Bretby Hall part 3

[krystalkatz.livejournal.com]

“Um...Sorry about that! Nino...He’s um...He’s still tired from the trip! He isn’t always like that!” Masaki apologised profusely as the door slammed closed and his cheeks became a burnt summer red. Satoshi felt sorry for him as he locked at the closed door. It wasn’t going to hurt his plans at all if the bratty prince didn’t come down for dinner in fact it could help him. “Um...”

“It’s okay, we understand...Jun locked himself in his room for three days when he came...” Sho said in a fond, fatherly, voice that he always used when talking about Matsumoto Jun. The boy had become a tagalong from the moment that he had got off the plane, he was harmless enough but he had become a limpet seemingly unable to stand on his own without Sho being there.

“I didn’t, Sho-sempai!” Jun protested loudly his face blushing hotly as he clung to Sakurai’s arm looking like he was holding it so tightly that it had to be painful. Sho let out a laugh and then ruffled his hair. Jun blushed hotly his face splitting into a grin that was as croaked as his teeth and Satoshi wondered if his friend realised the candle that Jun was holding for him. He hated that kind of thing, he enjoyed company and men but if any of them were as clingy as Jun he would have to get out of it as quickly as possible. It didn’t seem to bother Sho though he always seemed to be the kind of person that needed to help people.

“Anyway...We should head down...” Satoshi told them softly looking at the gold pocket watch that was engraved with the school logo. Every head boy got one when they were offered the post while the girls were given a gold wrist watch with the emblem on the mother of pearl face. It was an odd gift from the school but a tradition that had been going on for a 100 years. Satoshi shepherded him down the stairs with Sho standing with Masaki on one side with Jun on the other. Masaki was looking around eagerly and it from the looks of it Sho was having difficulty in drawing his attention,

“Where in Japan are you from?”

“My family is from Chiba...” Masaki answered his head craning around as he looked at the paintings of the ancestors of Bretby Hall. Still older men in overly decorative clothes and pretty women in more petticoats than they had brains. Satoshi hated the staircase it always gave him the creeps having that many eyes watching him no matter what he did. “Wow...Aren’t these paintings amazing?”

“Yes...You don’t speak like you’re from Chiba...” Sho said once again trying to pull his attention back and Satoshi was startled at the loud laugh that the boy let out,

“Ha! You should tell Nino that! He always says that I speak like a country bumpkin!” He said as they started down another staircase, this time it the main one that ran up the centre of the house. It was made of marble with a thick blue and purple carpet that deadened any and all sound that came from their feet. The most noise they made was like that of a whisper and the rustling of clothes. “This is really like Hogwarts!”

“Jun! You have a friend! Jun likes those books don’t you?” Sho said throwing his arm around the younger boy’s shoulders and Satoshi rolled his eyes wondering if his friend was trying to give Jun a heart attack.

“Really?! They are really good! Nino prefers The Lord of the Rings so it would be nice to talk to somebody about Harry Potter!” Masaki said enthusiastically clearly ignoring the glare that Jun shot him which only grew when Sho’s spare hand slipped around Masaki’s shoulders and guided him towards the dining room. Satoshi stored the information about The Lord of the Rings away in his mind. He had never watched the films but he guessed that the internet would tell him all he needed to know.

“So... You’re old friends with Ninomiya?” He asked softly and Masaki turned with a smile his head bobbing up and down so much his bleached hair flew around like angel wings.

“Nino is my best friend...We’ve been friends since we were children...My family lives with his!”

“So you work for Ninomiya?” Jun asked with just the faintest trace of a sneer his lips curling over his teeth. It wasn’t enough of a sneer for Sho to pick up on it but Satoshi had been made sensitive to it after suffering it with his family for years.

“Yes...I’m his gentleman’s gentleman or valet...But Nino isn’t like that! Not really It's just that he's a little upset at the moment..." Masaki mused, like Sho had completely missing the sneer of contempt that Jun had in his voice, Satoshi shook his head a few times and the leant against the wood panelling rocking backwards and forwards a little glad that for a valet or gentleman's gentleman Masaki seemed completely at ease and carefree with information about his employer. Any information that he would be able to use to get the young brat of a prince in bed with him he was going to take and he said softly,

"He didn't want to come here?"

"No... I think he gets homesick! He doesn't like being away from Japan...he had to make a state visit once and it upset him and... he thinks that the school is too far away...um...he's not really always this grumpy!" Masaki stressed again and Satoshi gave a chuckle that was lost when one of the waiters Thomas, Satoshi recognised him immediately from his soft brown hair and light blue eyes, rang the gong. The ornate brass gong echoed throughout the house using the network of halls to carry its sound. After the gong the more updated bell rang and Satoshi and Sho led the younger students in. They made sure that Masaki and Jun were seated at a table and then went about their mundane tasks that were a part of being heads. They made certain that all of the new students except Nino were seated and the went to the table to inform the headmistress of that,

"What do you mean he won't be joining us?" She hissed a little her mouth foaming at the corners and Satoshi gave a shrug,

"It appears that Ninomiya-kun is still tired from the journey, head teacher," Sho said in his best soothing tone and Satoshi was more than happy to let him take the lead even though he was the 'leader' of the school. Bretby Hall had a strange system, even though they were both head boy Satoshi was technically higher than Sho was. He was the one, along with Melissa that had to sit in on boring staff meetings while Sho was his second in command. He had lost at a game of Rock Paper Scissors and to this day he cursed his rotten luck. Satoshi pulled himself out of his thoughts when he remembered that he was still in front of the headmistress and that Sho was still talking "...his friend has told us that he suffers with homesickness..."

"...I see well this won't do!" The headmistress said rapping her knuckles on the table sharply "Satoshi...you will take some food up from the kitchen..." She said to his surprise and delight, it was something that he had been planning himself anyway so he was glad of the excuse given by the head "I don't care if he's tired you are not to come down until he has eaten something, do you understand?"

"Yes headmistress" Satoshi smiled giving a bow and sweeping out of the dining room as fast as he thought it was proper.

He hurried through the corridors and into the wide shiny kitchen. This was one of the few rooms that had been completely modernised and it was possible to see his reflection in every surface he could see. The chiefs were buzzing around preparing the meals and it wasn't long before Satoshi selected two of each of the four courses. He placed them all onto a trolley and without a word to the staff he went to the service elevator that connected to every floor in the hall.

The elevator ride was short and he was soon at the floor of the bratty prince. The trolley wheel caught on the carpet but after a quick but if jiggling he managed to make it to Nino's door. He knocked once and then twice loudly before there was a growl from inside and Satoshi was positive that he heard a muffled swear word or two before the door was pulled open.

"What?" Nino barked with a sour look on his cute features and Satoshi flashed him his best smile his head motioning down to the trolley. Nino followed his gaze hissing when he saw the food "I thought I told you that I wasn't hungry!"

"Well that's too bad!" He said pushing passed the prince to take the trolley into the room "I have to stay here until you eat...so you might as well eat something...your stomach sounds like there's a dinosaur in there!" He teased when the stomach chose that moment to growl.

"Urgh! This place is awful!" Nino spat dropping down into the chair beside the fire. "I'd rather starve!"

"Well fine...I'll eat these then...no one else will know!" Satoshi smiled grabbing his fork a taking off the lids that were covering the first course of Citrus and pomegranate salad with chilli-honey dressing. From that point on he ignored Nino eating the starter with relish before starting on the princes. "This so good...it's just yourself you're spiting..."

TBC
A/N: Hmmm…I promise that the changes will come soon but for now I liked these parts…