AN: Yes, another chapter, and this one's longer. For those of you who are wondering, here are the girls and Jun's ages. Somehow it works out or at least, for my sake, pretend this was possible.
Suigintou: 17
Kanaria: 16
Suiseiseki: 15
Souseiseki: 15
Shinku: 14
Jun: 14
Hinaichigo: 12
Kirakishou: 8
Yeah, as I said, pretend this is possible, which it may very well be, but yeah...
update 8-22-12: This chapter has now been slightly re-rewritten as well, so enjoy.
Ch 2 Investigation
Rozen sat at the family's dinner table with his daughters. Jun had gone to his room to unpack his belongings. With the addition of a new family member, he thought it would be beneficial if they had a family meeting to talk about Jun's arrival. He calmly sipped his tea as his daughters argued among themselves about the new member of the house. It wasn't surprising that they all had mixed feelings about the boy which is why he hoped this little session would ease their minds and prevent any kind of unpleasant atmosphere in the future. The last thing Rozen wanted to cause was a friction in his family over this matter. That was not his intention after all. He'd just wanted to help a couple of old friends that did so much for him.
"That BOY is going to be living with us! I don't accept this desu!" Suiseiseki exclaimed.
"Calm down sis." Souseiseki tried in vain to calm her twin sister. She loved her sister, she really did, but when talk of the opposite sex began, there was no stopping her tirade of hate for the male species.
"I don't see what the big deal is." Shinku commented as she brought out a book to read. Personally, she didn't see why her sister was making a big deal out of the situation. Their father wouldn't have brought in this boy without a good reason so why worry about it?
"Yay, we got a brother!" Hinaichigo exclaimed happily. Being in a family of just girls could be tiring, in Hina's opinion anyway, so having a brother around would definitely be interesting.
"He is NOT our brother desu!" Suiseiseki told the girl firmly. "He's just some BOY who is going to be living here!"
"Why don't you like him?" asked Kirakishou innocently. Even though she was the youngest of the bunch, even she noticed her sisters irrational hate for a boy that they didn't even know. If anyone were to ask her, she'd say she was excited with the prospect of having an older brother to play with.
Suiseiseki flared up at that. "Because ALL boys are a bunch lying no good scums of the earth!"
Suigintou chuckled at her sister's behavior. "Just because you've had one bad experience with a boy you condemn them all. How childish."
"You have no right to judge seeing as you've never even HAD a boyfriend."
Suigintou almost choked on her tea. She set her cup down with a loud clang. Surprisingly, the tea cup held on and did not shatter with the girl's strength.
Tea cup 1: Rozens 0.
"What did you say?" She asked menacingly. Suigintou could hardly believe that her younger sister had the nerve to use that against her no matter how true the statement was. No one, not even her sisters, made a fool out of her.
Suiseiseki stood up and puffed out her chest. "You heard me. For being the oldest, you have yet to even find a guy who likes you ~desu. I on the other hand, have beaten all of you in that department ~desu."
Suigintou stood up from her chair and slammed her hands on the table. Her tea cup bounced off the small plate and rolled off the table. It still lived.
Tea cup 2: Rozens 0.
Their nice little chat was now degenerating into a brawl. Hinaichigo took this opportunity to jump out of her seat and into the lap of Kanaria, who was throwing death glares at Suiseiseki, in hopes that the older girl would protect her from the violent wrath of her elder sisters and boy did their wrath scare her. One thing Hinaichigo had learned long ago was to find some form of protection when things were about to get ugly between her elder sisters. She cast a nervous glance towards Shinku who had set her book down and stood along with the girls who would be participating in this little fight. It was always a bad sign if Shinku felt the need to actually stop reading her book. Souseiseki just shook her head and took another sip of her tea. She was not going to get involved. No matter how much she wanted to smack her sister for that insensitive comment. Last thing she needed was to help add more fuel to the fire.
"Suiseiseki, you can insult Suigintou as much as you'd like," a cry of indignation was heard in the background, but went ignored by the blonde girl. "However, I will not allow such an insult at me go unpunished."
Suiseiseki seemed to lose whatever bravado she had and she shrunk back from her younger sister. Despite the fact that she was older, Shinku could still be scary when she wanted. It was then that she suddenly realized that she'd unintentionally incurred the wrath of not only Suigintou but the rest of her sisters as well although the others didn't seem like they were about to jump her like Shinku and Suigintou. Rozen decided it was best to interfere before his daughters had another one of their infamous Alice Games, a clever way they'd come up with to aid them when they needed to settle their differences without fighting. Not that the games themselves were harmless all the time. There was more than one occasion when he'd needed to punish someone for causing harm to the other girls.
"Enough." He commanded.
The girls immediately turned their attention to their father. They each blushed at the fact that they acted in such a manner in front of him and sat down once again. They sipped their tea quietly as they waited for their father to continue.
"Girls, Jun-kun is not living here because he wants to. I'm afraid certain...circumstances have led him to our home."
"What would that be Father?" Shinku asked.
Rozen took another sip of tea before continuing. "He has lost his family."
Kirakishou looked slightly confused at the statement, but the older girls got the message. Rozen continued when no one said anything.
"It happened a few weeks ago when they were returning from a camping trip. It was raining and the roads were covered in a curtain of water. Coming around a corner, the driver from the opposite side lost control of his car and slammed into the Sakurada's car causing them to veer off the road. No one lived, except Jun-kun that is."
"H-how did he make it when everyone else..." Souseiseki asked quietly.
Rozen sighed. "His sister, Nori-sama, used her body to protect him before the car impacted. After the accident, he was kept in the hospital for about two days since his injuries were minor. Since then he's lived in his home alone."
"He doesn't have other family members to look after him?" Kanaria, who had been silent up till now, asked.
Rozen shook his head. "I'm afraid his family matter is another complicated matter. You see, his parents' marriage was never approved upon by either of his parent's families. After the accident, no one would claim responsibility for him. His parents knew this would happen, which is why they asked me to look after him should anything happen to them."
"Why you Father?" Suigintou asked. She sincerely felt for the poor boy, but that didn't explain why her father was left to care for him. She didn't even recall ever meeting the Sakuradas prior to this.
"The Sakurada's were the ones who helped me begin my dream of becoming a designer. After their marriage, Jun-kun's father began to work for a marketing firm that worked specifically with clothing design companies. It was thanks to him that my talent for clothing design was discovered. He put his job on the line when he recommended me to one of their clients."
"Why did he go so far for you Father?" Shinku asked.
Rozen smiled. "He and I had known each other since our college days. We were the best of friends and when he got married, he asked that I be his best man. It was also thanks to him that I met your mother."
The girls all perked up at the mention of their mother, especially Hinaichigo and Kirakishou since they were still very young when their mother passed away.
"But that's a story for another time." Rozen smiled gently at them.
The girl's spirits deflated somewhat, but they continued to pay attention to their fathers tale.
"Now where was I... oh yes. It was around the time when Jun-kun's mother was pregnant with him that we last visited. At the time only Suigintou, Kanaria, Suiseiseki and Souseiseki had been born. You four were too little to remember though. It was during this visit that I asked them what I could do to repay them for what they'd done for me. Jun-kun's father told me there was nothing that needed to be re-paid. I kept insisting. He eventually crumbled and told me the only thing he wanted was for someone to be there for his children should something ever happen to them. I gave him my word that I would care for his children should the unimaginable happen."
The girls bowed their heads solemnly. Kirakishou looked at her father sadly. Although she did not understand everything, she did understand one thing.
"He is alone, right Father?"
"That's right. He is alone at the moment, but he doesn't have to be. That's why he is here, so that he does not suffer alone and hopefully he can heal from this tragedy."
xxx
Jun sighed as he looked around the room. Everything looked in disarray since he hadn't really put stuff away. Boxes were strewn across the room. Some half opened others empty of whatever they held. It felt like he hadn't accomplished much in the last hour. Instead of continuing his work, he decided to fall face down on his bed in resignation. Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling in contemplation. This was his new home. It hadn't really sunk in until that moment. Jun took his glasses off and set them by his nightstand. It was almost dinner time and Shirosaki-san had told him he would come get him when the time came. He got up and headed to his closet. Not all his clothes were unpacked, but he was sure he could find something suitable for the evening. He chose a simple button up blue shirt and black pants. He set it on his bed and proceeded to his bathroom. Jun hoped to at least make a good impression on Rozen and his family. It was the least he could do for everything he was doing for him. He shut the door behind him and began to strip.
Meanwhile, the girls were heading to Jun's room with the intent to talk. They had come to the unanimous decision to get to know him better before jumping to conclusion like Suiseiseki had. She though, refused to admit she had been wrong with her assumption of the male species. The sisters wondered if Suiseiseki would ever get over what her ex did to her. Suigintou lead the way to Jun's room with her sisters trailing behind her. They had this meeting all planned out but a wrench was thrown in their plans when Kirakishou decided to tag along.
The six older sisters originally planned to talk to Jun about some things before allowing Kirakishou to get to know him. The Rozen sisters were highly overprotective of their youngest and wanted to clear their new house guest before Kirakishou met him. The younger girl though convinced them via her secret weapon: puppy dog eyes. They had yet to fail her and today was no different. The youngest Rozen had no idea why her sisters were being so weird about it, but she wanted to get to know her new 'brother' as well. She saw no harm in wanting to do that. Suigintou stopped her trek once she spotted Jun's room. She stepped up to the door and knocked. They waited for an answer, but nothing came. She frowned and knocked again. Again no answer came.
Suigintou was known for a lot of things, her sometimes cruel behavior towards her sisters, her love of black and so on and so forth. The one thing she was not known for was her tolerance for being ignored. If she addressed you, you better damn well pay attention. It was already an honor to even be acknowledged by one of the Rozen sisters, let alone the often aloof Suigintou. Without waiting any longer, she threw open the door. The sisters stared into the empty room. Where was Jun? It was obvious he had been there since it seemed like he'd attempted to get unpacked. The sisters entered Jun's room and began to investigate the boy's disappearance. They split up and each took a different section of the room. Suigintou took to looking through his closet. She often judged someone based on what they wore. After all, part of a first impression was based on a person's appearance. She rummaged through some shirts and decided that although his fashion sense was not great, it wasn't totally hopeless either. She sensed some potential.
Shinku was drawn over to a bookcase that was currently half filled. She scanned the few titles that were there and came to a sudden stop when she spotted a specific section. Now Shinku was also known for many things. She was often called 'Little Lady' for her prim and proper behavior. She was also known to be a bookworm. Her love and knowledge of literature was astounding, however, she was also just a teenage girl and being a teenage girl, Shinku had developed a secret love for romance manga. A love which was now testing her since right before her was a collection of manga unlike which she had ever seen before. A quick look at the boxes around her and her suspicion of more manga was confirmed. She glanced at her sister's way. They were all busy looking/scouring around the room. Dare she risk the ridicule of her sisters for a peek at her beloved manga? Shinku began a futile staring contest with the manga. One she was destined to lose before it even began.
Kanaria was more interesting in rummaging through the unopened boxes. You see, you could learn many things about a person based on what they hid. Not that she purposefully looked for things to blackmail others. No of course not. Her goal was to learn as much about a person as she could rather than just what that person chose to reveal. If some of the things she discovered could potentially be used for blackmail, then it just happened to be a coincidence. Take her sisters for example. They all portrayed a certain type of image. Suigintou was the tough loving and aloof sister; Shinku was the 'Little Lady'; Suiseiseki was the man hating garden lover; Souseiseki was the gardening tomboy athlete; Hinaichigo was the pink loving artist; and Kirakishou was the silent innocent little sister. You would think that was all there was to them, but of course, looks can be deceiving. Overtime Kanaria had discovered some very amusing secrets about her sisters. Let's start off with Suigintou. While she was aloof and cold sometime, Kanaria came to find out that she did in fact, love her sisters very much and that she, in fact, hated being alone. She was just too embarrassed to admit these things. Well okay so wasn't so amusing. What was really funny was Shinku's love for...Oh is that a porn magazine? Kanaria smiled devilishly. It looked like she found blackmail material.
Suiseiseki and Souseiseki had taken to looking through Jun's desk. They each took a side and looked through the drawers. So far, they had yet to find anything interesting. Suiseiseki was about to give up when she found a gardening book. She curiously picked it up and looked through it. This BOY was interested in gardening? In her experience with some of the male species, they tended to not be interested in things that were considered 'girly', which included gardening. She continued to look through the book when something caught her eye. She glanced down at one of the boxes. It was half open, but she could distinctly see leaves though the opening. She pulled back the box flapping and marveled at the small bonsai tree sitting in the box. Perhaps she needed to do more research on this boy.
Souseiseki wasn't necessarily trying to snoop. It just ended up happening that way, however she did feel a little bad for going through someone else's things. She sighed as she opened the last drawer. She found herself staring at a notebook titled drawings. She looked towards her sister who was currently busily staring into a box. She decided it was best not to interrupt. She picked up the book and began to flip through it. She was amazed at what she saw. The pages were covered with detailed drawing of dresses and other various types of clothing. If there was one thing Souseiseki had learned from living with a famous designer, who just so happened to be her father, it was how to tell whether a design was good or bad. After all, she too wanted to one day be able to design glamorous dresses...and wear them as well. She continued to flip through the notebook, effectively ignoring the world around her.
Hinaichigo and Kirakishou were, in the meantime, busy coloring with some colored pencils they had come across while Kanaria had been tossing things out of boxes. They were lucky to have found some paper as well. They both set to work and began to color a picture of their happy family. Of course, they now added Jun to the mix as well. Hinaichigo was honestly happy to finally have a brother. Having a brother was a nice change of paced since she did live with six other sisters. Sometimes they were a pain and didn't understand her artistic genius. She may only be twelve, but she knew exactly what she wanted to do when she grew up. The artistic field was calling her name and she was going to answer it! She hoped her new brother would understand her feelings. Plus he had art materials in his possession and in her book that made him a good person.
Kirakishou was trying her best to draw a good rendition of her family. She wasn't as good as her big sister, Hinaichigo, but she tried her best. She looked around at what her sisters were doing. She honestly didn't understand what all the fuss was about. From what she understood, this boy was all alone. Kirakishou knew what it was like to be alone and she hated it. Before she started attending school, her sisters would constantly be gone from the house, leaving her with no one to play with or talk to. Their father was also sometimes very busy or gone from the house on business trips. Her only source of company was often from the maids, butler and her personal maid, Sufi. When Sufi was busy she would seek out her sisters personal maids for company.
Meimei, Suigintou's maid, sometimes gave her candy and let her watch TV. Pizzicato was Kanaria's butler and music teacher. He would often play songs on a violin for her. She fell asleep most of the time, but she loved to hear the soothing music. Sui was Suiseiseki's maid. More often than not she was usually accompanied by Lempicka, Souseiseki's maid. They were mostly in the flower gardens where she'd usually be allowed to help water the plants. Hollie was Shinku's maid and most of the time she read her stories about princesses and pirates. She liked the stories about the pirates the most. Berrybell served Hinaichigo and it was her that helped her develop her artistic skills in the absence of her sister. She hoped that Jun too would play with her like a real brother. Just like in that TV show she saw a few days ago where the brother took his sister to the park and got her ice cream. She'd like that a lot.
And so the sisters each did their thing without realizing that the occupant of the room had not left. In fact, they were about to find out the hard way not to barge into anyone's room without permission...or at least without making sure they weren't just taking a bath and expecting to come out into an empty room, which is exactly what happened. Jun opened the door to the bathroom and froze at the sight that greeted him. There were girls in his room...and they were looking through his things. The girls in turn, realized that they were not alone as well. They all slowly turned their heads towards the bathroom entrance. There stood Jun, equally as stunned as them, wearing only a towel around his waist and another on his head. They all just stared at each other without so much as breathing. Kirakishou, bless her innocence, broke the silence.
"Why are you naked? Is it bath time?"
This seemed to jolt the sisters into action. Kanaria picked up Kirakishou and covered her eyes before running out and yelling how sorry she was. The others followed suit and bolted from the room. Once they were gone, Jun numbly walked to his bedroom door and slammed it shut. He made sure to lock it before he started to dress himself. This was not the first impression he had hoped to make.
The sisters were all gasping for breath. They had all ran to Kanaria's room and were strewn across the floor. Kirakishou was the only one confused as to why they needed to run. Had they done something bad? And why were all her sisters faces red? These questions were going to have to wait since at that moment Pizzicato entered the room. He informed them that dinner was ready. The girls slowly composed themselves before walking out of the room. Kirakishou took Kanaria's hand and continued to wonder what was wrong with her sisters. They could be so strange sometimes.
By the time they arrived at the dinner table, Jun was already seated. Shirosaki was standing to Jun's right. He smiled as the girls came into the dining room. The girls and Jun avoided eye contact. Each of the girl's maids/butlers seated them before dinner began.
"How has your stay been so far Jun-kun?" Rozen asked half way through dinner.
Jun though back to what happened minutes ago and blushed. No way was he going to tell him what happened. Not only had the incident been thoroughly embarrassing, but he had a feeling if he said anything the girls would come to hate him. He really didn't want that. It would make living with them that much harder than it was going to be.
"I-It's been great so far."
"That's good to hear. The girls all agreed they'd make you feel as welcomed as possible. Right girls?"
Rozen didn't fail to notice the blushes they were trying to hide. "Yes." They all answered.
Silence followed again; however, silence can only be around for so long. Especially when there is a young girl full of questions that needed to be answered.
"Father?" Kirakishou asked.
"Yes?"
"Is it bad that we were in Jun's room without permission and that he was naked? Are sisters red because they're sick?"
Kirakishou, bless her innocence, broke the silence along with, indirectly, some of the finest tea cups and dinner plates in the country.
Tea cups 2: Rozens+Jun 8
AN: That's that. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review and no flames.
