Disclaimer: Think about it. If SD were mine, I wouldn't be here writing this fic. I would simply make the anime a bit more --ahem-- exciting than it already is...
A/N: I'm on a roll! Here's another long one! Thanks to all the reviewers, you people help me a lot without knowing it. Thanks for all the support... To all of those who greeted me for my birthday, thanks a lot.. Some of my closest friends forgot... poor me Anyway, on with the fic!
Legend:
~place/time/flashback~
"dialogue"
//thoughts//
inserts
*sigh or something like it*
/*stuff outside the fic*/
Chapter6: Secret Passages
Yohei was casually walking along one of the many carpet-clad corridors of the Rukawa mansion. The walls were decorated with paintings of various artists. He stopped before a particular painting and observed it at a closer range.
He might not look it, but this gangster appreciated fine arts. The painting that caught his attention was more than colorful: in fact, it was vibrant. The brush strokes perfectly swished here and there, creating a somewhat harmonious dance of colors. You could say that the painter had made this perfectly; for a piece is perfect only if the soul of the artist is poured into its making and if it is imperfect at the same time. Yes, it was indeed perfect. It was practically radiating with life that it was almost tangible.
Yohei was so into his thoughts that he didn't notice that a certain someone had appeared, leaning against the opposite wall, a few feet ahead the corridor. Rukawa cleared his throat. It was only then that the gangster realized that he was not alone.
"Yo, Rukawa," he greeted him.
The rookie only nodded in response.
"Nice piece you got here... What's the title?"
"Flower."
*strokes chin* "Oh... I see," Yohei said.
Suddenly, Rukawa spoke up, "Why are you helping me?"
"Huh?"
Rukawa took a deep breath and rephrased his question, "I know that you had something to do with the room arrangements so that Hanamichi will have his own room." Then he repeated what he said earlier, "Why are you helping me?"
At this, Yohei smirked as he recovered the memory.
~flashback~
The pieces of paper were put in a black hat that Haruko got from her bag. She passed them to Yohei who handed them to Ayako. Nobody noticed that he had snatched away one of the little pieces of paper which he never lost sight of, ever since the name Sakuragi Hanamichi grazed its surface. Good. When the hat was passed back to him, he discreetly returned the paper, not leaving any traces of his trampling. Again, nobody was paying attention to him. It was fortunate that the gundan got everyone's attention when they fought it out. Things were looking good. Things were looking very good.
~end of flashback~
"I'm not helping you."
"..."
Yohei looked away. "I'm helping him. God knows how much he needs someone who'll love him for all he is and in some twisted way, I feel that you're one of the best among those qualified..."
Again, this was met by the other's silence.
He stared hard at Rukawa, as if he was boring holes through his
eyes, and then through his skull. "But, if you ever hurt him--in any way--you will pay the price *cracks knuckles*. *points at Rukawa* And pay dearly you will. And all this wealth of yours won't save you.."
Yohei shoved his hands into his pockets and resumed his walk. When he passed by Rukawa, the latter called out to him in something resembling a whisper.
"Yohei."
The overprotective bestfriend stopped in his tracks, waiting for the other to continue.
"Arigatou." //for your blessing...//
And Yohei went on his way.
~later, in the living room~
"Damn that stupid kitsune! How dare he do this to the tensai," mumbled a certain do'aho. //But then again, who am I to impose such things on him... I'm the one who has no right...// Gradually, his expression changed as his thoughts did. He sighed, said, "I give up," and sat down on one of the comfy couches in the living room.
Rukawa was intently watching the redhead from his spot behind one of the pillars near the stairs. He saw and took amusement in Hanamichi's adorable hotheaded mumbling. He also witnessed the play of unreadable emotions in the other's face and was troubled by it.
//Ch, maybe I overdid it this time...// he thought, instantly feeling remorse. //Maybe now's the right time to show him my little surprise..// Smiling to himself, he made his way to the unsuspecting Sakuragi.
Hanamichi, still lost in his thoughts, did not notice Rukawa's advance from behind.
When he was directly behind Hanamichi, Rukawa leaned over near his love's ear and said, "Oi, Do'aho."
"Aaah!!" Hanamichi jumped. Realizing that it was just his so-called rival, Sakuragi sported a vein pop and instantly lashed out at the stoic player.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!!!" the monkey was now going nuts, throwing every possible insult at the still expressionless ravenhead.
"Yare, yare," Rukawa said, hiding his amusement, "If you don't want to see your room, that's fine by me."
This succeeded in getting Sakuragi's attention. "What?" was the only word that came out of his mouth.
Rukawa sighed yet again and started up the stairs.
"Oi kitsune! Where are you going?" Sakuragi practically shouted, while catching up with the master of the house.
Still untalkative, Rukawa followed the arch of the corridor of the second floor. He stopped when he was 90 degrees from the imaginary line connecting the left and right staircases. In short, he was at the middle. He lifted the painting on the continuously roomless wall and pushed the button underneath it.
Almost instantly, a part of the wall slid to one side and revealed a pair of metal doors. Rukawa pushed the button again, and the doors opened. The compartment was empty. Rukawa went in and waited for Hanamichi to do the same. Stunned, the latter was unable to move. He snapped out of it after a few seconds and followed the fox.
Once inside, Sakuragi realized that it was an elevator. A secret elevator that probably covered the whole height of the house. When they reached the top floor, the doors parted and they went out.
There were two doors. One on his left and one on his right. Rukawa handed him a card key and proceeded to his own room. He stopped and said, "That other one is your room, Do'aho." He opened the door and disappeared behind it.
Hanamichi looked at the card, then the elevator, then the room, and back to the card again. He couldn't believe this. //Oh, well.// He shrugged. //I might as well.// He turned to his left and put the card in the slot of the door. The green light indicated that the door was opened and he went in.
What he saw made his jaw drop to the floor. The room was so.... roomy! It was huge. If you think the furnishings in the guest rooms were the best, think again. This room is definitely better than the best. He noticed that the motif of the room was red paired with subtle gold.
Instead of the white flourescent lights in the other rooms, there was a chandelier giving off golden rays like the sun. The carpets were regal, royal; and somehow they were softer and better. While the television sets in the previous rooms were merely regular 21-inch ones, his was a 42-inch flatscreen. The small glass table near the t.v. replaced the cute wooden coffee table he saw earlier. The simple red curtains were more elaborately twisted around, as if showing off that it was superior to any other curtain arrangement in the planet. After briefly scanning the room, his eyes fell on another door. He made his way towards it, opening it slowly as he went. Cautious as he was, curiosity won. It always does.
And what he saw made his eyes grow wider, if that was possible. He had stumbled upon....the bathroom. The bathroom was as big as half the dining room; and that's saying something. The full length mirror was just as large as the others, but it was accompanied by two more. The better to see yourself with, of course. The lavatory was the same, save for the shape. His was oval. The others were round. The toilet was of the same fashion. Hanamichi turned to look at the place where the shower stall was supposed to be, and was faced by a bath tub--a big one at that--that matched the other things in the bathroom. //Is that a jacuzzi?// Sakuragi soon found out upon his closer inspection that the thing beside the tub was indeed a jacuzzi. He went back to the bedroom and tried to shake off the shock of it all. That's when he saw the last and most important furnishing of the room: the bed.
The single bed was king-sized; and what's more, it was a four-poster complete with draperies and all. The red silk sheets with gold trimmings at the corners that spread enticingly over the plush, soft-looking pillows seemed to beckon to him. He gave in and plunged into the bed. Hanamichi felt like he was floating.
It dawned on him that he was. Floating, I mean. He was on a friggin waterbed for goodness' sake!
"Dammit! This is too much!!!!" Sakuragi yelled, only to find that his voice came back to him in a series of echoes.
Hana sighed exasperatedly, tired from all the mental stress Rukawa had been giving him in less than twenty four hours. He tried to ease his mind to relax, but before he achieved this, sleep had claimed him.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind one of the potted plants. It looked at the redhead sprawled on the bed. The figure tucked the sleeping form in and stood there for a few more moments to watch Hanamichi.
"Sleep well, my Hana..."
And the shadow vanished.
IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THESE AUTHOR'S NOTES...
A/N: Sorry for the-er-rather dragging descriptions. I wanted to let you see what I imagined earlier. It might be exaggerated, but can I help it if Ru-chan loves to spoil his Hana? Also, the painting in Yohei's scene was supposed to be identified with Hana...
About the title: I just want to make this clear: Rukawa gets to go places really fast because of secret passages. Cool house, huh? I wish it were mine... Also, Yohei is Rukawa's secret passage to Hana's heart.. I hope you liked it... Please, r&r!
A/N: I'm on a roll! Here's another long one! Thanks to all the reviewers, you people help me a lot without knowing it. Thanks for all the support... To all of those who greeted me for my birthday, thanks a lot.. Some of my closest friends forgot... poor me Anyway, on with the fic!
Legend:
~place/time/flashback~
"dialogue"
//thoughts//
inserts
*sigh or something like it*
/*stuff outside the fic*/
Chapter6: Secret Passages
Yohei was casually walking along one of the many carpet-clad corridors of the Rukawa mansion. The walls were decorated with paintings of various artists. He stopped before a particular painting and observed it at a closer range.
He might not look it, but this gangster appreciated fine arts. The painting that caught his attention was more than colorful: in fact, it was vibrant. The brush strokes perfectly swished here and there, creating a somewhat harmonious dance of colors. You could say that the painter had made this perfectly; for a piece is perfect only if the soul of the artist is poured into its making and if it is imperfect at the same time. Yes, it was indeed perfect. It was practically radiating with life that it was almost tangible.
Yohei was so into his thoughts that he didn't notice that a certain someone had appeared, leaning against the opposite wall, a few feet ahead the corridor. Rukawa cleared his throat. It was only then that the gangster realized that he was not alone.
"Yo, Rukawa," he greeted him.
The rookie only nodded in response.
"Nice piece you got here... What's the title?"
"Flower."
*strokes chin* "Oh... I see," Yohei said.
Suddenly, Rukawa spoke up, "Why are you helping me?"
"Huh?"
Rukawa took a deep breath and rephrased his question, "I know that you had something to do with the room arrangements so that Hanamichi will have his own room." Then he repeated what he said earlier, "Why are you helping me?"
At this, Yohei smirked as he recovered the memory.
~flashback~
The pieces of paper were put in a black hat that Haruko got from her bag. She passed them to Yohei who handed them to Ayako. Nobody noticed that he had snatched away one of the little pieces of paper which he never lost sight of, ever since the name Sakuragi Hanamichi grazed its surface. Good. When the hat was passed back to him, he discreetly returned the paper, not leaving any traces of his trampling. Again, nobody was paying attention to him. It was fortunate that the gundan got everyone's attention when they fought it out. Things were looking good. Things were looking very good.
~end of flashback~
"I'm not helping you."
"..."
Yohei looked away. "I'm helping him. God knows how much he needs someone who'll love him for all he is and in some twisted way, I feel that you're one of the best among those qualified..."
Again, this was met by the other's silence.
He stared hard at Rukawa, as if he was boring holes through his
eyes, and then through his skull. "But, if you ever hurt him--in any way--you will pay the price *cracks knuckles*. *points at Rukawa* And pay dearly you will. And all this wealth of yours won't save you.."
Yohei shoved his hands into his pockets and resumed his walk. When he passed by Rukawa, the latter called out to him in something resembling a whisper.
"Yohei."
The overprotective bestfriend stopped in his tracks, waiting for the other to continue.
"Arigatou." //for your blessing...//
And Yohei went on his way.
~later, in the living room~
"Damn that stupid kitsune! How dare he do this to the tensai," mumbled a certain do'aho. //But then again, who am I to impose such things on him... I'm the one who has no right...// Gradually, his expression changed as his thoughts did. He sighed, said, "I give up," and sat down on one of the comfy couches in the living room.
Rukawa was intently watching the redhead from his spot behind one of the pillars near the stairs. He saw and took amusement in Hanamichi's adorable hotheaded mumbling. He also witnessed the play of unreadable emotions in the other's face and was troubled by it.
//Ch, maybe I overdid it this time...// he thought, instantly feeling remorse. //Maybe now's the right time to show him my little surprise..// Smiling to himself, he made his way to the unsuspecting Sakuragi.
Hanamichi, still lost in his thoughts, did not notice Rukawa's advance from behind.
When he was directly behind Hanamichi, Rukawa leaned over near his love's ear and said, "Oi, Do'aho."
"Aaah!!" Hanamichi jumped. Realizing that it was just his so-called rival, Sakuragi sported a vein pop and instantly lashed out at the stoic player.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!!!" the monkey was now going nuts, throwing every possible insult at the still expressionless ravenhead.
"Yare, yare," Rukawa said, hiding his amusement, "If you don't want to see your room, that's fine by me."
This succeeded in getting Sakuragi's attention. "What?" was the only word that came out of his mouth.
Rukawa sighed yet again and started up the stairs.
"Oi kitsune! Where are you going?" Sakuragi practically shouted, while catching up with the master of the house.
Still untalkative, Rukawa followed the arch of the corridor of the second floor. He stopped when he was 90 degrees from the imaginary line connecting the left and right staircases. In short, he was at the middle. He lifted the painting on the continuously roomless wall and pushed the button underneath it.
Almost instantly, a part of the wall slid to one side and revealed a pair of metal doors. Rukawa pushed the button again, and the doors opened. The compartment was empty. Rukawa went in and waited for Hanamichi to do the same. Stunned, the latter was unable to move. He snapped out of it after a few seconds and followed the fox.
Once inside, Sakuragi realized that it was an elevator. A secret elevator that probably covered the whole height of the house. When they reached the top floor, the doors parted and they went out.
There were two doors. One on his left and one on his right. Rukawa handed him a card key and proceeded to his own room. He stopped and said, "That other one is your room, Do'aho." He opened the door and disappeared behind it.
Hanamichi looked at the card, then the elevator, then the room, and back to the card again. He couldn't believe this. //Oh, well.// He shrugged. //I might as well.// He turned to his left and put the card in the slot of the door. The green light indicated that the door was opened and he went in.
What he saw made his jaw drop to the floor. The room was so.... roomy! It was huge. If you think the furnishings in the guest rooms were the best, think again. This room is definitely better than the best. He noticed that the motif of the room was red paired with subtle gold.
Instead of the white flourescent lights in the other rooms, there was a chandelier giving off golden rays like the sun. The carpets were regal, royal; and somehow they were softer and better. While the television sets in the previous rooms were merely regular 21-inch ones, his was a 42-inch flatscreen. The small glass table near the t.v. replaced the cute wooden coffee table he saw earlier. The simple red curtains were more elaborately twisted around, as if showing off that it was superior to any other curtain arrangement in the planet. After briefly scanning the room, his eyes fell on another door. He made his way towards it, opening it slowly as he went. Cautious as he was, curiosity won. It always does.
And what he saw made his eyes grow wider, if that was possible. He had stumbled upon....the bathroom. The bathroom was as big as half the dining room; and that's saying something. The full length mirror was just as large as the others, but it was accompanied by two more. The better to see yourself with, of course. The lavatory was the same, save for the shape. His was oval. The others were round. The toilet was of the same fashion. Hanamichi turned to look at the place where the shower stall was supposed to be, and was faced by a bath tub--a big one at that--that matched the other things in the bathroom. //Is that a jacuzzi?// Sakuragi soon found out upon his closer inspection that the thing beside the tub was indeed a jacuzzi. He went back to the bedroom and tried to shake off the shock of it all. That's when he saw the last and most important furnishing of the room: the bed.
The single bed was king-sized; and what's more, it was a four-poster complete with draperies and all. The red silk sheets with gold trimmings at the corners that spread enticingly over the plush, soft-looking pillows seemed to beckon to him. He gave in and plunged into the bed. Hanamichi felt like he was floating.
It dawned on him that he was. Floating, I mean. He was on a friggin waterbed for goodness' sake!
"Dammit! This is too much!!!!" Sakuragi yelled, only to find that his voice came back to him in a series of echoes.
Hana sighed exasperatedly, tired from all the mental stress Rukawa had been giving him in less than twenty four hours. He tried to ease his mind to relax, but before he achieved this, sleep had claimed him.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind one of the potted plants. It looked at the redhead sprawled on the bed. The figure tucked the sleeping form in and stood there for a few more moments to watch Hanamichi.
"Sleep well, my Hana..."
And the shadow vanished.
IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THESE AUTHOR'S NOTES...
A/N: Sorry for the-er-rather dragging descriptions. I wanted to let you see what I imagined earlier. It might be exaggerated, but can I help it if Ru-chan loves to spoil his Hana? Also, the painting in Yohei's scene was supposed to be identified with Hana...
About the title: I just want to make this clear: Rukawa gets to go places really fast because of secret passages. Cool house, huh? I wish it were mine... Also, Yohei is Rukawa's secret passage to Hana's heart.. I hope you liked it... Please, r&r!
