A/N: Hi, guys! I'd like to apologize if I took soooo long to update. Many thanks to my li'l sis for sending me the original files - which were corrupted in the disk I used when I left home and tried to upload it on my new(but old) PC.

Mei: Enjoy, guys!

Disclaimer - Aki: (sigh) Once again, Hikari doesn't own Beyblade and the other anime that may appear in this fic. She owns only the OC...

Chapter 1: Arranged Marriages

"Ryuko!" Miyuri called. Immediately, the young servant girl hurried over and bowed.

"Hai?"

"Yuriko-san wa doko ka." The sapphire-eyed woman asked. Her tone wasn't harsh; nonetheless, the young girl trembled inwardly. She hadn't gotten used to working for this rich matriarch.

"Takenoichi-sama is in the upstairs library, ma'am." Ryuko answered, her voice small, but clear. "She asked that she be excused from dinner and has instead sent for a dinner tray."

"I see." Miyuri turned back to her visitor. "Forgive me if I am unable to introduce my granddaughter, Yuriko." She said, giving a grim smile. "As you have heard from Ryuko here, she is quite an avid reader; many times before I've had to practically tear her away from the book she was reading. Also, many times she has told me of her dreams of becoming a writer or an artist of sorts."

"Then you are in luck, Miyuri." Souchirou smiled back. He took a sip from his water glass and put it back down on the wooden coffee table in front of him. "Not many teens nowadays prefer books – and other intellectual pastimes – to television, video games, and all those other nonsensical things the youth concern themselves with."

"True." The gray-haired woman nodded, a smile of satisfaction on her face. She sat back down. "Now, please, let's turn the conversation away from my family. What of you and your grandson?"

The elderly Hiwatari sat back in his chair. "Ah, yes, Kai…As I've mentioned before, he's a very responsible teen for his age. However, he's rather inclined to playing that blasted game with spinning tops – Beyblade, I think it's called."

"Oh, I think I've heard of that somewhere." Miyuri said as she put down her water glass. "Yuriko has mentioned it once or twice sometime before, but only in passing. I've heard that the reigning world championship team is from Japan, correct?"

Souchirou nodded. "Kai is on that team; he's the team captain, in fact."

"Then the Hiwatari name must be very famous by now."

"Yes, though I'd much rather he'd learn the proper etiquette and the skills required to run a corporation such as ours."

"Well, he's still a teenager; you shouldn't worry so much." Miyuri said reassuringly. "He's young, easy to teach-"

"But very stubborn mind you."

"Oh."

The pair fell silent, having run out of topics of conversation. Just then, a manservant appeared in the doorway.

"Dinner is ready, Takenoichi-sama, Hiwatari-sama."

Yuriko looked up as she heard the rapping sound on the library doors. Sighing irritably, she carefully put down the book she'd been reading – she was already halfway through with A Midsummer Night's Dream – and went over to unlock the door. She peeked out.

In the hallway stood Ryuko, and she carried a large tray with several covered dishes, chopsticks and a small soup spoon, and a cup of what smelled like jasmine tea on it.

"Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Ryuko." Yuriko said as she accepted the tray. She inclined her head slightly, since performing a proper bow would jeopardize the contents of the tray.

Ryuko, too, bowed. "Do itashimashita, Takenoichi-sama," she replied, smiling. Then, without another word, she walked away.

Slowly, the auburn-haired teen closed the door, and then walked back to her armchair. She set the tray down carefully on the mahogany reading desk and moved the armchair closer to it.

As soon as she was seated once more, she moved to uncover the dishes. A three-course meal…she thought as she saw the contents. There was miso soup, a bowl of rice and several deep-fried seafood rolls. On a small plate beside that was a serving of shrimp tempura, and – to Yuriko's surprise and delight – her personal favorite, pickled plums.

After taking a sip of the tea – jasmine, as she had first guessed – Yuriko flipped open the thick tome and resumed reading, pausing once in a while to spoon in some soup or take a bite of viand and rice.

Outside, the rain had reduced to a mere drizzle.

"May I present the young master Hiwatari?" a tuxedo-clad manservant said. Both Souchirou and Miyuri looked up to see Kai standing in the doorway, next to the manservant who had spoken. Miyuri nodded, an indication that Kai was to be seated; the servant immediately led the slate-haired teen to a seat on the left of the matriarch and directly across from the teen's grandfather.

As soon as Kai sat down, he made the mistake of looking at his guardian; Souchirou did not look happy that the minor hadn't come to dinner earlier, as expected.

Miyuri sensed the tension between the two, and so decided to try to break it. She wiped her hands delicately on her napkin and cleared her throat discreetly. Souchiro caught on quick.

"Miyuri," he began, putting down his chopsticks, "if I may…this is Kai, my grandson."

The sapphire-eyed woman smiled grandly at the crimson-eyed teen. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Kai."

"A pleasure, ma'am…" Kai said quietly, forcing himself – unsuccessfully – to smile.

"I'm glad that you could join us, Kai," the graying female said. She offered him a bowl. "Miso soup?"

"Hai." Kai replied. Miyuri took the bowl and ladled in several spoonfuls of it into the small bowl beside his plate; she then placed the serving bowl back on the table. This was followed by a serving from each of the dishes on the table before them.

"Itadakimasu." Kai said before picking up his soupspoon and taking in small, polite spoonfuls of the steaming broth.

"Now, Miyuri, as I was saying before we were interrupted…"

At the sound of his grandfather's voice, Kai tuned out; he went about his actions rather mechanically, not that one of the grown-ups would have noticed. After ten minutes, he was finished.

"May I be excused?" he asked, putting down his chopsticks.

"Oh!" Miyuri turned to him. "Have you finished already, Kai?" The crimson-eyed teen nodded. "Well, then, of course you may go."

"Arigatou." Kai gave a curt nod, and then turned and left.

He hurried upstairs to his room.

Finally! He thought, heaving a big sigh of relief as he shut the door. That was getting too boring for words…

He glanced about his room and spotted the big window seat; he went over to it and sat down. He gazed out of the crystalline glass, watching the tears falling from the sky.

"Wow." Yuriko said as she closed the book she'd been reading. "Never thought Shakespearean English could be so…flowery. I guess that's what comes of reading the modern andabridged version..." she muttered to herself. On the table were the remnants of her dinner.

The amethyst-eyed teen stood up and stretched the kinks out of her back. She then picked up the tray. Might as well bring it downstairs; I've nothing better to do anyway…she thought as she made her way to the door and out into the hallway. From downstairs came the sounds of silverware, meaning her grandmother – and whomever she had invited – was still eating; she decided to take the rear staircase, so as not to disturb her elder.

Presently she set foot in the vast kitchen. Seeing no servants around, she tiptoed quietly to the marble-topped counter and set the tray down. Afterwards, she crept back to the staircase and went back upstairs.

Once she reached the second floor, she turned right and walked down the hallway until she came to another, smaller staircase; this was the one she wanted. She began to mount the stairs, humming a little song to herself. Soon there were no more stairs to climb, and she found herself facing a familiar door: the one that led to her room. Each time she and her grandmother had used this house, she had had the same room.

She swung open the door, and then closed it behind her. Frankly, she was getting fond of said room; it had wall-to-wall carpeting, a huge window seat, a bookshelf with copies of her favorite books, a wooden artist's desk where she could work on her comic book or another drawing project, a small table where she kept her art materials, and its own bathroom. Also, the bed was nothing short of extravagant; it was a four-poster with crimson hangings, several black and silver throw pillows, and its sheets were a less striking shade of crimson. She couldn't care less what the bed was like, but she had to admit it made for a cozy night's sleep.

She inspected the wooden desk beside the artist's desk. Those maids…she thought, shaking her head good-naturedly. They've already unpacked everything…In the topmost drawer lay her favorite medium: colored pencils. That usually meant that everything else she'd brought had already been put away in their 'proper' place.

She pulled the swivel chair over to her and took out a clean sheet of paper and her pencils. She'd just gotten an idea for a new drawing, and she wanted to get down the basic idea on paper before it disappeared from her mind. She'd wanted a bath a few minutes earlier, but now decided that it could wait.

She picked up her drawing pencil and started to sketch. Outside her window, the rain continued to fall, creating a dreary little tune on the windowpanes.

"Takenoichi-sama, it's time for you to get up…" a soft, hesitant voice invaded her imageless dreams. Yuriko groaned and burrowed her head into her pillow. Again the voice pierced the silence that followed."Takenoichi-sama, your grandmother requested that I wake you up now; she wants to see you." The voice was more insistent now, almost begging her to wake up.

Yuriko did. She blinked twice as bright light surged into her pupils, temporarily blinding her. "Ryuko-san?" she said, uncertain.

The young maid nodded, smiling. "Yogatta. You're finally awake. Your grandmother sent me to wake you ten minutes earlier."

"Sorry about that," the auburn-haired teen said, smiling apologetically. "It's just that I was up late last night, working on a drawing. I hope you don't get in trouble on my account."

Ryuko said nothing, but she did smile and bow before she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Yuriko swung her feet out of bed and onto the warm, carpeted floor. She glanced around the room and saw that an outfit had already been laid out for her. She smiled. Her grandmother had been responsible for picking it out.

She hurried to the bathroom, and a moment later, the sounds of rushing water could be heard.

After around fifteen minutes, the amethyst-eyed teen stepped out of the bath. She looked herself over in the full-length mirror. She was dressed in a white short –sleeved shirt, a light gray cropped jacket which she wore fully buttoned, a gunmetal-gray skirt with the hem two inches above her knees and black and white striped tights. She knew just what would set the outfit to perfection.

She walked over to the small shoe rack beside the door and put on her chunky lace-up boots. Then she went back to her dresser and tied a midnight blue satin ribbon around her head to serve as a headband. She looked herself over once more and smiled. She was ready.

"Now, Kai, remember, you are going to be meeting someone important today, so please be on your best behavior." Souchirou said. His grandson didn't meet his overbearing gaze.

"Whatever…" Kai said, sounding bored. And indeed he was. Besides, who could be more important than the Takenoichi person they had dined with? Kai guessed that the old woman was an influential figure in the community, just like his grandfather, but that didn't concern him in slightest. Did it?

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Souchirou-san." A familiar voice broke the silence that descended upon the living room. Kai looked up and sighed. He was right; the Takenoichi woman was here. He groaned inwardly.

If this is going to be some business talk…

"Ah, ohayou, Miyuri-san." Souchirou stood up as the graying woman entered the room. Out of sheer obligation, Kai stood up, too.

"I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long," Miyuri said, looking concerned. Souchirou shook his head.

"Oh, it's no trouble, Miyuri," he returned, the corners of his coal-black eyes crinkling with a rare smile. "We just got here, in fact."

"I see." The sapphire-eyed woman cracked a small smile as she took in Kai's outfit, which consisted of a long-sleeved black shirt and baggy camouflage pants. On his feet were his usual black-and-red trainers. "Well, your grandson certainly has an…interesting taste in clothes," she commented, "Not unlike-"

"Sumimasen." A very quiet, and shy-sounding voice interrupted from the threshold. Kai tilted his head in order to see beyond the elderly matriarch. One slate-gray eyebrow shot up.

What in the name of-?

In the doorway stood a girl who looked to be about his age. She had intense purple eyes and wavy, auburn hair, and she was wearing a monochrome outfit that set her pale skin to perfection. He guessed that this girl was someone's granddaughter – probably his grandfather's old business partner's granddaughter.

He frowned. If that was true, then what did he and the girl have to do with anything?

"You wanted to see me, Obaasan?" she asked in that quiet voice. Kai noted that she didn't enter the room yet; probably what she had been taught to do.

The slate-haired teen scrutinized her carefully. She looked and sounded rather withdrawn at first, but there was a tone in her voice that told subtly of the willful and independent soul within. Kai guessed that she was 'shy and obedient' only around her grandmother, a theory that seemed supported by her original outfit and the fire that blazed quietly behind her amethyst pools.

"Ah, yes, Yuriko." Miyuri turned and approached her granddaughter, smiling grandly. "I sent for you a few minutes earlier, hadn't I?" The auburn-haired teen nodded. "Well, at least you had the decency to join us this morning." Miyuri turned again and joined Souchirou and Kai; Yuriko followed meekly behind.

"Miyuri, this would be your granddaughter, I presume?" Souchirou asked, referring to the amethyst-eyed teen. Miyuri nodded, smiling.

"I see no introductions are necessary, then, but just for formalities' sake." The gray-haired woman took a deep breath and then stepped to one side. "Souchirou, Kai, I'd like you to meet Yuriko."

Souchirou performed a formal bow, while Kai only inclined his head slightly. Miyuri turned back to her charge.

"Yuriko, this is Hiwatari Souchirou, CEO of Hiwatari Enterprises, and this-" here she gestured towards Kai, "is his grandson, Kai."

"Pleased to meet you, Hiwatari Souchirou-sama, Hiwatari Kai-san," she said, her voice soft. She bent forward in a proper bow, something the elder Hiwatari had to smile at.

"I can see that what your grandmother told me about you is true," he said. He'd meant it as a compliment. Once more Yuriko bowed.

"Arigatou gozaimasu," she said, not meeting his gaze. "Your words bring me joy, knowing that my grandmother's training has not gone to waste."

"Indeed it hasn't," Souchirou continued, apparently pleased by her attitude. "You ought to teach my grandson better manners among company."

Another bow. It was getting to be a habit – a tiring one. "I shall try my best, but if he is too stubborn, then I am afraid I will have no effect."

Kai grinned inwardly at her determination. How long could she keep up an act such as this? Certainly she was dying to get away from all this formality…wasn't she?

Miyuri cleared her throat. "Shall we proceed to the garden?" she offered. "It's getting rather stuffy inside, and it might get more than a little uncomfortable later on…"

"Of course," Souchirou replied.

"This way, please…"

After a few moments, the foursome were out in the spacious and tastefully arranged rear garden – the one Yuriko saw from the window in the library. They were seated in the shade, on carved stone chairs arranged in a circle, with a carved stone table in the middle.

"Now, to business…" Souchirou began.

"I agree." The graying woman turned to her granddaughter. "Yuriko, you understand what a business merger is?"

The amethyst-eyed teen met her grandmother's gaze. "You know very well that I do, Obaasan, but one wonders, what has a business merger to do with one such as I?"

Souchirou laughed out loud. "Such a young teenager, yet she speaks as one born in the old times. Your granddaughter is very interesting, and certainly delightful, Miyuri!" The sapphire-eyed woman only smiled a small smile, while the elder Hiwatari turned to Yuriko. "You will forgive me for laughing, won't you, Yuriko-san?"

The auburn-haired teen bowed slightly. "Of course, Hiwatari-sama, if you will forgive me for asking why you laughed?"

Kai rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Perhaps I was mistaken…she hasn't talked out of turn, and she's…too polite…but there may be something more…he thought, the last part an amendment to the first.

"I'm afraid I haven't met many teens – perhaps there aren't any – who speak the way you do with your grandmother and me. What I mean to say is: being brought up in the 'old ways' is very rare in your generation."

Yuriko smiled. "I see…"

Souchirou turned to his old business partner. "Since she has asked so politely, perhaps you should explain to her the terms of our business merger."

Kai sat up straighter. "Chotto matte…Ojiisama, you planned a business merger?"

The elder Hiwatari glared at his grandson. "Kai, you know perfectly well that you're not to speak out of turn, yet-"

"It's all right, Souchirou," Miyuri interrupted, smiling kindly. "Surely he's grown used to your company as a sole proprietorship; I can understand his surprise."

Kai closed his eyes and tried to calm himself enough to deal with his elder in a more…pleasing manner. "I…apologize, Ojiisama, for my rudeness. Takenoichi-sama was correct; I'm rather shocked that you agreed to a business merger. Why so suddenly?"

Souchirou nodded in approval of the crimson-eyed teen's imposed self-control. He leaned back in his chair. "Well, Kai, Miyuri and I have been tracking each other's success in our respective businesses, and so far, we've matched each other in every aspect: stock holdings, earnings, estimated stock value, etc., therefore…"

"What your grandfather means to say, dear," Miyuri added, "is that – Yuriko, you need to listen, too – since the two separate companies have been so successful as sole proprietorships, then it should follow that they will be even more successful as a partnership, don't you think?"

Yuriko nodded thoughtfully, wavy auburn hair bobbing slightly. "That…sounds right. Please, Obaasan, won't you continue?"

"So…Souchirou and I agreed to a merger, which will become effective two-and-a-half months from now, a week after the two of you are married."

"I see-" Yuriko began, and then her eyes widened. "Obaasan, did you say…married?"

The elder Takenoichi nodded, her smile suddenly becoming sickly sweet. "Yes, I did."

"But…but…" The amethyst-eyed teen stood up quickly and half-glared at her elder. "Grandmother, you know I despise arranged marriages!"

Kai's eyes widened slightly, shocked by the girl's outburst – her first since he met her. Maybe he was right about her after all…?

"Yuriko-"

"I won't do it!" The now-irate teen said, a tone of finality in her voice. She stood for several more moments, shaking with silent anger; then, without another word, she spun on her heel and stalked off.

Miyuri stared after her granddaughter, shocked into silence. And then Souchirou cleared his throat.

"Well, that was certainly…surprising…" he commented, attempting to make light of the incident.

"I apologize for Yuriko's reaction," Miyuri said. She quickly rose and made a small bow. "If you will excuse me, I'll go talk some sense into her." So saying, the graying woman followed the path the younger Takenoichi had taken; only Kai and his grandfather were left at the small garden set.

"Grandfather, if you'll excuse me…" Kai said as he got up, ready to leave and return to his room. He wanted to retrieve his beyblade and get some training in, in spite of the fact that there were no tournaments coming up.

"No!" Souchirou immediately replied. "Sit down; we will wait for Miyuri to return."

"Boku wa Yuriko-san o sagashite," Kai returned curtly, turning his back to his elder. Before Souchirou could say anything, Kai had stridden up the garden path and back into the chateau.

Of all the nerve-! Yuriko thought savagely as she pounded up the steps to her room. An arranged marriage, of all things!

In her anger, she fairly threw open the door, stalked into her room, and slammed the door behind her. She hastily grabbed a pencil and a clean sheet of paper. She laid these out on the artist's desk before walking over to her backpack – she'd left it alone the night before – and retrieving her CD player. She slid in her favorite – Evanescence's Anywhere But Home, the band's latest – and pressed Play, and then Shuffle before sticking the headset into her ears. Soon, she lost herself in the gothic rock that Amy Lee was so famous for.

All of my hate cannot be found…

I will not be drowned by your thoughtless scheming…

That particular song, Thoughtless, Yuriko knew, was only a cover; the original had been written and sung by another band, Korn. Soon, though, found herself humming along to the song as she allowed her hand to fly across the page; she didn't really care what she drew just now, as long she drew. She did it only to make herself forget the stunning and infuriating news she'd just received.

True, she loved her grandmother, but the way the old woman took control of her life – just like she did a few minutes ago – was getting on the amethyst-eyed teen's nerves. She regretted the fact that she was only sixteen and a minor.

No…you can try to break me down…

Beat me to the ground; I will see you screaming…

Sometimes, Yuriko admitted, she felt like screaming at her elder; she felt stifled by all the rules and regulations her grandmother had set upon her. Also, more often than not, Miyuri belittled her achievements, telling her that she could do more. Yuriko hadn't rebelled, but took it out on the spare canvas in the attic, where she did most of her painting back in Tokyo.

I linger in the doorway

Of alarm clock, screaming monsters calling my name…

Yuriko stopped sketching for a while to glance at what she had drawn. It looked to be the outline of a person – a very rough outline. She frowned. This…person she had just sketched…was it…Hiwatari Kai, the boy she had met downstairs?

She shrugged. It didn't mean anything; whenever she let herself 'free-draw' like this, the results had always been unexpected. She leaned over the paper once more.

Let me stay where the wind will whisper to me…

Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story…

In my field of paper flowers and candy clouds of lullaby…

I lie inside myself for hours and let my purple sky fly over me…

Kai paused in front of a narrow flight of stairs. Why is this here? he wondered, gazing up its length. Did it lead to an attic, perhaps?

The slate-haired teen shrugged as he remembered what he'd told his grandfather back in the garden, that he'd look for Takenoichi Yuriko. He'd have much rather gone straight to his room, and yet something compelled him to look for the auburn-haired teen. She'd aroused a curiosity in him, and it baffled him. Girls had never made him look twice, and he generally left them alone. This one was different; he could feel it, but couldn't explain it.

Sighing, he began to mount the stairs. There wasn't much light, even though it was daytime, and he stubbed his toe on one of the stairs. Holding on to the banister for support, he reached down and rubbed it, grumbling. Then, something drew his gaze upward. His eyes widened; he hadn't realized he was so near the landing already. From where he was standing, he could see just the top of a light brown mahogany door. Perhaps this was the door he was looking for: the door to Yuriko's room.

He quickened his pace and was soon at the top. He approached the mahogany panel, noting the stenciled design on the left-hand side; it looked to be a tribal design from another country. He nodded. His grandfather had been right; Yuriko was very interesting, indeed.

He reached for the doorknob.

"It looks a little bit like him…" Yuriko murmured, holding the paper up in order to examine the drawing. She turned off the CD player a few moments earlier, just as she was going into the final details.

Suddenly, the doorknob rattled; a split second later, the door swung open.

Yuriko stood up, indignant, and walked over to the door. Inwardly she scolded herself for forgetting to lock the door. She grabbed the other end and pulled, at the same time, saying, "How many times have I told you not to disturb me when I-" she trailed off suddenly.

In front of her stood Hiwatari Kai, the last person – aside from her grandmother – she wanted to see. Her eyes narrowed, a reflex she was barely aware of.

"What are you doing here?"

A/N: Aaargh! I'm so sorry for the brevity of this chapter, but it was essential if i wanted to keep the pacing I had planned out for this fic...

Mei: To those who keep coming back to read this, we have a treat for you...

Aki: Which is probably a once-in-a-blue-moon thing...

Mei: Shut up!

Me: Well, since I've pretty much finished the second and third chapters for this fic...Yup! I've also posted them! So go on, check it out! Peace out!