The clock struck eight and his alarm let out a shrill ring, jarring him from sleep. Taichi Kamiya rolled over in bed and groaned, reaching blindly for the vibrating device on his bedside table. He groped unsteadily, knocking a thick book and a small watch off the table, before finding the clock. However, his sleep-stricken fingers were too impaired for the delicate task of turning the alarm clock off, so he simply grabbed it and threw it across the room.

He dimly registered the crash that his alarm clock made and sighed heavily. That was the third one this week. Making a mental note to ask Jared to buy another, Tai rolled over and staggered out of bed. He shivered as he left the warm confines of his mattress behind and staggered through the cool air towards the adjoining bathroom.

After an fifteen minute shower, during which he abused the hot water to a maximum degree, Tai exited the bathtub and wrapped a towel around himself, grabbing a smaller one and roughly tousling his hair. Although it normally stuck up around his head, at the present moment it was hanging limply around his head like a big dust mop. He began to make himself presentable, going about his daily routine with little interest or energy. After all, today was simply another day, identical to yesterday and the yesterday before that, and that was how it had been now for several years.

Ever since Tai had climbed the social and administrative ladder and secured a position as CEO of a multinational IT corporation, he had not enjoyed his life. Sure, the money was great, and the lavish penthouse suite in a condo in the best part of town had its merits, but his posh lifestyle was simply full of superficialities. They didn't mean anything in the long run. He rarely had any sort of excitement in his life – everything was too ordinary, too original. He yearned for action, for change, for anything that brought excitement to his mundane life. He had uncountable acquaintances, but few friends. He had hundreds of business contacts, but no close associates.

Tai sighed as he rendered his upper body dry and slipped into a large blue bathrobe before exiting the bathroom, a cloud of steam following after him. He surveyed his spacious bedroom critically, eyes lingering over the large windows, the king-sized bed, the midnight blue mattress. If someone wanted to know the events of what occurred in this room, the story would be a short one indeed. Nothing of any excitement ever took place within these four walls (Tai didn't consider casual, meaningless sex with random women exciting), and the place was a mess. Socks, both used and unused, littered the floor. Sprinkled amongst them were rolled up pieces of paper, several pairs of boxers, a pair of jeans, and several dress shirts, all wrinkled and dishevelled.

Tai sighed and made his way over to his closet, flinging it open and glancing inside. He made to pull a suit out before remembering that he had asked Jared to put one aside last night. He shut the closet door, turning away and approaching his large window, where the open curtains allowed for a spectacular view of the city.

Tai leaned forward and rested his forehead against the cool glass windowpane, looking out at the bustling city. Pedestrians milled about the street, heading to work and from home, flooding the sidewalks and choking the streets in their cars. Tai watched them for a brief moment, eyes hooded with sleep. Soon enough he would be amongst them, one in a throng of millions, as insignificant as a speck of dust.

Still, he was a CEO and he had a company at his heels, so at least he had a firmer standing than most others could claim. He turned away, rubbing his hair absently with the towel as he pulled open his bedroom door and sidled down the hallway toward the kitchen.

The sounds of melting butter and a steaming kettle met his ears as he entered the dining area. A grey haired, middle aged man was standing at the stove, busying himself with a platter of fat, steaming pieces of fish. Tai's stomach rumbled hungrily.

"Good morning, sir," his housekeeper said, smiling. "I've prepared grilled fish, miso soup and a plate of rice for breakfast. The suit you asked for last night is also laid out on the couch. I took the liberty of ironing your tie."

"Thanks, Jared," Tai said, putting on a grin as he seated himself at the table. Jared walked over and placed a plate of steaming food on the table before him, along with a bowl of soup. Tai leaned over and began inhaling the food, stuffing it into his mouth so quickly it was gone in an instant. Smirking, Jared served him seconds.

When Tai was finished eating, he wiped his mouth on a napkin and stood up, collecting his suit from the couch, where it was wrapped in a plastic cover. Jared picked up the used plates and bowls, carrying them over to the gleaming sink and tuning on the tap. "Shall I inform the limo to be prepared to leave soon, sir?" he called.

Tai shook his head. "Nah. I don't feel like driving today; I need something different. I'm taking the subway."

"Very good, sir."

Tai hauled the clothes to his bedroom, where he spent the next ten minutes making himself presentable. When he was dressed in a sharp-looking blue business suit and his hair was neatly combed (or as neat as it was ever going to get) he got ready to go.

"See you, Jared," Tai said as he grabbed his keys and briefcase and walked out the door. "Oh, and before I forget, I broke another alarm clock. I'll be needing a new one for tomorrow."

"Of course. Goodbye, Mr. Kamiya," his housekeeper called back, a grin evident in his voice as the door shut behind him.

Tai took the elevator down to the bottom floor of the massive condo and exited, nodding to the concierge briefly before walking through doors and out into the street.

The hustle and bustle of morning traffic hit him in the face as he stepped out into the bright morning. Sunlight streamed from the cloudless sky, reflecting off cars in the street and causing Tai to squint as he made his way across the road. Maybe it would have been prudent to take the limo after all.

Hurrying to avoid an oncoming car, Tai reached the subway stairwell and headed down it, being jostled ever so slightly by the crowd. After buying his ticket he headed through the turnstile and across the subway platform, stowing his wallet back inside his pocket as he did so. As a result, he was not watching where he was going and he walked right into someone, causing their handbag to fall to the ground and spill its contents all across the platform. A cup of coffee fell among them, flooding the platform with beige liquid.

"I'm so sorry," Tai apologized, looking down to see...

...the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She wore a tight, very high skirt, which was such a dark blue that it first appeared black. Tai's gaze travelled down her form, observing how the skirt hugged her thighs tightly and complimented her pale, lustrous legs. Her feet were small, with pretty toenails that were an obvious result of a pedicure, painted light pink with nail polish. Blue high-heeled shoes which looked incredibly expensive supported her as she straightened up. Her upper body was covered with a pink button-up blouse and a crisp blue business suit that did nothing to hide her noticeable curves. Expensive designer sunglasses hung from her open collar, pulling her shirt down ever so slightly and revealing a small patch of alabaster skin. He looked into her face, noticing the soft pink curve of her lips, the slight blush in her cheeks, the lilac perfume that swam around her tantalizingly. Her eyes were wide and staring, revealing deep brown irises – like the best chocolate. Honey-coloured hair, with streaks of strawberry blonde, hung down her back in wavy, slight curls and gleamed even underground with a sleek, mesmerizing light.

"That's all right," the woman said sincerely, smiling at him and bending over to pick up the contents of her purse. Her blouse opened slightly as she leaned over and he caught a glimpse of a pale pink bra, hugging her ample cleavage.

He blushed.

Remembering his manners, he kneeled down and began to help her collect her items. On all sides of them, people flowed past, not stopping or caring to see the mess they had made. For all intents and purposes, Tai and this woman were invisible.

"I'm really sorry," Tai said once again as he set his briefcase aside and picked up a handful of makeup items and a small hairbrush, holding them out to the woman. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

The woman reached out and took the items back, her fingers brushing Tai's ever so slightly as she did so. He felt a sharp tingle travel from the tips of his fingers where she had touched him all the way up his arm. Her honey blond hair fell forward around her face like a curtain, obscuring part of her face.

"It's my fault," she said, giving him a fleeting glance from beneath her curtain of hair as she hastily shoved the contents of her handbag back where they belonged. "I was in a hurry, so I wasn't looking where I should have. I have a job interview soon that I have to get to."

"Oh, really?" was all he could think to say. He immediately felt like an idiot and cursed inwardly. Why was he acting so strangely around this woman?

"I'd be glad to give you a lift if you need it," Tai offered, smiling hesitantly at the woman, unsure of how she would react to a stranger offering her a ride.

To his relief, the woman simply smiled brightly, revealing elegant white teeth. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't want to be a bother."

"It's no trouble," he replied.

She smiled. "Aren't you taking the subway just like me?"

"Indeed," he grinned sheepishly. "But I don't live far from here and I do own a car. I just wanted a change of scenery for today."

"You and me both," the woman replied, straightening up and tugging at the hem of her skirt as she looked down. "Oh, no..."

Tai followed her gaze and noted with dismay that he had accidentally spilled coffee on both her right arm and the side of her skirt, which now had a damp stain on it. The woman's face fell, and she looked so disappointed that Tai melted. He felt a sudden, powerful urge to reassure this beautiful stranger, especially since it had been his fault that she was a ruffled mess.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Tai said soothingly, pulling a dark blue handkerchief from his inner jacket pocket. "Let me take care of that for you." He gently took hold of the woman's hand, enjoying the feel of her soft, cool fingers within his own, as he wiped the coffee away. The woman turned a delicate shade of pink as he touched her arm, and kept her eyes downcast. Tai then started to reach for her skirt before blushing hotly. "I... er...would you like to... I mean..." he stammered incoherently, wincing. Great going, Taichi. Now she probably thinks you're a nut.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, flushing pink and accepting the handkerchief as she hurriedly wiped at her skirt. Tai nodded meekly as he picked up her bright pink purse and handed it to her. "Thank you," she murmured.

"It's no trouble," Tai said, still a bit red. It was remarkable how this woman made him feel so awkward within his own body, as though he were a lanky schoolboy once again.

A loud noise blared through the station as a train rushed past them, slowly grinding to a halt. Both Tai and the pretty blond woman turned to look at the subway as its doors opened and people began to move in and out.

"Well... this is me," the woman said, inclining her head toward the train and giving him a little smile.

The gorgeous curve of her lips disarmed him and he could think of nothing to say except. "Oh. Okay."

Smooth move, ace.

"Good luck with your job interview," he added as she moved into the train. She smiled wider. "Thanks." She tugged again at the hem of her skirt, giving him a questioning look. "Apart from the obvious coffee stain, how do I look? Would you hire me?"

He smiled slightly as he surveyed her curvy yet graceful form, taking this opportunity to give his eyes a delicious feast. He felt a squirm of pleasure as he noticed two dots of pink appear on each of her cheeks. "You look stunning. I'd hire you the second you walked in the door."

She smiled shyly.

A horn blared.

Suddenly Tai realized that in mere seconds the train would start up again and he would probably never see this woman again in his life. In a city as large as Tokyo, it would be extremely rare to see a single random stranger more than once. She would leave and this could easily be their last encounter.

For some reason that he didn't completely understand, Tai did not want that to happen.

"Wait," he called suddenly.

She glanced over at him, surprised. "Yes?"

"I... that is..." Tai was wringing his hands almost unconsciously. He blushed hotly. "I was wondering... maybe, if I could... g-get you a cup of coffee sometime. You know, to replace that one." He indicated the sticky beige mess that had spread across the platform.

She was silent for a moment, and then her lips curved into an elegant, mischievous smile.

"Would you by any chance be interested?" he finished quietly, looking at her. She simply smiled at him. With a sharp ringing noise, two short whistle blasts came from the train as the doors began to close. Tai's eyes widened as he moved forward, stopping in front of the woman on the train.

"Maybe," she said softly, and then the train began to move, picking up speed as it moved down the tracks. Tai stared after her, his gaze locked with her own, wanting to keep her in sight even as she slowly vanished. She held his gaze, the smile evident in her eyes, until the train carried her away and into the dark tunnel.

He stood dumbly at the edge of the platform, staring down the tracks, while people moved about behind him. He then realized two things.

One, she had taken the train he needed to take.

Two, she still had his blue handkerchief.

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A/N: Well, that's chapter one! What do you think so far? I would greatly appreciate any feedback. If there's anything that needs to be changed or improved let me know. Ideas or constructive criticisms welcome as well. So, please leave reviews!