Title: Kismet

Summary: /RyoSaku/One-shot/ After all the efforts of shunning myself away from him and succeeding for ten years, if I'm still sane to count, I actually broke my promise. What kind of supernatural powers brought us together? Or rather forced me to be with him?

Genre: Romance/Angst

Warning: Sakuno's strong personality is extensive. This was just an attempted angst. And the story was set in Alternate Universe.

Thanks to: Akemi-chan for the wonderful beta.

A/N: This was actually dedicated for Colleen-chan. She was asking me if I would continue a particular fic that I had long abandoned but I supposed it would not be possible. This one-shot was say…close to the original eighth chapter. So yeah. I hope she understands. The idea obviously came from the abandoned story. This was a bit rushed so you know what I mean. And oh! This will be the very first time that I write on a first person perspective. Please enjoy reading ^_^

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A prudent man will think more important what fate has conceded to him, than what it has denied.

Baltasar Gracian

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'Tell me again, how did you get in this situation?' I asked myself for nth time of the day as I felt the lying figure on my lap stirred and mumbled unintelligible sounds at the back of his throat.

This was really odd. After all the efforts of shunning myself away from him and succeeding for ten years, if I'm still sane to count, I actually broke my promise. What kind of supernatural powers brought us together? Or rather forced me to be with him?

I was sure that I had learned to follow any vows that could help me to keep a safe distance from the name that I shouldn't mention. To my vocabulary, he was even worse than Voldemort. I abhor his name; his name whom I branded as danger not so long ago.

Much to my dismay, I was stuck with the man that I had been striving to avoid all my life. Here I was in a dark, cold, and doomed elevator. And the said man was sleeping soundly on my lap and was having a high fever.

Could any condition be worse than this?

I closed my eyes trying to get a sleep myself only to be evoked by things that happened earlier that morning.

0.0

"If you don't meet that man, I'll fire you," my boss' stern voice said decisively.

I frowned in annoyance. "Sir, there are a lot of people in this company. This will be the very first time I'll refuse to do something. Please, I bet they'll be more willing to do this assignment." I spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

"It wouldn't make any difference," he said irritatingly.

I know it wouldn't be right to say that it was for personal reasons but I at least had to try. "Yes it does si—"

He huffed and interrupted me before I had the chance to explain, "Are we forgetting that you are the employee here?" he replied and handed me a bunch of files. "After you are done with that, go straight to this hotel," he instructed simultaneously giving me a small piece of a paper where a hotel's name was written.

"Tokyo hotel, ninth floor… room 158?" I said, reading what was on the paper. "We're supposed to talk inside the room?" my voice sounded incredulous than I intended it to be.

"Who knows?" he said nonchalantly.

"Alright," I said getting more and more infuriated as the time passed. "So you don't care if your employees will be in pit of danger? What if that man harasses me?"

Then he laughed. This was the last thing I expected him to do. I wanted him to say sorry and change his mind and say that he would choose other people to do the job since it would be too dangerous for me.

To my disappointment, he didn't.

"Why will he go through all these? He can just hire any woman for all I know or harass the willing ones. There are a lot of them these days and I'm sure he has a lot of money to pay them. So why you?" he said, mocking me completely.

"Oh," I muttered with polite sarcasm. "Well thanks for reminding me."

I had enough of this. He wouldn't let other people do it. He was maddeningly insistent.

"Okay sir, for my job's sake and because of your wonderful assurance that I will be completely safe. I'll do it," I said with a smile and turned for the door.

Bosses were really bossy sometimes.

After finishing all the pile of paper works that my bossy boss handed me a while ago, I begrudgingly grab my coat and proceeded to exit the building where I was supposed to be working for the whole day. If I wasn't afraid to lose my job, I wouldn't risk breaking my promise to myself.

When I finally reached the hotel, my courage earlier, which allowed me to refuse my boss' order, surprisingly went away. I was rather getting nervous.

"Excuse me?" I asked the woman on the reception area. "I have an appointment with…someone at room 158."

The woman stared curiously at me and asked, "May I know your name?"

"Ryuuzaki, I'm Ryuuzaki Sakuno."

The woman then grabbed a folder and seemed to read –or stare at- the contents as she nodded knowingly to herself, "Right, you're Ryuuzaki Sakuno. He's still in his room."

'Did that man just gave them my picture?' I asked myself the impossible. It was already too much to expect that he would remember my name, what more to acknowledge what I look like? Or have my picture? I was already hallucinating.

Before I could have asked the woman about the suspicious folder, I gave her a thankful bow and headed for the elevator and entered.

My palms were getting sweaty. I should have convinced my boss more. I didn't know that I was this unprepared; I could even feel the need to go to the comfort room.

Then, the sound of the elevator distracted me.

'Ninth floor, this is it,' I encouraged myself and approached the opening doors when a tall man wearing a big black coat and hat blocked the way.

I stepped aside to let him pass through and enter. But I was astounded when he obstructed me from moving my way out. I tried to avoid him but he wouldn't stop blocking me.

"Uhm…excuse me." I said but the man didn't even budge a bit.

And the doors were closing.

"Oh! The doors are already closing," I exclaimed, indirectly informing him that I should get going.

But the man didn't make an effort to move.

I sighed helplessly as I stared at the sealed doors. This man was adding to what my boss did to me earlier. If only I wasn't afraid of his size I would have gotten out of here. He was just frighteningly dangerous.

"Sir, please, I'm going to be late for an appointment," I begged my voice a little shaky out of fear.

But the tall man only reached for his hat and said, "Ryuuzaki, you're already ten minutes late."

I almost, no, I actually gaped at the sound of that voice…it was just too familiar. And I never thought I missed that voice so much.

The thought horrified me.

"Excuse me," I said again denying to myself that it was him.

He shrugged and put his hat down, "Ryuuzaki," he called firmly compelling me to look at him.

I shook my head vehemently and closed my eyes refusing to look at him. I needed some space. I needed to get away from here, now. I'm not prepared. My heart thumped against my chest loudly that I was sure he could hear it.

"Ryuuzaki," he said once more stepping forward at the same time.

I stepped backward instinctively. His body heat was too overwhelming for me to bear. But he stepped again, though this time, his step was much bigger so that he was closer. But then again, I stepped back and gasped when I felt the cold, stainless wall behind me.

"Missed me?" he said arrogantly and stepped further, completely cornering me.

I twitched and felt anger start to form inside me. "Sir," I breathed and slowly opened my eyes. I reached for my bag. The faster I finish this, the better. "Please sign th-this," I couldn't believe this. I stuttered.

He put a hand at the side of my face while his other hand tilted my chin so that my eyes were entrapped by his, "We have a lot of time for that," he murmured all the while pushing the emergency button which grinded the elevator to a halt.

'What is his problem?'

My brows furrowed in frustration, I was kind enough to address him properly, "Echizen-san," I almost winced at the sound of his name coming out from my lips.

"I'm here for a business. Let's go through the deal shall we?" I proposed with a businesslike tone and averted my gaze downwards, flipping through the pages inside the folder, pretending to read it in the process.

He then snatched the file from me and threw it on the floor.

"What do you want?" I snapped, glaring at him with all the courage that was left inside me.

At least it was enough for him to let me go.

"I'm sorry," I muttered silently and picked up the file. "Here," I said, handing it to him. "Look through the details. You will get a lot of…benefits," I trailed, my voice getting softer as I stared at his form leaning on the side of the elevator, his hand still on the emergency button and his eyes closed.

He was sweating a lot.

I approached his figure cautiously and said, "Uhm…Ryo— Echi—" I faltered conscious on how I should call him. "Ryoma-kun? Are you alright?" my voice emitted apparent worry more than I expected it to be.

His finger then let go of the emergency button, "Yeah."

I was surprise that he immediately gave up. I mean, not that I was expecting him to be persuasive and all but…he wasn't just one to easily let things settle without him winning.

"So," I finally said. "Let's just discuss everything at th—" just when I was back to my businesslike voice, the elevator suddenly stopped and the lights turned off.

'Don't tell me we're stuck?' I thought gravely.

"Ryoma-kun?" I called, foolishly confirming if he was still there. "The lights are out."

"Don't mention what's obvious," he said bluntly.

'Here we go again.'

"Of course," I said but decided to ignore his cockiness and searched for him instead in the darkness. I was so sure that something was wrong. "Ryoma-kun?" I called once again. Oddly, I was getting used to that name.

I stopped when a hand tugged me down. Okay, he wasn't standing. "You're not alright are you?"

"What do you think?" he asked with an obvious 'duh' on his tone.

I touched his forehead and immediately felt the difference of his temperature from mine, "Yo-You're burning!"

No answer.

He was sick. And the worst thing was I don't know what to do. "U-Uhm…" I said with anxious voice. "Can I do something for you?" I offered.

He didn't answer but instead pushed me towards the wall, stretched my folded knees, grabbed my hand –entwining them in the process- and swiftly rested his head on my lap, "Let me sleep."

It was so fast that I hadn't had the chance to react. All that came out of my mouth was a shocked and inaudible, "O-Okay."

0.0

And that is how I ended here. I slowly opened my eyes and was surprised to be greeted by a spacious sight of a room. I was seated on a white and soft bed with great deal of pillows surrounding me.

"Wh-What—?" I incoherently asked as I searched for the sick man that was with me just a while.

"Ma'am," a slim lady in a blue suite curtly called my attention. "Echizen-san left already," she informed as she handed me a familiar folder. "He ordered me to give you this."

I nodded absentmindedly. Why was I disappointed when I shouldn't be?

"Both of you are rescued from the elevator," the woman explained even though I hadn't asked. "And he brought you here."

I watched her silently as she narrated every single detail that happened when I lost my consciousness all the while feeling guilty and actually wanting to see him back. Oh, and I almost forgot, I wasn't supposed to be feeling sorry.

"So…uhm…will he be coming back?" But then again, I just had to ask. "I mean, you know," I backtracked defensively. "I should explain to him the terms and his benefits," I said with the most casual tone I could muster.

"I'm afraid he wouldn't," she replied.

Okay, I'm getting even more dismayed. "Oh, I guess it is fine," I said dismissively and immediately scanned the papers, almost wishing he hadn't signed them.

'What am I thinking?'

I sighed when I found his signature. "Please send Echizen-san my thanks," I said to the woman and stood up from the bed.

"I have to go," I turned for the door but the voice of the woman halted my tracks.

"Oh, Ryuuzaki-san," she said and I turned almost enthusiastic. "He also said that he left a note on the first page."

I nodded and left with a cheerful 'thank you' afterwards.

After I left the room, I immediately rummaged for the note that the woman was talking about.

My eyes couldn't hold back the tears as I scanned the simple words written on a small piece of paper over and over again.

I'm sorry.

~End

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Date Published: June 6, 2009