Usagi looked toward the source of the lilting voice and cursed! At one time, she would have turned beet red from getting the attention of beautiful men, but this was crazy! It wasn't enough that she had two suspicious guys with her, now here was another one. Was fate playing a cruel trick on her? If so, she didn't like it one bit. Well, only a little.
For indeed the voice belonged to a tall silver-haired man who looked as if he just stepped out of a fashion magazine. He was wearing a traditional robe in deep purple which complemented his pale complexion. And as he approached her, she could see that his features were perfect and good lord (1) - were his eyes, fringed by long, dark lashes, golden? 'Nobody should look that good', Usagi thought in complete fascination.
He stopped just a couple of feet away from her and looked at her from head to foot. With his right index finger below his chin and a sober expression upon his face, he then walked slowly around her. It was as if she were a piece of artwork that needed serious appraising or something. He must have liked what he saw because he smiled and murmured something to himself. She couldn't make it out though as her heart thundered in her chest. Then without any warning, he reached out and removed the cap that held her long mass of hair up. It cascaded onto her shoulders and down her back like a silver waterfall.
"Just as I thought. You're perfect!" And as he said the words, he held her hands and began stroking them in such a way that had her pulse racing. She hadn't had any contact with a man for a long time, and she wasn't sure she liked what she was feeling at the moment. She tugged at her hands hoping he'd get the message and release them, but he only held them tighter. She couldn't decide if that was a good thing.
"Ayame, what are you doing here? And do you know her?"
Ayame turned to Hatori and smiled. What was he supposed to say? He didn't actually know the girl, but he did want to know her. She piqued his curiosity and her beauty, well, he could simply say she outshone him in that department. (He thought he was the only one blessed with long, silky, silver locks and now he knew better.) The first time he saw her, he was on his way to visit Shigure in his home in the woods. He was running low on energy though so he frustratingly turned into his Juunishi body, that of a snake. So there he was, slithering on the cold, hard ground and bemoaning his misfortune when lo and behold, something silvery streaked across the black, velvet sky and crashed just a few feet away from him. Ayame, curious as to whatever it was but still cautious enough, hid in a bush nearby and waited. His patience was rewarded when a a girl wearing the most unusual outfit emerged. She was groaning and massaging her temples as if she had just woken up from a long, long nap or was suffering from a major headache. He supposed she finally noticed her surroundings because a look of bewilderment appeared on her lovely face. Without further ado, a pen materialized in her hand and, after she chanted a spell of some kind to it, an impressive display of colourful lights bathed her body. When they died down, she was wearing normal clothes.
It wasn't that she changed her clothes right before his very eyes that fascinated him. (He was mildly disappointed that he didn't see her naked - the lightworks shielded her body from prying eyes - anyway.) It was the way she did it. It was magic. It struck him odd that there were others outside the Juunishi clan that was blessed or cursed (depending on who you ask) with it. Since he was a child, he'd always believed that only a handful of people were unique (and that they all belonged in the Sohma family), but now he wasn't sure. So that same night, he vowed he would find out more about this strange girl. And he did. Though it wasn't easy, he had followed her out of the dark, dense woods and into the city. It disgusted him a little though. He had never resorted to such lowly tactics. Well, if you don't count that one time he tricked Tohru-kun into modeling his clothes for him. Or that time... Well, the point was he didn't like fooling others... that much, anyway.
"Of course. Her name is Usagi. She's agreed to become my model." Ignoring the frown that marred the girl's face, he continued. "She's a little on the short side, but that's what heels are for, right?"
"Hey!" What he had said irritated her to no end. So much so that her right eye started twitching. Call her Odango Atama or Koneko, but never call her short. So she wasn't and would never be as tall as Mako-chan and Haruka-san had been, but hadn't she grown a little after all these years? The nerve of the guy... Why... She had never seen him before. How dare he presume she'd model for him? And what kind of modelling did he have in mind, anyway? If it was something ecchi, bishounen or not, she'd bonk him on the head with her tier and give him an earful...
"Is this true?" It was the mean-looking guy that spoke and the question was directed at her.
"You people are crazy!" She didn't mean to sound rude, but they were weirding her out. Was this what happened when one minded her own business? She'd still get helplessly sucked into the mess? She shook her head. Turning around, she scrambled toward the elevator and pushed the button repeatedly all the while looking at them. One wrong move on their part and she was ready to henshin. In her haste to get out of there, she didn't pay attention to where she was going. For as soon as entered the newly opened elevator doors, she bumped into a hard chest. There was a poof and what she saw got her really confused. It was another cute guy turning into a...
"Youma? Kawaii," Usagi breathed before fainting on the carpeted floor.
"Usagi-san? Oh no! What should we do? What should we do?" Tohru-kun asked while she frantically pulled at her brown hair. It was bad enough that she knew the secret of the Sohma family, but now... But now...
-
"So are you going to do your brainwashing thing or not? 'Cause if you are, it'll be a damn shame. I have this really cute outfit in my shop that will look great on her. Imagine the publicity I'll get! Maybe I can expand my summer collection or something. What do you think?"
"Why don't we just..."
Tohru tuned out the guys' conversation and gently touched Usagi's forehead. She was worried that maybe when the other girl fainted, she hit her head and got a concussion or something. She hoped not. Usagi seemed nice; she didn't seem the type who would blab to others what she had just witnessed. If Akito didn't order Hatori to erase Usagi's memories, then Tohru would finally have someone to talk to. Oh, she talked to her other best friends, Uo-chan and Hana-chan, a lot but never about the Juunishi curse. If she did, Akito would definitely get so upset that he'd probably banish her or something.
She looked at the quiet but imposing form of the head of the Sohma clan. He was standing by the window overlooking the city. He was deep in thought. Tohru felt bad. She should have insisted that she clean the executive level. But blaming herself wouldn't change anything. The damage had already been done. She just hoped that Akito wouldn't do anything so drastic like that time he lashed out at her. That had been one of the scariest moments of her life. If it weren't for Shigure, Yuki, and Hatori, she would have probably gotten badly hurt.
Her gaze landed on Momiji who was sitting on the couch across the room. He, too, was silent. It had been him who transformed in front of Usagi. It wasn't really his fault - actually, the whole thing was no one's fault - but she could tell that he blamed himself. He looked up and, seeing that she was watching him, shyly smiled.
Tohru looked down when she felt Usagi stir in her lap. Gesturing to the others that her charge was waking up, she waited. And waited. And waited.
When it seemed Usagi wasn't going to open her big blue eyes any time soon, Akito got annoyed. He left his post by the window and walked to where the girl was comfortably resting. He watched her for a couple of minutes and a look of tenderness appeared on his face. And in a move that surprised everyone, he yanked her hair. Needless to say, Usagi woke up kicking and screaming.
"Itai! Pulling a pretty girl's hair... That was low!" She hugged her hair as if it were a precious baby. She was going to whine some more when she remembered what she had seen. She glared at poor Momiji who gulped audibly. "Are you a youma! How dare you turn into a cute bunny! I won't forgive you!" Cupping her hands in front of her chest, the Ginzuishou started to materialize when...
"Usagi-san! Calm down! It's not what you think!"
The outburst from the normally meek girl interrupted Usagi from summoning the crystal. She eyed Tohru. 'Is she an enemy? She certainly doesn't look like it. But, of course, appearances can be deceiving. Maybe I should...'
"Hatori, it seems your services will not be required at this time."
Everyone looked at Akito who only smirked.
A chill went up Usagi's spine. What had she gotten herself into this time?
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(1) Yes, I do realize Usagi and co. aren't Christians. Substituting "good lord" with "kami" just didn't make the sentence flow smoothly. I'm weird :B
To be continued... Hope you liked it. Please review. Any suggestions as to the couples would be appreciated. I hope you don't mind me making Cosmos act more like the happy-go-lucky Usagi. (I've explained it already on the previous chapter.) And Angel-Goddess-san, as to where Usagi lives or how she came to meet Tohru and work as a cleaner, I ain't telling. You're just gonna have to wait for the next chapter! And oh, if any of you catch any mistakes (grammar, spelling, characterization, etc.), I apologize. All of my stories are self-edited so I might have missed some stuff.