Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Jusst Like Romeo and Juliet ❯ First Meeting ( Chapter 1 )

Just Like Romeo and Juliet

Well, almost...

Chapter 1. First Meeting

By: Gator Ri

I just got to thinking one day how did Chichiri...er...Houjun and Kouran meet? So I decided to make it up myself for all of those who were wondering the same thing.

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Houjun and Hikou were heading to the river to fish again. It was their favorite past time ever since they were kids, but they were now almost seventeen about to start lives of their own. That's when Houjun saw her, not for the first time, but it was the first time that he really took notice of her. He knew that her name was Kouran. He stopped and watched as she walked along wiht a basket under one arm, probably to go get some fresh food from the little village market. He sighed she was very beaugtiful, her eyes, her smile, the way she carried herself...he got snapped out of his thoughts.....

"EARTH to HOUJUN!" Hikou was waving a hand in front of his face.

Houjun smiled at his friend, "Hey, I'm alright I just got...umm...a little side tracked that's all."

Hikou looked off in the direction that his friend had been staring just in time to see Kouran disappear around a building. He smiled knowingly.

Houjun catching his friend's look out of the corner of his eye blushed, "Hey come on! let's go get those fish! Race ya!"

Hikou shook his head as he watched Houjun take off towards the river but not to be beaten he ran after him.

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Kouran walked towards the village's market so that she could get some fresh bread for supper. But she couldn't help but think about the boy she had saw staring at her so intently. He had such a penetrating gaze. "Oof!" she ran into someone. Looking up she noticed that it was a boy her age but not the one she had hoped. ducking her head, "I'm sorry."

The boy, whose name was Otokoyu, smiled at her, "That's okay," backing her up against a building he pushed her chin up with his hand, "But I know how you could make it up to me."

Kouran smacked his hand away and glared at him, "What makes you think that I would want to hang out with the likes of you!" she could tell that he had the temperment of a trouble maker.

Otokoyu was angered by this but before he could answer he was called by his father to hurry his ass up. Kouran sighed in releif as she watched the trouble maker disappear behind another house. She picked up her basket that she had dropped and continued on her way.

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Houjun reached the river first, "Ha! beat ya!"

Hikou came puffing up, "Hey I'm not as atheletic okay?" shakes his head at Houjun, "Anyway lets see who can catch the most fish today."

Houjun smiled, "You're on!"

They both dropped their lines in the water and waited each hoping to catch more fish than the other. After a long wait Hikou finally got a bite and pulled in a nice sized brook trout. He smiled at Houjun's face, "Ha! One nothing."

Houjun got a determined look on his face, if it was one thing that he wasn't as good at as Hikou it was catching a lot of fish. He had the patience but the fish just never seemed to like his bait. But today he was going to catch the most fish, or at least that's what he hoped. Of course he hoped that everytime they went fishing.

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Kouran got what she needed at the market and started on her way back home. She hope that she would run into that boy that she saw looking at her earlier. He looked nice enough and just the way he held himself, so confident. She smiled to herself. But to her disappointment she reached home without seeing the boy agian. She didn't know his name although he looked very familiar. Of course she didn't know many people in the village at all, what with her staying home most of the time to help her sick mother with the younger ones. She sighed and continued cleaning some raw vegitables so that they all could enjoy a meal.

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Houjun looked at the sun, "Shit! I'm late for supper! My parents are going to skin me alive!" pulling his line out of the water he threw the bait in and disappointedly started back towards his home.

Hikou laughed after his friend, for he hadn't caught anything today, "Well, I guess that makes me the winner today!" he called after Houjun. But he too picked up his pole and then his fish and headed back towards home where his parents would be waiting for him.

Houjun reached his home and went in. His parents were scowling at him. He gave a half smile, "Uh...sorry."

His father leveled a look at his almost grown son, "You need to learn how to be a bit more responsible when it comes to being on time. You're almost ready to start a life of you own," his look softened, "We just want the best for you."

Houjun nodded somewhat ashamed, "I know," he took his seat at the table as did his parents and the meal bagan.

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The next day Houjun went with his father like he did every morning to go work in the fields. As the sun got warmer Houjun sweated more. He hated this work! He was not going to be a farmer that was for sure. He didn't know what he was going to do but he knew that he definately was not going to work and slave like his father and end up with nothing. Although he knew that one day he would get married and start a family of his own. He smiled to himself as he thought about Kouran. His father came up to him, "Alright, it is mid day you can leave now."

Houjun happily dropped what he had been doing and trotted off. His father was very kind that was for sure. He never made him stay in the feild past mid day. Houjun knew that he was lucky for most boys his age would spend the whole day in the feild.

He walked along the road and decided to take a stroll in the woods. As the leaves crunched under his foot steps he reveled in the smells and sounds of the forest. He loved nature, especially when it was like this. All peacreful. He sighed and leaned against a tree to watch some squirrels squabble over a hickory nut.

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Kouran saw her father off as she did every morning, for her mother needed her rest. "Good bye, papa." she smiled at him.

"Good bye, daughter." he sighed and went out the door, like he did ever since she could remember he would be up and go to his shop before the sun had risen. She admired her father for that, for she knew that the only reason he got up and went at all was for his family.

Kouran started to make breakfast for her mother and the little ones for she knew that they would soon be up. First she went and gathered the eggs from the few chickens that they and boiled them in water.

A little face peeped out from behind the curtained doorway. Kouran looked up and laughed, "Shitara, don't scare me like that!" she got up and pulled her younger sister into a hug.

Shitara giggled, "You shouldn't have been scared. I do that every morning!"

Kouran laughed, "I know but I never know when you're going to pop up," she smiled down at her sister, "Now go get the others. Breakfast is almost ready," Shitara ran off and did as told.

Soon they were all out and sitting at the table waiting for Kouran to bring them their food. Kouran served them and then made a plate for her mother. Walking into her parent's room she walked softly over to the bed, "Mother?"

Weakly her mother answered, "Just leave it on the stand. I'll eat it later."

Kouran did as asked and turned to walk out. She wasn't happy about this her mother rarely ate anything and would not listen to Kouran. She sat down with the little ones and ate herself.

After they had finished eating Kouran pushed the kids outside to play so that she could get some work done. By the time that she got everything cleaned up it was already noon and time for the younger kids to have a snack to hold them over 'til dinner. After that Kouran went out to weed the small vegtable garden that she kept for their fresh veggies. She worked at pulling the weeds. As she did so her mind wandered back to the boy who had looked at her with that penetrating gaze. She sure would like to know who he was. She started having little fantasies to herself about maybe he was an imperial guard or a gallant hero....

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Houjun luaghed as the smaller squirrel ran off happily with the big nut. He continued walking letting his feet take him where they would. Coming out of the woods he looked up to see where he was and noticed Kouran kneeled in the dirt of a vegatable garden pulling weeds. He smiled to himself and walked up to her, "Would you like some help?"

Startled at the sudden voice. Kouran jumped back and looked to see whom it was that was speaking to her. Her eyes widened, it was the boy with those eyes! SHe blushed a bit self consciously under his gaze, "Um...sure."

Houjun smiled at her, "Alright then," he got down in the dirt and started pulling weeds. "Oh no! not that one!" Houjun dropped the plant that he was holding and look at her startled, "What!?"

Laughing Kouran answered, "That's a plant!" she laughed harder when he blushed in embarrassment.

Houjun looked at the plant in his hand and carefully put it back, *sweatdrop* "Oops! I guess I don't know my plants like I thought I did." he luaghed a bit.

She chuckled as they started on weeding again, "So..." she didn't really know what to say to him.

"So...." he answered back also not knowing what to say so they worked in silence. Finally done Houjun stood up to go. "Hey, you can't go yet."

Bewildered Houjun looked down at Kouran, "Why?"

Kouran smiled up at him, "I don't even know your name!"

Houjun got a little red, "Oh! the name is Houjun!" he extended a hand and helped her up, "And you're Kouran." he luaghed at her shocked face.

"H-ho-how..." she stammered.<BR
Smiling at her he said, "I know just about everyone in the village," he turned and walked back towards the woods and waved at her, "See ya!" he disappeared into the trees.

Kouran looked after him and smiled happily, he's so Kawaii! She got pulled out of her reverie when she noticed the height of the sun. OH! she had to go to town yet and get some more bread. She grabbed her basket and hurried off.