Upon reaching the building, she greeted her fellow cleaners. So far, she could only see three, but then again, the place was humongous. The others probably started without her. After quickly donning her overalls and tying her waist-length brown hair with a bandana, she headed toward the elevators. As she was about to push the button, she heard someone call out. Curious, she turned and when she saw who it was, she smiled. It was her new friend, Usagi, dressed in the same drab overalls. However, Usagi, with her long silver locks messily hidden inside her cap, managed to look chic. Tohru supposed it was because of the way Usagi held herself. It was as if she held no clumsy bone in her body. Tohru, of course, didn't know the truth... yet.
She waited until the other girl entered the newly opened elevator doors with her then pressed the button that would take her to the 16th level. "Hello, Usagi-san. How do you like working here so far? Don't work yourself too hard, you know. It isn't good. One time I overdid the cleaning and I got sick. It's a good thing I was cared for or else I wouldn't have gotten better soon and the boss would have fired me..."
Usagi couldn't help but giggle. She knew it was mean but the other girl was rambling. It had been a long time since anyone openly voiced their concerns about her well-being. And she liked it. She felt carefree like this. Although years had passed, the memories hadn't really dimmed. They were a constant reminder that everything, excluding her, of course, was ephemeral. But even though the sorrow, the pain, of losing her loved ones was still fresh, she forced herself to move on. If not for herself, but for them. She still had her duties. She couldn't possibly screw up now or the sacrifices her sisters made for her would have been in vain. She sobered at the embarassed expression of her companion. "I'm sorry. I'm fine, thank you. Anyway, Tsubasa-san isn't feeling well, so I'm supposed to take over the eighteenth floor today."
"Eighteenth floor? But that's the executive level and the boss is probably there. He can be scary. Well, he's really kawaii, but he's got quite a temper. Ooops, what am I saying? I'm being rude. He's nice. Well, kind of." Tohru looked up and reddened. She didn't realize she was saying her thoughts out loud. She cleared her throat. "Do you want to switch floors with me. I'm sure Tsubasa-san wouldn't mind."
Usagi politely declined. Tsubasa-san, their supervisor, was kind enough to give her a job and Usagi didn't want to disappoint her. She knew she didn't have to work at all, but she realized it would be a good way to familiarize herself with her surroundings. When she was awakened from her deep slumber by some unknown entity about three weeks ago, she found herself, sailor fuku and all, deep in the woods. Still groggy from sleep, it took her a while to realize that she had to don civilian clothes by using her trusty Luna Pen. It wouldn't do well if someone happened to stumble upon where she was. He would ask questions she didn't know the answers for. How she got there was still a mystery, one that she hoped to solve soon.
She believed it would have been better if she stayed asleep. She was content with living, so to speak, with her dearest friends and her Mamo-chan in her dreams. In the astral realm, none of them was burdened with destiny. They didn't have to fight. Their lives weren't bound to protecting her at all cost. They could pursue their goals without coming into conflict with their senshi duties. In short, they were happy. Whatever or whoever woke her up was going to get an earful for sure.
She looked up at the slightly unsure Tohru. Perhaps what the girl had just revealed was true? Not about the boss being kawaii (though that was a plus), but about his demeanor? She was about to ask if he was really that mean-spirited when the doors parted.
"Well, this is my floor. If you change your mind, you know where to find me."
Usagi nodded as the doors once again closed.
-
"So far, so good" Usagi muttered to herself as she pushed the cart with the cleaning supplies forward. She hadn't encountered anyone yet, but that was understandable considering office hours ended a while ago. As she was about to enter the last suite, she heard voices coming from within. Not wanting to intrude, she decided it would be best if she came back later. Maybe she could help out Tohru while she was waiting. The girl seemed nice enough. And besides, Tohru reminded her of someone she used to know...
So lost was she in her musings that she hadn't heard the sound of footsteps approaching until it was too late. And so she panicked. Quickly maneuvering the cart around proved to be a mistake. It seemed that she hadn't outgrown her clumsiness for the bottles of cleaning solutions tumbled onto the carpeted floor. She could only gasp as the mahogany door in front of her opened and revealed two male figures.
"What do you think you're doing?"
-
Tohru, who had just finished vacuuming the floor, hummed to herself as she adjusted her bandana. Perhaps Akito-san had already left. Or maybe he didn't come in at all. Why would he? He had people to take care of things for him, didn't he? Besides, he probably didn't concern himself with troubles at the office especially with his condition. And if Akito-san was not here, then she didn't have to worry about Usagi-san facing his wrath. If there was one thing he learned about the head of the Sohmas, it was that he was very territorial.
She didn't notice someone was behind her until she felt a light tap on her right shoulder. When she realized who it was, her eyes lit up. It was her blonde genki friend. "Momiji-kun!"
"I was on my way to see Akito-sama but I thought I'd stop by and say hello to you first."
She smiled. Momiji was so nice. Not only that, he was so kawaii too! She wanted so much to glomp him and senselessly kiss his bunny form! He wouldn't mind, would he? She was lost in lala-land for a while there, but when everything he said finally registered, she paled. "A-Akito-san is here?"
"Yes. At least, that's what my father said."
"Then we'd better warn Usagi-san."
He didn't get to ask whom Tohru was referring. It wasn't as if he'd get a response anyway. The girl was already dashing toward the elevator. When the doors opened and she went inside, he wondered if she'd remember he was still there. He chuckled when Tohru stuck out her pretty head and asked, "Aren't you coming?"
-
Usagi, quickly forgetting that she was supposed to be calm and collected, just stood there looking like a deer caught in headlights. Perhaps this was the (kawaii) boss that Tohru warned her about? He did look scary, what with that sinister look he was giving her and all. It seemed choosing this job wasn't such a good idea after all. It was supposed to make her inconspicuous!
She didn't answer. Instead, she just started picking up the bottles off the floor. What was she supposed to say anyway? Besides, couldn't he tell that she worked here? She was wearing a uniform and carrying various cleaning solutions, wasn't she? It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was a cleaner, right?
One of the men started helping her out. She couldn't tell which one. She didn't dare look. Why she should be afraid was anyone's guess, but something about them troubled her. There was something inhuman about those two. Were they being possessed? And if they were, what was possessing them?
"I think that's everything."
She was startled by the smooth, low voice. When she realized that he was right, she stood up. "Thank you." She was about to walk away with the cart in tow, when the other guy stopped her. If looks could kill-
"What did you hear?"
Usagi, despite wearing overalls, shivered. The voice was as cold as ice. Would he believe her if she said she hadn't heard a thing? She considered teleporting, but she didn't want to give away her identity. And if her hunch - that they were inhuman - wasn't right, then there would be serious repercussions. How was she supposed to find out who woke her up from her deep slumber? And so she faced the two men as if they were the firing squad about to execute her. With as much courage as she could muster, she sized them up and committed their features into her memory. (They were drop dead gorgeous! She would have blushed if only the situation wasn't so grave.) She then told the honest to goodness truth. "Nothing. I must be going now."
"I don't believe you."
Should she run? Should she henshin? And that was when her unlikely savior showed up.
-
Care to guess who her savior is? Is it Tohru, Momiji, or someone else? And oh, as to who Akito's companion is, I'll say it in the next chapter (coming soon... I hope.) But if you've seen the entire Fruits Basket series (season one, at least), you must know who Akito tolerates. And no, it's definitely not Kyo!
I honestly don't know how the story will go. I'm just making things up as I type ; Cosmos is just hard to write about, you know, since Naoko didn't really elaborate about her personality in the manga. I know she's a very serious character, but in this story, I'll be giving her more of the present Usagi's cheerful and loving nature. Why? Because I want to! Simple, ne?
Please review and tell me what you think of this story so far! Thankies!