Itsumo (Forever)
By: Kari426
Author's Comments
Trying to get back into the swing of things is kind of hard to do when rewriting and trying to fix up the storyline. Oh and for those of you who don't know, I actually comic books as a hobby (and maybe someday publish one!) I draw manga and I've actually designed and drew out the dress that Namine wore in Chapter 2. I'll upload it sometime soon.
I'm in the process of drawing Roxas's outfit from Chapter 2 as well and as other characters who will make later appearances. I'll be drawing them also in their costumes in the story. So be sure to check out the pictures when I post the links onto the coming chapters.
Well there's not much to say, except I hope you all are enjoying the newer version of Itsumo (Forever).
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Chapter 3: 'This Is an Engagement Meeting!'
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It was bright and early in the morning, at 7:00 sharp, Roxas was on his way to his father's business Hikari Industries and Company, for a business meeting. He yawns out loud, exhausted from yesterday's little adventure at the academy. His phone buzzes in his pocket and he flips it open reading a new text message. He looks at his phone a bit annoyed and closes it breathing out and shoves it back into his pant pocket.
As the car comes to a stop, Roxas exits the car and looks up at the huge building before him. In gold letter's his family name hovered above the large glass doors, Hikari Industries and Co. Roxas rubs his shoulders and walks toward the doors.
"This is going to be a looong day." He says with no enthusiasm.
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Roxas, who was on his way to his father's office, gazed at the world below looking down into Twilight Town from the glass elevator. As the elevator came to a halt, the doors slide open and he was at the top of the building, his father's office. He stood up straight and was greeted by an older gentlemen who was dressed as a butler who bowed to him.
"Good morning Mr. Hikari. You're father went to sign a bill and will be back shortly. Can I get you anything sir?" The butler greeted him and followed as Roxas walks past him.
"No thank you. Has my father mentioned to you what this business meeting is about?" Roxas asks without looking.
"I am sorry sir, but Master Hikari has asked me not to answer your questions pertaining to today's meeting, only to make you as comfortable as possible before he gets here." The butler bows respectively. "I'm terribly sorry."
"Nah it's okay. I had a feeling it was going to be like this." Roxas replies annoyed that his father predicted his thoughts.
The butler's buzzer went off suddenly. Roxas glimpses over at the old man and the old man nods and turns to Roxas.
"I am needed by Master Hikari. Please excuse me, Mr. Hikari."
"Yes." Roxas replies. The butler leaves Roxas to himself and departs.
Roxas sighs annoyed and goes to the lounge area and sits on the couch crossing his legs and propping his arms on the couches back frame. "This is ridiculous. Why can't father just tell me what's going on for once?" Roxas says mad. He then feels his phone buzzing in his pocket and flips it open, seeing another text message. He opens the message and reads it.
'Why r u not texting me back? I need 2 talk 2 u! ASAP!' -Sky.
Roxas closes his phone. "Doesn't he get the hint? I don't feel like talking right now." Roxas says mad.
Then his phone goes off with an incoming call, it's from the Main house and Roxas picks up.
"Hello?"
"Oh thank goodness! I finally got a hold of you!" A girl breaths relieved, but there was an obvious worry in her voice.
"Tatu? What's wrong?"
"You dummy!" She yells into the phone, to which Roxas holds the phone away from his ear.
"W-what's going on?" Roxas attempts to ask again.
"You forgot those Stock and Bond documents and contracts for you're father's company here at the Mansion!" Tatu's voice is frantic.
"HUH!" Roxas exclaims out loud.
"You need to get here, NOW! The extra driver's are out right now, so I asked Ms. Moe to come and get you. They'll be there in three minutes. Please hurry!" Tatu says.
"Right. Bye." Roxas closes his phone quickly and rushes to the elevator.
He reaches the lobby area after a minute ride down the elevator and exit's the building and see's Moe standing beside the car, the door already open.
"You're lucky Tatu called me, I was going to pick up you're little sister from her piano lessons. Get you're ass in the car and let's go." She says mad. Roxas nods, and jumps into the car and it sped off back to the Hikari Mansion.
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After the mad dash back to his house, Moe's car screeched as it came to a stop in front of the company doors. Roxas hops out with Moe scolding him about forgetting the important documents. Ignoring her lecture, he thanks her and hurriedly returns to his father's office. As the elevator doors open he sighs walking over to the desk and lies the documents on it.
"Now that would have ended bad if father found out…" Roxas says relieved.
He stands looking at the documents, his cerulean orbs skimming through the words. It was a contract with… "The Kurosaki family? What?" Roxas says confused.
FLASHBACK
"Please forgive me, my name is Reiko Kurosaki. I am the Headmaster of the newly finished Twilight High Academy. I met with you're mother earlier this morning."
"Good morning to you all. My name is Namine Kurosaki and I'll be showing you around the campus. Pleased to meet you."
END FLASHBACK
"Could this be the same Kurosaki family?" He reads more into the papers and sees a signature at the bottom of the last page, Reiko Kurosaki. "It is!" Roxas exclaims. He then looks into all of the Kurosaki family's documents and sits at his father's desk. While reading a scheduled appearance at his father's company, his eyes are fixed on a heading on the page that puzzled him greatly.
"Arranged Marriage Proposal?" He says thinking. In a few short seconds he connected the dots. Roxas stands up abruptly, "No, he wouldn't without-!"
He then hears the elevator running and looks over toward the doors, waiting for them to open. Hoping that it was his father. The light indicating it came to a stop came on and the doors opened. Roxas madly walks toward the doors ready to yell at his father, but stops surprised.
A familiar petite blonde stood, dressed in an aqua, sea green, yellow patterned, pale yellow halter dress, with white intricate lace under her chest. Her hair was done in a very simple matter, parted to the left, wavy, and with her longer stands resting on either side of her shoulders. She stares at him a bit bewildered.
"N-Namine?" Roxas says surprise and confused.
"Um…Are you upset or mad at me?" She asks being timid.
"Oh no I'm not um…" Roxas blushes retreating.
"I see. Then why did you look so mad?" She asks.
"It's nothing." Roxas says. "So what are you doing here anyway?"
"Oh well that is…" Namine's face was slightly flushed.
Roxas stares at her and the words Kurosaki and Arranged Marriage popped into his head. He blushes red looking at Namine as she looks into his eyes.
"I'm here for the Marriage Proposal arranged between our family's." She says smiling.
Roxas felt his heart skip a beat at how beautiful her smile was and suddenly felt like holding Namine. He mentally slapped himself and gulps looking at her.
"I came here to show you the way to the meeting room. Both of our family's are waiting for us to return." Namine says, hinting that they needed to get going.
"Ah yeah. Okay." Roxas, like a lost puppy, follows after Namine into the elevator. She presses the floor button and the doors close. The ride down the elevator was an awkward one, Roxas fidgeted as Namine was silent with a forlorn expression, which surprised him.
His hand raises to her shoulder and he was about to speak, but the doors to the elevator opened and he quickly retreats. The two blondes are greeted by their families maids and butlers and they direct the two to the meeting room.
"Ready?" Namine says looking up at him with a cheerful smile.
Roxas was a bit confused at her expression, since she looked upset earlier, but responds, "Yes."
The doors open and a large rectangular black table was almost the length of the whole room. Roxas notices the amount of people seated and saw that his family and other family members sat to his left, and Namine's family to the right. Everyone was dressed in a range of casual to formal and semi-formal. At the opposite end of the table at the head of everyone sat his father. He looked a bit impatient. He then stands up and greets the two.
"Hello Roxas. Welcome back Ms. Namine." He says.
"Yes." Namine bows respectfully.
"Return to you're seat Ms. Namine. Roxas." His father notions Roxas to sit beside him, next to his mother. Roxas obeys and the two teens go to their respective families. As Roxas walks to his seat he watches Namine and then is distracted by a short haired auburn haired girl sitting quietly. She was very beautiful and she smiles at him waving, causing Roxas to blush.
Distracted, he failed to notice that someone slid their chair out blocking his walkway. Roxas turns to look and is a bit shocked.
"Hiya Roxas. It's been a while." A spiky brunette greeted with a large grin.
"S-Sora."
"Yep. Your one and only cousin." Sora replies. Roxas was more than overjoyed to see his cousin, the two hadn't seen each other in so long. They were very close. Before Roxas could speak, Sora put his index over his finger his mouth telling him to be quiet.
"We'll talk later alright? This is a really important meeting." Sora says motioning toward their family's and the Kurosaki's. He slides his chair back in and Roxas passes him. He takes a seat between his father and mother.
"Alright. Let us continue our discussion." His father says looking at Mrs. Kurosaki.
"Yes." Mrs. Kurosaki stands up. "As you all know it would not have been possible for the Twilight High Academy, if it wasn't for a kind donation from the Hikari Industries. So I want to thank you on behalf of the Kurosaki family." Roxas's family clap congratulating them.
"And today is definitely a day to celebrate, where two very powerful companies will one day join into one, the Hikari and Kurosaki's. Today marks a milestone for everyone." Mrs. Kurosaki looks over to Mr. Hikari. He stands up and nods at her.
"Yes." He looks at Roxas. "Roxas, stand up." Roxas does so.
"Today marks the engagement of my one and only son, Roxas Hikari and the daughter of the Kurosaki family." He pauses looking over at Mrs. Kurosaki and the two girls sitting on either side of her. Namine and the mysterious auburn hair beauty.
"So I was right. This is an engagement meeting!" He looks over at Namine and felt his heart beat fast. "Oh wow…I'm going to marry Namine!" He thought as a fact.
"Roxas you are to be wed the eldest daughter of the Kurosaki household-"
"Namine." As Roxas thought of her. As if time stopped, Namine looks up at him with eyes full of remorse and sadness which caught him off guard. He suddenly had a bad feeling in his gut.
"-Kairi Kurosaki." His father finally finishes.
Everyone begins to clap cheerfully as the mysterious auburn beauty stood up. She looks at Roxas shyly, but smiles. She walks up to his father and passes him, going to Roxas.
"Hello Roxas. Oh! Um I mean Mr. Hikari. It's a pleasure to finally be introduced to the man I'm going to marry. Please treat me kindly." Kairi smiles shyly, Roxas blushes at how beautiful and cute she was all together and smiles back at her. She wore a light pink halter top with black lace lining and the same shade of pink bow tied in the middle of her chest.
"I will." He replies with a gentle smile. Kairi blushes, but giggles.
"Tonight we celebrate at the Kurosaki estate." Mrs. Kurosaki announces and everyone cheers once more and congratulate the future bride and groom.
As the family's file out of the room, Roxas notices Namine and her mother talking in a secluded area away from everyone. Namine seemed very down as her mother gave her some type of lecture. Roxas wanted to intervene to see what was going on, but knew it wasn't his place. He also really wanted to talk to Namine. He was a little shell shocked that Namine wasn't his bride to be, but her older sister Kairi, who he had no idea existed. Not that he was unsatisfied with Kairi, she was beautiful beyond words. He just needed to talk to Namine to give himself a piece of mind.
Hands from behind covered Roxas's eyes. "Guess who?" A bad impersonation of a girl's voice, that had a masculine edge to it.
"Sora…" Roxas sighs at his cousin immaturity.
"Aww how'd you guess?" He says a bit sad.
"You suck at impersonations." Roxas says blunt.
"Ouch! That hurt." Sora smiles. Roxas smiles back at his cousin.
"How've you been Sora?" Roxas asks in a casual voice.
"I've been pretty good actually. Lotsa business trips with dad and a huge amount of paper work. The usual I guess. But hey, hey guess what? I met this gorgeous girl on this online dating site and man oh man, you've gotta see her!" Sora brags.
"I see you're still a man who STILL dates frivolously." Roxas says blunt again.
"Hey I don't date them frivolously. I enjoy every moment I have with each girl I meet and date. I have more experience then you that's for sure." He pokes fun at his younger cousin.
"S-shut up." Roxas says blushing.
"So. What do you think of you're bride to be?" Sora says changing the subject.
"Oh well…she's very beautiful and all and…" He mutters embarrassed.
"Wow. Kairi's got her work cut out…" Sora says feeling a bit sorry for her.
"Damnit Sora!" Roxas says mad at his poking and teasing. Sora laughs and runs away playfully.
"Sora." A maternal voice calls to him.
The two turn to see a woman with shoulder length chocolate brown hair and blue eyes. She was very tall and beautiful.
"Auntie." Roxas says looking at her as she approached the two.
"Hello Roxas. It's been far too long since we've seen you. You've grown so big and handsome." She says complimenting him.
"Oh thank you." He smiles.
She smiles back at him, then turns to her son. "Sora we have to be leaving, you're father's expecting us to be home for dinner."
"Yeah. Okay." Sora turns to Roxas. "Duty calls. See ya Roxas." Sora waves goodbye.
Roxas waves goodbye. A hand comes down on his shoulder and he turns to see his mother standing there.
"Ready to go home?" She asks.
Roxas was about to reply, but suddenly remembered that he needed to talk to Namine and scanned the room quickly. She was nowhere to be found. He sighed a little mad. He really wanted to talk to Namine about the issue before them. Mrs. Hikari stares at her son, trying to decipher his feelings and sees he is upset. She brushes the side of his face with her hand and he looks at her.
"I'm sorry. This all must have been a shock to you." She says trying to make him feel better. Roxas just sighs once more and then Mrs. Hikari suddenly pulls Roxas into an embrace. She rests her head on his spiky hair.
"I love you Roxas." She says stroking his head. "I promise...this all will work out in the end.
Roxas can't resist his mothers tender love and care and almost feels like crying. When was the last time he had cried? He just hugs his mother back as she continues to hold her son.
Author's Comments
Well there you go! Chapter 3 complete! It was shorter than the last chapter, but that leaves more room for a bigger chapter in chapter 4. I hope you all are enjoying the story and sorry for the delay.
And just so we're clear. Roxas is not such a baby he'd cry because of the engagement arrangements or not being able to talk to Namine, there is a hidden meaning to the end of this chapter. Interpret all you want, I won't reveal it until the time comes. THERE! You all got a mini spoiler of whats to come. Haha.
Please review and I hope you will continue to read Itsumo (Forever). THANKS SO MUCH!