Summary: AU of HYD. Tsukushi, Tsukasa and Tsubaki are siblings. Tsubaki the eldest, Tsukasa the middle, and Tsukushi the youngest. Tsukasa has always been jealous of his younger sister, for some reasons.
A/n: Thanks to D for betaing this for me. Az09, yes, most people who study elementary Japanese don't study Kanji, but usually it depends on the teacher, maybe that friend of yours just happen to have a teacher who don't teach kanji to amateur students, in fact, I heard from my friend who study Elementary Japanese for a year, not only hasn't she studied kanji, she hasn't even studied Katakana. I don't learn Kanji as well, it's all self-taught through dramas, mangas and animes. Inspiration still from Ming Dao's face.. Akira's petname: Aki-chan is from Skyla's fanfic 'Return To Me'
Chapter 8
"Shit, why does this have to happen now?" muttered Tsukushi.
"What are you doing here?" asked Tsukasa, who's surprisingly not that loud.
"I'm bunking off," answered Tsukushi. "And this is Kin. Mother knows him."
"Kin?" asked Tsukasa.
"Amakusa Senosuke, Domyouji Tsukasa, Mimasaka Akira, Hanazawa Rui and Nishikado Soujiro," Kin introduced himself.
"Can we join you?" asked Rui, surprisingly.
Tsukushi's torn whether she should say 'yes' or 'no', she wanted to talk more with Kin.
"Okay," answered Kin. Kin knew Tsukushi's torn whether to reject them, so he accepted it for her.
"Great, so, what are you doing back in Japan, Amakusa?" asked Akira.
"The drama course is finished, and my father wants me to continue my studies in Japan," answered Kin.
"Actually, he misses his fiancee," teased Tsukushi, and laughed. "But he misses me more."
"Kushi," pouted Kin.
"C'mon, admit to me that you miss me!" teased Tsukushi. "Just as much as I miss you."
Akira was a bit startled with the difference of characters that Tsukushi seemed to have. It dawned on him that, even in the real world, she's acting. Now, she's acting the part of a cute, best friend. Last night, she's a seductress, tempting him to kiss her again and again, the night before (the night he met her with the parents), she's the obedient daughter.
"Yes, dear Kushi, I miss you very much, and decide to go back to Japan just to be with you, happy?" asked Kin, who then chuckled.
Tsukushi chuckled along, a while later, she realised her brother and his friends were there.
"Aniki, don't be rude now, will you?" asked Tsukushi.
"Me, rude?" sputtered Tsukasa. "I'm the pineapple of politeness."
The F2 and Tsukushi burst out laughing. Rui and Kin smiled, and tried to hold back their laughters.
"You mean pinnacle, Tsukasa," said Soujiro, while clutching his stomach.
"Shut it!" barked Tsukasa. "That's what I'm trying to say.
"Kin, I'm sorry about my brother, but he has a very serious case of malapropism," explained Tsukushi.
"I noticed," replied Kin. "He even quoted that from Sheridan's play 'The Rivals'."
"I doubt he knows 'The Rivals', Kin," muttered Tsukushi.
"Yeah, Tsukasa never read literature unless the teacher wants us to read them," explained Soujiro.
"He was once forced to read 'The Scarlet Letter' by Tsubaki," Akira added.
"Really?" asked Tsukushi. "That's a good book."
"Yes, and that's where I get the idea of the 'red tag'!" Tsukasa said proudly.
"The 'red tag'?" asked Tsukushi, suddenly afraid now.
"Trust me, you don't want to know what is the 'red tag', Tsukushi," said Akira.
"Hmm... maybe okaasan or probably aneki would love to know what that is, then," threatened Tsukushi.
Tsukasa froze.
"It's Tsukasa's way of bullying others," Rui answered.
"What? Bullying?" asked Tsukushi, outraged that the heir of the Domyouji Corporation is bullying people!
The F3 nodded.
"Man, this is rich. Maybe I should tell aneki after all," muttered Tsukushi.
To Tsukasa, she said, "I was right, you are such an annoying git, I should call okaasan and have her make you take anger management classes!"
Akira, and Soujiro laughed again, and Rui smiled, and gave out a thumbs up.
"We, the F3, second that," said Akira, and laughed.
"Now, Tsukushi, don't bully your brother," Kin cajoled, seeing that Domyouji Tsukasa was already very red.
"I'm serious, Kin," replied Tsukushi.
"If I should get anger management classes, you should get some too," barked Tsukasa.
"Kin and I take anger management classes," Tsukushi replied. "It's to tolerate colleagues who thinks that they are too good."
"Oh yes, once Kushi and I had to act with this lead who's quite famous for a while, and it took all the lessons to make me not punch that guy's arse," Kin explained.
"Hey, look, there's a piano there," Tsukushi said, and stood up.
But Rui beat her to it, and already started playing. Tsukushi sat next to Rui anyway, and continued playing the song with him.
Everyone in the cafe stopped doing their activities, and listened to the duet going on at the piano.
Some commented how perfect the two look together, and some even thought they are a couple.
"Nice," commented Soujiro.
Kin smiled.
"Say, Amakusa, when did you become friends with Tsukushi?" asked Akira.
"Since I moved to England, she's the one who help me settle over there," answered Kin.
"Mimasaka, what do you think of my Kushi?" asked Kin.
"What do you mean, 'your' Kushi?" asked Akira, knowing that Kin was taunting him. "She's not your girlfriend."
"Yes, that's true, she's not my girlfriend, but she is my very dearest friend," answered Kin.
Eirin Academy
"Akiko, guess what I saw," said Shimizu Yuri, one of Akiko's good friends.
"What is it?" asked Akiko, who held a cup of tea in her hand.
"Tsukushi-kun and Senosuke-kun holding hands," Yuri dropped the bomb.
Akiko dropped the cup of tea, and replied, "Are you sure?"
"I saw them going to his car, ditching classes," answered Yuri scathingly.
"No, they said they don't have feelings for each other," said Akiko. "Tsukushi said being with Senosuke is being with her brother, there's no feelings involved."
"Akiko, I am your friend for 10 years, and you believe a girl you only met for a few months?" asked Yuri.
"Senosuke's love is just for me, Yuri-chan, I believe in him," answered Akiko. "I may not believe Tsukushi, but I believe Senosuke-kun."
Yuri whispered to herself, 'Damn!'
But then, she added, "They are holding hands"
Later that day, Akiko called Kin to clarify things.
"Senosuke-kun!" said Akiko once Kin picked up the phone.
"Hello, Kiko-chan," smiled Kin. "I'm sorry that I took Tsukushi off school."
"Yes, I noticed she didn't enter the class just now," said Akiko. "Senosuke-kun, be honest with me."
"Akiko-chan, we'd better talk to each other face to face if we want to talk about that," said Kin.
"All right, school had just finished, you can come and pick me up," said Akiko and hung up.
Kin was actually still with Tsukushi and the F4.
"Kushi, I hope you don't mind me leaving you," said Kin.
"Akiko-chan called you?" asked Tsukushi.
Kin nodded. Tsukushi smiled.
"Go to your fiancee, she probably heard rumours about me and you now," Tsukushi said.
Kin sighed, and left the cafe, leaving Tsukushi with the F4.
"You seem pretty cozy," spited Akira.
"Jealous, now, Akira-chan?" asked Tsukushi.
Akira fumed, but answered, "Why would I be jealous when you are not my girlfriend?"
He even added, "Besides, I get pretty bored easily with young girls anyway,"
That did it. Tsukushi took her bag, and stomped away.
"You shouldn't have done that," noted Tsukasa.
"What?" asked Akira. "I told you, I've no feelings for her."
"But she clearly have feelings for you, Akira," answered Rui, who stood up.
"No, she doesn't. Look at the way she flirts with her ex-flatmate," stated Akira.
Rui sighed, and walked away to catch up with Tsukushi.
Soujiro noticed Rui always walked to catch up with Tsukushi.
"I wonder if Rui's developing any feelings for your sister, Tsukasa," noted Soujiro.
Tsukasa shrugged.
"I don't know, but I do know that Princess has already set her eyes on someone," said Tsukasa, shooting Akira a glance. "And that someone is you."
"Why are you following me, Rui?" asked Tsukushi to the person behind her.
"How do you know it's me?" asked Rui.
"You followed me last time too," answered Tsukushi. "Can you bring me to a squash court?"
"Why?" asked Rui.
"I want to vent off my frustration," answered Tsukushi.
Rui nodded, and called his car to pick them up.
Hanazawa mansion squash court
"Take that!" shouted Tsukushi, as she slammed the ball to the wall.
Rui had decided not to join her and play after looking at the way she played.
It's fun to watch her, she had changed to a white Nike shirt and white Nike shorts, Rui took her to a sports utility shop just now.
"Rui, aren't you playing?" she shouted.
Rui shook his head.
"I find it amusing, watching you battle against a wall," answered Rui softly.
Tsukushi snorted, and walked out of the enclosed court.
"Why do you think the game is called 'squash'?" asked Tsukushi. "The object is to bounce the ball against the wall."
Rui softly chuckled.
"Hey, Rui," said Tsukushi, who sat next to Rui at the bleachers. "Do you think it's possible for him to like younger women?"
Akira was wandering aimlessly around Tokyo after Tsukasa and Soujiro deserted him. Tsukasa left to let Akira brood alone, while Soujiro left because he caught the eye of one young girl.
"No, I think not, I don't think Tsukushi chooses me," he assured himself. "Tsukasa must be hearing things."
He didn't realise it, but his wanderings had led him to the gates of the Domyouji mansion.
"What am I doing in front of Tsukasa and Tsukushi's house?" he asked himself.
He was still standing there, near the entrance, but blocked slightly by the hedge when a limo approached the gates.
"Yes, Hikaru, it's me," Tsukushi's voice can be heard. "Open up the gates for Rui and I."
Akira thought he heard it wrong, but when he glanced at the limo, yes, that was Rui's car.
As soon as the gates were opened, the limo sped inside.
"What's Tsukushi doing with Rui?" asked Akira.
Nevertheless, Akira continued to wander and asked himself that question many times until he reached his own house, and didn't even realise that the guards at the gates let him in.
"Eh? When did I reach my own house?" he asked himself, when he saw the front door to his home.
"Akira?" asked his mother, who noticed her son at the door. "You are home fairly early today."
"Eh? Mother?" asked Akira.
"I'd be sure you are with your mature women by now," answered Mrs. Mimasaka.
"Mother?" asked Akira again, outraged now. "You knew about all those mature women?"
"Aki-chan, how could I not know?" asked Mrs. Mimasaka back, turning the tables. "You are my son."
"Mother, how do you know you love father?" asked Akira instead.
"Hmm... I don't know how to put that in words, but, you just know you are in love" answered Mrs. Mimasaka.
"Mother," sighed Akira. "What about the first time you met father?"
"First time I met your father?" asked Mrs. Mimasaka instead. "I find that he's the cutest and sexiest man on earth."
Akira sighed. Trust his mother to be all lovey-dovey now.
"Why, Aki-chan?" asked Mrs. Mimasaka. "Why the need to know?"
"Tsukasa insisted that his little sister is in love or have a crush on me," answered Akira.
"Tsukasa's little sister?" asked Mrs. Mimasaka. "Ah, the cute Tsukushi!"
"You remembered her, mother?" asked Akira, amazed that his mother knew Tsukushi.
"Of course, before she went to England when she was eight, she joined me, Kaede, Oshin, you know, Soujiro's mom, and Emi, Rui's mom, when Kaede invited us to her English tea party," answered Mrs. Mimasaka. "Of course, your sisters weren't born yet during that time, they are only 5 now."
"She'll ask us, except her own mother this question, 'Mrs. Mimasaka, Mrs. Nishikado, and Mrs. Hanazawa, would you like some tea?'" continued Mrs. Mimasaka, reliving the past. "Kaede seem to want to raise her in the English way instead of Japanese."
"Her Japanese was horrendous, mother," said Akira. "She practically had to speak in English almost all the time."
Mrs. Mimasaka chuckled, and replied, "That's why Kaede dragged her back to Japan, it seems,"
"Ok, continue with your story, Aki-chan,"
"Well, all the F4 knew that Tsukushi is not going to be arranged to be with somebody, but it will please her mother if that somebody is someone of our background," started Akira.
Mrs. Mimasaka nodded.
"She did find somebody she likes, or at least, Tsukasa thinks she likes," Akira continued. "That person, according to Tsukasa, is me."
"Why is Tsukasa sure that, the person was you?" asked Mrs. Mimasaka.
"Because he overheard Tsukushi and Tsubaki talking about the F4, minus her brother, of course," answered Akira.
"Tsukasa won't explain in detail, Tsubaki would have his hide, or so he says," continued Akira.
"What does your heart say?" asked Mrs. Mimasaka.
End of chapter 8 - please read and review.
A/n:
Malapropism: The act of misusing a word unintentionally, and thus producing a comic effect. Use the dictionary to find a better definition.
'The Rivals': A play written by Richard Sheridan in 1775, where the term 'Malapropism' originates. The line Tsukasa said 'pineapple of politeness' is a nod to the classic play.
Tsukasa reading 'The Scarlet Letter' is a nod to Skyla's fanfic, 'Return to Me'.
Akira's mom is very non-motherly, even in canon, seen in Akira's short story, 'Crescent Moon'.