist
Genre: Yaoi
Pairing: RuHana/HanaRu
Rating: R
Archive: SD Fic ; Fanfiction.Net
Email: myst_sg@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: SD characters belong to Inoue Takehito ; WK characters belong to Project Weiss
Warning: Bad Language! Sexual References!!!
Note to readers: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction. Hence if you decide to read it, I think that you (the reader) are receptive towards homosexual fan fiction. So please do not email flames to me (the author) ... For those who have other comments & opinions, I welcome your feedback ... Thank you ... ^_^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Sakuragi's Apartment - 01 December]
At three o'clock, Aya popped his head into Sakuragi's bedroom to make sure that the boy was awake. The red head had asked the man to wake him up if he had really fallen asleep amongst the piles of textbooks & notes. Nothing was able to put the boy to sleep more quickly than an open mathematics textbook. Topics such as calculus & trigonometry might fascinate some people, but this teenager had found the repetitive application of standard formulas to be incredibly dull. Unfortunately there was nothing that he could do about it, because the study of mathematics was part of the academic syllabus. There was no one in the bedroom, but Aya could hear the sound of running water from the bathroom. This meant that Sakuragi Hanamichi was definitely awake.
A flutter of wings at the window caught the man's attention. Aya & the brightly coloured bird stared at each other suspiciously for several seconds. When he took a step forward towards the window, it hopped three steps backwards on the ledge. What was it doing here? The man wondered as he carefully moved away from the creature. Movements of the feathered head indicated that the bird was looking for something. Ruby eyes searched the room as its beak pecked upon the windowpane. Next the bathroom door opened. As a person with wet red hair came into view, the creature flapped its wings excitedly.
Hanamichi "Hello" smiles
Abyssinian "So ..." looks at the boy
{I should have known ...}
Hanamichi "Why are you still around?" opens a gap in the window "Your friends have gone elsewhere to escape winter"
Evidently the fact that it was the middle of winter did nothing to dampen the bird's enthusiasm in seeing the owner of the flat. When the gap was wide enough, it spread its wings & flew into the room. Aya watched as the creature landed on the back of Sakuragi's chair. It waited as the red head took something out from underneath his desk. The bird chirped happily as the boy scooped some birdfeed into a dish.
Hanamichi "Come on" looks at the bird "Lunchtime"
{I am in a hurry today}
Abyssinian "........." studies the interaction between boy & bird
{Strange ... they seem to understand each other}
Hanamichi "What am I going to wear?" sighs
{What is he going to wear?}
With a damp towel wrapped around his hips, the boy mumbled softly to himself as he opened the doors of his wardrobe. What was he supposed to wear? Formal black pants with the grey sweater that was a present from Yohei? Or dark brown jeans paired with his favourite white shirt? Would a jacket be necessary? The bird twittered as Sakuragi grumbled.
Hanamichi "ARGH! I really cannot decide" moans
{Can someone just help me decide ...)
Abyssinian "Is it really so important?" looks at the boy
{Is Rukawa Kaede so important to you?}
Hanamichi "........." nods sheepishly
{Of course ... though I have never thought that my first date would be with a guy}
Pinkish cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red as certain thoughts resurfaced in his head. Not so long ago, he was kissed for the very first time by Rukawa. Recently he had his first intimate experience with Rukawa. And now he would be going out on his first date with that same person. What was the next 'big thing' on the list? Almost immediately Sakuragi paled. He was pretty sure that Rukawa Kaede would be the 'aggressor' in bed. Needless to say, the red head was nervous about the prospect of being 'taken'. Yet he would have no regrets if the blue-eyed boy's feelings were genuine. A plain declaration of 'I like you' was not good enough. He needed to hear something else from Rukawa.
Abyssinian "........." rests his side against the cool wall
{I think that I am envious of Rukawa ... but why?}
Hanamichi "What do you think of this?" shows Aya his favourite jeans
Abyssinian "Okay ..." shrugs
{Do you really care about what I think?}
Hanamichi "Just okay? But ..." pouts
Abyssinian "It is better than okay" rubs his aching head
{You look much better than okay ...}
Sakuragi was too excited to pay much attention to the tone of Aya's reply, but the bird sensed the older man's emotional turmoil. Dark red eyes flickered as they stared at the man for several seconds. Then the alien awareness within the feathered creature departed after failing to detect any malice amongst the bodyguard's thoughts. There was pain inside the human soul for a past that was forever gone. There was darkness within the man's mind for deeds that could not be undone. There was doubt in Aya's heart about his feelings for Sakuragi.
Abyssinian "I cannot ..." whispers
{He cannot ...}
Hanamichi "What?" looks at the man "Are you okay?"
Abyssinian "........." nods sadly "I am sorry"
{I do not deserve your concern}
Hanamichi "Are you sure? hesitates "You do not look all right to me"
Abyssinian "........." touches the boy's arm tentatively
{Will you still care ... if you know the truth about me?}
Plagued by fears of losing the boy's friendship, Aya chose to say nothing about the past. Silence was nothing more than a temporary way out, but it was his best option. The man smiled sadly as he recalled a popular saying ... 'You Reap What You Sow' ... There were consequences for all actions. Then Sakuragi called out to him. The boy had finally made up his mind on what to wear.
Hanamichi "How do I look?" strikes a pose
Abyssinian "Nice" smiles with a hint of sadness "Suits you"
Hanamichi "Bwahahahahaha!" laughs "Of course"
Abyssinian "Get going ... or you will be late" throws a pair of gloves at the boy
Hanamichi "Thanks!" hugs the man impulsively
What was that all about? Had Sakuragi really hugged him? Why would the red head want to hold a stranger within his arms? Aya stared as the boy bent over to lace his boots. The hug was only a simple gesture, but it brought moments of peace to the man's troubled soul.
[Fujisawa Station - 01 December]
People on both sides of the platform stared as they walked past the dark-haired guy who was leaning against the phone booth. Both eyes were closed. Was he asleep? A group of teenage girls whispered to one another as they studied the mysterious stranger. How old was this fellow? He looked wonderful in a suit of blue denim. Could this person be a model? Another female said that he might be an aspiring singer? Rukawa Kaede was content to ignore the conversation, until someone sarcastically remarked that he was most likely to be a male prostitute. Furious blue eyes burned as they hunted for the person who made the offensive statement. The speaker was an average-looking teenager with a fake tan & loads of makeup on her face. She took two shaky steps backwards in response to Rukawa's angry look.
Meanwhile, one of the other girls caught sight of another unusually tall guy. The red head was holding a cup of coffee in each hand. Turning his head from side to side, Sakuragi's eyes searched the crowd for Rukawa Kaede. Then he grinned & walked towards the blue-eyed boy.
Hanamichi "Yours" holds out a hot drink
Kaede "Thanks" glares
{Stupid female!}
Hanamichi "What?" looks at Rukawa's expression "You do not want coffee?"
Kaede "No" breathes deeply "It is okay"
{My anger has nothing to do with you}
Hanamichi "Oh ... the train is here. Where are we going? Shibuya? Or Shinjuku?"
Kaede "No" takes a sip of coffee "Kyoto"
{One way or another ... women drive me nuts}
Hanamichi "........." blinks "Say that again ... Kyoto?"
Kaede "Yes" flashes a pair of Shinkansen travel passes
{And I have the tickets}
Thoughts of having a great time in either Shibuya or Shinjuku fled his mind as he created a mental picture of Kyoto. The red head frowned. That part of the country was literally filled with temples & shrines. Why would Rukawa want to go to such a place?
[Central Kyoto - 01 December]
Neither boy said anything much to each other during the two-hour train ride. Rukawa had more or less expected Sakuragi to be talkative, but the red head turned out to be a rather subdued companion. The blue-eyed boy was thankful for the silence, but he also felt a twinge of disappointment as he was prepared to tell the other boy more about himself. Life could be such a nuisance. When he had no wish to talk, there would be plenty of people with all sorts of questions. Now he was faced with the opposite situation where he wished to communicate with someone, but that particular person did not want to talk to him.
When the bullet train finally stopped at Kyoto Station, the boys got off quickly. Though there was a huge mass of human traffic, the two had no problems looking for the station exit.
Hanamichi "Wow!" looks around the huge atrium "This place is linked to a shopping area"
Kaede "Stay close to me" reminds the red head
{Or you will get lost in the crowd}
Hanamichi "Okay" grumbles "I am not a kid"
Alarm signals went off in his head when Rukawa saw the way in which the red head was looking at the entrance to the food section of the store. As a preventive measure, he quickly caught hold of the red head & pulled him away. Despite his many complaints, the red head did not pull his hand away from Rukawa's grasp. He was contented to let the blue-eyed boy show him the way. A man was waiting for them in the carpark.
Kaede "Kayama ..." murmurs softly
Hanamichi "Hmmm ..." stares longingly at a dessert café
{Yummy ... must try it one day}
Kayama "Your Father & Mother will be very happy to see you tonight" bows respectfully
Hanamichi "Father? Mother??" approaches the car
{Who is this fellow? Where are we going to??}
Kayama "Master Kaede's parents are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary tonight" smiles
Heavy city traffic slowed the car's progress. The number of vehicles on the road was nothing compared to the major areas in Tokyo, but there seemed to be much more traffic light junctions. No one talked until the car moved onto the highway. With nothing interesting to look at, the red head turned his attention to the other two people in the car. Kayama was obviously an employee of the Rukawa family. Judging by his easy manner with the blue-eyed boy, he concluded that this elderly servant had known Rukawa for quite a long period of time. Sakuragi had also noticed that his fellow passenger seemed rather tense. What was the matter with him?
Kaede "Do'aho" looks at Sakuragi
{You look nice}
Hanamichi "........." glares "Who are you calling an idiot?!"
{Only a super idiot would invite an idiot home! Hang on ... that does not sound quite right}
Kaede "Who else?" yawns "but you"
{Where are your bodyguards today?}
Hanamichi "WHAT?! I am a GENIUS NOT an IDIOT!!!" fumes
Kaede "Genius? Really?" puts on a disbelieving look
{I like you just the way you are ...}
Hanamichi "Stupid Kitsune! How dare you insult the Genius?!!!" whacks Rukawa with a box of tissues
Kaede "Stop it!" eyes the red head
{Or else ...}
Hanamichi "Make me stop" sticks his tongue out "If you can"
As if he wanted to emphasize his point, the red head pats Rukawa's shoulder with the box of tissues. Then the blue-eyed boy leaned over & whispered something into Sakuragi's ear. Seconds later, the boy squeaked & moved as far away from the other boy as he possibly could. Both Kayama & the driver wondered what had Rukawa Kaede told his friend.
Driver "Heh heh" laughs awkwardly
{Are they really friends?}
Kayama "........." studies the expressions on the pair of youthful faces
{Young Master ... Sakuragi Hanamichi}
An hour later, the car stopped in front of a three-storey mansion. After a short discussion with the chauffer, Kayama wisely decided that he would first wake Sakuragi. Then he could get the red head to wake Rukawa.
Kayama "Sakuragi-san, wake up ..." taps Sakuragi's shoulder
Hanamichi "Hmmm" opens eyes slowly "Aaaaah ..." yawns
Kayama "Sakuragi-san, can you wake the Young Master up? We have reached our destination ..." points to the house
Hanamichi "Destination?" yawns again "WHAT IS THIS PLACE?" stares at the house
{Is this where Kitsune's parents live?!!! ...this is as big as Yuki's house!!! ... maybe even bigger ...}
Kayama "This is Master Kaede's home" declares proudly
Hanamichi "KITSUNEEE! WAKE UPPP!!!" butts Rukawa's head lightly
Kaede "........." fixes his blue eyes on the person who had the cheek to wake him
{Shall I smack him now? ... maybe later ...}
Hanamichi "Heh heh" looks back at Rukawa
{I wonder what is he thinking about ...}
Kaede "Do'aho ..." pinches Sakuragi's nose lightly
{I do not mind if you are the one who wakes me up ...}
Hanamichi "Kitsune ..." blushes
Kayama "Sakuragi-san ..." looks at the blushing red head "Please follow me"
{Did I just see that?!!! ... this is quite amazing!!!}
There was a minor commotion when Rukawa briefly introduced the red head to his parents. As Sakuragi was visibly uncomfortable to be surrounded by a number of curious individuals, the young host pulled his guest towards the banquet table. Perhaps the sight of food would calm the fellow's nerves. As he had somewhat expected, Sakuragi did indeed stare at the wide selection of food with rounded eyes. Everything looked delicious so what should he try first? Noticing the red head's hesitation, Rukawa resolved the 'difficult' situation by randomly placing several types of meat on the red head's plate. Then he led the red head away from the crowd. Walking up the stone steps to the back of the house, the dark-haired boy hoped that the area around the swimming pool would not be occupied. Rukawa signed inwardly as he caught sight of two familiar faces.
Cousin 1 "Cousin Kaede! Do you remember me?" waves to Rukawa
{Kaede actually has a friend?!}
Cousin 2 "Who is your friend? Are you not going to introduce us?" looks at Sakuragi seductively
{I wonder is this red head rich ... }
Kaede "........." ignores them
{Go away! Do not bother us ...}
Hanamichi "Hi! I am Sakuragi Hanamichi" smiles
Cousin 2 "Sakuragi-san, what is your family's business?" flips her hair "My family is in the banking industry ..."
Hanamichi "Family business?" shrugs "I do not know ..."
Cousin 1 "Oooh ... Kaede sure has a unique choice of friends" snickers
{What is the use of working-class people?}
Cousin 2 "Kaede, is he your plaything? He is not really your friend, is he?" sniffs disdainfully at Sakuragi
{Poor people are such a liability to society}
Kaede "What I do is none of your concern ..." drags a bewildered red head into the house
{BASTARDS! HE IS MINE!!!}
Those two were Rukawa's cousins? What had they been talking about? The confused boy allowed himself to be hauled through the kitchenette, the living room, up the stairs, down the hallway & into a room. Rukawa made no mention of the fact that Sakuragi was the first person to enter his bedroom besides his parents & the servants.
Kaede "Do'aho ..." looks at the mute red head with alarm
{What is wrong? Why is he so quiet?!}
Hanamichi "I never knew that you are so wealthy" looks down at the lush cream carpet "Kitsune ..."
{This bedroom is 5 times the size of mine ... is this why you never spoke to anyone? Do you look down upon those with less money than you? What am I to you? A plaything?}
Kaede "So?" pulls the red head close "Is there anything wrong?"
Hanamichi "Am I your friend?" eyes darken with emotion
{Please tell me that your cousin is wrong ... tell me that I am not just your toy}
Kaede "You belong to me ..." kisses Sakuragi's lips
{You are mine ...}
Hanamichi "Belong to you ... your belonging?" pushes Kaede away "NO!"
{Could Aya be right? Is money really so important?}
Kaede "No? Why not?" pins the red head beneath him
Hanamichi "I do not belong to anybody! I am not a thing that you can simply label as being yours! I am NOT yours!" voice quivers with fury
{I am not an object}
Kaede "You are mine ... why deny what your body wants?" fondles Sakuragi's crotch
{Why do you reject me? What is the reason? ... could it be that person? Aya ...}
The red head moaned with reluctant pleasure as his body reacted to the rough caresses. The conscious mind screamed no, but his body wanted the pleasure. In desperation, Sakuragi pleaded with him to stop but Rukawa did not. Suddenly a tall figure stepped into the bedroom.
Abyssinian "Release him ... or else ..." stares at Rukawa
{I may have to hurt you}
Kaede "YOU! Get out of my room!!!" faces Aya fearlessly
Abyssinian "No ... not without him" points the tip of the blade at the boy
{I will not allow you to hurt him}
Hanamichi "STOP! ... do not hurt him" grabs hold of Aya's wrist
Abyssinian "........." considers the request
{But he has hurt you ...}
Hanamichi "There was no time earlier ..." gazes at Rukawa "I might be ... I had wanted to ask you if I should accept Grandfather's offer ... but you have given me the answer. Good bye ..."
Kaede "HANAMICHI! What do you mean? Goodbye?!" looks at the red head
Hanamichi "America ..." straightens rumpled clothing
Kaede "WHAT?! Hanamichi!" grabs hold of Sakuragi's arm "What about the ties that bind us together?"
Hanamichi "Ties that bind?" takes a deep breath "What ties?"
OWARI ...
Notes: A misunderstanding has caused this separation ... will they ever meet again? Let me know if you want to know what happens next ...
Series: 2
Chapter: 8 of 8
Author: Mist
Genre: Yaoi
Pairing: RuHana/HanaRu
Rating: R
Archive: SD Fic ; Fanfiction.Net
Email: myst_sg@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: SD characters belong to Inoue Takehito ; WK characters belong to Project Weiss
Warning: Bad Language! Sexual References!!!
Note to readers: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction. Hence if you decide to read it, I think that you (the reader) are receptive towards homosexual fan fiction. So please do not email flames to me (the author) ... For those who have other comments & opinions, I welcome your feedback ... Thank you ... ^_^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Sakuragi's Apartment - 01 December]
At three o'clock, Aya popped his head into Sakuragi's bedroom to make sure that the boy was awake. The red head had asked the man to wake him up if he had really fallen asleep amongst the piles of textbooks & notes. Nothing was able to put the boy to sleep more quickly than an open mathematics textbook. Topics such as calculus & trigonometry might fascinate some people, but this teenager had found the repetitive application of standard formulas to be incredibly dull. Unfortunately there was nothing that he could do about it, because the study of mathematics was part of the academic syllabus. There was no one in the bedroom, but Aya could hear the sound of running water from the bathroom. This meant that Sakuragi Hanamichi was definitely awake.
A flutter of wings at the window caught the man's attention. Aya & the brightly coloured bird stared at each other suspiciously for several seconds. When he took a step forward towards the window, it hopped three steps backwards on the ledge. What was it doing here? The man wondered as he carefully moved away from the creature. Movements of the feathered head indicated that the bird was looking for something. Ruby eyes searched the room as its beak pecked upon the windowpane. Next the bathroom door opened. As a person with wet red hair came into view, the creature flapped its wings excitedly.
Hanamichi "Hello" smiles
Abyssinian "So ..." looks at the boy
{I should have known ...}
Hanamichi "Why are you still around?" opens a gap in the window "Your friends have gone elsewhere to escape winter"
Evidently the fact that it was the middle of winter did nothing to dampen the bird's enthusiasm in seeing the owner of the flat. When the gap was wide enough, it spread its wings & flew into the room. Aya watched as the creature landed on the back of Sakuragi's chair. It waited as the red head took something out from underneath his desk. The bird chirped happily as the boy scooped some birdfeed into a dish.
Hanamichi "Come on" looks at the bird "Lunchtime"
{I am in a hurry today}
Abyssinian "........." studies the interaction between boy & bird
{Strange ... they seem to understand each other}
Hanamichi "What am I going to wear?" sighs
{What is he going to wear?}
With a damp towel wrapped around his hips, the boy mumbled softly to himself as he opened the doors of his wardrobe. What was he supposed to wear? Formal black pants with the grey sweater that was a present from Yohei? Or dark brown jeans paired with his favourite white shirt? Would a jacket be necessary? The bird twittered as Sakuragi grumbled.
Hanamichi "ARGH! I really cannot decide" moans
{Can someone just help me decide ...)
Abyssinian "Is it really so important?" looks at the boy
{Is Rukawa Kaede so important to you?}
Hanamichi "........." nods sheepishly
{Of course ... though I have never thought that my first date would be with a guy}
Pinkish cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red as certain thoughts resurfaced in his head. Not so long ago, he was kissed for the very first time by Rukawa. Recently he had his first intimate experience with Rukawa. And now he would be going out on his first date with that same person. What was the next 'big thing' on the list? Almost immediately Sakuragi paled. He was pretty sure that Rukawa Kaede would be the 'aggressor' in bed. Needless to say, the red head was nervous about the prospect of being 'taken'. Yet he would have no regrets if the blue-eyed boy's feelings were genuine. A plain declaration of 'I like you' was not good enough. He needed to hear something else from Rukawa.
Abyssinian "........." rests his side against the cool wall
{I think that I am envious of Rukawa ... but why?}
Hanamichi "What do you think of this?" shows Aya his favourite jeans
Abyssinian "Okay ..." shrugs
{Do you really care about what I think?}
Hanamichi "Just okay? But ..." pouts
Abyssinian "It is better than okay" rubs his aching head
{You look much better than okay ...}
Sakuragi was too excited to pay much attention to the tone of Aya's reply, but the bird sensed the older man's emotional turmoil. Dark red eyes flickered as they stared at the man for several seconds. Then the alien awareness within the feathered creature departed after failing to detect any malice amongst the bodyguard's thoughts. There was pain inside the human soul for a past that was forever gone. There was darkness within the man's mind for deeds that could not be undone. There was doubt in Aya's heart about his feelings for Sakuragi.
Abyssinian "I cannot ..." whispers
{He cannot ...}
Hanamichi "What?" looks at the man "Are you okay?"
Abyssinian "........." nods sadly "I am sorry"
{I do not deserve your concern}
Hanamichi "Are you sure? hesitates "You do not look all right to me"
Abyssinian "........." touches the boy's arm tentatively
{Will you still care ... if you know the truth about me?}
Plagued by fears of losing the boy's friendship, Aya chose to say nothing about the past. Silence was nothing more than a temporary way out, but it was his best option. The man smiled sadly as he recalled a popular saying ... 'You Reap What You Sow' ... There were consequences for all actions. Then Sakuragi called out to him. The boy had finally made up his mind on what to wear.
Hanamichi "How do I look?" strikes a pose
Abyssinian "Nice" smiles with a hint of sadness "Suits you"
Hanamichi "Bwahahahahaha!" laughs "Of course"
Abyssinian "Get going ... or you will be late" throws a pair of gloves at the boy
Hanamichi "Thanks!" hugs the man impulsively
What was that all about? Had Sakuragi really hugged him? Why would the red head want to hold a stranger within his arms? Aya stared as the boy bent over to lace his boots. The hug was only a simple gesture, but it brought moments of peace to the man's troubled soul.
[Fujisawa Station - 01 December]
People on both sides of the platform stared as they walked past the dark-haired guy who was leaning against the phone booth. Both eyes were closed. Was he asleep? A group of teenage girls whispered to one another as they studied the mysterious stranger. How old was this fellow? He looked wonderful in a suit of blue denim. Could this person be a model? Another female said that he might be an aspiring singer? Rukawa Kaede was content to ignore the conversation, until someone sarcastically remarked that he was most likely to be a male prostitute. Furious blue eyes burned as they hunted for the person who made the offensive statement. The speaker was an average-looking teenager with a fake tan & loads of makeup on her face. She took two shaky steps backwards in response to Rukawa's angry look.
Meanwhile, one of the other girls caught sight of another unusually tall guy. The red head was holding a cup of coffee in each hand. Turning his head from side to side, Sakuragi's eyes searched the crowd for Rukawa Kaede. Then he grinned & walked towards the blue-eyed boy.
Hanamichi "Yours" holds out a hot drink
Kaede "Thanks" glares
{Stupid female!}
Hanamichi "What?" looks at Rukawa's expression "You do not want coffee?"
Kaede "No" breathes deeply "It is okay"
{My anger has nothing to do with you}
Hanamichi "Oh ... the train is here. Where are we going? Shibuya? Or Shinjuku?"
Kaede "No" takes a sip of coffee "Kyoto"
{One way or another ... women drive me nuts}
Hanamichi "........." blinks "Say that again ... Kyoto?"
Kaede "Yes" flashes a pair of Shinkansen travel passes
{And I have the tickets}
Thoughts of having a great time in either Shibuya or Shinjuku fled his mind as he created a mental picture of Kyoto. The red head frowned. That part of the country was literally filled with temples & shrines. Why would Rukawa want to go to such a place?
[Central Kyoto - 01 December]
Neither boy said anything much to each other during the two-hour train ride. Rukawa had more or less expected Sakuragi to be talkative, but the red head turned out to be a rather subdued companion. The blue-eyed boy was thankful for the silence, but he also felt a twinge of disappointment as he was prepared to tell the other boy more about himself. Life could be such a nuisance. When he had no wish to talk, there would be plenty of people with all sorts of questions. Now he was faced with the opposite situation where he wished to communicate with someone, but that particular person did not want to talk to him.
When the bullet train finally stopped at Kyoto Station, the boys got off quickly. Though there was a huge mass of human traffic, the two had no problems looking for the station exit.
Hanamichi "Wow!" looks around the huge atrium "This place is linked to a shopping area"
Kaede "Stay close to me" reminds the red head
{Or you will get lost in the crowd}
Hanamichi "Okay" grumbles "I am not a kid"
Alarm signals went off in his head when Rukawa saw the way in which the red head was looking at the entrance to the food section of the store. As a preventive measure, he quickly caught hold of the red head & pulled him away. Despite his many complaints, the red head did not pull his hand away from Rukawa's grasp. He was contented to let the blue-eyed boy show him the way. A man was waiting for them in the carpark.
Kaede "Kayama ..." murmurs softly
Hanamichi "Hmmm ..." stares longingly at a dessert café
{Yummy ... must try it one day}
Kayama "Your Father & Mother will be very happy to see you tonight" bows respectfully
Hanamichi "Father? Mother??" approaches the car
{Who is this fellow? Where are we going to??}
Kayama "Master Kaede's parents are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary tonight" smiles
Heavy city traffic slowed the car's progress. The number of vehicles on the road was nothing compared to the major areas in Tokyo, but there seemed to be much more traffic light junctions. No one talked until the car moved onto the highway. With nothing interesting to look at, the red head turned his attention to the other two people in the car. Kayama was obviously an employee of the Rukawa family. Judging by his easy manner with the blue-eyed boy, he concluded that this elderly servant had known Rukawa for quite a long period of time. Sakuragi had also noticed that his fellow passenger seemed rather tense. What was the matter with him?
Kaede "Do'aho" looks at Sakuragi
{You look nice}
Hanamichi "........." glares "Who are you calling an idiot?!"
{Only a super idiot would invite an idiot home! Hang on ... that does not sound quite right}
Kaede "Who else?" yawns "but you"
{Where are your bodyguards today?}
Hanamichi "WHAT?! I am a GENIUS NOT an IDIOT!!!" fumes
Kaede "Genius? Really?" puts on a disbelieving look
{I like you just the way you are ...}
Hanamichi "Stupid Kitsune! How dare you insult the Genius?!!!" whacks Rukawa with a box of tissues
Kaede "Stop it!" eyes the red head
{Or else ...}
Hanamichi "Make me stop" sticks his tongue out "If you can"
As if he wanted to emphasize his point, the red head pats Rukawa's shoulder with the box of tissues. Then the blue-eyed boy leaned over & whispered something into Sakuragi's ear. Seconds later, the boy squeaked & moved as far away from the other boy as he possibly could. Both Kayama & the driver wondered what had Rukawa Kaede told his friend.
Driver "Heh heh" laughs awkwardly
{Are they really friends?}
Kayama "........." studies the expressions on the pair of youthful faces
{Young Master ... Sakuragi Hanamichi}
An hour later, the car stopped in front of a three-storey mansion. After a short discussion with the chauffer, Kayama wisely decided that he would first wake Sakuragi. Then he could get the red head to wake Rukawa.
Kayama "Sakuragi-san, wake up ..." taps Sakuragi's shoulder
Hanamichi "Hmmm" opens eyes slowly "Aaaaah ..." yawns
Kayama "Sakuragi-san, can you wake the Young Master up? We have reached our destination ..." points to the house
Hanamichi "Destination?" yawns again "WHAT IS THIS PLACE?" stares at the house
{Is this where Kitsune's parents live?!!! ...this is as big as Yuki's house!!! ... maybe even bigger ...}
Kayama "This is Master Kaede's home" declares proudly
Hanamichi "KITSUNEEE! WAKE UPPP!!!" butts Rukawa's head lightly
Kaede "........." fixes his blue eyes on the person who had the cheek to wake him
{Shall I smack him now? ... maybe later ...}
Hanamichi "Heh heh" looks back at Rukawa
{I wonder what is he thinking about ...}
Kaede "Do'aho ..." pinches Sakuragi's nose lightly
{I do not mind if you are the one who wakes me up ...}
Hanamichi "Kitsune ..." blushes
Kayama "Sakuragi-san ..." looks at the blushing red head "Please follow me"
{Did I just see that?!!! ... this is quite amazing!!!}
There was a minor commotion when Rukawa briefly introduced the red head to his parents. As Sakuragi was visibly uncomfortable to be surrounded by a number of curious individuals, the young host pulled his guest towards the banquet table. Perhaps the sight of food would calm the fellow's nerves. As he had somewhat expected, Sakuragi did indeed stare at the wide selection of food with rounded eyes. Everything looked delicious so what should he try first? Noticing the red head's hesitation, Rukawa resolved the 'difficult' situation by randomly placing several types of meat on the red head's plate. Then he led the red head away from the crowd. Walking up the stone steps to the back of the house, the dark-haired boy hoped that the area around the swimming pool would not be occupied. Rukawa signed inwardly as he caught sight of two familiar faces.
Cousin 1 "Cousin Kaede! Do you remember me?" waves to Rukawa
{Kaede actually has a friend?!}
Cousin 2 "Who is your friend? Are you not going to introduce us?" looks at Sakuragi seductively
{I wonder is this red head rich ... }
Kaede "........." ignores them
{Go away! Do not bother us ...}
Hanamichi "Hi! I am Sakuragi Hanamichi" smiles
Cousin 2 "Sakuragi-san, what is your family's business?" flips her hair "My family is in the banking industry ..."
Hanamichi "Family business?" shrugs "I do not know ..."
Cousin 1 "Oooh ... Kaede sure has a unique choice of friends" snickers
{What is the use of working-class people?}
Cousin 2 "Kaede, is he your plaything? He is not really your friend, is he?" sniffs disdainfully at Sakuragi
{Poor people are such a liability to society}
Kaede "What I do is none of your concern ..." drags a bewildered red head into the house
{BASTARDS! HE IS MINE!!!}
Those two were Rukawa's cousins? What had they been talking about? The confused boy allowed himself to be hauled through the kitchenette, the living room, up the stairs, down the hallway & into a room. Rukawa made no mention of the fact that Sakuragi was the first person to enter his bedroom besides his parents & the servants.
Kaede "Do'aho ..." looks at the mute red head with alarm
{What is wrong? Why is he so quiet?!}
Hanamichi "I never knew that you are so wealthy" looks down at the lush cream carpet "Kitsune ..."
{This bedroom is 5 times the size of mine ... is this why you never spoke to anyone? Do you look down upon those with less money than you? What am I to you? A plaything?}
Kaede "So?" pulls the red head close "Is there anything wrong?"
Hanamichi "Am I your friend?" eyes darken with emotion
{Please tell me that your cousin is wrong ... tell me that I am not just your toy}
Kaede "You belong to me ..." kisses Sakuragi's lips
{You are mine ...}
Hanamichi "Belong to you ... your belonging?" pushes Kaede away "NO!"
{Could Aya be right? Is money really so important?}
Kaede "No? Why not?" pins the red head beneath him
Hanamichi "I do not belong to anybody! I am not a thing that you can simply label as being yours! I am NOT yours!" voice quivers with fury
{I am not an object}
Kaede "You are mine ... why deny what your body wants?" fondles Sakuragi's crotch
{Why do you reject me? What is the reason? ... could it be that person? Aya ...}
The red head moaned with reluctant pleasure as his body reacted to the rough caresses. The conscious mind screamed no, but his body wanted the pleasure. In desperation, Sakuragi pleaded with him to stop but Rukawa did not. Suddenly a tall figure stepped into the bedroom.
Abyssinian "Release him ... or else ..." stares at Rukawa
{I may have to hurt you}
Kaede "YOU! Get out of my room!!!" faces Aya fearlessly
Abyssinian "No ... not without him" points the tip of the blade at the boy
{I will not allow you to hurt him}
Hanamichi "STOP! ... do not hurt him" grabs hold of Aya's wrist
Abyssinian "........." considers the request
{But he has hurt you ...}
Hanamichi "There was no time earlier ..." gazes at Rukawa "I might be ... I had wanted to ask you if I should accept Grandfather's offer ... but you have given me the answer. Good bye ..."
Kaede "HANAMICHI! What do you mean? Goodbye?!" looks at the red head
Hanamichi "America ..." straightens rumpled clothing
Kaede "WHAT?! Hanamichi!" grabs hold of Sakuragi's arm "What about the ties that bind us together?"
Hanamichi "Ties that bind?" takes a deep breath "What ties?"
OWARI ...
Notes: A misunderstanding has caused this separation ... will they ever meet again? Let me know if you want to know what happens next ...