Chapter 2
Home
"I can't believe him." Kaoru slammed his hands down on the desk in the coffee room.
"Mr. Hitachiin please! Do try to regain your composure."
He threw his hand over his shoulder in riddance of the girl's plead.
"My composure?" His coffee cup nearly fell over when he pushed it away but she caught it. "One minute he says 'I'd rather die than sign that contract' then the next he says he 'want's to' and now I've drowning in phone calls from secretary to secretary across one whole country!"
His assistant, Noemi, squealed and she reached over to catch a tiny potted plant that nearly met it's fate with the floor. She let out a breath and sat it back on the table.
He threw himself down on a chair, slumping his cheek on his fist. "I'm not sure if he's lonely or just desperate for attention. For all I known he doesn't even like the woman!"
She cleared her throat, almost afraid to speak. "Well... I thought she was nice the one time I met her."
"Lies!" he grumbled. "All lies. All she wants is a pretty little prize to show to daddy. And all daddy wants is money. It's the twenty-first century for crying out loud!"
"Maybe," she swallowed timidly, "maybe your brother wants to get married."
"Well obviously!" he turned to her, hands risen as though to indicate his lack of sanity. "It's just-... No! he doesn't know what he wants."
Noemi watched as he paced around the room. She tried to talk to him, trying to get him to calm down but he wouldn't. He was frustrated and deep down, a little hurt. Maybe even a little betrayed.
"Vennesa Broccoli," he muttered in disgust. "She's vile. With her long nose she looks down on people with... there's no way Hikaru wants her, or finds her even a little attractive. He dubbed her 'interesting'. Interesting? Really? She's horrible."
"Well maybe-" she paused to let him finish a long, frustrated groan, "maybe he likes her? Maybe they've been in contact recently and has feelings for her?"
"That's not what I'm worried about," Kaoru whined and draped his hands over the back of his head. "If he has feelings for her, that's great. I'll just have to get used to her, but that's not the case."
"Hikaru was going on and on about girls who wanted nothing but money from us, and just a week later this, Mr. Broccoli, guy shows up again with his daughter and suddenly now Hikaru's interested in her? After a year of not being?"
His assistant frowned. Folding her hands on her lap she found a seat beside him. "Well... What do you plan on doing about it? From what he says, it doesn't seem like he's going to back out of it."
As if he had just came to that conclusion, Kaoru released another whine. "There isn't anything I can do. Mother's probably written the contract by now. Maybe it's selfish to not want Hikaru to go through with it. What do you think I should do, Nomi?"
She shrugged at the nickname. "...I don't know sir. Maybe you should talk to your brother about this. Make sure he's sure about it. It's a very big decision."
He sat up straight, bringing his coffee closer as she offered it to him. "It is," he agreed, "but it isn't my decision. I'm just his brother."
"You're not just his brother," Noemi said sternly. "You're his twin. And it's different."
Kaoru let out a breath, as if he had been holding it in a great deal of time and stood up, taking his cup with him. "There's just some thing's that aren't up for discussion. Even twins have no right to tell each other who they shouldn't love."
"I think..." she began, but stopped herself as he started to walk away.
"Mr. Hitachiin," she said a little louder than she meant to. "I think," she stood up, gathering her paperwork in her hands. "...maybe you and your brother have been in the office too long. You think... maybe you should get out awhile."
"If there is going to be a wedding, it wouldn't be for awhile," she added. "You could take a vacation, just the two of you. Just to really think this over."
"A romantic getaway with my twin brother?" He suggested teasingly. "Nomi, I know how you were fascinated with those brotherly love stories, but we're not like that anymore."
"No!" Her face flushed brightly. "I was suggesting... that you go home."
"...Home?"
"I know how you're always talking about it, and how much you miss it."
"That's silly," he smirked, "We go home everyday. Taking a couple days off work isn't going to change Hikaru's mind about marrying Vennesa."
"I meant that... you go home," she repeated. "Back to Tokyo."
He furrowed his brow. "...Japan?"
For a moment he thought about it. Neither he or his brother had been to Japan since they left after their high school graduation. Five years later, Hikaru barely even talked about it, and whenever he'd think about it, he'd keep it to himself.
"I don't think so," he answered, lowering his eyes to the floor as he made his way to the door. "Hikaru and I decided a long time ago that this is our home now. There's nothing in Japan that means anything to us anymore."
She rubbed her hand under her nose and fixed her glasses. "Try a change in the scenery, get out and spend time with him. Meet new people. Maybe Hikaru's been stuffed up in his office for too long that he just got desperate for a change. Marrying someone sure would change someone's life a lot."
Kaoru slowly turned back around. "So..." he spoke softly, his eyes trailing up to her face. "He's bored?"
"Not exactly what I meant, but..." Her words trailed off as she saw her boss's expression.
He turned away again, mumbling something about his brother doing stupid things when he's bored. He looked back down at his coffee before slamming it down on the counter.
The last time they had been to Japan was the day they were losing it all. Their hometown, their school, their family and friends. They had packed their bags, and hitched a flight to Italy and never looked back. It was dramatic and scary, but they were grown and ready for a change.
"There's always Greece," he muttered.
Dimples appeared on her cheeks as she smiled hopelessly. "You three took a business trip to Greece just a few months ago."
"...Spain?"
"You know that place like the back of your hand."
"We could..." he pondered out loud, "get a hotel down in Rome. He likes it there."
Noemi shook her again. "He likes it so much over there that he went and had a glass of wine with the CEO of Fandi just last week."
"Well you know the saying," he collapsed against the wall, exaggeratedly. "When in Rome do as the romans... do."
His assistant cocked her head at his strange pause, then was startled into taking a few steps back as he shot off the wall with a large grin on his face.
"Noemi, you're a genius!" He smiled wickedly, teeth nearly beaming from ear to ear.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out but a startled squeal as he grabbed her face and kissed her right on the lips. She shook with the adrenaline that seemed to have transfused from his body to hers, and didn't breathe until he let her go.
"We haven't talked to them in so long," he breathed, still holding her face, and still smiling. "Remind me to bring you with me."
Noemi's lashes battered against her flushed cheeks as she stood speechless and confused, but she managed to pull her mouth close.
"But-... What do you mean? Where are you going?"
"Home," He said before he stooped down and pecked her cheek. "We're going home. Schedule a flight to Bunkyo, and pack my bags. I have a couple of important emails to get out. Oh, and bring those with you, would ya, love?"
She opened her mouth but before she could get another word out he was gone, and she was left in his wake, rubbing her fingers over the place where he had kissed.
Gasping, she picked up the papers she had dropped and hurriedly followed him out the door.
To Be Continued - Constructive Criticism is appreciated
