A/N: I'm a bit hesitant to upload this chapter. A lot has happened since I started writing it, one of which is the chapter being lost and having to start over from scratch which made me lose a lot of motivation. I appreciate all of your reviews and they are the few things that kept me pushing through to continue. I'm afraid that this chapter may disappoint people who have waited patiently for me to update after all this time. If so then I apologize but I know the next chapter will be even better and I promise it wont take me nearly two years to update it again. Thank you for your patience and time and I hope you do enjoy this chapter.
Sunlight filtered in through her beige curtains forcing her awake. A loud beeping noise came from the phone on her nightstand and she sat up to dismiss the alarm. Minami ran her fingers through her hair to gather her thoughts and after a few moments of contemplation she pulled herself off her bed, grabbing her work uniform off of her computer chair she dragged herself into the bathroom.
Flicking on the light switch, she shut the door and looked at her mangled reflection in the mirror with a frown. Her chestnut hair was greasy and clung to her face with sweat as the adhesive and her normally bright honey golden eyes were dull and hollow showing her exhaustion. She stretched her arms above her head and proceeded to peel off her clothes before stepping into the showing. The water was scalding and felt good on her tired muscles. When she finished washing her body as well as her hair she stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel.
"Minami!" A voice called up the stairs. "Are you up yet? It's almost three!"
"Yeah, I just finished my shower!" She called back while she plugged her blow dryer into the outlet. "I'll be down soon!"
Anything the voice said afterwards was drowned out by the loud humming noise of the blow dryer. When she was done she finished toweling dry and slipped on her work clothes. Minami tied her hair up into a tight bun and let a few tufts of hair loose to act as her bang. She grabbed her apron and fixed it around her waist before sticking her phone inside and darting down the stairs.
A tall slender woman was humming and stirring something around in a pot sitting on the stove. Her hair was a sandy brown that sat comfortably on her shoulders and her blue eyes shimmered as she turned to the younger female.
"I don't like that look in your eye." She said.
"Oh don't say that, It's not anything weird I promise!" her mother laughed and blew on the spoon before putting it in her mouth. A bleak expression overtook her features and she gave her daughter a weak smile. "S-see it's not so bad..." She gave a weak chuckle and turned back to her cooking.
Minami shook her head and sat down across from her father at the dining room table. "Why do you even let her cook?" She whispered.
"It makes her happy." He shrugged turning the page in the newspaper he was reading.
"It may be the end of both of us though." Minami grumbled and laid her head down on the table before turning to the man again. "Why are you reading the paper at three in the afternoon?" She asked him lazily.
"Because this is morning for you." He replied simply turning another page as he said this. A peaceful silence fell over the three before food was finally ready. Her mother set a turkey and cheese sandwich in front of her which she scarfed down quickly as she realized the time. Minami dug in the fridge for a juice box and stepped into her shoes before she attempted to head out.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Her mother asked holding a beautiful sapphire bracelet in her hands. The girl looked back while sipping her juice box and held her arm out for the other woman. Once fastened, she threw open the door and waved to her parents.
"Have a great day! Be safe!" Her mother called after her before she shut the door.
The girl started sprinting down the block at top speed in an effort to make it to work on time. After only a few moments she began to see a red bricked building with a golden roof surrounded by a fence and smiled. She hopped over the fenced and ducked into the back entrance which led directly to the kitchen where she stamped her time card and began looking around for her boss.
"Cutting it close Minami." A deep gruff voice called out. She gave him a weak smile and stood at attention and he directed her to Section E of the small diner. With a short nod and a solute, Minami headed off to do her work.
A few uneventful hours passed before her boss yanked her into the kitchen with a nervous expression on his face. Before she could even ask him what his deal was, he pointed to the small window that overlooked her section.
Minami's eyes grew wide and her breath caught in her throat. W-What was he doing here?! She thought. Her heart thumped in her ears and her palms got sweaty. It didn't matter how long it had been she could never forget those piercing blue eyes. Sure she had seen him enough times on t.v. when he made his public announcements but this was...
She blinked a few times hoping that this wasn't an illusion as she took notice of his broad shoulders and chiseled face. His dark brown hair stopped just above his eyes which reflected a very bored expression. Opposite of him was a blacked haired youth with eyes as dark as the night sky and a smile on his face. His smile warmed her heart and calmed her nerves just as her boss jerked her out of her thoughts by shoving her out the door. She stumbled forward and turned to glare at the kitchen doors prior to taking a deep breath and walking towards their table.
"Hello my name is Minami and I'll be your server tonight." She said with a bright smile. "Can I start you two off with some drinks?" The two were alone which surprised her. Wasn't there supposed to be bodyguards? Maybe he was trying to be inconspicuous as not to draw attention to himself or maybe-
"Two waters." The brunette answered abruptly disrupting her from her current train of thought. He didn't look up from his menu as he spoke.
"Oh and cheese fries as the appetizer!" The young one piped in. She nodded slowly and gave them a slight bow, turning on her heel to retreat back to the kitchen to grab their drinks.
Throughout the night her nervousness quickly turned into agitation since every time she went to their table to check on them the brunette never looked at her. It wasn't just that though, he wouldn't even speak to her! It was like all of his social skills had been used up in that once instance when he ordered the water. It was driving her mad!
Breathe! She willed herself. You can do this, just breathe! She took a deep breath and grabbed two orders that were ready in her area. After setting them down at their appropriate tables she was stopped by the source of her agitation.
"We ordered the exact same thing." Irritation was evident in his voice but he kept his gaze trained on the window. "Why didn't we get ours first?"
Minami held the warm trays at her side and balled her hands into firsts.
"I'd be more inclined to answer you if you actually looked at me." She answered with the same amount of irritation. Realizing what she said but not having much time to regret it she soon came face to face with Seto Kaiba. He intertwined his fingers and held them to his mouth, his eyes narrowed as his waited for her response.
"Well Mr. Kaiba," She started, wincing at the crack in her voice. "They ordered their food first."
"Your point being?" He kept his gaze trained on her, watching her reaction to his words.
"With all due respect," She kept her tone even but even he could hear the anger behind her words. "You are not any different from any of the other paying customers. It's not fair to make them wait just because you want special treatment." She gave them a short bow. "Please excuse me." She turned and walked away from their table filled with a mixture of fear and anger.
After she was a safe distance away the younger boy spoke up. "You really should stop messing with the waitress." He picked up a fry and popped it in his mouth. "She's liable to blow up at you." He added with a chuckle.
The older boy continued to watch her walk away before grabbing a fry for himself. "I wouldn't pick on her if she was bland."
"Oh what so you like this one?" He raised an eyebrow at his older brother taking another fry for himself. The other boy didn't answer his question he just continued to watch where she had disappeared awaiting her return.
What nerve! She thought as she placed the trays back on the counter. That is not the boy I remember! She huffed bumping into one of her co-coworkers who, upon noticing her expression, refrained from saying anything. He's such a rude piece of sh-
She walked into one of the walls and heard a few laughs erupt behind her. Her cheeks flushed and she rubbed her nose before reading the ticket and releasing a heavy sigh as she carried it onto the floor. After setting the food down she put on the best smile she could muster and asked if there was anything else she could do for them. The younger boy shook his head and started to eat but the older male stared at her intently, forcing her to hold his gaze.
"Is something…not to your liking?" She asked as her smile began to falter. His piercing gaze sent a shiver down her spine and it took all of her willpower not to break eye contact. Minami felt her heart sink as she slowly came to the realization that he had no idea who she was. For what felt like an eternity they stood there staring at each other until the younger one asked her to refill his drink. With a silent nod she disappeared again nearly tripping over her own feet.
"Seto." His brother said in an even tone, sticking a piece of food into his mouth. The elder did not respond and instead began to eat his food.
The two didn't offer her any problems for the rest of the night. She was able to successfully tend to all of her tables and watched the diner slowly clear out. About two hours passed until she was alone with only the music from the speakers keeping her company.
With sad thoughts weighing on her mind, she cleaned off the remaining tables. She knew from the interviews that he had changed but she hadn't imagined that he had forgotten her. She made her way over to the table he had been sitting at and saw they had stacked their plates from largest to smallest and even left her a tip. To say she was dumbfounded would be putting it too lightly; she was nothing short of amazed. Slipping the tip into her pocket she gathered up the plates and headed towards the back to give them to the line cook so that he could wash them and retreated back out into the dining hall. She gave the dining hall one quick look over before vacuuming it and waited for her boss and co-worker to finish so she could head home.
It was a quiet and peaceful walk home as she reflected on her shift and around the halfway mark she saw her father waiting patiently for her. He listened to her recount her day with a gentle smile on his face, reacting where he thought appropriate but was otherwise silent. When they returned home he rubbed her head and gave her a kiss goodnight before shooing her up the stairs to rest.
Sunbeams filtered through her room again waking her up far earlier than she wanted. I really have to get new curtains. She thought as she yawned and sat up, noticing the light refract in her bracelet it brought her back to the day she got it and she couldn't help but smile. Her smile quickly turned into a frown while she recounted the events of last night. With another yawn she dug into her apron pocket and pulled out the money she had garnered. While separating the money a thick, white card with blue trimmings tumbled onto her bed. She picked it up and inspected it but was only able to find a number and after a few moments of thought, she decided it couldn't hurt to give the number a call. A quick glance at the time showed her it was only nine in the morning which was an acceptable time to call someone right? She dialed the number into her phone and held it up to her ear as it began to ring. After the second ring she began to get anxious. It looked like a business card but what if it wasn't? What if it was some creepy person trying to take her to an underground facility to run tests on her and turn her into some kind of mutant? What if-
"Hello." A voice answered, she recognized it instantly.
"H-Hello." She replied back meekly. "I met you at the diner last night and you left me your card." The other line was silent for a few moments, putting her on edge.
"I want you to be my secretary." She ran her hand through her hair and looked out the window skeptically. This was all just too...weird. Was she excited? Definitely but-
"Minami Kagami."
"Y-Yes!" She snapped to attention hearing her full name.
"A limo will be by to pick you up in two hours. You'd better not waste my time." The voice said and without waiting for her to answer, hung up. She stared down at her phone in disbelief for a few minutes. Confusion took hold of her as she stood up and calmly walked over to her parent's room.
"Mom..." She said slowly. "I think...I have an interview with Seto Kaiba."
