*When you smile,
I look into your eyes
But I can't see that who
Always stay in your mind.
***
Rui Ichiouji stared at the black haired girl sitting right in front of him. She was really pretty. He sighed. Jet-black hair, dark-violet eyes, snow-white skin, apple-red lips, she could be the reincarnation of Snow White if she doesn't have that gloomy aura hanging around her all the time. Not that he minded, though. Less rival for him to be careful about. He has had enough with only her little brother as his rival. Remembering that person with sister-complex make him sick. He even went as far as cross-dressing and pretending to fall in love with him just to separate Rui from her, when in truth both the boys actually loathed each other.
Realizing she was being stared at, the girl lifted her pretty head from her reading and smiled serenely. "Is something wrong, Lord Rui?" She asked. As though he just woke up from a dream, Rui smiled softly at her. "Nothing. You're too beautiful, Iori. You take my breath away..." He couldn't help but tuck the strands of stray hair falling onto her beautiful face back to its rightful place again. Her long, shiny black hair felt soft to his skin, like a silk. Iori chuckled a little. She clearly looked like she was used to the compliments he gave her just now. "You're exaggerating as usual, I see." She turned a page on the book she was reading.
"There's no way someone like me can even be considered as pretty. Most people would just say that I looked like a ghost, or a witch." Rui just smiled. "Then they're blind, and I'm lucky to be able to see you clearly." Iori looked at him, and a small smile showed itself on her face. Rui grinned. Mission accomplished, Iori has smiled to him today. "You're always such a sweet talker, Lord Rui. Perhaps you can try to sweet talk to Shion, too?" Rui shivered. Sweet talking that little brother of hers? Never. "If I ever do that I'll probably already be on my way to my grave," He rubbed his sleeves. Goosebumps, eww.
"By the way, Iori. When will you ever call me by my name? I don't like it when you add 'Lord' in front of my name every time you called me. Just call me Rui," He pouted. "We're not close enough for me to call you directly by name," Iori replied calmly. That just ticked Rui off. "Not close enough? We've known each other since childhood, our parents are best friends, and I'm your fiance! Not close enough, indeed." His sudden explosion of anger surprised Iori. Rui huffed, scratched his head, and frowned. Then he sat up, preparing to leave. "Sorry, Iori. I think I should go now," He tried to smile, but it felt forced. "See you,"
She was still surprised, but Rui started to walk away. "Ah, um, yeah... See you," It ended a whisper. Rui gave a weak wave, but he didn't turn his head to look at her. He didn't even took a glance as he usually would when he walked out from her small garden. If he did, he would found a pair of sad violet eyes staring at him as he left. Iori's gaze stayed at the last place she saw the silhouette of her fiance for a while, before she decided to continue her reading. Her expression unreadable.
***
When you smile,
I look into your eyes
But I can't see that who
Always stay in your mind
Even if the answers were real
I just couldn't see them...
Inside my heart exist
Tumultuous tides
Carrying many unanswered questions
Over and over again
How many times?
How many times have I asked?
***
This was totally unmanly. He felt like crying already, geez! Rui buried his face under his palm. When he arrived home just now, he immediately ran upstairs to his room and literally jumped onto his bed. The sudden weight of his body plus the ultra comfortable thick covering made a muffled 'whump!' sound and a creak from the bed. He rolled around the bed for a while, feeling childish but at the same time was still depressed from his conversation with his fiancee that morning. Goodness, it's been more than 10 years already! And she still wouldn't call him by his name.
Even if they weren't engaged, he feared at the thought, as a childhood friend shouldn't he deserve the treatment a childhood friend deserved? And it's not such a big wish at all. He just wanted to be called by his name. A super simple, innocent wish. He sighed. There's no point complaining to himself, when he already knew long ago that his fiancee was just a clueless, simple person. And if she wasn't such a reserved person he would call her an airhead ditz, for she was totally clumsy with everything she does. Remembering her personality, Rui couldn't help chuckling at himself. Darn it, she's the one who made him depressed, yet she was also the person who can make his days shine brightly.
"Big brother, why are laughing alone? Do you have some screw loose somewhere?" A platinum blonde hair popped out beside his bed, looking at him curiously. Surprised, Rui quickly sprang up from the bed and turned his face to look at the intruder. It was his little sister. "Orin! How many times do I have to tell you to knock the door first? You almost gave me a heart attack!" The girl ignored her brother, her hands busily touching around Rui's head as if searching for the 'loose screw'. "I knocked, but you didn't answer. So I just assumed that you gave me permission." Orin said nonchalantly, not minding her brother yelling at her to stop touching his head.
"Well next time, don't just assumed I give you permission if I didn't answer! Ouch! Stop that, Orin! Can't you be thoughtful and just leave your big brother alone? Hey! I said 'stop', Orin!!" By the time Orin finally let him go, his hair had turned into a big mess. Orin seemed satisfied with her work, smiling gleefully at her brother. "I didn't find any loose screw anywhere, but I managed to make a work of art on your head!" She smirked sneakily. Rui put a hand through his hair, before he sighed. "Yeah right. Work of art, huh? How about I turn you into one of those things you call 'art'? See if you would like it!" He threatened.
After that, both of them playfully fight with each other, and Rui managed to forget about Iori for a while, that was, until night comes....
***
It is in those eyes of that someone
The clear reflection of something that's true
If tomorrow this world comes to an end
My life wouldn't be without reason anymore.
The touch when fingertips first meet
Interlacing honest gazes
All this can't be just a lie, it's reality.
It's the flame
***
"...Big sis? You alright?" Iori woke with a start. She looked at her surrounding and met another dark violet eyes beside her. Shion, her little brother. He was watching her with worried look, and his brows couldn't stop frowning at her. Iori groaned silently as she stretched her body that was stiff from sleeping. Truthfully, she doesn't even realized when she fall asleep. She was busy thinking about Rui and what happened between them that morning. Her reading have long being forgotten. The way he acted before he left her gave her a bitter aftertaste, she thought. And she realized that Rui was, for once, truly angry at her.
She sighed, shocking her little brother. Cupping her face, she looked at Shion. "What should I do, Shion? I've made Lord Rui mad," Hearing that, Shion replied with a snort. "Good for you. I can make that as an excuse to sever your ties with him forever," He wanted to continue, but the look on Iori's face made him stop. "Does that mean you've already decided to pursue him? Oh my God, Shion, are you really my rival?" Horror showed on both of the siblings face, and both with different reason. Shion was especially horrified by his sister's misunderstanding. He never thought his sister was this dense...!
"No! Sis! You're mistaken...! I never thought of being your rival!" Shion yelled. Iori looked at him questioningly. "...But didn't you love him?"
"NO!!! NEVER!! Sis, that was just an act!" By that time, he was already beyond flustered. Oh, truthfully he really love his sister dearly he was jealous of her fiance. And her personality was supposed to be her charm that he really loved, yet that charm was the one he was feeling exasperated with right now. He sighed. Rubbing his temple, he tried to calm his nerves down. "Look, sis. Just forget about me for a while." He wanted to change the topic. "You've made him mad? Wow, I'm surprised. I thought he loves you so much whatever you did wouldn't make him mad." The way Shion said was too sarcastic Iori wondered if he was praising or mocking her.
"So what's the problem? How did it happened?" Shion helped himself and sat in front of his sister. Iori frowned. She wasn't really sure if she should confess her problem with Shion or not, but she really needed help right now. "...Well, we talked as usual this morning... and then he said that he wanted me to call him just by his name..." Iori stopped when Shion told her to wait. "So what did you usually call him again?" He asked. "Um, Lord Rui...?" Iori looked at him, confused when she earned another sigh from her only brother. "...And what did you say after that?" He stared at her.
"We're... not close enough... for me to call him by his name only...?" Iori felt uneasy. Her brother's face darkened when she finished her sentence. "Ah, ah, I understand now. No wonder he got angry. You said the wrong thing to him, sis. Even I wouldn't say that we aren't close at all. Our parents are best friends with his parents. I've known and hated him since I was a mere toddler. Furthermore, he's my rival, your fiance." He explained. "Are you saying that all these years he meant nothing to you at all?" Shion pointed at her, looking like a bored man. "Or are you still not confident enough about yourself to admit it?"
Iori became silent. She seemed to be thinking about something, before she raised her head and smiled at her little brother. "..........I understand now. Thanks, Shion." Shion just smirked. "Anything for my beloved sister!"
***
It's the flame
When the morning melts into the night
Still the sun is there just hiding its shine
In my heart the light of hope keeps
Buried, hidden just the same.
In my chest burns a spark of fire
Where intense flames sway
Dance and flicker deep down
The freezing cold
The burning heat
Feelings you keep giving me
Surely everything can't revolve around
A single smile from you, can it?
***
It was well past 8 when the butler announced something that made Rui stunned.
"Lady Iori is waiting for you downstairs, young master." He bowed solemnly. Rui gaped. His little sister, being the busybody as she has always had, suddenly popped her platinum blonde head outside his room. She peered at his brother curiously, trying to look at his expression. "Brother? I heard big sis came--" She was cut short when Rui immediately dashed out from his room, leaving her and the old butler staring at each other with an eyebrow raised. He passed Shion on the stairs, calmly stepping up the stairs like he owned the house. Orin was upstairs to greet the him, though. "Hey, Shion! Something happened?" The reply was a grin.
***
I feel incomplete when it disappears
Why did your smile leave me?
Can it really be that fantasy
Come alive because of someone's smile?
Why is it that sincere?
So genuine
It's all I've been searching for.
Playing melodies all throughout me
Keep secret my confusion
But I can't stop your echoing in my soul!
***
...Rui felt nervous. It's rare for her to come to his house, but it's even more unusual of her to come at this kind of time! Did something happened? Was his childish behavior this morning made her want to cancel their engagement? No, that's thinking too far. She must have something important to tell him today, that waiting for tomorrow was not possible. By the way, she looked like she was in distress. Did something happened after all? "Um, Iori?" He called her. When she turned to look at him, her expression was gloomy. Or was it worry he saw, painted on her pretty face? "...Did something happened? You even came all the way here,"
"Ah.... I... came to apologize," Dark violet eyes met with his black eyes. "...About this morning, I'm sorry." She bowed a complete 90 degrees, surprising Rui. He quickly went toward her, uneasy by her out-of-ordinary behavior. "Iori? What's wrong with you? You're acting weird," he asked, worried. "Lift your head," he ordered, his fingers already lifting her chin so he could talk to her face-to-face. "I came here to apologize. I didn't mean to make you angry. What I said this morning, please forget I ever said anything. Everything I said was just an excuse so I wouldn't have to call you by your name," She confessed.
"...And exactly why you didn't want to call me by my name? Do you hate me so much--" He stopped when he saw the dread look on Iori's face. "What are you talking about? I could never hate you!" It was the first time Rui ever saw the calm Iori Shirohana looked so desperate. He blinked for a while, trying to process the things happening in front of him right now. Iori's face was red from embarrassment. She was never desperate enough that she needed to shout to clear a misunderstanding, but today was different. She needed to clear the misunderstanding right away so the person in front if her didn't come to hate her.
"...So why?" Rui folded his arms, trying to look menacing. He didn't want to be called unforgiving, but this might be the only chance for him to know what her real feelings were. Iori looked stunned. She frowned a little, her hands clenched tight beside her. She turned her head away, not wanting to look at her fiance and blushing furiously. "...I... was embarrassed.... at that time..." Her words were almost like a silent murmur, but Rui was sharp enough to hear her clearly. He almost fell to a grin, but he hold himself back. Then he saw Iori's eyes looking at him with a worried look on her face. "...So can you forgive me...?" She asked.
Now Rui couldn't help but grin at his fiancee. "Well~ I don't know... Maybe I should forgive you... Or maybe not?" The look of disappointment on Iori's face was too clear. He almost laughed. "If you call my name properly, I might forgive you..." He mumbled, but then his eyes were fixed on her, teasing her, testing her. Iori was furious. Her face has already turned redder than tomato. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in and out, before she stepped closer to Rui. "...Listen up," She whispered at his right ear. "Next time, I'll only do it when there's nobody around, okay? Rui,"
Rui felt his whole body shivered. He turned to look at Iori, who was smiling serenely at him. The hint of blush still visible on her cheeks. He quickly covered his right ear, still quite shaken from Iori calling his name right beside his ear!
***
Tense anxiety
Is the strongest emotion that shivers through me as I convey my sound's
Vibration...
One by one pounding
The strings call out to me to play what I feel, my only
Refrain...
It's the flame
When you smile,
I look into your eyes
But I can't see that who
Always stay in your mind
Even if the answers were real
I just couldn't see them...
In my chest burns a spark of fire
Where intense flames sway
Dance and flicker deep down
The freezing cold
The burning heat
Feelings you keep giving me!
** End **
*BGM - "Flame" by Tsukimori Len (VC : Taniyama Kishou.)
The longest I've ever written... 8 pages long (=A=;;;;)
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