A/N: Hi! Okay, this chapter is mainly dialogue and some sappy stuff, but I
hope you all enjoy it. By the way, is everyone in character? I was a bit
worried about characters like Fuka and Takaishi because I haven't seen an
episode with them, so I'm kind of blindly writing out their emotions. If
you have any suggestions about them, please leave me a note in your review
(you know you want to leave a review!).
* * *
Hayama trudged slowly up the spiraling marble staircase of the Kurata mansion, glancing around carelessly at the rich paintings displayed on the stark-white walls. He hauled his large suitcase behind him, ignoring the clattering sounds it made against the smooth surface of the steps, while hanging on to the gray duffle bag at his left side.
'Damn mansions. They always have such long staircases,' he thought bitterly as he heaved up the winding flight of steps.
Finally, Hayama's feet touched the level ground of the third story. He turned to his employer, mentally telling her to quickly show him where his room was.
"This way," Sana murmured and led her bodyguard down the hallway.
Hayama followed her wordlessly, the sound of his feet gliding across the thick, burgundy carpet filling the silence between the two. He took note of all the doors along the corridor, mildly wondering what rooms they led to. That was another issue he had with mansions. They had way too many rooms.
"This is it," Sana said cheerfully, stopping at double-door room.
She reached out with both hands and turned the elegant handles. The golden colored doors opened inwards to the darkness of the room. Sana reached out blindly for the light switch, squinting when the light filled the room with its bright radiance.
Hayama stepped into the bedroom, taking in his surroundings.
It was a fairly large room, with white walls bordered by gold paint. A four-poster bed stood against the left wall, dressed with a fluffy white comforter and gold pillows. Across from the behind against the right wardrobe, accompanied with a grand stereo system that seemed somewhat out of place in the fancy room. A bathroom was joined with the bedroom near his bed.
Sana moved next to the silent man, smiling sheepishly.
"I know it's kind of girly, but Mama and I never have any male guests over, aside from Rei-kun. But he has his own room in the house."
"Whatever," Hayama replied, laying his stuff down. "As long as I have a place to sleep, I don't care."
Sana nodded and started to back out. "I hope you'll be comfortable here, Hayama-san," she said, lowering her eyes to ground. "Lunch will be ready soon. Your friend is welcome to eat with us."
Hayama nodded to her as she left the room.
* * *
"Maybe you should wipe the drool off of your face now, Fuka-chan." Aya smirked at her friend's ogling.
Fuka stared at the wall dreamily, chin in her hands. "What a hunk," she commented in a misty voice.
Aya sighed in contempt, visiting the same world in which Fuka was. "Especially his friend. Tsuyoshi-kun, was it?"
A groan erupted from Sana's throat as she rolled her eyes. "You both are complete morons," she stated curtly, glaring at her two friends. "They're not here for your pleasure! In fact, one of them isn't going to be here at all!"
Aya frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "He might be back later," she said, as if comforting herself.
"What's got you so angry, anyway?" Fuka demanded, staring angrily at the actress for being brought out of her reverie.
Sana shrugged, taking a bite out of her chicken leg. "Everything. First I get these creepy letters, then I see someone outside of my house one night, as if he was just waiting for me to come down and get that glass of water."
The actress paused for a moment to take a sip of her iced tea before continuing. "Then I'm forced to hire some bodyguard, whose personality isn't any different from a block of ice. How the hell can he protect me from this psycho if he won't even talk to me?" she shrieked, breaking down into overly emotional whimpers.
Aya bit off of her carrot stick, eyes squinted in concentration. "Maybe he'll warm up to you a bit during your shoot in America," she assured, glancing hopefully at Fuka.
"Oh yeah!" Fuka piped up, catching Aya's clue. "Of course he will. He'll be with us - I mean, you - for a few months while you perform in the movie. Who wouldn't become even the tiniest bit friendly?"
Sana tilted her head to the side, staring down at her plate. "I wonder why he's so distant in the first place," she mumbled, fiddling with the ties of her bathrobe.
Fuka grinned, gulping down the rest of her lemonade. "It's your job to find out."
Sana raised an eyebrow inquiringly at her hair stylist.
"Oh, come on!" Fuka cried, exasperated. "You can't just leave all the warming up to HIM," she declared. "You've gotta do some of it too, you know."
"I've been talking to him!" Sana defended.
Aya shook her head slowly. "You've been kind of quiet, though. When he came here, you just sat and looked at your tea."
The actress scowled at the true statement, taking another bite out of her lunch.
Fuka's head bobbed up and down in agreement with Aya. "So start making peace with him, before I snatch him away from you!"
"Hey!" Sana exclaimed, clutching the drumstick. "Quit acting like I'm trying to hang on to him! If you want him, take him!"
Fuka's glittering eyes glanced mischievously at the make-up artist. "It's so amazing how naïve this girl can be."
Aya heaved a disappointed sigh. "You are right, Fuka-chan. It really is."
"What are you saying?!" Sana was beyond irritated now.
"Sana-chan.." Fuka's voice suddenly became soft as she stared at her best friend, her eyes filled with concern. "Don't you ever plan to have a good relationship?" she inquired, furrowing her eyebrows. "I don't mean with Hayama-san specifically, but with anyone?"
The hair-stylist sat back in her chair, taking another sip of her citrus drink. "I know what your problem is," she stated, staring knowingly at the teen actress. "You automatically put every guy on your 'brother' list. You don't even give one single thought about dating them."
Sana cast her eyes downwards, releasing her death-grip on the chicken.
"There were so many actors that would have loved to go someplace with you," Aya joined in, tapping her fingers on the furnished table. "But you always treated them as if they were..well, like Fuka-chan said: your brothers."
The wooden chair creaked softly as Sana shifted in her seat. "But I can never know their feelings unless they tell me directly. Otherwise, I will treat them as if they were my brothers."
Fuka slammed her hand down on the table, causing the dishes to rattle as if they were in the center of an earthquake.
"That's what I mean by 'naïve,' stupid!" The hair-stylist glared angrily at her best friend, daring her to say otherwise.
Sana's eyes widened in surprise at the dark-haired girl's sudden outburst. 'I hate it when she changes her mood so quickly!'
"Let's not get into this right now, okay?" Aya looked back and forth between Fuka and Sana, hoping for the tension to cease. "They'll be down soon."
Fuka sipped at her lemonade, keeping her angry eyes placed on Sana.
Sana returned her best friend's gaze with a furious scowl, taking a vicious bite out of the drumstick.
'So much for easing the tension,' Aya thought disappointedly before going back to nibbling her carrot.
* * *
"I think you're scaring her."
"That's her problem."
"Akito-kun!"
"What?"
The two bodyguards ran about the room, throwing comments back and forth. Tsuyoshi grit his teeth, trying desperately to get through to his partner, while Hayama calmly inspected his bedroom.
Tsuyoshi heaved an angry sigh. "Can't you at least TALK to the girl?"
"All I have to do is protect her from this stalker," Hayama replied without looking at his friend.
Tsuyoshi weaved his fingers through his dark hair, ignoring the steam fogging up his glasses.
"The way you're acting towards her, she probably thinks that YOU are her stalker!"
"Let her. Maybe she'll fire me."
"You know your dad wouldn't like that."
Hayama stayed quiet, looking over his shoulder at the seething bodyguard.
A few seconds passed by until he finally spoke. "What exactly do you expect to me to do?"
Tsuyoshi stared defiantly at the cold man, crossing his arms. "Protect her like a friend would."
Once again, the blonde bodyguard was quiet, glaring intently at Tsuyoshi.
"I'm going downstairs," Tsuyoshi announced, abruptly leaving the room. "You should come, too," he called over his shoulder as he began the treacherous journey down the stairs.
'It's not so easy for me to make friends,' was all Hayama could think as he followed Tsuyoshi down the marble steps.
The two said nothing to each other, carefully making their way down the staircase, not wanting to slip on the smooth surface. Someone could easily break their neck if they were to fall.
The bodyguards slowed their brusque walk to a stealthy creep as they heard voices from the kitchen.
"..Otherwise, I will treat them as if they were my brothers."
"That's why I mean by 'naïve,' stupid!"
"Let's not get into this right now, okay? They'll be down soon."
Hayama and Tsuyoshi exchanged curious glances as they waltzed into the bright kitchen, acting as if they heard nothing.
Sana stiffened when the two men walked in, worried that they might have caught a piece of their conversation. But they looked pretty innocent, so she smiled and stood up.
"You guys want anything?" she asked cheerfully, moving the refrigerator.
Fuka gave a slight nod of approval when her eyes came in contact with the actress's, as if saying, 'Good. Keep going.'
"Thanks, but we wouldn't want to trouble you," Tsuyoshi stated, smiling warmly.
Sana waved her hand carelessly, pulling out some bread and different types of meat.
"It's no trouble at all! I'll make you a sandwich," she declared, kicking the fridge door shut with the back of her heel. "What would you like on it?"
Tsuyoshi nudged the silent man beside him, giving him a glare filled with warning. 'Answer her,' it shouted.
Hayama averted his gaze to the smiling actress, bowing his head politely.
"Ham and cheese would be fine. Thanks.." He trailed off, his eyes flickering to Tsuyoshi for a second.
The brown-haired man smiled victoriously, turning his attention back to Sana. "I'll just have an apple."
Sana's smile brightened as she began to prepare Hayama's sandwich. 'Maybe the ice is breaking,' she thought hopefully.
"Aya-chan, can you pass an apple to Ohki-san?" the actress inquired, not looking up from the two pieces of bread on the counter.
Aya nodded eagerly, picking a deep red apple from the fruit bowl and tossing it to Tsuyoshi. "There ya go," she said, smiling.
Tsuyoshi caught the apple, grinning gratefully at the light-haired girl. "Thank you."
Fuka looked at each person in the kitchen, suddenly feeling out of place. 'Well, maybe I'll receive threatening letters soon so I can hire a bodyguard.'
* * *
"Are you girls ready to go?" Tsuyoshi asked, starting to pick up their extremely heavy suitcases.
Aya nodded, blushing slightly when he took her three enormous suitcases.
"Yeah, just one more minute," Sana told them, running swiftly to the bottom of the stairs. She wrapped her arms around the tall woman standing there, smiling into her kimono. "Bye Mama, see you in a few months."
Misako returned the hug, stroking her daughter's hair. "Be careful, Sana. And don't leave Hayama-san's side," she warned.
Sana looked up at her mother, her eyes brimming with tears. "I won't. But you be careful too, okay?"
A low, evil chuckle escaped the author's lips as she held a fan up to her face. "You don't need to worry about me. No one crosses me and lives!" The chuckle warped into a thunderous cackle, ringing through the halls of the mansion.
Sana grinned broadly at her mother, hugging her once more. "Trust me - I believe you!"
After the good-byes were exchanged between the three young women and Misako, they walked sulkily out the front doors.
Sana was somewhat surprised to see Hayama carrying her four suitcases. 'He's really strong,' she thought, amazed at how he could carry the giant suitcases with no struggle at all. 'He probably works out every day.'
Fuka whirled her head around, looking for her own luggage. "Now I know I placed everything right here on the front steps," she mumbled to herself, looking around for the bags.
The hair-stylist found the grand duffle bags eventually - under the arms of a tall, handsome man, with spiked black hair. Her eyes widened in fright, first thinking he was a robber of some sort. But when she saw him gently place the bags in the trunk of a black Mercedes, she relaxed.
The black-haired man grinned at Fuka, reassuring her where the luggage was. Fuka trotted over to him, eyebrows raised.
"Who are you?" she asked, a flirtatious smile spreading across her face.
"I'm Takaishi," he replied holding out his hand. "I work with Hayama and Tsuyoshi."
Fuka took his hand, gazing intently at his face. 'Hunk,' was all she managed to think, while in the back of her mind she was thanking the gods that she didn't say it out loud.
"O-Oh," Fuka stuttered after a moment. "I'm Fuka," she told him cheerfully, taking her hand back.
Takaishi moved to the passenger side of the Mercedes, opening the door for the brunette. "Well Fuka-san, I'll drive you to the airport."
Fuka nodded, still smiling, and climbed into the car.
Aya watched the two as they conversed by the Mercedes, and then saw them get inside. She leaned back against a green SUV, briefly wondering whose it was.
The make-up artist spotted Tsuyoshi walking to the SUV, her suitcases under his arms, as he made his way to the rear end of the car. He hauled the luggage into the trunk, closing it firmly when he was through.
"I managed to get yours and Kurata-san's luggage to fit," he commented, sounding as if he achieved something impossible. "Both of you carry so much luggage. I had to bring this car rather than my Eclipse."
Aya chuckled softly, a sheepish grin growing on her lips. "Well, we're gonna be there for a few months."
"I'm sorry I won't be with you all for the first few weeks," he apologized, walking over to the passenger side to perform the same task as Takaishi. "But I might visit after my new case." The door tugged open as he motioned for Aya to climb in.
Aya nodded gratefully as she stepped into the SUV. She could see Hayama walking coolly to one of the back doors, holding it open for the teen actress behind him.
Sana whispered a joyful "Thanks!" before taking her seat in the back. Hayama sat across the seat from her, casually looking out the window.
"Off to the airport, then?" Tsuyoshi called, turning the keys in the ignition. The car gave a quiet rumble as he began to pull out of the circular driveway.
"Yep, and we'll meet with Rei-kun there," Sana confirmed, lying back in her seat. 'Maybe this won't be so bad after all..'
* * *
A/N: How was that? *grins sheepishly* Yeah, I know it was kind of sappy, but I felt sorry for Fuka. Well then, please review!
-AngelFade: I agree with you on your opinion about Hayama!
-ChibiSana: Thanks! I hope I won't disappoint you in the future chapters!
-Sana-chan: Thanks a lot for reviewing (twice!). And I'm glad that the letters are creepy enough. I was kind of worried that they wouldn't turn out right.
-Chash: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter as well!
-sTEPHANIE: I'm glad you think it's good!
-Kitty Neko: I really want this to be a great fic. Thanks for reviewing!
* * *
Hayama trudged slowly up the spiraling marble staircase of the Kurata mansion, glancing around carelessly at the rich paintings displayed on the stark-white walls. He hauled his large suitcase behind him, ignoring the clattering sounds it made against the smooth surface of the steps, while hanging on to the gray duffle bag at his left side.
'Damn mansions. They always have such long staircases,' he thought bitterly as he heaved up the winding flight of steps.
Finally, Hayama's feet touched the level ground of the third story. He turned to his employer, mentally telling her to quickly show him where his room was.
"This way," Sana murmured and led her bodyguard down the hallway.
Hayama followed her wordlessly, the sound of his feet gliding across the thick, burgundy carpet filling the silence between the two. He took note of all the doors along the corridor, mildly wondering what rooms they led to. That was another issue he had with mansions. They had way too many rooms.
"This is it," Sana said cheerfully, stopping at double-door room.
She reached out with both hands and turned the elegant handles. The golden colored doors opened inwards to the darkness of the room. Sana reached out blindly for the light switch, squinting when the light filled the room with its bright radiance.
Hayama stepped into the bedroom, taking in his surroundings.
It was a fairly large room, with white walls bordered by gold paint. A four-poster bed stood against the left wall, dressed with a fluffy white comforter and gold pillows. Across from the behind against the right wardrobe, accompanied with a grand stereo system that seemed somewhat out of place in the fancy room. A bathroom was joined with the bedroom near his bed.
Sana moved next to the silent man, smiling sheepishly.
"I know it's kind of girly, but Mama and I never have any male guests over, aside from Rei-kun. But he has his own room in the house."
"Whatever," Hayama replied, laying his stuff down. "As long as I have a place to sleep, I don't care."
Sana nodded and started to back out. "I hope you'll be comfortable here, Hayama-san," she said, lowering her eyes to ground. "Lunch will be ready soon. Your friend is welcome to eat with us."
Hayama nodded to her as she left the room.
* * *
"Maybe you should wipe the drool off of your face now, Fuka-chan." Aya smirked at her friend's ogling.
Fuka stared at the wall dreamily, chin in her hands. "What a hunk," she commented in a misty voice.
Aya sighed in contempt, visiting the same world in which Fuka was. "Especially his friend. Tsuyoshi-kun, was it?"
A groan erupted from Sana's throat as she rolled her eyes. "You both are complete morons," she stated curtly, glaring at her two friends. "They're not here for your pleasure! In fact, one of them isn't going to be here at all!"
Aya frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "He might be back later," she said, as if comforting herself.
"What's got you so angry, anyway?" Fuka demanded, staring angrily at the actress for being brought out of her reverie.
Sana shrugged, taking a bite out of her chicken leg. "Everything. First I get these creepy letters, then I see someone outside of my house one night, as if he was just waiting for me to come down and get that glass of water."
The actress paused for a moment to take a sip of her iced tea before continuing. "Then I'm forced to hire some bodyguard, whose personality isn't any different from a block of ice. How the hell can he protect me from this psycho if he won't even talk to me?" she shrieked, breaking down into overly emotional whimpers.
Aya bit off of her carrot stick, eyes squinted in concentration. "Maybe he'll warm up to you a bit during your shoot in America," she assured, glancing hopefully at Fuka.
"Oh yeah!" Fuka piped up, catching Aya's clue. "Of course he will. He'll be with us - I mean, you - for a few months while you perform in the movie. Who wouldn't become even the tiniest bit friendly?"
Sana tilted her head to the side, staring down at her plate. "I wonder why he's so distant in the first place," she mumbled, fiddling with the ties of her bathrobe.
Fuka grinned, gulping down the rest of her lemonade. "It's your job to find out."
Sana raised an eyebrow inquiringly at her hair stylist.
"Oh, come on!" Fuka cried, exasperated. "You can't just leave all the warming up to HIM," she declared. "You've gotta do some of it too, you know."
"I've been talking to him!" Sana defended.
Aya shook her head slowly. "You've been kind of quiet, though. When he came here, you just sat and looked at your tea."
The actress scowled at the true statement, taking another bite out of her lunch.
Fuka's head bobbed up and down in agreement with Aya. "So start making peace with him, before I snatch him away from you!"
"Hey!" Sana exclaimed, clutching the drumstick. "Quit acting like I'm trying to hang on to him! If you want him, take him!"
Fuka's glittering eyes glanced mischievously at the make-up artist. "It's so amazing how naïve this girl can be."
Aya heaved a disappointed sigh. "You are right, Fuka-chan. It really is."
"What are you saying?!" Sana was beyond irritated now.
"Sana-chan.." Fuka's voice suddenly became soft as she stared at her best friend, her eyes filled with concern. "Don't you ever plan to have a good relationship?" she inquired, furrowing her eyebrows. "I don't mean with Hayama-san specifically, but with anyone?"
The hair-stylist sat back in her chair, taking another sip of her citrus drink. "I know what your problem is," she stated, staring knowingly at the teen actress. "You automatically put every guy on your 'brother' list. You don't even give one single thought about dating them."
Sana cast her eyes downwards, releasing her death-grip on the chicken.
"There were so many actors that would have loved to go someplace with you," Aya joined in, tapping her fingers on the furnished table. "But you always treated them as if they were..well, like Fuka-chan said: your brothers."
The wooden chair creaked softly as Sana shifted in her seat. "But I can never know their feelings unless they tell me directly. Otherwise, I will treat them as if they were my brothers."
Fuka slammed her hand down on the table, causing the dishes to rattle as if they were in the center of an earthquake.
"That's what I mean by 'naïve,' stupid!" The hair-stylist glared angrily at her best friend, daring her to say otherwise.
Sana's eyes widened in surprise at the dark-haired girl's sudden outburst. 'I hate it when she changes her mood so quickly!'
"Let's not get into this right now, okay?" Aya looked back and forth between Fuka and Sana, hoping for the tension to cease. "They'll be down soon."
Fuka sipped at her lemonade, keeping her angry eyes placed on Sana.
Sana returned her best friend's gaze with a furious scowl, taking a vicious bite out of the drumstick.
'So much for easing the tension,' Aya thought disappointedly before going back to nibbling her carrot.
* * *
"I think you're scaring her."
"That's her problem."
"Akito-kun!"
"What?"
The two bodyguards ran about the room, throwing comments back and forth. Tsuyoshi grit his teeth, trying desperately to get through to his partner, while Hayama calmly inspected his bedroom.
Tsuyoshi heaved an angry sigh. "Can't you at least TALK to the girl?"
"All I have to do is protect her from this stalker," Hayama replied without looking at his friend.
Tsuyoshi weaved his fingers through his dark hair, ignoring the steam fogging up his glasses.
"The way you're acting towards her, she probably thinks that YOU are her stalker!"
"Let her. Maybe she'll fire me."
"You know your dad wouldn't like that."
Hayama stayed quiet, looking over his shoulder at the seething bodyguard.
A few seconds passed by until he finally spoke. "What exactly do you expect to me to do?"
Tsuyoshi stared defiantly at the cold man, crossing his arms. "Protect her like a friend would."
Once again, the blonde bodyguard was quiet, glaring intently at Tsuyoshi.
"I'm going downstairs," Tsuyoshi announced, abruptly leaving the room. "You should come, too," he called over his shoulder as he began the treacherous journey down the stairs.
'It's not so easy for me to make friends,' was all Hayama could think as he followed Tsuyoshi down the marble steps.
The two said nothing to each other, carefully making their way down the staircase, not wanting to slip on the smooth surface. Someone could easily break their neck if they were to fall.
The bodyguards slowed their brusque walk to a stealthy creep as they heard voices from the kitchen.
"..Otherwise, I will treat them as if they were my brothers."
"That's why I mean by 'naïve,' stupid!"
"Let's not get into this right now, okay? They'll be down soon."
Hayama and Tsuyoshi exchanged curious glances as they waltzed into the bright kitchen, acting as if they heard nothing.
Sana stiffened when the two men walked in, worried that they might have caught a piece of their conversation. But they looked pretty innocent, so she smiled and stood up.
"You guys want anything?" she asked cheerfully, moving the refrigerator.
Fuka gave a slight nod of approval when her eyes came in contact with the actress's, as if saying, 'Good. Keep going.'
"Thanks, but we wouldn't want to trouble you," Tsuyoshi stated, smiling warmly.
Sana waved her hand carelessly, pulling out some bread and different types of meat.
"It's no trouble at all! I'll make you a sandwich," she declared, kicking the fridge door shut with the back of her heel. "What would you like on it?"
Tsuyoshi nudged the silent man beside him, giving him a glare filled with warning. 'Answer her,' it shouted.
Hayama averted his gaze to the smiling actress, bowing his head politely.
"Ham and cheese would be fine. Thanks.." He trailed off, his eyes flickering to Tsuyoshi for a second.
The brown-haired man smiled victoriously, turning his attention back to Sana. "I'll just have an apple."
Sana's smile brightened as she began to prepare Hayama's sandwich. 'Maybe the ice is breaking,' she thought hopefully.
"Aya-chan, can you pass an apple to Ohki-san?" the actress inquired, not looking up from the two pieces of bread on the counter.
Aya nodded eagerly, picking a deep red apple from the fruit bowl and tossing it to Tsuyoshi. "There ya go," she said, smiling.
Tsuyoshi caught the apple, grinning gratefully at the light-haired girl. "Thank you."
Fuka looked at each person in the kitchen, suddenly feeling out of place. 'Well, maybe I'll receive threatening letters soon so I can hire a bodyguard.'
* * *
"Are you girls ready to go?" Tsuyoshi asked, starting to pick up their extremely heavy suitcases.
Aya nodded, blushing slightly when he took her three enormous suitcases.
"Yeah, just one more minute," Sana told them, running swiftly to the bottom of the stairs. She wrapped her arms around the tall woman standing there, smiling into her kimono. "Bye Mama, see you in a few months."
Misako returned the hug, stroking her daughter's hair. "Be careful, Sana. And don't leave Hayama-san's side," she warned.
Sana looked up at her mother, her eyes brimming with tears. "I won't. But you be careful too, okay?"
A low, evil chuckle escaped the author's lips as she held a fan up to her face. "You don't need to worry about me. No one crosses me and lives!" The chuckle warped into a thunderous cackle, ringing through the halls of the mansion.
Sana grinned broadly at her mother, hugging her once more. "Trust me - I believe you!"
After the good-byes were exchanged between the three young women and Misako, they walked sulkily out the front doors.
Sana was somewhat surprised to see Hayama carrying her four suitcases. 'He's really strong,' she thought, amazed at how he could carry the giant suitcases with no struggle at all. 'He probably works out every day.'
Fuka whirled her head around, looking for her own luggage. "Now I know I placed everything right here on the front steps," she mumbled to herself, looking around for the bags.
The hair-stylist found the grand duffle bags eventually - under the arms of a tall, handsome man, with spiked black hair. Her eyes widened in fright, first thinking he was a robber of some sort. But when she saw him gently place the bags in the trunk of a black Mercedes, she relaxed.
The black-haired man grinned at Fuka, reassuring her where the luggage was. Fuka trotted over to him, eyebrows raised.
"Who are you?" she asked, a flirtatious smile spreading across her face.
"I'm Takaishi," he replied holding out his hand. "I work with Hayama and Tsuyoshi."
Fuka took his hand, gazing intently at his face. 'Hunk,' was all she managed to think, while in the back of her mind she was thanking the gods that she didn't say it out loud.
"O-Oh," Fuka stuttered after a moment. "I'm Fuka," she told him cheerfully, taking her hand back.
Takaishi moved to the passenger side of the Mercedes, opening the door for the brunette. "Well Fuka-san, I'll drive you to the airport."
Fuka nodded, still smiling, and climbed into the car.
Aya watched the two as they conversed by the Mercedes, and then saw them get inside. She leaned back against a green SUV, briefly wondering whose it was.
The make-up artist spotted Tsuyoshi walking to the SUV, her suitcases under his arms, as he made his way to the rear end of the car. He hauled the luggage into the trunk, closing it firmly when he was through.
"I managed to get yours and Kurata-san's luggage to fit," he commented, sounding as if he achieved something impossible. "Both of you carry so much luggage. I had to bring this car rather than my Eclipse."
Aya chuckled softly, a sheepish grin growing on her lips. "Well, we're gonna be there for a few months."
"I'm sorry I won't be with you all for the first few weeks," he apologized, walking over to the passenger side to perform the same task as Takaishi. "But I might visit after my new case." The door tugged open as he motioned for Aya to climb in.
Aya nodded gratefully as she stepped into the SUV. She could see Hayama walking coolly to one of the back doors, holding it open for the teen actress behind him.
Sana whispered a joyful "Thanks!" before taking her seat in the back. Hayama sat across the seat from her, casually looking out the window.
"Off to the airport, then?" Tsuyoshi called, turning the keys in the ignition. The car gave a quiet rumble as he began to pull out of the circular driveway.
"Yep, and we'll meet with Rei-kun there," Sana confirmed, lying back in her seat. 'Maybe this won't be so bad after all..'
* * *
A/N: How was that? *grins sheepishly* Yeah, I know it was kind of sappy, but I felt sorry for Fuka. Well then, please review!
-AngelFade: I agree with you on your opinion about Hayama!
-ChibiSana: Thanks! I hope I won't disappoint you in the future chapters!
-Sana-chan: Thanks a lot for reviewing (twice!). And I'm glad that the letters are creepy enough. I was kind of worried that they wouldn't turn out right.
-Chash: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter as well!
-sTEPHANIE: I'm glad you think it's good!
-Kitty Neko: I really want this to be a great fic. Thanks for reviewing!