Chapter 3, Partners
"Ne, Ka-San, when is my next photo shoot?" Shiki asked his mother at dinner two days later.
Mitsuki looked up from her plate, startled. It was one of those times she would space out for awhile.
Her startled looked turned to confusion.
"I thought you didn't like those shoots Senri," she said.
Shiki shrugged. "It's not that bad."
"I'll have to call uncle, and see if he's set up something," his mother said.
"Alright."
Rima's eyes widened.
"Isn't it lovely? One of the girls at the party suggested it, she thought it'd would look good with your hair."
Rima didn't say anything. Her mother was holding a bright pink dress with even brighter pink trimming.
"I'll look like a Barbie doll mother!" she said, cringing at the idea of that thing on her.
"You'll look pretty," her mother said.
"I don't want to wear it though," Rima said, trying not to snap.
"But-"
"Honey, I have to take Rima to her shoot right now," Kazumi interrupted.
"What? Oh-" Annika looked at the clock. It was 8:30 pm. "Oh that's right, her shoot is in the evening this time."
"Yes, and where already running late."
"Okay, tell me how it went when you get back Rima, love you."
Rima left, not bothering to look at her mother.
xXxXxXx
"Your mother means well Rima."
"…"
"She's just wants you to feel loved because she didn't. she really loves you Rima."
"…"
Kazumi sighed. As close as he was with his daughter, he couldn't understand her fully.
Rima starred out the window of the car. She already knew that, and yet she didn't feel love from her mother. She felt the pressure her mother had felt when she buys her those bright dresses. She didn't like bright colours, she was more of a dark person. Some bright colours she liked, like a soft yellow or the occasional blue but the way her mother's eye lit up at the thought of seeing her daughter in one of those dresses just made it harder to say no when usually she had no trouble saying it. But after today, seeing her latest one, it was easy.
"We're here Rima," Kazumi asked. Rima blinked. They were at the studio.
'I wonder if he'll be here' she thought.
"I'll wit for you in the car, I'll be parked over there."
"'Kay."
"Okay Shiki-Kun, smile."
"…" Shiki starred at the camera, bored.
"Come on Shiki, just one smile, I'm begging here!"
"…"
With a sigh of defeat, he took the picture.
"Your lucky you're a cute kid," he said. "Shiki-Kun, try to practice smiling for the shoots at least, okay?"
Shiki shrugged and walked off the set, making him cry.
"Why do I have to put up with this Kami-Sama, why are you testing me this way, WHY?"
Shiki thought his manager was over reacting a bit. Then again, his last two did that also when he wouldn't smile for photo's. or any other time.
"Are you always this hard to work with?" a familiar voice said behind Shiki. He turned and saw her.
He shrugged.
"Do you always wear your hair like that?" he said.
She shrugged.
"So you came," she said.
"I said I would."
"I didn't believe you."
"Why?"
She turned away.
"Last person who said they would come was my mother but she didn't." she said. "She was busy picking out an outfit for a party."
Shiki was a bit surprised by this but, remembering what she had said about her mother at Ichijo's place, it was quickly gone.
"Aren't you doing a shoot right now?" he asked. He took in her outfit. She was wearing a dark red bunny hug and dark blue jeans. As always her hair was in pigtails. He wondered what her hair looked like without them. "What's it for anyway?"
"It was going to be just me and my partner hanging out at a park, but it got called off."
"Why?"
"My partner quit."
"Why?"
"I don't get along with them," Rima pulled out a box Pocky from her pocket. She opened it and put a stick in her mouth. "I get tired around them, and bored. So their always trying to find me a new one."
"And I'm hard to work with?" Shiki raised an eyebrow.
"Urusai," Rima sighed, jumping up on a table so she could sit on it.
She held a piece to him. He looked at it before biting it.
Flash!The two winced at the sudden bright light in their eyes that came with no warning.
"Adorable!" a woman's voice said. Shiki blinked and saw a woman with brown hair that went past her shoulders and brown eyes that were covered with glasses. "This is the first time I've seen Rima get along with someone. And about time too, we were running out of people to put her with." the woman sighed.
"Huh?" the two vampires said.
"You, your names Shiki Senri, right?" the woman asked. He nodded. "Whose your manager?"
When he gave her the name she left. He turned to Rima, confused.
"Was that…?"
"My manager? Yes."
A few minutes later she returned.
"Alright, Shiki-Kun," she said. "Your now partners with Rima here. I've cleared it with your manager."
Shiki and Rima looked at each other.
'Well, she does stay well composed so…' he thought, remembering how people would make a big deal of who he was because of his mother.
"Alright," they said at the same time.
"Great, by the way my name is Izuma Cho," She said. "I look forward to working with you Shiki-Kun."
Shiki nodded in reply.
"Okay, so your guys first shoot together will be in one week, will you remember that?" Cho asked them.
They said yes.
"Good," she nodded, smiling. "I can't leave until your parents show up. Do you know when they'll be here?"
"My dads waiting in the parking lot," Rima said.
"My Uncles here," Shiki said. He could sense his presence in the building already.
"Alright." Their manger said. "Remember, be back here in one week."
"So you're my new partner," Rima said once she left.
"Looks like it," Shiki shrugged.
"Well, I don't get tired around you so I guess it's okay," She shrugged also. She too out another box from her bag that she carried and passed it to him. "Here."
He caught it.
"Shiki," He looked up to see Rima standing in the door way, looking at him. "I look foreword to working with you."
"I look foreword to working with you too, Rima."
Don't ask about the managers name. I came up with it on the spot since I'm pretty sure they don't mention it in the Anime or Manga. Thanks for all the reviews!