A/N: This is not a song fic but it was inspired by a song called 'Come Fly with Me' sung by Frank Sinatra.
This piece is dedicated to my good friend and partner in crime tall_hot_blonde. Enjoy babe; stay beautiful always. *hearts*
Rin sighed heavily after ripping the page of her tiny calendar to reveal Tuesday's destination: Acapulco Bay.
She sighed again and placed the calendar back on its resting place on the shelf. Tuesdays used to be her day off. Lately they only served to darken her already uncharacteristically blue mood. Her mood, in turn, affected her work performance which made it less than satisfactory both for herself and for the organization she worked for. Each and every customer had complained about her easily insulted and volatile temper. Which had upset Madam Kaede, who had confined Rin to her quarters, which is where she sat now, absentmindedly jotting dots or random lines on her sketch book; her breakfast and lunch were left untouched on the coffee table.
All because of him.
"You're in love." Kanna had stated solemnly, weaving Rin's thick black locks into a loose chignon for a client, then pulling her ear to grab her attention. "Snap out of it, will ya?"
"It's not like I asked for any of this!" Rin had shot back, roughly undoing the bun and tying her hair in a messy ponytail instead.
"Despite how you feel, your highness," Kanna had flipped her long silver hair aside and walked towards the exit, "you're bringing down business-"
"Argh! I already know that!" Rin had snapped. "Kaede gave me an ultimatum. If I can't work anymore she wants me to leave or clean up my act if I want to stay."
"So, what have you decided?" Kanna had asked, quirking a fine brow and placing one hand on her hips, while the other held the door knob.
"Just one more job then I'm leaving this place."
Despite bravely facing the inevitable changes of life, Rin was a creature of habit. She hated that he burst into her life unannounced and turned everything upside down, leaving her in a confused and hopeless state of mind.
Rin had long ago accepted that her life had been mapped out for her and when life gave you lemons... well, you made lemonade. After all, there hadn't been many options available to an eight year old street orphan with no living relatives.
She had been living on the streets for days after her parents death and the triple chinned landlord had promptly thrown her out of the only place she'd known as a home. Her pathetic attempts at pick pocketing had her picking garbage for sustenance until a street girl told her how make a quick and easy buck. Rin had been confused at first, her innocent mind not entirely grasping what the street girl had explained until she saw the deed for herself. Rin had been disgusted. The girl had been tipped a generous hundred dollars; enough to buy proper food and maybe shelter somewhere for the night.
When she had finally mustered her strength to approach an old man offering more money than she'd ever seen in her life and hunger more obvious than dread in her stomach, Rin had been thankful that Madam Kaede had plucked her from the cruddy alley and predatory look in the old man's eyes. He had just asked her to touch his man parts with her mouth. The madam had offered the eight year old a living space and more importantly a means of survival.
Without batting a lash, the madam had explained to Rin the type of place that would now become her home, if she choose to live there. Even then she had been prepared for what was to become her future. After all, what was a few hours of giving her body to someone when she could afford a roof over her head, a decent meal and some education? Rin had been thankful that Madam Kaede had allowed her to begin work at the age of fifteen (the legal age of consent for sex in her prefecture). Apart from kitchen duties and cleaning the house with Kanna and a few other girls, Rin had been assigned a teacher to educate her in basic academics.
Madam Kaede hired several tutors who educated the girls in the privacy of the establishment. Despite the nature of the activities that took place there, she took the utmost pride in teaching the girls proper etiquette and conversational skills for the 'high-end' clients. The house ran like a family or what Rin thought a family to be like. Until she met him and began to dream of a completely different type of family. A family she had lost to rogue thieves.
Madam Kaede was cunning and ruled with an iron fist but was gentle and understanding with the girls. Never once had Rin ever been subjected to the horrors of other brothels in the city.
Fixing her red robe, Rin stared at the blue waves frozen in time in the picture of some far away beach hanging on the wall, covering a small safe had the caretaker of the compound had built for her. The contents of her safe included her life savings in cash and a ticket to Venice via Puerto Vallarta.
Rin had been eagerly anticipating her long awaited vacation and retirement from her line of work. She'd saved more than enough money to study art abroad and maybe even teach if the Fates were kind enough to her. Instead she had kept rescheduling her flight because deep in her heart there was a hint of hope that maybe he would come for her.
He wasa change she had been completely ill prepared for.
I wonder if he thinks about me?Rin thought and quickly suppressed the growing feeling of sadness in her heart.
Stop moping around like a lost puppy! Why would he even think of coming here of all places? Just to be with you? Just to give you a happy ending? Well life isn't full of sunshine, lollipops and happy endings and you of all people should know that by now.
Rin's head met the cold hard surface of the desk with a dull thud and she shut her eyes. Willing for the tears not to fall. Trying hard to forget him. It was the least she could do to move on with her life.
The beep of the intercom on her wall interrupted her brooding. It was Madam Kaede.
"He'll be here any minute. Are you absolutely certain, child?"
"Yes, Madam Kaede. I won't disappoint you, you have my word."
Rin answered, trying to sound as confident as possible. Pushing the sinking feeling as deep as possible back into her heart, she dragged her feet to the window. The client had specifically requested for her and arranged a large retainer for her services exclusively. There was no need to make Madam Kaede suffer for her heartache.
This is all business, Rin. Keep your head up. Soon, you'll be on your way to Venice, studying art and before you know it, you'll have a brand new life.
Both her hands went to the back of her neck massaging her tense muscles. Who was she kidding? She was in denial. Forgetting him was not an option because... she was in love...
Of all the men she had ever known, he was the only one who despite seeing her for who she really was, wanted her. Wanted not just her body but something more which, for the longest time, she felt she was incapable of giving.
Like an unpredictable tide, he had rushed into her life and made her dream of options. He had made her dream of a life not confined by loneliness and solitude and that's where the fear lay, not just for herself, she already surmised she was destined for hell, but also for him and the utter shame and humiliation she would bring him if they became involved.
With furrowed brows, Rin traced the wooden sill of her tinted bedroom window and looked outside. A limo had pulled up and a sharply dressed man, in a black suit and purple tie, was walking up to the broken, shabby door of the bawdy house (deceptive given how pristine the place looked inside). His expensive car and attire meant an added bonus for her if she played her cards right. Rin let out a dry laugh.
The Fates were really getting a kick out of her life. After all, it had been two months ago, on a Tuesday, that she had fallen into his arms. Literally.