Here's the next chapter. I am really surprised with myself in how quickly I wrote this (although I'm not sure the flow is perfect and it feels a bit rushed, but no worries). I really appreciate that you all like my story; can't promise that it'll be the best, but I'll try. Enjoy~
-Zero
Shout outs to the reviews that I have so far:
Hazuki: I'm glad you like it. I'm not sure if you noticed, but I used names that means somewhat similar to their real ones and also used the same first letter.
assassin101ist: I'm glad you like my story and hope you continue reading it. :)
foxlichika: I hear that a lot from people when I decide to write my genben stories, but I'm glad mine is an exception.
Anjeal: Really, your comment is too kind. I hope you enjoy this chapter if this is what you wanted. :D
GAT-X105VividPanzer: Haha, what's funny is that I've watched both animes that you have in your user name, but yes, expect more action-packed scenes in the future (although I can't say that they will be the best).
ArisaAk: NEXT CHAPTER IS IN!
Guest: Don't die from their sexiness; they won't like it if they can't make a permanent scar first.
Ch. 2 First Meeting?
Ushio buttoned up his white dress shirt and put on a pair of black pants. His ties consisted of only one color; black. In a way the colors he wore reminded himself of his past. Gray, a shade mix between black and white, just like his hazy past. Pulling the tie up close to his neck, he turned his attention towards the folder that was handed to him yesterday.
"Minami Kotori..." Ushio softly recited the name of the girl he is to become the bodyguard of.
The ring of his cell phone broke him out of his trance. The call was from Eiichi. The blonde was like an older brother to him and Masaki. They knew each other ever since they were young, although Eiichi and Ushio had known each other longer. Ushio answered the phone, only to be shouted at from the other side.
"Like I said, Masaki, don't laugh at me!" Eiichi could be heard from the other side yelling along with a certain laughing redhead.
"Eiichi, you voice is loud." Ushio managed to recover from the sudden outburst and reply to the upset quarter Russian.
"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to yell at you through the phone." Eiichi apologized, hoping his blue haired friend was not too annoyed with him. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I'll meet you both at the place like promised." If they were talking face to face he was sure the blonde would have nodded to his response. "Oh, before I forget, make sure Masaki remembers not to lose his temper."
Ushio could hear the blonde snicker at the statement and obliged. Of course Ushio made sure to end the call before he would be verbally attacked by the redhead. Checking his clothes one more time he nodded at himself in the mirror. He grabbed his jacket and locked the door to his house.
He drove his black car the the place they were supposed to meet up. When he arrived, he noticed that he was early and decided to take a stroll in the nearby park. The small walk allowed him to process the information that they skimmed over from last night. They had contacted each other after getting some rest to talk about their new mission.
"Toujou Nozomi." Eiichi read out his folder in front of the other two as they video chat each other.
"Age: 23. Moved various times due to family business, both parents are alive, only child. Heiress from a family of hotel tycoons. Attends Otonokizaki University with a major in business"
"Yazawa Nico. Age: 23. Both of her parents are alive and she has three younger siblings. Attends Otonokizaki University and is majoring in entertainment." Masaki sighed. "For some odd reason, I feel like she's going to be a tough one to handle."
"Minami Kotori. Age: 22. Her father died in an accident, but her mother is still alive and is the current president of the Minami Corporation. She has no siblings, but has a close childhood friend named Kousaka Hotaka. She is attending her second year at Otonokizaki University with a major in fashion design."
They all sighed in unison and hoped that this won't be their worst mission yet.
Before Ushio realized it he was standing in front of a tall building that had a flashy sign reading "Dream Hotel and Spa". This place, no doubt, belonged to the Toujou family. Saori-san had sent them all a message last night to where they were to meet their new superiors. Realizing that he had been standing there for quite a while he decided to look for his comrades, only to find them already standing beside him (also) dumbstruck by the size of the building.
"So this is a Toujou Hotel..." Eiichi spoke in an awe inspiring voice. "Just imagine what's on the inside." Masaki on the other hand was lost at words. From the looks of it, it seems like he was still trying to process everything in his head.
"Ehem, I think it's about time we get back into reality you two." Ushio cleared his throat to get the attention of the two.
"Yes. You're right, sorry about that." Eiichi gave the bluenette an apologetic smile.
"Hmph. I wasn't that surprised..." His two friends gave him a blank stare. "W-what!"
"You're not being honest." Ushio bluntly replied to Masaki who was slightly pink in the cheeks and was ready to retort until he was cut off by the blue haired man.
"Are both of you ready?" All in seriousness, the atmosphere of the trio became very tensed. They all nodded in agreement and marched into the hotel. When they arrived at the front desk a receptionist asked them if they were looking for a room or where here for a spa appointment.
"I'm sorry we're here to meet up with some others. If I'm right, they should be waiting in Room 9." Eiichi flashed a charming smile to the lady causing her to blush.
"We were wondering if you could tell us which floor the room is on." Ushio politely intervened and smiled causing the desk receptionist to blush even more.
Those two are so dense; they don't realize it looks like they're trying to flirt with her. Masaki silently shook his head behind the two and kept quiet. Well, he also couldn't blame the poor girl (what are you supposed to say to three handsome young men dressed in suits).
"I'll take you there." The response came from a man with hair that was starting to age. From the looks of his clothes, he seemed to be more of a butler than a bodyguard. "If you will follow me gentlemen."
The trio gave small glances at each other and nodded. The followed him into an elevator without questioning.
"Nicochii, can you a least sit down?" Turquoise eyes followed the pacing in front of her.
"How can you both be so calm!? I never agreed to any of this!" The black haired girl vented her anger and frustration out. "I don't need anyone to babysit me!"
"It can't be helped. Our parents are worried for our safety; now that we're getting older we'll have more responsibilities and some people won't like that." The slender girl tried to calm down her friend or a least have her sit down before the guests arrive.
"The cards have told me that everything is going to be fine."
"I don't want to hear your predictions with those cards Nozomi." Red eyes averted towards the window as she mumbled the words.
"What was that Nicochii?" Nozomi raised a brow towards the brunette. "Do I need to rub your chest to make you sit down?" Nico shivered at the tone Nozomi used. Having her chest groped was something she wanted to avoid at all cost, so she decided to finally take a seat.
"I heard the new bodyguards are supposed to be around our age." The girl with brown eyes threw out the statement to her friends. Usually they would get someone who was older and more experienced.
"Who cares?" The shorter girl pouted "It's not like we're going to become friends or anything."
"Oh~ is Nicochii still hurt when her last bodyguard left." The words caused Nico to be more irritated with the purple haired girl. Nico's last bodyguard quit due to the fact that she was too demanding.
"Hopefully this next one won't stay long." Red eyes sent daggers at the big chested woman sitting across from her.
"Don't fight you two." The ashen hair girl tried to eased the tension between the two older girls.
"From what I know, they're supposed to be very good at their job." Before either girl could response there was a knock at the door that grabbed their attention.
"Excuse me if I'm bothering you, but, milady the guest you are waiting for have arrived."
"Let them in." Nozomi answered to the guide behind the door.
When the door opened three well-groomed men in suits walked into the room. They all stood side by side and scanned the fancy meeting room. The girls, however, were slightly taken aback by their looks.
"Thank you Kazuhiro-san. You may leave now." The old man bowed at the command and closed the door behind the guest.
"Please take a seat." Nozomi gesture the strangers to the open seats.
"Before we do, I think we should introduce ourselves first." The tall blonde spoke out and bowed his head to the ladies. "My name is Ayase Eiichi. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Sonoda Ushio. I'll be in your care." Like his colleague the blue haired man bowed his head. When he raised his head back up his eyes made contact with another pair of amber eyes. Ushio gave the girl a polite smile causing her to slightly blush at the gesture.
"Nishikino Masaki." The redhead stated his name, but didn't bow his head until the blonde jabbed him in the side. Glaring at the suppose leader he slightly bowed down to get his seniors off his back.
"We should introduce ourselves too, although I'm sure you already know who we are. I'm Toujou Nozomi, pleased to meet you." She flashed the three a smile and eyed the three of them. This is going to be interesting.
"Yazawa Nico." She smirked at the trio. They don't look that bad, especially the blonde. I guess it won't be that bad.
"I'm Minami Kotori. I'll be in your care." She gave a bright smile to the guests.
"I'm sorry," Amber eyes met with another pair of amber. "have we met before? You look sort of familiar." Ushio was taken by surprised by the question, but shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong person. This is my first time meeting you in person." He gave Kotori an apologetic look.
"Oh. I guess I must have." Kotori slightly frowned from his answer and dropped the awkward conversation. For some odd reason he reminded her of someone she knew...but who? Eiichi and Masaki gave Ushio a questioning look, but decided not to push the issue at the moment.
"Well, now that the introductions are done shall we get started?" All heads turned towards the perky purple haired girl. Eiichi was surprised by how she could change the atmosphere so quickly. Her looks were strikingly beautiful and her eyes were mesmerizing to the point where he could stare into them for- wait what was he thinking? Shaking away the strange thoughts he regained his serious composure.
"Let's make things quick then." Nico spoke up from the group. "I don't like the idea of having someone follow me 24/7 so if possible I liked to have my privacy from time to time." Her statement made a certain redhead snort.
"A little demanding don't you think, and we haven't started yet."
"What was that slanted eyes!?" Nico retorted to Masaki's comment.
"Who are you calling slanted eyes shorty?" The pair glared into each other's eyes. Sparks could be seen flying around the two.
"That's enough Masaki, remember what I told you." Ushio gave his junior a warning look. They can't complain about their mission. Commander Izumi gave it to them for a reason. They all knew this much was nothing compared to what he had done for them in the many years of their lives. Breaking the intense staring contest Masaki crossed his arms in response to Ushio's warning.
"I'm sorry about that. Masaki can be blunt with the things he says sometimes." Eiichi apologized in the redhead's stead.
"Oh, there's no need to apologize. Nicochii can be pretty bossy sometimes too." Nozomi gave a reassuring smile to ease the tension.
"*Ehem* Well then If you don't mind, I'm sure you know why we're here so I'll keep it short as possible for your sake." Ushio, as always, disregards the mood and continues the discussion. "Our job is to protect the three of you for the time being until we are given a new mission. Each of us has been assigned to you under orders of our commander. If you have any problems with this I would advise you to talk it out with your parents."
"Your cute when your serious." Nozomi let out a giggle and smile teasingly.
"I- Uh- E-excuse me?" Her teasing caused him to blush and stumble with his words. The scene amused Eiichi and Masaki since it was rare to see the bluenette flustered. Knowing that another chance won't come again they decided to have their own fun.
"Ushio, I didn't know your face could get so red." The quarter Russian nudged his side him causing to blush even further.
"Wow! Your face is almost as red as my hair, maybe even redder." Masaki smirked.
"That's enough! Stop playing around, this is serious!" The blue haired boy was getting irritated with his friends. He knew they were doing it on purpose.
"Hmph, for people who have killed you guys are very laid back." They hadn't noticed the new presence in the room. He was around their age and wore a typical bodyguard uniform. He had dark brown eyes and a brown hair that looked like a dirty mop. The words made the trio in suits tense. Nozomi and Nico were also lost at words to turn in the situation.
"Makoto-kun! Those words were unnecessary, apologize right now!" Kotori stood from her seat as a response to one of her bodyguard's rude behavior.
"There is no need to apologize Minami-san. I have been digging through some available background information on them, and I can say that they are not to be trusted!" The bodyguard known as Makoto glared at the three and walked around them. "They're nothing but a bunch of coldblooded killers! Especially Sonoda Ushio, there is little information about his childhood after the age of-"
"I wonder how fast your reaction is to an attacker is?" A cold calculative voice came out of the bluenette. His usual bright amber eyes darken like a clear sky that was suddenly covered with storm clouds. "It would be a shame if your master was unexpectedly killed."
"Wha-" Makoto's words were cut off when Ushio suddenly stood up and twisted his right arms behind his back. Eiichi and Masaki got up from their seats to try and stop the blue haired man, but froze knowing that they would lose to him when he's in this state. An object was pressed against the back of the pinned man against the wall.
"What exactly do you think the object is? A pen? A knife?" Ushio spoke in a deep voice that made Kotori shiver just by hearing it. This was a completely different man from the one who gave her that polite smile.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Makoto panicked from the sudden attack from the so called killer. Ushio ignored his question and pushed him from behind causing him his face to connect with the ground.
"If I was serious in killing you, you would have been dead by now. I appreciate your dedication in protecting your master, but what I don't appreciate are rats who pry into my past without my consent." The sorry guy on the ground wiped his bloody nose from the impact of the collision.
"You litt-"
"I'm sorry for my rude behavior." Ushio bowed to the three heiresses. "It seems like I may have gotten a little carried away. Please excuse me for my rudeness. Minami-san, I will see you again tomorrow at the university."
With that Ushio bowed one more time before excusing himself out of the room. The three girls were dumbfounded and were still trying to process what had just happened in front of them.
"You're really lucky that all you got was a bloody nose." Masaki bluntly stated to the grounded man. "Last time, Eiichi made him angry he almost got a free plastic surgery for his nose."
The pair of lilac eyes left the room halfway only to turn around and face the shorter girl of the three.
"I'll be in your care tomorrow, Yazawa Nico-san." Masaki gave her an innocent (more like provoking) smile and followed after his friend.
"I'm sorry for the trouble we have caused. Toujou-san I hope to see you again tomorrow." The blonde gave the purple haired girl a weak smile.
"No, in fact it should be us apologizing. We didn't get anything done today." Eiichi bowed down one more time to the ladies and turned to face Makoto.
"You're lucky he was going easy on you; if he was being serious you would've ended up in the hospital." He sent the man a warning glare. "Like Ushio said, we don't like people prying into our past without consent, especially classified information. Take this as a warning; next time he won't be the only one you will need to worry about." With those last words he left the room to catch up with his friends.
When Eiichi caught up with the two they were standing by the elevator. The ride back down was filled with an awkward silence until the bluenette sighed to break the silence.
"I'm sorry for how I acted you guys."
"It not your fault, he kind of being a pain anyways." The older blonde gave him a reassuring smile and lightly punched his left shoulder.
"He was; if you didn't do it I'm sure it would have been me beating him to a pulp." Masaki smirked at his seniors and they all laughed.
The bonds that they shared over the years could never be replaced. They would go to hell and back just to save each other. Even if they didn't share any blood they were like brothers to each other.
"By the way, why did Minami-san ask you that question?" Ushio received questing looks from his brothers only to answer them with a shaking head.
"She may have mistaken me for someone else. Besides, if we did meet when we were younger, chances are, I may have forgotten her." The look of his face scrunched into a painful face. The two knew how Ushio didn't like to bring up his past and didn't push the matter any further.
That right. All I can remember are the hazy memories of when I was seven. The scent of smoke and blood filled the air. Those memories I want to forget and the memories I can never recall.
So what do you think? Have they really met before? Ushio has slight amnesia due to traumatic events when he was younger. Does Nico already have a small crush on our beloved handsome blonde, and is he already falling for our teasing fiend? Who knows? I sure don't. :P
Until Next Time…