Setsuna's phone rang. He took it out and answered.
"Setsuna Fujioka speaking." He said in english.
"Setsu, it's me." Came the voice of Ryoma from the other line.
"Ryoma." Setsuna said. Ichidou, Ren and Natsu quickly surrounded him.
"Where are they?" Ren asked.
"I'll text you an address and you guys can come pick us up. Don't worry, Ryouko is alright." Ryoma said as he overheard Ren's anxious voice.
Gaito sighed in relief.
"Okay, I got it. We'll come there in a cab. Just wait for us." Setsuna said and hung up.
"Thank goodness." Natsu said with a sigh.
"I'll go catch a taxi." Ichidou said and went.
~~~
Ryoma placed the receiver of the payphone back in its position.l "I told them where we are. Let's just stay here and wait quietly." He told Ryouko.
"That's no fun. Since we're already here, why don't we look around?" She said.
"We can't. What if they don't find us? Let's not move until they come." Ryoma answered.
"Tcch. For the several years that I haven't seen you, you sure turned into a stiff killjoy. We used to sneak out a lot to play and hide from my bodyguards." She said matter-of-factly as she heaved herself up to sit on a low stonewall.
"I didn't become a stiff killjoy. We just can't fool around right now. I can't risk myself from being murdered by your cousins if I lost you." He answered.
"There you are again with the murdering comment... You're always exaggerating." She replied.
"I'm not. I'll really get into trouble if I lost you or something happens to you so let's just sit here and wait." He said as he bent down to tie the laces of his sneakers tighter.
"Well anyway, if they murder you then I'll murder them. I made it clear to my cousins not to touch you or I'll bare my fangs at them." Ryouko said.
Ryoma stopped midway in tying his shoelaces. Now that he thought of it, since they were young, Ryouko had always sided with him whenever he got into a fight with one of her cousins.
"You'll really take my side if I get into trouble with your cousins?" Ryoma asked her.
"It depends on the situation... Of course if it's you who did something bad then I'll punish you myself." Ryouko answered.
Ryoma rolled his eyes and made a face. Maybe it's just his misunderstanding...
All of a sudden, a group of high-schoolers arrived and made it their business to make fun of Ryoma and Ryouko.
"Oya, oya... Look what we have here." A guy with ear piercing and a bandanna greeted them.
"You look like elementary students... You shouldn't skip class to go out on a date you know." Another one with a shaved head said.
"Such bad kids you are..." The last one with long hair tied in a ponytail commented with a mocking grin.
"Why on earth does these types of people not run out?" Ryouko commented.
"I know, right... There's so many and you always seem to run into one in every country. It's like an epidemic." Ryoma replied.
"Then they should be quarantined. But I find it funny that they always travel around in threes." Ryouko said.
"Oi, you elementary-schoolers. Are you talking about us?" The guy with the ponytail said, annoyed.
"And it's laughable that they all have the same IQ." Ryoma said, ignoring the guy.
"Why you..." The ponytail guy said as he advanced on Ryoma. All of a sudden, Ryouko jumped down from her perch and went in between Ryoma and the ponytail guy.
"If you want to land a punch on him, then first, you'll have to go through me." Ryouko said with a firm voice.
Ryoma was a bit taken aback with the situation. There was a brief silence before the three gangsters laughed out loud.
"Oi, gaki (brat), is it alright that you're letting your girlfriend protect you?" The guy with ear piercings said.
"Chotto mate (Wait a minute). This girl is kinda cute." The guy with the shaved head said.
The other two peered at Ryouko. "Wow. She is." The ponytail guy said.
"Ojou-chan (little miss), why don't you leave this puny loser and hang out with onii-chan for a while? Pretty girls like you have no need for a guy that needs your protection." The shaved-head guy said.
"I have no intention to hang out with a baldy." Ryouko replied.
The other two laughed at their companion. "He got you there, Maki." The ear-piercing guy said.
"You should grow your hair out already... I told you it looks bad." The ponytail guy added.
He turned to Ryouko. "Urusai omaera! (Shut up, you two!)" The shaved-head guy said. "Oi, you. Just because you're a bit cute, don't get on your high horse. If you think that I can't hit girls, then you're wrong." He said.
"Why don't you try it then?" Ryouko said with a mocking smile.
Ryoma was taken aback by Ryouko's actions that he wasn't able to say anything for a while. He snapped out of his shock and went in front of Ryouko. He grabbed her wrist and shielded her protectively.
"Don't you people have anything better to do?" Ryoma said.
"Chotto, Ryoma (Wait, Ryoma). You're blocking my sight. I'll be the one to teach them a lesson." Ryouko said as she struggled to free her wrist from Ryoma's grip.
"Just shut up and be protected." Ryoma hissed at her, annoyed.
Ryouko stopped struggling.
Oi, gaki (brat), are you trying to play brave now, huh? Just a while ago you're cowardly hiding behind a girl." The ponytail guy said.
"Yaro. (Bastard.)" Ryoma said.
"What did you say? Did you mean me, you brat?" Ponytail guy replied.
"Did you really have to ask? Was it so hard to understand with your slow brain?" Ryoma said.
The ponytail guy lifted his fist towards Ryoma. He was able to dodge it.
He tried again for the second time saying, "This brat—"
His fist was caught inside the palm of no other than Natsu Fujioka. "Watch where you're swinging that around." He said as he fling the guy with one single motion.
"Daijoubu, Ryouko? (Are you alright, Ryouko?)" Gaito asked. The cousins had arrived.
Ren stepped forward in front of the gangsters. "You bastards want to have a go?" He said fiercely.
Seeing the number of people that arrived and particularly intimidated by Setsuna's fine build and height, they retreated.
"Tcch." He guy with ear piercing said.
"Let's go." Ponytail guy told his friends.
"Daijoubu, Ryouko? (Are you alright, Ryouko?)" Setsuna asked.
"Ryouko~ Why on earth did you do that? It's not a girl's job to stand up to gangsters..." Ichidou said.
"It was an unnecessary interruption from you guys... I could've handled the situation well." Ryouko said matter-of-factly.
Setsuna's facial expression changed. When he was about to scold Ryouko, he was surprised by a sudden situation.
Ryoma flung Ryouko aside as he let go of her wrist. She was forced to take a few backsteps due to the force. Ren caught her back to support her.
"Oi, Ryoma! What do you think you're doing?!" Ren said, enraged.
"You stupid blockhead! Did you know what you just did?" Ryoma scolded Ryouko, totally ignoring Ren's remark.
Irritated, Ryouko stepped forward and faced Ryoma squarely. "What was that about?" She said.
"You really stepped in between me and those high schoolers. Who do you think you are?" Ryoma said.
"I did what I had to do. What's your problem with that?" Ryouko retorted.
"Would it hurt you to stay still and let others deal with the situation? Will it really bother you that much if you don't do anything and let others protect you?" Ryoma asked.
"I don't need to be protected." Ryouko said firmly.
"And what about me? Do I need protection from you? Do I look that weak to you?" Ryoma said.
"That's..." Ryouko said but she couldn't find the words to say. That's right... She hated being protected by anyone because she thought that they're underestimating her. Of course Ryoma would feel that as well. He's not powerless enough to be protected.
Ryoma gave her a few moments to think as the cousins looked from him to Ryouko. "Now. Do you realize what you did wrong?" He asked.
"Fine. I admit. I shouldn't have intervened. You could've handled them on your own." Ryouko said, defeated.
"And?" Ryoma asked.
"I shouldn't have acted all high and mighty like I'm the one who knows how to protect myself." She said.
"And?" Ryoma asked again. "You still haven't said the most important thing." He added.
"Fine. I'm sorry. I did wrong. Forgive me." She said begrudgingly. "There, I said it. You happy?" She added.
"And?" Ryoma said for the third time, this time to mock her instead.
"Fine. I won't do it again. I won't try to protect you even if you're on the bringe of dying." She said.
"Good." Ryoma finally said.
Ryouko heaved a huge sigh. "Stubborn midget." She uttered under her breath.
Watching them, Natsu finally got hold of how close Ryouko and Ryoma are. He never heard her apologize like that to anyone before. And it was clear that the facial expressions that she showed in front of Ryoma were ones that she never sported in front of any of them before. She always seemed so formal, nonchalant and proud in front of people. And yet, Ryoma can make her make such vibrant and unique expressions.
Natsu looked at his cousins. Gaito nodded, Setuna smiled solemnly and Ren made an expression of relenting.
"Ryouko." Natsu said.
She turned to him.
"Let's go back to the mansion." He said.
"Why? Aren't we going to continue looking around town?" She asked.
"It's a bit tiring, so let's just rest inside the mansion. We'll eat supper before going to the airport." Setsuna said.
Ryouko turned to Gaito and Ren. "How about you guys?"
"It's fine with me." Gaito said.
"Whatever's okay." Ren answered.
"I already called two cabs. Ryouko-chan, Setsu-nii, Gai and I can ride in one. Ryoma, Natsu-nii and Ren-nii can ride in the other." Ichidou said.
Ryoma looked like he's not very happy with the arrangement but nevertheless followed the instruction.
Ryoma, Ren and Natsu were very quiet as the ride progressed. It was an awkward situation.
"Oi, Ryoma." Ren suddenly said.
Ryoma turned to him.
"We're not sure when we'll be back." Ren said.
"Then please don't come back anymore." Ryoma said.
Ren was pissed off. "You brat." He said. "What I want to say is, we won't be here to watch Ryouko anymore so you do it."
Ryoma looked a bit surprised.
"What I'm saying is, for the time being, you shoud watch over Ryouko and protect her." Ren said, avoiding eye contact with Ryoma.
"I thought you don't trust me." Ryoma said.
Natsu spoke up all of a sudden. "What you told her back then..." He started.
Both Ren and Ryoma payed attention. "The words you said." Natsu said.
'Would it hurt you to stay still and let others deal with the situation? Will it really bother you that much if you don't do anything and let others protect you?' The words Ryoma said still rang claer inside Natsu's mind.
"Those are the words that all of us wanted to tell her, or at least those are the words that I wanted to tell her. You told her that and was able to make her listen. So I guess you'e not half-bad as our temporary replacement." Natsu continued.
Natsu acknowledged the fact that there was something that Ryoma can do that neither of the Fujioka cousins were capable of doing.
"Are you two leaving Ryouko under my care?" Ryoma asked.
"Don't rub it in you brat or I'll be tempted to take my words back." Ren said, annoyed.
Ryoma smiled. "There's no need for Ren-san and Natsu-san to ask me to take care of Ryouko. I've already been doing so under my own will. So don't make any misunderstandings. I'm protecting her because I want to and not because you guys told me to." He said.
"Whatever." Ren answered.
Natsu was tempted to ask Ryoma what exactly did he think of Ryouko. More specifically, he wanted to ask whether Ryoma was looking at Ryouko as a member of the opposite sex. But then again, he stopped himself.
Ryoma looked really oblivious and it seemed like he's really innocent. Natsu had an inkling that even if he asked, Ryoma wouldn't know what to answer. He may even misunderstand the question.
"Perhaps when he's older..." Natsu thought.