SDK & Jadou Photoshoot

Alright, I had the SDK shoot on 7th June which was last Saturday. The weather was very bad. It kept raining but we went ahead with the shoot at Chinese Garden. Alucard remembered the shooting day wrongly. He thought it was on Sunday. But he still came in the end. However, as he IS a sunlight freak, there wasn’t much sunlight so he didn’t catch any satisfying photos. Macross, Swiftwing and I tried out a couple of poses that I wanted to try. I printed reference pictures and since we had quite a bit of time [there's 3 cosplayers, 3 photographers and 1 onlooker], we tried to make the photographs as close to the reference pictures as possible.

Kei came late and after he came, we helped with the make up and clothes and wig. The boots I bought for him were still too small for him due to it been female cut. So we had to shoot with any shoes. I wasn’t wearing my clogs as well because one of the “teeth” broke. I only wore it for posing. I was not satisfied with my make up on that day. I guess I should not have put lower lashes for Sasuke and my Maybelline Angel Fit foundation was not very good for cosplaying I think. It was too white and does not give much coverage. I still preferred Missha’s foundation. I think I will go and buy it soon.

Today, I had the Jadou Photoshoot. Keika was the most troublesome character I had done so far. All the belts and stuff. I was melting in the PVC costume, I think I will turn into a pool of liquid on Cosfest. The long wig was tangling and frizzy and the red part that I coloured with permanent marker stained my armwarmer, my face and the other white strands. It caused the left side fringe to be pink. =A=

But I love the fake lashes for Keika. <3 Today we also did a couple of yaoi poses. Hope they turn out well. Ah, I used Missha foundation today and it was definitely a lot better than Maybelline. Seriously, I think I only look good when I have good eye makeup like today.

Oh, I sucked at photoshopping my pictures. Darn. And my phone is super lousy as you can see from the noise level on the picture.

~~Hal

p.s. Why do people always follow what I do and then snatch business with me? ZZZ. If they have good business ideas, think of it and start it before I do.

Hana Matsuri: Chapter 3

Hana Matsuri – Flower Festival (花祭)

By Hal

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Inoue Takehiko. I do not own them and I won’t dare to say the ideas for this novel is purely original. No literature work nowadays are purely original, we all get our inspirations from somewhere.

Kanon-Canon – 50-50 –: Oh, I’ve listened to Catch Me already, seems like something Sendoh will do, or Rukawa. They are both the type to do that. Hahaha. But oh well, more development of the plot first!

Tensai11: Thanks for the comment on the grammar. As for the usage of “yea”, it’s my own habit. >.> I will take note. Thank you!

All readers: Gomen ne, another filler chapter… hohoho. Really busy with things (excuses…) such as work, cosplay and interviews. Darn. I can’t even have time to sit down to think through the story properly. =x I’ve re-wrote this chapter’s first few chapters more than three times.

NOTE: I changed the time frame to early winter in Chapter 1[it used to be early autumn] because I realized I made a mistake when calculating the time needed for progress of the story. Hontou gomen nasai! Also, I deleted the original chapter 1 and re-upload a new chapter 1 instead of replacing it so I guess the reviews for chapter 1 are gone. I’m so sorry. =x

Chapter 3: Hanamichi Asked

It was slightly more than a week to Christmas and Sakuragi Hanamichi had been living with Sendoh Akira for about two weeks now.

Hanamichi knew little about this young man who was housing him because when Sendoh Akira was around, he always distracted Hanamichi with all his flirting. That made the innocent red head forget all the questions he wanted to ask Sendoh. When he finally remembered again, Sendoh was either out of the house or was “working” in his room. Ever since Hanamichi had moved in, he knew that Sendoh was always working to help him with his situation right now. He did not seem to have any other job but how he was able to afford this house and all their living expenses, Hanamichi did not know. Youhei could not have probably paid Sendoh because he was only doing a part time job.

Hanamichi had not seen Youhei ever since he came to Sendoh’s place to stay. Both Sendoh and Youhei thought that it would be best if Youhei did not come to visit, in case someone was following him. He was Hanamichi’s best friend after all. Nor had Hanamichi been allowed out of the house so as to minimize the chances of being spotted. Red hair was rare in Japan and would be easy to catch unnecessary attentions. So, other than household chores and cooking (grocery shopping excluded too), Hanamichi had practically nothing to do. He was screaming with boredom after three days of such life and became significantly more violent. Treasuring his life, Sendoh Akira finally agreed to let Hanamichi play basketball at the court behind the house. Even though Hanamichi had spent the first three days exploring inside and around the house, Hanamichi had never noticed there was a court until Sendoh mentioned it that day. It seemed as if the brunette had conjured up the court out of no where.

For all the strange things that Sendoh Akira was, Hanamichi could not deny that he was indeed a nice person. (It would be nicer if Sendoh would just stop wining the one-on-one basketball matches that they sometimes had. Hanamichi was seriously annoyed with Sendoh for playing basketball better than him.) He was easy-going and friendly, always making Hanamichi feel at home and had never once asked him to do something he did not want to. At the thought of this, the image of Sendoh hugging him and licking his right ear while he was washing the dishes last night popped into Hanamichi’s head. Hanamichi’s face turned beet red. Throwing down the chopsticks he was using to arrange the teriyaki chicken on the plate, he flayed his arms above his head fiercely, in an attempt to wave away the image in his head.

“Teme!(1) Of all things, I have to remember that. That sick perverted hedgehog. @*$@*&!*#&,” more gibberish came out of Hanamichi’s mouth as he remembered yet another incident of Sendoh slipping his hands underneath his sweater. Stomping up the stairs, red hair seemingly ablaze in the air, he kicked open the second door from the staircase landing, the door that belonged to Sendoh Akira’s bedroom.

“Get the hell up, you bastard!” Hanamichi crashed through the poor tortured door. “Wake up wake up!”

In one quick motion, he pulled the blanket off the lump on the bed, successfully exposing the sleeping form to the chilly winter air.

“Hmm… another five minutes,” the raven hair young man mumbled as he rolled to the other side of the bed and attempted to pull up the currently non-existing blanket. Another second later, his body “graciously” met the floor with perfect intimacy. He was immediately awake as coldness stung his naked back, causing him to spring up to his feet. Standing tall at 1.91m, Sendoh faced the raging red hair boy in his room.

“How may I be of help to you so early in the morning, my Hana dear? A hand job, perhaps?” Sendoh smiled and gracefully ran his long fingers through his locks of hair that were not spiked up yet.

“…” a vein popped on Hanamichi’s forehead. Balling his hands into tight fists and repressing the urge to punch the person in front of him, he said through gritted teeth, “no thank you. Just come down for breakfast already.”

“Why are you so annoyed this early in the morning, Hana?” Sendoh frowned.

“I’m not,” the younger boy shot back.

“Let’s see. Is it sexual frustration?” the taller man asked, trying to sound innocent.

“NO! I said I’m not annoyed already, which part of it do you not understand?” Hanamichi said loudly with a very red and hot face. “And it’s not early in the morning; it’s ten for your information.”

Sendoh winced at the slight ringing in his ears from the loud voice of Hanamichi’s. “It’s already ten? Oh my god, I have so many things to do today! You should have waked me up earlier!”

“Well, it’s not my fault you didn’t want to wake up. I did tried at seven but you did not respond at all,” Hanamichi crossed his arms and his lips went into a small pout without himself realizing.

“Oh. I’m sorry. Guess I was in a deep sleep. I didn’t mean to blame you at all. I only got to sleep at three plus this morning. The next killer is tough as expected. Last night was of no avail as well. I’m sorry that I’m not helping much,” Sendoh sighed and sat down on his bed. He rubbed his temples and his eyebrows drew into a knit.

‘He looked like shit lately. The dark eye circles are getting worse. He’s really doing a lot to help me…’ Hanamichi felt guilty and useless at the same time. Neither Sendoh nor Youhei would let him into what they were doing and they did not tell him about anything at all. He walked away from Sendoh and stopped at the doorway. Without turning his head, he said, “Thanks. Please come down for breakfast when you are ready.” With that, he walked off quickly, closing the door behind him.

Sendoh stared at the closed door, it was rare for Hanamichi to be this soft and polite to him. Smiling to himself, he saw in his head as he closed his eyes the images of Hanamichi at different activities. Cooking, washing up, doing laundry, playing basketball, falling asleep on the sofa, blushing… Everything about Hanamichi had a pink and warm aura around it.

“You’re so cute. I think I’m really falling for you, Hana… But…” Sendoh spoke quietly to the air in front of him. ‘But can I? I somehow know that we are impossible.’ He completed in his mind, Sendoh could not bring himself to say this aloud.

Hanamichi sat quietly at the breakfast table after setting up the table quickly. Someone out there wanted him dead and he did not know who. Nor was he doing anything to find out. He was not allowed to be involved. Youhei and Sendoh knew something but they were not saying. It was tempting for Hanamichi to do something like going out and hunt down the killer himself, but where could he start? Not to mention if he did that, Youhei would be very angry and worried. Hanamichi did not want to create any more trouble for Youhei, who was not only his best friend but his “father” of some sort.

“This cannot go on. I must do something. I am the target after all,” he chewed on his lower lip and pulled at his red locks. “I cannot just sit here and wait for people to protect me. First step will be to interrogate that hentai. I know he know a lot. I will start off with something casual and keep my distance from him. I will not let him distract me this time. Yosh! Ore wa Tensai desu! I can do it!” Hanamichi punch a fist in the air as he grinned at his own plan.

“Do what?” Sendoh appeared behind his chair, startling Hanamichi into jumping out of the chair.

“Waaah, don’t sneak up on other people!” Hanamichi huffed and sat back down on the chair. “Sit down and eat your breakfast. It’s teriyaki chicken with rice and miso soup.”

“Great! I love the Japanese food you made, Hana,” Sendoh rubbed his hands as he took a seat at the table. He was sure that Hanamichi was up to something because the red head would not look directly at him and the tips of his ears were red. Those were signs of him hiding some thing or telling lies. Sendoh had noticed that for a while now.

“Erm… Anou(2)…” Hanamichi paused in the middle of a bite. He chewed on his chopsticks and pondered on how to start the conversation.

“Yes?”

“Akira, what is your job? I mean like, what do you do as a living?”

“Well…”

“If you don’t want to answer, that’s ok!” Hanamichi felt like slapping himself for blurting that out. He needed to get Sendoh to talk, it would not help at all if he personally told that it was ok for Sendoh to not say anything.

“No, just that it’s rather hard for me to explain my job,” Sendoh put down his chopsticks and rested his chin on his hands which were propped up on the elbows. “You can say that I work for a government.”

“EHH?! Really?” Hanamichi stared wide-eyed at Sendoh. “You are only 20 right? And you work for the government? You must be really smart then.”

“Yes, it is a little young to work for the government even at the place from where I come from.”

“You are not Japanese? But your Japanese is really good, I can’t tell.”

“I did my best to learn the language, haha,” Sendoh smiled.

“So what are you doing in Japan?” Hanamichi probed further.

“To… protect you.”

“What?” Hanamichi was again shocked. “You came to Japan just for that? Why would you do that? I don’t know you nor do you know me two weeks ago! How on earth did Youhei get to know you? Who are you exactly? What is going on? Everything seems to be so complicated!”

“Hana,” Sendoh spoke slowly. “I know things are complicated but I urge you to stay calm and please know that I will do whatever to protect you. Leave it to Youhei and I. We will tell you when time comes.”

“When the time comes? So when is that? You never gave me any clear and concrete indication. Look, Sendoh Akira,” Hanamichi said firmly. “I am the one they want to kill, I have to right to know why. You know the answer, so tell me. Since you are protecting me, let me know what is going on so that if anything happens, I know how to react. You will tell me right?”

“I…” For the first time, Sendoh was at lost for words.

“Please, Akira,” Hanamichi looked at him straight in the eyes, eagerness and curiosity burning.

“I can’t,” Sendoh sighed. “I’m not in the position to tell you. It’s far more complicated than I can tell you verbally. It’s too hard… and… this is not the right place…”

“So you can’t tell me?” the red head sat in his seat, dejected. “Who can? Youhei? Let me speak to Youhei then.”

“No, Youhei can’t either. The person who can tell you… you will only be able to meet him four months from now.”

“Four MONTHS?” Hanamichi repeated unbelievably. “I would probably die a couple of times by then.”

“Don’t say that,” Sendoh reprimanded. “I won’t allow that. Don’t you trust me? Don’t you trust Youhei?”

“I…” Hanamichi bit his lower lip again. “I don’t know. I guess I do… but you are not telling me anything.”

“It’s to protect you,” Sendoh said. “I know it’s hard to not know what is going on. But I promise that it is for the best.”

“Okay,” Hanamichi sighed. He could not explain it but there was something in Sendoh’s voice that made him place his faith in this spiky-hair boy.

(1) Teme: Damn

(2) Anou: Well… (as some kind of prompt to start a question)

A/N: Yes, I entitle you the rights to kill me. I made this chapter slightly longer (300 words more- than the previous ones as a compensation to all those waiting. But it’s still a filler chapter after all… and… pardon the stupid title. I can’t think of any for filler chapters. I will make no promises for the next chapter except that Rukawa is making his appearance. –digs hole and hides-

一个头两个大

上阵子的那件衣服的事解决了，那个人其实也有苦衷也很讲理的。我那时太冲动了。

天啊，这几天超忙的。

甭提Cosplay的photoshoot要来了。忙着改服装，做道具，弄发型，真的会死人。话说昨天在改一条裤子的时候，剪到自己的手指。狂汗。还有，我发现了一个天大的错误。我把Hani-senpai的衣服的颜色彻底地弄错了。请打我。我又得延迟计划了，重新做一件上衣了。老天啊，我郁闷了好久。

嗯，要先整理一下cosplay的事务，这样我自己比较清楚。哈哈。

Things Needing of Modification/Done:

• Sasuke: make clogs, black tabi socks, yellow sash; top is too big but sent for alteration already, new contact lens, toy
  
• Momiji: decided to only do the pink version, shorten the brown pants, style wig when it comes
• Hani: find pink shirt to wear inside, remove stripes from pants REMAKING TOP
• Wolfram: get white shirt, improve the necktie, collar chain, secure collar, boot covers, secure slanted belt
• Keika: black turtleneck top, remove badge and re-do with cardboard, shorten belts, add cloth bands to secure belts, style wig when it comes, elf ears, earrings

希望我的佐助的隐形眼镜会在7号之前到，不然我就完蛋了。现在在做的淘宝服务让我忙得焦头烂额的。

我没时间写文，也没时间翻译，我感到很抱歉。真的很抱歉哦。

现在想杀人

我他妈的想杀人。

你说6月要用，我说好的。我说过了东西会在4月底开始动工，那如果你不需要的话，为什么不早点说？你他妈的现在想拍拍屁股就走吗？

东西怎么办？我要付钱吗？我他妈的生气，气得我什么都做不了，也睡不着。140元，我怎么拿得出，拿得出， 我要那样东西来做什么？我家里不能放的，你他妈的给我负责好不好？我要气死了。

我该怎么办？靠，我真的想杀人。

欺骗

可能是我无能吧，领导才能不及他人，和别人合作的时候性格太过懦弱，所以我当不了领导者。不能当领导者的人是不被他们需要的，所以，我失败了。彻底地失败。最后的一线曙光在昨天也销声匿迹了。

一直以为自己是个领导者，在学校的时候，的确是几度被推选为班长的。不过原来我不是。我的才能、智慧、领导能力，一切的一切都一再地被否定——这只能说明一件事。我，都只是活在自己虚荣心所制造出来的假象中。所谓的才能、所谓的智慧、所谓的领导能力，那只是我自己凭空捏造出来的一个“我”。真正的我其实根本就没有那些，所以经验老到的面试官们一眼就识破了。

人会撒谎往往是为了想得到某样东西。而当谎言被拆破，撒谎者的唯一下场就是失去她想得到的东西。所以，我失去了到剑桥修读的机会，因为我得不到奖学金。可能我这辈子都会为这件事而感到遗憾吧，或者我应该什么都没感觉，因为如此的机会对我来说本来就已经是奇迹了，那么奇迹又怎么会在短暂的时间内，在同一个人的身上发生第二次呢？

我欺骗了世界，欺骗了自己。我，真实的我，其实什么能力都没有。

Monochrome Factor, Nabari no Ou

Ok, I just watched and read Monochrome Factor and Nabari no Ou today.

先说说隐王吧。BL的成分很少，或者说没有。不过这样的故事很容易就能YY的。毕竟有很多很有趣的角色，然后所说的话或者动作都能有“进一步“的解释，也不会很勉强。模棱两可的对话和举止。角色的设定有一点像火影忍者里的。比如清水一家就像宇志波一家一样。不过比起鼬，我比较喜欢清水雷光。性格上比较阳光[?]，本人对冷酷的人较为感冒。而且他的衣服我很喜欢呢，头发还是粉桃色的，oh my天。想cos他了。D= 壬晴是可爱的主角，我喜欢。宵风，他和壬晴不知道会怎么发展，我很期待，希望他不要死去，或者消失。惟老师，他和壬晴的妈妈似乎…嗯，好像有一腿，那个片尾曲的时候，他吻着一个女人，雷死我了。*爆* 漫画和动画的发展差不多一样吧，嗯，我应该会跟下去的。

再说幻影少年。我先看了动画，因为有人说是BL！所以我就兴致勃勃地冲去看了。的确啊！kisu kisu!好萌哦。不过白影的那口红我不敢恭维啊。主角的口头禅是“因为我无聊“。符合我的口味呢。暧昧啊，这两个人。看到白影的样子的时候觉得似曾相识，后来才知道动画的监制是Loveless的，难怪了。话说漫画版一点都不暧昧，一点都不BL,没有kisu的。是很热血的少年漫画。本人不会因为这样就放弃的，因为腐女的本性就是YY!我会坚持到底！YY王道，暧昧王道。

加油咯，暧昧的帅哥们！

p.s. 当时设置这个博客的时候，我把语言设置为英文，我现在发现自己还是喜欢用中文发表啊。

I Hope I Do ‘Em Right

There are many problems I have on hand now. They are getting on my nerve because there isn’t much I can do just as yet. Scholarship is irritating the hell out of me, it’s giving my brain the freeze when I imagine the “what if” of not getting scholarship. So many rounds and each round I do not know if I have done the things right until they contact me. Each day, as the clock ticks away, the hope ebbs away too. For each minute of delay means lesser the chance of getting through to the next round.

Sometimes I hold confidence in myself, knowing that I have the abilities but I will ask myself, again, on what basis can I say that I’m better than the others when I don’t the other candidates? Also, even if I’m better, the interviewers would not know sometimes because somehow, what I say or do are just not their cup of tea. I just wish that they will tell me right on the spot if I’m chosen or not and release me from the agony of hoping and anticipating and yet doubting my own ability more as the time goes by.

My mother is not helping at all by questioning me how I’ve done, what other people are doing and such. What is the point of knowing what other people have done, can’t she just wait till I get a definite answer of “have scholarship” or “have no scholarship” before making any decisions? Not only so, she keep on putting down on my chose of study. Harping on “who and who chose to be doctor”, “who and who chose law”, they have better career, they have better future, they are better than me in summary. Who is to say which career is better? Better pay? Better “social status”? Being an Engineer, a Chemical Engineer, is of lower status than a doctor or a lawyer? Only they are high and mighty? If law and doctor are things that I do not like and I know I can’t excel, then why can’t I choose a path where I can do better and I am more comfortable with? Tsk, I want to punch something now.

COSPLAY

Ok, there is a lot to be done from what I see in the costumes that have arrive. Overall, the quality is very good for all costumes. Colour and design wise are also accurate to what I have provided, they have done their best in providing what I want. Just tiny details need to be amended.

Missing items:

• Wigs (Keika, Momiji/Wolfram, Yukimura)

• Elf ears (for Keika, my supplier said she sent it with the katanas, I didn’t see at all… so maybe I accidentally threw away? Damn. I remembered I accidentally threw away a long red wig before too. Shoot me, people.)
• Prop (Sasuke’s toy)
• Lolita pannier and Maryjanes

Ziqi said she would help me talk to the shipping company, I hope she get back to me soon because she seldom comes online nowadays as she does not have internet connection at home now.

Things Needing of Modification/Done:

• Sasuke: make clogs, black tabi socks, yellow sash; top is too big but sent for alteration already
• Momiji: decided to only do the pink version, shorten the brown pants, style wig when it comes
• Hani: find pink shirt to wear inside, remove stripes from pants
• Wolfram: get white shirt, improve the necktie, collar chain, secure collar, boot covers, secure slanted belt
• Keika: black turtleneck top, remove badge and re-do with cardboard, shorten belts, add cloth bands to secure belts, style wig when it comes
• Lolita: shorten skirt if possible

So many things need to be done. I hope to do Momiji/Hani in May the latest, Sasuke and Keika in June and for Cosfest, Wolfram in June/August depending on photoshoot and Coscon.

I need to test out chest bindings too. Argh! So many things to do and so little time. So many things to worry and I can’t seem to get anything solved until scholarship problem is settled. Grrr.

Ah, I need to sort out my Hana Monogatari fanfic storyline and continue with Silver Diamond scanlation.

Hana Matsuri: Chapter 2

Hana Matsuri – Flower Festival (花祭)

By Hal

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Inoue Takehiko. I do not own them and I won’t dare to say the ideas for this novel is purely original. No literature work nowadays are purely original, we all get our inspirations from somewhere.

Juliakaze-san >>> Thanks dear for willing to follow this story. I’m touched that you actually put story alert on this. I hope this chapter is not disappointing. I will work hard!

Amanda-san >>> Thank you for your compliment. I will make sure it gets more interesting. You are my first reviewer, I really appreciate it. At least I know someone is reading what I’m writing. Thank you once again.

Chapter 2: Houseboy

“Nani?(1)” Hanamichi shot up from his seat, face flushed red of anger, or maybe embarrassment, and his honey brown eyes gleamed with fury. “You perverted hedgehog! You sick bastard! You…you… hentai (2)! I’m not going to be a… a… s…sex… sla…ve!” the red hair stammered on that scandalous phrase and gulped hard before going back to hurling insults. His tanned skin now so red that it could have bled. The innocent mind of his had probably short-circuited at the mention of “sex” because he had yet to resort to his usual feat of violence.

Sendoh elegantly crossed his legs and sank deeper into the comfort of his warm leather couch. The megawatt trademark smile of his was still plastered on his well-defined face (Hanamichi shouted, a shaking finger pointing at the other’s nose, “Take that freaky lecherous smile off your face!”) as he listened to the repetitive name-callings. Sendoh’s arms curled around his midriff tighter by the second and the corner of those fine lips were twitching ever so slightly.

“Ahahaha…” Sendoh burst out in laughter, successfully stunning Hanamichi into stopping in mid sentence. The fair boy clutched his stomach, withdrew his long legs towards his body and fell sideway onto the couch. “Oh, I can’t hold it in any longer. Hahaha. Youhei…haha, was right. You are… haha…I’m…haha…hentai… oh…” He whizzed as he tried to catch his breathes but failed as he was overcame with another fit of laughter and started to roll on the couch.

“Hey, so you are not only a pervert but also a madman? Or is it that the Tensai’s (3) words knocked some sense into you, huh?” Hanamichi said smugly but in no time, he started to frown. “Oi, stop laughing! You think the Tensai’s funny? Let me tell you the power of the…”

Sendoh had now stood up and he pounced on the tanned boy onto the floor, cutting Hanamichi’s blabbering off.

“Waaaah! What are you doing? Get off me!” Hanamichi roared into Sendoh’s ears.

“I don’t want to,” Sendoh’s face split into a grin. He was definitely enjoying this a lot, and stole a pinch at Hanamichi’s muscular waist. The body in his arms was beautiful – there was not a single bit of extra meat anywhere. The toned muscles beneath the supple soft skin promised of power, strength and potential. Just as his smile was about to widen upon hearing a yup from the tan boy, a head-splitting pain seared through his forehead, crumpling his handsome face.

“Itai (4), itai, itai…” he rubbed his bruised forehead and winced, “Hana…”

The attacker had now wriggled out of his grasp and stood tall upon him, his childish features displayed a naïve smug look. “Nyahaha! How does my headbutt taste? The Tensai’s head is made of steel, not what a commoner like you can endure.”

‘Headbutt, steel, commoner,’ Sendoh sweatdropped. Oblivious to the expression of the boy on the floor, Hanamichi continued to speak at the top of his voice. “Hmph, a hentai like you needs to be punished. I don’t care if you are employing me or not, because I quit! I’m not working for a hentai. I will teach you a lesson today so that you don’t go harming other people. Count yourself unlucky to have met me!”

The raven hair boy sprang to his feet and leapt over the couch. He had seen the seriousness in the other boy’s eyes. Those burning eyes and bone-cracking sounds coming from those powerful fists were indeed scary.

“Wait!” He yelled from his area of refuge, with the couch as the only protection from the red mane lion that seemed to be bursting of power and ready to pounce at any moment.

“I’m sorry for pissing you off, ok?” Sendoh raised two hands. “Peace. Youhei said you’re cute so I decided to have some fun first…”

“Matte yo (5)!” Hanamichi help up a hand firmly. “Youhei said I’m what?!”

“Cute,” Sendoh replied graciously but quickly added, “But now I know you are full of charm. You are the manliest man I’ve seen.” Sincerity shone in his eyes and he looked genuinely impressed. He might well be awarded Oscar’s Best Actor Award for his performance. But any clever man would put on some kind of act in this situation; no one in the right mind would further provoke the boy who was now gritting his teeth. Sendoh, been thoroughly warned by Youhei of Hanamichi’s “superiority in affairs of physical violence”, likewise sought to appease the raging fire burning in Hanamichi.

“Che, of course. Ore wa Tensai desu (6)!” Hanamichi proudly declared this rather unrelated trait, his anger clearly dissipated into thin air as he laughed boisterously.

“Hai hai. Tensai-san, let us sit down and talk like men should, ok?” Sendoh took the chance and suggested.

With both of them seated seriously again on the couch, Sendoh went back to sip his tea after making sure that all strands of his gorgeous hair were still standing up in their fullest glory.

“Before any further discussion, I want to make this very clear. I don’t care why Youhei has a friend like you, but I’m not doing anything beneath my dignity,” Hanamichi spoke, with a seriousness that seemed strange coming from him but oddly attractive at the same time.

“Of course, I wasn’t serious about the sex slave thing just now,” Sendoh said smilingly. ‘But I would love to make you one now,’ the charming boy thought to himself as he watched the pinkness creeping up Hanamichi’s ears.

“You are an orphan. Your mother died giving birth to you. Your father died when you were twelve. Your met your best friend, Mito Youhei, eight years ago and he is the only person you trust now. You have three other close friends who called themselves Sakuragi Guntai because you are the leader among them for your superior fighting skills. A month ago, unknown people started attacking you for no reasons. All the attacks were aimed at killing you but Youhei and you had blocked them off all the time. I would say they have underestimated you two,” as he stretched his neck to drink the last drop of tea, Sendoh looked at Hanamichi through slits of eyes.

“Who are you?” Hanamichi’s eyebrows drew together into a deep frown.

“Don’t frown, you’ll get wrinkles,” Sendoh commented. “I’m not a stalker if that’s what you are thinking of now. Why do you think Youhei would suddenly send you to me?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you trust Youhei?”

Hanamichi nodded.

“Do you trust his decisions and the people he trusts?”

Another nod.

“Alright, listen up then. The reason Youhei sent you to me is because he trusts me to protect you from what is happening now,” Sendoh leaned forward, his upper body over the low table between them, and looked straight into Hanamichi’s brown bright eyes.

“I don’t need…” Hanamichi started.

“No, you do. Trust Youhei,” Sendoh retorted. “The situation will get worse. Whoever is out to kill you will be sending their next killer soon. He will be a very difficult person to deal with and I am the only one who can protect you from him now.”

“I’m the Tensai, I can…” Hanamichi started again.

“You can’t. The next person who is coming is not what a Tensai can deal with. Trust me, trust Youhei. When the time comes we will tell you everything, but for now, please just stay here for Youhei’s sake,” Sendoh sighed and softened his voice.

Hanamichi swallowed some saliva. Youhei was always right so he will trust him. This hedgehog in front of him was a strange person, but since Youhei trusted him, then he must be a very powerful person as well. All these “killers” that had attacked him, he did not know any of them. He did not know why or who would want him dead so badly. He had no money nor had he make any enemies, at least not someone who had this kind of authority.

Every time he got attacked, Youhei would appear to help him. Though he could have deal with them himself, he knew, deep in his heart, these attackers were professional fighters and he would not be so lucky every time to escape alive without Youhei’s help. Youhei had done a lot for him and this time with the “killers”, he was obviously very much more troubled. If staying at Sendoh’s place would lessen the burden on Youhei’s shoulders, then Hanamichi would stay.

“Ok, I’m staying here for Youhei’s sake,” Hanamichi gave in. “I know you and Youhei know what is going on. Youhei won’t tell me a single thing but I know he knows. You know too, but I won’t beg you to tell me. I will find out myself. I will also not stay at your place for free. I have no money, but I will be your ‘houseboy’ or whatever you called it. You are hiring one right? So I will do the housework and cook in return for your favour. What’s that look on your face for? The Tensai CAN cook and do housework! I’ve been doing it since Oyaji(7)…since six years ago!”

“Pardon my poor hearing, but did I just hear a sniffle from you?” Sendoh asked “innocently”. “Ok ok! Ahh, don’t strangle me! Let go let go! Phew. I’m your boss, it’s wrong to attempt to kill me. Since you are my houseboy now, would you please help me get some ointment to rub on my bruised forehead and my neck? I got manhandled by someone just now,” he grinned.

“Che, you deserved it,” Hanamichi pouted but got up to get the ointment. He was under someone else’s roof now after all.

“It’s in the first aid kit in my bathroom. My room is the one next to yours!” Sendoh shouted into the kitchen where Hanamichi had gone into. His grin widened, causing his eyes to reduce to long slits.

“Time to report success to Youhei.”

(1) Nani: What

(2) Hentai: Pervert

(3) Tensai: Genius

(4) Itai: Pain/It hurts

(5) Matte yo: Wait/Hold on

(6) Ore wa Tensai desu: I am a Genius

(7) Oyaji: an informal word meaning “dad

A/N: Next chapter should be coming soon… I think. Review please! *runs away*

Hana Matsuri: Chapter 1

Hana Matsuri – Flower Festival (花祭)

By Hal

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Inoue Takehiko. I do not own them and I won’t dare to say the ideas for this novel is purely original. No literature work nowadays are purely original, we all get our inspirations from somewhere.

Chapter 1: Nice to Meet You

Throwing the duffle bag over his shoulder, the boy rang the bell before shoving his hand into his jeans pocket. He shuffled his feet as he observed the house. It was a typical looking two-storey bungalow. One could see this type of houses anywhere in Japan. Nothing was out of the ordinary, if one could ignore that strange looking marking on the door, or those rather eccentric carvings on the pillars at the porch. These patterns seem to be on almost every part of the house. The boy could not pinpoint what exactly is wrong with these curly patterns, but they just felt un-Japan-ish, or rather, unearthly. Yes, other than the oddly out of place designs, the house looked normal enough.

“Che, I bet the owner is just as creepy,” trying to rub away the goose bumps on his arms, the red-headed boy decided to start disliking the owner right away. He never had the intention to like the owner anyway. Who would like someone who had just “bought” you off from your best friend?

“Grr… buy…Argh! I’m not a thing or an animal… to think Youhei use the word BUY! Ahh! It’s irritating!” To make his situation worse, the wind started blowing and he shivered in his thin white shirt. Though it was only early autumn, the weather had been turning chillier by the day. He had been standing like an idiot on the porch for five minutes and the door had not had the slightest hint of cracking open a single inch.

“What the!” Getting impatient, he ran his hand through his red hair just as his cell phone rang at the moment.

“Youhei. Yar. I’m here already. No, I didn’t do anything stupid yet… hey wait! I never do anything stupid anyway.”

Paused. Rolling his eyes, he turned to lean against the door.

“I’m telling you I’m leaving already ok! The bloody door didn’t even open! Are you sure that old man’s home? What…? Not an old man? Whatever, I don’t give a damn about his age. The problem is that I’ve been standing here for hours and I haven’t seen anyone. If he needs a statue, get one, not me. I know he won’t be able to find something as handsome as me but… huh? No, I’m not exaggerating…ok, fine! I was here for only five minutes. But that’s not the point, I’m telling yooou… ouuufff! Ouch…” The red head blinked hard, wind knocked out of him, staring at the ceiling. He had just landed on his back.

“Hana? Hana? Are you ok?” A muffled sound came from the speaker of his cell phone. Youhei was still on the phone and he heard the unusual noise his friend had made.

“Huh? Oh yar,” still on the floor, the boy spoke into the phone. “Yar, I’m alright. The door opened and I fell. I’m fine, really. I’ll call you back later. Bye.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know I’ll be receiving a crashing person,” a voice with a hint of laughter floated from above. “If not, I would have prepared my arms to catch you.”

Irritated by the person’s teasing and starting to dislike the owner more, the red hair boy kept quiet, stood up and brushed some dust off his jeans. Then, he just cocked his head and stared at the owner of the voice.

He was a boy not much older than the red hair boy. Tall and lean with a head of gravity-defying spiked up hair, he was fair with blue eyes, unusual for Japanese. His eyes seemed to twinkle even though the sun was not shining at him and a smile was tugging at the corner of his nicely-shaped lips. He had the looks that girls would drool over and guys would die for.

“Hello, are you alright?” The spiky hair boy waved his hand in front of the other boy, his perfectly-shaped brows knitted together.

“Ugh. Yar, I’m ok.”

“Phew. I thought you were knocked silly from the fall. Anyway, you must be Sakuragi Hanamichi, right? I’m Sendoh Akira. Nice to meet you.” His lips curled into a dazzling smile and held out a hand.

“Yup, I’m Hanamichi. Ermz… nice to meet you too, Sen…Sendoh-san,” Uncomfortable with the formality, Hanamichi took Sendoh’s hand in his own nervously, giving a small shake before letting go quickly. He could not help but to notice how elegant and long Sendoh’s fingers were, just like a pianist’s fingers would be. Upon realizing how he was staring at the other person’s fingers, Hanamichi blushed slightly and quickly averted his gaze.

“Called me Akira will do,” Sendoh chuckled upon spotting a hint of pink on the younger boy’s cheeks. “Please come into the house.”

The house looked bigger than it seemed from outside. Maybe it was due to the multiple large mirrors on the different panels of the walls. Sendoh showed him around the house quickly. The living room, the dining room with the small bar and the kitchen were on the first storey. Taking the wooden polished stairs up, there were three bedrooms each with a bathroom attached and a study with a large bookshelf. The storage room was located up in the attic, or rather, the whole attic was the storage room. The house was designed simply and elegantly, revolving around the theme of classic black and white, though white was the majority.

Sendoh left Hanamichi to unpack and freshen up in his room, the third one from the stairs. They would be meeting again in half an hour’s time to discuss about his job. Hanamichi gritted his teeth when he thought of the contract Youhei had signed.

“What’s there to discuss about house cleaning? Che! I’m gonna kill Youhei when I meet him. Fancy asking the Tensai to be a maid! He has betrayed his best friend. I trusted him and he actually sold me off as a maid to this old man and his son.” The self-proclaimed tensai grabbed his clothes out of his duffle bag and threw them angrily into the wardrobe beside the door. The bedroom could be described as big, no, it was large for a “maid’s” living quarter. The wardrobe was white with those strange patterns carved on it, it spanned across half of the wall. The carvings appeared on the bedposts of the queen-sized bed and the small table and chair beside the bed as well. The bed was placed against the wall on the left side of the room. On the right side of the room was the door to the attached toilet. A large window was on the wall facing the door of the room and it let in a generous amount of light and wind.

Hanamichi was rather satisfied with this room arrangement. At least he was not treated like a maid, yet. He quickly washed his face and went down to the living room. Sendoh was already there, sipping a cup of tea.

“Sendoh-san,” Hanamichi greeted unwillingly. ‘Porcupine!’ He thought to himself.

“I said to call me Akira will do,” Sendoh gestured for Hanamichi to sit down.

“A…Akira,” Hanamichi sat down on the sofa facing Sendoh, all the while calling “Porcupine” in his head.

“I believe Youhei has told you of your position in this house.”

“Position? If you mean my job, yar. He said I’m to be a maid of the owner.”

“Maid…Hmm… It’s not exactly correct,” Sendoh smiled that heart melting smile again. Hanamichi only felt a chill running down his spine, that smile was a dangerous one.

“Your position is to be a houseboy (1),” he crossed his legs and sipped at his tea again.

“Houseboy?” Hanamichi had never heard of such a term.

“Yes, you are my houseboy. You will clean the house and cook my meals for me daily. I’m not a picky person, so I’m rather easy to serve. In return, you get a place to live.”

‘…What difference is there from a maid?’ Hanamichi thought to himself. ‘I knew he’s a weirdo. I bet he likes to torture his maid too. Easy to serve, tsk! I don’t believe him.’

“What about your father, do I have to serve him too?”

“My father? Hahaha,” Sendoh laughed uncontrollably, his laughter was manly but yet, sounded like the chimes of the bells. “My dear Hana – please allow me to call you Hana – I live alone.”

“Alone?! But… but… Youhei said I’m going to be a maid for an old man. You are not old!” Hanamichi sputtered.

“I believe Youhei was just teasing you. I am only 20 after all.” Sendoh reached across the sofa and ruffled Hanamichi’s soft hair.

“Don’t do that! I’m not a dog!” Hanamichi pulled at Sendoh’s hand and edged further away from the raven hair boy.

“Ok ok. Don’t get agitated, I promise not to do that until you are ok with it,” Sendoh withdrew his hand and laughed quietly.

“That stupid Youhei! He cheated the Tensai again! I’m going to beat him to pulps when I meet him again,” Hanamichi balled his right hand into a fist and banged on the low table in front of him. The cup of tea that was meant for him clattered noisily on the saucer but did not topple or spill.

“Oh, Hana. One more thing about being my houseboy is that you will be my sex slave.”

(1) Houseboy: A House Boy is a boy that is looking for a position, or career, with love. A houseboy can start at age of 18 years old. The house boy might be the housekeeper, assistant, chief, and many more duties. Houseboy would serve as assistant and some even grow into a life long relationship with their employers. For some that is taboo. Many stable couples today will take in a Houseboy for the household duties and to mentor. *This is taken from HouseboyUSA*

Sendoh’s idea of a houseboy here is more like the one described in the above with a sexual relationship. I have read of such “jobs” existing in various countries.

Author’s Note: Ok, not beta-d. Rushed. Pardon if it sounds childish and such. Please do continue or start to support me. Thank you! ^___^ *love* Next update is… I don’t know when. >.>

Hana Matsuri：Prelude

Hana Monogatari – Flower Tale (花物语)

Arc I: Hana Matsuri – Flower Festival (花祭)

By Hal

Prelude

When the moonlight falls on my face

I’ll be changing my looks soon

A soup by the name of heartache

Upon drinking, miraculous powers I gained

Close my eyes and I see heaven

A place where your smile is hidden

I dodged those hunters’ guns

Chasing away the sorrows

Crawling out from the grave

For you, I took on a werewolf look

For you, I contracted “madness”

For you, I wore heavy disguises

For you, I changed my tempers

Are we able to meet again?

For thousands of years, I begged Buddha

I’m willing to use a few of my lifetimes

In exchange for a lifetime of love

I wish to move the heaven with this

Can we, can we meet again?

For thousands of years, I begged Buddha

Before I cross this Lethe

Let me kiss your face once more

Let me Kiss your face once more… (1)

Buddha is full of love and kindness to the mortal world, so we should celebrate his birthday. It is a joyous day called “Hana Matsuri”(2). A festive of flowers, a celebration of spring, a memorial of the birth of Buddha. In this beautiful festival where all flowers bloom, the most enchanting is none other than… Sakura.

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(1) This poem is a translation of lyrics of a Chinese song called Qiu Fo (Begging Buddha) sang by Shi Yan. Poorly translated, pardon me.

(2) Hana Matsuri means Flower Festival, it is on the 8^th April every year in Japan and it is to celebrate Buddha’s birthday. The reason why it’s called Hana Matsuri is because it happens at a time in Spring when almost all flowers are blooming.

Author’s Note: After disappearing for 2 years, I am back to writing fanfics. I have some time on hand, and some muses in my head, so here I am again. It will be a long fic, at least I have planned it to be so. My plan is that this story will have 3 arcs. Each arc may be of different number of chapters. Everything’s still in my head swimming around, nothing’s concrete. >.> But I have gotten the names of the Arcs down. Haha. Hana Matsuri (Flower Festival), Hana Maizou (Flower Burial) and Hana Tamashii (Flower Soul).

Not sure if my writing style has changed or not, but I would say I am heavily influenced by all the Chinese BL novels I have read so far. This will be a big project for me because of the complication of plots and stuff. >.<

I will update slowly because I am lazy. (Don’t throw stones at me!) And this will be a RuHana fanfic, a happy one too. So please give me your supports. Thank you!