A-17325
By Joocie Fruit
9-03-06
Hey guys! So this is a spur of the moment type thing. I Actually began writing this ff about a year ago but lost interest halfway. However, I've been inspired lately and so here it goes. It's a little different from my other ffs because of the sci-fi twist but the romance is still there. I promise. So please READ AND REVIEW! And don't forget to check out my other stories as well.
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Prologue
Tokyo Japan, 1940
"Just one more shot," came the soothing voice of John Kimbro as he held the camera up into position. The woman's rosy red lips parted into a graceful smile, all feeling of discomfort she had to endure for the past hour masked by this simple gesture. With arms that ached from holding the bouquet and toes that were numb from the dainty stilettos, she was ready to collapse. At last a faint click was heard. It was the end of another tiring day.
It wasn't as if twenty-two year old Sakura Kinomoto despised the art of modeling. She was beautiful to say the least; long auburn curls that fell past her shoulders, emerald eyes and a perfect figure of five feet seven inches. She couldn't walk down the street without various glances from attractive young bachelors and sometimes, married men. But the increasing popularity of Kimbro's Bridal made it difficult for a model like her to enjoy their youth. John Kimbro was indeed a genius of his era. Although she would rather spend her time curling up with a good book, Sakura felt much pride when she modeled his one of a kind creations, consisting of every item of clothing you would need for a fancy wedding. She had been working consecutively for two weeks, trying to squeeze in all of Mr. Kimbro's latest designs for the fall catalog and quite thankful that today was the last day.
"Well that was the last one. Good job Sakura" said John, reaching out a hand. Sakura took it and with a firm shake, replied,
"Thank you. I hope I met your expectations." John grinned with the acute amount of teeth left in his mouth. Indeed his gray hair and old age did not bury his youthful soul.
"No, Sakura, you exceeded them."
A little while later, after changing out of the light pink bridesmaid gown that she donned for page twenty two of the catalog, Sakura found herself in front of her vanity applying the finishing layer of lipstick onto her lips. She was now clad in an elegant plum colored dress that cascaded down her lean figure onto the floor. Shiny white heels peeked from underneath the sleeveless garment as a shaggy shawl lay only a few feet away, waiting to be draped around her shoulders. Sakura smiled as she thought about the occasion for which she spent the last hour preparing for. Yuki… she pondered fondly as the image of a handsome twenty-five year old came into mind. Yukito Tsukishiro, the son of Mickey Tsukishiro, was the CEO of a successful spice factory. This was the man who had captured her heart when they first met five years ago. Yuki's stepsister, Miho, had been searching for a suitable wedding dress for her special day. Back then, Sakura's modeling career had hardly built its foundation but the lavish white gown adorned with genuine diamonds which Sakura was modeling that day caught Miho's eyes. But it was Sakura who had captured Yukito's eyes and the rest was like a fairytale. Tonight might be the last step before a happy ending.
Sakura sighed as she gazed at her beauty in the mirror. The world was in a harsh position. The talk of another World War was circulating and Japan's future was unstable and most of the country had been plunged into paranoia. The twentieth century was suppose to be a time of peace but had so far, failed to live up to expectations. The future was uncertain but Sakura was sure that Yukito would be in it, despite any complications.
The ticking clock opposite the door read 6:30. The young couple had reservations at 7:00 for the Le Paris Grill, an extravagant French restaurant located in the bustling heart of Tokyo. Checking her reflection one more time, Sakura proceeded to the front of Studio 17, where Yukito was waiting in his black 1934 Lincoln Town.
"You look beautiful." he said, taking her hand and kissing it.
"Why, thank you." she replied with a grin. Stepping in closer, he pulled her into his body and they shared a passionate kiss. When they broke apart, Yukito's arms would not give way to her leave.
"Darling, do you love me?" he asked, softly, caressing her face with his hand. Sakura searched his eyes excitedly. She knew that the moment had come. Her knees were already beginning to tremble.
"Why, yes. More than anything." she responded fervently, her hopeful eyes dashing about his moonlit face, trying to read his expression. "Yuki-" she began but stopped suddenly as he dropped onto one knee. It was now or never.
"Sakura, I love you more than life itself. My love, will you marry me?" he asked, taking out a red velvet box. He opened the lid and a gleaming ten carat ring matched the twinkle in his eyes. Time seemed to stop right there. Sakura could feel herself trembling but whether it was from excitement or nervousness, she could not tell. But the answer to his proposal was screaming in her head.
"Y-Yes." she replied. Yukito's face broke into a grin as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Their lips met once more and Sakura could feel the tears of joy threatening to fall down her face. But then again, she wouldn't have had it any other way.
"This traffic is murder." said Sakura as she glanced out her window for the hundredth time. It was already 6:55 in the evening and they were nowhere near Le Paris. Apparently, there had been an accident on the major intersection in the middle of town. With five minutes to go, they knew that they would never be there in time.
"I'm sorry love, I wasn't planning on this." Yukito said, his eyes glued to the car in front of them. Sakura smiled at him, as he reached over and took her hand.
"Yuki- your mother, does she approve?" Sakura asked, a ripple of concern in her voice. Yukito frowned slightly but it was quickly replaced with a reassuring smile.
"Of course darling."
"Yuki, tell me the truth." Sakura said, her eyes narrowing slightly. He sighed, defeated; he could never lie to his beloved.
"Well, she might be a little queasy at first, but she'll understand. You know she was always keen on me marrying Chiharu."
"Ugh," Sakura's face twisted in disgust, "That rich snobbish ninny? How could any man stand her!" Yukito chuckled at his fiancé's statement.
"You know how my mother is." he said.
"And your father?" Sakura asked.
"Same as my mother." he replied, a little disheartened.
"Your parents don't approve of me, do they…" Sakura said sadly. And she knew why. The Tsukishiro's were wealthy, respected and superior to most. It was considered a shame that their only son Yukito should fall in love with a young model from nowhere whose single father was a history professor at Tokyo University and whose mother had passed away when the girl was only three. Her financially struggling brother, Touya, was a joke to their billionaire relatives. Yukito took his eyes off the road long enough to notice the pain in her emerald orbs.
"Sakura, that doesn't matter. What matters is I love you. And nothing can change that. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, not some rich snob who conspires against me for my money."
Sakura eyed him testily, as if trying to find some flaw in his promising eyes. She found none.
"Now let's just try to enjoy the night, okay?" he asked, giving her a reassuring pat on the hand. Sakura nodded and scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She placed her arms around his left limb.
"Darling, you know that's dangerous. Put on your seat belt." Yukito told her, a little frustrated that they still haven't moved for the last two minutes. She nipped playfully at his ear.
"Sakura,-"
"Shut up, you know you like it." she whispered seductively into his ear. He couldn't deny the sensation.
"Listen, I know a back way there and it'll save us some time." he said as Sakura pressed closer into him.
"Are you sure it'll work?" she asked, her lips dangerously close to his neck. He smiled thinking of events that were to occur later in the evening.
"Let's see."
Slowly, Yuki crept through the sea of honking cars and suddenly dove into a back street. They followed the twisting path until it opened onto a highway along the ocean.
"Wow…it's beautiful." Sakura mused as the moon danced onto the deep blue glass.
"Not as beautiful as you my dear."
"Oh Yuki, stop it." Sakura said, hitting his arm teasingly
"I can't. Every time I look at you, I fall in love even more." Yuki responded. She curled up next to him again.
"Damn we're late." said Yuki glancing at his watch. Sakura heard him press down harder onto the gas pedal. The Lincoln glided quicker along the road.
"Yuki what-" Sakura protested when he cut her off. "Honey slow down!"
"Sakura don't worry! I'm just trying to save time." he said. Sakura wasn't too keen on that idea.
"Yukito! Please slow down this is dangerous! It's fine if we're a few minutes late!" Sakura cried as she rolled to one side from the impact of Yuki's sharp swerve.
"We're almost there, honey hang on. I had to make reservations an entire month beforehand and I'm not going to lose our spot. Damnit…this road is so winding.." he muttered, his hands tightening on the wheel. He swerved again, narrowly missing the rail of the highway. Sakura screamed.
"YUKITO! Slow down RIGHT NOW!"
"Don't worry Saku, no one ever takes this road anyways." he said pointedly. "Look I can see the restaurant's lights already. Okay fine I'll slow down. Just calm down hon." The neon blue lights of Le Paris Grill simmered invitingly. Sakura relaxed a little. The Lincoln was still gliding quickly but Yuki's recklessness had decreased. Suddenly, a shadow darted in front of their car.
"YUKI LOOK OUT!" Sakura screamed as she saw something ahead. Yuki swerved violently to avoid the deer but in doing so, the vehicle slammed into the railing on the side of the highway and he fell unconscious immediately. The metal was sturdy and kept the car from going over the edge, even though it had permanently broken the nose of the elegant vehicle. Franticly, Sakura felt herself thrown forward and smashed through the windshield, horrified that she had forgotten to wear her seatbelt. She felt the pressure in her lungs increase as she screamed for help but to no avail. She called out all the way down until her body smacked into the glassy surface. The cold water swallowed her puny corpse leaving no trace of her existence at all. Then there was silence.
April 10th, 1935 Tokyo Daily
Yesterday, tragic accident befalls Yukito Tsukishiro, CEO of Tsukishiro Spice Factory and son of Mickey Tsukishiro. The twenty-five year old was on his way to dinner with beloved, Sakura Kinomoto, twenty-two, who he had proposed to just hours before. ……swerved the car to miss a "deer" …..Yukito discovered alive and currently in critical condition….Sakura yet to be found….
April 12th, 1935 Tokyo Daily
Police baffled…Sakura Kinomoto still not found….certain that she had fallen into ocean where accident occurred….water is calm, if the body sunk, it should've been discovered by now…Yukito is recovering…
April 15th, 1935 Tokyo Daily
Yukito cries for his beloved….still not found…all fishermen, coast guards on the look out….
April 27th, 1935
$500,000 for the return of Miss Sakura Kinomoto or likewise any information on her whereabouts…
April 28th, 1936
Search for young aspiring model Sakura Kinomoto has ended…loved ones gathered for her funeral in Rising Sun Cemetery. Among loved ones is fiancé Yukito Tsukishiro who blames himself for her death. Her body is still missing…Mr. Tsukishiro assures the public that his son will recover from the trauma and move on, taking his place as the President of Tsukishiro Spice Factory.
Unknown Location: underneath the island of Japan
Click, click.
"Sir, subject A-17325 is now complete. Cells have completely bonded. It should be ready for testing tomorrow." spoke a young man in a white lab coat. He stared intently at the back of a plump man in the office chair in front of the flaring computer screen.
"Ahh…yes one of my favorites." was the response.
"Sir, would you like to be informed on what changes we have given her?" asked the doctor, tapping his fingers gently on the clipboard.
"That won't be necessary," stated the man, his back still turned, "She's an I is she not? An Invincible. Nothing can destroy her except herself. A big step for the Elite 5 is it not?"
"Yes sir. If it completes testing, we could market others like it to rivaling countries for millions of dollars. The profit would be vast." the young man said in excitement.
"Yes." was all that came from the doctor. "Make sure she is ready."
Review! Questions, comments, concerns, flames- see the author page to contact me. But seriously, please review. It really does make my day. Love always, Joocie Fruit.