After the Sunset
Chapter VII
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"These came for you, Otohata-san."
An envelope of pictures was placed in the middle of his table. He waited for his assistant to leave the room, and then reached for the crumpled yellow package. He tore open the slim box, his eyes scanning the photographs with a frown. As he had regretfully predicted, Rei was doing everything to defy him.
What am I going to do with you, Rei?
---
"Ohayou!" Ran dashed straight for the door, having breezed through her shower and office clothes.
Miyu, her friend since forever, beamed at Ran. "Won't you stay for breakfast?"
Ran pouted. "Aaw, don't tempt me, Miyu-chan..."
"I heard you had a date with Rei." Miyu winked.
"Nii-san!" Ran scowled to her brother.
"I know what I saw!" Yamato yelled from the kitchen sink.
"Aaugh." Ran raised her eyes to the heavens. "Why is it that we've always been mistaken as being a couple?" Ran picked up her coffee and gulped hurriedly. "I can still remember the rumors that raged between us back in our high school days." She took another mouthful of coffee, and then expertly snatched the ham sandwich from the counter.
Yamato growled. "That was mine!"
"Love ya too." Ran smiled impishly. "Goodbye!"
The kitchen screen door swung shut.
Yamato stirred his mug, and pulled out a stool in front of Miyu.
"What do you think?" Miyu raised her brows questioningly at her husband.
"In denial." Yamato said dryly. He shrugged out of his police uniform, with the coffee being already hot. "You don't need to be a detective to see what's always been there."
"They havechemistry, don't they?" Miyu agreed. "Put both of them in a room and everyone can see sparks flying."
"I don't get her myself." Yamato remarked. "She's a bunch of contradictions. Ran be very brainy one moment, and then can be so…" Yamato winced.
"Clueless at some things."
Miyu shook her head. "Don't worry. She'll come around. Love can do that people."
"You seem convinced that Rei is 'The One.'" Yamato said dryly. "What makes you think that he is?"
"It's a woman thing, Yamato." Miyu shrugged. "I've known Ran most of my life."
"I hope you are right. She deserves to be happy." Yamato sighed. He knew it has been hard for Ran to tell father of her decision not to become a policeman, and she took Otousan's disappointment very hard. But her stubborn self would not let that sadness through. Ran, above all, hated to saddle anyone with her troubles. For all her seeming hyperactiveness and bursting energy, she surprisingly had a thoughtful, caring side...
And that was the trouble with her, sometimes. Ran can change herself to suit those who she cared about, without her realizing it…
"Yamato-chan." Miyu said reassuringly, soothing her husband's obvious distress. "I am right about this." "Do you remember my graduation?" her smile alighted her sweet features. "When you gave me that bouquet, I knew you were the one..."
He remembered that moment very clearly. She was standing there, wearing the traditional graduation garb. Yamato said his 'Congratulations', handed her the bouquet, and then gave her the kiss on the cheek. He couldn't explain what he felt—an overwhelming feeling of elation, and of contentment. Everything in Yamato told him: She is the One. He had never entertained any thoughts of Miyu aside from her being Ran's best friend, but at that moment, everything fell into place.
Yamato sighed. Yes, Love can change a lot of things. He stood up and kissed his wife.
---
"Good Morning, Otohata-san." The uniformed attendant stepped back to allow Rei to enter the elevator.
"Groundfloor, please." Rei said.
"Dining out, Sir?" "I've never seen you go down for breakfast." "When will Kotobuki-san drop by again? She's a great gal—er Sir." The attendant coughed, knowing how offhandedly casual he was talking to The Boss.
Normally, Rei would just have ignored people trying engage him in a conversation. This time, he felt strangely at ease with it.
"Yeah... It can get pretty stuffy inside sometimes." Rei said over his shoulder.
The attendant hesitated, trying to gauge Rei's mood, which was hard, as he was as readable as a fog.
"You have no idea, Sir." The boy followed through bravely. "Elevators, no matter how classy they are, will still be a box when you get to spend 8 hours in them."
Rei chuckled inwardly. He liked this young man. A bit fresh, but honest. And he didn't try to ply him with flattery, as a lot of his people have tried to do.
"Would you like to do something else?" Rei asked now, facing him.
"Of course, Sir." The attendant answered truthfully.
Rei pulled out his business card. "Here. Go to 6th floor and look for Yukina Tase. Tell him I sent you, and that he better find you a better job, or else." "The company sponsors deserving employees for additional training and education. I'm sure he will find you something."
"Thank you very much, Sir." He bowed lowly. "I am Rukino Sakuhachi."
---
Rei sat down on an empty bench of the city park. He untied his black trench coat, and set his breakfast beside him. Mindlessly, his hand began to reach for his lighter, and then thought better of it.
"Yeah, yeah." Rei replied to Yuuya's disgusted face in his mind, sighing. 'I'm quitting."
The wind blew softly through the golden trees, ruffling his dark hair.
He really wanted to be with Ran again.
He wanted to feel the wind on his face, the freedom of being with her. He understood how melting cotton candy in your mouth was indeed delightful, how eating everything until you were about to throw up was actually funny…
Ran has been the one who called him out of his staid, isolated existence. Made him join the human race when he'd rather be with his stuck-up self. She introduced him to the chaos of contests, dancing, malling, thieve-chasing and friendships, and lo and behold, he welcomed them with his whole heart.
Gods, I didn't know how mushy I could get... Rei mused sarcastically, but the usual bite in his words was missing.
--
"What a cute teddyyy!" Ran snatched the giant teddy bear from the stack.
"AAAAAAAAmmmppphhh!" The rest of the teddy bears fell and buried the salesman in the booth.
"Eeep!" Ran blushed as red as a tomato, bowing profusely. "Sumimasen, sumimasen!"
"You!"The man was fuming. "You can't just take that bear! You have to score a perfect ten in the shooting contest. And you don't stand a chance."
"Why not?" Rei challenged, already irritated with the peddler.
The man gestured to the line of men preparing for the event. "You see them? All their girlfriends after that same bear" The man replied smugly.
Really?
"Count me in." Rei started to fold up his sleeves.
"We are going to win that bear." Rei's said to Ran's stupefied expression. "Don't you know you are looking at a shooting champion from the arcades of London?" He added a playful wink.
Ran shook her head disbelievingly at Rei's offbeat behavior. "Oh no, I've infected you with insanity." She laughed, latching on to his arm. "In that case, go get 'em!"
-
Rei felt his coat for the picture, now a permanent resident of his pocket.
Yuuya, I can't tell Ran merely for confession's sake…
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"Hahahaha!"
Ran Kotobuki's laughter boomed through her closed door and echoed throughout the Nippon Express floor.
Another bout of giggles.
One employee excitedly nudged his coworker with his elbow. "I bet you a hundred yen that that Otohata guy is after our Editor."
The man scrunched his face at the sound of Ran's loud laughter. "You're serious?"
-
"I couldn't believe it myself!" Ran guffawed loudly, hitting her desk with emphasis. "Our bus broke down! It was impossible to get another ride, because we were already so high up the mountains." She twirled on her swiveling seat, thankful that it was a cordless phone she was using. "It was a miracle that the person I was to interview stopped his car to investigate our stalled bus-- in the middle of the highway."
"You've always been lucky, Ran."
Hitomi gestured frantically to Ran, signaling that Takana-the-backstabber was already in the vicinity.
"Er—Rei,"
"It's Takana, huh?" he chuckled. "That man is a vulture."
"If he's a vulture, then I'm an eagle." She declared proudly. "Eagles are stronger than vultures!"
A pause. "Raan." Rei said teasingly.
"I know. It's today's daffy joke."
Silence.
"It's supposed to be funny!"
Instead of a dry retort that Ran has come to expect, Rei laughed. Really laughed. She found herself laughing with him, no longer caring even when Takana was already at her door, glaring meaningfully at her.
---
Ran twirled contentedly on her seat. Her chair stopped spinning, right in front of Rika, their ravishing receptionist. She wasn't really a top-model kind of gal, but with generous curves and beguiling face, Rika is the woman you wouldn't want your boyfriend to see.
"I don't get it." She eyed Ran curiously. "I've been flipping my hair to his direction but all I've been getting is a stiff neck."
Ran sweat-dropped. "Rika -chan."
The pretty brunette took one of the chairs and sat next to Ran's desk. She tucked dark strands behind her ears, hazel eyes glittering. "He calls you everyday. He drops by so often, that everyone in this floor has gotten used to his walking by—usually with you. He has given you a teddy bear so waffy-dorable which he'd won as a prize in a shooting gallery in a fair—where" she raised an emphasizing finger in the air. "only the two of you went to." Rika sat back, looked at Ran and made an exaggerated intake of air.
"He is not courting me, if that's what you mean." Ran said doubtfully.
Rika pouted her lips. "It's amazing how-- dense you are when it comes to men."
Ran raised a brow, but still smiled. "You're treading on dangerous waters now, Rika."
"Men have tried flirting with you, but you never take notice." Rika continued. "I bet they are dying of jealousy that this Otohata guy seemed be the only one who can get close to you without being clobbered."
"Hey, I don't 'clobber'."
"Tales of Tatsuki being pounded to goo because he tried to kiss you in high school you had magically reached this floor." Rika deadpanned. "All I'm saying is… I know he's a friend but, maybe you need to see him differently now." She took Ran's hands into hers, eyes shining. "I really envy you."
Ran laughed uneasily. "Gee, Rika. You say as if he's already proposed or something. And he hasn't. And he won't. Because it's all in your head, and you've been reading too many romance novels."
---
Ran stared at her laptop. She had been typing the same sentence three times. Irritably, she hit the backspace.
Rei courting her. Ha! It was a crazy thought!
What's so crazy about it? You're a girl, he's a guy…
A very good-looking, yummy guy…
Ran mentally thwacked herself on the head.
I am so -not- letting my hormones and dead love life get the better of me. Ran knew that when she chose this path, there would be no turning back. Being in the publishing business meant that she was going to be a very busy woman, and that meant less time for anything else. She had missed out on a lot of things, but she loves what she does… Although, once in a while, she does wish that someone would actually care…
To call and talk with her for hours on end, bring her flowers, stuffed toys, and enough chocolate to put holes in her teeth, Give her (sometimes) a helping hand, to stand by what she does and put up with her wild side, and, aside from the usual lovey-dovey stuff, have a nice, warm cozy friendship with…
The image of Rei embracing her inside the ferris wheel cart flashed before her.
Oh, Kami...
Ran covered her cheeks, feeling them warm up a bit.
Oh, get a grip. Her inner voice came back at her with a vengeance.
He's a good friend, nothing more. And he's not your type. You're not his type, either… The reasons were plain and simple.
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Aya tapped a glove-clad finger on her chin. With her suitcase near-exploding, she didn't know if she could bring another one with her for her trip to Japan.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Edward poked his golden head from the door. "You don't have to attend. It's just an invitation, after all."
Aya shook her head. "I need to do this. I can't avoid them forever."
Her fiance's face softened, pulling Aya into his arms. "Whatever happens, I will always be here for you."
"It's alright." Aya smiled sweetly to her blond archangel. "This is something I have to do myself."
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Cute: Thanks!
lady tsuzuki: I'm touched! This fic really plays on the premise that given the chance, RanxRei could have been together.
sort: Thanks. A lot goes on behind Rei's mask, so I placed more emphasis on that. About AxI, Have you read Angie4's writing? She gave a comic twist to a quite dark anime. Truth is, I shy away from animes which are a bit too bloody, but these two characters had me hooked. I also love Integra, and the Order 9 episode. (Wow, the connection between them was really amazing. Alucard –is- the Dark Knight.) Still, I am counting on Alucard being 'redeemed' in the end, though. (be pardoned by God, like in the Bram Stoker movie) (But Kouta Hirano is not planning to continue the anime, tsk.)
pinklove Me too. We're already getting on with the real story.
pinkishy-baobao Thanks! I totally share the enthusiasm about the RanXRei pairing.
Babier,Oblivion, Darkladyxion959, Monsterlife, Mikaro, pinkishy-baobao, mika genji: Flaming is really a blight on the fanfiction world, even on the Internet itself as a whole. Did you know that it is a known flamer tactic-- getting people riled up with their comments? And that they actually get a sick kind of pleasure from riling people up? Given the current situation; ever wondered what kind of people engages in this activity-- About the psychology (or psychosis) behind flaming? I've posted a link below that explains exactly what goes on in the minds of online bullies. (flamers, hate mailers, etc.) (you can copy and paste to your notepad, connect the words to form a complete web address, and then paste on your browser.)
http/www
.urban75.
org/
info/
bullying.html
Darkangel: Thanks! But this is the fastest that I can get. :(
maxride, anime: Okay. Your keystrokes ran away with you, I guess. Anyway, I just believe that nobody deserves to be flamed just because one particular person/group doesn't agree with their writing. We don't have to be foul to make a point.