Lapse in Judgment
Chapter Two
-Departure-
Two days later found Akito standing impatiently at the gate to the flight that would take him and his friends to Las Vegas. He'd arranged everything with his father, making sure that he wouldn't miss anything important on Friday. He doubted he would need to take Monday off, after all, he wasn't planning on getting as wasted as he knew his friends probably would.
But the fun of the trip wasn't what had drawn him in, nor was it the manipulation of his best friend. Instead, it was the allure of getting to see Toshiro's youngest sister, a girl he hadn't seen in years. He'd always been interested in her, but had never said anything to Toshiro for fear that it would ruin their friendship. Not to mention she had never shown any interest in him whatsoever, and he wasn't one to go after something unless he knew he was going to get it. That's what made him such a good businessman.
He finally spotted the trio coming towards him, and felt excitement begin to swell in his chest, though he didn't show it. Minako and Toshiro were dressed for the flight and holding hands as they walked, each rolling their suitcases behind them. But his forest green gaze wasn't on them. Instead, it was on the pink haired woman walking a bit behind them. She was a thin, slender woman, her short pink locks stopping just before her shoulders. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a white button-up blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her attention was on her iPhone, her headphones in as she pulled her suitcase behind her.
"Don't even think about making a remark on how surprised you are that I showed up, despite me saying I would." Akito said as Toshiro opened his mouth to speak.
The redhead huffed, crossing his arms. "Well fine. Be that way."
"I can be whatever way I want after what you and Minako pulled." The Uchiha replied.
Minako pouted slightly. "Oh come on Akito, we just wanted to spend some time with you where you weren't concerned with your job. We worked just as hard to convince Natty."
Akito glanced at Natsumi, before looking back at Toshiro and arching a brow. "So…is she going to be on that the whole time? Because if so, I'm allowed to make work calls."
"I'm playing games." The pink haired woman said, making all of them look at her, though she didn't look up. "And I don't want to hear you talking to boring businessmen." she grumbled, walking past them. "Especially if I have to sit by you."
He nearly rolled his eyes. "Yeah, this trip's going to be real fun." He muttered, following after her so that they could board the plane.
Toshiro smiled and took Minako's hand. "This is going to be great!" he said, heading after them.
She laughed at his enthusiasm, and in no time at all they were seated in first class. Minako was next to Toshiro, obviously, and Akito next to Natsumi. He had the window seat, for which he was grateful, because he remembered Natsumi didn't really like flying. She'd gotten better about it as she got older, but he could see the stiffness in her shoulders as she sat down. "So…what have you been doing for the past few years?"
Natsumi shrugged, continuing her game of solitaire. "School, finished my interning a couple months ago and got hired as a primary surgeon at my mom's hospital."
"That's cool." He nodded. "Do you perform all kinds of surgeries, or do you specialize in a certain field?"
"I'm a neurosurgeon." She said. "So brain surgery." She glanced over at him, before pulling out her headphones and locking her phone. "You?"
"My father made me the vice president of his company about a year ago." He told her. "So I've been doing that, running all of the things he doesn't feel like dealing with, and getting ready to take over when he decides to retire."
She actually smiled, her beautiful jade depths lighting up. "Following in your dad's footsteps I see."
The corner of his mouth tilted up slightly. "Just as you are following in your mom's." he replied. "I'm sure she's very proud of you."
"Well she and my dad weren't exactly thrilled with my original thought of being a model." She looked forward when the announcer came over the intercom and told them to fasten their seatbelts.
They did so, before Akito resumed their conversation. "Well…do you like being a surgeon?" he wondered.
"Um…" she frowned, tucking her hands under her legs after she put her phone in her carryon bag. "I like helping people." She nodded, gripping the seat as they began to pull away. "But it's hard sometimes, you know…cause' you can't help everyone."
"I imagine." He nodded, taking in her demeanor. "Are you going to be alright?"
"Huh?" she blinked, looking over at him, though her gaze darted to the window. "Yeah. I'll be fine, it's just the takeoff and landing." Natsumi moved her hands from under her legs and placed them in her lap, though she laced her fingers together tightly.
"If you're sure." The Uchiha said. "But if you need anything just let me know."
She nodded, but stared forward once more. The liftoff was smooth, and then the rest was cake. The movie started and captivated almost everyone's attention, aside from the dark haired man, who couldn't help but steal glances at the beautiful girl beside him. And by the time they landed, Natsumi had fallen asleep, with her head resting on his shoulder. He made sure not to move too much so that he didn't disturb her, and was thankful that she wound up sleeping through their landing. But as the plane was slowing on the runway, Akito reached over and pat her knee, enjoying this small contact with her. "Natsumi, wake up. We're here."
She groaned softly, moving a bit until she opened her eyes and noticed she was resting on his shoulder. "Oh God, I'm sorry." She blushed, sitting up straight and looking off. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."
"I didn't mind." he smiled slightly. "You looked so peaceful, I thought it best to leave you alone anyways."
Natsumi glanced at him, smiling back. "Well thanks. That was nice."
The announcer came on once more, telling them they had arrived safely and that they could now grab their things. Natsumi stood and opened the bin, getting up on her tip toes in attempts to get her bags, though the action raised her shirt just enough for him to get a glimpse of her flat stomach. Akito let out a small breath, trying not to stare at her smooth skin. When she pulled down her luggage he moved his gaze away, rising from his seat and moving to get his carryon. Once they had their things they got off the plane, meeting up by the baggage claim.
Minako walked over to them, not paying attention to the suitcases since she knew Toshiro would grab hers for her. She smiled brightly at them. "I can't believe we're finally here!" she squealed softly, since it was late. "I'm so excited, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight."
"You'll probably fall asleep once your head hits your pillow." Akito said, grabbing his duffel bag from the line.
"Don't worry sweetie, you'll be fine." Toshiro assured his girlfriend as he came beside her.
Natsumi grabbed her two bags from the luggage claim and pulled them up before setting them beside her. "Can we just get going already?" she asked. "I hate airports."
"Sorry Natty, I forgot." Minako said, taking her suitcase from Toshiro as the group began to file out of the airport. They rented a car, before driving to the hotel and checking in. "Okay," the ebony haired woman smiled. "We got two suites, one for Toshiro and I, and the other for you two." She told her friends. "But it has separate bedrooms, so you don't have to share."
Akito blinked. "Why wouldn't you just get us our own rooms? It's basically the same thing." he wondered.
"No." Toshiro corrected. "Suites are nicer and it was a package deal. And we're on the same floor, right down the hall. Nice and easy." He explained, holding the elevator for them as they all got in. Natsumi just looked off, an annoyed frown on her face.
They rode the elevator up in silence, and when they reached their destined floor, followed Toshiro and Minako down the hall. They stopped in front of a set of doors, and Minako handed Akito and Natsumi each a key. "Here's your room. We're in four seventy-one." She told them.
"Thanks." Akito said, glancing at his key and then back up at them. "So what time do we need to be up for breakfast?"
"I say nine, so we can get a good rest and it's not too early." The redhead smiled, before pulling Minako off. Natsumi sighed and glanced at Akito so the he would open the door.
He did so, holding it open for her to get inside, before closing it. They walked into the suite and looked around, before Akito's gaze landed on her. "So which room do you want?"
"I dunno." She shrugged, glancing back at him. "Can I check the bathrooms?"
The corner of his mouth tilted up slightly. "You want the one with the best bathroom?" he asked, trying to keep from laughing.
Natsumi couldn't help but smirk. "Of course." She said, before setting her things down and going into one of the rooms. She came out and disappeared into the other, and after some time she came back out and grabbed her bags. "Alright, I've pick my room." She said, walking over to the master bedroom, since obviously it had the better shower and vanity.
He shook his head. "See you in the morning then." He said, heading to the other bedroom.
She poked her head back out in slight surprise. "You're going to sleep?" she asked, though she saw he was already in his room. She sighed and went back into her bedroom, looking around at the nice, chic décor. It was a nice room that was for sure, with a great view of the city. She opened her bag and began to pull out her things and fill the dresser so it would be easier to access while she was here.
Natsumi changed from her traveling clothes into a small, silky black tank top and matching lacy panties. She tossed her purse on the bed and stretched, deciding what she wanted to do. She'd rested on the plane and always had trouble sleeping at night, so she wondered how she was going to keep herself occupied while she was here.
She promised her brother she would leave her laptop at home so she wouldn't work and actually take some time off, but her mind was still in medical mode. She usually was on call, and she didn't know how to just relax. After all, she had gone to college and then medical school, and straight into an internship, before taking residence at her mother's hospital. She looked around and decided to see if there was anything in the kitchen to eat.
So she got up and peeked into the area before seeing it was safe. She walked out and opened a few cabinets, finding some small snacks and sodas and liquor. She took out some Baked Lays before opening them up and beginning to eat. Just then the light clicked on, startling her and making her whip around, a chip halfway in her mouth. Akito was standing there, wearing nothing more than a pair of loose drawstring pants. He looked equally as surprised as her, before he slowly took in her appearance. "When I decided to get something to snack on…this is definitely not what I thought I'd find." He smirked, continuing into the kitchen and making his way towards her.
Natsumi blushed, a dark red coming to her cheeks. She watched him silently, unable to stop her glance at his abdomen. He stopped before her, nearly invading her space, before he reached past her, his face a mere inch from hers. Then he pulled back, a bag of cheetos in his hand, before moving away and opening it. "You could have just asked me to hand you those." She grumbled, looking off and suddenly regretting forgoing her sleep shorts.
"But then you wouldn't have blushed like that." he replied, moving over to the fridge and grabbing a water bottle. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you up though, you did sleep most of the plane ride, and if I remember correctly you're a bit of an insomniac." He said, opening it and taking a drink.
"Yeah…plus I usually am on call since I don't sleep much." she shrugged, fidgeting slightly. She glanced over at him, albeit timidly, before she moved to the other side of the counter so she could hide her lower half. "If I was disturbing you, I didn't mean to."
He shook his head. "You weren't. I didn't even know you were out here." He told her. "I was just going to do some work before heading to bed, so I figured I'd get something to eat to help keep me up."
"Toshiro will get mad if you work." The pink haired woman teased, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the counter.
"Only if he figures it out." Akito smirked. "Besides, I was conned into this trip anyways. I think I'm entitled to break the rules."
"Well he made me leave my work stuff at home." She said simply, turning and heading out of the kitchen. "So if I'm not allowed, you're not allowed." She told him, before disappearing into his room.
He gawked, before dropping his things and heading after her. "Now hold on, that's not fair." he said, standing in the doorway. "The vacation doesn't officially start until tomorrow, so I can work a little tonight and then leave it alone."
She shook her head, leaning over his bed, with one knee against it. She closed his laptop and pulled it off, taking his phone as well. "Nope, I don't care. No work." She said once more, straightening and glancing back at him.
"At least leave me my phone." He reasoned. "I won't make any work calls, I promise."
"Why?" Natsumi wondered, arching a curious brow. "What are you going to do?"
He shrugged. "I just like to have it next to me, okay? It's a habit."
"Nope." She said simply, heading towards him, though he blocked the doorway. "Really? We're going to play this game?" she asked, giving him a small smile.
"Yup."
Natsumi chuckled, though she moved closer to him. "The toll the same as you made it when we were kids?" At the small trace of pink that came to his cheeks, she assumed it was, and so leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek.
He cleared his throat, before turning his head to look at her. "I can't believe you remember that."
"Of course I do. You were always a big meanie and never let me go through doors." She smirked. "And you always said I had to kiss you to go through."
"So I did." He said, stepping out of the way. "But you have to give me my phone in the morning. As a safety precaution."
She smirked, but gave no reply as she walked off. "We'll see." she said, before shutting the light off and going into her own room.
Akito shook his head, going into his room and shutting the door behind him. In some ways, she was still like the little girl he had come to fall for. And in others, she was completely different. He was glad to be sharing a suite with her for this trip. It would make the entire thing more bearable.