Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

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CHAPTER EIGHT: Game of Love

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Tsukushi just got up from her bed that morning when one of the maids knocked on her door.

"Come in."

"There's a phone call for you, Miss." A young maid said as she entered the room and handed Tsukushi a cordless phone.

"Who is it?" Tsukushi asked the maid as she took the phone.

"Miss Umi's mother." The maid informed her before she left the room.

Tsukushi walked toward her terrace, "Hello, auntie?"

"Oh, hello Tsukushi!" the woman from the other line greeted enthusiastically. "How are you dear?"

"Fine."

"Anyway, I just want to check on Umi."

"I didn't see her yet since yesterday." Tsukushi said as she breathes the morning fresh air.

"I see, here I was, hoping that I could talk to her."

"Well, I'll tell her you called," just when Tsukushi turned sideways, almost looking at the front lawn of the Doumyouji's, who were currently outdoors, she saw Umi's yellow-orange hair, she even squinted her eyes to see if she was right.

"Anyway, I'll just call back again, dear."

"Wait!" Tsukushi said before her aunt could hang up. "I think I see Umi at our neighbor's."

"Could you call her for me, dear?"

"Sure, just a sec." she entered her room and grabbed her sky-blue robe and put it over her pink cotton pants and white cotton shirt.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Doumyouji Mansion, front lawn

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Tsubaki, Soujirou, Seinosuke, Umi, and Tsukasa were all having breakfast at the front lawn when they heard the buzzer rang.

"Oh look, it's Tsukushi." Soujirou said as they looked when she entered after the guard opened the gate.

"Tsukushi?" Tsubaki frowned.

"She's Tsukasa's girlfriend," Soujirou smirked, "But it's still one sided." He chuckled.

Tsukasa bopped him on the head.

"Oh, she's my cousin!" Umi chirped with a sweet smile.

The other's looked from the sunny-shallow-looking Umi to a serious-no-nonsense-looking Tsukushi. They were all wondering how did they become related when their personality were miles apart.

"Yo, Tsukushi," Tsukasa greeted as he stood up and put his left hand on Tsukushi's shoulder as he gave her a quick kiss.

Tsukushi frowned, surprised with his actions. She was wondering what was up with Tsukasa, it was not like they're together. He kept on kissing her and holding her. As if it was just a natural thing for the two of them to greet each other like that. And what was wrong with her, she was not even complaining, and it felt like she was enjoying his attention. It all looked so weird. As if they belong for each other.

She buried the thought deep on her mind and turned to her cousin.

"Your mom's on the line," Tsukushi handed the cordless phone to Umi.

"Oh! Thanks cuz!" Umi grabbed the phone and talked to her mother.

"Good morning, Tsukushi." Soujirou greeted with a smile.

"Morning Soujirou."

"Anyway, I would like you to meet our older sister, Tsubaki and our cousin from America, Seinosuke." Tsukasa said.

The three exchanged their greetings.

"It looks like you just got up from your bed." Soujirou grinned.

Tsukushi blushed as she pulled her robe tighter. "Um, yeah."

"Why don't you join us for breakfast." Tsukasa said as he moved a chair for her. She muttered a thank you after she sat and Tsukasa assisted her.

"I hope my cousin's not bothering you." Tsukushi said as she drank from her glass of apple juice that Tsukasa poured on her tall glass.

"Oh don't worry, the only one she's bothering was Seinosuke." Soujirou chuckled.

Seinosuke gave his cousin a glare, which added up to his laughter.

Tsukushi then noticed that one of Umi's hands was drape around Seinosuke's shoulder as she chatted with her mother on the phone.

Seinosuke just shrugged.

"So, I heard you're part of The Hana." Tsubaki inquired.

"Yeah, that's our band."

"I'm glad that you and Tsukasa are getting along just fine." Tsubaki smiled.

Tsukushi frowned, did the F4's sister thought that she's going out with Tsukasa? But they're not.

Before Tsukushi could protest, Tsukasa put a small slice of ham on her mouth. She couldn't do anything but to chew quietly as Tsukasa fed her most of the time when he was hinting that she was trying to say against what his sister thought.

She conceded and just took everything Tsukasa's been feeding her. Tsubaki seemed please at what she was seeing especially when she noticed the bite mark on Tsukushi's neck. 'Well, Tsukasa works fast!' she thought proudly.

After a while, Akira with Sakurako emerged from the inside of the house, Sakurako was being pursued by Akira as they run around while laughing. They looked like they just got out of bed themselves.

"Sakurako!" Tsukushi blurted in surprise. 'Since when did Sakurako started sleeping at the Doumyouji mansion? And with Akira too?' she thought.

The couple stopped from running about as Sakurako stared at one of her best friends. "Tsukushi…"

"Wow…" Tsukushi grinned. "This is a week full of surprises."

"You could say that."

"It's a good thing I saw you this early, we have a practice after class."

"So, you're not mad or anything?" Sakurako asked cautiously as she sat beside Tsukushi.

Tsukushi frowned, "Why would I be?"

"Because we promise that the four of us would fall in love at the same time and it seems like I'm on the lead." She smirked.

Tsukushi pouted, "It's okay, as long as our band won't suffer."

"Alrighty!" Sakurako hugged her.

After a while, Umi came back toward them. "Thanks again Tsukushi." She handed back the cordless phone.

"You're not coming back with us at the house?" Tsukushi frowned as she took the phone.

"Nah, I'll stay here for a while," she said then she sat between Seinosuke and Tsukasa as she both grabbed an arm from each guy. "Wow, now I could say its raining men!"

Tsukasa tugged his arms out of Umi's grasp and held Tsukushi by the waist with his both arms. Tsukushi was surprised she didn't even react for a while. 'What's with this guy! If I don't know any better I think he's acting possessive…' she thought.

She struggled free little by little from Tsukasa's arms and got up from her chair, "Let's go Sakurako, we still need to prepare for school."

"Hai." She said. Tsukushi rolled her eyes as she saw her friend and Akira exchanged an intimate kiss in front of them. Her eyes widened when Tsukasa gave her a peck on the lips. Before she could react, Sakurako was dragging her out.

"Tell me Saku," Tsukushi said when they reached her mansion. "Did you and Akira already do it? I mean by the look of you today with his robe…" she asked while blushing.

Sakurako chuckled, "Well, we sleep at the same bed alright but we didn't do anything…"

"Boy I'm surprise," Tsukushi snickered. "With a guy like that! Don't tell me he's gay!"

Sakurako bopped her on the head, "Hey, he's straight and don't even think about him like that for a second. We're doing a school project last night and no time to think of anything else so he just lent me his shirt last night, but I didn't say we didn't make out."

"Whatever." Tsukushi shrugged.

"Why did you ask anyway?"

"Curiosity I guess," Tsukushi yawned. "I thought I could ask you how was it?"

"Pervert!" Sakurako joked.

Tsukushi turned beet red. "I didn't mean in details! I'm just curious how it feels 'coz I heard from others it hurts…"

Sakurako nodded in agreement, "That's right."

Tsukushi shuddered, "You know how I hate pain and blood."

"Yeah, I remember you're the only one of us four who didn't bother to get some injections when there's a vaccination program at school for health." Sakurako pondered then she smiled wickedly. "But poor dear, once you get yourself a guy I tell you, it's bigger than injection," she chuckled when she saw the look of worried and horrified on Tsukushi's face. "Not to mention that Tsukasa seems so interested and a bit possessive with you."

Tsukushi's face worsened, "I don't think I'm ready to have any commitments for the next fifty years or make it a hundred years of my life with what information you just said."

"Hey it's okay," Sakurako assured her friend. "It's not only hurt you'll feel, if it is then how did married couples make babies?"

Tsukushi paled double time, "Kami, Sakurako, stop it…" she started to walk, leaving Sakurako behind as she covered her ears. Tsukushi's feeling worse with the thought of giving birth.

Sakurako pouted then shrugged, "Oh well, you'll change your mind soon." She said behind her friend.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

At the school…..

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Tsukushi was still having her extra practice on her ballet for the upcoming play when her three friends showed up. She made swift and graceful last moves before she stopped and headed for her friends. "Hey!" she greeted with a smile.

Sakurako rolled her eyes, "Hey yourself, fairy princess…" she said jokingly as she grabbed on Tsukushi's towel and wiped her friend's perspiration on her neck and face. "You're the one who told us about the practice after class but then you're the one who's not around…"

Tsukushi just smiled innocently. "Gomen, I thought I could be there on time, anyway, I just did my last turn so we can go now."

"Good," Yuki said as she grabbed Tsukushi's stuff and they all left the ballet room.

They were walking toward the music room when Shigeru looked at her still-ballet-attire-clad friend. "Hey, you're not changing your clothes?" she pointed out as she walked backwards, both her hands atop her head.

"Nah, I'll just sweat again anyway and it's already end of the school time." She shrugged.

"Rockstar Ballet Princess, eh." Shigeru joked as she smirked.

"Shige----" the three girls were about to warn their friend who was leading the way backwards but the collision already occurred.

"Hey!" Shigeru screamed as she ended up sprawled on the floor, she almost jumped up when she heard a groan from behind her. Her eyes widened when she saw that she was almost sitting backwards on a guy.

"----ru…" Shigeru's friends ended lamely as they helped her up.

"Oh jeez, look where you're going man!" Shigeru lectured as she was now standing again, her hands akimbo as she looked down on the guy whose heads still down and slowly getting up. "Really, you could have injured me, and you have no idea who am I, I happened to be one of the Hana and you won't understand what'll happen if I got injured and can't play for the band." She rattled on. "So what'll you say about----"

Shigeru stopped from speaking and gaped as she saw who she was babbling to. It's Rui… The guy who loves to irritate her in their class, always banging one of his feet on her chair even if they were writing something from the board. The guy who always tugged on one of her locks when he was bored and there was nothing to do as they listened to their history class, sometimes managed to trip her, thank kami it occurs without the present of a stairwell. The point is, whenever they encountered each other, it was like there was always something about to happen to her. Well, maybe because these past few days he looked like he was in a daze and as if he was physically there but mentally absent. What was with this guy anyway, he was not like his brothers. Even though he was silent and unapproachable, Shigeru couldn't pinpoint on why on earth she was irritated with him. Not like she has a crush on him. 'EXCUSE ME!' she thought wide eyed. If she did have a crush on him, then she would be jinx for the rest of her life if they ever happened to be a couple or anything. There was only one thing she knew, Rui was a walking jinx.

She was pulled out of her musings when, oh surprise, the guy spoke. "You're the one who's supposed to look on your way." Rui said without a flicker of any emotion.

"Ha!" Shigeru screamed loudly, her friends just watched the scene with amusement. "Since you're the one who's looking, you could have walked out of my way! What? Are you sleep walking or something…"

Rui, for the first time looked intently at the bubbly and yet irritating squirt in front of him. For the first time, well, he was seeing her around but never really bothering to notice her as someone that could interest him and not to mention that he was attracted with Shizuka for the past weeks and he was still missing her. And if this little accident didn't occur, he won't bother looking or even studying this bubbly and lively girl in front of him. It now occurred to him that it was the girl he always love to irritate during classes and even out of the class if they happened to encounter each other at the hallway, why not, when she was fun to irritate with because it was easy to get a rise out of her. And for the first time, Rui was enjoying himself irritating the girl in front of him because it was rare to meet a girl who was not looking at him as if he was some kind of meat to be devoured, this girl was rather irritated with him and it looked like she'd like to be as far away from him as possible. And for the first time, Rui felt and realized the almost violent tugging on his chest as he looked at her. Could she be? Again, he looked at her intently and now with new interest. Then a lazy smile graced his lips.

Shigeru narrowed her eyes as she pointed one of her finger to Rui's chest who was now looking amused, "What? Has the gall to smile at me! D'you really think I would just forgive you because of that stupid smile of yours! Think you could charm your way to me just like from any other girls, well, you're wrong. If there's anything you could do, then I'll tell you what, stop pestering me 'coz girls like me has a lot more important things to do!"

As if to irritate her more, Rui just plastered his smile as he looked down patronizingly at the girl who was poking his chest with her small index finger. Threatening him, as if she looked intimidating. Really, she was rather cute with those slight cherry cheeks because of irritation and sparkling lively eyes. Now he knew why his brother's chose the girls from the Hana, not that they could choose anyone else when their other self chose the girls from the Hana's also, they're all interesting with lively characters. Since he was not the one to talk too much, now, how could he silence this rampaging yet cute young lady in front of him? Hmmm….ideas coming into his mind and he smiled widely.

Shigeru pouted, sighed, and then rolled her eyes, "Well, guess you're not a big talker huh, figures." She shrugged. "Anyway, one thing, stay away from me, I mean I really get into this funny situation everytime we met, just like now, and----" Shigeru's eyes widened and so was Tsukushi, Sakurako, and Yuki when Rui slowly lifted his hands up to Shigeru, one cupping her head and one caressing her cheek and he kissed her.

Tsukushi looked at the scene with surprise.

Yuki's jaw dropped.

While Sakurako looked amused. "Doumyouji guys really are interesting…" she murmured.

Just about the same time, the F3 happened to approach the same hall they were all at, and just like the girls, they looked at the scene with surprise and amusement.

"Never thought he could be this bold…" Soujirou chuckled.

"Geez…get a room!" Akira yelled sarcastically. "You two practically were blocking the way!"

Rui looked up a bit daze, a bit of his 'other self' was visible to his look as he gave his brother a smug look, "Grow up, you three…" he chided before he kissed Shigeru again.

Soujirou and Akira just chuckled as they rest their back on the lockers, while Tsukasa's vein popped. "Us three! I didn't even say a single word!"

"GAHHHHH!" Shigeru's voice silenced the whole group, thankfully that no one else was around. They all cringed at her loud voice. She walked backwards from Rui as she rubbed her neck. "What are you? A dog or something! Really, you can't walk around or kiss around biting people's neck! Now you just didn't trip me or tug my hair locks or bang my chair! You insolent smug looking biting silent man!" she kept her litany, thinking all the possible words her mind could produce and think. At the same time, her friends, and Rui's brother looked at them with amusement, Rui smirked at his mate-to-be with satisfaction as he raised his knuckles to wipe the blood out of his lips. "If you're not standing here with us in the sun lit hallway, I swear you could be a vampire! You idiot! It damn hurts!" Shigeru kept yelling as she rubbed her neck-bite-wounds.

Tsukushi suddenly widened her eyes as she recalled the markings on her neck, she was sure she was bitten by someone that night a few days ago, and at the same place where Shigeru was bitten by Rui. 'Who bit me? It can't be Rui, I mean, that guy didn't look like him.' She thought, then she noticed Tsukasa looking at her, she suddenly felt a shiver ran down her spine. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Shigeru again.

"No way, idiot! Don't come near me!" Shigeru muttered to Rui before she looked at her friends, her face red with so much emotion. "Let's get going and practice." She said as she led the way again with stiffness as she passed at Rui's side. She gave him a glare before continuing to walk. The other girls followed her after giving Rui an amuse and sorry look.

After the girls were out of earshot, Akira walked toward his brother and patted his shoulder. "So, you finally found her. Congratulations."

"And we're happy for you!" Soujirou added.

Tsukasa just smirked and shrugged.

"Damn, you two!" Soujirou suddenly muttered as he eyed Rui and Tsukasa. "You're the last guys Akira and I expected to find a mate-to-be and yet you two actually marked them as yours, no way. I didn't even know how to tell or approach Yuki. We're not still an official couple you know, just hanging out and all…"

"Yeah!" Akira agreed. "Sure Saku and I are officially together but I didn't even think about marking her yet!"

Rui just grinned then shrugged. "That means you two are slow!" he said as he started walking on his way before he bumped to Shigeru, but thankfully, it was also the reason he knew and felt about her. 'Soon, we'll be together.' He thought with a smile as he whistled on his way. It surprised him that bumping on Shigeru gets his mind out of sadness. He hoped that Shizuka's happy wherever part of the world she was now.

Back at the F3, Tsukasa looked at his brothers with bemusement. "You heard the guy, you two are S-L-O-W." he grinned.

Soujirou and Akira looked at Tsukasa with annoyance as they both bopped him on the head.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

HEY GUYS! HOPE YOU LIKE THIS AND OBVIOUSLY, I HINTED HALF OF THE CHAPTER ABOUT OUR NEW COUPLE.

Thanks to, cutebowlofvioletcurry, lost scorpion girl, cathy07, rincess4ever- I want them a bit reckless and I spell some words like that with real intent., maziy.