Blue Seed Fan Fiction ❯ Mitamas: After The End ❯ The Homecoming ( Chapter 1 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: scandalousbehavior 
Masuki is back from New York but he's not the boy that Shanna or anyone remembers...
Anime/Manga: Blue Seed Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Hentai / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.28.2001 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 291 | Status: Completed
Masuki is back from New York but he's not the boy that Shanna or anyone remembers...
Anime/Manga: Blue Seed Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Hentai / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.28.2001 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 291 | Status: Completed
Mitamas: After The End
Chapter 1: The Homecoming
Written by: Scandalous Behavior
~ ~ ~ ~
Another 3 years later…
The night had a way of concealing what no one wanted to see. At least that was the way three people always saw it and all three happened to be out that very night. As usual the silver light from the moon lit up the forested area that hid the single hidden away house of one of the most important, if not well-known, families of Tokyo. In the gravel round about drive way was parked right in front of the front door was a black hard top Jeep with the windows all fogged up from the two bodies inside of it. Only if you got close to the window could you make out the shapes and vaguely see just what was causing the condensation on the windows.
Not having enough room with the bucket seats of the interior of the Jeep kept the two teenagers from doing much more than kissing and feeling each other with their hands. The female was making half-moaning sounds in the back of her throat as the male found his hand under her red-knit sweater that had been picked for the clinging to the skin feature it had and as his hand cupped her black bra clad breast she kissed his talented mouth all that much more aggressively. Finally he pulled back with that sleepy-cat eyed look he always got after a good make out session. It was a major turn on, since to her it made him twice as sexy as he was normally.
The passenger side door opened and he climbed out, as she righted her angled clothes back into some sort of order and then gave him her most sensual pouty look. In the dark she saw the moon cast a reflection on his face and caught his wink as he shut the door and walked around to the driver side, as she rolled down the window.
Then out of the corner of his eye as he walked around the cold-steel vehicle saw on the balcony of the wood and glass house on the second story was a female figure, reminding him of his practically houseguest status. A scowl touched his lips and then disappeared as his most recent girlfriend smiled at him.
"Have good dreams, lover." Chiye Sawanobori called to him before turning on the Jeep and with a flip of her brown tendrils drove away.
Having watched his girlfriend make her way down the private drive and onto the highway leading back into the city of Tokyo, his face took on a narrowed eyed look and with a swift movement of air leapt onto the second story balcony, not surprised that the girl standing there in nothing but a pair of blue-green plaid pants and a loose blue t-shirt with her hair still in the ponytail that got divided into three braids didn't even flinch at his appearing so suddenly with non-human reflexes.
Her arms were crossed on the balcony wooden railing, just looking out like she hadn't seen a thing when he knew damn well she had seen everything. Leaning against the house, next to the sliding screen doors that led into her bedroom, he took out a cigarette from his black leather jacket top pocket and lit it with his lighter from his jean pocket. Snapping the lid back on the lighter finally got her to recognize that he was standing behind her off to the side and wasn't planning on moving any time soon.
"Spying on me again?" his voice was harsh and chilly, not letting on that he was even the little bit interested in why she was such a night-owl every night.
"And why would I do that?" her own voice wasn't all that pleasant either, "I am not in the habit in wondering about your mating rituals or your obvious taste in girlfriends."
A cloud of cigarette smoke came right next to her, brushing against her neck and ear as she could then feel the body heat of him having moved to stand almost directly behind her.
"Oh, no? Then again I shouldn't be surprised that a virgin, a cold one at that, would have no feeling about anything anyhow from the neck down. My mistake."
Turning as she quickly realized that he was almost touching her standing so close that her own body brushed his as she turned and the leather of his jacket brushed her t-shirt covered body, causing her nipples to push against the thin material as if to invite his touch.
"I really don't care what you think about me. Really I don't care why you are back after being gone so long without a word to anyone until two weeks ago when you mysteriously decided to come home and I couldn't care less that you seem to be a bitch-magnet to all the girls at our school. Now if you'll excuse me, it's getting late and I have to be up early."
He didn't move standing a head taller than she was and leaning forward that forced her to move a step back. His hands coming to rest on either side of her, gripping the railing, his left hand flicking the now burnt out cigarette onto the gravel driveway below.
"You and I are going to come to an understanding. All I care about is that you stay out of my way."
Looking into those deep green pools of his eyes, that had that un-natural cat-tendency for the pupils to contract, had the tiniest bit of gold flicker in them as his voice grew indifferent. Her own blue eyes with the hint of crimson about her irises glared back at him.
"Sounds fine to me," she ducked under his arm and glanced over her shoulder, "just as long as we understand each other."
His lips twisted just an inch into a smug smile.
"Oh, and by the way," he paused turning around and then leaned back on his arms still gripping the railing, "I guess you're not as immune to me as you'd like to think." His black head nodded to the all too-revealing outline of her nipples in the material.
"It's cold," she called before she was about to shut the screen she had just opened, "don't let it go to your head that you have any affect on my body whatsoever. I don't usually go for prowling tom-cats and your DNA has nothing to do with it."
A click on the screen was the next sound he heard before he let out a stream of curses that had been building up since he had first saw the she was once again facing the moon and the night like some priestess to it all. Jumping onto the lower roof off to the left and then onto the small balcony that led into his room, he opened the screen and slammed it almost making it bounce off the hinges. He tossed his leather jacket in the corner on top of his stereo system and then kicked off the sneakers next to his queen-sized bed before laying back on it, crossing his arms under his head and staring up at the ceiling.
Why did he always let that petite sandy-haired blond get to him? It was like they went around in circles about their mutual dislike of one another that had his parents playing referee. Not that he didn't appreciate how having the younger girl in the house was a load off his mind when it came to his younger sister, who was the champion on how great that bundle of sarcasm was. One of things that had him coming back rather in New York with his adopted grandparents Daitetsu and Ryoko Kunikida was that he admittedly was worried about the sprite. After all the things he had heard of what his mother and his aunt had gone through it got to him that his sister might have to go through the same things. Then to come home to find that he had hardly been missed thanks to the blonde's presence.
Getting up he pulled off his green t-shirt over his head and then climbed under the blankets of his bed, not remembering that he had even made it that morning but was sure that his mother had done it. Even after being gone for almost three years she still had the maternal instinct in her to nurture him as if he was still the naïve fifteen year old he had been rather than the eighteen year old hard ass he was now. With a small yawn, he laid back and let sleep take him.
~ ~ ~ ~
Morning came all too soon for her, as it shown in from the screens that let light in and from the two glass white curtained windows in the room that had been hers for almost seven years now. Rubbing at her eyes, she suddenly remembered last night and groaned at the thought.
Well you sure know how to make yourself personable to him, don't you, Shanna? She berated herself. There goes your plan to be nicer to him.
Tossing off the white with silver lining comforter she put her feet on the wooden flooring that had most of it covered up with the big blue rug that kept her feet from freezing in the morning. Her hair cascaded around her in a tangled mess as she had taken her hair down like she did every night and realized how long it was getting. Standing up she went to the bathroom that connected to her and Kimiko's rooms and turned on the shower, tossing her clothes in the hamper and getting in letting the water spray her in the face before taking the shampoo and cleaning her hair.
It wasn't like she hadn't tried to be nice to him the first day he got back from the trip that neither one of his parents wanted to talk about. She really had but for some reason whenever they tried to have a normal conversation it turned into a battle of wits leaving both of them angry at the end. Even Kimiko, his ten-year-old sister was at a loss from how to deal with her sullen older brother who was always polite to her but still distant. And then after seeing him again with that Chiye Sawanobori who had chosen Shanna to be her snip-at-toy this year, she had been all sarcasm-witch again. Being the daughter of the mayor of Tokyo made the girl think that she was above anyone else and even more when Chiye finally got the newest hot guy of Tokyo High to go out with her. Then it wasn't like he was going to say no with her practically throwing herself at him, what normal hot-blooded male would turn down that kind of invitation? Shanna turned off the water after finishing her hair and body she pulled open the shower door and grabbed her towel drying herself off before slipping into her comfortable terry-cloth robe and combing her hair back into a ponytail held with the black band and then dividing the hair in the ponytail into three individual braids and binding each end of the braid with smaller black bands. Going into her room she pulled out her green school uniform and once she was finished dressing she sat on her bed to finish putting her homework into her bag. What was with her lately? She had a very full life that she should be able to deal with him being back in it, considering most of her friends were male. Sometimes she swore that life was playing a trick on her making her female when all it did was make everything in her life five million times more complicated. As she zipped her backpack she remembered what he said last night about her body responding to his. Was that true? Did she actually think herself attracted to that jerk again? Praying that what she had told him in response to his words was right she headed downstairs.
~ ~ ~ ~
Momiji Fujimija Kusanagi, the former Princess Kushinada, watched her youngest daughter Kimiko dressed for elementary school bouncing down the stairs with her thick auburn hair pulled away from her face with two rabbit hair clips and a smile came to Momiji's lips. Her daughter completely reminded her of herself at that age. Ten-years-old without a care in the world, followed by the girl she had come to love as a daughter Shanna Sugishita all dressed in her high school uniform. Noticing that her son, Masuki, made his way down with his leather jacket on over the green pants and white buttoned down shirt, the tie hanging loose around his neck. He completely reminded her of the sex appeal that Kusanagi had and still had, that he must have been just like Masuki drawing girls to him without even trying. Only little things separated how much her husband and her son looked alike which was that Masuki had her eyes, the dark green of the Kushinada and that Masuki's hair was more black than green. Taking in her son's appearance, even though he had been back a week still made her realize how much she had missed him. Knowing that what he had done had to have been done still didn't make her miss him or not want him back any less.
Seeing the rolling eyes of her son towards Shanna, as if to say what a goody-goody she was in her immaculate uniform and with all her work done in her bag slung on her right shoulder, she shook her head. If only those two would get along she might have everything she ever wanted.
"Morning, Momiji." Shanna greeted.
"Can I ride with Shanna, Mom? She has to stop on her way to school and it's right by my school?" Kimiko asked earnestly, bringing Momiji's eyes to rest on the older girl.
"It's nothing just something I was working off I need to drop off to Toyoharu." Shanna explained, simply causing Masuki to raise any eyebrow at the name of his technical-uncle who was more like an older brother.
"Why do you need to go to the TAC?" Masuki wondered.
"I work there."
Kusanagi came in from the study with a book and found himself almost stumbling from the hug that Kimiko laughed at him, causing him to lean down and hug his daughter.
"Good morning, Daddy. Shanna's gonna drive me to school so you don't have too, okay?"
Kusanagi saw Shanna nod and then looked at Momiji.
"Sure if it's okay with your mother."
"Please, Mommy?"
"You can go, Kimiko. Just be sure to mind Shanna."
As if on queue to imitate her brother, Kimiko rolled her eyes.
"I will. Come on, Shanna."
Grabbing the older girl's hand, Kimiko pulled Shanna out of the house, followed by Masuki who went over to his Kawasaki motorcycle that was parked in the garage with Shanna's VW Bug.
"What do you do at TAC?"
"Nothing that would interest you, Masuki. Get in, Kimiko."
Shanna shut the door after her opening her door and Kimiko climbed into the passenger seat. Masuki watched her pull out and narrowed his eyes on what she could possibly do at the TAC that he didn't know about.
~ ~ ~ ~
After dropping off her folder of research she had been doing for Toyoharu Kunikida and waving goodbye to Kimiko at the elementary school, she drove and parked at Tokyo High. Heading up the sidewalk to the school doors and inside to instantly find the halls filled with people whispering and other talking loudly, which was strange because they were all just standing no one walking. Walking to her locker, she found a bunch of girls gathered around it and finally managed to get into it feeling eyes on the back of her neck.
"Hey, Shanna!" came the female voice of Akemi Takada, the black haired brown eyed girl making her way around the standing crowd.
"Akemi, what is going on and why do I feel like I'm on display?" Shanna asked her friend, shoving her bag into her locker and retrieving the books she'd need for her first few classes.
"You don't know? Oh, yeah you just got in this mob," Akemi's fast talking way was causing Shanna to stare at her, to just get to the point, "it seems like you have an admirer whose been asking about you since early this morning."
"An admirer?" Shanna shut her locker.
"This really, I mean really, hot guy who looks like a senior and has had all the girls staring at him all morning. He's in the courtyard now but it was strange cause he first got in here he was like just asking about you."
"Me? As in me in general or where I was?"
"Both actually. It's really mysterious and he is really nice to answer all our questions but won't say why he wants to talk to you. Masuki got here a couple minutes ago and the two actually looked like they were going to fight right then and there it was so weird."
"Akemi, are you sure you haven't eaten any mushrooms or something? You are not making any sense."
"Shanna! Here, come on I'll take you to him and you can see for yourself."
Yanking on Shanna's wrist, the brunette made her way into the courtyard to one of the cherry trees where underneath on one of the cement benches sat a guy who in any terms could only be described as perfectly hot. With long hair seemed to be made out of sunlight it was so golden, and looking up with brown-gold eyes in the uniform that fit his body as if it had been tailor made that made no other guy at the school look good enough to eat in. He stood up as he saw her and she was taken aback by the way he moved that it reminded her of Masuki's grace-like cat reflexes. Akemi stepped to the side of her friend and gave him a straight line to Shanna.
Taking her right hand in his, he kissed the back of it looking into her eyes the entire time he did it that it sent a tingling feeling up her arm that she almost dropped the books she held to her side with her left hand.
"You are Shanna." He stated, his voice like a smooth flowing wave.
Finally finding her tongue, as the girls behind her were sighing at the romantic gesture, she spoke, "I'm Shanna."
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Akihiro."
Letting her hand go, his fingers caressed her palm and she pulled back not understanding the sensations his touch was invoking.
"Akihiro!" came the enraged voice of Masuki, who seemed to appear out of thin air between Shanna and Akihiro, who was about three inches taller than Masuki, "just what the hell do you think your doing?!"
Before either one could say another word the bell rang and groans at having to go to class came from the observers in the courtyard, as if breaking whatever spell seemed to have been cast on them. Shuffling of bodies and movement came from every angle of the yard. But Masuki and Akihiro had yet to move.
"Masuki." Akihiro's voice was amused.
"Masuki, what are you doing?" Shanna demanded, finally getting his attention to have him glance over his shoulder at her.
"Just go to class, Shanna."
"No. What is going on?"
"Shanna, just do it!" Masuki growled and she glanced over his leather-clad shoulder to Akihiro, who seemed amused about Masuki's actions but only inclined his head towards her as Akemi and Shanna left.
As soon as the door closed, Masuki's stance changed into a fight stance.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Why, nothing."
"Don't give me that. I saw you with her and I want to know just what you think your doing."
"Nothing that she did not permit."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
Akihiro took a step back, hands in his pockets of his green pants.
"Why don't you ask her? I must be going."
With a swift wind, Akihiro had disappeared and Masuki knew he had a whole new set of problems to deal with.
~ ~ ~ ~
Trying to go over why the whole thing seemed so strange, Shanna repeated everything to Keizo Yaegashi. The seventeen year old red-orange haired guy that was the Junior Class Clown was also the editor of the school paper and her best friend along with Akemi, which at one time Masuki had also had that position as well. Sitting on top of the teacher's desk that Keizo had full use of as his desk, her legs dangling off the edge she bit into a chip as she talked to him, sitting behind the desk in his chair with his hands typing over and over on the keyboard.
"So you're telling me that although you two are fighting like cats and dogs at home just a while ago he was 'saving' you from some new guy?"
"Right, it was the strangest thing. The guy kisses my hand, states my name when I had never met or seen him and then Masuki appears out of no where to break it up. I think I am going to start charging interfering with my life charges against him if he doesn't stop being such a jerk."
"Well, at least that hasn't changed." Keizo mused.
"Very funny, Kei. What do you think? Did some New Yorker take his brain and replace it with someone else's or what? I can't take the fact that he acts like I'm the enemy at home even though he's announced his moving out intentions."
"Can it also be that you can't stand Chiye and don't want to see him with her?"
"He's back a week, one freakin' week and Chiye is on him like flies on..."
Keizo held up his hand in protest of her reference.
"It's not like he's complaining, Shanna."
"Right, like you'd complain to have Miss Tokyo-Mayor's-daughter all over you?" Shanna asked.
"The guy is human."
"Tell that to his Aragami DNA. He's worse than the jocks, one day and he's got every single girl at school panting after him."
"I could see where a guy might hate that attention." Keizo said thoughtfully, and then grinned.
"Why am I asking you anyway? You're a guy."
"The reason you are is because," Keizo stood up and tugged on one of her braids before coming around the desk, "you used to be in love with his Bad Ass self and now want to know why the guy you loved is no longer around, coming back as a completely different person with no one answering your questions and I am the only one listening."
"Thank you, Dr. Yaegashi." Shanna said sarcastically.
"You just have to face facts that whatever changed Masuki is deeper than what you'd think." Keizo stated and Shanna looked at the guy she considered the one true person that understood her.
"But what could? I'm almost starting to think the guy I lo....knew," Shanna caught herself but Keizo only grinned as he went over papers littering the other reporters desks, "was all in my head from day one."
"Being ten does have a way of making people nicer, doesn't it?"
"All I know is that whatever kindness Masuki has for me anymore is extended into telling me who I can socialize with now."
"He is one of the people that is protecting you."
"Protecting me from what? Having a life?"
"No," came the mildly irritated male voice of Masuki Kusanagi, "from making a bad choice that has too many consequences to name."
Shanna jumped off the desktop and made her way over to him, standing in the doorway looking way too much like her over active imagination's remembrance of him.
"Pick up the habit of sneaking up on people and eavesdropping," Shanna wondered, "not very attractive qualities."
"Keep it up, Sunshine, I'll introduce you to some of my other non-attractive qualities."
"Why don't you go jump your girlfriend or has the football team already taken up Her Highness's time for the afternoon?"
Keizo had to keep from laughing at the picture; Shanna always had such a colorful way with words. Masuki only lifted the corner of his lips in that half-smile she was beginning to detest.
"Are you ready to go?" Masuki asked Keizo, who shrugged.
"About as done as I'm going to get this afternoon," Keizo started motioning them out and locked the door,
"Coming to the TAC, Shanna?"
"If he's there I'd rather be anywhere else. Tell Toyo I'll stop by his house after gymnastics."
"Sure."
Masuki only nodded to Shanna as Keizo and he walked the other way to the parking lot.
"She goes out by herself?"
Keizo wore a strange expression on his face at his old friend.
"Why shouldn't she? We don't put her in a cage, Masuki, you know we never did, although it was brought up by your father last time we went out to the club and he caught sight of what she was wearing." Keizo chuckled at the memory when it had been Shanna's sixteenth and they headed to the 'Popular' hang out and made Chiye see just what Shanna looked like which would give even the Mayor's Precious Jewel a run for her money in the looker department.
"Does she have a boyfriend?"
Keizo now wanted to know what Masuki was getting at, although he should know all about Shanna from phone calls with his parents.
"She's been dating Toyoharu for six months, Masuki," Keizo stated.
That was the last thing that was said for the whole ride to the TAC.
~ ~ ~ ~
Masuki couldn't explain why that fact, the one that had Shanna with Toyoharu, bothered him so much only that it did and that he wasn't able to comprehend why was going to drive him nuts. Keizo followed in his car to the Terrestrial Administration Center, the new building in Upper Downtown Building that was over fifty stories tall and with half the Defense Force, Research Division, and the entire TAC center inside along with many labs for all the new discovers they had been doing the last fourteen years. Setting the motorcycle in the back parking lot, Masuki turned off the engine and waited for Keizo to park and get out of the car.
Heading into the building he ignored the obvious looks of interest and some distain from others at having the 'Bad Boy' back in the TAC as he had been dubbed the first day he got back to Japan and entered the TAC after three years. He had changed and so, it seemed, had everyone else. Right now he had a bone to pick with his 'older brother'. Hitting the button for the twenty-fifth floor, Keizo only shook his head as if sensing what was up with Masuki. The red head could always read him, not that he wasn't grateful it saved on having to un-necessary talks. Getting off the elevator onto the floor, which was redecorated with pictures taken from amateur and pro shots on the supposed monsters from years ago now known as Aragami hung on the white walls, the gray-marble flooring and into the large main room where the desks of the true leaders of the TAC stayed. The offices in New York were over-done, blown out of proportion and without the true meaning behind the entire idea, which was one of the reasons, he was glad to be back in Tokyo, putting aside other reasoning. The object of his full attention was behind a chair and desk, as usual blue-black bangs falling into his eyes and blue eyes hidden behind trendy eye glasses, with a turtleneck dark blue sweater and slacks on. Every inch the leader's son, and now the leader.
Masuki sensed more than saw that Azusa Matsudaira was in the corner of the room, in the comfort area of plush chairs and a couch going over lab reports on her notebook desktop with her son, the eldest of the new team Jun at one of the built in book cases flipping through a cataloged photographed book of different plant life. Keizo had settled at his own desk nearest to the entrance of the door, dropping his bag on the gray stone colored desk his brown eyes settling on the figure of his confrontational friend. Matsudaira raised an inquisitive black eyebrow and Keizo nodded to Masuki standing in front of Toyoharu Kunikida's desk.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were keeping things from me." Masuki stated going around the desk to lean against one of the wall beams that was to the side of Toyoharu's back.
"I didn't keep anything from you, Masuki," Toyoharu's whole manner was the absolute personification of calm, "if you didn't know something you probably didn't read my report or didn't bother to ask."
"I shouldn't have to ask about things that involved my family."
At the tone level reaching a pitch higher, Jun looked towards the two second eldest of the second generation of TAC, and then saw Keizo only grin and nod to keep watching and not disturb the two.
"Last time I checked," Toyoharu finally tore his navy blue eyes from the computer screen to look at the enraged green-eyed glaze of the man he considered to be practically a brother, "she wasn't your family."
As Keizo knew Masuki's emotions, so did Toyoharu.
"That's beside the point. She also associates with Aragami, or didn't she tell you?"
Toyoharu settled back in his chair, crossing his arms.
"Care to explain? The only Aragami that are alive, technically, is your father, you, and your sister Kimiko. No other Aragami."
"Wrong, bro. Akihiro decided to make the acquaintance of your girlfriend this afternoon."
Surprise showed clearly on Toyoharu's features.
"You're sure it was him?"
Bitterness entered Masuki's voice, "I'd know him anywhere."
"You sensed him."
Masuki shrugged at the accusation.
"If I did I didn't expect him to have a death wish."
"After what happened with Caroline.."
Masuki inhaled sharply at the female's name that caught Keizo's attention. Glancing to Jun, he mouthed 'Whose Caroline', Jun shrugged haven't heard anything about any girl by that name.
"Damn it, Masuki, I could kill you!" Shanna's angered voice entered the tense conversation as all attention went to the leotard-clad teen whose eyes burned, seemingly towards the half amused, half annoyed Masuki.
"Shanna, are you supposed to be at gymnastics?" Toyoharu asked, standing and coming around the desk as her immediate steps was leading her closer to the object of her current aggravation.
"I would be," Toyoharu was now standing in front of her with concerned eyes, "if some jerk hadn't called the Gymnasium and stated that if I happened to show up that I can't enter without an escort or parent do to my delicate health. A jerk by the last name of Kusanagi, which could only be that Pole-Up-His-Ass Masuki since Kusanagi was the one who enrolled me."
Masuki only looked uninterested at her, as Toyoharu put his hands on her upper arms to keep her from wanting to kill the eldest son of her guardians.
"Her delicate health?" Keizo questioned with no little amount of amusement.
"I simply told them that should a Miss Sugishita arrive that her health was not in the best way, mentally or physically," Masuki explained at Shanna's growl of frustration at not being able to choke the life out of him, "and if she did not have an escort or adult with her it would be in the Gym's best interest not to admit her."
"Who the hell died and made you my guardian, Masuki?"
"Since obviously no one else can seem to do the job, Sunshine, looks like I got the unwanted job."
Twisting out of Toyoharu's gentle hold, she walked up to him and with a flat palm raised her hand to him only to have him catch her wrist and force her, unseen by the others, to come flat against his body molding their body features against one another.
"Do it again, Sunshine," the endearment always snide, "and we'll see how far you're willing to do to get at me."
The comment wasn't loud enough to carry and she glared retaliation at him before he let go of her hand and put distance between them.
"Shanna hasn't been in any danger since she was ten, Masuki, we've had no reason to monitor her every move." Matsudaira told the young man.
"Exactly why you should have been. Now Akihiro has gotten close enough to touch her, physically," Masuki felt no little pleasure in letting her boyfriend know, "and knows that she hasn't been watched."
"Akihiro? Isn't he...?" Matsudaira started at the two boys direct look to be quiet, stopped in mid sentence.
"What? What is your not telling us, Toyo?" Shanna asked.
"I'll explain later, right now I want to know where he touched you."
Shanna glared at Masuki for making it seem sordid.
"My right hand, he kissed it."
Toyoharu nodded to Matsudaira, who moved towards them and glanced over Shanna's right hand seeing and feeling nothing strange on the back of the girl's hand.
"Okay, if you guys are done pawing me," Shanna glared at Masuki, "I'm going to go home since he killed my workout."
"I'll come with you." Masuki told her as she moved towards the entrance to the office.
"No. Do me a favor and get your things out of your room tonight and into that apartment of yours before I have a hard time explaining to your parents why, with only being back a week, they'll have to do without their eldest son for quite a time longer when I kill you."
So pissed at him she stocked out of the room, with Keizo tossing an "I'll see her home" before either Toyoharu or Masuki could say anything else to upset her.
"Looks like your charm with the opposite sex ends with Shanna, eh Masuki?" Jun asked, quietly as Toyoharu left the room to go see if he could get a hold of some report.
"I wouldn't say that, Jun." Masuki mused, before nodding to Matsudaira and leaving the room.
~ ~ ~ ~
Got your interest peeked? Well, more to come with lots more details of what exactly is going on. Let me know what you think.
~Scandal~
October 28, 2001
Chapter 1: The Homecoming
Written by: Scandalous Behavior
~ ~ ~ ~
Another 3 years later…
The night had a way of concealing what no one wanted to see. At least that was the way three people always saw it and all three happened to be out that very night. As usual the silver light from the moon lit up the forested area that hid the single hidden away house of one of the most important, if not well-known, families of Tokyo. In the gravel round about drive way was parked right in front of the front door was a black hard top Jeep with the windows all fogged up from the two bodies inside of it. Only if you got close to the window could you make out the shapes and vaguely see just what was causing the condensation on the windows.
Not having enough room with the bucket seats of the interior of the Jeep kept the two teenagers from doing much more than kissing and feeling each other with their hands. The female was making half-moaning sounds in the back of her throat as the male found his hand under her red-knit sweater that had been picked for the clinging to the skin feature it had and as his hand cupped her black bra clad breast she kissed his talented mouth all that much more aggressively. Finally he pulled back with that sleepy-cat eyed look he always got after a good make out session. It was a major turn on, since to her it made him twice as sexy as he was normally.
The passenger side door opened and he climbed out, as she righted her angled clothes back into some sort of order and then gave him her most sensual pouty look. In the dark she saw the moon cast a reflection on his face and caught his wink as he shut the door and walked around to the driver side, as she rolled down the window.
Then out of the corner of his eye as he walked around the cold-steel vehicle saw on the balcony of the wood and glass house on the second story was a female figure, reminding him of his practically houseguest status. A scowl touched his lips and then disappeared as his most recent girlfriend smiled at him.
"Have good dreams, lover." Chiye Sawanobori called to him before turning on the Jeep and with a flip of her brown tendrils drove away.
Having watched his girlfriend make her way down the private drive and onto the highway leading back into the city of Tokyo, his face took on a narrowed eyed look and with a swift movement of air leapt onto the second story balcony, not surprised that the girl standing there in nothing but a pair of blue-green plaid pants and a loose blue t-shirt with her hair still in the ponytail that got divided into three braids didn't even flinch at his appearing so suddenly with non-human reflexes.
Her arms were crossed on the balcony wooden railing, just looking out like she hadn't seen a thing when he knew damn well she had seen everything. Leaning against the house, next to the sliding screen doors that led into her bedroom, he took out a cigarette from his black leather jacket top pocket and lit it with his lighter from his jean pocket. Snapping the lid back on the lighter finally got her to recognize that he was standing behind her off to the side and wasn't planning on moving any time soon.
"Spying on me again?" his voice was harsh and chilly, not letting on that he was even the little bit interested in why she was such a night-owl every night.
"And why would I do that?" her own voice wasn't all that pleasant either, "I am not in the habit in wondering about your mating rituals or your obvious taste in girlfriends."
A cloud of cigarette smoke came right next to her, brushing against her neck and ear as she could then feel the body heat of him having moved to stand almost directly behind her.
"Oh, no? Then again I shouldn't be surprised that a virgin, a cold one at that, would have no feeling about anything anyhow from the neck down. My mistake."
Turning as she quickly realized that he was almost touching her standing so close that her own body brushed his as she turned and the leather of his jacket brushed her t-shirt covered body, causing her nipples to push against the thin material as if to invite his touch.
"I really don't care what you think about me. Really I don't care why you are back after being gone so long without a word to anyone until two weeks ago when you mysteriously decided to come home and I couldn't care less that you seem to be a bitch-magnet to all the girls at our school. Now if you'll excuse me, it's getting late and I have to be up early."
He didn't move standing a head taller than she was and leaning forward that forced her to move a step back. His hands coming to rest on either side of her, gripping the railing, his left hand flicking the now burnt out cigarette onto the gravel driveway below.
"You and I are going to come to an understanding. All I care about is that you stay out of my way."
Looking into those deep green pools of his eyes, that had that un-natural cat-tendency for the pupils to contract, had the tiniest bit of gold flicker in them as his voice grew indifferent. Her own blue eyes with the hint of crimson about her irises glared back at him.
"Sounds fine to me," she ducked under his arm and glanced over her shoulder, "just as long as we understand each other."
His lips twisted just an inch into a smug smile.
"Oh, and by the way," he paused turning around and then leaned back on his arms still gripping the railing, "I guess you're not as immune to me as you'd like to think." His black head nodded to the all too-revealing outline of her nipples in the material.
"It's cold," she called before she was about to shut the screen she had just opened, "don't let it go to your head that you have any affect on my body whatsoever. I don't usually go for prowling tom-cats and your DNA has nothing to do with it."
A click on the screen was the next sound he heard before he let out a stream of curses that had been building up since he had first saw the she was once again facing the moon and the night like some priestess to it all. Jumping onto the lower roof off to the left and then onto the small balcony that led into his room, he opened the screen and slammed it almost making it bounce off the hinges. He tossed his leather jacket in the corner on top of his stereo system and then kicked off the sneakers next to his queen-sized bed before laying back on it, crossing his arms under his head and staring up at the ceiling.
Why did he always let that petite sandy-haired blond get to him? It was like they went around in circles about their mutual dislike of one another that had his parents playing referee. Not that he didn't appreciate how having the younger girl in the house was a load off his mind when it came to his younger sister, who was the champion on how great that bundle of sarcasm was. One of things that had him coming back rather in New York with his adopted grandparents Daitetsu and Ryoko Kunikida was that he admittedly was worried about the sprite. After all the things he had heard of what his mother and his aunt had gone through it got to him that his sister might have to go through the same things. Then to come home to find that he had hardly been missed thanks to the blonde's presence.
Getting up he pulled off his green t-shirt over his head and then climbed under the blankets of his bed, not remembering that he had even made it that morning but was sure that his mother had done it. Even after being gone for almost three years she still had the maternal instinct in her to nurture him as if he was still the naïve fifteen year old he had been rather than the eighteen year old hard ass he was now. With a small yawn, he laid back and let sleep take him.
~ ~ ~ ~
Morning came all too soon for her, as it shown in from the screens that let light in and from the two glass white curtained windows in the room that had been hers for almost seven years now. Rubbing at her eyes, she suddenly remembered last night and groaned at the thought.
Well you sure know how to make yourself personable to him, don't you, Shanna? She berated herself. There goes your plan to be nicer to him.
Tossing off the white with silver lining comforter she put her feet on the wooden flooring that had most of it covered up with the big blue rug that kept her feet from freezing in the morning. Her hair cascaded around her in a tangled mess as she had taken her hair down like she did every night and realized how long it was getting. Standing up she went to the bathroom that connected to her and Kimiko's rooms and turned on the shower, tossing her clothes in the hamper and getting in letting the water spray her in the face before taking the shampoo and cleaning her hair.
It wasn't like she hadn't tried to be nice to him the first day he got back from the trip that neither one of his parents wanted to talk about. She really had but for some reason whenever they tried to have a normal conversation it turned into a battle of wits leaving both of them angry at the end. Even Kimiko, his ten-year-old sister was at a loss from how to deal with her sullen older brother who was always polite to her but still distant. And then after seeing him again with that Chiye Sawanobori who had chosen Shanna to be her snip-at-toy this year, she had been all sarcasm-witch again. Being the daughter of the mayor of Tokyo made the girl think that she was above anyone else and even more when Chiye finally got the newest hot guy of Tokyo High to go out with her. Then it wasn't like he was going to say no with her practically throwing herself at him, what normal hot-blooded male would turn down that kind of invitation? Shanna turned off the water after finishing her hair and body she pulled open the shower door and grabbed her towel drying herself off before slipping into her comfortable terry-cloth robe and combing her hair back into a ponytail held with the black band and then dividing the hair in the ponytail into three individual braids and binding each end of the braid with smaller black bands. Going into her room she pulled out her green school uniform and once she was finished dressing she sat on her bed to finish putting her homework into her bag. What was with her lately? She had a very full life that she should be able to deal with him being back in it, considering most of her friends were male. Sometimes she swore that life was playing a trick on her making her female when all it did was make everything in her life five million times more complicated. As she zipped her backpack she remembered what he said last night about her body responding to his. Was that true? Did she actually think herself attracted to that jerk again? Praying that what she had told him in response to his words was right she headed downstairs.
~ ~ ~ ~
Momiji Fujimija Kusanagi, the former Princess Kushinada, watched her youngest daughter Kimiko dressed for elementary school bouncing down the stairs with her thick auburn hair pulled away from her face with two rabbit hair clips and a smile came to Momiji's lips. Her daughter completely reminded her of herself at that age. Ten-years-old without a care in the world, followed by the girl she had come to love as a daughter Shanna Sugishita all dressed in her high school uniform. Noticing that her son, Masuki, made his way down with his leather jacket on over the green pants and white buttoned down shirt, the tie hanging loose around his neck. He completely reminded her of the sex appeal that Kusanagi had and still had, that he must have been just like Masuki drawing girls to him without even trying. Only little things separated how much her husband and her son looked alike which was that Masuki had her eyes, the dark green of the Kushinada and that Masuki's hair was more black than green. Taking in her son's appearance, even though he had been back a week still made her realize how much she had missed him. Knowing that what he had done had to have been done still didn't make her miss him or not want him back any less.
Seeing the rolling eyes of her son towards Shanna, as if to say what a goody-goody she was in her immaculate uniform and with all her work done in her bag slung on her right shoulder, she shook her head. If only those two would get along she might have everything she ever wanted.
"Morning, Momiji." Shanna greeted.
"Can I ride with Shanna, Mom? She has to stop on her way to school and it's right by my school?" Kimiko asked earnestly, bringing Momiji's eyes to rest on the older girl.
"It's nothing just something I was working off I need to drop off to Toyoharu." Shanna explained, simply causing Masuki to raise any eyebrow at the name of his technical-uncle who was more like an older brother.
"Why do you need to go to the TAC?" Masuki wondered.
"I work there."
Kusanagi came in from the study with a book and found himself almost stumbling from the hug that Kimiko laughed at him, causing him to lean down and hug his daughter.
"Good morning, Daddy. Shanna's gonna drive me to school so you don't have too, okay?"
Kusanagi saw Shanna nod and then looked at Momiji.
"Sure if it's okay with your mother."
"Please, Mommy?"
"You can go, Kimiko. Just be sure to mind Shanna."
As if on queue to imitate her brother, Kimiko rolled her eyes.
"I will. Come on, Shanna."
Grabbing the older girl's hand, Kimiko pulled Shanna out of the house, followed by Masuki who went over to his Kawasaki motorcycle that was parked in the garage with Shanna's VW Bug.
"What do you do at TAC?"
"Nothing that would interest you, Masuki. Get in, Kimiko."
Shanna shut the door after her opening her door and Kimiko climbed into the passenger seat. Masuki watched her pull out and narrowed his eyes on what she could possibly do at the TAC that he didn't know about.
~ ~ ~ ~
After dropping off her folder of research she had been doing for Toyoharu Kunikida and waving goodbye to Kimiko at the elementary school, she drove and parked at Tokyo High. Heading up the sidewalk to the school doors and inside to instantly find the halls filled with people whispering and other talking loudly, which was strange because they were all just standing no one walking. Walking to her locker, she found a bunch of girls gathered around it and finally managed to get into it feeling eyes on the back of her neck.
"Hey, Shanna!" came the female voice of Akemi Takada, the black haired brown eyed girl making her way around the standing crowd.
"Akemi, what is going on and why do I feel like I'm on display?" Shanna asked her friend, shoving her bag into her locker and retrieving the books she'd need for her first few classes.
"You don't know? Oh, yeah you just got in this mob," Akemi's fast talking way was causing Shanna to stare at her, to just get to the point, "it seems like you have an admirer whose been asking about you since early this morning."
"An admirer?" Shanna shut her locker.
"This really, I mean really, hot guy who looks like a senior and has had all the girls staring at him all morning. He's in the courtyard now but it was strange cause he first got in here he was like just asking about you."
"Me? As in me in general or where I was?"
"Both actually. It's really mysterious and he is really nice to answer all our questions but won't say why he wants to talk to you. Masuki got here a couple minutes ago and the two actually looked like they were going to fight right then and there it was so weird."
"Akemi, are you sure you haven't eaten any mushrooms or something? You are not making any sense."
"Shanna! Here, come on I'll take you to him and you can see for yourself."
Yanking on Shanna's wrist, the brunette made her way into the courtyard to one of the cherry trees where underneath on one of the cement benches sat a guy who in any terms could only be described as perfectly hot. With long hair seemed to be made out of sunlight it was so golden, and looking up with brown-gold eyes in the uniform that fit his body as if it had been tailor made that made no other guy at the school look good enough to eat in. He stood up as he saw her and she was taken aback by the way he moved that it reminded her of Masuki's grace-like cat reflexes. Akemi stepped to the side of her friend and gave him a straight line to Shanna.
Taking her right hand in his, he kissed the back of it looking into her eyes the entire time he did it that it sent a tingling feeling up her arm that she almost dropped the books she held to her side with her left hand.
"You are Shanna." He stated, his voice like a smooth flowing wave.
Finally finding her tongue, as the girls behind her were sighing at the romantic gesture, she spoke, "I'm Shanna."
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Akihiro."
Letting her hand go, his fingers caressed her palm and she pulled back not understanding the sensations his touch was invoking.
"Akihiro!" came the enraged voice of Masuki, who seemed to appear out of thin air between Shanna and Akihiro, who was about three inches taller than Masuki, "just what the hell do you think your doing?!"
Before either one could say another word the bell rang and groans at having to go to class came from the observers in the courtyard, as if breaking whatever spell seemed to have been cast on them. Shuffling of bodies and movement came from every angle of the yard. But Masuki and Akihiro had yet to move.
"Masuki." Akihiro's voice was amused.
"Masuki, what are you doing?" Shanna demanded, finally getting his attention to have him glance over his shoulder at her.
"Just go to class, Shanna."
"No. What is going on?"
"Shanna, just do it!" Masuki growled and she glanced over his leather-clad shoulder to Akihiro, who seemed amused about Masuki's actions but only inclined his head towards her as Akemi and Shanna left.
As soon as the door closed, Masuki's stance changed into a fight stance.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Why, nothing."
"Don't give me that. I saw you with her and I want to know just what you think your doing."
"Nothing that she did not permit."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
Akihiro took a step back, hands in his pockets of his green pants.
"Why don't you ask her? I must be going."
With a swift wind, Akihiro had disappeared and Masuki knew he had a whole new set of problems to deal with.
~ ~ ~ ~
Trying to go over why the whole thing seemed so strange, Shanna repeated everything to Keizo Yaegashi. The seventeen year old red-orange haired guy that was the Junior Class Clown was also the editor of the school paper and her best friend along with Akemi, which at one time Masuki had also had that position as well. Sitting on top of the teacher's desk that Keizo had full use of as his desk, her legs dangling off the edge she bit into a chip as she talked to him, sitting behind the desk in his chair with his hands typing over and over on the keyboard.
"So you're telling me that although you two are fighting like cats and dogs at home just a while ago he was 'saving' you from some new guy?"
"Right, it was the strangest thing. The guy kisses my hand, states my name when I had never met or seen him and then Masuki appears out of no where to break it up. I think I am going to start charging interfering with my life charges against him if he doesn't stop being such a jerk."
"Well, at least that hasn't changed." Keizo mused.
"Very funny, Kei. What do you think? Did some New Yorker take his brain and replace it with someone else's or what? I can't take the fact that he acts like I'm the enemy at home even though he's announced his moving out intentions."
"Can it also be that you can't stand Chiye and don't want to see him with her?"
"He's back a week, one freakin' week and Chiye is on him like flies on..."
Keizo held up his hand in protest of her reference.
"It's not like he's complaining, Shanna."
"Right, like you'd complain to have Miss Tokyo-Mayor's-daughter all over you?" Shanna asked.
"The guy is human."
"Tell that to his Aragami DNA. He's worse than the jocks, one day and he's got every single girl at school panting after him."
"I could see where a guy might hate that attention." Keizo said thoughtfully, and then grinned.
"Why am I asking you anyway? You're a guy."
"The reason you are is because," Keizo stood up and tugged on one of her braids before coming around the desk, "you used to be in love with his Bad Ass self and now want to know why the guy you loved is no longer around, coming back as a completely different person with no one answering your questions and I am the only one listening."
"Thank you, Dr. Yaegashi." Shanna said sarcastically.
"You just have to face facts that whatever changed Masuki is deeper than what you'd think." Keizo stated and Shanna looked at the guy she considered the one true person that understood her.
"But what could? I'm almost starting to think the guy I lo....knew," Shanna caught herself but Keizo only grinned as he went over papers littering the other reporters desks, "was all in my head from day one."
"Being ten does have a way of making people nicer, doesn't it?"
"All I know is that whatever kindness Masuki has for me anymore is extended into telling me who I can socialize with now."
"He is one of the people that is protecting you."
"Protecting me from what? Having a life?"
"No," came the mildly irritated male voice of Masuki Kusanagi, "from making a bad choice that has too many consequences to name."
Shanna jumped off the desktop and made her way over to him, standing in the doorway looking way too much like her over active imagination's remembrance of him.
"Pick up the habit of sneaking up on people and eavesdropping," Shanna wondered, "not very attractive qualities."
"Keep it up, Sunshine, I'll introduce you to some of my other non-attractive qualities."
"Why don't you go jump your girlfriend or has the football team already taken up Her Highness's time for the afternoon?"
Keizo had to keep from laughing at the picture; Shanna always had such a colorful way with words. Masuki only lifted the corner of his lips in that half-smile she was beginning to detest.
"Are you ready to go?" Masuki asked Keizo, who shrugged.
"About as done as I'm going to get this afternoon," Keizo started motioning them out and locked the door,
"Coming to the TAC, Shanna?"
"If he's there I'd rather be anywhere else. Tell Toyo I'll stop by his house after gymnastics."
"Sure."
Masuki only nodded to Shanna as Keizo and he walked the other way to the parking lot.
"She goes out by herself?"
Keizo wore a strange expression on his face at his old friend.
"Why shouldn't she? We don't put her in a cage, Masuki, you know we never did, although it was brought up by your father last time we went out to the club and he caught sight of what she was wearing." Keizo chuckled at the memory when it had been Shanna's sixteenth and they headed to the 'Popular' hang out and made Chiye see just what Shanna looked like which would give even the Mayor's Precious Jewel a run for her money in the looker department.
"Does she have a boyfriend?"
Keizo now wanted to know what Masuki was getting at, although he should know all about Shanna from phone calls with his parents.
"She's been dating Toyoharu for six months, Masuki," Keizo stated.
That was the last thing that was said for the whole ride to the TAC.
~ ~ ~ ~
Masuki couldn't explain why that fact, the one that had Shanna with Toyoharu, bothered him so much only that it did and that he wasn't able to comprehend why was going to drive him nuts. Keizo followed in his car to the Terrestrial Administration Center, the new building in Upper Downtown Building that was over fifty stories tall and with half the Defense Force, Research Division, and the entire TAC center inside along with many labs for all the new discovers they had been doing the last fourteen years. Setting the motorcycle in the back parking lot, Masuki turned off the engine and waited for Keizo to park and get out of the car.
Heading into the building he ignored the obvious looks of interest and some distain from others at having the 'Bad Boy' back in the TAC as he had been dubbed the first day he got back to Japan and entered the TAC after three years. He had changed and so, it seemed, had everyone else. Right now he had a bone to pick with his 'older brother'. Hitting the button for the twenty-fifth floor, Keizo only shook his head as if sensing what was up with Masuki. The red head could always read him, not that he wasn't grateful it saved on having to un-necessary talks. Getting off the elevator onto the floor, which was redecorated with pictures taken from amateur and pro shots on the supposed monsters from years ago now known as Aragami hung on the white walls, the gray-marble flooring and into the large main room where the desks of the true leaders of the TAC stayed. The offices in New York were over-done, blown out of proportion and without the true meaning behind the entire idea, which was one of the reasons, he was glad to be back in Tokyo, putting aside other reasoning. The object of his full attention was behind a chair and desk, as usual blue-black bangs falling into his eyes and blue eyes hidden behind trendy eye glasses, with a turtleneck dark blue sweater and slacks on. Every inch the leader's son, and now the leader.
Masuki sensed more than saw that Azusa Matsudaira was in the corner of the room, in the comfort area of plush chairs and a couch going over lab reports on her notebook desktop with her son, the eldest of the new team Jun at one of the built in book cases flipping through a cataloged photographed book of different plant life. Keizo had settled at his own desk nearest to the entrance of the door, dropping his bag on the gray stone colored desk his brown eyes settling on the figure of his confrontational friend. Matsudaira raised an inquisitive black eyebrow and Keizo nodded to Masuki standing in front of Toyoharu Kunikida's desk.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were keeping things from me." Masuki stated going around the desk to lean against one of the wall beams that was to the side of Toyoharu's back.
"I didn't keep anything from you, Masuki," Toyoharu's whole manner was the absolute personification of calm, "if you didn't know something you probably didn't read my report or didn't bother to ask."
"I shouldn't have to ask about things that involved my family."
At the tone level reaching a pitch higher, Jun looked towards the two second eldest of the second generation of TAC, and then saw Keizo only grin and nod to keep watching and not disturb the two.
"Last time I checked," Toyoharu finally tore his navy blue eyes from the computer screen to look at the enraged green-eyed glaze of the man he considered to be practically a brother, "she wasn't your family."
As Keizo knew Masuki's emotions, so did Toyoharu.
"That's beside the point. She also associates with Aragami, or didn't she tell you?"
Toyoharu settled back in his chair, crossing his arms.
"Care to explain? The only Aragami that are alive, technically, is your father, you, and your sister Kimiko. No other Aragami."
"Wrong, bro. Akihiro decided to make the acquaintance of your girlfriend this afternoon."
Surprise showed clearly on Toyoharu's features.
"You're sure it was him?"
Bitterness entered Masuki's voice, "I'd know him anywhere."
"You sensed him."
Masuki shrugged at the accusation.
"If I did I didn't expect him to have a death wish."
"After what happened with Caroline.."
Masuki inhaled sharply at the female's name that caught Keizo's attention. Glancing to Jun, he mouthed 'Whose Caroline', Jun shrugged haven't heard anything about any girl by that name.
"Damn it, Masuki, I could kill you!" Shanna's angered voice entered the tense conversation as all attention went to the leotard-clad teen whose eyes burned, seemingly towards the half amused, half annoyed Masuki.
"Shanna, are you supposed to be at gymnastics?" Toyoharu asked, standing and coming around the desk as her immediate steps was leading her closer to the object of her current aggravation.
"I would be," Toyoharu was now standing in front of her with concerned eyes, "if some jerk hadn't called the Gymnasium and stated that if I happened to show up that I can't enter without an escort or parent do to my delicate health. A jerk by the last name of Kusanagi, which could only be that Pole-Up-His-Ass Masuki since Kusanagi was the one who enrolled me."
Masuki only looked uninterested at her, as Toyoharu put his hands on her upper arms to keep her from wanting to kill the eldest son of her guardians.
"Her delicate health?" Keizo questioned with no little amount of amusement.
"I simply told them that should a Miss Sugishita arrive that her health was not in the best way, mentally or physically," Masuki explained at Shanna's growl of frustration at not being able to choke the life out of him, "and if she did not have an escort or adult with her it would be in the Gym's best interest not to admit her."
"Who the hell died and made you my guardian, Masuki?"
"Since obviously no one else can seem to do the job, Sunshine, looks like I got the unwanted job."
Twisting out of Toyoharu's gentle hold, she walked up to him and with a flat palm raised her hand to him only to have him catch her wrist and force her, unseen by the others, to come flat against his body molding their body features against one another.
"Do it again, Sunshine," the endearment always snide, "and we'll see how far you're willing to do to get at me."
The comment wasn't loud enough to carry and she glared retaliation at him before he let go of her hand and put distance between them.
"Shanna hasn't been in any danger since she was ten, Masuki, we've had no reason to monitor her every move." Matsudaira told the young man.
"Exactly why you should have been. Now Akihiro has gotten close enough to touch her, physically," Masuki felt no little pleasure in letting her boyfriend know, "and knows that she hasn't been watched."
"Akihiro? Isn't he...?" Matsudaira started at the two boys direct look to be quiet, stopped in mid sentence.
"What? What is your not telling us, Toyo?" Shanna asked.
"I'll explain later, right now I want to know where he touched you."
Shanna glared at Masuki for making it seem sordid.
"My right hand, he kissed it."
Toyoharu nodded to Matsudaira, who moved towards them and glanced over Shanna's right hand seeing and feeling nothing strange on the back of the girl's hand.
"Okay, if you guys are done pawing me," Shanna glared at Masuki, "I'm going to go home since he killed my workout."
"I'll come with you." Masuki told her as she moved towards the entrance to the office.
"No. Do me a favor and get your things out of your room tonight and into that apartment of yours before I have a hard time explaining to your parents why, with only being back a week, they'll have to do without their eldest son for quite a time longer when I kill you."
So pissed at him she stocked out of the room, with Keizo tossing an "I'll see her home" before either Toyoharu or Masuki could say anything else to upset her.
"Looks like your charm with the opposite sex ends with Shanna, eh Masuki?" Jun asked, quietly as Toyoharu left the room to go see if he could get a hold of some report.
"I wouldn't say that, Jun." Masuki mused, before nodding to Matsudaira and leaving the room.
~ ~ ~ ~
Got your interest peeked? Well, more to come with lots more details of what exactly is going on. Let me know what you think.
~Scandal~
October 28, 2001