(-- --)

Chapter 14

La Vie En Rose

-May 6, 2007, Sunday

Kirijo Mansion

Nighttime

"Arisato, Minato."

"Takeba, Yukari."

"Iori, Junpei."

"Sanada, Akihiko."

"Aragaki, Shinjiro."

"Yamagishi, Fuuka."

The man dressed in black check of all of the names on his clipboard before opening the double wooden doors for the group. "Please go on ahead and enjoy the party."

The group of six complied, walking through the door way into the large ballroom of the Kirijo Mansion. The chandelier up above twinkled brightly. There were many tables set up with matching cloths of ruby red and black. A portion was reserved for the band playing and an open dance floor. In one corner of the room several tables were used to store the many presents for Mitsuru.

"Wow…" said Yukari. "I had imagined the Kirijo mansion to be pretty grand, but not like this."

"What do ya expect from the richest people in Port Island City?" asked Junpei. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say Port Island City? I meant Japan."

"I doubt the Kirijo family is the richest family in Japan," pointed out Akihiko. "They aren't exactly "new money," but they aren't like old families like Nanjou."

"Who cares?!" Shinjiro asked. "Let's just say hi to Mitsuru and get the hell out of here. This tie is killing me."

Fuuka sighed. "It's Mitsuru's birthday party. We can't just make a small appearance and then leave! It's rude! We're her friends! We have to stick around for a while."

"Looking forward to it," snapped Shinjiro. "Should I slice my wrists now or later?"

"What's wrong with you?" asked Junpei. "Is it that time of the month or something?"

Shinjiro sized up, staring down Junpei. "What did you just say to me?"

The boy quickly hid behind Minato and said, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Okay, okay. Calm down everyone. Let's not start a fight here," cut in Yukari. The group grabbed some food and sat down at a table nearest to the door.

"Hmph. I sure want to fight someone right now. Especially with one of these jokers," said Shinjiro. He gestured to all of the surrounding male guests. "With this many guys here, it can only mean one thing."

"A sausage fest?" joked Junpei.

Akihiko and Shinjiro ignored him and both answered, "Marriage prospects for Mitsuru."

"Everything for the future of the company," said Minato.

"Indeed."

"Announcing Mitsuru Kirijo and her father Takeharu Kirijo!!" called a voice. The music ceased and all heads turned to the staircase where Mitsuru was being escorted by her father. It wasn't just the fact that Mitsuru was worth billions and was the heir to a huge corporation that everyone was staring at her, but that she looked absolutely breathtaking. It may have been the lighting of the room, but the aura around her seemed to sparkle more so than usual.

"Wow…" said Akihiko. "She looks gorgeous…" He stared at her with wide eyes as if he was just seeing her for the very first time.

"Love at first sight?" murmured Yukari to Minato.

"More like love at first realization," he replied. He looked closer at Akihiko and then said, "Only he doesn't actually realize it."

Shinjiro let out a low laugh and said, "Welcome to the dense world of Sanada Akihiko."

"Well, he has to realize it sometime, right?" asked Fuuka.

"Haha, not at this moment."

"First there is the realization. Then the…other realization…" Minato replied. He gestured to all of the male guests in the room.

Shinjiro shook his head and said, "Poor bastard won't have a chance at all."

Akihiko watched as Mitsuru began engaging herself in conversation with a group of guys. He sighed and turned his attention back to his plate of food. He didn't eat it but poke it with his fork.

"Give it up, Aki," said Shinjiro.

"Hm? Give what up?"

"…Nevermind."

From across the room, Mitsuru let out an inaudible sigh. She only smiled and said very little as the men around talked to her. Before she was able to tolerate discussions about the family business and money at parties. Now all she really wanted to talk about was baseball, ramen, karaoke, and the fun arcade games at Game Panic. But those weren't appropriate topics that an heiress should be talking about. She shifted her weight and suddenly spotted six familiar figures in a table in the back. Her plastered smile became genuine.

"So I thought that the investing in--"

"Please, excuse me for a minute," interrupted Mitsuru, "I think I just saw some friends of mine." The birthday girl rushed over to the table in the back and wrapped her arms around the first person she reached. "Oh, I'm so happy you guys came tonight!"

Akihiko's body tensed up from her sudden touch but said, "H-hey, Mitsuru."

"Nice party!" lied Junpei.

"Oh yeah, real exciting," added Yukari.

"And great turnout," said Fuuka.

"Whoop-de-fu--"

Minato quickly interrupted by saying, "Did I mention what an awesome house you have?"

Mitsuru let go of the boxer and he relaxed. She cocked her head to the side slightly. "Don't you guys have something to say to me?"

"Like what?" asked Fuuka.

"Good food?"

"Pretty lights?"

"You look beautiful tonight?"

"You have a lot of presents?"

"Everything looks classy?"

"When is this tie going to suffocate me?"

"No! Don't you have something to say to me on this day?"

"Oh, I think she means that," replied Minato.

"Oooh, well, we won't be saying that," answered Yukari.

"Yeah, it's not time yet," said Fuuka.

Mitsuru stared at her friends and raised an eyebrow. "You guys are weird."

"Look who's talking," Shinjiro muttered under his breath.

(-- --)

-May 7, 2007, Monday

Kirijo Mansion Grounds

Late Night

"So does everyone get the plan?" asked Akihiko.

"Yes, we got it after the tenth time you told us after school," snapped Yukari.

Fuuka checked her watch and said, "It's almost eleven. We should get going."

"See you guys later," said Junpei.

"Don't take too long," added Shinjiro.

Both of them left the cover of the bushes and trees and disappeared around the corner of the wall surrounding the mansion. The others waited patiently for Shinjiro's signal. It was a quiet night and the only sounds that were distinct were the guards patrolling the grounds. Suddenly there was a putrid smell hanging in the air.

"God, Yukari, why did you have to let it out?" joked Minato.

"Shut up!" She punched the navy haired boy and crossed her arms.

Akihiko's phone let out a low vibration. He quickly looked at the new text message before saying, "Okay, let's go. We're clear for ten minutes to get in the courtyard and to the tree."

"Just like in the movies," said Minato.

The four of them left their hiding spot. They ran along the wall, turning the opposite corner. Once they were a third of the way from the corner, Minato and Akihiko jumped the wall, resting on top of it. They helped Yukari and Fuuka get over before dropping down on the other side. The courtyard was clear. The distraction worked, but they only had so much time. They ran to a nearby tree close to the house. Its branches were big and sturdy and climbed up to the roof.

"C'mon, you know what to do," Minato said to the girls.

"You have seven minutes!"

The boys helped the girls climb the tree. They watched them make their way to the roof and to the other side. Meanwhile, Akihiko and Minato saw the beam of a couple flashlights and dove behind a large statue. Minato hoped the girls would be okay. Yukari was fit since she was in the archery club, but Fuuka wasn't used to a lot of physical activity because of her short stature. He could imagine them climbing the roof to the other side and opening the fourth window.

Minato held his breath as he and Akihiko waited for the beams of light to disappear. He heard another low vibration, but Akihiko quickly silenced his phone. Crap, hopefully the guards did not hear it. The beams of light and the slow footsteps faded away to the other side of the mansion. Minato quickly exhaled with a sigh of relief. He peered at the tree from the other side of the statue and saw Yukari and Fuuka climbing down the tree with one other person, her ruby red hair still vivid in the light of the moon.

"Let's go!" ordered Akihiko.

"But where are we going?" asked Mitsuru.

"Not now!"

Yukari grabbed Mitsuru's hand and dragged her along, following after the others. They scaled the wall again, both boys helping the three girls to the other side. They sprinted along the wall towards the entrance.

"Shit!" cursed Minato when he saw a beam of light rounding the corner. He didn't know who he grabbed but whoever it was, he forced them into the nearby bushes. All of them lay down on the cool ground so the bushes and trees would hide their presence. It was another guard who was back from Junpei and Shinjiro's distractions. When the light had passed by their hiding spot, they saw another light from around the corner of the wall, but it was different from the flashlights. It was the illuminated screen of a cell phone. It blinked twice. Akihiko lifted his cell phone and used his screen to make it blink twice. They all stood up slowly, tiptoeing all the way to the gate of the mansion grounds.

"About time," replied Shinjiro.

"So where are we going?" asked Mitsuru.

(-- --)

-May 7, 2007, Monday

Naganaki Shrine

Late Night

"This is where you wanted to take me?" asked Mitsuru. "But it's just the shrine."

"We thought that you would like to spend your last minutes as fifteen here," said Minato.

"But why did you have to have Yukari and Fuuka climb the roof and out of my bedroom window to get me to come here? You would have left the house to hang out."

"At this late at night? And on a school day?" said Shinjiro. "It's scandalous!"

"And it was more fun to kidnap you, too," added Fuuka.

"Well, I will admit that it was certainly exhilarating! You guys are simply wonderful!"

They sat on the playground, basking in the light of the moon and the stars. Yukari, Mitsuru, and the two orphan boys sat on the jungle gym. Fuuka was lying upside down on the slide, and Junpei and Minato were sitting on the steps.

"Hey, Akihiko, Truth or Dare?" asked Fuuka.

"Truth."

"What do you want right now?"

"Hm…a protein milkshake."

"Lame," said Shinjiro.

Everyone burst out laughing. When it stopped, Akihiko said, "Junpei, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to count just how much money is in the offering box."

Junpei stared at him with wide eyes. "Are you kidding?! I'll be smite for sure!!"

"A dare's a dare. You gotta do it," replied Akihiko.

Junpei made a face, and dragged his feet to the offering box. Using his cell phone as a light, he counted every piece of yen inside. "Uh…about three thousand yen? Hey, isn't this the same yen I put in this afternoon?"

"What are you doing making an offering for, Junpei? Better grades? A hot girl? You know won't be able to get any of those," laughed Yukari.

"That's cold!!" He pouted and sat down next to Minato. "All right, Minato, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Out of these three lovely ladies, who do you think is the prettiest?"

Minato scowled at his best friend before saying, "Actually, I think they all are really pretty. It's hard to choose just one."

"But if you had to choose one, who would it be?"

"Uh…" Fuuka, Yukari, and Mitsuru looked at him expectantly. He knew his answer from the start, but he was afraid if he said a specific name, the other two would beat the crap out of him. He knew all about hell, fury, and a woman scorned. After all, he did have a mother and a little sister that could be dangerously scary when angry. "Y-Y-Yukari."

The blood rushed to Yukari's face. She looked away, but didn't say anything.

"Fuuka, Mitsuru, are you going to kill me now?" asked Minato.

"Nah," said Fuuka.

"Not yet at least," added Mitsuru.

"Okay, now, Mitsuru, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"What do you think of your life so far?"

She sighed and said, "I am feeling happy about life."

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "Even with an arrange marriage and the future of the Kirijo corporation hanging over your head?"

"Yes. Because when I'm with all of you, I forget all of my worries." She chuckled. "Sometimes I think about getting on my motorcycle and driving off away from the city for good. It really is a nice thought."

"You're reaching for the moon."

Mitsuru stood up, balancing herself on the bars of the jungle gym. She extended her arms up, as if she was trying to touch the moon. "I'm not reaching for the moon – the moon is reaching for me!"

Akihiko checked his watch.

Midnight.

"Happy Birthday, Mitsuru."

It has been soooo long since I've updated this. It's been an absolute nightmare to. I had written it up to the point where the group sneaks onto the grounds of Mitsuru's home to "kidnap" her, and then I left it off at that point. Then my laptop that had the story on it died, so I had to get a new laptop. I hadn't backed up anything at all from my old laptop so I lost a lot of important (sentimental) stuff on it. I only got the rest of my stories from my account here, so that is nice. Then I was busy with work and college applications. But I did enjoy receiving a huge influx of reviews. I was happy to see so many. I've also taken a creative writing class this semester, so hopefully my writing has improved quite a bit.

Many of the inspiration came from the movie Sabrina (1954), which I've fallen in love with. Absolutely wonderful movie. Audrey Hepburn gorgeously sings Edith Piaf's song La Vie en Rose. It is French for "Life In Pink", which means something like, "I am happy about life", "Everything is fine", and "I am seeing life through a rose colored glass." Mitsuru also says a line that was in the movie.

Fairchild: And you're still reaching for the moon.
Sabrina: No, Father. The moon's reaching for me!

Lots and lots of Akihiko x Mitsuru in this chapter, which makes me really happy. There was supposed to be another part after they all go to the shrine to hang out. Mitsuru's father catches them trying to sneak his daughter back into the house, and he flips out. The reason why I cut it out was because I liked it better how it ended with Akihiko wishing Mitsuru a happy birthday. Also, in earlier chapters, I had a segment at the beginning and end of each chapter of Minato's thoughts in his real world. I've decided I will no longer do that since I can't think of anything to write for it anymore. (I'm terrible, I know.) I think the only time I will write something in the beginning or end is when something is "necessary." Well, you'll see what I mean much later on.

Mitsuru's birthday is on May 8. Happy Early Birthday to her!

(And for the record, I love writing Shinjiro's lines.)