Somehow, this is how this chapter turned out. I really didn't have any idea on how to make this chapter a 'special' one to welcome Tsukasa back in his country. To to be honest, I was really disappointed at myself with this one. sigh
Oh anyways, please read and review.
Don't own Hana Yori Dango or any of its loveable characters. :)
"Thank you for having us. We at Wonderland will surely make your wedding day a most memorable one." Soujiro said as he was bowing down and handing out his hands to the couple who had contacted him. Another client was added on their list and he wasn't sure if Tsukushi will be able to come up with a new wedding theme for this couple.
The couple was very much happy as they both bowed down to him as well and shaking hands with them. "We know we'll have the best of memories on our wedding day because of you. See you soon, Nishikado-san." The husband-to-be, Yamato-san, replied.
Soujiro just smiled at him. And soon afterwards, he left the couple at the restaurant alone. He needed to go back to work before Tsukushi starts nagging him over the phone. He looked at his wrist watch as it ticks five minutes to three in the afternoon. He still has forty-minutes at hand.
He started walking down the busy street of Tokyo. It has been long since he last walked at this very street. From the moment his foot had stepped into the college grounds until he landed a job at Tsukushi's boutique, he had been riding cabs and sometimes buses. Upon turning at the corner near a ramen shop, he had a chance to get a glimpse of a red motorcycle being driven by a young man about two years younger than his age.
He followed it through his eyes as it slowly disappears up across the road. He missed his old bike. He hadn't had the chance to ride any motorcycle for the past five years of his life now. The last time he had ride his old motorcycle was when he was on his senior year back in high school. He was crying in pain that he wanted to forget about it so bad. He was going everywhere with that motorcycle, not knowing where his destination really is. All he knew at that moment, all he wanted to do was to get out from the world he had known. It doesn't matter where it takes him, all that matters then was the need to break free.
At that thought, he pulled his own self back to reality. He sighed, taking another step to his destination. And upon taking those few steps, he accidentally bumped into a girl as she, too, was walking with such haste. The girl almost fell to the ground if only he hadn't caught her first. He was holding her hand and waist for support and they merely stared at each other in mere seconds, familiarizing every detail of their faces.
--
"Tsukushi!" Yuki barged on their own office where her best friend was still burying herself at the sketch pad. Again, Tsukushi seemed to be ignoring her presence. "We still need to go to the salon and buy a new dress for this evening!"
"What about this evening?" Tsukushi asked without any interest. She wasn't even looking away from the sketch pad on her desk and continued on sketching her new design.
Yuki's jaw dropped in disbelief as she started walking towards her. She crossed her arms in front of her best friend's office table. "I can't believe you forgot about tonight's event!" she told her while Tsukushi was still putting on some details around the dress she was sketching. "TONIGHT'S OUR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, TSUKUSHI MAKINO!" Yuki half-yelled.
Tsukushi turned up her head to her, showing a frown on her forehead. "It's tonight?" she repeated without showing any interest about their high school reunion. She saw Yuki slap her own forehead
upon hearing those words from her. "Can't you go by yourself?" she asked, hoping that Yuki would stop bothering her from work.
Yuki rolled her eyes. "No!" she replied most instantly. "Tsukushi, you promised you'd go!" she added, putting her hands on her waist this time. "You didn't show up on our junior high reunion and now you wanted to ditch our high school reunion?" she asked in disbelief once more. "Honestly, Tsukushi! Don't you want to see our old friends?"
Tsukushi sighed, closing her sketch pad. "Fine!" she muttered.
--
Rui started walking towards the dark hallways leading at the inner chamber of a casino. It's not yet open, of course. Casinos are supposed to be open at night because it's when every rich bastard and those so-called dirty old men would have a free time. Two men dressed in black were leading him on at the end of the hall, where an enormous, steel-made door was built. One of those men opened the door for him.
As soon as he stepped a foot inside, the door was shut behind him as everyone else, except for a man whom he can only make out a silhouette of it, lies on the dark side of the room. He was sitting at a chair with cigarette lit in between his fingers.
He was merely looking at the man's silhouette, waiting for him to start talking.
"Sit down, Rui."
Rui sneered for a while before turning back to him. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly. "Surely you're not gonna get married any time soon, right?"
The man leaned a little closer, but he still remained in darkness. "I asked you, not because you worked at a wedding boutique." The man's voice became a bit softer but the coldness was still felt in the air. "I asked you here because…" he paused while standing from the chair and completely revealing himself while stepping out of the darkness. "…you are still my friend, Rui Hanazawa." Akira finished off his sentence with that.
Upon hearing those words, Rui managed to show a genuine smile. He walked towards him, raising his hand as Akira locked his hands with him. "Welcome home, Akira!" he told him while giving him a tap on the shoulder.
--
Soujiro was lighting up his own cigarette, sitting at one of the benches on the park together with the girl he had bumped with a while ago. He was about to leave upon seeing the girl, but for some reason, when she stopped him from doing so, he did stopped from walking out and now, they are both trapped in each other's company.
"Since when did you start smoking, Soujiro?"
He remained in silence, sipping the nicotine content of the cigarette. He breathed out the smoke before turning to the girl. He gave her a grin. "I smoke whenever I'm stressed out." He answered and looked away afterwards. "I thought you're in Australia?" he asked and the girl looked at him. "When did you arrive here?"
She turned her head to the direction where Soujiro was looking at. "About five days ago." She answered coolly. "July 15." She then turned to face him as Soujiro halted from inhaling more of his cigarette.
She saw how he reacted – he took a deep breath and exhaling it like it was hurting him so much. His eyes twitched but didn't blink. She, too, sighed at what she saw. She nestled a hand on his shoulder. "Soujiro…"
"Sakurako…" he cut her off from continuing, turning his attention to her. "…he also arrived here five days ago." He finished. "Did you know that?"
Sakurako took off her hand from Soujiro's shoulder. She was the one looking away, as if the sight of the grounds where their feet are resting quietly is a nicer view than the look registered upon Soujiro's face. "I…" she started, not sure whether she should continue or not. Soujiro waited for her to finish. "I work for A–"
"I don't want to hear that bastard's name!" he said, completely shutting Sakurako from saying his name. He was breathing air deeply and heavily as the look of anger was all over his face now. His eyes glaring to no one as his fists clenched.
Sakurako gently held his ball of fists. "Soujiro, please…" she was begging. "You have to let go of the past and move on. Forget everything that causes you pain and misery."
Soujiro glared at her, pulling his hands off from her. "Let go, Sakurako?" he repeated in between rage and disbelief. "How could I possibly 'let go' and 'forget everything'?" he asked her. "He was the one who inflicted pain on me!" he shot at her and Sakurako remained silent. "ON US! WEREN'T YOU HURT BY WHAT HE HAS DONE ALMOST SIX YEARS AGO? YOU ALSO LOST SOMEONE IMPORTANT TO YOU, DID YOU NOT? WAS EVERYTHING SHE DID SO EASY TO FORGET?" he half-yelled.
"I NEVER SAID THAT!" she retorted the same manner he did.
Both of them calmed at that moment. Soujiro covered his face as his elbows were resting on his knees. Sakurako put her right hand to Soujiro's arm while she put her left hand on Soujiro's back just to comfort him.
"Soujiro…" she called out gently, caressing his back for comfort.
--
Tsukushi sat on the sofa. She was eyeing every fancy clothes at the boutique shop. She didn't like the place – in fact, she didn't like the idea of "shopping". If she hadn't forgot that tonight is their high school reunion, she might have made her own dress – at least it would only cost her some yards of fabrics and stitch it to whatever pattern she likes – not to spend her money on a clothe where it can be seen with someone else as well.
The yellow curtain on the dressing room opened and Yuki went out of it. She was busy on zipping close the side of the blue dress she was trying on. As she was walking towards the mirror to look at her own reflection, she had made a stop when she realized the impatiently sitting Tsukushi. She dropped her shoulders upon seeing her best friend. "Tsukushi?"
Tsukushi looked at her. "Hmm?"
"What are you still doing there?"
"Sitting."
"I know!" Yuki shot back and sat next to her. "Aren't you going to buy a dress for tonight's reunion?"
Tsukushi sighed. "Yuki, if I just had the time, I'd definitely make myself a new dress." She told her truthfully. "I don't like wearing a dress with the same style as everyone else. I mean, look at you!"
she pointed at Yuki and her best friend looked at her own self. "That dress is just the same as that pink one over there!" she pointed at the mannequin wearing the pink version of Yuki's dress just near the entrance area.
Yuki pouted. "True." She said shortly and Tsukushi, somehow, managed to display a victorious grin. "But still, we didn't had the time to make ourselves our own dresses so you don't have any choice but to shop!" she added, explaining to Tsukushi why they need to shop for a new dress and the grin on her best friend's face vanished.
"Do I really have to go?"
"Yes!" Yuki glared at her while replying.
"Fine." Tsukushi whispered upon the annoyed face on Yuki. She stood up and made her way to the hundreds of dresses hanging just around the corner. Yuki, as they all knew, is a really nice young lady that when she starts glaring with annoyance, they knew that they couldn't win against her.
--
Rui sat across Akira as they are now playing the game of poker in a VIP lounge. Akira was surrounded by beautiful women and so as Rui. It's almost opening time for the casino that Akira manages as one of his businesses and he thought it wouldn't be bad if they'll start playing earlier than the other players – he's the manager for crying out loud. He can do whatever he pleases with that casino of his and no one can oppose to that.
Rui has been winning for the last five rounds and Akira doesn't seem to mind. His attentions were focused more on the women around him and Rui can only guess that his friend doesn't care about their game. "Are we here to play or you're just going to flirt with all your women?"
At that, Akira turned to him with a grin. "Fine!" he told him, laying his own set of cards on the table. "I'm not going to win anyway." He told him truthfully as he dismissed the banker and leaned forward to Rui. "Any girlfriends now?" he asked, changing their subject.
Rui laughed silently. "I am not like you, Akira."
Akira laughed with him at that one. "Still the same old Rui." He commented. "Still waiting for Shizuka?"
Rui's smile was slowly leaving his face by the sudden question that Akira had brought up. He took a deep breath before answering his question. "Shizuka's at the country." He told him and Akira was listening closely. "But she hadn't changed a bit. All she cares for is her career and I don't know if that would ever change."
"I see." Akira replied. "Well, if that's the case…" he started and Rui paused as he was about to drink his own glass of beer. "…why don't you just have yourself another woman who could take care of you and take your loneliness away?" he finished in a joking manner.
Both of them laughed at that point.
"No way I'm going to be like you." He answered in a joking manner as well.
--
"Sir…" someone was disturbing his sleep. He could feel the shaking of his body as the one waking him up is eager to make his eyes open. "Sir…" that voice called out again as he felt his body still shaking.
Tsukasa slowly opened his eyes and saw the flight attendant looking at him. "Hmm?"
"The plane has already landed, sir. We are now at Tokyo International Airport." She informed him.
Upon hearing those words, Tsukasa's blood risen making him almost jumped up from his seat. He had arrived in his country alive. He glanced around and he saw that there were only few passengers left as they were all evacuating the area. He stood up and just nodded at the flight attendant as he too started making his way to the exit area.
--
Author's Note: Well, that's chapter five… as you can see, I made only a little Tsukasa appearance here since he almost had the previous chapter all by himself (and yeah, I really want to keep you waiting for Tsukasa x Tsukushi's first moment together! Lol…) actually, I just want to end this chapter with Tsukasa arriving at his country.. :)
blueprincess16 and mgirl955, thanks for the reviews. I assumed those are compliments as well? Thanks.. :)
anime07, yeah. I agree with you. There'd definitely won't be any TxT moments without our main guy around.. :)
loty, thanks for the review and I also assumed it's a compliment? :) there'd be some more actions as this fic goes. I'm just not focusing on one genre (which is romance) with regards to this fic of mine, I just can't help but add more "spices" to our loveable characters of HYD.. :)
shidchil, you're two inches close to what I had in mind. So, just keep on reading and reviewing (onegai?)… :)
insensitive, i really appreciate it that you liked my fic as well... thank you... :)
FilmMaker, you're right about the girl on Akira's flashbacks. She's important to both our playboys and whoever that girl is – is a surprise! lol… anyways, with Rui's pair-to-be, I'm two steps ahead of my brain of what to do with his love life and yes, there will be Tsukasa x Tsukushi moments SOON! ((Yippee…)) and thanks again for keeping my spirit high with regards to this fic.. :)
Oh, and does anyone wants a preview? Well, here it is… :)
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PREVIEW!! (although I'm not yet sure if this will appear since I haven't started typing the next chapter yet)…
Tsukushi (handing out some cash to the stranger reluctantly): Here, you can take it!
Tsukasa (eyeing the cash): What the hell is that for?
Tsukushi: Your payment, baka!
Tsukasa: Baka! I don't need any of your money!
Tsukushi: Then, what the hell do you want in return?
Tsukasa studied her physique and grinned naughtily.
Note: For those who doesn't know what "baka" is, it's the Japanese term for "idiot" and/or "stupid"… :)
Review then, please? :)