What the hell is happening? thought Tsunade, nervously shuffling a deck of cards on the queen-sized bed, trying to sort out her thoughts.
Reborn had explained how Kureko and Keiko had locked him out of his room (That explains where Keiko has been for the past 3 hours) and how after reviewing all the possible courses of action he could take, (His excuses are very well thought out, thought Tsunade, but I know that Kureko, his top strategist, would have another plan if Reborn managed to get back in the room and if Reborn roamed the halls, he might run into some of his clients, therefore destroying his image.) the only logical solution he could come up with was to stay with her for the night.
Just thinking about it nearly made the cards fly out of Tsunade's hands. What are Kureko and Keiko trying to accomplish? she wondered, realigning the cards absentmindedly and riffle shuffling in midair, it's obvious that they're not doing this to spend the night together, though I doubt they were unhappy with that way that worked out, so why carry out this plan? It has an 87% chance of failing, so I don't know why they would still put it into action. Unless…their plan is more elaborate than I think.
The bathroom door opened, startling Tsunade out of her thoughts. "Ah, Reborn-kun," said Tsunade, barely managing to keep her voice even, "I trust that Iemitsu's blazer fits?"
"Yeah, it does," said Reborn, "It's a good thing that you accidently packed Iemitsu's blazer, huh?"
Well, actually, I packed it in case I had to go undercover and I needed a bigger suit to hide more equipment, thought Tsunade. "Yeah, a lucky coincidence," she said with a smile.
"I just wish I had my fedora," said Reborn with a sigh, running his fingers through his spiky black hair. Tsunade couldn't help but stare. His hair, she thought distantly, I wonder if it's softer than it looks. She shook her head and began shuffle the cards faster. What are you thinking? Tsunade chided herself.
"Since I'm properly dressed, I guess I can leave now," said Reborn, heading towards the door, "Sorry for bothering you."
Tsunade began springing the cards from hand to hand. This is too easy, she thought warily, there has to be something more to thi—
Suddenly the lights flickered for a split second and both of them heard a click, like a lock engaging.
Reborn walked to the door and tried to open it, but it didn't work. "What the—"he muttered.
The phone on the counter rang, causing Reborn to jump and Tsunade to drop her cards.
There's the twist.
Reborn picked up the phone. "Who is this?" he demanded.
"Ah, Chaos-san," said the voice on the other end, "this is the hotel manager. It is with sincere apologies that we must inform you we are experiencing some technical difficulties. Because of a virus in the computer control system, all the doors on your floor have been automatically locked. Our technicians say that the complexity of the virus is astonishing, and that the problem may not be fixed until around 7 in the morning."
7 am, huh? thought Reborn, trying to keep his anger under control, what a coincidence, or is it? I knew I wouldn't be able to get away that easily, but to go so far as to release a computer virus? Kureko is really serious about keeping me in here!
"That's very inconveniencing," said Reborn coldly, "Please notify me as soon as you finish fixing the problem." He hung up and let out a frustrated sigh. What is Kureko trying to accomplish? he thought, irritated.
"Reborn-kun?"
Reborn looked over to where Tsunade was looking at him curiously. She had picked up the cards and was unconsciously spreading the cards over her arms and turning them over, revealing the suits of the cards before boxing them neatly into her hands again.
Such skill, thought Reborn in amazement, momentarily distracted, and she's doing it all without thinking about the movements. Her skill is unparalleled by any other person I have ever met.
It's no wonder I fell for her.
He found himself studying Tsunade again. Her time in Tokyo has certainly caused her skin to pale considerably. Although she still looked slightly darker than a Tokyo native such as Keiko, her slight tan seemed to make her skin glow with a healthy shine. Other than that, everything else about her was pretty much the same. Her honey-golden eyes still shone with the undeniable intelligence she possessed, her silky light brown hair fell to her shoulders in soft, wavy locks, her lithe body, though it was in a relaxed position, seemed ready to react at any given moment, and her lips, her small pink lips, were moving, forming…words?
"Reborn-kun?" repeated Tsunade, confused, "What was the phone call about?"
Reborn shook himself out of his daze. "There's a problem with a computer control system," he said, "causing all the doors on our floor to automatically lock. They think the problem won't be fixed until morning."
He watched Tsunade begin to shuffle faster as she digested this information. She understands that this means I have to stay here, he thought, and she's reacting nervously. Now, why would that be? Tsunade knows me well enough to know that I'm not…immoral, like Leoko is. So why is she acting so self-conscious around me?
A realization hit him. Is it possible, he thought in shock, that the way I always feel nervous around her, the way my heart can't help but speed up whenever I see her, could it be that…
Tsunade feels the same way?
(A/N- Yeah, I know that I'm probably interrupting the dramatic flow of the story, but I can't help but say, FINALLY, one of them has figured it out :D. I felt like the killer on Whodunnit, watching people randomly floundering around until SOMEONE figured it out.)
He looked at Tsunade in a different light. Kureko trapped me in here to give me a chance, realized Reborn. He watched Tsunade one- handedly cut the deck and thought of a vague idea. Well, he thought, shrugging off Iemitsu's blazer, since I'm already here, it would be a shame to let this moment slip by.
"You've been shuffling those cards for some time now," said Reborn, hanging the blazer on a coat rack.
Tsunade stopped shuffling and looked at the cards as if she just noticed them. "Oh yeah," she said, "Sorry, it's just a habit of mine."
"No, no, it's fine. You're actually very good at shuffling," said Reborn, causing Tsunade to blush slightly, "Since we're stuck here, why don't we play a few games?"
Tsunade began shuffling again. "You play?"
"Well, I usually do more than play," said Reborn, flashing a grin, "I win."
"Oh?" said Tsunade, arching a brow, interest rising, "If that's the case, then you obviously haven't played someone of my level before."
"We'll see about that." Reborn looked around and spotted a bowl of mints. "How much money do you have in cash right now?" he asked, counting the mints.
"Ummm, about 25,000 yen." (A/N- About 250 USD)
"Perfect," said Reborn, picking up the bowl and joining Tsunade on the bed, startling her slightly. He sat cross-legged and spread out the mints. "Obviously, I don't have any money right now," he said, "so we'll bet using these mints instead. One mint is equal to 1,000 yen, and each of us will start with 25 of them. We'll play until one of us has nothing left to bet." He looked at Tsunade. "Do you accept?"
"Sure," said Tsunade, beginning to deal the cards, "but I warn you, you don't know what you're getting yourself into."
Depending on the way the games turn out, thought Reborn, suppressing a fond smile at her naïveté, it may be you who doesn't understand.
Kureko's plan may have ended, but Reborn's has just started. (Hey, you shouldn't be too surprised that two great minds think alike) Next chapter may not come out for quite a while because I'm going on vacation again ^-^! Maybe I'll find time to type, maybe not. Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave reviews!