"Miss Toto! Hurry please! Your fans will start
rushing to meet you. It's best if we get out as soon as possible!" Her
manager rushed around in anxiety as he packed her things with top speed
but her movements were wooden. She moved with a starch stiffness as he
pushed her hurriedly through the door and into...
... a figure.
A scent reached her nose, gentle and sophisticated
yet it struck a chord that rang loud in her mind. She looked up...
... into a face. Endearingly innocent in its
near perfection with solemn mature sapphires that stared gently down at
her. She could feel herself falling into those calm rippling oceans and
was only dimly aware of her breath stopping.
A hand shook her shoulder and she blinked
before she got herself together.
"Your temporary new bodyguard Miss Toto,"
the manager introduced before quizzically glancing at his star, he wondered
what was wrong with her today. She gave him a small distracted smile.
"I'm Miss Toto," she greeted with her usual
perk attitude.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Toto. I'm Nami,"
he took her hand gently and gave it a gentlemanly kiss.
*****
Toto's hand paused on the brass door handle
to her apartment before turning back to look at Nami. He was standing at
a respectful distance behind her and in front of the crescent moon that
adorned the star filled sky.
"Have we met before?" She finally asked, breaking
the silence in the moonlit corridor.
Quiet reigned once more but strangely, she
was not frightened of it, not this time, as she often was.
"Only if you remember," was his answer of
riddles before he bowed and stepped into the shadows. She knew he would
be there guarding her all night, that was what he would be paid to do.
Not knowing if he could actually see her features
in the darkness, she gave him a smile before disappearing into the apartment.
He stood there, unmoving, before a sigh escaped
his lips.
Only one day.
*****
"Nami-kun? May I call you Nami-kun?" She inquired
as she turned to face him as they were on their way down the elevator.
He blinked and tilted his head slightly. She giggled.
"You sure don't like to talk much."
"Never did," he answered simply but allowed
a the corners of his mouth to twitch.
"So, what's on the schedule today?"
"Well, I was informed that we were supposed
to go to your fan meeting session at the Pasella Emporium… you'll be there
till late afternoon..." he paused as she gave a little sigh. He waited.
"There's nothing after that..." he continued
quietly. Her shoulders still dropped slightly and there was a certain resigned
cast to her indigo eyes. Before he knew what he was doing, a hand emerged
from his sleeve to quietly rest on her shoulder. She stiffened but relaxed
almost immediately.
"Tiring job? It's not that much fun being
a star is it?" he spoke quietly and gently, that just seemed to be his
style.
"Just sometimes… it gets a bit silly and senseless.
All this fan meetings. But… I think I like this better than what I was
doing before."
She blinked. Where on earth had that come
from? Was she even employed before?
"Doesn't sound too bad. I'll show you a special
place after that... if you'd like," he hurriedly added.
"Suddenly, today sounds pretty good!" She
grinned and winked. He blinked before chuckling. His laughter was too contagious
and her cream coloured bonnet bobbed up and down with her mirth.
*****