A/N: Hey everyone! So lately I've been pretty stressed with school (my sorry excuse for not updating any of my fanfictions.... SORRY!) But this morning I woke up with an idea for a new fanfic, and it inspired me... hope you guys enjoy this!
12 Months With You...
-Mikan-
Choruses of "good work today, Sakura-san!" and "see you next week!" rang all around me as I waved and thanked all of my fellow classmates. I quickly strode out of my modeling class and headed down the main hall; careful to remain silent for the several live radio shows taking place. Waiting at the end of the hallway stood my manager and best friend, Imai Hotaru. At the sight of me, she hung up on her cell, but began to type rapidly on it.
She immediately took off at a brisk pace towards the main lobby, despite her two inch stilettos and pencil skirt, causing me to scurry after her and perspire a little. I frowned at the back of her head, already sensing something amiss- normally she would walk beside me at a slow pace and tell me my schedule for the week.
Luckily, I didn't trip over myself or ram into anyone.
"Have a nice day." The nice receptionist lady of Momiji Modeling Agency called to us. I waved back to her with a small smile.
Five minutes later we finally were on the road in Hotaru's car. I knew not to ask Hotaru what was wrong, and to let her tell me when she felt like it. I stared outside of the window at the cloudy skies and frost covered trees which dotted the sidewalks of Tokyo.
At last she spoke. "So your debut is coming up."
"In three months, right?" I asked, bouncing up and down with excitement at the thought of my coming out into the modeling world.
"It's going to be delayed to next year." Hotaru said flatly, tilting her face slightly towards me.
We stopped at a red light.
I furrowed my eyebrows a tinge at the indefinable emotion I saw in her mauve eyes, attempting to figure out why she wasn't angry, or at least sad. A smudge of disappointment marred my temporary excitement.
"But... aren't you going to tell me why? I know you have a good reason to delay it- you know how much I've been looking forward to this moment." I couldn't help but sound accusatory.
The red light turned green, as the car swiftly moved forward; it was then that I realized that we were heading towards an unfamiliar area.
"I pulled some strings and managed to land you an interview with Shouda- you have a big possibility of shooting a portfolio featuring her clothes."
Shouda Sumire was one of the most successful fashion designers of 2009; she was well known in the fashion industry as an efficient woman who one didn't want to be on bad terms with.
I choked on my saliva and rotated in my seat to face her fully; my eyes as wide as my grandfather's meat buns.
"Bull." I blurted, covering my mouth immediately with a gasp.
Hotaru arched one of her eyebrows, amused and slightly taken aback by my uncommon use of "swear" words.
"We're going to meet her now, so look presentable. We'll be there in fifteen minutes." She motioned to the back seat to where my makeup box and best blouse laid.
Even in my shell shocked daze, my body knew what to do, and by the time we stepped up in front of Shouda-san's office, I looked... well... like a model.
"Remember- smile as much as you can, and be sincere with everything you do. Shouda isn't one to take false models." Hotaru told me sternly, before knocking on the door.
Her knocks reminded me of the dull clanging of bells that would ring before an execution took place.
"Come in." A feminine voiced said.
What seemed to be a few seconds became a millisecond, as I found myself standing in front of the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and a scruffy, but handsome, man.
Taking a massive breath, I gathered enough courage to stop trembling from anxiety; this would be my first major photo shoot ever, as well as the thing that will make my debut significant. I tried to not mull over the enormity of this situation for too long.
The moment we stood in front of her desk, Hotaru and I bowed deeply; the former doing this action gracefully, while I almost killed my back from bowing so low.
I wonder how she managed to polish her hardwood floor so nicely. It almost looks like bars of milk chocolate...
"Please, sit down." She gestured to the seats. I stopped my train of thought and sat down across from the man. I resisted the urge to fidget with great difficulty at the formal atmosphere, and opted to stare out the expansive window which covered the entire wall.
Those clouds sure do look unusually fluffy. They almost look like white Howalon puffs.
A short moment later, another beautiful women entered, placing two hot cups of coffee in front of us; leaving as quickly as she arrived.
"So-" Shouda-san shuffled through a couple of papers on her desk, my attention reverting to her.
How did she get her fringe to be so perfect? And that hair color really suits her skin and verdant eyes.
Hotaru kicked me subtly, but it hurt enough to snap me out of my reverie.
"-how long have you been learning how to model?"
"For two years, Ma'am."
She scribbled something down in a notebook. I glanced at the man sitting across from me, and was shocked to see that he had tawny colored eyes. He shot me a covert wink before staring idly up at the ceiling.
"Why do you think you should model for me?"
I took a moment, carefully choosing my words. "Because I'm different from the other models- I give honest opinions on everything, I don't believe in lying, and I am very stubborn when it comes to things I believe in."
Shouda-san halted her rapid writing and peered up at me; scrutinizing my sincerity behind this statement. I met her stare with equal intensity with a surge of courage.
I can do this.
Out of my peripheries, I saw Hotaru smile infinitesimally.
"How tall are you and what year of high school are you in?" She asked, breaking off our eye contact.
"About 5'6'' and I'm a third year." I snuck in a smile here, remembering Hotaru's reminder.
"So you're in your final year of high school. Do you think you can handle this enormous responsibility while maintaining your grades? I don't allow slackers to work for me."
"It will be hard, but I know I am capable of balancing my school work with modeling." I said firmly; this much I believed in wholeheartedly.
Without missing a beat at my sincere answer, Shouda-san said, "could you please follow me to the back, so that I can see how well you fit into my clothes."
I got up and followed her into another room, where hundreds of different articles of clothing lined the walls. I gaped, openmouthed, at the luxurious room; taking in the elegant, European theme which adorned it. There was even a folding screen in the corner of the room and a long lounge chair in the very center.
"Try on these three outfits." She placed them delicately in my arms.
Going behind the screen, I let our a silent breath of relief. It felt like the folding screen was protecting me from her intimidating presence.
I tried on the first outfit; it was a cute, white summer dress that had a short hem in the front, but it gradually grew longer in the back. I quickly twisted my hair up in a bun to add a flourish to the look.
I walked out from behind the screen with my air of confidence back. I saw Hotaru, Shouda-san, and Koko sitting on the lounge chair. The latter wolf-whistled, much to my embarrassment. I averted my eyes to the top of their heads, and suffered from my short attention span once again.
His hair reminds me of the color of hay. No, a golden field of wheat. Maybe a cross between the two?
Shouda-san immediately got up from her seat and stepped over to me, examining the fit of the dress on me.
"Well this one certainly fits like a glove." She commented out loud to herself. "Go try on the other one."
Once again, I changed, but now I was not so confident as before. I couldn't tell if Shouda-san like me or not; she hasn't given any implications of her thoughts.
Maybe she didn't like the fact that I was half an inch taller than her. Or maybe I shouldn't have day dreamed a lot. What if-
I was not behind the protective screen anymore, but in front of the three spectators in my second outfit; a light, knee-length skirt with a blue striped blouse. I noticed that the blouse's sleeves were a little too long for my arms, and Shouda-san seemed to have noticed that too. To solve this problem, she shimmied the sleeve up to my wrist and pinned it there.
I took this as my cue to leave, so I did, and came back in my third outfit with my hair out of its bun. It was a green plaid mini skirt with a long black sweater on top. While the sweater's sleeve were also a bit long, it added a certain charm to the look.
"Does anything feel uncomfortable?" Shouda-san asked me, while taking more notes in her notebook.
"No, not at all! I have always loved your clothes, but I've never seen these outfits before. Which collection are they apart of?" I inquired politely.
"They were in my Fall 2009 Collection." She responded curtly.
I frowned and said, "I apologize if I'm wrong, but that collection only had evening gowns. I remember seeing your show with my class."
At long last, the formal and tense atmosphere dissipated. Shouda-san finally smiled kindly at me while the man gave a bark of laughter.
"She didn't fall for it, Sumire. Well- welcome aboard, Sakura." He announced, offering his hand. "My name's Yome Koko and I am the photographer for this old hag's upcoming collection."
I shook his hand gratefully with a bemused expression while Shouda-san ignored his jibe.
"So, we have a lot of preparing to do. Are you ready, Mikan?" Shouda-san asked me as she handed Hotaru a folder.
"Wait- I don't geddit." I said intelligibly.
"It means you got the job, Mikan." Hotaru drawled.
A light bulb went off in my head.
"I did?"
Everybody nodded.
"Oh... I GOT IT!" I squealed happily, and a flower of euphoria bloomed in my chest as I realized that my future as a model was looking very bright. I began to hop up and down excitedly while holding onto a very disgruntled Hotaru. I then proceeded to do my victory dance, not caring that two strangers were watching me. "I-got-the jooooob, I-got-the-joooob."
"Alright then. I'm glad you are very enthusiastic and excited because this will probably be your hardest job yet. You're photo shoot starts tomorrow at 8 A.M. at this location. Details are inside the folder." Shouda-san's strict voice came back with full force, causing me to stop my parade.
"Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity. I swear that you won't regret it!" I told her genuinely, bowing at a 90 degree angle, and exiting the place with Hotaru walking next to me. I exploded yet again when we were inside the safe confines of her car.
"I'm going to model for Shouda-san!" I said over and over again, high on my overwhelming glee. With all restraints kicked out the door, I greedily grabbed the manila folder and opened it. My happiness bleeding into worry.
"It's going to take a year to photograph this portfolio?" I asked.
"Yes." Hotaru said in a bored tone.
"And I will be having a shoot once a month?"
"Mhmm..."
We stopped at a red light.
"And the theme is... the progression of love?"
"No, Mikan. It's just a very large typo made by Shouda." Hotaru said sarcastically, her annoyance coloring her voice.
The red light turned green as we headed back home.
"But- but- I don't understand! Who's my partner, and how does one model the progression of love?" I asked desperately, troubled over the theme.
"We'll find out who your partner is tomorrow, and aren't you a model? Use your skills to interpret the theme."
I frantically read the rest of the paper, my eyes landing on the last paragraph. Fear overcame my brain, as I reread and double checked the excerpt to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
Oh dear.
"And I... have to live with this person for a full year?"
Hotaru snorted. "Obviously. Shouda is known for making her models convey authentic emotions by placing them in corresponding situations. If she wants you to feel 'in love,' then it will make sense to make you and your partner live together. The pictures will feel more realistic."
I rested my forehead against the cool window, feeling a headache coming on.
"Is there anything else in the folder?" Hotaru asked more gently, taking my pain into consideration.
I peered inside with terror, afraid that a monstrous piranha will come out next and kill me.
I actually hoped that would happen.
Unfortunately, the rest were some papers for Hotaru to sign and a list of things I should bring to my new house-
Wait a minute.
New house? I won't be living in my current home? I won't be able to see Hotaru's face in the morning anymore, or eat Anna's food? Instead, I will be sleeping near a stranger who's male, in an unfamiliar house, for a portfolio??
I snapped out of my mental hysteria. It's only a job, nothing will happen to me. This will only take one year, which is twelve months... and after that, I will be a very successful model with a very successful portfolio under my name, with lots of job offers.
This will be a piece of chocolate cake... I hope.
Hotaru's car came to a stop at a red light.
.
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A/N: So? What do you think? Review with your thoughts/constructive criticism! (Sorry for the grammatical errors, guys.)