Okay, so here is chapter two for you... I had a real hard time trying to figure out where to cut this chapter up because after this more stuff happens in the same day... but I think that would make for a really long chapter. I hope that you guys like my twists, like Nathen... who was spontaneously thrown into the story and then just as spontaneously made into Jaz's dude ^^ I also figured out the overall theme for this story, yay!, and I hope you guys will like it... and maybe cry a bit to... I wish there was a way to add more genres to a story... two is not enough. Hopefully I'm keeping Dante in character, I have a mixed view of him cause I watched the anime and then played DMC 4... Let me know if you have any pointers of ways to better describe him.
Love you reads. Reviews are loved as well.
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: two :
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BANG!
Jazmin sat up suddenly, her eyes flashing open. The shock of being abruptly torn from a deep sleep left her heart racing and her breaths shallow. The moment her eyes opened she instantly winced, holding a hand up instinctive to protect her eyes from the bright light filling the white room. However, she only got her arm half way to her face before pain flared in her shoulder, the muscles and tensions screaming at her in pain. She opened her mouth in a silent scream as she dropped her arm back to the white sheets. On edge and disoriented it took her several moments before she realized where she was. A bland white walls of a hospital room, white sheets, white door, white everything was uncomfortably bright with the morning sun light that split into the room through the open window. Of course, the fact that she was in a hospital room did nothing to calm her frazzled nerves. What had happened? She couldn't remember coming to the hospital... actually she couldn't remember anything about last night that would explain what she was doing here and why her body was aching.
She was still hyperventilating and the monitors that where reading various vital signs, were beating at her madly. The annoying beeping to her right only served to agitate her more as did the biting pain of the needle in her forearm. There wasn't any kind of pain killer in that IV and she was very tempted to rip the thing out. Just as Jazmin had grabbed the end of the offending item, the door was suddenly jerked open causing her to jump, releasing the needle in her surprise.
A petite nurse rushed into the room only to stop short at the sight of her patient sitting up in bed. The intense look of concern faded from the older woman's face and she smiled after a moment. Jazmin was just as high strong as she had been moments before, the smile helping to calm her as much as knowing this was a hospital. She hurt, she was freaked out, and she was not a happy camper in the least. As the nursed crossed the room to her bed side, Jazmin thought about ripping off the annoying wires attached to her as well as the needle and get the hell out of there. She hurt but she was sure she could walk if she wanted to. She did not want to be in a hospital. Too clean, too white, too many people being too nice. She was still breathing through her teeth, looking around like a caged animal. The beeping had stopped and the nursed turned to her, slightly surprised by the fact her patient was still so high-strung.
"Miss Garrick, please clam down." The nurse said calmly placing a hand on Jazmin's shoulder, gently pushing her back down onto the bed. Jazmin almost shied away from the touch but caught herself, closing her eyes and forcing herself to take clam and even breaths. She was over reacting, acting like a child for no reason. She laid back and winced at how tender her back was. Wait, did she have bandages around her torso? Her entire torso?
"Wher- how did I get here?" Jazmin asked quietly as the nurse walked to the end of her bed and scribbled on the clipboard there. She ignored the question for the time as she came back to Jazmin's side and began removing the bandage rapped around Jazmin's head. Oh, that's why her hair wasn't in her face... Just as her patients began to wain
"A man brought you here, he said that you had fallen." The nurse said with a polite smile. Fallen? Hum, Jazmin didn't remember falling, not that she actually remembered anything at all. She had gone to… to the Jazz club and played… then, then… She winced a bit as the back of her head throbbed, the rhythmic pain coursing though the rest of her body as well.
"Are you alright? I guess your in pain aren't you." She questioned then turned to the IV and turned a nob so that the drip was fast. Oh, so many it was pain killers. "You may have some short-term memory loss; you hit your head pretty hard. You have a quiet a bit bruise on your back and a few cracked ribs." The nurse said quietly and continued with bandaging her head. She didn't move as the nurse worked. It didn't feel like bruising. Sure as hell felt like she had stitches or something... See, people being too nice. If she was hurt just tell her. No matter how she reacted she would rather know the truth than be lied to. She clenched and unclenched her hand, ignoring the lessening pain in her arm as she did so. After another moment she asked if the man who had brought her in had left a name.
"No ma'am. He was very mysterious though, stayed here all night though. Sat over there," She nodded to the chair in the corner. ". The few times I came in to check on you he was awake and seemed very tense. All night long, I swear he didn't move a muscle" The nurse said, her eyes looking off and she told her story. From the way she talked it seemed like the guy had left an impression. All night long? Why did he leave before she woke up if he had seemed content to stay up all night watching her. While as creepy as it was to have some guy watch you while you were sleeping... it was kinda sweet at the same time.
"He wasn't bald with a big mustache was he?"
"What? No, he had white hair. It surprised me because he was not old enough. I'm sure he dyed it." The nurse nodded finished her work on the bandages around her head. Jazmin glanced up, though she wouldn't be able to see before letting out a little sigh.
"Thank you." The nurse just smiled and patted Jazmin's hand before leaving to attend to other patients.
Hum, white hair. White hair… why was that so familiar? And why the had he stayed all night? And how in the world had she fallen and busied three ribs? And -ow. Jazmin's head started to throb and she moaned, closing her eyes and sliding deeper into the bed. As stale as the sheets were, the mattress was soft... maybe she would try to remember more…later.
Red coat, white hair. Hit her head. Guitar smashed to pieces. Tall man. Dark shapes. Fuzzy memories. The enormous bruise on her back. Tall man, red coat, white hair, red coat, white hair, red coat, white hair...
"Jazmin… Jazmin!"
Jazmin jumped at the sharp noise of the papers on glass as someone slapped a large stack of papers down on the edge of her desk.
"What?" Jazmin look up from the paper she had been staring at, an eyebrow raised disapprovingly at her friend Elisabeth. As she leaned on the raised edge of Jazmin's desk the secretary slide the paper she had been staring at under the rest effectively hiding the words 'red coat' and 'white hair' circled in the margin. Elisabeth, though she preferred Beth, often found every excuse to get away from her desk and to come bother Jazmin. Jazmin, Beth being one of her closest friends, didn't really mind but it was sometimes hard to concentrate on work when you would rather be laughing over some inside joke with your BFF. The other women leaned forwards, hands on her hips and gave Jazmin a disapproving look of her own.
"Don't tell me you were thinking of mister red and mysterious again." She scolded, flicking a few of those lovely dark brown locks back over her shoulder. Jazmin scowled at her friend, unable to stop the hint of blush across her cheeks, she spun on her chair to type on her computer.
"You were!" Beth almost cried and Jazmin new a mischievous grin was lighting up the other woman's face. She glanced back at her friend, pulling one of her best 'secretary looks' as she glazed at her over her glasses. Beth just raised an eye brow and leaned on the counter the formed the top of Jazmin's desk, cocking her hips dangerously. That woman had curves most women would kill for.
"Jaz, it's only been, like, two days… you can't keep zoning out to try and remember something at work. Mr. Johnson will get mad if you fall behind on your work." Jazmin sighed rubbing her face pushing her glasses up into her hair. It had only been two days since she got out of the hospital, only one day since she came back to work. While she wasn't off vicodin quiet let, she couldn't sit at home and do nothing. That was even worse than working through the pain. After all, Jazmin was the secretary of Mr. Johnson, the CEO of a very large corporation, a corporation that had hands in just about everything from electronics to weapons to satellites. If there was any kind of programming or microelectronics required for something, the Johnson & Johnson Corporation probably had a part in it putting it together.
"What will Nathen do if he finds out your thinking of another man?" Beth teased and Jazmin gasped.
"You wouldn't! Beth you're horrible!" Jazmin said grabbing a stack of papers and hitting her friend on the arm, blushing at the idea. Beth laughed swatting back at Jazmin who stopped and composed herself sitting back down.
"Well it wouldn't matter because I'm just curious and trying to get all my memory back. That's it. He would understand." Beth raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms and made a disbelieving noise. Jazmin scowled at her friend who was just trying to rowel her up.
"Oh get out of here Beth, don't you have something to do other than bugging me?" Jazmin muttered with a little pout as she turned back to her computer. Beth just laughed, knowing she had 'won' she patting Jazmin on the head before walked back towards her cubical. Jazmin sighed, looking after her older colleague as she ran her fingers through her hair, knowing that it looked like a mess, it was hard enough to keep her hair all up and back in the tight bun she wore to work. She started to pull the clip out with then the large double doors to her right opened. She was instantly on her feet as few important looking men in suit exited the office.
"Have a good day gentlemen." She smiling politely and they nodded, muttering thanks before continuing towards the elevators at the other end of the hall. After the long moment she sat back down only to be interrupted again by a buzz from her phone. She pressed the button next to the glowing light under which read 'Mr. Johnson'.
"Yes sir?" She asked, glancing up to watch the elevator doors close.
"Please bring in those papers on the Citi-… citcda?…. citadel?…"
"The Citlali Satellite project sir?"
"Yes that one."
Jazmin smiled slightly as she clicked the button again and scooped up the manila folder that where requested. Walked around her desk and threw the double door –though she only used one– into Mr. Johnson's office. The office was large, black tiled floor that matched the hall outside, two of the walls were windows that gave a magnificent view of the city. Between the door and the elegant desk where two seating areas, both with white rugs and black, leather couches which appeared just as comfortable as they actually were. Everything with very crisp and modern, a feel Jazmin was starting to like. She paused, taking in the room as she often found herself doing the door clicked shut softly behind her bring her back to the job at hand. She walked quickly across the floor towards Mr. Johnson's large black desk, her healed shoes clicking softly.
She came around the side of his desk and waited till her moved the papers he was looking at to the side.
"Here are the papers on the Citlali Satellite project." She said handing him the first of the folders. "That is the over lay out of the plans, supplies lists, supporters, data on the research, ect, and everything else you asked for." She continued as he flipped threw the papers.
"And here is the data on there competitors." She handed him the second and third folders. Mr. Johnson raised a eye brow, leaning back in his chair a bit.
"I didn't say anything about competitors." There was a hint of amusement in his voice as he glanced up at her. Jasmin cleared her throat, and smiled.
"I was thinking from a business point of view."
"Well done." Mr. Johnson nodded and continued to browse the papers.
"What is this?" He asked after a moment pointed to something on the page. Jazmin leaned over, holding a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she looked at the paper. She frowned.
"That is just the fuel to weight ratio…" She muttered glancing at Mr. Johnson. Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed that he was suddenly leaning very close to her. He was smiling, his dark green eyes sparkling in the most charming way. Jazmin blushed, glancing away quickly before she slowly straitened. But a feather light touch on her cheek made her stop. Mr. Johnson slowly trailed his hand down the side of her face till he pulled her face forwards, his fingers under her chin. After a quick glance, his eyes softening he kissed her. Jazmin could have melted from the touch of his lips on hers and she eagerly kissed him back. They were always soft, as were his touches. He was always to gentle with her. After a moment he pulled back and smiled as her, pushing the pesky lock of hair around of her face and behind her ear again, it stayed for a moment before falling back into her face.
"Jazzy… I was really worried about you. You didn't call then when you did you were in the hospital. I-I... you have no idea how I felt." He said softly, his voice pained and his green eyes looking deeply into her's.
"Oh Nathen, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to worry you." Jazmin cooed, her chest tightening with guilt for making him worry. She kissed him again, letting hand touch his face as well. But as the kiss deepened and she felt him wrap his arms around her she had to break the kiss, though she was already in his lap.
"Wait, we can't do this at work." Nathen looked a little disappointed at being rejected. "It was your rule." She added with a raised eyebrow.
"Eh, you're right. Guess I was getting ahead of myself." Jazmin rolled her eyes but was smiling all the same. Nathen also grin, though much more mischievously and hugged her tighter, kissing the inside of his girlfriends neck and under her jaw. Jazmin giggled, complaining that he was tickling her. Of course his response was that was the point and continued. He didn't stop till Jazmin was breathless from laughing and then he was quiet content to just hold her, stoking her hair.
"So you all better?"
"From the hospital stuff?" Jazmin asked, tilting her head up so she could see him and he nodded. "Yeah for the most part. Though I think the bruises are gonna stick around for at least another day or two."
"Well you should get lot of sleep. And take a bath when you get home with that herbal bath stuff I got you. It really helps. And you should take more vitamins so you don't get sick or something. And-" Jazmin put a hand over his mouth and laughed. Nathen always worried to much. He treated her like she was a glass doll that would break if touched her to roughly. If anything, the bruise on her back should have disproved that idea.
"Will you relax? I have taken care of my battle wounds before silly." She smiled brightly at him and Nathen let out a heavy sigh hugging her again gently before putting her back on her feet. Jazmin striated her clothing, puling her hair out before before pulling out a few papers.
"Ah, I just need these singed by you so I can send them out." She said quietly, fixing her hair as she watched Nathen sighed the papers quickly. Clothing and papers in order she nodded.
"Well alright." Jazmin leaned down and gave him a little peck on his cheek. "Thanks Nathen." She smiled at him brightly before turning and exiting the room, all the way she couldn't stop herself from smiling like an idiot.
...
...Tall man, red coat, white hair... hum...
"Well I think he likes you." Emily, one of Jazmin's and Beth's co-workers, commented as they all sat eating lunch. They were at a small deli a few block from the company building. Beth had decided that, seeing as it was the first sunny day they had had in almost a week, they were all going out to eat and going out to eat meant eating outside.
Alexandria and Hannah nodded their agreement with Emily's statement. Jazmin just shrugged and Beth laugh, saying something like that was ridiculous, her acting better than Jazmin's in a situation like this. No one new about Jazmin and Nathen's relationship say for Beth and and their parents, though Jazmin had never meet the older Johnson and Nathen had only meet her parents twice. And so, Emily and Hannah being the biggest gossipers in the group, the 'Nathen X Jazmin' topic came up a lot.
"Yeah, I mean, I sometimes see him looking at you. Sometimes is all soft and sweet, makes me want a guy to look at me like that,-"
"Yeah me too!" Alexandria chimed in.
"-but other times..."
"Other times," Hannah cut in, "he looks like a hungry lion stalking a gazelle."
"Well I don't know about lion... He's more of a cheetah..." Emily said, tapping her chin in thought.
"No, more of a leopard, I mean with that dangerous looking body of his!" the girls all laughed and giggled. Jazmin smiled then shock her head at the 'ridiculous idea'. It would be considered very unprofessional to be dating her boss, so that's why Nathen recommended that they keep quiet about their relationship. Of course Jasmin had agreed, but mostly because she was just embarrassed about other people knowing about her love life… silly right? But then Jazmin had been always very private about her private life. She didn't make drama and no one really asked, which was just fine with her.
As the other girl's continued to chatter on about what creature of the animal kingdom fit Mr. Johnson the best, Jazmin zoned out, staring off into the middle ground and she thought about Nathen. He was a rather dashing guy; tall, slender but still well built. He had dark brown hair and the most beautiful green eyes that a girl could just melt into… He also had this air of dignity, and power that was sometimes overwhelming. He was so sweet and sometimes, acted all awkward when he didn't know what to do, which she thought was so cute. Jazmin sighed happily, and the other girls laughed, bringing her out of her daze.
"Ha, thinking of Mr. Johnson? He deserves a look like that!" Hannah said and Jazmin scowled playfully, shoving her in the arm. Jazmin snagged a fry from Alexandria's plate which was enough to distract the girls. Beth gave her a wink and threw out another topic for discussion, Jazmin liked that fact the topic had changed and she listened quietly for a time.
Though it wasn't long before her attention was grabbed by a strangely familiar phrase.
"One Strawberry-Sunday."
"E-excuse me sir?"
Jazmin turned to see a surprised waiter looking down at a man… sitting at a table a few from her's… red coat… white hair…
Jazmin groaned as she felt a intense pain in the back of her head and she clamped her eyes shut, holding her temples as images flooded her mind. The tall guy in the red coat, sitting next to her in the club. Her failed attempt to talk to him like a normal person. Then she was rushing from the club... and then she remembered the pain of being thrown into the wall. The distinct feeling of her guitar being crushed into her back by some unseen force. And his blurred form outside when she on the ground. What had he said?; she defiantly remembered that he had said something.
"Jazmin? Are you okay?" Beth asked quietly, leaning closer to her friend who has still holding her head.
"Y-yeah Beth, I'm fine. I just remembered the guy in red though…" Jazmin swallowed. The other girl perked up, leaning closer to heard Jazmin's almost whispered words. "He's right over there…" She added, voice a little shaken as she pointed over her shoulder.
"No way!" Beth gasped and instantly turned around to conform. She gaped at the mystery man in red, obviously not being unaffected by his charm. He was leaning back at a precarious angle, his chair perched on just two legs, he feet up on the table, ankles crossed. The four girls stared. They didn't even try to hide it. The pain in hr head slowly faded only to flare up again when the girls squealed loudly. Jazmin wincing again, she glanced over her shoulder to see the man turning his head away from, them a little grin on his lips; probably a look from being checked out by a bunch of women.
"Wow, Jazzy your man in red sure is a hotty!"
"That's the guy you were talking about Beth?"
"Mm-hum."
"And he took you to the hositpal?"
"Hee hee he's like your studly protector."
"Or her knight!"
"Oh wow Jaz! Forget Mr. Johnson, you should get him."
"Ah! What are you guys talking about…. Shhh he'll hear you." Jazmin hissed, as the girl continued to chatter away excitedly.
"Well if your not gonna take him, I'm defantly gonna get myself some of that!"
Jazmin blushed at the idea of being with the other man. She quickly dismissed the idea as ridiculous... but even though, there was something awfully exciting about it. The idea of being with that mysterious, sexy, stylish man... She was sure he knew how to handle himself and- No! no, no, no. She was Nathen's girlfriend… and she shouldn't be having such unfaithful thoughts.
She should just ignore him. It would probably be better for her, she could tell a guy like that would only be trouble. She chanced a glance over her shoulder, glad she had let her hair down again she her bangs partially shielded her face. He was still leaning back, his eyes closed but as she continued to watch, one eye cracked open and flicked towards her. Jazmin didn't react like she had noticed but made it seem like she had been looking at something else entirely. She should ignore him but he had been there when she was... attacked is the best word she could think of. She definitely hadn't 'fallen'.
She let out a sigh and stood, pushing her chair back. Her friends gave her a weird look, but didn't say anything as she turned and weaved thought the tables, approaching the man in red. She closed her eyes and ignored the giggles of her friends behind her as they figured out what she was doing. Jazmin stopped next to him, his eyes were closed again and he didn't move even when her shadow fell over his face. Now that she was able to have another look at him, where she could actually see his face properly, she couldn't help but notice that he really was drop-dead gorgeous. His hair was pure white and with the sunlight shine on it it really did appear silver. She was very tempted to lean closer to see if it actually was dyed because from where she was she couldn't say. And thanks to the fact he was leaning back, hung out of his face. He looked a bit older than she was, with a masculine face that had a kind of foreign, exotic beauty to it. The slight stubble under his chin and jaw line only added to his masculinity. Jazmin started fidgeting as the moments dragged on and he still didn't notice her.
"Um… excuse me?"
The man in red cracked a brilliantly blue eye at her again, his hands laced behind his head. The eye slowly drifted down her body and then back up to her face, a little smirk growing on his face. His eyes widened in recognition when his gaze returned to her face. He sat up, almost falling back in his chair, but he quickly caught himself as he slammed the leg back onto the ground. Though, as he landed, resting and arm on the table top, he managed to made it look like he had totally meant to almost fall over. How he did that and still managed to be as charming and hot as a god she had no idea.
"What do you want?" The phrase usually would have been rude, but with the way he spoke, it came across as polite. Like, he was asking 'how may I help you' but it still had the gruffness that seemed to be his usual attitude. Her fidgeting didn't stop but only became worse as he watched her, his gaze unwavering. His eyes, that same icy-blue she now remembered from the club, were clear and bright but at the same time very intense.
"Um, I saw you at the Jazz club the other night... and then outside when I, um fell. Someone said that someone looking like you brought me to the hospital… Was it you?" Jazmin asked awkwardly, trying to control her fidget under his gaze, and under the eyes of her friends that she knew were watching. The man looked her over once more, which made her even more uncomfortable, and then he leaned back with a sigh.
"Yeah, I took you the hospital. What about it." He said, his tone becoming increasingly hostile.
"It was you? What happened? I don't remember much, because I hit my head, and- " Jazmin caught herself before she could banter on anymore. The man raised an elegant white eye brow (maybe he didn't dye his hair) before let out a short breath and then looked away from her.
"Nothing happened. You were bleeding so I took ya to a hospital." His tone was suddenly dismissive, like he didn't want to talk to her anymore. He shifted pretty quickly… Jazmin blinked, a bit taken back and irritated by his tone and the conflicting statement.
"No, I remember distinctly that you had been talking to someone. And I was smashed against my guitar, which is now in pieces… how couldn't I have simply hit my head and have smashed my guitar like that?" The man rolled his eyes at her. Was he trying to piss her off? Jazmin frowned but had to step to the side as the waiter returned, a Strawberry-Sunday in hand. The moment the sweet was on the table the man in red snagged the spoon and took a bite. That was when Jazmin noticed the guy's guitar case on the other side of the table. Why did he have that thing here? Was he going to perform?
"Listen, lady." He's voice laced with impatience, distracted her form her thoughts. "You hit your head; you memory is probably fuzzy. Nothing happened." He said inspecting his ice cream on the spoon before putting it in his mouth. He continued eating, obviously not planning on saying anything else. Jazmin scowled at him and spun back around, returning to her table supremely pissed off. What a rude guy! He seemed pretty interesting in talking to her at the start then he suddenly turned all rude like he had wanted her to go away. What the heck!
"Well?" Beth prompted as Jazmin sat down hottily.
"Well what?" Jazmin snapped, then blinked surprised at herself as did the other girls. "Oh, sorry. Yeah he was the guy to took me to the hospital but he's a total ass.
"Hum, that's a shame he's so hot... hey, wait... Where did he go?" Emily said in surprise and looked around. Jazmin blinked and spun around to see that the glass cup the ice cream had been was empty and the man in red was gone. What? He was gone? But he had just gotten the ice cream, and now her was no where in sight? How did he do that? But, more importantly he had eaten that ice cream in like forty seconds… he must have had a killer brain-freeze.
Jazmin took a deep breath and laughed softly, wow. Of course that would be the thing she'd get hung up on.
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PLEASE REVIEW! i know there are more chapters, but when you give me your opinion on each it helps me out so much more when i come back to fix stuff. The reader's opinion means so much to me. So being harsh is okay but along as it is constructive.
DISCLAIMER: I, sadly, do not own any characters from the various Devil May Cry series, nor do i make any money from this reproduction. If i did own these characters Dante would wear less clothing more often and Kyrie would have died... *thumbs up*
{Version Two}
