Yufu's Birthday Gift

[Risa]

I gave Yufu her gift yesterday. But I see lots of people wanted to read it. Because it's so cute and causes diabetes. And we need more people to join our diabetic army

It was his first time returning to Italy after such a long time...he hadn’t been back home since well…since he’d run away from home, joined the mafia, and then moved to Japan afterwards. It was nostalgic to be back…but he wasn’t alone this time. He’d never been alone again. He closed his eyes contently as his hand tightened around Shiru’s. It was her first time there. There was so much he wanted to show her…

Everything was the same as when he left, which made it all the more happier to be returning to his home country. Japan was his home as well, but Italy…he’d been born and raised there. Nothing could change that. Japan was special to him, he’d met Shiru there, and her family had grown to love him like a member of their family. All of them, that is, except her brother…but that was because he was that overprotective type who loved his sisters more than anything in the world.

Of course, when it came to Shiru, Sheeka firmly believed that her brother had been out-loved where it concerned Shiruba. Definitely. He’d never allow anything bad to happen to her. He was leading her into a dangerous life…but he’d never let anything hurt her. No matter what. He couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her.

There were a lot of things he needed to do before they checked into the home they would be staying in for the week. He wanted to show her everything he could in their first day there so the rest of the week could be used for things other than a tour of the Italian island. He also had some mafia things to take care of as well. So much to do in so little time…

A very conspicuous man was there, dark sunglasses and a suit and Sheeka easily approached him. He looked dangerous, yet almost...like he couldn’t hurt a fly at the same time. “Alessandro~!” As if on cue, the man’s hands ruffled Sheeka’s hair and laughed lightly at the sudden flash of annoyance. He spoke elegant Italian to the shorter Italian. ---“Ah, ragazzo mio, hai cresciuto. Non sei un bambino rachitico che ho preso la strada più, eh? Siete ancora così breve, anche se?”

“Non sono pochi! Non mi prendere in giro!” Sheeka responded in annoyance, trying to move the hand out of his hair. He seemed only mildly amused at the fact his adoptive father was being an obnoxious twit. “Vorrei introdurre almeno voi prima di iniziare è detestabile, Alessandro.” He responded, before dragging the man closer to Shiru and switching languages for her benefit. Although he had taught her Italian over their years of being together, her Italian was still rough around the edges because it was a second language. “Shiru, this is my adoptive father, Alessandro Riva. Alessandro, Questo è Shiru”

“Che Shiru? L'uno si parla di tutti i tempi, l'amore della vostra vita, il vento sotto le vostre ali... che Shiru?”

Alessandro took the girl by the hand gently with a pleasant smile, hazel eyes bright and happy beneath graying strands of red hair. “Ah, cara. Una bella ragazza. Il mio ragazzo decisamente scegliere bene quando egli cadde per voi!”

Color rose to Sheeka’s cheeks, steadily spreading over his entire face. Alessandro laughed at his adoptive son’s blushing face. “Ah, il mio ragazzo è così bello quando è svolta rosso come questo, non è lui, miss Shiru?”

Alessandro released Shiru’s hand from his own and clapped his hands together. “Bene, possiamo andare avanti? SO dove vuoi andare prima, Sheeka, ragazzo mio.” Leading both towards a sleek black Ferrari from the air port.

A suited blond man stood next to the car, eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses from the Italian sunshine. He was quite tall, even by normal standards. He bowed lightly towards the trio and opened the back seat of the car for Sheeka and Shiru and the passenger seat for his boss. The door clicked shut behind the two groups and the man slid into the driver’s seat.

Alessandro leaned over to the man and whispered something into his ear, a nod in response as the car started and he pulled out of the air port. The scenery passing by the lightly tinted windows was absolutely gorgeous, especially to one who hadn’t been back in Italy for several years and one who had never seen the Italian countryside. The driver was completely silent throughout the car ride, but Alessandro who at some point had switched to speaking English to allow better communication between his adoptive son and his girlfriend, was lightly conversing with the two. However, neither Sheeka nor Alessandro would tell Shiru were they were going. It was a secret until they arrived at their destination.

At least two hours passed within the car before it rolled to a neat stop and the blond driver opened the back seat doors for Sheeka and Shiru, allowing them both to exit.

Sheeka smiled at the blond who had driven them. “Grazie, Celino.”

Sheeka glanced towards Shiru apologetically almost. “I’m sorry the first place I’m taking you to is a cemetery…but I haven’t been to see my mom’s grave in several years…I thought it should be the first place we went to. I want you to meet her, anyway.” Sheeka smiled at Shiru softly, having already planned several other places for them to visit during their week vacation in Italy, but places not as…depressing as a cemetery.

Alessandro glanced back towards the two with a soft smile before producing a bouquet of flowers for Sheeka to put on his mother’s grave. It was a pretty bouquet of Italian flowers and with a knowing smile, he leaned back and whispered something into Sheeka’s ear, causing the boy to blush before Celino let the two out of the back seat of the car. Where Alessandro had ever produced the flowers from was a mystery because he hadn’t had them the entire ride there. Oh well…

Taking Shiru by the hand, he lightly lead her through the tombstones of the cemetery, some with people visiting them, others bare, and some with Italian flowers on their gravestone. The one Sheeka was leading Shiru too was about five minutes walk from the car, a lonely looking gravestone that looked like nobody had actually visited it properly in quite a while.

Sheeka felt a twinge of rage towards his father…was he so much more happy with his current wife than he was with his last one that he’d forgotten about her completely and didn’t even bother visiting her? He knew Alessandro visited his mothers grave, with them being…what were they? Cousins or something…who knew. Neither Varina, Sheeka, or Alessandro had actually taken the time to trace their family tree to figure out just how the three were related.

Sheeka wiped away from of the dirt that had accumulated on the stone, revealing the name of Varina Rovati-Rithan on the stone. The rage he’d felt he’d pushed away just as soon as he’d felt it…being angry at his father wasn’t something he’d come here to do. Besides, maybe there was a reason he hadn’t come to visit? Sheeka doubted it, but he didn’t want to be angry right now. He wanted to introduce Shiru to his mother, well, as much as one could introduce to a gravestone and a dead woman.

They only spent about a half-hour there because Sheeka noticed it was getting late in the day and figured Shiru was getting hungry. It was late in the afternoon and even though Europeans ate dinner later in the day, Alessandro had made an exception for his adoptive son and his girlfriend who probably had been eating dinner semi-early in Japan and made arrangements for an early dinner, well, early for Europeans at least.

Sheeka promised to return to see his mother again soon, and that he wouldn’t make her wait for long until he actually came back before taking Shiru back to the car. Celino promptly allowed them into back seat again like a good body guard posing driver should.

The drive home was relatively silent; Alessandro seemed amused with something while Celino remained as stoic and deadpanned as ever. Man, did that guy ever smile?

The Riva family manor was a lovely place indeed, Old Italian architecture; it was definitely a beautiful place to live. A small vineyard in the back of the house, several gardens surrounding the manor, there was a large fishing and a swimming pond in the back with the vineyard. The large courtyard of the manor held a lovely fountain.

The gate opened as Alessandro flashed an ID card to the security guard, who flicked open the gate. Looking closer at the guard, it was easy to tell the man was good at his job, the way he’d looked at the people in the car and the ID for several seconds before letting them in. There was also that look about him…an almost arrogant feel that seemed to say “Hey. I carry a gun. You try to break in? I shoot you.”

The car drove to a stop in the courtyard of the manor and Celino released the group from his car, for now. After opening the door for the three, the man seemed to disappear into the woodwork…For somebody near six foot seven in height, the man was a master at stealth and disappearing...Wherever he was, the man was probably watching.

Alessandro turned to face his adopted son and guest. “Welcome to my home. Please enjoy your stay. I’m sure Sheeka would show you to your room, Celino’s going to bring your things up. Do ignore his…personality. It’s terribly bland.” His eyes flickered here and there; searching for the man that he knew was somewhere. “Yeah, Celino. You heard me. You have a bland personality!”

While Alessandro was...antagonizing his favorite bodyguard, the man had been his best friend since they were children and also had known Sheeka’s mother. Jesus…what kind of people did she know growing up? Mafia woman. Her husband never knew.

Sheeka lead Shiru to one of the guest rooms. It was huge. There was a large canopy bed, a bathroom, a nice dresser…even a place to sit and read in a corner next to a bookshelf. Sheeka’s words came out slightly fumbled and awkward, but still with a smile on his face. “My room is right down the hall if you need anything.” To be honest, his father had tried to get them to share a room...but after much blushing, stuttering, squeaking, and everything else awkward, Sheeka had insisted on separate, but close rooms. His was the usual one he stayed it…filled with several types of guns and stuffed animals. Such a little kid, even at the tender age of nineteen now.

“There’s a phone if you want to call your parents and let them know we’re here. Tell your sister I send my love too~” Sheeka chirped pleasantly with a smile. “Later we can head out to one of the gardens if you want to after dinner or before dinner. Alessandro’s lent us Celino for the week to drive us places as well, if there’s anywhere you want to visit.”

Indeed, for the rest of the week, Celino drove the both of them anywhere he was asked to. He didn’t protest, just stayed that stoic ‘bland’ personality self. Sheeka made sure to bring back anything Celino wanted, but he was a good driver and body guard for the two. If he was following them to guard them like a good body guard should, then he was really good at not being detected for a man so…tall. Sheeka hated that about him. He was just so damn tall! Over the years, Sheeka had maybe gained two to three inches in height. He was less short, but still short to everybody else. It just wasn’t fair!

The evening before the two were scheduled to return to Japan, Celino made one last trip per Sheeka’s request to one of the many lovely beaches of the Mediterranean. This one just so happened to be privately owned by the Riva family and was quite close to the manor. Shiru’s parents and family would probably have a cow learning that Sheeka was secretly rich. Secretly rich on mafia money…but they didn’t need to know that. Sheeka hoped they would never learn that…because that would turn into a really awkward conversation.

Sheeka lightly kicked the sand, glancing up towards Celino who was leaning against the car idly. Catching the boy’s sight at him, Celino gave an uncharacteristic smirk and a wink beneath his sunglasses before turning his attention away, but secretly watching the two moving along the beach front. Damn. Where was a camera when he needed one? Even the ‘bland’ personality of Celino had to admit they were adorable.

“Have you had fun this week, Shiru?” Sheeka asked lightly, tilting his head to the side as he glanced at her with a smile. Hmmn. How was he going to go about this? He’d planned it well enough after all...but now that it was time for it all…he was just being awkward and worried. Alessandro and Celino had assured him he’d be awhile, especially since if he really loved her…it would all be alright. They both had figured out it out easily, even before Sheeka and Shiru had arrived. They knew the boy that well to know what he wanted to do.

Celino glanced over his sunglasses at the two, removing the glasses from his face to better watch. Damn. He really wasn’t supposed to immerse himself in the business of his boss and his bosses’ adoptive son…but damn it. It was just so cute. Damn it. Oh well. Alessandro would want to know how this went, after all…so he was doing his job, right? Sure. Lets go with that.

“I’m glad you’ve enjoyed yourself this week, Shiru,” Sheeka said, flushing red for some odd reason. Come on, Sheeks, get it together. He told himself tersely. It wasn’t any different from the first Christmas they’d spent together and he’d confessed that he was in love with her. That was a couple year ago yet, but now they were legal adults and it was well…it wasn’t that he wasn’t in love with her anymore. It was quite the opposite. In fact, he was so in love with her that well…that didn’t matter what his love for her was going to be compared to, just that he was still madly in love with her and nothing had changed in the few years he’d known her.

“I want you to always enjoy yourself and be happy,” Sheeka started, color rising to his cheeks. “I know I’ll always be happy and enjoy myself as long as I’m around you.” He almost tripped over his own feet in the cool sand, at one point, but managed to look as dignified as possibly when he regained his footing and not falling flat on his face. That would have ended well if he fell…

His balanced returned, Sheeka stopped in the sand, awkward shifting the sand beneath his foot before glancing towards Shiru and turning to face her, producing a small velvet box from seemingly nowhere. “There’s something really important I wanted to ask you,” he stated and blushing a bright shade of red.

Dropping to one knee and taking a deep breath. “Shiruba Yukimura, I love you more than anything in the world. Would you marry me?”


THE END. OR IS IT?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YUFU.
~Risa~

[chama]

so there's a second part to this, in image form, from me. c: Happy birthday!