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Coffee Shops and Cameras

Chapter 6

I moaned softly as the cool silky sheets wrapped around my bare legs, stirring me out of my sleep with a heavenly smile. It took a long minute for me to remember exactly where I was, and upon realisation, my eyes flew open and I sat up with a gasp. I scanned the room, sunlight creeping in from the slit in the drawn curtains, lighting up the beautiful bedroom. The whole room was bigger than my apartment, and it was furnished with beautiful colours of creamy coco and white. The bed was a huge four poster mahogany frame, sheer curtains hung at each side, and the pillows and comforters were shiny silk and fluffy - like sinking into pure bliss. The furniture was simplistic, but matched in antiquity and style, and across the room was a door leading to a huge ensuite bathroom.

I glanced at the clock on the antique nightstand. 9.13am. I'd slept in later than usual, probably the result of a decent bed. I felt somewhat uncomfortable and embarrassed, knowing that everyone else was probably already awake and I'd remained closed up in their guest room after turning up in the middle of the night with no invitation.

I came to my conclusion shortly after Hikaru left me the day before. I paced the apartment for a while, replaying his words over and over. I couldn't speak to Dad as he was at work, and even if he wasn't - I'd have no idea what to tell him. The whole thing sounded too good to be true. A new job? A pay rise? I fantasised over such things daily, and now that dream was in my reach. But the idea of moving in and...coaching Hikaru? It was something I had no confidence in, and it was something I truly didn't want to do. To say that Hikaru and I didn't see eye to eye would be an understatement. We despised each other. And although I would have loved the chance to see him become less defensive and cruel, I didn't want to be around to watch the rocky transformation. Something told me it wasn't going to be easy. There would be tears and screaming, from me at least. But as the sun set and dinner began burning in the oven, I let out a heavy sigh and found myself driving down to the Hitachiin estate. Hikaru told me to come the day after at 8pm if my answer was yes. But I couldn't wait that long, and I didn't want to stick around to explain to Dad. I left him a note instead - I knew I'd have to call him later on with a better explanation, but for the time being, I had other things to worry about.

On the plush ornate sofa seat in the corner of the bedroom was a folded outfit waiting for me. Not jeans and a t shirt as I had hoped, but instead I found a white linen sundress. It was knee length and the skirt fanned out over a subtle cloth petticoat, and the neckline scooped modestly from one shoulder to the other, meeting short comfortable sleeves. I didn't recognise the style so I assumed it wasn't one of Yuzuha's designs, but even so, it was beautiful. I quickly ran a brush through my hair, doing my best to present myself in some way other than distressed and beyond fucking confused.

I wondered if Yuzuha was annoyed I showed up so late? She'd been nothing but good to me, and it felt rude just coming to stay uninvited. Miss Kimura the maid seemed somewhat confused when she opened the door to me the night before, but she still showed me to the guest room and made me comfortable. I hoped I hadn't inconvenienced anyone. Hikaru sure seemed shocked, I couldn't tell if that meant he was pleased I'd agreed to the terms or not. Either way, there was no turning back now.

With hesitant steps, I walked out onto the empty hallway, making sure to close my door silently behind me. I could hear low chattering from downstairs echoing through the corridors and instantly my heart rose to my throat.

"More eggs Mrs Hitachiin?" I heard Miss Kimura ask as I crept to the dining room doorway. With a smile on her face, Yuzuha nodded, taking a small sip from her tea.

Well no one seems pissed...that's one out of two thumbs up...

I remained concealed behind the half open door, trying to mentally will myself to walk in. But before I was ready, my foot found a creaky floorboard, alerting everyone within earshot to my position. And suddenly Miss Kimura was right there, looking up at me with a sweet smile on her rounded face. She was a lot smaller than the maid I'd met during the evening of the meal, but somehow that made her seem all the more threatening. She reminded me of a small dog with sharp teeth.

"Good morning Miss Fujioka" she smiled, "I trust you slept well"

I released the breath I'd been holding since I descended the staircase, "G..Good morning Miss Kimura..."

She outstretched her arm, winding it around my back to pull me inside the room. I took stumbled foot falls as she closed the door behind me, shutting me in with the entire Hitachiin tribe who looked upon me with curious eyes.

"My dear" Yuzuha gleamed, "Good morning precious doll" she stood from her seat and approached me, cupping my shoulders in her petite hands. She then eyed my dress up and down, not letting a single inch of me go unnoticed, her smile only widened, "This will do nicely" she commented, stroking the material of the sundress between her thumb and forefinger, "How did you sleep? Well, I hope?"

I nodded, "Yes, thank you..."

My answer seemed to please her, "Come, sit, you must be hungry"

Before I could even answer I was being led to the empty seat in between the twins. It was nearly impossible to ignore the stares they gave as I settled myself down with a shaky breath.

"I have to say, I was rather surprised when I found out you were already here" Yuzuha chuckled, "It was quite the morning alarm"

I chewed my lip, "I'm so sorry Mrs Hitachiin, I know it was late"

"Don't be ridiculous precious doll, I'm delighted that you're here"

I forced a smile and laid my hands in my lap, just as another maid placed down a plate of eggs Benedict and toast on the table in front of me. The smell was intoxicating, I couldn't help but lick my lips eagerly as I reached for a fork.

"Well" Yuzuha smiled, "I see no reason why we can't begin going over the details of our arrangement now. I trust that Hika explained it somewhat clearly...and politely"

Hikaru rolled his eyes beside me, "I got her here didn't I?"

"Barely" Kaoru remarked, "She showed up at midnight looking like a drowned rat. She probably told you she'd think about it just to get you to leave" the younger twin chuckled and reached over my head to poke his brother on the shoulder.

Hikaru glowered at him, briefly catching my eye as he turned towards me and Kaoru. I hadn't got much of a good look at him the night before, all I saw was the fuzzy moisture of the rain in my eyes. But I remembered his dishevelled hair and loose fitted sweat pants, he also wore a dumbfounded look on his face that didn't seem to match his whole ensemble. But this morning he was worlds away from cosy sweat pants, today he wore a grey sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows - his arm muscles bulging as he laid them down on the table in front of him, and a pair of fitted blue jeans, in pristine designer condition.

His eyebrow raised slightly as he prodded me out of my reverie, I blinked several times before I realised that he was smirking to himself.

"I understand this is all very...sudden" Yuzuha spoke up once more, breaking the eye contact between Hikaru and I, "I'd spoken to your father, and he eagerly pushed me ahead"

Now it was my turn to make a face, "You spoke to Dad about this?"

She nodded, "We've been emailing back and forth since our lovely dinner. You'll have to forgive him for being so secretive, but I wanted to plan everything through before officially presenting any arrangements"

I grimaced to myself, feeling somewhat betrayed that Dad have been conspiring my future behind my back.

"Do you have any questions before I...throw all this information at you?" Yuzuha chuckled in her usual playful way.

"Well..." I exhaled. I had several questions...hundreds even...there weren't enough hours of daylight to even begin answering the amount of questions I had. I took a deep breath, clearing my head. I chose to get the main question out of the way first, "What exactly is this...position you want me to fill?"

Yuzuha beamed once more, her pearly white teeth brightening her perfectly made up face. Her smiles were so wide, I wondered if her jaw constantly ached from the strain.

"I need a design artist. At the moment I'm doing them myself, but the job is time consuming for me, and my art skills are mediocre at best. I need someone to sit with me and put my ideas down on paper, to capture the ideas I describe" she explained, "That beautiful sketch you did of my dress left me speechless, it looked even better than the real thing. And that's what I need, someone who can bring my work to life before it's even been made"

"But...Mrs Hitachiin-"

"Please precious doll, call me Yuzuha"

"...Yuzuha" I cleared the lump in my throat, "I haven't worked professionally on my art for almost 8 years. My skills are reduced to doodles now, surely you'd be more comfortable hiring someone more experienced"

"But I fell in love with /Your/ work my dear. They remind me of my "doodles" from when I first started, the same designs that got me where I am today"

Once again, I made no effort to disguise the disbelief in my face, "I don't know a single thing about fashion"

Hikaru chuckled beside me, "Point number 3 on the list of things we agree on" he said in a low voice so only I could hear.

"Of course I don't expect you to know the ins and outs of the business straight away. There's a lot to learn, but I'm happy to lead the way and coach you through it. You already have the skill, it won't take long to teach you the 'knowhow'" Yuzuha continued, "Much like an internship. Except you'll be paid the full wage as I do with all my staff"

Ah, money. When it came down to the decision making, it was money that dragged me to their front door in the rain. Money like that would change mine and Dad's lives forever, never again would we have to sacrifice dinner just to afford toilet paper. Dad was my priority, I knew how much he hated working all night and day, dealing with drunk customers who wanted to see what he used as breast padding. It exhausted him both mentally and physically, and I'd do anything to put a stop to it.

"Well..." I breathed, forcing the biggest fake smile I'd ever made, "If you're sure then...I'll do my best"

"You have no idea how happy that makes me!" Yuzuha clapped her hands together, "And I'm glad you agreed as I already took the liberty of paying your's and Ranka's rent for the rest of the year"

I couldn't even find the breath in my lungs to gasp, "You...You did?"

"Think of it as your first paycheck" she chuckled, "It's far too early for champagne so instead we shall celebrate with more tea!" And with the same broad smile, she summoned one of the maids to bring a fresh pot of tea.

Does that mean it's too early for whiskey? Please tell me it's not too early for whiskey...

"I think we forgot the more important matter" Hikaru spoke up beside me, "And it's also something I'd like to hear"

Ah yes, how could I forget that mess?

"I trust you've read 'Diary of a Psychopath' Haruhi? Because you'll need it" Kaoru gave me a nudge with his elbow. His comment was suppose to be lighthearted, but I couldn't ignore the truth I pulled from it.

"Enough Kao" Yuzuha giggled, "Hika just needs to learn a little more...courtesy, that's all"

"Now there's an understatement" Kaoru laughed, earning him a stern glare from his brother.

"You know I love you dearly my Hika" Yuzuha spoke softly, "But I do think a little change in direction is long overdue"

"And that's where I come in?" I questioned.

"Hika's been to many life coaches, all resulting in little success. I think it's time for a new approach" Yuzuha explained, "And considering the way Hika and you...communicate. I think you'd be the most affective form of training"

"I've never done anything like this before...I never even took psychology..."

"We don't need you to perform hypnosis or analyse his dreams precious doll" Yuzuha chuckled, "I just think you two should spend time together, and slowly I think you'll manage to work out the kinks"

I looked at Hikaru, deciphering his expression.

Work out the kinks? We'd have to replace the whole damn panel...

"You never told me we had to be 'buddies'" Hikaru grumbled, glaring across the table at his Mother.

"Well how else do you expect to overcome your...situation?" She replied, taking no notice of his rude demeanour.

"I assumed a couple of days of dull chit chat" he grit his teeth.

"Of course not sweetie" Yuzuha smiled, "Haruhi will stay here until your interview, and each day I expect you to spend time together. Haruhi has a unique way of dealing with you and your unsavoury attitude, I have high hopes for my little plan"

"Until my interview?!" Hikaru snapped, "But that's 4 weeks!"

"You need more than 4 weeks to change your attitude" Kaoru mumbled from my left. His brother shot him a look, this time it wasn't a sarcastic brotherly look, instead it was a look of utter anger. A look that could kill someone on the spot.

"I didn't agree to this" Hikaru growled.

"You agreed to work on your people skills for the interview. They're going to ask you questions that you aren't going to like, and you can't explode like this" Yuzuha crossed her arms over her chest.

"I can't...I can't be around her for 4 weeks"

"Hey!" I blurted, "I'm sitting right here"

"I know" he snarled, shooting his eyes to me instantly, "I can feel your presence, it's churning my gut"

"And you seriously think I want to spend 4 weeks with you? I'd rather dig out my nail beds with a rusty fork" I challenged him with my eyes, making sure to keep direct contact with him. Unblinking and unflinching.

"Likewise" he sneered, staring back just as intensely. But little did he know, he was challenging the staring contest world champion. I've never broken for anyone.

"I think you've met your match Hika" Kaoru chuckled, "She's just as defensive and stubborn as you are"

"See" Yuzuha grinned, "Perfect match"

"I don't see how this is going to work" Hikaru snapped, "I hate her, she hates me. We'll have killed each other by Tuesday"

"Tuesday?" I scoffed, "I don't think you'll make it to 12 o'clock"

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?!"

"A shitty teenage boy who can't get his own way" I shrugged with no hesitation.

To that, he didn't reply, not verbally anyway. He just glared, chewing the inside of his cheek as if he were trying to control his next few words. I could see his knuckles turning white in front of him, and his shoulders trembling in rage. I thought about apologising, but I knew it wouldn't mean anything. He had the worst attitude I'd ever encountered, he was rude, selfish, cruel and unfair. If anything, this was why I was here. Not to apologise, and not to hold back. I was here to tell him to grow up and fuck off as I saw fit. And I wasn't the sort of girl to tiptoe round someone.

So I raised an eyebrow challengingly, and gave him the cockiest look I'd ever manifested. Which he of course, hated.

With a flat palm, he slammed his hand down on the table, rattling the breakfast plates and glasses on its surface. I flinched slightly, as he rose to his feet and stormed out of the room, his footfalls echoing down the hall, and vanishing as he exited through the patio doors to the garden.

Silence followed, along with heavy breaths. I glanced over at Yuzuha, who looked down at her coffee cup sorrowfully. Seeing Hikaru act that way in front of her make my heart hurt, I'd never have dreamed acting so disgracefully in front of my Mother. I could see the struggle in her eyes, the disappointment and fear she felt. I wondered if Hikaru knew exactly how he made her feel? How much she was hurting seeing her son behave in such a damaging way. My heart broke just looking at her.

Without thinking, I reached over and clasped her hand. Her eyes shot to mine, and I saw some of the pain dissipate.

"He wasn't always like this" she breathed mournfully. The absence of her smile made me feel uneasy, her face didn't look right without the gleam of her pearly teeth, "I love my son, but I feel like such a failure as a mother. No mother should feel disappointment, no mother should want her child to change. But...it's so hard. I don't recognise him, he's not the child I held in my arms all those years ago. I want to be proud of him but...how can I? How can I be proud when my child is becoming a monster?"

Her words held my heart in a tight vice, breaking all my reservations about why I was here, and why Yuzuha was so desperate to have someone here to coach and tame Hikaru. I understood, just by looking at her. I squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"You're not a bad Mother Yuzuha" I said, "And you shouldn't feel guilty for how you feel, Hikaru should be disappointed in himself. I know why you want me here, and I promise you I will do everything I can to understand and support him...I promise you"

I saw tears glisten in Yuzuha's hazel eyes, and my whole heart swelled, "Thank you precious doll" she smiled.

After breakfast I called work, and quit on the spot. The shock of my manager was evident, and earned me a few choice words I'd never heard him say. I hung up before he could drag me any further and immediately felt a weight lift from my shoulders, as well as a new feeling of panic. There I stood, completely committed to this new road I was taking. It was terrifying, but exhilarating. I also called Dad and gave him a piece of my mind, he knew about this whole scheme from the start, and he never uttered a word to me about it, I felt a sting of betrayal for that. We didn't keep secrets, and the fact that he hid something so huge from me hurt a little. But even so, I told him I'd accepted, and he couldn't have been happier. We said goodbye, planning when he'd be stopping by to take in my new life. I hoped that by then I will have managed to tame Hikaru a little, if he talked down to my Dad, I'd probably have to strangle him with his Yves Saint Laurent belt.

Hikaru wasn't present for lunch, so it gave me, Kaoru, Yuzuha and her husband time to talk some more. As it turned out, Hikaru's interview was the first he'd be doing solo. Due to...the way he was...Yuzuha was somewhat limited with the boundaries she could stretch in her business. People just wouldn't work with Hikaru, and therefore Yuzuha's career suffered. It didn't seem fair that all her hard work was for nothing just because Hikaru couldn't pull his head out of his ass. So this interview was important to present Hikaru in a new and bright light, in hopes that it would change people's perceptions of him. He needed taming, and I was at a loss for how I was going to achieve that.

After that I found myself wandering around the gardens, puffing on a cigarette, in total bliss. My clean streak of 2 days without one was over. Boo hoo. I sat down on one of the iron benches, resting in the shade of a large blossom tree. I looked out over the vast grounds, taking in every flower, water feature and statue, when my eyes caught a glimpse of someone leaning over the railings of an upstairs balcony. I stared up, recognising the burnt red hair highlighted in the rays of sunlight, and the lean broad shoulders that hunched as he looked out across the grounds. Once again I found myself in awe of him. How could a man so beautiful be so ugly?

Without realising it, I found myself making my way back into the house and up the staircase towards the bedroom landing. I stopped once I reached the doorway of Hikaru's bedroom. I took a deep breath before raising my hand to knock on the smooth mahogany surface. Not 2 seconds passed before the door was thrown open, and I was met face to face with Hikaru's stern grimace.

"What the hell do you want?" He snarled.

"I wanted to talk" I replied, keeping my cool, "We need to come up with some kind of plan here"

"I'm busy"

"You're smoking on your balcony" I sighed in disbelief.

"Exactly. Very busy"

I huffed, "I'm coming in"

"Hell no you're not" he snapped. I rolled my eyes and pushed past him anyway, ducking under the arm he held outstretched against the doorframe, "For fuck's sake" I heard him grumble under his breath, following by the door slamming behind me.

Hikaru's room was much like mine, but with more personal touches. I admired the framed pictures of him and Kaoru hung around the walls and the stacked shelves of books lining the walls. I caught some titles out of the corner of my eye and recognised a few I liked. What's that? Point...4 on the list of things we agree on?

"Well" Hikaru demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and flashing me a challenging glare.

"Why do you think your Mom wants me to help you so bad?" I asked, mirroring his defiant stance.

"To torture me"

I rolled my eyes, "Do you honestly not see how you make her feel?"

He blinked but said nothing.

"You're hurting her Hikaru. And I've promised to do whatever I can to pull your head out of your ass"

At the mention of his Mom he looked away from me, running one hand through his tangles and wandering to the other corner of the room.

I continued, "I think you hate me because no one has told you this before. No one has called you out on your bullshit and that frightens you. But it's time you woke up and smelled the damn roses because you have a serious problem and your family is sick to death of it"

"You don't know me, you don't know my family"

"I know enough to see that you're destroying the people who love you"

"I shouldn't have agreed to this"

"Well it's too late now" I sighed, "You wouldn't have agreed if you didn't think you needed some help. So we're going to have to make this work"

Hikaru's eyes finally shot to mine, and that look of utter hate dissolved slightly, and was replaced by a gaze of both confusion and acceptance. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but snapped it shut instantly.

"I don't care if you hate me, and it doesn't matter that I hate you. But I think we can add another point to the list when I say the one thing that matters is your Mom. I would have done anything for my Mom, and I like to think you're not too far gone to do the same for yours"

In the time it took me to get through my monologue, I found that Hikaru had taken a few steps closer to me. He stared at me with a look of interest, like he'd truly taken in every word I'd said.

"Fine" he breathed, "For Mom. Not for you"

And for the first time, something he said made me smile.

Maybe there was hope for him yet...

New chapter! I'm happy with how this story is going so far and I'm confident with my updates which makes me sooooooo goddamn happy. I'm slowly but surely getting back into the Lionheart and Let the Wind Blow mindset so fingers crossed there will be new chapters for those stories up soon!

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Love you all,

Yuli xxx