AN:- THIS IS MY FIRST FANFIC! I've been working on this story for almost a year now, it's still in-progress. It features an original character I created, Camilla. I worked really hard in making her, and Tahno, as human-like and relatable as I could. Get ready for lots of suspense, humor, and...ロマンスawkward situations galore!

Creative criticism is always welcome. Thanks!

LIFE GOES ON

Chapter 1: Warm Gut Feeling

The bullet pierced her chest quickly, painlessly. Blood splattered. Li hit the ground panting, pleading, and begging. Camilla couldn't watch, couldn't even scream. Her breath was gone. Her chest still ached, and her cut cheek continued to sting and drip, drip, drip blood. She squeezed her eyes shut and blocked her ears with her shaking hands as more bullets sprayed. She could still hear everything, that was inevitable, and she knew it. She couldn't run away, she couldn't save her; she was useless, too weak, too small…a little speck.

"MOM!"…..she sighed. Camilla sat up in bed, the cold sweat on her forehead chilling her to the bone.

"That was horrible, what a great way to start off my morning…."

She finally sprang up from bed, wanting to get as far away from her bed as possible. That was the third nightmare in a row this week. She practically ran to the bathroom and splashed water on her face. The emerald-eyed girl looked at herself from behind the dripping water in the mirror.

"I look like crap." She croaked glaring at the puffy bags under her eyes. She stuck out her tongue at her reflection and proceeded with the rest of her morning routines before going to work. She was a fairly new employee, only having about a few months of experience helping her father, a chemist, check the cleanliness of his test tubes. So she couldn't afford a car of course. She walked everywhere, she had kind of gotten used to it. She developed her "employed swagger walk" Which made her trudge like an overpaid 500 pound bus driver. Yet she did it proudly; but only when walking to work. Once she got into the building, Camilla had to take on a new persona, Candace, strutting around in orange shorts and an owl stamped tank top. She hated working at Hooters. She was always cold and felt exploited walking around with her body on display in front of horny old men. (And their kids, the poor things, they sit and watch their fathers' elated expression at the girls when he should be watching over them.) This is so wrong. Camilla thought. If I had a choice…I-She grimaced as she felt someone grab her butt.

Not thinking, acting on reflexes, she whipped around and smacked the crap out of him, making him stumble and fall to the ground.

He started yelling. "YOU LITTLE-"

"Camill-Candace! How dare you smack the patrons!?" The head manager whined.

"Well how dare he grab MY ASS!?" The manager winced at the use of her language in the mostly family friendly restaurant. He looked around at the customers, their eyes glued to his face, his mouth. Waiting for what he would say next. He glanced back at Camilla, seething, teary rage across her face. "You don't even have to say it." Camilla uttered in between sniffles. "I quit!"

She threw off her uniform, revealing another tank top and butt padded underwear shorts underneath.

"And yes! THESE ARE FAKE!" She reached into the shorts and ripped out the booty-bump pads, throwing one at the pervert, still lounging on the ground, and the other at the manager. She then turned to the customers.

"I'm sorry for my loud outburst, and the uh—stripping….please enjoy the rest of your meal."

She stormed out and didn't look back. There's no need. She thought. I'm NEVER going back. I'll have to make a living some other way. How degrading.Looking down at her plain, scuffed shoes as she walked, she didn't notice anything around her, she didn't care right now, nor did she want to. Although she wished she had paid attention as she bumped into a hard chest.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I just-" She looked up into steely blue eyes, clearer and more beautiful than any ocean she'd ever seen. She froze, captivated.

"Are you okay?" He looked genuinely concerned and his perfect eyebrows furrowed. Camilla felt as if she would melt.

"Umm, uh… I'll be fine, sorry again." She forced herself to look away, and then started to walk. She felt she must look stupid to him, practically in pajamas trudging down the street with a mixture of emotions on her face.

"Ohh he was hot!... Darn." She whispered to herself. She turned around but only got a glimpse of his toned build and disheveled hair. She sighed depressingly. As she turned around she heard and felt crumpled paper, coming from her hand.

"Wha-" She opened it. "867-5309…What, this must be a joke, no one can have that number!" She was about to throw it away; but then she felt something else in her hand. It felt like…"A strand of hair?" (She had now moved over to the wall of a building to avoid bumping into anyone else) "HIS hair?! How? When?...EWWW."

Back at her apartment, she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling contemplating whether or not to call. She was also thinking about all of the things she knew about him, which was practically nothing of course. "Aw, what the heck, it's not like I have anything else to do….like working" she bitterly muttered.

Journal Entry #12

So, I'm going to call this total stranger...(Fingers crossed that he isn't a perv too…)

"OH CRAP I FORGOT TO FEED LUCY!" Closing the journal, she shook some fish flakes into a small fishbowl on her nightstand, which housed Lucy, a goldfish; given to her by her mother for her birthday the year before. Lucy of course made a beeline for the particles. CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP! Camilla smiled as she dialed the number.

"Hello?" A deep, lusty voice said, almost commandingly. "Hi, umm… is this that-"

"Oh, it's just you, stutter-girl. Yeah, it's the guy, what's up?" Camilla stared at the phone for a moment as if he could possibly feel her burning glare through it. "Well, first of all, why did you give me your number Mr. Stray-hair?" She retorted. "Ha-ha, nice one! I admit that wasn't on purpose I swear….gross, right?"

OMG! Even his laugh is hot! Camilla swooned as she thought.

He continued. "Well basically, I know you're out of a job right now so I-" Camilla's eyes widened. "H-How would you know that!? Are you some kind of stalker? Who sent you? Was it Uncle Phil? He was always the nosy type, hmm…."

"What? No! How about this idea? I was in the hooters and saw you quit, then storm out. I figured that I could offer you a job." Camilla was thankful that he left out the stripping part but she was confused. "Why me? You saw me at my worst, all…crazy and hysterical. Why do you-"

"Because of your professionalism." He cut in.

"What?"

"Let me finish….After your little outburst you apologized to all of the customers for your completely understandable actions. That's pretty admirable." Camilla's ears got hot.

"Well, yeah, I mean…I had to right? She sputtered.

"Well it was the right thing to do, but no, you didn't have to. And that's the admirable part. The choice to be courteous, selfless almost is the thing I find most admirable about people today. It's uh…rare." He stammers. "Yeah I agree." Is "ADMIRABLE" This guys' favorite word or something? I swear if he says it again I might barf… Camilla didn't really see how her actions could even be in the same sentence as the word: "Admirable…"

"Huh?"

"Uhh…It's such a nice word! Thank you." She smacked her forehead. "Yeah it is... So, you want the job?" Camilla's gut felt all warm, it only felt this way when she was sure about something.

"Yes! Yes I do!" She squealed. The man on the phone, Tahno, grinned. "I like the enthusiasm!" he strongly said. Camilla thought for a second, then frowned.

"So uh, what exactly is this job?"

END OF CHAPTER ONE