Disclaimer: As everyone knows, I do not own the characters from Hana Yori Dango/Boys Over Flowers. However, I do own Neko, my OC. (Yay! I own something! Mine! Don't touch!) It's still not worth suing me; I am but a humble fan.
Thank you, Kamio-sensei!
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AN: This is completely AU. Not canon! Things are different--deal with it! Don't like, don't read!
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Tea and Saké
A Hana Yori Dango FanFic
By Janice Rips
Chapter 6: The Playboy Gets Played
The onset of warm weather drove the students of Eitoku Gakuen outdoors. Soujiro and Akira were no exception. They parked themselves in a sunny spot near the tennis courts. Idling away the afternoon watching the girls flounce about the courts in their little white tennis skirts was a great alternative to moldering away in a stuffy classroom, listening to some fossil drone on and on about things that are of no concern to them.
"Akira... Hey, Akira," Soujiro nudged his friend.
"Hmm?" Akira responded absently, lost in thought.
"You okay? You seem really out of it," the dark-haired young man remarked.
"Hm. Yeah, I'm fine. I feel so restless. It's probably just the weather," the other boy replied.
"So, you got plans tonight with that restaurateur you've been seeing?" Soujiro asked.
"Huh? Oh. No. We were supposed to, but I'm not seeing her anymore," Akira answered, still watching the courts.
"Really? Did she break it off with you? Maybe that's what's eating at you," his friend suggested.
"Actually, I was the one who broke it off. The spark was gone. I dunno, guess I was bored," he commented, continuing to stare into space.
"Well, if that's the case, wanna go clubbing with me tonight?" Soujiro offered.
"Okay," Akira said, facing his friend for the first time since they sat down. "Where are we going?"
"How about Roppongi? We haven't been there in a while." Akira nodded his consent, and their gazes returned to the tennis courts. "Hey, isn't that Makino?" Soujiro asked.
Akira looked where his friend was pointing. "Yeah. She even looks halfway cute in that tennis skirt."
"Just wait until she gets moving. She always looks her best then. Remember that volleyball game last summer?" Soujiro chuckled.
"Who could forget?" Akira grinned. "Especially when she wailed Tsukasa in the face with the ball." He turned his attention back to the court. "Hey, wait a sec, pairing up with Makino, isn't that--?"
Soujiro followed his friend's line of sight. "Has to be. Who else has hair like that?"
"Gym teacher must have insisted on the girls' uniform. Wow. Have you ever seen her legs before?" Akira asked, his eyes glued to the tall redhead.
"Nope, can't say that I have. Damn," Soujiro whistled appreciatively.
The teenaged boys grinned stupidly at each other, then threw back their heads and laughed.
"I love spring!"
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The main floor of the club was awash in bodies, and noise, but in the VIP lounge, the music was reduced to a primal bass heartbeat. Soujiro regaled the young women on either side of him with lighthearted anecdotes laced with double-entendrés. Akira paid halfhearted attention to the attractive grad student he'd picked up at the bar, letting her prattle on about her research project while he nursed his drink, only vaguely aware of his surroundings.
One of the girls with Soujiro, looking down on the dance floor from the observation window, remarked, "Whoa, look at her! I wonder if she's a model from Europe or something?"
Soujiro glanced out the window, briefly noted a tall woman with red hair, and turned back to his companion with a laugh. "Her? Nah, that's just Neko. She goes to our school." Then he did a double take, as his mind registered what his eyes just saw. "Neko??? Holy... Akira, that is her, right? Akira?" Getting no response, he turned to his friend... who was no longer there.
"He just took off," said the grad student, looking bewildered. "He didn't even say anything, just headed downstairs."
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Neko was in her element. The music was hot, and so was she. Her hair was tamed into a sleek French twist, her black spandex halter dress clung like a second skin and ended just below possible, her black patent leather heels only served to accentuate her long legs, and her lips gleamed in the lights like maraschino cherries. The guy she was with, on the other hand, left a little to be desired. His idea of dancing was to grab hold of her hips and writhe against her. Still, if she's lucky, maybe he'll be more skilled in the bedroom than he is on the dance floor; at least, that's what strayed through her head as she closed her eyes and gave herself up to the music.
"Mind if I cut in?" asked a familiar voice. Neko stopped dancing and opened her eyes to find herself staring into Akira's smiling face. Her erstwhile "date" glared at him and started to object, but Akira drew him aside and, after a brief exchange, the other boy walked off the dance floor.
Neko stared after him, then turned to Akira. "What did you say to him?" she asked.
"Nothing much. I just made it worth his while to let me cut in," he replied with a smug grin.
"Mimasaka! You did not just pay that guy to leave me alone, did you?" Neko asked. Akira just continued to smile. "So, now you've appointed yourself as my big brother?" she sneered sarcastically.
"I just thought you might appreciate a dance partner who knows what he's doing," he replied calmly.
"Frankly, I wasn't really concerned about his skills in the dance floor."
"I see," he mused. "Then you should consider yourself lucky I cut in. If he's as clumsy in bed as he is here, well, let's just say I'd hate to see a pretty lady like yourself go home disappointed."
"It's none of your business," she huffed, and started to walk away.
He lightly touched her shoulder. "Don't be like that, Neko-chan. Dance with me. Just once. Please?"
As she turned back to face him, the music changed to a Latin beat. An evil smile spread across her face. "So, you want to dance? Fine. Salsa, Cuban style. Try to keep up," she said, holding out her hand to him. He swept her into his arms and whirled her across the dance floor.
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Soujiro and his girls watched as Akira and Neko burned up the dance floor. As the music came to an end, Akira dipped her into a graceful arch. He pulled her back onto her feet, and the two of them headed to the bar area. A few minutes later, Akira returned to the lounge. Alone.
"Hey, Akira, where's Neko? Didn't you invite her to join us?" Soujiro asked.
"She left. I guess I was cramping her style," Akira sighed ruefully.
"What? But you guys looked great out there," he exclaimed.
"Tell me about it. By the way, where's Aisha?"
"Your grad student? Sorry, man, but she got her panties in a twist when you went off with Neko," Soujiro sympathized.
"That's great. No, seriously," Akira assured him, "it's fine. All she wanted to talk about was her research."
"What's her project about?"
"She's an entomologist. She's studying the breeding habits of cicadas."
"Ewww!" Soujiro's girlfriends squealed in unison.
Soujiro chuckled. "You mean she watches bugs fuck???"
"In short, yeah. Gross, ne?" Akira grimaced. "Makes my skin crawl."
"So, Neko wouldn't come up?" Soujiro asked again.
"No. Seems she was looking for a partner for the 'horizontal mambo'," Akira replied.
"And?" his friend quirked an eyebrow meaningfully.
"And what?" Akira answered blandly.
"Didn't you offer?" Soujiro asked, surprised.
"Of course. I'm still me, after all. You'll never believe what she said," he smiled.
"Go on. Spill it." Soujiro coaxed avidly.
"Well... She twirled a lock of my hair around her finger, then she said, 'Gee, Akira-kun, it's sweet of you to offer, but we see each other every day at school. If you were to get the wrong idea, things could get awkward.' Then she kissed me full on the mouth, and left," he said with a lopsided grin.
"Oh, man...She didn't!"
"Yup. Quoted the 'playboy handbook' like it was gospel," he said admiringly.
"Damn! The kid's formidable," Soujiro grinned back.
"Just think, you could have married her," Akira teased.
"Absolutely not," Soujiro swore. "Two players together? That would be just deadly."
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AN: Hey, everyone! I'm finally getting used to writing these notes at the end. So, what'd ya think? Surprised? I know I was when it popped into my head-- hope this isn't too over-the-top! (Yeah, right. On this site? Over-the-top is for breakfast!)
Many thanks to all who reviewed! It was such a nice birthday present!
SarahNThachter: I can always count on you! Thanks for all your support! Kisses! Email you soon!
ILoveTsukasa: Thank you for your reviews here and for two of my other stories! Sorry you were blocked! (I love Tsukasa, too! But he only has eyes for Tsukushi--so sad!)
kameko: Gomen, gomen! I didn't mean to block you either! And you were so sweet! I've actually been very worried about the Mary-Sue factor, so your review made my day! (Hope this chapter didn't change your mind about her--she's still a nice girl, she just isn't a good girl!)
dookie565: I hope you continue to like Neko. I don't usually go for complete AU myself (except when it branches from canon) unless it's really well written, so I hope this meets your expectations. Thanks for your reviews of this and one of my other stories, and for making four of my stories favorites! So awesome!
Sorry if it takes a bit until the next chapter--I still write by hand. In a notebook. With a pen. (Anyone remember those?) So I have to go on a typing binge and proof everything before I can post much more, plus there's a couple of shorts begging for my attention, but I'll try to keep up, especially now that I know people are actually reading it! Later, minna-san!