AN: Sorry again, I'm 2 days late !!!! Somehow whenever I started to write this story over the weekend, I ended up falling asleep on my desk! I hope this is in no way indicative that this chapter is boring ;)! I will still try to rush out another chapter by the end of this week to stick to my 1 chapt a week. Thanks for the lovely reviews and enjoy!
Chapter 5 – There's More than Meets the Eye
Only Tsukushi noticed the almost imperceptible thinning of his lips before a small smile appeared on Ray's face, "I'm afraid you must have mistaken me for someone else. I have never had the opportunity of attending the prestigious Eitoku." He was polite but firm.
A small trace of doubt lingered on Tsukasa's face but he shrugged it off, "possible, it's been so long ago and you don't really look or act much like that autistic kid anyway." Ray smiled politely and shook his head.
"Yumi, did you want to discuss the contract with me or would you prefer to relax first?" Tsukasa turned to Yumi.
"I'll actually like to get it over now, then we can enjoy the rest of the evening if it is fine with you?" Tsukasa agreed immediately.
"Ray, why don't you get yourself a drink or something? Or perhaps you could chaperone Tsukasa's little friend in the meantime? Don't wander too far, we won't take long." The warning underlying Yumi's words was clear enough to Ray, even though they were delivered with a smile.
"Of course," Ray replied automatically. Aware of Yumi's eyes on him, he turned to Tsukushi and asked formally in a polite yet detached manner, "what would this lady like to drink?" Yumi almost purred in satisfaction when she saw him heeding her warning.
Understanding dawned upon Tsukasa as he watched this little interchange between Yumi and Ray, and his lip curled in disgust. For goodness sake, the young man could almost be Yumi's son.
"She's going no where with you, she needs to do her job," he replied coldly on behalf of Tsukushi, extremely annoyed that the latter was blushing and stammering like an idiotic schoolgirl. A brief look of surprise appeared on Ray's face.
Just then, another acquaintance of Yumi's appeared and she paused to exchange a few words with them. Taking advantage of Yumi's preoccupation, Tsukasa added in the same icy tone, "sorry to disappoint you but Tsukushi's only a lowly paid personal assistant and she doesn't have the money to pay for your services." Ignoring the incredulous expression in Tsukushi's eyes and the sharp intake of her breath, Tsukasa continued mercilessly, "I'm afraid you'll have to look for another rich, lonely old lady to fleece."
Horrified at Tsukasa's insults, Tsukushi's eyes automatically sought Ray's. Although a muscle twitched in his jaw, his face remained perfectly composed and his expressionless dark eyes gave nothing away as he looked at Tsukasa. To any bystander, they could have been making casual conversation about the weather.
"Sorry for making you wait," Yumi rejoined the conversation only seconds later, blissfully oblivious of the terse atmosphere that had befallen the group. Ray bowed over her hand and politely excused himself. Tsukushi felt a sharp pang in her heart when he failed to meet her eyes. However, she had to force herself to pay attention as the business discussion commenced.
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"Okay, let's drink to the success of our future cooperation," Yumi smiled as Tsukasa tried to catch the attention of a waiter standing in the vicinity. "Please go and inform Ray that our meeting has ended," she ordered Tsukushi. Only too happy to obey this command in spite of the tone in which it was issued, Tsukushi quickly left both of them and went off in search of Ray before Tsukasa could voice any objections.
She found him leaning against a pillar on one of the balconies, half hidden in the shadows as he surveyed the people in the ballroom. He spotted her from afar, noticing the slight hesitation in her step when she caught sight of him before she continued in his direction. His features were schooled in a polite smile when she came up to him.
"I take it that Yumi is looking for me?" He spoke first and Tsukushi nodded. "Thank you for coming to get me," Ray said politely as he put down his empty glass on a nearby table.
"Wait," Tsukushi caught hold of his arm and blushed when he turned towards her with the same polite but slightly disinterested look on his face. "I'm … … I'm so sorry about what Mr Doumyouji said. I get insults from him all the time as well … … Please … … please don't take what he says to heart." She said nervously with a low bow.
Although Rui's countenance remained unchanged, his manner thawed and became less detached as he commented dryly, "you'll tip over if you bend any lower." Tsukushi's head instantly flew up and she stared at him, surprised but relieved.
"You don't have to apologise for him you know, he's speaking the truth." Rui continued as a wry smile twisted his lips, "I am indeed a paid escort." Okay, here goes, he mentally braced himself for her explosive reaction.
Instead, Tsukushi pipped up cheerfully, "well, so am I!" Rui's jaw muscles went slack and his mouth fell open. Looking at his flabbergasted expression, she quickly amended, "only for tonight." Rui blinked as his eyes widened slightly.
"Oh, I know I'm not good enough to be a professional," Tsukushi added in a humble and apologetic tone. She started feeling uncomfortable as Rui continued to stare at her in shocked silence. How could she possibly be an escort? Although she was cute, her looks still did not quite cut it for an escort, and her behaviour was far removed from one. She radiated innocence and naivety, the former the antithesis of an escort, whilst the latter was absolutely fatal to one.
"What is it?" Tsukushi finally broke the growing silence.
"Sorry for staring," Rui quickly apologised, "it's just that you don't really behave like an escort, and I thought Mr Doumyouji mentioned that you were his personal assistant." He smiled at her to remove the sting from his words.
"Yup, I'm his personal assistant, but he paid me overtime tonight to be his companion for this ball."
So THAT was the definition of an escort in her dictionary? One who gets paid overtime for accompanying a boss to what was obviously a business function for both of them? For one of the few times in his life, Rui found himself rendered speechless by the innocence in the brown eyes that were looking candidly at him. She probably would have understood if he used more crude terms to explain the exact scope of an escort's duties, Rui thought wryly as a few came to mind – gigolo, high class male prostitute and boy toy. However, the faint twinges from the remains of a conscience (that he had believed had perished eons ago) prevented him from tainting this pure soul with his corrupted and sullied existence.
So with a rueful smile, he acknowledged her reply with a nod and added as he caught sight of Tsukasa, "speaking of your boss, I think he's looking for you. He is heading for this direction, and I should warn you that he isn't looking too pleased."
"Okay, that's my exit cue! It was great seeing you again, Rui, and thanks for rescuing me just now! I hope we will meet again under more pleasant circumstances." Tsukushi was blushing as she smiled at Rui. "And if he happens to talk to you, could you please tell him that I've left? Thanks … …" She was already moving in the opposite direction. Observing that Tsukasa was heading straight for him, Rui took a deep breath and drifted back into his Ray persona.
"Did you find Tsukushi?" Tsukasa growled when he came face-to-face with Yumi's new toy boy. It was really disgusting how cool and full of himself that man was despite his chosen "profession". And it certainly did not help Tsukasa's temper to see the way that Tsukushi had been looking at that scum – with stars in her eyes.
"She told me to inform you that she was going home," Ray replied politely with a bland expression. Tsukasa cursed loudly before blocking Ray's path as he tried to walk away.
"You will keep your filthy hands off her and stay away from her," Tsukasa warned him through gritted teeth.
"As you mentioned, she cannot afford to pay for my services," Ray replied coolly, "now please excuse me, I have to find my employer." He walked off calmly, leaving a seething Tsukasa behind.
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"What's the matter with you?" Soujirou asked when Tsukasa nearly bit off the poor waiter's head for bringing white instead of red wine with his steak. "You've been like a bear with a sorehead since this morning. I thought the contract with Yumi went well?"
"Do you remember our days in Eitoku and the "Flower Four" nickname?" The abrupt change in topic caught Soujirou by surprise.
"Yes," he replied a trifle warily.
"Have you ever wondered about what happened to the other two?" Tsukasa's mind appeared to be wandering.
"Tsukasa, I know you. This isn't random curiosity. Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
"I met this guy at the ball last night. He reminded me of one of us. Do you still remember the transferee who was voted the last member of the flower four, after Akira and the two of us? The guy who suddenly stopped coming to school one day?"
"None of us really knew him well. He was extremely quiet and was autistic as well to boot. However, I believe his looks managed to get him the vote of almost every single female in Eitoku, which was why he ended up being one of the prestigious flower four if I may say so myself," Soujirou paused and added thoughtfully, "actually, I thought you were probably close to him than Akira and myself."
"That's because you both were the infamous playboys who were always hanging out together and getting chased or chasing anything with skirts," Tsukasa snorted.
"Why, Tsukasa, I never knew you were jealous of our superior … …" Soujirou began slyly.
"Shut up!"
"Anyway, what's up with that guy?"
"That person I met was working as a gigolo! Can you imagine that?" Tsukasa's words were heavy with disgust. "That's why I didn't think he was the same guy we knew in Eitoku – he couldn't have sunk so low."
"Probably … …" Soujirou commented with his usual grin and Tsukasa proceeded to talk about other matters, oblivious to the fact that unlike usually, the grin was rather forced and failed to light up his friend's face … …
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A Couple of Weeks Later
The loud ringing of the phone interrupted the rapid clicking noise coming from the keyboard.
"Fleet Limited, Makino speaking. How can I help you?"
"… … yes, he's my brother … …"
"What?" Tsukushi's voice became shrill with alarm.
There was a long pause and then she quickly asked, "how is he now? … … Which hospital?"
"… … yes, yes, I'll be there directly." Tsukushi hung up and immediately dialled Yuki's number with trembling fingers.
She spoke immediately the moment she heard her friend's voice, "Yuki, can you help me to apply for emergency leave immediately?"
"Usually we can, but as a personal assistant you need to obtain permission from your direct boss as well." Tsukushi let out a string of curses that made Yuki flinch.
"… … he's out at a fxxxxxx meeting," Tsukushi concluded.
"What's wrong?"
"Susumu's in hospital."
"What happened?" Yuki sounded extremely worried.
"They were playing football and he was injured by a tackle. Apparently, he was dizzy, threw up and collapsed. The teacher was worried that he might have gotten a concussion and sent him to hospital. Damn it! Yuki, I really need to go … …"
Yuki bit her lip, "okay, just go. I'll do up the forms for you and get someone to cover your duties by the time Tsukasa comes back."
"Thanks so much, you're a life saver," Tsukushi was so relieved that she could feel tears starting to pool in her eyes.
"Send my regards to Susumu and I hope he's fine."
"Thanks again, Yuki," Tsukushi grabbed her purse and ran out of the building. Within moments, she was in a cab and on the way to the hospital, praying hard that nothing was wrong with her younger brother and the only member of her family that she had left.
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Lian: Hi hi! Hope things are going well! Thanks for reading!!! Yes, I have given them nicknames because I doubt that they would be using their "real" names when working ;)! However, I tried to make it easy to remember by giving them names that sound similar to their original names e.g. Ray vs Rui and Akira vs Ark (1st syllabus).
Chi5: Hi there! Yes, I think I remember you from the first few chapters of façade? I'm glad you find the first chapter interesting and I hope this story continues to hold your interest (unlike Façade)! Thanks so much for reading !!! Unfortunately I can't answer your question right now – otherwise the plot will be revealed and it won't be captivating anymore ne? This current chapter does, however, go a certain way towards answering them doesn't it? However, I promise you your questions will definitely be answered by the time this story is finished!
sweetpeakit: Hey, thanks so much for your kind comments !!! I can see you are a staunch Rui fan ne? Will definitely keep your suggestions in mind. Thanks again!
Pure Innocence: Really glad you enjoyed the last chapter – hopefully this chapter is just as enjoyable! Thanks so much for sending me the link – I tried it but it was down at that time. I will try again! Thanks for sharing your fav Rui part!
.:: Stacey ::. ): Hi hi! Less intense and emotional? That's a good observation – after your comment I thought over the pass few chapters and realized that they were indeed more light-hearted! However, that's just the starting hint hint … … How would you classify this chapter? More intense and emotional? Or still in the relatively lighter category? I am really interested to know. Love to read your POV – very very perceptive. Between, was the 1st chapter too confusing? If so, just let me know what part and I'll elabourate – so long as it doesn't give away subsequent plots ;) !!!!
just a reader :Ah a new reader! Welcome!!! Hey, I really liked your observation about the characters being right on target. I was trying my best to show the Rui persona that exists beneath Ray's exterior – does this sound too confusing ;) ? And I'm so glad you picked it up !!!!!
just a teen: Hey, sorry about this late posting – I know it's a couple of days late. Sorry sorry – but still kinda within a week ??? hopeful look Urm, I think this chapter kind of answers your question about whether Tsukasa likes Rui as a friend? He sees Rui as a rival! Thanks for your kind comments!
sadness-reigns: Really interesting that you've caught the parallels btw HYD and this story that I've thrown in! You see, the thing about Tsukushi not retaliating here unlike in HYD is because of the different circumstances. Yes, she would strike back if someone bullies her, but in HYD the girls insulted her to her face. On the other hand, how does one strike back against malicious whispers and insinuations not spoken to one's face? The guests could have easily said that she was over sensitive and that they weren't even talking about her! Furthermore, she's currently "on the job" i.e. she's being paid to work as a PA, so she might get fired if she screwed things up.
Piglet: Hi! Good to see you! Thanks for your kind comments!!! The "unique style of writing" kinda made my day ;)! I realized that my starting is always pretty slow and I tend to get overly descriptive. I hope this coming chapter answers some of your questions regarding Ray. However, I have a feeling that it simply throws up more questions ;)?
frozenyogurt ): Thanks for reading as always! Sorry, I haven't read the manga b4 so I was judging Rui based on his character as reflected in the anime – oops !!!! He seems a bit too cheerful, but if that's how the manga portrayed him, then you've definitely captured it correctly!
Nancy: Are the 4 guys friends? Kinda of, sorta – that's what I wanted it to be portrayed in this story. Not an extremely close friendship but still there's something there … … at least between the flower four. Is Rui part of the FF? Let me hang on to this secret a bit longer ok? ;) Really really glad you find the plot refreshing – I was having my own insecurities about trying something that I had in mind but really OCC and AU! Thanks so much!
kensingtonkid: Hi! So sorry, I haven't had time this week to check out your other website – but I promise I will get down to it one day!!! Cross my heart! That was great writing – I loved it! Simply amazing! Ask me 1000X and I'll still say the same thing. Yes, you're right, Ray can't dump Yumi because they signed a contract and basically that's his job. Really unfortunate, I'm sure you hate her more after this chapter! Very insightful questions, but unfortunately they would all reveal the plot so I guess they will only be slowly answered as the plot reveals! Sorrie!!! By now you will probably have realized that Tsukasa, Soujirou and Akira are the FF. Who is the last mysterious member? ;) Thanks for you constant support and kind comments (extremely long – which of course I love, but my goodness I can imagine all your effort)!
peppermint23: Oh course I remember you, Vickii!! It's really been quite a while! Good to see/hear/read? You again! I have always been wondering if any of the winglin writers/readers also frequent this website like myself. It's just I find this website much more organized so I've kind of posted my stories here instead :)! Haven't been to winglin for quite a while, not even to read I have to confess! Thanks so much for commenting!!!