After the incident with Kimiko and Soryu, Soryu suggests that we head into town, stopping by the Ice Dragons' branch here in my hometown first. I had a hard time figuring out what happened, but I fought that little voice in my head and I believed Soryu. I still believe in him, and I trust him fully. I have to really watch out for Kimiko though.
As Soryu and I are about to leave the house, Yasura calls me over from the kitchen. "Sakura, we are running low on groceries. Can you go over to Sugi Groceries and tell them to deliver these over later in the evening today?" Yasura hands me a list that he's jotted down. "Oh sure" I take the list and put it into my purse.
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Waiting outside my house is Samejima with the car. When did he organize this? He bows once he sees us approaching the car and opens the door for us. As we drive on the road that I've seen almost every day for the last 18 years of my life, I chatter about all the memories that come flooding back. Some happy and some sad. Soryu listens intently and puts in his comments here and there. We laugh in the car, as I reminisce about my childhood.
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The moment we open the door of the office, we are instantly formally greeted by the Ice Dragon members. They seem very proud yet slightly nervous that the Ice Dragons' boss would come visit. You know they've been practicing because all of them are bent at exactly 45 degrees. Impressive. Soryu reciprocates their greeting and he immediately demands papers and reports from the men. He even memorized the names of these men even though this is the first time he's meeting them? Soryu never seizes to surprise me. I make myself comfortable on the couch, where I'm (hoping is) out of the way. I take in my surroundings and watch the men run around the office and listen to the comforting sounds of a busy office. Reminds me of the office back home.
As promised, Soryu finished his work in a flash. He comes out of his office and heads towards where I am once he sees me. I stand up and straighten out my clothes as he approaches me. He gives an apologetic look once he's in front of me. "Sorry. That took longer than I had planned." I look down at my watch. It took 35 minutes. He wanted to finish earlier than that? "What are you talking about? That was like half an hour. The time went by in a flash. Don't worry about it" I reassure him that it was fine. One of the men approaches us hesitantly. "Excuse me, Boss. But um.. may I ask if she is also a member of the Ice Dragon family? I-I don't mean to be rude!"
Soryu's eyes widen slightly in shock at the bold question from his underling. I instantly blush at his question, but then realize nobody has ever asked us that question before. Everyone at the office back home knew we are a couple, so nobody ever needed clarification. I look toward Soryu, curious to hear his answer. Soryu clears his throat and says in a serious tone, "Everyone, please stop whatever it is that you are doing for a moment. This is Sakura Sho. She is not offically an Ice Dragon member." I hear murmurs in the background. The men are uneasy hearing that an outsider is so close to the organisation. Well this is awkward. I'm an outsider. An enemy.
But Soryu's voice silences everyone again. "I'm not finished yet. She is not officially an Ice Dragon member. Yet. She is my secretary, my partner, and most importantly, she is my fiancée." Oh my. My face is getting hot I just know it. I wish everyone would stop staring. Soryu takes my hand has he finishes his introduction of me. The men instantly start clapping and whistling, while shouting out congratulations. I glance over to look at Soryu to see that he is trying to suppress his embarassed look, and to maintain his 'Boss Look'. But that tint of color in his cheeks is all I need to know how he's really feeling. Soryu clears his throat again to quiet down the crowd. "So please treat her with utmost respect. I expect nothing less of that from any of you. She's my equal. Understand?" "YES BOSS." "Good. I'm done for the day, please finish everything that I've assigned. I'll be in tomorrow to check your work." And with that, me and Soryu leave, with the Ice Dragons bowing behind us.
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Soryu drives us into town as I sit in the passenger seat beside him. "Anywhere you want to go to first?" Soryu asks. "Hmmm. I want to go to so many places, I'm not sure where to start! I want to go to my favorite bakery, and that ice scream shop. Oh! And I must go to that bubble tea café! And you HAVE to try the best apples ever from Sugi Groceries." I get excited as I start thinking about all the food I've missed so much. I hear Soryu chuckle. "What's so funny?" "Everything you just wanted to do is food-related." "Well. I like food." I pout at him. "I didn't say it was a bad thing. Just...cute." He's staring in front of him, so that I can't see his face when he says the word 'cute'. I bet he must be embarassed. He doesn't use that word often.
"Why don't we go to Sugi Groceries first then. Your brother mentioned about dropping off that grocery list right?" Soryu suggests. "Oh. Right! I totally forgot. Mmm. Okay I guess we can start from there. The bubble tea café is just a couple stores down from there, so we have a snack after we finish running the errand. And then.. we can have ice scream because that's across from the bubble tea place. Oh! and then the bakery is on the way home! That can be dessert for dinner.. mmm..." This time, Soryu laughs out loud. "Your mind sure works fast when it comes to food... more like desserts." I can't help but laugh along with him. Desserts are a girl's best friend, right?
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We arrive at Sugi Groceries. The familiar logo, albeit more worn than I last remembered it, brings flashbacks to my high school days. It's a small family-run grocery store, and the couple that owns the place is always very cheerful and welcoming. I find myself daydreaming, and quickly shake myself out of it. We head inside and Mrs. and Mr. Sugi are still running the place. Mrs. Sugi works the cashier while Mr. Sugi stocks the fresh vegetables and fruits. They welcome us in, and when they recognize that it's me, they come over to give me hugs and handshakes. "It's been so long, Sakura! Welcome back. Oh, and who's this handsome man accompanying you? A boyfriend by any chance?" Mrs. Sugi says smiling.
I smile as I introduce Soryu to the couple. "It's so good to see you two too! Looking as healthy as ever. This is Soryu. He's my fiancée." saying that word still sounds weird and unfamiliar, but exhilirating at the same time. "My my my! You're a lucky man, Soryu. Take good care of her. She's a keeper!" Mrs. Sugi winks at Soryu. Soryu smiles, although slightly awkwardly, at the compliment. He's starting to blush again. I try to change the subject by handing Mr. Sugi the grocery list Yasura gave me earlier. "My brother told me to give you this list, and to ask if we may have them delivered to us by this evening?" Mr. Sugi looks over the list quickly. "This should be fine. I'll get Hikaru to deliver it later." Hikaru? He's back in town? I instantly freeze as I hear that name. It's been a while, hearing his name. I don't know if I want to know how he's been doing.
Not wanting to make anything any more awkward, I try to excuse me and Soryu. I can sense Soryu glancing over several times to make sure everything is okay. He must have sensed my uneasiness. As I try to wrap up our conversation, Mr. Sugi inturrupts. "Ah look who it is! Hikaru! Over here! Looks who's back!" Mr. Sugi waves Hikaru over. Ah crap. Soryu looks at me with a what's-wrong look. I respond by pressing my lips together into a thin line. Please. Please. Don't freak out. Please don't freak out.
Hikaru takes off his motorcycle helmet, and pushes his light brown hair out of his eyes with his hand. He's grown taller, and has gotten more muscular. He sees me and gives me that signature smile. The one that every girl in our high school swooned over. That smile that I saw every day for three years. Except on the day that I broke up with him, Hikaru Sugi.
Soryu raises an eyebrow while still looking at me. He must be wondering about what kind of relationship I have with this guy. This is the worst timing ever. Hikaru walks over and instantly envelopes me in a giant bear hug. My eyes are as wide as a deer in headlights at this surprise. Oh shit! Oh shit! A moment later he releases me. "Sakura! It's been a while! Man, someone finally reached puberty! Looks good!" Hikaru laughs heartily. His parents have excused themselves to get back to work. Soryu clears his throat to remind Hikaru that he exists. "It sure has been a while. Um. So. This is Soryu. He's my-" "I'm Sakura's fiancée." Soryu cuts me off. He extends his hand to shake Hikaru's hand. As soon as the men lock hands, they also lock eyes. It's like fighters in a ring before they beat one another to a pulp. I gulp silently as the dangerous battle slowly unfolds before me.
The veins on each of the guy's hands are bulging. They're locking hands very aggresively.... I peek at Soryu's expression, and I instantly regret doing so. He could kill a village right now... I need to get these two apart right now. Soryu and Hikaru hesistantly break contact with each other. Hikaru smiles at me, but his eyes aren't. They're throwing daggers at Soryu. I don't like this one bit. Obviously, this doesn't phase Soryu, who's on complete offense as well. I take Soryu's hand and tug on it while saying, "It was great to see you, but we've got to go now. Bye!" I wave with my other hand at Hikaru and his parents as Soryu and I make our way out.
I let out a huge sigh as soon as we're out of sight of the store. Soryu stops walking and pulls me to a stop with him. "Who is he" Soryu says abruptly. I sigh again before rubbing my temples with one hand. Soryu has his hands crossed and his expression is so spine-chilling I look down toward the concrete sidewalk instead. "He is... my ex-boyfriend. Short story version is that we dated in high school for 3 years but I broke up with him when I moved out to the city." I look up through my bangs to see how Soryu is handling this information. Instead of anger or sadness, I'm met with an expressionless wall. All my excitement and joy instantly drains away, and I'm left feeling dejected. I whisper, "Let's just go home..." Soryu doesn't say anything and I watch his long legs walk away from me, toward the car. I follow behind him, no longer a spring in my step. I feel like my feet are made of lead.
The silence that engulfs us in the car has never been so stifling and heavy. Every breath makes my heart feel heavier and heavier. Knowing that there's no place to unravel when we arrive back to my parent's house adds another 20 pounds to my overwhelmed heart. We eventually arrive to the house, but Soryu doesn't get out of the car. "I forgot some paperwork at the office." he says with a factual tone. That's a lie. I don't call him out on his lie, and nod. I get out of the car and head towards the house, never turning back to look at him once. As soon as I open the door, I hear him drive away.
Am I angry? Am I hurt? Am I sad? Why? I didn't do anything wrong. It's the past. It was all in the past. Coming here was a wrong idea. I sigh as I finally turn around to look in the direction of where Soryu drove off to. What is he thinking right now? What is he feeling right now? I can feel tears start to form in the corners of my eyes. Don't cry. There's nothing to cry about. But one manages to escape and it slowly rolls down my cheek. I quickly wipe it away and sniffle. I take a deep breath to calm myself down.
MMMRRRGH! I'm ambushed by several men from behind. They've placed a cloth over my mouth and nose. I hold my breath for as long as possible. Breathe that shit in and it's over. I try to escape, using what I've learned during training with the Ice Dragons. I manage to shake off one of them, but there's too many. SORYU! HELP! I instinctively call out for him. I succumb to my need for oxygen, and breathe in the intoxicating fumes from the cloth. And then everything goes black.
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2K reads! Thank you so much! Longer one this time because next week is soooo hectic! Welcome back to school everyone haha
Please look forward to the next update!
~VY