Been a long time, sorry guys, but today I got inspired to work on it and more will be coming after this. If you're really really observant you might notice some inconsistencies between the first chapter and this one, but I went back and fixed them… so it should all be good, provided y'all have bad memories! If you're confused, well, you should be. If you're not, then good for you!
Hopefully more will be coming
soon!
- SporkGoddess
Doshite Ja Nai
Chapter 4: You're Making a Scene
Was it her, or did he keep glancing her way? Why was she noticing this?
It's nothing, she thought to herself, I'm just not used to attention from a guy. Much less a prominent politician.
At least, she hoped that was it. Otherwise this could get messy…
Jarek was waiting for her after the concert, and it was apparent that he hadn't been paying much attention either.
"He likes you, alright. Couldn't keep his eyes off of you. So we have to play this to our advantange."
"Howso?" She whispered, rather surprised at how on-the-ball he was.
Jarek shrugged. "I'm thinking Vladimir will just have to display his charm. Or lack thereof. I'm doing a nice job forming his character, aren't I?" He grinned.
She rolled her eyes. "You should just give up and join a theatre. You're enjoying this too much."
But she had to admit it was a good idea, and so when "Vladimir" and "Emiko" returned she prepared herself. They had to make a scene, Jarek had told her, in case Asano wasn't right there. So the two stood in the lobby, talking.
"Okay, just act like we're talking in sweet low lovers' tones," Jarek muttered, his tone sultry. She blinked.
"What the hell are you on?"
He shook his head. "You're a terrible actress. Act like I'm flattering you. Flirt with me. Touch my arm, and stuff. Giggle."
"You've got to be kidding… "
"Oh, Emiko, your eyes are like the stars…" He said loudly, then growled, "Now giggle!"
She narrowed her eyes, but managed to laugh stupidly, figuring that was all that a giggle was.
"Now… Azami… you're doing such a good job… man, you're hot…" He whispered, "Wanna join me tonight… in the jacuzzi… or even better, the bedroom?"
"WHAT? " She screamed.
"Come on baby… that's what this is all about, isn't it?"
"It certainly is not!" She shrieked.
"Oh, quit denying it… you know you want me… "
"Yeah, more like wanna kick your ass! I'm NOT that kind of girl, and even if I was, it would most definitely not be with you!"
"You're making a scene! Stop being such a priss!"
"EXCUSE me?"
"Asano's coming over," Jarek whispered, "nice job." Azami blinked, realizing that it had just been an act. Damn Jarek, he didn't trust her! Did everyone in DJN think she was incompetant?
Sure enough, the tall Japanese man walked over.
"Excuse me, but is there a problem here?" He asked, sounding like he had just stepped out of a movie.
"None of your business," Jarek snarled. "But, okay, you want me to leave her alone? Fine, I'll leave her alone!" He shot Asano one last glare and stormed off.
To her surprise, Azami found herself enjoying this. Now it was her time to shine, to prove that she could pull this off. She fell to her knees and stared at the ground.
"Vladimir…" She said softly, longingly, almost sounding like she was going to cry.
Asano knelt down next to her. "You should be glad he's gone, you know. You deserve better."
"I… I thought he liked me…" Azami sniffled. "Back home, no one really likes me… I'm all alone… I thought that once, maybe just once, someone could actually fall for me…"
Asano smiled gently. "You're a sweet and pretty girl. It's not as hard as you think." He reached over, and, taking her hand, gently pulled her up to her feet. "Why don't you come with me for a while?"
"But… I…" Azami feigned wiping her eyes. "… I'll miss the plane."
"I'll get you back to Neo Hong Kong, I promise. "
She nodded, and he pulled off his suit jacket and set it on her shoulders.
"Come on, let's go."
Her eyes widened, and this time it wasn't acting. Was this guy for real?
Back at their hotel room all the way in Neo Hong Kong, Jarek was lounging on the bed, reading a novel. It was all the way from the 20th century, something that his older brother had once recommended to him but he'd never had the chance to read. It was about Russia as it used to be, Mirko had said, handing him a battered paperback. In actuality it took place in America, but Jarek knew that the form of government it praised had once existed in Russia. Communism, it was called.
Jarek didn't share his brother's political views, not by a long shot, but he was interested in seeing from where they originated. Mirko had joined the DJN because of said beliefs, but he was radical for even them. That was one problem Jarek had with the group: a lot of them wanted not the Gundam fight, but a totally different form of government.
Suddenly, he was snapped out of his reverie by the ringing of the videophone. He hurriedly stood up and ran over, switching it on. He smiled when he saw who was on the other end of the line.
"Akai! It's been a while!"
The pretty blonde engineer on the other end giggled. "You're calling me Akai now? You've been hanging around Midori too long."
"We don't know if this line is safe. We ought to be careful"
Akai rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like they have nothing better to do than monitor the hotel phone line. They're all too busy attending the symphony. With you." She laughed.
"It's been too long, Akai, I missed your laugh." He told her. "Midori's so damn angry at the world."
Akai shook her head. Being the only other same-aged female in the DJN, she was by default Azami's best friend, but she certainly knew how frustrating the Asian woman could get.
"Anyway, I heard you tried to get.. .er… Tori, is it, to join us again."
She sighed. "Midori did a lot of damage. But yes, I convinced him."
"I'm not surprised." He grinned at her. "So, why are you calling? Just to chat?"
"Is it ever 'just to chat'?" Her tone sounded serious. "I'm calling about…. We lost another member to them."
"Oh no… who?" Jarek asked.
"Aoi," she said, referring to the codename of a young man who had served as a member of intelligence. "I'm not sure if you know him, but he's Japanese."
"Of course, they won't let in foreigners." Like Jarek, Akai sympathized with Neo Japan but was not a native herself.
"Which is why I'm calling. We're all very worried about the group's motives. And we don't have many Japanese members left; they're all turning towards this new group."
"So what do you want me to do about it?"
"Give me a moment. Well, they already have the support of 75% of the colony. We're the unpopular ones now."
"So why not merge with them?"
She sighed. "We have. As of now, we have joined forces."
"I don't trust them."
"Me neither. No one knows their exact ideals, except for those who are on the very inside. Which is why, we need to try to rise to that position and find out. I think Midori's the best candidate, as she's Japanese."
"She'd give away her real motives within hours," Jarek sighed. "She's horrible at undercover. And what about Asano?"
"What she's already done with Asano is fine, for now. As long as he liked her."
"He did. Er, does."
"Excellent." Akai smiled. "The point is, we can't rise very high since we're foreigners. They don't trust us. So it's up to Midori."
"I see."
"Look, have some faith in her. Although I know she doesn't give us much reason to."
"If you knew her father, you'd understand." Jarek said wryly.
"I'm not asking for her geneaology," Akai replied. "But this is important. If she screws this up, we are all...Do you have your laptop?"
"Yeah, I haven't turned it on yet though."
"Go do that! I'm sending you an email, print it out for Midori to read it, then delete it. And make sure she destroys the paper as soon as she's done."
"Yeah, yeah. We all know you're older than we are, you don't have to keep acting like our mother."
She rolled her eyes. "Well, someone has to."