Blurred Lines | ✓ [1st Edition]

30 | Back To Japan

"I can't believe I'm excited to go back to the country that I spent a good half of my life living in," Yuko murmured, shaking his head a little. "It must be because of you, babe."

I blushed at his term of endearment and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

"I'm innocent!" I protested, eyes twinkling.

"Keep telling yourself that, Ris," Yuko snorted with a smile.

-

When we arrived at the airport, we were immediately picked up by the Hideyoshi's private chauffeur, a polite but quiet man who told me to refer to him as Mister Daisuke. Unlike the very first time I came here, the car ride was quiet, with only the occasional crackle of paper turning because of Yuko's bookworm habits.

"It's bad for your eyesight," I chided, trying to grab the book from him, only for him to grunt in response and grab my hand that had tried to take away his beloved book.

We sat in silence for most of the car ride, hand in hand, one reading and the other staring out of the window in awe.
Japan really was a beautiful country.

It must've been a little more than an hour before we pulled up in front of the familiar Hideyoshi residence. Although I had been here before, the sheer effort and detail put into creating the castle still took my breath away.

"You like my house that much, huh?" Yuko teased, pushing the glasses that had slid down his nose back up again with a finger. Flashing me a smile, he got out of the door that Mister Daisuke had opened for him and pulled me along with him.

"I think my father's home," he mentioned. "We have to greet him first."

I nodded, feeling a little self-conscious. Although I've already met the elder Hideyoshi, I felt even more pressured to make a good impression because now, I was Yuko's girlfriend.

"Hey, don't worry, he likes you a lot," Yuko whispered into my ear, his words instantly comforting me and soothing my nerves. "Don't be so tense, alright?"

"Alright," I nodded, shooting him a small smile. Yuko led me through the maze of hallways, turning left, right, left and right again, before finally coming to a stop in front of a grand, wooden door with an embossed golden plate on it.

Knock, knock.

"Come in," his father's voice echoed softly from behind the door, and Yuko gently pushed the door handle and stepped inside the room with me in tow.

"Dad," Yuko greeted the minute he stepped in. Hesitantly, I bowed my head and greeted him, "Good morning, Mister Hideyoshi."

"Ah, Marissa! It's nice to see you again!" Kyoya Hideyoshi exclaimed, standing up from his leather seat and stretching his arms out and offering me a welcome hug. Surprised and slightly confused, I hugged Yuko's father briefly.

"I hope the flight here wasn't too rough," he commented casually with a friendly smile. Yuko nodded, smiling slightly, "It was fine."

"That's good, very good...," he trailed off, before he suddenly snapped his fingers and averted his attention back to the both of us.

"Ah, I just remembered! Hanami's going to start tomorrow, and I know it's your favourite event in the world so I booked a small cherry blossom garden just a few minutes drive from home for you both," Mister Hideyoshi grinned, leaning against his table. I blinked, my heart clenching slightly. The green-eyed monster inside of me began to claw at my ribcage, begging to escape. I kept it at bay, and pushed the memories of my own parents and their failure to act like one to the back of my mind.

"Really?" Yuko asked, standing straighter. His eyes twinkled with excitement and he squeezed my hand gently.

"Of course," his father replied, glancing at me briefly. "Besides, it'll be nice to go with her, right?"

"Thank you," Yuko smiled.

"Don't need to thank me, boy! Take care of him, alright, Marissa? He tends to walk into things because he's too busy reading," the older Hideyoshi joked, clapping his hands together in delight. "I wouldn't want him to walk into a cherry blossom tree!"

Yuko rolled his eyes, as if he was already used to his father's antics, but I couldn't suppress the laugh that bubbled in my throat. Yuko glanced at me, a small smile of his own forming on his lips.

"Don't laugh, Marissa. You'll encourage him," Yuko muttered, trying to act like he didn't find his father hilarious.

"One day, Yuko, one day you'll appreciate your old man's jokes!" his father grinned.

"Appreciate," Yuko snorted, rolling his eyes. His lips quirked into a smile.

"And Yuko, take care of her, alright?" his father warned. "You better not put her in harm's way!"

I blinked, suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. I had only met this man twice, and yet he welcomed me with opened arms just because I made his son happy. He treated me as if I was his own daughter! Kyoya Hideyoshi acted more like a father to me in ten minutes than my actual father had in years!

"Yes, of course I will. Where's mom?" Yuko asked, and his father's eyes brightened with adoration.

"She's at work, of course! If you really want to find her, you can visit the hospital, she'll be there. Or else, you can just wait til' dinner," Mister Hideyoshi said, his grin settling into a serene smile. Yuko nodded and thanked his father, before tugging at my hand.

"Are you hungry?" Yuko asked, averting his eyes to look at me.

"If you are, we can get the Chef to cook something for you," Mister Hideyoshi offered kindly. My heart clenched again, and then skipped a beat.

"That'll be nice," I murmured, blushing slightly at his father's friendliness. The Hideyoshi's were so nice.

"Don't let an old man like me hold you both back. Go get something to eat and have fun, but be back for dinner!" Mister Hideyoshi said, before gesturing towards the door. The warm feeling in my gut grew, and I couldn't help but feel glad that Yuko's father liked me so much.

I thanked his father softly as Yuko pulled me out of the room, the warm and fuzzy feeling inside of me never ceasing.

-

Yuko's family is literally the best. Also, I'm sad to announce that Blurred Lines is coming to an end! The next chapter will be the epilogue. If you're wondering why I'm ending this book like this is because I am honestly stuck. I can think of anything to write about Yuko and Marissa anymore because I covered all the important plot points already! And yes, after this book is completed, I will start in Book Three of The Royals Series, which is about Alex and Robin! However, due to my studies, the third book will be delayed/updated very slowly :( I hope you guys are able to be patient and supportive, though! :P

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

(And for those wondering: AMOS FINALLY FOUND OUT. Okay, so basically in English class, I was talking to him and I just remembered that I never actually officially told him that I was tricking him, although it was kind of obvious and I assumed that he figured it out on his own already. BUT, I told him the truth and he just 'HUH? YOU'RE NOT-? WHAT? WHY?' And I just...oh my god, Amos. So, so gullible.)

Song of the Chapter: Cecelia and The Satellite, by Andrew McMahon! I love this song so much :P