A/N: It's been a day! I thought I could type yesterday, however, I got in at eight and I think that that's too late to start it, besides, I am a bit lazy and decided to read manga. And my sister typed her chapter 4 of Hitsugaya Karin. For those who read, favorite, followed. And reviewed in Hitsugaya Karin: a big thanks! I wouldn't mention you guys, but expect your names on the said fanfic.
I want to clear some things: first, I mentioned Saturday but I didn't put any specific time, sorry about that. I would like them to meet before lunch, so maybe , eleven. Second, in chapter 15, the guys and Hotaru still meets together, while the girls- Murosaki, Reina, Mizuki, and Oda- decided to ignore Hotaru even though they are still concerned. I would explain more in the next chapters. Third, I may change the rating of the fic into M because of little smut, and some future violence, but I still need to look at it because I am still not there. On chapter fourteen, there's a bit smut there, but I stop it in an appropriate part because I do not have any idea to continue it. Sorry.
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis and its characters are Takeshi-sensei's.
Hotaru blinked. Atobe called earlier today to inform her that they will meet in the amusement park at around eleven. She thought of bringing lunch, but put the idea off. If she's going to a date with Atobe, she wants him to hold her hands, and he cannot do that if she's holding many things.
She looked at herself. She's wearing a white sweater with ruffles in the upper sleeves before flowing straight to her wrist where a buttons buttoned, like the princesses' gowns. She wore a black tights to cover her legs and then placed a red-black, checkered dress over it. The dress is mid-thigh long and has a criss-cross in the back. She wore an open black socks and red pumps on her feet. Her hair combed back with a simple headband. All in all, she looks great.
She smiled to herself. She want to be as presentable as she can in front of Atobe, besides, she needs to know about the problems occurring in both companies. Only Keigo could answer her questions.
She looked up to see if he arrive already. She's been waiting there for half an hour; he wouldn't ditch her right? She doesn't know what to feel about that.
She felt a cold breeze blew her way and she brought her arms up to brace herself. When another fifteen minutes passed, she look around to find a place to sit. She found a little café in front of the amusement park. She debated to go or not. The sore on her feet made up her mind, she'll just text Atobe where she is.
Unknown to her, Atobe already arrived. With a tow on his arms. The flirty girl beside him giggled as if something is funny, like she's being tickled by someone, and it annoys him big time. But he couldn't complain because this is part of his plan; the other girl, not the giggling, but if it will help him make Hotaru forlorn, then it's okay.
He and the girl, Maki- or is it Mari? he didn't care- stayed in the café when they arrived five minutes before Hotaru did. He's waiting to see if she will going to stay and wait for him.
His heart stopped a little before throbbing faster than usual when he saw her. She looks sexy and yet, innocent. The air around her suggests that she's in love, or something along the line. Of course she's not in love with him, how could that be?
She waited patiently at the entrance of the park with a serene smile on her face, she look so excited. He does not know if she'll go back to being cold and emotionless after he show up on her. He really wanted to know, but he restrained himself from going to her.
After almost an hour of waiting, he saw her looking around to look for something, or someone. Then she decided to go to the café where he and the other girl was. He thought, Did she see me already? Is that why she's walking in here?
Apparently, no. After going to the counter to place her order, a coke and hamburger, she waited for a while before sitting in one of the available tables in the small café.
She brought out her smart phone and seemed to send a message. He was startled when he heard a beep coming from his phone. Hotaru turned her head to look for the sound, a bit startled herself. She met his eyes across the room before she turned toward his companion, she couldn't hide the hurt and humiliation on her face. A sudden tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. She lowered her head to obscure her feelings but she knew that it was too late.
Without finishing her grub, she stood up and walked out the café with lowered head and never looking back.
Atobe didn't plan all that at all. Yes, he wanted her to feel humiliated, and show her that she would not get anything from him, that nothing will stop him from dating other girls even though she's his fiancée, but the hurt and quiet acceptance that crossed her face and her beautiful eyes was not what he expected.
At that time, he felt bad. Really..really bad, like there's a heavy object laid upon his heart. A little while there, he almost regretted it. He closed his eyes to calm himself, ignoring the chatting voice of the girl beside him.
This is good. This turned out great, he thought. He wouldn't have to use the tickets that Oshitari gave him. But it's such a waste not to use them.
"Hey," he called the girl's attention. "Do you still want to go to the park?"
She beamed in delight, "Of course, Atobe-sama."
He sigh, "Come on then." He stood and walk out without waiting for the girl to catch up.
"Wait, Atobe-sama!" she run after him, poise forgotten.
He gave the tickets to the collector's booth before continuing to walk. He and the girl wandered around the park until two, stopping to rest because her feet and legs hurt. What kind of person use a three inches high-heel while walking around a big park? Mostly those who want to impress, but he clearly not. He thinks they're idiots, like the one with him.
"Atobe-sama," the girl leaned closer on his arm so she could rub her front richness on him. "should we go to the ferris wheel when the sun goes down?"
Atobe yanked his arm off of her, "No." He knew too well what will going to happen in there if they do, and he doesn't want what she's offering.
Still, they stayed until it was dark before going home.
Hotaru arrived home with a heavy heart. She restrained herself from crying as she walk through the corridors to her bed. She locked the door when she entered the room and went straight to her bed. She flopped herself in it and buried her face in her pillow to muffled her cries.
She didn't want the maids to tell her father that she's been crying, it will only lead to many questions and she doesn't want to answer anything right now.
She doesn't really know what to feel. She knew that she dates even though she is his fiancée, the private investigator made sure of that. But why does he need to let her see his ways? Did he enjoy it that much?
She cried and cried and cried until she fell asleep. When she woke up, it's already nighttime, eight in the evening. She went to the bathroom to change and toothbrush before going back to her bed.
She lost everyone in only a week. Her girlfriends, and Keigo. Her tears began to fall again and she wiped them angrily.
She reached on her bedside table's drawer and open it. There, rest a beautiful music/jewelry box, custom-made for her. She lifted it up and put on her lap. When she opened the box, a girl in frilly pink dress and a boy in a casual clothes, began to dance in a lilting sound of violin and piano produced from the music box. The song entitled 'Parting Time' by Rockstar played while the two figure dance together. They encircled each other and their limbs seems to fall in a constant pattern of his left arms raised with her right hand and the other hands are on her waist and his right shoulder. Obviously, the figures are him and her when they were kids.
A tear dropped from her eyes, singing the song along the music, "I remember the days... when you're here with me. Those laughters and tears we shed for years...ooh." Another tear dropped.
"Memories that we had, for so long it's me and you. Now you're gone away... you left me all alone..."
Their memories together crossed on her mind slowly as tears flowed from her eyes. Everything that had happened before he decided to go to Europe.
She continued singing softly, "Go on, do what you want... but please don't leave me... you'll break my heart... Hey what should I do? Babe I'm missing you...Please don't disappear, these are the words that you should hear... Time and time again I wish that you were here.."
She opened a little makeshift drawer from the little box where she put her wedding necklace. She wondered if he still have his. Maybe no, he already forgotten about her anyway. He didn't remember their childhood days even though he's older than her.
What happened to him to not remember? Is he really very focus on his tennis that he forgot all about the little girl he married in a tree house? Or he just let himself forget about her because she's not important enough?
The same day, the private investigators, Red and Onyx, entered the Atobe compound to talk to their client. Or should I say, Onyx's client and Red tagging along. They have their evidence on Red's leather case bag where he put most of his folders along with his investigating materials.
Onyx called Daisuke the evening before and they agreed to meet in the rich man's house. Red whistled as the drive another mile just to reach the front door of the Atobe's mansion. "I will sell my wife just to have a grand mansion like this."
"You don't have a wife," Onyx pointed out with a snort.
"Yeah, I don't. But still," he said in a grin, which made Onyx roll his eyes upward.
"You and your silly thinking," he said merely.
They exit the car and a valet- it seems that Atobes have them too- got their keys to park their car somewhere. A butler is already waiting for them at the entrance. "Mr. Red. Mr. Onyx" he said, calling them in their code names.
They nodded at him, Red has his bag on him. "This way please." They followed suit while scanning the hallways they walked through.
They stopped on a door with a childish sign 'House Office' with garland of flowers and rainbow and clouds drawn on it. They chuckled inwardly. Red thought that his partner is lucky, he got the fun part of the bargain while he got the frustrating one.
The butler knocked on the door and a 'Come in' echoed from the other side of the door. The butler opened it and they entered. Atobe Daisuke greeted them with a bow. "Welcome to my humble home, gentlemen. I heard that you got news for me."
The man smiled reassuringly at them. He seem relaxed although the stress probably kicking in. And, what's so humble in his home? It's so big, so grand, and everything looks expensive.
"Yes, Atobe-san," Onyx said. "This is my partner, Red. He's the one who solved this puzzle."
"I wouldn't say solve," Red said, sitting down in front of the man's desk as he ushered them to do. "I just learned a few things, but I still am not sure if the motives I think about is right or wrong."
"Then please show us," the older man said.
Red brought out the picture and the documents he gathered about the man in the said picture. He showed them to Atobe and when he saw the picture, he frowned, "I do not think I know him."
"He's a former worker on one of your hotel," Onyx supplied, Red and him went through the documents already and everything match, even the DNA is on their hands.
"What hotel?" the older man inquired.
"From the Elysias Hotel in Hongo," Red answered. The Elysias Hotel is the largest in the area. "He was the manager of the workers (chambermaids and such) department and he got into some kind of misunderstanding with the maintenance department. In our report, it looks like the manager of the maintenance dept. went to you first and you fired him in an instant without listening to him."
"When was this?" he didn't remember.
"Approximately five years ago," the younger investigator said. "I apologize for saying this, but at that time, you were still a cold-blooded entrepreneur. And maybe, that attitude made him want to make you suffer of some sort."
"And to do that, he will make you hate your trusted partner and then, slowly, but surely, bring you down," Onyx continued.
"Hn," at that, he sounded almost like Keigo. "Then maybe we should investigate into this? To clear the Kinomichi's name. We need to tell them about this."
"About that," Red started. "Kinomichi's my client, please don't ask the details because it's confidential, but they are the reason why I am here that night when I took this photo on here."
"You were spying my house?" Daisuke's brows furrowed.
Red sigh, "Well, I guess I need to tell you instead. The Kinomichi's asked me to spy on Keigo-dono. As you know, he still dates even though he's tied on Kinomichi Hotaru. They just want to know what's happening on him, and I am lucky to be there that moment."
Daisuke nodded sadly, "I don't have any thing to say about that. You are right in saying that my boy still dates with another girl while he already have Hotaru-chan. Then please relay this to Kinomichi-san and tell him to meet me to talk about this."
"That's not the only problem," Onyx said. "Apparently, Kinomichi Hotaru's school learned about this happening and a bad gossip spread like a wildfire. She was harassed along with her friends, except until Wednesday, when she and her friends doesn't seem to talk together anymore."
"Oh no," Daisuke frowned. "Are you saying that she-?"
"Yes, Atobe-san. She's on her own in that school, even the supreme mother wants to expel her, or maybe give her suspension because, as the news said, 'she brings shame into our school'."
Daisuke gasped, "How did this spread so quickly? And why is Hotaru-chan the only one affected?" He recalled that Keigo doesn't have any problems in school.
"We still do not know the answers," Onyx replied. "Red and I will go through the documents and dig a little more about this guy here, and I will look about Kinomichi-san's problem in her school."
"That you do," he shook hands with both PIs "Thank you."
They bowed before going to show respect and farewell.
A/N: Ah! So long! So long! A treat for you people. Please forgive me for any mistakes. Read and review. I hope to hear from you.
*Parting Time by Rockstar is a song composed by a Filipino male group/band from the 90s. Please listen to the music in youtube: watch?v=bPUOgRGv94I&hd=1
I think that the song is very appropriate for them, if not, please tell me and I may change it. I just didn't have any time to look for one so I just put this in.
Again, please read and review. And follow. I look like I'm demanding, but the truth is... I'm begging... I need inspirations, and you readers are mine. So please. Just tell me if you love the chapter, or you hate it. I wouldn't mind.