Rose Garden Chapter 1

Zero took a look at Japan and thought it was great to be back. He missed this place so much it was a shame that his twin brother, Ichiru, didn't want to come with him.

Japan was a large place so it would be hard to fine Cross Town. He went to go pick up his bags, change his money currencies, and catch a cab it was only when he made it out the door he recognized his childhood friend, Yuki.

"Yuki," he called out excitedly. The brunette turns and bound towards him very happy to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"Headmaster Kaien wanted me to come and pick you up from the airport. He figure since the last time you was in Japan was when you were six. He knew you probably wouldn't be able to fine your way to Cross, so he told me to come and get you."

"So you can drive?" Zero asked surprised.

Yuki huffed, "Yes why so surprised?"

"Maybe because when we were kids you were totally helpless," Zero said bluntly.

Yuki sniffed, "I was not."

"You got lost in a closet," Zero said blankly.

"Shut up zero," stomped to her car livid that he would bring up such an embarrassing moment. Even though she was four when it happen it was something that she couldn't live down.

…

The ride to Cross would be at least seven hours so they spent the time just chatting about a lot of things.

"Ah," Yuki nodded. "So America is like that, wow, I didn't expect that."

Zero shrug, "Yeah, America is nice, but it's a harsh place, everything doesn't come that easy. You have to of course work for it, have the skills, and much more stuff. The bottom line is that if you don't have it, you better get it. If you're not it, then you better be it. If you can't manage things that the producers would deem easy then you better step off the stage before you make a fool of your self."

Yuki gasp, "Isn't that embarrassing?"

"Yes it is, but it's better to step off the stage with grace than to fall off it." Zero said flipping a page in a magazine he brought with him. "Reality is even harsher when sometimes you don't have to have the skills, but the looks. You already know that."

Yuki nodded, "I feel bad for the people here. Everybody expects to make it big by going to America and coming back here rich and famous."
"Reality sucks, if you can't handle the simple truth now, it'll cut you when you get there, working as a waiter in Hollywood hoping that a producer would see you then they whisk you off to fame. Oh that rarely happens." Yuki winced. "Yep, my brother and I decided to try out for modeling."

"Really," Yuki said surprised.

"Yep," Zero laugh. "It's not as good as people think it is. You have to get up at a ridiculous hours, you have to constantly watch what you're eating, you have to stand on your feet for odd hours, put on costumes, and makeup. You have to strike a hundred different poses in like fifty clothes. Then if you're good enough then the fashion designers would want you to model in their clothes, most of the time it's down the run way. Walking in front of thousands of people and cameras, it's tough especially when you have to do it ten times or more. The world of art is a tough one because there is always competition."
"Why do you do it if you hate it so much?" Yuki ask.

"Well after mom and dad died, we couldn't get back to Japan, they wouldn't let us after all we was born in America, so that made us legal U.S. citizens." Zero said as he stared out the window. "We were one of the thousands orphans around the U.S. so we had to practically take care of ourselves. It's illegal to separate siblings so it made it hard for us to get adopted. I was willing to separate from Ichiru if it meant him having a better life. You remember him right?"

Yuki burst out, "Of course, he was always sick, so he couldn't play with us as often as we wanted him to, so we kept him company playing games, reading, or watching scary movies." Yuki smiled at the fond memories.

"So every time somebody wanted to adopt one of us, I always threw him out there. I thought I'll be right behind you so have a good life, but he refuse to leave me, that was when he had an attack." Zero bit his lip. "It was the scariest moment of my life, I thought I lost him. I guess things got worst before it got better. And strangely enough it did. I met a random stranger off the streets, who asked me if I wanted to model for them."

Yuki looked shock, "Zero…"

He held up his hands, "Naturally I felt suspicious after all, he didn't look like a camera man or somebody who belong to the modeling industries, but I went anyways. If it meant making money for my brother and I thought what the hell." Zero laugh. "And there I was in a room filled with people. They put makeup on me, fixed my hair, and put clothes on me. They got me into a few poses and before I knew I was famous. I made a debut off my first pictures. Life was looking up and now after modeling for so long with Ichiru at my side I had to bring myself down a bit and come back home. I needed a break."
Yuki smiled, "I'm glad you came back."

"I'm glad to be back," Zero said. "Enough about me though, what about you? Anything interest been happening since I left?"

Yuki said, "A boat load of crap. If Sayori wasn't there to help me through the mess, I would've fire bomb the academy along time ago. I swear the day class and night class students get on my nerves they are not meant to be in the same place together but they are and it's ridiculous." She tossed a couple of pictures to Zero who gasped in surprised.

"Jesus, you look at them and you feel unworthy to even be in front of a camera. Make you lose your self confidence." Zero handed the pictures back to Yuki.

Yuki giggled, "Yeah except that you're not easily dissuaded."

"Got that right," they both chuckled. Zero thought about though. "Is it possible to be that beautiful?"
"Take a look at yourself Zero." Zero looked at his silver hair that rivaled the moon, lilac eyes, tall, slender yet slightly build. He was beautiful in his own way.

"Hmm," was all Zero said before changing the subject. "So what is the purpose of being a guardian?"
"I watch over the day class and night class to make sure that nobody does something stupid and they mind the rules. It's a long job and it takes away from my studies, but," Yuki grip the steering wheel obviously agitated. "It's even worst when shit hits the fan and you're left trying to clean it up."

Zero was bemused, 'What's so hard of keeping to classes apart?'

Yuki caught the unheard question, "Fan girls and arrogances." Zero shuttered and growled. Those were the qualities he hated in people the most. With him, he hated being crowded and people constantly screaming, kyaa, kyaa, and he hated people with arrogance. He'll never respect them. Just leave it at that.

"Am I going to regret coming here?" Zero asked warily.

Yuki smiled, "Yep."

…

Stay for the nightmare has just gotten started.

…

Phew! I wrote this story around the same time I was writing Lilium. Why I'd stop? I don't know, because I honestly feel in love with this story. What about you? I find it just a little different from the other stories. Or maybe it's a cliché. E-gasp! No! So I hope you enjoyed this chapter because there are more to come.

Bye for now.