A/N: Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it, and am glad people like my stories. Thank you! Sorry it took so long, the next chapters are sort of important, so I want to take my time with them. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter~ .

Chapter Five: In Which Fuji is Introduced

"Himeno! Over here!"

I winced at the loud voice, though I couldn't help the big grin that split my face as my brown-haired sister flung arms around my neck. I had an eerie sense of déjà vu, though this time, the whispered comments were in English. And this time, I could care less, but hugged my sister enthusiastically.

"I'm so glad you're here, Himeno! Mom's been going crazy trying to do the whole wedding by herself." Mikage rolled her eyes. "You know how she is."

I did indeed. My mom thought she was unstoppable. And, most of the time, she was. Getting on her bad side meant certain death; her wrath made the fiery pits of hell look like sparklers. But she tended to take on huge projects – like Mikage's wedding – all by herself and hello, nervous breakdown city.

"How's Dad?" I asked, taking a step back.

"He's okay, but he keeps freaking out about how his "little baby" is getting married." Both of us giggled. My dad was a big bear of a man and spoke gruffly, though he was a teddy bear at heart. Mikage, taking a step back, asked, "Where are your – " She stopped suddenly, grabbing my arm and looking past me. "Is that him? Your boyfriend?"

I turned slightly as Fuji came up, lugging both of our luggage behind him. I hurried over to him, grabbing my bag. "Remember our deal." I hissed nervously.

"Breathe, Twerp. Things will go fine." He replied easily.

I gave him a hard look, though kept silent. I grabbed his hand – cringing inwardly – and dragged him to my sister, who was almost wiggling with joy. He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze as I prepared to give the biggest lie of my entire life.

"Onee-chan, this is my," I nearly choked on the next word, and had to swallow hard. "boyfriend, Fuji Shuusuke. Fuji-kun, this is my sister Mikage."

Three Hours Earlier

"You want me to do WHAT?!"

"Shhh!" I slapped a hand over his mouth as the other passengers stared at us. "Not so loud!"

Fuji pushed my hand away, staring at me. "Excuse me, but I didn't exactly expect to be asked out by someone who hates me!" But he did lower his voice.

"I'm not asking you out! I'm asking you to pretend to be my boyfriend! " I corrected.

"Why? I'm here, isn't that enough?" he demanded.

"Two days ago, yes. But Ayana-oba-san made a mistake and blabbed to Mikage that I was bringing my boyfriend. If I don't deliver, I'll never hear the end of it." I explained. I loved my aunt, but I wanted to strangle her at the moment.

"But that means lying! To your family!" protested the boy.

"So? Mikage wants me to be happy, and in her mind, having a boyfriend makes one happy. She won't be happy if she thinks I'm unhappy. And it's her wedding day. She deserves to be happy." I informed him hotly.

"Fine. Lie to your family if you want. But I'm not." He retorted. "Why should I?"

"Because I need your help!" I snapped. He glared coldly at me and I sighed, softening my tone. "Please, Fuji-kun? When we go back to Japan, we can say we broke up. No harm, no foul. Please?"

"Himeno – " he started.

"Please, Shuusuke!" I hated this. I was almost begging. And I never beg. "You're the only one I can count on!"

He blinked at the use of his first name and that strange look crossed his face again. He stayed silent and I had almost given up on him, when he finally sighed. "Sushi."

I blinked at him in confusion. "What?" Had he lost his mind?

"You owe me a lot of sushi for this. Expensive sushi." He informed me. "I'll do it."

Relief coursed through me and I laughed. "Thank you, Fuji-kun!" I may not like him, I admit that. But he was the only one who was covering my ass, and I had no choice but to trust him.

But why did I feel like I had just done something irrevocable?

Present Time

"Nice to meet you, Mikage-san." Fuji said in accented English.

"Ohmigod, you're adorable! I'm so glad my little sister has found someone! I've been worried – she's stubborn and hot-headed. I didn't think she was ever going to get a boyfriend!" Mikage squealed.

Fuji looked taken aback, and shot me a pleading sort of look. I stepped in front of him, drawling, "Thanks, onee-chan. Your faith in me is inspiring."

"Well, ever since Christian, you've been sulking. You need a new man!" Mikage told me firmly.

"Christian?" inquired Fuji.

"My ex." I told him curtly, warning him not to probe. "He cheated on me last year."

He took the hint and picked up our stuff as I said, "We should get going. The hotel is a good forty-five minutes from here, isn't it. I want to see Zach."

"Zach?" Fuji's eyes narrowed slightly.

Was he... No, he couldn't be. "Zach's my little brother. He's ten." Was I imagining something, or was Fuji blushing? I smiled at him. I still dsiliked the older boy, but I was going to be with him for the week, so I might as well try and be pleasent to him. Plus... well, I had a feeling that this wedding would be interesting.

***

Introducing Fuji to my parents proved an interesting adventure. My parents were slightly over-protective of us - especially Mikage. Poor Kody was threatened with a shot-gun when he and Mikage started dating. So it really wasn't surprising that the instant the brunett stepped out of the car my dad jumped on him. "So, you're my Himeno's boyfriend, correct?" my father demanded (in Japanese) omenious tone of voice. And considering my father towered a good six inches above Fuji, he seemed very omenious indeed.

"Um." gulped Fuji visibly. "Yes, sir. I'm Fuji Shuusuke."

"Hmm... and what makes you think that you're good enough for my daughter?"

"Dad!" I protested, switiching to English. Fuji looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here. I took ahold of his hand, sqeezing it gently. He looked so scared it was almost funny. "Leave him alone, already!"

"But, honey-"

"Leave the poor guy alone, Tatsuya." My mother had finally appeared, a smile on her face. Slender and petite, she was the direct opposite of my dad. I gave her an enthusastic hug.

"Hello, Mama." I said quietly.

"You've grown so tall, and it's only been a couple months!" she fussed over me, though she was smiling.

"Don't be silly, Mama." I said, embaressed. "How was the trip?" I changed topics. Though they had gotten back from their trip, I had elected to remain in Japan. I had just made friends, and it was halfway through the school year. Sure, I missed them, but I loved Japan too. Though they were slightly disappointed in my decision, they supported it a hundred precent. Nice of them, huh?

"It was great! The view was amazing, the air was so much cleaner, the castles were gorgous and - is that your boyfriend Ayana was talking about?" Mom looked past me at Fuji, who was lurking unsuringly behind me.

I dragged him forward, and he gave me a rather apprehensive look. I smiled encouragingly at him. "Mama, this is Fuji Shuusuke. Fuji, this is my mother, Tezuka Mawata."

"Pleased to meet you, Shuusuke-kun." my mother said warmly in Japanese. I smiled at her. Everyone was doing their best (except for my father, but he didn't count.) to make him feel welcome. Mom could put anyone at ease, and Fuji relaxed. Dad scowled, but let it lie. Mom had him totally whipped. I looked around. Mikage had volunteered to take our stuff in, and Kody was still at work, but we were still missing someone.

"Hey, Mom, where's - " Suddenly, a tennis ball zipped past my nose and bounced into the street. I caught sight of a speeding object just before I found myself on the ground, knocked out of breath, and something on my chest. I opened my eyes to see the brown eyes of my brother staring enthusastically into mine, as he bounced up and down on my chest.

"Onee-chan, onee-chan! Guess what, Christian is teaching me how to play tennis! C'mon and play with me, please! I'll knock your socks off!"

Tennis? A glanced up at my father, who avoided my eye. Anger and hurt filled me. Father had disapproved of Mikage and I playing tennis. He said it was a "boy sport" and that we should stick to sports like golf or swimming, neither of which ere appealing to my sister or I. Mikage had eventually stopped playing due to her work and engagement, but I had refused to even think about it. Secretly, I knew my dad was thankful for my injury - not that he enjoyed me being hurt, but at the fact that I was no longer allowed to play. He had been trying to get me to quit for ages, and now I finally was. But, now he was letting Zach play! It was so unfair!

But I couldn't spoil my brother's happiness... nor afford to pass out. "Um, that's great bud, but could you get off my chest? I can't play you if you suffocate me!"

Zach leaped off of my chest, bouncing up and down in place. Fuji helped me to my feet, an amused grin on his face. I winced as my back protested and retrieved my brother's ball. "Come, onee-chan, play me!" he requested again. Zach didn't know he extent of my injury, and, in his mind, cast off meant I could play again.

I forced myself to laugh. "Oooh, I'm not sure I want to! You'd beat me, buddy, and I'm not sure my ego could handle it!"

Zach giggled. "Fraidy-cat!" Then he noticed Fuji, who had taken the ball away from me and was bouncing it on the street. "Who're you?" he asked curiously.

An evil thought crossed my mind and I grinned at my "boyfriend", who began to look very worried. And rightfully so. I looked at my little brother. "This is Fuji Shuusuke. He's the best tennis player in all of Japan. Why don't you play with him?" Okay, so maybe it was a bit of a stretch, but it worked. Zach's eyes got round as Fuji glared at me. Zach grabbed his jacked, yanking on it, almost dropping his racket.

"Could you please come play with me? Please, Shuusuke-sempai!"

Fuji looked helplessly at my younger brother, obviously not wanting to say no to him, but not wanting to play either. I felt sort of sorry for him, though was disappointed when my mother intervened. "Zach, why don't you go in and order pizza? You can play with Shuusuke-kun tomorrow."

Zach, though disappointed that Fuji wouldn't play, was elated at the thought of pizza. My parents were health nuts, and we rarely ever at out or ordered take-out. Zach scampered inside and I winked at Fuji, who was shaking his head. Yes, I was a horrible person, but hey, I frankly didn't care. I sighed. I still had to unpack and everything, and all I really wanted to do was talk to my family. I was bending over to pick up my suitcases when Fuji promptly took them, scowling. "My job. You go inside with your family."

Had he read my mind or something? I opened my mouth to protest, then thought better of it. "All right, Fuji-kun." I smiled at him. "Thanks." What? It was the polite thing to do, thanking him. And, despite being me and having hatred for him, I didn't want to be rude. I was about to turn around when a shadow engulfed me. Looking up, my heart constricted.

"Christian."

"Himeno."

Christain was taller than Fuji, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He had that handsome jock-look going for him, and he wasn't afraid to show it. He currently was wearing nothing but shorts, and had that cocky smile on his face. He leaned up against the car and looked me up and down, whistling in appreciation. "Wow, Himeno, you sure grew up fine. What'd do you say that we hook up?"

I closed me eyes. "No, Christian." I was in a pit of misery and anger. Of course he was here, he was my brother's idol. Christian had been my first boyfriend, the first boy that had even taken a second glance at me. It was a cliche story, of course. Christain - the best player on the football team, straight A student but the all around jerk - had dated me for about a week, made me feel confident, then made out with my best friend. Needless to say, I wasn't happy to see him here. "Not again."

"Aww, come on, baby, are you still stuck up over that think with Amy? It was only one frickin' kiss." He grabbed my arm as I turned away.

"Christain, let me go."

"Not until you answer me. Come one, just one date?"

"No. Let me go."

"Himeno -"

"She said to let her go. I'd suggest you do so before I force you to."

I had forgotten that Fuji was there, and glanced at him in surprise. His voice was calm, and he was leaning in a laid-back way against the car as well, but his eyes sparkled with... anger? I blinked at him, startled. Fuji was legitimently angry! At Christain? Why would he be...? I didn't understand, but Fuji's menecing glare made Christian back off. He snorted.

"So now you're going for the Japanese boys, huh? Wow, lowering yourself to that. Unthinkable. What'd you do, bribe him to date you?"

That hurt. Mostly because it was true. I stayed silent, unable to answer. However, Fuji did, and his answer suprised me. "Of course not, you scumbag. That's not why people date - it's for feelings. Of course you wouldn't understand, you over-grown ape."

Score one, Fuji.

Christain tured red with anger and clentched his fists. "Watch it, Japanese kid." he snarled. He looked over at me. "My offer stands until tomorrow. Think hard about who's really good for you." Christain stalked away, punching a nearby tree as he did so. I couldn't look at Fuji, who, in his mild manner said, "Well, that was interesting."

I had to smile and touched his arm. "Thanks. Really."

Fuji shrugged. "No big deal. He's a scumbag, don't let him get to you. Now, are we going in or not, Twerp?"

I let that one slide. After all, he had pretty much earned one jab at me.

But only one.

I couldn't let myself get soft, after all.