Guess what ?

Disclaimer I don't own any of the HYD characters nor the original plotline of HYD, but I certainly own this particular plot and all the characters I created for it...

Note : I nearly cut this chapter in two parts, but I decided it was better to keep it as one. This one took me longer to write as the others, because I wanted a plausible and witty interaction between Akira ans Sophie, now that Akira found (part of) his assurance again...

Thanks : again and a million times to my faithful reviewer SnuffyTheMonkey : you're the reason I don't feel that alone in this... I love your comments, and I hope you're going to enjoy this new chapter (as well as all the other silent readers... :D )... Have a good read !

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7- Blackmail will usually do it

It was finally time for the lunch break, and, boy, did she feel like she needed a break ! Once the bell rang, she stretched as discreetly as possible to ease her sore muscles. There were not nearly enough breaks in the day for her confused and over-used mind – following classes in Japanese all day long, five days a week was the most exhausting thing she had ever had to do in her life.

Well, at least she had an hour to relax before the afternoon classes began. She leaned down to grab her bag, reaching with her arm, only to see someone's hand snatch it away from under her table and the owner of this hand run for the door.

"You have got to be kidding me !", she hissed, before running after the thief.

That was always her luck... Damn that skirt, she hated to have to run in a skirt, especially one short enough for everyone to see everything if she was running! To hell with those stupid uniforms !

She thought briefly about what Tsukushi had told her concerning the 'red tag' she had received herself when standing up against the F4, and the consequences that had followed. But it was not like she had found anything in her locker this morning, and...

"Run after the thief first. Think later.", her mind rationalized.

When she attained the school's front yard, out of breath and her cheeks red from the run, she paused. Breathing hard, she looked around trying to find out where the idiotic thieving moron who had taken her bag was.

And then, she saw him. Leaning on the side of his convertible, his self-satisfied grin on his lips, taking the bag from the hands of the jerk and tossing it not very carefully in the back of the car, dismissing his helper with a wave of the hand without ever taking his laughing eyes from the young woman – he obviously thought the situation was very funny.

The mischievous mood he was so obviously in aggravated Sophie, who was already quite pissed at the fact that she had had to run like crazy not to lose his minion. She didn't even stop to think about what she was going to do, and, feeling the anger build up inside of her, she walked towards the car in an obvious furious state, ready to scream so loud the moron would become deaf and slap him so hard he would see stars for the rest of the day.

"Anger suits you."

She had come after her bag, as he had anticipated. She was there, disheveled and angry as hell, and he just had to admit that the blush brought to her cheeks by the run and the furious sparkle in her light brown eyes was most appealing and most becoming. And her hair was down today. This curly hair just made her look wild. Boy, she looked beautiful at the moment. It was not just about revenge, now. It was also going to be about pleasure.

Akira ran his hands in his thick dark hair. He just had to succeed in seducing her, to be able to enjoy this foreign and exotic beauty in every possible way. Of course, she was not as 'mature' as he usually liked his bedmates – but, as they say, you can't really know until you try. Besides, Soujiro always pretended that virgins were the most gratifying thing that could happen to a man : everything was a wonder to them, and one was this almighty creature in their eyes. Soujiro had been a great help these last few days, to help him regain control of himself.

Akira's predatory smile grew wider as she grew closer. Anger really suited her. Happily for him, this time, he had a plan, a plan as flawless as it could get, he was prepared, and their meeting was going to be on his own terms, for once. All it had taken was a few days of his usual lifestyle, and the nervousness had passed. Akira, proud womanizer and ladies' man, was back.

As she lifted her hand to put her slap into motion, he grinned.

"Hello to you too, Sophie..."

He blocked her hand with his in the course of its trajectory to his face.

"Not this time, no. But I'm happy to see you remember me... or maybe this is your usual way to great beautiful men back in France ?"

If possible, the combination of the remark and the thwarting of her slap attempt seemed to make her even more furious at the young man.

"You idiotic self-satisfied scumbag!

- I'd really like to know where you learned all those insults... This isn't really the kind of vocabulary I would have expected from a formal Japanese class..."

She bit her lips in frustration, and let the anger inside her talk again.

"Let go of my hand and give me back my schoolbag. Now.

- And let you slap me again and go away ? No way... You're having lunch with me.

- In your dreams, maybe. In reality, never. Let go of me. Now. And I'm not kidding.

- I'm not either. And there's no way I'm letting you go before you agree to this lunch.

- Look, you pitiful excuse of a man, it's only Wednesday, and I already feel a throbbing headache coming to devour my mind, classes begin again at one thirty – that's less than an hour, now that you've made me run all the way to here, I'm all sweaty because of your stupid little prank, and I think I made it quite clear already that I dislike you. So I won't say it again : let go."

Akira couldn't help but wonder. What was it with feisty women that was so desirable ? First Tsukushi and Tsukasa, and now this one... Fiery tempers were back in style, apparently. He licked his lips and used his free hand to push a lock of hair that was bothering him behind his ear. He let a cocky grin win his lips.

"I'm glad you're finally agreeing to stop saying that, Sophie. It was beginning to be borderline boring : not the image you wanna give of yourself, he said. Besides, the headache and everything else you were just mentioning are all the more reasons for you to have lunch with me..."

He could already feel her temper beginning to calm as her pulse – he could feel it in the wrist he was holding – was beginning to slow down after the adrenaline rush she had had. This time, she actually just frowned and retorted :

"Are you dense ?

- I'd like to think that I'm not, answered Akira with a smile. Come on, what have you got to lose ? It's just lunch !"

He could see all her saucy power at work when she breathed in emphatically before letting out her answer.

"Mmmm... Trick question, she said with every ounce of irony she could find in herself, bringing her free index to her lips. First : my time, second : the only moment a day I have when I can actually relax and think in my own language, third : the occasion to have lunch with my friend Tsukushi, fourth : my self respect, fifth : do I really have to go on ?

- No, you don't. But let me address those points for you. So... First : you're going to have a good time, even if you'll never admit it, because, second : you clearly need a break – all this slapping around of people you don't really know every time you feel pissed these days shows you've got a lot of tension inside yourself that you need to let go of, besides – and this is third : since Tsukasa is taking his sweet girlfriend out to lunch today, having finally convinced her that she could accept to let him buy her a pretty dress for his party the day after tomorrow, you couldn't have had lunch with Tsukushi anyway, and fourth : I don't know what your self respect is doing in that list..."

Still leaning against the convertible door, he finally let go of her hand. She immediately rubbed her sore wrist, not having enough time to stop him when he turned back towards his car, grabbed her bag, made his way to the trunk, and enclosed it inside with his car keys, that he tucked inside his pants' pocket once he was done.

"Of course, you could chose to go back inside, but that would be without your bag. I'm keeping it."

And then, he put on his seduction mask, ans asked playfully, raising one eyebrow.

"Unless you feel like body-searching me, sweetheart ?"

He watched the outrage invading her pretty features as all of what he was implying dawned on her. He thought afterwards he could have spared the name – he already knew she didn't like much this kind of denomination, since that were the reason for the initial slap.

"What?", she screamed.

He smiled again, covering his ears with his hand with a mock expression of intense suffering.

"Not so loud, honey. People will hear us.

- Don't you 'sweetheart' and 'honey' me again, or I'll make sure the Mimasaka family will never have any descent through you.

- Enough names and threats for today, it is most unwomanly of you, he added with his everlasting grin. Well, since you're still here, I assume that means you are rerally having lunch with me."

He turned around the car, opened the driver's door and got in. He made the contact, and the motor purred loudly.

"Get in, already! As you said, it's not like we have all day."

He loved the look of outrage and puzzle on her face – he had successfully reversed the situation, for now at least. And he was going to take full advantage of it. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You know what this is ? This is blackmail ! This...

- Don't bother, I know what I'm doing... I figured it was the only way I'd get you to meet me here at lunch break... See, that way your parents won't be worried about you coming home late at night, and you don't even get to dismiss my proposition. That doesn't leave you with much to think of : I'm sparing your tired mind. Plus, since I have a valuable hostage, he said, pointing towards the trunk, I have some leverage, but I won't abuse my power. I just want to have lunch with your sweet fabulous self, he added with a grin. Lots of girls would kill to be in your place."

She glanced helplessly at the trunk, and then decided to give up – that particular fight, she would not win, but she swore inwardly he was going to pay big time for doing this to her. He was going to regret ever blackmailing her into this lunch.

"Get in or I'll drive away with your stuff in my trunk – and you'll never see it again. And leave your anger and outrage outside the car, I'm sure they'll still be there when we come back..."

She got in after shooting a killer glare at him and slammed violently the door after herself, suspecting it would annoy him.

"If you break it, I'll just buy myself a new one, you know.", he said without even looking at her as he drove away from school.

She crossed her arms and looked away.

"I'll better be in time for my afternoon class, she snapped. And remind me that I've got to kill you."

Akira couldn't help but smile at this. He stole a glance at her. She looked more exhausted than furious, now.

"No problem."

She turned towards him, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Oh, and, Sophie? Remind me I have to forget about reminding you !"

She lowered her eyes, trying to suppress the smile that was trying to make its way to her lips, and she just picked a lock of her hair and started playing with it.

"Whatever."

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Okay, long chapter, and I LOVED writing it. As you see, Akira is back to his usual self – for now. And don't be worried : that's going to take him much more work to get her anywhere he wants her to be...