[fanfic] Night of the Hunter - Uruha x Aoi - 05/??
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Title : Night of the Hunter
Chapter : 05/??
Author : kei_kyuuketsuki
Fandom : the GazettE, Kanon Wakeshima, Rose Noire, Alice Nine (more to come)
Pairings : UruhaXAoi, KouyouXAoi, TakashimaXAoi (confused? *chuckled*)
Theme Song : all 30 Seconds to Mars songs from their “This is War” album
Rating : R
Genre : AU, fantasy, action, romance
Warning : there are TWO URUHAs here, complex situation, ambiguities, figurative words, bad English
Disclaimer : I don’t own the boys. They belong to themselves. The bands belong to their company. I adapted the main idea of the story from CLAMPS’s CARD CAPTOR SAKURA. I only fitted the main idea of the story with new settings and - of course - new characters. That’s all.
Summary : those powers have ‘minds’. ‘They’ can think. They rebelled. They wanted to be free, yet they need humans to be their host. Not all the people were able to bear such a power. Several of those people turned mad and became a menace to the world. That is what Aoi had to deal with. As some kind of guardian, Kouyou and Takashima are there to help Aoi whenever the boy needs them… or was it the contrary?
Comment : a little feelings here, a little mystery there, add it with a little (new) problem here, and… hope you enjoy this chapter! :D
Chapter 00 // Chapter 01 // Chapter 02 // Chapter 03 // Chapter 04
05. Feelings
OK. So, yesterday was a bit emotional to me. I was really grateful that Kouyou was the one who saw me cried. He asked anyway. What’s wrong with me and all? I just said it’s nothing to be worried about, I was just being tired for my condition, and Kouyou accepted the answer. If only Takashima was the one who saw me cried, I bet he just won’t let me go until he got the answer.
Well, I didn’t want to answer anything about what I felt that time.
So, yesterday, after I settled the problem between me and Kouyou, we got back to my apartment. That time, Takashima was playing chess again with Kanon. Reita was rummaging through anything inside my small room, expecting to found some adult magazines (if you know what I mean), like I’m going to buy it anyway. I mean, I’m not a maniac, you know? I still have that kind of curiosity, but that won’t make me had to keep any magazines about it.
I looked at Jill; she was looking to the sky out from my window. Well, I didn’t really know what she was looking at actually at that moment. But since, she’s tilting her head, and I know, with that same position, the only thing I can saw from that window is the sky, so, I bet she was looking into the sky.
It was the same gesture like what I saw when I was facing her, when she was still possessed by The Empress. I often saw her with that dreamy kind of gesture.
I really wanted to ask her about something. But guess I had to postpone my will that time. Kouyou insisted asked me to take more rest. I obeyed him. I just didn’t want to argue him… again.
So, now, today, here I am, back to my oh-not-so normal life actually, standing in the café where I work, waiting for someone to call me to take his order or to take the payment the bill.
I bet that Kanon is still in her school, waiting for the bell to ring, and she can ran to this place to start some chess lesson with Takashima. Reita… mm… Reita? Only Reita himself knows his own random schedule. Working as a DJ in a vast nightclub really making him has this bat lifestyle. I think Jill is still in her campus too. Jill is really has this classy aura around her. I remembered the cookies she made with Kanon, the cups and teapot with classical ornament around it, the way she dressed, and so on. She’s even studying in some music academy and she took violin as her major discipline.
Ah, yesterday was so noisy, in a good way, though. I lay on my bed, but we just couldn’t stop talking. Just from yesterday’s conversation I know that Reita had an unexpected job and Jill is really into classical things. Well, if you asked about Kanon, she would definitely answer anything, and tell us anything that we wanted to know about her. As for Takashima and Kouyou, since these two guys have their weird way of explaining their life (it’s more to Takashima told us about ghosts and all, I asked him to stop it, and Kouyou just won’t tell us about anything at all), we ended up with yelling at Takashima to stop talking.
Oh, well. It’ll be quiet until those three come to visit this café. I sighed. At a time like this, my mind drifted back to that moment, when The Empress told me about something.
“You… don’t you miss your mother..?”
…
“I know you… I don’t have to answer anything, and you don’t have to explain anything either… your mother sent her love to you…”
I sighed. After she said that, my mind just won’t stop wondering. The Empress has this five-centuries-year-old spirit, right? So, does it mean that the spirit had meet with a lot of people out there? Was it including her?
Mother?
I sighed; again. I’m not a good son after all. It’s not that I want to forget her or something. It’s just…
Every time I think about mother, my memories always pulled me back to him…
That person…
I ruffled my hair. Damn. No. I don’t want to remember him. Not now. Not then.
Not forever.
“Darling?”
“Yes?” I tilted my head and looked at Takashima in front of me. I just didn’t remember that I actually cast down my eyes a moment ago.
“Are you ok?” Takashima asked as he straightened my hair. “You look awful like this…”
I blushed. I really couldn’t remember when the first time I let anyone touched me like this. Since eight years ago, I never let anyone get too close to me. Not like this, not even touching me. I rarely shake hand with anybody else. Well, I’m living in a country where bowing is the best way to greet people, to say thank you, say sorry, and all.
Letting someone touching me like this felt a little bit… weird… awkward… but…
Warm…
“Hey…” I said, caught his hand, and held his hand off of my hair. “I think it’s enough… thank you…” Takashima fell silent. I looked at him. He’s blushing. “You got fever?”
“D-Darling... y-you… you touched me…” he said, stuttered.
“So..?” Just when I wanted to let him go, he held my hand with his other hand. So, my hand now is between both of his hands. It really looked like a sandwich. I blushed, again, and his blush got worse.
“It feels really nice, Darling…” He almost drooled.
“Let go! You pervert!” I pulled my hand.
“Touch me more, Darling… please… I beg you…” Takashima just won’t let me go.
Yet.
Suddenly, there’s this barking sound. And then…
“Aaa! Let go of me, you..! You creepy little monster! Shoo! Don’t bite me! No! Aaargh!” Takashima yelled.
“Koron!” Someone called.
I looked to the owner of the voice. “Matsumoto-san?” I called.
There, I saw the dog, the tiny dog, the Chihuahua dog, ran away from Takashima’s foot, back to his owner. The man squatted to reach out for his dog and took the dog in his arms. Both of them, the dog and the man, looked like a cute-tiny couple. Well, I’ve never tell him about this. He might kick me out from this café.
Oh, haven’t I told you? The person is Matsumoto Takanori, the owner of this café. But sometimes I heard his friends called him “Ruki” or something. I’m not sure. Matsumoto-san rarely visited his café. Beside this café, he also is an owner of a boutique, a music store and a beauty salon. Oh, yes, he’s loaded.
Takashima ran and hide behind me. Like he could do it anyway. He’s taller than me. How on earth he hid behind me, and from a little puppy like Koron?
“Excuse me, but I just can’t let a pervert entered my café,” Ruki said. “Now, I want your cooperation to step out from this café. I warn you…”
“What!?” Takashima yelled.
“Woof!” Koron barked.
“M-Matsumoto-san..! No, this is a misunderstanding..!” I panicked.
“Why? You know this guy?” Ruki asked.
“Y-yes… he’s my friend although he’s a little pervert-ouch! Don’t pinch my butt!” I yelled at Takashima.
“I’m not a pervert…” Takashima pouted.
Ruki scrutinized Takashima from head to toe. “It’s really rare for you to have this weird kind of a friend.”
Wait… what did he just say? Friend?
Did I’m the one who say it first?
Did I just call Takashima… a friend?
After these eight years…
“I’m not wei-!” Takashima wanted to yell, but I hurriedly covered his mouth with my hands.
“I… I’m sorry, Matsumoto-san… I forgot to introduce him to you… he… he’s… Takashima, a friend of mine… and Takashima, this is Matsumoto Takanori, this café’s owner…” I pulled Takashima’s head closer and whispered to his ear. “Be good..! Act normal..! I don’t want him to kick me out of this job..!” There, I let go of Takashima.
“Anything you say, Darling…” Takashima said with a blush. “By the way, I love the smell of your hand…”
I blushed. “You..!” Ruki chuckled. “I… I’m sorry, Matsumoto-san… we’re sorry for being impolite-”
“Oh, no need to… I like unique people like him. It’s just rare to see you this close with anybody else…” Ruki said. “Nice to meet you. Just call me Ruki, by the way. It’s really hard to convinced Aoi to call me with my nickname…”
“I’m Takashima, Dear Owner. Nice to meet you too,” Takashima said, and Ruki chuckled again. He reduced the distance to my ear and whispered, “Well, someone was being sounded like Kouyou here.”
“What do you mean?” I whispered back.
“Just like Kouyou who won’t stop calling you with ‘-san’, you won’t stop calling your dear owner with polite names. You have similarity with Kouyou, don’t you?” Takashima smiled teasingly.
“I don’t know what you are talking about…”
“Someone’s blushing…”
“Shut up..!”
“By the way…” Ruki looked at the every corner of his café.
“Yes, Matsumoto-san?” I nudged Takashima away silently. I could see him pouted, but he returned to his table anyway.
“It’s pretty quiet today…”
“Well, it’s working hour…” I looked at the clock on the café’s wall. “Ah, maybe they’ll get here in a few minutes... students sometimes came to this café right after the school ended…"
“Students?” Ruki asked. “What kind of students? Are they your other friends?”
“Well, they’re-”
“Hey, Aoi!” Kanon greeted me cheerfully after she opened the café’s front door. She’s with Jill that time. Jill just smiled and bowed politely to me.
Again, I introduced these two girls to Ruki. Ruki just love to know a lot of people. Koron too. That little fur ball just won’t stop wiggled his tail as Kanon won’t stop squealed and stroked Koron’s fur.
“Please have a sit!” said Ruki cheerfully. “Aoi, serve your friends well. I’m going to check the kitchen. Today is Hiroto’s shift at the kitchen, right?”
“Yes, it’s Hiroto’s shift, Matsumoto-san. And, yes, I understand, I'll try my best to serve the guests here, Matsumoto-san,” I answered. With that, Ruki gave me an approving smile before he vanished to the back of the kitchen’s door.
“He’s the owner?” Kanon asked as she slid to sit in front of Takashima, and Jill sat beside her. “I kind of like him. He has this… mm…” Kanon hesitated.
“What is it, Dear?” Takashima asked.
“I don’t know… maybe it’s weird… but I think he can be a good father in the future…” Kanon words drew all of our attention to her. “Well, he was kind of reminding me of my father…” she smiled.
“Oh, Honey…” Takashima patted her head.
Kanon just giggled. “Thank you!” she said cheerfully. “But, I’m really fine, OK? Come on! I don’t want to make a gloomy situation here. Hey, Aoi! The usual tea!”
“Understood…” I said as I took my notes and wrote her order on it.
“Oh, by the way, I sent an email to Reita. But he didn’t reply it. So I don’t know whether he’ll come today or not,” Kanon shrugged.
“He was working at… what is it again?” Takashima asked.
“A nightclub,” Kanon answered. “Ah, speaking of which, I don’t see Kouyou. Where’s he? It’s weird to see you without him…” She got a point. So, I’m not the only one who saw the resemblance between Kouyou and Takashima. “I’m getting used to see the three of you together…”
“Three?” I asked, confused.
“Yeah! Three! Kouyou, Takashima, and you!” Kanon smiled her happy smile.
I rolled my eyes. But I have the same question too. He’s been disappearing since I woke up this morning. I only found Takashima - right in front of my face when I woke up, I bet he was trying to kiss me, so I slapped him. He cried. Again - in my apartment. I asked Takashima where Kouyou went. But…
“He had some errand, Dear,” Takashima said. It was the same answer like what he said to me this morning.
“What kind of errand?” Kanon asked.
Takashima sighed. “Kouyou-honey said that he wanted Aoi-Darling here to stop using himself as a temporary host for The Arcana powers when we have to face another opponent later.”
“What!?” I can’t believe him.
“So he went to do something about it,” Takashima said about it, at last. I bet Kouyou asked him to not tell me anything about his errand.
“What kind of thing?” I asked.
“Seal.”
“Seal?” Kanon and I asked in unison.
“I… and Kouyou will explain it later to you, Darling.” Takashima smiled.
“Oh, OK. I hope this won’t add more confusion to this already confusing situation…” I said, sighed heavily. Then I looked to the notes on my hand. “Oh, by the way, Jill, what do you like to drink? We have a special Citrus Tea if you like!” Just when I’m turning into this nice-waiter-mode again…
Here. We. Go.
This sound was chiming again. The bell-like sound was echoing again. It still sounded like it was coming from the other world, but this time, weirdly, it felt so close. There’s something wrong with today’s bell. The unreal feeling was so near, so close. Like it was…
It’s buzzing so loud in my ears. I accidentally dropped my notes and my pen to cover my ears. Takashima immediately stood and held both of my shoulder.
“Are you OK, Darling? What’s wrong?”
“I… I don’t know… it… it feels really close…” The buzzing sound reduced but I could still hear it.
“Try to focus… sense it, Darling…”
I nodded a little. I closed my eyes and there’s the sight. It was a blur, but slowly, a number appeared in the darkness. The number glows in orange color. This time, number four in Romanian letter written in the darkness.
“It’s… number four…” I said.
Takashima, Kanon and Jill exchanged glances. “It’s…”
“Oh, please… don’t be too surprised with me…” Ruki said suddenly.
I turned and saw Ruki stood behind the counter. Koron was still in his arms. Ruki, he looked different this time.
No, I don’t like this.
“You…” Takashima pulled me to stand behind him.
“Young Man…” Ruki called, he smiled. The way he called me, it’s not Matsumoto-san. “Yes, I’m not the one you recognize before. Look at the sky out there…” Ruki said as he looked out through the window.
The others and I looked outside the window. Oh, gosh… I didn’t realize that time flew so fast. The sun was already set. It’s already dark out there.
It’s the time for The Arcana to appear. But I just didn’t expect that the next Arcana would appear this fast.
“Yes, correct,” Ruki said as he stroked Koron’s fur. The puppy was already asleep in his arms. “I’m not this café’s very owner, Young Man…”
“Emperor…” Takashima called. “Still planning about ruling the entire secular thing in this world?”
Ruki looked at Takashima. “My, my… look who we have here… I didn’t expect that I would see you here…” Ruki smiled. “Well, I don’t have to make a plan about anything actually. Why am I had to make plans if I’m already ruling it in the first place?”
Just when I wanted to ask him what he meant with those words, I felt tremor from the ground.
“Earthquake!?” Kanon yelled in panic.
The tremor occurred for about a minute. I don’t know what happened actually. It didn’t frighten me like an earthquake did. I gave me a different dread feeling. Not that fatal, but still dangerous.
When the tremor stopped, I had a feeling to look out the window.
I saw nothing, nothing but a wall. I ran to this café’s front door. From the glass door, I could see the same wall stood right in front of the door. I opened the door and walked to the wall in front of me. I didn’t have to run to reach the walls. The walls were just at a distance of two normal steps. I checked the whole walls. It was surrounding this café. The walls even blocked this café from the flower shop at the right of this café and from the girl’s accessories shop to the left. I entered the café again.
“What are these walls all about!?” I snapped at Ru-I mean The Emperor.
“Don’t despise me, Young Man. It’s not mere wall…” The Emperor said with a smile. “It’s a fort. Can’t you see the strong stones I used to build the proud fortress?”
This guy is nuts. Now he locked us all here in this… fort. It’s more like a barricade for me. Yeah, a barricade from the world outside this café. I don’t know how long he would imprison us all here?
How should I beat him?
“He just loves to rule everything. If he didn’t rule it, the other thing that he would do is made everything under his control. That is what he doing to us all right now…” Takashima explained.
“Then how are we suppose to do to stop him!? We just can’t be here forever, right!?”
“Well, The Emperor hates anyone who disobeys his rules…”
____....++++****++++….____
A/N: THERE! I’ll wrap it like this. So, how do you think about this chapter? Now, it’s Ruki’s turn to appear! \(^o^)/ ..He’s becoming The Emperor. I wonder whether the image fits him or not...lol
There you go! As usual, your critics and comments are SO MUCH LUV! ~♥ thank you very much! :-*
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Title : Night of the Hunter
Chapter : 05/??
Author : kei_kyuuketsuki
Fandom : the GazettE, Kanon Wakeshima, Rose Noire, Alice Nine (more to come)
Pairings : UruhaXAoi, KouyouXAoi, TakashimaXAoi (confused? *chuckled*)
Theme Song : all 30 Seconds to Mars songs from their “This is War” album
Rating : R
Genre : AU, fantasy, action, romance
Warning : there are TWO URUHAs here, complex situation, ambiguities, figurative words, bad English
Disclaimer : I don’t own the boys. They belong to themselves. The bands belong to their company. I adapted the main idea of the story from CLAMPS’s CARD CAPTOR SAKURA. I only fitted the main idea of the story with new settings and - of course - new characters. That’s all.
Summary : those powers have ‘minds’. ‘They’ can think. They rebelled. They wanted to be free, yet they need humans to be their host. Not all the people were able to bear such a power. Several of those people turned mad and became a menace to the world. That is what Aoi had to deal with. As some kind of guardian, Kouyou and Takashima are there to help Aoi whenever the boy needs them… or was it the contrary?
Comment : a little feelings here, a little mystery there, add it with a little (new) problem here, and… hope you enjoy this chapter! :D
Chapter 00 // Chapter 01 // Chapter 02 // Chapter 03 // Chapter 04
05. Feelings
OK. So, yesterday was a bit emotional to me. I was really grateful that Kouyou was the one who saw me cried. He asked anyway. What’s wrong with me and all? I just said it’s nothing to be worried about, I was just being tired for my condition, and Kouyou accepted the answer. If only Takashima was the one who saw me cried, I bet he just won’t let me go until he got the answer.
Well, I didn’t want to answer anything about what I felt that time.
So, yesterday, after I settled the problem between me and Kouyou, we got back to my apartment. That time, Takashima was playing chess again with Kanon. Reita was rummaging through anything inside my small room, expecting to found some adult magazines (if you know what I mean), like I’m going to buy it anyway. I mean, I’m not a maniac, you know? I still have that kind of curiosity, but that won’t make me had to keep any magazines about it.
I looked at Jill; she was looking to the sky out from my window. Well, I didn’t really know what she was looking at actually at that moment. But since, she’s tilting her head, and I know, with that same position, the only thing I can saw from that window is the sky, so, I bet she was looking into the sky.
It was the same gesture like what I saw when I was facing her, when she was still possessed by The Empress. I often saw her with that dreamy kind of gesture.
I really wanted to ask her about something. But guess I had to postpone my will that time. Kouyou insisted asked me to take more rest. I obeyed him. I just didn’t want to argue him… again.
So, now, today, here I am, back to my oh-not-so normal life actually, standing in the café where I work, waiting for someone to call me to take his order or to take the payment the bill.
I bet that Kanon is still in her school, waiting for the bell to ring, and she can ran to this place to start some chess lesson with Takashima. Reita… mm… Reita? Only Reita himself knows his own random schedule. Working as a DJ in a vast nightclub really making him has this bat lifestyle. I think Jill is still in her campus too. Jill is really has this classy aura around her. I remembered the cookies she made with Kanon, the cups and teapot with classical ornament around it, the way she dressed, and so on. She’s even studying in some music academy and she took violin as her major discipline.
Ah, yesterday was so noisy, in a good way, though. I lay on my bed, but we just couldn’t stop talking. Just from yesterday’s conversation I know that Reita had an unexpected job and Jill is really into classical things. Well, if you asked about Kanon, she would definitely answer anything, and tell us anything that we wanted to know about her. As for Takashima and Kouyou, since these two guys have their weird way of explaining their life (it’s more to Takashima told us about ghosts and all, I asked him to stop it, and Kouyou just won’t tell us about anything at all), we ended up with yelling at Takashima to stop talking.
Oh, well. It’ll be quiet until those three come to visit this café. I sighed. At a time like this, my mind drifted back to that moment, when The Empress told me about something.
“You… don’t you miss your mother..?”
…
“I know you… I don’t have to answer anything, and you don’t have to explain anything either… your mother sent her love to you…”
I sighed. After she said that, my mind just won’t stop wondering. The Empress has this five-centuries-year-old spirit, right? So, does it mean that the spirit had meet with a lot of people out there? Was it including her?
Mother?
I sighed; again. I’m not a good son after all. It’s not that I want to forget her or something. It’s just…
Every time I think about mother, my memories always pulled me back to him…
That person…
I ruffled my hair. Damn. No. I don’t want to remember him. Not now. Not then.
Not forever.
“Darling?”
“Yes?” I tilted my head and looked at Takashima in front of me. I just didn’t remember that I actually cast down my eyes a moment ago.
“Are you ok?” Takashima asked as he straightened my hair. “You look awful like this…”
I blushed. I really couldn’t remember when the first time I let anyone touched me like this. Since eight years ago, I never let anyone get too close to me. Not like this, not even touching me. I rarely shake hand with anybody else. Well, I’m living in a country where bowing is the best way to greet people, to say thank you, say sorry, and all.
Letting someone touching me like this felt a little bit… weird… awkward… but…
Warm…
“Hey…” I said, caught his hand, and held his hand off of my hair. “I think it’s enough… thank you…” Takashima fell silent. I looked at him. He’s blushing. “You got fever?”
“D-Darling... y-you… you touched me…” he said, stuttered.
“So..?” Just when I wanted to let him go, he held my hand with his other hand. So, my hand now is between both of his hands. It really looked like a sandwich. I blushed, again, and his blush got worse.
“It feels really nice, Darling…” He almost drooled.
“Let go! You pervert!” I pulled my hand.
“Touch me more, Darling… please… I beg you…” Takashima just won’t let me go.
Yet.
Suddenly, there’s this barking sound. And then…
“Aaa! Let go of me, you..! You creepy little monster! Shoo! Don’t bite me! No! Aaargh!” Takashima yelled.
“Koron!” Someone called.
I looked to the owner of the voice. “Matsumoto-san?” I called.
There, I saw the dog, the tiny dog, the Chihuahua dog, ran away from Takashima’s foot, back to his owner. The man squatted to reach out for his dog and took the dog in his arms. Both of them, the dog and the man, looked like a cute-tiny couple. Well, I’ve never tell him about this. He might kick me out from this café.
Oh, haven’t I told you? The person is Matsumoto Takanori, the owner of this café. But sometimes I heard his friends called him “Ruki” or something. I’m not sure. Matsumoto-san rarely visited his café. Beside this café, he also is an owner of a boutique, a music store and a beauty salon. Oh, yes, he’s loaded.
Takashima ran and hide behind me. Like he could do it anyway. He’s taller than me. How on earth he hid behind me, and from a little puppy like Koron?
“Excuse me, but I just can’t let a pervert entered my café,” Ruki said. “Now, I want your cooperation to step out from this café. I warn you…”
“What!?” Takashima yelled.
“Woof!” Koron barked.
“M-Matsumoto-san..! No, this is a misunderstanding..!” I panicked.
“Why? You know this guy?” Ruki asked.
“Y-yes… he’s my friend although he’s a little pervert-ouch! Don’t pinch my butt!” I yelled at Takashima.
“I’m not a pervert…” Takashima pouted.
Ruki scrutinized Takashima from head to toe. “It’s really rare for you to have this weird kind of a friend.”
Wait… what did he just say? Friend?
Did I’m the one who say it first?
Did I just call Takashima… a friend?
After these eight years…
“I’m not wei-!” Takashima wanted to yell, but I hurriedly covered his mouth with my hands.
“I… I’m sorry, Matsumoto-san… I forgot to introduce him to you… he… he’s… Takashima, a friend of mine… and Takashima, this is Matsumoto Takanori, this café’s owner…” I pulled Takashima’s head closer and whispered to his ear. “Be good..! Act normal..! I don’t want him to kick me out of this job..!” There, I let go of Takashima.
“Anything you say, Darling…” Takashima said with a blush. “By the way, I love the smell of your hand…”
I blushed. “You..!” Ruki chuckled. “I… I’m sorry, Matsumoto-san… we’re sorry for being impolite-”
“Oh, no need to… I like unique people like him. It’s just rare to see you this close with anybody else…” Ruki said. “Nice to meet you. Just call me Ruki, by the way. It’s really hard to convinced Aoi to call me with my nickname…”
“I’m Takashima, Dear Owner. Nice to meet you too,” Takashima said, and Ruki chuckled again. He reduced the distance to my ear and whispered, “Well, someone was being sounded like Kouyou here.”
“What do you mean?” I whispered back.
“Just like Kouyou who won’t stop calling you with ‘-san’, you won’t stop calling your dear owner with polite names. You have similarity with Kouyou, don’t you?” Takashima smiled teasingly.
“I don’t know what you are talking about…”
“Someone’s blushing…”
“Shut up..!”
“By the way…” Ruki looked at the every corner of his café.
“Yes, Matsumoto-san?” I nudged Takashima away silently. I could see him pouted, but he returned to his table anyway.
“It’s pretty quiet today…”
“Well, it’s working hour…” I looked at the clock on the café’s wall. “Ah, maybe they’ll get here in a few minutes... students sometimes came to this café right after the school ended…"
“Students?” Ruki asked. “What kind of students? Are they your other friends?”
“Well, they’re-”
“Hey, Aoi!” Kanon greeted me cheerfully after she opened the café’s front door. She’s with Jill that time. Jill just smiled and bowed politely to me.
Again, I introduced these two girls to Ruki. Ruki just love to know a lot of people. Koron too. That little fur ball just won’t stop wiggled his tail as Kanon won’t stop squealed and stroked Koron’s fur.
“Please have a sit!” said Ruki cheerfully. “Aoi, serve your friends well. I’m going to check the kitchen. Today is Hiroto’s shift at the kitchen, right?”
“Yes, it’s Hiroto’s shift, Matsumoto-san. And, yes, I understand, I'll try my best to serve the guests here, Matsumoto-san,” I answered. With that, Ruki gave me an approving smile before he vanished to the back of the kitchen’s door.
“He’s the owner?” Kanon asked as she slid to sit in front of Takashima, and Jill sat beside her. “I kind of like him. He has this… mm…” Kanon hesitated.
“What is it, Dear?” Takashima asked.
“I don’t know… maybe it’s weird… but I think he can be a good father in the future…” Kanon words drew all of our attention to her. “Well, he was kind of reminding me of my father…” she smiled.
“Oh, Honey…” Takashima patted her head.
Kanon just giggled. “Thank you!” she said cheerfully. “But, I’m really fine, OK? Come on! I don’t want to make a gloomy situation here. Hey, Aoi! The usual tea!”
“Understood…” I said as I took my notes and wrote her order on it.
“Oh, by the way, I sent an email to Reita. But he didn’t reply it. So I don’t know whether he’ll come today or not,” Kanon shrugged.
“He was working at… what is it again?” Takashima asked.
“A nightclub,” Kanon answered. “Ah, speaking of which, I don’t see Kouyou. Where’s he? It’s weird to see you without him…” She got a point. So, I’m not the only one who saw the resemblance between Kouyou and Takashima. “I’m getting used to see the three of you together…”
“Three?” I asked, confused.
“Yeah! Three! Kouyou, Takashima, and you!” Kanon smiled her happy smile.
I rolled my eyes. But I have the same question too. He’s been disappearing since I woke up this morning. I only found Takashima - right in front of my face when I woke up, I bet he was trying to kiss me, so I slapped him. He cried. Again - in my apartment. I asked Takashima where Kouyou went. But…
“He had some errand, Dear,” Takashima said. It was the same answer like what he said to me this morning.
“What kind of errand?” Kanon asked.
Takashima sighed. “Kouyou-honey said that he wanted Aoi-Darling here to stop using himself as a temporary host for The Arcana powers when we have to face another opponent later.”
“What!?” I can’t believe him.
“So he went to do something about it,” Takashima said about it, at last. I bet Kouyou asked him to not tell me anything about his errand.
“What kind of thing?” I asked.
“Seal.”
“Seal?” Kanon and I asked in unison.
“I… and Kouyou will explain it later to you, Darling.” Takashima smiled.
“Oh, OK. I hope this won’t add more confusion to this already confusing situation…” I said, sighed heavily. Then I looked to the notes on my hand. “Oh, by the way, Jill, what do you like to drink? We have a special Citrus Tea if you like!” Just when I’m turning into this nice-waiter-mode again…
Here. We. Go.
This sound was chiming again. The bell-like sound was echoing again. It still sounded like it was coming from the other world, but this time, weirdly, it felt so close. There’s something wrong with today’s bell. The unreal feeling was so near, so close. Like it was…
It’s buzzing so loud in my ears. I accidentally dropped my notes and my pen to cover my ears. Takashima immediately stood and held both of my shoulder.
“Are you OK, Darling? What’s wrong?”
“I… I don’t know… it… it feels really close…” The buzzing sound reduced but I could still hear it.
“Try to focus… sense it, Darling…”
I nodded a little. I closed my eyes and there’s the sight. It was a blur, but slowly, a number appeared in the darkness. The number glows in orange color. This time, number four in Romanian letter written in the darkness.
“It’s… number four…” I said.
Takashima, Kanon and Jill exchanged glances. “It’s…”
“Oh, please… don’t be too surprised with me…” Ruki said suddenly.
I turned and saw Ruki stood behind the counter. Koron was still in his arms. Ruki, he looked different this time.
No, I don’t like this.
“You…” Takashima pulled me to stand behind him.
“Young Man…” Ruki called, he smiled. The way he called me, it’s not Matsumoto-san. “Yes, I’m not the one you recognize before. Look at the sky out there…” Ruki said as he looked out through the window.
The others and I looked outside the window. Oh, gosh… I didn’t realize that time flew so fast. The sun was already set. It’s already dark out there.
It’s the time for The Arcana to appear. But I just didn’t expect that the next Arcana would appear this fast.
“Yes, correct,” Ruki said as he stroked Koron’s fur. The puppy was already asleep in his arms. “I’m not this café’s very owner, Young Man…”
“Emperor…” Takashima called. “Still planning about ruling the entire secular thing in this world?”
Ruki looked at Takashima. “My, my… look who we have here… I didn’t expect that I would see you here…” Ruki smiled. “Well, I don’t have to make a plan about anything actually. Why am I had to make plans if I’m already ruling it in the first place?”
Just when I wanted to ask him what he meant with those words, I felt tremor from the ground.
“Earthquake!?” Kanon yelled in panic.
The tremor occurred for about a minute. I don’t know what happened actually. It didn’t frighten me like an earthquake did. I gave me a different dread feeling. Not that fatal, but still dangerous.
When the tremor stopped, I had a feeling to look out the window.
I saw nothing, nothing but a wall. I ran to this café’s front door. From the glass door, I could see the same wall stood right in front of the door. I opened the door and walked to the wall in front of me. I didn’t have to run to reach the walls. The walls were just at a distance of two normal steps. I checked the whole walls. It was surrounding this café. The walls even blocked this café from the flower shop at the right of this café and from the girl’s accessories shop to the left. I entered the café again.
“What are these walls all about!?” I snapped at Ru-I mean The Emperor.
“Don’t despise me, Young Man. It’s not mere wall…” The Emperor said with a smile. “It’s a fort. Can’t you see the strong stones I used to build the proud fortress?”
This guy is nuts. Now he locked us all here in this… fort. It’s more like a barricade for me. Yeah, a barricade from the world outside this café. I don’t know how long he would imprison us all here?
How should I beat him?
“He just loves to rule everything. If he didn’t rule it, the other thing that he would do is made everything under his control. That is what he doing to us all right now…” Takashima explained.
“Then how are we suppose to do to stop him!? We just can’t be here forever, right!?”
“Well, The Emperor hates anyone who disobeys his rules…”
____....++++****++++….____
A/N: THERE! I’ll wrap it like this. So, how do you think about this chapter? Now, it’s Ruki’s turn to appear! \(^o^)/ ..He’s becoming The Emperor. I wonder whether the image fits him or not...lol
There you go! As usual, your critics and comments are SO MUCH LUV! ~♥ thank you very much! :-*