From last time…
"Echizen Ryoga, yoroshiku," Ryoga introduced himself. "And this is my sister, Echizen Ryoma. She's a freshman of Seiyou Academy."
"Yoroshiku," Ryoma said.
"Oh! So you're a freshman. You're only two years younger than me. And here I thought you were still a middle junior school grader. You're so short," the girl said, clapping her hands.
"Hmph!" Ryoma ticked an eye.
"Pfffffft! Hum hum hum hum!" Ryoga snickered behind his hands. "Hmn hmn hmn hm-… (STOMP!) OWw-…! Hnnnn…!" A painful stomp on his foot from his little sister (in the two meanings of the term) told him it was better to stop laughing.
"Huhuhu!" the girl chuckled. She introduced herself. "My name is Lavinia de Lavoiselle, and it is also a pleasure for me to meet you. Please, take care of me."
The next day…
Ding dong!
"Coming!" Ryoma said as she went to open.
On the door step, it was the girl of yesterday.
"Miyabi-san!" Ryoma said.
Miyabi smiled.
"Oyahou, Ryoma-chan," Miyabi greeted.
"Er, ohayou." Ryoma blushed. Again, she lacked of good manners. Miyabi chuckled.
"Chibisuke, who is it?" Ryoga asked as he came. "Oh! Miyabi-san, oyahou."
"Ohayou, Ryoga-san," Miyabi greeted back.
"Please, come in." Ryoga turned to Ryoma. "Chibisuke, you don't leave guest on the door step. Where are yours manners?"
Ryoma sighed.
"I was going to when you interrupted," Ryoma said, rolling her eyes. Miyabi smiled again. She really liked the two brother and sister. They were so funny together. "And please come in. You can also step on him since he is blocking your way," Ryoma said, pointing to Ryoga.
"Hey!" Ryoga protested.
"Huhuhu!" Miyabi chuckled as she followed them inside.
"Miyabi-san, ohayou," Rinko said when she saw Miyabi.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Echizen-fusai, Nanako-san," Miyabi bowed.
"Oyahou," Nanako said.
"'yo," Nanjirou said, looking brievely up from his newspaper.
"Here, take a seat," Nanako invited her.
"Thank you." Miyabi sat next to Ryoma.
"So, what brings you here this morning?" Ryoga asked.
Miyai turned her head to the old man who was following her.
"Jenkin," she called.
"Hai, ojou-sama," Jenkin said as she put some wrapped boxes on the table.
"I want to thank you for yesterday," Miyabi said. "Please, accept this as a token of my gratitude."
"There is no need to," Rinko nicely said. "It's just very normal."
"For me, it is very important. I just came here and I'm not very familiar with the city. You safe me yesterday. I'm very happy to have meet nice people like you."
The family smiled.
"Well, it is also a pleasure for us for meeting you," Nanjirou said.
They chatted a moment. They asked Miyabi about her family and she answered everything to them. She told them about her life in France and everything. After a moment, Rinko talked.
"Ryoga, Ryoma, why don't you two show the town to Miyabi? Today is Sunday. There is a special attraction downtown in the Mall center. You can also bring her to the Tower," Rinko said.
"Oh, please don't!" Miyabi protested. "I don't want to bother you."
"You're not," Ryoga said. "We planed to go downtown today anyway. You're not disturbing us."
"Besides, aniki is paying for the food, so it's more fun," Ryoma added.
"Hey you! Why am I paying again?!" Ryoga protested.
"You have a job, you earn money. So, it's absolutely normal," Ryoma responded, deadpanned.
"Why you… Grrrrrrr!"
Ryoga and Ryoma went into a heat verbal fight. Nanjirou, Rinko and Nanako were amused and Karupin wasn't bothered. Watching them be so at ease while she was there, a stranger of the family, Miyabi herself couldn't help but laughing too.
The school bell rang. Ryoma packed her things and left the class. Since there was no practice today, she decided to go back home earlier.
Outside, in a tree, two boys totally dressed - like ninjas - were watching her walking out of the school entrance door. One of them focused his binocular on her.
"The target is out," ninja number A-1 said.
His companion took out a talkie-walkie phone.
"She is coming in your way," ninja number A-2 said.
In another tree, two other ninjas were waiting news from the team A. One of them answered the talkie-walkie.
"Roger," ninja B-1 said. He turned to his companion. "She is coming. Is the trap ready?"
Ninja B-2 showed him the net in his hands.
"Ready," B-2 said. He looked down and talked to the ninja B-3. "She's coming. Get ready!"
"Roger!" ninja B-3 saluted in a military stand.
"Team B, we are coming to help now!" ninja A-2 said through the talkie- walkie. "She just walked out of our area!"
"Okay!" B-1 said.
Ryoma walked in the direction of the school gate, passing by row of sakura trees. Behind two trees, ninja A-1 and A-2 were spying her. A-1 had his hand raised, ready to give the signal to B-3. They all waited for Ryoma to make a few more steps.
1 step…
2 steps…
3 st-…!
"Now!" A-1 shouted and pointed his fingers down.
B-3 immediately pulled on the vinyl transparent fishing thread. Ryoma's foot got caught in the thread and she fell.
"Wah! Ouch!" Ryoma yelped and hit the ground.
She didn't have time to register what happen to her when a large net was thrown over her from a tree. Soon, something covered her head. She felt ropes tugging her.
"Mnh mnh mnh!" Ryoma tried to debate, but it was useless.
"Okay! We got her! Let's go!" a voice said.
The five boys lift Ryoma's body up and carried her away.
"Mhn mhn mhn!!!"
'Let me gooooooooooooo!' Ryoma screamed for help, but no one could hear her.
Night time. Fuji mansion.
Tonight was celebrated Fuji Syuusuke 18th year of birth. It wasn't his real birthday day (his real birthday day only came once every four years, on February 29th), but reaching the 18th year of birth was still important. Particularly this year, his parents came all the way from England to wish him happy birthday. Even his grandmother came from France. This had never happen before.
"Syuusuke, tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu (1)," a woman said. She was a middle age woman with brunette hair and permanently close eyes. Next to her was a man who had some gray hair and had gentle brown eyes.
"Omedetou, Syuusuke," the man said.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, chichi, haha (2)," Fuji said.
The two parents and the son talked together. Looking at them, people often wondered how two people which such normal presence could give birth to such a magnificent son. It was beyond their comprehension. Fuji Syuusuke's radiance exceeded so far his parents'.
"Syuusuke, tanjoubi omedetou."
Fuji turned around to see Yumiko, Kouki and their children, Touga and Sora.
"Nee-san, onii-san, arigatou," Fuji greeted them.
"Syuu-jiichan, tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu," two children said.
Fuji looked down to Touga and Sora in front of him.
"Touga-kun, Sora-chan, arigatou," Fuji said as he bend down to their level.
"Syuu-jiichan, this is for you!" Touga hold out a wrapped box with an envelope attached to it.
"It's our gift for you. We made it ourselves," Sora said with her soft voice.
"Really? Thank you," Fuji said. "I shall treasure it."
Touga and Sora beamed. Marui, Niou, Ootori, Kirihara and Kikumaru came running to Fuji.
"Fujiko! Fujiko!" Kikumaru excitedly yelled.
Fuji turned his attention to hem.
"Hum? What is it?" Fuji asked, smiling at their excitement.
"Nhehehehe!" Marui and Niou grinned sheepishly.
"Fuji, come with us!" Ootori said.
"We have a gift for you!" Kirihara said.
"Huh? A gift?"
"Yes! A gift!" Niou said.
"And you will love it!" Marui added.
"Er…"
"Come on! Let's go! It's this way!" Kikumaru said as he pulled Fuji's arm.
"H… Hai…" Fuji was rudely pulled away by Kikumaru.
They brought Fuji into another lounge.
"It's here!" Kikumaru proudly said, showing the entrance of the lounge.
"Here! Let's go, Fuji-senpai!" Kirihara pushed Fuji in the back.
"Er… Hai…" Fuji let Kirihara lead him to the middle of the room.
"Hihihi!" Marui and Niou grinned as they ran in front of Fuji, taking the first place for the coming show.
"He's here!" Marui shouted to the others regulars.
Hearing him, the regulars turned their head to Fuji.
"Fuji/Fuji/senpai, happy birthday!" they chorused.
"And this is your present from us!" Ootori proudly said, showing to… a body lying on a long chair.
"Ah! Ryoma-chan!" Fuji exclaimed when he saw the knock out girl.
Poor Ryoma was whimpering, her eyes were in swirl pool mode. She just survived out from a trip in hell, but barely kept her live at state. After that the boys caught her out of school, she was thrown in the hands of an army of beauticians. They had her have a whole make-over from head to toe. First, they massaged her (Ryoma: "You mean they groped me everywhere!"), then smoothed her body (Ryoma: "You mean torturing my muscles with that weird machine!"), massaged her again with many skin care lotions (Ryoma: "You mean bathing me weird smelly stuff!"). Followed next they made up her hair (Ryoma: "You mean they 'messed up' instead of 'made up' my hair with their scissors!"), make-up her (Ryoma: "You mean practicing their unskillful drawing skill on my face!") before dressing her and putting jewelry to her (Ryoma: "Surely you want to mean wrapping me up as a gift package with decorations and ready me to be send away!") before finishing with high heel shoes (Ryoma: "You mean those things meant to remind me how short I am, that's right?"). And that was how Ryoma found herself with smooth skin, toe nails and hand nails done, dressed in a light yellow and golden dress to match with her eyes, golden tone make-up and hair done into silky and slightly curled locks at the end, yellow diamond jewelry, her ears and her wrist and with white high heels. She was, in Fuji's eyes,
'Beautiful…'
But still, Ryoma was out of herself, still (highly) traumatized by the beautician (army) girls. Looking at her (knock out), Yuuta asked Ootori.
"Did you have to go so far as to kidnap her just to have her dress up?" Yuuta asked.
"It was you who said that she would refuse if we simply brought her to a salon," Ootori, a.k.a ninja B-3, retorted.
Yuuta slapped his forehead.
'I should have shut up!' Yuuta thought.
But the Dressing-up-the-failure-of-a-girl-named-Echizen-Ryoma-into-a-real-girl mission was a success.
"And how come you are still alive, very healthy and unarmed?" Yagyuu asked.
"This time, we were careful not to suffer from her wrath," Niou, a.k.a ninja B-2, proudly said, grinning.
"We didn't remove the rope ourselves. We only let her to the beauticians and left the job to them," Marui, a.k.a ninja B-1, explained. He turned to Atobe. "But those ladies are sure good! They managed to succeed doing their job even with her! Looking at them getting hold of Echizen, I thought they were trained in an army camp instead of a beautician training!"
"Of course that they perfectly did their job! The Atobe only have highly qualified staves everywhere! We carefully selected who we hire for everything! They all went through a sever training before working for us. They must deserve their salary!" Atobe retorted. He stopped momentary. "I selected our best beauticians, had them went through an army training camp before bringing them back here. Because it was Echizen whom we are dealing with, some desperate and drastic measures were needed to be done," Atobe finished.
"Aha!" Marui, Niou and Ootori triomphly exclaimed.
Yagyuu looked up on the ceiling.
'Ryoga would want a picture of her like this,' his thought. He turned to Inui.
"Inui, send me a copy the pictures and the recorded video you took of Echizen today," Yagyuu said.
Inui raised an eyebrow, curious. Nonetheless, he agreed.
"Very well," Inui said. "You will have them tonight."
"Oi! Echizen! Wake up and give Fuji-senpai his birthday present!" Kirihara, a.k.a ninja A-2, said, shaking Ryoma on her shoulder.
"Ochibi-chan! Wake up!" Kikumaru, a.k.a ninja A-1, shook her shoulder too.
The poor girl squirmed. Taking it as a signal, Yukimura chuckled.
"Okay everybody, let's get out of here," Yukimura said, pushing Kirihara away from Ryoma.
"But…" Kirihara protested.
"No but!" Yukimura cut. "Now hurry and move!"
Kirihara grumbled, but obeyed nonetheless. Everyone moved out of the room, leaving Fuji and Ryoma alone.
Ryoma wasn't feeling well. She thought that a horde of elephant had ran over her. She didn't exactly knew what happen to her after that a net was thrown over her, but she was of one thing: once she would be recovered from her traumatise, it would be her who will throw those guys in the hand of the army torturers, and with an order to do make them thousand times more than what she had been through.
"Ryoma-chan…" a soft voice called her through the darkness.
Ryoma squirmed her eyes again.
"Ryoma-chan…" the voice said again, this time very near her.
Ryoma squirmed her eyes again before slowly opened them. She blinked a couple of time because of the light, then her vision slowly adjusted itself. Once it was clear, she was met with amazingly cerulean eyes. Fuji was bend over her, his face only a couple of inches from hers. She could practically felt the warmth irradiating from him on her skin. Ryoma felt a rush blood eruption up her face.
"Fu-Fuji-senpai…"
"Ryoma-chan, are you alright?" Fuji asked worryly.
"Somehow…" Ryoma responded. Fuji helped her sitting it with gentle gestures. "Arigatou, Fuji-senpai…"
Fuji didn't move from his kneeling position in front of her, making Ryoma feeling a little bit awkward. It wasn't everyday that she saw herself be taller than Fuji. But was disturbed her most - what disturbed her heartthe most -, was his intense eyes glued to her. Blushing deeper, Ryoma tried to find anything which could make her felt less embarrassed. Searching everywhere in the room, her eyes fell on the gift box on the table next to her, which was meant to him. She hastily took it.
"Ha-Happy birthday, Fuji-senpai," Ryoma stuttered. "This is for you, from everyone."
Fuji ignored the gift, still not darting his eyes away from her.
"Ryoma-chan, tell me one thing," Fuji slowly trailed, "do you… dislike me?"
Ryoma blinked.
'What a weird question.'
"Err… No, I don't dislike you," Ryoma answered.
Fuji smiled.
"Then… do you like me?"
'Another weird question.'
"I just said that I don't dislike you," she retorted.
Fuji smiled again, his eyes becoming gentle.
"That's enought for me…" Fuji muttered. Ryoma frowned, confused.
"Fu-Fuji…-senpai…?" Ryoma, wondering what was happening to him, looked in his eyes. It was a mistake. Fuji suddenly grabbed her hand with his right and pulled her him.
"Ah!"
He close his left arm around her waist and his lips captured hers in a deep, longing and overwhelming kiss.
After a long time, Fuji and Ryoma reappeared again in the big room where everyone were gathered. Fuji was genuinely happy while Ryoma was red. But what hit the most the regulars was how gentle Fuji's eye expression was. It was the first time that they saw Fuji like that. And the most surprising, Ryoma was acting… SHY!!!! That never happened before. They had always believed that Ryoma wasn't the kind of girl who knew how to by shy by anything.
'What happened between them?' they wondered, very confused.
Only Yukimura was smiling contently.
"Ryoma, are you alright? You don't look like you usual self. You're all red," Yuuta told her.
Ryoma blushed deeper.
"I'm… I'm…" Ryoma was unable to give him a proper answer.
Yuuta raised an eyebrow, turning to Fuji.
"Aniki, what have you done to her?" he demanded.
Fuji's smile only grew bigger, but he didn't respond back. Yukimura chuckled behind his hand.
"Nee-chan pretty!" Touga and Sora saved Ryoma from her embarassement. The two kids came running to her and each of them clinging to each of her arm.
"Touga, Sora," Ryoma said.
The kids' squealing also attracted the other people's attention, including an old woman, who walked calmly walked to them.
"Syuusuke, I was searching for you," an old woman said.
Fuji reverted to his usual self when he heard the old woman's voice and turned his attention to her.
"Obaa-sama, how may I help you?" Fuji asked.
"I want you to meet someone," the old woman said. She turned over to the girl who was standing next to her.
The girl raised her eyes up to meet Fuji's, and by the same time, she saw Ryoma.
'Ryoma-chan?' she thought.
'Miyabi-san!' Ryoma thought.
"Syuusuke," the old woman cut in again, "meet countess Lavinia Miyabi de Lavoiselle."
"Countess de Lavoiselle, it is a pleasure to meet you," Fuji politely greeted, bowing to her.
"As well as myself, Fuji-san. Please, call me Lavinia," Lavinia politely answered back, returning his bow.
When the introduction was over, Fuji's grandmother walked again.
"Syuusuke, from now on, you will take care of her. She is your fiancée."
Crash!
Fuji snapped his eyes opened. He felt as his dream and universe just crumbled under his feet. And Ryoma, she felt her heart shattered into thousand of shards.
1) tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu: happy birthday;
2) chichi, haha: father, mother.
A/N: I feel like my inspiration had go down many notches. *deep sigh*