After the Sunset
Chapter III
You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me
There's just too much that time cannot erase
-- My Immortal
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"Now that Aya has given you chocolate, I'd like to give you what I've made myself."
The gaily-wrapped box, clad in yellow-printed paper and ribbons, sparkled as happily as its maker. His heart gave a playful lurch, pleased beyond understanding that Ran had went through all the trouble of making him chocolate-- and actually had some left to work with, when everybody knew she would rather eat and keep them all for herself.
Ran made him chocolate...
Adrenaline and a burst of drugging energy shot up from his spine, threatening to engulf his brain. He could already feel it seeping through his face, tugging his lips to smile, and cause his eyes to... shine with indescribable joy.
But if there was anything more powerful than those feelings, it was Pride.
Like a cold splash of water, it effectively doused the flame that wanted itself to be known.
"No."
"Huh?"
"I don't want it."
"Why not?".
Rei stared coldly at Ran.
"I don't want it." He turned his heel and walked away.
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"I need you to tell me the truth," Aya demanded later. "Do you have feelings for her?" Aya's voice rose to a shrilly pitch. "Don't lie to me, I can see it with my own eyes, I want to hear you say it!"
He didn't breathe a word, and it seemed that the answer would never come.
"Yes."
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Yes…
Rei was already awake when the alarm went off. His eyes were open, blindly focused on a dark corner of his luxuriously furnished suite.
Faint wisps of blue-white light were beginning to glow through the windows. A cool breeze of autumn wafted through the room, and like a ghostly hand, lovingly stroked the curtains to movement.
The Otohata heir rubbed his eyes, while his fingers blindly groped for the intercom.
"Sukio-kun—"
"Yes Master Rei."
"I will not attend the meeting today. Tell Watanabe to cover for me."
"It will be done Sir."
"And, bring me some poached eggs, a toast, and a—"
"A cup of freshly brewed coffee without cream. I'm already on my way, Sir."
Rei sighed at the honorific. "Sukio-kun. You don't have to call me 'Sir', or 'Master'. I would very much appreciate it if you would just call me Rei."
"I've always called your otou-san the same, Ma- er, Rei."
"You're already family, Sukio. You've been with me ever since I was a small boy."
Sukio's face softened with understanding.
"Very well Rei."
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Sukio made the finishing brush to the imaginary speck of dust on Rei's coffee table. There were the hotel's chambermaids and cleaning personnel, but Sukio had always insisted that he did most of what he could for the young master. Forty years of service for the Otohata, his loyalty, and his life have been bequeathed to the family. Through Rei's mother, he was taken in and he was reformed, trading his stained corporate suit for the guise of a humble butler. He had taken in the new responsibilities with renewed hope, as well as the care of the sole heir to the Otohata's vast fortune.
In the course his stay, he had witnessed a lot of things that bound him even further to his masters. Family secrets, spats, and Rei's father's unfortunate fascination with women.
Sukio's face cringed as he recalled young master's face when he first encountered one of the many mistresses of the older Otohata.
"Sukio-kun—" who is Auntie Nakuru? Does she have children like otou-san?"
Sukio looked down sadly to the small child holding his hand. He hid his distress with a beaming smile. "She's—uh—a friend of your otou-san. Er, let's get on with your bath before it gets cold!"
Practically dragging Rei's thin and leggy form, Sukio seemed to try to drag him away from the harsh realities of life. The bad, the ugly, the painful…
And yet somehow, the young boy knew. His eyes saw how the woman slithered to his father's table, and the look that passed between them.
Rei's eyes filled with tears, which he stubbornly wiped away with the sleeves of his pajamas.
"Sukio-kun," the small child commanded in the coldest voice he could muster. "I want to take my bath now."
The middle-aged butler shook his head sorrowfully.
So young, and he's been dealt one of the most painful experiences that a child could have.
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The drive to Shibuya took longer than expected. He didn't have to wait too long, though. The familiar outline of the Shibuya district was already coming into view. Large, but still unlighted neon signs proudly announced every establishment.
Not much has changed, Rei noted. If anything, the famous district has become even more crowded with buildings. An incredible number of people milled the sidewalks, or passed in front of his car.
By nightfall, Shibuya surely will come alive…
His sleek black car made a turn for the nearest parking lot. The heavily tinted car window slowly slid open.
"Your counters are broken." Rei said chastisingly. He leaned closer to the parking attendant's booth. "Is the 10th floor parking still open?"
"Yes, uh—" the parking attendant found herself staring at the most beautiful blue-grey eyes. Dark locks framed a deceptively soft face, while his nose figured haughtily from his features.
"We're truly-- sorry for the… um…" a breathless sigh.
Rei knew his effect of women, but he didn't feel like hitting on anybody right now.
"I need a parking ticket." Rei said curtly.
That seemed to snap her out of her trance, flushing pink. "Yes, sir."
"And fix your counters."
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The car glided to a halt, shimmering in the fluorescent lights.
Rei reached into his coat.
The picture was a bit old and folded. Many times, he debated with himself whether to throw it away or keep it.
He hasn't changed much from the picture, and only the undeniable knowledge and depth in his eyes told people of his age. The lines of his chin and jaw sharpened only slightly.
How much change can 10 years do?
Rei looked up, making out the outline of the building that stood close. His dark eyes glittered with a peculiar light, hooded with eyelashes that had grown darker with time.
Ran was in the 42nd floor, where Nippon Express, a travel magazine, was located.
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A cliffie! (Allegra dodges a shower of rotting vegetables thrown by angry RanxRei fans)
Hey, it takes dedication, sweat, a pimple, and time to do a decent, well-written fic. (laughs) I would love to churn out chapters by the ream but I can't! I'm already working on the next chapter, but don't expect an update too soon, alright?
Anyway, if anybody's been wondering if the RanxReixAya scene at the top of the chapter is canon, it is. In the TV series Rei did admit to Aya that he has feelings for Ran.
And to my reviewers, mwah!
Aphrael-Chibi: There really is a short supply of RanxRei fics. For every100 ayaxrei fics, we get -one-. Tsk.
Monsterlife: Thanks. The third chapter is a bit longer. I realized I can't cram a believable RanxRei fic into three measly parts.
Venetia: You are absolutely right. Ran and Rei have a special connection with each other, though neither of them wants to admit it, especially Ran.