Hello! Thank you so much to all those who read and reviewed the story, it means a lot to us. We promise that the story will develop eventually and we will get to the part that most of you are waiting for, but you need to have a little patience. Please bare with us! Enjoy!
Kriseis & Zaza
"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end."
Margaret Thatcher
Most humans have some sort of morning ritual that helps them get ready for another day of adventure. Some spend hours in the shower, some like to read the morning paper while having a cup of coffee and others indulge in waking up late, getting dressed in a hurry and leaving the house in a mess after their departure.
Morning rituals were something Akira did not know much about. He usually got up around noon so all those little things he did afterwards could not count as a morning ritual since by the time he did them most people had finished eating lunch. It was still a mystery for him how Tsukasa had managed to wake up at the crack of dawn two night owls like Soujiroh and him. "Wake up" was just a mere expression, since neither Akira nor Soujiroh had slept the night before. They were just leaving a party when Domyouji called, telling them to be at the airport at seven o'clock that morning.
Tsukasa had been restless ever since the girls had left. He mentioned Tsukushi every five minutes and was more agitated than a drowning man. Akira supposed that for Domyouji, Tsukushi truly was the air, but even now he was still surprised by how much those two loved each other. They took care of each other, missed the other person when he or she was gone and even woke up three innocent boys at ungodly hours so that they could reach the loved one sooner. Wait! Was that a twinge of envy he felt just now? Neah, just his left leg getting painfully numb. It was time to change his position and try to rest his eyes for just a bit.
Akira moved a little in his seat while looking from the corner of the eye at Tsukasa. He could tell his friend was getting impatient, Tsukasa was nervously playing wit the skull-ring on his finger. Soon the bomb will explode and Akira needed to be prepared. So he closed his eyes and waited for the Sandman to come.
"Why haven't we left yet? We've been waiting for thirty minutes already! Must we really wait for this person?" Domyouji asked.
"Yes, we already agreed that she was coming along. Be patient!" Rui was the only one who had any energy left to answer Tsukasa.
"Yeah, but can't she be punctual? We're all waiting for her like servants. She could at least show some consideration." Tsukasa insisted.
"Shut your trap, Domyouji. She had been king enough to take an earlier flight, she must be tired and irritated after such a long trip, from Europe to Japan, and still she is willing to jump into another plane just so that she could be with me. The least I can do is wait for her for a few minutes. So stop complaining! This is import to me!"
Akira doubted that he had ever heard Rui talk so much at once. And was he suffering from hallucinations or did he really hear Rui raise his voice a little? And last sentence was truly unnecessary! They could all tell that this was very important to Rui. Well, all except Tsukasa apparently.
These thoughts were not shared with the other three young men, Akira didn't feel the need to do so. Even a private jet's seat was still an airplane seat, meaning that it was not very comfortable, but he was determined to get some sleep, however little, even if it was just five minutes. The true madness would begin only when Domyouji and Makino would meet again – she was bound to see through their shaky excuse of a bachelor's trip instead of a party and see it for what it was: Tsukasa's inability to spend time away from her – and Akira would have to somehow appease the fight that will surely follow.
For the third time that morning, he closed his eyes. He vaguely heard footsteps and realized that at last Rui's girlfriend had appeared. An internal battle between curiosity and sleep took place in his head for a few moments and maybe the wish for rest would have won had he not heard a very familiar voice say:
"Darling, I'm finally here! Oh, I've missed you so much! The trip seemed to never end! Oh, it was terrible!"
Akira quickly opened his eyes, just to make sure his ears were not failing him. He was tired indeed, but not tired enough to hear voices from the past. There were no problems with his hearing though; in front of him some woman was hugging Rui. For a moment he mused that somebody should tell her that his friend will need his ribs in the future also and that she shouldn't attempt to break them. But then his focus returned to the familiarity of the voice. He couldn't be wrong, that voice was unmistakable: that woman was Shigeru. But wasn't she hugging the wrong guy? As far as he knew, Shigeru had been engaged and all over Tsukasa, and not their silent, brooding friend. Something was fishy here.
Akira was definitely awake now, although he did not why he was standing all of a sudden. Looking around him, he saw he was not the only one: all of the other F3 were up too; an instinctive reaction to the shock they were all experiencing. But Rui had gotten up to embrace and be embraced by Shigeru, and Akira couldn't help but notice that they kind of looked good together in that position. No … no… definitely, fatigue brought out the weirdest ideas in people.
He wasn't the only one confused or at loss for words. Tsukasa resembled a fish, mouth open and all big-eyed, looking from Rui and Shigeru to Akira and Soujiroh and the other way around, trying to make sure his friends were seeing the same thing as him. And Soujiroh was quite fascinated with the scene, but was also smiling a little, probably musing to himself about the irony of life. Akira decided that it was time to say something:
"Shigeru, nice to see you again! How was your trip?"
The young woman let go of Rui and turned around, facing the other men whose presence only now she acknowledged. Her hair was a little longer, the usual cheerful attitude but you could see on her face that she was tired. Nonetheless, she smiled and answered:
"Akira, Soujiroh, Tsukasa, good to see you all again! Thank you so much for inviting me on this trip, is the perfect occasion for me and darling to spend some time together!"
She smiled some more, this time in Rui's direction and he couldn't help but return her smile.
The initial shock being over, Tsukasa returned to his idea: "Good, now that you're here we can finally leave."
"In just a little while. They are still loading my luggage."
A little proved to be more than half an hour. Akira thought that Tsukasa was going to have a heart attack, but the Domyouji heir kept his mouth shut. His mind seemed to be elsewhere, probably in Nikko. He wasn't really paying attention or participating to the conversation.
The one who seemed to forget all about his lack of sleep, was Soujiroh, who, seated across from Shigeru and Rui, was asking all kinds of questions. Not an unusual thing, Akira thought, seeing that not even he could understand what those two could have in common. The Mimasaka heir knew that if people could lie their body language couldn't. So he was trying to understand the peculiar couple in front of him by observing their gestures.
Shigeru was the one answering all the questions – no surprise there, Rui had always been the strong silent type of guy – while Rui seemed to pay no attention whatsoever to Soujiroh, looking through the small window of the plane. Akira noticed though, that his left hand was resting in Shigeru's lap, playing with the fingers of her right hand, and smiling from time to time, maybe reminiscing about their first few encounters, while Shigeru narrated them out loud. Now that he was looking better, Akira noticed that Shigeru seemed to be somehow different too. She seemed to be a calmer, more focused person, a little less impulsive and more grown up. Sure, she had almost suffocated Rui when she first saw him – an effusion of feeling characteristic of the Shigeru they all knew – but since then she didn't smother him at all. Instead she seemed to borrow some of Rui's calmness and was perfectly content with the small proofs of affection that her darling gave her. But from time to time she turned her head towards him, as to make sure he was still there, smiling when seeing him next to her, and always looking in his eyes when speaking to him.
Akira had to admit that his first impression was still standing: they did make a cute couple and that was surely a result of the sheer happiness that emanated from those two. Apparently love had that effect on people … Once again, Akira found himself musing on how quickly things could change: Tsukasa would get married in a few months, Rui was clearly in love, Soujiroh would always have Yuki – no matter what she said, Akira was certain that she would always love Soujiroh – but who did he have? He needed a person whom he didn't have to share with someone else – usually an unsuspecting husband who would probably want to break some of Akira's bones had he known his wife was cheating on him- that would only care for him, no matter what people said.
Ah, again with the self-pity! He had a predisposition for that today, didn't he? Well, since he didn't have enough time to sleep on the plane and he had no mood to analyze his own life, especially his love life, he kept himself busy with musings about his friends. He was glad to see Rui happy. For a while, he had doubted that he would ever see his friend smile again, just as he had doubted that Rui had really gotten over Tsukushi. But Shigeru was here with him now, and her presence seemed to have erased both Shizuka and Tsukushi from his mind. Two relationships that were meant to fail in Akira's reasoning. There were no doubts Shizuka cared about Rui, but their relation had been a complicated one from the start. She had always been too independent, too focused on her future, on her career, and he had always been patiently waiting to play a bigger part in her life. But even Rui was bound to get tired of always waiting.
Tsukushi had been different, she had never been his, since it was clear from the beginning, from that very first punch she gave Tsukasa, that those two were meant for each other. Rui and Tsukushi's relationship could never work, for the simple reason that they were not what the other needed and they were too much alike. Both so shy and down to earth, they needed someone to bring some adventure and chaos into their lives. That's what Shigeru and Tsukasa did for them. Makino was an exceptional person though and Akira didn't blame his friend from falling in love with her.
And now, Shigeru. He wondered if she would be the one to last, the one who would make a difference. And in searching his conscience, Akira found out that he had been wrong, the situation was not awkward at all. Tsukasa wasn't bothered by it, why would he be? He never really cared about Shigeru. Soujiroh was more curious and amused than anything. The love birds obviously didn't care about anyone's opinion. And he … well, he had already made up his mind: they were an enchanting couple, just like Makino and Domyouji.
xxx
Tsukushi looked at the view that her room´s window offered. Such a magnificent landscape! She opened one of the windows and filled her lugs with fresh air. Just what she needed, some tranquil days away from the Tokyo hustle. Although she had not forgotten the purpose of this trip, she was eager to explore the resort. Yesterday, when they had arrived, it was already too late to go in town, besides they had to unpack their stuff and accommodate themselves with the new environment. As soon as they arrived at the Takashimizu mansion, they had been welcomed by an army of servants. The atmosphere was not strange for Tsukushi, already accustomed to Tsukasa's way of life. And in spite of the humble and overly respectful attitude that the servants had towards Yuki, Tsukushi did not notice any change in her friend's behavior. She was still the same Yuki, who smiled warmly to everybody and thanked politely for everything she asked and was given. Such a clear difference from her Tsukasa … Speaking about Tsukasa, he seemed so lively and happy when she had called him this morning. It's not that she wanted him to be sad but wasn't he missing her? Strange …
Tsukushi left the room and headed towards Yuki's. It had been a really funny episode when Yuki entered for the first time in her room. A pinkish large room decorated in a princess like manner, with a large bed filled with plush teddy bears and other funky animals. "I guess grandpa still sees me like a little girl" had been Yuki's few words … Giggling at the memory of her friend's embarrassed expression, Tsukushi proceeded on the long hallway. Just when she was about to reach her friend's room, a big portrait at the end of the stairways caught her attention. A drawing of an elegant, beautiful lady with tender eyes and soft features.
"Late Mrs. Takashimizu was such a beautiful lady and such a good master!" came the comment of the butler, who seemed to appear out of the bloom, startling poor Tsukushi.
"So, this lady in the portrait is Yuki's grandmother?" asked Tsukushi.
" Yes, Miss Makino, you are right. The portrait was ordered for Mrs. Takashimizu's thirty fifth birthday and is Mr Takashimizu's most treasured possessions. Oh, the days when Madam lived! Those were the days …" sighed Hisoka and continued in a melancholic tone: "… happiness and serenity surrounded the Takashimizu family …" he failed to finish his account upon seeing Yuki exiting her room.
"Please continue Hisoka. You know how much I love to hear you talk about grandma …" asked Yuki smiling cheerfully to the now sober butler.
"It might bring little miss sadness …" replied Hisoka.
" Nonsense, grandma's memory could never bring me sadness … oh Hisoka …" Yuki changed her tender smile into a shrewd one " … now that I found you here I have a favor to ask you."
"At your service Miss Yuki." He bowed politely.
"I want to prepare grandpa a delicious breakfast …"
Like stroked by lighting and trying to maintain his sober composure, the old butler protested: "But Miss Yuki, our chef is already in charge of this …"
"But it's not the same … I want grandpa to eat a breakfast made with all my love … pleeease Hisoka, you've got to help me with this. You know Maurice won't let me into his kitchen. Distract him just for a little while …" begged Yuki, puppy face at the poor old butler.
"Oh Miss Yuki … You know I can't deny one of little miss' wishes." sighed Hisoka, not giving up his sober countenance, but slightly smiling to his little miss.
Witnessing this scene, Tsukushi could barely keep from laughing. " … Poor old sentimental Hisoka, nobody was immune to Yuki's puppy eyes." she thought.
xxx
… CRASH, BOOM, BANG … "Mademoiselle Yuki … laissez moi vous aide" … "Don't worry I can manage by myself." … "Mais non Mademoiselle, Monsieur Takashimizu" … "Please Maurice, go take some rest I can handle it in the kitchen" … "Oh, mon Dieux" … "Now go Maurice!" … "C'est n'est pas possible! Mon Dieux! Mon Dieux!"
The noise from the kitchen could be heard all the way to the terrace.
"Hisoka, what's going on? Why all the commotion?'
"Please do not worry sir, it is just a minor case of territorial pride" answered the butler pouring his master a cup of coffee and handing him the morning paper. The usual routine for Hisoka, serving his master the black coffee and newspaper, than leaving him reading the paper in the tranquility of his garden. But this was no ordinary morning. True, it was noisier than any ordinary one, but having Miss Yuki here really brought this house back to life. One thing was clear, monotony was surely gone, along with poor Maurice's tranquility of course. It seemed that Miss Yuki was determined to monopolize the kitchen this morning.
"Oh, so you say …" Takeshi took the paper, took a sip of coffee, raising an eyebrow more intrigued than ever.
Seeing that his master was not entirely satisfied with the answer, Hisoka continued. "Miss Yuki decided to prepare master his breakfast. Now we are witnessing an authentic battle between Chef Maurice and little miss …"
"Than it seems that my little Yuki-chan is in higher spirits today …" Takeshi nodded in assessment, trying to hide his amusement with a cough. Poor Maurice, he really pitied him. Even though Yuki was a shy and sensible person, when she was determined to do something nothing could stand in her way, she was a Takashimizu after all. There was no doubt on who will win this kitchen battle.
After a while he saw his dear granddaughter coming to the terrace carrying his breakfast triumphantly, accompanied by her friend who seemed to carry a tray with glasses and a bottle with juice. On seeing his little miss coming, Hisoka hurried to help her. Yuki, knowing that it would be terrible to deny the old butler the right of serving his master, gave him the tray with the rich breakfast while she offered to help Tsukushi.
"Oh my! What a fancy breakfast! I have a feeling that I'm going to be spoiled quite a lot this summer …"
Yuki smiled to her grandfather and frowned, nodding while looking at the coffee cup placed in front of her grandfather: "That's what I tell mother all the time. You can't drink coffee on an empty stomach. Please, grandfather have some breakfast first. You must know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day …"
"With such a delightful company, how can I refuse? Please, my dear ladies, have some chairs and join me. Breakfast is always better in good company."
The girls took their places at the round table while one of the maids began to serve them under the careful directions of the butler.
"So how are you girls enjoying the stay here so far?"
"It is wonderful Mr. Takashimizu. There is so much nature and tranquility in this place. I really needed such a vacation." was Tsukushi's honest answer.
"I am glad to hear it. But please, why such formality? Beautiful girls call me uncle." said the old man with an enchanting smile "So do you girls have any plans for today?"
Tsukushi smiled and nodded in agreement "Yes" and then turned to Yuki, who was enjoying her breakfast in absolute silence, more than probably lost in thoughts.
"Yuki, you said you wanted to take me somewhere after breakfast? …Yuki?"
"Ah, yes Tsukushi, you were saying …" answered Yuki a little distracted.
"I asked you where are we planning to go after breakfast … you said you wanted to go somewhere." repeated Tsukushi.
"Yuki are you okay? Is there something bothering you?" asked the grandfather a little worried by her distraction.
"Oh, I'm fine grandpa …" giggled Yuki a little embarrassed "I got a little lost in my thoughts. It happens to me sometimes" and then smiled to Tsukushi, who had given her an all knowingly look "Tsukushi is already well acquainted with my little escapades to the dream world."
Takeshi smiled, it was so typical of his granddaughter. "Do you want Hisoka to prepare one of the cars?" he asked, ready to call the butler.
"Oh no grandpa, there's no need for that. We are planning to take a walk to the city. On our way there I'm planning to show Tsukushi the place you were taking Nii-san and me when we were little."
"It is a good idea. The temple's gardens are wonderful this time of the year" replied Takashimizu with pride.
Tsukushi looked at her friend with sincere curiosity and was about to ask something when she was interrupted by Hisoka's arrival.
"Takashimizu-sama " came the butler with a phone on a tray " … a phone call for you sir … From your friend sir." added Hisoka with an expression of conspiracy on his face. Hisoka was anything but subtle.
"Thank you, Hisoka. Please excuse me girls. I must take this call in my study. The breakfast was delicious. Please have a nice day."
xxx
Nikko was a charming, quiet town, not nearly as big as Tokyo, so the chances that even two girls such as Yuki and Tsukushi, who totally lacked any sense of orientation, would get lost, were minimal. And it was a truly beautiful day, warm without being too hot, sunny and lazy, the perfect day to wonder around town without a clear aim. Tsukushi was just about to follow Yuki in one of the little shops, when the very annoying sound of a car suddenly stopping, was heard. That screeching, too painful for your ears, bound to immediately irritate you sound made Tsukushi turn around, frown already on her face. She had thus the chance to see that in fact there were two cars: one had stopped, presumably without signaling that it was going to do so, and the second car almost hit the first. It was a miracle that it didn't, but the commotion was highly unusual for such a tranquil place as Nikko, so the passers by had stopped and were looking at the two luxurious cars, maybe waiting to see who was the reckless driver.
"Fool" muttered Tsukushi, turning around, determined to enter the shop and take a closer look at the earrings Yuki was showing her from inside. But she had to stop since the unimaginable happened:
"Makino! Yo Makino! Fancy meeting you here! Seems that great minds think the same since we both chose this place to spend our holiday!"
That voice was too familiar. Granted, she had missed him tremendously in the past day and a half … Tsukushi smiled for a second, thinking nobody saw her, then turned around and faking to be upset, did what she knew best: scolded Tsukasa.
"What great mind? Surely not yours, I've told you I was going to Nikko. Are you following me?"
"Really?" asked Tsukasa with an innocent I did not eat the cream face "Totally slipped my mind. I'm just here with the guys, spending our summer together."
As if on queue, three heads appeared through the windows of the cars" Hey Makino! So happy to see us you're speechless or the cat got your toungue?" a cheerful Akira said. Rui and Soujiroh just smiled.
"Hi guys!" and than turning towards Tsukasa: "Didn't we decide to spend at least some of this summer apart?"
Luck was on Tsukasa's side today. Before he got the chance to answer Tsukushi, one of the limo's doors opened swiftly and an over ecstatic Shigeru jumped out of the car to greet Tsukushi.
"Tsukushi-chan! It's been a century since I last saw you! I missed you like hell!" squeaked Shigeru while embracing the poor shocked Tsukushi.
"Ah … ah … nice to meet you too Shigeru" managed a very confused Tsukushi, looking at her fiancée as if she were asking why there was a mad woman hugging her.
"Wasn't it nice of the guys to invite me also on this trip? Imagine the two of us together having such a great time: we can go shopping, double dating, go to hot springs, visit the Botanical Garden …YUKI-chan!! You're here also? The boys hadn't told me!" Shigeru was beginning to resemble the energizer bunny, split between the desire to go and give a hug to Yuki and scolding the boys for keeping things secret from her. She decided on the former, so Yuki too, received a bear hug. She seemed as confused as Tsukushi, but she was too polite to ask out loud what was the third girl doing in Nikko. So Yuki just greeted her and the boys, smiling warmly and trying to hide her bewilderment.
By this time all of the other boys had gotten out of the cars, Rui coming close to Shigeru and putting his right arm around her waist, while both Akira and Soujiroh, standing next to Tsukasa were smiling and winking at the girls.
Feeling Rui's arm around her, Shigeru turned her head towards him and said: "Look darling! The girls were shopping for jewelry! Shouldn't we go shopping also?"
"Shopping? Aren't you the last bit tired? You just got back from Europe." Rui answered.
"Tired? Not really. But I suppose it would be impolite if we didn't go and greet Soujiroh's grandparents first. And they had been so nice allowing us to all stay at their new mansion! So, we'll go there first and afterwards we can hit the town, right darling?"
"Yes, if that's what you want!" said Rui, shaking his head a little amazed at his girlfriend's never ending energy.
All this was a little too much for Tsukushi who, before she knew what she was doing, blurted out: "So you two are together now?" Sure, under normal circumstances she would have found a more subtle way to ask this, but these were not exactly normal circumstances and nobody was explaining anything to her. She felt her patience running low. But neither Rui nor Shigeru seemed bothered at all by the question. It was Shigeru the one to first answer her:
"Yes, for almost three years now."
"Actually something more like two years and three moths." stated Rui.
"Oh darling, it doesn't matter. It's more than two so it's practically three years." And then turning to Tsukushi and Yuki: "It was so romantic! We met in Prague, in this charming little restaurant on the shore of the Danube river …"
"The river was in fact Vlatava" interrupted Rui again.
Shigeru just smiled at him and continued: "The sun was just setting, but on every table of the restaurant, and the lights were low, making a perfect atmosphere. And then we saw each other and it was love at first sight!"
Rui's voice was heard again: "Hardly. If I remember correctly you came to seat at my table and I just asked you to please leave me alone since I was reading a very interesting book about medieval fortresses in Europe."
"Yes, but you did it in such a romantic, enchanting manner …" she sighed melancholically and than returned to her energetic self: "Alright, so maybe it took a little effort to make you put the book aside and enjoy the meal and my company, but in the end it turned out to be a great evening didn't it?"
This time Rui just smiled. Tsukushi noticed that all the other boys were smiling or giggling still paying attention to Shigeru's story even though they had probably heard it all before.
"Rui was the first one to leave Prague" began Shigeru "but everywhere I went I kept meeting him."
"Wow Shigeru-chan, talk about coincidences!" noticed Yuki.
"Tell me about it! And to think that you always got in the town I was going to visit before me, like you somehow knew my route …" added Rui.
Shigeru smiled yet again, resembling very much a Cheshire cat, and said: "I have no idea what you are implying. Fate decided that we should meet and it wasn't long before we became couple" she finished the story.
"Such a romantic story Shigeru-chan" cooed Yuki.
But there was something bothering Tsukushi: "If this has been going on for over two years, why haven't you said anything?"
This time Rui was serious when he answered: "I didn't really find a good time; we haven't spent too much time together, the all of us, in the last two years. And it seemed strange to tell you about it over the phone or in an e-mail."
"And it was partly my fault too" added Shigeru "I wanted to be with Rui when he was going to tell you, but business kept me in Europe and I didn't have the chance to return to Japan. Until now, and this is as good a time as any to tell you, isn't it?"
Tsukushi smiled and looked at the couple in front of her. Well this is something she had never anticipated.
It was time for Soujiroh to intervene: "I'm not saying that standing in the middle of the sidewalk, listening to love stories is not fun but I haven't slept at all last night and I would love a cup of tea. So how about we go to my grandparents' house and we finish catching up there. Makino, Yuki you two should come also. I'm sure they would love to meet you as well."
Since Soujiroh was making sense, that was exactly what they did. They all got in the two cars and headed for the too much talked about new Nishikado mansion .