A/N: I know that I took my sweet time in uploading today, but it's finally here! Thank you so much for your patience 3 I really hope it was worth the wait. Upload days are Wednesdays, so, see you next Wednesday! Remember, no matter what you're going through, I'm rooting for you.
Chapter One
Natsuki Kuga tossed her keys on the counter, then wrenched open the fridge door. It never ceased to amaze the cobalt-blue haired woman that no matter how many nights she had done this, she'd still forget to buy groceries the next morning.
"I'm sorry, Kuga, but without both of your hands, you won't be able to finish the work fast enough. And business is really picking up these days and I've got a couple of guys hankering for work. I hope you understand."
Natsuki slammed the fridge door, and cursed up a storm when her right wrist punished her for it. Natsuki had slipped on oil in the garage and braced herself wrong in the fall causing her wrist to slightly fracture. Natsuki refused the cast and settled for the sling, hoping she'd keep working through the healing process. Of course the doctor thoroughly warned the blunette that it could heal improperly even after they set it right if she wasn't all that careful. It figures she'd lose her job when she was in dire need of food. And rent, if the letter under her apartment door were anything to go by. The blunette sucked in a breath until the walls of her lungs pressed painfully against her ribs, then grabbed the last can of beer and a bag of frozen peas.
The air hissed through her teeth. She made the exhale last long enough to reach her battered couch. Popping the tab, Natsuki flipped up her laptop screen and went to work looking for work.
Natsuki pinched the bridge of her nose after several hours of surfing the internet. What was the whole point of the digital age, if it didn't make getting the bare necessities as easy as it promised? Still, among the hundreds of scams and sketchy listings, one advertisement kept coming up like a bad penny.
"Searching for a writing assistant.
Must be over eighteen and able to move in ASAP.
Do not apply if soliciting sex.
This is not that kind of advertisement."
Natsuki couldn't help but snort every time the advert popped up. "Ah, why not? Probably won't get picked anyway. What the- why so many requirements?" Reading over the full advertisement, Natsuki discerned two things. One, she was very well qualified. Two, whoever this author was did not want to reveal their identity nor where the assistant would be working until they finished each step of the hiring process. Well, whoever you are, you sure like your privacy. Her irritation was visible as she ground her teeth causing her jaw to jump underneath porcelain skin. Her mouse hovered on the red "x" of the open window. "Che. Fine."
Natsuki went through every painstaking step and screening. It took about an hour before the blunette hit "submit". The woman went to take another swig of her Asahi can to find it empty. Her stomach growled. A couple of canned foods would last the week. Heavy eyelids fluttered to close sharp emerald eyes. More jobs would find her in the morning. Satisfied for that evening, Natsuki curled into the couch to sleep.
...
Ping!
"Hm? Another candidate already? Let's see-oh."
Ruby eyes stared at the screen until they watered. The mouse hovered over "deny". A slight tremor rumbled beneath the woman's hometown causing something to fall off the shelves in her office. The fright jumping off her shoulders caused her hand to shift and click "accept". The woman sighed and ran a slender hand through tawny locks.
"I guess that makes the decision for me."
…
Natsuki hadn't slept for more than five minutes when an email sounded in her inbox. She raised her arms overhead and moaned when he back clicked a few notches. "Should've gone to bed. Alright. Whoa! That was fast."
The auto reply stated that as a potential candidate she had a week to settle her affairs if she was serious about the position. As a writing assistant the tasks assigned to Natsuki would vary, but included food and utilities at no extra expense to the blunette. Natsuki prided herself in separating reality from bullshit. An offer like this was too good to be true.
Natsuki rose from the battered second hand couch to pick up the bills on the floor. The blunette wasn't all that behind, she kept a savings account for times like this, the problem was that the bank only allowed her to transfer money between accounts six times per year unless she went to the bank directly. Natsuki avoided the bank, it was loud and full of self important people. Sure, Natsuki had all of the solutions at her fingertips, but after another sweeping look at the meager apartment, after thinking back on the job she didn't really have anymore, and reflecting on her meager way of life, did she really want to stay?
Going back to the dusty brown couch with enough tears and holes to be used as a horror film prop, Natsuki read the rest of the email. There was an address for a Kyoto residence and a final message reminding Natsuki that if she decided not to go to kindly send a rejection notice along with deleting the email.
Natsuki spoke to the helmet resting on a pillow by the door, "Ready for a trip, Duran?"
Her stomach rumbled in response. Natsuki stuck a hand into the couch cushions, mindful to go slow so as not to catch her hand on any loose springs.
"Ah hah!" Natsuki's hand pulled out a 1000¥ note, "That should be enough for breakfast and a bit of gas."
…
Before the end of the week, Natsuki settled the final payments to leave her dead end life. Her landlord was a nice little old lady that gave Natsuki snacks for the road. Her boss couldn't prepare a recommendation letter in time since he was out of town, but several of her co-workers gave the blunette their business cards to make up for it. Strapping her pack to Duran, taking her final breath of slightly smoggy air, Natsuki grinned, put on her helmet then revved her bike.
"Time to go on an adventure. No matter where it leads."
Back in Kyoto, the author poured herself another cup of tea. "I hope you know what you're doing," the woman spoke to her reflection from the kitchen window.
