A/N: I have a new fanfic! Yay! Yes, I know that I have not as yet finished my other ones, but I couldn't continue with this still in my head. This happens to be the reason for most of the road blocks in my mind. So I hope that you enjoy it. If you guys hate it, I may just leave it as is, but I'm hoping to continue on with it. Depending on how it is recieved, that is.
So, Happy Easter to all! I hope everyone has made it safely through!
She was running. In her dreams she was always running, trying to get away from something indistinguishable, yet it filled her with both fear and dread. She didn't wake up as usual. Most of the time she woke with a resounding bang as her body hit the hard wooden floor beneath her. This time, however, instead of the bliss that was reality, the welcoming darkness, usually tinged with the glowing green of her alarm clock, she was met with a very bright light awash with a golden glow. Her footsteps faltered in her dream as she stopped and stared. She no longer felt the frightening presence, just a cool, calm atmosphere. Curiously, as curious as you could get in a dream, she looked around, all that met her startled wide eyes was pure space, nothingness that seemed to expand into eternity.
Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and as she turned to face the unknown stranger behind her, she met reality with the aforementioned meeting with her floor.
"Mou!" She swept raven locks out of her face and then untangled herself from the cocoon which were her bed sheets.
The young, unmarred face frowned as she relived that last few different moments of her dreams, trying to focus on what it was trying to tell her. Not that she believed in dream analysis or future predictions occurring in dreams, it was very interesting to say in the least that her dreams had suddenly evolved after months of the same thing.
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The darkness outside was still prevalent, the sun not seeming to care that she was all alone in the apartment. She staggered around her room, tidying as she went, always leaving a trail of non-existence behind her as she made her way to the bathroom and struggled once more the hot water tap in her shower. It was times like this that she wished she had a male living with her, or at least someone stronger than she was to fix the blasted washer. The last time she had even attempted handy work, she almost flooded the whole apartment. At least when she had to have it repaired, the spacious area was filled with people, even if it was filled with piteous expressions and muffled laughter directed at her.
She hated being alone, one of the reasons why her family thought it was best let her go, thinking that one month of isolation would be enough to make her come crawling back on her knees. It had been two years.
In that time, she had successfully built up a career, using the degree which her parents had paid for, the one which she had begged for.
She had always loved the idea of studying the behaviour and mindset of people and what made them tick. Psychology had opened up opportunities which her wildest dreams couldn't even imagine. Although, those wild dreams now haunted her every footsteps.
"I need a pet."
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She had spent the better part of the darkened hours of the morning reading over her files before she left for work and now, sitting at her desk she wished that she could have, at least, slept in. Such was her life that her dreams booted her out of them. It was sad really, no one could ever say that they were forcefully ejected out of their dreams in the morning.
Perhaps she needed a hobby.
She was brooding on that very fact moments later when someone bounded into her office, the door bouncing off the wall, the handle coming into contact with the strategically placed sponge.
"Maybe I should take up miniature golf…" Tapping on her chin, she failed to see the shocked expression dance across the other woman's face before she dumped herself in the chair opposite.
"Miniature golf is for people who don't know how to play real golf." A voice announced from the hallway, causing both women in the office to turn towards the open doorway.
"What would you know, Megumi?" The young woman said from her chair, coming to the rescue of the woman behind the desk.
"More than you, obviously. Meeting in five." Was the short reply before the taller woman swept away from the doorway.
Angry sea green met heavily amused blue, before quickly averting and staring out the window.
"Perhaps not miniature golf, then." Said the woman dryly, gathering several folders into her arms and making her way towards the door.
"Perhaps not…" Echoed the younger woman, following the other woman out the door.
"But then again, there's always sky diving!"
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The woman stared blankly at the open folder in front of her as her mind attempted to decipher the hidden meaning in the words. It was a contract, a very regulated contract that had even the lawyers staring at it for what seemed like hours. The tall man who had brought all the contracts with him for the meeting stood facing the large windows which made up one wall of the room.
The heads of all the departments were sitting in the silent meeting room as the time ticked away. She clicked her pen into action, the sound echoing throughout the room and making every person turn their heads towards the sound. She glared at them defiantly before putting pen to paper and signing her name on the dotted line. She stood up and closed the folder before striding out of the room.
Going back to her office she sat down and sighed heavily, placing her elbows on the desk and bringing her hands up to massage her temples.
"You signed the contract without deliberating with anyone else." A voice rang out from her open door. The tone was cool and controlled, not giving away any emotion.
"It was pretty clear what the contract said, I didn't see any point in deliberating over it." She responded heavily as she leant back in her chair.
"Is there something specific that you wanted from me?" She asked quietly as she met his cold gaze, her eyes blazing.
"You seem to be unaffected by this turn of events, why?" He was assessing her, she knew it, but emotion wasn't something that she allowed to factor into her work life.
"Just because I don't seem affected doesn't mean that I am not, Mr. Shinomori, I'll have you remember that. Do not assess those that which you know nothing of."
"I shall leave you for now, but know this, nothing comes of nothing." The tall man disappeared from the doorway as quickly as he had approached it.
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Her office had become somewhat crowded with the boxes strewn around the place. This was the reason she hated moving. The boxes and their heaviness combined with the fact that she wasn't overly large made for some interesting moving techniques. She scowled at the half full box sitting on her desk as if it was the cause of the world's problems.
"You know, this is almost as bad as you talking to yourself. What did the box do to you?" A voice asked from her open doorway. Green eyes sparkled in mischief as she bounded over the boxes to get to her desk. Once she had reached her target she plucked a photo frame off the desk, smiling softly at the picture held within.
"You know, I always used to imagine us being together forever…" She fingered the glass frame, a soft smile playing across her features.
The other woman reached out to grab the frame from her friend's grasp, wrapping it in bubble wrap before placing it in the box.
"You caused quite a stir when you signed so quickly like that and then walked out." A voice rang out from the hallway. It sounded tired and wan and was echoed in her movements. She leant against the doorway and watched the chaos within.
"I was finished packing up my office hours ago. Why can't you pack like normal people?" There was a hint of amusement as she walked in to help with the chaos.
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The keys jingled in the lock as she opened to door to her apartment. It was empty, like always, her bag echoing as she dropped it to the floor. It was a small apartment, open plan which combined the living space with her kitchen. The other two rooms contained her bedroom and the bathroom. The smaller the apartment, the better, it made her feel less alone in such a restricted atmosphere. Switching in the lights she traversed with her groceries to her old and decrepit refrigerator. Stuffing the precooked meals into her freezer, she left one to defrost somewhat on her counter top before going to have a shower to relax the knots which had formed in her back during the day.
Frowning into the mirror she looked studied her reflection. Pale skin, with eyes too large for her face, and framed with dark hair, she was nothing spectacular. Changing into track pants and an old T-shirt she removed her dinner from its packaging and shoved it in the microwave. She had mastered the art of the 5 minute dinners and hadn't gone on to anything else since. It meant that her diet was somewhat lacking, but both Megumi and Misao tried to make up for it by inviting her out to dinner and lunch when they could. Whenever she had asked them over to her house for dinner, they had always decline politely and she knew that they had no support in her dining efforts to make anything more than her packet dinners.
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She swung her bokken high above her head, bringing it down in a movement that swept across her chest. She had kept her furniture to a minimum with this particular activity in mind. She wasn't able to do her full kata's in the limited spaces but she could practice her techniques, which meant that when she found a space large enough, she could put all the techniques into a full kata. She had been saving for the past two years for a larger apartment, and this apartment was bought mindful of her future goal. She brought the bokken above her head once more when there was a knock on the door. She walked to it with the bokken still grasped in her hand and opened the door on its chain.
"Kao-" Cutting the person in question off as she closed the door to take the chain off, she reopened it again to find a not so happy Misao pouting in her doorway with a snickering Megumi behind her.
"This is where you live?" One bouncy Misao asked as she skipped past her. Megumi followed her in, her eyes taking in her small apartment. Raising an eyebrow she turned and looked back at the woman still standing by the door holding it open.
Once they were all seated around her small kitchen table Megumi placed her tea filled coffee mug on the table.
"We have a proposition for you."
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She ran once more, her dreams giving her more exercise than she would ever do in reality. The darkness was closing around her as she stumbled on something she didn't quite see. The fear of solitude and isolation left her with a sense of dread that filled her very being. Running was what she seemed to do best in this dream and suddenly she fell. It wasn't the normal free fall that one does off a ladder, it was controlled, as if someone had a rope around her, and she landed on her feet. Once more she was in the empty space, and once again it was filled with calm and bright light. Turning around in an attempt to find out if anyone was there she once more felt the harsh reality of her wooden floor.
The only remanet of her dream was the feeling of absolute calm which turned into anger at getting booted out of her dream. Struggling out of her sheets she began the day as usual, reaching the shower without tripping over herself and blasting on the hot water. Not once did she check the small clock that sat on her bedside table, knowing that for the past couple of months she had been woken up hours before she had to get ready, so the banging on the door as she stepped out of her shower was somewhat surprising. Keeping the chain on she opened the door slightly, still wearing her towel. A small nose poked its way through the gap and started verbally accosting her as she stood holding the door.
"… And you said you would be AWAKE and READY to go AT EIGHT!-" turning quickly and leaving Misao to calm down with the chain on the door she strode to her room to check the small clock. Glaring at the clock sitting next to her bed, she read 8:29 and swearing at it she quickly threw on some clothes before going to rescue the door from Misao's clutches.
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The packing up of her furniture and clothing was relatively quick compared to her office. Once the door had been opened, Megumi had immediately headed to her bedroom with several unmade cardboard boxes. Misao had reluctantly taken over the kitchen/living room. She had given a week's notice to her superintendent after accepting what Megumi had proposed last week. The fact that they had been given two weeks before they had to go to work, it was an appropriate time to move.
Megumi and Misao lived ten minutes from where they worked, making her travel time to and from work a great deal shorter. She had the impression that both Megumi and Misao had been planning to take her under their wing but had been trying to find a justifiable excuse to do so. They had lunged at what seemed like their only chance in the past two years, and if she was going to be honest with herself, she was very grateful for their interference. Walking towards the bathroom she was hit with a sudden realisation. She would no longer be alone. Humming to herself she grabbed an unmade box and went to pack away all of her stuff that happened to take over the small bathroom. She returned to the kitchen to find Misao emptying her fridge. Emptying it into the bin, that is.
"MISAO! What do you think you are doing?" Caught like a deer in head lights, the small woman just stared back at her in shock. Recovering after a moment she shook her head.
"Oops?" She offered with a shrug and without ceremony tied the bag's ties together.
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The trip to her new home was relatively uneventful. Most of the furniture in her apartment was owned by the original owner and she only had to fit the bedside table, a chair and her computer into the back seat of Misao's jeep. The rest of her stuff was in boxes that were divided up between Misao and Megumi's cars. She had chosen to ride over to her new shared apartment with Misao and was regretting the fact that she had not chosen to go with level headed Megumi. Pulling into the garage of her new home she unclenched her white tipped fingers from the armrests and let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. If she ever had a choice between Misao or public transport, she would chose the later.
"We're home!" Misao sung cheerfully swinging into what seemed to be her allotted parking space. Hopping out of the car they went to retrieve the boxes to take upstairs.
The door swung open before Misao could reach it as a spiky headed male poked his head out into the foyer.
"I though I heard you from the garage-" He begun only to be cut off by a slightly miffed Misao.
"Shut up, rooster-head." Barging past him the shorter woman led the confused one to her new room.
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Standing in the doorway, she observed her new room. Her bedroom was almost the size of her old kitchen and living space and she had her own bathroom. Not that she had complained much about the size of her previous apartment, apparently Megumi and Misao had objected fiercely to the lack of manoeuvrability. Thus her room was light and airy, everything that her old apartment wasn't. A large window space took up one side of the room, with a small balcony that was attached to all the girls' bedrooms.
The bed that occupied the room was not old and decrepit, but new and contemporary. She had asked if any of the furniture had been bought specifically for her but both women had denied it stating that Megumi's parents had wanted to outfit her apartment and that it 'wouldn't have done to have left a room empty'. Even with the outbursts of denial, the room suited her perfectly. The only furniture that was in there was out of necessity, albeit the armchair in the corner near the window was a small luxury that she was not going to object to.
Opening her closet to admire her perfectly colour co-ordinated wardrobe she noticed she had some new recently added outfits. She knew that her friends were trying to look out for her, and she would probably only bring about disagreements if she brought it up. Closing the doors she stood in the middle of the room and breathed in the space and harmony that her new apartment seemed to exude. Smiling to herself as she heard yet another argument start in the living room, she was glad she was no longer alone.
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A/N: So, that's it for now, please let me know what you think!
