A Second Chance Perhaps?
Author: Hfan
Notes: Now that Natalie is getting ready for her photo shoot, can you guess who will be her photographer? -smiles- Meanwhile, Andy encounters some rather difficult and personal questions fired off by the reporters.
On a more personal note, I am dreadfully sorry that I had to make readers wait for MONTHs for another chapter. I really love writing, but somehow I always get constant writer's block. Adding that this year is my final yr at junior college, I really have to work real hard to get into my desired university course. So I am actually very very very pleasantly surprised when there are still people reading this story (I thought it was dead)! Many thanks and hugs around for my readers! And thank you for being sooooo patient with me!
A few people to thank:
ChibiNuriko310: Yep! Nuriko, or rather Natalie now, is a girl... I hope. Hehe.
Minuiko: Ah! Haha, the name Andy Won is actually created by Watase Yuu herself (if I am not wrong)! There's a set of soundtracks with mini voice drama series in it which featured all the seishis reincarinated into Miaka's world, and Hotohori's name was Andy. Nuriko's name was originally Jen, but I felt that it would be better to give her something more girly and feisty. Haha, but I am quite attached to Andy for some reason. Heez, call it love.
Lena: Haha, the best is yet to be!
luvyuyu: Thanks again! And sorry to make you wait all the time! -hugs-
Crimson Zephyr: Haha! I love Nuriko/Hotohori pairings too! Then again I also like Hotohori/Houki pairings...pity there ain't much of such fanfiction... sad.
Mimic: Haha, can't agree more with you! I am just making Nuriko-chan's dreams come true! Yep, I am planning to have them together somewhere in the later chapters! But for now just tune in!
Chapter 4: A Little Competition
"Lucky guess..?" She said. But deep down, Natalie was slightly spooked by the knowledge which she never knew she had.
I... I just know how to wear it... almost as though I had been wearing them for a long time...
"Err...Nat darling?"
Natalie snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at Doulin. Though she still had that questioning look on her face, there was no doubt that she was impressed with Natalie's so-called new found knowledge (a/n right...). Natalie could only manage a weak shrug, but Doulin was already wheeling in a full-length mirror in front of her.
"So! Like your new look princess?" Doulin gestured at Natalie's reflection. "You even put it on all by yourself!"
It was a stunning sight. Natalie was wearing a Chinese silk layer of the palest pink, edged with intricate yellow and gold trimmings on her collar and sleeves. Long flowing sleeves reached past her waist, almost touching the floor. Small, hand-painted flower motifs dotted at the hems of her skirt, reaching up to the upper right hand side of the dark maroon skirt, as though a strong breeze had just blown pass, scattering the flowers. The sash which held up her skirt was a sheer lilac fabric, tied into an elaborate Chinese knot with the jade as a centerpiece to hold it in place. The ends of the sash were tied into a butterfly knot, trailing onto the floor along with the train of her skirt. An outer coat of light indigo, with the edges of the sleeves and collar dusted with gold flakes and elaborate flower motifs, was worn on top of the attire and secured with another butterfly knot at the waist. Finally, another sheer lilac sash was then draped loosely around Natalie's shoulders to complete the whole attire.
Natalie could only stare at herself. For the third time that day, she could feel herself being almost relaxed, in fact, use to wearing such elaborate costumes. But another strange thing happened. A memory, almost pictorial, flashed across her mind.
-Memories-
She saw herself as a young child. She was inside a room, a strange room with an ancient Chinese looking bed. She was looking at herself in a small, hand-held mirror, painting her lips red with a little red rouge using her little finger. She caught a glimpse of her attire in the reflection. It was pink, with a white collar decorated with red trimmings...
-Memories end-
It was gone as soon as it came. Natalie was speechless.
Now when had I tried doing that! Definitely not during my childhood life! I wasn't even...
"You look absolutely fabulous!" She suddenly heard Chuuin gushing at her reflection. "Now all that's left would be to style up your hair! Come on!"
Still a little dazed from that memory, Natalie allowed herself to be steered by Chuuin back onto her seat. She was still thinking about her childhood...
I wasn't even what I am now...
-888888-
Doulin was really pleased at the outcome of the costume. Natalie really looked radiant in it! She had chosen the colours well in order to compliment her hair and eyes. Despite the three layers (including the inner garments), Natalie was still able to exhibit her slim figure and carried off the coy elegance which any noble Chinese lady would. She was a natural.
Too natural in fact... Natalie didn't really strike me as someone who would be willing to spend her time researching on ancient China... or any historical facts for that matter! Unless...
Doulin pondered over that thought as she stepped out of the studio, but quickly shook her head and laughed it off...
She couldn't be! Why...even I had never seen her before when I was...
"Hey beautiful! You are looking especially please with yourself!"
She gasped as she felt a hand drifting past her shoulders, down her back, and right down to her...
SMACK!
"OW!" The hand withdrew away immediately. Doulin turned around and smirked at the person before her. He was slightly taller than her, tanned, with spiky silver hair. He was holding on to a camera and a tripod stand, which toppled when he flinched at Doulin's slap. "Now look what you had done! That tripod isn't exactly cheap you know!"
"If you haven't been such a pervert and lay your hands on any curves you see..." she retorted, but got interrupted by a kiss on the forehead. "Lanva! Haven't anything penetrate that thick skull of yours yet!"
Lanva smiled and simply replied "Yep, you."
Doulin smiled in spite of herself. He could be so sweet sometimes. That was why she had agreed to date him last year.
But that doesn't mean that he can fool around with me all the time... even at work!
She looked at the apparatus which he was carrying. "I guess you are here for Natalie's photo shoot? But isn't Houjun supposed to handle this?"
Lanva rubbed his sore hand. "Well, apparently he was, but Adrian slotted me in at the last minute, saying that Houjun is going to take charge of another model, not that I am complaining anyway." He peered into the studio. "Whoa! Look at Natalie! She's sizzling! Hot! Err... not that she's better than you of course my dear!" He added hurriedly to Doulin, who rolled her eyes.
Men... and sometimes I do question myself on why did I choose him out of so many out there!
"You know what Lanva? You haven't change at all, not through all these years... you are still as flirtatious as ever."
"Naturally! Woman nowadays are more daring compared to last time! They show more skin!" He then went even closer to Doulin. "But of course there's one more thing which I haven't change. And that's my feelings for you. So why won't you marry me now?" He gave a sad puppy dog look at her while he sneaked his arm around her. Hoever, Doulin was too quick for him. She slipped out of his arm and laughed.
"For goodness' sake! I am only twenty! I still have lots to do before I can say yes!"
"But we got married last time when we were in our teens!"
"In ancient China you mean! That was then! This is modern Japan now!"
"Then magic yourself older then! You can easily do that!" He cried.
"Hello, we are normal people... not Byakko seishis now...Tokaki." She rolled her eyes again. But seeing the look of dismay on his face, she went up to him and gave him a kiss.
"But I still love you Lanva, even if you are one BIG flirt!"
Lanva was surprised, but pleased at the same time. He looked into the studio again. Chuuin was still styling Natalie's hair. He turned around and gave Doulin the sneaky look.
"You know... Natalie's still having her hair done. Why don't we make full use of our precious time alone now?" His arm made its way around her shoulders again, and this time, she didn't resist.
--------
Andy's sleek, black Motorola Razr™ vibrated just as he settled down inside the cab which he just hailed. He looked at the screen.
Uhoh...
He picked up the cell phone and clicked on the receiver.
"Yes Rose?"
"Where are you now! The interview's almost starting, and you are not even prepared yet!"
"I am on my way back now..." He began, but Rose cut him.
"Thank goodness for that. Anyway please do spend some time while on your way here to think about those typical questions which they will be asking, like your new album and your rising status in the singing industry… you know the rest!"
"Yes I know. Rose... about..." Andy tried to begin again.
"No Andy, not now. And please do refrain from answering the more intimate questions... like your hotel room. The last time you answered that we wasted one whole day trying to get past that whole crowd of fans. You are more popular than ever now, and I don't need half of the country to squeeze their way into the hotel lobby!"
Andy gave up. "I know." He simply replied and hung up. Rose was already nervous enough, and he did not want to trouble her again when he requested a change in model casting.
As he placed his cell phone back into his pocket, he suddenly had an idea. He leaned from the passenger seat towards the driver. He was a young man, almost the same age, maybe even younger than Andy.
"Err... excuse me. But do you happen to hear of a model call Natalie?"
The driver looked into his rearview mirror. "Sure. Everyone knows her. She's one of our best models ever to grace the fashion world! You a foreigner?"
Andy gave a slight smile. "Yeah... I am just curious." He wanted to know more about this... Natalie. So he tried probing again. "Everyone is talking about her."
Is she like Miaka...?
"She sure had all the magazines in frenzy when they heard that she was one avid heartbreaker!" Andy didn't like the sound of that. "Speaking of her, there's her poster!" The driver inclined his head towards the left side of the road to a large shopping centre with a large poster hung outside.
Andy peered into the growing darkness towards the poster, but all he could make out was a shadow of a figure before the cab drove pass it.
Night sure comes early here in Japan...
"Bad luck man. Night comes early here, so I don't think you can see her well." He chuckled "There's always tomorrow, but there's only her posters around of course! People like us would not have any chance to see her personally."
Lucky me then...
Andy slumped back into his seat. Whatever he heard of Natalie wasn't exactly music to his ears.
"Yeah... there will always be tomorrow." He sighed miserably as he glanced back into the darkness, wishing that the next day would come more slowly.
--------
"Voila! I am done!" Chuuin pretended to flick of beads of sweat on his forehead as he smiled in satisfaction at his masterpiece sitting in front of him. Natalie's hair was done up in a complicated twist, which was secured in place with a golden hair ornament styled in the shape of a wings-spread phoenix. The excess purple tresses were then plaited and left trailing down to her waist. Chuuin had also added a few more elaborate hair pins to further enhance her overall hairstyle.
"Better be grateful princess! I practically ruined my soft hands when I used this much mousse to let your hair stay in place!" He used his fingers to indicate the amount of mousse which he had applied to her hair.
This much of hair mousse... WHAT!
Natalie, who had until then was spaced out, snapped back into reality. "WHAT! You practically use up half the can! Can you imagine how dry my hair will become!"
Chuuin smiled. "That finally got your attention back huh? What happened to you Nat? Ever since you realized you could put on that dress, you had been rather listless. That's not like you." He leant forwards to her. "You know you can tell me Natalie. What are friends for?"
Natalie forced another smile. "No... it's okay. I just feel slightly spooked off by that knowledge that's all..."
Chuuin laughed. "Nat! That's nothing... people always encounter such things!"
Natalie stared at him in disbelief.
Right... like knowing how to wear a Chinese garb when you first see it!
Chuuin continued. "Believe me, I also had such experience before." He paused before continuing. "Nat... I lied about learning makeup from some prestigious makeup school. I just knew how to."
Now it was Natalie's turn to stare at him in surprise. Chuuin had been an eccentric fellow in many ways, from his love for Chinese opera to his homosexuality. But about knowing makeup ever since he saw it! Before Natalie knew it, she found herself giving him a genuine smile.
"You know what Chuuin? I think that's why I found myself closer to you than everyone else!" She laughed, and finally allowed herself to relax.
Chuuin chuckled. "That's why we made good friends!" He spun her around in her chair. "Now your natural flush is back, I won't have to worry about adding more rouge to your cheeks! And for the finale," he brought out a small bottle. "Dewberry Mist – For that nice fresh dewy look!" He said as he gave a few light sprays on her hair and face. He then grasped both he hands and gently pulled her to her feet.
...Thanks Chuuin.
"Now our princess is ready to take the centre stage!" Chuuin declared as he blew a kiss towards the studio door. "Lanva! Quit fooling around and come out now! I knew you had been staying there for quite sometime, depriving Doulin of her work!"
From the other side of the door, Natalie could hear Doulin's surprise gasp and Lanva's swearing. After a few minutes of fumbling and shuffling, Lanva came in, with hair slightly disheveled and rumpled clothes, arms holding on to the camera and tripod. He flashed a sheepish grin and held out his camera. "Looking beautiful Nat! My camera's dying to take a great shot!"
Natalie pretended to toss her hair and smirked. "Sure, as soon as you decide to get that red lipstick smudge off your lips."
--------
Once out of the cab, Andy burst into a full sprint into the hotel lobby towards the lifts.
Let me see now... function room... function...
He took one quick look at the directory listed beside the buttons and selected number 4. As the lift doors closed, Andy's eyes then caught sight of his reflection. One hand automatically reached out to sweep his hair back while the other went to straighten his jacket. He then checked his face.
No blemishes... good.
The lift doors opened, and Andy suddenly felt himself being steered towards the function room by a rather irritable-looking Rose.
"I had been waiting for you at the lifts for a long time mister!" She hissed as she led him towards the function Room. "They are already here!"
I wonder who sent me a last minute notice announcing that tomorrow's interview had been postponed to a few hours after I touched down...
Before Andy could reply, she had already opened the doors and ushered him in. Flashes of light immediately greeted him as Rose led him towards his seat.
Momentarily blinded by the cameras, he gasped "I thought there was only one interview with the press?" Rose merely shook her head and replied.
"Press is a vague description of all forms of media my dear. There's the daily paper, Tokyo Music Weekly and Tokyo Fashion."
Andy suddenly had a vision of himself being cornered by starved vultures - a hungry and definitely ruthless scenario. Without waiting for him to answer, Rose pushed him down onto the plush velvet armchair as she gave an apologetic smile at the press.
"I am dreadfully sorry, but our Andy here isn't that use to the Tokyo streets..." She started, but was immediately cut off by a reporter standing next to her.
"Ohhh... What were you doing outside? Shopping? I heard you absolutely adore our beauty products here!" The reporter was a slim lady in her early thirties, and she was dressed in a sharp business suit which fitted perfectly with her figure. A pair of Chanel glasses framed her emerald-green eyes, in which a mischievous glint laid.
Nope. Definitely not to be messed with. She can either ruin your life or make it big.
"No, I was meeting someone earlier on..."
"Ooohhhhh someone!"
"Not what you are thinking!" Andy added hurriedly.
"Relax hon, what's her name?" She purred while scrawling down some notes into her notepad.
"Eh? The whole family you mean?"
"Family?" The purring stopped.
"Yes, I had been visiting a couple with a younger daughter. Old friends." Andy finished, throwing her a triumphant look. The lady's smile faltered, and she stopped scribbling. "Still want the name?" he added, for politeness' sake.
"Why don't we move on to your upcoming concert? This is your debut concert in Japan isn't it?" Another reporter interjected.
Andy took a glance at the female reporter. She was younger than the first, and she was wearing a tight black shirt with the words 'Music makes me Lose Control' splashed across her chest and a smaller print below it 'Tokyo Music Station'.
"And your name is..."
The young woman gave a small, sheepish laugh. "I am so sorry! My name's Ai, Ai Tanaka, reporter and your regular DJ for Tokyo Music Station!" She did a mock salute, much to Andy's amusement.
Andy gave a slight smile as he heard her name. "Nice to meet you Tanaka-san. And about your question, there's going to be a concert on Saturday evening at Tokyo Dome. My first."
"Hmm, yes. And the details which were given to us also mentioned that there will be a few songs which are composed entirely in Japanese too! By you nonetheless! Let me see...one of the highlights is called "Boku no Uchuu ni Kimi ga Iru"... was it difficult for you to sing in a different language?"
"I was quite comfortable with it. For some background information, my maternal family has a history of Japanese heritage. So I grew up in a Chinese-Japanese culture even though I had never visited Japan until recently. I do know some Japanese history and had studied Japanese Language, so you can say that I am putting my education into good use."
Ai nodded as she jotted down that pieced of information. "So you actually have some relations to our country... And I heard that you will also be scouting for a model here to work alongside you in your music video too!"
Seeing Andy's surprised look, she gave another megawatt smile. "Your manager gave us that piece of information while we were waiting for you."
Giving Rose a disapproving look, Andy continued "Although the genre for my song has an oriental influence... you know, traditional Chinese instruments like the erhu and the yangqin, Rose thinks that it will be more appropriate to cast a Japanese model for my debut Japanese song in order to draw mass appeal..."
"Oh... and who will the model be?" This time, the Chanel-framed lady spoke up.
Judging from her heavily branded get-up and her interest in the model, Andy deduced that she should be from the Tokyo Fashion Magazine.
"Of course, we from the Tokyo Fashion had already received news earlier on from Elites' that our very own supermodel Natalie has been selected for the shoot." Not waiting for his reply, the lady answered the question for him. "How do you feel about working with her?" Her red lips curled into a hungry smile.
Not that I know her... but...
"How does she look like?" was the only feeble thing Andy managed to come up with. The lady's smile dropped to an "O".
"You mean you have never seen her! My dear, she has been the talk of the town ever since she graced the Paris runways draped in Dior!" The lady did a mock faint as snapped her crocodile skin bag open. After a few tense minutes of picking through her bag, the lady dug out another notebook and flipped through the pages. When she found what she was looking for, she handed over the notebook to Andy.
"That's a brief version of Natalie written by yours truly!" The lady declared smugly. "It is currently featured on this month's Tokyo Fashion Magazine!"
More like some tabloid written by Ms I-can-ruin-your-life-if-you-don't-cooperate...
"A Man's Perfect Angel..." Andy murmured, his brows creased slightly as he scanned through the paragraphs which were written in hiragana. After more of less understanding the gist of the article, he grew slightly worried. He turned towards Rose and mouthed "I don't think I want her".
She shush-ed him in response. He glared back. She sighed and excused herself from the function room.
"Well, she does sound slightly intimidating, but as usual, we have not totally decided who exactly we will be selecting to work alongside us. That piece of information," Andy inclined his head towards the lady, who was just about to inquire, "will be announced tomorrow after the audition."
Natalie's not going to be one of them though.
"Why don't we head on to the next question?" He smiled, feeling relieved.
"Of course. Are you single?"
-888888-
"Yes, I would like you to help me pass a message to Adrian. Tell him it's Rose."
Andy... you are going to own me BIG time.
After walking out of the function room, Rose dialed the Elites' administration number. The operator placed her on hold before a deep, smooth voice answered.
"This is Adrian. Is there anything wrong?"
"Yes Adrian. You see, it seems like Andy is not too keen on having Natalie. Do you think it's possible…"
"Of course, I perfectly understand. That's why I decided to sign up another model for the interview tomorrow. She's pretty new, but she's a natural."
Rose thought that she detected a hint of smugness in Adrian's voice.
"That's fine with me, I trust your choices. Can I have her name?"
--------
"Just tilt the fan slightly... I need to see those luscious lips of yours... and there!" Lanva's camera flashed as the sound of the shutter whirred madly.
"Okay, just give me a coy smile, you know, like those shy princess-like giggle-behind-the-fan look... Yep, that's perfect! And we are done for the day!" Lanva announced as he switched off the glaring spotlights. "Good work Nat!"
Doulin, who had been watching the whole shooting process under Natalie and Lanva's insistence, walked over and echoed Lanva's remark.
"Great job girl! Now let us help you get out of your multi-tiered dress!"
Natalie fanned herself while she stood up gracefully. "About time too, I can feel myself practically melting underneath all these layers!"
"Easy for you to say princess. I have to move around the time while you just pose and be your pretty self." Lanva retorted as he disassemble his tripod "Not forgetting that I will be staying up all night to develope the photos and organized your portfolio for you!"
"I thought Houjun will be working on my portfolio?"
"Haven't you heard? Houjun's been assigned to create a portfolio for a new model by tomorrow. He's on a pretty tight schedule, that's why Adrian assigned me to you instead."
Hearing that there was going to be a new model, Natalie stopped untying her sash and looked up. "Who's the new darling then?"
"Now that's the interesting part. It turns out that she happens to be..."
"NAT DARLING!"
All eyes turned towards the studio door, which were immediately flung open by Chuuin. His usual tight ponytail was in disarray, and stray strands of hair partially obscured his face as he burst into the studio. His eyes looked slightly watery as he ran forward towards Natalie.
"I feel sooo WRONG! Forgive me Nat!" He enveloped her in a fierce hug. "If only I had known! I wouldn't have agreed to it! Not even once!"
Natalie was not surprised when Chuuin hugged her, nor at his outburst. After all, he is known to be over dramatic with his facts and actions. She patted his head comfortingly.
Cheer him up and then we can all go home!
"There there, relax darling You know I have no idea what's going on right? How in the world would I get angry at you if you haven't even told me what you did?"
"Oh Nat! I did the most horrible thing ever!"
You can't possibly do anything worse than what that Tokyo Fashion Magazine did!
"Akin to backstabbing!"
Or maybe you can.
"What exactly did you do Chuuin?" Natalie demanded as she attempted to pry herself away from him. He merely wailed louder and embraced her even more tightly, as though he was expecting her to turn to mist.
"You remember what I told you about me having to work on Kae after you? Well, I went to the studio at the other wing and" Chuuin sniffed before continuing "Oh Nat this is so shocking..."
Natalie almost screamed in frustration. She was still suffering from all that many layers of cloths, and Chuuin was not helping much by dragging his story. To top it all, she was suffocating from his tight hug.
"Chuuin would you please release me and get to the point! I can feel myself dying as you speak!" Natalie gasped.
"Oh my god I am so sorry! Adrian requested me to do the same makeup on her!"
"What?" The struggling stopped.
"Don't you get it Nat! You are not the only model who is going for the audition tomorrow! Adrian is going to recommend her as well!" Chuuin exclaimed as he finally let go of her. "And judging by the amount of attention she is getting... like Houjun and I, even Adrian himself was there! Oh if I had known! But I simply cannot refuse! Adrian was counting on me! He said so..."
But Natalie was not paying attention to him anymore. Instead, she was removing all her clothes hurriedly while Doulin looked on with amazement and wonderment. Chuuin gave another deep sniff to emphasize his presence.
"Did you hear what I just said Nat? Kae is..."
"Yes I know! Why do you think I am changing this fast!"
Natalie's irritated reply made Chuuin flinched, but he continued meekly. "I am sorry... Do you need any help then?"
She stopped moving around and turned to him. He was surprised when he saw her giving him a smile.
"Glad you asked. Actually I do need a bit of help in getting rid of my makeup and hairstyle" Natalie gestured at the sundress which she had changed into. "It doesn't seem to fit this dress. Can you, the great makeup artist as well as my good friend, do something about it?"
Chuuin smiled gratefully and headed towards her. "But why are you in such a rush."
"To show some sportsmanship! There's nothing like a little competition to keep my social life in check!" Natalie announced simply.
Hfan: I don't really like this chapter…-sad sad- I felt that it was too long and boring. But I need to add it to introduce certain characters... Argh! You all can start throwing stones at me... -braces herself-