A/N: Hey guys! Its been a long time since I've updated and yeah I know how
very irritated you guys are with me... I dunno if this chapter is good or not
but seriously speaking I think it is not... must be that my brain is too
rusty from prolong laziness
Standard disclaimers applied
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 8: Awakening
"Sakuragi..."
"Sakuragi..." again the voice called his name but this time with more volume. A particular red head looked around as he trailed the source of the voice. Soft footsteps reverberated around the marbled pathway. After a moment the sound clipped to a stop.
A T-junction greeted him. Dark eyebrows furrowed above his widow's peak as he tries to contemplate which route to take.
"Sakuragi..." on hearing it, Sakuragi Hanamichi took a left turn and continued walking. The mist around him began to clear up. Beautifully painted wall endorsed with gold winked at him. Btu that was nothing compared to what he was looking at right now.
A huge gold crafted double door with ancient transcripts opened, beckoning him to enter. Instead he paused at the door and read the writings. With every word he read, a soft light began to glow around him but unfortunately, the reader was oblivious to all this.
Finishing it, Sakuragi entered the room. A room that was ten times bigger that his school's hall welcomed him. The floor was unique; it was neither silver nor white but glittered every once in a while. Inclining his head, he stared at the high ceiling nonchalantly.
Different graphics stared back at him. Finding them all too familiar, he began to search his memory of where he had seen those insignia before. "These are the other warriors...," the voice whispered to him again.
Onyx eyes glazed as images flashed through his mind. " Tempest, Black Howling, Mikagami, Koganei, Recca..."
Shaking his head, Sakuragi tries to clear up his vision. Staring ahead, his eyes narrowed at the shade that is sitting composedly at the raised platform of the room. Unconsciously, Sakuragi stepped in and began to walk. Each time he walked past a pillar that guards the room, it would peculiarly lit up. His clothes began to and shimmer and change.
A few meters away from the dais, eleven different tiles that have the same insignia as the ceiling glowed. As he stepped nearer, the middle tile pulsed with light. His right foot steps over it and in a second, he was standing over the bluish silver tile.
Bright light washed over him as a strange battle gear molded onto his body. A tattoo of a falcon and a phoenix etched itself onto his left arm. Memories that he had thought were long gone flashed through his mind. A loud scream was heard as the change took place. By the time it ended, Sakuragi shuddered when the last of his memories molded into his mind.
"Sakuragi Hanamichi, with a heavy heart I call upon you again." At that, the shade began to take its form. A raven-haired woman sat at the majestic chair.
"Why did you call upon me again? You had given me your word that I shall gain my peace and never again fight after that last battle. Were your words just empty promises?" cold onyx eyes stared bitterly at the woman before him. If it were an ordinary person, he would have been beheaded for addressing as such to a royalty.
"I am sorry to hear about her death. If it were within my powers, I would have saved her. But it was too late by then. When I dispatched Tempest and Black Howling to Moon Kingdom, they had all been defeated. Please Hanamichi, believe me. I would never hurt my loyal subjects." Turquoise eyes mirrored her pain.
"She was carrying my child, god damn you!" the warrior strike out harshly, his hands fisted at his side as he try to reign to in his anger.
A dainty hand reached up and massaged her throbbing temples. "She was a soldier, Hanamichi, a guardian of her planet and the protectors of Serenity-hime. When she took the oath, she knew that whatever happens, she have to protect the Silver Alliance first before herself. As would you..."
"She was the only person that I had ever loved, the only one that is precious to me. Now because of you, she is lost!!!" this time, the proud warrior didn't try to mask his anger. Years of pain, anger and misery poured out as he stared at the object of his frustration.
"You knew that Moon Kingdom was going to be under siege. You knew but instead of letting me escort her to Moon Kingdom, you send me to a mission! You send her to her death!!" his fist shook as he tries to keep his tears in check from the pain that was caused by his wife's death.
"Ie.. you are wrong, Hanamichi. She is not lost. She is alive and well. If you were to look deep into your heart, you would agree with me," the queen commented softly.
Hanamichi frowned as he tries to decipher the depths of the queen's words. His wife... no one could replace her... No one could replace her soft laugh, her flawless features, her long and wavy midnight hair and her captivating violet eyes...
Suddenly an image of his wife but this time with shouldered midnight hair and crystalline violet eyes smiled up at him. Onyx eyes widened at the realization. Masaka! Queen Decipher is true! She is alive!!
The silence that held was unnerving as Hanamichi glared at the queen. After a long while, he sighed. "What is it that you wish of me?"
The queen rose from her seat and waved her hand. Images of monsters and death appeared before them. "An evil beyond comprehension will rise and destroy all of what we had fought for. It is your job to stop this evil from sprouting."
"Tell me what's new..." the warrior muttered as he crossed his arms.
"In this battle, you have to work with the others in order to achieve it else it will be all for naught. Only the bonded power can defeat this evil. I ask you now, Sakuragi Hanamichi, will you accept this mission?"
Sakuragi thought for a while before he drawled out, "Tell me a good reason why I have to do it?"
Staring intently into his eyes, Queen Decipher climbed down the dais until she was eye to eye with the great warrior. "Your comrades need you, people need you... she needs you."
Onyx eyes widened at the answer as his heart clenched painfully at the thought of a certain violet-eyed beauty. With a curt nod, he turned around and retraced the steps of the throne room.
The queen watched the warrior walked off with sad eyes. "Good luck to you Striker. May you find happiness..."
A silver haired man stepped behind the raven-haired queen and wrapped his arms around her waist. Together, they watched the great warrior disappear.
Clicking the locker door to a close, Sakuragi sighed. Leaning against the door, Sakuragi tries to clear his mind. He had been doing a lot of sighing and frowning lately. It had all begun when that dream came to him, when all of his memories flashed back at him.
A woman with a pair of crystalline violet eyes smiled back at him.
The innocent door of the locker bangs loudly. Sakuragi gritted his teeth as he tries to remove that image from his mind. Unfortunately it was unsuccessful.
Kuso! How the hell is he going to live with it? Knowing that she was his reincarnated wife and unable to do anything about it drove him to the brink of his sanity. How the hell is he going to cope with it?
"Sakuragi! Quit fooling around! We need you on the court!!" the captain of the team shouted.
"Ah? Hai..." Slowly, the read haired player pulled himself off the locker.
Pivoting to his left, Sakuragi passed the ball to the approaching Rukawa. With a quick feint, the ball flew up and swished into the net. Shoes squeaked as the players dribbled and pass the ball to their own teammates as they try to block off attacked from the opposing team.
Ayako watched from the bench as she once in a while scribbled something down into her notebook. Even though the championship is long before coming, Shohoku had started training its team.
"Ayako-senpai! What are you doing?"
Shohoku's basketball manageress stopped her scribbling and looked up. A friendly smile touched her lips. "Stating out the player's performance."
Sitting down beside the manageress, Haruko read the statistics. "Sugoi! Sakuragi-kun has improved drastically..." the brown haired girl gasped in awe. Looking up, Haruko watched the red haired player. Amazingly, Sakuragi had scored more points that anyone that he couldn't have and the number of fouls he made is also scarce.
"So what are you here for, Haruko-chan?"
"Nothing really. I just thought of dropping by and watch the players." Once again the brown haired girl traced her eyes onto the tall red haired player.
Supporting her chin with her fist, Ayako asked, "Is it about Rukawa?" Ayako watched in surprised silence when her friend shook her head in denial. What? No blush? Sensing something is wrong, Ayako trailed her gaze to that of her friend's.
Masaka! Haruko is staring Hanamichi the same way she did with Rukawa previously!
Suddenly, the stopwatch around her neck beeped loudly. Upon hearing the whistle given by her, the players stopped the game and began walking to the benches.
Taking the towel from his bag, Sakuragi wiped off the sweat on his face and neck. Then he took his water bottle and began slowly drinking it.
"Sakuragi-kun," on hearing the call, the red head stopped his drinking and turned around.
"Haruko-chan," he smiled.
Standing a meter away from him, Haruko smiled in return. "Ano... Sakuragi-kun, your playing today was great!"
"Arigato," Sakuragi smiled once again as he stared at the brown haired girl.
"Will you be staying later for further practices or are you going straight home after this?" a slight blush crept onto her cheeks as she asked the question.
Sakuragi noticed the blush on and frowned over it. "I'm not sure... why do you ask?"
"Nothing really... I was just wondering if you could..."
"Ne, Ryota!" Ayako whispered as she poked the captain's shoulder.
"Nanda, Ayako-chan?" a slight blush tinted his face.
Staring pointedly at Haruko and Sakuragi, she explained her concern. "Haruko has been acting weird lately..."
"What do you mean?"
"She has been asking questions about Hotaru and Sakuragi lately, too many questions to my liking. Furthermore, I caught her staring at Hanamichi the same way she did to Rukawa. Only this time a bit more scarier. Do you think she is fine?"
Turning around, the point guard watched the shouldered brown haired girl took hold of his friend's arm. Ayako is right. Haruko is not herself.
"Send you home? I don't see why not," Sakuragi shrugged nonchalantly as he shouldered his bag.
Delighted, Haruko took hold of his arm and began dragging him out of the school.
*~*~*~*~ "Ano... Haruko-chan, I thought you said you were going home?" Sakuragi asked as he once again being pulled into a soft toyshop by the brown haired friend.
"Yes I am but since it is early, why don't we hang around and go shopping," Haruko grinned as she fingered a funny brown teddy bear.
"Kawaii ne, Sakuragi-kun?" she squealed as she hugged onto the poor and tired basketball player's arm.
"Ah... Hai... Kawaii..." Sakuragi muttered as he tries to suppress his irritation. Haruko had promised to return home right after she bought the blouse she wanted but that was an hour ago, two hours after they had left the school.
"Haruko-chan.. You promised that this was the last..." Sakuragi drawled out irritably as he tries to unlatch her from his arm. After all, he is attached to someone else.
"But they are so cute..." the red haired player gritted his teeth disgustedly as the girl beside him pouted in what others called 'adorably'. How could he ever find her pretty? Thinking to cool off his mounting irritation, he disengaged himself from the squealing girl and wandered around the huge shop.
Now he knows how Rukawa felt.
He was browsing around and of course receiving weird looks from ladies around him when something glittered in his eyes. Walking towards the jewel display, he saw a fully paved diamond studded ring designed in such a way that it looked like vines weaving around each other. It winked at him and strangely, it reminded him of someone.
Hotaru.
Stepping into the shop, he went directly to where a salesgirl was standing. The woman in her late twenties smiled, " Good evening sir. Welcome to Cartier. How may I assist you?"
Pointing to the jewel he had in mind, he inquired. "That jewel in the outside display. May I see it?"
Smiling again, she walked to the case and took the ring out. "This is a vintage design and it is the first and last of its kind. As you can see, it is shaped into a garland design. It also comes in a set with a bracelet and a necklace, both of the same design." The woman took out the rest of the set and gave it to the student before her. "The ring is made up of white gold and the diamonds are specially handcrafted."
Sakuragi caress the ring and let it roll around his fingers. The design of the entire set looks so familiar... Almost instantly his heart clenched. It was the same design that he had given to his wife! The one that he had specially drawn and requested for it to be hand made. He had paid handsomely for the pieces.
At that moment, he knew he had to have it.
"How much is it?"
The woman looked doubtfully at him but answered it anyway. "Thirty thousand US dollars."
A frown marred his forehead as he thought over the sum. "That would be 3,166,500 Yen, isn't it?"
The woman punched in the numbers on the calculator as she convert the currency rates. Disbelief was written on her face. "Hai... that would be 3,166,500 Yen."
Sakuragi smiled at his achievement. That was an easy conversion. Taking out his wallet from his back pocket, he asked her, "Mastercard or Visa?"
The woman's eyes widened at the question. This person had to be crazy! No students could afford this! Taking the offered visa card, she checked the particulars. "May I have your identification card for security purpose sir?"
Sakuragi chuckled. He had faced this scenario more than once but mostly when he is wearing his uniform or his untidiest clothes to buy things from these kinds of shops. He watched as the woman checked his identification and saw her nod.
Taking the card, she walked to the counter and scanned it in. After a while a receipt rolled out and she passed it to the red haired student to sign.
"Can you wrap it for me? Thanks."
A few minutes later, he walked out of the place and traced his way back to Haruko, smiling. Just as he was rounding off a corner, someone bumped into him and reflexively caught the person.
"Itai!" a familiar voice groaned as she rubbed her stinging toe.
"Hotaru! Daijoubu ka? I told you to watch where you were going. I'm sorry sir but my daughter is a bit careless sometimes," a teal haired woman apologized.
"Honto?" Sakuragi smiled as he tweaked the still moaning girl's nose.
Immediately the raven-haired girl snapped up her head. "Mi-kun," Hotaru smiled as she straightened up.
Turning around, she introduced Sakuragi to the two women behind her. "Mi-kun, meet my mom, Michiru and Setsuna. Michiru-mama, Setsuna, meet Sakuragi Hanamichi."
Both women smiled when the red haired hunk in front of them bowed respectfully. "So this is the always talked about Mi-kun." The teal haired woman drawled out. Sakuragi raised an eyebrow in amusement as the raven haired beauty blushed hotly.
"Hotaru, why didn't you bring him home to introduce him to us?" Turning to the tall red haired guy, Setsuna winked. "You have to come over once in a while."
"I would be delighted, mademoiselles," Sakuragi chuckled as he executed a well-bred bow.
"Tis no wonder you fall hard for him. He's such a charmer!" Michiru commented, much to Hotaru's discomfort.
"By the way, what are you doing here Mi-kun?"
Smiling, he answered. "Haruko-chan asked me to send her home and I did but somehow on the way she mixed up her home with the shopping mall. So now I'm here."
Hotaru giggled as she patted her boyfriend's arm who looked thoroughly exasperated.
A few meters away, a tin can was painfully crushed, spilling out its content onto the floor. Hazel eyes flashed in anger as she watched a red haired guy wrapping his arms around a particular raven haired bitch.
How dare she! He is mine! Mine
Even though the urge to tear away the hands off the bitch was overwhelming, she swallowed it down and plastered on a smile. I shall get rid of her later...
For now...
Putting on a calm face, she walked towards the group.
A/N: hehehe... sorry again guys for the late updates.. anyway I won't know when the next chapter updates will be.
zackire
Standard disclaimers applied
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 8: Awakening
"Sakuragi..."
"Sakuragi..." again the voice called his name but this time with more volume. A particular red head looked around as he trailed the source of the voice. Soft footsteps reverberated around the marbled pathway. After a moment the sound clipped to a stop.
A T-junction greeted him. Dark eyebrows furrowed above his widow's peak as he tries to contemplate which route to take.
"Sakuragi..." on hearing it, Sakuragi Hanamichi took a left turn and continued walking. The mist around him began to clear up. Beautifully painted wall endorsed with gold winked at him. Btu that was nothing compared to what he was looking at right now.
A huge gold crafted double door with ancient transcripts opened, beckoning him to enter. Instead he paused at the door and read the writings. With every word he read, a soft light began to glow around him but unfortunately, the reader was oblivious to all this.
Finishing it, Sakuragi entered the room. A room that was ten times bigger that his school's hall welcomed him. The floor was unique; it was neither silver nor white but glittered every once in a while. Inclining his head, he stared at the high ceiling nonchalantly.
Different graphics stared back at him. Finding them all too familiar, he began to search his memory of where he had seen those insignia before. "These are the other warriors...," the voice whispered to him again.
Onyx eyes glazed as images flashed through his mind. " Tempest, Black Howling, Mikagami, Koganei, Recca..."
Shaking his head, Sakuragi tries to clear up his vision. Staring ahead, his eyes narrowed at the shade that is sitting composedly at the raised platform of the room. Unconsciously, Sakuragi stepped in and began to walk. Each time he walked past a pillar that guards the room, it would peculiarly lit up. His clothes began to and shimmer and change.
A few meters away from the dais, eleven different tiles that have the same insignia as the ceiling glowed. As he stepped nearer, the middle tile pulsed with light. His right foot steps over it and in a second, he was standing over the bluish silver tile.
Bright light washed over him as a strange battle gear molded onto his body. A tattoo of a falcon and a phoenix etched itself onto his left arm. Memories that he had thought were long gone flashed through his mind. A loud scream was heard as the change took place. By the time it ended, Sakuragi shuddered when the last of his memories molded into his mind.
"Sakuragi Hanamichi, with a heavy heart I call upon you again." At that, the shade began to take its form. A raven-haired woman sat at the majestic chair.
"Why did you call upon me again? You had given me your word that I shall gain my peace and never again fight after that last battle. Were your words just empty promises?" cold onyx eyes stared bitterly at the woman before him. If it were an ordinary person, he would have been beheaded for addressing as such to a royalty.
"I am sorry to hear about her death. If it were within my powers, I would have saved her. But it was too late by then. When I dispatched Tempest and Black Howling to Moon Kingdom, they had all been defeated. Please Hanamichi, believe me. I would never hurt my loyal subjects." Turquoise eyes mirrored her pain.
"She was carrying my child, god damn you!" the warrior strike out harshly, his hands fisted at his side as he try to reign to in his anger.
A dainty hand reached up and massaged her throbbing temples. "She was a soldier, Hanamichi, a guardian of her planet and the protectors of Serenity-hime. When she took the oath, she knew that whatever happens, she have to protect the Silver Alliance first before herself. As would you..."
"She was the only person that I had ever loved, the only one that is precious to me. Now because of you, she is lost!!!" this time, the proud warrior didn't try to mask his anger. Years of pain, anger and misery poured out as he stared at the object of his frustration.
"You knew that Moon Kingdom was going to be under siege. You knew but instead of letting me escort her to Moon Kingdom, you send me to a mission! You send her to her death!!" his fist shook as he tries to keep his tears in check from the pain that was caused by his wife's death.
"Ie.. you are wrong, Hanamichi. She is not lost. She is alive and well. If you were to look deep into your heart, you would agree with me," the queen commented softly.
Hanamichi frowned as he tries to decipher the depths of the queen's words. His wife... no one could replace her... No one could replace her soft laugh, her flawless features, her long and wavy midnight hair and her captivating violet eyes...
Suddenly an image of his wife but this time with shouldered midnight hair and crystalline violet eyes smiled up at him. Onyx eyes widened at the realization. Masaka! Queen Decipher is true! She is alive!!
The silence that held was unnerving as Hanamichi glared at the queen. After a long while, he sighed. "What is it that you wish of me?"
The queen rose from her seat and waved her hand. Images of monsters and death appeared before them. "An evil beyond comprehension will rise and destroy all of what we had fought for. It is your job to stop this evil from sprouting."
"Tell me what's new..." the warrior muttered as he crossed his arms.
"In this battle, you have to work with the others in order to achieve it else it will be all for naught. Only the bonded power can defeat this evil. I ask you now, Sakuragi Hanamichi, will you accept this mission?"
Sakuragi thought for a while before he drawled out, "Tell me a good reason why I have to do it?"
Staring intently into his eyes, Queen Decipher climbed down the dais until she was eye to eye with the great warrior. "Your comrades need you, people need you... she needs you."
Onyx eyes widened at the answer as his heart clenched painfully at the thought of a certain violet-eyed beauty. With a curt nod, he turned around and retraced the steps of the throne room.
The queen watched the warrior walked off with sad eyes. "Good luck to you Striker. May you find happiness..."
A silver haired man stepped behind the raven-haired queen and wrapped his arms around her waist. Together, they watched the great warrior disappear.
Clicking the locker door to a close, Sakuragi sighed. Leaning against the door, Sakuragi tries to clear his mind. He had been doing a lot of sighing and frowning lately. It had all begun when that dream came to him, when all of his memories flashed back at him.
A woman with a pair of crystalline violet eyes smiled back at him.
The innocent door of the locker bangs loudly. Sakuragi gritted his teeth as he tries to remove that image from his mind. Unfortunately it was unsuccessful.
Kuso! How the hell is he going to live with it? Knowing that she was his reincarnated wife and unable to do anything about it drove him to the brink of his sanity. How the hell is he going to cope with it?
"Sakuragi! Quit fooling around! We need you on the court!!" the captain of the team shouted.
"Ah? Hai..." Slowly, the read haired player pulled himself off the locker.
Pivoting to his left, Sakuragi passed the ball to the approaching Rukawa. With a quick feint, the ball flew up and swished into the net. Shoes squeaked as the players dribbled and pass the ball to their own teammates as they try to block off attacked from the opposing team.
Ayako watched from the bench as she once in a while scribbled something down into her notebook. Even though the championship is long before coming, Shohoku had started training its team.
"Ayako-senpai! What are you doing?"
Shohoku's basketball manageress stopped her scribbling and looked up. A friendly smile touched her lips. "Stating out the player's performance."
Sitting down beside the manageress, Haruko read the statistics. "Sugoi! Sakuragi-kun has improved drastically..." the brown haired girl gasped in awe. Looking up, Haruko watched the red haired player. Amazingly, Sakuragi had scored more points that anyone that he couldn't have and the number of fouls he made is also scarce.
"So what are you here for, Haruko-chan?"
"Nothing really. I just thought of dropping by and watch the players." Once again the brown haired girl traced her eyes onto the tall red haired player.
Supporting her chin with her fist, Ayako asked, "Is it about Rukawa?" Ayako watched in surprised silence when her friend shook her head in denial. What? No blush? Sensing something is wrong, Ayako trailed her gaze to that of her friend's.
Masaka! Haruko is staring Hanamichi the same way she did with Rukawa previously!
Suddenly, the stopwatch around her neck beeped loudly. Upon hearing the whistle given by her, the players stopped the game and began walking to the benches.
Taking the towel from his bag, Sakuragi wiped off the sweat on his face and neck. Then he took his water bottle and began slowly drinking it.
"Sakuragi-kun," on hearing the call, the red head stopped his drinking and turned around.
"Haruko-chan," he smiled.
Standing a meter away from him, Haruko smiled in return. "Ano... Sakuragi-kun, your playing today was great!"
"Arigato," Sakuragi smiled once again as he stared at the brown haired girl.
"Will you be staying later for further practices or are you going straight home after this?" a slight blush crept onto her cheeks as she asked the question.
Sakuragi noticed the blush on and frowned over it. "I'm not sure... why do you ask?"
"Nothing really... I was just wondering if you could..."
"Ne, Ryota!" Ayako whispered as she poked the captain's shoulder.
"Nanda, Ayako-chan?" a slight blush tinted his face.
Staring pointedly at Haruko and Sakuragi, she explained her concern. "Haruko has been acting weird lately..."
"What do you mean?"
"She has been asking questions about Hotaru and Sakuragi lately, too many questions to my liking. Furthermore, I caught her staring at Hanamichi the same way she did to Rukawa. Only this time a bit more scarier. Do you think she is fine?"
Turning around, the point guard watched the shouldered brown haired girl took hold of his friend's arm. Ayako is right. Haruko is not herself.
"Send you home? I don't see why not," Sakuragi shrugged nonchalantly as he shouldered his bag.
Delighted, Haruko took hold of his arm and began dragging him out of the school.
*~*~*~*~ "Ano... Haruko-chan, I thought you said you were going home?" Sakuragi asked as he once again being pulled into a soft toyshop by the brown haired friend.
"Yes I am but since it is early, why don't we hang around and go shopping," Haruko grinned as she fingered a funny brown teddy bear.
"Kawaii ne, Sakuragi-kun?" she squealed as she hugged onto the poor and tired basketball player's arm.
"Ah... Hai... Kawaii..." Sakuragi muttered as he tries to suppress his irritation. Haruko had promised to return home right after she bought the blouse she wanted but that was an hour ago, two hours after they had left the school.
"Haruko-chan.. You promised that this was the last..." Sakuragi drawled out irritably as he tries to unlatch her from his arm. After all, he is attached to someone else.
"But they are so cute..." the red haired player gritted his teeth disgustedly as the girl beside him pouted in what others called 'adorably'. How could he ever find her pretty? Thinking to cool off his mounting irritation, he disengaged himself from the squealing girl and wandered around the huge shop.
Now he knows how Rukawa felt.
He was browsing around and of course receiving weird looks from ladies around him when something glittered in his eyes. Walking towards the jewel display, he saw a fully paved diamond studded ring designed in such a way that it looked like vines weaving around each other. It winked at him and strangely, it reminded him of someone.
Hotaru.
Stepping into the shop, he went directly to where a salesgirl was standing. The woman in her late twenties smiled, " Good evening sir. Welcome to Cartier. How may I assist you?"
Pointing to the jewel he had in mind, he inquired. "That jewel in the outside display. May I see it?"
Smiling again, she walked to the case and took the ring out. "This is a vintage design and it is the first and last of its kind. As you can see, it is shaped into a garland design. It also comes in a set with a bracelet and a necklace, both of the same design." The woman took out the rest of the set and gave it to the student before her. "The ring is made up of white gold and the diamonds are specially handcrafted."
Sakuragi caress the ring and let it roll around his fingers. The design of the entire set looks so familiar... Almost instantly his heart clenched. It was the same design that he had given to his wife! The one that he had specially drawn and requested for it to be hand made. He had paid handsomely for the pieces.
At that moment, he knew he had to have it.
"How much is it?"
The woman looked doubtfully at him but answered it anyway. "Thirty thousand US dollars."
A frown marred his forehead as he thought over the sum. "That would be 3,166,500 Yen, isn't it?"
The woman punched in the numbers on the calculator as she convert the currency rates. Disbelief was written on her face. "Hai... that would be 3,166,500 Yen."
Sakuragi smiled at his achievement. That was an easy conversion. Taking out his wallet from his back pocket, he asked her, "Mastercard or Visa?"
The woman's eyes widened at the question. This person had to be crazy! No students could afford this! Taking the offered visa card, she checked the particulars. "May I have your identification card for security purpose sir?"
Sakuragi chuckled. He had faced this scenario more than once but mostly when he is wearing his uniform or his untidiest clothes to buy things from these kinds of shops. He watched as the woman checked his identification and saw her nod.
Taking the card, she walked to the counter and scanned it in. After a while a receipt rolled out and she passed it to the red haired student to sign.
"Can you wrap it for me? Thanks."
A few minutes later, he walked out of the place and traced his way back to Haruko, smiling. Just as he was rounding off a corner, someone bumped into him and reflexively caught the person.
"Itai!" a familiar voice groaned as she rubbed her stinging toe.
"Hotaru! Daijoubu ka? I told you to watch where you were going. I'm sorry sir but my daughter is a bit careless sometimes," a teal haired woman apologized.
"Honto?" Sakuragi smiled as he tweaked the still moaning girl's nose.
Immediately the raven-haired girl snapped up her head. "Mi-kun," Hotaru smiled as she straightened up.
Turning around, she introduced Sakuragi to the two women behind her. "Mi-kun, meet my mom, Michiru and Setsuna. Michiru-mama, Setsuna, meet Sakuragi Hanamichi."
Both women smiled when the red haired hunk in front of them bowed respectfully. "So this is the always talked about Mi-kun." The teal haired woman drawled out. Sakuragi raised an eyebrow in amusement as the raven haired beauty blushed hotly.
"Hotaru, why didn't you bring him home to introduce him to us?" Turning to the tall red haired guy, Setsuna winked. "You have to come over once in a while."
"I would be delighted, mademoiselles," Sakuragi chuckled as he executed a well-bred bow.
"Tis no wonder you fall hard for him. He's such a charmer!" Michiru commented, much to Hotaru's discomfort.
"By the way, what are you doing here Mi-kun?"
Smiling, he answered. "Haruko-chan asked me to send her home and I did but somehow on the way she mixed up her home with the shopping mall. So now I'm here."
Hotaru giggled as she patted her boyfriend's arm who looked thoroughly exasperated.
A few meters away, a tin can was painfully crushed, spilling out its content onto the floor. Hazel eyes flashed in anger as she watched a red haired guy wrapping his arms around a particular raven haired bitch.
How dare she! He is mine! Mine
Even though the urge to tear away the hands off the bitch was overwhelming, she swallowed it down and plastered on a smile. I shall get rid of her later...
For now...
Putting on a calm face, she walked towards the group.
A/N: hehehe... sorry again guys for the late updates.. anyway I won't know when the next chapter updates will be.
zackire