Wonderland

Always the bridesmaid but never the bride – that's what Tsukushi Makino is. She never had a boyfriend and has always been a no-no to the eyes of the opposite gender. And even if she wanted to be married someday, there seems to be no hope for that. Will she ever find the man she'll love and loves her in return with the help of her faithful friends?

"Wonderland"

Tsukasa and Tsukushi pairings.

My first multi-chaptered Hana Yori Dango fanfic – I did NOT base this on the anime/manga or even in the drama. I came up with this while I was watching an old movie (I just forgot the title…sorry) – so basically, I got the idea there.

The characters of Hana Yori Dango here are quite different with regards to their personalities but I hope you'll still like the story. :-)

Anyways, I do NOT own Hana Yori Dango or any of its characters.

Read and Review. :-)

Tsukushi Makino owns the famous fashion boutique named "Wonderland". It is known for its unique style of different dresses – from a simple shirt to the dreamiest wedding gown for a bride-to-be who has an eye for uniqueness.

On that unique shop, she has only three co-workers. Why three? Because she feels like aside from her, these three people have also an eye for uniqueness. Take her best friend Yuki Matsuoka as an example. While Tsukushi is working as the main designer, Yuki is the one who is doing the planning of how a party should be and sometimes, she's also the one who does the finishing touches of Tsukushi's designs.

The other two are her friends as well. Soujiro Nishikado is their Advertising Director – and when they say Advertising Director, they mean that he's the one doing the publicity stuffs. And the other one is Rui Hanazawa – whom she considers her guy best friend. Rui is their photographer who doesn't want to do any other job than to take photos. As much as Tsukushi doesn't want to admit it, Soujiro and Rui are the main reasons why they get so much customers and models for their shop.

Wonderland is not just a fashion boutique – they also cater to the needs of their customers such as hosting a party, planning a wedding, covering events and much more. But of course, with things like these – money matters the most.

Tsukushi rushed to her office, on her hands are papers – bills, plans, designs, and letters from customers abroad; as her cell phone is in between her ear and shoulder, talking to Soujiro on the other line.

"What do you mean 'you forgot to tell me'?" she asked while looking still at the plans for their next project – planning and hosting a wedding for a famous celebrity couple. "Soujiro, forgetting is something that should be non-existent term or word in our dictionary!" she added furiously.

"I'm really sorry, Tsukushi." Soujiro apologized insistently.

"Sorry?" she repeated, almost yelling. "How am I supposed to be in two different places at the same time with your 'sorry', huh Soujiro? I couldn't just spilt myself and attend two different meetings with two different clients on two different places at the same time now, can i?"

"Why don't you just send Yuki on one of your meetings, instead?" Soujiro suggested as if it was the brightest idea one could ever come up with. "You can do that one, right?"

"Yeah, I can do that." She answered calmly. "Except that Yuki left for a meeting in Ginza just five minutes ago." She added, snapping Soujiro. "Any more bright ideas, Einstein?" she asked sarcastically.

"uhm…" Soujiro stumbled for words for a moment. "How about sending Rui instead? I'm sure he's free right now." He suggested again, sounding really unsure if Tsukushi would take that suggestion seriously.

Tsukushi sighed while looking through the glass divider of their offices. Rui was sleeping on his black leathered sofa, hanging on his neck is his latest camera. "I'll try." She answered and ended the call. She puts the documents on her desk and headed outside of her office and went to the office next to it.

"Rui." She called as she just entered Rui and Soujiro's office. "Oi, Rui! Wake up." She called but Rui just grumbled words sleepily and turned his back on her. She decided to shake his body to wake him up then. "Rui! Wake up!" she said again. This time, she was tapping Rui's arms.

Rui exhaled as he turned facing Tsukushi. He wiped his eyes with his hands and he reluctantly opens his eyes as the face of Tsukushi came into his view. "What do you want, Tsukushi?" he asked while motioning his body to a sitting position.

Tsukushi didn't sat beside him but she stood up in front of him, her arms crossed. "I want you to go to a meeting at two in the afternoon today." she said flatly.

Rui looked up at her. "Me? Why me?" he asked, clearly not liking the idea of being sent to a meeting all of a sudden. "Why don't you go instead? Or send Soujiro or Yuki?" he asked as he was suggesting. "Why me?" he repeated as he scratched the back of his head.

"I'd love to go myself, but Soujiro forgot to tell me that I also have a meeting at the same time today." she replied. "Soujiro's in a meeting today to advertise our shop and Yuki's at Ginza for planning a wedding." She explained. "And the only one I can count on right now is you so frankly, you don't have any choice but to go." she finished flatly and walked out of his office.

For some reason, Soujiro has been the one who is acting like Tsukushi's assistant. He's the one who often sets up a meeting for Tsukushi with clients. He even does that for Yuki – he always recommends Yuki when a client seeks for a party organizer.

"Fine." Rui managed to utter as the door shut closed behind Tsukushi's exit.

He watched the busy-body girl entered her office – she gets her purse along with her planner as she was answering yet another call for only she knows, then went out of her office door. Next thing he knew, she was back on his office.

"Rui? What are you still doing here?" she asked in disbelief while covering her cell phone's receiver. "It's almost two! Hurry up and go!"

"Even if I don't want to, I'm still going. But where am I supposed to go?"

Tsukushi fell silent and stared at Rui for a second. "Crystal Café." She said.

Rui stood up and reached for his bag. Without uttering any word, he passed by Tsukushi and made his own way to the meeting. Tsukushi followed him.

They have decided to close the shop earlier than expected because no one is there to look out for the shop.

"Seriously, Tsukushi. We need to hire employees who can look out for this shop when all of us have meetings." Rui suggested while Tsukushi was padlocking the doors. He was leaning against the wall beside the door Tsukushi was locking.

Tsukushi looked at him when she finished locking the doors. "Let's hold a meeting for that." She said and she started walking across the streets.

Rui followed her still. "You're the boss." He sighed.

--

Rui entered the prestigious Crystal Café – everyone looks like a celebrity with their own sparkling diamond jewelries and sequined dresses. But with Rui's eyes, most of them are not really born with a golden spoon – he should know, he's a professional photographer and most of his models are celebrities or rich people.

He looked around. Tsukushi told him that they already know that he'll be the one to attend their meeting to them. On the window side of the Café, a man whose age is around mid-forty's, raised his hand while looking directly to him. He knew then that he'll be having meeting with them.

Rui walked towards their direction. "Konnichiwa, Matsuda-san." He greeted them and bowed half his body as a sign of respect. Mr. Matsuda, along with his assistant, did the same thing to greet him back.

"Have a sit, Hanazawa-san." Mr. Matsuda offered and Rui sat across him. "Have your orders, please." He told him.

"Thank you, Matsuda-san." He said. "But I think it would be better if we should go down to business at once." He added, sounding as humble as he could.

Mr. Matsuda smiled, looking genuinely happy. "Very well." He replied, turning to his assistant. "Mr. Kimura, the papers please."

Mr. Kimura, whose age is probably younger than Mr. Matsuda, handed the papers to him, and passed it to Rui. "I won't go around the bush anymore, Hanazawa-san." He started as Rui opened the documents. "We want your designs to be on our next movie."

"In short," he cut him off. "You want us to sponsor your artists?"

Mr. Matsuda exchanged glances with Mr. Kimura then back to Rui.

"Yes. That would be it." said Mr. Kimura.

Rui exhaled as he put down the documents that Mr. Matsuda gave him. "How much is your budget?" he asked straightly. Mr. Matsuda looked surprised with his sudden question. "I'm sure you knew that money matters with us, right?" he asked when he saw the look on his face.

He nodded. "Of course, Hanazawa-san."

And just when Mr. Matsuda was about to finish his sentence, Mr. Matsuda gazed on the new person who just entered the café. "Shizuka."

Rui looked at the girl named Shizuka. He, of course, knew who Shizuka Todo was. Not because she's a famous model and celebrity, but because they had already met years ago. He just doesn't want to tell anyone about it. And whatever reasons he has, only he has the knowledge about it.

"Hanazawa-san, this is Ms. Shizuka Todo." Mr. Matsuda introduced. "She'll be the one who will wear your designs."

Shizuka Todo was looking happy when they were introduced to each other, but for some odd reason, Rui bowed his head while saying "Nice to meet you, Shizuka-san." And the smile on her face was replaced with puzzled look.

Shizuka just bowed her head in response.

"Well, I think I might be going now." Rui said afterwards.

The three of them looked at him as he stands tall from his seat, holding the documents they gave him. "This has everything you wanted to tell me, right?" he asked them with regards to the documents and Mr. Matsuda nodded in agreement. "I'll just give this to our boss and she'll be the one to get in touch with you." He said and he bowed half his body again.

When they also did the same thing, Rui walked out of the café.

"He's a very interesting man." Mr. Matsuda said as they watched him fast disappearing from their view.

"Yeah, he is." Shizuka answered.

--

"You didn't even ask Mr. Matsuda anything about these?" Tsukushi asked Rui in a half-yelling manner, pointing at the documents Rui had gave him. She was in the boys' office along with Yuki. Both the boys are sitting on the leathered sofa where Rui has been sleeping a while ago, while Yuki was standing on the opened door, looking worried.

"Everything he wants to say is written on those papers so why would I even bother asking?" he defended himself. "And besides, you know that I suck at meetings." He added.

"He has a point." Soujiro said, agreeing with Rui.

Tsukushi's glare went to Soujiro. "Shut up!" she told him. "You're the one who suggested it. And may I remind you that this is your point as well?"

Soujiro playfully bit his lips and threw his hands in air.

Tsukushi rolled her eyes as she walked to the windows of their office.

"Tsukushi, you need to cool down." Yuki advised, speaking for the first time. "Why don't you hire your own assistant? In fact, why don't you hire helpers as well? We need helpers in this shop, Tsukushi." She added.

"See? Even Yuki thinks the same way I think." Rui said.

"I, too!" Soujiro declared while raising his right hand.

Tsukushi turned to them. She eyed each of her co-workers in the shop who all thinks that they needed help in their shop.

"Our designs are beginning to be known and we're having more and more clients." Yuki added, reminding her of how busy they're getting each passing moment.

Her co-workers have a point there.

"Fine!" she told them. "Soujiro, you're in-charge." She dismissed and walked out of their office down to their shop on the first floor.

And by in-charge, Tsukushi meant that Soujiro needs to put in the newspapers that they're hiring new employees. Not only that it should be on the newspaper, but also on television and radio stations – and Soujiro knows how to play smart with regards to paying those advertisements – because if not, then why the hell would he be chosen as their Advertising Director, right?

Yuki, Soujiro, and Rui just watched Tsukushi made her way down the stairs to their shop.

"She really needs to cool down, doesn't she?" Yuki said to no one in particular.

"Yeah." Both guys agreed.

"But personally," Soujiro started, walking towards Yuki and still looking to the head of Tsukushi that's sinking on the stairs. "I think she needs a love life!"

Rui and Yuki turned their heads to him.

"You're sick!" Rui snapped. "A nag like her is a total no-no to any guys."

"And a boring guy like you is supposed to be hot for females?" Soujiro snapped jokingly at him and the three of them laughed.

"You know what, it's time for work." Yuki told them in between their little moments of joy. "So why don't we go help Tsukushi before she starts screaming?"

"Yeah. Good idea, Yuki." Soujiro said as Yuki started to walk to the stairs. Before completely going down the stairs, he turned to Rui who was still sitting on the leathered sofa. "And you," he called. "Take a nap! That's your job." He joked and followed Yuki down the shop.

Rui smirked at him.

Author's Note: Okay, I know Tsukushi has a really different personality here compared to Rui who still has a trace of his personality from the manga/anime and drama – but that's why we call this fanfic right? We create a different world for our favorite couples to live in, right? :-)

I'd also like to add that Tsukushi here has an average life – not poor, but not also rich. She's a nagger here and is always thinking about work.

Review? :-)