RYUUNOSUKE IN BLOOM
WRITTEN BY THE SPARK THAT BLED
CHAPTER TWO: THE NIGHT OF THE FLOWER-VIEWING PARTY
The Mendou estate was beautiful, just like Mendou himself promised. Beautiful, and very, very, very big. As the students were led in through the main gate, they had to get on small golf carts just to be able to be driven down to the sakura grove where the party was being held.
Ryuunosuke had arrived late, as she wasn't able to shake off her father. Even though she had taken alternate routes through Tomobiki's streets, doubled back, and slowed her pace as much as possible, all he had to do was wait by the main entrance for guests to the Mendou estate and wait for her to arrive. And so it was that she found herself squashed in the back of a golf cart alongside her father, being driven down to the cherry tree grove.
The lake of pink amongst the night sky was immediately noticeable in the distance, all of them illuminated by lights beneath the trees shining upward to make the blossoms stand out all the more. If it wasn't for the Mendou estate's walls, not to mention the various other forestry and buildings that surrounded it, the cherry trees would've been noticeable for miles.
As the golf cart drove closer to the grove, Ryuunosuke could see that there wasn't just lights beneath the tree branches, but lights strung up around the tree branches around; every branch of every tree was wrapped with cords of LED lights, like a very strange take on the Christmas tree. All it needed was tinsel and glass ornaments being hung from the branches.
"THE FUJINAMI PARTY HAS ARRIVED!" One of Mendou's bodyguards bellowed out as the cart stopped at the foot of a massive banner, behind which a huge number of fellow students sat enjoying the party.
Almost the second the cart stopped, Ryuunosuke moved to get out, only to be grabbed back by her jacket by her father. A swift kick to the face later, Ryuunosuke sprang out and ran, out into the middle of the gathering.
When she suddenly heard a chorus of raised voices as she stood in the middle of the clearing, Ryuunosuke realised she made a mistake. She turned and froze in shock as she saw a galloping stampede of schoolgirls dashing towards her. She cringed away from the stampede, making half-hearted pleas to the girls as they surrounded her, shouting and screaming and jostling her about.
Ryuunosuke looked around in panic, but saw that everyone else seemed to be trying to ignore the commotion, except for her father... He was selling some photos to some of the girls who were stuck in the back, out of her reach.
Ryuunosuke moved away from the group, managing to struggle her way out. "This is all a mistake!" She blurted out as she staggered back. "I didn't want for things to end up this way!"
And then Ryuunosuke felt another pair of bodies press up against her.
"Of course you didn't, Ryuu-chan!" Ataru said as he nuzzled closer. "You don't know what you want, don't you?"
"All those lies you father told you," Mendou said as he kept his grip tight on Ryuunosuke. "I can show you how to bring out the real woman in you..."
And then he got beaned in the face with a stone.
Ryuunosuke's fangirl horde stepped closer, their faces black and stormy. "What do you think you're doing to our Ryuunosuke-sama?" From their jackets and skirts they drew various weapons: bats, clubs, knives, bicycle chains, sharpened CDs, bags of sand attached to cords.
Ryuunosuke-sama? Ryuunosuke thought to herself, before she quickly wrestled away from Ataru and Mendou's grip.
"Men like you would never win Ryuunosuke's heart!" Another girl shouted. "Get your disgusting man hands off of her!"
Ryuunosuke fled as the fangirl horde descended on Ataru and Mendou.
Ryuunosuke dashed behind one of the big trees as the violence continued, taking the opportunity to catch her breath. She peered around the tree at the ensuing rumble. Some of the guys, and some of Mendou's remaining fangirls had waded into the melee to try and control it and save the two "unfortunates" caught inside. She didn't have the opportunity to fully realise what she did until now and now it shocked her to her core.. Were those girls really fighting them and each other because of her?
"MIYAKE SHINOBU-SAN HAS ARRIVED!" A distant voice called out.
Ryuunosuke peered out from behind the tree. At the banner marking the entryway into the party space stood Shinobu, wearing a pink sweater with a yellow skirt, pale yellow stockings and brown wedge sandals. Standing there, amongst the falling petals, Shinobu looked as if the lights in the trees were shining just so she could catch their light.
Ryuunosuke's heart beat faster. Slowly she slipped out from behind the tree, and ran past the ensuing brawl over to Shinobu. She tried to put on her best face, straightening her clothes and hair.
"Shinobu! You came!"
Shinobu turned her head towards Ryuunosuke, and smiled happily as she approached. "Ryuunosuke! You're here!" She turned around fully as Ryuunosuke skidded to a halt, and motioned over towards the brawl in the middle of the grove. "You've looked like you're already causing trouble."
Ryuunosuke looked over at the ensuing brawl. "Yeah, well… Guess I deserved it..." She murmured to herself. She looked back at Shinobu. "What about you? How was the trip here?"
Shinobu smiled, turning to walk towards one of the the sheets laid down under the trees. "Well, it was alright. The gate was pretty close, so I didn't have to do anything other than just walk here."
Ryuunosuke mentally kicked herself. That was a dumb question, considering how close most of the people she knew in Tomobiki lived to the Mendou district. And also considering she knew where Shinobu lived...
Ryuunosuke shook those thoughts from her head as Shinobu slipped her sandals off and settled down on the tarpaulin, quickly squatting down beside it. "Is it okay if I can get you anything?"
Shinobu shook her head. "It's okay. The others said that there would be food and drinks here."
Ryuunosuke blinked. The others? She turned around to see Lum, Ran and Sakura approaching, each carrying a box full of various snacks and bits of food, bottles of soda and water, and a boombox.
Ryuunosuke deflated a little. And here she was expecting her and Shinobu to be alone tonight... Wait, that didn't come out right… She shook her head roughly as the three other girls settled on the tarp, shoes placed down on the outside edge. She looked up as Sakura settled against her left side, while Ran sat on Shinobu's right.
"Hello, Ryuunosuke-kun!" Ran said. "I heard from Lum that you had been having trouble recently, so little Ran-chan's coming over to make sure that you're all happy again."
She beamed at Ryuunosuke with her cutest smile. Ryuunosuke groaned and tried to fight back a blush from taking over her face. Of all the people to decide to join them, it had to be the girl she tried to date... Or rather, meet with in order to try and learn to be more feminine from.
And here she was, smiling at her again, like the brightest, most brilliant star. Even though she knew of her weird relationship with Lum, and her affections for Rei, Ryuunosuke couldn't help but to like her.
Ryuunosuke looked over at Lum. "And I'm betting that this was your idea, then?"
"Actually, it was mine." Sakura said. "You knew that Lum was worried with what you've been doing recently, so she told me everything. And I decided, since most of our class was invited to this party, that I should be your chaperone for the evening."
Ryuunosuke sighed. "Don't worry, you're the least of my worries tonight."
"Yes," Shinobu said. "We're all here to enjoy ourselves, aren't we?"
"Yes, of course we are." Ataru added, sidling his way right up to Sakura. "Such fine ladies shouldn't be left alone without supervision..."
"There are some unsavoury people hanging about the place, don't you know." Mendou added from between Ryuunosuke and Shinobu.
"We all should make sure that Ryuunosuke and his paramour should be able to consummate unhindered." Mr. Fujinami added from his spot from Sakura's other side. "There shouldn't be any obstacles for him to become a man among men!"
Sakura snarled and grabbed Ataru by the hair. "You three are exactly the kind of people that we are protecting Ryuunosuke and Shinobu from!" She hurled him at Mendou, knocking the pair of them off of the tarpaulin and slamming into a tree.
"Such strength!" Mr. Fujinami said as Sakura grabbed him by his shirtfront. "You would make an excellent wife for Ryuunos-" He was cut off by being flung into Mendou and Ataru, squashing them further into the tree.
"Ryuunosuke-kun, what's this about a paramour?" Shinobu asked.
Ryuunosuke felt a cold wave rush through her. "W-what are you talking about Shinobu?" She pasted on a smile, trying her best to look nonchalant. Maybe if she acted like it was nothing, Shinobu wouldn't follow up on it.
"You're a bad liar sometimes, Ryuunosuke-kun."
Ryuunosuke swallowed hard.
Shinobu looked over at Ataru and Mendou, currently getting dogpiled by Lum and electro-shocked into submission, and then gazed at Ryuunosuke again. "I was kind of worried of the way you were acting. But... I kind of liked it? I don't know..." She looked away, an uncertain look on her face.
Ryuunosuke blinked, the chill fading from inside her. "Really?"
Shinobu looked back at Ryuunosuke, her cheeks turning red. "I'm not trying to say I was scared or anything, but... You're a girl, aren't you? And you know that I like boys?" Shinobu paused, and looked away again. "I'm sorry, I don't want you to think that I hate you or something."
Ryuunosuke sighed, turning her gaze from Shinobu. "Well, I guess since we're here, I suppose we can start enjoying ourselves... or somethin'..." She picked up a bottle of tea from one of the bags set on the tarp, and held it out for Shinobu. "Can we make it a date, at least for tonight?"
Shinobu nodded, taking the bottle from Ryuunosuke. "At least for tonight..."
"I'd hate to interrupt this sweet scene, but..." Sakura began.
"We know!" Ryuunosuke said, pulling out a bottle of cola from the bag and wrenching off the cap. "I'm not going to try and pull anythin' funny on Shinobu! I'm pretty sure she wouldn't let me, anyway!"
Shinobu's cheeks went redder, and Ryuunosuke, realising what she said, flushed as well.
"It's okay," Shinobu said finally. "I'll let Ryuunosuke know if she's going too far or not." She sipped at her tea, trying to ignore the somewhat scandalised look on Sakura's face, and Ran giggling behind her hand.
After that, Lum had rejoined the tarp party, and was getting into the snacks as well. To Ryuunosuke's surprise, the party was mostly smooth from then on: Ataru and Mendou didn't interrupt, nobody came along to make trouble, and even Ryuunosuke's own fangirls seemed to be reasonably well behaved, considering the way they mooned over her recently. The only trouble that happened was when Lum accidentally ate a rice ball with a pickled plum inside, and went into a semi drunken stupor. Thankfully, Lum was content to not bother anyone other than Ataru, who were stuck along with Mendou, Mr. Fujinami and Lum's weird four fanboys on another tarp right next to theirs.
Ryuunosuke found it a nice change, at the least. She and Shinobu were able to talk, about various things. About the light novels that Shinobu read recently, and what Ryuunosuke thought of the show that was on Sunday, and how they both thought that one singer looked really good. It felt nice, being with Shinobu like this. She hung out with the other girls when the time came, but she enjoyed her time with Shinobu the most, because only Shinobu made everything else in her world brighter when she smiled.
So when Shinobu asked Ryuunosuke one question she didn't expect, she ended up halted in mid-bite of a curry bread, nearly choking on the pastry: "Ryuunosuke, who do you like?"
It took her a minute to be able to swallow the curry bread and recover from the act, and by that time she had almost forgotten the question. "Uh... what?"
Shinobu shifted in her seat. "Who do you like? Which singer?" There was a pensive look on her face, suggesting that she was expecting an answer to it.
Ryuunosuke sighed partly in relief, partly to get her breath back. "I dunno... " Maybe she should talk about male singers? Would that be what Shinobu would expect, right? Since she's a girl? She knew she liked a couple of the idol singers, because they were so pretty and feminine and so close to the ideal that Ryuunosuke aspired herself to be. But wouldn't that sound suspicious? Maybe she should answer with a male singer, just in case.
"Uh... Konishi, I guess?" Ryuunosuke ventured. He liked some of the songs that that guy sung after all...
Shinobu nodded. "Hmmm... Konishi sounds like the kind of guy your father would like.
Ryuunosuke's face fell.
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that, Ryuunosuke-kun!"" Shinobu answered, waving her hands in a panic. "I'm sure that you like lots of manly men..." She squeaked a little as she realised what she said. "I'm sorry!"
Ryuunosuke sighed. "What about, Shinobu?" She looked down at the bag of empty bottles that sat in between them. "Girls are supposed to like boys, aren't they? I'm a girl, so that's just the way am I'm aren't I?"
Shinobu didn't answer. She gazed at Ryuunosuke, a hand curled over her mouth, her eyes looking rather sympathetic, even with what she was saying. Occasionally, her gaze moved over to Sakura, who was pointedly looking away as if to say don't drag me into this quagmire right now.
A silence descended on the group, heavy and all encompassing. A perfect sitting duck for some rando to disrupt. And that's just what happened.
Ataru leapt over to try and do... something to Ryuunosuke, something relating to being "the man" for her or something, but got cut off by Ryuunosuke's fist. However, that only meant that Mendou could come over and try and "help" by working his "magic" on Ryuunosuke. Unfortunately not realising that Ryuunosuke knew most of Mendou's tricks already, prompting her to throw him against the tree, pull her shoes on and take off, the two men quickly on her heels.
Shinobu watched, in shock, as Mendou and Ataru chased deeper into the tree grove after her, out of view of the rest of the party guests. It only took her a minute before she was pulling her own shoes on and taking off after them.
Ryuunosuke could feel the sweat dripping down her face as she fought through the trees, her body bouncing and weaving around as she fought Ataru and Mendou back. It didn't occur to her how easily it came to her, the movements and the strength needed to beat the two perverts back, all the while moving at speed through the pink blossoms falling through the air. Anyone watching her could swear they were looking at poetry in motion. Ryuunosuke, on the other hand, would just think it was just enough to fend off the attentions of Ataru and Mendou.
"Ryuu-chan! Ryuu-chan!" Ataru yelled as he bounded towards her again, barely feeling the affects of the punches that hit him. "Don't run away! I just want to cure you of your mannishness! I got just the thing!" He was sent flying back with a solid strike to the jaw, but she knew that he would bounce back. If he was alone, she would've dealt with him easily, but then...
"Ryuunosuke!" Mendou moved aside as Ataru flew past, and then made his way towards her. "This violence is unbecoming of a fair maiden as you. Drop your hands and come to my arms, and I can cure you of your delusions!"
Ryuunosuke only punched him back, sending him tumbling through the air. It surprised her that they were still keeping it up, even after several punches that would've flattened the likes of her father in seconds. The idea that they were that devoted to their belief that they would cure her made her sick to her stomach.
Deep within, Ryuunosuke knew that they couldn't cure her like this. But she knew that somebody might be able to. Once again Ryuunosuke thought of Shinobu, the way she spoke, the way she walked. Yeah... Even if she couldn't love her, or shouldn't love her, Ryuunosuke knew that Shinobu, at the least, was the one who could cure her.
The thought gave Ryuunosuke strength to her tired muscles, and as Ataru and Mendou leaped towards her again, desperate to show their love, Ryuunosuke leapt in to give them their response with her knuckles...
...or at least that's what she would have done, if something large didn't suddenly swoop past her and slam into both of them. The two flew backwards gracefully, carried by the weight of… a desk?
Ryuunosuke blinked at the sight. There, sure as day, was a school desk, laying upside down amidst the trees. Ataru and Mendou lay beneath the wood side by side, finally unconscious. She knew that only one person was able to wield such an idiosyncratic piece of furniture like that, even outside of school on a weekend...
"Ryuunosuke-kun!"
Ryuunosuke's heart rose up as she looked up and saw Shinobu by one of the trees, her hair gently wavering in the breeze. Sakura petals fell around her, as if to help announce her presence to Ryuunosuke.
"Shinobu!"
Shinobu sprinted up to Ryuunosuke, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Are you alright? I was worried that those two were going to do something awful to you!"
"I'm okay, Shinobu." Ryuunosuke placed her hand on Shinobu's head gently. "You know that I'm not that easy to put down." She sighed as she looked down at Shinobu, noticing the look of relief crossing her face.
Shinobu nodded, squeezing Ryuunosuke before letting go. "I was getting worried, what with you getting upset and all. I... I wanted to talk to you, about what's been going on."
Ryuunosuke tried to ignore the horrible feeling in her stomach, and stepped off of the table. "Yeah, okay. Come on." She took Shinobu's hand, and stepped off the desk to walk with her.
"The blossoms are beautiful, aren't they?" Shinobu asked idly, her head raised upwards to watch the blossoms falling from the trees. "Mendou was right after all. Not about you of course, but..."
"Yeah, I know." Ryuunosuke squeezed Shinobu's hand gently. "Did you... do this sort of thing with Mendou, then?"
Shinbou shook her head gently. "No... Not really. Mendou was too busy trying to string his girls along and try and get a hold on Lum to even entertain something like that. There were times where I really wished I did, though." She giggled a little bit. "Maybe I wish he did care. He would be really jealous to see you with me. Remember Valentine's Day? All those chocolates you got."
Ryuunosuke nodded quietly, but tried to keep a sour look on her face. She remembered Valentine's Day as the day her father cheated her out of a load of chocolate than all the attention she got from girls that day.
Shinobu, however, did notice. "Sorry. I forgot about that happening."
They walked on for a couple more steps in silence, until they came to the foot of a massive cherry tree. Ryuunosuke marvelled at the sight of it, the blossoms hanging over their heads, wrapped in the LED garlands. The lights blinked in different rhythms, illuminating the tree.
"Shinobu? If I was a guy, would you really date me?"
Shinobu was silent for several minutes, simply staring at the leaves above. "Of course, Ryuunosuke." She looked over at her. "I was wondering if you were going to ask me a question like that." She stepped closer, her eyes still trained upward. "These past few days... I was wondering why you were acting like that. To be honest, I was wondering how you felt about me ever since the date, and the whole Soban thing."
Ryuunosuke's eyes widened and she looked over at Shinobu. "Really?"
"Well..." Shinobu blushed heavily, but still kept her eyes averted. "I was kinda scared at the end, but I suppose you're not the kind of person who'd try and touch me... well, not without a good reason."
Ryuunosuke blushed as well. "Thanks for reminding me. That's pretty much the reason I wanted to get you to forgive me, you know."
Shinobu clasped her hands together, the fingers entwining with each other. "But you know, I couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards. I guess even though you did scare me, a bit of me felt... excited?"
Ryuunosuke swallowed hard.
"I don't know how to feel, Ryuunosuke-kun." Shinobu said. "Maybe I still feel that all of this is wrong and I shouldn't be thinking of you like that. But then I also feel like I want that to happen..." She turned to look at Ryuunosuke. "I'm sorry, I must be giving you the wrong idea..."
Ryuunosuke shook her head. "I get the same feeling too. Like, you're one of the people that I wish you could be. You're smart, beautiful, sweet, and everything there is about being a girl is so natural to you..." She growled, balling her fists. "Not like me, not like what I've been through."
Shinobu smiled at Ryuunosuke. "That makes me happy to hear it. But then, do you ever think anything more than that?"
Ryuunosuke was quiet for a second, before she answered. "Sometimes I wondered what I would be like to be your... girlfriend. I guess..." She turned her head away from Shinobu. "Like I was more like a girl, but I was also with you the way like a boyfriend. That we'd do like girl stuff together, but that we're like a guy and a girl. But that just sounds weird, doesn't it?"
Shinobu paused, gazing at Ryuunosuke. Images ran through her head of the girls in "Class S" novels, all but proclaiming true love for each other. "I think I know what you're thinking of, Ryuunosuke." She said, quietly and carefully. "Maybe it's possible, but I don't know..." She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. "I've never even thought of having a relationship like that before. I always imagined being in love with boys."
Ryuunosuke nodded quietly. "Yeah... I would've thought that girls could only be in love with guys, no matter what. Even those girls who follow me around and say those crazy things, they would probably end up marrying some dude who's working at some office somewhere."
Shinobu looked at Ryuunosuke again. Ryuunosuke met her gaze. Beside them, the cherry tree kept shedding leaves from their blossoms, uncaring and unknowing of the feelings that permeated the air around it. The pair looked back at the tree again, and watched the blossoms fall to the ground, forming a blanket of pale pink at their feet.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, though." Shinobu said quietly. "Just as friends, but kind of as lovers, I guess. It would make a nice change from having to chase after Shutaro all this time, and fight with Lum over him."
Ryuunosuke smiled. "I'd like that. We can be friends. Kinda." She stepped closer to Shinobu, and took her hand. "We could go on dates together and all. Or whatever you wanna do, I don't care."
Shinobu smiled. "I could take you to my favourite cafe, if you want. Oh, I know there's a place that sells shiruko in Tomobiki that's popular with some of my girl friends..." She paused for a moment, noticing the confusion on Ryuunosuke's face. "I mean, my friends who are girls..."
Ryuunosuke squeezed her hand gently. "Yeah, I would love to go there. It would be better than having to hang around the school store all day.."
Shinobu smiled and squeezed back. "Come on. Everyone must be worried about you." She led Ryuunosuke back along the small path, back towards the party. They didn't let go of each other's hand until they reached the girls.
Sakura looked up as she saw the pair arrive. "Ryuunosuke! Shinobu! What happened to you two? We were just about to send a search party for you!"
Ryuunosuke rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Uh yeah, about that… We kinda left Moroboshi and Mendou back there among the trees… somewhere." She turned her head nevertheless, hoping not to see him bounding up behind her. "You better send the search party out for them."
Lum rose up from the tarp unsteadily. "I'll find Darling! Don't worry yourselves!" She wavered off in the direction of the trees, until Sakura grabbed her hand.
"I'll help you." Sakura said, rising from the tarp and stepping into her heels. "In your state, you're only going to cause more trouble for us." She looked over at Ryuunosuke and Shinobu. "I hope you two will be able to finally enjoy yourselves tonight."
Shinobu nodded towards Sakura. "Go and find them, Miss Sakura. We'll be fine."
Ryuunosuke watched Sakura and Lum turn around and disappear into the trEes, before turning to Shinobu. "I never got to say about how well you handled those two back there."
Shinobu only smiled and winked. "It comes with experience, my dear." She then burst into giggles.
Ryuunosuke couldn't help but laugh a little herself. But when her laughter died, she noticed that Shinobu was gazing at her curiously.
"I don't know if I ever seen you laugh like that before." She said. Her hand moved over to gently touch against Ryuunosuke's own. She watched Ryuunosuke turn her gaze towards her, and for a moment the two locked eyes with one another.
Slowly, Ryuunosuke let her fingers intertwine with Shinobu's. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. Above them, more blossom leaves fell from the branches, dancing illuminated amongst the evening sky, surrounding the two girls in a dance of happiness and joy.
As it was during cherry blossom season, the moment was quickly fleeting. However, it would be easily remembered nonetheless.
NOTES: So I've been looking at the historically tiny amount of Urusei Yatsura fanfic, and the historically even tinier amount of fan stuff specifically related to Ryuunosuke, Shinobu and Ryuunosuke/Shinobu, and I figured that something had to be done. Of course, I've never been much of a writer, but I hope that this'll help get me going at the very least. If nobody else was gonna do fanfic featuring my OTP, I might as well do it myself.
This is it. There'll be more coming, eventually.