Author's Notes~ To be honest, I'm still working out the essential premise of this story, and any and all inputs, requests, advice, and comments would be welcome. =) Enjoy. This is taking a lot longer to write than I thought. ¨

Mendol- A Man's World

Chp 1 Pt 2.

Asahi slowly opened the door, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose as he looked furtively around the corner. When it seemed that the coast was clear he took Nami by the forearm and pulled him out into the hallway. Now all they needed to do was look like they belonged here and then exit the building to make their escape. Easy day right?

Wrong.

"Excuse me? May I ask what you're doing here?" Came a curious female voice from behind them. They both gulped audibly and turned around to face a girl in a cheer leading outfit, her short jet black hair falling in wisps around her curious face.

Asahi blinked and opened his mouth, but no words followed. It wasn't like him to be nervous, but luckily before the girl became suspicious Nami took the initiative and stepped forward, reaching out and placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, giving his most charming (patently fake) smile.

"We actually got separated from our group and got lost... Maybe you could, uh, point us in the right direction?" Nami asked, blinking slightly as he witnessed the girl's face flush a deep shade of red as she looked at the hand on her shoulder and then quickly averted her eyes to the floor not seeming to be able to look him in the eye.

"Well um... Uh..."

'Why is she stuttering? Doesn't she work here? This shouldn't be that hard of a question...' Nami thought to himself, raising an eyebrow at the girl as she flustered before him. "Ma'am?"

Asahi, not quite as dense as his cohort, bit his lip in thought as he mulled over how to possibly exploit their current circumstance. 'I recognize that look anywhere... She thinks Nami's cute!' He flushed a little at that, a bit embarrassed for his L-phobic friend. This situation was becoming more awkward by the second. 'Maybe we could-"

The sound of heavy footsteps caught his attention and before he could think any further, some horrifyingly familiar figures rounded the corner, bloodied and bruised but looking angrier than all hell.

"Where the hell could they be...?" The snake-like leader muttered, leering at one of his lackeys and wiping some bloody spittle from the corner of his lip. "And where the fuck did that dog come from?"

Nami gaped at the troupe approaching them and without thinking pushed the girl into the wall and hid his face in her neck. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she attempted to protest but found that the shock of the situation had robbed her of the ability to speak. Asahi did the only thing he could think of and quickly leaned against the wall, bracing himself with his forearm above the girl's head; he gave her an awkward, lop-sided smile.

"Uh... Do you know how much a polar bear weighs?" He asked lamely, trying to remember how boys generally hit on girls as he eyed the men in his peripheral vision. 'God I hope she doesn't scream...' The girl flushed as red as a tomato at that and closed her eyes tightly, her heart beating a mile a minute in response the man's suave and easy demeanor.

"Uh... Um..." She flustered a bit, trying to think of an answer though still a bit sell-shocked at how close the two model-like men had come to her. "1,000 lbs...?"

He managed a nervous chuckle at that, but Nami beat him to the punch line, the boy's nervousness at the sight of his would be murderers causing him to blurt out the answer.

"Enough to break the ice!" He flushed deeply at how cheesy the line was but at this point he just needed to get through this ridiculous situation without dying a second time. Though, apparently the girl found it cute because she giggled a little at that even through her own embarrassment.

The snake-like man paused and looked at the them for a moment before shaking his head in disgust, stalking off and muttering something about the lack of decency in today's youths.

'So says the man who just gunned down two innocent girls in cold blood...' Asahi thought bitterly, cold seeping into his stomach as he remembered just how close to death he had been.

Nami breathed a sigh of relief, the girl squealing slightly at the feel of his breath on her neck. "Gentlemen... Please... Personal space... Personal space..." She said those two words like a chant and Nami blinked as he leaned away from her.

"Uh..." Their close proximity suddenly dawned on Nami and he jumped back like he had been burned, looking at her like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uwwaahhh! I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry!" The girl blinked and was about to open her mouth when suddenly another man appeared and clapped his hands on both boys' shoulders.

"Hey, you guys are late for the screening! Come on we're on in two!" He exclaimed, pulling the two away from the girl and dragging them down the hall into a room that housed a studio.

They didn't see the victimized cheerleader slide to the floor as her knees finally gave out on her.

Asahi and Nami both shielded their eyes from the blinding studio lights as they found themselves being pushed forward by a group of men dressed almost exactly as they were. They stopped in a screening area in front of a grouping of cameras.

"Wa-wait we're-" Asahi stuttered out but was quickly cut off by the director's booming voice crackling over a megaphone.

"Let's GO! Standby!" The director called out as the music began to play and the dancers began their pre-rehearsed choreography. The two men stood by and watched the dancers perform the simple, repetitive dance moves, both trying to figure out the best time to bolt out of the studio. Asahi was slightly embarrassed, feeling rude and completely out of place at the male audition, but embarrassment was quickly flushed away by adrenaline as he caught sight of their snake-like pursuers skulking about behind the director.

"Dance!" He yanked Nami toward the middle of the troupe of men. Nami blinked and stared at him like he had grown another head.

"They're here! Here!" Asahi hissed as they slid to a stop. Nami gulped and bit his lip as they both fell into step with the beat, the simple choreography coming to them like second nature as their fear guided the need for perfection. However, if being inconspicuous was the name of the game, they both failed utterly because their efforts quickly came to the attention of the director and his guest.

"Wa-wait... who are those guys, were they there before?" The director wondered, giving an appreciative smile. "They're really good!"

The woman, dressed in all black with the angular bob hair cut quirked a smile at the two, her eyes shining with a certain amusement. However, the dance routine was ruined as the three men in suits crossed in front of the rolling cameras, ignoring the yelling and shouts of all-around discontent among the film crew and dancers. At that, the director promptly freaked and ran after the men, stopping in the middle of the sound stage and tramping his feet in a show of anger.

"Hey! What the HELL! Who are you guys?" He screamed at their backs, a vein popping out of the side of his forehead.

"Let's go!" Asahi grabbed Nami's hand and yanked him off the set, at which point the director noticed their departure and attempted to stop the two promising new talents.

"Waaiiiitt!" He shouted, only to be rudely cut off by his black-clad guest shoving him to the side as she ran after the boys. Nami and Asahi slowed down as they came into an empty sound stage, breathing heavily as relief washed over them when they realized that they were no longer being followed.

"Thank go-" Nami grinned but quickly panicked when a voice called to them from the shadows.

"Excuse me..." The snake-like gangster approached them purposefully, his hands in his pockets. "Have you seen two highschool age girls around here?"

Nami and Asahi stood stock still, frozen with fear. Although they could rationalize that the man could never recognize them, given their current condition, what would anyone be able to do in the face of their own murderer. Their fear would prove to be their end if they didn't do something, but for some reason, no matter how hard they willed themselves to, words just wouldn't form.

"I've seen them!" Came a cheerful voice from behind, and they all turned to see the black haired woman looking at them from behind one of the open sliding sound proof doors. Nami and Asahi immediately recognized the woman from the incident in the storage room.

"L!" Nami exclaimed, his voiced quickly muffled by Asahi clamping a hand over the boy's mouth. He hoped to god that the woman wouldn't say anything to set off the men's suspicions. They were dangerous, and at this point they could all very well be gunned down once again. His eyes were pleading as he looked at the woman through his dark sunglasses.

The L woman gave an impish smile and pranced over to them, her expression making the two girls-turned-boys shudder inwardly.

"They went that way," Her statement ushered in waves of relief for Nami and Asahi as the snake-like man gave the woman a curt nod and thanked her as he directed his men past them without so much as a cursory glance at the two boys.

"We're saved..." Nami breathed out, clutching his chest and shaking his head. Asahi nodded in agreement, a relieved smile etched across his face. But just before they were about to thank their savior she walked up to them and immediately pulled off their headgear and sunglasses, revealing their girlishly long hair and handsome features.

"As I thought..." She said to herself, grinning slightly. "It seems you both have found your way back to me... I have to admit that I think I've outdone myself this time."

Asahi and Nami looked at eachother in confusion. Had they met this woman before? "Ano... Have we... Met before?" Asahi ventured, trying to catch the woman's eye.

The woman grinned, her upper lip curling over an inhumanly sharp fang. "It seems I've saved you both twice now... That's quite a bit of debt you 'boys' have accumulated with me." She drawled out, seeming infinitely amused as realization dawned on the boys' faces. Their eyes went wide.

"I... Inuyama..." Nami was the first to speak as the black haired woman smiled and stepped forward, placing a hand on both their shoulders.

"How would you two like to be idols?" It wasn't a question, and both boys seemed to realize that as they gazed at the sadistic grin twisting the woman's mouth.

TBC