Yume wa Tomaranai

Chapter Two
His Date

- -
It all starts out simple,
A date with small talk,
Not yet speaking of the secrets of our past...
- -

He watched as she took out a key chain carrying about five different keys before raising them up, using the street lamp that sat at the end of the street, to help her see them. His lips twitched upwards as he watched confusion come onto her face before she turned to him, her cheeks coloring. "Sorry," she muttered, "I don't want my grandmother to get up and I can't remember which key it is."

She slid a key into the slot and turned it but it didn't seem right, so she pulled out another one and got the same results. Finally, on the last one, a click of the door unlocking was heard and she gave a relieved sigh. "Is Ryuzaki-sensei sleeping?" Ryoma asked, as she bent over to lift up the bag of groceries she had laid down.

"No," she said, grasping the handle and opening the door. "She's probably just watching the television but, I don't want to be a bother."

"Right," Ryoma answered with a small nod while following her into the home and passing her the grocery bag when she had motioned for it. After listening to her politely ask him to remove his shoes, he did, before walking up onto the wooden floor and following her. A few steps in they entered into a kitchen which shared the floor with the living room, out of the corner of his eye he watched as she smiled.

"I'm home, obaa-chan," she said, placing the groceries onto the counter, "and I have a guest."

"A guest?" a familiar voice shouted from the couch and Ryoma smiled as his old coach turned and met his eye, "Ryoma!"

Grinning now, Ryoma said, "How are you Ryuzaki-sensei?" He watched as the elderly woman got up and began walking towards him. Her hair was shorter than he remember, coming above her shoulders in a wavy state. However, Ryoma noticed that she still wore sweats and still held the threatening look that the Seigaku regular's had feared in her eyes, even as she smiled. When she reached him, she didn't put her hand out to shake him or pull him into a hug as he had braced for but pinched his cheeks, hard.

"Obaa-chan!" he could hear the youngest Ryuzaki say as he keep making sounds of pain.

"Just like you to come without telling anyone!" his old coach said before letting his cheeks go and patting them while turning to her grand daughter who had walked up to them, "don't worry too much over the boy, Sakuno. He's been through worse."

"Still," Ryoma said frowning, "that hurt."

Ryuzaki-sensei chuckled lightly, slapping her hand onto his shoulder. "Still the same," she said before crossing her arms, "What are you doing here?"

Ryoma didn't have to answer, seeing as Ryuzaki, who now had her hands on her hips while staring at her obaa-chan clearly agitated about what she had done, answered for him. "I met Ryoma-kun on my way home and he offered to carry the bags," Ryuzaki explained quickly before adding, "Obaa-chan please stop having any more physical activities with Ryoma-kun!"

Suddenly, Ryoma's cheeks flushed darkly and he had to turn away, tugging his on the bill of his hat as he did. Before him, Ryuzaki-sensei burst out laughing while Ryuzaki looked confused. A moment later, after basking in embarrassment, Ryoma cleared his throat and said; quiet dryly, "you're still as innocent as before, Ryuzaki-san."

Ryuzaki turned, her face a light pink, as she took things out of the grocery bags and muttering under her breath as she did so, "I still don't understand what was so funny." This time, Ryoma had to turn because he couldn't help but snicker. The fact that she couldn't understand the perversity of what she had said was highly amusing and absolutely cute, not that Ryoma would ever say that to her.

"Ah, don't worry about it Sakuno," Ryuzaki-sensei said, smiling kindly at her granddaughter, "Ryoma, are you staying for dinner?"

Ryoma blinked, looked at Ryuzaki who was still placing things away, and shook his head, his gaze returning back to his old coach. "I already had dinner," he said, his gaze returning back to Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki-sensei followed his gaze as well, a slight smirk on her lips that Ryoma missed. "It's late though," he added, looking back at Ryuzaki-sensei, "maybe I should head home."

Ryuzaki-sensei sighed before nodding, "You should, if you have no reason in being here." She turned around and started looking at something that was sitting on the counter, placed neatly in between notes and notices. "Here's the card from me and Sakuno, could you give it to your father?"

She handed Ryoma a small white card with fancy writing on it. Ryoma looked down at it and blinked while becoming shocked for the second time that day, both having to deal with the wedding. "Oyaji, invited you guys?" he asked, his eyes shifted to Ryuzaki-sensei over to Ryuzaki before ending back onto the card. Apparently, Ryuzaki-sensei wanted the western meal while Ryuzaki wanted the Japanese meal.

"Yep," Ryuzaki voice broke in, answering his question with a smile. "It was a surprise really, I've never met your brother before and I'm sure Obaa-chan hasn't either… Right, Obaa-chan?"

"Yes," Ryuzaki-sensei answered before shaking her head while leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. "I've heard he's just like your father. Scary thought, isn't it? …Another person like Nanjiroh."

Ryoma smirked and gave a nod while Ryuzaki shook her head, although, Ryoma noticed, a small smile was playing on her lips as well. "Yeah," Ryoma said finally before stuffing the piece of paper into his pocket.

Both of them were going, Ryoma finally registered, somewhat glad. With the two of them going he didn't need to worry about conversing with people he felt uncomfortable with. His eyes shifted to Ryuzaki, who was asking her obaa-chan what she wanted to eat before listing out the things she could make for the two of them, and it hit him.

"Are either of you bringing a date?" Ryoma asked nonchalantly but fought a blush when Ryuzaki-sensei eyed him before winking.

"I'm not," she said, smirking, "I'm bringing an old friend. I'm sure you're father won't mind too much."

"Obaa-chan's bringing Banji-san," Ryuzaki said, in answer to Ryoma's perplexed look.

"Banji… as in Banji from Yamabuki, Banji?" Ryoma asked, looking back at Ryuzaki-sensei who nodded. Ryoma frowned, his eyes going to the floor for a moment, in thought, before he lifted up his gaze again, looking at Ryuzaki-sensei. "So… you two are together?"

"No," Ryuzaki-sensei said, a bit of disgust in her tone. Even though Ryoma had asked it very innocently, Ryuzaki-sensei eyes narrowed while an almost unnoticeable pink touched her cheeks. "That old man is the most annoying—"

She got cut off as Ryuzaki giggled, a hand coming up to her mouth as she tried to stop. When Ryuzaki-sensei eyes narrowed at her own granddaughter, Ryuzaki turned towards the fridge which sat besides the stove. "I'll start dinner," Ryuzaki said hastily and Ryoma couldn't blame her, after seeing that gaze in junior high school he was forced to do many, many laps.

Ryoma smiled before repeating, "Are you bringing a date?"

Ryuzaki froze in her steps before shaking her head, when she spoke her voice was soft, gloomy almost. "I was… but, that's not important. In any case," she added, turning around, a smile on her face, "I don't have one."

Ryoma caught a look of worry on Ryuzaki-sensei's face as she was gazing at Ryuzaki but choose to ignore it for the moment. "Go with me," Ryoma said, not making it a question and more like a command. He watched as Ryuzaki eyes widened slightly, her cheeks coloring cutely. He waited for Ryuzaki's answer whom, shifted nervously before shrugging, a small smile appeared on Ryoma's lips.

"I suppose," she answered, not looking at him as she turned a bit but Ryoma swore he saw a smile on her face.

An odd feeling of pride entered him as Ryuzaki moved to a small box on the counter top and began to scoop out rice from it before dumping it into their small rice cooker. After finishing that, she had lifted up her long, waist-length hair, and wrapped it gracefully into a small bun before tying it with a barrette she had on her wrist. His eyes lowered a bit, in thought, as he noticed how the dress she wore was fitting her and inwardly shook his head. She shouldn't go out at night looking like that, he thought inwardly, stuffing his hands into his pocket, bunch of perverts out there.

Like yourself, a small voice in his head said evilly. A very visible blush touched his cheeks and he pulled the brim of his hat down, his eyes finally hitting the floor in slight embarrassment. However, that wasn't it...the dress had caused a memory to stir in his mind.

- -
"Why... Why are you leaving me?"
- -

"I'm hungry," Ryuzaki-sensei said suddenly that caused Ryoma to turn fully towards her, he had almost forgotten she was there. "If you don't mind, Ryoma, I'd like to start eating. You can stay here and stand around us while you eat, I don't care—"

"Obaa-chan!" Ryuzaki scolded lightly but Ryuzaki-sensei choose to ignored her.

"—O r go home," Ryuzaki-sensei said, smiling warmly at Ryoma. "We're bound to meet up sometime soon anyway, right? So, you can tell me all about your little adventures in America then."

"Hai," Ryoma said, giving a brief good-bye before leaving the house. The night's air stung his face lightly with cold and he adjusted his hat before heading on, his hand reaching into his pocket to call up his brother. The phone rang for a few moments before his brother answered the phone, yawning.

A few moments later Ryoma asked, "…Ne, can I bring some of my friends to the wedding?"

End
Chapter Two
Author's Note: My b-day party is today! XD So, I'm giving you guys a presant! An early update for this story. You guys love me you know it!