Six-fifteen in the morning:

I sat on the two-seat couch in front of my television, leaning forward in interest. On the screen, a blonde haired American actress was swooning over another American male, whose brown hair and rugged good looks would have most girls fainting at the sight him. She fell into his arms, and they kissed passionately for a good three minutes before they spoke sweet nothings to each other. Their mouths moved too slow for the Japanese dub-over - sometimes their mouths were closed, but they were still talking. Still, the story was sweet. After some more kissing, the movie ended, suggesting a long and fruitful marriage to come.

I hadn't been able to sleep for very long the night before - out of boredom, I had gotten ready for work at about midnight, and then sat in front of the TV. Nothing had been on all night except for these cheesy American films, fraught with only the peril of a happy ending and sappy, love-stained words. I guess the reason why I had never seen movies like them before was because I had never really stayed up that late to watch them. When the series of romantic movies had started, I had little hope that I would enjoy them - being a hopeless romantic, my standard for gooey-fluffy stuff was pretty high.

I had gotten shamelessly engrossed in the series of movies that had played over the last six hours, and honestly almost started watching them again - Its not that the movies were good, but more that they had decided to play my every romantic fantasy all in one go: a midnight-rendezvous, a carriage ride - holding hands while walking on a beach at sunset, kissing gently under the mistletoe while unwrapping the perfect gifts for each other... a passionate kiss at an airport, him begging her not to go, to stay with him, forever and ever.

I want you all to myself.

I hadn't meant to think of it, but when I did I dropped my bottle of peach-flavored Ramune from my hands and to the floor. Thankfully, I hadn't opened it yet, so it just rolled and hit the wall. I didn't bother to go get it, but instead arranged myself on the small couch until I was comfortable.

I want you all to myself.

The context my head was trying to put the words in happened to be off completely - he hadn't meant it in any romantic way, but it had still gotten to me. No one had said anything like that to me before in my life. For that brief moment, I felt... useful. It seemed like I was already developing complicated feelings for my boss, Shuichi Minamino. Attraction, for one. He looked good, but it wasn't like I hadn't seen a good-looking guy before. It was mostly the way he talked. Smooth, yet sharp at the same time. So coolly calculated. He knew exactly what he had to say to keep me interested. However, all the attraction in the world wouldn't stop me from feeling the strongest feelings I had for him: Fearful confusion.

There was something seriously wrong with that guy. I don't know if it's the fact that he snuck into my house to pay my bills, or the fact that he gave me a job out of thin air (According to him, I had earned it, but in reality I had just gotten stupidly lucky.) Perhaps it was the way he had slipped 8000 yen into my pocket without my noticing, even though I was looking right at him.

But, most likely, it was the fact that he could apparently scale twenty-story buildings and still act like it was completely natural to sneak in and out of his office through the window behind his desk...on the twenty-second floor.

He was a conundrum. One which I wasn't going to bother trying to figure out - I wouldn't pry into his Spiderman-esque persona, because I knew that the slightest wrong move could cost me my job. And I had already decided that I would stay his secretary until I paid back all the money he had spent on me, whether he wanted me to or not.

I was so ready to get the day started. Today was the first day of my new job, and hopefully he'd explain to me what it was I would be doing because I really wasn't sure myself. I already figured that I would be answering the phone to his office, and probably handle his appointments and pick up his lunch and stuff like that, but maybe there was something else I was missing. Like, was I supposed to pick up his dry-cleaning? Take care of his pets? Did he even have pets? Shine his shoes? What does a personal assistant even do?

It's a job, Ran, I told myself, a way to get some money. And I was more than ready to get some - and not through reverse pick-pocketing, though I did enjoy that a little. I had spent some of the money he had slipped me on stock piling instant noodles and Ramune, and then put the rest in my secret-special-hiding-place just in case. I planned to confront him today about the money, though. I had to let him know that it wasn't okay to give people money like this, especially me. I owed him enough already, so this just made it worse.

The little black cell phone (I couldn't call it my cell phone yet - it didn't feel right,) chimed little musical notes in a fast, rapid pattern alerted me to the fact that I was supposed to already have left by now. As usual, I got stranded in my own thoughts and lost track of the time. In a hurry, forgetting my lunch in the process, I trotted down the stairs to my apartment, straight out to the busy, morning rush.

Like most cities in Japan, the streets were crowded. I had always thought about how it would feel to go with the crowd instead of against it - like me, most of the people were dressed sharp, on their way to work. Usually, I would head the opposite way in the mornings to get something to eat at the convenience store and then spend the rest of the day at home or job hunting. Today, I felt like an adult for the first time since I had moved here from Kyoto, because I was finally working. It was like for the first time, my life had actually begun.

As I was waiting with a bunch of people at a crosswalk for the light to change, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as a cold wind invaded my good mood. I looked around for something, not knowing what, but ended up looking at the sky. The Sun felt so warm now. I didn't know what that cold wind was, but it was gone now, replaced by the heat of the new day. I stepped across the street with the crowd, breaking out of the hive mind to step in front of the Hatanaka building. I was so excited just walking to work that I almost forgot to go to work...

The industrial air conditioner hit me in the face so strongly I almost stopped walking. It was kind of surprising, because I didn't remember it ever being so strong. After I got to the elevator, the air became calmer. It felt strange somehow. Mrs. Tanaka told me good morning right before I got into the elevator. Clumsily, as it closed, I yelled "Good morning!" back at her, almost falling into the doors when I leaned forward. That wouldn't have ended well for me.

Here is where I started to get nervous. I was on time - but did Minamino even remember that I was coming? Or, he did say to come in today right? I knew I was worrying about nothing - He wasn't the kind of person to make an appointment and then forget about it, I was sure.

The elevator doors opened, and I noticed an immediate difference from the way the waiting room to his office used to look. Instead of the two rows of chairs on either side of the small hallway, there was only one row - the other row had been replaced with a small, polished wooden desk. I double checked to make sure I was on the right floor, I was, and then examined the desk. I couldn't think of any reason for a desk to be there, considering Minamino had one of his own already. Why would he need two?

On the desk was a large, flat screen monitor sitting on top of a half-sized computer tower. A black desk phone sat on the other side of it. The black monitor and black phone matched the comfortable looking black rolling chair which was tucked neatly under the desk. There was a small stack of folders, and what I recognized as Minamino's black planner book from the interview laying on top. It was a pretty high quality looking work station, but as I mentioned before, I didn't know why he needed two desks. Maybe he was rearranging his office? It was then I noticed the name plate on the desk, which faced the elevator (I should have seen it the second the doors opened, but I'm a space cadet) a black plate with white letters which read in large print, Sakana Ran.

Duh. It was my desk. Okay, that made more sense than him having two. I was touched that he would get me such an awesome work space in such short amount of time. I had to thank him right now for it. I set my purse next to the desk and then turned around, and noticed his office door was closed. I couldn't help but remember the last time I had opened that door - I was worried he had gotten murdered or something, and when I finally worked up the courage to step inside he wasn't there at all.

I smiled, cheerfully. At least he would be there this time. I knocked twice on the door and happily called, "Minamino-san?" and then waited. I hoped he wasn't on the phone or something, because I would hate to seem rude on my first day. He was going to have to get a window put into this door or something so that I could make sure I wasn't knocking during something important or something.

After a few seconds, I realized that he was probably busy - the day had just started after all. He was probably making the first round of phone calls, and here I was being rude. "N-never mind!" I called, and then hurriedly sat down at my desk. The chair felt as comfortable as it looked, and I couldn't help but lean back and let the cold air conditioning rush over my face for a few seconds. When the blast of air lost its strength, I opened my eyes, puzzled. I was really getting freaked out by this buildings air conditioning and its random bursts. I looked up to where the air was coming from, prepared to see that the vent was aimed right at me - but there was no vent where I thought it was. After a quick scan of the ceiling with my eyes, I realized the vent for the air conditioning was above the elevator doors. So, how did I get that strong blast of air a few seconds ago? Strange. Maybe it came from Minamino's office. There was a small gap above the door that might let air out, and it would be aimed right at me if that were the case. Another burst of air hit me from the same direction, so I decided that I was right.

Ten minutes passed with me just sitting there, waiting for Minamino to step out of his office with some generic, boss-like order for me to follow, but he didn't. I started to get worried. What if he actually had been murdered this time? And I had just been sitting here, absorbing the air conditioning while he could be behind that door, writing the name of his killer in his own blood, using the last bit of his energy for justice.

I stood up, and then sat back down almost immediately. Straining my ears, I tried to hear any kind of noise behind his door. All I could hear was the fan on my computer (which I was too scared to touch,) and nothing else. Slowly, I tip-toed to his door and pressed my ear against it for a few minutes. Nothing. I knocked, "Minamino-san?" and waited. Still nothing. Preparing my alibi for the police, I slowly opened the door. Just like yesterday, he was not in his office. I looked under his desk, and anywhere else I could think of that someone could stash his lifeless body, and still couldn't find him.

Then I went to the window. I opened it, looked up to see if he was climbing above me, and then looked down, seeing nothing but the morning traffic. I gulped. If he fell from this height, I wouldn't be able to see his body from here. There were so many cars rushing about that I don't think there would even be time for him to become a splatter. I decided not to let my mind to go down this line of thought, and closed the window. Just to be safe, I made sure it wasn't locked.

So what do I do now? I asked myself, Stand here and wait for him to show up? It was only a little past eight. He could be having some issues with traffic or something. I went back to my desk and shuffled through my purse for the little black cell phone. Now, I could call him and ask if everything was alright. But, if I did, I should wait for a little while before freaking out on him for being a few minutes late. Being alone in this office made me feel... alone. More alone than I had been since I came to this city. I could only imagine it was because it was so quiet in this office - I couldn't even hear the cars below from up here.

I looked through the papers on my desk - just some random files and his planner. Nothing telling me that he wouldn't be here today or anything. I should have brought my MP3 player or something to keep me busy while I waited. I tapped my nails impatiently against my desk, trying to plan what I would do tonight. So far, I decided that I would eat some instant noodles and then go to sleep.

I needed friends or something. Back home, I had a small handful of close friends, but we hadn't talked since high school. Even though we had all decided that we would stay in touch, everyone had immediately gone their separate ways - marriage, college, the military, and then me, to the city. I kind of regretted coming here. My family was a very traditional one, with some old money. I had wanted for nothing growing up, and now suddenly I was worried about where my next meal would come from. I had been taught - conditioned - strict etiquette, social and family wise. I've always been more than able to carry three textbooks on my head and not miss a single step, I knew all the right names, all the right mannerisms, and anything else my mother thought a house wife would need. None of that could help me here. I wasn't happy there, but now I was homesick. I should have just gotten married like Mother wanted me to. I had always been too stubborn to accept the path she had chosen for me, but it would be so much more easier than this.

Just gotta pay back Minamino, then I can go home. Easier said than done, though, since an hour had passed and he still hadn't shown up. I flipped open the little black cell phone. I could call him. It would be understandable for me to do so, its not like he'd get angry. Maybe. It might bother him a little. But it would still make sense for me to be worried! So he couldn't really say anything about it.

He scared me, though. What if I called him, and then he said this whole thing was some gigantic test and fired me? I could never predict how he would act - as I mentioned earlier, he was a conundrum. I decided, after little thought, not to call him. I had only one real solution come to mind, and it wasn't one that I liked. Still, no stopping progress. I pocketed the little black cell phone and hopped into the elevator and down to the first floor. As the doors opened, Mrs. Tanaka raised her eyes from whatever she was reading (Some woman's health magazine or something) and smiled at me. She seemed amused at something, which made me feel rather uneasy.

"Why, hello Ran," she cheerfully spouted, making me pause for a second because I didn't know she knew my name. I knew hers though, so I shouldn't be surprised that she knew mine. "Everything alright, sweetheart? You look a little lost."

"Ah, actually," I stammered nervously, "Minamino-san hasn't come in yet. I was wondering... if something happened. Or something. If you had heard from him, I guess."

She looked surprised, "He hasn't? My, that is strange. Are you sure? Did you knock on his door? Or did you just walk in and sit at your desk?"

My eyes narrowed. She couldn't think I was really so stupid that I wouldn't see if he was in his office. Her eyes were alight with amusement at my expense. So that's how its gonna be. "I checked, he wasn't in there. I was thinking about calling him, but -"

" - Yes, well, if you came down here to get his number, I'm afraid I can't help you. I don't have his cell phone number, just his home phone, which I'm not supposed to call unless its an emergency." Her eyes met mine, "And, I'm sure this isn't an emergency."

"Well, no. I mean, I didn't come down here for that, he already gave me his cell phone number, but as I was saying I didn't want to call him because -"

"You have his cell phone number?" There was something viciously curious in her voice that almost made me want to say that I didn't.

"W...well, yes." I stammered, "I've had it for a few days now, actually."

"But you just started here TODAY!" she exclaimed, slamming her hand down on her magazine. People were staring at us now, I noticed.

"I just need to know if he told you he wouldn't be here today or something!" I wanted to get this over with and just leave. She was embarrassing me (or was I embarrassing myself?)I didn't need this hassle on my first day.

"For your information, he did not. If you don't even know how to keep track of your own boss then I don't think -"

"Now let's stop this cat fight right here," From the left, two women walked toward the scene. One was shorter than me, with blonde hair, and the other one, the one who had spoke, was tall with long black hair and bright violet eyes. "Because I have little patience for lies. Mrs. Tanaka, you're the one who sent the notice out that Minamino-san wouldn't be here today. Everyone was supposed to get it." She eyed me, "And the fact that you lied to this girl about getting the notice makes me think you forgot about her on purpose."

Mrs. Tanaka let out a loud "Hmph!" and then turned the other way, "I don't have to answer to you. Maybe I forgot her because her job didn't even exist until this morning." At that she locked eyes with me again, maliciously saying, "I wonder what kind of trick you pulled to get him to accept you as his personal assistant - you even have the gall to get him to give you his cell phone number. Must have done something pretty low -"

"Watch what you say," the small, blonde girl chimed in. Her voice was light - and though she spoke quietly I could hear her perfectly, "because this girl is his personal assistant, and though you may not have to listen to Kasumi and I, you do have to listen to Minamino-Kaichou." Her words were innocent enough, but there was a threat behind it. A very real, very serious threat. Mrs. Tanaka didn't say anything else, so the tall one, Kasumi, turned her attention to me.

"Hey, new girl. Technically, I guess, you don't have to work today. So I guess that means you can go home, or," she grinned, "You could let Natsumi and I give you the grand tour - at least of this floor. The other floors are kind of boring, anyway."

"S-sure, I guess..." I mumbled, not really sure what I should do. Part of me wanted to just leave and never come back, but I knew I should at least be nice to Kasumi for helping me out with Mrs. Tanaka.

"Awesome," Kasumi said, giving me a look over. I wondered how strange I must seem to them - I pretty much came out of no where into a position that didn't even exist. I must have been some kind of anomaly to them. Kasumi didn't seem like she disapproved of my existence, though, so at least there was some solace in that. "Well, after we're done with that we can grab something to eat. There are a few good sushi places around here," she must have seen my eyes look down for a brief second while I decided if I had enough money to go out to eat, "My treat, no worries."

"Is that wise?" Natsumi asked as we walked away from the front desk and towards a security door. Kasumi waved an ID card in front of it, and it opened. "Are we just going to ignore the work we have for the day? Kaichou seemed rather serious when he told us what we needed to do."

Kasumi waved her off, rolling her eyes, "It won't take long to finish his little project, especially between the two of us. We were almost done, anyway."

I looked around the room. There were a good many cubicles, white boards, and wooden doors. Just how big was this floor? People moved hurriedly around us as we moved through an aisle. My eyes shot to the name plates on each cubicle "Which one is yours?" I asked Kasumi.

She raised an eyebrow at my question, and then winked at me. "None of them - Natsumi and I have offices on the eighth floor. I do look after all activity on this floor, and a few of the others."

Impressive. I wouldn't have been able to tell by looking, but these girls were actually important. Mrs. Tanaka must not have known that when she said she didn't have to listen to them. Whatever they did, they were obviously more important than a receptionist. "So... What do you do?" I asked, and then immediately regretted it. I felt a little rude asking - she probably would have told me if she wanted me to know.

She shrugged, "Overlook activities for a good number of departments. Minamino also likes to get me to check up on the accounting department when the budget comes in," at my semi-surprised look, she added with a large grin, "I'm very good at math, you see."

So that was Kasumi, but not Natsumi. I didn't want to ask her, though, because she seemed rather withdrawn. She had the same air of crypticness that Minamino Shuichi did, and that made me a little more than uneasy.

"I look after the accounts of smaller companies we own, as well as make sure the heads of each department do their job," Natsumi said quietly. I hadn't noticed, but she has been staring at me, "In case you were curious."

"Ah... I was. Ah, thank you." I sputtered. Yup, just like Minamino. Freaks me the heck out. But I kind of liked her. She didn't seem to want me to be afraid of her, unlike her little act with Mrs. Tanaka.

Kasumi paused and then frowned, "Now that I think about it, this floor isn't really that interesting." We had traveled straight across the room to the other side. Side by side, we stared out above the cubicles. Behind us was an empty whiteboard and a table. This place looked like a real office. I had never seen one like it, except for on TV. It seemed so busy, but homey at the same time. I liked it.

With her trademark grin, Kasumi eyed me, and then looked back out at the people hard at work. She cupped her hands together and then yelled, "Okay, listen up!" All at once, everyone seemed to look straight at us. People leaned out of their cubicles to see what was going on. I looked back and forth between Natsumi, who had her eyes closed and calm, and Kasumi, who had the devil's own grin on her face as she slapped my back and continued, "This here is Sakana Ran - she'll be working with us from now on. Before I go and get some sushi, let's give her a real Hatanaka welcome!"

Silence. My knees were shaking, my face was getting hot, and I was starting to sweat. I bowed, and some how said as clearly as I could "Please take c-care of me."

The office erupted with applause, and a chorus of Hello! and Welcome! Several people walked up to us and shook my hand, telling me their names and various things about themselves. I was a little overwhelmed, and it didn't help that a few people glared at me as they passed. I could only imagine that, like Mrs. Tanaka, they didn't think I belonged here. I didn't want to tell them that I kind of agreed.

"Alright," Kasumi said, looking awfully pleased with herself, "Let's get some sushi!"

The place she led me to was only a block or two away. Like the few sushi houses I had been to, they set us in a small room closed off with a thin paper-screen door. Kasumi ordered for us - a large platter of various sushi, served on a large ornate plate. Kasumi had taken the menu from me when I tried to look at how much it cost. At my questioning, Natsumi brushed some of her blonde hair from her eyes and said, "You don't want to know."

The second the waitress left the door and shut our door, Kasumi grabbed three sushi rolls and placed them on her plate. I grabbed two, and popped a third into my mouth. While I was chewing, Kasumi asked, "So is Minamino good in bed?"

I nearly choked on my sushi as I tried to swallow it. Coughing, I asked, "Excuse me?"

At my embarrassed gasping for air, her wide grin got even wider, "Oh, shy type. It's okay, you can tell me," a giggle, "I can keep a secret."

I wasn't sure what to say, but I suddenly realized why Kasumi wanted to take me out - like Mrs. Tanaka and the other people in the office, they must think I did something ... underhanded ... to get my job. I was actually starting to like these two, so I knew I had to clear up this misunderstanding immediately, "It's nothing like that - We haven't... done. Anything."

"I believe you," Natsumi said, looking up from under her lashes, "Kaichou's not he kind of person to mix attraction and his business," her voice sounded a little disappointed as she said this. "You should know better than that, Kasumi."

Kasumi rolled her eyes, "I was just teasing her, Natsumi. Though, I am curious," she pointed her chopsticks at me, "Do you know Minamino from somewhere else? Did you go to university or something with him?"

I shook my head, "I met him at an interview a few weeks ago," for Mrs. Tanaka's job, I wanted to add, which I didn't get. "And then met him again a few days ago," And then he broke into my apartment while I was sleeping, "and...well, here I am."

"Hmm." Kasumi suspiciously started, "What happened when you met again? Why would he make you his personal assistant out of no where?" She seemed to just be musing to herself, but I was getting uncomfortable.

"I think it was because he felt sorry for me," I said quietly, playing around with my chopsticks. They both seemed interested at what I had said, and waited for me to continue, "When we met again, it was at a ramen stand. I had been having some trouble with money, and when he accidentally... broke my cell phone, I kind of ran off." I felt embarrassed thinking about how silly I had acted in front of him and his friend. I didn't want to tell them that Minamino had broken into my apartment, so I modified the end a little, "I guess he found my address from the resume I had left for the interview, but he found me and reimbursed me for the cell phone, and then he," I paused, not sure how to say this next part.

"And then he...?" Kasumi learned forward, eagerly. I could only imagine what she was imagining.

My eyes shifted back down to my sushi, "He noticed that I had no utilities running in my apartment, so he paid for that and my rent. And then he offered me a job." I shrugged, "And here I am."

"And here you are. That sounds so much like him, doesn't it Natsumi?"

"Yes. Now I understand," Natsumi's eyes were closed, as if she were reminiscing, "We were living on the streets when Kaichou found us. I suppose we were...easy for him to spot."

Kasumi continued her explanation, "He reached his hand out to Natsumi and helped her up after she had fallen. He wasted no time and straight out asked if we would work for him," she laughed, "Natsu's been in love with him ever since."

A faint red came to the blonde girl's cheeks. She looked away, a slight pout on her lips, "Yes. I'm not afraid to admit it, and as many times as I've straight out told him, he has rejected me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said, and it was only half the truth. While I did feel sorry for her, I wasn't surprised. Aside from the fact that I had heard he was gay, he didn't seem like the type who was really... into relationships. He seemed too busy in his own little world to let anyone in. I don't know why, but it hurt to think about how alone he seemed to make himself.

"So what about you?" Natsumi asked, staring straight into my eyes, "Do you like him?"

I was quiet for a second, trying to decide what she was asking. I decided to go with the truth, "He is attractive, and he does peak my interest a bit," I could have sworn her eyes narrowed as she calculated how big of a threat I was to her love life, "But ultimately, he scares me. Confuses me. Both. I don't know what to think of him, so I've decided to just leave it at that." I looked away from her gaze, "I get the feeling that if I try to uncover his secrets, I'll be devoured by him." Nice metaphor, Ran. Inwardly, I rolled my eyes.

Natsumi slapped her hands against the table, putting her face inches away from mine. I thought she was about to attack me, but when I saw excited look in her eyes, the wide smile that I wouldn't have thought she could make, I was too surprised to back away, "But that's the best part! That mystery! That intrigue! The danger! It's what makes him so, so, so...unobtainable! Like an idol!" She laughed to herself, "What makes it better is that you can't tell what type he is by just looking at him, or even talking to him!"

"T...type?"

"You know, like, shy type! Is he so closed off because he's shy? Because intimacy embarrasses him? How cute! Or, is he the lovely type? Waiting for the perfect, single moment to be romantic, taking love seriously!"

I blinked a few times, trying to digest this. I hadn't pegged Natsumi for a hopeless romantic - being one myself, I almost felt a little closer to her.

"Wild type," Kasumi said, "He's quiet, but passionate about his work. I'm sure he's be at least that passionate about love."

I sipped at my drink, and then tapped my finger to my lips in thought. "No, I think..." I trailed off, looking to the side, "If I had to give Minamino-san a type, I think he would be an attack type."

The other two looked at me, interested. "Go on," Kasumi urged.

I blushed, "It's just... he's always in his own little world, but he seems like the type who would think of a girls heart as something to own. I have the feeling he'd like more to get a reaction out of a girl instead of her love." Attack type. The type who would come from behind you and hold you, bite your ear and then walk away just to see how you would react. If wanted, an attack type could be heartlessly cruel. A tease. "That's what I think, at least."

"It's perfect," Natsumi exclaimed, biting her thumb, "I hadn't thought of the attack type... not for him, at least." Her eyes met mine again, but now I felt that I had gained her approval. Was I making friends?

"What's perfect?" Our door slid open, and all of us jumped. I blinked unbelievably at the face of Minamino Shuichi, who was looking straight at me with a mischievous look in his eyes. Oh, god, he heard me, didn't he?

"Oh, hey, Boss." Kasumi didn't seem surprised at all for him to be there, "We were just deciding what type you are. Want to join us?"

He laughed, patting Natsumi on the head as he took the only seat available. The one next to me. "Well, I can't say no to free sushi," he said, picking at the still full platter in front of us.

"What are you doing here, Kaichou?" Natsumi's face had a slight blush to it. I kind of felt sorry for her, because she obviously felt very strongly about Minamino. "That receptionist said you had to make a trip out of town."

"That was the plan, yes," he smiled at her, "But Kaitou decided he would come down here. He just left - we were in the next room. I heard my name, so, naturally I was curious." He looked at me then, "Though, I am surprised to see you here with these two, Sakana-san. Mrs. Takana was supposed to call you and let you know you could stay home."

"Well, I, she, we..." I opened my mouth and then closed it. Though she had intentionally forgotten to call me, I didn't want to get Mrs. Takana in trouble. I looked away, not sure how to answer.

Kasumi answered for me, though, "She didn't call her," she said simply, and then added "On purpose."

Minamino frowned. "Well. That's not something I like to hear."

"A lot of people seem to think Sakana-san tricked you into hiring her," Natsumi said, "I thought otherwise, but Mrs. Takana obviously doesn't."

A small chuckle, "I wouldn't say it was a trick, but I was able to meet with Kaitou today mostly because of Sakana-san." He was talking about me like I wasn't here, which bothered me. I almost wanted to say something about it, but I didn't. The other two seemed surprised at what Minamino had said.

"How?" Kasumi exclaimed, "Are they related or something?" She looked at me, as if she was trying to find something in my face that looked like this Kaitou person. She frowned, so she must have been disappointed.

"Well, no. Sakana just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Complete luck," I added under my breath.

"It just so happens that I could use a good luck charm in my office." He had closed his eyes and leaned back. I hadn't really thought about it, but he was probably in an important discussion before joining us. He seemed a little worn out, now that I examined him. He probably felt grateful that Kasumi and Natsumi were here, so he could unwind a little bit.

Did Kasumi know that before coming here? She wasn't surprised to see him here, and had to have known that the three of us wouldn't have finished this whole platter. But Minamino's plans had changed after Mrs. Tanaka had told them he wouldn't be in the office today. Just how did Kasumi know he'd be here?

They had been chatting among themselves while I had been contemplating about this, when Minamino said, "Which reminds me, why are you here? Your lunch break isn't for another two hours, Kasumi."

She didn't meet his eyes, but grinned, "had to paint the town with Ran, Boss," She winked at me, "Just shut up and enjoy your sushi."

"Thank you, Kasumi." There was more to his words than I could understand.

Three hours passed in the sushi house. The two girls seemed to be able to keep everything interesting for as long as they wanted, and I hadn't even noticed the passage of time until Kasumi said they needed to get back to the office.

"Are you gonna come with us, Kaichou?" Natsumi asked once we were outside.

"No, I don't think so. I think I'll take advantage of this change of plans and get some things done at the house. I have some phone calls to make, anyway."

Kasumi didn't seem to like this. Was it because he wasn't coming back to the office? "There's no arguing with you, so just take it easy, okay?"

"Will do," he said, and then turned to me, "A day off for me means a day off for you. You can go home, if you wish. There's nothing at the office for you to do right now, anyway."

"I guess I'll go home," I replied, "I don't think I'd like sitting in the office without anything to keep me busy."

"I'll walk you home then," before I could argue, he turned back to Natsumi and Kasumi, "Please take care of things today. And about that project -"

"Consider it done, Boss. Stop worrying about it," Kasumi grinned, and the two turned. She waved at us from behind, "Later."

We watched them walk away for a few seconds before Minamino turned back to me.

"Shall we, then?"

I nodded and followed him through the street. It was a lot less busy than it was this morning, but even so there were still so many people rushing about.

"I'm sorry that you had to come in today and waste your time," he said as we walked.

I shook my head, "I enjoyed meeting those two, at least. It wasn't a waste of my time."

He smiled. He was looking a lot less worn out now than he was at the sushi house. "They are something, that's for sure. If you ever need anything and I'm not around, you can trust them."

Trust them? I hardly trust you. "Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." A cold breeze hit my legs making them shake. It was hot outside aside from that. I stopped and looked around.

"Is something bothering you, Ran?" For the first time today, he called me by my name. That alone made me pause.

"No, just the wind."

"Wind?" He raised an eyebrow, and then his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "I see." See what?

We walked the rest of the way chatting about things that hardly mattered. He asked me if I liked the city, if that cell phone worked fine. To both I said yes, though I hadn't really messed with the cell phone, and the city made me homesick. We stood in front of my apartment building, and as I was about to say good bye to him, he met my eyes.

"You have my cell phone number, Ran. If anything happens, you know you can call me." My eyes narrowed. He had told me this before, but he hardly seemed the type who liked to repeat himself. At my pause, he added, "Even if its not work related, I'll help you if I can."

"Anything?" I asked.

"Yes. Is something on your mind, Ran?"

I looked away, thinking back to the sushi house. Kasumi had set it all up so he could relax. How she knew he would be there, I didn't want to know. But she had worked hard, and the look in her eyes when he said he was going home to work some more nearly broke my heart. "Can you promise me something?" I asked quietly.

He looked at me curiously, and then nodded.

"When you go home, just relax for awhile before you decide to work again," his eyes widened in surprise momentarily, "You look worn out, so... whatever you had to talk to Kaitou about must have been...Stressful. Whatever. Just. Promise me, okay?"

He smiled, "I tell you I'll help you with anything you need, and you tell me to go take a break," he chuckled, "alright, Ran, I promise."

"I don't believe you, but I'll take it." I turned to enter the building, and almost didn't hear him when he said:

"Thank you."

I turned to look at him, and our eyes met for a brief moment before he turned away and started to walk. Another cold wind hit my face as I watched him, and I looked away. By the time I was in my apartment, I had already decided:

Screw attack type. That guy was in a classification of his own.

AN: You got to meet two new characters this chapter - Kasumi and Natsumi. Two people who will be important to Ran, but not to the story (At least, not as I plan it. It has a life of its own, so we'll see.) They have their share of secrets, but for the most part I really like them. Kasumi is outgoing, with a personality that just screams "I was at least a little inspired by Yusuke!" Natsumi is a little different, though. She's the quiet type who doesn't need to say much for you to listen to her, but she also has a little, romantic girl hidden under all that. I really like them.

Natsumi calls Kurama Minamino-Kaichou, or just Kaichou. I hoped it would show just how much respect she has for him, aside from that blinding little girl love. Whereas Kasumi calls him Boss and sometimes seems sarcastic, I also tried to show that she cares for him as well.