Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ SeeDs, Ronins, and Scouts ❯ Meeting Ma Rei Fuan ( Chapter 17 )

Ronin Warriors, Sailor Moon, and Final Fantasy VIII do not belong to me. They belong to Sunrise Inc., Toei Animation, and Squaresoft respectively. PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!!!!!!!! Only the plot of the story and any new characters belong to me.

"Meeting Ma Rei Fuan: Kento and Mina"

Chapter Seventeen

Balamb City:

Kento and Mina decided to look around Balamb in order to kill some time. They stopped in a few stores and stocked up on Potions, Echo Screens, and Remedies.

"Is that everything you guys need?" Mina asked as they walked out Balamb's Supply Shop.

"I guess so," Kento murmured as he walked alongside his companion. He looked to his left and saw the mechanics, technical engineers, and other construction workers began building one of the roller coaster rides for the festival.

"Looks like they're almost done setting up for the festival," Mina observed as she continued walking on the sidewalk.

"Well, looks to me like the festival will be better this year than in the past," Kento commented. He looked at his watch-bracelet. "Looks like we can stop by my mom's place. I haven't seen her since last December."

"Really? Now?" Mina asked as she stopped at a nearby bench. She placed the bags on the bench and looked at her partner skeptically. "Do I look okay?" She quickly smoothed out her white oxford shirt and khaki slacks. "I really don't want to look a mess on the first meeting." She began patting her French braid and fixing the feathery tendrils around her face.

Kento chuckled softly as he placed his hands on the curve of her small waist. "Don't worry about your appearance. You look beautiful." He gave her a quick peck on her forehead. "Ma Rei Fuan doesn't care about how you look. She looks more at what the person values…" - he took her hand and placed it over her heart - "…here." He smiled as he picked up the bags. "Besides, I know that my mom will like you."

"Okay Kento. I'll take your word for it," Mina smiled as she walked alongside her companion to their destination.

Rei Fuans' Residence:

Sara `Ma' Rei Fuan stood at the sink, washing the dishes. She sighed sadly as she stared out the window. "I know that he's busy with school and traveling. I wish that he would come to visit me," she murmured to herself.

"Mama, is everything okay?" her fifteen year old daughter asked.

Ma Rei Fuan snapped out of her musings and looked at her daughter. She plastered on a fake smile. "Everything's fine Maya. Why don't you go and check on your younger brother?" she suggested.

The young lady left the kitchen in search of her younger sibling. "Mom's a little upset about something," Maya contemplated to herself. "It's making her quite depressed…"

Suddenly, the chime of the doorbell resonated throughout the house. Her younger sibling jogged down the stairs and dashed to the front door. "I got the door dweeb!! Just go back upstairs and play your Game Boy or something!"

"Whatever," her ten-year-old brother mumbled before he bumped her out the way, then opened the door. He smiled brightly and hugged the person on the other side of the entrance. "Brother!!!"

"Hey Kenji. How's school going?" Kento asked as returned the embrace. He greeted his sister with a warm smile. "Hey Maya." He walked inside the house and sat the bags on the floor. "Where's Mom? I want her to meet someone."

"What's all the commotion going on in here?" Ma Rei Fuan asked as she walked out the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel.

"Kento's back and he brought a friend," Kenji answered as he stood next to his older sibling.

"Oh really?" She looked from her youngest child to her oldest. "So where is this individual?" the raven-haired woman smiled.

Kento looked at his companion and gestured for her to come inside. He gave a warm smile to easily soothe her nervousness. "Awww… come on. My family won't bite," he teased.

Mina carefully stepped over the threshold and walked inside the living room. "Hi," she greeted meekly as she stood next to Kento.

"So who is this beautiful, young lady?" the forty-two year old woman asked her son.

Kento grinned as his companion blushed faintly. "I don't know why she's suddenly acting shy since I know that she's really outgoing," he chuckled softly as he slowly shook his head. "Mom, Maya, Kenji, this is my friend Mina Aino," he introduced warmly. "Mina, this is my mom, my sister Maya, and my younger brother Kenji."

"It's nice to meet all of you," Mina replied softly.

"So you're the one my son's been talking about," Sara teased as she watched her oldest son's face suddenly sport a reddish hue across his nose. "Now I can definitely match a face with the name."

"Oh really?" Mina smirked as she glanced up at Kento. "So what exactly has Kento been saying about me?"

Ma Rei Fuan laughed quietly as she watched her son squirm in embarrassment. "Well, he's told me quite a few things. I must say…you're quite a catch." She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at her son. "He told me that you are caring, friendly…"

Kento dashed over to his mother and draped an arm around her shoulder. He placed his hand over his mother's mouth to stop the embarrassing comments. "Ma!!" he whined as he looked at his mother's laughing eyes. "You wasn't supposed to tell her that!" He removed his hand and watched as the raven-haired woman grinned heartily. He glanced in Mina's direction and heard a few giggles escaped her lips, as well as laughs from his brother and sister. `Hyne! This is so embarrassing!' Kento thought to himself.

Ma Rei Fuan pecked her son on the cheek, then followed it with a soft pat. "I was just teasing ya," she commented softly. She looked at Mina. "Are you guys hungry? The kids just finished eating dinner. Would you like something?"

"I'm letting you know that my mom has the best food in town," Kento boasted. "Besides, it tastes way better than the stuff they call `food' at Balamb Garden."

"I thank you Ms. Rei Fuan, but I'm really not that hungry," Mina answered.

"Nonsense sweetie. Since you're not hungry now, at least take some of the spaghetti to go," Kento's mother suggested. "Besides, I want to get to know you." She led the two young adults to the kitchen. Maya and Kenji murmured a response before they excused themselves to their rooms upstairs.

Kento prepared Mina's to-go dish before fixing his own plate. "Well…do you want some tea Mina?"

"That's fine." He handed her the tall glass of liquid and sat to her left.

"So Mina, tell me a little about yourself," Sara asked as she sat next to her.

"Well, I'm originally from Esthar," she began as she stared at her glass of tea. "I moved to Balamb City at a young age. I currently go to Balamb Garden with your son, his friends, as well as my friends. Most importantly, I love to help people in their time of need."

"So I take it that you know Rowen, Cai, Sage, and Ryo?" Ma Rei Fuan asked. Mina smiled as she nodded her head. "They are really nice young men."

Mina smiled genuinely. "Yes ma'am, I do. As a matter of fact, we hang out pretty often."

Kento's mother continued the conversation with Mina. Kento decided to check on his younger siblings.

After thirty minutes of talking with Maya, Kento quickly dashed out of her room after she yelled continuously about boys being `big stupid jerks'. "Gosh! She's already experiencing boy trouble. I'll let Mom talk with her on that subject," Kento chuckled quietly as he left his sister's room. He walked to his brother's room and knocked on the door.

Kenji heard a light rap against his bedroom door. He pressed START on his Game Boy and yelled, "Come in!!"

Kento opened the door and entered his younger brother's bedroom. "So what's the new game?"

"It's Pokémon. Why'd you ask?" Kenji asked distractedly while pressing buttons on the game device.

Kento laughed lightly and sat next to his brother. "I thought you would have been playing the Tekken game on your PlayStation 2," he commented while watching the small screen.

"I think that they're really nice," Kenji replied suddenly. He turned off the game and looked at his older sibling.

Kento blinked once, then regarded his brother. "Yeah. She's really a cool person," he answered before he drank his soda.

"So is she your girlfriend or something?"

Kento nodded his head, before he thought about his brother's question. "H-Huh? W-What?!!" he stammered. Kenji laughed before he asked the question again. "We're just close friends."

"Is she gonna be over to the house a lot?"

"Hmm…maybe. Right now, she has to go away for a while," Kento sighed before he drank the rest of the beverage.

Kenji walked over to his dresser and turned on the PlayStation 2. "Well, I hope she comes back. She's…really pretty and… I kinda like her." He handed one of the Dual Analog controllers to Kento as Tekken Tag Tournament flashed on the screen. "Whoever wins the most matches out of fifteen is the champ."

Kento smirked at his younger brother. "Well, prepare to be schooled by the master!"

Thirty minutes later, Kento smiled smugly as he left his brother's room. "He's getting pretty good at the game. I just barely won the last match," he murmured softly.

Downstairs, he heard Mina and his mother's rich laughter reached his ears. He walked down the stairs and spotted Ma Rei Fuan and his companion reposing in the living room.

Mina glanced at a photo with a young boy and a male that looked to be his late twenties. Both of the males wore huge smiles as they posed as bodybuilders in a tank top and swim trunks. "So who is this on the picture?" Mina asked curiously, pointing at the small boy.

"Sweetie, that's Kento when he was about five and his father," the raven-haired woman replied, holding back her laughter.

Mina glanced at the picture again. "He looks so much like his father," she commented honestly. She noted the similarities among the smiles, the eyes, and the hair. "Kento was so adorable when he was younger," she cooed softly before her rich laughter joined his mother's in the room.

"And I still am," Kento added as he stood behind the couch. Everyone laughed heartily.

Once the laughter died down, Kento's mother spoke. "I'm gonna go and help Kenji with his school project. I hope it doesn't have anything to do with grenades or any of the sort," she joked as she excused herself. "It was an honor to meet you Mina."

"Thank you and it was a pleasure talking with you," Mina reciprocated with a smile. "Oh, and thanks for the advice," she added as an afterthought.

The two young adults watched as raven-haired woman disappeared upstairs. Kento raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the blonde sitting on the couch. "So what were you ladies talking about?" Kento inquired curiously as he sat next to her.

Mina laughed as she thumbed through the photo album. "She just told me a few things about Maya and Kenji," she responded.

"Has my mother said something about me?"

She smirked secretly as she waved her hand nonchalantly. "She may have mentioned a few things about you."

Kento leaned over to get a better view of the photo album. "Such as?"
She closed the photo album and placed it on the couch. One of her delicate fingers tapped her chin as her face held a thoughtful expression. "Uh-uh. That's for me to know and you to never find out!" she grinned devilishly as she wiggled her finger in his face. She shrieked then laughed uncontrollably as her companion pinned her down to the couch and tickled her sides.

Kento chuckled heartily as he watched her squirm to escape from his rapidly moving fingers. He asked her again and she protested between laughs.

"I can do this all night until you tell me," he murmured in a low voice while continuing his task.

Mina laughed until tears slid down her cheeks and her stomach muscles ached. "I…will…never…tell!" she panted out between breaths.

"Now, what are you doing to the poor girl Kento?" Sara asked as she walked down the stairs. She laughed as she saw her son holding his friend captive under his tickling fingers. "Let the poor dear get some air! She's almost red in the face."

Kento smirked and stopped his fun task. "You're lucky that Mom saved you from laughing to death," he teased as he stood up. He glanced at his watch-bracelet as it showed 9:30 p.m. "I hate to cut our visit short Mom, but we have to go. Tell Maya and Kenji I'll see them later." He reached out a hand and helped Mina to her feet.

"Well, please do come by to see your family," his mother remarked while she walked with them to the door. "Mina, you are always welcomed to come by and visit as well."

Mina sealed the bags by the door in a small, oval-like capsule, courtesy of Esthar Sciences Inc (A.N. It's similar to Capsule Corp. in the Dragonball series). She slid the capsule into her purse and picked up her to-go dish. "Thank you so much for everything," she said as she hugged the older woman.

Kento ushered Mina out the door before his mother grabbed his wrist. She pecked her son on the cheek. She lowered her voice to a mere whisper. "Make sure that you treat her right son. Don't ever let her get away," she advised him sternly as she stood at the door.

He and his mother shared a secret smile as Mina waited on the sidewalk. "I won't Mom," he answered in a quiet voice. " I'll talk to you later. Bye!! Love ya!"

Ten minutes later, Kento and Mina walked out of Sandy's, each with a small cup of ice cream in their hands. Kento continued eating some of his Cookies and Cream while glancing at the buildings they passed by.

Mina sighed happily as she scooped up the French vanilla ice cream and placed it in her mouth. "Hyne, I needed this," she moaned dreamily. "This is heavenly."

"So now that I've satisfied your `sweet tooth', do you mind sharing what Mom said about me?"

Mina giggled softly as she scooped up another spoonful of ice cream. "Let me think about it," she trailed off as she spotted a familiar couple standing in the line to Club Paradise. "Isn't that Ryo and Raye?"

Kento looked up from his ice cream and looked in the same direction. "That's them," he confirmed. "I heard that place plays some good dance music. I do believe they have two levels in there - the ground level's for diverse music and the second level is for karaoke."

"Well, it looks to be a nice place," she noted as Ryo and Raye saw them. The two raven-haired individuals waved to her and Kento. She and Kento returned the gesture. "I hope they have fun tonight."

Kento nodded in agreement as he disposed of his ice cream. He and his partner walked in comfortable silence as they reached the city exit. The two young adults retrieved Kento's Jeep and returned back to Balamb Garden.

After arriving to the Garden by 10:30 p.m. and parking the car in the Parking Lot, Kento and Mina perambulated slowly into the institution. They gazed at the moon and stars decorating the sky. They heard a light rumble in the air, signaling rain within the next moments.

Mina spotted the large water fountain and sat down. She pulled him down to sit next to her. "I really had fun today," she stated sincerely as she crossed her legs. A few seconds passed by slowly. "By the way, I thought your mother was really sweet. It was an honor to meet her," she commented earnestly.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed her company and presence. Seems to me that she enjoyed yours as well," Kento added as an afterthought.

Both individuals smiled at the memories formed during their visit to the Rei Fuans' residence. They looked at each other before they laughed quietly at the embarrassing and funny moments. After a few moments of pure pleasure, the two individuals looked at each other and offered a small smile. They suddenly spoke at the same time.

"Kento, I have to tell you something."

"Mina, I have to tell you something."

Kento smiled again and gestured for her to speak. "Ladies first."
She wrapped her arms around his bicep as she rested her head comfortably on his shoulder. "I just want to say thank you for just being such a wonderful friend to me," she began softly. "I am grateful to have someone in my life who is compassionate, honest, dependable, adorable, as well as lovable."

"Me? Lovable?" Kento asked incredulously.

"Yes silly, and let me continue." She grinned softly. "I realized I saw these things in you when we were together, while at the same time hiding my true feelings." She sighed before speaking. "Unfortunately I hid them from you when my friends and I found out we had to leave Earth. I was afraid that I would have my heart broken if I told you and you didn't feel the same way," she whispered sadly.

"I know what you mean," Kento added in understanding as he held one of her hands.

"I knew right then and there that I shouldn't…I couldn't hide my emotions any longer." She looked up at Kento's face. "What I'm trying to say is that I love you." A few moments of silence passed between the two. `There…I said it. If he doesn't love me back, at least I'll know the truth,' she thought to herself as she sadly turned away from him. A light rain shower fell on the two individuals.

"Well Mina, I must say that you're brave to place your feelings on the line," he commented sincerely. "I definitely feel the same way about you too Mina." The blonde-haired female turned her azure gaze to the male next to her. "I never knew how strongly I felt about you until I lost you during the power outage here."

"K-Kento? W-Wha…?" Mina stuttered.

"Hush babe and let me finish," Kento interrupted gently as tucked a few wet tendrils behind her ear. "At the time, I felt so alone. I thought I wouldn't be able to see your face, your smile, nor hear your voice again." He clenched his jaw as he tried to control his anger. "I wanted to really hurt Cale because of the condition you were in." He sighed as he closed his eyes. "I wanted him to feel the pain and anguish that I felt."

Mina stared at him in surprise as he bared his emotions and soul to her. "Kento…"

"So now I'm gonna be man enough to tell you this." He caressed her cheek as he gave her a warm smile. "I love you with my whole heart Mina Aino."

Mina released the breath that she was holding as she hugged him tightly. A heavy burden was lifted off her shoulders as tears of joy mingled with the rain shower. "You almost scared me," she whispered against his neck.

Kento chuckled softly and murmured an apology against her temple. "We better go inside before we get sick," he suggested quietly. Both individuals stood up and began walking to their destination. "Since we're in the mood of sharing things, are you gonna tell me what Mom said?" he inquired teasingly while they walked away from the fountain.

`He doesn't even realize that I told him already,' she thought smugly to herself. Mina thought about it before she gave her reply. `I guess I'll tease him a little while longer.' "Do you really wanna know?" she questioned him. Kento nodded in response. "She told me…that…" - she gave him an utterly sexy, devilish smile - "…I should wait until I come back from the mission to tell you." She laughed at the perplexed expression on his face. She kissed him on the lips and dashed towards the entrance of Balamb Garden. "Good night!!"

Kento blinked once out of his stupor and smiled to himself. `She doesn't know I know she used my mom's advice. I know she told me what Mom said about me also,' he thought contentedly to himself. `But I think that it's much more fun to let her think I'm still curious.' "What?!! You tricked me again!! You're in so much trouble with me Mina!" he yelled in the rain as he chased after her in the night.