His Special Someone
Chapter 3
RECAP: In the other table next to them was, Momoshiro and Ann on one side while Kaidoh and Inui were in another. The two rivals were fighting over sushi. Ann was trying to calm Momoshiro down, while Inui simply let Kaidoh go and ate his sushi calmly. Kawamura and Sakuno were helping out Kawamura's dad with the sushi, who kept insisting they just hang out with their friends. Kawamura and Sakuno kept saying that it was fine, which made Kawamura's dad mumble, what a good catch his son got. The couple looked at each other and blushed at the compliment.
"Ne, Aika-chan, since we're waiting for our sushi why don't you tell us all how you guys met Ochibi?"
Fuji simply smiled at the little girl. Akihiko glanced at Fuji and looked back at Aika in a confused expression. Aika looked up to him and gave him a peace sign. A couple grains of rice were left around her mouth as she gave her older brother a wide grin.
"What? They are simply watching out for their kohai Nii-chan. They want to know how we met Ryo-nii!" Aika grinned. She then turned to everyone, who began to quiet down to hear the story.
"I'm sure you all know, but if you don't, Ryo-nii has no sense of direction." Aika giggled.
Two years ago in America…
The two siblings were on their way home from the supermarket.
"Yay! Nii-chan is making me dinner!" Aika skipped happily. Aki smiled at his little sister's cheering.
"Aika, I make you dinner everyday?" Aki said. Aika looked at him and smiled.
"So? Nii-chan's cooking is the best!" Aika hugged her brother's arm. Aki shook his head and smiled. He looked up at the sky and noticed the sun beginning to set.
"Let's hurry a little, it's going to be dark soon. Make sure to stay close Aika." Aki said.
"Yes sir!" Aika saluted, earning a small chuckle from the older sibling. After several minutes of walking, they were now cutting through a crowd of people. Aika being really short made it difficult for her to stay close to her brother, but Aki's height made up for it, so she was able to see him. Suddenly, A blinking, pink light caught her eye; she turned to the light and found that it was a little girl's shoes. She began to remember when she was younger she used to wear similar shoes. 'Heh, I remember I thought I was going to be the coolest person in school the next day! Unfortunately, everyone got one too….' Aika sweat dropped at the memory. She looked back in front of her and realized she couldn't see her brother anymore. The blinking lights distracted her! 'Oh no, Nii-chan is going to be so mad at me!' Aika panicked. She looked left and right hoping to see her brother's head above the moving crowd. 'I'm lost!' Being a young and small girl, it was the natural thing for her to tear up. She was holding her tears, as they were about to overflow, making her eyes look glossy. Her vision began to blur from the tears, as she continued to look around hoping to find her brother somewhere nearby. She hoped Aki at least noticed she was not behind him any longer. Not paying attention once again, she bumped into someone and fell onto her butt. She looked up to find the prettiest golden eyes she has ever seen. The boy looked a couple years older than her. His white fila cap covered the top of his emerald hair.
Other things also distracted Ryoma, which resulted in not noticing the girl who was walking straight towards him. He looked down at the girl. She had shoulder-length jet-black hair with a big, white bow on the left side of her head. Her big violet eyes looked up at him.
"Oi, are you okay?" the boy said to her as he held out his hand for her. Aika thankfully took his hand as he helped pull her up. She tried to respond, but tears fell instead. Shocked, the boy looked around for help as he panicked.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" the golden-eyed boy panicked.
"I can't find my brother… I'm lost…" She sniffed. The boy sighed and took her hand. He tried looking around, but everyone was too tall for him to see.
"Come on, do you know your way home at least?" He asked. Unfortunately, Aika shook her head. The boy sighed once again and began walking in one direction.
"I'm pretty sure there's a park nearby…" He said. After a couple minutes of passing through people, he stopped. Aika sniffed, beginning to calm down and looked up at the boy in confusion.
"What's wrong?" she quietly asked. He didn't look back at her and didn't give a reply. He simply turned and went towards a different direction. Aika shrugged it off not thinking anything of it.
"Ne, what's your name? I'm Aika Kuroyomi!" She smiled. Echizen shortly glanced her direction before turning back. He was glad the girl was calm, not wanting to deal with crying girls anytime soon again.
"Echizen Ryoma." Was his reply. Aika raised a brow at him.
"Eh? You're Japanese also?!" Aika asked. Ryoma slightly turned his head enough that he could see her.
"Mada mada dane." He smirked and turned back to the front.
"If you knew I was Japanese why didn't you speak it at first?" Aika asked curiously.
"I didn't know until you said your name." Aika sweat dropped. Suddenly, Ryoma stopped once again and looked around. Turning towards a different direction, he continued to pull her along. Aika continued to shrug it off and kept on asking him questions. The two got to know each other a little more as Aika's questions kept coming. She found out Ryoma plays tennis, has a cat named Karupin, likes the color silver, plans to defeat his dad one day in tennis, and is visiting here for a tennis tournament this week… Aika's eyes widened in realization. Before Aika could say anything, she bumped into Ryoma, who stopped all of a sudden and turned to her. He frowned and gave her a deadpanned look
"I'm lost." He calmly said. Aika's theory was right as she fell anime style. She got back up angrily.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" Aika exclaimed. Ryoma looked at her boredly and entwined his own hands behind his head.
"Che, I thought I saw a park nearby." He said. Aika sweat dropped at the calm boy in front of her. She grabbed onto the side of Ryoma's shirt and pulled him along, surprising the boy.
"I can see a bench over there. Let's just sit and hope my brother finds us." Aika brought him to the bench for them to sit down.
"Are you hungry?" Ryoma asked noticing the time as he checked his watch. Aika looked at him and then back at her stomach, which growled pretty loudly. Ryoma sweat dropped at the blushing girl and he got up to pay for two hotdogs at a nearby stand. Aika thanked Ryoma and began to eat happily.
"Ryoma-kun, do you know where your hotel is? I'm guessing you are staying at one since you're just visiting? Or with family?" Aika asked.
"I don't even know where I am staying. I just got here today. Before I got here, my old man told me that he entered me into a tournament here and told me to pack up because I was leaving that evening." Ryoma said.
"Eh? You don't have anywhere to stay?" Aika asked as she looked at him incredulously. Ryoma raised a brow at the girl's expression.
"Hn. Not that I know of." Ryoma replied. Aika frowned then her expression suddenly changed into a bright smile.
"Ryoma-kun should stay with us! My Nii-chan has the best cooking!" Aika grinned. Ryoma looked at the girl with a raised brow.
"What about your parents? I don't want to intrude." He asked. Although he's not one to depend on anyone, especially a little girl, he really does have nowhere to stay at the moment.
"Well, my father is never there usually due to work. He comes home pretty late because he stays at his office working. I don't think he will mind you being there." Aika smiled and gave him the puppy eyes. Ryoma looked at her expression and knew he can't say no to this little girl. Plus, she is his only option for a place to stay. He gave her a nod agreeing to stay at her house for his stay. While Aika was spinning and jumping around excited that he's staying with them, he realized she never mentioned her mother.
"What about your mother?" Ryoma asked giving a side-glance to the girl beside him. He noticed the girl stopped jumping and her smile turned into a sad one. Ryoma fully turned towards her curious. She sat back down on the bench and was looking at the people passing by with a faraway look.
"If my mother was here, I'm sure she would be excited to have you too." She smiled sadly. Ryoma noticed the meaning behind it and pulled his hat down and apologized.
"It's okay, you didn't know. She passed when I was five, so I never really got to know her as much as my father and brother. My mother had leukemia, and didn't really have much time left. Nii-chan and I took her death pretty hard, but we knew she is in a waaay better place than this. I'm pretty sure father understood that too, but he took her death really hard. I don't really blame him, she was his first love and having your first love gone is hard to deal with. I know my father loves both me and my Nii-chan, but ever since the death of my mother, he's been working even more, sometimes not even bothering to come home until the next day. It would be rare if we ever saw him in the daytime, but I do cherish those rare times he is home in the daytime, he would eat with us, talk with us, and simply spend time with us… Unfortunately, those rare times are every two, three months. I'm just grateful that my Nii-chan is there for me…" She smiled.
"Tell me about your 'Nii-chan.'" Ryoma said hoping to lighten the mood for the little girl. Aika turned to him and gave him a big smile.
"My Nii-chan is the best! He's always there for me, cooks the most delicious food ever, and plays with me!" Her bright smile turned to a soft one. Ryoma looked at her curiously at the sudden change of mood once again.
"When mother passed, my Nii-chan, I guess you can say, became withdrawn. For several months he refused to speak, unless necessary. The first few months he refused to even speak to me until he realized I was also getting through our mother's death too. He is very isolated and avoids interacting with people as much as possible. In school, it's hard for Nii-chan to make friends with anyone because he barely tries. I know deep inside Nii-chan wants to have friends, but refuses to ask or even socialize with anyone. Nii-chan has always been independent and likes to do things without asking for help. He even took all of our mother's daily chores and chose to do them, like cooking, cleaning, and tending to the garden, since our father is never home anymore. It took a while for me to even convince him I can help him. The only person that he opens up to is me, not that I'm not glad or anything, but I wish Nii-chan has others to be happy with also." She said. Ryoma unconsciously reached out his hand and patted the girl's head. Aika surprised at the comfort, looked at him with wide eyes. Although Ryoma doesn't understand all the pain she went through, he can empathize with her. Also, having no knowledge in comforting people, Ryoma was surprised he even gave the girl a pat on the head. Aika gave him a sweet smile and before she could say anything she heard her name being called from afar. Standing up suddenly, she looked left and right knowing exactly whose voice it was. Ryoma who was confused at first, but also began hearing the little girl's name and looked around for the owner. A young teen looking frantically around for someone, spotted the two near the bench, and relief flooded the teen's eyes.
"Aika! Where have you been? I told you to stay near me!" the teen lectured the little girl. Ryoma took this moment to look at the teen. The teen was at least two heads taller than him, his hair was jet black and it was short and tousled. A ruby stud was pierced on his right ear, but what stood out to Ryoma were those deep, piercing, ruby eyes.
"Nii-chan, this is Echizen Ryoma, he helped me when I was lost! …Well, we were both lost but he stayed with me until we found you!" Aika introduced Ryoma to her brother. Aki finally noticed the teen behind Aika that was staring at him. Aki couldn't help but stare into those beautifully unique golden eyes. Ryoma noticed he was being stared at, fidgeted under Aki's gaze and bowed slightly.
"Nice to meet you…?" Ryoma looked back up at Aki staring back into his ruby gaze.
"Um… Kuroyomi Akihiko." Aki stilled couldn't stop himself from staring into those golden pools. Aika observing her brother's actions towards Ryoma surprised her. Usually her brother would avoid any eye contact with others. Aika raised a brow and smiled inwardly at the two staring at each other. She took this moment to tell her brother Ryoma's situation and grinned at all the thoughts that were coming into her brain.
"Nii-chan, Ryo-nii needs a place to stay until the end of his tennis tournament. Can he stay with us?" Aika pleaded with her puppy eyes. Aki finally tore his eyes away from the boy to look at his sister's puppy eyes. Aki sighed and looked at the golden-eyed boy once again, who was waiting patiently for Aki's answer. Aki knew he couldn't say no to his little sister, especially when she has those puppy eyes. Aki nodded his head to Aika, who jumped in happiness, cheering that her 'Ryo-nii' will be staying with them.
On the way to the house, Aika was the only one speaking the whole time. Ryoma and Aki only talked when it was necessary. Basically when Aika talked or asked them a question, they would also. Ryoma was curious about the other boy. He kept giving Aki side-glances, silently watching him. Aki, not wanting to stare at Ryoma's golden eyes once again, looked anywhere but at Ryoma. Aki calmly stared at the road ahead, going deep in thought. He was surprised he even held his gaze for so long at the other boy when he found Aika. He was also curious about the other boy at the moment and glanced to his side to look at the boy properly. Just a head taller than Aika, small and slender body, yet toned in the right places for a tennis player, tousled emerald hair with those golden eyes gave him an exotic look, cute pink lips… 'Wait, what?' He staggered in his step after realizing his thoughts. Aika and Ryoma looked at him questioning if he was okay, well, Aika asked, but Ryoma's eyes also showed his concern. Aki felt his face get warmer at the attention and concern he was getting from the other boy. Aika, being right next to him saw the pink hue on her brother's cheeks and smiled inwardly. 'Oh I can't wait until we get to the house…' she inwardly smiled evilly.
They finally reached the house after several minutes of walking. Ryoma looked up and was amazed at the big house. Their house wasn't as big as a mansion or anything, but it wasn't as big as a regular house either. It was sort of in the middle. The front had a stone pathway leading to the front door. As they walk down the stone path there were various flowers all around them and a small pond on one side. Ryoma found it was calming to look at. Aika smiled at their guest's amazement.
"Welcome to our home Ryo-nii! Let's go inside!" Before the two boys could say anything, Aika took both of their hands and pulled them towards the front door. Aika open the door, revealing a simple modern home. It wasn't extravagant, but simple. Wooden floors, white marble countertops, glass tables, and soft couches. It had a nice homey feeling to it.
"I'm hungry." Ryoma sweat dropped at the little girl's sudden remark. As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly.
"Oi, you just ate a hotdog not too long ago…" Ryoma said. Aika looked at him with an 'are-you-kidding-me?' look.
"Only a hotdog for dinner? This little girl needs more than that." Aika simply stated. Aki smiled and shook his head at his little sister and went towards the kitchen.
"Nii-chan! Ryo-nii and I will be upstairs playing games! Call us when you're done!" Before Ryoma could protest, she pulled the boy up the stairs and to the media room.
A/N: Hello everyone! I am sooo sorry I haven't updated in a while, college has started once again and I've been busy with the college life. So worry not, I will continue updating, but the updates may or may not take a while. So, I've realized this was beginning to be a loooooong chapter, so I'm breaking it up into hopefully two parts, that way I can finally update this story for you all. This part mostly about Aika and Ryoma meeting and mini bits with Aki, but the next chapter will mostly have Aki and Ryo time. Haha. I kept changing up this chapter up because it wasn't to my liking, but this was the best I got to, so I hope you enjoy my late update! Review if you'd like to. If you didn't like the story, well, you don't have to read it or tell me. Kthnxbye(: