Work Text
The warm feeling of summer lingered at her uncle’s place, but even on dreary days filled with rain—
“I like your hair.”
Haru remembered pressing together her mouth at her cousin
’s greeting, whether she’d just arrived at her uncle’s home or whether one of them had just entered the room, always hiding her childish amusement at the strange greeting. “Why?”
“Because it’s red,” she remembered her not-Ryo cousin saying. “Red’s my favorite color.”
She knew all too well that was his favorite color just as Haru knew not-Ryo helped create the warmth that always lingered at her uncle
’s place, a stark contrast to the rest of the family. Still, no matter how much Ryo scowled or gaped at his twin brother, her not-Ryo, Hary always felt welcome despite knowing her red hair stood out among the Shirogane family whether they held the family name or not, something rumored to be inherited from her father she’d never met.
Not that it mattered.
“Hey. It’s time for bed, you three.”
Haru
’s older cousin Takashi took charge of things whenever her uncle wasn’t home and often did not ignore him, lost in his own little world of whatever preoccupied him. “Yes. Red’s my favorite color.”
“We know that,” Ryo often said. “How many times do you have to tell Haru you like her hair? It’s creepy?”
Not-Ryo always asked,
“Why?”
“Because I wouldn’t do that.”“I’m not Ryo,” so Haru remembered him as Not-Ryo because—“Well, things happened.”
She
’d take her cousin Takashi’s hand, letting him lead her into the room where sleeping bags were laid out for the three young cousins, with Not-Ryo’s alien toys and Pikachu plush joining them—they both loved Pikachu, and they’d wait for uncle to return, because—
“Hey, hey!” Not-Ryo called out when their uncle came home, sometimes late at night because of his job, while Ryo let out a groan from nearby.“Can’t you just go to sleep already?”“I want Dad to tell us a bedtime story.”“We’re too old for that,” Ryo claimed.“No, we’re not,” Haru protested.“And what kind of bedtime story do you want?” her uncle asked, laughing.“The one about mom!”
The bedtime story was always about the uncle
’s wife or the mother of his children—Haru never could tell with all the rumors going around during her childhood before she moved to the city in hopes of getting away from the family despite keeping in touch with Ryo after everything happened.
And the story always involved their mother, the alien, a strange story to tell one child to be sure, yet that never changed how the warm filling of summer always lingered—the
tennyo,
as some of the elders in the Shirogane family called her, making her cousins as other as she was within the family.
Childhood wasn
’t something that lasted—it ended when Not-Ryo and her uncle disappeared, with the clue that Ryo disappeared briefly, and uncle later, the adults never saying what really happened, although she knew—
She knew that Ryo's twin was out there from Ryo; she knew Not-Ryo was alive. Still, later, her cousin, who managed to become a pop idol, also managed to find Not-Ryo, his twin, but not before Takashi also disappeared, before his mission to outer space failed.
“And he wasn’t the one who was obsessed with aliens,” Ryo texted her.
Life seemed out to get her, what with her boyfriend breaking up with her, things not going well at her job, and other things—
“I’m trying something new,” she texted Ryo, sending a selfie of herself in front of the hotel where she worked. “I’m now concierge here, so if you ever think you need a vacation, think of dropping by.”“Can’t.”“Because you’re working on new music?”“I’m looking for a certain alien conspiracist, we both know, but as long as I’m worried about him, music just isn’t coming.”“Know that I’m here for you, but don’t forget to take a break from that crazy life of yours,” Haru typed out, not realizing how crazy things would get at the resort.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Drink glasses clinked under the ambient light of the bar, the hazy din of the patrons echoing through the room. Rachel wiped a glass dry, setting it with the other glasses that would be used later that night, letting out a sigh, knowing her slew of extra shifts over the past few months would shortly be ending, as she’d properly saved up for her vacation.
“So lucky,” her ditsy co-worker cooed. “Getting to go on a resort vacation. I wish I were.”“Focus on the customers, Fiona,” their shift lead said. “Rachel, as you know, not only worked extra shifts but earned good tips from having great customer service.”“Yes, but she also lives with her parents, Diego,” Fiona pouted.
Rachel frowned, shaking her head and wishing time would move faster so she might get her final shift before her trip over quicker. She took a deep breath, taking a break from drying out the cleaned glasses so she might take the order of a customer who raised their hand to get her attention, or so she thought.
“So, where is my blue-eyed babe off to,” the customer said, leaning in, obviously drunk.“Hey!” Diego barked out. “Don’t make us get the Machoke bouncers to toss you out on your ass,” then followed up with, “Again.”
The patron glanced at the gray humanoid standing guard at the door as the red lines rippled up and down the creature
’s arms. The Machoke flexed its muscles, the reptilian Pokemon being nothing to sneeze at.
Fiona leaned against the counter, pouting rather than helping the customers who arrived around lunchtime at the bar.
“Still. I’d also save for a vacation if I lived with my parents as Rachel did.”
Diego let out a laugh, shaking his head.
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“Oh, come on!”“Living on my parent’s farm outside of Garrison City also means working there.”“What? Wait? Miltank? Fiona asked, bringing up the pink cow-like Pokemon many farms and ranches specialized in rather than considering the hard work that went into caring for herds and flocks of Pokemon. Fiona grinned ear-to-ear. “They’re so ugly they’re cute.”“Same sentiment as Lance,” Rachel thought to herself, shaking her head.“Are your parents going to be fine with you taking a trip, Ms. Rachel?” one of the older patrons asked.“Oh?” Rachel took a deep breath, smiling as she prepared their usual drink. “It’s always been about learning proper responsibility for my parents, so they’re actually quite pleased I put in the hard work I did. And my oldest brothers are still around to help.”“And your other brother?”
Rachel
’s eyes blinked, wondering how she’d slipped up. “Well…”
“Hey. Turn up the news,” one of the other patrons asked, and Diego picked up the remote, controlling the volume. “It’s about the missing cadets from the local garrison that were found recently.”“Not that we’ll learn anything new,” the older patron said. “As they’re keeping it hush.”“Aliens, I heard,” Fiona said.“Eh,” Diego shook his head. “Even more reason for a vacation, right?”“It’s not as if,” Rachel started saying. “It’s not as if we’ve seen Lance since the news dropped.” She took a deep breath. “Yeah.”
Diego glanced at the clock.
“You should get going, or you’ll miss your flight. Your shift’s over, but there’s no need for overtime today.”
“Thanks,” Rachel said, removing her apron.“Your older sister works at the garrison,” Fiona started asking.“Hey,” Diego shook his head. “She’s got to catch her boat. It’s why she brought her suitcase here rather than going back to the family farm.”
Fiona pouted as Rachel shook her head, going and getting her suitcase and heading out front to flag a taxi.
“Garrison City Airport.”
“The GNA? The man driving the taxi asked. “Must be a military brat.”“Not exactly,” Rachel said, wishing the taxi driver didn’t pry into her personal life as Fiona did, but then she paused, lifting her hand to wave at the brown-haired girl who acted like a ditzy-blond as she’d taken the time to step out from the bar to wave goodbye, but she could hear her say—“Good luck!”
And then the taxi driver had more to pry into, being one of the more chatty ones out there. Rachel gave vague answers until they arrived at the GNC. She took a deep breath, heading to check in so she could get on her flight to fly halfway around the world, but when she got off the plane, what should have been night was now a day. Another taxi took her to the dock, where a boat waited to take passengers to the resort, but upon checking in, she headed up to the deck to watch and wait.
“And breathe in the salty sea air,” Rachel thought before letting her Herdier, her Yorkshire-like Pokemon, out so he might enjoy the fresh sea air and the wind blowing her brown hair, tangling her curls more than they were already. Her eyes closed, then she sat in one of the deck chairs, waiting for the ship to announce they’d arrived at the resort.
The few other passengers on the upper deck with her whispered of a delay because of a rather large group of passengers boarding before the boat took off. Yet, there wasn
’t any sign of a large group disembarking with them when the ship arrived at the resort, or at least not at first.
Instead, Rachel looked up at the Wingull, a seagull-like Pokemon with a sky blue stripe on the end of its wings floating above, before heading into the resort hotel where the concierge greeted them at the front desk, her smile as bright and cheery as her red hair.
“Hello. Welcome to the Pokemon resort. I am your concierge, Haru, and I hope you and your Herdier will enjoy your stay.”
“I’m looking,” Rachel started to say when the sound of a familiar voice bickering with someone else made her frown while Haru’s head tilted in curiosity, yet she didn’t turn around to confirm her suspicions of who they were. Instead—
They bumped into her from behind and then started to do so.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean…” Then came the pause. “Wait.
What
are you doing here?
”
Rachel turned, looking at her brother, already decked out for a resort holiday, as another young man she didn
’t recognize stood next to him. “I could ask the same question, Lance. I’m on vacation, but why haven’t you seen
Madre
or
Padre
yet?
”
“Uh—garrison buisness?” Lance swallowed as a flash occurred.
Rachel turned back, her eyes blinking in confusion, realizing the concierge had taken a picture of them.
“What…”
“Not-Ryo,” Haru said, still holding her phone.“Huh?”
Rachel turned her head to look at the young man standing next to Lance but then heard Haru say.
“Wait. You don’t recognize me?”
“Uh, no.”“Keith,” Lance said, elbowing Keith in the ribs. “Be nice for once.”“Keith, as in your rival?” Rachel asked.“None of your business, Rae…”“Hey, can we please…”“Lance, can we focus on getting everyone checked in? Shiro needs his rest, but that’s why we’re here, remember?”“Uh, yeah.” Lance rubbed the back of his neck, glaring at Keith in irritation.“The—your hero?” Rachel said, frowning. “The one who disappeared in that space mission.”“Disappeared in,” Haru said. “Wait. That mission? Shiro is…”“Can I get checked in?” Rachel said.“Sure,” Haru said. “Almost finished.” She handed Rachel a key to her room. “I hope you enjoy your stay.”“I hope I do as well,” Rachel thought as she heard her brother complain about having to deal with his own sister only for Keith to—“That’s rude, isn’t it?”“You’re not exactly the best person to tell me what’s rude or not, Keith.”
Rachel sighed.
“
It can
’t possibly get any crazier, right?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Hey, hey!”
A pair of eyes clenched shut while Ryo breathed out a groan.
“Can you just go to sleep already?”
“I want Dad to tell us a bedtime story,” his twin said.“We’re too old for that,” Ryo muttered, keeping his eyes closed, his ears discerning their father stepping across the floor.“And what kind of bedtime story do you want?” their father asked, laughing softly.“The one about mom!”
Ryo
’s eyes opened, his mouth pressing into a frown. He sucked in his breath, seeing their older brother peeking in from the doorway, watching, not protesting at all, Takashi’s bedtime yet to come.
“I see,” their father said, sitting down on the edge of his twin’s bed, his attention focused on his twin, who hugged a cyan-gray alien-like stuffed toy with a head more extensive than its body with green eyes and rock-like features that reminded Ryo of a robot more than an alien. “Your mom was an alien.”
Ryo sighed, clamped his eyes shut, his mouth twisting into a frown as he covered his ears, not wanting to hear
that
bedtime story from their father.
Yet,
that
story resulted in his alien-obsessed twin brother falling asleep, thus allowing him to sleep as well.
…
Ryo
’s eyes flickered open. He looked out the window, sighing, his head pounding slightly. “I need a vacation.”
Tiny paws tugged at his arm, drawing his attention to his blue and white otter Pok
émon, Oshawott. He reached out, scratching the top of the creature’s head as he recollected his twin’s childhood plushie.
“Elgyem, huh? Just because it’s rumored to be from outer space doesn’t mean it’s an alien.” He sighed again, closing his eyes, the frustration of not knowing where his twin was hitting before muttering, “I really need a vacation, what with all this worrying. I’m not getting any music done, chasing after that alien conspiracy nut, but I can’t help but worry what kind of trouble he’s getting into next.”“Then perhaps,” his agent said, clicking the buttons on the phone. “I’ve potentially good news.”“Oh?” Ryo said, scratching the top of Oshawott’s head.“You remember how that cousin of yours, of ours,” his agent started.“Get to the point,” Ryo said, sighing, looking at the city as it passed, feeling tired.“Good news is you can take up Haru’s suggestion of vacationing at the resort she works at now.”“How is that good news?” Ryo folded his arms across his chest while his Pokemon pestered for more pets before looking at his agent, a member of one of the branch families. “It’s not really a vacation I need, you know, although I admit I appreciate Haru’s offer.”“Then, for the bad news regarding the place, I’m arranging for you to take a vacation,” his agent said, resulting in Ryo sighing in frustration, knowing that having an agent who was also family meant prioritizing his health if he thought things were ever getting out of hand. “The reason I choose that place.” His agent turned his phone so Ryo could see a message that’d been sent. “Your brother may be there, but you might want to check your messages from Haru.”
Ryo sat up, fumbling for his phone, pulling up the messages, wishing he
’d not decided to forward all of the messages to his agent simply because the man was a cousin and a trusted family member. “How is that bad news?”
His agent cleared his throat.
“There’s been a rumor in the news since they found the cadets that disappeared that will have the paparazzi sniffing around.”
“So?” Ryo said, then let out a laugh. “Not-Ryo? I’d forgotten she’d always called him that.” He pushed the message down. “Apparently, Keith didn’t recognize her.”“Not surprising, given that the uncle took him away after the incident and left you and Takashi in the care of the grandfather. Hopefully, they won’t recognize him as he now uses the family name of a branch family?”“Uh,” Ryo didn’t acknowledge his agent. Instead, “She’s asking about that. Noticed he used the last name Kagone when he checked in.”“Tell her you’ll explain when you get there. It’s better to talk to her face to face.”“Him as well,” Ryo said.“Is he even going to want to?” his agent asked. “Last time I checked, your twin—need I remind you Keith was quite adamant the last time you saw him, back at Takashi’s funeral, that you were only concerned about him causing a public scandal that could potentially ruin your career.”“That’s not,” Ryo sighed. “I’m afraid they’ll try and stick him into a psychiatric ward somewhere, what with him believing in aliens but also insisting Takashi’s alive. He also doesn’t get what it’s like to have the paparazzi after you because they’ve sensed a potential scandal. Still, he’s more likely to attract their attention than your average extraterrestrial conspiracy nut because of how well-known Takashi and I are.”“How do you plan on handling the situation?”“I’m honestly not sure yet,” Ryo muttered, turning to his agent. “But I guess I’ll have time to figure that out between now and arriving at the resort. Have you already made the reservations?”“Yes. And I’ve asked for them to be discreet.”“I’d best message Haru then,” Ryo said. “That way, she doesn’t get an unexpected surprise.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Haru didn’t expect to see Not-Ryo, but there he was, recognizable from how much he looked like Ryo, at least he should, but when she blurted out the nickname she used in their childhood, he turned to look at her, confused. “Wait. You don’t recognize me?”“Uh, no,” Not-Ryo said as the young man who came in with him and the girl argued, another unexpected relationship showing up at the resort.
There was also—
Haru shook her head, brushing it aside, thinking she
’d better not dig into the matter, the photo of Not-Ryo safely on her phone, not that Not-Ryo noticed her taking the picture in the first place. “
Perhaps, if what I think they said is true, I mean the implications of what they said are what I think they are, I might be able to get a picture of this Shiro to send Ryo as well. But more importantly,
” she took a deep breath, sliding her phone away. “
He
’ll want to know I found Not-Ryo
.
”
“So, how many?”“Let’s see,” Lance frowned. “There’s us who pilot the lions.”“The what?” Haru said.“Don’t worry about that,” Not-Ryo said, giving her a funny look.“Stop staring at girls like that, Keith!” Lance said, which didn’t at all seem like the name she remembered Not-Ryo going by. “That’s just creepy.”“Huh?”“Oh, I’m used to it,” Haru said, laughing. “And it’s not creepy.”
Lance batted his eyes at her, his blue eyes unusual for someone with darker skin.
“Oh, come on. While I understand guys giving a pretty lady like you…”
Not-Ryo reached out, grabbing Lance
’s ear and tugging Lance back. “Hey. Leave the creepy flirting with the check-in lady…”
“Concierge. I’m a concierge, Not-Ryo,” she said, clapping her hands over her mouth.
Not-Ryo looked at her, confused.
“That is the second time you’ve called me that, but to call me that…”
“You don’t know her,” Lance said, forcing Not-Ryo to release his hand. “And what’s wrong with me flirting with her?”
Not-Ryo sighed.
“We need to get checked in. Us five, Coran, mother, Shiro, plus a giant wolf.”
“Mother?” Haru said, tilting her head, confused, remembering her uncle telling stories of his wife to sate upset Not-Ryo for their mother not being in their life. “A giant wolf? What kind of Pokemon is it?”“Uh, what kind of Pokemon is Kosmo?”“Not any from this world, that’s for sure,” Not-Ryo said.“I wish you’d keep him in a Pokeball.”“Not even sure he’s a Pokemon,” Not-Ryo said.
Lance sighed.
“And one giant wolf who may or may not be a Pokemon and may have to be escorted off the island for eating…”
Kosmo won
’t eat everyone’s Pokemon!” Not-Ryo said, tensing up.
“He tries eating mine,” Lance said.“He doesn’t eat the Space Mice,” Not-Ryo said, “So your Pokemon must be antagonizing him.”“Space Mice?”“Ah.” Lance held up four fingers. “They may or may not be Pokemon as well, but honestly, I think they’re all Pokemon, because what is a Pokemon.”“And I’ll leave Hunk and Pidge to answer that question,” Not-Ryo said. “Can we get checked in? I mean, we were registered by the Garrison.”“The Garrison,” Haru said, breathing in deeply and frowning through the computer files. “Ah. The Garrison.”“Something the matter?” Lance asked.“No, just.” Haru took a deep breath. “Do you really feel comfortable? I mean, with them doing anything after what happened?”“To Shiro?”“No. I mean, you went missing. After,” Haru said.“Hey,” Lance said, frowning, leaning forward. “You’re cute and all, but—uh, Keith said he doesn’t know you.”“Doesn’t remember me, there’s a difference,” Haru said.“Uh, uh. No difference,” Lance said.“You do know me then?” Not-Ryo said, then sucked in a deep breath. “You don’t…” He then looked away. “Never mind. Do whatever.”“Hey.”“Keys or something?” Not-Ryo said, holding out a gloved hand.“Sure. You’ve got a couple of rooms, I think. A few. Wait.” Haru held out her fingers. Five and three add up to eight; they are larger rooms, so it works out.”“But what about a large cosmic wolf Pokemon?” Lance said.”“Uh, the Garrison didn’t say anything about that,” Haru said.“Typical,” Lance muttered. “Keith. You’re the leader, what do you want to do.”“I haven’t a clue.”“Start by taking the rooms?” Haru said. “I think—“ Her head turned, looking at the pocket she slipped her phone in. “Could Ryo.” She took a deep breath. “Start there?”“I guess so. Not sure the girls will be happy, but then,” Not-Ryo tilted his head. “Three girls and five guys.”“Nope. No. They can go stay with that sister of mine.”“So your sister gets stuck with a full house just so you can, what, have a huge room all to your own?”“That…”“You’re not shoving them off on your sister, Lance. Particularly since we weren’t expecting to run into her.”“Yeah, but…”
Not-Ryo took the keys and dragged Lance away while Haru laughed.
“Not-Ryo’s friend is funny.” She finished checking them in, then headed out and texted Ryo, then took a deep breath, catching sight of her Psyduck. She walked over, smiling. “Guess what. Not-Ryo is here, Psyduck.”
“Not-Ryo?”
Haru looked over, smiling.
“Oh. Alisa.
“Who is, or what is this Not-Ryo?”
Without missing a beat, Haru pulled her phone out of her pocket, pulling up the picture of Not-Ryo yet again and holding it out to Alisa.
“Not-Ryo.”
“Uh, I’m quite sure, Haru, that is Ryo,” Alisa said. “You know, the pop idol, Ryo Shirogane, but you shouldn’t go prying into celebrities’ lives and take pictures.”“Oh, no. This is not Ryo. It’s Not-Ryo.”“Huh?”“This,” Haru said, flipping to another picture, “Is Ryo.” She flipped back. “And this is Not-Ryo. I sent the picture of Not-Ryo to Ryo.”“I don’t get it.”“They’re not the same person.”“So, look-a-likes?” Alisa said, shaking her head. “Haru, you can’t send celebrities pictures of their look-a-likes.”“No, not,” Haru sighed. Going to her phone, flipping to a picture she’d scanned and uploaded. She held it up for Alisa, frowning as she did so. “No. This is Ryo, and this is Not-Ryo.”
Alisa leaned in, frowning.
“And that’s you, between them? When you were a kid, and Sirogane was a kid?”
“Uh-huh.”“And this—what is this Not-Ryo?”“He always said he wasn’t Ryo, so I always called him Not-Ryo.”“And why would he always say that?”“Because Not-Ryo isn’t his twin brother,” Haru said. “Ryo’s been looking for Not-Ryo.”“Haru, you can’t send customers information out like that!” Alisa sighed, placing her hands on her hips. I mean, really?”“Ryo’s been worried, though,” Haru said. “I’ve been worried about my cousin as well, not that he recognized me when I checked them in, but I’m glad he’s alright, which I was telling Psyduck, but I never got beyond the fact Not-Ryo’s here.”“Surely he has a name other than Not-Ryo?”“Not-Keith, but he goes by Keith now,” Haru said. “I don’t remember his name because I always called him Not-Ryo.”
Alisa looked at Psyduck, shaking her head.
“And why doesn’t that surprise me? Sounds like something you would do, Psyduck, but then all your cousins are called Psyduck?”
“Psy?” Psyduck tilted his head, confused as usual, then let out a humming sound.“Anyways,” Alisa said. “He may be family, but don’t bother him if he doesn’t want to be.”“Roger!” Haru said, salluting Alisa.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rachel dragged her suitcase to her room, unlocked it, and took a deep breath, noting the view of the ocean from the balcony, which she headed to right before releasing her Herdier from her Pokeball, something she should have done sooner with all the other Pokemon running around.
Her Herdier looked around before dashing around the room, finally settling in a nice sunshine spot on a rug, letting out a sound of triumph as Rachel looked on, smiling at her Pokemon before turning to look at the ship that brought her, wishing it didn
’t take up so much of the view. “Hopefully, it leaves soon.” She took a deep breath. “Wish Lance was leaving soon. He always finds ways to annoy.”
She frowned, catching sight of a man with a camera, taking pictures, but trying to hide the fact he was taking pictures, unlike the concierge who weirdly called Lance
’s rival Not-Ryo. She shook her head, letting out a deep breath before sitting in one of the chairs, but then stood up, going back inside to get some sunscreen from her bag.
Sitting back down, she started applying the sunscreen, contemplating her and Herdier
’s first activities. “Although,” she turned to look at the dog Pokemon. “It seems your first activity is getting some sun, which is mine. Not exactly…”
She leaned forward, for her brother came back out as if on cue, heading to the ship with Keith, his rival dragging him back to the boat. She let out a deep breath before deciding to go back in, not wanting to see her brother.
Looking around, she took in the room, the small kitchen, and the super comfy bed. She walked over to the fridge and opened it, seeing that it was filled with water as she
’d heard the resort did, to make sure there weren’t any dehydration issues among their clientele. She opened a bottle of water, poured some into a bowl, and set it down for her Herdier before going over to the bed and flopping down, allowing the sea breeze to lull her into a semi-sleepy state.
“Let’s not let Lance ruin this, and just avoid him at all costs,” Rachel said, keeping her eyes closed, feeling her Herdier jump up on the bed next to her, settling right into his side.
Stretching out her limps, Rachel pulled her arms behind her, continuing to relax.
“Relaxing being the point of this trip.”
A knock on the door resulted in her eyes snapping open and her mouth twisting into a frown.
“Why me?” Sitting up, she looked at the door, the knocking coming again. Letting out a sigh, she got up and walked over to the door and opened it, expecting the concierge there or another staff member, only to see a girl with warm skin like Rachel’s own, her eyes behind sunglasses, her white hair pulled up under a sun hat, while her ears.
Rachel stared, taking in the ears.
“Excuse me,” someone said, not hesitating to enter the room.
Rachel turned, seeing a rude little boy standing in a green tank and cut-off jean shorts, stretching his arms out, the ears of the other person not forgotten, let alone the scowl as if they didn
’t want to be here. “Excuse me, but this is my hotel room.”
“I know,” the person said, turning to look at her, grinning ear to ear, their face looking familiar, even though…
Rachel
’s eyes narrowed, thinking at that moment that the boy in front of her looked like Matt Holt, one of the other members of the failed Cerberos mission who went missing. “
This means that he isn
’t Matt Holt, but if I remember correctly, he didn’t have a younger brother. He…
” Her eyes blinked, her breath sucking in. “Wait? Katie? Katie Holt!” She then swallowed, grimacing. “What did you do to that beautiful hair of yours? Your mother will kill you if she finds out! And does she know you’re here?”
“Don’t know, and yes, she knows we’re here,” Katie said. “And I go by Pidge now.”“I see, I think,” Rachel said. “And you’re…”“Allura,” the other said. “I really don’t want to meet any of Lance’s relatives, Pidge.”“Come on. Rae’s not like Lance, Allura. Well, I don’t know about her intellect…”“Hey,” Rachel said. “You’re here with Lance? How? Why?”“Long story, but he wants us girls,” Pidge pulled open her bag as four small mice peeked out. “And the Space Mice to stay here with you, rather than our original…”“Absolutely not!” Rachel said, gritting her teeth. “Seriously! That brother of mine.”“Well, we’re in agreement on that,” Allura said. Then, “And for your information, no matter what he says, I am not his girlfriend.”
Rachel frowned, turning to look at her, noticing how beautiful she was, and letting out a sigh.
“Yeah. My brother will hit on any female.” Her attention returned to Allura’s ears. She lifted a finger. “That said, what is with your ears.”
“Oh,” Allura said, removing the sun hat and sunglasses, revealing strange pink marks that matched the pastel pink of her clothing. “I’m an Altean.”“A what?”“An alien,” Pidge says. “Ain’t it cool?”“No, it’s not,” Rachel said. “I was supposed to be having a vacation, not having to deal with family, because things, and then Lance has to show up here, screwing everything up.”“He’s a tendency to do that,” Allura said.“And we’re not staying with you,” Pidge said. “Not unless you agree, and then Keith, Shiro, and their mother will stay in the one place with Kosmo and Lance…” Pidge let out a giggle, rubbing her hands together. “He and Hunk will be stuck with Coran.”“Coran?”“My royal advisor,” Allura said, Rachel’s attention turning back to the girl who claimed she was an alien, which bothered Rachel. She took a deep breath. “And yes, I am an alien. Will that be a problem?”“So I have to admit my brother will flirt with any female regardless of species?” Rachel said, frowning.“Huh?” Allura said.“It—never mind. It’s a joke. Something our siblings came up with because of how obnoxious Lance can be, but really. It’s just a joke,” Rachel sighed, watching Allura’s attention go to her Pokemon, who lounged on the bed. “Oh. That’s my Herdier.”“They’re gorgeous,” Allura said, finally breaking into a grin. “May I? Their coat looks so soft?”“Sure,” Rachel said. “I take great pride in keeping that coat pristine, but I’m also proud to say he’s won quite a few ribbons for being best of show.”“Amazing,” Allura said, sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her hand for the Herdier, waiting for the Pokemon to come to her. Still, when her presence became known, Rachel’s Herdier got up and walked over, letting her pet.“Well, if my Herdier likes you, you must not be half bad.”“It doesn’t like Lance,” Allura asked.“Well, no. Lance is too high maintenance, which is funny given how high maintenance a Herdier’s coat tends to be,” she took a deep breath. “I’ll think about it. Of torturing Lance by making him stay with this Coran person.”“Yes!” Pidge said, lifting her hands into the hair.“And why do I think you’re looking forward to that?” Rachel sighed. “Your mother is really going to have a fit, you know.”“I’m a tomboy, not a girly girl,” Pidge said. “Although I’m not against dressing up. It’s just a lot more fun to do gross boy things.”“That,” Rachel sighed. “You do know people are expecting those things less if you actually look girly? As you look now, completely exected?”
Pidge shrugged her shoulders, then let out a burp.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She’s not really done gross things like this since I don’t know…”“Oh, it’s just something she likes to annoy me with, but honestly, it’s far less annoying than Lance. Matt always refused to trade Lance for Katie.”“Huh,” Allura said.“I bet you have a lot of embarrassing stories about Lance that we can use against him! We’re on vacation and finally have the chance to have some fun.”“Yeah. I have a lot of embarrassing stories involving Lance,” Rachel sighed. “The problem is, he doesn’t recognize how embarrassing they are.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Haru messaged him back with a smiley face, which with Haru could mean a lot of things. Ryo sighed, wondering about so many things yet never putting a finger on them.
When the limo arrived home, he packed up his suitcase, and his agent watched nearby.
“You’re going on vacation, not a work assignment,” his agent said, shaking his head. “Ryo, really. You’ve got no job assignments until we settle things between you and Keith, or you at the very least get a restful vacation so you can progress towards that goal if it turns out he’s not there.”
“He’s there,” Ryo said. “Haru wouldn’t lie.” He paused, picking up a pair of sandals and tossing them in on top. “And she wouldn’t be mistaken. She was always one of the few people to be able to tell us apart, although she never…” He let out a laugh, shaking his head. “Haru always called him Not-Ryo, much to his irritation.”“I’m just worried you’ll get your hopes up for nothing, Ryo.”“Nothing?” Ryo said. “You’re the one whose idea this trip was.” He paused, holding up a swimsuit, one of many because of his job as a pop idol.“Yes, you’ve got to take a swimsuit,” his agent said. “Because you’re on vacation to a beach resort, it would be odd if you didn’t go swimming at some point, but it would also be good to pack sunglasses and sunscreen. Oh, and pick a swimsuit that we’re comfortable in rather than something that will…” His agent let out a laugh. “Actually, go back through everything.”“What?”“You’re incognito, for one thing,” his agent said. “And you don’t need to worry about dressing in a manner that draws the female gaze.” His agent tilted his head. “But pack an outfit you’d want to take a girl…”“I’m not supposed to date anybody,” Ryo said.“Only if your agent, aka manager, doesn’t approve, aka me,” his agent said. “You’ve got a little more leeway than other pop idols. Otherwise, you’d get the right time for not making something recently.”“I can get away with it because I’m a Shirogane,” Ryo said. “Don’t even have to hold down a job, but had Takashi…” He closed his eyes. “Can’t think like that. Keith will kill me.”“You mean thinking about Takashi not having the job that got him killed,” his agent sighed. “I got that, and yes, be careful what you say to your remaining brother. We’d better get going soon, as we’ve got a limo ride out to the boats and then a boat ride over.” He froze. “Well, the missing cadets are there. And you may not be able to go as incognito as you want.” His agent sucked in his breath. “And the paparazzi don’t realize that Not-Ryo is Not-Ryo.”
Ryo paused, turning his head.
“The paparazzi are there? Why? I thought the Garrison—they kept things under wraps, so why is it that they’re…” He let out a sigh, holding out his hand. “Double-check so we can go.”
His agent came over, nodding his head.
“Looks good.”
“And you?”“I’m still on the clock, Ryo. I’m an agent, manager, and bodyguard.”“You’ll look less conspicuous if you’re not wearing a suit.”“And I’ll also do better not wearing a suit in a tropical climate. Haven’t you noticed that I change when we’re in warmer areas, although I still dress up? And I have a suitcase if you ever want to go incognito.”“Good,” Ryo said. “I want to get there before they cause any more damage. I can’t trust—yeah—I don’t trust the paparazzi not to make Keith’s life hell.”
He scooped up his Oshawott while his agent got the suitcase, heading out following the man back to the limo he
’d just left, riding to the docks so they could load their luggage onto the next boat heading out to the Pokemon resort. Ryo took a deep breath, petting the top of Oshawott’s head, placing a hat on his head, and wearing sunglasses to hide his eyes.
“Going incognito is impossible now, with them identifying Not-Ryo, as you said.”“You’re not there to please your fans, so stop worrying.”“They’ll be there,” Ryo groaned, touching his forehead. “Shoot. Haru will be inundated with those chasing the missing cadets and the fanbase that likes to chase me.”“Oh. Yes. That.” The agent let out a deep breath. “The resort’s owner is already predicting whether something like that happened.”“Haru just, she’s easily overwhelmed when things get crazy, and she likes her new job,” Ryo said, taking a seat on the deck, frowning as he pulled his hat down lower, hoping nobody noticed who he was. “This really stinks, you know.”“I know, I know,” his agent said. “I’ll be the one checking you in, so try laying low as I do that.” His agent looked at the Oshawott. “And since your fans know you’ve got an Oshawott?”
Ryo sighed.
“Sorry, Oshawott,” he said, making the Pokemon get back into the Pokeball. “Why couldn’t you have mentioned that sooner?”
“Because,” his agent said.“Because is not an answer,” Ryo said.“Just stick to me like glue,” his agent said. “And yes, I know this isn’t the most ideal situation.” They stopped talking, eventually disembarking. Ryo became more nervous as they did so, but when they arrived, Ryo started.“Wait,” Ryo took a deep breath. “Where’s Haru?”“Don’t know. She might be off doing other things,” his agent said. “They do seem busy.”
The young woman with dark skin looked somewhat flustered.
“Look, if you’ve not made a reservation, I can’t help you as we’re already booked up and had a whole slew of people coming to the Pokemon resort for who knows what reason. Though we are getting tents ready for when there is an overload of guests, again, there aren’t that many tents, and there is a definite risk that the Pokemon might not be amenable to the tents. We have had flying Pokemon crash into them.”
“Crash into them,” one of the girls said. “Ugh.”“Come on,” the other said, tugging her arm. “I really, really want to see Ryo Shirogane.”
Ryo sucked in his breath, pulling on his hat brim, hoping the girls wouldn
’t turn around, but the girl behind the counter—one of her eyebrows shot up. “You know what. Come along this way. You can wait for the owner to get back in the seating area, right? And she can tell you if tents are available because sometimes guests make reservations to use the tents.”
“Despite flying Pokemon crashing into them?” the girl asked.“Despite flying Pokemon crashing into them,” the person behind the desk said. She then raised her hand. “Actually, anybody who doesn’t have a reservation, please step out of line and follow me to the sitting area. For those who do, I’ll be right back.”
Ryo watched the girl step away, feeling slightly nauseous, glancing around, hoping to see Haru or another familiar face, the one he really wanted to see, almost dropping his hat as his agent tugged on his arm to step forward. The young woman returned, got the next person sorted, and said,
“Hi. My name is Alisa. How can I help you today?”
Ryo glanced up, not liking how she smiled, as if she
’d not noticed him, and craftily moved his fans away. “Where’s Haru?”
His agent tugged his sleeve, shaking his head. Alisa sighed.
“Sorry. Don’t know where your cousin is, though busy doing something with the sudden influx.”
“So sorry,” Ryo muttered.“Better…” Alisa sucked in her breath. “No worries!” Yet it was apparent she didn’t like the overflow. “Just…” She glanced back over. “Some of the Pokemon are a little sensitive, and that’s why some of our long-time guests love bringing them out here.”“Yeah. It is nice,” Ryo said, keeping his voice low.“She is around, so I’m sure you’ll see her, but I saw the picture,” Alisa said. “If it helps, I think she’s right, but I’ll go ahead and get you to your rooms.”“Yeah, that…”“Ryo?”
Ryo groaned, having turned in time for a fan to notice him as he did.
“Ryo Shirogane!” the girl squealed, and then the two girls who’d been sent to the seating area along with a few others hurried over.“Uh, hi.”“I thought you’d already checked in. I mean, I saw the picture.”“Wasn’t his hair longer?”“Great. Keith’s still being Keith, isn’t he,” Ryo thought.“Hi,” his agent said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get Ryo settled into his hotel room.”“Yes, yes!” Alisa said, going and grabbing the suitcases while placing a key between her teeth, muttering in an almost inaudible fashion. “Here we go. Hurry, hurry.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Haru took in a deep breath of the salty sea air, humming as she went along, her Psyduck following along behind her as she carried some fresh towels for one of the hotel rooms, knocking on the door and handing the towels over, turning to see to the next task, but as she did—“Takashi might be alive. Takashi might be alive, and Ryo will be so happy, even happier than just finding Not-Ryo,” Haru thought, heading down the hallway, her Psyduck right behind her.“Haru!”
Haru turned, looking at another of her co-workers.
“Need something, Tyler.”
“I’ve got to deliver some yoga mats and another health item to one of our clients as they’re here for rehab purposes,” Tyler said. “Would you mind helping me and the right-hand Pokemon bring these things to their rooms?”“Sure,” Haru said. “Psyduck…”“If Psyduck doesn’t do it with his powers, that’s fine,” Tyler said. “Otherwise, boom!”
Haru watched his elemental monkeys teeter at this and let out a laugh. She held up her arm.
“Well, let’s go. I love helping our visitors.” She followed after, Psyduck quickening his step, tripping a few times as he did so until they arrived, where Tyler kept the exercise equipment. Then it was back the other way, but as they walked, Haru continued breathing in the salty sea air and humming.
“Takashi might be alive, and I saw Not-Ryo. Ryo-Ryo is going to be so happy!” She bumped into Tyler and almost dropped her item, an exercise ball, while Psyduck bumped into her and dropped the yoga mat. She turned, watching her Pokemon attempt to pick up the yoga mat to no avail as Tyler knocked on the door. “It’s okay, Psyduck.”
The door opened.
“Hi. This must be…”
Haru turned, her eyes blinking, then said,
“Takashi!”
The person in front of her blinked.
“Haru?”
“I see you’ve already met our Haru!” Tyler said, motioning for his right-hand Pokemon to bring in the equipment they brought. “Keep trying, Psyduck. You’ll get it.”“But we don’t want him using his powers, Tyler,” Haru said, lifting her hands, resulting in her dropping the yoga ball, which she chased into the room, past Takashi, tripping over the ball as it came to a stop, almost falling on her bottom, when Takashi reached out grabbing the back of her tropical patterned shirt.“Clumsy still,” Takashi said as Tyler set down his yoga mat, rescuing the one Psyduck brought from floating in the air.“Sorry about that.”“No, it’s not…”“It’s good to…” Haru started saying, stopping upon hearing arguing coming from the adjoining room.“Why do I have to stay with Coran if the girls go and stay with my sister?”“Because, Lance,” Not-Ryo said.“Oh! Not-Ryo!”“Uh, Haru,” Takashi said, glancing at the other room as Lance came out.“Shiro, tell Keith…” And then Lance stood there, pointing. “Not-Ryo!”“No, I’m not Not-Ryo!” Haru said, pointing at Keith. “He’s Not-Ryo!”“Uh…” Keith stood there, staring.“That makes absolutely no sense!” Lance said.“And I’m obviously missing something,” Tyler said, scratching his head.
Haru
’s attention turned to her older cousin. “It’s good to see you’re alive and well, Takashi.”
“Uh…” Takashi said, his jaw dropping.“Alive and well?” Lance said. “Is she nuts?”“Since I last saw you, I got a boyfriend and a job, decided to take a different job, and my boyfriend broke up with me, but not in that order,” Haru said. “And lots of things.” She turned to look at Psyduck, then held out her hands. “Ta-da!”
Takashi stared.
“Uh, Haru?”
“Wait! Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me as well!” Haru said. “I know it’s been forever, and Not-Keith…”
Takashi held up his hand, turning to look at Lance.
“Hey, could you maybe give us some space, Lance?”
“Sure. Keith, let’s go,” Lance said, staring into the other room, but over his shoulder, Haru thought she caught sight of someone who looked quite purple, yet brushed it aside when…“No. Keith stays.”“What. That’s not…”“Lance, please? I’ve already a headache coming on,” Takashi said.
Haru watched the door slam, her head tilting.
“I don’t think he likes me.”
“No,” Keith said. “He doesn’t like Not-Ryo.” He pointed at himself. “You know me?”“Well…”“You know Ryo,” Keith said. “Otherwise…”“Haru, please tell me Ryo doesn’t know we’re here,” Takashi said.
Haru pointed at Keith.
“Well, he knows Not-Ryo’s here. He’s been…”
“Oh, no. No, no.”“Haru, what did you do?” Tyler asked, rubbing the back of his head.“Nothing?” she said, frowning. “Maybe something?”
Takashi pointed at the Psyduck,
“And not a Pikachu?”
“Psy?”“Oh!” Haru said, eyes widening. “Don’t joke around, Takashi!” She patted his arm, not noticing something rather crucial as she did so. “You know my favorite Pokemon has always been Psyduck, right?”“Uh, Pikachu?” Keith said.“Fine! Not-Ryo! I love yellow Pokemon!” she said defensively. “All yellow…” she paused, her head tilting as a giant wolf walked in from the patio. “Takashi, what kind of Pokemon is that?”“Uh, good question,” Takashi said.“Anyways, seeing you’re alive and well is good!” Haru said. And then came the silence, that the local incest Pokemon remained the only sound in the room. “Uh…”“Haru,” Tyler said. “Takashi Shirogane? He’s the guest who’s here for rehab.”“Huh?” Haru said.“My appearance,” Takashi cleared his throat. “It doesn’t bother you?”“Why?”
Keith took a deep breath, looking away as he crossed his arms.
“Oh, boy.”
“Of course it doesn’t!” Haru said, patting his arm again. She then tilted her head. “What? You didn’t think I wouldn’t recognize you or something?”“You do realize you’re patting my prosthetic, Haru?” Takashi said, swallowing.“Oh,” Haru said. “It’s pretty cool. As is the scar and white hair.”“It’s not exactly coming back alive and well,” Takashi sighed.“I’ll amend to you being alive then,” Haru said, then, “Can that prosthetic give hugs? I’ve not had one from my favorite not-a-twin cousin in forever.”
Takashi let out a sigh, holding out his arms, allowing her to hug him as Tyler let out a laugh.
“Oh. I see. You’re Haru’s cousin, then, and she’s glad to see you.”
“Psy?”“And you’re Not-Ryo!” Tyler said, pointing at Keith.“No, I’m Keith.”“And Ryo must be your twin!”“Well,” Keith said, frowning. “Did you really tell Ryo I’m here? He…”“He is worried about you,” Haru said.“We’re not…” Takashi said. “I’m not exactly ready for…”
We
’re kind of remaining on the down low, Haru.”
“Got it! I can keep a secret!” Haru saluted.“Can she?” Keith asked.“She can, weirdly enough.”“And can I have a hug from Not-Ryo?’“Can…” Keith’s eyes went wide. “Absolutely not!”“He’s not fond of hugs, Haru, remember?” Takashi said.“I know, but I’m glad you’re alive as well and no longer lost. How did the garrison misplace you?”“I misplaced myself,” Keith said, giving her a weird look.“Okay!” Tyler said, grabbing onto Haru’s shoulders. “As much as I love a happy family reunion the next time, it is time for us, Psyduck and my right-hand Pokemon, to make our exit so the rehab patient can get some rest before we start rehab tomorrow. You can visit your cousins later, Haru.”“See you later,” Haru called out. “And I didn’t forget your mother’s an alien.”“Wait. What?”“I—don’t, Keith. Just don’t.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They were there, in her room, invading her space and her peace.
Nor would they be there if it weren
’t for Lance, yet the pointed ears of the darker-skinned girl, the one she didn’t know honestly, still bothered her, more importantly—
“Katie Holt is involved, so this Allura chick actually being an alien isn’t something I’m quite sure I should take seriously,” Rachel thought. “Nor am I quite sure how to get rid of my guests right now.”“Look,” Rachel sighed. “As much as I’d love to accommodate you.” She frowned, looking right at Allura. “And your alien friend, Katie, I did come to get a vacation away from family and all that, that being the trouble Lance caused back home, what with you cadets disappearing as you did. I saved up really hard for this vacation to have some me time.”“Oh. Sure,” Katie said, still grinning ear to ear before letting out a crude burb, resulting in Rachel sighing and looking at the other girl in annoyance.“And why do you have to do things just to annoy people? All I want is peace and quiet.”“Well, it’s going to be crowded over there,” Katie said when her alert went off. Her head tilted, then she whistled. “Oh. Never mind.”“Never mind?” Allura said.“Someone at the hotel. They offered to let us stay in their room.”“Thank goodness,” Rachel said, her mouth twisting when Allura gave her a look. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy some girl time, but…”“But?” Allura asked.“For starters,” Rachel said, pointing at Katie. “That one’s never been for any real girl time. Second, I’m seriously worried that my brother won’t be far behind. He’s just got this knack of making my life miserable if it weren’t bad enough that some paparazzi are loitering around.”“Paparazzi?” Katie said, cringing.“Well, potentially. I did see someone with a camera, trying to hide they were taking pictures.”“Uh, thanks for letting us know,” Katie said, getting off Rachel’s bed and grabbing Allura by the arm. “We need to get going and keep your ears covered.”“I know. I know,” Allura said.
Rachel frowned, watching the door close behind her two unwanted guests, shaking her head after they were gone. She turned to her Herdier.
“Are we going to get any peace while we’re here on vacation, boy?”
The Pokemon let out a bark, and she sighed again, heading to shower and change into a swimsuit so she might get some sun, but the moment she left her room, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes, taking in the salty sea air as well as the sun that beat down on her skin. She held her bag close.
“Mental check. Make sure to keep sunscreen on.” Rachel started walking down the path towards the beach while her Herdier followed. She laughed. “You know, you can do whatever you want while we’re here, though I’d appreciate you not doing anything that will result in me having to do any form of major grooming to your fur coat.”
Then, a camera flare snapped, and she pulled a hand up to block the offending camera flash.
“What the?”“Sorry, could you not take pictures right now?” another person said.“But it’s Ryo Shirogane!” a girl squealed.“Oh, gee,” someone else muttered. “It’s going to be a long day, right?”
Rachel lowered her arms, taking in the sight of one of the resort employees attempting to pull along one of the other resort visitors
’ luggage, muttering through her teeth in which a key remained clenched.
“I’d like to say we can get you a new room, but we’re all booked up,” the employee told the young man. The girls were flying over, resulting in Rachel frowning.“Something else to interrupt my vacation?”
The young man turned, his mouth twisted into a frown. His eyes were dark, as were his hair, while his eyes indicated he was from somewhere in Asia, possibly even the country she
’d decided to visit for her vacation. “Sorry?”
“Not sorry,” Rachel muttered. “Having a camera flash in my eyes isn’t fun, but you’re the reason that man was lurking around with a camera out front, weren’t you?”
The young man opened his mouth while the resort employee sighed.
“Oh, great. I’ll have to get Tyler to look into that. Again. Sorry. We’re not normally like that.” She looked at the two girls. “And could you please not bother our other visitors? They’re here for a vacation.”
“But it’s Ryo Shirogane,” the same girl squealed.“Yeah,” the one holding onto the girl’s arm said, her nose wrinkling up at Rachel in disgust. “How dare you talk to him like that?”“Sorry,” Ryo muttered.“We really do try not to be a nuisance to other visitors when we go places,” another man said, bowing slightly, holding out—
Rachel frowned, noticing the man holding out a card.
“Uh…”
“I’m Ryo Shirogane’s agent, but if for some reason any of this causes you more trouble, call, and I’ll see what I can do about it,” the man said as the girls pouted, muttering how unfair it was that Rachel got one of Ryo’s cards.“I could honestly care less,” Rachel said, simply taking the card and dumping it into her bag to be polite and get the conversation over. “If you excuse me, I’m headed to the beach right now.” She nodded, then moved past the two girls calling her rude. Rachel took a deep breath. “Rude is interrupting someone’s business.”
She stiffened, seeing another person lurking, holding out a camera. Her mouth twisted into a frown, debating whether she should just tell them which direction she saw Ryo in out of simple spite, only
…
Shaking her head, she headed to the beach.
“It’s really none of my business, though it may end up being if they disrupt my vacation too much. Them, and that brother of mine.”
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as the sun continued beating down before going and sitting in one of the chairs, letting her Hedier run about. She tucked her arms behind her back, enjoying the sound of the ocean against the beach as her Herdier barked, chasing after a ball he
’d found blown up on the beach.
“Well, hopefully, I can get some form of relaxation on this trip.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The employee’s attempt at avoiding trouble by hurrying ended up—
Ryo somehow knew it wouldn
’t work, in the back of his mind, being all too aware of how well-known he was to the general public, and even an older couple turned their heads and pointed at him. There were a few flashes of the cameras and gaggles of fangirls they found themselves going past when they ran into
her
.
She caught him off guard, not holding back in mincing words, her warm skin darker than his fangirls. Yet, her accent indicated she came from out of the country, possibly the United States, where Takashi transferred garrison programs, much to Ryo
’s irritation, given the distance his older brother put between them during Takashi’s high school years.
“But then I didn’t know Keith was there, that he’d found him after all that time.”
Ryo
’s eyes blinked, taking in her vivid blue eyes and curly brown hair, quickly clearing his throat at the realization she wore a skin-tight bathing suit, although she wore shorts over the top and her swimsuit as a one-piece covered much. And then she spoke, confirming his suspicions. “Something else to interrupt my vacation?”
“Sorry?” Ryo’s plans didn’t involve interrupting another person’s vacation, even though his mere presence tended to draw unwanted attention, yet the way she spoke those words. “That’s not exactly a flattering way to say it.”
The latest set of fangirls—
His eyes closed, thinking of the lack of personal space, making him wonder if this particular group of fangirls came from a country where pop idols weren
’t the standard. His agent quickly apologized to the young woman he’d interrupted the vacation of, handing off his card, not that Ryo thought the young woman thrilled with the prospect of calling his agent, though the fan girls—
He let out a sigh.
“If those fangirls got their hands on that card, they’d surely abuse it,” Ryo thought to himself, glad when Alisa finally brought them to the hotel room they’d be staying in.“I’ll take it from here,” his agent said, nodding and taking the key from Alisa’s mouth.“Good. I mean, the proper thing to say is we’ll handle whatever you may need, but your fangirls are so annoying!”“I’m aware,” Ryo said. “They’re still my fans.”“And business,” Alisa said, nodding her head. “Still hope you can have a nice stay, particularly since you’re Haru’s cousin. You may not, though, get the usual experience.”“She’ll be disappointed, but I won’t blame any of you,” Ryo said. “And sorry for being…” He paused, tilting his head. “Hey? Did Hana say anything regarding why I’m here?”“That.” Alisa sighed. “It’s not the norm, you know, to give out information regarding our clientele, and I’m not going to be breaking that rule even though I know there’s a reason why Haru did this time. As I told her not to bother this brother of yours if he doesn’t want to be, but I think you should consider my advice as well on that.”“You don’t…” Ryo started saying, then sighed. “It’s honestly complicated. I’d love to take your advice about not bothering him if he doesn’t want me to bother him, but there’s the issue of him avoiding me, so we can’t resolve things so he doesn’t consider me a bother anymore.”“You know, you’re really not helping your case.”“Keith is,” his agent started saying. “Well, you should be forewarned. Ryo’s brother can be quite stubborn-headed, to possibly his own detriment.”“Noted. I think,” Alisa said, rubbing her ear as she frowned. “And you could be feeding me biased information.”“I’d be less concerned, honestly,” Ryo said, taking a deep breath and looking her in the eye. “If our older brother was still around looking out for him and that stubborn head of his. I’ve not seen Keith since Takashi’s funeral, and things—let’s say things between Keith and I are complicated, and I don’t like how things ended back then.”“Yeah. Still not helping you track that brother of yours down.”“If you’re worried about us causing trouble in that regard…”“If you find him on your own, there’s nothing I can honestly do about that,” Alisa said. “But honestly, if he doesn’t want to see you, he doesn’t want to see you.”“Which I can’t know until I see him,” Ryo said, then he took a deep breath. “Look, I’m not asking for help, and I promise…”“Don’t make promises you’re not going to want to keep,” Alisa said, sighing. “If you’re anything like Haru, oh boy.” She shook her head. “She’s not one to back down when she puts her mind to something, but if you take after her that way, that brother of yours will as well.” She let out a deep breath. “Anyways, I’ve got to get back to the front desk.”“Thank you for intervening,” his agent said, bowing. Alisa nodded her head, waved, and disappeared. His agent unlocked their hotel room and pulled the suitcases in while Ryo stepped in. He flopped onto the couch, grabbing the pillow, and—
He screamed into the pillow, letting out his frustrations.
“Look. I know things aren’t exactly going as you hoped,” his agent said. “But you still need to relax as you’re on vacation, Ryo.”“I’ll relax,” Ryo said, turning over and looking at the ceiling, placing a hand on his forehead. “I’ll relax once I find Keith and give him a piece of my mind.”“And that is the kind of trouble the staff here are hoping to avoid, but…”“I’m not going to cause trouble for Haru, I promise,” Ryo said, sitting up, one leg pulled up on the couch as he took a deep breath. “By a piece of mind, I just want to drill it into that stubborn head of his. I do actually care about him, and I do want a relationship with him.”“Just keep in mind, you’re also stubborn.”
Ryo pulled out his phone, texting Haru.
“
Hey. I
’m here and checked in. How are you?
”
“I didn’t forget that your mother’s an alien.”
Ryo
’s mouth pressed together, and a curse escaped his lips. “
I was hoping for
…
” He stopped typing, his eyes blinking, deleting the words. “
You
’ve seen Keith. Why else would you bring that up, of all things?
”
“I’m not allowed to say!”“Say what? What’s that supposed to mean after spilling the beans that he’s here, Haru?”“Hey. Why are you suddenly getting frustrated?” his agent asked. “Do I need to take…”
Ryo held up his finger, asking him to wait as he read the following text.
“
I promised. Sorry.
”
“Ugh,” Ryo rolled his eyes before shaking his head. “That’s fine. I’ll find him on my own. It’s better that I don’t cause you trouble at your new place of work, Haru. Just do me a favor, and if you see him, keep him from getting into trouble. You know how he was when we were younger, always finding trouble.”“Rodger! I can do that!”
Ryo sighed, then looked up at his agent.
“Well, Haru’s going to be a dead end.
“Did you really want to risk your cousin’s job?”“No, and I’m fine with her not telling me anymore. She did promise to keep an eye out for Keith getting into his usual trouble, though.”“Wait? Haru?”“Yes. Haru.”“You do realize you’re talking about another family member prone to attracting trouble, right?”
Ryo stared, then flopped back onto the couch.
“Oh, good grief. My day just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?”