Jun leaned against the wall watching the stairs closely as he munched on the crackers that had been served on the small table in the hallway.
He looked at his watch noting that it hadn't been more than five minutes since Iori kicked him out of her room so that she could fix her makeup. Not that he had any right to complain since he was the one responsible for ruining it in the first place. But jun was realizing that he wasn't a patient man when it came to wanting to see and be near Iori.
"Got kicked out of the room?" Kaoru asked as he passed by him,
Jun smiled at Iori's younger brother and nodded, "She's getting ready. will be down any minute"
"Haruki told me everything. If I was her I wouldn't be giving you a second chance, but then again, Iori had always been too good a person. Just make sure you don't take advantage of it..." Kaoru warned and Jun remained silent for a moment.
"You know. I probably am going to take advantage of her kindness
As they walked into the huge room reserved for special events like this in the main house, Iori immediately felt the back of her neck prickle. The feeling of being watched almost overwhelmed her as she walked inside and she wanted to run away and go back to her apartment with her books and laptop reading and writing inside her comfort zone.She faltered on her steps slightly and Jun's hand came around her waist supporting her and she looked up at him. He gave her a small smile as if encouraging her and suddenly Iori realized that she wasn't going to run back to her comfort zone, Because she had support, she wasn't going to face the crowds alone today, she had jun and her family by her side. She had their support.Iori returned Jun's smile then she looked resolutely around her. a lot of familiar faces look looked back at her, some of them waved some of them smiled and others nodded in acknowledgment. but, they all shared one thing when they looked at her their eyes shon
“Iori, you’re here,” Her father said as he patted her shoulder with a smile interrupting his conversation with the president.Iori smiled at her father and nodded,“Sorry for being late…” Iori said“That’s my fault, sir. I was late getting here,” Jun said as he came beside her his hand landing on the small of her back.“I heard it from Satoru-san. It seems like the two of you had to deal with one troublesome article. I was surprised that you were able to make it at all,” Her father said referring to the article Tohru had been behind publishing.Iori hadn’t had the chance to check the media and see what damage it had done to their reputation this time around. But she had a pretty good idea about what she was going to find if she ever tried to look.There was this weird obsession the media had with families like hers. After the media coverage, the president had made sure
Jun wanted to be anywhere else except where he was now. It’s true that he decided to face everything with Iori, to fight for her, but this wasn’t something he bargained for. He hadn’t expected Lady Akagi to have this kind of presence, this kind of aura that forced respect upon you as if it was a ritual ingrained in you since childhood. Just meeting the older lady’s gaze too considerable mental effort, it was as if she had him under some kind of mental compulsion or mind control. When Iori had said that she wouldn’t let her make him cry, he had seriously thought that she was joking. After all, no one would be expected to cry while meeting their girlfriend’s grandparents, or in this case great aunt… Her ‘I’m serious’ comment shook him a little bit, but it was nothing compared to when he stood before the older woman. A few inches shorter than him, yet, with the presence of someone who could dominate this whole room full of people without lifting a finger. And sh
Iori knew what was going to happen but there was nothing she could have done to stop it. She wasn’t sure she would have stopped him even if she knew how. There was something in her great aunt’s words that shouldn’t have been uttered, she knew better than to say that, especially in this situation. But still, she went ahead and said it anyway.Jun rose to his feet looking down at her aunt his posture barely betraying the rage she knew he was feeling. His eyes never left her aunt as he did so looking at her with cold eyes that could have been mistaken for neutral if it wasn’t for her the gleam of fire shooting from them.Jun was angry on her behalf, and she couldn’t help but feel a little twitch in her heart at the thought. She was… happy, even though she knew that her happiness was completely misplaced.“In all the time since I have known Iori, I heard a lot of things said about her that ranged from unfair to outright out
“I hear your talk with akagi-sama went well?” Haruki said as he made his way toward them with Rina by his side.They both looked like a couple out of a spy movie, both tall and elegantly dressed. Her brother and his fiancée may have a peculiar relationship, a relationship where it was hard to decide whether they were together because it was decided for them or because they were the only compatible people who could put up with each other. But there was one sure thing, they both suited each other to the point of it being even perfect to look at.“Gee, thanks for the support,” Iori mumbled under her breath and Rina laughed,“Oh come on Iori! We all know that no one is willing to confront Akagi-sama other than you. I face cold blooded criminals on a daily basis and I can’t stand to have a talk with that woman for longer than necessary. She sends chills down my spine every time she looks at me with that piercing gaze o
Silence reigned over the room as soon as Akagi-sama stood there in front of them her presence reassuring and welcoming, yet at the same time overwhelming and imposing.It’s been a long time since Iori felt as if her aunt’s presence was imposing to her. Her training and frequent contact with the older woman had assured that Iori doesn’t view her aunt like the others do.Rather than saying that Iori got used to her presence, it was rather that Iori began to look at her aunt like an equal and sometimes a rival. And without the respect that had been ingrained in her back when her mother was still alive, she would have overstepped the bounds with her aunt long ago.That’s because that’s how things were supposed to be in their case. They may be mentor and disciple, but they were also a leader and her successor. And a few clashes between them were inevitable.Iori knew that her aunt liked her, she even considered her like the daught
“I would like to announce approaching retirement from my position as the second clan leader,” Akagi-sama said and a wave of gasps filled the room.Iori felt calmness fill her, she knew this was coming and she couldn’t describe how nervous she had felt when Akagi-sama had told her about her plan when she arrived the previous day.She had agonized over whether she was ready or if she was going to be enough, but, when she felt the moment come, all f her doubts disappeared and she felt herself being surrounded by a calmness that felt ethereal.This is her duty, the role she had been ready for for a long time. There was nothing to be scared about, there was nothing to fear because she was born to be the mountain clan’s leader. More importantly, she was born to be the priestess of the mountains.“I had been the leader of the mountain clan for such a long time that I feel that it’s long overdue for me to leave my place to some
“Where are you taking me?” Iori asked Jun as they walked toward the center of the room.Jun grinned at her and she looked up at him in confusion. A small smile broke on her beautiful rosy lips making Jun want to wipe the make-up off them with one fell swoop of his mouth.He had been trying to hold back since the evening started, but he was reaching his limits. He wanted her more than anything, so at least he could have her all to himself for a few short moments like this before she had to return to her duties.“May I have this dance?” Jun asked her extending his hand to hers.Without hesitation, Iori put her hand on his which made him inwardly smile. Iori never hesitated to take his hand anymore, no matter the reason, Jun was always sure that she would reach out back to him if he extended his hand.It may seem like a small gesture, but to Jun it meant much more than that. Iori’s honest and instinctive reactions to him