--Chapter IV---
Even In a Dream
Kiss me… Even just in a dream, kiss me please…
Shido?
Where did you go?
[Espionage music plays as wake up call]
Aoi suddenly opened his eyes in alarm. "HUH!?"
He looked around and saw this six-foot man crossed-arm in front of him. The man looked like he's in early thirties, with black hair swept to the left side and rubicund eyes that stare with seriousness. "Good, you have woken up." He said with a tone of superiority, "Get ready and follow me…"
"W-wait! Who are you?" he asked, still frightened by the man.
The man turned his head and said "You will find out later, Aoi Kaji."
Freaky! , Aoi thought. Who's this guy? Is he another creep from the espionage team?
But he continued to follow the man anyway. And to further understand the situation, let's go back to what happened an hour ago inside the Confession Room.
BB: I'm glad you came here, Akihiko Kira. Or should I say Agent Seven.
AS: It is my duty to help anyone in need of my services.
BB: So, as the famous bodyguard who saved the American President from assassination, and captured the fugitives alive, I chose you to train an aspiring bodyguard so that he could serve and protect the beloved Princess of Corda.
AS: I accept the task you have given me Big Brother. And it is a great privilege to help this young man destined to protect the kingdom's precious gem.
BB: As I expected, you, Agent Seven, are a very honorable and respectable man. I hope that you could change this boy into a man by teaching him different skills in twenty four hours.
AS: I assure that I could finish my job in exactly twenty four hours, and that he will be the most deserving bodyguard for the king's daughter.
BB: Once again, I salute you Agent Seven. And thank you.
AS: You're welcome, Big Brother.
So now, they're outside the spacious Activity Area filled with gym equipment, obstacles, and shooting ranges.
"WAH! What's going on?!" Aoi widened his eyes.
"YOU!!!" Akihiko pointed towards him, "Do a thousand push-ups in thirty minutes!!!"
"WHAT?!?"
"PUSH-UPS!!!" Akihiko then fired his gun towards the sky. As the sound echoed, Aoi started to do some push-ups so that he wouldn't anger this weird trainer who, I think, is a wacko.
"ONE, TWO, --- DON'T BE A BABY!!! THREE, FOUR….."
Meanwhile, outside the Big Brother House, Shido and her family are busily preparing for her upcoming eighteenth birthday…
"Blue tassels over here, ecru placemats over there…." She directed to her maids as she checked her list. Of course, everything's got to be perfect for this occasion and by that I mean everything must be according to her plan. She planed her party to be a masquerade ball, with a twist of a treasure hunt. She thought that every guy in the party must find the missing glass slipper that she's wearing and the lucky guy will have the chance to dance with her. She thought also that this idea is ridiculous—who would want to dance with some virtual stranger who found the missing slipper?
"Not me…" she answered herself, yet again. Then her little brother Keiichi turned up in the middle of this bureaucracy.
"Oh, Keiichi! You surprised me." She said as she looked at her brother from head to toe. "Will you be wearing that outfit on my birthday?"
Keiichi, looking as adorable as ever in the lacey prince charming outfit, stared blankly at her sister. "Don't you like it..? It was made by Miss Yuura…"
Oh please don't tell me that again, she sighed heavily. "Tell her to make something more…" she was searching for the appropriate words, "simple and mature. You're not some doll, you're a young man." She reminded him.
Although he looks like he's enjoying the comfy feel of the frilly blouse, he nodded in agreement with his sister and proceeded to his dressing room. Right after he had left, Shido received a call from Nami.
"Wazzup, sister?" Nami greeted on the other line, "I'll be there in thirty minutes for the pictorial. I just got late by the heavy traffic…"
(Shido narrates while Nami chats)
This is Nami Amou, a professional photographer for a monthly magazine.
Although she writes a few articles about me in the mag, I can say she's really into photography.
She always carries her camera around, along with her blabbering mouth. But hey, I like this girl.
She may be pesky, but she's a great confidence-booster. Just like a dose of Vitamin C…
(Back to story)
"…Shido…SHIIIDOOO!!!" Nami called on the other line. But Shido was distracted by the sight of Ryoutaro who's know walking towards her.
"S-sorry, Nami. Okay then, I'll talk to you later…" She put down her phone as Ryo stood in front of her, looking down with mixed emotions of embarrassment and sadness. He let out a sigh and broke the silence.
"Nice to see you… um I—"
"Ryoutaro, don't go faking with me now." She said, attempting to sound mad. But she wasn't, in fact, she feels bad for him.
But he looked at her and took a step closer.
"No, I mean it. It's nice to see you again. I was longing for your gaze these past few days, and I couldn't help myself. I'm still in love with you."
Ryoutaro gave her a warm smile like nothing happened two days ago. She widened her eyes in surprise, and forced herself not to blush.
"Ryo, are you sure you're alright? I mean, don't you have a fever?!" looking at him in disbelief, she said.
"I'm as healthy as a horse!" he cheerfully answered. But Shido gave a smirk.
"If that's the case, that must be a really sick horse…" she joked. The two of them started to laugh.
"I thought that I might see a different Shido when I walk in, but it looks like you haven't changed…" Ryoutaro said. The two of them are now walking along the terrace.
"And you're still the fool who's irrevocably in love with me." She patted him behind his shoulder. "Don't you ever get tired of playing that never-ending game of chance?"
"Nope. And never will…" he gave her a mischievous smile. She raised her brow and talked with him and laughed like they used to.
Big Brother Corda Activity Area, three hundred squats later…
Aoi fired his gun and the bullet went through the cardboard target. "Still a little off-target…" he cursed.
"That's because you're doing it wrong." Akihiko said as he approached Aoi. "Give me the gun." He commanded.
He pulled the trigger and the bullet went through the center of the target. "See? Just use your left hand to support the gun. Only the right hand holds it." He instructed and Aoi nodded.
He fired again, this time his left hand out of the way. The bullet made a little hole in the center of the target, making Aoi smile. Consequently, Akihiko gave him a thumbs-up. "Nice shot."
"Hey, Mr. Kira," Aoi said, "Do you think I can pull this off? I mean…" he walked to Akihiko, feeling unsure about his current progress.
"You're good kid. But I need you to become better so that you can be the best." He smiled at Aoi and patted him on the back. "So…"
"So..?" echoed Aoi to him. His smile caused a shiver to run down his spine. He doesn't like the look Aki's giving him. (Remember, it could mean ANYTHING!)
Oh come on… here you go again with your sick yaoi fantasies!
What are you talking about Narrator? I was gonna say that Aki's gonna give him a hard time and play airsoft!
Oh… I thought that you were touching the yaoi subject again like last chapter…
Getting back on the story, the next thing they did was airsoft. Emphasis on the airsoft…
Akihiko kept on bugging him with plastic bullets, good thing he was wearing Kevlar. But man, did he feel those bullets!
"Aww man! At least give me a chance to actually use my gun!!" he whined.
"You can't whine if you've been ambushed, kid. Come on and fire!"
Aoi, feeling extremely annoyed, answered back with a rain of bullets. "You asked for it!"
Plastic bullets were racing towards the surprised Akihiko. But it didn't bother him; instead he saw this opportunity and gave a sneak attack while Aoi was busy with firing bullets. He ducked behind the props and aimed for Aoi's gun. He released a smile and pulled the trigger.
The bullet struck the gun's magazine, and Aoi dropped the gun.
"S***!!! You tryin' to kill me or what?!?" he jumped, startled by the sneaky move.
"Expect the unexpected, Aoi." He said, "And yes, if I were the enemy I'd say I was trying to kill you."
Aoi gave him a blank expression.
Going back to the palace, Nami arrived while Shido and Ryoutaro were cheerfully talking. Because of her nosy nature, she got out her camera and took a couple of pictures.
"This is incredible!" she said to herself, "I like the juiciness of this scoop!!"
"Hey!" she exclaimed as someone took her camera. "Gimme it!!"
Len sighed and took hold of the camera. "Don't you ever get tired of that?" he grunted.
"Len! Nami!?" Shido and Ryoutaro gasped in unison.
Nami scratched the back of her neck while Len crossed his arms. "It's your stalker," Len said, "trying to get a stolen shot of you two..."
"Well, excuse me, your highness!" Nami wiped off the camera in his hand. "I was minding my own business till you butted in!!"
"Of course you are…" he said with sarcasm, "Minding your own business by intruding other people's lives!!"
"Quit it guys!" Shido came in between them. "Nami, let's go to our photo shoot. And we'll be seeing you two later."
She dragged Nami away from Len and the two brothers talked.
"Ryoutaro, haven't you learned your lesson already?" Len asked Ryoutaro, unmindful of his feelings.
Ryoutaro chuckled. "You're as nosy as Nami, Len."
"Don't compare me with that crazy woman." He became mad. Seeing this, he answered his question.
"Well, I guess I haven't yet. It's hard to quit. It's like smoking a cigarette." He smiled to himself, "She's addicting, Len."
Len glared at Ryoutaro for his answer. "You know, you're just wasting your time."
"I get it," Ryo smiled at him, "You're trying to make me realize that I'm wrong for wasting my precious time on her rather than using it in something more productive by reading books about how to rule Kin one day…"
"That's right."
Ryoutaro glared back, surprising Len. "It won't work, brother."
Even though he was taken aback, Len continued convincing his brother anyway.
"So you're saying that you'll let this girl take over your entire life even though she doesn't seem to be interested in everything you do?" He said, not realizing that he just pulled the trigger.
"Why do you even care?!" Ryoutaro grabbed Len's collar. "It's my life! Stay out of it!!"
Len threw a defiant stare. "I care because I'm your brother, and because you're a Prince of Kin!! You don't care about the kingdom but you care about yourself!! You're so selfish that it makes me look bad!!!"
0.0??
Len's words struck him. Selfish..? Am I really that selfish..? Since when did loving someone become selfish? But then he realized, that it's because he wanted her so badly that he forgot about his own kingdom. He loosened his grip on Len, and then he finally decided to put down his hands. He gloomed and said nothing in front of his twin. He sighed heavily and walked out from the sight of his brother.
Kahoko was passing by when she saw a glimpse of Len's profile. Although in side view, his face looks beautiful. But it didn't hide the look of disappointment he got earlier. Wanting to now what happened, Kahoko suddenly approached him.
"Len…" she called out to him, "are you alright?"
He took a deep breath and answered. "Yes. I'm just trying to get some air in my chest…"
"Is that so? We could just take a walk in the garden if you like…" Kahoko offered to him. A good suggestion. Maybe the sight of flowers might calm him down.
"Okay."
They walked in the palace garden, Kahoko admiring the sight and scent of different flowers. "Ah! This is quite refreshing!" she exclaimed, "Don't you think so, Len?"
"Yes…" he answered. But he wasn't astonished by the flowers or their fragrance. Instead, he looked at Kahoko while she happily approached a bougainvillea. She smiled, her cheeks turning as red as the flowers. The sight was refreshing indeed, and he felt a smile spread upon his face.
"Len, if there's something bothering you, you can tell me about it…" she turned to him. A light breeze passed by, making her hair dance with the wind.
"Actually," he said, trying to hide the blush he felt crawling on his face, "I feel better now. Thanks, Kahoko…"
Kahoko gave him a warm smile, as warm as the summer sun. A streak of red escaped as it colored his face.
A few moments later, he talked to her.
"Kahoko, is it okay if I ask you something?"
"You already did…"
"Well… can you be my date for the party..?"
This time, Kahoko blushed. She could feel her heart jumping up and down in her chest as blood rushed through her veins. Am I dreaming? She pinched herself. Ouch! This is not a dream!!!
She smiled from ear to ear as she grabbed his hand. "Yes! I'd love to, Len!!"
He could feel the warmth of her hand traveling throughout his entire body. His heartbeat got a little faster as he saw and felt Kahoko. And, without noticing, he curved his lips upwards and smiled at her.
"Thank you, Kahoko…"
Is this another tsukixhino moment or what!? I so darn love the simplicity of their love team!!
Uh, Narrator…? I know you love this pairing but we still have to finish a fanfic here…
Gimme one second to look at them… *^-^*!!! Okay! I'm done!!!
Let's take a look back inside the Big Brother House… Hmm, looks like Aoi's training is nearly done!!! What's left for him to do is to fill up the simple questionnaire given to him by the officials of the palace.
Evaluation:
What will you do if the princess was kidnapped?
"Rescue her of course!" he exclaimed. This is quite easy!! , he said to himself.
What if you were the one who's been kidnapped?
"Uh… I'll skip this one and answer it later."
If you have to choose, what will it be? Your life or hers?
"Hers…"
If you have to choose, what will it be? Her life or your parents'?
.
.
.
12. How will you tell her that there's a bomb in her purse?
.
.
.
If you were asked "How would you like the princess to die?" would you prefer assassination over murder?
"What kind of questions are these?!?" he blurted out. "THESE QUESTIONS ARE UNANSWERABLE!!!!!"
"Hey, hey!! Take it easy, Aoi!!" Big Brother tried to calm him down. "Those are just questions!"
"These questions drive me mad!!" he cried, "Its torture!!!"
"Oh boy…" Big Brother sighed. "Please explain it to him, Kira…"
Kira took over and said: "These questions will determine your psychotic ability and thinking. It's like determining if you think like a criminal… or if you're just downright insane." Aoi just gave him a perplexed look.
"Well, questions like this will surely make me insane!!!" he pointed out. "How did you answer this?!"
Should I give him the answers? Akihiko thought for a moment. Well, he could tell him that he didn't answer that part of the test when he was applying for the job. But that would be cheating. And a respectable man like him never cheats. He just smiled at Aoi.
"You'll just have to figure it out."
Shido's pre-birthday photo shoot…
"That's it!!" Nami cheered as her camera flashed continuously. "I want some of those, now give it to me!!"
Shido struck several poses wearing a black satin gown with a very low neckline. Although it felt uncomfortable, she'll just have to get used to it.
It was for Nami's article after all.
"Alright!! Take-five!!" Nami signaled a break. "You look astonishing, Shido!! Oh, how I wish to have a figure like yours!!"
"Then better get ready to eat raw fish!" she nudged her friend. "By the way, what's the title of your article?"
Nami then lifted her hands and held out an imaginary banner. "'From Princess to Queen: Her Transformation throughout the Years…'"
The princess whistled. "Sounds fabulous! I love it!"
"Hey, do you mind if I use some pictures from your private album? I really need them for the article…"
"Oh, alright… but I get to pick the pictures. Just to make sure it won't make the rest of kingdom curious…"
"Speaking of curious…" Nami stopped walking and crossed her arms, "I really wanna know what's between you and Prince Ryoutaro of Kin..." she gave her a smile. A smile that was silently telling Shido to blurt out the truth. But the truth is, well, not confidential. She raised her brows and narrowed her eyes, Shido's signature "The Look."
"You ALMOST forced me to tell it all, Nami." She smiled flatly. "But if you wanna know something," she whispered in her ear, "we're off your hot list."
The photographer then looked back at the creepy face the princess is making. "H-hey…" she squinted her eyes. "Stop giving me that look!"
"I'm not doing anything…" she continued to stare at Nami.
"Yes you are!!! Cut it!!!"
And in just a second, Shido returned her natural, pleasing gaze at Nami. "Man, you always fall for 'The Look'!!!" she giggled furiously at the embarrassed girl in front of her. Nami pouted and walked away from the laughing princess.
"Aw, come on Nami!" she laughed while her friend eagerly exited the scene.
---
"THIS IS ABOMINABLE!!! YOU THREE ARE THE WORST ASSASSINS TO WALK IN THIS BUILDING!!!" Let's just think that the person, who said this is unidentifiable and will remain anonymous throughout the story, shall we?
Etou, Azuma and Raiza bowed their heads while the voice buried the three alive with bad, bad words. Raiza almost cried but she didn't give in and gathered all her pride to stop the heavy feeling forming in her chest.
Oh yeah, the Writer wants to plug in the character history of the three guys here. It will take just a minute.
Azuma Yunoki, the charmer who kills his victims using his pretty face and irresistible ways. Expert in disguise and trickery.
Etou Kiriya, can handle any type of weapon. Walang kawala ang biktima. His victims are always on target and he is good in close combat.
Raiza Natsumi, the gunslinger who owns every deadly gun known to man. Strategy and a good-old 45-caliber gun is her key to a dead human target.
(Back to Story)
After a shower of words just to tell them "YOU'RE FIRED!!!" the three went out and reflected a while.
"I really wanna kill that S.O.A.B.!!!" Etou kicked a rock off the ground. It struck a garbage can in an alley. While the crashing sound startled the stray animals, Azuma sighed and stayed calm while Raiza was still quiet.
Finally, Azuma spoke. "Well, at least nothing can hinder me from running my company and membership in Mafia…" he smiled a little and looked at the still outraged Etou. "And you could always go back to studying in your uncle's boarding school…"
"Huh!" he backlashed an empty can across the sidewalk. "So much for a summer job!! And now you want me to rot in that prison-like institution!?!"
"But you're still sixteen Etou," Raiza said reproachfully, "you have so much time to do all the killing that you wanna do."
"Shut it, B*!!!" he yelled at her. But Raiza just sighed at the mock he gave. What a brat…
Let's get back to the Big Brother House.
After a couple more mind-boggling questions, Aoi had finally figured out the answer to the questionnaire. Good for him!!
Still feeling a little jumpy from the last activity, Aoi and Akihiko walked out the living room to the dining area to eat the fancy meal Aoi had prepared in between the boxing and wu shu lessons. Roast beef and greens with a splash of red wine, *drools* the best way to have a feast.
At first, Aki couldn't believe that a guy like Aoi could actually cook, but after the first bite…
"Kid, you can cook better than my mom!!" he exclaimed, "Who taught you how to cook?"
"My mom…" Aoi answered while he reached for the bottle of red wine.
"Your mom is amazing! How could she raise a guy like you?" the man joked as he ate heartily.
The two then continued the happy conversation while eating the hearty meal till it comes to the point that the subject was about Aoi.
"By the way, why do you want this job anyway?" Aki drank his wine, "You know that you're risking your life to protect others', right?"
Aoi suddenly stopped eating and drank a gulp of water. He took a deep breath.
"I want this because," he paused, "Why do I want this job anyway?" he asked himself.
"Well, maybe it's because I… I want to… I mean, I, uh…" he stuttered and went red. "Man, how do you say this?!"
Seeing him flushed and somewhat mystified by what he feels, Akihiko let out a roar of laughter.
"Hahaha!!!" he fell down laughing, amused by this boy's confusion. "You like her!! I knew it!! Is it love at first sight, my boy?"
"Shut up…" he covered his head behind his folded arms. I'm humiliated enough, thank you.
Akihiko got up his seat and approached Aoi at the other side of the table to give him a pat on the back. "Congratulations, Aoi!! You finally found your reason!!" he cheered.
"It's a great motivation, you know. Thinking of your loved one while doing that risky job, it feels like you're never in danger at all." Aki said, cozying up for a little heart to heart talk. "That's why I always think of my beautiful wife, Midori. I always think about her love and her smile…" he smiled gently.
Aoi suddenly popped out his head. "It's strange to see you like that, Mr. Kira…" he furrowed his brows. "For a professional bodyguard…"
He smirked. "People often say that to me… it's not that weird. You know Aoi, everyone has their own weaknesses. As for me, it's my wife. As for others, money, power, food… you know the rest."
"I'm getting the point."
"You see, Aoi, the true measure of a man is not how tall he stands, how much power he has, or how intelligent he is. It's measured by how much love he has in his heart… that's what I've learned in my thirty years here in this planet."
Aoi beamed as Akihiko gave him a fatherly nudge. He's right, Aoi thought, my dad always says that for every great man, there's an even greater woman… I never thought that I would actually be here if it wasn't for the fact that I'm growing fond of the princess…
His young pair of fresh eyes looked towards his aging pair of orbs, and then he felt a warm and fuzzy feeling inside his stomach.
"I want to have a son just as naïve as you are someday…" the man ruffled his blond hair with his warm hands. And in return, the boy just smiled.
"I hope so…"
And now we all know, that even a man as stiff as Akihiko, could be broken down to pieces by the precious sentiments life has offered him. Aoi, on the other hand, was the only stranger that witnessed this side of him. I feel bad, though. How come when we watched the Secondo Passo, Akihiko was so harsh to poor Hino Kahoko? Well, that's for you to answer on your own…
Shido was now all alone, walking along the hallway to her bedroom. She was still thinking about what Ryoutaro said to her that morning.
"Stupid." She shook her head, trying to ignore the thought coming in her mind. "Stupid, stupid."
She opened the door and took off her shoes to dive herself into her bed. For a moment, she imagined that she was up in the clouds, her pillows and her soft bed made her relax a bit. But it didn't erase the brain wave she had moments ago.
"Stupid… Ryoutaro… you're so stupid…" she tightened her grip on her pillow and hid her face behind it. Why do you love me so much?
Doesn't he get tired of hoping, of dreaming that one day, I'll finally love him? Doesn't he get tired of the repeated heartbreaks? I don't want to make him wait… I don't want to make him suffer… I don't want to kill him inside and leave him with nothing… nothing…
She cuddled up and slept for a while. She dreamt about nothingness… until a bright smile appeared into thin air and washed away all of the darkness.
It was his smile again. His lively smile. For just a while, it made her feel better, even in a dream.
But she wondered. Why does he always appear every now and then? And why…
Why does she know his name?
It is strange, she knows. But is it possible, that even in a dream, love can happen?
My heart knows that I'm in love… but I can't figure out what's happening…
Please don't wake me up… not yet…
For all I want is to see your smile…
Even just in a dream…
I'm sorry for the wait. I was really sick with stomach flu and my head was spinning… you don't wanna know the rest of the details.
Thank you minna-san!! I'll try to update soon!!