Previously…
'I surrender…' She closed her eyes, a salty and bitter tear rolling down her cheek. Ryoma succumbed to the fire inside her, letting it consuming her without protest. Once again. 'Please, just this once… Just this once, let us stay like this…' She shut her eyes and buried her face in Fuji's neck. Tightening her grip on his clothes, she cried in silence. 'Just this once only…' Soon, the flood of tears carried her away with them into the land of sleep. They brought her to the place where the master of her heart was waiting for her in her dreams.
Above Ryoma's bed, a ghost was watching them from the ceiling at the two enlaced couple. It was the lady who often appeared in Ryoma's dreams. She watched them sad eyes.
'Ryoma-chan…' the lady whispered. 'I'm sorry I have to put you through this… But please, just bear with it a little bit longer. It will end soon, I promise.' She turned her head to Ryoma's door where she knew someone was on the other side.
Outside of Ryoma's room, Ryoga was leaned on her door. He had been there from the moment Ryoma ran out of his room with his pajamas. Ryoga clenched his fists, knowing the distress his little sister must be feeling by now. Ryoga was frustrated. In his current situation, he couldn't do anything to help her.
'Chibisuke…'
Ryoga walked alone around the park. He had a lot in his mind and he needed fresh air to help him thinking. Despite the blue sky and the sunny day, the smile of the sun couldn't cheer up Ryoga. Ryoga had too much fog, thick fog, clouding up his head.
'Chibisuke…'
Ryoga stopped walking, closing his eyes. He pictured Ryoma and Fuji in his head again. He couldn't seem to forget Ryoma's sadness the morning after she had spent in Fuji's arms. Ryoga look up at the sky.
'What should I do?'
He closed his eyes and brought up his hand to cover them. He knew very well that Fuji and his little sister truly loved each other and it wasn't only a temporary crush. But they cannot be together. Ryoma's sad eyes flashed in his head again. She was no longer the annoying little sister he knew. And that disturbed him. He rather have her fishing his wallet anytime she wanted than to see her walk around like a ghost.
'Is there anything I can do to help her?' Ryoga stood immobilized in the middle of the park, his hand still covering his eyes.
Above him, someone was watching him. A ghost. It was the same woman who often appeared in Ryoma's dream.
From behind Ryoga, someone walked up to him.
"Ryoga-san," a feminine voice called him. Ryoga snapped out of his trance and turned around. He saw Lavinia standing in front of him, her hands crossed on her dress.
"Miyabi-san," Ryoga greeted her a bit stiffly, somewhat reluctant to talk with the woman who stood at the root of such a huge problem. Ryoga was unsure how to face the fiancée of the one Ryoma loved.
Ryoma might see her as a very good friend - which Ryoga was happy about -, but Ryoga couldn't ignore the fact that it was also because of her that Ryoma was hurt. And that, Ryoga wasn't happy about it. Ryoga could forgive people of many things, but hurting his little sister, even unintentionally, was a different story. However, Rinko had always told him to be a gentleman to a lady, no matter what they did.
"Is there something I can do for you?" Ryoga politely spoke. Lavinia clenched her hands at Ryoga's slight coldness, but she cannot blame him for worrying about Ryoma. But still, it hurt her more than she wanted to admit it.
"Ryoga-san, why? Why are you suddenly so cold to me?" Lavinia asked, clenching her hands tighter. Ryoga turned his eyes away from her.
"How can you understand…?" Ryoga simply muttered. But Lavinia heard him. She broke.
"OF COURSE I CAN UNDERSTAND!" Lavinia yelled. Surprise by her outburst, Ryoga brought back his eyes to her. Lavinia was crying now, really crying, crying in a lady-like way.
"Of course I understand Ryoma-chan's feeling!" Lavinia continued yelling, tears rolling down her cheek, her fists closed. "I perfectly understand her! I'm exactly like her! I too love someone I cannot be together with!"
"Er…" Ryoga stuttered, feeling remorse. "I'm sorry…" he muttered, "I didn't mean to hurt you…"
He knew it was unfair of him to vent his frustration on her, yet he did it. Ryoga closed his eyes, thinking. He feared that if he stood there any longer, he would hurt an innocent person even more than he already had. Rinko always taught him that girls hated it when people saw them crying, and they hated it more when it was a boy who saw them crying. Ryoga turned on his heels and walked away.
Aloof.
Lavinia misunderstood his action. She thought he was going to leave her there, alone, while she was hurting.
"Ryoga-san!" Lavinia yelled. Ryoga stopped.
He turned around to see Lavinia walking hurriedly (running) to him. Lavinia raised her right hand, anger burning in her teary eyes. And then,
SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!
The echo of Lavinia's slap resounded throughout the park. Ryoga felt the anger in her soul burning on his left cheek.
Yagyuu household.
Yagyuu, sat in his chair, wasn't looking at his computer screen. Usually, he would diligently work on the plan he concocted months and months ago. But lately, because of the new turn of the events, he could no longer work without feeling guilty. Today, he didn't turn on his computer.
"Ah…" Yagyuu sighed.
'Ryuu…' he thought about his cousin.
Yagyuu knew what was bothering Ryoga right now. Ryoga's little sister Echizen Ryoma loved an elite, Fuji Syuusuke. Fuji Syuusuke also happened to love Ryoga's little sister back. But because of difference of their origin, the two young lovers couldn't be together. Yagyuu knew Fuji's family wouldn't refuse Fuji's choice if Fuji presented them Ryoma, but the main problem was Fuji's grandmother, Fuji-dono. Even if Fuji's parents accepted Ryoma, it was Fuji-dono who have the right of the final decision. Even though Fuji's father was the head of the family, the true ruler of the Fujis was Fuji-dono. And Fuji-dono had already chosen a wife for Fuji.
Yagyuu knew perfectly well that Fuji-dono must have met Ryoma by now. Atobe told him about the trip to the onsen. Atobe didn't hide Fuji-dono's attitude toward Ryoma from Yagyuu. For Fuji-dono, a simple commoner by the name of Echizen Ryoma wasn't anything near a threat to Fuji-dono's project. But Fuji-dono couldn't ignore that that Echizen-girl was loved by her grandson. The simple commoner was no longer just an annoying pebble in her plan, but its became something Fuji-dono must crush under her shoe. Knowing Fuji-dono's personality, Yagyuu had no doubt that Fuji-dono would succeed once she would decide to remove Ryoma once and for all from Fuji's life. If that situation was to become reality, Ryoga would be the angriest of them all. And he would hate Fuji-dono and Fuji-dono's world more than he had ever had before.
'And then, he would have more reasons to never want to come back to the family.'
That would destroy Yagyuu's attempt at fulfilling the promise he had made to his grandfather before the latter died. Yagyuu's grandfather lost his desire to live when he found out about the murder of his son Kuchiki, Ryuu/Ryoga's father, and his wife Nadeshiko. Before Yagyuu's grandfather left the world, he made Yagyuu promised to find his cousin Ryuu, who's body wasn't found in the car crash.
'By all means, bring Ryuu back in the family… for me…' Yagyuu remembered his grandfather's last words.
Yagyuu sighed.
'I've only fulfilled half of the promise up to now,' he thought. He found Ryuu. But he must also bring Ryuu BACK into the family. Yagyuu looked down at the craft paper envelope placed in front of him.
'With the new turn of event, this is the solution for Ryoga,' Yagyuu thought. The document was the solution for Ryoga's actual problem AND the goal of Yagyuu's ten years quest.
'But…' Yagyuu turned upside down the document. He hastily stood up and went to the window.
'If I do it, Ryuu will return back in the family by himself. But will he be happy after?' Only silence answered to him. Yagyuu was sure it wasn't what his grandfather wanted for Ryuu. Yagyuu looked up into the sky.
'Grandfather, what should I do now?'
His grandfather answered to him.
Knock knock knock!
Knock knock knock!
Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Yagyuu answered.
"Hiroshi-sama, telephone for you," his butler said, a tray with the telephone on his hand.
"Thank you," Yagyuu said. "You can leave." The butler nodded. He put the tray on Yagyuu's desk and left the room. Yagyuu pick up the phone. "Moshi moshi."
"Hiroshi, it's me," someone said at the other end of the line. Yagyuu's eye widened.
"Ryuu," Yagyuu said.
". . . " Ryoga didn't protest at the name. Yagyuu found it strange. Ryoga didn't talk for a moment and Yagyuu waited for him to continue. Plus, Ryoga didn't call him on his cellphone like he used to do. Something serious was coming.
"Hiroshi, I need your help," Ryoga finally said.
After hours, Yagyuu and Ryoga finished talking.
"Don't worry," Yagyuu said, determined. "Leave everything to me."
"Thank you. I trust you," Ryoga said, hanging up.
Yaguu put down the telephone and didn't move. He only watched the phone he had just put down. What he had always wanted had finally become reality. Yet, he didn't feel like rejoicing.
'I would be a monster to enjoy myself when Ryuu isn't,' Yagyuu thought. He clenched his fingers around the telephone. 'I promise you, Ryoga, I won't let you down.'
He returned back in his chair and turned on his computer. Then, he paused, looking at the craft envelope on his desk. Slowly, he picked it up, looking at it. He tightened his finger on the envelope.
'I swear Ryoga, I won't fail your trust into me!'
Yagyuu torn the envelope open and pulled out the document inside.
Above Yagyuu's head, the ghostly woman from Ryoma's dream was watching him. She had been there from the moment Yagyuu received Ryoga's call.
'It's time now,' the woman thought.