Chapter 1 ~ Aria

Aria swirled the liquid in her wine glass with a delicate tilt of the wrist. Bored, she sipped at the glass tentatively, wetting her lips with its rose champagne contents, hardly touched since she'd first sat at the elegant table some fifteen minutes past and an attentive waiter had generously offered her the drink. Her father had not objected. Aria guessed it had something to do with the fact that he was getting exactly what he'd wanted of her for a long time tonight. The celeste-haired teen pouted disapprovingly at that but made no comment.

Her father proceeded to order a list of local delicacies from the same waiter and Aria noted how the dashing brunette cast her appraising glances whenever her father eyed the menu and fought the nerve to snort at his attention. After all, she was here for a Miai, hence the extensively formal dress code. Aria was dolled up in one of her most tasteful kimonos—pearl white and desirably patterned with assorted butterflies of greens, reds, blacks and golds. She liked it of course, the colors did wonders to accent the radiance of her porcelain skin tone. A cascade of beaded emeralds hung tumbling down from the ornamental comb her attendant had fastened into her up-done hair. Aria reached to stroke at it fondly. She liked the hairpiece too.

"Ah, Hijirikawa-san, you've made good time," her father embellished politely in greeting and Aria let her hand drop back to her lap, watching with masked disdain as her father rose from his seat to bow the newcomers over to their private dining table. She mirrored her father's polite example as they approached, albeit still masking her own dislike for the occasion.

"Hijirikawa-san," she welcomed, bowing low to the elder man who smiled his niceties to her before turning to address his younger shadow. Here she paused, sizing the attractive blue-haired individual from head to toe, bangs reaching his purple eyes and wearing a crisp, well-tailored black suit.

Aria rolled her eyes inwardly. Her partner-to-be's rigid posture and serious demeanor was the same as she remembered it all those years ago when she'd first met him. If anything, he seemed even more uptight now and she frowned in thought, wondering for the life of her if maybe he too secretly wanted to be elsewhere—anywhere but here.

"Hijirikawa-kun," Aria bowed.

"Ichijo-san," he returned, stoic-faced.

She smirked up at him, remembering their brief past. "How many times must I tell you to call me Aria?"

Her words affected him almost immediately and he blinked, then flashing a cordial smile. "At least once more, Ichijo-san." It occurred to her then that he did remember. Out of the corner of her peripheral vision, Aria observed their fathers exchange excited looks, clearly fascinated with their ice-breaking interaction.

Dinner proceeded without any obvious hitches on her part and Aria was glad. Conversation had mostly been dominated by their superiors who seemed, in her opinion, far more accommodating tonight than she could recall them ever being. Hijirikawa-san was going to great lengths in complimenting her appearance, stating how lovely she'd become over the years since he'd last seen her and made continuous effort to include his son in the conversation. Aria found this amusing as the Hijirikawa scion almost but always looked away at being addressed on the specific topic, often with a circular tint of pink on his cheeks, voice rising a squeaky decibel here and there in reply. Curiosity had Aria wondering if he truly found her attractive. All said and done, it wasn't as if he could say otherwise with their fathers sitting not two feet away from them. She made a mental note to question him about it in the near future.

Soon discussion weaved its way to family business and her father launched into a detailed description of the latest projects within the Ichijo Group's works, citing some venture involving the nullification of world hunger and Aria lost interest. She knew she should listen, assuming what she might be getting herself into should she not manage to play her hand well enough come her eighteenth birthday but her heart wasn't in it. The girl sighed discreetly. Reaching for her wine glass she took another tentative sip. The champagne gave her something to do.

"More wine, Ojou-sama?" Aria shifted her gaze to meet the waiter's, noticing him hover a little too close to her for like. His eyes held an odd smoky-ness to them she found a tad disconcerting and she fought to remember to shake her head at the offer for a refill as gooseflesh surfaced on the skin of her arms under the sleeves of her kimono.

The waiter nodded in consent and waltzed away with a devious smirk. Bemused, Aria followed the path of said waiter with her scarlet eyes as he left the room. If she didn't know any better she'd assume he fancied her. The thought had her whistling to herself in slight amusement. It wasn't everyday a lowly waiter—never mind one working in a grand luxury hotel—dared make his attentions noticeable to her. Considering who she happened to be, it was very…bold…or stupid. It surprised her even more when she turned back to face her Miai match only to catch his subdued angry expression as he stared after the waiter himself, musically-skilled fingers tapping irately at the expensive table cloth.

He turned to her then, probably noticing her observation. Aria wasted no opportunity arching a brow at him and he narrowed his at her in response. She smiled at that, then breaking eye contact—so the Hijirikawa scion was the jealous type? Suddenly Aria had a pressing urge to attempt flirting with the waiter just to see Mr. Serious' heated expression.

Making sure not to draw on the attention of their fathers, she did just that when said waiter returned with their desserts, smiling far too sweetly at him as he lay her dessert plate before her on the table and laughing inwardly when the brunette cast her a seductive wink and she caught her blue-haired match's temperate conduct shattering beneath an almost unreadable frown. 'Ah, the unbecoming of Hijirikawa Masato,'her thoughts chimed in sarcasm.

The waiter made no further appearances for the rest of dinner and before Aria knew it both fathers were ushering her and her match off to get to know one another better. Enlightened by the chance to leave her seat, Aria happily accompanied the Hijirikawa scion in exiting the hotel. They soon made their way to the nearby park after she expressed wanting to stretch her legs.

Decently quiet with strategic pillars of lighting along its pathway, the park made for a makeshift romantic date spot. Alas romance wasn't what she was here for.

"Is this a game to you?"

Aria but cringed at the biting tone of her companion's voice. "No," she replied uncertainly. Was this about the stunt she'd pulled during dinner?

"Sure feels like it," he spat and the celeste-hair suddenly found his foul mood highly intolerable.

"I was just teasing, Hijirikawa-kun. Don't be such an unreasonable twit." Oh his eyes widened at that remark and Aria couldn't halt her apprehensive pout.

"Unreasonable…twit?" He asked, glaring at her and she winced. Was he angry?

"Last I checked you were the one flirting with our waiter, Aria, not me." 'Ouch!' Gosh he most definitely was. "How could you do that in front of me? In front of our fathers? Think of your position, Aria. You are Ichijo-san's one and only heiress. If he'd caught on to what you were doing in there…or if my father had…I swear…"

Oh she did not want to think of what would happen if her father had indeed caught on to what she had done with the waiter. It occurred to her then that she hadn't given the possible consequences of her actions any thought. Trust her suitor to scold her into guilt of forgetting her responsibilities as an Ichijo heiress. 'Guess he wasn't jealous after all'.

"I'm sorry," she said, and meant it. Absently, the seventeen-year-old reached to stroke at her emerald hair ornament. It wasn't her fault she didn't know heads or tails about being an heiress.

Her companion relaxed visibly, picking up on the honesty of her words. "Just…don't do it again."

She nodded at that and they walked on in awkward silence. Aria glimpsed over in direction of the Imperial Palace, wondering in passing if its grounds had changed at all since she'd last had the chance to see it. In reality, she puzzled on regarding her companion. Something about his expression when they'd met earlier at the Miai dinner had her thinking.

She decided to break the silence. "Why are you here?"

He glanced back at her, confused. "Because…I am?"

Aria fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. "No Hijirikawa-kun, why are you here. As in, why did you agree to the Miai?" At his puzzled look she voiced an elaboration.

"You're a member of Starish now. Your debut with Shining Agency has made headlines everywhere, even in Vienna. It's added to the Hijirikawa Group's publicity beyond expectations, hasn't it? I find it strange if your father still wishes to make a successor out of you when you're so clearly doing more good for the group as its publicity figure."

The Hijirikawa scion seemed to consider her words. He ran a hand through his otherwise neat, navy-blue hair. "I could ask the same of you," he replied coolly. "You wanted to be a singer last I remember. You followed your mother to her home in Vienna to study music and without a doubt you have the talent for it. And yet, here you are, back in Japan as your father's declared heiress…consenting to marry me," he phrased, almost choking on laughter at that last bit as if the idea were ridiculous to him.

Aria smiled, finding she had to agree. "Touché darling."

His smile dropped. "Don't call me that."

"You'd have me call you 'Hijirikawa-kun' when we're engaged to be wed?"

He stilled. "Masato…is fine."

"Just 'Masato'?" She teased, pushing her luck.

"Just 'Masato'," he echoed in reassurance.

"Well then just Masato," she began, ignoring the somewhat annoyed look he was shooting her, "You don't want to marry me?"

Aria noticed him smirk in amusement. "No, I don't."

"But you want to remain engaged?"

"Yes."

"You have your reasons?"

"…Yes."

'Well that was easy enough'. Aria smiled at his frankness. "Thank you," she conveyed and he cast her a perplexed expression but said no more. It wasn't long before Masato took a phone call from his father requesting they return to the hotel and they made their way over to the older men before saying their goodbyes.

"Till next time, Aria," he wished, holding the door of her father's Rolls Royce open for her so she could climb in. "Next time, Masato," she agreed, and he shut the door after a polite bow of acknowledgement to her father by her side.

Aria glanced out the car window, watching passively as his being faded into the tiniest of specs in the distance. She had a good feeling about this.