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...

Notes

- light chapter, but still some important landmarks. I decided to explain why T&T are left alone by Kaede, because I thought it was the right place to do so. The aim, as I had said earlier, is to make clear why Sophie accepted Akira's proposition, between other things...

- Soujiro behaves like... Soujiro! Only with a slight difference... ;o) He's going to have a more important part soon.

- ... Well, I'm amazed, 5 reviews on my last chapter, I'm glad ! It proves people like my fic enough to say things about it... It's always a pleasure, and that's the reason I always answer and try to address the comments when I can !

Thanks ; az09, snuffyTHEmonkey, Juliana, kashuneko, ANIMESHUNTER for taking the time to review on chapter 15... I really appreciate it !

Replies to anonymous reviews (signed where directly replied to) :

Kashuneko : you're right, vulnerability can break down barriers in a woman. But not all the barriers... Anyway, you are kinda close to my idea, but not completely ! I guess my tortuous mind works strangely... Thanks for the review !

Juliana : friends, they are not... but they're brought together, and who knows what that might provoke? ;o) G;ad you're still liking my fic !

ANIMESHUNTER : Akira is the one with the long hair in the manga/anime (Tsuyoshi Abe, who was acting him in the drama, has shorter hair...)... Thanks for the encouragement !

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16-A friendly cup of coffee and a F4's night out

Tsukushi and Sophie were sitting at a table of the terrace of a nice coffee place, under the warm sun of the blooming summer. Tsukushi had the day off – it was a rare thing, especially since she had packed her schedule with student jobs. She just wwanted to make the most out of the summer break to help pay for the tuition fee of Eitoku University at the beginning of the Academic year, without reducing her family to plain rice. Tsukasa pouted and argued that he would pay them in a second if she would only allow him to, so that they could spend more quality time together and so that she did not overwork herself.

But Tsukushi did not want to owe him her education – after all, Kaede Domyouji had told her she would not hinder the relationship further under the strict rule that she should show herself worthy of becoming part of the Domyouji family. She should become more than 'a mere nuisance of a gold-digging commoner' that would be embarrassing Tsukasa all his life, and even such an asset that her lack of money or background would come to mean nothing. Of course, Tsukasa did not know any of this – it was another of the terms that the head of the Domyouji family had stipulated.

The young man thought that his mother had finally accepted his choice and that she was happy about it, or at least not completely hostile to it. After all, they had struggled enough together to deserve being together, he reflected. That only showed that he did not know the extent of his mother's cold rational mind. But in the meantime, no-one tried directly to bring the couple apart, and that was already something.

On this nice summer afternoon, Sophie had convinced her to go out with her and have a cup of coffee in the town center.

"I still can't believe you accepted ! After you told me you hated guys like him, I never thought you'd be willing to spend so much time with him !

- I know it sounds stupid and strange... and you would probably not understand, but he had me cornered as soon as he managed to arrive at my family's house before I did. I still need to know how he learned of this, by the way. And I could certainly not make a scene in front of my mom. Telling her that I had been unable to find a friend willing to do this with me would have been most awful for me... So he kind of saved me from the humiliation to have to do it.

- And why is that ? I mean, it could be possible that your friends are just not interested in...

- My parents have been nagging me all the time ever since we arrived in Japan – they keep telling me I'm representing my country in Eitoku, and that the image I give of myself doesn't reflect just me, but my nation and upbringing as well. They want me to blend in, not to be... well, not to be who I really am, in fact. I hate compromise, but sometimes, I don't really have a choice, Tsukushi.

- So tell me, how bad was it ?

- Not that bad, as a matter of fact. I was kind of surprised... He behaved himself and, even if I would never tell him to his face, it was nice to dance with someone who knew what he was doing. Shizuru asked us to do a partner switch at a point, to check whether or not the guys had the lead correctly... I could tell the difference with the guy I got stuck with for fifteen minutes. Mimasaka remains without doubt a pig and a moron, and a playboy. But so can be Soujiro, at times, and he manages to be a decent guy too, as a friend."

She paused, considering the possibility.

"Look, maybe he really means well, and wants to mend the rift my arrival made in our common group of friends. He's right, it's bad enough that you all feel shifty when we're both here. Especially since he was your friend first.

- Well, I can only say that I agree on the pig part. But as a friend, Akira is a great guy. I hope you'll get to see him under that light someday.

- I hope so for him. Because I promised to deprive him of the possibility of children if he so much as begins to misbehave... And with the approval of Shizuru ! I really mean to carry out that threat if he does."

Tsukushi and Sophie smiled together at the thought.

"I guess I'm beginning to see why the four Flowers think we are so much alike, Tsukushi giggled. What did he answer to that ?

- That he would watch his hands very carefully, and that they had better things to do anyway... A pig, I'm telling you. But I think I may have more to fear from his perverted mind than of his hands. I mean I really do need to know how he managed to make such a good impression on my mom ! She won't stop telling my father about 'Sophie's nice dance partner', she added while rolling her eyes expressively. It's almost as if she's marrying us already or something – and I can't say anything...

- You don't think that he would have tried to... Well, I know Akira has a thing for married women but...

- He went for the PE teacher... She has to be at least as old as my mom !

- Maybe a bit younger, Sophie... But, I don't think he would do anything of the sort...

- I hope so for him. Because my family is off limits ! A public slap would be the least he'd have to worry about, if I had reason to believe he was going for my mom or my sister, she said with her eyes sparkling with fury at the mere thought of it. Well, you know what I mean. My mother is a sensible person. Besides, she loves my father. Both of them are even gross about that from time to time – I mean they still go on dates, sometimes.

- Well, at least, you know she does not like him because of his money – all my mother actually likes about Domyouji is his family fortune. She embarrasses me in front of him all the time. But I guess she means well, so I'm not angry at her or anything. She can't help being who she is.

- I guess parents can be difficult, Sophie stated with a mock serious expression on her features.

- And they say we are the difficult ones !

- Exactly my point..."

The two friends laughed together. It was nice to be on a break.

In the private booth of their favorite nightclub, the four guys were catching up. Tonight, at least till the F4 parted, no girls and no-one foreign in their little circle.

As Rui was silently sipping a beer, Tsukasa was babbling about his newest sports car, filling the uncomfortable silence that had ensued when Soujiro had learned of Akira's latest move on Sophie. At the moment, Soujiro was glaring at Mimasaka, who was making every effort to pretend like he was not noticing. And then, Tsukasa was cut short during the detailed description of the sports car's engine purring, when Soujiro exploded.

"I thought we agreed you'd leave her alone."

Tsukasa rolled his eyes and decided it would be wise to shut up until Soujiro got his temper out of the way. Rui shifted in his sitting position, leaning back on his chair, as if to observe the fight better. Akira sighed, ran his hand in his hair, and finally answered with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry for not remembering she was your girlfriend – you usually ditch those in a week, and you've been hanging out with her for a couple of months now. Maybe that's what got me so confused.

- You moron, Akira...

- She's beginning to rub off on you, I see. Be careful, or soon, you're going to call me pig as well... Relax, Soujiro. I mean it, it's not like you're interested in her as something else than a genderless friend..."

Soujiro put his cocktail glass on the table and began to toy with a napkin.

"As you say, I'm not. But she is my friend. I care about her as such. And you are not to play with her like you originally planned, that's all."

Akira decided he could tell the truth, since there really was no point in fighting with Soujiro about a plan now buried.

"It's a good thing that I don't intend to, then. Listen, I'm just trying to ease the tension between the F4 and his girlfriend, he illustrated pointing at Tsukasa.

- Hey ! My girlfriend has a name !

- I know, it's Tsukushi. Like I could forget ! Anyway, it's just a dance class. And she has already threatened to unman me if I misbehave. So she's quite safe, since I really like not being a castrato. I'm not touching her. Well, I mean... not in any un-salsa-like way.

- You'd better. Because if you do, I'll finish her work.

- Oh my God, Soujiro ! If I didn't know you better, I'd think you are in 'luuuuv', he commented with a smirk. Why didn't you accept to be her partner, then, when she offered ? That would have protected her alright. Besides, you're not that bad a dancer yourself.

- I'm as good as your are, Akira, so don't patronize me... May I remind you we learned together ? Well, I though she'd drop it, anyway. She didn't seem to have it in her. And three times a week, three hours each ? What is it, forced salsa work ? I don't see the point of sweating that much and lose three evening a week.

- Well, if I cared enough about someone to threaten to kill a childhood friend over her, I'd do it. But hey, that's just me.

- Just promise not to proceed with your stupid revenge plan.

- I swear I won't – not like it would make any sense if I did, three months after, and once you're all doting on her. Now, will you let Tsukasa proceed in bragging some more about his newest toy ?"

Which won him a true Tsukasa glare.

But the discussion was over. Soujiro felt somehow better now that he had made it clear he would not let Akira play the womanizer with Sophie. Besides, Akira always had the stupidest ways of putting things. Like he would ever fall for the Frenchie now. Sure, the first time he had seen her, he'd thought her a nine and a half on the NWTIB scale, but most of time, between the glasses she wore as soon as her contacts hurt her eyes, the braids, the 'throwing stuff at him' habit, the continuous over-excitation, the verbal incontinence, and everything else... Come on ! He had refined young ladies throwing themselves at him all the time... Why would he ever choose to go for the ill-mannered curly-haired prudish French girl ?

Inside his mind, a little voice that he hushed immediately whispered that all of those may actually be a reason. As long as Akira behaved like a gentleman with her, everything would be okay. Yes, and when Tsukasa would be finished, he had to invoke some excuse. Tonight would be a fine night for disposable girlfriend hunting – after all, he was officially single since the morning. Even if the girl still had to figure that out on her own. A brief comment on his behaviour passed through his mind in Sophie's voice : "You really are a pig, Soujiro.".

Indeed, he kind of felt like one. Not that it felt that bad either. Being a pig has its perks, when you think of it.

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Okay, not the greatest chapter, but it is important to set future twists. Next chapter will have more action and discoveries. I'm taking a little more time to update because I want to figure out how to make it a great chapter, without it being cheesy or fake – don't worry, they're not getting together yet, not even close. But Akira is going to have to... Well, you'll have to read chapter 17 to know ! (I'm trying the teaser version...) It's not written yet, but it sounds great in my head !

Review please, so that I know what you think of this ! ;o)