CHAPTER FOUR.
The moment for Mr. Kuonji to arrive was nearing and Ukyo was a wrecking ball of nerves. She had decided not to open up that day since, judging by her nervous state, she would've probably ended up burning the place down. She checked the guestroom once more and climbed down the stairs, looking for the lost boy to go over their plan one last time.
Ukyo found her 'fiancé' sitting on the couch, with his elbows resting on his knees and his head between his hands.
"Ryoga?" She called softly, yet he jumped two feet in the air. "It's just me, you jackass!"
"S-sorry," he stood up, rubbing his chest. "I'm a bit nervous. Do you think he'll buy it? What if he doesn't? What if he knows we're not really engaged? Your dad is going to kill me if he finds out!"
Ryoga started hyperventilating, pacing back and forth.
"Everything will work out if we keep calm and follow the plan."
"B-but what if he asks questions I don't know the answer of? What if he notices something's going on? What-"
"Cut it out! He won't find out unless you keep freaking out!"
"B-but…"
"Stop! You have read the notebook I've given you, right?"
"Yes!" He breathed out, fisting his hands.
"Okay, there's all you need to know about me and, uh, us, so stop worrying…" She sighed, and then something occurred to her. "Hey, let's have a safe word."
"Safe word?" He stopped his frantic pacing and looked curiously at her.
"Yeah, a safe word; something you say when you feel overpowered by the situation, so I can help you. Would that help?" He nodded vigorously. "Okay, what word would it be?"
"I-I don't know..."
"It's gotta be something we remember easily… something fast…" A word snuck up in her mind and she laughed out loud, "I got it! 'Onesie'!"
Ryoga's face was a poem.
"Are you kidding?"
"Hey, if you want a safe word, it's gotta be that one."
"Fine… whatever it helps to go through with this."
"Okay, now, take a deep breath…" He did as he was told. "Let it out slowly… that's right… keep breathing slowly… and now we wait for my dad and pretend we're madly in love with each other… Stop blushing, you idiot!"
"S-sorry…"
"My dad knows you're shy, okay? But it would be too suspicious if you keep blushing like a tomato at the mere mention of you and me together, so try to control yourself!"
"I'm trying!"
"Ryoga," she stepped in front of him and grabbed his shoulders, looking straight into his eyes, "just think about the cure for your curse. We're doing this for you too, remember that."
He nodded, "Right, you're right..."
"All you have to do is stick to the plan and pretend that we're a happy couple… and for the love of God, stop blushing!"
The moment her father pulled the car over in front of her restaurant, she started hyperventilating.
"Stop it, Ukyo. You're making me even more nervous!"
Ryoga stood beside her, looking through the open street door that led to her apartment. She knew he was a ball of nerves and prayed to the heavens that he wouldn't screw up.
She nodded, composing herself.
"Let's try to stay calm, alright? It's obvious that you'd be a bit nervous about meeting my father, but try not to look so skittish. Just, act normal, okay? We can do this."
"Easier said than done…" He muttered.
She was smiling when her father reached the door, and she jumped into the man's arms. In spite of everything, she had really missed him.
"Dad, welcome!"
Her father chuckled as he lifted her feet off the floor in a bear hug.
"Hey there, little girl," the man patted her back fondly. He deposited her back on the floor and nodded curiously to the hallway. "And who is this?"
She gestured Ryoga to come closer, and the boy walked stiffly up to them, blushing like mad.
"Dad, this is Hibiki Ryoga, my fiancé."
"N-nice to m-meet you, sir;" Ryoga bowed respectfully; and she noticed her father sputtering before bowing as well.
"It's nice to meet you too, young man!" Her father exclaimed with a large amount of surprise and delight that didn't go unnoticed by her. He extended his hand and Ryoga took it hesitantly. "I'm Kuonji Takeo, but you already know that." Her father smiled.
"O-of course," the boy nodded, having learned his name the day before.
"So, how was your trip, dad?" She asked while leading him to the little kitchen, which was also her dining room.
"Tiresome," the man replied with a sigh.
"Would you like some tea?" Takeo nodded, sitting on a chair, smiling broadly to the fanged boy.
"I'm a bit excited that you're here and I finally got to meet you. Every time I came or called, you happened to be on a training trip!" The man turned to his daughter. "I mean, I was actually starting to believe he didn't exist!" Takeo guffawed, and the 'couple' let out a nervous laugh.
"T-that's funny, dad!" Ukyo stuttered, sharing a nervous look with the boy, wondering not for the first time if she was doing the right thing…
Ryoga took a sip of his cup, trying to control the trembling of his hand. Mr. Kuonji had been chatting amicably with his daughter and him for the last half an hour, thankfully not making any uncomfortable questions, and he was starting to relax.
It wasn't that hard to pretend that Ukyo and he were engaged, after all; now that she was being (or pretending to be) nice to him in front of her father.
He could do this. He had pretended to be a pet pig once before, and no one ever noticed. Okay, so he had changed forms back then, and keeping the secret had been a torture, but this was all the same; all he had to do was to pretend he was someone else… even if that someone else was also himself.
He'd spent the night before reading the notebook over and over again, and he had practically memorized it. He knew everything about Ukyo's past, her family, her business… and their fake relationship. She had made quite an effort in that part, he noted. She had somehow turned her fake fiancé into a character, and he just had to play the role.
Yup, piece of cake, he thought ironically, cursing his luck.
Only Ukyo would come up with that kind of plan… and only he would go along with it.
He darted a glance in her direction; she had a cup between her hands, halfway to her mouth as she laughed at something her father had said, her cheeks bunched and her blue eyes sparkling. She was actually kind of cute when she laughed like that.
He felt his cheeks heating up at such thought and took a deep breath surreptitiously, trying to control his damn shyness. He'd been quite surprised when he met her at the market; amazed at the changed that had overcome her. She had stop dressing as a boy, and she seemed to behave more ladylike, as well. It was quite a nice change, he had to admit.
He jumped when Ukyo kicked his shin under the table. He glared at her, but she looked like she was expecting him to say something. "Um, I'm sorry, what?"
"Dad was asking you about your training, honey."
Was he? Ryoga looked at the man and smiled apologetically, he was staring expectantly at him.
"I'm curious about your fighting style, boy. Ukyo told me you have mastered two very powerful techniques; I would like to see them in action someday. My daughter says you're a very strong and skilled martial artist."
"Well…" He couldn't control the blush this time. She really had said those things about him? "S-sure…" He nodded, scratching the back of his head with embarrassment.
"Great! Well kids, I'm going to take a nap; I need to recharge my batteries after that long trip." He chuckled, standing up. "Nice meeting you, son-in-law!" Takeo laughed, patting the boy's back with enthusiasm.
Ryoga watched the man climb the stairs and then turned to the girl sitting next to him. She was nibbling her thumbnail, and was she blushing?
"That went way much better than I'd thought," she said with relief.
"Strong and skilled?" He asked with an eyebrow up, and he lifted the other when her blush deepened.
"Somehow, calling my fiancé 'slow and scatterbrained' didn't seem fit at the moment." She countered, standing up and taking the cups to the sink.
"I'm not slow!" He protested, and she smirked.
"Funny you didn't say 'or scatterbrained';" she retorted.
"I admit I get lost in thought sometimes, but no, I'm not scatterbrained either." He humphed.
"Whatever you say, Hibiki. As long as you stay focused on our plan and don't get too lost in thought that you can't find your way back… you already do that physically."
He sighed, and here he had thought she would start being nicer to him. Apparently, that treatment was only worth in her father's company.
Ukyo finished making dinner and walked towards the back door leading to the little backyard, where the lost boy had just finished mowing the lawn. She had to admit it was nice having someone around who could help her with the apartment's chores. Besides, it had kept him busy; her father had slept practically the whole afternoon and he'd been hovering around the apartment, getting on her nerves.
"Ryoga, dinner's ready!" He turned around, rake in hand, and legs covered with grass. The sight was so domestic it threw her off balance. She cleared her throat. "Go change your clothes first."
"Yes, ma'am;" he replied with a sneer as he stomped his feet to shake the blades off and entered the kitchen.
"Hurry up, you jackass, I'm hungry;" she prodded, though there wasn't as much annoyance in her voice as she would've wanted to, still a bit shaken up for some reason. He mumbled something under his breath and climbed the stairs, leaving her alone, leaning on the doorway.
She had just finished setting the table when her father came down. He sat on a chair and smiled widely at her, smelling the air.
"That smells delicious," Takeo said.
"Thanks dad."
She stirred the pot and turned the stove off.
"Ukyo, honey, I don't mean to pry but, is it your day off today? I mean, it's Friday, after all."
She froze, not daring to turn around. Her father had always had this way with words; he made it sound like he was just suggesting something when he was actually scolding her. And she knew he wasn't fond of days off, either, in spite of how much she needed one; but she needed to keep playing by his rules if she wanted to prove herself worthy of the trade.
"No, I don't have a day off, but today I wanted to leave Ucchan's closed to be with you, dad."
She chewed her thumbnail while she pretended to be busy cleaning up the countertop. She knew he wasn't doing it on purpose, but her dad seemed to be always looking for something that would prove that she wasn't ready to take on his business.
"I see… that's very considerate of you, sweetheart."
"I'll open tomorrow morning to compensate." She smiled, slightly turning to face him, and saw him grimacing.
"Oh, you mean you don't usually open on Saturday mornings?"
No, she didn't; she just opened for dinner on Saturdays and for lunch on Sundays; but perhaps she should make an exception that weekend.
She was about to retort when Ryoga came down, "That smells wonderful," he commented hungrily as he took a seat on the round table, Takeo's eyes settling on him, and she sent him a grateful smile. He had unconsciously taken the spotlight off her.
"My daughter is a great cook, not just an okonomiyaki chef, but you surely already know that."
"O-of course…" he smiled tentatively. "She makes an awesome Takoyaki." The boy added as an afterthought.
Ukyo took the pot to the table and started serving the plates, smiling at the fanged boy for the compliment.
"I would love to take a look at your books tonight, Ukyo;" Takeo commented cheerily while they ate.
"Oh, uh, yeah, sure… But, um, why don't I show you tomorrow?"
Shit! She had been so busy worrying about her situation with Ryoga that she had forgotten about the books!
"Okay," her father smiled, albeit a bit forced. She smiled back at him and focused on her food, letting Ryoga get all the attention from the older chef as he asked questions about his training trips. He seemed to be doing a lot better now that they were talking about a comfortable topic for him, he didn't even stutter once and he hadn't blushed, either. Hope started blooming in her chest; if Ryoga kept behaving like that, they might succeed and her father would leave at Sunday night with his wish fulfilled.
All she had to do now was survive the weekend…
Ukyo's dad has finally arrived! What do you think of this chapter?
James Birdsong, Kana, Jhotenko, triangle3side, Konni1, Hasumi-Chan, SithKnight-Galen, ShizaAssassian316, Soul Raider 116, Baitdcat, Linkgold64, , Triton, Diego, elli-sofia, and other guests: Thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you're liking this fic so far! Sorry I couldn't answer to each review like I normally do, I haven't had time, but know that I've read all of them. Your encouragement is always welcomed! Thank you! =D
Big hugs to all of you!
Anya.