A/N: I'm really, really sorry for the late update! It was completely my laziness! Well, to make it up, I posted two new chapters for you! We are now coming to umm... the 'rising action' of the story. Also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the 1000+ views. I seriously didn't expect it. I hope that you'll still support this story until the end and... I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the KnB characters. I only own my OCs. Any fashion and beauty labels that I use for description are definitely not my property.
"Onee-chan, I said I don't want to!" Kise whined like a five year old kid being forced by his parents to bathe. He bit at his egg roll and looked at Ryouko with a pouting face. "Come on, Ryouta! You've done this before, haven't you? Besides, it will really help your experience in modelling!" Ryouko replied with vigor and stared at Kise as if to pierce through his soul. Why could her little brother be this stubborn?!
"But I have the Inter High to worry about and I already made plans for today!" Kise stated with the same expression as a begging puppy. He really couldn't count the times when he and his older sister fought about this before. He was not some lapdog for goodness sake!
"Ryouta, all you have to do is to accompany me for my photo shoot this morning! You know the people there. When they start buzzling around, they wouldn't care if you're hungry or not! You have to find yourself an available assistant or worker to even fetch you a glass of water!" Ryouko complained as she stood up and gathered the dirty dishes so that she could wash them.
Kise then grumbled and lightly scratched the back of his head. "Yes not only do I have to fetch you food. I have to carry your bag, your coat, hand you your cellphone when someone's calling… Seriously, just ask your boy friend to accompany you!" Kise exclaimed and stood up as well and followed his sister on her way to the counter where she was washing the dishes.
'Just ask someone else, huh?' Ryouko thought and smirked as she continued to wash the dishes. She then feigned a sigh of disappointment and looked at Kise with fake sadness in her eyes. "Okay. I wouldn't force you if you don't want to. Well, I guess I just have to go to the Alice in Wonderland photo shoot alone but I think I wouldn't be that bored either. I mean, Shoji-chan is there to entertain me…" Ryouko stated and her smirk widened when she saw that Kise immediately look at her in surprise.
"Ayanochii?! Why would Ayanochii be there? Wait, unless she is…" Kise said and frowned his face in confusion. Ryouko then finally turned off the faucet and faced Kise. "Oh! I'm sorry I forgot to tell you! Remember the photo shoot director who called me the other day? He said that he needed a replacement for the model of Alice in the Alice in Wonderland photo shoot. Of course I accepted the job and coincidentally, Shoji-chan is one of the makeup artists and she's the one who is assigned to do my makeup for the photo shoot!" Ryouko explained with a hint of slyness in her eyes. She was sure that Kise would come with her today. She needed him to come because if not, how will her first plan to have her brother and Ayano together commence?
Kise then looked at her seriously and crossed his arms.
"Onee-chan, does your offer still stand?"
Ayano yawned a bit but continued to follow the assistant towards the studio. She sipped on her espresso while her free hand was in the pockets of her trench coat. She usually wasn't like this when she has a job to do. It was only because she stayed up all night on Skype video chatting someone from France. 'Does that dimwit ever know the meaning of different time zones?' she thought angrily and had the urge to just grab her phone from her bag and give that foolish person a good scolding but she haven't had the time left and she quickly realized that she was already at the studio.
"Good morning, Shoji-chan!" Erin greeted while drinking her cappuccino. Ayano then smiled and replied "Good morning to you too" as she removed her trench coat and hung it towards the provided coat stand. She then sighed and took a seat towards her assigned makeup desk and cursed silently as she realized that she couldn't lay her head on the desk and sleep because it's filled with makeups.
Erin then chuckled at Ayano and moved her chair closer to Ayano. "I see that you haven't slept well last night." She commented which earned her a groan coming from Ayano. "Who can even sleep when you have someone who is video chatting with you until 3:00 in the morning?!" Ayano complained and continued on what she intended to do earlier. She got her phone and tapped the Skype icon and saw that the little rascal is still online.
"Gods, doesn't that idiot have some important things he has to do rather than facing his laptop all day long?" she mumbled under her breath and pressed the call button.
"Allô? Ayano?" the person from the line spoke. Ayano then glared at the desk as she heard the chuckle of the person from the line. "Oi! You thick-headed little prick! Go and have your rest!" Ayano ordered using the nihonggo language. She then heard a laugh from the phone. "Je ne parle pas japonais" the person from the phone said.
"Can't understand Japanese my ass! You know perfectly well what I'm trying to tell you!" Ayano exclaimed, still using Japanese language. The person laughed again until it turned into just chuckles. "Hai, hai. Gomen! I just love to tease you. By the way, I forgot to tell you that the personal assistant of Mademoiselle Hermine Courtnere came here. Apparently, she still wasn't informed of your transfer in Japan and she said that Mademoiselle Hermine wants to have a booking because she wants you to do her makeup for her engagement party. Seriously, I never really thought that things would work out between her and Monsieur Jean Pierre." The person from the line stated which earned him a silent gasp from Ayano.
"They're getting engaged? I thought that she hooked up with the violinist, Antoine Lemaire?" Ayano asked and crossed her legs while sipping her coffee.
"Well, you know Ms. Hermine. Anyways, I told the assistant that you're staying in Japan for 3 years." The person replied. Ayano then nodded and looked up to see that some of the production crew are already setting up the backdrop and bringing out the camera
"Yes. Well, I have to go now, Errol. The crew is already starting to do the backdrop and camera." Ayano said and the person from the line chuckled. "Fine. But Ayano, Chase and I really miss you. Can't you really go back to Paris earlier?" Errol, the person from the line asked.
Ayano then sighed and looked down. "I don't know" she muttered. "For now, let's just communicate through calls and internet."
"Okay. By the way, Dad sent you a pack of Blue Mallow tea last week. Did you already receive it?" Errol asked.
"No. But I'll be expecting it to come." Ayano replied. Soon, the other makeup artists also started to arrive followed by the photo shoot director, Aikawa-san along with today's photographer Furukawa Akira. "Errol, I really have to hung up. Tell Uncle Alexander, Mom and Chase that I miss them, okay? And please, don't stay in front of the laptop for more than an hour." Ayano added which earned her a chuckle from Errol.
"Okay. Au Revoire, Ayano. Je T'aime" with that said, Errol hung up. Soon, the models started to enter and sat on their respective makeup desks where the makeup artists along with the hairstylists will prep them for the photo shoot.
Ayano put back her cellphone on her black Chanel bag and looked up, expecting to see Ryouko but was caught on surprise when Kise burst out in front of her. "Ayanochii!" he exclaimed with a foolish grin on his face.
'What is that obnoxious blonde doing here?' she thought as she saw the love stricken looks that the females gave to Kise who was shining like a prince on a white horse. Ryouko then entered and gave a smile to Ayano.
"He's here to keep me company today." Ryouko said as if reading Ayano's mind. Ayano then stood up from the chair and in turn, Ryouko sat on it so that she could have her hair and makeup done.
Ayano mentally rolled her eyes as she got a cotton swab and moistened it with makeup cleanser to make sure that there is no dirt on the model's face. 'Of all the people in Japan, why him?!' she exclaimed in her mind. But because she's doing her job today, she has to act professional. She wouldn't let Kise distract her from her work.
Ayano nodded her head towards the hair stylist as a signal for them to start. Like what she did yesterday, Ayano first started with the eyes because the most of the messy stuff is the eye shadow. She got the eye primer from the desk and put some of it on the back of her hand.
"Ryouko-san, would you close your eyes for me?" Ayano requested and she glared lightly when she clearly heard a soft snort coming from Kise because of her suddenly polite tone. Ayano sighed inwardy and just proceeded to apply the eye primer to the entire eyelid up to the brow bone . After doing this, she gathered all the colors of eye shadow that she used yesterday and did the eye makeup.
"Ne, Ayanochii, does your phone have an interesting game or something?" Kise asked out of the blue while yawning from boredom but still not keeping his eyes away from Ayano. Ayano then gave him a glare for him to shut up and continued with blending the eye shadow so that she could proceed with the foundation and concealer.
"Ayanochii! Why are you ignoring me?!" Kise whined after a few minutes of silence. Ayano's grip on the eyeliner brush tightened causing her not to have her desired flick. 'Just shut up will you!' she mentally said and got a cotton bud to clear off her mistake.
"Ayanochii!" Kise whined. Ayano then frowned and finally put down the eyeliner brush and looked at Kise with a stern gaze. She crossed her arms and sighed. "Can you please stop annoying me. I'm doing my best to make this makeup perfect and I couldn't achieve that if you're whining at me like a 5 year old kid." Ayano stated and with a final glare, she immediately went back to her work.
Kise then sighed and looked at Ayano who was already putting the fake lashes and mouthed a silent 'sorry'.
Soon, after a few minutes of silence, Ryouko's hair and makeup was done and she was ushered to the dressing room. Ayano then stood up and went to get a glass of water but was interrupted by Kise's hand grabbing hers. She looked at the direction of Kise and raised her eyebrow. "What is it?" she asked.
"Are you free this Saturday?" Kise asked and stood up as well. Ayano turned her back away from him to get water.
Moments later, she came back with a bottled water and she saw that Kise was still there standing. "So, are you free? The first match of the Inter High is on that date." Kise said and watched as Ayano put down the half empty bottled water on a free space of the makeup desk.
"Why does that concern me? I don't really know much about basketball nor am I interested in it. Go invite some of your buddies." Ayano replied and got the MAC fanfare lipstick tube and a lip brush then went towards the set where she saw a giant tea set. On the saucer, there stood Ryouko who looked like a tiny creature in the midst of the enlarged version of a tea set. This scene is where she was shrunk and went to the Mad Hatter's tea party.
Ayano immediately went towards them and did some retouches on the makeup along with the hairstylist fixing the curled hair of Ryouko.
Soon, after several poses and retouches, Ryouko was ushered to the dressing room again for her second outfit. The set was cleared up and it was replaced by another tea party scene but this time, the tea set was on its normal size and there was a table covered with white linen and was filled with all sorts of flowers, sweets and tea sets. The steam punk version of Mad Hatter sat on the chair provided and did his turn for the photo shoot.
After that, there came along the White Queen. The set and lightings were changed. There was a production crew who was showering white rose petals on top of the set for a very beautiful and graceful effect, adding to that was the very light snow created by the snow machine.
Next is the Queen of Hearts in a very avant garde makeup. Her eye makeup was not at all cartoonish but the exaggeration was still there and her lip shape was altered to form the queen's trademark heart-shaped lips. Red rose petals were scattered on the set and there was a throne in the middle. Ayano then saw someone bring out a cage. There, she saw a huge raven and it was placed on the hand of the model who was sitting on the throne with the animal trainer instructing her on how to handle the bird.
Lastly, there came Ryouko on her red dress. The set didn't change but the throne was removed and more red rose petals were being scattered on the set.
Few moments later, Aikawa-san called it a wrap and soon, all of the crew was already fixing up while she was checking on the photos shot today.
Ayano then went back to the makeup desk and assisted Ryouko on removing the makeup. "Shoji-chan, let's go have lunch together." Ryouko requested as she closed her eyes for Ayano to remove the fake eyelashes.
"That's right, Ayanochii." Kise added and gave a smile to Ayano's direction. Ayano gave out a small sigh and just continued on gently wiping Ryouko's face with a cotton swab dampened with makeup remover. "I don't know. I really don't want to impose…" Ayano mumbled and ushered Ryouko towards the powder room to splash her face with water. This left Ayano and Kise alone together with the few production crew who were cleaning up.
Kise then turned to look at her and pouted. "Come on Ayanochii! Don't be such a party pooper! I've already reserved a ticket just for you. It's VIP one so you can see the basketball game up close." Kise exclaimed, going back to the Inter High topic.
Ayano just groaned lightly and crossed her arms. "Why do you even keep on insisting?" she muttered. Kise then looked down with his bangs covering his pretty face so that Ayano wouldn't see the tiny blush creeping its way on his cheeks.
"Well… you… you sort of make me feel more… motivated." Kise whispered but Ayano still heard it and a blush made its way on her own cheeks. She played with her fingers lightly as she tried to make the redness on her cheeks disappear. 'What am I doing? I look like a lovesick idiot!' she mentally scolded herself.
"I'm not really sure. If someone will book me for Saturday, I will have to refuse your offer." Ayano replied after finally composing herself. Kise then smiled and nodded. "That's better than nothing at all. So, about the lunch that my sister mentioned…" Kise stated and smiled again at Ayano. "Would you care to join us?" he added.
Ayano shifted her gaze from one side to the next as she thought of some sort of alibi to get away. "Umm… I have my appointment at the… at the… salon! Yes, I have an appointment at the salon today after my job. So… I really have to decline!" she exclaimed and grabbed her bag and coat as she prepared to leave. Ayano then bowed at Kise before excusing herself to leave the studio.
When she was finally out, she mentally hit herself and let out an exasperated groan. "What am I thinking? This is getting way out of hand…" she muttered and raised her arm slightly to call out a taxi. One stopped in front of her and she immediately went inside
'These feelings… these feelings inside of me… I don't know what they are and what or who caused them but… I certainly have a guess on what they are and whom they are caused by. But if I'm correct, then… I would have to restrain them because… if I only let them flourish inside of me, I would just make myself cling to false hopes. Besides, I would surely hurt someone in the process.' She thought as she leaned her head on the car window to observe the passing surroundings.
"It's not that I'm going to stay for good anyway…" Ayano mumbled.
"Onee-chan, did you notice something strange with Ayanochii today? It seems like she's purposely avoiding me." Kise said and took a bite out of the pepperoni pizza. Ryouko looked up from her food and gently wiped her mouth with a napkin before replying. "Did you do something to upset her again?"she asked.
"What?! Of course not! I only invited her to watch the Inter High this Saturday…" Kise mumbled. Ryouko then sighed as she called a waiter to already serve the gelato then focused again on Kise while giving him a very serious look. "Ryouta… lately, are you feeling strange things when you're around Shoji-chan? Umm… like butterflies in your stomach when you see her" Ryouko asked and noticed the visible shock on Kise's face. Kise then looked down and nodded and gave his sister a half smile.
"That's exactly what I've been feeling for few days now." Kise replied. "But not just butterflies in the stomach. Whenever she smiles at me, I feel like I'm floating or whenever her hand brushes against mine, there's this electric shock! It's very surprising but it makes me feel warm." He added which earned him an understanding sisterly smile coming from Ryouko.
"It seems like you'll find out soon enough." Ryouko said and gave out a small 'thanks' to the waiter when he served them their gelatos.
Kise looked at curiously for a while before scooping some of the gelato. "Find out what?" he asked and ate the cold dessert.
Ryouko just gave him another smile and ate her green tea gelato. "Oh nothing…."
'Umm… what to wear…' Ayano thought as she walked around her walk in closet. She clutched the envelope in her hand as she opened one of the sliding mirror closets filled with all kinds of dresses. Ayano rummaged through the almost packed closet searching for one outfit until she found a full skirt black velvet dress with scoop neckline and thick straps that's 2 inches below the knees.
"This will do…" she mumbled and got a pair of crystal embellished strapped stilettos and a clutch bag also studded with crystals. She looked at the clock on the wall and it read 5:40 p.m.
Earlier, when she came back from the photo shoot, Ayano found an invitation on her mailbox. It was an invitation for the art exhibit in Yamashita hotel. The exhibit will feature both eastern and western arts. Ayano smiled as she looked at the invitation in her hand.
"You did it again, haven't you?"she whispered out of nowhere and carefully slipped on the dress as to not ruin her hair.
She already went to the salon for her hairstyle and nails earlier so all she has to do was her outfit and makeup. Ayano went towards a series of drawers containing different boxes of jewelries. Opening one, she got a blue velvet box which contains a pair of gold chandelier earrings which greatly compliments her black dress and curled chignon.
Going to another drawer, she got a white box containing a pair of black lace wrist gloves and picked them up along with the blue velvet box and the invitation and headed towards her makeup desk to do her makeup.
Since it would be a formal evening event, her base has to be flawless but at the same time, tactile. She first applied her face primer for a smooth base then a liquid foundation which can give a velvety finish. After doing some concealing job under the eyes, on some spots, she went on with the eyes.
Ayano decided on a classic thick cat eye using a liquid liner then smoothing out the harsh edges using a gel liner in black. For definition, she just put a soft medium brown color on the socket of the eye and then put curled her lashes with a Shu Uemura eyelash curler then followed by swipes of black mascara and half set of false lashes.
She then put a bit of blusher to the cheeks, creating a 'C' shape then chose a red lipstick for the lips. Using a lip brush, she applied the first layer then blotted it out with a tissue to create a sort of stain then applied the second layer.
To finish off, she dusted some highlighter on her cheekbones with a fan brush then put touches of loose powder on her T-Zone. After doing her makeup, she put on the gold chandelier earrings and the black lace gloves.
Ayano got her clutch and put the red lipstick, her cellphone, keys, a Parker pen, the invitation and her wallet containing 1000 yen bill and credit card. Quickly getting a brown fur shrug, she put it around her shoulders since it was getting cold outside.
After making sure that all lights and electricity are turned off, she went out of her condominium and closed the door and headed for the elevator.
Ayano gripped at the flute of her champagne glass as she walked pass the different paintings that were displayed. The paintings varied from abstract to still life. The hall was grandly lit with all of its chandeliers bringing light to the spacious room. There were also waiters carrying trays filled with chocolate truffles and flutes of champagne. For some, it might even look like a ball or gala except for the numerous paintings hung on the wall.
Most of the people invited there were artists and art collectors but there were still some, like Ayano herself were there for the sole purpose of appreciating the paintings and sculptures that filled the room.
Taking a sip of her champagne, Ayano glanced up at a certain western painting and couldn't help but smile. It was a painting depicting two persons, a boy and a girl, hand in hand together as they were on a path of maple trees together with the maple leaves billowing around them and on the lower right side of the painting was the artist's initials. 'C.L'
"That artist is surely making his way through the industry" a male's voice stated from behind Ayano. She looked back and saw a middle aged man wearing a black tuxedo smiling towards the painting.
"Just by looking at this painting, it reminds us of our first love or first crush. Maybe this was what the artist was trying to portray…" the man added and finally looked at Ayano. "This artist is the rising star of the art industry same as goes for you being the rising star of the makeup industry." The man complimented and raised his champagne flute for a toast. Ayano then nodded and toasted with the man creating a soft 'clink' sound.
"Thank you for your compliment, Yamashita-san. And if I can take this time, I would like to comment on the preparation of your hotel for this event. Your hotel really lived up to its name as one of the best in Asia." Ayano said which earned a chuckle from Yamashita-san.
"I'm a lover of art myself, Shoji-san. I wouldn't waste this opportunity to showcase the true beauty of the arts." Yamashita added while motioning for a waiter to refill their flutes of champagne of which Ayano politely declined.
"I appreciate it as well. I grew up watching my mother painting almost every day." Ayano replied and continued to look at the painting in front of her. "This artist is also French. Do you, by any chance know the painter of this painting?" Yamashita asked. Ayano stared up at the painting for a while until her eyes fell upon the intertwined hands of the two persons on the painting.
"Yes I do… In fact, we are pretty close…"
Translations:
Allô- the french word of saying "hello?" when talking on the phone.
Je ne parle pas japonais- I don't understand Japanese
Okay. Au Revoire, Ayano. Je T'aime- Okay. Goodbye, Ayano. I love you.
A/N: As always, reviews, comments,suggestions and critiques are warmly accepted. Just click the review button or send me a PM. Have a nice day!