Written by Paraluman

Disclaimer: I do not own Honey and Clover

A/N: It's been some time since I last wrote a fic. I have changed my named from Tomine Ichizawa to Paraluman… it's a new year and I want to try a new moniker. This is my first fic for Honey and Clover, so a little warning to all of you who might be reading this: I watched the Jdorama, not the anime series, so there might be some differences in the characterization of the people and there might be chance that I will not be able to finish this story, since I am a constant victim of something we call "writer's block". I might not also be able to update as much as I want to, because school usually leaves me very little time to enjoy myself.

Anyways, enough with chit-chat. I really hope that you guys enjoy this… I intend no pun to the supporters of the couples whom I am to break apart in this fic. I mean… this IS fiction. And by the way, please, please don't forget to review!!!:D

Those Were the Days

Prologue

An urn stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by man of our colleagues. They were admiring the intricate handiwork of the urn's design, which was probably painstakingly detailed to the last dot. I stole a glance at Rika, who was currently engaged in conversation with Diego Larrazabal, one of our Spanish associates. Incidentally, he was also the number one guy in my hit list. Rika dressed up a bit today, much to my irritation. She was wearing a daring black halter dress, with matching high heels. I was still sizing up her overall outfit when she caught me looking at her. I stared at her, and she turned her head away haughtily. Then I noticed her trying to make her conversation with Diego seem a bit livelier, leaning in for a whisper or two, giggling like a schoolgirl every now and then. She knew I was looking at her, watching her every move, and she was doing her best to anger me.

She knew that I hated Diego Larrazabal with every fiber in my body, especially since he made known his intentions of courting her, even with everyone knowing of my relationship with Rika. So that is why, even though I knew she disliked him, she decided to brave his company this evening. I was watching them nonstop for the next thirty minutes when a voice interrupted my surveillance just as Diego casually slung an arm around Rika's exposed shoulders. I grimly turned to see who was speaking to me.

It was Nina Daza, one of our company's top executives.

"Good evening, Mr. Mayama," she sai d in her thickly accented English. She was a typical Spanish beauty; dark, piercing eyes, full lips, a chiseled nose and perfectly tanned skin. She also boasted a voluptuous body. "The urn is quite impressive, no?"

"I believe so, ma'am. Excuse me," I replied curtly. Despite the fact that Nina made very good company, I did not feel like socializing that night. I felt like wringing Diego's neck. However, as I made a move to walk away, Nina's firm grip on my arm stopped me.

"Where are you going, hijo? You've barely even seen the urn."

Then from the corner of my eye, I saw Diego lower his arm from Rika's shoulder to her waist. Rika did not seem to notice, and I just felt my temper flare up like an erupting volcano.

"My, my," Nina followed my gaze. "Fighting, are we?"

"I think that's pretty obvious, and that it's none of your business," I retorted rather coldly.

I badly wanted to offend everyone that night. If I offended Nina however, she did not show it. Instead she pulled me towards the urn, and said in her boss tone, "Well I certainly don't care about your love affairs, mi hijo, but you will pay attention to this urn. "

In anger I shook off Nina's hand from my arm. She did not seem to mind it at all.

"The urn before you is the pottery world's current Mona Lisa," she stated a matter-of-factly, as if I would just plop down and listen to her. "It is our greatest prive---"

"Look Nina. I am not in the mood for this. I don't give a damn if that is the actual Mona Lisa painting. So can I just go?"

Nina looked at me as I slapped her. I immediately regretted the way I treated her. "Look, I'm really sorry Nina. I'm just… well, even you can see that we're not even friends at the moment. Pots are the last things I want to think of right now… I apologize for my behavior tonight."

Nina just looked at me incredulously before patting my back. "It's alright. I understand. We'll just talk about the pots at some later time, eh? Mi pardon, hijo."

With that Nina walked away, and I felt like an incumbent jerk. Before I knew it I was walking beside her, asking about the urn while keeping an eye out for Rika.

"I thought you didn't want to talk about the pots –"

"I don't. I just want to make up for my behavior."

Nina smiled at me. "Well, if you say so, hijo. I'm pretty excited about the urn, actually, and I think that you should be, even more."

"And why is that?"

"It was created by a post-graduate student from your old art college back in Japan."

"I see." I spotted Rika at the back of the crowd, who, upon spotting me with Nina, began to glare at me. I snubbed her to return the favor she bestowed me some minutes ago. Apparently Nina saw that exchange between us, because she nudged me with her elbow.

"Are you still with me?"

"Yeah… so you researched about him?"

"Her actually," she replied, placing emphasis on the 'her'. "It's beautiful that women are making waves in today's art industry, no?"

"She's probably old, since she's making waves in the art world." It was true. Most of the time young people only stuck to being proteges while their masters reaped numerous awards and recognition.

"Actually, she's a young mujer… about a year younger than you."

A year younger than me. How could that person still be studying? She should've graduated already, unless she plans on usurping Morita's throne of being the oldest student in the campus. I sighed as I remembered my friends from back home. If they were here, I would have been laughing off my problems already… or at least forget them even for a little while. But they weren't, so Nina would have to do for now.

"She signs her works with the name Tetsujin."

My head snapped up as I heard the name. Even with Nina's heavy Spanish accent, I could not have heard wrong. Tetsujin. Iron Lady. I almost smiled.

"Yamada."

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