Hey hey hey! Thank you to all of you who have read, liked and reviewed this story so far! Its great to hear your thoughts on this story and I hope you continue to enjoy reading it. Here is chapter 4! I don't own the characters. They belong to Hiro Fujiwara sensei.
The limo arrived at the front of Usui's apartment, the sleek vehicle coming to a stop. Misaki climbed into the vehicle, settling herself in the plush cushions that lined it. Usui followed suit, looking handsome in his dark suit, his hair striking against the dark material. "You look beautiful, Mrs Ayuzawa," he smirked as she glared at him. The dress was a perfect fit but it revealed much more cleavage than she would have liked. Her hair had been done up in a nice updo and she wringed her fingers nervously as the car pulled off into the street.
"I hope everything turns out right," she said as she checked the gun she had strapped in the holster on her leg. Usui did the same, checking the weapons he had stashed all over his body. He even had a small knife in his shoe for reassurance. "You look like a walking arsenal," she said as he grinned. The grin seemed to turn her on everything and she tried to push away the thought. "I don't really expect anything to happen this round though. The assailant wouldn't try to do anything foolish in such an important event," he said as the driver announced their arrival.
The hotel was huge, lights blinking in their faces as the driver got out, opening the door for them to climb out. Usui offered a hand to her and she gratefully took it, her heels clicking against the floor as she got out. She nearly slipped on the carpet but Usui caught her quickly before anyone could realize it. "Shall we go in, my love?" he smiled, his smile lighting up the world around him. "Sure, baka Usui," she muttered under her breath, making him smile even more.
"You shouldn't call your darling husband that," he said as he looped an arm around her, ushering her into the hotel. She tried not to wobble to much, her heart slamming against her chest as they entered. She had always been afraid of such large crowds and especially afraid of this kind of events, where she literally sucked at everything from trying to make decent conversation to dancing, which she would have totally flopped if Usui hadn't coached her these past few hours. She wondered why she had even been staying over at his place for these past few days…
"Your names?" the receptionist asked as he held a book containing all the names of the attendees. "Ayuzawa Takumi and Ayuzawa Misaki," Usui replied and Misaki realized with a jolt that she had been calling his surname all this while. But Usui sounded better on him than his first name though… she gave herself a mental slap. "Of course. Welcome, Mr and Mrs Ayuzawa. Enjoy your time here," he said as he bowed low, ticking the side of their names on the paper and letting them pass. As they entered the large ballroom, Misaki's jaw dropped.
A large chandelier hung from the ceiling, droplets of crystal hanging from it as people talked and danced underneath. The air was alive with the sound of chatter and the sound of music playing from a live band that came from the stage. Sweet violin music filled the air as they walked in, glancing around as Usui nudged her. "There's Tora," he whispered as the guy who had hired them came to view, a young girl hanging onto his arm. She was around his age, a bright smile on his face as they weaved through the crowd, stunning in a dress of salmon pink.
"So that's his fiancé," Usui muttered as Misaki looked at him. She forgot that he even had a fiancé, since someone so rich like him was the heir to a large company that women would flock around him for the title. But he seemed okay with the girl, introducing her to associates as they passed. "You know what we have to do, right?" Misaki said as Usui called one of the waiters over, plucking glasses of champagne from the tray.
"Oi, what are you…" she started to say when he gave a glass to her. "Chill, Misaki. Enjoy yourself," he said as he sipped his drink, his eyes gleaming against the golden liquid. She sighed and drank a bit, grimacing at the bitter taste that plagued her throat. "How do they keep on drinking this stuff?" she muttered as the music changed and people started to move to the dance floor. "Oh no…" she muttered as Usui bowed low, a smirk on his face.
"My lady, may I have this dance?" he asked as she blushed. She could feel all eyes on them for a moment and she quickly took his hand, letting him lead her over to the dance floor. "Wow, that man is so gorgeous. Oh, I wish I was his wife. Why did he pick such a plain girl like her? So unfair!" whispers floated around as Misaki tried to block them out. Oh, how she would love to give them a kick if she had the chance.
"Misa-chan, you look scary when you're angry," Usui mused as he pulled her against him, his arm circling her waist. "Shut it," she mumbled as they started to dance, swaying to the music. She was surprised she didn't step on his feet the whole time and she even enjoyed herself, letting her mind wander and get lost in the music. But at the same time, both of them were on the lookout, watching for anyone that may look suspicious.
"Anything?' she whispered and she felt him shake his head. "Nope," he muttered as he dipped her low, the hair threatening to come out of its clasp. She scanned the room, looking for the faces she had seen that have been tied to the Igarashi group somehow. Bosses of large companies dotted the scene, laughing as they drank wine. Tora was with one of the managers of his company, laughing away at a probable joke he had just told him.
"From what we gathered from the incidents, there doesn't seem to be anyone who bears a grudge to the Igarashi group," Usui said. "They all came in the clear so it may be someone else?" Misaki said as he twirled her. From the information they got, not many people dare to oppose the company and as for Tora, he didn't seem to hold any grudges against anyone. "I think it could be someone close to them," Usui said as the music stopped, people clapping as they bowed or curtsied to each other.
Misaki allowed Usui to pull her away, her heart pounding from all the dancing. Her heels clicked against the floor as they walked past some people just as she felt Usui freeze in front of her. "What is it?" she asked just as he pulled her up front and slammed her against the wall. She squealed a little at the impact, her heart slamming into her ribs as she stared into his eyes, green cat-like ones staring into her own brown ones. "Kiss me," he commanded and she felt her heart fly away. "What?!" she blurted. "Just do it," he felt the heat rush to her face, wondering why the heck he suddenly wanted to do it. Usui sighed as he grabbed her chin with his hand and pressed his mouth against hers.
Her mind exploded as he kissed, sending her spinning into nothingness. She had never kissed before in her entire life but she couldn't say the same for him. He was an excellent kisser. He moaned against her mouth as he kissed, the scent of Gucci Guilt cologne filling her nose. He smelled a bit of strawberries too, wherever that scent had come from. As they kissed, she caught sight of a group of men passing by them and for a moment she thought she saw someone familiar as a shock of black hair passed by in an instant.
And then it was over, Usui pulling apart from her. She could tell her face was flushed, her senses still tingling from the excitement and rush of it. She heard some people whispering about how couples were so direct these days but she didn't care. They were supposed to be married after all. "Ayuzawa, sorry," he muttered and she felt her heart leap. "What are you apologizing for? You needed to do it for the sake of the mission," she said as he hung his head. "I didn't want to do it in such a rushing and forceful way," he mumbled and she felt her face turn even redder. What did he mean by that?
"I see you two are enjoying yourselves," a drawling voice said as Tora appeared, his fiancé on his elbow. He grinned as he looked at their flushed faces, clearly amused by it. "Where's Maki?" Misaki asked. "I told him to go talk to someone else. He keeps on hanging to me until I find it a bit disturbing," Tora said as he gestured to the girl next to him. "I think I haven't introduce you two yet. This is my fiancé, Chiyo Sakurai," he said as the girl smiled. Her black hair stood out against her stormy grey eyes as she smiled at them. She looked so sweet compared to the wild man she had been engaged to. "Pleased to meet you," she smiled sweetly and Misaki wondered why they had even been engaged when a voice filled the air. "May I invite Igarashi Tora, one of the sponsors for this event to say a few words," a man said from a podium that had been raised on the stage. The musicians had cleared out, leaving it empty.
Tora smiled as he pecked a quick kiss on Chiyo's cheek before moving to the stage, waving to the crowd which parted to make way for him. "Just out of curiosity, Miss Sakurai. How did you get engaged to him?" Usui asked and Misaki gaped at him, wondering why he had asked such a question. "Oh, its just an arranged marriage," she said. "Poor girl…" Misaki thought to herself as Chiyo raised her hands. "Oh no! Its not that I don't mind. Tora-san is a really nice man and I do love him," she said, a bright smile on her face. She looked so sweet and innocent, so contradicting to her fiancé standing on the stage.
"Thank you. On behalf of the Igarashi group, I would like to thank the staff of the hotel for helping us host such an amazing event," he said as the hall erupted in applause. He did have the charisma and the charm of the heir to a large group and Misaki saw how Chiyo looked at him, a gentle smile on her face as she glanced at her fiancé. Misaki wondered what she saw in him "Now then, shall I get to the next part…" Tora started to say when the lights died.
The room erupted into screams as people started to panic, trying to find their way out. "Misaki!" Usui shouted as he grabbed onto Misaki's hand, his large one swallowing hers. She felt the heat through hers and she grabbed onto it tightly as she felt the swirling of skirts as Chiyo ran away from them. "Chiyo!" Misaki shouted as the other girl darted in the direction of the stage. "Tora!" she shouted as she ran. Misaki could hear her fiancé shouting over the chaos, telling her to get back when a gunshot sounded.
That caused everyone to freak out even more and Misaki swore, pulling the gun from her leg and holding it in front of her. She sensed Usui pulling out his as well, their eyes trying to make out the situation as bodies pressed against them. "Damn it!" she shouted as they made their way to the stage, the tide of people threatening to drown them. Usui swore as he tried to see in front of him, barely able to make out anything as the lights turned back on. The place was a mess, tables overturned and food spilling onto the floor amongst broken pieces of china. Right at the side of the stage lay Chiyo, lying unconscious in a pool of her own blood.
Suspense! All comments are welcomed!