Title: The Gigolo

Author’s Notes: This is pretty much an introduction (like what the chapter title says). I’ll be introducing the two main characters and the plot. The first chapter would probably be more ‘full’ and I’ll start the plot development then.

Regarding The Chaperone... well, the last chapter is still a bit rocky and needs more improvement. And it's been a while since I wrote RyoSaku. I'm getting really rusty. (I've been writing nothing but shonen ai for the past few days.)

Important! This is an AU fic, with age gap changes. Fic rated T for future chapters (this might be edited if ever the plot goes wayward).

Disclaimers: All disclaimers apply. The gigolo idea was inspired by Kodomo no Omocha.

Introduction

“There’s no hurry, I say to myself.

I like this pace, the sheer pleasure of knowing we’ll get there soon enough.”

-Dreaming Water, Gail Tsukiyama

It was in the middle of October and Echizen Ryoma felt scared. Not scared, he thought firmly. Just worried, that’s all. He stared into his shoe locker, and somehow, the sight of his outdoor shoes seemed to be pushing him away.

He bent down and removed his indoor shoes, knowing that this would be the last time he would be walking with them.

“Well, you guys did a good job,” he said out loud, looking at his white shoes and giving them a pat before taking out his outdoor ones. “Looks like this is goodbye.”

After tying up his black, leather shoes, he made his way out of the building, and walked away without looking back.

A few moments ago, he finally handed out his resignation letter from school. He had lost interest in studying, despite being actually good in school, and he had been sleeping during classes more often that he submitted a decent paper. And to think that he was already halfway through his last year of high school.

Of course, Ryoma wasn’t a delinquent. In fact, he didn’t bother anyone at all. He didn’t speak much, and he kept to himself most of the time. The only problem with him that he couldn’t focus at all. His mind kept wandering off, and he couldn’t concentrate.

He wouldn’t miss anyone, that’s what he knew for sure. He had no close friends, and while he was popular among girls, he hated the attention – all those cakes, all those letters, all those confessions – he was tired of them. The only thing he loved about that school was his sturdy, white indoor shoes.

Ryoma let out a big laugh. Shoes, huh? That school must be more pathetic than I thought! And he began to run home, completely forgetting his earlier worries.

--

When Ryoma finally got home, he found out that his father was waiting for him as he sat in front of the doorway. With a cigarette stuck in his mouth and Ryoma’s pet cat on his lap, he glanced at his son from the corner of his eye.

Every muscle in Ryoma’s body tensed. “I’m home,” he mumbled, taking off his shoes.

“So how did it go?”

His father’s casual question made Ryoma flinch. His mother was against his resignation but his father said nothing but ‘idiot son’.

“Fine,” he breathed out. He ruffled his green hair, dampened by the cold, and went inside. He squatted in front of them and grinned as he called his cat to him. “Karupin, I’m home.”

As he cuddled his cat in his arms, his father stood up with him. “Why’d you want to resign?”

He sighed and said as a matter-of-factly, “It was mada mada dane.”

His father hit him on the head, annoyed. “You’re too cocky for your own good, you know that?” Nanjiroh crossed his arms over his chest and actually pouted. “You know your mother’s pretty worried about you. She threw all my magazines in the trash this morning and it’s all your fault!”

Ryoma scowled at his father and made his way towards the kitchen. “Try hiding them better instead of blaming it on me, you baka oyaji!” He sat down on the dining table and Nanjiroh followed suit.

“After you eat, go pack your things.”

Ryoma stopped from biting into a donut in mid-air. “What?”

“You’re leaving this house.”

Ryoma dropped the donut and stared at his father in disbelief. “You’re throwing me out? Isn’t that against the law?!”

“All you’ve been doing is eating, sleeping, playing with your stupid cat and getting dropped out from school. You’ve had seven schools during high school! Money doesn’t grow on trees, and damn it, kid. We don’t even have any trees!”

“Are you kidding? We’re not poor! You could let a whole class live here and we still won’t starve! And yet you’re going to throw your own son out of your house?!” Ryoma was surprised. His father was a pro tennis player, and as far as Ryoma knew, he earned more than enough. In addition, his mother was a real estate agent. No one told him about this earlier!

Nanjiroh took a puff out of his cigarette. “Think of it as what an eagle does to its kid.”

Ryoma scowled. “What do you want me to do?”

“Look,” Nanjiroh began, staring straight into his son’s eyes. “Get a job. Get two or three jobs, if you need to. If you want to go back to school, earn your tuition fee or transfer to a public school.”

“Where am I supposed to live?” Ryoma couldn’t help but let out a tone of helplessness in his voice. He didn’t even know how to wash his underwear! How could he possibly run around without any underwear?! And his father was telling him to get a job?

“Figure that out for yourself,” Nanjiroh said uncaringly. “That’s not our problem anymore.”

“Does mom know about this?”

Nanjiroh laughed. “Believe it or not, kid. She’s the one who came up with the idea.”

“You call yourself parents?” Ryoma blurted out.

“Okay, let me put in a wager for you. If you don’t die in half a year, or if you don’t end up selling illegal drugs you can come back here and we’ll take you in,” Nanjiroh proposed. “But if you become a hobo during that time, don’t bother showing us your face ever again.”

“You’re okay with me being a hobo? Are you insane?!”

“No.” Nanjiroh stood up. “Now go pack if you’re done eating your donuts. And bring your cat with you.”

--

Ryoma knew that he would end up a hobo. In fact, he felt like a hobo right now.

He sat on the floor in the middle of a deserted alleyway, with a piece of cardboard as a protection from the damp concrete. Groaning, he ran his hands through his hair as Karupin meowed in hunger.

Looking at his cat gently, he rubbed its head. “Sorry, Karupin. I don’t have any cash with me right now. Let’s wait for breakfast before we use up the 60 yen, okay?” He smiled with Karupin climbed up into his lap and snuggled.

60 yen, Ryoma thought in hopelessness, looking at Karupin. It must be nice not knowing what’s going on. I wonder what kind of breakfast that can buy.

He stared at his phone with a scowl. He thought of asking someone to help him, but he remembered that he had no friends, and the only number he had was their house’s. It was pathetic.

“Oh, shit,” Ryoma said, burying his face into his hands. “What do I do now?”

Suddenly, his thoughts we broken by a loud set of footprints. He looked up in alarm. He knew he could take down anyone, but he was worried about his cat. He couldn’t possibly protect it while fighting. He gently took the Himalayan out of his lap and began taking out some of his clothes. Getting enough space, he placed Karupin inside his bag, leaving a few openings for air.

He stood up and decided to check if the area was safe.

Ooof!

“S-Sorry!” came a frantic voice.

Ryoma looked at the person who bumped into him, and his eyes widened at the sight of a little girl with two abnormally long pigtails hanging behind her. She was shaking like crazy, and she had this wild look in her eyes. He took a step back, just in case she was hiding a knife.

To his surprise, the girl hid behind him, and a set of large men in black passed the other end of the alley after giving him a short glance.

“T-Thank you, hobo-san,” the girl mumbled shyly, finally parting from Ryoma’s back. Ryoma looked at her suspiciously before turning back and walking towards Karupin.

“Wait!” she called out, running after him.

“What do you want?” Ryoma snapped. He was used to this kind of tone when talking to females, and he flinched when she took a step back in fright.

Suddenly, she beamed. “I found you!” The expression that Ryoma took to be fright was actually happiness. She was smiling wide and her face was flushed, as if she was ready to eat him up. Oh no, Ryoma thought, recognizing the look of a fan girl.

“D-Do you know me?” Ryoma asked in alarm.

“Ah, I’m so sorry!” The girl bowed again. “My name is Ryuzaki Sakuno. Nice to meet you!” After the short introduction, she began rummaging around through her bag. Ryoma inched closer curiously.

“Here!” she announced, holding out a thick wad of money towards him. “I’m hiring you, hobo-san!”

“For what?” Ryoma asked in shock, staring at money she was holding out. It took a lot of willpower not to grab the money and run away with Karupin. Besides, that won’t be very hard seeing that the girl looked positively retarded as she handed out the cash with that grin on her face.

“I want you to be my gigolo!”

Ryoma stared gapingly at the girl with his eyes darting from her face to her hand full of cash.

“You’re really what I’ve been looking for,” the girl said politely. “Please accept my request!”

Deciding that his energy had run out, Ryoma plopped down onto the floor next to his bag. “I don’t even know who you are,” Ryoma muttered, running his hands through his hair worriedly.

“My name is Ryuzaki Sakuno,” she repeated. She took out a notepad and a pen. “Okay, I’ll take some personal information before I hire you, hobo-san.”

“My name isn’t hobo-san,” Ryoma said tiredly. “It’s Echizen Ryoma.”

“Oh, so it’s Ryoma-kun, then. Nice to meet you!” she bowed. “How old are you?”

“I’m turning nineteen in two months.”

“That’s good. I’m turning thirteen in three months.” She smiled. “Now that we know each other, do you--“

“Wait, wait. You’re twelve?” Ryoma exclaimed. “You’re practically an elementary student! What do you need a gigolo for?“

To his surprise, she blushed and lowered her head. “I’m in Junior High! A-And… well, it’s kind of…”

“Kids these days!” Ryoma suddenly said in alarm, his eyes wide. He buried his face in his hands. “Oh shit. I think I… I can’t do it with you, you know. You’re… You’re too young and that sort of thing… it would make me feel like such a pedophile,” Ryoma said, his face heating up.

Sakuno looked up, her face equally red. “That’s not what I meant,” she mumbled.

Ryoma sighed in relief. “Okay, I get it. You need a boyfriend so you can show off to your friends. Is that it?”

“No,” Sakuno replied. “It’s for my friend.” She looked up at Ryoma and smiled. “She’s in America right now, but we talk over the Internet a lot. Recently, her boyfriend broke up with her… and she just feels so lonely. I just want her to be happy, and…”

“You want me to be your friend’s gigolo?”

“Yes, that’s it.” Sakuno took Ryoma’s cold hands in hers. “Please, Ryoma-kun! You’re just the type of boy that Tomo-chan likes! An older, prince-like person who can be kind to her and make her happy! I know that you’ll like her back!”

Ryoma flinched at the word ‘kind’ but he said nothing. He seemed to be at a loss of words. Yes, he was almost positively sure that this girl was out of her mind, but the wad of money she had with her was too inviting.

“Here’s a picture of Tomo-chan. She’s a very cute girl,” Sakuno said, taking a picture between the pages of her notepad and showing it to the boy. “See?”

Ryoma took the picture and nodded in agreement. The girl wasn’t bad looking, and she was pretty much a kid like Sakuno, too. He sighed and handed back the picture. He needed the job, and it was practically being thrown at his feet. He was out of cash, and he had no other choice.

“When do I start?”

Sakuno practically glowed. “So you’re going to take the job?” she asked, clasping Ryoma’s hands tighter. “Thank you!”

Shrugging, Ryoma slipped his hands out of Sakuno’s grasp.

“Tomo-chan would come back to America this Christmas. So we have two months to train you. Are you an experienced gigolo?” she asked curiously.

“NO!” Ryoma exclaimed. “Do I look like a gigolo to you?”

Sakuno bowed profusely after apologizing for her mistake. “Anyway, Ryoma-kun, I’ll let you stay at my house for the training. You’ll be sleeping in my room and…”

“You’re letting a guy sleep with you in your room?!” This girl never failed to surprise Ryoma, and during the few minutes that he spent with her, he was convinced that she was as cracked as a nut.

Sakuno cocked her head to the side. “Why not?”

This girl is crazy, Ryoma thought. But still, it’s not like I’d jump on her or anything. I hate girls, and this is probably the best way.

“We have to keep it a secret from obasan. The house is pretty empty during the day, and obasan goes home late so we’re safe. The only problem is the bodyguards…”

“Bodyguards?!”

Sakuno nodded. “Yes, those were the people chasing me earlier.”

Ryoma groaned in response as he let himself lean against the cold, hard wall behind him. He glanced at the grinning girl in front of him, and at that exact moment, he knew that he was entering some sort of personal hell.

To be continued.

A/N: Okay, I’m trying to control myself from not hounding the readers for reviews, butbutbut… well, I won’t be kidding myself and I tell you: It’s the reviews that keep me going. Thanks!

Neko11lover

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