Arranged marriages.... not so medieval
Title: Arranged marriages... not so medieval
Characters: Arashi, ShoxOC
Rating: PG-13
Author: Hannah
disclaimer: They aren't mine... Im just a humble fan... Uncle Johnny gets all the credit
*so this started as a reaalllyyyy wierd dream.... and has turned into a realllly long story....
Part 5
Emily frowned slightly while looking at the ring. She unconsciously twirled it on her finger while searching for the right words to say. She couldn’t deny that it felt right to be wearing the ring on her finger since she had been living with the man for six months but then she also realized that she hadn’t seen her family for that period. She sighed and simply smiled which told him to do whatever he thought was the right thing to do. After that things definitely started picking up. It was the middle of November and the realization that she wouldn’t be spending Thanksgiving with her family for the first time ever had started to settle in. In order to make up for the overwhelming sadness she started to work even harder than before. Everyone noticed but no one said anything because they had all learned that it was better to let her approach the subject herself rather than bringing it up. Thanksgiving Day came and Sho got home around one in the morning to find her sitting in their living room talking on the phone with her family. He could tell she was trying not to cry but judging by her face she was failing miserably. He stood in the doorway while she finished the conversation and hung up before her family could tell anything was wrong. After she hung up Sho walked over and pulled her into a hug. After a few minutes he sat on the couch and pulled her against him.
“What’s wrong? You have been working yourself to the point of exhaustion for the last couple of weeks. The principal even called me and asked me to figure it out.”
She sniffed and mumbled something unintelligible. He sighed and waited for her to gather her wits enough to tell him what the problem was. She took a deep breath and told him in a heavy voice.
“It’s not so much a problem as it is I really miss my family. Today is a holiday at home where everyone gets together and celebrates as a family. But it’s an American holiday so I was just feeling very home sick.”
Sho hugged her tightly and apologized for not realizing sooner that she would be homesick. He asked if she felt like Japan was home at all. She nodded and he breathed a sigh of relief before carrying her to their bedroom. When he laid her on the bed she had already fallen asleep. The next months flew by yet again. She had her first Christmas in Japan with Sho’s family and also with the rest of Arashi. She celebrated everyone’s birthday and even made them all special chocolates for Valentine’s Day. Of course nothing lasts forever.
Something happened and after Valentine’s Day Sho stopped coming home. At first she assumed he was busy and simply staying with one of the others. But after two weeks she was feeling very worried. Nonetheless she held her ground and waited. The few friends she had made at work noticed the poor young girl looking more and more lost and exhausted. After three weeks of the weird behavior they finally asked her what was wrong. She simply shrugged, said it was nothing and went on with her routine. A few days after they had asked her the first time she collapsed in the middle of one of her classes. She was taken to the infirmary where the school doctor told everyone she was simply suffering from lack of sleep and made them all leave her in peace. After everyone had left he went to her and helped her to sit up. She had become fast friends with the man since he had been one of the few men who hadn’t chased after her. At first she assumed he was in a committed relationship but when she had actually sat down to talk with him she learned it was a much simpler matter. He had absolutely no interest in women. He told her to rest up and that he would take her home after school was over. She thanked him and quickly fell asleep in her exhausted state.
The school hours passed quickly and she felt slightly refreshed after having slept for most of the day. The school doctor, Ren Moreau, helped her to his car that afternoon and teased her saying that the school would be crawling with rumors that they were having an affair by the next day. She countered that by saying if there were she would gleefully announce his condition to the entire school population. He stuck out his tongue and told her to play nicely. He asked if they needed to stop anywhere and she asked to stop at a grocery store. The date was March 13 and the last time she had seen Sho was the morning of February 14th. While they were shopping the other members of Arashi had just discovered that their resident husband had been neglecting his wife for a month now. They drug him to his apartment and when no one was around told him that they would stay until she showed up. They had been sitting around for about half an hour when the front door opened. Aiba jumped up and ran to the door only to stop in his tracks when he saw Emily entering the apartment with another man carrying her groceries.
She ignored them completely and led Ren to the kitchen where she quickly put away the groceries. Ren made a comment about how bare everything was and she muttered something about having not been to the groceries in about a month. After everything was put away she excused herself and ran into her room. Sho made as if to get up only to find his wrist captured in the grip of the man who had come in with her. He looked up at the man and took in his appearance. He had blue eyes and blonde hair, but was clearly Japanese. When he spoke he noticed no hint of his being a foreigner.
“In case you are wondering I was born and raised here however my Father is French. As for the other matter at hand you are Emily’s husband are you not?”
She frowned at his use of her name without honorifics but nodded anyway. It was then that the man’s eyes narrowed and Sho actually felt like he might be in trouble if the man dared to hurt him.
“I only have one thing to say to you Sakurai-san. I don’t know what the hell your problem is but if you ever make that poor child cry again I will hunt your ass down and kill you. She is a kind, good natured person and she doesn’t deserve to be treated badly. Surely you realized after your business trip in the early days of your marriage that she is monophobic?”
Sho looked as if he had just been slapped across the face. He thought back to the three day shoot they had made and how relieved she had been when he had finally come home. He groaned and put his hands in his face feeling even worse than he had before. He took a deep breath and looked up at the other man.
“I appreciate you looking after her but I do hope you understand that you have nothing to gain by getting close to her. She…”
He was interrupted by the other man laughing out loud. Sho looked around the room at the others but they were just as bewildered as he was. All of the sudden the bedroom door opened and Emily came out. She ignored them all and set the teapot on the stove to boil. While it was heating up she pulled out a mug and a bag of herbal tea. After a few minutes the kettle screamed and she poured the hot water over the bag. She waited while the tea steeped and Ren was still laughing at the others’ bewildered faces. Finally after her tea was ready she turned around and sat at the bar facing them all. When she spoke her voice was flat and they could tell she was upset.
“Ren is gay so the only reason he takes care of me is because I am the only one at school who doesn’t make a big deal of it. Also I apparently remind him of his younger sister who is living in France with her family. So stop trying to threaten him.”
He stopped chuckling and walked over to her side. He hung on her shoulders and nuzzled her neck gently like a cat might. After a few minutes she placed her hand flat on his face and pushed him away.
“Stop it you twit… Is there anything else you wanted to say Sho?”
“I’m sorry… I have no excuse for my disappearance except for that I was scared of how I was starting to feel. When I met you I really liked you and I thought that was love. But as we spent more time together I found that those feelings began to grow and morph into something more. It scared me. I didn’t mean to stay away for so long… It just happened…”
Ren scoffed and she elbowed him in the ribs. He glared at her and looked back at the group of men with a knowing smile. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek before taking a few steps towards the door.
“At least you are in time for two very special days which happen to be back to back…”
“Ren!!! Shut the hell up right now!!!”
“What two special days?”
Ren grinned at the question and ducked the hand which was trying in vain to make him stop.
“White Day and her birthday of course… They are the next two days coming up… You did know that right?”
The five guys grinned and told him that there was a reason they were here tonight to have him apologize for being an idiot. Ren smiled at her surprised face and patted her gently on the top of the head. He whispered in her ear before he left that she had some damn good friends surrounding her. For the first time in a month she smiled and let him know that she knew that too. He kissed her again and promised to see her on her birthday. She walked him to the door and then came back to face the others. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked around at them. All five had the smarts to look slightly abashed at their behavior which made her grin lopsidedly. She looked at all of them in turn before settling her sights on her very sad husband. She sighed and he looked up at her with puppy dog eyes.
“You sir are the biggest idiot I have ever met… Do me a huge favor. The next time you feel completely overwhelmed try talking to me instead of leaving for an unexplained amount of time and…”
She was cut off as Sho stood up and wrapped her up in a huge hug. They were soon joined by the others and soon everyone had dissolved into a fit of giggles. The others left shortly after Ren but promised to be back the next afternoon with her White Day gifts. She tried to argue with them and but they all smiled and promised to back. She saw them all to the door and shut it after hugging them all. After everyone had left she walked back to where Sho was sitting on their couch. She stood in the doorway, hesitating whether or not to sit with him. He looked up and held out his hand for her. She smiled and took it in her own hand. She sat in his lap and let him hold her against his chest. She held onto his shirt and soon felt herself begin to cry. He held her close and let her cry. After a few minutes she apologized and Sho chuckled. He kissed her gently on the temple and told her not to worry. They slept in the next day and by the time she woke up around noon she heard the sounds of people in the family room. She got dressed and walked out to find all the members of Arashi sitting around and a small pile of gifts on the table. She looked at them and shook her head. She tried to avoid it but when they caught sight of her they forced her to sit at the table and open the gifts.
She scowled because she thought she could get away without opening them. They were fairly simple little gifts or so she thought. It turned out to be a complete jewelry set. It was a silver braided chain with a small pendant of her birthstone. There was a necklace, bracelet, anklet and earrings which took her breath away but when she saw the small ring she froze. It fit perfectly on her middle finger and had the small stone set in the middle of the same silver butterfly design as the necklace and it was similar to the earrings. She tried to thank them for the gifts but found that she was tearing up. They hugged her and simply said ‘you’re welcome’. She smiled and hugged them all laughing.
The rest of the day went by smoothly soon it was her birthday. She woke up and realized that she was 23 years old and she had been married for ten months. She woke up to her phone ringing at 5am. It was Ohno telling her to be ready for him to pick her up around 6am. They spent about five hours out on a fishing boat and she had the time of her life. She got back around noon to find Nino waiting in the apartment for her. He handed her a small bag which had a new DS and a couple of new games as well. She smiled and hugged the scrawny man. He left with Ohno and she relaxed on the couch. She didn’t have long though because all too soon Jun called her and came over to give her his gift. It was a beautifully crafted sterling silver ring. It was made of two silver bands and a band of onyx in between. She put it on and thanked the man with a hug and kiss on the cheek. As he was leaving Aiba showed up at her door with an animal carrier and what looked to be a litter box along with all sorts of cat supplies. Jun left before he could get scratched and let them coo over the cat. It was a beautiful fluffy black Maine coon. The darn thing was temperamental and reminded her of her cat she had owned in high school. She thanked Aiba and announced his name to be Maou. Aiba chuckled and made her promise to bring him with her to dinner at Jun’s apartment. She thought for a few minutes and then promised to bring him.
Part 6
Sho came home after ordering the birthday cake to find her curled up on the couch with a cat. He looked at the little monster and made a mental note to possibly strangle Aiba. He let her sleep the rest of the afternoon and woke her up in time to head to Jun’s. They were about to leave when she stopped in the doorway. Sho was carrying the pet carrier and she grinned broadly. She called to the cat and it was all he could do not to fall down laughing when he learned its name. She placed the fluffy thing in the carrier and they left. When they arrived she was forced to sit on the couch where she was given Sho’s gift. It was a small notebook with a calligraphy pen and ink bottle. She vaguely remembered mentioning to them when they first got to know each other how much she loved writing. She looked at Sho and shook her head. She was shocked that he would remember such an insignificant detail. Inside it was separated into five different colored sections and the beginning of each had a short letter from each of the guys.
~Emily… Happy Birthday! It’s hard to believe you are so much younger than us but maybe that’s why you are so suited to our own Keio boy. Don’t worry, that’s all the teasing I will do to you. To be truthful I wasn’t sure how to react to you at first. Aiba described his feelings best when he called you a member of our family. You are welcome over anytime you want. My door is always open for you… (And that little monster)… Anyway I just hope to see you often… Forever part of your family ~Jun
Oi!! Whatever happened to playing me in Mario? I guess you have had a few things on your plate huh? Sho~ don’t stand over my shoulder… fine…. Happy Birthday Emily! I don’t know how you are able to deal with this guy… Ha ha ha… Anyway I expect you to come back over and play me… The last time we talked you said you could beat me… You’re on!!! Um, that’s all I’ve got so I’ll pass it on to the baka… ~Nino
Nino!!! Stop calling me a baka!!!!! Emily-chan, Happy Birthday!!! Are you laughing yet? I bet you are because we are all acting a little ridiculous, ne? Uh… So I just wanna say THANK YOU for being such an amazing personJ He he he… did you know we would all love you? No you aren’t psychic… Are you?! Sorry Sho is telling me not to go off topic… Anyway I’ll steal what Jun said earlier and Nino implied and say you are always always welcome at my place… You can meet Shadow and bring Maou too… I’m part of your family now too so … Be prepared!! ~Aiba
Sorry if the previous messages seem devious… But you know them by now. I also apologize for their craziness. I do want to say one thing. We all love you so it wouldn’t be special if I just told you that… Instead how’s this… I have tried to imagine never meeting you or never seeing you again and I came to a single conclusion in both cases… I can’t imagine it. I don’t know how you feel since you are so damn secretive but I thought I would let you know how I feel. I don’t think I can live without having you in my life… It’s not preferred but I suppose I can be happy even if you only just think of us as friends… Now before I leave this to Riida I have one thing to say… Think about this seriously and after you read this you can give me your answer… I will always love you and I just want to say… Welcome to our family. ~Sho
Wow… Sho wrote a lot… Um… Truthfully I don’t have much to say because it seems like the others have already said it… Uh Happy Birthday… Hold on… Sorry Riida! I forgot to tell you Happy Birthday!!! Ha ha ha… Sho is getting really flustered… Anyway Emily-chan I do have a question for you… Would you like to go fishing with me again sometime? Whenever you have a little bit of free time is fine… I had a lot of fun and I thought you did as wellJ I hope you say yes… Welcome to our family Emily… Now that you’re in there is no getting free… Or something like that… what was it?… Oh yea! You won’t get rid of us that easily… He he he… Oh well… Happy Birthday. ~Ohno
She took a deep breath and looked around at her idiotic friends and noticed Ren standing in the corner. She bit her lip to try and hold her smile in as she stood up and faced her now blushing husband. She walked over to stand in front of him and looked up into his face. She cupped his cheek and whispered those words to him that he wanted to hear. As the words ‘I Love You’ crossed her lips a smile split his face in half and he spun her around. She giggled as the other s around her whooped and hollered. They all knew that it was a big leap forward in the couples’ relationship but they also knew that it would be a big burden off of everyone’s shoulders. It was understood that she wouldn’t say it often but when she did say those three little words she meant them.
The dinner went smoothly and everyone got to know Ren. When it was discovered that he treated her much like the guys did everyone got along just fine. She watched them teasing each other and messing around like they had all been friends for ages. She held Maou in her lap and smiled at him.
“I think everything is going to be alright Maou-chan… Don’t you?”
As if he understood her question he gently butted her chin while purring loudly. She fell asleep to his soft purring and the others noticed shortly after. Aiba gently placed the cat back in his carrier and carried him out to the car while Sho followed with his wife. They said their goodbyes and he left for their apartment.
She woke up the next morning in bed wondering when she had gotten home. As she prepared to head to school she noticed a note lying by the phone. It was from Sho and read something along the lines that he would be home early and would pick her up from school that day. She was both excited and apprehensive at the notion as she headed off to the school. The day passed quickly and she would have run straight to the parking lot had Ren not stopped her on her way past the clinic. He pulled her inside and offered her a small gift bag. She looked at him exasperatedly and shook her head. Inside was a set of pictures which he had taken at her party and on white day. She smiled as she went through the candid shots and hugged him fiercely.
“I finally have pictures to put in my family album. Thank you.”
He smiled and shooed her out of his office. He waited for a few minutes with his back to the door. As he planned she came back in a hurry and hugged him from behind. On her wrist was the beautiful charm bracelet he had searched to find. It was a small animal charm which represented all of the members of Arashi, herself, her two best friends from home and one to represent him. For her he had found a beautiful wolf charm, for her best friends a shifty fox and a calm deer. For the members of Arashi from oldest to youngest he chose a fish, bird, puppy, snake and cat. And for himself he chose the rabbit for her nickname of him. She skipped down the hallway and hummed to herself as she made her way out to the parking lot. She found a mass of girls surrounding a single car. She frowned as she recognized the owner who was leaning against the hood while checking his watch nonchalantly. She shook her head while looking around at all the high schoolers and teachers who were trying to catch his attention. He swept a glance through the crowd and finally locked eyes with her. His grin made the crowd squeal in delight and they parted quickly to see who the lucky girl was. The murmurs stopped as she walked over to the car and raised her eyebrows at him. He grinned like a kid and opened the car door for her. She sat and he went around to the driver’s side. He dipped his head to all the onlookers and then quickly took off. The girls all squealed as the couple took off.
Characters: Arashi, ShoxOC
Rating: PG-13
Author: Hannah
disclaimer: They aren't mine... Im just a humble fan... Uncle Johnny gets all the credit
*so this started as a reaalllyyyy wierd dream.... and has turned into a realllly long story....
Part 5
Emily frowned slightly while looking at the ring. She unconsciously twirled it on her finger while searching for the right words to say. She couldn’t deny that it felt right to be wearing the ring on her finger since she had been living with the man for six months but then she also realized that she hadn’t seen her family for that period. She sighed and simply smiled which told him to do whatever he thought was the right thing to do. After that things definitely started picking up. It was the middle of November and the realization that she wouldn’t be spending Thanksgiving with her family for the first time ever had started to settle in. In order to make up for the overwhelming sadness she started to work even harder than before. Everyone noticed but no one said anything because they had all learned that it was better to let her approach the subject herself rather than bringing it up. Thanksgiving Day came and Sho got home around one in the morning to find her sitting in their living room talking on the phone with her family. He could tell she was trying not to cry but judging by her face she was failing miserably. He stood in the doorway while she finished the conversation and hung up before her family could tell anything was wrong. After she hung up Sho walked over and pulled her into a hug. After a few minutes he sat on the couch and pulled her against him.
“What’s wrong? You have been working yourself to the point of exhaustion for the last couple of weeks. The principal even called me and asked me to figure it out.”
She sniffed and mumbled something unintelligible. He sighed and waited for her to gather her wits enough to tell him what the problem was. She took a deep breath and told him in a heavy voice.
“It’s not so much a problem as it is I really miss my family. Today is a holiday at home where everyone gets together and celebrates as a family. But it’s an American holiday so I was just feeling very home sick.”
Sho hugged her tightly and apologized for not realizing sooner that she would be homesick. He asked if she felt like Japan was home at all. She nodded and he breathed a sigh of relief before carrying her to their bedroom. When he laid her on the bed she had already fallen asleep. The next months flew by yet again. She had her first Christmas in Japan with Sho’s family and also with the rest of Arashi. She celebrated everyone’s birthday and even made them all special chocolates for Valentine’s Day. Of course nothing lasts forever.
Something happened and after Valentine’s Day Sho stopped coming home. At first she assumed he was busy and simply staying with one of the others. But after two weeks she was feeling very worried. Nonetheless she held her ground and waited. The few friends she had made at work noticed the poor young girl looking more and more lost and exhausted. After three weeks of the weird behavior they finally asked her what was wrong. She simply shrugged, said it was nothing and went on with her routine. A few days after they had asked her the first time she collapsed in the middle of one of her classes. She was taken to the infirmary where the school doctor told everyone she was simply suffering from lack of sleep and made them all leave her in peace. After everyone had left he went to her and helped her to sit up. She had become fast friends with the man since he had been one of the few men who hadn’t chased after her. At first she assumed he was in a committed relationship but when she had actually sat down to talk with him she learned it was a much simpler matter. He had absolutely no interest in women. He told her to rest up and that he would take her home after school was over. She thanked him and quickly fell asleep in her exhausted state.
The school hours passed quickly and she felt slightly refreshed after having slept for most of the day. The school doctor, Ren Moreau, helped her to his car that afternoon and teased her saying that the school would be crawling with rumors that they were having an affair by the next day. She countered that by saying if there were she would gleefully announce his condition to the entire school population. He stuck out his tongue and told her to play nicely. He asked if they needed to stop anywhere and she asked to stop at a grocery store. The date was March 13 and the last time she had seen Sho was the morning of February 14th. While they were shopping the other members of Arashi had just discovered that their resident husband had been neglecting his wife for a month now. They drug him to his apartment and when no one was around told him that they would stay until she showed up. They had been sitting around for about half an hour when the front door opened. Aiba jumped up and ran to the door only to stop in his tracks when he saw Emily entering the apartment with another man carrying her groceries.
She ignored them completely and led Ren to the kitchen where she quickly put away the groceries. Ren made a comment about how bare everything was and she muttered something about having not been to the groceries in about a month. After everything was put away she excused herself and ran into her room. Sho made as if to get up only to find his wrist captured in the grip of the man who had come in with her. He looked up at the man and took in his appearance. He had blue eyes and blonde hair, but was clearly Japanese. When he spoke he noticed no hint of his being a foreigner.
“In case you are wondering I was born and raised here however my Father is French. As for the other matter at hand you are Emily’s husband are you not?”
She frowned at his use of her name without honorifics but nodded anyway. It was then that the man’s eyes narrowed and Sho actually felt like he might be in trouble if the man dared to hurt him.
“I only have one thing to say to you Sakurai-san. I don’t know what the hell your problem is but if you ever make that poor child cry again I will hunt your ass down and kill you. She is a kind, good natured person and she doesn’t deserve to be treated badly. Surely you realized after your business trip in the early days of your marriage that she is monophobic?”
Sho looked as if he had just been slapped across the face. He thought back to the three day shoot they had made and how relieved she had been when he had finally come home. He groaned and put his hands in his face feeling even worse than he had before. He took a deep breath and looked up at the other man.
“I appreciate you looking after her but I do hope you understand that you have nothing to gain by getting close to her. She…”
He was interrupted by the other man laughing out loud. Sho looked around the room at the others but they were just as bewildered as he was. All of the sudden the bedroom door opened and Emily came out. She ignored them all and set the teapot on the stove to boil. While it was heating up she pulled out a mug and a bag of herbal tea. After a few minutes the kettle screamed and she poured the hot water over the bag. She waited while the tea steeped and Ren was still laughing at the others’ bewildered faces. Finally after her tea was ready she turned around and sat at the bar facing them all. When she spoke her voice was flat and they could tell she was upset.
“Ren is gay so the only reason he takes care of me is because I am the only one at school who doesn’t make a big deal of it. Also I apparently remind him of his younger sister who is living in France with her family. So stop trying to threaten him.”
He stopped chuckling and walked over to her side. He hung on her shoulders and nuzzled her neck gently like a cat might. After a few minutes she placed her hand flat on his face and pushed him away.
“Stop it you twit… Is there anything else you wanted to say Sho?”
“I’m sorry… I have no excuse for my disappearance except for that I was scared of how I was starting to feel. When I met you I really liked you and I thought that was love. But as we spent more time together I found that those feelings began to grow and morph into something more. It scared me. I didn’t mean to stay away for so long… It just happened…”
Ren scoffed and she elbowed him in the ribs. He glared at her and looked back at the group of men with a knowing smile. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek before taking a few steps towards the door.
“At least you are in time for two very special days which happen to be back to back…”
“Ren!!! Shut the hell up right now!!!”
“What two special days?”
Ren grinned at the question and ducked the hand which was trying in vain to make him stop.
“White Day and her birthday of course… They are the next two days coming up… You did know that right?”
The five guys grinned and told him that there was a reason they were here tonight to have him apologize for being an idiot. Ren smiled at her surprised face and patted her gently on the top of the head. He whispered in her ear before he left that she had some damn good friends surrounding her. For the first time in a month she smiled and let him know that she knew that too. He kissed her again and promised to see her on her birthday. She walked him to the door and then came back to face the others. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked around at them. All five had the smarts to look slightly abashed at their behavior which made her grin lopsidedly. She looked at all of them in turn before settling her sights on her very sad husband. She sighed and he looked up at her with puppy dog eyes.
“You sir are the biggest idiot I have ever met… Do me a huge favor. The next time you feel completely overwhelmed try talking to me instead of leaving for an unexplained amount of time and…”
She was cut off as Sho stood up and wrapped her up in a huge hug. They were soon joined by the others and soon everyone had dissolved into a fit of giggles. The others left shortly after Ren but promised to be back the next afternoon with her White Day gifts. She tried to argue with them and but they all smiled and promised to back. She saw them all to the door and shut it after hugging them all. After everyone had left she walked back to where Sho was sitting on their couch. She stood in the doorway, hesitating whether or not to sit with him. He looked up and held out his hand for her. She smiled and took it in her own hand. She sat in his lap and let him hold her against his chest. She held onto his shirt and soon felt herself begin to cry. He held her close and let her cry. After a few minutes she apologized and Sho chuckled. He kissed her gently on the temple and told her not to worry. They slept in the next day and by the time she woke up around noon she heard the sounds of people in the family room. She got dressed and walked out to find all the members of Arashi sitting around and a small pile of gifts on the table. She looked at them and shook her head. She tried to avoid it but when they caught sight of her they forced her to sit at the table and open the gifts.
She scowled because she thought she could get away without opening them. They were fairly simple little gifts or so she thought. It turned out to be a complete jewelry set. It was a silver braided chain with a small pendant of her birthstone. There was a necklace, bracelet, anklet and earrings which took her breath away but when she saw the small ring she froze. It fit perfectly on her middle finger and had the small stone set in the middle of the same silver butterfly design as the necklace and it was similar to the earrings. She tried to thank them for the gifts but found that she was tearing up. They hugged her and simply said ‘you’re welcome’. She smiled and hugged them all laughing.
The rest of the day went by smoothly soon it was her birthday. She woke up and realized that she was 23 years old and she had been married for ten months. She woke up to her phone ringing at 5am. It was Ohno telling her to be ready for him to pick her up around 6am. They spent about five hours out on a fishing boat and she had the time of her life. She got back around noon to find Nino waiting in the apartment for her. He handed her a small bag which had a new DS and a couple of new games as well. She smiled and hugged the scrawny man. He left with Ohno and she relaxed on the couch. She didn’t have long though because all too soon Jun called her and came over to give her his gift. It was a beautifully crafted sterling silver ring. It was made of two silver bands and a band of onyx in between. She put it on and thanked the man with a hug and kiss on the cheek. As he was leaving Aiba showed up at her door with an animal carrier and what looked to be a litter box along with all sorts of cat supplies. Jun left before he could get scratched and let them coo over the cat. It was a beautiful fluffy black Maine coon. The darn thing was temperamental and reminded her of her cat she had owned in high school. She thanked Aiba and announced his name to be Maou. Aiba chuckled and made her promise to bring him with her to dinner at Jun’s apartment. She thought for a few minutes and then promised to bring him.
Part 6
Sho came home after ordering the birthday cake to find her curled up on the couch with a cat. He looked at the little monster and made a mental note to possibly strangle Aiba. He let her sleep the rest of the afternoon and woke her up in time to head to Jun’s. They were about to leave when she stopped in the doorway. Sho was carrying the pet carrier and she grinned broadly. She called to the cat and it was all he could do not to fall down laughing when he learned its name. She placed the fluffy thing in the carrier and they left. When they arrived she was forced to sit on the couch where she was given Sho’s gift. It was a small notebook with a calligraphy pen and ink bottle. She vaguely remembered mentioning to them when they first got to know each other how much she loved writing. She looked at Sho and shook her head. She was shocked that he would remember such an insignificant detail. Inside it was separated into five different colored sections and the beginning of each had a short letter from each of the guys.
~Emily… Happy Birthday! It’s hard to believe you are so much younger than us but maybe that’s why you are so suited to our own Keio boy. Don’t worry, that’s all the teasing I will do to you. To be truthful I wasn’t sure how to react to you at first. Aiba described his feelings best when he called you a member of our family. You are welcome over anytime you want. My door is always open for you… (And that little monster)… Anyway I just hope to see you often… Forever part of your family ~Jun
Oi!! Whatever happened to playing me in Mario? I guess you have had a few things on your plate huh? Sho~ don’t stand over my shoulder… fine…. Happy Birthday Emily! I don’t know how you are able to deal with this guy… Ha ha ha… Anyway I expect you to come back over and play me… The last time we talked you said you could beat me… You’re on!!! Um, that’s all I’ve got so I’ll pass it on to the baka… ~Nino
Nino!!! Stop calling me a baka!!!!! Emily-chan, Happy Birthday!!! Are you laughing yet? I bet you are because we are all acting a little ridiculous, ne? Uh… So I just wanna say THANK YOU for being such an amazing personJ He he he… did you know we would all love you? No you aren’t psychic… Are you?! Sorry Sho is telling me not to go off topic… Anyway I’ll steal what Jun said earlier and Nino implied and say you are always always welcome at my place… You can meet Shadow and bring Maou too… I’m part of your family now too so … Be prepared!! ~Aiba
Sorry if the previous messages seem devious… But you know them by now. I also apologize for their craziness. I do want to say one thing. We all love you so it wouldn’t be special if I just told you that… Instead how’s this… I have tried to imagine never meeting you or never seeing you again and I came to a single conclusion in both cases… I can’t imagine it. I don’t know how you feel since you are so damn secretive but I thought I would let you know how I feel. I don’t think I can live without having you in my life… It’s not preferred but I suppose I can be happy even if you only just think of us as friends… Now before I leave this to Riida I have one thing to say… Think about this seriously and after you read this you can give me your answer… I will always love you and I just want to say… Welcome to our family. ~Sho
Wow… Sho wrote a lot… Um… Truthfully I don’t have much to say because it seems like the others have already said it… Uh Happy Birthday… Hold on… Sorry Riida! I forgot to tell you Happy Birthday!!! Ha ha ha… Sho is getting really flustered… Anyway Emily-chan I do have a question for you… Would you like to go fishing with me again sometime? Whenever you have a little bit of free time is fine… I had a lot of fun and I thought you did as wellJ I hope you say yes… Welcome to our family Emily… Now that you’re in there is no getting free… Or something like that… what was it?… Oh yea! You won’t get rid of us that easily… He he he… Oh well… Happy Birthday. ~Ohno
She took a deep breath and looked around at her idiotic friends and noticed Ren standing in the corner. She bit her lip to try and hold her smile in as she stood up and faced her now blushing husband. She walked over to stand in front of him and looked up into his face. She cupped his cheek and whispered those words to him that he wanted to hear. As the words ‘I Love You’ crossed her lips a smile split his face in half and he spun her around. She giggled as the other s around her whooped and hollered. They all knew that it was a big leap forward in the couples’ relationship but they also knew that it would be a big burden off of everyone’s shoulders. It was understood that she wouldn’t say it often but when she did say those three little words she meant them.
The dinner went smoothly and everyone got to know Ren. When it was discovered that he treated her much like the guys did everyone got along just fine. She watched them teasing each other and messing around like they had all been friends for ages. She held Maou in her lap and smiled at him.
“I think everything is going to be alright Maou-chan… Don’t you?”
As if he understood her question he gently butted her chin while purring loudly. She fell asleep to his soft purring and the others noticed shortly after. Aiba gently placed the cat back in his carrier and carried him out to the car while Sho followed with his wife. They said their goodbyes and he left for their apartment.
She woke up the next morning in bed wondering when she had gotten home. As she prepared to head to school she noticed a note lying by the phone. It was from Sho and read something along the lines that he would be home early and would pick her up from school that day. She was both excited and apprehensive at the notion as she headed off to the school. The day passed quickly and she would have run straight to the parking lot had Ren not stopped her on her way past the clinic. He pulled her inside and offered her a small gift bag. She looked at him exasperatedly and shook her head. Inside was a set of pictures which he had taken at her party and on white day. She smiled as she went through the candid shots and hugged him fiercely.
“I finally have pictures to put in my family album. Thank you.”
He smiled and shooed her out of his office. He waited for a few minutes with his back to the door. As he planned she came back in a hurry and hugged him from behind. On her wrist was the beautiful charm bracelet he had searched to find. It was a small animal charm which represented all of the members of Arashi, herself, her two best friends from home and one to represent him. For her he had found a beautiful wolf charm, for her best friends a shifty fox and a calm deer. For the members of Arashi from oldest to youngest he chose a fish, bird, puppy, snake and cat. And for himself he chose the rabbit for her nickname of him. She skipped down the hallway and hummed to herself as she made her way out to the parking lot. She found a mass of girls surrounding a single car. She frowned as she recognized the owner who was leaning against the hood while checking his watch nonchalantly. She shook her head while looking around at all the high schoolers and teachers who were trying to catch his attention. He swept a glance through the crowd and finally locked eyes with her. His grin made the crowd squeal in delight and they parted quickly to see who the lucky girl was. The murmurs stopped as she walked over to the car and raised her eyebrows at him. He grinned like a kid and opened the car door for her. She sat and he went around to the driver’s side. He dipped his head to all the onlookers and then quickly took off. The girls all squealed as the couple took off.