This is so long overdue. Omg.

"I'm really sorry."

Suzume groaned. "But it just opened!"

Yumemi gave her friend an apologetic smile. "The Sports Festival is next week so we have a lot of preparations to do."

Suzume groaned again and childishly flailed her arms. Ichiko rolled her eyes at the tantrum.

"There's no helping it," the tallest girl explained, "Yumemi is a part of the Student Council." She turned to Yumemi with narrowed eyes. "Even though I still don't approve of that pervert."

Yumemi giggled and linked her arm with Ichiko's. "I'll make it up to you guys."

"Really?" Suzume asked, eyes brightening.

The blonde nodded. "Let's go to that crepe shop this weekend."

Suzume cheered and Ichiko cracked a smile.

"All right," Ichiko said with a grin. "But you're paying for the drinks," she said as she poked Yumemi's cheek.

"H-Huh?"

Yumemi's friends laughed as they grabbed their school bags and made their way to the classroom door.

"See you tomorrow, Yumemi!" The duo cried in unison with wide smiles.

"Hey!" Yumemi called out after them, but her friends were gone, giggling down the hallway, before she could stop them.

Yumemi stomped her foot. "You guys!"

Yumemi slid the Student Council door open with her foot and was careful not to drop any of the books piled on her hands.

"Hello!"

"Hi, Rui," Yumemi responded, stepping inside.

The room was small and was mostly filled with desks. Two rows, facing each other, stretched down the length of the room with a slightly larger desk sitting at the end. It was reserved solely for the Student Council President, who, as Yumemi bitterly noted, was not present.

She walked down one row of desks and flopped the pile of books onto her usual desk, the desk sitting directly to the left of the president's.

Yumemi sourly stared at Munto's desk. "He escaped again."

Rui let out a dry laugh.

The young girl sighed and split the pile of books in half. She picked up the half-pile and walked it over to Rui, who was sitting at the desk directly across from hers. "Here," she said handing the books to the vice-president, "These are the financial reports and budget notes from the previous Sports Festivals."

Rui smiled gratefully, taking the books into his arms. He thanked her, and Yumemi returned to her desk.

"You've gotten the hang of this."

Yumemi looked up with a smile. "Thank you."

The two were surrounded by a comfortable silence. As Yumemi flipped through the financial reports, she snuck glances at the boy sitting across from her. After being on the council for a month, she had only ever been with Rui a handful of times. She found herself looking at his hair.

"Is something wrong?"

Yumemi jumped, and an embarrassed blush bloomed on her cheeks. "So-sorry I was- I was just- I didn't mean to."

Rui smiled at the fidgeting girl. "It's alright, but is there something wrong?"

Furiously shaking her head, she spoke while keeping her face low, "I was, uh, looking at your hair."

The older boy blinked in surprise. After a beat, he started laughing. Yumemi looked up in shock. Rui was always smiling, but she had never heard him laugh.

"It is strange for a Vice-President to have blue hair, huh? It's probably even stranger to have a President with red hair." He said after calming down. "It's for good reason. Sort of."

Yumemi nodded with a smile, feeling her shoulders relax. "Munto told me."

Rui's head whipped up. "He told you?" he asked, incredulous.

"Well, I asked," Yumemi answered slowly, eyes darting around.

Rui let out another laugh. "That guy," he mumbled to himself. "So, he told you about his father?"

The blonde nodded slowly, unsure of whether she shared something that she was not supposed to.

"I suppose he told you about his troubled past as well?" Rui asked with a grin.

Yumemi's shoulders continued to loosen. She nodded silently.

Rui hummed with a smile. He leaned back into his chair. "Well, this is slightly unexpected."

"I'm sorry if I was prying."

Rui laughed again and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't apologize. It was Munto's decision to tell you. That's up to him, not me." The vice-president leaned forward once more and propped his elbows on his desk. "Let me tell you a few more secrets."

Yumemi's eyes began to dart around. "Uh, i-is that okay? I mean, I don't want to talk behind his back."

Rui waved his hand again. "I'm sure that Munto has said one or two things about me at this point."

Yumemi cracked a smile. She didn't deny the accusation.

The blue-haired young man launched into series of stories of Munto's old exploits. Yumemi laughed, gasped, and got angry.

"…And so, I was stuck with five stray cats because of that idiot." Rui finished a story of his and Munto's activities in middle school.

Yumemi laughed. "I hope he took responsibility," she added.

Rui nodded, "He did. We found people to adopt all of all of them but one." He laughed, "I kind of got attached to that one."

Yumemi's eyes widened. "You kept it?"

"I named him Yuki," Rui said with a smile, "because he was the only one that was pure white." He shook his head and looked down at his forgotten financial record books. "Oh boy, it was crazy until Munto started to change."

Yumemi perked up. "He told me a bit about that," she said.

Rui raised an eyebrow. "He told you about her?"

Yumemi stiffened and Rui sighed.

"He won't say a thing about her to me." His eyes darted around the financial report.

"I- I don't-" Yumemi swallowed her words.

Rui didn't look up from his work, "He changed because of her. If only he would tell me about-"

His voice drowned out at the sound of Yumemi's seat.

She was standing, her hands firmly planted on her desk. Her body jolted, "I-I'm sorry," she said, "I'm-I'm not feeling well."

Rui watched her carefully. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Yumemi nodded quickly. "I'm fine." She began to grab her bag, "I think I just need to rest in the nurse's office."

Rui stood from his seat, "Is there anything I can-"

"No!" Yumemi nearly shouted. "I can do just fine" she continued with a smile and lowered her voice. She finished grabbing her bag and collecting the financial reports. "I'll finish my work at home and bring it in tomorrow," she said, her eyes never locking eyes with Rui. She rushed out of the room before the blue-haired vice-president could say anything else.

Yumemi didn't even realize that she was running until she stopped on front of the nurse's office. She tried to slow her breathing as she clutched her bag to her chest.

Why, why, why?

Why didn't she want to hear a word about this mystery girl that changed Munto's life?

Why, why?

She paused. It's not that she didn't, it's that she wouldn't.

She took a deep breath.

Munto yawned as he entered the student council room.

"How's work going?"

Rui sent him a biting glare that only caused Munto's smile to widen.

"Gee," Rui sighed, "it would go a lot quicker if the president was here."

Muto waved his hand, "Nonsense," he answered, "you're doing fine without me."

Rui mumbled under his breath. To Munto, it sounded something along the lines of 'don't I always?'. Muto laughed and sauntered to his seat. Sitting down, he looked over at Yumemi's seat. "Where's the newbie?"

Rui's eyes flickered up from his work for a moment. "She said she wasn't feeling well."

Mutno sat up straight in his chair. "Is she alright?"

Rui nodded, "I checked up on her a little while ago in the nurse's office. She's doing fine."

Munto leaned back in his chair. "Oh." He threw his head back and began to count the dark spots on the dirty ceiling. A sudden plop sound at he window behind him startled him out of his counting. He turned in his chair. He watched a droplet of water drag down the school window. In a mater of moments, a sudden downpour hit the school.

"It's coming down hard," Munto remarked.

Without missing a beat, Rui responded, "I hope Yumemi is okay."

Munto turned this head to Rui, "What?"

"Yumemi decided to walk home shortly before you came back."

Munto leaned forward into his desk, "What?" he repeated.

"Yumemi told me that she was going to walk home."

Rui was nearly done with his sentence when Munto was up and out of his seat. The vice-president leaned back in his chair in surprise. Munto was almost out the door when he called out after him, "Where are you going?"

Munto paused for a moment at the doorway, "I need to go find Yumemi."

"Why?" Rui asked.

Munto turned around, glaring, "Because she doesn't have an umbrella!" he shouted.

The door slammed shut, and Rui was left alone with his financial reports.

Yumemi cursed the heavens as she stood under a canopy.

She was lucky that a random shop had left their canopy out in this rain. She looked down at herself. She had barely managed to get out of this rain, so she was only semi-wet. She prayed that it was only a passing shower.

She looked up at the sky once more.

"-memi!"

Yumemi jumped out of her thoughts. Did she just-? No, she had to have been hearing things.

"-memi!"

She heard it again. Yumemi looked up and down the street that she had sought refuge in. It was empty. The connecting street was usually a busy market street, but the passing rain quieted it. There's no way she heard her name.

"Yumemi!"

Okay, she was not hallucinating. She turned toward the end of the alley that the noise was coming from. A sudden flash of red caught her eye.

"Munto?" she whispered. "Munto!" she found herself shouting.

She could hear a few noises coming from the street closest to her location. Suddenly, a familiar figure was running toward her.

"Yumemi!"

"Munto!" she replied, incredulous.

Her president ran under the canopy where she sought refuge from the rain. He was panting and dripping from the rain. Yumemi guiltily watched carefully as the rain drops dripped down his neck.

Munto hunched over, breathing deeply. Before Yumemi could ask if he was okay, he threw himself back up, straightening himself.

"You idiot!"

Yumemi jumped back in surprise. "Excuse me?" she replied.

"What kind of idiot walks home in the rain while feeling sick?"

Yumemi's jaw dropped. "I didn't know it was going to rain!"

Munto gestured to the dark, cloudy sky. "This didn't indicate it to you?" He ran a frustrated hand through his red hair. It had been tied back, but his run had loosened the ponytail.

Irritation bubbled inside Yumemi. "It's been like this for a few days now without rain. How was I supposed to know?" Her voice was steadily rising.

Munto huffed and Yumemi huffed back. The president reached out, and with his right hand, he grabbed Yumemi's left wrist.

"Come on then," he tugged at her arm.

Yumemi pulled her hand back, but Munto didn't let go. "What are you talking about?"

"We need to get out of this rain." Munto stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I am already?" Yumemi waved to the canopy.

One of Munto's eyebrows shot up. "You want me to leave you alone, under a canopy, in a narrow, dark, deserted street. Yeah, I don't think so." He thrust his chin at her school bag in her right hand. "Cover your head with that."

"What-" Yumemi didn't get another word in because they were running (more like one was dragging the other) down the street.

"Munto!" she cried out in frustration and confusion. He concentrated on the road in front of him. "Where are we going?"

Munto turned his head slightly so Yumemi could hear his response over the loud rain. "My house!"

Yumemi told herself that her heart was beating fast because she was running.

Yumemi had to keep concentrated to make sure she didn't trip into any puddles. As such, when Munto came to a screeching halt, she slammed her nose onto the back of his right arm. She looked around him, wondering what could have stopped him. She realized that he stopped to push open a front gate. Oh, his house, that's right. Yumemi looked up to see what kind of house Munto lived in. Her jaw fell open.

"Is this a mansion?" she shouted.

Munto turned, a curious look in his eyes. "Yes?" he answered. He pulled her along to his front door. A small canopy hung over he door, so the two were able to squeeze any water out of their clothes before entering. Yumemi was halfway through wringing her skirt when Munto opened his front door and pulled her inside. She yelped and found herself inside the warm, dry mansion. The door shut behind her and the sound of the rain became muted.

"I'm home," Munto called out as he reached down to his shoes to begin pulling them off.

Yumemi suddenly became painfully aware that the lights were on at his house, which meant that his parents were probably home, which meant that she was about to meet his parents. She was not ready. She unconsciously began trying to tame her unruly, wet hair.

Footsteps sounded and Yumemi could hear someone walking toward the entrance. She stood, stiff as a board, waiting to see who would come. His mother? Father?

A woman's head popped out from the doorway to the left of the entranceway. "Welcome home," she said sweetly. She gasped and came out completely from the doorway. "Munto!" she scolded, "you're soaking wet!"

Yumemi's jaw dropped. This woman was beautiful. Tall and with long, light (almost purple) hair that flowed over her shoulder in a loose braid, the woman wore a plain floor-length dress that made her look even more elegant in Yumemi's eyes.

"Thank you, Ryuely, I hadn't noticed," Munto responded as he pulled his second shoe off. Water trapped inside flowed out onto the floor.

Yumemi looked between the two. Had he called her by her name? Was she not his mother?

Ryuely stepped closer. "Munto, you're making a mess." She frowned. Her eyes moved from him to Yumemi. "Oh!" she gasped, "Oh my goodness. I didn't even see you! Oh my, hello. Please come in." She smiled at Yumemi and the teenager felt blinded by the woman's beauty.

Bowing deeply, Yumemi greeted Ryuely. "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

Ryuely waved her hands dismissively. "No, No, please. You are welcome here. Munto never brings anyone here, other than Rui."

"Alright," Munto hissed. "Don't say too much to her."

Ryuely laughed. "Oh, Munto. Please don't be embarrassed."

He groaned and stepped out of the entranceway. "I'll get some towels," he said to Yumemi, "so wait here."

"Munto!" Ryuely reprimanded, "This girl is soaking wet! You can't just leave her here at the entrance. Walk her to the bathroom and draw a bath for her."

Yumemi scrambled forward. "Oh no, please," she cried, "you don't have to do all that." Her cheeks were heating up with embarrassment. "I don't have any spare clothes anyway. Just a towel for me and I'll be on my way."

"No," both Ryuely and Munto stated frankly at the same time.

Ryuely stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Yumemi's shoulder. "I have some clothes that I think will fit you. Please come in," she said gently.

Unable to argue anymore, Yumemi let herself be led inside the huge house. Yumemi scurried behind Munto, uncomfortably aware that she was dripping water as she went. Ryuely had disappeared into a room, probably to get some clothes for Yumemi.

Munto stopped before a door after what felt like a very long walk for Yumemi. He opened the door and held it for Yumemi. She ducked inside and found a large bathroom. The first half of it was just a changing area and beyond the area was a sliding door that led to a large bathtub. The little bathtub she had at her house could probably fit in this one three times over. Busy gawking, Yumemi didn't notice Munto walking past her to turn on the water.

Yumemi rushed forward. "I can do that!"

Munto turned with a raised eyebrow. "Do you know how?"

She hesitated.

Munto smiled smugly and turned back to the bathtub. He turned a dial and checked the water for warmth. After a few moments of nothing but the sound of rushing water, Munto stood up straight. He jabbed his thumb at the door. "Leave the door unlocked."

"Excuse me?" Yumemi jumped in alarm.

Munto laughed at her prickled appearance. "How else is Ryuely going to get your change of clothes in here?"

Yumemi looked down at her wet clothes. "Does she really have clothes that will fit me?"

Munto smirked, an almost mischievous glint in his eye. "I'm sure she does." He patted the top of her head as he walked by her. "Take your time," he called out as he closed the door behind him.

Yumemi was left alone in the bathroom with only the sound of her dripping. For a moment she looked around to see if there were any windows. She was still on the first floor, so maybe she could escape. Shaking her head, she told herself that it was a stupid idea. She began to peel her wet clothes off and cautiously stepping toward the bathtub. When she got close, she closed the misted sliding door behind her.

She put her hand in to check the temperature. It was perfect. One leg at a time, she stepped into the tub. She let out a long sigh as she practically melted into the water.

The door opening made her jump. Yumemi let out a squeal as she used her hands to cover her body, splashing water everywhere.

A woman's laugh came from the other side of the sliding door. Yumemi could barely make out a figure through the misted glass.

"It's me," Ryuely called out. "I can't see anything, I swear," she said with another laugh. "I'm just leaving your clothes here." Just as soon as she was there, she was gone.

Yumemi decided that she wouldn't stay in the bathroom for any longer than she has to.

She stepped out and scrubbed her body. Moving on to her hair, she grabbed a shampoo bottle that sat near the bathtub. As she massaged the shampoo into her hair, she wondered if Munto used the same one. She brought her soapy hands up to her nose and inhaled deeply. Realizing what she was doing, she yelped and poured a bucket of water over herself.

Great, she was a pervert now.

Yumemi tentatively poked her head out of the bathroom door. The hallway was empty. A light came from a room at the end and to the right. As Yumemi recalled, that was some sort of living room.

Taking a deep breath, Yumemi stepped out onto the hardwood floor. It was surprisingly warm against her bare feet. She subconsciously tugged at her outfit.

Ryuely had provided Yumemi with a loose, pale pink slip dress that flared out at her waist and fell around her knees. The fabric was silky and the bottom was embroidered beautifully with intricate swirling deigns that featured flowers. All in all, it felt like something Yumemi should not be wearing. She wondered how she would wash it to return it.

She even tied her wet hair up into a messy bun in order to keep it from getting the dress wet.

Yumemi stepped as quietly as possible down the hallway until she made it to the lit doorway. She took another deep breath and stepped in.

The room was carpeted in white and the smell of freshly brewed tea lingered in the air. Across from the room was a small, conjoined kitchen. It seemed very homely for a mansion.

Movement in the kitchen caught Yumemi's eye. Ryuely was maneuvering around the kitchen, smiling and humming to herself.

Yuemi opened her mouth to speak but found it hard to. Finally, she mustered out, "U-um…"

Nice.

Ryuely turned around and Yumemi was reminded just how gorgeous she was. "Oh!" Ryuely cried with a smile, "You're done! Come, come!"

She walked out of the kitchen and toward the pristine couches that sat at the center of the living room. "Have a seat," the older woman instructed with a wave of the hand.

Yumemi stepped forward tentatively. She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you," she mumbled, and as she walked to the couch, Yumemi couldn't help but feel the heaviness of Ryuely's eyes on her. The older woman watched Yumemi with a large smile until she sat down.

Ryuely clapped her hands with giddiness. "Oh, it looks wonderful on you!" she proclaimed.

Yumemi felt her cheeks heat up and she became quite aware of how bare her arms were. She rubbed her forearms and replied, "It's really beautiful. I don't think it suits me though."

"Nonsense!" Ryuely scoffed. "I know when something looks great on someone. I'm a designer," she finished with a wink.

Yumemi rose to her feet like lightning. "All the more reason why I can't wear this!" she cried, hoping that she didn't wrinkle the delicate fabric when she sat down.

Ryuely laughed, throwing her head back. "Please, it's a prototype," she waved her hands in dismissal, "I should be thanking you for giving it a test run."

"But-but…" Yumemi trailed off.

"Oh, shush," Ryuely huffed and sat down on the couch opposite of Yumemi. "Now," she began, a grin sliding up her face, "Would you like to see some albums while we drink tea?"

Yumemi wasn't sure how a run in the rain could lead to her looking at her school president's baby pictures, but she really wasn't complaining at this point.

Ryuely squealed when she turned a page. "Oh, my goodness. I forgot how much he liked sticking his foot into his mouth," she sighed dreamily and stared down at the photos on her lap.

After the older woman had sat Yumemi down and left to grab some tea, she returned with a tray of tea and two photo albums tucked under her arms. She practically shoved the cup of tea into Yumemi's hands and planted herself down next to the teenage girl. She then excitedly began to babble as she opened the albums. Watching her smile and laugh over the photos made Yumemi relax immensely. The girl even found herself laughing along with her.

"Here's a picture of Munto and my sister at a flower viewing when he was one," Ryuely explained pointing to a picture on her lap.

Yumemi leaned over and found herself face to face with Baby Munto. She tried not to giggle. He was a beautiful baby boy with chubby cheeks and hair as black as ink. In the photo, a woman in a sundress and floppy hat held him. The wind had clearly been blowing that day because the woman clutched onto her hat firmly with one hand and Munto with the other. The wind caused most of her face to be covered by her hat, but her laughing smile could be seen clearly.

"It's beautiful," Yumemi whispered.

Ryuely hummed with a smile on her face. She pulled the album closer and stared at the photos. "Munto takes after his mother the most."

In a shocking moment, Yumemi realized that Ryuely was Munto's aunt. It wasn't actually very surprising considering that she seemed to live here and Munto called her very familiarly. Still, Yumemi couldn't help but relish the moment, knowing that she knew something about Munto that many did not. She tried not to think too deeply about why that pleased her so much. Instead she distracted herself with conversation. "So Munto had black hair before?"

Ryuely giggled. "Yes," she said, "black as the night sky until he dyed it. I loved his black hair, so I've been trying to convince him to grow it back out." She crinkled her nose. "Of course, he won't listen."

Yumemi laughed in response. She also knew about her president's stubbornness. Oh boy, did she know.

"Wow," Ryuely broke Yumemi's thought train, "We finished the first album already," she leaned over to Yumemi with a grin. "Now for the second one."

"Second of what?"

The shout made both females jump. Yumemi was happy that she wasn't holding her tea. Both of the couch residents turned around to see who had shouted, even though they already knew.

Ryuely's smile widened. "Munto!" she cried happily. "Come join us. We're about to get started on the second album."

"Second album of what?" he snarled.

"Why, your baby pictures, of course," she responded as though it was the most understandable thing, raising the album up so he could see it.

Munto made some sort of garbled sound as he lunged forward. His knees knocked the back of the couch as he wedged himself between the two women and snatched the album out of Ryuely's hand. "No more," he huffed, holding the album protectively to his chest.

Yumemi covered her mouth to hide her giggles.

Munto's ears lit up bright red. "Don't you laugh," he warned with a hiss.

"Don't be embarrassed," Ryuely soothed, "You were a beautiful baby."

"Aggrhhhhhh!" Munto shouted to drown out Ryuely's words. He turned to Yumemi who was making less of an effort to hide her amusement. Munto reached over the back of the couch and grabbed her wrist. "Come on," he ordered as he gave her a gentle tug.

"What? Where?" Yumemi asked even though she was already getting up from her seat.

"My room," Munto responded gruffly.

Ryuely gasped dramatically. "Leave the door open, Munto!" She finished with a giggle and rose from her seat as well. Both teens were silent with embarrassment. "I'll bring you kids some snacks."

"Don't bother!" Munto barked desperately, the red of his ears having not disappeared. He turned quickly when he spotted Yumemi at his side. "Let's go," he mumbled and marched out of the living room.

Yumemi thought that she was going to pass out.

Hoooooooooooooo boy.

Remember when I said that this was going to be a two shot?

Haha yeah… I just really love writing Ryuely.

So get pumped for chapter 3!

Cheers~