A/N: Yeah, like Hiro died, but uh, don't worry, he'll at make an appearance in the next chapter. And he will not be a happy little boy. Aren't you all happy I actually updated? I've been dead to the world for like, a month or two. Thank you to all my reviewers.

Disclaimer: Ai Yazawa, not me.

Blue Roses

x.

Maybe it was because of her past experiences, or maybe it was because she had completely acquired that magic Kozue so often talked about, but she rose quickly, the strangely eccentric exams that she had no doubt came from George's own eccentric mind barely even touching her. All of them had very simple ideas behind them, despite the strange way they were presented.

Changing clothes, makeup and expression in less than 10 minutes tested versatility, walking under extreme conditions while balancing a book on your head tested posture and finding the one difference in two seemingly similar dresses, tested style and experience. Yukari had not only been prepared well, but her days with Paradise Kiss and all its members, Miwako, Isabella, Arashi and especially George, had taught her well.

However, she was surprised, that despite her quick rise into the ranks of the few who had managed to make it so far, none of them were especially beautiful. Rather, they all seemed to give off the same air as Kaori – a soft kind of pretty, a gentle kind of…caring. She felt out of place among these fair-hearted people and waited uncomfortably with the other 5 people in a small waiting room.

But of course, life never had really completely gone Yukari's way, for whom else but Isabella and George could come walking out of the adjoining door? Her eyes betrayed perhaps a momentary shock, but soon, her inky eyes settled, and any sudden emotion was locked away in the same place Paradise Kiss memories resided. She couldn't say the same for Isabella, though, for upon seeing her, promptly dropped all papers she was holding and rushed to Yukari, and grabbed her in a bone-crushing hug, exclaiming, "Carrie! Oh, Carrie! Fancy seeing you here!" Then not quite so loud, she added to George, under her breath, "You owe me fifty dollars, George."

Yukari grinned and awkwardly petted Isabella's back until she let go. Yep, Isabella didn't change much, now did (s)he? The other girls looked slightly taken aback at Isabella's outburst, and they all kind of exchanged wary glances and then shot a tremulous glance at Isabella, as if worried for her sanity. Yukari shrugged over Isabella's head. George shook his head, a bemused smile playing on his lips.

Yukari's breath caught in her throat. George was perhaps, the same man she left almost 10 years ago. With perhaps a few more wrinkles around his eyes and mouth that weren't laugh lines and perhaps – was that glint of silver in his hair? Yukari frowned. George shouldn't have to worry. George should always be the free spirit he always was. And somewhere, her heart said meanly, that same "free spirit" left you. But today, she refused to acknowledge the voice. George looked up, and caught her eyes with him, and a beautiful smile blossomed over his lips. She felt herself smile in response and thought, that smile's for me.

And then it was all business, but Yukari hadn't really expected George to be all friendly or anything. He was a professional, even if he didn't act like one most of the time and he must have matured in the time that she hasn't seem him. He held a clipboard, (Imagine that – George Koizumi! Holding a clipboard! What wasthis world coming to?) and in his silver-cold voice, he read off everyone's names.

He looked over at Isabella, who was still acting…unprofessionally and coughed. Isabella mopped her (or is it his?) cheeks and pulled out 6 envelopes, each bearing a different name. Isabella handed them out, and then once the envelopes were in their hands, George sent them all a look as if to say, yeah, you can open them now. With shaking hands, Yukari peeled away at the corner, knowing these simple white envelopes with the curling black script on front could hold either complete joy or complete despair. For a second she thought it strange, how she felt one envelope could decide her happiness. Then she remembered that she had similarly left her happiness to one man.

Some others were braver than she, and had already managed to get their envelopes open, some in silent tears (they still looked like Kaori, Yukari noticed, a little jealous.) and some with a look of poorly contained ecstasy on their face (which made them even more beautiful, Yukari thought. Then she thought, I have to stop talking to myself.), trying to console the two crying girls. Yukari's heart pounded loudly in her ears and she noted, disgustedly, that she was about to sweat from pure terror.

But then she made the mistake of looking at George. George was smiling – no, that was a smirk. He was smirking! At her! He had no right to do that! Yukari narrowed her eyes at him, the sensible part of her brain telling her George did that all the time. The not-so-sensible bit of her reached for the envelope and with one fluid movement, managed to rip off the top of the envelope, imagining it was George's smirky head. She unfolded the letter, now with steady hands, and her eyes scanned the letter:

Miss Caroline,

Congratulations, welcome to the Blue Roses team…

And she didn't manage to get past that. She dropped the letter and sank into the plush chair, disbelieving. She had put her whole soul into this audition, and it seemed like it had paid off. (Inside, of course, she was doing cartwheels, but well, hey, someone had to be dignified.) She closed her eyes, and felt a single tear roll down her cheek. Isabella was right there, with a handkerchief, worrying that she was going to smudge her makeup. All the other "accepted" girls rushed over to congratulate Yukari as well, and for a second, Yukari wanted to be a good person, so she reached up and gave them all congratulatory hugs.

For a second she felt like saying to George, I can be happy too! I have feelings! I may not have Kaori's heart, but I have my heart, George, and once upon a time, that heart was good enough for you.

Then she realized the idiocy of what she had thought, because she, of all people, should know that one cannot believe in the empty promises of people. But still, she thought, her eyes melting into George's, that maybe.

Once upon a time.