Chapter 1.
Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat. This is just an AU fanfiction to entertain myself, and hopefully the readers also.
In this story, Sho and Ren are both businessmen. Sho is rising in ranks in Atatoki, and Ren is the president LME.
Mogami Kyoko was fuming. In a blind fit of rage, she had quit all of her jobs shortly after being forced out of Atatoki. That stupid Shoutaro! He had called her plain, boring, and had said that she had lacked sex appeal! And then after all she did for him, working multiple jobs day and night and skipping her high school education to support him and his ridiculously expensive apartment, he just dismissed her and was going to leave her? All this time, Kyoko had harbored deep feelings for him, and he was willing to treat her like a tissue – just throwing her away after he was done using her. She had declared that she would get her revenge on him – right before she was dragged out of the building, that is. In her state of fury, she had quit her jobs. Now, she had nowhere to live and no source of income.
Kyoko sighed, upset at Sho for putting her in this predicament, and upset at herself for being so naïve. She was forcing herself to calm down so that she would be able to think of what to do next. She had enough money in the bank to live in a hotel for a few days. However, it would have to be really cheap, since she had no idea how long it might take to get a job. Hopefully one of her jobs would provide boarding for her. She would have to take up many part time jobs since she wasn't old enough for a full time job. Kyoko couldn't even go back to school because she had no money to spare, not even for a public school. Times would be tough for her, but she would just have to be strong.
She now stood in front of her former apartment building, a suitcase in one hand that contained all of her belongings. Unfortunately, she had had to return the bike she had been using to Darumaya when she quit, so there went her speedy form of transportation. A small purse that contained the basic contents, as well as copies of her resume that she had printed out earlier was slung around her body. The suitcase was rather small; she didn't bring a lot from Kyoto and she spent her extra money on either Sho merchandise or things to please Sho, such as his stupid pudding. Kyoko's fist clenched as she started to get riled up again. 'No,' she thought, 'I have to focus on finding a job now.' With another deep breath, she approached a man that was about to throw away his newspaper.
"Excuse me, mister, but would you mind if I had that newspaper?" she asked.
The man shook his head before handing the paper to her after saying, "Here you go."
After thanking him, Kyoko moved herself to a nearby bench, dragging her suitcase behind her. She flipped through the pages until she reached the Classifieds that listed jobs. She scanned through the ads, most of them requiring education that she did not have. However, one of them caught her attention. It asked for 'someone that has proficient skills in cooking, cleaning, and other housekeeping skills. Must also be very organized'. The requirements fit Kyoko perfectly, and she decided that she would apply for that job. However, it didn't give a job name or description, and the only other thing that it said was the company that was hiring and the address of the building.
When the sixteen year old saw the company that was stated, her eyes widened in recognition. Was she really going to apply for LME, the rival company of Atatoki? The one whose president was none other than Tsuruga Ren, the most eligible bachelor in Japan, eternal enemy of Sho? Kyoko shook her head. What was she thinking? Her allegiance was not with Sho any more; in fact, it was quite the opposite. If she worked for this company, it would kill two birds with one stone. Getting this job could potentially help her get that revenge she had declared, as well as help support her enough to rent a place.
Now determined to get this unknown job, Kyoko instinctively looked around for her bike. Darn it, she returned it already! Still wanting to get there as quickly as possible, she took off at a lightning speed, her suitcase bouncing behind her, trying to keep up. People on the sidewalk could easily report that there seemed to be something speeding past them, kicking up wind and dirt as it did so.
In record time, Kyoko found herself in front of the LME building. She had to take her suitcase with her because she didn't want any chance of it being stolen. She found herself smoothing out strands of her hair that had become misplaced during the run, trying to make herself more presentable. Steeling her determination, she pushed open the double doors and walked up to the two receptionists at the front.
"Hello, I'm here because I saw a classified in the newspaper for a job here," she said.
When she didn't see a look of recognition the receptionists' faces, Kyoko exclaimed, "Oh, here's the newspaper." She smoothed the paper out on the counter and pointed to the ad.
This seemed to jog their memory as the receptionist on the left eyed Kyoko up and down before failing miserably at hiding a snicker. The other receptionist, the older one, nodded, then picked up the phone and dialed a number. After a moment of talking that Kyoko couldn't really make out, the receptionist told her, "Ah, yes. Just go to the twelfth floor, first room on the right. Someone will be there to interview you."
Kyoko nodded in thanks, surprised that she didn't need an appointment, especially with a large, famous company like LME. However, she definitely wasn't going to complain. Her first impressions of the place were very good, but the way that the younger receptionist was staring at her was a bit unsettling. Kyoko made her way to the elevator and found that the twelfth floor was actually the top floor. The elevator was actually quite large, and seemed, like nearly everything else in the building, to somehow gave a fancier air than Atatoki.
With a ding, the elevator reached the top floor and opened. Suddenly, Kyoko started feeling a lot more nervous. The elevator walls were reflective, so she stalled by fixing her hair and clothes again using the wall. She was really starting to have second thoughts. She really didn't look like she was going into an interview, with a face that was clean of makeup and cheap clothes that wouldn't exactly be considered fashionable. 'No. I need to do this,' she thought as she forced herself to stop stalling and to go out of the elevator.
Kyoko stood in front of the door that the receptionist had mentioned. Not knowing if the interviewer was going to be in there already or not, she knocked softly.
"Come in," someone from the inside called.
Kyoko's hand lingered on the doorknob before twisting it slowly and pushing it open, her resolve steeled. The room was medium sized, and the whole wall opposite the door was a window. It was obviously a room where small, personal meetings were held. On one side of the desk sat a bespeckled man that seemed to be rather young. When Kyoko entered, she bowed at the waist before taking a seat across the man, awkwardly dragging her suitcase along.
The man was the first one to speak. "Hello, I'm Yashiro Yukihito, a secretary here at LME. I suppose that you saw the ad, and you want to get a job here?"
Kyoko nodded before saying, "Yes, I'm Mogami Kyoko. I wasn't sure what the job actually was, but I think that I fit the requirements well. If you'll hold on a second, I'll give you my resume..." the girl trailed off as she turned and unzipped her purse. She took a copy of her resume out of the manilla folder and slid it across the table to Yashiro.
Kyoko watched the man's face for any reactions as he picked up the papers and started reading. After a few moments, he set the resume down and pushed his glasses higher up on his nose.
"You're sixteen? Based on the numerous jobs listed on your resume, would it be safe for me to assume that you didn't go to high school?" he asked.
Kyoko nodded the affirmative at his first answer, but felt rage boil up inside her at the mention of high school. If it wasn't for that stupid Shotaro, she would be – No. This was an interview; she couldn't afford to get all riled up and take out her anger on this random man who just happened to be interviewing her.
"Ah, no, I wasn't able to go to high school because of certain circumstances, although I really would have liked to," she quickly answered before her thoughts could turn more violent.
Yashiro watched her for a second before speaking once again. "I see. Based on your resume, it seems like you're qualified for the job." He flipped through the resume briefly before setting it down and pushing his glasses up again. "Let me tell you about the job that you would be doing," he continued. "Basically, we need someone to be the...personal assistant, shall we say, of an executive of this company. What that means is that the person who gets the job would have to cook for him, clean his apartment, take care of him when he's sick, and do other stuff like that. However, I must warn you that this person has bad eating habits, which is one of the reasons why we're hiring someone to do this. Do you think you would be interested in a job like that?"
'Based on the job description, I'd be more like a maid than a personal assistant. The only difference between the job and what I did for Sho-baka was that I'll be getting paid and I won't have to pay for the apartment,' she thought, a bit bitterly. However, it wasn't like she hadn't been trained specially for this kind of work at the inn, and she wasn't going to pass this opportunity up. Therefore, Kyoko replied with an enthusiastic, "Yes!"
Yashiro smiled rather warmly at her before standing and announcing, "I'll bring in the person you'll be working for, should you get the job." With that, he left the room.
As soon as Yashiro exited, Kyoko felt her body's tension go away, but her mind started working faster about how she acted and how she should act when that executive came in. As soon as she heard someone approaching the door, however, she regained her composure.
As soon as the tall frame of Japan's number one businessman stepped in the room, Kyoko felt her eyes widen. So this was Tsuruga Ren, that man that Sho had loathed, the man that the idiot also got Kyoko to hate and insult. That was her first instinct; to sneer at him, insult him, saying how Sho was infinitely better. But then she reminded herself of how much she hated Sho now, and how she had no reason to dislike Tsuruga Ren. On the contrary, wasn't that partially the reason why she decided to try for this job at LME?
Kyoko made herself come to her senses, and told herself to control her emotions and her facial expressions as she rose from the chair and bowed, as formal as ever. Ren asked her to take a seat as he did, and she found herself seated across the most wanted man in Japan. Kyoko was acutely aware of this as she directed her gaze at his face and waited for him to speak first.
However, Ren seemed to want to go through her resume first. After he was done reading, he said to her, "I talked to Yashiro-san and I understand that you don't go to high school, though you wish to. Though a resume is good, it doesn't show how good you'll be in application when it comes to this kind of work. Therefore, you'll have a trial period. At any time I can decide that it's not working out, but if I decided that the arrangement works out well, then we'll be sure to work your schedule as well as other things such as wage. For instance, you may attend a nearby public school during the day, and after classes end you'll come to my office. Then, when I'm done with work, you'll come with me to my apartment to do housework and clean. It'd be best if you could stay in my guest bedroom, but I'll understand if your parents wouldn't allow that. So, what do you think?"
Kyoko smiled warmly at the older man. "That sounds like a really nice arrangement. I'd be forever grateful if things ended up that way." She then looked down at her lap, thinking carefully about what she was going to say next. "However, I don't think my parents would be much of a problem, considering I don't have a dad, and my mom...my mom wouldn't exactly...care." Kyoko turned her gaze up to meet Ren's and smiled again, but sadly this time.
'Ah. Could this be part of the reason that she doesn't go to high school? Anyways, now is not the time to pry; I can ask her later,' Ren thought. His gaze turned to the suitcase that was resting against the chair and he had a feeling that it was all of her possessions. He couldn't help but turn the corners of his own mouth up slightly in return. "Let me just consult with Yashiro for a second," he said excusing himself.
Outside, Yashiro was waiting for Ren's reactions on this young girl. Once the door was closed all the way, the secretary donned a mischievous grin on is face as he prepared to tease the tall man.
"So? What did she do? Faint out of surprise? Scream then jump on you?" he asked, the amusement clear on his face.
"No, Yashiro. She actually had no reaction to me, other than the initial surprise. She seems to be fine, so I offered her a trial period to see how she does," he answered, used to his friend's reaction towards him and the opposite sex.
"Ooh, so you approve of her? Good job finding someone that doesn't just drool all over you," Yashiro joked once more before getting more serious. "Since your work day is almost over, how about you go show Kyoko-chan around the building and your office, then take her to your apartment?"
Ren nodded, glad that his secretary had stopped his fooling around and had gotten serious. He turned around and was going to reenter the room, completely unaware of how this sixteen year old girl would change his life.
So, there's my first chapter of my first multi-chapter that I plan on finishing! I know I'm far from the best writer, but I enjoy it, and I hope you enjoy reading it, too~.
Also, sorry if the interview scene seemed rushed or unrealistic (or any other part for that matter, like why a guy would skip high school to become a businessman O.o). Not only did I have to twist some elements to make the AU work like I wanted, but I'm also eager to get to writing the real Kyoko x Ren interactions.
Even though I've never written a multi-chapter, I've always thought that I'd set a basic plot line of the whole story, as well as always have two chapters written ahead. Neither of these happened. The idea came to me quite a while ago, but I never wrote it until now. I also have absolutely no idea how this will turn out, so we'll see. Also, I've currently written only a bit more than half of chapter two, though I know what I'm going to do with it and also have a vague outline for chapter three. So technically, I have written ahead, it's just a small amount.
I'm also kind of iffy on the title, since she's technically not a maid, but I really couldn't think of a better title, so I'll just keep it at that for now.
Anyways, please leave a review~ Reviews that say things like, 'Loved this, please update' are awesome and encouraging, but I'd really prefer it if you gave a nice, balanced critique. Telling me what you liked helps me get an idea of what I should do more / keep on doing, and telling me what needs work helps me either change it or cut it out. Also, please tell me what you think about the length of the chapter; if it's too long, too short, or just right. Thanks C:
