Ritsu got up at the precise time it takes for him to get ready and be out the door by eight. Never pausing as she made a beeline towards the elevator, not even bothering to see if her boss was awake or not.
Pressing the down button, the doors opened before she got inside. "Hold on, I'm coming in." Masamune said, rushing out of his apartment to join her before she pressed the first floor button as he came in. The doors closed, confining them inside as the elevator made its descent toward their destination.
"Good morning, Takano-san." Ritsu said out of habit and politeness, refusing to look at him.
"Good morning." He returned her greeting before saying, "I met your friend yesterday...twice."
"Twice?" Ritsu asked, sneaking a glance at her boss.
Masamune summarized, "Yes, once, when she dropped off your storyboards and last night when I was coming home. She doesn't like me apparently." he added, Ritsu had to hide a smile.
"Well, if it's you then it's understandable." Ritsu said, cheekily, Ichiru's personality seems to be rubbing off on her.
Masamune turned to her with an offended look, "Huh, what's that supposed to mean?"
Ritsu explained, "If you said something first in the first few seconds of meeting her the way you met me, then she has every right to not like you." she said, feeling confident with her answer as the doors dinged before she and Masamune walked out into the lobby and towards the entrance.
"You're not even gonna ask what the second time was about?" Masamune asked as he held the door open for her.
Ritsu ignored his gesture as she walked outside and stood outside, keeping an eye out for Ichiru's car before answering, "No, not interested, sorry." she said unapologetically.
"What did you tell her? About us I mean?" Masamune asked, wanting to know what she told her doctor friend.
"I merely told her that you were my boss, and coincidentally enough, my ex. Not that it is of any importance, I just complain about you to her." Ritsu said, trying to ignore his presence as he stood beside her against the concrete hedges that lined the pathway to the building entrance.
"And what do you complain about?" Masamune asked, inching closer to Ritsu who still refused to look at him.
Ritsu kept her face straight, "Oh, the usual, you're insufferable at work, you're absolutely rude to your coworkers and you lack the ability to keep your hands to yourself when we're alone. All in all, it's annoying and irritating in and outside of work." she said, glaring behind her eyelids as she closed her eyes.
A long arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her to it's side, "You mean like this?" Masamune said as Ritsu looked up at his smirking face.
"Exactly!" Ritsu said, trying to get his arm off of her, but he only tightened his hold, not allowing her to leave his side, "We are in a public place, now is not the time for you to be doing something like this." she hissed, not wanting to draw attention as she looked down at her watch to see that it was 8:10am.
She tensed when his thumb stroked her shoulder, "Does that mean we can do it when we come home?" his voice whispered in her ear, making her blush, this simple act was not supposed to affect her. She turned her head away with a 'hmph', refusing to let him see her face as she pouted.
Masamune continued to stare at her, just now noticing how much her face is shining right now, almost as though it was being illuminated by something. Not being one to resist attraction and not caring if they were in a public place, he took a hold of her chin and kissed her full on the lips, enjoying the sweet taste that is Ritsu.
Ritsu stayed frozen, not finding it within her to kiss him back or push him away. It was as though her body was not her own and that someone has taken control of her limbs like she was a puppet with strings attached.
A car honking brought Ritsu out of her stupor as she turned around to see Ichiru waving at her from her car. Feeling blood rush to her cheeks, she broke away from Masamune and dashed to her ride, "I'll see you at work!" she said as she approached the car and quickly got in before they drove off.
The first few minutes during the car ride to Marukawa, Ritsu kept silent, feeling embarrassed for being caught in such a position by her friend. "Sorry I didn't get there sooner." Ichiru said as she made another turn towards their destination.
Ritsu faced Ichiru who kept her eyes on the road, "No, it's fine, I just got there actually." she said, hoping that Ichiru won't mention what she saw just now.
Ichiru smiled, "That's good, glad I didn't keep you waiting. Oh, before I forget, I made lunch." she said before she reached behind her seat without looking and pulled out a bento box before placing it in Ritsu's lap, "Make sure you eat all the veggies in there." Ritsu nodded with a smile.
"Thanks Ichiru. You didn't have to do this." Ritsu said, feeling guilty that her friend is doing these things for her.
"But I wanted to; I can't let my patient live off of energy drinks and convenience store foods forever." Ichiru said smiling before she pulled something out of her pocket, "Also, some breakfast." she said as she handed a plastic wrapped strawberry muffin to Ritsu who all but drooled at the sight of it. "You can go ahead and eat it." she said as Ritsu opened her treat and started eating it, savoring the taste in her mouth.
Ichiru giggled lightly to herself at Ritsu's childlike antics as Marukawa came into view. Stopping in front of the building she asked, "Would you like me to pick you up afterward?"
Ritsu nodded, "Sure." she opened the door to leave, "I'll see you after work." she said as she exited the car and made her way into the building, "Make sure you take it easy." Ichiru yelled from the opened window before driving away.
Getting inside the elevator, she lifted her hand to the 4th floor button. However, her vision started to get blurry and she felt herself swaying until she had to lean against the wall to steady herself. She closed her eyes and placed a hand to her forehead to try and get rid of the dizziness. Opening her eyes, she blinked a couple of times before standing straight, using the wall of the elevator for support as she raised a shaky hand to the 4th floor button.
As the elevator started moving, she stared at her hand, opening and closing it, still confused at her sudden dizziness, "What was that just now?" she asked herself, moving slightly to test if it will happen again. Thankfully, her vision cleared up as she arrived on the 4th floor.
When she got the Emerald Department, she saw that it was only Kisa present, "Good morning, Kisa?" Ritsu greeted as she sat down and took out her laptop.
Kisa looked up with a blush as she closed a text that was sent from her boyfriend, "G-Good morning, Ri-chan. How are you feeling?"
Ritsu shrugged, "63% of me still wants sleep, while the rest wants to get through the day without vomiting." she said, touching her stomach, hoping that her morning sickness doesn't act up.
"Do you think you can handle today's meeting? You still have that..." Kisa looked around to make sure no one was listening in before whispering, "...morning sickness happening on a daily basis right?"
"I've already emptied what I didn't have for breakfast before I walked out the door, hopefully that will be the end of it until I get home." Ritsu whispered, hating that part of the pregnancy the most.
Kisa gave a sympathetic look, "Ugh, worst way to wake up in the morning." she said, rubbing Ritsu's back.
Ritsu nodded as she typed at her laptop, "Yeah, no shit. I just have to get through the next ten hours without the symptoms getting in the way of my work, then I'll be home free." she said, her eyes looking up at the clock to see that it was still eight in the morning before continuing with her work.
Five hours later, Ritsu took a lunch break, bringing the bento box Ichiru gave her. Taking a seat at one of the tables in the break room, she opened her bento box and started eating the food Ichiru prepared for her.
'Wow, this is good.' Ritsu thought to herself, enjoying the taste of Ichiru's cooking as she continued to eat happily, 'Good food, done with my proposal, then after the meeting, goodbye Shojo Manga and hello Literature. Nothing can ruin this moment.' Ritsu smiled as she chewed her food, imaginary flowers floating around her, showing her happy mood.
Someone took a seat across from her, making her look up and the flowers to wither and die around her, 'I spoke too soon.' she thought to herself as she gripped the chopsticks in her hand.
"Onodera," Masamune began, staring at her through hooded eyes and beneath his bangs, "there's something I need to talk to you about."
Ritsu interrupted him with a frown, "If it's about the meeting, then yes, I am going to attend."
"It's not that." Masamune said, gripping his cup of coffee, "I wanted to talk to you about something that has been bugging me lately." he said, staring at Ritsu intently, with her nodding for him to continue.
"I don't want you to go into Literature." Masamune blurted before he thought of how to voice it out.
Ritsu felt angry at this man for saying something so selfish, "Hmph, that is not for you to decide, Takano-san. You and I both know that I always wanted to work in Literature. Don't take this the wrong way, editing manga is great and all, but let's face it, I'm growing tired of working in that department. It's just unhealthy for me to continue working there." she said, trying to control her anger.
Masamune felt a deep sting at those words until he realized something, "You said it again."
Ritsu blinked, not understanding what he meant, "Huh?"
Masamune elaborated, "You said that it was 'unhealthy for you.' What exactly do you mean by it?"
Ritsu felt a little cornered at his statement. Not knowing how else to word it out, she said, "I-It's exactly as I said, it's not the best environment for me to further my career. I'm sorry if I offend you, but I can't continue working in such a place. Please excuse me." she said as she packed her lunch, losing her appetite as she got up and walked away from the table.
Her hand was caught in a familiar grip, making her turn around to see Masamune's hurt expression, "That doesn't explain anything." he said, refusing to believe that to be the end of it.
Ritsu glared as she clenched her hand, which was caught by her boss, into a fist, "Well you're just gonna have to live with my answer. I'm transferring, and that's the end of it." she said, trying to ignore that painful constriction around her heart when she said.
Masamune stepped closer to her, ignoring her attempt to leave his grasp, "There's something else, something you're not telling me. What is it you refuse to talk to me about?" he said, his face getting close to hers.
Ritsu went red at their proximity before she looked away, "There's nothing to talk about. Now let go, we have to get ready for the meeting that is happening in a half hour." she said, silently afraid of what she'll do if she remained in his presence for much longer.
Masamune didn't release her at first, only stared at her for a long while until he slowly loosened his grip on her. Ritsu stepped back before walking back towards the Emerald Department, leaving Masamune standing alone in the break room with a forlorn expression.
Ritsu walked back to her department with her head down, tears threatening to spill as she fought against that heart wrenching feeling in her chest. 'I won't give him that chance; I refuse to let him break my heart again. Don't fall in love, don't fall in love, don't fall in love.' she repeated that mantra in her head as she wiped away at her eyes, erasing any oncoming tears that wanted to spring forth.
Reaching her department, she put on a cool and composed face as she gathered the papers needed for the meeting.
Kisa looked up at Ritsu, sensing something wrong with the younger woman, "Ri-chan, is everything okay?"
Ritsu turned to Kisa, her eyes red from unshed tears, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she said, her voice heavy with emotions which she tried to cover up.
Kisa wasn't fooled, she knew that this usually happens when their boss is involved, "Ri-chan, you're not okay. Maybe you should skip the meeting, tell them you feel sick." she said, obviously concerned as she stood up and started to rub Ritsu's back.
Ritsu shook her head, "I can't, this meeting is too important for me to skip. I have to-" she cut herself off, when she started to feel dizzy. Leaning over her desk, she placed her hand on her forehead as she took deep breaths.
Kisa steadied Ritsu when it looked like she was about to tip over, "Ri-chan!" she said in alarm.
Ritsu shook away the dizziness before turning back to Kisa with a reassuring expression that seemed weak, "I'm fine. I just-" she couldn't finish as her dizziness came back with full force that she started to sway. Kisa barely had time to catch her before Ritsu's legs gave out, "Ri-chan!" her exclamation caught the attention of the other editors and people who work on that floor as she lowered Ritsu to the ground.
Hatori and Mino rushed around the table to see Ritsu breathing shallowly as her head rested in Kisa's lap. Her unfocused eyes stared up at the concerned panicked faces of her colleagues as they rushed over to her side. She couldn't understand what they were saying, but she knew that they were trying to help her.
Masamune was on his way back to Emerald when he heard a commotion that was gathering at his department. Wanting to know what was going on, he sped up his walk until her reached his department, the sight that greeted him made his blood run cold when he saw Ritsu on the ground in Kisa's lap, having a hard time breathing.
Without thinking, he rushed to Ritsu's side and knelt on the ground beside her, "Onodera!" he said, taking a near limp Ritsu from Kisa and holding her against himself, shaking her a little to try and get some response from her. When he got nothing, he looked up at the other editors, "What happened?" he demanded.
Kisa explained as best as she could, "I don't know what happened, one moment we were talking and then suddenly she started swaying before she collapsed."
Masamune turned his gaze to his other coworkers, "Then don't just stand around, call an ambulance!" he barked his order before he went back to trying to wake Ritsu up.
"Oi, Onodera, come on, you have to wake up." Masamune said gently, shaking her lightly to try and coax her awake.
Ritsu cracked her eyes open, but her vision was still blurry as she stared up at the concerned man holding her. In her mind, she thought she was dreaming when her blurry vision made out her ex back when they were in their high school days.
"M-M-Masa-k-kun." was all she was able to get out before her world went black, the last thing she heard was Masamune shouting her name as she succumbed to sleep.
You people really wanna kill me for leaving you hanging. Don't fret, next chapter is the one I have been dying to write for a long time. Also, a couple of characters from Junjou Romantica will make their cameo appearance.
Stay tuned, next chapter will be ready for you as soon as I get at least 5 reviews.
