...More to Life...

Business AU - Chapter 4

2008-10-06T01:03:46Z

Title: Pandemonium
Universe: NewS/ Business AU
Rating: PG-13
Character/ Pairings: NewS, OC, other idols
Disclaimer: I just write about ‘em. I don’t own.
Summary: Ryo is a fan. Lia is caught in between. Disaster strikes.

Prologue and Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3

It was one of those bright and beautiful mornings. The times when the soft glow of the morning sun warms the earth, where the soft breeze plants soft kisses on your skin and the crackle of the leaves whispers a gentle greeting.

Lia sighed as she looked out at the window, admiring the view and imagining she was outside. She tore her gaze away from the blissful scenery and back to the table where she was currently bombarded with paper work.

Life sucks sometimes. You work hard in school, hoping to get a better life when you graduate. Then you graduate, and realize that you still have to work hard (if not harder) to have that kind of life. Working hard is a never ending path.

Her thoughts were diverted when the door slammed open. Loudly. She was no longer surprised that a grinning Nishikido was approaching her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“NO.” She repeated for what probably was the 125th time.

“How hard can it be? It’s a one night thing.” Nishikido explained again. To the malicious world (translation: other Associates within earshot), it sounded as if they were talking about a one night stand. Scandalous. She thought.

For the past hour, the young financial analyst had wooed (more like pestered) her to accept a contract that he was bidding for. She would have accepted it in a heartbeat, except for the little known fact that she pays close attention to details.

“Nishikido, what part of NO did you not get? Tell me and I would gladly explain it to you.” She told him exasperatedly. There was no chance that she was going to head that project.

“But you are the perfect person for the job!” He exclaimed. He was trying to pull of a ‘puppy-dog-eyes’ strategy on her. It looked adorable on Massu, heartbreaking on Tegoshi. But on Ryo, it looked… maniacal. Talk about creepy.

“Just because I am a girl, does not mean I can handle Events Management, more specifically a fashion show!” She pointed out. “Just because your beloved gravure idol is the star of the fashion show, does not mean you can offer K&A’s services. Especially when you or the team does not have the expertise required for it.” For a self-proclaimed genius, Nishikido tends to be stupid at times like this. Child-like stupidity she can manage. Fan-boy stupidity, not really. She thought inwardly.

“That’s because I am confident that you can handle it. You manage to pull through when you are slumped with projects. Of varying degree of difficulty and expertise, I must add. This is a piece of cake for THE Lia Montez!” He said, resorting to flattery to get what he wants.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Gee, thanks for that empty compliment. Now that you remind me, I am also awfully busy. In fact, I have a meeting in say…”She looked at her watch for added drama. “…a minute.”

And as if on cue, somebody knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal the face of her savior.

“Ready Lia?” Shige asked her. He furrowed his brows when he saw Ryo. “Oh. I didn’t know you are here.”

The other man scowled at him. “You have a lousy sense of timing Mohawk. Lia and I are discussing something.”

What was he talking about? She thought. Shige has an amazing sense of timing. He was probably sent by the heavens to free her from the evil clutches of devil Ryo. She shook her head slightly. Too much fiction.

“Well, too bad. The discussion has come to an end. We have a client meeting.” She quickly grabbed Shige by the arm and led him out of the room. “Oh, and the answer is still no.” She said, smiling sweetly at him as she closed the door.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“A fashion show?” Koyama asked her in disbelief.

She merely nodded in response. She was eating lunch with the team, minus Yamashita (who was probably out for another client) and Nishikido (who probably does not want to see her after her outright refusal). Not that she minds anyway. The air just feels lighter without his ‘look-at-me-and-I-will-snatch-your-eyes-out’ aura.

“He should have asked KATTUN. They handle events management.” Massu suggested in between bites of his lunch. She was hoping that it was the name of another group. Kattun sounds strange to be a birth name of a person. Then again, she’s not Japanese. Perhaps it’s a culture thing.

“But knowing Ryo, he would not want the project to be given to them. You know how competitive and possessive he can be. And how sexually predisposed that group can be.” Shige answered. The other three guys nodded in agreement. Leave it to the young lawyer to be eloquent.

“Tell them the real reason why Ryo wants the project though.” Shige urged her as he lightly elbowed her arm.

“Two words.” She started. ”Leah Dizon.” The ‘ahhhs’ that followed meant that they knew something she did not.

“Care to enlighten me?” She managed to say.

“Ryo-chan has liked Leah-chan for years. Years!” Tegoshi exclaimed.

Wow. How enlightening. She thought. Her face must have shown her sentiments when they chuckled and Tegoshi continued.

“He has every magazine with her as cover.” Typical.

“He has all CDs, TV guestings, CMs, PVs, and other clips related to her.” A bit disturbing.

“Her website topped 2 million hits. Ryo-chan admitted to having viewed it. Like, almost a million times. Literally.” A lot disturbing.

“And he knows, her schedule, likes and dislikes, parties she will be attending, photo shoots she will be – “

“Okay, I got it. He’s a stalker.” Lia cut him off. She suddenly felt bad for the girl. Having a Nishikido Ryo as a fan slash stalker is a lot to take.

“Which also means that I have made him very pissed off.” She concluded. The four of them nodded again. Great, this is just what she was looking for. A fight with the devil himself.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She stepped into the K&A cafe with a wide grin on her face, delighted at the smell of fresh coffee brewing. She has a miniscule amount of free time to spare. She might as well use it to get herself a steaming cup of overpriced caffeine.

She was making her way to the counter when a familiar figure caught her eye. His back was facing her, but there was no mistaking him. He was talking to a middle-aged woman. She quickly hid herself behind the nearest post she could find.

She was not a fan of eavesdropping, but since she had made the man angry, she rationalizes she has a right to know if he was planning to get rid of her. She gulped at the possible tortures she might have to endure when faced with his wrath.

“You have made a tempting offer Nishikido-kun…” See? That jerk was hiring an assassin!

“Seeing that you are one of the best in the field of Finance, we do have our apprehension though…” Your career status matters when you want to have someone murdered?? That’s new. Then again who am I to know? I hadn’t had anyone killed for point of comparison.

“But since a colleague of yours will be handling it, we know that our event will be at capable hands...” I’m going to die! I’m going to die! I’m going to– what?

“You have won the bid Nishikido-kun.” Oh, the bid. Wait, I didn’t agree to it.

She saw him clutch his hand and sigh. She gasped as she saw the proud man bowed his head.

“Tsubame-chan, gomenasai…” He started.

She saw the confused expression on the woman’s face. “What are you apologizing for Nishikido-kun?”

“Ano...” He was obviously finding it hard to tell her. “Regarding the project…” I have never heard him speak that way.

“Oh, I get it. You must be very excited. Afterall, you finally got the chance to work with Ms. Dizon.” She gave her a wink.

He looked up at the mention of the name. “It has always been a dream of mine to work with her, but I apologize, I- “

“I’m sorry I am late.” Lia walked up quickly before Ryo could say anything more.

Both of them turned their attention to her. Lia walked to the woman and extended her hand. “I do hope you forgive me for my tardiness. I am Lia Montez. I would be spearheading the fashion show.“ She flashed her pearly white teeth to the woman.

She stood up, so did Ryo. “Why, hello. I am Tsubame Fujihara. I am the promoter of the fashion event.” She said as she clasped Lia’s hand in a firm handshake. “I wasn’t aware that you are available to meet me.” She said once they were all seated again. “I was just here to meet Nishikido-kun to inform him of the status of the bid.”

Oopps, so this was supposed to be a surprise visit. She thought.

“Oh, I am aware of that and I hope you don’t mind my intrusion. It’s just that I have complete faith in Nishikido-kun’s convincing prowess. It never crossed my mind that his bid would be declined.” Lia responded. “And when he informed me that you will be here, I already knew this was to deliver the good news.” She looked at his unreadable expression. “Something held me up that’s why I was a bit late.” She smiled warmly at both of them. Something like my sanity.

“Don’t worry about it. I am pleased to finally meet you. Well, since you are already here, why don’t we start with discussing the project? Especially since Nishikido-kun is ecstatic with this event.” Tsubame-chan winked at Ryo, who nodded curtly.

“Of course. I feel the same.” She smiled at her. Her gaze was caught by Ryo. He was giving her the ‘what-the-hell-is-going-on’ look.

She would like to ask herself the same thing. Yup, she’s ecstatic alright. Yipee.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“You did not.”

“I did.”

He burst out laughing. For a long time. Until there were tears in his eyes. He found it that funny.

“If you are through deriving humor from my predicament, let me know.” She said as she tried to focus on her work. She made a mental note to not share her problems with him.

“I- I’m sorry. It’s really funny. You have to admit it really is funny.” Shige said as he erupted into another round of laughter.

She sighed. Why was she talking to Shige again? She asked herself. Oh, because he is the enemy of my enemy. Or something along that line. She answered. Besides, she likes having intellectual conversations with him. Today not included.

Once he seemed to have finally calmed down, he finally spoke up. “W-why did you do it then? I thought we have established that you won’t be accepting the project?” He asked her. His face was red from all the laughing.

She sighed heavily. “I sprouted a conscience.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Tell me the truth.”

“It’s true!” She replied. “I have never seen him so…unguarded. Like it really meant a lot to him.” She looked up to meet his gaze.

“So I was being nice. Sue me.” She raised an eyebrow in defense. “Pun not intended.” She added, after remembering that he IS a lawyer.

“You are being nice to someone who hasn’t exactly been the kindest person to you?” He asked incredulously. She can’t help but look back and remember the hell she had been through when working with him. Nishikido Ryo isn’t exactly the easiest person to deal with.

“Yup. I’m selfless. My name is being submitted to Vatican for canonization as we speak.” She answered back.

“You can’t. You’re not dead yet.” He pointed out.

“Oh, I will be. Nishikido would kill me if I didn’t accept it. I would kill myself if I did.” She paused. “Wait, I did.”

“In that case, the more you can’t become a saint. I have never heard of a saint that committed suicide.” Shige replied. Now this is an intellectual conversation. She smiled at him.

“Can you help me make it look like an accident?” She tried to pull off a pleading look.

Shige leaned in closer to her “It is my job to make sure that the law is being upheld. What makes you think I will bend it for you?”

“Pft. You’re no fun.” She tried to sound hurt, but failed miserably. Her smile betrayed her. She saw Shige grin widely at her.

Talking to him didn’t solve anything. But at least, she felt better. Much, much better.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Why?” Ryo asked her again. They were on their way to meet the fashion designers and models. It wasn’t really necessary but she wanted to get their inputs as well.

“I told you, I won’t answer that question. Just be grateful and move on.” She told him. She can’t possibly tell him that she was being nice; she knew that he would use it to haunt her forever. Heck, he kept reminding her of that time when she cried. And it was the only time she did that.

He kept silent for a moment. “Fine.”

“Why are you here in the first place? Don’t you have a meeting or something?” She asked him flat out. Ryo did not need to come with her. But he insisted.

“Because Leah’s going to be there.” He said without attempting to lie whatsoever. That’s straight in the face Nishikido Ryo for you.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Oh Ryo! I’m so happy you came to visit.” A cheerful voice said from behind her.

The next thing she knew, Ryo was being hugged by a girl. Once they were through, Lia got a good look of her face.

Wow. Pretty. No, drop-dead gorgeous. At least Ryo has taste. She thought.

“Oh, you must be the organizer of the fashion show. Nice to meet you. I’m Leah Dizon.” She said softly as she hugged her too. “If you have any questions, I will be happy to help you out.”

Lia returned her smile. Sure. I have a couple. ‘Barbie, how’s life out of the plastics? Enjoying yourself so far?’ How she wished she could actually ask those. At least she seemed nice.

“You’re so cute. You could actually pass for a girl.” She smiled sweetly. Or maybe not.

She had managed to compliment and insult her in one statement. Aren’t she and Ryo perfect for each other?!

“My, that’s nice to know. Especially since I am one. I’m Lia Montez by the way.” She observed how her face twitched in confusion. Not fair! She still looks cute!

“Really?! I thought all K&A are guys. Didn’t you have surgery or something?” Leah pressed on. Boy, is she puling her luck.

“Nope. Sadly, I wasn’t born with any appendages. I’m all natural.” Lia responded. She fought the urge to ask her the exact thing.

“Oh in that case, good luck then.” She half-smiled at her. She went back to greeting Ryo.

Lia looked at him, trying to give him the ‘I-don’t-like-her’ look. She was very close to ripping that gravure idol’s insides. He looked at her briefly and nodded. That was it. One simple gesture which gave a clear message:

You have to endure it. You can’t back down. That was what his look meant.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“She is bad news, I tell you.” Here she was, still slumped with work, and whining ever so unprofessionally at Shige. She figured she is the only one she can talk to at the moment. She knew how emotional Tegoshi, Masssu and Koyama are. She can’t possibly whine to them without feeling guilty about it after. Yamashita was still almost never seen and Ryo was, well, the reason why she was whining in the first place.

Without looking up from his laptop, Shige calmly replied, “I’m sure if you spend more time with her, you girls can become the best of friends. She seems shy and an introvert. Perhaps you need to break through her shell.”

Her jaw dropped to the floor. Shige just took Barbie’s side. She imagined herself following Shige’s advice.

‘Hey, how has it been? Me? Ow, I’m great. Remember during the rehearsals, you managed to come 4 hours late everytime, thereby wasting everyone’s time. And when I confront you, you burst into tears and call me ‘mean’, earning me evil glares from everyone, and you shrugged it off without a care in the world? Or the time when you ‘accidentally’ tripped me and my butt met the cold pavement? Of course, let us not forget the cold air and obnoxious stares from your little group of sticks. Those were good times, Barbie. Good times. We should hang out more often.’

Argh! Lia wanted to scream. Here she was doing her work, providing creative inputs, observing actual stage rehearsals, looking through different sounds and lighting, arranging guest lists; and there was Barbie, strutting her stuff and getting paid thousands.

Life is so not fair.

And to top it all off, she can’t even complain. How could she when everyone takes a look at Barbie and always assume she was some angel, and take a look at her, and quickly conclude that Lia was just jealous. What the heck?!?! She hadn’t expected high school cliques to exist in the workplace.

Of course, the main reason was her teammate. She tried telling him how evil his idol was. He looked at her as if she said something blasphemous, and all she said was ‘Leah is not what she seems’. She can’t bring herself to confront him afterwards. No matter how much of a jerk he was, he still looked vulnerable. Not to mention he looked really happy (he was even blushing), when he was with her. She was no party pooper. She decided she can deal with Barbie on her own.

And here was Shige. She was probably wasting his time by going to him to complain. He obviously looked tired and busy. Her plight was not as amusing as a big law case. She felt bad that she was wasting his precious time.

“I guess.” She said, trying to avoid sounding disappointed. She stood up and closed the door. She was sure that Shige did not even notice her leave.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She came back to K&A to get some documents. She had been exhausted for the past weeks. Projects come pouring in. She has quite a few to narrow down. A Start-up Phase of the multinational Food and Beverage Company with the whole team; a Financial Review Engagement with Ryo; a Tax Advisory with Koyama; and a Network Infrastructure Analysis with Massu. Not to mention her Management Consultancy with Yamashita, Contract Violation Case with Shige and HR Outsourcing with Tegoshi. And of course, the recent additions to her long list of work: the Events Management that Ryo requested and an Application Systems Review given to her by Manager Tackey.

She was beyond tired. She was beaten up to a pulp.

Even up to now, she can’t believe she managed to say alive with all that. It was truly miraculous. (Perhaps, she really was a saint in the making).

She can’t even get normal food. She had been eating nothing but those crappy looking food during rehearsals. No wonder the models managed to become thin. It doesn’t look (and to her horror, taste) edible. She can’t even order something in because she doesn’t want to tempt the food-deprived girls (no matter how bitchy they were to her, she still has manners.).

She had been out of the office for quite some time. She really missed her teammates. How she missed Massu’s gluttony! And Koyama’s tea! And Tegoshi’s cuddling! Including Shige’s exasperation, Yamashita’ presence and Ryo’s snide remarks. Even Nishikido was busy enough to find it hard to squeeze in time to visit Barbie.

She flicked on the lights as she opened the door to their room. It was then that she noticed a figure at the couch, with his hands shielding his eyes.

“Hey.” he said feebly.

“Yamashita-san? Is that you? Are you okay?” She went to seat beside him in the couch. She noticed that his coat was placed at the table, his tie was loosened and his polo unbuttoned. He looked at her with equally tired eyes.

“I’m fine. Just resting a bit.” He smiled at her.

“I haven’t seen you for a while. We thought you had been shipped to the Caribbean and sold off as a human sacrifice.” She teased him.

He managed to chuckle a bit. “Nope. Nothing exciting like that. Just busy with field work.” He replied. “How about you? I heard you accepted Ryo’s project.”

That didn’t come as a surprise. They were close buddies after all.

“Yes. Do you think I’m stupid for doing so?”

He shook his head. “Nope. I think you have your reasons. ”

“I do.”

“Do you regret accepting it then?”

“No. It’s not a piece of cake as he claimed, but I’m learning. I think the experience would be good for me.”

“Good. Well, if you have any problems, you can always tell me.”

There was a short pause. How she wished she can talk to someone about what’s going on with her right now. She had learned that her teammates were unlike any of her female colleagues that she can confide in with everything imaginable. They are guys. Just like the rest of K&A. She can’t treat them like one of her girlfriends. And for someone to offer to help her out, even just to hear her rantings, is something that she desperately needed right now.

She took a deep breath and faced Yamashita, ready to pour out her emotions. Instead she found him sleeping peacefully. He was obviously very tired. She stood up slowly, took the coat and used it as a blanket to cover him.

She also took the documents she needed and went for the door. She dimmed the lights and closed the door quietly behind her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was the night of the fashion show. Finally. All her hard work was going to be showcased in this event. It was unlike any of her projects that were too technical. This allowed her creativity. And even though Barbie and friends were around, she was delighted with the experience.

“Okay, everyone. This is it. The day we all have worked sweat and blood for. Let’s do our best out there. But most of all, don’t forget to enjoy every minute of it!” Lia said as she led the opening remarks of the show. She was met with a loud ‘Yeah’ from everyone. She can’t help but smile. This is really it.

There were more cheering and applause until one of the designers signals that it’s almost time. The crowd quickly dispersed and went to their places. She adjusted her headset and voiced, “We will be starting in 10 minutes. Lights and sounds adjust to level B. Emcee on standby. Ushers and security, do final round of search.” She listened as each team responded.

Her attention was caught when somebody tapped her shoulder.

“Lia-chan! I miss you!” He hugged her tightly.

“Tesshi! Ouch! Careful.” She responded as she hugged him back. She missed him too.

“Lia-chan. Konbanwa.” She turned her attention to the other man.

“Kei! What a surprise! I didn’t know you guys could come.”

“Of course we’ll be here! It’s member ai.” Koyama responded with a wink.

She laughed briefly at his silly explanation. “Where is everyone then?”

“Massu is checking out the food counter, Shige will be here shortly, Ryo-chan is probably stalking that idol somewhere, and Pi promised to be here as well.” Tegoshi explained.

She nodded her head and smiled. They were all here to support her. That meant a lot to her.

“Lia-chan, are you alright? You look pale.” Koyama noted as he took a look at her.

That’s because I haven’t been feeling well. “I’m fine. It’s just the lighting.” She muttered. She can’t call in sick on the most important part of this project. She just had to endure it. Somehow, it will work out fine. She hoped it would be.

‘Ms. Montez, we are on in 3 minutes’ she heard them say thru her headset.

“Guys, I’ve got to go. I’m so happy you could come. Tell everyone that. I hope you guys will like the show.” She said as she hugged them again and made her way to the backstage.

“Alright everyone.” She said to the mouthpiece. “Show time.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The night progressed, with the event taking place according to plan. It was surreal. To watch how frantic everyone was backstage with all the costume changes and watch how each model carry their clothes with much confidence on the catwalk. Professionalism defined.

And though she hated to admit it, but Leah looked dazzling under the spotlight. And from the way she moved on that stage, there was no doubt that it was where she belonged.

It all happened too fast, one minute she was giving out orders for the assistant staffs, the next, the designers were all on stage and bowing to the crowd. The event was finally done. As the confetti fell and champagne bottles were opened, Lia was greeted with ‘Congratulations’ by the designers, models and the rest of the production team. She accepted the large bouquet of flowers they gave her and bowed. ‘Thank you’ she said as she smiled warmly at them. It had been tiring and tough, but seeing how everything concluded, she felt accomplished.

She excused herself and went to get her things from the dressing room. There she met her favorite Barbie.

“Hi. You did great today. Congratulations.” She told her as the wide-eyed beauty stared at her.

“Thanks.” She replied flatly.

“So, uhm, I have to go, I still have to meet my teammates. It has been fun.” Lia managed to say. At least she was being civil.

She had already opened the door slightly when she heard her talk again. “I still don’t get it. Why are you part of NEWS? ”

Lia turned around to face her as she continued. “I have been expecting something spectacular about you. But you haven’t quite fit my expectations.” Ah, the mystery she herself doesn’t know the answer to.

“I mean, look at you. You’re plain. Your ideas. Passable.” Brilliant, she was being ridiculed by Barbie.

“And look at me. I am perfect in every way imaginable.” Narcisstic alert!

“So how come, they chose you, hideously average, over the likes of me?” Barbie was now looming in front of her, looking ready for the kill.

Lia had been through this before. Heck, she has fought for footing in the group. She could give her a litany of the probable reasons, but she was too tired and sick to fight.
“Beats me.” She answered simply.

Barbie raised one eyebrow at her response. “It seems K&A has finally met their doom. Hiring you is a signal of the impending end of their reign.…” Now she is being cryptic. Goth Barbie isn’t really to her liking.

“…It’s a stupid move, just like how stupid that Nishikido is, who only uses his looks to get wh-“

SLAP

Barbie held her left cheek as she met Lia’s dagger glares.

“HOW.DARE.YOU. Call him a jerk, and I would agree with you. Egotistical and I would applaud you. But to call him stupid, when you are obviously the reason why he is acting out of his character; and for you to judge him when you now nada about him, THAT I can’t allow you. ” Lia retorted, voice dipping with venom. She had enough of being Ms. Goody-two-shoes. This Barbie deserves to be run over with a bulldozer.

“What the hell is going on!?” They heard someone call out from the door.

What luck, speaking of the devil himself.

Ryo stood at the doorway and came inside the dressing room. Lia was still heaving from anger, while Barbie feigned her innocence.

“Ryo, she...hit me.” Leah managed to say in between sobs, the tears falling to her cheeks.

Ryo turned his attention to Lia and asked, “Is it true? Did you hit her?”

Lia had a bad feeling about this.

“Yes.” She admitted. It was the truth after all.

She saw Ryo’s expression turn from confused to ballistic. He glared at her. “Apologize right now.” He ordered.

“No. Never. And I would gladly do it again.” She glared back. Her head felt like it was going to burst any minute. She had been controlling her annoyance for too long. She wasn’t about to apologize to someone who doesn’t deserve it.

Ryo scowled at her. “I know we are not exactly the best of friends and you have always been difficult. But you could have at least shown Leah some respect. I am disappointed in you. To think you have earned my respect.” It took her a moment to absorb his statement. Ryo have never chosen his words carefully. She can only surmise that it’s because he was really mad and his Barbie was there.

“You don’t know anything Nishikido. I advise you shut your mouth before you sputter anymore nonsense.” She retorted. She fought back the anger and tears threatening to come out. Her head was starting to feel light.

Barbie broke the animosity by grabbing her things. “If you would rather confront her than console me, I understand. She is your teammate after all. I am nothing to you.” She quickly made her way out of the door.

Ryo attempted to follow her but Lia spoke up. “Damn Ryo! Wake up! Can’t you see she is making a fool out of you?” She stepped toward him, unsure of how to pass through his stubbornness.

“She’s right. You are old enough and smart enough to know you deserve better. I thought you said you are a genius? Now is a great time to bring out your genius logic.” They both turned and saw Shige joining the conversation.

“And what do you know?” Ryo snapped back. He found a new target for his anger.

“Not much. Except that Lia was looking out for you. She wouldn’t do that unless you really are stuck up in shit. And no matter how pretty that shit may be to you, it is still SHIT.” Shige retorted.

Ryo grabbed the collar of Shige’s polo and pushed him to the wall. “Make that analogy again and I will forget that we have been group mates for 5 years.” Shige tried to unclench himself from Ryo’s grip.

This really doesn’t look good.

Lia quickly went to the two and tried to break them apart. But found it was a feat to do so, considering that they were bigger than her. She started feeling nauseous again.

“Stop it. Both of you.” She screamed but the two but did not seem to hear her.

The door swung open and revealed the other four members, who were shocked at what they saw. They took a good look at the riot that was going on and tried to break Ryo and Shige apart.

From all the chaos, Lia found herself being pushed away, rather roughly. Her head hit the wall. And before she could say anything more to stop the fighting, she saw patches of black around her. She felt herself losing consciousness and heard the scared shriek of Tegoshi calling out her name. Then everything turned into one solid block of darkness…

-------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Cliffie!!! Ouch! Wait! *avoids the stones being hurled* Let me explain! ^^
This was originally a two separate chapter idea, but it got mixed into one. I can’t believe this is a cliffhanger as well. Rest assured, I have the next chappie planned out. It will be posted soon, uhm, I can’t promise when exactly, but just soon. c”,)

I would like to know what you think of this. I feel this chapter was a bit dramatic (pass the Kleenex please,LOL). But I promise you the other updates will be lighter.

I think Lia’s witty side is showing since she is more comfortable with them now. And yeah, Leah Dizon is here. She has made an appearance in my fics (both of them), but contrary to what it may seem, I don’t hate her. I just don’t know anyone else that Ryo fanboys. XD

Comments are <3

Business AU - Drabble

2008-09-26T05:02:45Z

Title: What they (we) do aside from work
Universe: NewS/ Business AU
Rating: PG-13
Character/ Pairings: NewS, OC
Disclaimer: I don’t own people. (uhm, can I rent NEWS though? just for my birthday.)
Summary: A drabble set at a time which I couldn’t point out myself. Title says it all. (^^,)
A/N: I only update during the weekends. But since it’s my birthday on Sunday, I have squeezed this in as an early birthday present to me and to you guys! (I may not be able to update this week ‘coz I’ll be out).
But I specially dedicate this to: praghufanfic who will be writing me a fic in this AU. Yey!; myradel, who is my self-appointed beta-reader. I’m sorry for bugging you from time to time. You know I love you; and fillefranzine, for supplying me with much needed information for the next update. Thanks guys! Now on with the story…

“Shige, look out!”

SMACK

Too bad Shige was too shocked too realize what was going on that his reflexes dulled a little. A huge bulk of white cream was plastered on his glasses.

“What the hell?!” he asked furiously as he tried to scoop put the sticky substance.

This night, the ‘kids’ are playing dodge ball. Only their modified version does not necessitate the physical medium called ball. Any matter that could hit a person would do. And when they say anything, they mean ANYTHING. (Lia commented that since there is no ball to begin with, it should be called dodge-the-thing-that’s-coming-your-way. Tegoshi aka ‘god’ argued that it’s too long and would make his tongue hurt if he said it many times. With that point in mind, everybody relented.)

Shige was out of luck as the person that hit him was the surprisingly athletic Massu. And with Massu around, food shortly follows. In this case, in the form of a weapon.

“Shige’s out.” She declared. She was the appointed referee of the game. Truth be told, she doesn’t quite understand why they are doing this. She does know, however, that: one, it is never a good idea to contradict the group’s competitive spirit; two, the loosing team will be making the week-long paperwork of the winning team; and three, she’s lucky as it is that she’s not caught in the battle.

“Not fair. The game had barely begun.” Shige protested.

“Tsk Tsk. That is why you should always be on guard. Or you will never know what will hit you. Literally.” Ryo retorted. The evil glint of triumph evident on his face.

Shige turned to his teammates’ Tegoshi and Yamashita, with face fallen and shoulders slumped.

“It’s ok Shige. We’ll get them for you.” Yamashita assured him.

“That’s right! We’ll promise you we will win!” Tegoshi seconded as he patted the lawyer’s back.

He nodded in acknowledgement. “Good luck then.”

Sighing, he slumped to the sofa next to Lia.

“Look on the bright side. Massu hit you with his beloved dessert. You’re that important.” She told him. She wasn’t sure how to console him, given that the game itself was ridiculous for her.

“You’re a terrible comforter. But thanks, I guess.” He said as he continued to wipe his specs. She can’t help but grin at him.

“Ryo’s team one point.” She said to signal the game to continue.

Glare meets glare. Each team looking so serious that one would think they were fighting for the pride of Japan.

“Bring it on Pi.” Ryo challenged. The young leader shrugged him off, glanced at Tegoshi and winked.

As if on slow playback, she saw Koyama about to hurl a pillow at Yamashita. Instead of defending himself, he merely sidestepped and showed Tegoshi standing in his place. Koyama, taken aback by the change in target, stopped midway. Tegoshi took the chance and hurled a plushie on the eldest member’s face.

“Koyama down. Yamashita’s team, one point.” She declared.

Sobbing, Koyama explained himself. “I-i-its Tesshi. I cannot possibly hurt Tesshi.” (Thereby solidifying Lia’s suspicion that Tegoshi is THE god).

“Daijobou Kei.” Massu coaxed the distraught member. Ryo merely nodded in agreement.

With downcast eyes, Koyama joined Shige and Lia on the sofa. The former looked at the defeated man with understanding, while the latter offered a bag of potato chips she had found during all the chaos (their pantry is always stocked). Both men dug in, crestfallen emotion forgotten.

On the other side of the room, Yamashita and Tegoshi high-fived at their success.

“That’s cheating Pi.” Ryo snorted.

“Eh? It’s not cheating Ryo. It’s called tactic.” Yamashita replied with the now legendary wink.

The next round was a cross between the movies Matrix and Shaolin Soccer. Yamashita angling himself to hit his target. Ryo moving in to enemy’s territory. Tegoshi avoiding the hits fluidly. Massu bouncing around happily with rabbit-like cunningness.

The round came to a halt as Ryo’s jacket hit Tegoshi and Pi’s towel hit Massu.

Lia, who was busy munching away with the best friend duo, lost track of who exactly was the winner by a millisecond. The four remaining members turned to look at her. Lia, midway from biting the snack, widened her eyes and said. “It’s a tie. Two points each.”

“What? We obviously got this round.”

“Nope. We did!”

“I saw it hit him first.”

“But –“

“STOP!” Lia exclaimed. “I’m the referee here. And if I say it’s a tie. Then it’s a tie. If you want to repugn, get yourself another judge.” Both teams seemed to weigh their options. From the looks of it, she was the only one unbiased in the room, she being not in any of the two teams.

With a sigh, they relented. “Fine.” Ryo said in a defeated voice.

“Then that leaves Pi and Ryo for the win.” She said, not minding the dagger glares that Ryo was throwing her. Tegoshi and Massu joined them in their seat and immediately consumed the remaining chips.

“Final round – start!” Lia declared.

“Good luck Pi!”

“Go Ryo-chan!”

Both teams cheered for their leaders. Lia had to cover her ears, as the whole ruckus was threatening to damage her eardrums for life.

“I’m not going easy on you.”

“Same here.”

Those were the last few words exchanged as the other members watched in awe. Ryo carefully attacked as he hurled Pi with a pillow. Yamashita backflipped just in time to avoid the hit. Ryo tried to aim for Pi’s feet with one of Massu’s scarf as the leader was in midair. Pi barely missed the assault as his feet landed into the ground. Ryo took the chance to grab Koyama’s parka that hung on the desk. Pi saw what he was trying to do. In one quick move, he grabbed the nearest thing he could find – Shige’s leopard print hat. With lightning speed, he hurled it to Ryo, the hat rotating at a millisecond as it approached its aim.

THUD

The hat hit the startled Ryo at the forehead, distracting him from carrying out any plans he may have.

There was a momentary eerie silence before the room shook with thunderous roar.

“Pi won! We won!” Shige and Tegoshi exclaimed while jumping at the sofa. While Massu and Koyama approached the fazed Ryo. Yamashita extended his hand and helped the self-declared natural genius to his feet. Lia, Shige and Tegoshi also hurried to where everyone was.

Lia situated herself in between Ryo and Yamashita. She grabbed both their wrists and said, “Garnering 3 points in this three round competition. The winner is Yamashita’s team!” She lifted the leader’s wrist up in the air, as the rest of the gang cheered and clapped.

Pi lifted his hand up to silence the guys as he made his speech. “Thank you everyone. It was a great fight.” He patted Ryo’s back as the latter smirked at him in return. More cheers as the losing team bowed in acceptance.

“And also, to Lia for bearing with us.” Yamashita said as laughter and claps erupted.

Excuse me?! She raised one eyebrow to him.

Chuckling, Yamashita continued, “We are always like this. Good thing you don’t mind our silliness.”

“I have long ago given up the notion that you guys are grown men. The office suits are very deceptive.” She answered. A small smile escaping her lips.

“Yey! Lia understands us! Time for the next game!” Koyama and Tegoshi exclaimed.

“What?! There’s still more??” She said aloud with widened eyes.

“Of course. I wouldn’t allow Pi to beat me so easily.” Ryo declared, his eyes fixed on the young leader.

“This time I’ll make sure I will be the last one standing.” Shige commented.

“Me too! I have enough energy now to fight! Those chips are delicious by the way.” Massu said looking at Lia.

Lia was still unable to move. Can’t they go home already? The NEWS room already looked as though it was hit by World War 3.

“Ne, let’s play tag. Lia is IT.” Tegoshi said.

At the youngest member’s declaration, the other members proceeded to different corners of the room. All looking ready to fight.

Lia shook her head. What was she saying earlier about not being caught in the battle? Well, scratch that.

With a determined look on her face, she spoke. “If you must know. I’m ruthless when it comes to these games. I have three younger brothers. Consider yourselves warned.”

Before they had the time to process her statement, she lounged towards the nearest member, Shige and said “You’re IT.”

“Nande? Nande?” Shige wailed at the contact. Obviosuly distraught that he was the first one to be tagged.

The room erupted to a laugh as they watched Shige hopelessly trying to catch other members but failing miserably.

Yup, she has always wondered how her teammates did it – the transition from adult to kid to adult again. Lia can’t help but smile contentedly as the ‘boys’ continued to escape Shige’s grasp. She never did truly mind their silliness in the first place.

Irrational Choices - chapter 5

2008-09-22T04:27:23Z

Title: Irrational Choices – chapter 5
Pairing: Ryo x OC x Jin
Rating: pg-13
Disclaimer: I do not own any JE boys. I cannot possibly provide for them.
Summary: She was in an emotional turmoil. He was the friend who stood by her when she was picking up the pieces of her life. Only he didn’t know what she had been through.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

“Tomi-chan… Is everything okay?” Yuri looked up to meet Jin’s worried gaze. They were eating dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant.

“Huh?! Of course… Why won’t I be okay?”

“That’s why I’m asking. You are not eating at all.” She looked at her plate to see that he was correct. She was merely playing with her food. It was suspicious to him because she always has a huge appetite.

“Oh, I guess I got tired of ordering the same food every time we come here. Perhaps I need to try out new ones as well.”

“In that case, order something new. It’s on me. Just eat something…” he said while he forked his salad, only to drop it after a couple of seconds.

“…You are making me worried. Ren said you seemed fazed lately. Is it work? Because if it is, I am more than willing to help out. Don’t push yourself too hard.” He and Ren had observed that something was amiss with her. They just can’t figure out what it is yet.

“I’m fine. Really. I’m just exhausted. It’s a long day.” She smiled reassuringly at him.

He took her hand and squeezed it tightly. “I understand. I’ll drive you back home after we’ve finished dinner.”

They ate dinner quietly. To other people watching them, she seemed like one of the faceless women he had dated. But none of them knows that in front of him was the woman who had changed his life dramatically.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He has always lived the grand life. Being the youngest son of a politician and a beauty queen, Jin was born with the looks, wealth and power. One lucky bastard. That description fits him well.

He never hid his passion for appreciating luxury and beauty. Jin Akanishi. World-renowned playboy. He was even considered a standard setter. The women he had slept with were the ones considered truly desirable. Of course, it made the ladies want to be with him more. Not that he mind anyway.

But having the world revolve around his fingertips eventually bored him. He needed something new to do, something aside from partying and womanizing. Only that something he needed turned out to be a someone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Yo! Where are you going dude?” He heard one of his drinking buddies ask as he stood up from his chair.

“Don’t leave me here Jin baby. Why don’t you take me with you?” a voice purred behind him. He turned to see a blonde skimpily clad in her clubbing outfit. What was her name again? He had long ago given up on the tedious task of remembering the women’s names. He would only meet them once after all. It wasn’t his style to keep women for long. And twice was long enough for him.

“I’ll be back sweetie. I just need to make a phone call.” He bent down and kissed her sloppily on the lips. Thank God for pet names, he thought. He navigated out of the noisy crowd, smiling and greeting people along the way.

Once safely outside, he can’t help but notice a stare from another woman. Checking me out, aren’t you? He thought. He simply gave her his signature smirk and walked away. As much as he liked to add women to his collection, he equally enjoyed leaving them guessing.

He took out the cigarette pack from his jacket. Darn! I ran out. He hissed under his breath. Before he knew it, he was rounding up the corner at the nearest convenience store.

The door jingled as he walked in and went to the counter. “One pack please” He opened his wallet and stashed some dollar bills.

He felt his phone buzzed. He took it out and voiced on the earpiece, “Sweetie. I was just going to call you. Of course not. I treasured that paper where you placed your number. I was just really busy.” I truly am THE modern day Casanova. He thought again as he quickly turned around to go out.

He felt a strong impact as he bumped to the person next to him in line, who merely raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Hold on baby.” He said as he put the phone down. “Watch it.” Jin told the girl with huge glasses and unkempt hair. “Excuse me? I am obviously the victim here.” The girl retaliated. Some guts she has there. Not a lot of girls talk back at him; he has a way of charming them before they can do so.

He chose to ignore the girl as he made his way out of the store. He didn’t even bother to look back when he heard the girl yell to catch his attention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Argh. I really need to get something for this.” He rubbed his temple that was pounding from hangover. Good thing he was able to come home last night after that time with another blonde.

He made his way out of the apartment building and into the blinding sunlight. Even at this time of day he was already sure that people are watching him intently. He was a celebrity in his own right after all.

“Excuse me.” He heard a voice call out to him.

Sigh. It’s too early to be approached by one of his gazillion fans. He turned around to face the person that called him.

“What are you doing here? How did you know I live here?” Great. He has a stalker again. It was the girl from the convenience store that he bumped into.

“You left this last night. I found your address in your ID.” She told him as he showed his wallet.

As if I haven’t heard that one before. Girls make pathetic excuses just to talk to him.

He quickly grabbed his wallet and waved it to her face. “Thief! As expected of poor people like you. Absolutely despicable.” One look at her and he could see that she wasn’t one of the girls who experienced wealth. He turned around and continued walking.

“Wait one moment. I return the wallet to you out of goodwill and this is what you do? Aren’t you being a jerk?” He could here that she was already pissed off.

He turned to face her and said, “You were expecting some sort of reward aren’t you? As I thought. Poor people don’t have principles. You are just acting as if you do, so that you can get something bigger from us. Well then, how much is it that you want?” He asked her with a smirk.

SLAP.

He stood there unable to act. It was the first time that a girl did that to him.

“If being born into affluence means having a wretched attitude like yours, then I am very thankful that I was born into poverty.” She glared at him one last time and walked away.

Crazy. He shook his head and opened his wallet. He searched carefully and noted that nothing was taken from it. He stood there, headache forgotten. There couldn’t possibly be a truthful person in the world nowadays, could there?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good to see you Jin!” He heard his buddy Jimmy greet him at the door.

“Yeah. Well I have nothing better to do.” He retorted to annoy him.

“Of course. What could be better than a college party as wild as this? Its all about booze and women Jin. I knew you wouldn’t let such a good opportunity down.” He said as he wrestled Jin in the doorway.

Jin had to chuckle at his friend’s sensitivity towards his needs. He looked at the crowd of college students in front of him. He had arrived a moment ago and yet he had already found pretty girls to play with. He is surely going to enjoy the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After spending some time with beautiful college girls, Jin needed to take a breather. Contrary to his earlier expectations, none of them was captivating enough for him. A bit bland if he must say so himself.

He was looking at the crowd downstairs, idly dancing on the dance floor, when a lone figure caught his eye, seating at a faraway table near the bartender, looking as if she would rather be somewhere else. He recognized her. Her hair was now tied in a low ponytail, but her huge glasses were still prominent, making her easy to remember.

The night is about to become interesting, he thought as he went to approach her.

“What are you doing here? You really are a stalker.” He whispered to her ear.

She stiffened at his presence. Virgin. He thought after judging her reaction. It was one of his little tests to determine a girl’s sexual experience.

She took one look at him and rolled her eyes. He took the liberty and sat at the seat next to her. “You are obviously an outcast. Come with me to my apartment. It will boost your popularity tenfold. Not to mention it will be the best night of your boring life.” He watched as her reaction changed into a dark aura.

“If you must know, it’s taking all of my willpower not to kill you right now. Leave me alone.” She said, voice dripping in venom.

Jin had to chuckle at her retort. “Don’t get too full of yourself. I only offered to make up for last time. Now let’s go.” He dragged her to the door. He could feel the audience’s gaze on them as they made their way to the parking lot.

They had reached his Porsche convertible. She wriggled her wrist out of Jin’s hand.

“What part of ‘leave me alone’ did you not get? You are so full of yourself! What makes you think I’m going anywhere with you? I even refuse to be in within the same 12 meter radius with you!” She screamed at him in anger.

Did this rag just decline him? He looked at her incredulously.

“Excuse me? Did you just turn me down? Nobody, and I mean NOBODY turns me down.” His pride can’t possibly accept that this unattractive girl is refusing him. HIM of all people!

“Then I shall go down in history as the one who did.” She glared as she stomped away and left him speechless.

That was twice that he was left astounded by this nameless stranger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Jimmy he found out her name. Tomioka Yuri. Foreign exchange student from his homeland. Genius. Brilliant student. Founder and President of Kuroi Shiroi Promotions.

The last credential had him astounded. It seemed that she started the company during her freshman year at Tokyo University. And she was slowly turning it to a renowned firm.

He met her again, unexpectedly, at a coffee shop.

“Is it your hobby to piss me off?” He heard the girl ask without looking up from her laptop. His shadow was looming in front of her.

“Not really.” He took the seat in front of her. “I merely wanted to chat with a friend.” He added sarcastically. They have been bickering at each other since day one.

She cocked one eyebrow. “More like destined enemies.” She continued to type at the keyboard. “Besides, you don’t even know me.” She pointed out.

“Yuri Tomioka. That’s your name isn’t it? And I know you already know mine. You are one of my fans after all” For some childish reason, he enjoyed teasing her.

“On the contrary, I think it is you who are my fan. Why find out who I am if you’re not?” She continued to say while working.

Jin let out a soft chuckle. “I didn’t. The scene last time had me flocked with people asking what you were to me. They supplied the information. I didn’t ask for it” he explained.

“Great. Now I have to watch out for your crazy fan girls.” She let out a soft sigh.

He hesitated for a moment. “Uhm, I’m sorry about last time. And the one before that as well.” He averted his eyes a little. It wasn’t his style to apologize. But he felt, it was the right thing to do. Yes, sometimes even bastards like him get a conscience.

“Apology accepted. Just don’t pull off something like that. I might not be able to restrain myself from killing you.” She smiled wickedly as she took a bite of her bannofee pie.

At that moment he knew, Tomioka Yuri wasn’t an ordinary girl.

He looked at her trying to concentrate on what she is doing. His curiosity got the better of him. “Is that school or work?” He asked. When she looked up to meet his gaze, he added, “They told me you are running a company with some of your friends.”

“Work. It’s a small company. And was would be the operative term, only a handful decided to stay.” She said with a low voice.

Jin felt that he touched a sensitive topic. He suddenly felt awkward.

But it was Yuri who broke the silence.

“I need your opinion on something. What are you longing for in a woman?’

Jin narrowed his eyes. Is Yuri interested in him?

She rolled her eyes and said, “Relax. I just need a true womanizer’s point of view. It’s work – related.”

He hesitated for a moment. Trying to sum up the characteristics of the woman he had dated and bedded. It was obviously not just looks. He had a wide array of choices in that department. What he desired was something more, something he just couldn’t find yet. Then the answer hit him. “Someone who can carry herself amidst a sea of gorgeous people and not feel threatened nor insecure. Simply because she knows she is beautiful as she is.” Both he and Yuri were taken aback by his answer. He didn’t expect to answer it that way. He felt so… honest.

She looked at him with eyes that held neither accusation nor pity, but simple acceptance.

That was the start of their friendship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jin looked to the passenger seat and smiled to himself. She should really stop pushing herself too hard.The image of her, peacefully sleeping beside him, took him back to memory lane. Back to when he was living life in passing, but not really experiencing it. Back to when he didn’t understand the meaning of the words hard work, perseverance and accomplishment.

Shortly after their non-violent talk at the coffee shop, Yuri had asked him to join the company. At first he hesitated. He had everything in his life, why would he bother to work?

For you to have the chance to let the world see you for who you truly are. For them to recognize you and just you – Jin Akanishi.

Those two sentences opened up the unknown longing inside him that he tried so hard to push back. To the world, he was a carefree bastard who seized the world with his women and wealth. Nobody cared to pay attention to the real him. Nobody tried to get to know him well. Until she came along.

Being part of the company turned his life three hundred sixty degrees. He had experienced hardships, harsh criticisms and doubt. It felt as though people did not take him seriously. And in a way, he couldn’t blame them. He had not been known for being responsible after all.

He wanted to give up at one point. But Yuri remained steadfast in supporting and cheering him on. She guided him and taught him. But most of all, she believed in him. That was enough for him to fight and not let her down. And slowly, he had come to believe in himself as well.

Whatever self-worth that he felt right now, whatever triumph for surpassing the tough times, his realistic view of life – all of it, he felt he owed her.

She was more than a colleague to him. More than a best friend even. It feels as though she was her savior, someone who reached out for him from the pits of hell and despair. He chuckled at the thought. He would never ever tell her that.

She was precious to him. That much he was sure. He had never cared for anyone like he did for her.

Could he be in love with her?

That question was something that bothered him for so long. As much as he was sure that she held a prominent place in his life, he was doubtful of what exactly it is he felt for her.

As of the moment, he just treasures the relationship they have – whatever it may be. And he’ll be damned to destroy that by pursuing whatever romantic notions he may have.

However, for a long time, he felt that Yuri was avoiding something. She was extra careful to point out that they are friends with no strings attached. To him, it seemed as if there was a part of her he hasn’t been able to reach out. A concealed and obscured past that she doesn’t wish to share.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He stopped his car in front of her apartment building. She was still sleeping so peacefully, curled up on the seat without a care in the world.

With careful fingers, he soothed out the hair that fell on her beautiful face. He may not know right now how he truly feels for her, but he feels he has plenty of time to sort it out. Once he was sure of his feelings, he would tell her properly. For now, to have her by his side is enough.

Slowly, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. Yuri stirred a little at the contact but did not wake up. With his face close to her, he whispered, “Stay by me always Yuri. I won’t let you go.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Gah! It’s Jin’s POV. Some of you might not be expecting this. (‘though I may have hinted it in my replies). Yes, Jin is going to play a part in this. =)

I was hesitant where to place his POV actually, but I figured I need to make his presence known. This is a big step for me. I do hope you can still support me on this added twist.

I’m not sure what you might feel about the progress of this story, so please let me know by leaving me a comment. Thanks! ^_^

Business AU - Chapter 3

2008-09-15T00:14:13Z

Title: One Day at a Time
Universe: NewS/ Business AU
Rating: PG-13
Character/ Pairings: NewS, OC, other Johnny’s
Disclaimer: If I own any of them, I would no longer be making this fics. Who needs fiction when reality is SO much better?!?
Summary: After the unwelcome introduction and an initiation from her teammates, what else should she expect from the group? Apparently, a LOT.

Prologue and Chapter1
Chapter2

She opened the door to the NEWS office feeling refreshed. Her sleep-deprived body finally got the rest it badly needed.

She looked around the room to find Masuda Takahisa, Koyama Keichiiro and Kato Shigeaki all busy at their desks. They looked up when the door opened.

“Ohayo gozaimasu!” She greeted the three. “Starting work early on a Monday?”

“We have to. Deadline’s coming up.” Koyama responded worriedly. She had taken her seat and opened her own laptop when she stopped to take note of the date.

She raised her eyebrow in response. “Really? I think the allocated time was enough though.” Koyama looked like he was about to have a heart attack at her reply.

“Don’t mind him. He’s a worrywart. He’s born that way.” Kato replied without diverting his eyes from the screen.

“From the looks of it, you have the same trait.” She commented to the equally busy-looking Kato Shigeaki.

Masuda chuckled. “Yeah, you’re the one to talk Shige.” He gave her a smile and said, “I’m merely checking my mails when you came in. The subject was something that required my full and undivided attention.”

Kato snorted. “I bet it’s your weekly mail of the Food Chronicles. Food always manages to get your complete attention.”

One look at his bubbly face and knowing smile meant that what the young lawyer said was true.

She turned her attention to Koyama and asked, “Uhm, where are the others?”

Koyama, who seemed to have recovered from his earlier shock, replied “They’re on their way. Though from experience Tesshi would show up soon, followed by Ryo and lastly by Pi, who would be a bit late”

She figured Tesshi would be Tegoshi, then that would make Pi as Yamashita. She had been too engulfed in her work that past week that she barely noticed their trends in coming to work. She didn’t have time to react as the door swung open and in came the youngest of the group. “Ohayo minna-san!”

The men nodded their head in acknowledgment. She smiled at him “Ohayo.”

Tegoshi quickly approached her table. “How are you Lia-chan? Ohh, I hope you don’t mind me calling you that.”

“No, its ok. You can call me that or Lia. Either one would be fine. And I’m doing great by the way. What would I call you then?”

“Yuya or Tesshi would be fine. Just not Tegoshi-san. It’s too formal.” He beamed at her.

She remembered what Koyama called him earlier. “Tesshi it is.” She smiled back.

“So… based on Koyama-san’s observations, Nishikido-san would be here next.” She quipped as she too began to check her emails.

“I think he would be late by a minute or two. Since today is a Monday, he would have come from Osaka.” Tegoshi replied as he went to the area next to hers and opened his computer.

Osaka? Doesn’t he stay at JE like every one of them? She thought.

“Ryo is from Osaka. He has another group there, Kanjani 8. He goes back and forth depending on client load. But he usually goes home during weekends.” Masuda offered as an explanation, after noticing the blank look on her face.

“Two groups? Won’t that be referred to as suicide?” She responded. She knows how toxic life is for consultants after all.

“It is. But when you’re in demand, it can’t be helped.” A voice said from the doorway.

“Ryo-chan! Ohayo!” She didn’t notice nor hear him come in.

Nishikido ruffled Tegoshi’s hair in response as he went to his own chair.

“Some people are just SO full of themselves.” Kato replied, now looking directly at the newcomer.

“Shige, hating me won’t make you a much sought- after professional in this firm. There are some things in this life that… just…IS...” Nishikido replied with a smirk. He was obviously feeling superior with his statement.

“I AM a sought-after professional. Other wise, I won’t be slumped with work. Perhaps, you failed to notice because your ego is clouding your vision.” Kato retorted.

She has a bad feeling about this. Someone has to stop them or the white couch would soon be splattered with blood. She sighed. It was a rather nice couch.

“Stop fighting, both of you.” Yamashita, who just came in, said as he strode towards his desk. Tegoshi beamed at him, while the newcomer gave him a two thumbs up.

He is obviously the leader of the group. One order and they stopped snarling at each other. I can just picture steam coming out of their ears though. Very anime-ish. She chuckled at the image.

It was then that she realized that she got their attention. She stopped and looked around at each member. “Sorry. Random thoughts.” She explained.

The young leader nodded in understanding.

“Well since everyone is here, we can start with today’s agenda.” He said as everyone turned their attention to him. “We would be acquainting our newest member on her role for this engagement by showing her how we do our jobs. So, for today, she would be paired with each one of us. Just show her a run-through of what you actually do.”

Yamashita looked at her and said, “It would just be a brief intro of sorts. Just to familiarize you with the basics. Should you need to go back and perform other procedures or obtain other documents, feel free to approach the person concerned.” He beamed at her.

“Hai. Wakatta.” She smiled back at him.

“Minna-san, since you have scheduled activities for this day as well, please limit the intro time. Do not bombard her with technicalities. We can’t afford to have her crying again, ok?” He was replied with chuckles from the rest of his group mates except her.

“Peace.” Yamashita said as he raised his index and middle finger to placate her.

“Tego-nyan, will be first, followed by Kei and Shige. In the afternoon, it will be Massu, Ryo and me.” He looked around the room to see if there were any objections.

“If you have no further questions, pack up. We have to go. The limo is waiting outside.” He ordered as he took his things and ventured for the door. The others simply followed him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Yey! I get to be the first one to spend time with Lia-chan!” Tegoshi squealed as he took her hand, swinging it while they walked the hallway.

Is he really old enough to finish a degree in Psychology? He seems more childish than her youngest brother. And her brother is in high school.

Her thought was halted when she saw someone smack Tegoshi’s head.

“Oi! Stop acting as if you guys are lovers spending time in the park. This is the client’s office for goodness sake.” Nishikido said to the younger man.

“Ryo-chan! That hurts!” Tegoshi replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

“It should. I need to get some sense out of you.” Nishikido grinned.

“But I’m not doing anything wrong… I’m just really happy to spend time with Lia-chan.” He tried to explain with lips slightly pouted.

“In some countries, what you are doing is considered sexual harassment.” Kato voiced out.

Tegoshi looked white as paper.

She had to bite her tongue to refrain from laughing at his reaction.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be filing any case. Besides, sexual harassment only applies if it is done by a superior to a subordinate… but Nishikido-san is right…we’re at work. You need to let go of me…okay?” She smiled as she gestured towards his hand clasping hers.

She didn’t really mind Tegoshi’s silliness. She had her fair share of attention from her youngest brother. Tegoshi already have what can be considered as older brothers, she felt Tegoshi was craving for a sister this time around.

Slowly he let go of her hand and went to Koyama, where he was placated by the eldest member. Well, it seems Tegoshi also has a mother from the group. She smiled at the thought.

They were now at the client’s office. She was amazed at the interiors of the building – modern but still luxurious. It was somehow expected given that it is the regional office of a multinational giant from USA, specializing in food and beverage manufacturing.

They stopped as they approached a conference room. It seemed that it was going to be their temporary office. Just like their office at K&A, this too had a small pantry. And from Masuda’s reaction, he seemed to be the most pleased by it. At the center was an 8-seater glass table, the chairs were also modern but seemed comfortable enough. A small couch was positioned near the door. A display panel was placed at the wall, which also doubles as a writing board. But what truly got her attention were the huge glass windows that allowed everyone to view the breathtaking skyline.

Yamashita took the seat at the far end. The leader seat as she referred to it. Nishikido took the seat on Yamashita’s right.

Where am I supposed to seat? Is there some sort of seating arrangement here?
She was saved from thinking when Nishikido spoke. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of me.” He motioned to the seat next to him.

She raised her eyebrow at him. “The thought never occurred to me.” She told him coldly as she took the seat next to him. Sometimes she can’t help but think that arrogance is the English translation of the name Nishikido Ryo.

Tegoshi took the seat on her right while Kato, Koyama and Masuda took the seat in accross them.

“Tego-nyan, it’s time. Everyone, introduce her to the staff and the juniors as well.” Yamashita said to the youngest. The latter stood up and grabbed her hand again.

“Hai. Itte kimasu.” He called out as Lia was being dragged away.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“David-san, this is our newest member, Lia Montez.” Tegoshi said as he introduced her to the Human Resources Department head.

“Ohayo. Montez Lia desu. Yoroshiku.” She bowed politely. From what Tegoshi told her as they made their way to the room, there were only 3 people working there. It seemed the other two were not at the room as of the moment.

“You have no idea how happy I am to meet you. Can you truly speak English?” The young manager asked. He was from the mother company in the US and only knew little Japanese. He and his two assistants carry out the directives from US to Japan. But when it comes to people management, Tegoshi comes in to help out.

“Yes sir.” She replied.

“Oh please, none of the formalities. Call me David. YOU are just heaven sent. Have I mentioned how happy I am that you are here?” He looked as if a huge weight was lifted from his chest. He extended her hand to her.

“Twice. David it is. Please call me Lia.” She smiled as she shook his hand.

Tegoshi was nodding, though his eyes bore a blank expression.

“Tesshi, daijoubu? Do you know what we were talking about?” She asked, shifting to Japanese.

He continued to smile as he said “Not really. But don’t let him know, ok?”

She had to smile at his response. It seemed he was trying to impress the client as well.
She turned her attention to the department head and switched to English.

“I am just here to observe for today. I mostly handle financial reporting. But should you need assistance especially when it comes to interpretation, let me know. I’m more than willing to help out.”

“Thank you Lia. Yuya is a nice kid. But the language barrier is really frustrating. Well, in that case, I shall leave you then. I have a meeting in 10 minutes. My other staffs are already there. I’ll introduce you to them some other time.” He said as he took his briefcase, bid them goodbye and went out.

Tegoshi sat down at the nearest chair.

“What happened? This he say anything bad? I heard he mentioned my name.” He looked worried.

“Basic introduction. He mentioned that you are nice but the problem lies in the language difference.” She took the chair next to him. “How do you communicate with each other then?”

“Interpreters. The US directives are in English. It is translated and forwarded to me. But I mostly handle employee selection. It would be hard for them to do the interview part.”

“Have you tried to learn English?” She figured it would be beneficial to him.

“Hai. But I’m not making much progress.” He looked at her sheepishly. “How about you, how did you learn to speak Japanese?”

“Anime...”

Tegoshi blinked. “Eh? Anime?”

“Basic conversations I got from Animes that I watched with the translations. The rest, from e-books and audio tapes that abound the net. I didn’t take any formal lessons.”

“Really? You’re not kidding me?” His face was incredulous. She merely gave him a do-i-look-like-im-kidding look. “Sugoi…” was all he was able to say.

“Not really. It was pretty hard, especially the reading part.” She smiled as she remembered how long it took her to remember the characters.

“Then why do it then?” He looked at her curiously.

She took a deep breath. She had been asked this a lot whenever she begins to do anything.

“Because I wanted to learn something that wasn’t required but will benefit me anyway.” She explained to him in a logic that was fairly simple.

He was quiet for a moment. He seemed to be lost in thought.

“I think I understand you.”

She paused and waited for him to clarify his statement.

“I had always been good at dealing with people. I can sympathize and empathize with them. It was one of the reasons why I decided to take up Psychology. But when you are part of the team, it is equally important that you can present to your client, to the Board. That’s where I suck the most. I just can’t seem to express my thoughts when I need to. It’s like stage fright sans the stage.” He chuckled at his own joke.

She remained quiet, taking the time to digest what he was saying.

“People kept saying that it was ok. That to be able to handle people during the engagement was more important that the brief hours of presenting. But it bothered me. I feel as though I was dragging the team down.”

“At our group’s darkest months, I decided to face my fear. Masuda was kind enough to help me out during that time. He is very good at client meetings; he manages to be direct, simple and lively. It took time for me to learn, for me to finally have that confidence. But it paid off.” He reminisced the sweet memory of his triumph.

She was now seeing the always cheerful young man on a different light. Despite his silliness, here is a man who persevered and conquered his weakness. She can’t help but admire him for it.

“I’m proud of you,” was all she managed to say as she patted his back.

“Eh?? Hai. Arigatou.” He smiled at her. He looked up and suddenly stood up.
“Uhm, my time is up. You have to meet Kei now. I’ll take you there.” They slowly walked towards the Taxation Department, where Koyama was.

“Thanks for listening.” He said without looking at her.

“Thanks for telling me.” She replied back.

“I have a question though. What darkest months are you talking about? Is that like a busy season?” She remembered it served as a catalyst on Tegoshi’s decision.

He smiled at her as they stood in front of their next stop. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you some other time Lia-chan.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Koyama poured her hot tea as they talked at one of the deserted meeting rooms. He had briefly introduced her to the other staffs from the department, but they had to finish up on a US tax deadline and could not accommodate her for long.

“How is it?” Koyama asked her. She was unsure if he was referring to the tea or to her situation as a whole. She decided on the latter, but wanted to tease Koyama a bit.

“The tea’s great.” She said with a straight face. He was about to negate her when she pre-empted. “I’m still coping.”

He managed to let out a nervous laugh. “Ano…I’m really sorry about our attitude the past few days. It must have been hell for you …”

“You have no idea.” She butted in.

“…but I can assure you that you everyone is really nice.” His affection for the team was evident.

She raised an eyebrow in response. Everyone?? He understood her reaction and continued, “as you can see, Tesshi and Massu were the first to open up to you, although it was on a varying degree. Tegoshi-kun is the baby in the group and he basks in our attention. He is quite touchy; and would sleep on our legs when he’s tired or sit on our laps when he wants to...

The image of a full grown Tegoshi sitting on their lap flashed her mind. She shook her head.

“… Massu on the other hand is like sunshine. One smile radiates enough to encourage us and to keep us going. He is also the person who appreciates good food…”

Her mind was translating it as: Massu likes to eat… A LOT.

“… Now, for the other three. I don’t think you would have any problems dealing with Shige. He looks serious and unapproachable, but he is actually fun to hang around with. He is really smart but can be stupid at times. I am the closest to him, so I can assure you I am telling this from experience…”

He was smiling in a way that makes it evident they are the best of friends.

“…Ryo would be a different thing. He scowls a lot and has this get-closer-and-I’ll-kill-you look plastered on his face. But underneath that, he is actually a gentle guy…

Gentle?! You have GOT to be kidding. She thought. Koyama smiled at her.

“… He is not in his nicest state now, so I can understand your apprehension. He’ll come around. I’m sure of it… On the other hand, Yamapi is the busiest among us.
Aside from being the leader of the group, he also has consultancy projects on his own. He is one of the most in demand in K&A. Projects just pour in one after the other. He doesn’t talk much when he’s tired or if he just knew you. But once he’s familiar with you, you can see what a great person he is.”

She smiled at him. It seems he has mush respect for Yamashita.

“How about you? Won’t you be telling me something about yourself?” She asked him.

He shrugged. “There’s nothing much to share about me. I’m pretty average.”

She gasped. “Blasphemy! That’s not true!” She had gone over Koyama’s CV before. True, he didn’t have many projects like the other members. But once he opened his mouth to speak, it was evident that here is a man who has untapped potential, whose genius is just waiting to be set free.

He chuckled at her reaction. “I’m not as busy as everyone else. But it’s ok. I enjoy what I’m doing. And I’m striving hard to provide the best tax advice to our clients.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking. Why did you choose taxation?” She figured other fields would suit him too. Some fields were just more in demand than others.

He paused for a while before answering.

“Because it affects people more than they realize. People are taxed when they work, when they buy, when they inherit something, when they deal. Taxation is pretty much around us. People hate to pay taxes because they feel the government is taking something that they worked hard for. But the government needs our taxes to survive, to serve the citizens back. My role is to ensure that they pay the least amount of tax as the law would allow. I am simply helping out both sides to achieve balance.”

She had always felt that Koyama has a big heart, especially for the rest of the team. She remembered it was him that coined the term member ai. She only realizes now that his heart is big enough to care for the entire population of Japan.

“You know there’s one thing I found out about you…” She told Koyama who looked back at her.

“You were never average. You are exceptional just the way you are.” She said with conviction. She hoped that he would see how sincere she was when she said it.

And from the curt nod that he gave her, perhaps, he did.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“You know, there are these things we refer to as e-books…” She informed Kato Shigeaki as she noticed that his desk was piled with law books, making it hard to see him.

“I’ve heard of them. But I’m sticking to the good old hardbound.” He retorted as he finished the report he was making. He stood up and took the seat in front of her.

“I’m not going to offer you anything. I know Koyama already gave you tea. What do you want to talk about then?” He asked as he pushed the rim of his glasses.

“Uhm, I dunno Kato-san. How about your love life? That kind of information is vital to this project.” She teased Kato. What else would she want to talk to him about other than work?!

His answer caught her by surprise. “That’s personal. I have a right not to tell you that. Next question.” He said without batting an eyelash.

She had the strongest urge to throw him the massive law text book from his desk. Instead she replied, “Oh please. Can you just stop the lawyer-ish crap?! We’re the only ones in this office slash walk-in bookshelf. Let down you guard and talk to me as a normal human being.” It is really hard to argue with lawyers, she thought.

“Only if you stop calling me Kato-san. It’s Shige. I only act normal with people I’m familiar with.”

She remembered Koyama also instructed to call her Kei before leaving his office. They are obviously thinking in the same wavelength.

“Shige it is. Shall we start then? Aren’t you going to introduce me to some people?” She was usually introduced to department staffs first.

“There’s none to introduce as of the moment. They are at the mother company. They will be back next week.”

“Did they dump all these for you to read?” She was referring to the books on his desk.

He shook his head. “No, I’m just doing some advance reading. It wouldn’t hurt to be prepared ahead of time. Knowledge is power so they say. One needs to be equipped with enough information to grasp opportunity and nail it. I can’t let my guard down when I need to prove that I am good at what I do.”

She laughed at his answer. “YOU are such a nerd.” Most people, when not busy, do things aside from work. Shige was reading work-related stuffs whether he was busy or not.

He looked at her incredulously. “And you are saying you’re not?”

She stopped laughing, keeping in mind that she too has glasses on. “Just because I have glasses on doesn’t mean I’m a nerd.”

“I wasn’t talking about the outwards appearance. The way you carry yourself and how you deal with everyone. And let’s not forget the initiation. It’s obvious you have some brain. You are a nerd as well. Admit it.” He was leaning forward, like he was cross-examining her for a criminal case.

“I thought we agreed there wouldn’t be any law crap. Thank you for thinking I have been fortunate enough to have a brain. And no, I’m still not a nerd.” She too leaned forward to face him.

He smiled at her. She was blinded for a second. Too bright.

“You have guts. I like that.” He said approvingly.

“Good. I like it too. Word of advice though, learn to take a breather. Work isn’t everything. I can see that everyone in the team looks up to you. You don’t have to prove anything. ” She told him. It seems he was looking for some form of acknowledgment.

“And you are able to make this generalization after a brief encounter with us?” He was interrogating her again.

“Yes. You would be amazed at how much I see as a third person. That’s why, I can bet on my life that your team feels that way. Take it easy from time to time. You’ll live longer.” She told him reassuringly.

He looked down at the floor and back to her again.

“I’m happy to hear that. In a way, I can feel that they recognize my contributions to the team. But sometimes it feels as though all eyes are on me, wondering what I am doing in NEWS when they would have done better with some other lawyer.” His pain was evident from his tone.

“Are other people’s opinions so important that you are willing to give them this control over you? You can never please everyone Shige. People will hate you for no apparent reason. I learned to only listen to people whose opinions matter to me – my family and friends. But most importantly, to myself. Let others waste their energy by constantly criticizing your every move. You affect their lives. Don’t let them affect yours.” She told him. She was talking from experience.

He was silent for a moment.

“Thanks. I needed to hear that. I have been blessed with great teammates and friends. Let everyone else die in envy.” He grinned at her. She beamed at him too.

“But you still haven’t admitted you are a nerd.” He insisted.

“Because I’m not.”

“If you are not the nerd in high school, then what were you?” He was getting on her nerves.

“I was the prom queen.”

Shige looked at her for a couple of seconds before laughing so hard that he was crying at the same time.

At least he got a kick from my answer.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Aren’t you full? We have just eaten.” She asked Masuda as he swallowed another meat bun. It was true. They had just eaten lunch with the rest of the team and she was introduced to the Engineering Department afterwards. And yet here he was, barely 20 minutes after lunch time and he’s reaching for another meat bun.

“I was earlier. I’m hungry again.” Masuda replied in between bites.

She sighed. Eating was something that he was obviously passionate about.

“How about you show me some of your works? Perhaps it can help me in assessing how I can help you out.” She suggested. She needed to do something aside from seeing him eat.

He got up and pulled a folder from one of the cabinets.

“Here.” He said as he placed it in front of her.

She opened it and stopped short. She looked up and said, “You must have gotten the wrong folder.” She held up the paper to Masuda to illustrate her point.

“Nope. That folder contains my project proposals for the year. That one you’re holding is the network infrastructure for this client.” He said while trying to wipe the sauce that oozed from the bun and onto his table.

She looked at the paper again. It was more like a collection of bizarre shapes with lines crisscrossing in the middle. She wasn’t an engineer but she can’t help but find the layout a bit more like a doodle.

“Massu, can you explain this to me?” She was having trouble understanding it on her own.

“Sure.” He went to her side and began pointing at the paper. ”We are basically using the Internet for this client, that would be the one at the middle. Around that is the global network of public networks and ISPs throughout the world. It is much like a WAN but uses TCP/IP for data interchange.” He told her as he grabbed a bottle of water to keep himself from chocking.

She smiled at the simplicity of his drawing, an uncomplicated presentation of a network infrastructure. Other engineers would have filled it with endless drawings of stuffs that make her dizzy.

“In a way, I’m slowly getting it.” She told him as she began to understand the logic of his drawing aka scrabble.

“Some people don’t really appreciate my drawings but I knew you would understand it. Manager Tackey told me you have a background in computers.” He beamed at her.

She hoped Manager Tackey didn’t expound on that. “My knowledge is very basic.”

“What did you think it was when you first saw it then?” He was referring to his drawing.

She was hesitant to tell him.

“It’s ok. You can tell me. I won’t get angry. I swear.” He said while he raised one hand to prove it.

“uhm… I thought it was…” She said nervously.

“… a very gay smiley.”

He blinked once. Then he laughed.

That was twice in a day that her teammates laughed at her retort.

The day just keeps getting better.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She was right. The day just keeps getting better.

And now she has a meeting with the Grim Reaper.

“I can sense you are thrilled to see me.” She tried to humor him as she sat at one of the unoccupied seats.

She had been introduced by Nishikido when she came in. Although she doubted if his ‘everyone, Lia. Lia, everyone’ statement counted much as an introduction.

He seemed irritated that she was there when he was working. Or perhaps he was just irritated to see her. Period.

“The same excitement I get when I’m having a root canal appointment with my dentist.” He told her straightforward while he remained standing.

Plan to deal with a poisonous tongue through humor =FAILED.
Switch to Plan B, Retreat!

“Well, since you have already introduced me to the department, I can take my leave now as you continue with your work. Bye then.” She said as she quickly got up and went for the door. She wanted to get out of here as fast as possible with the least casualty, even if it means backing out at the moment.

“If you leave, I will personally drag you back here. Now sit down. Pi would kill me if he found out you left under the 5 minutes that we have agreed.”

So the young leader orchestrated this one. He obviously knew that she would end up leaving shortly after. Somehow she hoped that Yamashita narrowed it to a minute.

She mustered enough energy to sit back with as much dignity as she could. Then the litany began.

“I won’t tell you to call me Ryo because I still barely know you. In a way, you have my respect, but you are yet to earn my trust. That would take a long time or perhaps you never will. I don’t like to be told what to do. Don’t tell me all the crap about principles that you have read because I don’t give a damn about those things. I make my decisions on my gut feel. I will buy, sell, trade when I feel it’s a wise thing to do. I don’t need a basis to do so; my hunch is more than enough. That is what separates me from bookish people that claim to be smart. I am a natural born genius. Deal with it.”

She rolled her eyes. Was he telling her something about his work or was he bragging?

“Uhm, ok. What do you want me to do then? I wouldn’t want to interrupt when you are changing the world with your genius ways after all.” She retorted. She can’t really help but be sarcastic at him.

“Get me coffee, fetch my paper, clean my desk, photocopy documents. Something within that nature.” He smirked at her.

She stood up and looked at him straight in the eye.

“I believe you had me mistaken for a secretary. Let me get one thing clear. I work WITH you, not FOR you. If you don’t stop looking down on me and treat me as an equal, then I don’t have any reason to deal with you in the first place. Consider this though, I am here because I can do things beyond the realm of your brilliance. Whether you admit it or not, you need me. DEAL with it.” She was fuming mad at him.

They were silent for a while.

It was him who broke the silence. “I’m frank and straightforward. If you screw up, I will tell it to your face. I don’t sugarcoat my words to lessen its impact. I give my best in whatever it is I am doing, and I expect nothing else but the best from people I work with. You will be on your toes catching up with me and my big expectations. Can you handle that?” he asked her with one eyebrow raised.

“I never back down on a challenge.” She told him firmly.

“Remember that you said that. Next time, try not to cry. I don’t get moved with those antics.” He told her as he took his seat.

Argh! I really want to kill this man. She stood up and went for the door again.

“So now you’re offended. I thought you don’t back down?” He looked up from his desk.

She flashed the sweetest smile she could muster.

“Of course not. Five minutes up.” She gestured towards her watch as she turned her back and walked towards liberty…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“How was it?” Yamashita asked her as she took the seat in front of his desk. She was back to the NEWS’ temporary area.

“Did Ryo-chan treat you harshly? You can tell me if he’s too hard on you” He looked at her with concern.

“Thanks but don’t worry about it. I have a talent for taming beasts.” She beamed at him.

“He’s not that bad. He just needs time to warm up to people.” He flashed her a grin.

“Of course. I’ll give him time. If he doesn’t come around by then, I’ll kill him with my bare hands.” There was a devilish glint in her eyes.

Yamashita blinked, unsure whether she was kidding or not.

“Yamashita-san, do you need help in anything?” She was referring to the stacks of folders in front of him. It was nostalgic for her.

“No, its ok. I can handle it. I need to finish this by Friday.” He assured her.

She doesn’t think he can finish all of it within the week.

“May I take a look instead?”

He nodded. She took one of the files and began to browse through it.

“This doesn’t belong to our client. Is it your own client then?” She remembered what Koyama said earlier.

“Hai. I’m lucky that they have trust in my abilities” He replied humbly.

“But could you still do it? Isn’t the work load killing you?” She hardly remembered a time when she was very happy that she was slumped with work.

“It’s a lot of effort. But I’m sure it will work out well. I will do my best.” He gave her a wink and a thumbs up to placate her.

She wanted to argue that he is still human and he couldn’t possibly do all this by himself. Yet somehow she felt that it will fall on deaf ears.

Instead, she stood up and went to the pantry. She returned with a Weider jelly drink and handed it to him.

“Here. Massu told me you like this a lot. Rest for a bit.”

Yamashita took the drink from her and muttered a ‘thank you’.

She went to her seat and opened one of his files.

“Eh? What are you doing?” He asked her, drink still on hand.

“Relax. I will just make a flowchart from all these narratives. That way, it would be easier for you to understand at the least amount of time.” She answered him.

“But… you don’t have to do that. It’s ok, really.” He tried to snatch the files away from her.

“Yamashita-san, we work as a team, for the team. Let me help out. It’s the least I can do.” She tried her best to pull of a pleading look.

“Fine… but only the flowcharts…Thank you… I owe you one.” He told her as he pushed further back to his chair.

She proceeded to work as did Yamashita. She was concentrating on what she was doing.

“Don’t you feel awkward? I mean, you are working with six guys. And will be working with us for the rest of the year. Any female professional would feel uneasy.” He asked her out of the blue.

She looked up from her laptop and faced him.

“Not really. I was raised by my dad and I have three brothers. Living in a testosterone filled environment isn’t new for me.” She answered truthfully. It was the first time she talked about her family.

“Besides, I’m not just any female professional” She humored him. Everyone knew she was plain and average.

He smiled at her as if he believed what she just said.

“How did the introduction go?” He asked while sipping his favorite drink.

“It went well. I think.” She answered without looking up from what she was doing.

“You have to be more specific than that. How do you find the members?”

She stopped what she was doing and met his gaze. “Am I supposed to report everything to you?” She needed to clarify that with him. She has no intention of being a watchdog after all.

He shook his head. “Of course not. I have trust in their abilities. I know they wouldn’t let the group down. Especially not after so many things we have to go through.”

She had a feeling that it somehow has something to do with the darkest moments Tesshi was talking about.

“Let me rephrase my question then. What is your impression on each one of them? Give me three words to describe them. Let’s start with Tesshi. Ready? ” His eyes were filed with excitement at his suggestion.

“Wait. Is this a game?”

“Sort of. Come on. Tesshi?” He began to ask.

She knows there’s no stopping the inquiry now.

“Sheltered, belligerent, persevering”

“Massu”

“Refreshing, simple, honest”

“Koyama”

“Motherly, trusting, helpful”

“Shige”

“Nerdy, dependable, diligent”

“Ryo”

“Evil, mean, bastard.”

Yamashita chuckled. “You don’t mean that.”

“Trust me I do.”

“That’s cheating.” He gave her a look that anticipated another answer.

“Fine. I’ll change it. Instinctive, perfectionist, jerk” She raised both her hands in retreat. “Sorry, I can’t help but rant.”

He breathed a sigh and said, “Finally, me.”

“Optimistic, hard-working, suicidal” She looked at him to see if he dared to negate her opinion. He didn’t.

“Fair enough. How about the group as a whole?”

“Talented, industrious…and pretty”

“Pretty?” He asked incredulously.

“What?! I ran out of adjectives. It’s kinda tiring to think all those words. Besides, you guys ARE eye candy.”

He coughed a little while trying to hide a smile. “We would prefer good-looking or handsome.”

“Nah, I think your pop idol pretty. That kind of pretty.” She teased the young leader, who seemed torn whether to be flattered or not.

“How about you Lia? Why not describe yourself as well. You are part of the team.”

She thought for a while. She doesn’t want to sound conceited.

“Extremely, lucky, girl”

“Not fair. You are not depicting yourself.”

“Being in this group, that three words describe it to the dot. Don’t you think?”

Slowly, he grinned at her. “I think it’s symbiotic. We are lucky to finally find you as our member.”

“Awww… I’m touched. Sniff.” She pretended to wipe away the fake tears in her eyes. She heard him chuckle.

The room burst open as the other five members come pouring in.

“It’s time to go back! The limo’s waiting.” An enthusiastic Tegoshi declared.

“Let’s eat out first. I’m hungry.” Massu said as he touched his belly for full effect.

“You’re always hungry.” Shige said as he looked at Massu amusedly.

“Pi, are you ready to go?” Ryo asked when he saw the papers on the desk.

The leader nodded. “Yup. I’ll continue this tomorrow. I’ll just be reading at home the flowcharts that Lia made.” He stood up and took the USB where she had saved her works.

“Ne, Lia is really helpful.” Koyama said as he patted her back.

“It’s no big deal really.” She said truthfully.

“…and humble too. Lia-chan is amazing. You have done so much this day already. We are honored to have you in our team.” Tegoshi declared as he went to her side.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t even do anything.” She furrowed her brows.

“Come on Lia, we need to go. You can expound on how amazing you are on the way.” Yamashita said as he ushered them out of the office.

“I swear I didn’t do anything!” she exclaimed as they walked the hallways.

“Do you think that we will be renamed as ‘Lia and friends’?” Koyama asked them in a serious tone.

“I think that is a probability. But I think the name sucks. How about the ‘Amazing Lia and Company’?” Shige replied.

“It sounds like a circus show Shige.” Ryo dryly commented.

“Amazing Lia, can we eat first before going back to JE?” Massu asked her.

“Stop calling me that Massu. And it’s okay with me if we eat first.”

“Yey! The amazing Lia approves!” Shige, Massu, Tesshi and Kei said in unison as they waited for the limo.

“Argh! You guys are picking on me again!” She rolled her eyes in disbelief.

She can’t stand it when they are team-tagging to tease and annoy her to death.

“Still think you’re lucky Lia?” Yamashita asked in a hushed tone.

She looked at the technically grown-up men before her, acting so immaturely over an equally immature ‘amazing Lia joke’. She can’t help but smile. Her conviction was stronger as before. Very much, indeed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: If you are reading this, you have just finished my 7,102 words update. Congratulations!!! WOW! *claps hands*

I have re-written this so many times. I was torn on whether to focus on just one member at a time (making it 6 chapters already. Gasp!). But I really wanted to focus on the group and the people in the group. I will be making chapters (or drabbles) for a specific member all in good time. =)

Please bear with me with the AU chapters. They will be long, unless they are drabbles or a particular-member centered. I have seven main characters so it’s bound to be long. You have been warned. Heehee.

Also, I try to make the Business AU somehow parallel with the real world. Like how the Associates are chosen in K&A, etc. The same follows with this chapter. Check if you can point out what I mean. You may have to squint a bit harder to see them though. I’m not much of a good writer. Gomenasai.

Oh, and feel free to give me any suggestions or recommendations for the AU. I listen (or is that read?). Comments on this chapter please. It fuels me to write and update faster.

Domo arigatou gozaimasu! ^_^

Irrational Choices - chapter 4

2008-09-10T10:59:59Z

Title: Irrational Choices – chapter 4
Pairing: Ryo, OC
Rating: pg-13
Disclaimer: I do not own any JE boys. God is truly wise.
Summary: She cannot possibly avoid him, especially since she has to work with him. But what if he insists on claiming his part in her life again?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

“I heard she recently broke up with her boyfriend…”

“Really!?!?”

“Yeah, I heard he left her for someone else.”

“And to make it worse, she got dumped on her birthday.”

“What a pity!”

“Tsk… tsk…being ditched by your boyfriend on such a special day…”

“Neh, neh… I heard they weren’t even together.”

“Eh?? If she is not his girlfriend then what is she to him then?”

“Somebody told me that he said that she was just a friend….”

“But she followed him around wherever he went...”

“So she’s a stalker… big deal… that doesn’t mean they are together.”

“Owww… she’s a martyr!”

“…Or simply delusional for thinking that a hot guy would even consider her as a girlfriend…”

“A real baka”

“But isn’t she our class valedictorian? I heard she’s pretty smart”

“Well, she’s a willing fool when it comes to him…”

“Eeewww! How desperate!”

They were laughing so loudly that the sound echoed in her ears.

She tried to walk as fast as she could. Away from the people who did not understand but talked as if they do.

She hated it. She hated their baseless and harsh criticisms. She hated them. She hated that they bullied her, knowing that no one was going to save her this time. She hated that she was so weak, so dependent on him. She hated that half of her was gone when he left for Canada.

But she can’t hate him… try as she might…she never could…

She woke up with a jolt, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.

It was just a dream.

A glimpse of her past…

A past so painful that she no longer wants to remember…

But she did remember, even after all these years, because she met him again.

What is he doing here in Japan? Wasn’t it his decision to flee the country? She told him that she would forget him. And she played her part well, acting as if she truly didn’t care about him anymore. She buried herself in school works and with running the company so she would be too exhausted to feel the pain. She thought she had recovered after it. But seeing him again proved that it was easier said than done.

They have spent too many precious memories together. It was a futile attempt to dismiss their friendship. Friendship. She smiled bitterly at the thought. Back then, she wanted something more than that, something that he couldn’t give back when his heart was already with another.

Why now? Why return and make me feel the pain again when I am already happy with my life? Are you here to hurt me again? Why Ryo? Why?! Her head was aching at the possible reasons for his return. It could have been just work. If he had not insisted that she spearhead the campaign, she would have still thought of that. He hadn’t contacted her, not even once when he was away. He didn’t call during holidays, her birthdays or even when she had graduated. He never made his presence felt, until now.

She has a bad feeling about this. She is not sure what though. But she could feel that her life will be changed by him – again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“You look awful.” Her assistant Ren told her that morning.

“Thanks.” She smiled bitterly at her. She couldn’t possibly tell her that she had been racking her brain thinking about her celebrity ex-best friend.

Ren gave her a quick hug and said, “You musn’t have slept well, ne? Don’t worry about it. You will do fine. It’s nothing that a tall latte and a concealer can’t handle.”

She hugged her back and smiled at her quick thinking friend. “I know. Thanks. I needed that boost of encouragement.”

Ren let go of her and led her to the couch. “You’re smiling. That’s better. You would need that since you have a hectic day ahead. The Russ-K promotional shoots will be starting today. Plus, you still have the wrap-up of the DoCoMo campaign, and Board presentation of the Kose advertisement. ”

Russ-K. It seems there’s no turning back now.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Konnichiwa Hiro-kun! How is everything going?” she asked the creative photographer for the shoot.

He looked up from his monitor and greeted her.

“Tomi-chan! How nice of you to drop by! Manager Iwasaki had just left to check out the set. Everything is going as planned.” He responded. He was looking at the pictures he had taken earlier.

“I know I could always count on you. How is he anyways?” She gestured to what he was looking at. She couldn’t quite say his name.

Hiro smiled at her as he surfed through the pictures one by one, showing her each photograph of the celebrity he had earlier taken. She had to admit that the man looked damn good. The concept of a laid back feel suited him well. His eyes were piercing, as if seducing and mocking at the same time. How did he become this…hot? She had to get a hold of herself before she got carried away.

“The camera loves him. We can shoot from different angles and it would still turn out great. No wonder this guy is raking in sales! He looks really nice. And from what I heard, he is also quite talented. Some men are born lucky.“ He commented agreeably. As a professional photographer, Hiro knew how to make anyone look good. But for him to say that a certain medium can be shot at a wide array of camera perspectives is indeed rare.

She had to agree with him though. When Kami-sama decided to shower talent and looks on Japan, Nishikido was in the front row, and probably in the very first seat, getting the most of the impact.

“No need to gawk at the pictures. You can have the actual one here.”

She didn’t even have to look back to find out who said it. It seemed Kami-sama might have also showered him with a little too much confidence. She tried to act nonchalant as Hiro-kun chuckled.

“Ne, Ryo-kun. You are making our beloved President uncomfortable.”

Ryo’s beautiful face loomed in front of her. She stared at him blankly. She was quick enough to know that he was soliciting a reaction from her – any reaction for that matter.

“Ohayo gozaimasu, Nishikido-san. You seem to be enjoying the photo shoot.” She bowed politely at him. His brow was furrowed at her. He didn’t seem to like her reaction. Fair enough, she thought, I didn’t like his remark as well.

“You two seem to be getting along well.” She was talking to the young photographer.

“We are. We’re doing great.”

“Seeing that everything is going well here, I would be leaving, Hiro-kun. Should you need any help, let Ren know. She knows where to find me. I have a meeting to attend to. I’ll be dropping by later before the end of the shoot.”

“Don’t worry about us Tomi-chan. We’ll be fine. You already have the details covered.”

She bowed politely at him. She did the same to Ryo, who nodded curtly.

She made her way to the elevator and pushed the button. As soon as it closed, she let out a sigh of relief. This will be a very stressful day.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She heard a faint knock on the door. “Come in.” She didn’t bother to look up.

“It’s lunch time Tomi-chan. Come with us, we will be having lunch at this new pasta place.” Ren told her. Lunch. She barely noticed the time had she not reminded her. But she wasn’t hungry.

“I’m not yet hungry Ren. You guys go ahead. I’ll join you some other time.”

She groaned. “Come on Tomi-chan. You will just be away from your desk for like an hour. It won’t shrink into nothingness. ”

She chuckled at her reaction. “I know that Ren. How about you just buy me lunch from wherever you guys might be eating?”

She would usually eat out with her staff. Except that today was one of those really busy days. Added to that is the emotional stress she’s going through.

“Hmph. I bet if it was Jin who asked you, you wouldn’t decline him. Do you play favorites with your friends now?” Ren pouted her mouth for full effect.

She can’t help but smile at her silliness. “You know I don’t have favorites. I decline Jin so many times. It’s just that he’s big enough to drag me out of the office. Literally.” She still remembered the horror when she was carried by Jin bridal style when she refused to get out of the office after two days of working nonstop. It was one of her most humiliating experiences in the office. It also fueled others’ suspicion on their relationship.

“If only he wasn’t in Kyushu right now for a conference, I would have called him this very instant to do just that.” Ren threatened her.

“Ooohh, I’m soooo scared. Just go Ren. There are people starving outside waiting for you.” She gestured towards the door.

She could hear Ren’s defeated sigh. “Alright. I’ll just buy you something to eat. But I assure you, it would be good for a family of four.” She strode towards the door and closed it.

“I know you wouldn’t be that cold-hearted Ren.” She called out to her.

She can’t help but smile. At least I have great friends to back me up.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A few minutes later she heard her door open up. She fervently hoped that Ren wouldn’t push through with her threat.

Without looking up she said, “That was fast.” She stole a glance at the clock beside her. “In record time I might add. It has only been twenty minutes since you left. You could have bought me the lunch after you – “ she stopped to look up, expecting to see a fuming Ren in front of her. Only it wasn’t Ren in front of her.

“W- What are you doing here?” she asked incredulously. He was the last person she wanted to see at that moment. No, make that in the next hundred years.

“I brought you lunch.” Ryo answered briefly. He dropped the bag in front of her as he settled in the chair in front of her, acting as though he was invited in the office.

“That’s not necessary. I already have a lunch being brought here.” She told him coldly. She doesn’t want him to see how irritated she was at the moment.

“Hiro told me you usually eat with your colleagues. When I heard your assistant say that you couldn’t make it for lunch, I took the liberty to buy you lunch and eat together with you. Just like we used to.” He said as he took out the contents of the bag and laid the expensive bento boxes in front of her.

“I chose your favorites.” He took out the lid to show that it was filled with different types of sushi. So he remembered what I liked. She felt happy and annoyed at the same time, but leaning more towards the latter. As he was obviously trying to make her remember what she had been trying to forget in the first place.

“This is very nice of you Nishikido-san. But I assure you, this is really NOT necessary.” She placed emphasis on her statement. He has either become very dense or deaf because he continued opening other bento boxes and even pouring her a cup of miso soup.

“Excuse me. But as you can see, I am working.” She was slowly losing her composure. If any of her documents were stained by the heavenly food he is placing at her table, Russ-K better start looking for a new endorser, as this one will be losing his head.

Ryo simply scooped up the files in front of her and placed it on the couch. She was speechless for a moment. Did he just do that?? She asked herself, shaking her head in disbelief.

She saw him stand in front of her. “Since your precious paperwork is out of the way, we can have our lunch now.” He declared as he sat on the chair facing her. He handed her the chopsticks. When she didn’t take it, he placed it on top of her bento.

“Itadakimasu.” He proceeded to eat while she looked at him with her mouth agape.

“What? Do I have to feed you now?” He tried to humor her, as he could see that her mouth was partly open in disbelief.

She snapped out of her daze. The first words that came out of her mouth were,
“Who the hell do you think you are?!”

He finished chewing his food before speaking up. “Nishikido Ryo. Your one and only best friend. Long time no see.” He beamed at her.

She had enough.

Not only did he barge into her office, but he had the audacity to call himself her best friend. As if five years didn’t pass by.

“Please leave.” She told him squarely.

He placed his chopsticks down and leveled his face to hers. “NO. I have done that five years ago, I’m not that stupid to do it again.” He looked dead-serious when he said it.

She was taken aback by his reply. What could he possibly mean by it? She has no desire to make this man a part of her life again.

“The wisest decision you can make right now is to leave. You have no business here.”
She did not avert her eyes from him. Two can play this game, she thought.

“Wrong. I have a good reason why I’m here. And you know what that is.” He looked at her with pleading eyes.

“Making sure I am fed doesn’t seem like a good enough reason for you to stay here. I am asking you again, please leave.” She pointed towards the door.

“You can try to use your wit to get out of this situation, but I can tell you I am determined to stay. I won’t leave.” He crossed his arms.

Damn, he’s stubborn. She thought. It seems there’s no option left.

“Fine. If you don’t want to go, then I will.” She pushed back her chair and stood up.

She fell back soon afterwards as she felt him push her shoulders back down.

“Please don’t! I… I was young… and impulsive… I was weak… I thought it was one of those one true love that you talked so much about… I thought I have found the person I will be spending the rest of my life with. I thought… I thought wrong…” His head was bowed low as he spoke. She couldn’t see his face but if she did she knew that the wall that she had placed around her would break down. He has the power to do that to her.

She yanked his hand off her shoulders and quickly stood up. She doesn’t want to face him. She’s too fragile in front of him. She needs to go away. Fast.

His reflexes were still faster than her. He was able to grab her arm as she was trying to escape. But she refused to face him.

“I can understand that you are still upset with me. I acted without thinking about the people that cared for me. But I was in pain too. More than you could imagine. I just hope that you don’t hate me. After all, I still consider you as my best friend, Yuri-chan.” He sounded as if he was pleading for his very own life.

She was in an emotional turmoil. She wanted to scream and run at the same time. She wanted to cry and lash out at him. But most of all, she wanted to get out. As far away from him as possible.

She gathered enough strength to speak up. “Let go of me. We have nothing to talk about. Don’t talk to me about how I can’t imagine pain. I know full well what it means. I am all too familiar with the feeling. Thanks to you.” She shook her arm violently to make him let go of her.

She walked towards the door. With her hands on the doorknob, she spoke up one last time. “I don’t hate you. Hate is a much too strong emotion for someone who doesn’t deserve it.” She quickly opened and closed the door. She hurried towards the elevator and frantically pushed the button.

Once safely inside, she finally broke down and cried.

-------------------------------------------------------
A/N: It’s been a long time since I posted. Sorry for that. I had to stop writing for a while, though it was painful. My mind just kept on playing the scenes in my head. It was crazy! =)

What do you think about this chap? Some of you might want to torture Ryo a bit. I do too,haha. I just felt the need to make them interact. I have no intention on making this last up to a hundred chaps, so Ryo and Yuri better talk fast. ^_^

Oh, and I’m trying to make my updates a bit shorter than the rest. (Did you notice? Not really?) I realize a lot of you are busy (first-hand experience). Time is gold as they say.

At the end of the day, I am just a wannabe writer. Help me improve ok? ^_^

Business AU - Chapter 2

2008-08-21T07:10:25Z

Title: Rationale
Universe: NewS/ Business AU
Rating: PG-13
Character/ Pairings: NewS, OC, other Johnny’s
Disclaimer: By society’s standards, I belong to the below poverty line. I lay claim on nothing.
Summary: After the unwelcome introduction from her teammates, will she ever be considered one of them?

Prologue and Chapter1

CHAPTER 2

“I will be having a peach-apple crisp and brewed coffee please”, she said as she gave the menu back to the young boy that took her order. She was seated at the JE café, at a small corner near the window, gaping at the picturesque view of the Tokyo skyline.

She wasn’t up to eating anything much for breakfast. She hated to admit it, but she was still shaken up by yesterday’s incident. She cried a little (ok, a bit more than little) out of frustration and disappointment. She had never felt so small in her life. And yet she knows that she wasn’t the type of person that would mull over something she had no control over. If they don’t like her, then that’s too bad. They would all have to deal with it. She has to be strong! Alone in another country, with no friends, couldn’t be that bad, could it? She sighed.

It was then that she noticed a figure in front of her. She looked up to see a familiar face smiling at her. “Ohayo gozaimasu Ms. Montes!” It was Yamashita Shoon.

“Good Morning to you too. Would you like to take a seat?” she asked. He proceeded to take the seat in front of her. “Have you eaten breakfast?” she inquired as the boy was seated. “Hai. I have just eaten. I saw you and decided to say hi.” He was beaming at her. She smiled back at him.

“So…….how was the first day at K&A?” he inquired.

She was amazed at how casually he asked something that she had been dreading all along. She simply said, “Let’s just say that they weren’t exactly excited to meet me…”

He smiled at her in a way that means he knows something she doesn’t. She was going to ask him that, when her ordered arrived. “Thank you”, she said to the young waiter.
She offered her food to Shoon but the latter shook her head.

“You want to tell me something I don’t know about? You look like you want to defend your kind and help me out at the same time, but not sure if you should”, she said in between sips of her coffee.

He laughed a bit. “You are more perceptive than I thought.” She simply replied with a grin.

Silence. It felt like he wasn’t going to say anything, so she proceeded to eat her order.

He sighed and finally said, “This would sound like an excuse for you to be more understanding of NEWS, of my seniors…. but I think you deserve to know this anyway… you also have a right to know what you are going up against in your stay here…”

That got her attention. “Care to expound on that?” she asked him with eyebrows raised.

“Well, how do I begin….I couldn’t possibly start at the inception of K&A… So… How about….Ah! I know!”

“Ms. Montes, look around you and tell me what you see”

Although confused, she did as Shoon told her too. “In general, I see K&A employees either eating alone or with somebody else. Probably a client or a colleague. All clad in expensive business suits. Would you like me to describe it in detail?”

“That won’t be necessary. But tell me, what do the K&A employees have in common?”

She thought of his question. They all look gorgeous? They all look like they just walked out of a billboard? She tried to humor the kid by saying, “They all look at me as if I’m a pariah?”

Shoon was still for a moment. “They are all MALES…”

“Uhm, ok… So?” she asked him incredulously. She has no idea where this conversation is going.

“That is the reason why they are ostracizing you in the first place. The same reason why you didn’t receive the most welcoming introduction from your team. K&A is made up of 99% male executives. You are the odd one out.” He explained.

Suddenly the little details she refused to think much of became clearer to her. How she haven’t met any woman employee in K&A nor in JE. How the woman’s bathroom seemed to be almost never used. How Manager Tackey said that the people who left the clothes on her closet were excited to finally dress up a girl. How Masuda Takahisa exclaimed when he saw her and said that there’s a girl next to them. Her mind reeled on the many instances that prove that Shoon’s statement was correct, when she thought that it was just a coincidence that those she met are men.

Finally she said,”Are you telling me, that I work for an all-male firm?”

Shoon shook his head. “We can’t be called that. The other senior partner, Mary-san, Johnny’s sister, is a woman after all.”

“Point taken. Let me rephrase my question. So I am working in an ALMOST all-male Professional Services and Consultancy Firm?”

Shoon merely nodded in reply.

“Then what the heck am I doing here?! I’m bloody sure that I am 100% female! ”

He shrugged his shoulders. “That’s what everyone would like to know. Only the senior partners, Johnny and Mary, know.” He said.

She gaped in disbelief. Nobody from her firm bothered to tell her this very crucial information regarding her working environment. Did they deliberately hide this fact from her? Prior to going to Japan, she had viewed K&A’s website. There were pictures and names of males in it. But nothing much to hint that it was a testosterone-filled working place.

He mind was filled with endless questions of whys and how comes, but she would have to save that for later. Instead, she proceeded to ask Shoon other things that are bothering her.

“How come K&A have such lavish lifestyle? Clothing allowance made by designers, the limousine, the high-end office, THIS hotel-looking accommodations… Am I working for an underground economy of sorts? You better tell me the truth, I’m not in the mood for any lies, you know.” She asked through gritted teeth, the plot of John Grisham’s book The Firm came flooding her mind.

He smiled despite her threat. “Calm down Ms. Montes. You are not working at or for any illegal activities. The Kitagawas just like doing things grand. They hire only the best, and to keep the best, they make sure that they are also provided the best. The luxurious working and living environment? Because Johnny believes that being in one fosters creativity or something like that. Personally, I think he just wants to show off. The clothing allowance, though managed by HR is client sponsored. Same goes with the vehicles that we use. Majority of them are provided by clients. Besides, K&A reeks of money. Should our sponsors decide to stop giving; this lifestyle can still be maintained. That is why the entirety of the male population in Japan, and even other parts of the globe wants to work here. I mean, who wouldn’t?”

He has a point there, she thought. People in general want to live the high life. It just so happen that this firm provides it. She felt a little bit better; at least she wasn’t doing anything against the law. But there were more questions she wants answered. And Shoon is the person who can answer that. Her investigative instincts soon kick in.

“How come I see so many young boys here and in the office? You said that you were a trainee as well. How long have you been a trainee? Child labor is illegal you know.” she looked at the boy.

He looked as if he was in the hot seat all of a sudden. He squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. He doesn’t seem to want to answer the question, and yet he still did.

“I have been a trainee since I was a young boy. Johnny believes in grooming the kids while they are still young. Hence, they accept applicants as young as 7 or 8 years old.”

Her eyes widen at his last statement. 7 years old?? She raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

Shoon merely nodded and continued with his explanation.

“It’s different here, Ms. Montes. Parents all over Japan send in the kid’s application to K&A., where they are screened. The chosen kids are given a series of tests to know their strengths and possible profession when they get older. The kids who passed the exam are taken in. They are provided with free and world-class education and training; cash allowances and incentives for exceptional performances at school. Mind you, K&A has affiliations with the best schools and Universities in Japan. We also have the Scholastic Center or SC. Its K&A’s training ground. But only those that are truly exceptional, those that excel in their chosen field of study, get to be part of K&A. Those that don’t shine or shine only for a brief time remains as a trainee.”

His voice hinted of pain, hurt and regret. She didn’t know that being a trainee meant that way in this firm.

“The outstanding ones are signed up as Firm Associates. Johhny then selects the people who will belong to a certain group, a unit of diversified professionals, a team. Much like NEWS. But it doesn’t mean that the unit you belong to will remain as is forever. Johnny can disperse, shuffle and re-group any people as he sees fit. Sometimes it’s to solidify a business strategy, other times it’s because the group doesn’t provide much in terms of client revenue, still others when the client profusely requested it to be. That is why everyone has to stay on top of their game. Because if they lax, even for a moment, somebody else will be taking their place.”

Her head felt like it was going to explode any minute. The situation was so absurd that part of her wants to think this was a joke. But Shoon’s facial expression bore no hint of humor. He continued to talk, as if he wanted to release the weight of his emotions by talking to someone. All she could do for him was to listen.

“It’s so cool you know. To be part of K&A, to be considered the best, to work with the best and to live a life like this. I have great respect the people who work for this firm. Because they are the ones who worked really hard to be where they are. Much like your teammates. They may not look like it, but they have been through hell to be where they are.” He told her with pride in his voice.

She simply nodded in reply.

“I think that the reason why they weren’t very friendly is because you are a threat to them, to everyone else. You defied the two unspoken basic requirements of the Firm: one, you must be Japanese and two, you are a guy. Why you are here is anyone’s guess. Why you must work with NEWS, one of the most prominent groups in K&A is also mystery. But you are here when so many other brilliant women couldn’t. You have something that only you can provide.” He told her of his opinion. By Japanese standards, Shoon wouldn’t be able to talk to her like this without losing face. But since she was a foreigner, he was able to speak to her on the same level. She doesn’t mind it. The information the kid is giving her is too precious for her.

They were both silent for a while. She was unable to find the right things to say. What is there to say after all? How was she to react?

They were distracted when a voice called out to the boy “Shoon! We are going to be late for the SC!” They both looked at the direction of the voice. She remembered it was the kid who gave Shoon her e-pass at the lobby. Shoon called back “I’ll be there in a second.” Shoon looked back at her and said. “That’s Hikaru. We are both trainees.” he stood up from his chair and said, “Ms. Montez, I know this may be a lot to take in at the moment. But please, for everyone’s sake, don’t push it to hard on my seniors. They might be cruel sometimes but they are good people. We may not be as mature as you, but they, I mean, we…. We are not perfect… we just strive to do our best for something that we worked hard all our life for.” He bowed at her politely.

It was her turn to speak up. “Thank you. Thank you for telling me all of these. I’m still unsure of what to do. We’ll see what will happen next. And please, call me Lia.” She told the young kid who smiled at her.

“Ganbatte Shoon! Your hard work will pay off. Trust yourself.” she told him as he walked away towards the boy named Hikaru She fervently wished the kid the best of luck. She was not aware of his academic achievements. But his maturity and his views of life were enough proof that he will succeed later on. Her gut is telling her so.

She turned her attention towards the half eaten bread. She still couldn’t believe what Shoon told her. It was too surreal to actually happen in real life. But she knows that the kid wasn’t lying. She would have to look further into this than she had originally thought. And yet somehow, a small part of her felt relieved. Perhaps they are not as bad as I thought them to be. And perhaps, I also need to be a more understanding of them… She thought warily.

--------

She walked in towards the room with a brass plate NEWS printed on it. She turned the doorknob and said “Ohayo go…”. It was then that she realized that no one was inside the room. She glanced at her watch. 8:00 am. She was still half an hour early.

She let herself in and closed the door behind her. She was no longer surprised to find that the room was also beautifully decorated, only this time it has a more simplistic and zen-type feel. It has seven tables scattered evenly, placed at the far end of the room near the walls. Each table filled with its occupant’s laptop, personal things, books and papers, except for one, which she assumed would be her area. The window was high enough to allow sunshine in to brighten the entire room. A beige curtain diffused the light to allow soft illumination. A white couch was placed in the middle of the room, giving it a more relaxed feel. She saw two doors on the left side of the room. Curiously, she opened it and saw that the first door opened up to a small pantry, with a coffee maker, microwave and small refrigerator. The second room opened up to what looks like a small meeting room, with long oak table, overhead projector and lcd tv. This is amazing. She thought to herself.

She closed the door of the meeting room and settled on the soft couch. She was flipping the pages of Time magazine when she heard voices at the front door. She looked up to see the door flung open and in came her new teammates. They looked surprised to see her.

“Your early.” Yamashita Tomohisa told her. She stood up and bowed politely.

“Hai. Ohayo gozaimasu minna-san.”

The others simply nod their heads briefly in reply and went to their tables. Still in the awkward stage after all. She thought.

“Well, let’s get started. This will be your desk.” Yamashita pointed to the empty table. On her left was Kato Shigeaki, on the other side was Tegoshi Yuya. She looked at her new seatmates and smiled at them. At least, Tegoshi was smiling at her as well. Kato looked like he was forced to sit next to her.

“I was advised by Manager Tackey that you have already received a copy of the engagement we will be performing. As you already know, we will be handling the start-up phase of a multinational company’s regional office in Japan. It’s a major account for the firm and requires all of the team’s specialization. You are familiar with the International Financial Reporting Standards, aren’t you?”

“Hai” she replied.

“Good. Because you will be handling the reporting of our activities. Although I must say, it will be a lot to cover. You will be working with everyone actually, because whatever we may be doing might have a potential financial impact tor the company. We want to know what that is so that we on the other hand would know the best alternative to make. Understood?”

“Hai.” She replied again. She wondered if this was all she will be saying the entire day.

“The team’s files are already in here. You might want to take a look at this and start your financial reporting. It contains all of our work for the year.” He said as he handed her a hard drive. He then walked towards his table.

She took the cue and also took her place in the desk she was assigned to. Tegoshi was busy looking at his monitor and Kato was reading the Law on Negotiable Instruments.

She took out the laptop from her bag. She declined Manager Tackey’s offer to provide her a newer computer. She doesn’t need it, she reasoned. Besides, she had personalized her laptop to suit both her business and personal needs. It might be a bit old, but she had upgraded it to be at par with the new models in the market.

She quickly opened the hard drive and saw six file folders, each one containing its owner’s name. Excited to start her work, she clicked one folder to check its contents. Her eyes widen at what she saw. It was more of a listing of endless documentation and testing. It seemed like it was dumped in that folder without a thought to organize it. She opened one document only to find it filled with endless crap that they wouldn’t need in this project.

What the heck is this? Exasperated, she looked up from her computer, only to meet the glaring eyes of Nishikido Ryo. It was a “dare-to-comment-about-the-way-we-handle-things-here” look. It took all her patience not to glare back at him, keeping in mind that these men are the best of K&A. Perhaps, they have a different system than what she was used to. She just needs to find it out herself. She sighed. This is going to be a hectic week.

~~~~~~~~

For three days, Lia looked more like a scientist deriving a cure for mankind’s stupidity rather than a professional interpreting her teammates’ reports. Each one was so hard to understand. There were too many information she didn’t need but had to go through anyway because she wanted to be sure she didn’t miss out anything important.

The rest of the team seemed content to laze around, waiting for her to finish with the reports before doing anything. She knew about this, so she sacrificed her sleeping time to finish what she has to do. She had only slept for five hours – combined – for three days. She didn’t want to be the cause for any late deliverables.

On her fourth day, she managed to finish her reports. All ready for presentation to each team member. She was exhausted and sleepy, but satisfied with her work.

She entered the NEWS room with a bright smile. “Ohayo gozaimasu. I have the reports ready. Would you like to go over it now?” she said.

“Uhm, about that… there’s a minor problem…” Masuda Takahisa said. He fidgeted a little.

“Huh? Like what?” she demanded as she placed her laptop on her desk.

“The files we gave you. It was last year’s. Tegoshi erroneously copied the files.” Koyama told her calmly.

She turned to look at Tegoshi, who simply smiled at her and said, “My bad.”

“Wait… Are you telling me that the last three days that I have labored over means nothing?” she asked Koyama instead. She didn’t want to raise her voice to the youngest member.

It was Kato who answered. “Basically…Yes…You have to start from scratch. But please make it fast, we are on a deadline here.”

“You did it once, you can do it again” Yamashita told her. She guessed it was a sort of encouragement, but she felt none of that.

“You are after all, THE highly recommended Lia Montez. Prove it.” Nishikido Ryo told her with a smirk. He was daring her and mocking her at the same time.

That was the last straw.

She was being ridiculed again. Her patience was now at its limit. Her initial reaction was to snap back (and perhaps a little bloodshed). But she knows doing so would not be very mature. And maturity is something she needed to show these men. She took one deep breath before speaking again.

“Alright… I’ll prove it” she told Nishikido. She glared back at him.

“But I guess it’s only fair that you also prove to me why YOU deserve to be at K&A. I have a suspicion that the reason I was asked to come here is because the six of you can’t handle your projects well….” She said to no one in particular. She saw that her last statement got everyone’s attention.

“… and your files affirm my gut feel that all you are doing are crap.” She said with a determined look. She had already lost it. She could no longer contain the irritation in her voice. Their faces were blanched at her retort.

“Excuse me?” Kato Shigeaki asked her incredulously, who looked as if he can’t contain his anger anymore.

“You want an example? Let’s start with you then…” she said as she walked towards him.

“Kato Shigeaki, how are contracts interpreted?”

She saw him smirk and gave her a look that meant ‘Are you serious?’ She didn’t flinch.

“If you must know Ms. Montez, since contracts are the private laws of the contracting parties, then the stipulations are fulfilled according to the literal sense.” He was looking at her as if she had no right to question him about matters relating to law.

But she merely smiled at him and said. “True. That would be the case, if …. The terms of the contract are clear and equivocal. When the words and clauses of a written contract are in conflict with the manifest intention of the parties, then the intention of the contracting parties should ALWAYS prevail, since their will has the force of law between them.” She saw the smirk on his face was slowly fading. It seems he had looked over that point.

“Therefore, in the contract of sale the client has with another company, the reasonable value of the property, as agreed between the two, rather than the purchase price indicated in the contract, shall prevail. The amount to be recorded then is $10,000,000 and not $100,000,000.”

He was silent for a minute, his face unreadable.

It was Tegoshi who broke the silence. “Ne, he just overlooked it okay? Besides, you only saw one mistake, and you are already acting so mighty?”

“I am not acting mighty! I am telling you what I found on the report that needs to be corrected. Even just one mistake is critical. Financial reports need to be accurate. And a $ 90,000,000 difference isn’t exactly close to being accurate.” It was not her intention to point it out this way. She had carefully prepared a ‘for improvement‘ presentation. But it was useless now.

“In that case, what other areas should we correct then?” Koyama asked her. His expression was like of a mother protecting her kids.

“I… I…” She doesn’t like the way this is going. She doesn’t want them to feel as though she was stepping on their credibility nor looking down on their work. It was just that they were really pushing it and she was hurt and….

“Keep going. Don’t stop. Tell us.” Masuda Takashisa said. She looked at him and saw that his face was devoid of any emotion, the usual brightness of his face was gone.

She understands now that there was no stepping back. She took one deep breath and continued.

“Tegoshi-san, the appointment of the company President is not an activity that warrants financial recording. Also, check how timekeeping data is downloaded and transferred to the payroll system. It doesn’t seem to be encrypted. ”

She was shaking her head. Trying so hard to let out what she thinks was the right thing to do.

“Koyama-san, cross-country differences in financial accounting standards affect the relation between financial accounting earnings and real economic value-relevant events that underlie those earnings. Therefore, accounting earnings in the US, where the mother company is located,will be more closely related to underlying activity than will accounting earnings in Japan.”

She refused to look at anyone of them. She was afraid that she might not be able to continue if she did.

“Masuda-san, I suggest you use a Mesh topology rather than a Star. Because the former has all the nodes connected to every other node in the network, it may be used to create backbone redundant networks.”

She kept going and going, her emotions lending the strength she needed to continue.

“Yamashita-san, a technologically oriented management cannot simply be achieved by getting more engineers into management. It requires, instead, organizational restructuring and changes in work practices to enable a better integration between technical and managerial expertise.”

She was scared now and hurt as well. She was sick of being treated harshly but she was palled of hurting any of them.

“Nishikido-san, acquiring another company is a drastic move to expand, especially when we are on the start-up stage for a regional office of a multinational enterprise. I strongly suggest postponing this plan. ”

She shut her eyes as she waits for them to scream at her. For any violent contradiction, for the hurls of curses they might be throwing at her. She was being too honest. She hadn’t chosen her words well. She wanted to be constructive but her anger interfered her train of thought.

She heard a stifled noise. Low at first, then gradually increasing in volume. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up.

Then it became clearer. The sound. The expression.

They were applauding.

She no longer hid the surprise and shock. She wanted to ask what’s going on. But she merely chocked as she realized she found it hard to enunciate any sound from her throat. The acclaim became louder. They were beaming as they walked towards her.

She did the only thing she could think of at that moment. She buried her face in her hands. She can hear them calling out her name and chanting one word.

Omedotou!

She felt someone enveloping her into a hug. He was whispering into her ear. “Gomenasai Lia-chan… hush… please stop crying… your shaking” It was only then that she realized she was trembling. Unsure if it was out of fear or disbelief

She looked up and was no longer surprised to see Tegoshi’s face next to her. The other members were close by. Masuda was squeezing her arm. Koyama was patting her back. Yamashita was giving her a thumbs-up. Kato was nodding his head. Nishikido was grinning though his arms were crossed.

“I… I….Wha…. what’s going on?” she finally asked them. The initial shock and quiver had finally subsided.

“A test. A rite of passage. Something that every new addition to our group had to go through. But it was only you who had passed.” Koyama explained as softly as he could. He looked as if he was trying to fight back tears.

“Please don’t be angry. Some of us wanted to veto this test, but it was tradition. We hope you understand. We have no intention of hurting you. It was hard for us to act so cold as well.” Masuda was still squeezing her arm, his eyes pleading.

“A test? Of what?” She wanted, no, needed, to understand what was going on.

“Every time a new hire or a borrowed staff is assigned to us, we give him this ridiculous set of data to interpret, to translate into something just like what you were working on. Then we push him into his limit by giving impossible deadlines while we lax around. When he is through, we tell him that we gave the wrong files and he has to start all over again.” Kato explained to her, trying to make her see that her ordeal was something others had to go through.

“But why? What could possibly come out of it?” She still did not understand their logic. For her, it was nothing more than hostility.

“Honesty. Respect. We cannot possibly work with someone who refused to let us know what is really going on. Nor can we respect someone who does not know what he is doing in the first place, nor realizes how crucial his input is to the whole team. Our strength lies in teamwork after all.” Yamashita explained, he looked at her, expecting her to see the value of the lesson they had wished to impart.

“The other men before you took the simple way out – they quit. Freaking cowards. You, on the other hand, had the guts to stand up for what you think was right. You stood your ground… though you were shaking a little.” Nishikido was trying to humor her. It didn’t work.

She wanted to scream. She understood their point but believes there were other tests that are non- idiosyncrasy as this one.

She looked at each member’s face. They all looked at her approvingly. They were cajoling, pleading and beaming at her. Then and there she knew that the earlier drama no longer mattered.

She took a few short breaths. She knew she had to say something, to let them know what she felt. She softly broke away from the youngest one’s embrace.

She hissed under a low voice. “I am so going to get back at ALL of you for this.”

Then a chuckle. A laugh. The room reverberated from the sounds of their laughter.
And she found herself smiling as well.

~~~~~~~~

“Baka! I told you that it was too easy to recognize. Even I know that there was a catch to it. Who wouldn’t think of it that way when you indicated “…However, the agreed price was different from the purchase price. The agreed price was the clause where meeting of the minds was formed…” That was such a giveaway! Is that the most challenging question you can come up with? Is that what overexposure to hair gel does to your brain?” Nishikido Ryo snarled at the flushed Kato Shigeaki.

They were all seated at the round table eating dinner. It was the team’s treat to her, a sort of peace-offering (she made it clear that her vengeance will not be easy on them) for the earlier fiasco.

“That was the whole point! If they cannot see an error as simple as that, what does it say about their capability?! It was intentional. And I did it because I have a good reason why. So don’t question my logic. We both know I am more equipped with it than you.” Kato Shigeaki retorted to a fuming Nishikido.

They were throwing murderous glares at each other.

It was interrupted when Masuda took the onigiri on Kato’s plate to which the young lawyer protested. Nishikido was about to hurl a comment when Tegoshi also took the onigiri from his and gave it to Masuda.

“Hey!” was all he managed to say. The four of them making a rumble as the two tried to stop what the other two were doing.

She looked at Yamashita who was also watching amusedly at the commotion. “Are they always like this?” she inquired as she cocked her head toward the four who are now throwing table napkins at each other.

“Sometimes. This is actually a mild version of their everyday antics.” The young leader looked as though he was looking for an opportunity to join in.

It was Koyama who decided to temporarily stop the ruckus.

“Picture! Picture!” he said as he placed the digital camera on top of the tripod. As if on cue, the four stopped what they were doing and focused on their poses.

Tegoshi squeeled as he saw her. “Lia-chan! Come here quick!”

Yamashita stood from his chair and took her by the wrist, leading her to the center of the four, as he took the position next to Nishikido.

“Alright everyone, on the count of five”, Koyama said as he pressed the button and hurriedly went to their side, an arm slung around Kato’s shoulder.

The red button glowed. One! The six chanted.

She looked around the sea of smiling faces, all trying to get the right angle for their absurd poses.

Two!

She wondered how their expressions were now full of bliss, when a few hours ago they had looked so dark and flat.

Three!

She remembered the earlier incident, the right of passage she was made to go through and their rationalization.

Four!

Honesty. Respect. She smiled as she thought it achieved another end result….

Five!

Acceptance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Woah! This was pretty long. It took me some time to write this. So forgive me if it doesn’t make much sense. I’m tired (excuses, LOL). And sorry for the big words and business rubbish! XD I wanted to slowly make Lia a part of NEWS. Don’t know if I achieved that though. Hope the jackass actions of the boys were justified. They’re not that bad. It’s a façade. This is unbetaed. Comments are <3.

Irrational Choices - chapter 3

2008-08-21T05:42:59Z

Title: Irrational Choices – chapter 3
Pairing: Ryo, OC
Rating: pg-13
Disclaimer: I do not own any JE boys. Or anyone or anything for that matter.
Summary: When the person that matters most to you leaves you and returns after so many years, how do you cope?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

“That would be all for the day. Minna-san, thank you for your hard work.”

She called out as she shook the hand of the photographer covering the photo shoot session.

“I would need the final version by Monday, Hiro-kun. Can you accomplish it by then?” she asked.

“Of course, Tomi-chan. As you wish.” Hiro Mizushima replied with a teasing voice. Her colleagues had settled on giving her a nickname, Tomi-chan. They claim that she was too young to be called by any formal name. She didn’t mind it. She doesn’t like too much formality in the first place.

“Thank you. I know I can always count on you.” She smiled back at him. Hiro Mizushima is one of the company’s resident photographers. He handles most of their major accounts, thanks to his creative insight.

She excused herself from the room and ascended the elevator. When the lift’s door was open, she was greeted with curt bows as she made her way to her office. She settled on her office chair and rummaged through the stacks of proposals in her desk. I have a lot of work to do again.It wasn’t really a complaint, she was actually very grateful that projects come pouring in for the company.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in” she said, no longer looking up and half expecting her secretary to remind her of some meeting or phone call that would require her attention.

She only looked up when she saw a package on her front desk. Facing her was a handsome man, grinning at her while sipping his coffee.

“Jin!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here? I thought you were still on leave!”

He chuckled at her reaction as he strode towards her and leaned on her table.

“Nice to see you too. Just came back. I was afraid you would starve to death if I go away for a long time.” He cocked his head towards the package in front of her. “Go ahead. I know you haven’t had breakfast yet. I bought your favorite.”

She did as she was told. Her eyes glowed in delight as she took out the contents.Banoffee pie. She quickly searched for a spoon and dug in to her favorite sweet craving. She smiled as she savored the smooth concoction of cream and the after taste of banana. She looked at the man who gave it to her and said, “You know me too well. Thank you.” He merely nodded in reply. She offered the pie to him but she knew he would decline. He doesn’t like sweets.

“Seriously, I don’t know why I keep giving you that when I know it’s bad for you. “ He pointed out as he took a tissue and wiped a cream from the corner of her mouth.

“Because you want me see me smile and gush over something as simple as food?” she replied in between mouthfuls.

He grinned. She knew she had hit the correct answer. Despite Jin’s cool exterior, he has a soft side for people that he cares for. She looked at him once more. Taking note how he had become her closest friend and confidante in a short amount of time. She had only known him for a couple of years but it felt as though it has been ages.

“What’s the agenda for today?” he asked as he flipped through her calendar.
“Let’s see…client meetings, photo shoot, project presentation, magazine interview…. Woah! You’re fully booked this day. Being one of the most influential women does have its perks.” He was teasing her.

“It does. You should try it some time. Although yours would probably go something like: Akanishi Jin – the most beautiful female-looking man to grace the planet.” She retorted. She often teased how his features were more feminine than most women, including hers.

Jin stuck out a tongue at her. “You are just jealous because I’m more beautiful than you.”

“Sadly, that’s true. But how can I be jealous when you are my extremely pretty girlfriend?” she said as she pinched his cheeks.

“Stop that. You know I don’t sway that way. Even with these fine features, I am still one heck of a man. Women all over the globe can vouch for that.” he was proud of his Casanova status.

She walked towards the couch at the center of her room and scowled at him.

“WHAT…E…VER.”

Jin sat beside her and spoke to her ear in a low voice, “When you are ready to give your precious chastity, let me know. I can prove it to you in so many, many pleasurable ways.”

She smacked his face with a pillow. “Why you sex-driven slut of a friend! Whatever happened to your rule of not dating and screwing friends??”

She continued smacking him with the pillow when she heard him laughing hard.

“I’m kidding! Ouch! I wouldn’t touch you even if you give the company to me. Stop that… hey!”

“So now you dare to insult me by declining me?! I am not one of those women who let you in on their pants so easily, Bakanishi!

He stopped laughing and looked deep into her eyes. He took both her hands to stop her from smacking him again. “You know I don’t mean it that way. Seriously, Yuri. You are the closest and by far, the longest, female friend that I have. I treasure our friendship more than any of my amazing one-night stands.”

She was on the verge of thwacking him again when he said. “I will not do anything to jeopardize our platonic relationship. You can be sure that your virginity is safe with me.”

He gave her a sly grin as she rolled his eyes at him.

“Seriously, you need some big smack on your head and make you realize that not every woman has the hots for you.”

“I am aware of that. They go by the genus of Tomioka Yuri-chan.” He gave her a cocky grin. She couldn’t help but smile at how childish they can be.

It wasn’t that she didn’t find him attractive. Kami-sama knows that there were times when her heart did a back flip whenever Jin looked extra amazing or when he pouts his lips when he was utterly frustrated with something. He was gorgeous and he’s well aware of it. She didn’t want to feed his already inflated ego by complimenting his looks. It would achieve nothing except for more teasing from him. Besides, as Jin puts it, they have made the word “platonic” possible between them. And knowing Jin’s womanizing reputation, it was indeed extremely rare.

Yet she understands where Jin is coming from. She feels that Jin desperately needs a friend. Someone who would accept him for just how he is, not how he looks. She too had been judged by her accomplishments, not how she is as a person. That is why she would like to be that person who can just be his friend and nothing else. She too treasures their relationship to even dare cross the border and start an unrequited love with this man. She knew all too well the hazards of falling for a very good friend.

The phone rang.

She stood up to answer it.

“Moshi moshi”

“Tomi-chan, you have a meeting with Russ-K in 30 minutes. The company representatives have already called. They are on their way.” she heard her secretary, Ren said.

“Hai. Arigatou Ren-chan!” she exclaimed. Ren Watanabe had been with her since the company was established. She was also more of Yuri’s sister that constantly reminds her and takes care of her.

She heard Ren chuckle over the receiver. “You seem to be extra cheerful today. Is it because Jin is back?” She also loves to tease her relationship with Jin.

She pouted although she knew Ren couldn’t see. “Ren-chan….I AM always cheerful! I don’t want to draw negativity into me or to the company.” It was true. It has been her policy to always smile no matter how hard things might get.

“Hai. Hai. Wakatta. Have to go.” Ren said as Yuri heard another phone ring. She was very lucky indeed to have great staffs.

She turned her attention to Jin who is now reading the emails from her Blackberry.

“Found anything interesting?” She asked him. It no longer bothered her to have Jin rummaging her phone. It mostly contained business emails anyway.

“None. The clients that I am wooing at the moment haven’t responded yet. But they will come around. I’m sure of it.” He returned the Blackberry to her. Jin also handles project biddings. Clients, women and men alike, seem to succumb to Jin’s persistence. (Personally, she believes he is using his sex appeal to get the bid) Jin has a way of convincing people that is different form hers. She pays attention to details, Jin tends to see more of the bigger picture. They compliment each other in that way, since most of the time they have to brainstorm for big clients.

“I’m sure they will. You have been gifted with the power of persuasion after all.” She assured him. “I have a meeting later with Russ-K. Wasn’t it supposed to be your client?” She remembered that it was under Jin and was transferred to her.

“It can’t be helped. The client requested it. I guess they want to work with an influential icon rather than average me.” He said trying to sound hurt.

She rolled her eyes. She was about to comment when Jin continued.

“I can’t blame them though. You are one of the best. Any company would be honored to work with you. And you! Don’t be surprised with the attention. You deserve it.” He said as he touched the tip of her nose. She can’t help but smile at what he said.

Kuroi Shiroi Promotions is a product of her hard work. And it all began five years ago…

She had just started out in college, losing a part of her just before the commencement of the semester. She was starting a new chapter in her life – alone. She had never felt more terrified. Yet she had no one to turn to. The man who had been her pillar of strength had left, leaving her desolate and weak. It was the hardest thing in her life she had to go through. She had no one to talk to, no one to share her experiences with and no one to ask help from. She felt unsure of herself. She remembered crying every night in her sleep. Calling out his name, asking him to come back and pleading with all her might. But in all her dreams, he did not look back, he continued on towards his path.

She buried herself with school work and extra-curricular activities. Lack of anything to do only causes her to grieve about what she had lost. She continued on no matter how difficult it was for her to do it alone. She took up Business simply because it offered the most liberty she could get. All her life, she excelled in what she does. With that, people felt the need to meddle in, to make her live a life they thought was successful. Taking up Law and Medicine meant she had to be a lawyer and doctor all her life. At least Business would allow her to try out different fields. She understands that they want to help, but somehow, she felt as though she was living a pre-determined life. It was only her best friend who truly understood her, who encouraged her to be what she wants to be and not minding what other people think.

Although she topped all her classes in college, she developed a fondness for a certain subject – Marketing and Advertising. She loves how her creativity is constantly being challenged and how advertising as a whole can influence people. Her enjoyment was evidenced when her projects won awards from the National Advertising Congress. It was then that she realized that she found her life’s work. Despite being a freshman with only a few awards to boast, despite having people telling her she was too ambitious and young to compete with the big players, despite having only a few trusted friends to join her, she established Kuroi Shiroi Promotions.

It hadn’t turned out immediately as a success. Though she had prepared herself for failure, losing was nevertheless a humbling experience for her. She strived hard, pleading with clients, juggling school and her work to achieve her dream of making Kuroi Shiroi a formidable name in the Marketing industry. It had been a tough five years. Most of the friends that had helped established the company withdrew. They did not believe in Kuroi Shiroi as she did. And yet in the process, she was able to meet other brilliant people like Ren Watanabe, Hiro Mizushima, Jin Akanishi and many others. She had helped make small industry players gain brand recognition. The campaigns were so popular that little kids sing the ads’ jingles; the young crowd tagged the brands as the cool ones; and housewives and salary men found themselves buying and actually liking the products. It didn’t take long before Kuroi Shiroi also won bids from giant companies. And the rest they say is history.

She looked at the framed magazine clipping on the wall, with her as the cover. The caption read ‘The Creative Genius of a Young Woman.’ People had taken interest on her as well. For the young people, she was a role model, reminding them that age and poverty is not a deterrent for succeeding. For the women, she was an inspiration that women can decide for their own, live their life however they want it and break through the glass ceiling. Knowing all these urges her to strive harder and improve her craft.

She looked back at Jin and earnestly said. “Thank you. I will always be grateful for everything.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Konnichiwa Manager Iwasaki! I am Tomioko Yuri. I will be handling the Russ-K ad campaign as you have requested. Yoroshiku.” She extended her hand in front of the Marketing and Promotions Head of Russ-K. Although of Japanese lineage, Iwasaki Minoru was born and raised in Hawaii. He preferred American ways of introduction and handling business than traditional Japanese ones.

“Konnichiwa Tomioko-san. We have heard a lot about you.” The old man replied. He gave her a warm smile and also shook her hand.

“I do hope they are good ones.“ She smiled back.

The man laughed heartily in reply. “They are.”

Manager Iwasaki was with his assistant, Iwase and another man named Koyama Keichiro. She on the other hand has Ren to take down notes. They were also briefly introduced together before proceeding to take their seats in the meeting room.

“The agenda for today will be the discussion of the ad details for Russ-K. I understand Manager Akanishi had already presented the ad to the Board earlier this month. Therefore, we will be focusing on how we would be carrying out the campaign.”

She said as she flipped through the folder that contains the project details.

“The endorser for this ad has not been identified during the presentation. I believe at that time you were still in the process of deliberating which celebrity would better represent the Russ-K clothing brand. By this time, has there been a definite decision on who would be the endorser?” She queried. She had heard from Jin that Russ-K took the time in determining the company’s spoke person.

“We have. And we were very fortunate that he agreed to take over this campaign despite his reputation of being equally picky with his endorsements. Although he did request one thing – for the president herself to handle the promotional activities.” Manager Iwasaki beamed at her and continued.

“Thank you for agreeing to this. We understand that you also have a lot of companies to handle. And please do not think that we are undermining Manager Akanashi’s capacity. He is also brilliant. It just so happened to be our endorser’s only condition. I believe he may be a fan of yours.” She can see hints of mischief in his eyes.

“Daijoubu. It’s a small request from a very important client like Russ-K., though I doubt that I am a fan of any celebrity. And don’t worry; I can assure you that Manager Akanishi did not take offense. ” It was true. Jin was an equally busy man. When Russ-K made the request, Jin temporarily had the free time to go on a much needed vacation. That is why she was absolutely certain that Jin didn’t take offense at all.

“May I know who the celebrity is, or shall it remain to be a big secret until the photoshoot?” The men chuckled at her attempt to humor them. Kuroi Shiroi also hasn’t been informed who the spokesperson is. They wanted to bask in the media speculation until the ad campaign is released.

“Of course. You are considered an insider after all. We wanted someone who already has a sound fashion judgment and who exudes confidence and a bit of sexuality.”

“We chose the international singer, songwriter and guitarist… Nishikido Ryo….”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nishikido Ryo

She felt as though she had been pushed into the freezing sea. She suddenly found it hard to breathe. She can feel her facial muscles refusing to relax, yet the stiffness of her actions was evident only to her.

She could hear Manager Iwasaki continuously talking, but she couldn’t quite grasp anything. Could this be real? After all this years, are they supposed to meet now?

Her head was spinning. She looked up when Manager Iwasaki said that the man with him was Nishikido Ryo’s manager.

The man named Koyama Keichiro spoke up. “Gomenasai. He wanted to be in this meeting but we have just landed earlier this morning. I thought it would be better if Nishikido-san could get some rest first. ” He gave her a smile, as though asking her to understand. But try as she might, she couldn’t. She couldn’t comprehend why he was here now. It was he who requested that she spearhead this campaign. What was he trying to do? Was he so heartless as to hurt her again when she had already moved on?

She gave Koyama a faint smile. A part of her wanted to get out of the room and cancel the contract all together. It was irrational, but she doesn’t think she was strong enough to handle a blow from her past. Nobody from her company knew that she had once been good friends with the celebrity Nishikido Ryo. Nobody knew that he had discarded her and their relationship. Nobody ever has to know. But now, even that is being threatened to be exposed.

She looked down, pretending to busy herself with the details of the contract.

She heard a faint knock on the door. It opened and in came a figure.

“Konnichiwa. I’m sorry I‘m late.”

That voice.

She stopped dead in what she was doing. She would recognize that deep and breathy voice anywhere. The voice that comforted her before, the same voice that haunted her dreams not too long ago.

She doesn’t want to look up and face him – not now, not ever. Yet she knew she had to put up a façade. She cannot let him know that she was weak and broken after what he did. She had already stooped down low enough in the past. She refused to demoralize herself any further.

With a deep breath, she looked up to meet his gaze.

She felt like she was looking into a dream, an illusion made by the heavens. Standing before her was her ex-best friend, looking dazzling even with simple clothes. He was no longer the boy who had just hit puberty. He was a man in every essence of the word.

He looked at her with brooding eyes. It carried so much emotion – hints of despair, of longing, of pain. She felt she was being put under a spell.

Do something! Say something! Don’t let him have the satisfaction of knowing you are still affected by his mere presence. Her mind was screaming all these things to her.

Slowly, she stood up and bowed. “Hajimemashite. Tomioko Yuri-des. It is nice to finally meet you.”

She can see the shock in his face at her greeting. What was he expecting? For her to throw her arms around him and tell him how much she missed him? Yes, that is definitely something that a man of his ego would anticipate.

She forced herself to smile at him. She had already decided to keep up with the act. She was certain that she would no longer allow him to break her heart and her spirit.

But it wasn’t him who spoke up but his manager.

“Ryo-chan! What are you doing here? I thought I made it clear that it’s ok to not be in this meeting.” Koyama looked at him confused and worried.

“I know. And I insist to be here. This is very important for me.” Ryo said without taking his eyes off her.

It was Manager Iwasaki’s turn to speak. “We are very happy you feel that way regarding this endorsement Nishikido-san.”

Somehow she felt that he wasn’t talking about Russ-K at all. With all the strength she can muster, she started the act.

“In that case, would you like to take a seat as we discuss the details?” she offered the seat beside his manager. He took his gaze off her and walked towards the chair.

When he was seated, she spoke up again. “Well, shall we begin?”

She signaled Ren to dim the lights and she proceeded with her presentation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A full hour had passed. They had gone through each detail, discussed the people involved, the theme for each photo shoot, the timing and location of each and the date when the commercial will be shown to the Board. There were interesting queries and suggestions from Manager Iwasaki, a proof of his capacity as a Marketing manager.

During all that time she could feel a steady and hot gaze coming from the latecomer. It felt as though he never took his eyes off her, watching her every move as she presented. But she wasn’t entirely sure. The room was dark, save for the light coming from the projector.

When she had finished and the lights were back on, Manager Iwasaki likewise stood up and congratulated her.” Omedotou Tomioka-san! I was impressed with the way your company planned this one out. I am sure that this will be a huge success.” He said as he held out his hand.

She shook his hand and said, “We do hope so. We will be doing our best. Should there be any questions, feel free to ask.”

“I have none. But perhaps our endorser does.” He looked towards where the young man was sitting, who was looking very intently at them.

Koyama stood up “The details were clear. We would be doing our best. Yoroshiku.” He bowed politely, to which the celebrity only nodded in reply.

“Well, in that case, we need to get going. I need to report this to the upper management as well. Thank you for your time Tomioka-san. ”

“Hai. Arigatou.”

The manager and his assistant walked towards the door, followed by Ren who ushered them out.

She scooped the materials in front of her when she heard a voice speak up.

“Ano...”

She looked back to see that Nishikido was already behind her. As if on cue, she saw his manager patted him on the back and went out for the door. They were now alone in the conference room. The atmosphere was uncomfortable, she felt like it was suffocating her, making it very hard to breathe.

She waited for him to speak up.

But nothing happened. He just looked at her and the floor and back at her again.

When after a full minute had passed and it was apparent that he wouldn’t say anything, she moved towards the door.

He caught her arm as her hands were on the doorknob.

“We …. We need to talk….”

Her head was screaming with endless thoughts. Well that’s great really! Except that we are five years late in talking. Why should I listen to you now? I told you I would forget about you. Even though it was painful, I managed to pull through. Who gave you the right to come back and try to destroy my life again?

But she knew she can’t let him know how she feels. He had discarded her once, when she thought she was an important part of him. Why would her thoughts matter to him now?

“Of course. I understand you have concerns regarding the commercial. Have it scheduled with my assistant Ren.”

She gave him the most convincing smile she could muster and turned her back away from him.

“Yuri-chan….”

Nobody had called her by her given name since he went away, save for her family. She preferred to be called Tomi-chan. She felt that to be called by her given name only brings back memories with him. He no longer deserves that sense of familiarity. He should know that by now.

Without looking back, she said in a low voice, “Let me just clarify one thing. You may be a celebrity, but we are not acquainted with each other. Do NOT call me by my first name.”

With that, she opened the door and went out.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N: As usual, my updates are very long. Gomenasai. My fingers just kept on typing. LOL. And I was supposed to cut this into two chapters, but I don’t want to keep you hanging. So, yeah, Jin is here. Surprise!? And Hiro Mizushima too (though he isn’t a Johnny). I think the role suited him. Tell me what you think, ok? ^_^

Business AU - Prologue and Chapter 1

2008-08-05T09:35:46Z

Title: As We Aspire to Be
Universe: NewS/ Business AU
Rating: PG-13
Character/ Pairings: NewS, OC, other Johnny’s
Disclaimer: I’m in dire need of money. If I own them, I would have peddled them off already. Or at least put them up for rent. I’m evil. Bwahaha. ^_^
A/N: I wanted to write an AU that I can somehow relate to (read: slight ranting). We all wish to be acquainted with officemates like them. Talk about spicing the workplace. Yum.I added a character to make my non-NewS-fans friends relate and to see the whole story from her viewpoint. The character will grow on you. Don’t worry. *keeps finger-crossed*
Summary: NewS in business suits. No, it’s not the weeeek PV. They are actual business executives, and doing one heck of a job at it.

"Discover the new executives of Kitagawa and Associates – Japan’s largest professional services and consultancy firm."

PROLOGUE

She looked at the pile of working papers in front of her. She can’t help but cringe.

Her neck feels like its going to break anytime. She has been spending too much time bowing at her laptop trying to work out deadlines.

She glanced at the wall clock above her. 3: 50 am. Great. A couple more hours to go and it will be daylight. She had been like this for 6 weeks. Only stopping to get at least 3 hours of sleep everyday. She was running on caffeine for almost 20 days. Heck, if she would be having her check-up today, she wouldn’t be surprised if it was coffee running through her veins and no longer blood.

She sighed. Such is her exciting life. She needed a break. She longed to actually feel the sunshine on her face, breathe in fresh air and see lush greeneries. Not just see the sun from her window and breathe in recycled air. For now, the only break that she can get is from stretching her aching back. She pulled her arm upwards to do so. Ahh, that feels good. She smiled. Grateful for the little joys in her life. Only to realize that her bliss was short-lived.

Standing in front of her was her boss, Ana, looking more tired than she was.
“Are you through?’ she asked her. It was a good thing that Ana was only 3 years her senior. It made working with her easier.

“Almost. I’m finishing the documentation.” she told her. She can’t help but give her senior a smile. Tired as she was, this person was far more exhausted. Juggling 7 clients all at once was her senior’s cross to carry. At least she only has 4.

“Good. Remember you have to meet up with the BIG boss later at 10. I would advise you to freshen up before that.” she informed her, taking note what today was.

“I wonder what that is for. Do you think I’m in trouble?” she asked. She wasn’t aware of anything disastrous that she had done recently.

Ana shook her head. “I don’t think so. If you were, I would have been butchered beforehand.” She assured the youngster while she walked towards the direction of her own cubicle.

-------

“Huh?! Me?!” she asked her boss incredulously.

“Yes. You. This is a special engagement. Your contract abroad will be for a year. The senior partner in Japan specifically hand-picked your CV from all others. I think it is an honor and a wonderful opportunity for you to learn.”

She simply nodded in response. Everything was surreal for her. Special Engagement? Japan? Now? What could she possibly do to help out in the project? She was going to ask this but was pre-empted by her boss.

“Details of the nature of your work will be provided via email. You need not worry about your visa, it had been taken care of. But you would need to wrap-up your deliverables for all your clients before you leave – which would be Saturday next week.” Her boss informed her nonchalantly. She was going to nod again in reply. And was on the verge of doing so, when the last statement sank in.

Saturday next week??? But today is Thursday! Panic etched all over her face.

-------

CHAPTER 1

Tokyo, Japan

She arrived at the airport at 10 pm. Damn this headache. She can feel her head splitting into two. Not from jetlag but from all the sleepless nights she had to labor to finish up her deliverables.

She hadn’t gone far when she heard someone call her name.

“Ms. Montez! Ms. Lia Montez!”

She turned towards the direction of the voice. She saw a young man running towards her. He was wearing dark jeans and white polo shirt.

When he reached her, he asked in between intakes of breath, “Are you Lia Montez?” the man asked in awkward English.

“You are?” she asked in return. She thought it wise not to confirm her identity before knowing the other person as well. Besides, he looked too young to be one of her new colleagues.

“I’m sorry, I forgot my manners. I am Yamashita Shoon. Pleased to meet you.” He said, his head politely bowed in front of her. When he looked up, it was then that she noticed how tall the kid was. Not to mention how good-looking. He looks like an anime character that came to life. She can’t help but smile at her thoughts. The kid must have thought that she was smiling at him, for he smiled at her as well.

He reminds me of my younger brother. She extended her hand to the boy. “Hi, I am Lia Montez. Nice meeting you too. By any chance, did K&A send you?” she asked with her eyebrows raised, indicating she found that hard to believe. He looked like he’s 17 or 18, too young to be part of the firm.

He seemed to have read her mind. He offered a slight bow and said ,” Yes, I was sent by K&A to fetch you from the airport. But no, I don’t work there. At least, not yet. I’m a trainee though.” He gave her a grin, obviously proud of the fact.

Kitagawa & Associates, or popularly known as K&A, is the largest professional services and consultancy firm in Japan and one of the largest in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s well known for the top-notch and diverse services it provides – from financial statements audit to SAS 70 engagements. Clientele varies from manufacturing to telecommunications to aviation. It has been noted by numerous award-giving bodies in Business. Needless to say, it employs only the best of the best in their field.

“May I get your bag for you?” he asked her. She nodded as she handed her trolley to the boy. “Thank you, Yamashita-san.” The boy smiled at her and replied. “It’s nothing. I’m simply doing my assignment. Oh and please, call me Shoon.” He said as he led her to the exit. She trailed behind him, half-expecting him to flag a cab, only to see a black stretch limousine stop in front of them.

Shoon opened the door for her and said ,”You first”. She stood stunned for a moment. Is this how they treat borrowed staffs? She had never ridden a limo her whole life, but she knows that it can’t possibly be used as a service vehicle for staffs. Then perhaps, it’s used to make a good first impression for guests. Only, she is not a guest. No need for any impression. She can’t help but dwell on that as she entered the vehicle. She let out a low whistle once inside. Shoon also entered the limo and grinned at her. “Nice isn’t it?” She simply nodded in reply as Shoon poured her a glass of champagne.

-------

“Wait. Am I going to stay in this hotel?” she asked incredulously as they walked towards the main lobby. It looked like a first class hotel. Revolving glass doors graced the front entrance. A beautiful crystal chandelier provided the soft lighting. Granite flooring gave a classy yet homey feel. Ornate furniture and accent pieces populate the area. She remembered the sign outside read Johnny’s Enterprise.

Shoon smiled at her and replied, “This is not a hotel. It’s a high-class lodging for the employees. It’s easier to get hold of them when they are staying under one roof. VIP clients also stay here as guests. But aside from the occasional visitors, only K&A people stays here. ”

Her jaw dropped at his explanation. Lodging? Where K&A employees stays? You have got to be kidding me.

He smiled at her reaction. Shoon excused himself, went to the reception area and talked to another good-looking boy around his age. The kid looked at her, smiled and bowed in respect, and gave Shoon an electronic pass.

“Here you go Ms. Montez.” Shoon said as he gave her the key to her room. He gestured towards the uniformed boy to her right. “He will be accompanying you to your room. Your belongings have already been taken upstairs. Also, don’t bother giving him a tip. This is his assignment too.” He said with a wink.

------

She was still bewildered from the events that happened since coming here. She had been astounded to find her room was more of a hotel suite, with complete and top of the line amenities. Living room, bedroom, kitchen, shower room – all furnished with luxury as its theme. Heck, she even has a walk-in closet and a Jacuzzi to top it off! But nothing beats the view from her room, the picturesque city view of Tokyo. It was so beautiful that her heart skipped a beat, in utter fascination. She was still pondering if this was all a dream, until exhaustion won over. She had slept the whole day that Sunday.

Today was a Monday. Her first day of work at K&A. She was full from the breakfast sent over to her room that morning, with a complete Welcome to K&A! note attached. She spent half an hour just relaxing at the Jacuzzi and enjoyed the refreshing feeling. Her next surprise came when she was about to change her clothes. She opened the closet doors to find a hanger for her business attires, only to find them lined up with designer suits ranging from Armani to Chanel. She opened other doors and found them filled with bags, shoes and accessories. All made by top designers, all beautiful beyond words. Is this mine? No that can’t be. Perhaps, the last occupant left it here. No, that can’t be either. It was too idiotic to do. No one leaves hundreds of thousand of dollars (perhaps even more) worth of branded goodies. She tried on a black Prada pant suit to find that it fitted her perfectly. Even the red Salvatorre Ferragamo mules were her size. Are all K&A employees treated this way? She shook her head in disbelief. At a time that downsizing was the trend, no company would be that generous.

And yet here she was, sitting at the back of the Mercedes S350, wearing the clothes she had tried on earlier (she rationalized she was only borrowing them), complete with pearl accessories and Hermes bag. The car was waiting at the lobby to escort her that day. I need to clarify this with the manager today. Are these gifts? Company incentive? Or a scheming device to force a service contract with the firm? Her head reeled on the possibilities.

The car came to a stop. The driver opened the door for her. She stepped down and walked towards her new office building – Kitagawa & Associates emblazoned on the edifice.

-------

Her meeting wasn’t until 10 am. She was an hour early. Instead of barging in the office where she was sure her presence would be announced, she opted to sneak in the coffee shop at the ground floor. At least, she blended here. And other average looking people – from employees to clientele – thrive as well. She needed to relax her mind too, before embarking on a new workload. She ordered a tall white mocha and found a nice little spot at the corner. She took out the novel she had been reading from the plane. She was in the middle of enjoying the heart-warming storyline of the book when a group of young men sat at the empty table next to her.

She looked up due to the commotion they were causing. She gaped at what she saw. Six insanely handsome men were taking their seats, all clad in expensive business suits, and each one promptly holding a cup of coffee. They look like they’re going to have a photo shoot!, she thought. She placed the novel up to her nose so that they wouldn’t notice her gawking at them. She can feel her heartbeat quickened as she looked at them. How can men this gorgeous end up grouped together in this firm? They looked more like pop idols than business executives to her. She proceeded to drink her coffee to distract her mouth from dropping again.

“Any idea who the newbie is?” The young man with pouty lips said in Japanese, in between sips of his coffee.

“Apparently, it’s a woman. Can you believe it? A woman? At K&A?” the tall guy with Mohawk hair replied. He looked distraught at the very idea.

“This is shit. It’s one thing to hire another staff for our group. But for them to choose a woman is downright insulting. We are being dragged down. She will be the death of us.” The other one snarled, looking ready for the kill. She saw him pound his fist at the desk as he said so.

“I am hoping for the better, but somehow, none of their replacements did us a good job, ne. I’m scared that she will be destroying our Member Ai.” the one-lidded guy told them.

“Yeah, I think that too. They don’t really fit in. Sometimes they are just not at par with us. Not even a little.” The guy (who looked like a girl) reacted. The other guys nodded in agreement.

She had to look away at them now. She was annoyed at how these 6 are acting so pompous. She hated it when people look down on other people. She opted to concentrate on her novel instead. At least, that would be more productive, she thought. Her concentration was tested when she heard them talking again.

“You are so right. Remember the last one they hired? He didn’t even last 3 days!”

“Or the one before him! A total idiot who does not even know the difference between a bond and a stock! A total baka!”

“And to think all of them were young men with shiny degrees to boast about. This time around, not only is the new one a woman but with modest accomplishments.”

“Eh? How so? “

“Yours truly searched for her records from the Human Resources files. No picture attached to her records though.”

“Wow! How daring! What did you find out?”

“Nothing much. Pretty typical if I must say so. She’s not even a cum laude graduate. Nor does she have a special award to her name.”

“Average.”

She heard someone snort. A fit of laughter erupted. Then a momentary pause in their conversation. They are either thinking something more idiotic to say or they got tired of talking and laughing, she surmised.

“Perhaps the firm is doing a cost-cutting measure which is why they hired her.”

“Cost-cutting my ass! We all know that Johnny likes it grand. I think she is one of our legions of fans who has tried and actually succeeded at working here. In such a case, she could actually be the one paying to work here. Just to be with us!”

“Well… you do have a point. It’s not like this is the first time someone did that. Remember that 62-year old woman who offered to buy the firm just to be with you? That was hilarious!”

“It’s not hilarious. It’s creepy! And didn’t I say never to mention that again? Shut up you mohawk!”

Laughter erupted again. Only much louder this time.

“Sshh. Not so loud guys. There is a woman on the other table as well.” The guy with chubby cheeks and dimples hissed. All 6 of them turned their attention to the woman sitting beside them, looking engrossed on the novel she is reading.

Tiny beads of sweat are breaking free from her brow. She was too scared to move. How was she supposed to react? As much as she hated them for looking down on women in general, she also knows that she is to blame. She was eavesdropping afterall. On a very loud yet supposedly secret talk among the six. Even when she can feel their gazes on her. She did nothing. She continued pretending to be reading the book.

After what seemed like an eternity, the man who brought up the topic spoke up.
“She doesn’t look Japanese. And she’s reading an English novel. Even if she can hear us, she won’t be able to make out what we are talking about.” He proceeded to look at the other guys from the table, as if it was a pain to look at the woman beside them. Just then, his phone rang. He simply said “We’ll be there” and ended the call.

The other five took that as a cue; they all stood up and headed for the door.

Male Chauvinist Pigs… she thought with disgust at their disappearing backs.

------
She walked in the plush office of Manager Takizawa Hideaki at exactly 9:50 am. She was no longer surprised to see that he was a very handsome man. Too beautiful in fact that he might be mistaken for a girl (twice it happened that day).

With hands outstretched to her, he said, “A pleasure to meet you Ms. Liana Montez. I am Takizawa Hideaki, Country Manager for K&A. We are ecstatic to have you in our firm”. She shook his hand for a brief moment and replied, “The pleasure is all mine Mr. Takizawa. It is definitely an honor. And please, call me Lia”

The young director chuckled and shook his head a little. “You can call me Tackey. Everyone else does.” The smile he gave her was enough to melt the knickers of anyone. THE killer smile. She was too stunned to say anything, she simply smiled in response.

“I assume you already have the files you need related to our firm, as well as the first engagement you will be undertaking?” he inquired.

“Ah yes. I have already gone over them. Thank you for bringing it on such short notice Manager Tackey. ” She said in response.

“Well, Lia, it’s no bother, really. I assumed you would be needing those. You have a reputation of paying attention to details”, he said with a wink. She had to smile at his comment. People saying different things – good or bad – about her no longer came as a surprise.

“The clothes seem to fit you well. It looks good on you.” He said after looking at her with appreciation. She blushed at his comment. Anyone would look good at something as expensive as this, she thought.

“About that….” she started to say.

“They are part of your clothing allowance. All K&A staffs get a week’s worth of business attires at the beginning of the year. Although in your case, you might have gotten a bit more. It seems they were very excited to finally be able to dress up a girl.” He said as a matter-of-factly.

Clothing allowance? It was more of a grand shopping spree to her. Gotten a bit more? She has an entire closet full of them It’s a month worth of clothing to her. And who the heck are dressing her up anyways? Her mind reeled at the endless questions and comments.

“I guess we should have you meet your teammates. They are waiting in the conference room at this moment. I can assure you they look better in person than the pictures in their CV I have sent you. ” He said as he ushered her outside the door.

“I know”, she said. The manager looked at her, confused at her statement. She did not offer any explanation and instead said, “Thank you by the way”

“What for?” he asked as they walked on the office corridor going to the conference room.

“For agreeing to withhold any information regarding me. For keeping it classified.”

He simply nodded in agreement as they stopped in front of the conference room door.
-------

“Good morning gentlemen.” Manager Takizawa greeted the young men at the mahogany table.

“Good morning”, they replied in unison.

“Well, where is she? Where is OUR new teammate?”

“She couldn’t have backed out this early, could she?”

Manager Takizawa lifted his right hand to signal them to stop. He grabbed hold of the woman at the door and ushered her in.

“She will be part of this team from now on. This is Ms. Lia Montez. Lia, meet your groupmates.”

She bowed politely at the introduction and proceeded to sit in front, facing them. There was a brief silence before someone spoke up.

“Ah! She’s the girl in the café!”, the man with dimples said in surprise.

“Tackey-san. Don’t you think she looks a bit young? She doesn’t look like she has much experience in this business.” the man who seemed to be the leader in the group asked.

“To top that, she is not even Japanese! How are we supposed to talk? Do you intend to have an interpreter with her all the time?! And what about the documentations? Would somebody else be translating it for her? That’s a lot of work to do! And not to mention stupid. Absolutely stupid.”

She turned her attention from the young men to Manager Takizawa. She can see the latter’s ashen face as the conversation progressed. She, on the other hand, maintained a face void of any emotion.

“St… Sto… Stop. Stop!” Tackey said with gritted teeth. He seemed appalled by the reaction of the young men and embarrassed at the same time.

“How can we, when you are not answering any of our questions?” the Mohawk haired guy replied calmly.

“Please Tackey-san, be honest with us. She doesn’t understand what’s going on anyways”, the cutie boy pleaded.

“She… She…” Tackey tried to reply. But he was too angered by the childish behavior of this team. He looked incredulous and ready to strangle the young men that were his subordinates. He found it hard to finish his sentence, let alone find the words. He simply looked at her with humiliated eyes.

She took the queue and instead replied. “I believe what he is saying is…. I can understand Japanese very well.” She replied in perfect Japanese.

Silence.

“Ow, Shit!”

------

Awkward does not even begin to describe the air in the conference room at that moment. No one had uttered anything since they found out that the woman in the group that they had been talking (and bad-mouthing) about had heard their comments.

Their expressions vary from horror to embarrassment, but leaning more on the latter.

She was the first one to speak out, since the air was suffocating her already.
“How about we start from the beginning?” she said and even smiled warmly at them. She took the deafening silence as a yes.

She stood up and facing the men she said, “Ohayo gozaimasu. Montez Lia-desu. Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu.” She bowed politely. It seemed that she was not as affected at the incident as they thought she was.

“Introduce yourselves and your position. Now.” Manager Tackey ordered his subordinates.

They reluctantly followed him.

“Yamashita Tomohisa desu. Management Engineer. I also have a minor in Economics.” the man with pouty lips said. He offered a slight nod in acknowledgment.

“Nishikido Ryo- desu. Financial Analyst and Stock Broker. The best at both.” said another. Still giving her a death glare.

“Koyama Keiichito-desu. Taxation Specialist. Hajimemashite.” The one-lidded guy said with a polite bow.

“Kato Shigeaki-desu. Lawyer. Nice to meet you, I guess.“ the mohawk hair guy said as he pushed his glasses up the rim of his nose.

“Masuda Takahisa-desu. Electronics and Communications Engineer. You can call me Massu.” the chubby cheeked guy with dimples said. He gave her one of his brilliant smile.

“Tegoshi Yuya-desu. Psychologist. Can I call you Lia-chan? ” The pretty boy said in greeting.

In spite of the situation, she managed to keep the smile plastered on her lips. She bowed in acknowledgment as the last guy was finished with his introduction.

It was the Manager’s turn to speak up. “This is team NEWS, which stands for Nippon Ensemble for World Standards. Unlike other firms that are grouped according to one’s specialization, K&A diversified the group. In one team, you can find different fortes to suit the client’s likewise diversified needs. The project leader would depend on the type of engagement that we are hired for. For instance, if it’s related to Human Resource outsourcing, then Yuya would be the team lead. Otherwise, Tomohisa is the appointed leader.” He gestured towards Yamashita-san. “Do you have any other questions, Lia?”

She shook her head and replied, “None as of the moment.”

“Well, should you have any queries, or should you need assistance in anything, do not hesitate to ask these guys. They owe you that much.” He said while looking at the young men, waiting for any sign of reluctance. No one dared to contend his statement.

“In such a case, I would have to excuse myself. I have a meeting with a high-profile client. For now, get acquainted with each other. Especially since your first engagement together would start tomorrow. ”, Tackey said as he walked towards door. “You have the rest of the day off Lia. Feel free to relax a little.” He smiled at her.

“I will. I would just need to talk to the guys for a minute.” She informed him. He understood what she meant and he bade her good bye.

The moment that Manager Tackey had closed the door behind him, all of the guys started to speak all at once.

“Lia, we are so sorry… we are so sorry… we…. “

“We didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just that we were so frustrated and….”

“Please understand that we do not really hate you…”

“You know you could have told us that you can converse in Japanese sooner…”

“In behalf of the group, I would like to apologize to you…”

“We didn’t mean to hurt you…”

They kept going on like this. Everyone trying to repair the damage that they had done.
She on the other hand already had enough of them talking.

“Enough! Jeez, don’t you guys ever shut up?” she said, unable to hide her irritation any longer. Finally, they stopped talking. Partly because she had told them to do so and partly because she seemed to have lost her sweet temperament.

“What’s done is done. You have already insulted me and judged me even before I have had the chance to prove myself. I am not angry at any of you. I am just hurt and deeply disappointed. I haven’t been expecting such an immature conduct from K&A’s finest.” She told the guys who were staring at her and listening intently to what she had said.

When she saw that none of them had anything to say in response to her, she continued. “I don’t know much about any of you. Likewise, I am sure that your knowledge of me is limited to the piece of crap you got from HR…” she briefly looked at Tegoshi, who smiled sheepishly at her. “… but starting tomorrow, I would be part of this team for a year. Now I know that you feel that I am intruding your group’s Ai…”

“It’s member ai.” Koyama said to correct her. He smiled at her encouragingly.

“… ok, member ai, it is. But I have no intention of ripping your group apart nor be the weight to pull you down…” she turned to look at Nishikido who seemed angry and embarrassed at the same time. “…I simply want to do what I came here for. It wouldn’t hurt to become friends with my teammates in the process. But judging from your violent reactions, it seems improbable now. At the very least, I hope we can be civil with each other.”

When none of them still reacted, she stood up from her seat and said “I would be reporting for work, as a temporary part of NewS, tomorrow. But for now, I need to rest some more. Today had been an emotionally tiring one. I will be taking my leave. It was nice meeting you, and I am honored to be part of the team. Onegaishimasu.” She bowed down briefly and walked out the door. She didn’t care to look back, as tears were already threatening to show any minute. Get a hold of yourself!, she scolded herself.

She kept her head low as she walked the marble corridors and pushed the elevator button going down. When she was safely inside the elevator, only then did she allow the tears to flow freely. This is going to be a long year after all.

--------

Irrational Choices - chapter 2

2008-08-04T08:42:46Z

Title: Irrational Choices – chapter 2
Pairing: Ryo, OC
Rating: pg-13
Disclaimer: I do not own any JE boys. This is my fictional fangirl mind at work.
Summary: After that fateful phone call that changed both their lives, what will happen next?

You can read Chapter 1 here

“That will be enough for today. Thank you everyone for your hard work.”

He let out a sigh. Finally the photo shoot was over. The lights were blinding him already, and he was tired of trying to smile and pose for the camera.

“Ryo. We need to get going. You have a radio interview at 5.” his manager of 4 years said to him. “Here. You look exhausted.” He said as he handed him a bottle of water.

Ro quickly gulped it down. “Thanks Kei.” He took his things from the table, put on his sunglasses and bolted towards the door.The quicker I can get out of here, the better, he thought to himself.

He could see through the corner of his eye that people were staring at him as he was walking. It no longer bothered him. He had gotten used to people gazing at him, stalking him even. He had understood all too well that it was a price for being a celebrity.

He opened the door to his red Ferrari and slumped down in the passenger seat. Kei would have to drive. I’m too tired to do anything now, he thought to himself. Kei soon stood by the Ferrari. Upon seeing that Ryo was at the passenger seat, he went to the driver seat and buckled himself in. He understood what Ryo meant.

“Daijoubu?” Kei asked in concern. Ryo simply nodded in reply. Kei looked at him for a moment, and once he was sure that his talent was indeed ok, fatigued but generally all right, they drove off towards the music station.
-------

“Would you be accepting it Ryo?” Kei asked him after he had read the contract.

There had been an offer to be the spokesperson for another clothing line. He was used to being courted by different companies, begging him to endorse their respective products. He accepted very few of them. Only those products that he himself had used or had tried out and liked. The others, though willing to pay millions, he shrugged away. He wouldn’t want to be acquainted with useless stuffs anyway. And it is with this principle that people had come to trust him, skyrocketing the sales of any of his product endorsements. The result was more and more companies are coming after him, offering enormous amounts in return.

“I’m thinking about it.” Ryo said. The brand this time is Russ-K. A Japanese brand that is now popular in the States. Aside from the fact that it’s Japanese owned, both he and Kei buys from there frequently.

“Then perhaps this would help you in deciding.” Kei said as he gave him another sheet of paper. “Look at the second to the last sentence of the last paragraph. Go on. Read it. “

Although confused, he followed Kei’s instructions. His eyes navigated the bottom half of the paper.
….Advertising campaign will be handled by Kuroi Shiroi Promotions…
Kuroi Shiroi… Kuroi Shiroi will be spearheading the Russ-K commercials. He looked at Kei, and grinning he said. “Thanks Kei. You know me too well. Let them know that I will do it.”

Kei chuckled at his reaction. “I wouldn’t be your manager 'til now if I don’t know your quirks. I knew that you will find it interesting. I’ll get going. I need to discuss the details of this one with their management. You’re welcome by the way.” he said as he patted the younger man’s shoulder.

Ryo smiled despite the teasing of his good friend. It’s the perfect opportunity after all. He gets to go to Japan, shoot the ad, and finally see his family and her.

He had been waiting for this moment for so long. Had she been able to forgive him? Had she kept her word to forget him? He cringed at the possibility that he could have been forgotten. No, he refuses to believe that she could do that to him. She had been by his side for so long, sticking with him through all his ordeals. They were complete opposites but the very best of friends. No matter how much she hates me, she couldn’t possibly forget me. It was the one thing he was confident of.

He let the memories engulf him again. He had always been the bully in school. Even though he was a small kid, his fist could make the big kids crumble to the ground. He was always in trouble. She had always been the nerd in their school. She was the honor student, the school pride. They only knew each other when they were both 12 years old.

He was on his way to school, fists bruised, lips swollen and uniform blood-stained. He had just gotten out of another fight. I’m in trouble again! He thought. But those kids were asking for it. They should have known better than to fight with him.

It was then that he saw her, pushed to the ground by another girl. “Give me your money four-eyes!” one of the 5 girls screamed. “But…but I don’t have any money…” the little girl with glasses replied. “Ha! You attend a private school and you’re telling us you have nothing? We are not that stupid, kid.” Another one replied. “Ano… I go there for free… I have a scholarship that’s why we don’t pay for anything.” The little girl replied, looking scared but determined to explain her situation to the other kids. The other girl didn’t seem to get whatever she was saying and started to check the kid’s bag. The kid tried to fight but 8 big hands stopped her. She was crying as the leader rummaged through her things.

That was when he noticed that the little kid wore his school’s girls uniform. The five big bullies were from the nearby public school. On a different instance, it could have been him in the position of the bullies. Yet somehow, the image in front of him appalled him so. He rationalized it was because the girl went to the same school as him. But whatever it is, he must stop them.

“You! What do you think you’re doing?” he growled. The other girls were startled by his presence. He must have looked scary, if the disheveled look of his uniform and the bulged eyes of the bullies were any indication.

“Let her go this very minute or suffer the consequences.” He warned them. The girls took the hint, let go of the little kid and her bag; and fled away. He picked the bag from the sidewalk and gave it to the kid. “Here.” He said as he kneeled beside her. “Daijoubu?” he asked. She nodded timidly. “I don’t think they will be bothering you again. But if someone tried to pick on you again, don’t cry and face them.” He told her. He knew from experience that it was no fun to bully someone who knows how to fight back.

“Arigatou.” She managed to say in between sobs. He smiled feebly and helped her up.
“Let’s get you to the clinic.” He said. She doesn’t look like she had been beaten, but being in so many fights, he knew that not all blows equates to blood. “Hai.” She simply said.

They slowly walked in silence towards the school grounds. Only to be met by their head principal at the front gate. “Nishikido-san! What are you doing with her? What have you done to her? Who did you fight this time? Don’t tell me you are picking on girls now?!” the panic-stricken voice of their headmistress was heard across the school grounds. In an instant, she was kneeling on the floor examining the girl, looking for any sign of serious injuries. He tried to explain what happened but he was pre-empted by the little girl beside him. “Inoue-sensei, daijoubu desu. He fought the bullies who were trying to attack me. He saved me.” Both he and the principal were surprised at her statement. It was only half of the truth. He knew she knew that he got the injuries before helping her out. But it doesn’t seem to matter as the older woman enveloped him in a close hug and said, “Arigatou Nishikido-san. You have protected one of our school’s pride.” After she had let him go, she turned to the other kid and said “Yuri-chan, you don’t seem to be hurt. He must have protected you well. We must go now. The junior’s division for Math Olympiad will be starting soon. “ She nodded in agreement. She bade him goodbye as another teacher led him towards the school clinic.

Since that day, Ryo had been looked at as a hero rather than the bully. For the first time, he felt he was respected by other people. He was looked at with pride instead of dismay. His parents found out about it as well, after the school administration contacted them. He remembered getting his Sony Playstation and plenty of his other requested toys. He doesn’t really understand all the fuss they were making. Had he known that this treatment would have resulted by saving a girl form being bullied, he would have done it long ago.

When he asked their class president who was the girl he saved, he chuckled at his question. “Nishikido-san, Tomioka Yuri-chan is the golden girl of this school. She has an IQ of 200 and had topped national and international academic competitions. She doesn’t have a penny to her name but she is a genius.” That explains why she is being taken care of so well. She was a walking and living advertisement of their school.

They were only able to talk a month after that incident. “Nishikido-san, konnichiwa. How are you doing?” he heard someone greet him from behind. He turned and wasn’t surprised to see the little girl with glasses again. “I forgot to introduce myself… “
“No need, I already know who you are. Tomioka Yuri-chan.” He smiled at her. Even at a young age, he knew that this girl had saved him as well, giving him a chance to break free of his ‘trouble-kid’ typecast. He doesn’t know if she did it on purpose, but he is nevertheless grateful. “Then… can we be friends, Nishikido-san? You can call me Yuri.” She asked him. He smiled at her again, one of the rare moments he smiled twice at the same person on the same day, and replied “Only if you start calling me as Ryo… Ryo-sama…” He gave her one of his psycho grins.

From then on, they had become inseparable. Up until high school, they were a formidable duo. She was the intellectual, who loves to talk and befriend people. He was the jock and band guitarist, who rarely talks nor smile. She was everyone’s friend, he was an enemy to look out for. He was irrational, she was the careful thinker. He has the poison tongue, but Yuri can outwit his remarks anytime. She was not afraid of him nor feels threatened. She even infuriates him more by saying what a sweet guy he is! Sweet never equates to Ryo. They were two very different people but good friends nonetheless. When interviewed by the school magazine on their friendship, Yuri replied that it was a symbiotic relationship gone crazy. She helped out with his school works, he taught her how to play the guitar. They knew each other's family and would spend a lot of time in each other’s houses.

Come junior year, puberty decided to visit him (he was a late-bloomer). Suddenly, girls noticed him more. He was receiving more and more chocolates and love letters; much to Yuri’s chagrin as she was always the one to deliver it to him. Yuri on the other hand still had glasses on, backpack in tow and hair in disarray. He reveled in the newfound attention but found that he did not take any of them seriously. How could he when a few years ago, they had brushed off his presence.

He noticed that even Yuri was acting strange. She now looks away when he stares blankly at her. She blushes when he would wipe the sauce from the sides of her mouth. She no longer piggy-backs on their way home. Somehow, he felt as though a part of Yuri he had known is now gone.

He confronted her one day, when his curiosity got the better of him. “Yuri-chan, what the heck is wrong? You have been acting really strange lately. If there is something or someone bothering you, you can always tell me. I will beat the crap out of them.” he said with a smirk.

Yuri was silent for awhile before she told him something that caught him by surprise. “Ryo, suki desu. I don’t know when it started, suddenly it’s just there. Please don’t be angry with me. I don’t want our friendship to change, I just feel like I need to tell you. It’s suffocating me not to be able to be honest with you.”

He was stunned to hear her confession. He wanted to joke about it, but the expression on her face stopped him. He knew that his best friend was serious. And so he answered her truthfully. “Yuri, you’re my best friend. You know that I care for you a lot. I don’t know if I feel the same way as you do. But I know that I would be really stupid to let go of a friend like you.” Yuri hugged him for the first time, saying that she was happy he didn’t hate her. He was not angry with her; in fact, it made him happy that his best friend liked him. What was unusual was that Yuri’s confession did not affect their relationship. They were still bickering as is, save for Yuri’s occasional blushes. Sometimes she would make remarks that her dream was to be first woman Prime Minister of Japan and be Ryo Nishikido’s wife. He told her that the former was more achievable. To which she would reply by throwing a piece of crumpled paper at his face.

But the summer vacation after their graduation (Yuri was the class valedictorian, no surprise there) changed a lot of things. He had met a Canadian foreigner named Leah Dizon when he came to visit his grandparents. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was staying at one of their family’s apartments in Osaka. She was shy and cute and she made his heart stop just by talking to her. Before he knew it, he fell for her. When he confessed to her he was surprised and happy to hear that she feels the same way. She was his first love. But the bliss didn’t last long, Leah had to go back. In such a short span of time he had experienced the joy of loving and the pain of breaking up. He was left heartbroken in Japan, having no one to confide to other than his best friend. He realizes now how much he has hurt her by doing so. Yet she stayed by his side, taking him to parks and concerts and even to trips to Chiba just to take his mind away from thinking about Leah.

Two weeks before the class semester begins was Yuri’s birthday. They always celebrate it by eating out, just the two of them, for dinner. It can be as simple as eating ramen or takoyaki, but that year they had decided on something more high-end. It was his treat for Yuri’s passing at Todai (he was going to Meiji). But the night before Yuri’s birthday, he received a phone call that will change his life.

“Hello?” he said in the mouthpiece.

“Ryo-chan….” A girl’s voice said on the other end. That voice. It had haunted his sleeping and waking moments.

“Le… Leah…leah-chan?” he asked almost choking in surprise. He was scared that he was dreaming all along.

“Yes its me.” The girl that broke his heart said.

“Why… why are you calling?” he was able to ask. He distinctly remembers that Leah said she doesn’t want any further communication with him.

“Well, I miss you Ryo… I just wanted to hear your voice.” She said. He couldn’t believe his ears. She said she missed him! Does that mean their relationship was more than a summer fling? Hope flickered from the depths of his broken heart.

“I… I miss you too… a lot…” he was able to say. His heart was pounding so fast, out of sheer excitement and bliss.

“I have to go Ryo. I just wanted to tell you that. Bye.” She said on the other end. The line went dead. He panicked. It was like being given a piece of heaven only to be taken away so quickly. He made a decision right there and then. He needed to see her, to be with her, to prove that he was the right guy for her. He was willing to sacrifice everything that he had, just to be with her once again. The next thing he knew, he was booking a plane to Canada. He was scheduled to leave the next day, on his best friend’s birthday. ..

------

He took out his prized possession – a picture of him and Yuri – from his wallet. It was the last picture they had taken together. Yuri was teary-eyed, holding her acceptance letter, while he was standing on her left, one arm slung around her, and holding a peace sign with his left hand. He was laughing while she was crying. It was another photo of their contradiction. It was the day that their college acceptance letters were announced. He remembered being so happy that his genius of a best friend was going to University of Tokyo with full scholarship, only to find her crying because he was not accepted in Todai as well. He had laughed at her reaction.

“But I was so sure that you would be accepted! Perhaps there was some sort of error!” she said as tears flowed down her cheek. He wiped the tears away and said “Baka! There is no error. I know I’m a genius as well, but I am not suited to be at Todai. I can only handle so much nerdiness. My geek tolerance had already been tested by you.” He teased her. As much as he was sad that they can’t go to the same school, he was happy for her. She was destined for great things, he had always believed that.

So as part of the celebrations, they had an all night karaoke with their other friends. She was still sulking until he promised to treat her to a fancy dinner on her birthday – her face immediately lit up. He can read her too well.

He can’t help but smile at the bittersweet memories. He was anxious to finally be home and scared as to what awaits him. He had not gone home for half a decade; he would send cards to them during important occasions but he did not dare to set foot on his homeland.

After leaving all that he had for a girl 5years ago, only to find her engaged to be married to another guy, his manly ego had been crushed. He was enraged that the girl he loved had never taken him seriously and only called to see if she still had power over him. He was scared shitless because he was alone in a country whose language he knows not how to speak, even for a little. He hated himself for being stupid. But most of all, he was in pain because he had broken the heart of the person who was dear to him.

He only knew that he cannot go back, not now, when he was in pieces. His pride got the best of him. And so, he decided to stay, working different part-time jobs, busying himself so that he wouldn’t have to face the loneliness he felt. Until he met his now manager Keiichiro Koyama. Kei had heard him perform during one of his night gigs, where he was singing accompanied by his guitar. He convinced him to sign a record deal with him as his agent, and migrated to France where his music was appreciated. And the rest they say is history.

He was grateful for the unexpected turn-out of the events. The satisfaction he got from performing, the smiles of his fans, the deafening applause after each sold-out concerts, the music that was uniquely his that had reached countries worldwide.Who would have known that this kind of life would be his for the taking? And yet, despite all his success, he knew that he wasn’t entirely happy. His past haunted him. He needed to face his family, face their pain on seeing him go and ask for their forgiveness despite all he had done. But what scared him the most was having to face Yuri, the person who had been most precious to him all along but was left and discarded as trash. He would have to make amends.

From some of his of high school friends who attended his concerts, he found out that Yuri stayed in Todai for 3 years, and continued the last couple of years at Yale under a foreign studies program. She graduated as Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Business. That was the last that they had heard. She had been speculated to work at top companies, but which one specifically, no one really knew – until she was featured in People Magazine’s 10 Most Influential Women of the Year. It was then that he found out that she was now the President of Kuroi Shiroi Promotions, an Advertising and Public Relations firm that had taken the marketing world by storm.
Their creative insights raked in millions of sales and formidable brand recognition. It was a relatively new firm but was able to compete with industry giants. And she, she was the driving force behind it all.

He was ecstatic as he read the article. His heart welling up with pride at how much she had accomplished. She had made it big in her own way and in the process, she exceeded other people’s typical expectations of her future.

The opportunity to work with her and see her once again was too good to let go. He was going to face her. He had braced himself for her outburst, so long as she will see him again. He knew from the depths of his heart that his best friend would forgive him, despite his flaws and misdoings.

With a satisfied smile, he placed the picture back in his wallet and into his jean’s pocket. Wait for me, Yuri. I’m coming home, he thought as the plane took off the runway.

------
A/N: Gomen. This is a rather long follow-up. This chapter was more of an explanation (and narration) of the events before and after THE phone call. I tried to bring out the jerk and sweet Ryo in this chap. Not sure if I succeeded though. *sigh*

My deepest gratitude to Myradel (sorry! I don't know how to link this) who betaed my fics.

Comments are loved.

Cluster Fic - second chapter

2008-07-30T05:45:44Z

Title: As Destiny Unfolds – chapter 2
Pairing: Work OTP (what?! you haven’t guessed it yet?)
Rating: PG-13 (as if I’ll ever write an R)
Genre: Romance. Slight drama. More humor. A lot of mushyness.
Word Count :712
Disclaimer: Characters real. Personalities may be modified. Events have not yet occurred. No harm is meant by any of my fics. I simply write. It’s your prerogative to read. ^_^
Summary: Long overdue continuation of chapter 1. Some new developments on the pairing.
A/N: We (me & my brilliant kumadres and kumpadre) originally planned to include some characters not from the cluster. As I was writing it, I suddenly developed a conscience (this is rare) and felt bad about it. Needless to say, I changed the direction of the story. Hope it came out ok. I am a wannabe writer. Criticize me for the better. ^_^

CHAPTER 2

Somewhere between then and now, I like you more than I should …
Somewhere along the lines of friendship, I feel my heart beat for you…
Somewhere amidst all these uncertainties, I realize that you are mine …

THE GOOD NEWS

“We would be assigned where?”, she found herself asking her senior. She was huddled along with her batch mates at the Senior’s Area. Listening intently to the instructions being given.

“Near RP, Ms. _________”, her senior replied. “You kiddieletlets will be assisting a special project for a large Pharmaceutical Company”. (A BIG super give-away clue)

“Don’t worry. We will be there to help you out”, her senior assured them, and her smile was melting away all the inferiorities trying to surface from the pits of their stomach.

On a certain level, they all felt the way she did. Excited – at the prospect of actually doing something aside from copying one Bootcamp material after another. Nervous – disaster occurrence was at its ultimate high. Happy – that they are finally living the auditor life.

However, she was more excited, more nervous and happier than all of them combined.

Because he is assigned to that client as well, she thought. She knew this for a fact, her investigative skills at its high when it involves her guy.

Perhaps, it was destiny after all.

THE LONG-AWAITED MOMENT

She squinted her eyes. Amazed at the progress they are making, but all the same bewildered – for it was not enough. There was so much to do with so little time. Her mind was twirling and at the verge of fuming. It was too much information to digest. All these configurations meant as much as Chinese characters mean to her –which was nothing.

Her only comfort was the young man (aka THE guy) sitting at the table beside them. Head bowed low, she noticed how focused he is at work. She kept stealing glances at his face. Perhaps too intently at that, for he said, “Do I have something on my face? Or did I sprout another head?” He grinned at her. She blushed. She knew he was teasing her. How was she supposed to answer that question? Could the truth – I can’t help myself – be said out loud? Obviously not. She was conservative after all. Well, make something up, she thought. But for the life of her, she can’t think of a good excuse.

“W-What are you talking about? I… I wasn’t looking at your face. I was admiring the meticulous handiwork at the wall behind you”, she managed to say, with much much difficulty.

She saw as he looked at the wall behind him and directed his gaze back to her.

“It’s painted white…” He said dead pan.

Point taken.

“Well, if you must know, different brushstrokes are used in painting, just like what artists do on their canvas. It necessitates control and technical skill. That wall is a great example of that prowess.” She said defiantly. Even to her, it sounded dumb. But she can’t lose face now. She started this excuse in the first place.

“Ahhh… now that you’ve mentioned it… I did notice some extensive brushwork on it…” he affirmed.

She smiled at him. Thankful that he had taken her reasoning. I have no idea he was that gullible, she thought in between suppressed giggles.

“...The brushstrokes all vertical… how interesting… it must take a great skill to paint vertically isn’t it? ” he said in a mocking voice. She mentally slapped herself for managing to look like a complete idiot in front of him. She felt she could argue no longer. It was pointless after all.

She looked at his face and saw that the smirk on his face was still there, indicating that he hadn’t believed her reasoning for a second.

It was a good thing the kiddielets and kiddieletlets were too busy playing (headphones in place) the Need for Speed Underground 2 when this conversation took place.

Right then, one of the other seniors walked in, looked at them, and raised an eyebrow.

She decides there and then, she will not allow them to work on weekends anymore.

More than meeting the deadline, she prefers to have her staff in perfect mental condition.

For they were both looking at the blank white wall…

VERY. VERY. INTENTLY.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
A/A/N:
~ Now the list for possible OTP candidates are dwindling down. Your guesses are just too ridiculous sometimes. XD I am being kind. Savor it. It will NOT last long.
~ This is so short. I just wanted to follow-up the story. I was hoping to make the story lighter. I fail. I know.
~ Comments are loved.

MASH Results

2008-07-25T01:43:47Z

Found this in my files. Just felt the need to post.

My friends are doubtful of the results...

I swear, I did not manipulate this!

What can I say, its DESTINY ... ^_^

Cluster Fic - first attempt

2008-07-22T12:14:18Z

Title: As Destiny Unfolds
Pairing: Work OTP (nges hu)
Rating: pg-13 (I refuse to write anything uhm, sensual (?!) for my cluster)
Genre: Romance. Drama. Hints of comedy and angst and mushyness.
Disclaimer: Characters real. Personalities may be modified. Some events actually occurred. Pictures – some real, a lot manipulated. All others fictional.
A/N: Special request. Made because 1) I want to, 2) We love issues to spice up our sometimes bland working environment, and 3) Lulu’s birthday is coming up (Omedotou Lulu-chan!). Picspam created by my supportive and brilliant kumadres. (ehem, bebe-chan and the wonderful world of Photoshop).
I opted to remove the picspam for this post. This is a peek of my work life. Read on if you want to know me better. ^_^

Chapter 1
He was a faint remembrance of her past. His face lingered on her soul, evident only in her dreams…

Life for her was as clear as black and white – no grayish sections in between. She refuses to accept that logic could be defied. Everything there is in life could be explained – from the intangible to the seemingly incomprehensible. People simply have the senseless undertaking of taking things as it is. She does not believe in myths, legends, fairy tales and destiny. They were all fiction for her – a mere shadow of reality. A reality with an explanation that people deny, in a desperate attempt to hold on to the melodramatic emotions that accompanied the lies. She was practical and would remain to be.

And yet, despite all her beliefs, she found herself unable to explain one phenomenon in her life – that of a young man that haunts her dreams. It had started out as a faint image when she was a child. It had been blurred and almost unidentifiable at first. But as time went on, the image of him became clearer, more defined and seemingly reachable. It was as if he was beckoning her to come. There was sadness and urgency in his eyes. As if he was yearning for something familiar from her. It was as if she had known him for a long time. She cannot hear his voice, but if she could, she knew he would call out her name...

FIRST ENCOUNTER

She awoke with a start, remnants of her dream clinging to her.He had appeared again. She can’t help but let out a sigh. She glanced at the clock beside her. 6 am. She hurried out of bed and into the shower. Today was special. Her first day of work. First job. First taste of life as a tax-paying (and later, client–enslaved auditor) member of society.

She came in the training room just in time. She glanced around the area for familiar faces from her University. She smiled as she recognized her friends gathered in one of the tables. It had been one exciting (at least in her definition, it was) event after another. Finally graduating, passing the board exam and now, working at one of the top (if not the top) audit firm in the country. Her life is being lived as she had planned it to be. Safe, a bit predictable and even boring for some, but nonetheless, clear-cut.

The first couple of weeks were about introduction and basics. Concepts like risks (or in the firm’s jargon, the WCGWs), controls, operating systems, database and endless other stuffs that she couldn’t quite grasp yet. She would have preferred more useful topics like: what-to-do-so-you-won’t-look-like-a-complete-idiot-in-front-of-the-client; how-to-react-to-nosebleed-inducing-terms; or how-to-hack-the-systems-earn-money-and-take-over-the-world lessons.

She still has no idea who were going to be her cluster mates, for their market circles were only announced that fateful and unforgettable Thursday evening. That night she had to go home early for her mountain climbing trip (woah! clue?!). She had just descended the stairs and was walking towards the lobby, when she absent-mindedly turned her attention at the closing elevator. And in that instant, the most astonishing sight befell her. Inside the closing lift, was the man who had occupied her dreams. The same man who had seemed to beseech and bewitch her. Same confident stature, same set of piercing eyes, same red lips – the only difference was he was no longer a figment of her dreams but a living, breathing and standing (inside the elevator) creature. All rationale seemed to have eluded her. There was absolutely no way that a being from her dream could transcend the bounds of illusion and into reality. Life was clear-cut,
ain’t it?

INTRODUCTION

Girl, where are you? We will be meeting the other staffs today. We are on our way to 7-1. We will meet you there.

She read the text message from her fellow trainee. She made her way to the seventh floor. She wondered how she would be able to find them, until she found the sea of familiar faces in the crowd. They were huddled in a round table at the far left, back side of the office. It seemed that her training batchmates were already enjoying the company of the senior staffs.Well, they seemed fairly easy to be with. No frightening, slave-driving bosses as she had dreaded.
The new hires (from then on christened as kiddieletlet) took turns introducing themselves. Soon, she too was engaged in a witty conversation with them, until the arrival of some staffs caused even more noise in the area. Introductions started again. Pleasantries were exchanged. She smiled at each one of them, trying to relate the names to the correct faces. She focused her gaze on the guy at the far right, on the verge of greeting him as well. But her voice suddenly went dry, the smile had turned into a line, shock written all over her face. It was THE guy. The guy who conquered her sleeping and waking moments, the guy she saw from the elevator, was now standing in front of her. He extended his hand to her, “Hi, I’m ________. Welcome to the cluster.” He smiled at her – he actually smiled at her! Stammering, she muttered “I am ________” , and accepted his hand. Hundreds of thoughts came into her mind.
Does he know her as she did? What is he doing here? How long had he been working here? Did he felt the same tension as I did, the same sensation when our hands clasped in greeting? Her hopes halted as he went on to greet the other new hires.

MISSING YOU

How come I haven’t seen him lately? He always seemed to be engrossed in his work. Will he be coming back after office hours? Lately, she found herself thinking various sentiments relating to him. She had been able to probe some tidbits about his life – what school he graduated from, how long had he been working here, how many siblings does he have, etcetera. But the most critical information was – he is single, and not currently dating anyone. She can’t help but smile. She had never ever thought, even for a fraction of a second, that someone’s very existence could make her this delighted. She had not been the mushy type in her school days. She had always thought that it was overly childish to be that hyped on a specific person. And yet, here she is. Giggling like a high school girl whenever she thought of him. Oh, how little we know ourselves!

NIGHT TO REMEMBER

The promotees were announced. She was no longer surprised to hear his name being called. Her heart pounding as she clasped her hands in a warm applause for the new Seniors. It seems he was going to be her boss. She was happy for him. She didn’t quite understood why. His achievements felt like her own.

She waited for him backstage. She wanted to congratulate him personally. She wanted him to know how happy she is – never mind that they knew each other for less than 2 months. She had led her life living the rules, it’s high time she starts breaking it.

She saw him descend the stairs. Their gazes locked for a while. There was surprise in his eyes, and a tiny glint of exuberance (or did she imagine that one?). She opened her mouth to speak and extended her hand as well. “Congratulations! I guess that makes you my boss now”, she said nervously. She saw him smile in return. He clasped her hand as he said, “Thanks. And you would be my favorite staff from now on”. He squeezed her hand. She felt an underlying message in his last statement.

“Oi, are you two dating? You look cute together.” she heard a voice commented. They both turned to see who said it. They quickly let go of each other’s hand in utter embarrassment.
“Oh, I’m sorry to have disturbed you. Please go on. Ahh, young love.”the voice continued. She gave them a wink and walked past them.

She distinctly remembered that her face was a deep shade of red that night. Partly from the close contact with him, and partly because they had been caught red-handed by mamah herself.

THE END

----------------------------------------
A/A/N:
~ I was supposed to use this term: epistaxis= medical term for nosebleed. I decided against it. Maski ako ninose bleed sa term eh.. wahaha..
~ I believe in lessons that can be applied to real life, hence the suggested topics for Bootcamp.
~ Believe it or not, THIS is a fictional/blind item/gossip work. Discover who the pairings are. Exercise the creative part of your brain.
~ I cannot describe someone’s physical attributes, let alone their face. I totally fail in this one. Gomenasai. Now, if it was a certain NewS member, I might be able to expound a little on their features… *ehem,Ryo-tan*.
~ Credits to Seniors (especially Candee-chan) for baptizing us as kiddos and the next batch as kiddielets. We refer the May ’08 hires as such (the kiddieletlet), for lack of witty term thereof.
~ I just felt the need to include our beloved mamah in this fic. (I meant the beloved part X3). Of course her part was fictional. Could you imagine her saying, “Oi” to us?! All Hail the Queen Mother!
~ This was done in one sitting (ok, not really, I had to go to the bathroom from time to time), pardon the storyline. It’s a bit (ok, a lot) melodramatic. I have a different writing style.
~ Comments please.

Irrational Choices

2008-07-21T08:22:02Z

Title: Irrational Choices
Pairing: A girl, and Ryo
Disclaimer: Entirely fictional. Ryo does not belong to me (though I hope he does..^_^)
Summary: Love. Pain. Angst.
A/N: First time to post a fanfic. I have been making them but I opted to post this one first. Comments will be appreciated. ^_^

You have reached the voicemail. Please leave a message after the tone. Beep.

She looked at her cellphone with complete annoyance. She had been calling for the past hour but still she could not get hold of him.

She looked at her watch. 8:30 pm. She had been waiting for almost an hour for him.

Could he have forgotten? No, that can’t be. This day was special. He couldn’t have forgotten the occasion.

She tried to rationalize what could have possibly kept him for so long.

Could something have happened to him? What if he met an accident? Or he was mobbed by gangsters on the way? The latter notion was a bit doubtful. Afterall, he can definitely protect himself. She has seen him fight (and win) so many times that it was impossible to envision anyone capable of bullying him. So what is making him this late?

A slow smile crept on her face as she thought of another possibility. Perhaps, he was preparing a surprise for her! But what surprise could it be that it would take an hour to get here?! Well… it could have been an imported relic from somewhere exotic and the travelling time was grueling so the time interval was unavoidable...
She sighed. Even to her, that sounded stupid.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see that the waiter is eyeing her suspiciously. It was a busy night, and customers needed the tables. He had to be here soon or she might have to be thrown out of this restaurant in favor of other customers who actually order something to eat, and not just gulping down mango juice.

She tried calling him again – for the nth time. Only this time, the line was able to go through.

“Where are you? I have been trying to call you for an hour.” she told him, trying her best to sound irritated. In truth, she was annoyed that he made her wait for him again. But upon hearing his voice, all irritation seemed to have eluded.

“Oh. Sorry about that. I was just about to call you too. I had to keep it off during the security check.” He said from the other line. His voice seemed too edgy to speak.

“Really? You were going to call me too? That’s gre—Eh? Security? What security check? Where are you? Are you in the police station? Did something bad happen? Wait for me. I will be there. Where are you again?”,panic was now surfacing in her voice. She quickly stashed money in the table, grabbed her bag and hurried to the door. She ignored the confused look of the people in the restaurant as she went out. She tried to hail a taxi but since it was peak hours, she knew it was impossible to get one.

“This may take a while. I will be taking the train. Wait, you still haven’t told me where you are. Talk to me Ryo. You are making me worried.” Her voice was exasperated and sick with worry.

Silence.

“I didn’t tell you earlier because I knew you would try to stop me… “

Silence.

“I’m at the airport… I am going after her… I can’t take it anymore… Please understand…”

His words befell on her like a splash of cold water. Airport. Her. Going. She stopped dead on her tracks as realization hit her.

He is going to follow her to Canada…

“No, Ryo. Please. Don’t do this. She is not worth it. Don’t.”, she said in a pleading voice. The tears that had welled up moments ago were freely flowing.

“Please don’t cry. I have to do this. I’m really sorry.” he said. She knows that he hates to see her cry. Ironically, more often that not, he was the reason for her tears.

“No! You don’t have to do this! Stop acting so impulsively. Think of your family… Your studies... Your friends... Me…” she told him. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from such pain. She can’t let him go. How could she possibly survive without him?!

When he didn’t say anything in return, she knew she had struck a chord in his conscience. She knew him long enough to know that she had to convince him soon. She can only think of playing the only ace that she had in this situation.

“Am I not important to you? Are we not important to you? Make a decision Ryo. Is it your life here – with your family and friends, or is it an unknown future with her?”, she asked him.

“If you choose her, I will cut off all ties with you. It will be as if I never knew you existed”, she said threateningly. She didn’t want to resort to such an unreasonable threat, but she would do anything to keep him from riding that plane.

Silence.

She can hear him breathing more slowly. She knows he was pacing back and forth at this very moment. He always does that when he is torn between two decisions.

“I… I… I… am… truly sorry… I have to go… I have a plane to catch… I will miss you… Take care…”, he said from the other line.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The line went dead. She stood in the alley, unable to move, unable to speak. Her threat didn’t even mean anything to him. She felt like an object being discarded. She had been by his side through thick and thin. And yet, in that one summer, she was now classified as unimportant. She was so sure that she held a special place in his heart. Now, she finally understood how he felt about her. Which was nothing.

You have made your choice. It’s my turn to keep my end of the bargain. She told herself bitterly, as she slowly moved her numb legs to cross the intersection to get home. Her love had left her for another girl…daring to cross the oceans for a love he had briefly experienced… and she… she had been dumped and broken… on her birthday…

Welcome!

2008-07-11T08:00:37Z

Hello everyone!
First ever post in my first ever blog...

What to do? what to write (or rant)? what to post?

Well, depends on my mood, interest and time availability..

But you can expect a lot of NewS-related items here...

I am admittedly hooked on NewS.. but still on the healthy side (i think,LOL)..
I'm new to this fangirling thing though.. so, please help me out on that one..

I love to write so I may be posting fanfics here.. However, I am not a big fan of the boy-pairing.. Gomenasai.. I stil read it though (LOL), as I am utterly amazed at how good the authors of these fanfics are.. ( hats off to you!)

I hope to learn a lot about the JE boys and even about other fans.. One of my goals is to go to Japan and experience the culture firsthand (and it wouldn't hurt to see the JE boys as well.. XD)

Anyways, feel free to friend me.. or go ever my post..

Hope to see you here again soon..