A/N: I. Love. Weird. Pairings.

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Hereafter...
...is when we find the meaning of it all.
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Chapter One
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"To the most wonderful woman in my life," read the billboard that stood a mile high. Snow was beginning to distort the picture of a man—one of those highly-paid models with little to show for—and a woman—probably an air- head—posing like idiots for a Valentine's Day commercial sponsored by the local jewelry empire. In the man's hands was a sterling-silver, heart- shaped locket and was about to place it around the woman's neck.
Satoshi Hiwatari looked on with an indifferent face, but, inwardly, he wished that if only looks could make something spontaneously combust...He looked down at his watch. It was five minutes past the hour and the new candidate for that maid-job he posted up was late. One more minute, he swore. After that, he's dropping her. 'What was her name, again?' he wondered. He pulled out her papers—

'Come on, Riku! Move those feet!' A honey-browned hair woman was jogging up the snowy path towards the place where she was supposed to meet her future boss. Four minutes late—it was the damned bus driver's fault! If only he had stopped wasting time with his boyfriend... She shuddered at the thought. Five minutes... She was almost there, but it seemed that her pace started to slow down under the weight of her jacket, sweater, and suitcase. 'Move, it! Move it!' She quickly recovered herself and ran towards a figure she spied that probably was her employer. Her eyes widened when she saw them turn around.

"Wait!" she yelled as loudly as her strained lungs would allow. "I'm here!" She panted and puffed and almost dropped to her knees in exhaustion. Man, she hadn't run like the 100-yard dash since 12th grade... She bent over and leaned her hands on her thighs.

Satoshi checked his watch. "Six minutes late, Ms. Harada. I don't allow slacking in this job you're applying for. I don't think I'd want to hire you, now."

Riku was too out-of-breath to show a surprised and crest-fallen face. All she could manage was, "Sorry...bus driver...late...ran uphill..." Oh, damn. What was she supposed to do? She spent her last dime on that horrid bus trip, and now, her only source of income was turning her down. She bowed her head a few times. "I'm sorry," she said when she caught her breath. "I know making excuses for such behavior is childish. I promise I won't be late, ever again."

"No, you're..."

Riku Harada looked up at him with golden-brown eyes that pleaded for forgiveness. Usually, she wouldn't do this, but her situation looked dim and putting aside her pride was an easy feat considering how low her spirits were right then.

Satoshi blinked through his glasses and couldn't understand why he stopped in mid-sentence—and why it suddenly became hotter. Let's try again. He cleared his throat and said, "Ms. Harada, you're..."

Riku looked down from the tone of his voice. She didn't bother bracing herself for the word of rejection. She became dejected and slouched.

"Hired."

She looked up with a surprised look on her face. Did she hear right? Before she could ask him to clarify his statement, he quickly turned around and added, "Come with me." She nodded and picked up her suitcase. This is...a miracle!

He sighed inwardly in a defeated way. What in the world was going on with his head? He should be harder and stricter. Well, what he read in the applicant's form better make up for his brief moment of lunacy.

When they reached his place, the new maid breathed heavily. It took only twenty minutes, but it seemed like an eternity to Riku Harada. Besides that, her employer didn't bother to offer to carry her suitcase—which started as feeling light to feeling like a twenty-pound rock—and was immersed in complete silence that filled their little jaunt. That's right. No vehicle. The brown-haired woman was about to chop her legs off. But when she finally looked up, her mouth and eyes were agape at the "magnificent" mansion that was in front of her.

"Wow...," she whispered.

"Are you going to stand there in the cold like an idiot, or are you coming in?"

Riku snapped out of being stupefied and noticed that her new boss had already reached the inside of his mansion and was impatiently waiting for her.

With newfound energy, she jogged up to the door, wiped her shoes, and became even more amazed at the inside of the behemoth house.

Satoshi noted all of the times she stood fascinated at her surroundings—another mystery as to why he would. More useless information he picked up, he thought with a bit of irritation tugging at his brain. And that irritation caused his eyes and voice to grow colder than the outside weather. He looked at her with ice-blue eyes that caught her attention. He made another little note of her cringing (which was barely noticeable). If she was going to make him feel discomfort, he'd make her feel discomfort, as well—about 100 times more. He opened his mouth and said:

"Welcome to your new home."

Suddenly, Riku felt a chill that ran up her spine. She didn't exactly feel too excited to be there at that moment.
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A/N: Another new story...sorry to those who wanted more chaps of my other stories... I just had to write one about Satoshi and Riku... o.O;; And I needed a break from the others...

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