Chapter 10- A Familiar Stranger

Yuki's POV

I knock on the door of the library with my pinkie. I knew Mrs. Sakura is inside because that's where she always is when she has nothing to do. It was where Mr. Takemura spent most of his time and she liked to bask in his space when he wasn't around. She tells me to come in. I open the door slightly. Her back is to me as she sits on a leather chair facing the fire chimney. Her golden hair gleaming by the fire. She isn't reading-ironic because she's in a library- but just sitting there with a cigarette in her mouth. Smoke fills the room and the smell makes me gag.

'There is someone here to see Mr. Takemura,' I say in a small voice, she doesn't like it when I talk too loud.

'Who is it?' she asks without turning around. She doesn't especially like guests except if they're hers, contrary to me who would love to have some outside company, except hers.

'Uh,' I blank out. Shoot, I forgot to ask him his name.

'Ren Oda.'

I jump, turning around to find the boy from outside standing behind me, his face inches from mine. When he had spoke, his breath had hit my ear, it was warm and his voice was low and husky. The closeness of it had made me jump. I feel a shiver drawn from my spine, but it is not one from fear. I stare at his eyes. They seem withheld, as if he was struggling, I could see his mouth move. He wanted to say something, I look back at his eyes, waiting for him to speak. But he doesn't say anything, I knew he wasn't a mute since I had heard him talk. He sighs, his breath is cool and minty. When I had first opened the door, I had felt something for him, something in my heart, as if I had seen him somewhere before. Maybe I did, but he would have mentioned it wouldn't he? I didn't have any recollection of the past prior to the time Mr. Takemura found me and brought me to his house. I hardly go out and when I do go out it is usually near the vicinity of the castle.

'Ren,' I don't understand why it came out as a whisper. Maybe because he was so close I couldn't catch a breath.

His eyes smolder, staring into mine. I see his jaw clench, muscles jumping. He looks at my lips which are a few inches from his. I turn away from him and his proximity, blushing.

'Ren Oda,' I say louder for Mrs. Sakura to hear, my voice breaking in the middle. I hear her footsteps approach the door. He seemed so familiar, I knew I had seen him before but I can't seem to remember where.

Mrs. Sakura opens the door fully to get a better view of us. I had a strange impulse to hide the boy behind me. Mrs. Sakura was someone who had an affinity for gorgeous people, and since this Ren character was a little less than perfect, I knew she would pursue him. She was a beautiful women and had had many affairs with gentlemen that had fallen for her charm. She was a narcissist and loved beautiful people, but at the same time, she was vain and once she had gotten what she wanted she threw it away. I didn't want the boy behind me to fall for her charm, which confused me even more considering the fact that I didn't even know him.

'Well hello there, how can I be of service to you today?' she asks, her voice from before when she had addressed me taking a u-turn to a seductive young women. She was good at that. She butted her hips out and straightened her back so that her chest was pronounced. She was wearing a little red dress that did little to leave anything to the imagination. I looked away, partially in disgust and partly because I didn't want to see him fall for her. It made me feel queasy and depressed. My stomach suddenly felt like it had a ton of bricks inside and my throat was clogged.

'I'm looking for Usui Takamura.'

I jerk my head to him, a shiver threatening to run down my spine. His voice had taken a menacing and threatening tone to it. He hadn't talked to me like that and my lips curved from one side. He hadn't seen me as a threat. I had a childish impulse to stick my tongue out at Mrs. Sakura who stood there, obviously intimidated by him and frustrated that he hadn't responded the way she had liked him to. I saw his eyes flicker to me, but it lasted for a second, but then he did it again. Mrs. Sakura looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and anger. Oh no, I'm never going to hear the end of it, but for now, I was enjoying the moment.

'Usui Takamura?' he says again, his voice raised, making us both women jump. Mrs. Sakura laughs nervously, folding her arms across her chest, enhancing the rise of her breasts. I fumed in anger. I didn't have as big breasts as she did, but I never tried to impress anyone using such improper means either.

'He isn't here, he'll be back in about three days. Who did you say you were?' she takes a slow and seductive step towards him, swaying her hips.

'Ren Oda,' he says, not noticing her approach.

She's about a few inches away from him and looks up at him through her eyelashes with adoring eyes, a hint of mischief evident in them.

'And who are you to him Ren Oda?'

'A friend,' he says, his jaw suddenly clenches, his eyes turn to mine. I haven't spoken since Mrs. Sakura came, and I wouldn't have anyway. She was his to have, I would never catch the attention of a boy as handsome as he was. As Mrs. Sakura talks to him, I tune her out and turn on my heels, walking away from them. A sudden urge to cry takes over and a heavy feeling enters my stomach, maybe I'm sick. I almost run down the hall, feeling his eyes on my back the whole time.

I lie on my bed, sorting out the confusing emotions whirling inside me. I didn't know where to start. I didn't understand why I was so confused. I had never felt like this but at the same time, the feeling was so familiar. It didn't hurt but at the same time, it caused me pain. But I was happy and I wanted to see him again. I almost slapped myself. I don't know what was happening to me. I just met the guy!

There's a knock on my door just as I see the sun descending behind the horizon. Mary opens the door. She was my personal maid but she was also the only friend I had since I arrived here.

'Miss Yuki, dinner's ready,' she says almost in a whisper, poking only her head inside.

I smile and thank her, telling her I'd be right down. I sit there for a second, fumbling with my neclace. It was the only relica of my past life that I have. I was wearing it when Mr. Takemura had found me. I treasured it more than anything. It made me feel that I was loved and that reassurance made me smile. I sigh, getting up and going to the bathroom to clean myself up. Mrs. Sakura had probably gotten what she wanted from him. This made me stop in my track, then I lets out a frustrated breath. I don't care, I told myself, I don't care. An image of them in bed came to my mind and my heart clench to such an extent, that I crouch down a little. I put my hand on my head, what's wrong with me? I look at the mirror and wash my face, avoiding any and all thoughts of him. I quickly change to another more suitable dress for dinner. It was a simple lilac colored dress that flowed to my knees. I looked at the mirror.

The color of his eyes. I caught my surprised look in the mirror and laughed to myself, shrugging and leaving the room. But down the hall and I knew Mrs. Sakura would notice what I had only thought a minor issue. She would pester me about it to no end. I ran back to my room and wear a sleeveless midnight blue dress, with half my back exposed except for a criss-cross of the blue material of the dress. I left the room in my white flats. I make my way through the corridor, down the stairs, through the lounge until I reach the dining hall. I open the door without knocking, hearing laughter from inside. I walk inside to see Mrs. Sakura who is sitting at the head of the table, laughing at something Mr. Hugh had said. Mr. Hugh was Mrs. Sakura's most recent foreign lover. He was handsome and had approached me the first time we met. I made it clear that I didn't appreciate him touching my ass when I dumped my drink over his head. I was of course reprimended by Mrs. Sakura but the look of utter horror/confusion/ surprise on Mr. Hugh's face had been worth it. I still laugh to this day when I remember it. I saw Ren sitting on her other side, across the foreigner. He looked bored and uncomfortable. Beside him, there's Mr. Hugh's awkward friend Mr. Thornton. Mrs. Sakura turned to me as she hear the creak of the door.

'Oh it's Yuki. Come join us, we've been waiting for you,' she says, her voice slurred. She's drunk. I hear the scrape of a chair and look to see Ren stand, but only halfway, as if he had stopped and a contemplative look made it way to his face. I give him a confused look, his eyes on me. All eyes are on him and he sits back down, not bothering to explain what happened, he turns back to his drink. There are several maids around the room, all of them there to service our needs, when I say our I mean Mrs. Sakura, none of the others at the table bother them that much.

I sit across Mr. Thornton at the table. For some reason, with Ren here, my heart took on a peaceful state and turned itself into a soft hum, just as an alarm clock would after you turn off the ringing.

As the table fills with noise I look up at everyone's jovial faces, the table has taken on a conversation of a time from long ago when neither Ren and I were there. I looked at Mrs. Sakura. Though she seemed happy and content, I knew she had not gotten to bed Ren, her drunken state explained that part. Though this knowledge made me strangely happy, I saw her eyes flicker to Ren's one too many times. I look down at my plate, after a second I look up through my lashes at Ren as another round of laughter took over the table. This time Mr. Hugo had made an exceptionally funny joke which I had heard too many times but always made everybody laugh. I saw Ren, with his finger on his lips and his elbow resting on the arm rest, instead of laughing at the joke, instead of looking at Mr. Sakura and taking credit of her flirting, was instead watching me with such an intense look in his eyes that it made my face heat up, my heart jump, and I turned away.

'I hope you are well Miss Yuki,' says Mr. Thornton. I had forgotten he existed.

'Very well, thank you. How about you?' I ask to be polite. My pitch a little too high.

Though he was awkward, Mr. Thornton was very handsome with blond hair and brown eyes, and that was the only reason Mrs. Sakura had him in the castle, let alone the table. She had told me that it irritated her when he talked, if he could keep his mouth shut with that face he would be more handsome then his friend Mr. Hugh.

He nods his head, several times too many. 'Very good, indeed. I have been kept up at night reading poems of John Keats. Though I pride myself in saying that I have memorized them. I don't particularly like the sound and sort of childish mode his poems take.'

This was another thing about Mr. Thornton, he thought he was always right, and that he knew absolutely everything.

'What do you mean?' I ask, putting the fork of peas into my mouth.

He let out a laugh at my question, not in anticipation of my answer but because he had found someone who lacked as much intellect as he did. In other words, he wasn't laughing with me, rather at me. 'Well, my dear, how do I explain it, well you can say that the way he describes love is naïve, fake, and ultimately a waste of time.'

I had an urge to stab his hand with my fork. Though it wasn't because what he was saying was false or true it was because anything that came out of his mouth was either praising himself or ridiculing others. And I knew now that he was doing the latter, I also knew for a fact that this man in front of me had never fallen in love so he did not know what he was talking about. Before I could stop myself, my eyes went to Ren's and his eyes were on me. My heart flipped. My face heated and I looked back to Mr. Thornton.

'Waste of time? How?'

He raised his drink and swung it around in his hand.

'Well, it goes like this, girl meets boy, boy meets girl, they fall in love, they get married, happily ever after. But what is true in fact is that it wasn't love that started their journey, it was lust. Lust is what drives the young to do what they think is for the sake of love. They think themselves almighty, all powerful, it is only their mind which has been possessed by this seduction.'

I nod at him, as if I have any idea about what he is talking about.

'So do you think every women who lusts after you is in love with you?'

I turn to Ren, I didn't think he was listening to what we were talking about. Mr. Thornton clears his throat, he may have been acting confident to a girl as small as me, but when he was matched with someone that intimidated him literally, he was always at a loss of words.

'Well, why not? Love is only attraction and if a women says she is in love with me it is because she is willing to bed me. I for one am too modest and would never dishonour a women.'

'Coming from you, I seriously doubt that.'

I choked on my drink and started coughing, tears appearing in my eyes as I grabbed a tissue to cover my face, my laugh was mixed in with my cough, making me wrack my body harder. I turned away from the table as everybody looked at me. I saw a slight smile on Ren's face as he took a sip from his own glass.

Mary comes forwards as if to assist me and I put my hands over hers, letting her know I'm okay. She still has a concerned look on her face as I regain my breath. I smile at her and take a sip of water. Turning back to the people who have successfully failed at making conversation. I smile at them and pretend that the last 20 seconds didn't happen by picking up a piece of potato and putting it in my mouth.