I'm nervous. Mwahahaha

So here's the first chap! Enjoy! ^^

Notify me for typos, or for any part you find confusing. I'll always reply ^_^

One more thing, summer in my country falls on March and lasts until May :)

When is yours?

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Chapter 1

Mid summer, around April of that year.

The only two remaining members of the Ren clan, the two Ren brothers, who respectively had already families of their own, realised something that they should have long ago.

It's been almost 5 years since they last saw each other. Back then, their families were still young and growing. To aid this situation, they thought that a reunion around these season would be perfect.

"Yeah, we're already driving there. Where are you now?" Asked Hakutoku, who was steering the wheel all the while he was talking to his younger brother.

"Honey, what you're doing is dangerous. Don't lose focus of the track, we have kids overboard." Gyokuen, his lovely wife chided.

"Right. Sorry honey." Hakutoku removed his phone from his ear a few inches away and leaned closer to his wife for a quick kiss on the cheek. At the other end of the line he heard his brother speak.

"You should be following your wife's advice brother. It will be unfortunate if you meet an accident along the way." Koutoku said with a slight hint of malice in his tone that his elder brother failed to notice.

"Let's just pray that something like that won't happen." Hakutoku said.

"The kids and I are still packing. We'll leave at about..." Koutoku flicked his wrist and gander a quick look on his expensive watch. "10 minutes."

"It seems that we'll be first to arrive at the ancestral house." Hakutoku smirked. His brother in turned laughed heartily.

"Don't be so sure brother." He said.

"Honey, the phone." Gyokuen said firmly.

"It seems that your wife is already mad."

"Yeah, um well don't worry about it. Race you there?"

"Definitely." And Koutoku hanged up the call. Hakutoku turned off his phone but let the network going in case of sudden business calls.

***

"I leave everything in your hands, Keiko." Koutoku handed a ring of keys to a woman, voluptuous in shape and seductively gorgeous. Her red painted lips curved into a rewarding smile. "Of course master. You can trust Keiko-chan." She winked. Koutoku's stern face did not react at her obvious attempts of flirting.

"Very well then. And please no sleepovers." He said before turning his back. Keiko curtsied. "Of course."

From the van, Kougyoku jutted her head through the open window and waved at the beautiful woman standing in front of their mansion's gate. "Bye Keiko-chan. We'll miss you!"

"Eww. Only you." Kouha, who was busy on his phone playing some sort of penguin game, protested.

"Bye too, Kou-chan! Have fun okay? And behave!" Keiko reminded.

After settling down on his seat for hours long journey, Koutoku started the engine and drove the road going to the countryside.

"I'm excited! Aren't you too, Kouha-kun?" Kougyoku squealed. Kouha barely turned his head towards her as he was too delved on his game.

"Hmm... Not really. I would if my girls are here. Hey dad, why aren't Junjun and the others not allowed to go too? Wouldn't be needing maids?" Kouha asked.

"Your uncle and I decided not to bring along any sort of servants. Outsiders would only ruin our vacation." His father replied. Kouha jumped from his seat.

"Does that mean we'll have to do all the chores?!" He exclaimed. Koutoku hummed in approval.

Kougyoku did not know whether to feel sorry for his brother or just go ahead and guffaw. Kouha's reaction is quite priceless. Just a minute ago he was still acting normally, completely agreeing to this whole vacation idea. Now he has melted into a puddle of destroyed dreams, annoying everyone the rest of their journey to help him get back.

Halfway down the road, it started to rain. Luckily they have gotten out the city in time or else their car would have get caught in traffic. Kouen, the first son, was at the front seat across his father. He was busy on his laptop even during a road trip. Probably fixing some business matters in lieu of Koutoku. Koumei, her second eldest brother, was fast asleep. His head lolled at the side in which Kougyoku find humorous in some way. Kouha was drowning his misery on his phone. Kougyoku guessed that, by the frequent buzz of it, her brother is texting his girls.

The red haired girl shifted her gaze outside. She tried to make out the view through the water splattered glass window of the car. They are now passing through wide green fields and mountain ranges that differed in heights. Kougyoku sighed dreamily. Nature is a fantastic view.

'I'm kind of excited about this.'

That was her last thought before sleep casted its spell on her.

***

"Great! A stopover!" Hakuren exclaimed happily as he rushed out of the vehicle. The rest of the 'white' Ren's followed suit, and with more poise rather than the second child.

(A/n: I'm going to use Red and White to distinguish the two Ren families ^_^)

"Can you stop behaving like a child? Geez you're embarrassing." Hakuyuu scolded. Hakuren in turn, just scoffed and ignored his extremely stern older brother.

"I'm going to the restroom." Gyokuen excused. After Hakutoku said, "Come back soon," she went off and disappeared somewhere. Hakuyuu and Hakuren decided to go at the nearest convenience store to shop for goods, while their father stayed behind to fill up the gas tank. The only remaining children at the car are Hakuei and Hakuryuu.

"Hey, Hakuryuu. There's a store here that sells pretty neat stuff. Can you accompany me there?" Hakuei asked. Hakuryuu, not having any real important task to do at the moment, just mindlessly nodded and trailed behind her excited sister.

The store Hakuei was referring to isn't really that far. Actually it was just within the vicinity of the gas station. Hakuryuu also noticed that there are a lot of stores out there, probably for passing travellers like them. From this distance, he saw his two brothers bickering as they left the convenience store and her mother walking towards their father.

"Come on, Hakuryuu!" Hakuei pulled him inside the store. They were immediately greeted by an old Chinese man who wore a kind smile on his face.

"Good afternoon, young miss and mister. What can I help you with?" The old man asked.

"We'd like to take a look around please." Hakuei was the one who responded to him.

"Is that so? Then go ahead." He gestured to the inner depths of the store, where the 'neat stuff' Hakuei was talking about are properly displayed in shelves and glass containers. This is a jewelry shop! No wonder his sister was so psyched.

"Oh. This is cute!" Hakuei squealed as she picked up a jade necklace. "What do you think, Hakuryuu?" She asked.

"Everything looks nice on you, sis." Hakuryuu smiled. He left her sister and wandered at the other corners of the store.

Everywhere he went, all he can see are sparkling stones that are obviously expensive judging by their beautiful appearance. This store is heaven for girls. There are different variety of studded accessories, even he is having fun watching them as they perfectly reflect the newborn sunlight after an hour of heavy rain.

But one jewel in particular caught his sight.

It was small and insignificant to the others he have seen, yet he feels a strange connection to a heart shaped ruby necklace displayed on a neck model. Hakuryuu leaned closer. This kind of red... It somehow reminds him of a certain person.

"Have you found anything you liked?"

Hakuryuu jumped at the sudden appearance of the old man.

"Ummm... None really. I'm a boy and I'm just simple looking around." Hakuryuu said.

"Ah, this necklace. Made of ruby, perfect as gift for a very special girl." The old man said, completely ignoring Hakuryuu's reasoning earlier.

"I'm sorry. But I don't exactly have any special girl in my life." Hakuryuu smiled. That's true. He never had a girlfriend. At least he wasn't interested yet in any kind of intimate relationships. Because in his heart, he knew what all those girls are after.

An image of a familiar girl surfaced to his memory. Hakuryuu found it strange to remember her at these moments.

"Are you sure about that? What about your mother, sisters, female cousins and relatives? Are they not special to you?" The old man asked.

'He got me there.' Hakuryuu laughed in his mind.

"I suppose you're right. Love for the opposite gender cannot always be just considered in that kind of way." Hakuryuu said.

"What a wise young man. You should hurry up to your sister, she's already leaving the store." The old man pat his shoulder.

Hakuryuu warmly smiled at the old man for the last time before going back. "Thank you, mister." He said.

'I'm pretty charming you know! My name says so.'

'Eh? What about your name?'

'It means red jewel. And red jewels are supposed to be charming and precious right?'

'Then you're a different case.'

'What did you say?!'

'*laughs* My name means white dragon.'

'Dragons kidnap princesses and take good care of their treasures.'

'Since you're a jewel, I should be protecting you at all costs.'

'Why don't just find a beautiful princess?'

'You're much more precious... Kougyoku.'

Hakuryuu turned back and went inside the store.

***

"White dragon you say...?" Kougyoku asked. She is holding a necklace with a dragon carved alabaster as pendant.

"Yeah. According to our local legend, white dragons provide protection to young men who goes to war. So you can say that it's kind of an amulet." The young woman, who is the souvenir shop attendant, cheerfully detailed. Kougyoku looked at the necklace again.

White dragon... Hakuryuu.

"I'm gonna buy this. How much should I add for a box?"

"Oh, that comes in for free. But are you sure you want this? It doesn't exactly suit women's fashion." The lady said. Kougyoku gently smiled.

"It's not for me actually..." She said.

"Then for a special guy? It's for a special guy! Okay, if that's the case then I'll make you a very special personalised gift box... For an extra ounce of love!" The lady chirped. Kougyoku felt uneasy at the mention of 'special guy.' Nonetheless she appreciated the lady's kind offer.

***

"Brother Koutoku!" Hakutoku warmly greeted when he saw a man with familiar red hair and eyes came out from the newly arrived van. The man he called Koutoku smiled at him and give his brother a bone crushing hug.

"Nice to see you too, big brother." Koutoku said.

"Oh, are these your children? They grew up so fast!" Hakutoku happily exclaimed when he saw another four redheads opened the doors of the van.

"I could say the same to my nephews and niece." Koutoku chuckled. The rest of the Haku family was waiting outside the mansion to greet the newcomers.

"It's great to see you again." Kouen extended his hand to Hakuyuu. The older male smiled professionally and took his hand. "Likewise."

"How's it goin' Kouha? Oh I see you still haven't changed at all!" Hakuren beamed. Kouha, who was quite sure that his cousin is mocking his height, scoffed. "You didn't changed at all too. It seems that your mentality is still stuck at age 12."

Hakuren's face scrunched up into a glower. "Dare to say that again, shorty."

"You're the one who started this." Kouha said.

"How was the trip Koumei?" Hakuei approached her seemingly tired cousin Koumei who choose to detach himself from the rest of the crowd.

"I-It was alright. Just feeling a little dizzy." There was a visible blush on his cheeks. Hakuei giggled, and the blush darkened.

"Then you should immediately rest." Hakuei advised. Koumei nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. I think I should."

From the distance, Kougyoku watched the two Ren families reunite. A warm feeling enveloped her heart, she could almost cry from too much happiness. It's been five years since they all last met. Everyone must have missed each other badly.

"You should be joining them, you know." A male voice said. Kougyoku turned her head around. A young man with deep blue hair and cerulean eyes was smiling gently at her.

"Hakuryuu..." Kougyoku trailed off, recognising who the person behind her was.

"It's nice to see you again, cousin." His genuine smile caused wrinkles to form under his eyes. Kougyoku held back her tears as she leaped towards him, causing the impact of her hug for them to nearly fall. Hakuryuu found balance on his feet in time, and he too, returned the hug of his beloved cousin.

"I missed you Hakuryuu!" She sang. Hakuryuu pensively smiled.

"I missed you too, Kougyoku."

***