Previously…

Fuji's mother calmly talked to Lavinia, not detaching her eyes from the young Countess.

"And what do you mean by this, Lavinia-san?" Fuji's mother asked. Lavinia bit her lips and bent her head down.

"I…" Lavinia hesitated. "I already love someone…" she whispered.

"Miyabi!" Lavinia's parents and Fuji-dono exclaimed in horror, Fuji-dono more scandalously than Lavinia's parents.

". . ." Fuji's mother still hadn't said anything. She kept staring at Lavinia. Seeing Lavinia secretly glance at someone in the lounge, Fuji's mother followed Lavinia's eyes to see a young man around twenty with green black hair and golden-like eyes among the guests. It was Ryoga.

Ryoga, who came with Yagyuu, also stared at Lavinia. His eyes and Lavinia's cross in the air.

'Miyabi…' Ryoga thought.

Flashback

Ryoga turned on his heels and walked away to leave Lavinia crying alone.

Aloof.

"Ryoga-san!" Lavinia yelled. Ryoga stopped.

He turned around to see Lavinia running to him. Lavinia raised her right hand, anger burning in her teary gaze. 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.

Before he could gather his wits, Ryoga felt Lavinia's arms close around his neck as she pressed her lips against his. Ryoga didn't register anything that was happening. He didn't understand anything which was occurring. Little by little, he became aware of Lavinia's warm tears wetting his skin and her soft lips fervently pressing against his. After a long moment, Lavinia detached herself from him. She looked up at him with tender eyes through her tears.

"Ryoga," she tenderly whispered his name, "I love you…" she finished with a trembling voice, tears still running down her cheeks.

At first, Ryoga didn't made a move to push Lavinia away. He was still too shocked to act or to think properly. He certainly hadn't seen that one coming. A kiss after a (very painful) slap on the face. It never occurred to Ryoga that Lavinia could have feelings for him. But it was true that he had never paid too much attention to her because he was worried for Ryoma. From time to time, he was nice to her, like that time that when Ryoma and he had brought her downtown. Like Ryoma, Ryoga never saw Lavinia only as the Countess she was, but treated her like a normal person. Ryoga wasn't blinded by her title or her status. That was the reason why Lavinia fell for him.

End flashback

Ryoga watched Lavinia - shocked/impressed by her behaviour - with what seemed to be admiration for standing against Fuji-dono to defend her own belief instead of bending down her head to Fuji-dono's domination.

"Fuji-fusai, obaa-sama," Lavinia talked to Fuji's parents and to Fuji-dono, "I cannot marry Syuusuke when my heart already belongs to someone else."

Inadvertently, Lavinia slipped another glance at Ryoga. Sadly this time, Fuji-dono saw it. Fuji-dono became mad.

"You!" Fuji-dono threw at Ryoga, causing everyone in the room to turn their attention to the young man standing next to Yagyuu Hiroshi. Fuji-dono examined Ryoga up and down. "Green black hair and strange eye color with disrespectful glance, exactly like that unrefined Echizen-girl. You must be her brother. Just like your sister, you are an ill-mannered young man who goes around breaking people's engagement and stealing their promises. Today, young people no longer know how to respect their elders. And you and your sister are the worst representatives!" Ryoga didn't falter under Fuji-dono unfair words. While she spatted her poison at him, he kept staring directly at her, not blinking once.

"What kind of parents are your mother and your father to raise so badly their children?" Fuji-dono continued. Alas, this time, Fuji-dono's last words snapped Ryoga's thin line of patience.

"Fuji-dono, it's been more than ten years since I last saw you, and you are still an old wicked witch!" Ryoga stated, not scared at all.

"Oh!" Fuji-dono exclaimed in horror. Many guests in the room did the same as her. "How dare you, you impolite young man!"

"Respect is something one gains. It is not granted. If you treat someone with disrespect, than don't be surprised that the same thing happens to you. You were the first one who was disrespectful towards me. I'm just returning you your due, Fuji-dono," Ryoga said. "I can accept any insult or pesky comments you spit out at me, but I will not stand by quietly as you badmouth my parents and my little sister."

The guests in the room, who were first shocked by Ryoga's impudence at confronting Fuji-dono, were now in awe by him. Rare were the people who would stand in front of Fuji-dono without faltering or stepping back. Ryoga was among these rare people. Fuji-dono didn't take it well.

"And what are you doing here?" Fuji-dono demanded. "You were not invited to this celebration! I would never allow dishonorable people like your sister or you here!"

Yagyuu stepped in, deciding it was his time to interfere.

"Fuji-dono," Yagyuu interrupted in a very calm tone (though he was raging inside because of Fuji-dono), "I think I didn't have the chance to present him to you yet. This is my cousin, who was lost many years ago. I finally found him and he is back in my family. He is now the head of his father's corporation, Yuuji Ryuu."

"Yuuji?" someone among the guests exclaimed. Next, all the guests started to talk at the same time with the person next to them.

"Yuuji… Yuuji… The name sound familiar to me…"

"Me too. I'm sure I've heard this name before, but I don't remember where."

"That young man with glasses, Yagyuu Hiroshi, he said that this Yuuji Ryuu was his cousin."

"Ah! I remember! I once met the Yuuji family many years ago. I believe it was Yuuji Kuchiki. That time, I was presented to him and to his wife."

"Now, I remember too. I believe his wife was name Nadeshiko. She was a model."

"Yes, I remember now. I think that they also have a child, a son I think. Their child was still a little boy when I met them."

"But didn't the whole family die in a car crash in America?"

"Indeed, it was true. However, the body of their son was never found."

"The police couldn't tell if the son was dead or still alive."

"But it looks like he was still alive."

The guests stopped talking to look at the interaction between Fuji-dono and Yuuji Ryuu.

"Yuuji Ryuu?" Fuji-dono frowned, not believing Yagyuu's words. "I remember very well that all of Yuuji Kuchiki's family died in a car crash. How can it be that another Yuuji appeared again?"

"Indeed, it was said that my cousin, his wife and their son died in a car accident in America," Yagyuu confirmed. "However, the police never found the body of my cousin. On my grandfather's death wish, I searched for Ryuu around the world. After ten years of research, my cousin here returned back to Japan. That was how I found him."

Fuji-dono didn't reply. She continued to stare doubtfully at Ryoga. Ryoga rudely stared at her back.

"Certainly, kaa-san and oyajii are not fortunate as you are, Fuji-dono," Ryoga said, "but I think them to be a thousand times more honorable than you are! Kaa-san and oyajii knew very well that they will get themselves in a lot of troubles if they took me with them after the death of my parents. Yet, they didn't back off. It's all thanks to them that I am still alive today. If they just sent me back to Japan, then I would have certainly been killed. Though kaa-san and oyajii knew otou-sama and okaa-sama for only a short time, it wasn't a reason for them to abandon me when I was left alone. You, Fuji-dono, can you do something like they did? Can you take the child of a couple you knew only a couple of months and who died right after into your house? Can you keep that child, raise him like your own and provide him everything the child needs and desires without feeling repulsion? Can you do something like loving the child of a couple of strangers, who aren't your blood relatives? Kaa-san and oyajii did all that, that's why I believe them more honorable than you are! Oyajii and kaa-san may be low in your opinion because of their very common social situation, but they certainly have more humanity in them then you have, Fuji-dono! As for my sister, what did you really know about her before badmouthing her? Have you ever take your time to get to know her before making your opinion about her? But if I remember correctly, you are the kind of person who judge a person before knowing or meeting said person. That was one of the things I hate the most about you, Fuji-dono." With every word Ryoga spoke, Fuji-dono's face drained more and more of their color until she was as white as a ghost. But, soon, the anger at being talked to in such an inadmissible way brought blood back to Fuji-dono's face, making her feature tainted in a red color of rage.

"You judge a person on your own personal criteria through your tight mind," Ryoga continued. "You never know how to look at other people around you. Only your opinion is important. You believe everything you do and decide are the right things to do, and anything against your point of view are wrong. You decide of other people's life without taking into consideration their feelings. Have you ever ask your grandson's opinion before throwing him in this engagement? Did you even seek to know what he thinks about this wrecked union before imposing your selfish decision on him? And most important of all, can't you see that your grandson is suffering because of your actions?" Ryoga finished in rage.

"Wh-what…?" Fuji-dono stuttered, inadvertently stepping back a step. She watched Ryoga with her eyes wide open, her lips trembling. Ryoga succeeded in making her feel unsure about herself. Ryoga's words hit something hidden inside her, a weak spot who's existance she wasn't aware of. Somewhere in a hidden closet of her mind, a tiny tiny little voice whispered to her that this young man, who permitted himself to be so impudent to her, might have a point. However, Fuji-dono refused to think that she could have make a mistake and shut the voice down. Ryoga saw it and he became furious at her thick headed stubbornness and the tightness of her mind.

"TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT HIM NOW, DAMN IT!" Ryoga yelled at Fuji-dono.

Taken back by Ryoga's burst, Fuji-dono slowly turned her head to where her grandson stood with his son and her daughter-in-law. She took her time to look at Syuusuke, to carefully look at him, for the first time since she returned to Japan. First surprise, her grandson's eyes were opened, but they were lifeless. And, for the first time, she saw his broken soul through his painful eyes.

'Syuu… Syuusuke…? Wh-what happen to him?' Fuji-dono wondered. She searched deeper for an answer in his blue orbs. But her grandson refused to meet her eyes. Syuusuke turned his head away from her, not saying a word. Fuji-dono's face drained off color. Her grandson, the one she loved the most - the one who had always made her joyful and proud - he was looking away from her. Fuji-dono caught a slight movement from his hands. She brought her eyes down to see his fists closed, their knuckles white. He was fighting to not to tremble, but he couldn't keep his closed fists from shake. Fuji-dono's heart painfully throbbed. It was aching.

'H-how…? Wh-what did I do wrong…?'

On the ceiling of the room, the ghost of a woman was watching everything. She watched, to be more specific, Syuusuke, Miyabi and Ryoga.

A/N: Yes, Miyabi loves Ryoga and Yuuji Ryuu is back! So, what do you think about this chapter? More interesting to know for me, what do you think about Ryoga? I really didn't see him becoming like this. I really like how Ryoga evolved in the story. You probably don't understand what I mean, but something, the evolution of the characters differed greatly from how I set them at the beginning. But well, I'm not unhappy of how they became in their own way to grow in the story.

And yes, I know. I still didn't answer the (many, many, many millions) questions about the ghost. It will be for an other time.

Post in Saturday January 2, 2010.