A/N: I.Dig.Sato/Riku.Pairings
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Hereafter...
...is when we find the meaning of it all.
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Chapter 3
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Satoshi Hiwatari, age 27, mingled in high-society circles, thanks to the business-dealings of his "father." But right now, his head was running in circles—painful circles. It was probably stress. He leaned back on his chair and heard a faint cracking noise. Maybe that wasn't a good idea. He stood up and took off his two-inch-thick bifocals. He blinked a couple of times and gently rubbed his eyes. Since yesterday, when he'd put on his glasses, his vision would get fuzzy. Ah, it was hallucination, most likely. There was too much work to be done and he hadn't gotten enough sleep, either. A stretch of his arms and legs led him right in front of his window.
The serene sight relaxed his squinting eyes (from reading the small prints of the documents). But before he could enjoy a moment's peace, his temples beat agonizingly on his brain, and he groaned silently. 'Aspirin,' he thought. Then he looked at the pile of papers stacked on his desk. '...Right after I finish the Kurinaga case…'
Riku Harada, age 26, was quickly trying to find a way out of this mess she created. The six-inch hole mockingly glared back at her with no intention of helping her out. "Oh, Riku," she stated to herself, "what the hell have you done?!" She paced around for a few seconds and spied the paintings. She didn't like the idea, but, 'It'll have to do…for now.'
She carefully cleaned the area surrounding the hole, picked up a painting, swiftly polished the silver frame, and placed it gently on the hanging tack. Voila, no offensive hole. She gave a silent promise that after the whole place is cleaned, she'll somehow get that patched up. She also made a prayer that the owner of the mansion wouldn't find out before then.
The last time Satoshi looked at his watch, it was 4:32 pm. Now, it read 11:28 pm. For any normal, human being, it would be an unbelievable thought to work over seven hours straight without breaks. But for the blue-haired man, it was simply the story of his life. Work, work, and more work.
He strained his ears and heard a few thumping noises of footsteps, then, it stopped. He assumed that the newly recruited maid finally went to sleep. Now, he can step out of his room. …Not that he didn't want to take the chance of facing her, earlier… Well, now was the time to observe her progress. Maybe it wasn't much, since it was only her second day, here.
Satoshi stepped out of his room and looked up and down the hallway. He brushed his finger against the hallway mirror and rubbed it with his thumb. No dust. She must have finished this part, already. Throughout his little journey to the kitchen with the thoughts of finding some aspirin, he'd glance here and there, swiping his finger for any trace of dust and searching for any piece of trash. To his little emotion known as "surprise," he encountered no such evidence of what this mansion used to be. But when he reached the central stairs of the place, he could see that only the east wing was finished and there were more things to be cleaned on the eastern side.
Finally, she can rest. Riku placed the mop in the now-empty, rolling tub and pushed it back inside the closet. Her hands resting on her hips, she surveyed the clean kitchen. She was amazed at what a difference there was. Before, there were cobwebs and an inch-thick of dust, everywhere, save a few places like the refrigerator—where she found her lunch—the microwave, and a nearby cabinet. Now, she could see her reflection on the tiled floor and the wooden cabinets. She leaned against the counter until her feet slowly slid her body to rest on the floor. Boy, oh, boy, was she tired. Satisfied, but tired. Maybe, she can just rest…for a little bit…before getting ready for bed…
Satoshi entered the kitchen, yawning a bit, only to stop mid-yawn and survey the room. He closed his mouth and commented in his mind that it looked like one of those professional kitchens—wait, he had a rice-cooker? Deviating from the subject of aspirin, he walked slowly around the counter, completely in amazement, and completely oblivious to the pair of legs that stuck out. He would have tripped over them if he didn't catch himself in time. He slowly backed up and realized it was the maid. …Rika…no, it was …ah, he couldn't remember.
He noticed that she was fast asleep by her slowed breathing. Her chest rose and fell evenly. Her pale, pink-lips parted ever-so-slightly. Her head tilted sideways and her golden-brown hair lightly caressed her fair-skinned neck. The ruffles on the neckline of her maid's outfit drooped further down, exposing a little of her…
Satoshi quickly threw those thoughts out of his mind, but not fast enough to prevent his face from getting red. Someone should kill whoever designs those damned maid's outfits.
Enough of that. What should he do? Leave her here on the floor? He could just pretend that he never saw her and go back to his room. Oh, but his conscience would be killing him by then. So, he opted for the latter, and frustrating, option—to carry her up to her room. Damn everything to hell, she was being a nuisance. He sighed. Well, she cleaned up already one-third of the mess. He commended her for that. So, in return, not to mention the pay she was getting, he'll overlook her weakness, this once.
Without a second thought of the aspirin he planned to retrieve, he gently slid his right arm under her neck and his left arm under her legs. With one lift, he held her in his arms and leaned her on his chest. It felt strange…holding her like this. But he digressed on those thoughts, once again, and promptly left for her room.
Her door was ajar which made his task a bit easier. He swung it open with his left hand—still holding her limp body—and walked up to her bed. He eased her down a bit too slow—something he didn't bother to notice—upon it, and was almost done with this insane mission. But something prevented him from bending himself upright. Satoshi's eyes widened when he suddenly realized that her arms somehow managed to snake their way around his neck.
He couldn't believe the situation he was in. Not that he minded…wait. Yes! Yes, he did mind being in that position…well, not really. His face softened at her sweet, innocent look which was a few inches away from his face. He bent his head closer…the gap, lessening between them—
…And he gently swung her arms over his head to place them softly on her stomach. He sighed his thousandth sigh and quietly walked out of the room.
'Goodnight…Riku Harada.'
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A/N: Yay, finished w/another chapter of Sato/Riku goodness. And I kinda fixed the other chapters, too.
