Prologue
Amaya walked into the bookstore, the doors jingled as she pushed it. She looked around for a while, wandering the store, but she didn't pick up one single book. She was only there for one specific book she had been looking forward to reading all month, and today was the day it came out. She stopped at the graphic novels section and scanned through all the titles on the shelves. She bent down and pulled out a book titled "Love Filled Night" By Reina Takashira. It was the 5th volume, Amaya had already purchased all the previous volumes, in fact, she was the person who received the very first copy made. She loved the book, not just because it was made by her best friend in the whole world, but because it had a lot of passion and it was an amazing book. She sat down in a chair and started to read, about half an hour passed when she finished it. She slowly shut the book, her eyes filled with sadness. Amaya stared at the cover for a while and shook her head, disappointed. She put the book back on shelf annd didn't hesistate when she walked past the cashier. She would usually buy the book…but some reason…she didn't.
"Love Filled Night"
June Pichayanon
Located at the highest summit of China was the White Tiger Village. It was a windy fall Wednesday but for those living there, it was the perfect day to be outdoors. Reina Takashira, a doujinshi(Graphic Novel/Manga) artist was out buying new art supplies. She was 22, Chinese and was rather pretty with her silky black hair that went down to her waist, her Chinese like clothing and the feature she loved the most about herself, her beautiful golden eyes. Truth was though, she had never been on a single date, even though she was pretty attractive she never had the time. Reina had always been busy with her work, she rarely left her desk, let alone her house, the only time she was able to was either when she needed to buy new supplies or when she just finished turning in by deadline.
Reina set the item on the counter and the cashier scanned it in.
"That will be $50.83" he said. The price didn't surprise her, art supplies were never cheap, and if they were, it would be pretty low quality. She handed the cashier her money and walked out.
'It's such a nice day, but so windy I have to put my hair up even though I hate to…but now that I'm done buying my supplies I have to go home' Reina sighed at the thought of going home. She adjusted the scarf that was falling off her neck and tightened the ribbon holding her hair up. She noticed the park across from her.
'…I guess I'll take a shortcut through the park…'She started on the trail, Reina took her sweet time watching the petals and flowers fall off the cherry blossom trees. The wind was making the cherry blossoms as beautiful as ever.
' Oh how I long to stay here and draw these beautiful sights…..' Reina sighed 'Life as a doujinshi artist isn't what I expected at all….There are deadlines to meet, my room is a mess, I have no time for myself anymore…not to mention I constantly have to buy new supplies…' Just the thought of it made her depressed. A gust of wind suddenly hit and her scarf slipped away from her neck, following the path of the wind.
'Ah! My scarf!' Reina chased after it, even though she never really got out much, Reina was a pretty fast runner…although her stamina was horrible. The scarf seemed to be mocking her strength as it flew away but someone caught it for her. She stopped in front of him, bending down and gasping for air.
"T-Thank….you…" She managed to say between her breaths. She looked up to see the face of the one who had caught it for her. She gasped and her heart skipped a beat as her eyes widened in awe. 'Wow…..He's so….' The ribbon in her hair flew out, but she didn't even notice.
'He's so handsome…..' He smiled to her warmly. She blushed a slight pink but smiled back. From the looks of it, he was Chinese, He had really long black hair that went down to his legs in which he tied back, he wore a Chinese top with black pants and a red yin-yang headband. She looked at his eyes.
'I've never met anyone with golden eyes like me before…' Reina thought. He handed her scarf back to her. She placed her hand in his. "Thank you so much….erm…" Reina hesitated when she realized she didn't know his name. "Oh! My apologies, My name is Rei, Rei Kon." Rei said. "Reina Takashira, Nice to meet you" Reina said putting her scarf back on. "So..Miss Reina…Would you…like to take walk with me?" He asked. "Sure why not" Reina replied…completely forgetting her deadline was two days away and that she was only ¾ done with her book. 'He called me Miss…' Reina thought, blushing. They started walking, it was quiet for a while but she decided to break the silence.
"So…how old are you?" She asked. "Oh, I'm 23, I work as a doctor…still in training though…so you can say I'm a nurse…" Rei smiled weakly, Reina laughed. "what?" Rei smiled and nudged her. "Well imagining someone like you in a pink nurse dress and tiara is pretty funny" Reina said. Rei laughed along.
"So now it's your turn to tell me about yourself, Miss Reina" Rei said. "Well…I'm 22 and I work as a doujinshi artist" Reina said. " I see, so Miss Reina…you enjoy drawing, am I right?" Rei asked. "Here's a question for you, Would I be a doujinshi artist if It wasn't my passion or if I didn't enjoy it?" She asked playfully. "No I guess you wouldn't huh?" Rei said. They walked slowly along the trail, enjoying their time. They stopped when they came up to a lake, it was already 7:00 and the sun was setting, casting it's breath-taking reflection on the lake.
"Wow…It's so beautiful" Reina stared at the reflection. Rei threw a rock and it skipped 2 or 3 times, rippling the reflection. "You've never been here before?" Rei asked. "I have….Just never late enough to see the sunset…I'm always so busy…" Reina said. "Then you've probably never seen the moon here either" Rei asked. Reina shook her head. The sun disappeared off the horizon and let the moon shine brilliantly on the surface of the water. "You're lucky, It's a full moon today, you're in for a treat" Rei smiled and picked her up, having her ride on his back. "R-Rei?" Reina turned red "W-W-What are you doing?" Rei didn't answer, he just sped forward along the edge of the lake. Reina looked at the lake.
"It looks as if…the moon is floating on top of the water…" She said watching the moon follow her on the surface of the water as they moved. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Rei asked a soft soothing tone in his voice. "Yes…" Reina said taken away by the view. Rei stopped and let her down, They sat down on the grass. Rei placed his hand on top of hers and stared into her golden eyes.
"I know we've only been together for a couple of hours Miss Reina… But I really do like you…." Rei blushed. " So I was wondering….if you would like to go out Saturday?" Rei asked. "Oh…wow…umm…I don't know…." Reina said her voice soft and she was blushing as well. "Well if you want to…Just meet me at village square for the Fall festival…Saturday evening, 7:00" Rei said. "oh..umm…okay…" Reina said. They both got up. "Well I hope to see you on Saturday…" Rei said. "Yea okay…I'll think about it" Reina said. "Bye" They went their separate ways.
Reina looked around to see the coast was clear. When she saw it was, she squealed happily. 'I can't believe I just got asked out! My first date!' Reina said to herself. She walked into her house, put her stuff down by her desk and sat down. "That was the best day I've had so long…" Reina looked at her calendar to see something she had written with a big bold red permanent marker on Friday.
"DEADLINE, MUST FINISH AND TURN IN WORK BY TODAY" was what it said. Her heart skipped a beat as she read and reread what she wrote, "AGH! I FORGOT ABOUT MY DEADLINE!" Reina pulled out all her supplies and immediately got to work. She looked at all the pages she had to finish "Now I have to pull another all-nighter…welcome to deadline hell Reina…this is what you get for skipping off with a GUY!" Reina scolded herself.
The Next Day, Thursday
It was 5:00 in the morning and Reina was still working. Her hair was askew and she was tired. At 9, Amaya and Feola walked through her door. Amaya Nataroshi and Feola Black were her best friends, Amaya had brown hair with black highlights, purple eyes and she wore a black t-shirt with baggy beige pants.Amaya worked as a graphic designer. Feola had black hair with a light green top and green capris.Feola worked as a Musician "Sup, Reina!" Amaya greeted.
"ugnnnnnn…." Reina moaned. She turned around and Feola let out a piercing shriek. Reina looked like the living dead who had the living soul sucked out of her…twice "Woah!what happened to you?" Feola asked, surprised. "This is what happens when you stay ALL NIGHT, working!" Reina yelled. "What happened? If you worked all month, you should've finished yesterday…" Amaya said. "She went and dilly dallied off again" Feola practically sang.
"It wasn't my fault" Reina mumbled. 'But I have to admit, I would do anything to re-live that day….' "What did you do yesterday when you went to buy new supplies….no…don't tell me you spent all your money on candy and had to beg the people of the streets for money again!" Amaya said "Hey! That was a one time thing! The candy was tempting too! But no, I didn't!" Reina said. "lemme guess, you found some guy" Amaya said grinning. "As if Amaya! I'm not saying your not attractive, but you would never have time for a guy!" Feola said. "OH YEA? WELL I HAVE A DATE ON SATURDAY!IN YOUR FACE! HA!" Reina yelled angrily.
"Seriously!" Amaya and Feola asked in unison. "Well he asked me out….but I said I don't know if I wanna go yet, and so he told me to meet him at the fall festival if I want to go" Reina explained. "Oh! You should go!" Feola said tugging on Reina's sleeve. "Don't tug on my sleeve! I'm working and you're screwing me up!" Reina said pulling out her white out. "C'mon Reina, you've never even gone on a single date your entire life! Have fun for once why don't you? Get your mind off your book for a while" Amaya suggested.
"Well…it is the day after my deadline…." Reina said. "Yea Reina! Maybe you'll even kiss!" Feola said. Reina hand slipped from shock and the white out spilled on her paper. "W-What? No way! We just met yesterday!" Reina said, flustered and blushing. "Look what you made me do! Oh..my papers…" Reina said, trying to fix her papers. Shugo leaned in through the open window in front of Reina's desk.
"This is what Amaya and Feola is trying to tell you, you're working too hard, if you relax and have fun once in a while, your book will come out better." Shugo said. Shugo Kusanagi, Another one of Reina's friends, he works as a comedian, and a few other jobs to keep up his wages. He had black hair, brown eyes, a yellow t-shirt and blue shorts. "Look, I'm not saying I like you more than a friend or anything but, you're really pretty, you have a great personality and well….I can't really say you're smart can I?" Shugo laughed and Reina laughed along.
"Look Reina, it's been so long since I've seen you have fun, so go on and have some fun" Shugo smiled friendlily. "I don't know…" Reina said continuing her work. "Reina, think about it, the guy will be waiting for you and if you don't show up…it'll break his heart." Amaya said. "Besides…there's gonna be a great dinner…and it's free!" Feola said. "Oh…alright…." Reina said. "Now tell me, who is this lucky guy!" Amaya asked. "Well… His name is Rei Kon" Reina said. "WHAT!" Amaya, Feola and Shugo asked, shocked.
"What is it? Do you know him?" Reina asked completely confused. "Reina! You don't know who he is? He's the son of the owner of the White Tiger Village!" Shugo said. "What!" Reina asked. "but that's the highest class in the whole village! He's almost considered royalty!"
"How the heck did you meet him!" Feola asked. "I was just walking through the park and he caught my scarf and he asked me to walk with him and then he asked me out!" Reina said. "Why was someone of such social class be wandering around here…?" Amaya wondered.
"That's right, If Rei is the son, than he should usually be wandering around that big mansion his father owns" Shugo said.
"But he never said anything about this….are you sure? I mean what if he just happens to have the same name as the owner's son…" Reina didn't want to believe the guy she had been asked out by was almost royalty. She didn't like the thought of it either, in her point of view, royalties were usually snobby and self-centered. They were cruel to those under their rankings and always wanted things their way, she hated people like that…but Rei didn't seem like that to her, he was so gentle and kind.
"B-But he doesn't seem to be one of those snobby high class people….do you think I should still go?" Reina asked "High class, Low Class, I don't know Reina, it's your decision, but if you really like him, I don't think social ranking should matter." Amaya said.
'Amaya is right…If I really do like him, nothing in the world should stop me from going to him…but this isn't a romance story like my graphic novels, not all guys are honest, sweet and kind the way I make them, not all things are the way they seem in my novels. I can control almost any story by writing or drawing it on paper, except my own.'
Reina stared at the pages of her manga. Amaya noticed her staring at the paper and remembered the last volume she had made.
" I don't want to be mean or anything Reina, but the last volume of your manga was pathetic." Amaya became serious. "What do you mean, pathetic?" Reina asked, offended.
She turned around and faced Amaya. "You've lost your touch, go find it. The first volume of you manga was awesome, I was so amazed by it, the characters, the plot, the details in every single panel, everything was incredible. I've never seen a romance manga as beautiful as that. You had so much passion, you also enjoyed your work and how you did it…but now…" Amaya hesitated a moment, she didn't want to criticize her best friend, but she knew she had to.
"Reina, your work seems like you didn't put any effort into it at all, like you did it just to meet the deadline. The story isn't as exciting as it was before and I cant find those little details in the background anymore. I'm really disappointed. There's no passion, no…anything! It's like you don't enjoy doing this anymore!" Amaya started raising her voice. "If you keep making crap like this I'm going to stop wasting my money on your books! Imagine all the people you've let down with this…this…I can't even call it a manga anymore! You don't put your heart and soul in your books anymore! I'm sorry Reina! I'm not going to lie to you!"
Reina felt guilt drop in her, she looked away from Amaya. The words Amaya said to her pierced her painfully like daggers. Tears filled Reina's eyes. "I know it hurts Reina, but it's the truth." Amaya walked out the door. Feola looked at Reina sadly and followed Amaya. "Are you okay Reina…?" Shugo asked. Reina shadowed her eyes and nodded silently, hiding her tears. "Well then…I'll see you later…" Shugo left as well, he didn't want to see his good friend this way.
Tears finally trickled down her face, no matter how hard she tried to hold it in, it kept flowing down her cheeks. "W-Why…? What did I do wrong…?" Reina said solemnly. "It can't be true! It just can't be! What could I have done wrong? WHAT?" She slammed her fist against the desk angrily. 'There's no way…no way it could've been that bad…' She picked up the pages she had already finished of her next volume and looked them over, even though the tears blurred her vision she could tell that it was no good whatsoever. She remembered what she used to tell herself when she was drawing her very first volume…
'A book with no heart, passion or soul is like a book with empty pages…useless'
Reina wiped away her tears and picked up the phone. She dialed her editor's number and waited for someone to pick up. "Hello?" Her editor's voice went through the phone. "This is Reina" "Oh Reina! Are you almost done with the next volume? Don't forget! The deadline is tomorrow!" Her editor said. "Yes, about that…will you please postpone the deadline till next month? Thank you" Reina said. "What? How am I supposed to do that? Reina! Reina? Are you still here? Can you hear me? Hello?" Her editor kept yelling through the phone. Reina hung up.
"Well then I better get started again" Reina dawned a confident smile as she threw away her previous work and took out a fresh stack of paper.
Friday
Reina decided to take the day off so she could look her best for the Fall festival the next day and not like the living dead as she did yesterday. She laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Amaya's words rang through her head. 'All the people I've let down with that last volume….Was it really that bad?' Reina picked up a copy of her last volume off her desk. She flipped through the pages, then she looked through her first volume to compare the differences. Amaya was right. There were countless mistakes in her last volume and the book was awful.
'I'll just have to fix that, I know I can and…' Reina kept trying to stop thinking of the festival, but she couldn't. It was the first date of her life and she was excited. Even for her high school prom she didn't have a date…unless you count taking her best friend Shugo, the comedian so that she wouldn't look like the only idiot without a date. The thought of Rei being royalty still bothered her, but only a little bit. She heard a knock on her door so she got up and opened it.
"Good Evening" Reina let out a small gasp. "R-Rei? What are you doing here?" Reina asked, for some reason she was blushing. "I'm sorry, did I startle you?" Rei asked. "Uh--umm….no umm…come on in" Reina stepped aside to let him in. "P-Please, sit down" Reina offered.
"I'm sorry my house is a mess right now, I've never had time to clean it" "It's no problem, I can understand that a hardworking doujinshi artist is always busy" Rei smiled kindly. Reina blushed. "Ah- Um w-what brings you here? I mean not that I don't mind you being here, its just so unexpected and well I--" Rei placed a finger over her lips and laughed. "Don't be so nervous around me Miss Reina, I'm just like any typical guy" Reina sighed in relief. "I don't know…but are you really the son of the owner of the White Tiger Village…?" Reina asked, trying to sound as calm as she could. Rei sighed, "I guess my cover's blown…" "What do you mean? Why were you trying to hide it from me?" Reina asked. "Well you see, you were the first person I've met who didn't know my social ranking…usually girls would want to go out with me because of that…but you were different…" Rei explained, his voice was as calm as it always was.
"So you asked me out because I didn't know your social ranking?" Reina raised an eyebrow and sounded kind of offended. "No no! It's not like that! I really do like you Miss Reina, I honestly do!" Rei said trying to convince her desperately. Her eyes softened and she gave him a light smile. "I trust you Rei, It's okay, I believe you." Rei sighed again and stared into her golden eyes. "You know….when you smile…you look like an beautiful angel…" Rei said, his voice soft and soothing. Reina blushed a bright red. 'Rei reminds me…of the boy in my manga…'
Rei noticed the copies of Reina's mangas on her desk. "Are those the books you drew Miss Reina?" Rei asked. Reina nodded, "If you want to…you can read it…if you want to I mean…" Reina said shyly. Rei picked up the 5 books and started reading. "Do you…need anything?" Reina asked getting up. Rei shook his head. Reina started working on the 6th volume again to pass the time as Rei read her stories. About 2 and a half hours passed when he finished. "You're done?" Reina asked turning around from her desk.
"Yes, it's beautiful book Miss Reina…but the 5th volume…" Rei hesitated to say. "Yes, I know, It stunk, it was horrible, awful, no passion, no nothing, I know" Reina sighed. "Well I wasn't going to put it as harshly as that…" Rei said, "But I'm looking forward to you next book now" He smiled and got up.
"Thank you" Reina smiled. "Well then, it's getting late, I better get going" Rei started for the door but he turned around. "Will I see you at the Fall Festival tomorrow?" Rei asked. Reina smiled and nodded. "Definitely" With that answer, Rei walked out the door.
Saturday
Reina was getting ready for the festival, she looked at herself in the mirror several times. 'Should I wear make-up…?' She wondered. She never wore make-up in her life, she preferred it if people admired her for who she was, and not the make-up mask she wore. Today was different…she wanted to look her best in order to impress Rei, but in the end, she decided not to wear make-up. She put on a silky red dress that went from her neck to her ankles. It had a collar, but no sleeves and two slits on the both sides that went about halfway up the upper part of her leg.
Reina didn't like to brag, she was usually modest, but she had to admit it was pretty when she wore it. She also wore golden gloves and high heeled boots that shined brilliantly. She left her hair alone, she liked it down the way it always was. She just combed it a few times extra that day. She looked at the mirror one last time before she walked out the door. It was 7:00 and the sun was setting, this was the first time in a few years that she has been to one of the villages festivals. She walked onto the village square, it was packed with people, the whole village was probably there. She had to squeeze through the groups of people. She was getting tired until someone took her hand
"Miss Reina!" Reina turned around to see Rei smiling at her. "Rei!" She sounded relieved. "Follow me Miss Reina" Rei pulled her out of the crowd.
"Thank god, I thought I was going to be stuck there forever" Reina sighed. Rei laughed, "Don't worry Miss Reina, this group is only here for the opening ceremony, after that they'll leave and only about 1/3 of the people will stick for the whole festival. It's always been this way. " Rei explained. "Have you been to all the festivals here?" Reina asked. "Since I was young, yes" Rei answered. "Wow…" Reina was amazed, she had only been to a few, around 10-12 and they held at least 5 a year.
The opening ceremony began, Rei's Father made a moving speech to the people and the villagers cheered excitedly. Then, just as Rei had said, most of them had left and they started the dinner. They went into a big building, inside was gorgeous. Reina was left speechless as she went inside. It was like a ball room, crystal chandeliers shimmered on the ceiling, the marble floors shined, the walls had beautiful wallpaper and there were windows all around the room that stretched from the floor to ceiling, letting you see the marvelous view outside. There were tables set around the middle of the room, leaving a big circle in the middle.
Rei led her to a table and they sat down. The table had white cloth set on top and candles were lit in the center, it was like a fancy restaurant. Rei's father approached the table. "G-Good evening, Mr. Kon" Reina said bowing nervously, she looked down at the table. "So this is the girl you've been talking about all this time…Stand up" He ordered Reina. Reina, like an obedient dog, stood up. Rei looked away embarrassed. His father walked around, looking down at her with his strict eyes, inspecting her every detail. Reina looked at Rei, she could tell he was pleading for forgiveness for what his father was doing to her, he smiled weakly. "Hmph…" His father made sneering noises as he stared at her. Then he stopped in front her, lifted up her chin and stared directly into her golden eyes. Reina's heart bet fast, she was really nervous because she wanted to make a good impression with Rei's father. "She's pretty decent" He spat out at her. "Father!" Rei yelled enraged with anger. Rage filled her chest too, but she didn't say anything.
"She's not as beautiful as you described her before, she doesn't wear any make-up…does she expect to impress you with a plain face? From what my son tells me, you draw books right?" He asked, his voice stern and deep. Reina nodded. "Pfft. Such a low class job, you probably work your little head off and barely get paid huh?" Everything that came out of his mouth were dagger sharp. Rei glared at his father angrily, but he didn't say anything. Reina could sense he was engulfed in flames of rage right now, she couldn't blame him, she was feeling about the same as well. "Her clothing is cheap, her gloves are made of cotton, not silk and most of all, she looks…pitiful" He spat the words at her so cold she wanted to squeeze his neck until he begged for mercy. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Rei slammed his hands against the table and got up. Rei's father looked at her as if she was a filthy, foul smelling street dog, then he looked at his son, Rei. "If you want to impress me, you have to try harder than this. When the music starts, you must dance a performance so beautiful, that even I will clap for you"
Reina trembled at the words he said. 'D-Dance…? Nobody told me about a dance…' Rei's Father sneered at her once more and walked off. Reina sat back down. "I apologize about my Father, Miss Reina…I don't know what's wrong with him, we have nothing in common, I cant even believe he's even my own father" Rei said. "It's alright…" Reina said, avoiding his gaze.
"You're not….angry…are you?" Rei asked, he was afraid of her answer. Reina smiled "No, of course not" "Oh…thank god…I was afraid my father had ruined our night…" Rei sighed in relief. She had been really offended though, but she didn't want that to ruin her date. She looked up at Rei, he was staring at her intensively. She blushed. "W-what? Do I have something on my face?" She asked nervously feeling her face. "No, no, I just thought you looked really pretty tonight, you're one of those types who are naturally beautiful and don't need make-up or anything…" Rei smiled warmly towards her, which made her blush even more. 'Oh….that smile of his…its like…a handsome prince…'
"It looks like you're having a nice time" Reina immediately recognized the voice and looked up. "S-Shugo?" "I'm sorry, do I know you?" Shugo asked giving her a friendly smile. Reina grabbed his collar and pulled him towards her. "What are you doing here? And dressed like waiter…? Is this another one of your comedian acts?" Reina whispered. "This is another one of my jobs! If you come to these festivals more often, you would know that!" Shugo forced her hand off his collar and straightened himself up. "Would you like to order anything?" Shugo took out a notepad and a pen. "Just water" They both answered. "And would you like a side of Booooriiiing with that?" Shugo asked. "Shugo!" Reina scolded and whacked him over the head. "This isn't one of your comedian acts!" Reina hissed. "Geez, I'm sorry! What are you? My mom?" Shugo asked sarcastically. Reina smiled deviously. "What? What is that look for?" Shugo stared at her for a while. "Reina…every time you smile like that it gives me chills…and I know that you're up to something." Shugo said. "Wait till I tell you boss the way you've been treating his wonderful customers!" Reina practically sang. "N-No! You can't do that! He'll fire me if you do! Please! I have a wife and three kids!" Shugo begged on his knees. Reina raised an eyebrow. "Shugo, you can't even get a girl near you without getting slapped. How am I supposed to believe that you're married and have 3 kids?" Reina asked. "Well…you're my best friend! You're supposed to believe me!" Shugo said, desperately trying to think of a comeback. "Not unless you're totally lying" Reina snapped back at him. "Well…I…ermm….Give me a sec, I'll think of something!" Shugo said racking his brain. Rei and Reina noticed the music starting to play. 'If you want to impress me, you have to try harder than this. When the music starts, you must dance a performance so beautiful, that even I will clap for you' Those words ran through Reina's head. They both had their eyes fixated on Rei's Father, who were looking at them intensively as well. Shugo raised an eyebrow, staring at the both of them confused. "Whatever…I guess I lost this round" He walked off to another table.
"Lets go Miss Reina" Rei got up, he was still glaring at his father. "W-W-Wha?" Reina asked, her voice tense and nervous. "Please play along with me Miss Reina" Rei bowed and then stretched his hand out towards her. "Would you honor me with a dance?" Rei smiled at her tenderly. "ah-um…" She glanced over at Rei's Father. 'Oh…I get it…' Reina smiled as well and took his hand. " I would love to" She got up and Rei led her to the dance floor. Reina looked around nervously, she noticed a lot of people were dancing as well.
"Is something wrong Miss Reina?" Rei asked. "Well…you see Rei…I don't quite…know how to dance…" Reina said uncomfortably. "It's alright, I'll lead you through the whole thing." Rei took her hand and placed the other on her waist. "Put your hand other hand on my shoulder" Rei whispered, Reina did as she was told. Rei's father smirked deviously, he knew Reina was nervous.
"Everyone clear the floor, My son and…the girl will perform a dance for us" He announced. Everyone but Rei and Reina stepped back and watched. Reina's heart started to beat faster and faster, and breathing was hard for as well, she felt as if her chest had tightened. "R-Rei… I don't know if I can do this…everyone's watching…" Reina whispered. "Don't worry…just trust me Miss Reina, I can tell you're really light on your feet. We'll give my father a performance so spectacular that even he will be on the edge of his seat" Rei said confidently, He knew his father did this on purpose just to freak her out. "All you have to do is follow my instructions and you'll do fine" "I-I know I'm light on my feet Rei…but I can't last that long, my stamina is dreadful" Reina said. Rei smiled comfortingly, hoping it would help her calm down a bit. Amazingly, it worked. "Okay Miss Reina, Lets get started." Rei twirled her around, Her dress flowing gracefully around her. "Step backwards and lean" Reina stepped backwards and Rei held her as she leaned backwards, her fingertips barely touching the floor. She got up and Rei took her hands, they were face to face. Rei smiled
"Beautiful, now two steps forwards, then two steps back, spin and face me" Rei led her by the hand as he also did the steps beside her. Reina was enjoying herself and so was Rei, they almost completely forgot that there were other people in the room. They danced for about 6 more minutes. Rei twirled her once more to give him time to explain to Reina the final steps. "Okay this part's a little tricky, Jump and spread your arms up like an angels wings, land, take a quick step forward and keep your hand out for a finale. When the audience applauds, bow. Then we're done" "But What if I don't jump high enough?" Reina asked. "Don't worry, I'll be holding on to you the whole time" Rei said insuring her. Reina trusted him, Rei stopped spinning her and she took a step forward, Rei immediately put his hands around her waist.
'I must spread my wings out like an angel…I must…' Reina leaped into the air. 'I must… FLY…!' She spread her hands back like an angel's wings so gracefully, Rei's father gasped, he was literally on the edge of his seat. The audience was left speechless, it was as if she really had wings. Rei's eyes widened in awe "She really is an angel…" Rei whispered to himself. She landed softly, took a quick step forward and held her hand up high. Rei still held onto her other hand and did the same. They both smiled and waited for the applaud. It was quiet for a while 'did I do something wrong…? didn't they like the performance…?' Reina wondered, but then the audience applauded and roared. Rei and Reina smiled and bowed, breathing heavily. They both looked at Rei's Father, he stared at both of them as well, but his hands didn't even flinch. Reina and Rei looked at each other uneasily. The applaud ended and Rei's father still didn't budge.
"Tell me the truth Rei…did I mess up? Anywhere during the dance?" Reina asked. "No, you did great, and the ending was breathtaking…but I don't know why my father is like that…" Rei said. Reina's vision started to blur, and her head felt dizzy. She put her hand on a table for support. "Miss Reina? are you alright?" Rei asked. Reina fell back and Rei caught her. "What's wrong? Are you sick?" Rei placed a hand on her fore head. "No… No… I'm alright, Just tired" Rei helped her sit down and he looked at her worriedly "How Pathetic" They both looked up and saw Rei's father standing by a girl. "You only danced for 10 minutes and already feel faint" She sneered. Reina twitched at the sight of the girl. 'She's….pink….' Reina thought. It was true, this girl wore way too much pink for a normal eye can handle. She had a pink mini-dress, pink boots, pink glove, a pink ribbon in her hair, pink eyes and well…pink hair. Rei looked at the girl then at his father.
"What is the meaning of this, Father? Why did you bring her back here?" Rei yelled angrily. "Do you know her, Rei?" Reina asked. "Yea…my father… wants me to be engaged with her" Rei gritted his teeth. Reina looked at him then back at the girl in shock. "That's right. You heard him, I'm to be engaged to be with him! So back off…You!" The pink girl pointed at Reina. "Leave her alone Mariah!" Rei yelled, defending Reina. "Rei, you shouldn't talk to the one your engaged with like that!" His father snapped. "I told you once and I'll tell you again! I don't like her! And I refuse to be married with someone as snobby as that!" Rei yelled. "Mariah is the perfect girl for you Rei, She's high class, unlike that low class author or artist, or whatever she is." Rei's father said on purpose, knowing that Reina could hear everything they were saying. Mariah laughed, "Ha! Such a low class nuisance, I can't even look at such a pitiful sight!" "Oh you agree, it is pitiful isn't it Mariah" Rei's father smiled to her as if she was his own daughter. Reina didn't like it, it looked more like a smile of evil than a smile of love.
"Now Rei, Would you kindly accept a dance with me? Someone who really knows how to dance!" Mariah took his hand. "No Mari--" Mariah dragged him off before he got the chance to object. Reina Sighed and watched them dance. 'Maybe…he only asked me out to get Mariah to act this way…' Reina thought. "Mariah…What are you doing?" Rei asked furiously. "Dancing" Mariah answered simply. "I understand that, but why did you drag me away from Miss Reina?" Rei was getting impatient with her. "Someone low-class like her doesn't deserve someone like you" Mariah shot a quick glare at Reina who immediately noticed it. She stuck out her tongue at Mariah childishly and Mariah gasped. "And you think someone like you would deserve me!" Rei asked, he didn't know if that sounded a bit snobby or not…but he didn't mean it that way. "Of course I do, I am high class after all." The way she said it made it sound like she was royalty. Reina's eyes saddened as she watched them. 'I wonder what they're talking about…' Reina started to wonder if Rei's original intention was to take her out or to take Mariah out. "Mariah, I don't like this. I don't like this one bit. You've come here for no purpose but to ruin my date, you insult Miss Reina, you drag me away from her…and for what?" Rei asked. "I did it because I don't want to see you suffer with someone like her, she'll pull you down Rei, I just know it. In the end you'll see, she'll only make you unhappy" Mariah looked at him seriously. "Well right now, I'm suffering just being with you. Right now you're the one making me unhappy Mariah. I apologize but I don't love you and I never will."
Rei stopped dancing with her and stepped back. Reina watched them carefully, desperately trying to see if she could somehow hear them. "You're so unfair! You've never even given me a chance!" Mariah cried, tears ran down her face. Reina stared at them intensely. 'Mariah…She-She's crying? Why…? Did Rei do something? Say something? Rei doesn't seem to be the type to make people cry unless…Mariah did something..?' Reina's head filled with questions. Rei looked straight into Mariah's eyes, this was the only way to convince her. "Mariah, you know I gave you chance before, and you took advantage of that. You forced me to do things I vowed never to do in my life, you abused the family power. I hated that." Rei ignored the fact that she was crying, Mariah herself knew very well it wouldn't work with Rei anymore. She had cried around Rei too much for him to be effected. "But Rei…I love you! I truly do! You and only you! I would do anything for you! If you would just return my feelings for you!" Mariah cried desperately, but Rei could see right through her. "No Mariah. I know that's not how you truly feel. You fell in love with my family's power, not me" Rei said. "I'll make you love me! I know I can!" Mariah looked at him angrily, tears still flowed down her face. "Mariah, I told you this before. I cannot be forced to love someone I d-" Without warning, Mariah stepped forward and pressed her lips against his. Rei's eyes widened in shock. Reina gasped at the sight she saw. Her heart shattered into a million pieces, impossible to put back. 'No…It can't be…' Reina stood up and looked at Rei, tears filled her eyes. She tried not to cry, but the way she felt…it was impossible. She felt her chest tighten, this was too much for her to handle. 'I shouldn't have come here…I never should've come here…' Reina felt the tears sparkle down her cheeks. Rei finally reacted and pushed Mariah away from him. "M-Miss Reina…I-It's not what it looks like-She- I" The words couldn't come out, and even if they did Reina wouldn't listen. "Miss Reina please listen to what I have to-" "That's Enough! I'm sick of enduring all this for you! I've been through so much tonight…so much…I thought it was me you wanted to be with not her! I belived you! Every single calming word! But now I know…" Reina shadowed her eyes "Please I just-" "No! No more lies! I don't want to listen to all your lies anymore! You're just one of those guys who act differently depending on the girl. You never show the real devious self. You just want to get your hands on as many girls as you can! Well here's one girl you're not going to get!" Reina cried, her voice was trembling and so was her whole body. "Miss Reina…you have to know what happened…" Rei desperately tried to explain. "Stop! Just Stop!" Reina ran off in tears.
"You see…," Rei clenched his fists. "Everytime you're around me something like this happens! You're always ruining my life! Do me a favor won't you? Stay away from me!" Rei was enraged with anger. "Rei…I just wanted-" Rei slapped her across the face, tears now showed on his face. "You're so selfish! You only think what's best for you! What you want! Do you know what eles I have to say? I never want to see your face again! Never ever again!" Rei stormed off searching for Reina. Mariah stood there… shocked at what had just happened. Rei bumped into Shugo "Ah! You're Miss Reina's Friend right?" Rei asked, he tried to calm his voice. "What do you want?" Shugo stared at him angrily. "I'm looking for Miss Reina…have you seen her? Do you know where she is?" Rei asked, not noticing the fact that he was glaring at him. "Don't you think you've done enough?" Shugo asked. "W-what do you mean?" Rei's voice was soft now. "Stop trying to play Mr. Nice guy! You broke Reina's heart and you know it…You and that Pink thing over there! Do you know how much I hate seeing her that way? Reina was always so tolerant of things…things never bothered her, unless it was a deadline. When we were in high school she would always talk about how she wanted her first date to go. She dreamed of things some people could never imagine…poor Reina…her first date and it ended in tears! I don't know what you did to make her cry! But it must've have been really bad because Reina's not an easy crier!" Shugo continued to yell at Rei. 'Her…Her first date? That's impossible…' Rei felt the guilt drop inside of him. Rei took a hold of Shugo's shoulders. "Please Shugo! Please tell me where she is!" Rei pleaded to him desperately. Shugo didn't know if he should or not… "Why should I tell you! You might just make things worse" Shugo said, lowering his voice. "Please Shugo, Please! I'm trying to fix this! I really am Shugo! But to do that I have to know where she is! Please help me Shugo! Please…! I'm begging you!" Rei pleaded and begged, in the end Shugo decided to trust Rei.
"She went to the balcony, to wait for the fireworks." Shugo sighed as Rei left. 'I wonder if that was the right thing to do.' Shugo shrugged and went on with his job. Reina stared up at the starry skies, they didn't light the fireworks yet. "It was a bad idea to come here in the first place…how did I convince myself that a high class person like that…would be able to fill my heart…" Reina leaned on the balcony. "Why…? Am I cursed to never find the one I love..? Is it because of something I did? I really believed he was the one…" More tears sparkled down her face. "It was stupid to get my hopes up. He may be similar to the male character in my story, his smile…his personality…Now I know…I fell in love with the character, and that's why Rei seemed to have been the only one to touch my heart…because they were so similar…I made a mistake…Rei was only using me to get to Mariah…He never loved me and the kind Rei I knew probably wasn't even the real him!" Reina buried her face into her arms. "I'm such an Idiot to believe in such things! It's because I believe in my book too much! It's my own fault I got hurt today…Someone like Rei would never fall in love with me and even if he did, it would never work out! His family…Marai-"
"But I did fall in love with you, and I won't let my family and defiantly not Mariah hold me back" Reina turned around to see Rei leaning against the door. "Rei…!" Reina wiped her tears away, trying to hide it, but it wouldn't stop flowing down her cheeks. "H-How long have you been there?" Reina asked, still trying to fight the tears. "I heard everything…Miss Reina…I'm really glad you decided to come…and well if it wasn't for my father and Mariah, this night would have been perfect. I'm so sorry about what happened…I should've asked you out to somewhere secluded" Rei's eyes saddened as he slowly approached her. "I had a good time…The dance was great, and well…you know…Mariah she…an you" Reina's voice lowered as she spoke. "That Kiss, Mariah forced it on me, I swear. The Rei you saw at the park, the kind gentler one…that was who I am really am," Rei took her hand "Miss Reina…I didn't realize this was your first date…I should've been more gentler with you…I'm so sorry" Rei whispered. "It's alright…" Reina stared at Rei, His eyes shined as the first few fireworks exploded in the night sky. Rei looked up to see Reina watching him. "I really like you Miss Reina…." A few more fireworks flew into the sky and sparkled. "And I really like you Rei…but I don't know if your father will approve and Mariah would only get in the way" Reina looked away disappointed. "Forget about my father Miss Reina…I don't think I need permission from him for who I am to love or not love" He picked up her chin and stared into her golden eyes. "I fell in love with you, the first time I ever saw you…and that was long before we met in park" Rei whispered so soft she could barely hear it. "I just wish I had asked you out sooner… and that my father never interfered with our relationship" He ran his fingers through her silky black hair. Rei closed his eyes and leaned forward, placing a feathery soft kiss on her lips…Reina smiled and gladly returned it with one of her own as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The last few fireworks shot up into the sky and exploded into brilliant sparkling colors.
END
Epilogue
Amaya walked into the bookstore again the next month. She was unsure this time though, if she should be in here. Reina had told her earlier that this volume was the last of "Love Filled Night" and that she was going to start a new series, probably the sequel. Amaya wasn't worried that it was the ending, she was worried if this book will be the same as the last one she had made. She decided not to let her feet wander around so much as they did last time. She headed straight for the Graphic Novels section and scanned through the book titles once more. Her fingers trembled as she picked up volume 6 and sat down. Amaya stared at the cover for a few minutes, sighed and opened the book. Again, Half an hour passed when she closed the book, she looked again, but this time…with a smile on her face. She got up and walked to the cashier, placing the book on the counter. "Well, was it a good book?" The cashier asked, scanning it in. "The Best" Amaya replied confidently. She paid for the book and headed home. 'That's the type of work I wanted to see Reina, that was the best ending I've ever read in my life' Amaya smiled to herself as she walked home. What she didn't know though, was that the book she read.…was exactly what happened at the festival.
