Yakuza | DISCONTINUED | 2023 VERSION AVAILABLE NOW

Gauche

Edited on May 2 2016, 2:16 PM

This made me realize that vacation was too short ;-;

At the night of Hiro's birthday bash, they went all out. The Estate turned into a social venue where the lights would only be put around the places the guests could go to. Everybody questioned it, but in a manner that not every member of the host family will be unaware of. After all, criticizing the manner of a wealthy and infamous family after they've welcomed you gallantly into their home is a very impolite thing to do. Soon, the ballroom has been occupied with all the guests, and they crowded about talking amongst themselves.

This ballroom was no joke. The ceiling stretches out so high to reveal four floors including the one everybody was currently standing in; along with one of the largest chandeliers they've ever seen right above their heads, casting an almost heavenly glow towards the reflective marble floor. The scene was one you could take out of a fairy tale, except that the characters are... borderline.

Amira stepped up and knocked lightly on a door, "Akira, Mother wants us to be prepared in five minutes. We'll be introduced one by one."

"A-Alright!" she heard the hesitant voice inside, and furrowed her brows in confusion, "A-Akira, is everything alright?"

"Yes it is, no need to worry!"

Amira turned the knob of the door and forced herself in, causing temporary silence to befall on them. Then she chuckled, seeing the awkward position of her hands behind her and immediately coming over to help her zip up, "You can't have Ivan to help you with that, he might perv on you."

"Exactly." Akira faced the full body mirror and fixed her straightened red hair once more, "Thank you."

"You even wore the necklace." Amira laughed as they faced each other, her fiddling with the white pendant from when Illumi took Akira away. She noticed the recognition that swept past the other's face as her head dips slightly, "Nee-sama, you were the one who gave it to me. It doesn't have anything to do with him."

"Remembering him won't kill you." Amira tried to convince her out of it, "He'll surely be in the ballroom, maybe along with the rest of his family...? Either way, that shouldn't make you hesitate about going out there. Do it for our dad."

"I always do things that they tell me to." she frowns, and then leads the way to her family. Akane was making a fuss of the three males, and when the two of them have arrived, she seemed more on edge, almost completely making it odd with what she wore... but she was always like that. They just disregarded it and let it pass for now. Both girls brushed off the compliments they got from the twins and their father as they got into position. The order was youngest to eldest so that it'd be more of a grand entrance for Hiro, but the fact that disturbed Akira the most was that her sister would descend with her husband, the twins will go together, and her parents will go at the same time so it will make her seem the odd one out. That's where majority of the problem lies, but there was also the aspect of her being a Siren being highlighted throughout the night and therefore causing more unwanted attention, possibly between her and-

"The heiress and youngest member of the family, Young Madam Akira!"

Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. Stop... Akira took a deep breath, scanning the crowd very briefly. Much to her surprise, she noticed Ace near the staircase, all buttoned up and looking very dashing indeed. Her feet, due to so much practice weeks before the real deal, moved of their own and made her walk the grand staircase and let the crowd gaze upon her openly.

Illumi looked up right as he heard the name. Needless to say, he was speechless and his mouth fell ajar in the span of approximately 6 seconds. That was how beautiful she was, this emotionless woman that cascaded angelically down the staircase. Her red dress trails a slight way behind her and caresses the red carpet smoothly as her fallen red hair seemed to look, but what scared Illumi the most was the dead and indifferent visage in her eyes as she looks straight forward while pictures were being shot. Her fierce demeanor and lean walk turned all heads, men and women alike, albeit their wishes of turning away so as to not seem too impulsive and unprofessional to the young lady. Once his eyes fell to the pendant, he immediately recovered and was instead filled with dread and horror. Images from back when he wore it around her neck right before they arrived at Karei City, the stargazing festival, the yukatas and kimonos, Lisa, it all shouted to be remembered. As Akira arrives at the last few steps of the staircase, Illumi turned away and was unable to see Ace present himself to her, neither how she calmly faced him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you." His gorgeous and hearty laugh filled her ears, but now wasn't exactly the time to fawn over him, even if he was her Certain, "You wouldn't give your name to me, and then I learned about this party and my guess was right that you'd be here."

As the rest of the family comes down, Akira grew more and more on edge, not just because of Ace and her family, but also because of obvious presences that shouldn't be here, "It's unfathomable how you came all this way just to get my name."

"You'd be surprised at the determination of a Certain." Ace shrugged, and from a different place in the room, Illumi's head jerked back to their direction.

"I got you something, by the way. If it isn't any bother," he pulled out something from behind him, making Akira more intrigued by the minute as music in the background began. "This hibiscus isn't from your garden, I swear." Akira stood in silence, caught aback by the flower.

"What? You don't like it?"

"It's my favorite." She offers a timid smile and lets Ace wrap the hibiscus corsage around her right wrist. The blue smoke flips the end of Illumi's hair more as a small crack in the glass he was drinking from was created.