AN: My most sincere apologies for this update being soooooo late. The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activities as I have had to add apartment hunting in addition to my usual schedule. Those of you who have ever gone apartment hunting know what a pain and how time consuming it is. To make up for my tardiness (I felt really guilty about making you all wait so long), I have written an extra long chapter (probably about 1.5 times the usual length) and also revealed the mystery of the "he" and the "she" and provided partial details regarding their "contract". Please read the story before my answers to the reviews so that you would not accidentally hit upon the answer to the mystery before reading this chapter.
And thank you soooooooo much to all my readers and especially my reviewers !!! May I add that you have provided the motivating force behind this chapter, pushing me to spend the bulk of my free time (sometimes using a spare 15 mins here and there) writing.
Rui: Distinguish between an excuse and an explanation.
Sheen: An explanation is a legitimate excuse.
Rui: I would like to point out that you are merely adding an adjective in front of the same word.
Sheen: But … but that makes a world of difference.
Rui: (raises a sardonic eyebrow)
(Sorry, I know this is more in line with Rui's character in Façade rather than in this story, but simply couldn't control myself! wink)
Recap of last chapter:
Rui ended up in the club where Tsukushi was performing when entertaining one of his clients. He started looking at her in a totally different light, realizing that she was not merely a child, but an extremely attractive woman. He was rather worried about her choice of career, however, and sought her out to warn her. In the meantime, Tsukushi had observed Rui being intimate with his client and mistook her to be his girlfriend. The misunderstanding led to Rui finally revealing the real nature of his occupation and warning Tsukushi to be careful in hers. Their conversation was unfortunately cut short when the client summoned Rui back to work … …
Chapter 11 – Seeds of Distrust
Tsukasa cursed loudly as he slammed down his phone, raking a hand through his unruly curls. It had been an extremely frustrating morning and his day only got worse when he had to placate a rather irate but unfortunately valued customer, because of a major blunder committed by one of his managers. He reached for a glass of water and gulped down its contents, trying to soothe his throat that was parched from his continuous attempts to appease the client.
This was the second time that same manager had caused such trouble. Needless to say, Tsukasa had left strict instructions to the HR department to ensure the fellow's permanent departure from the company's premises by the end of the day. Tsukasa had always lived by his policy "two strikes and you're out for the count". Relieved that the crisis was finally over, he grabbed a contract from the pile at the side of his desk and buried himself in work again.
Four hours and several cups of coffee later, Tsukasa glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was already 8pm. Rubbing his eyes wearily, he lifted his head and found himself staring at three empty cups on his desk. Evidently, Tsukushi must have quietly replenished his caffeine supply before she left, but he had been too deeply engrossed in his work to notice. A warm feeling came over him – one that he was starting to associate with all her. Tsukushi's many small but thoughtful gestures had revealed her kind and generous heart that lay beneath her tough and often prickly exterior. Tsukasa's brows furrowed as he realised that he was beginning to grow a bit too fond of his secretary than was good for him … …
The shrill ringing of his telephone jolted him back to reality. Tsukasa reached for the receiver, mentally cursing the inconsiderate idiot who was looking for him in his office at 8pm on a Friday night.
"Doumyouji speaking," he growled into the mouthpiece.
"Geez, Tsukasa, what crawled up your ass and died?" Soujirou's cheerful voice grated on his nerves.
"If you have nothing better … …" he began.
"Chill man, we're suppose to be further developing business relationships with the representatives from Takioshyo Limited at 9pm tonight. You haven't forgotten have you?" He said with a touch of sarcasm and then laughed when Tsukasa muttered a curse. "Thought you would have. Anyway, don't panic. I made sure I called you with plenty of time to spare. Just remember to get to "The Den" by 9pm." Soujirou rattled off an address which Tsukasa took down in case his chauffeur did not know the club. Twenty minutes later, he had finished looking through the last contract, freshened up and was on his way to "The Den".
To Tsukasa's surprise, the décor of the exclusive club was tasteful with lush carpets, a mixture of furniture with delicate and elaborate designs to suit the female patrons as well as the simpler and comfortable designs preferred by those with more masculine tastes, soft lighting and music. It all added up to an atmosphere of understated elegance. The manager of the establishment personally brought him to the table that Soujirou had reserved and fawned over him in the usual expected manner. To his relief, Soujirou soon arrived and took over the organization of their night.
"So does this place meet with his royal highness's approval?"
Tsukasa simply raised an eyebrow at Soujirou's poor attempt to be witty, "it's adequate. Better than those sleazy places that you frequent." The timely arrival of their guests prevented any further comments about the suitability of their location from the bickering pair.
A few minutes later, Tsukasa was bored out of his mind as he watched Soujirou charm the guests, males and females alike, although Tsukasa had to admit that the extent of Soujirou's success with the latter was phenomenal. That was precisely why they had such a successful business partnership. In addition to his acute judgment, Tsukasa was always willing to put in the extra time and a tremendous amount of effort beyond his competitors, whilst Soujirou was just as brilliant and put in as much effort (although less time) in managing the business relationships.
His thoughts were disturbed when a different song started playing at a much louder volume and he heard Soujirou saying, "… the performers are said to be exceptional." Turning to face the stage, he blinked a few times to ensure that his eyes were not playing tricks on him as his brain shut down and his heartbeat accelerated. His annoying, prickly, prude of a secretary with violent tendencies was dressed in a relatively skimpy costume on stage with three other dancers, moving with an enticing combination of grace and seductiveness. He had been attracted to her, but he had never realized that she was so beautiful before. Gods, she was mesmerizing … …
He was not aware that his mouth was hanging open until he felt a sharp nudge in his ribs as Soujirou's voice hissed urgently in his ear, "stop drooling, Tsukasa! Our guests are going to notice you." He obeyed almost automatically, his eyes never leaving the stage. Only when the show ended did Tsukasa excuse himself, taking a short trip to the gents to try to calm the strange, achy emotion in his chest, as well as the heat that had enveloped his body. He had succeeded to a certain extent when the manager waylaid him on the way back to his table.
"Mr Doumyouji sir," the man said with an ingratiating smile.
"Yes?" He bit out a trifle impatiently.
"I have a business proposition for you." Tsukasa frowned having heard the familiar words countless of times at many different occasions. He was about to give the man the usual brush off by asking him to contact his managers when the man continued hurriedly, "I saw you paying close attention to our lovely dancers just now." He stiffened and felt a slow flush creeping over his cheeks as a denial rose almost automatically to his lips. Was he that obvious?
"I could persuade my girls to come over and keep you and your associates company for a very reasonable price," the manager said with an oily smile and a knowing wink. "And of course if you all find each other company's enjoyable and if any of them subsequently agrees to go out on a date with you fine gentlemen, it's no business of this establishment's and I won't know anything about it … ..."
"No, thank you," Tsukasa replied with biting politeness as he glared at the idiot, barely managing to refrain himself from slamming the idiot into the wall. How dare he insult both Tsukushi and himself by such insinuations? He stormed away, leaving behind a petrified guy who was busy stammering out apologies that he did not want to hear.
"What's the matter?" Soujirou asked Tsukasa when his friend and business partner returned from his toilet visit obviously much more disturbed than he had been when he left.
"I'm fine," Tsukasa said with a forced smile and Soujirou let the matter rest, knowing that it was definitely the wrong time to be pursuing the issue. Their conversation was interrupted when the waitress finally arrived with a second round of drinks. As Tsukasa shifted to allow her easier access to the table, his eye fell on another table in the VIP area and he froze.
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Tsukushi was trying to laugh politely at some of the extremely dull jokes the young man was trying to entertain her with. She glanced around the table, but her fellow dancers appeared to be having a much better time than her. Either she was unlucky enough to end up with the most boring fellow in the group or they were all better actresses than she, Tsukushi thought wryly.
Frankly, she was rather tired of taking on these additional duties of playing host to their different "important fan groups" so frequently after their performances. However, she could never withstand the appeals made to her better nature. Tsukushi knew that some of her team members even went on dates with their fans, but she never did, preferring to keep their relationship professional. She also never accepted any overly expensive gifts that some of their over zealous fans had attempted to give her, partly because it was not in her nature to take advantage of others and partly because she did not know if any strings were attached to such presents, especially after receiving the warning from Rui. A bittersweet pang shot through her heart whenever she thought of him … …
"I'm sorry but I have to leave earlier today," Tsukushi stood up after a while. "My brother is having a test the day after and I promised to tutor him tonight."
"Makino san is such a loving sister," the young man whom she had been sitting next to the entire night complimented her.
"Not, at all," she managed to smile cheerfully at him. Just then, his pager beeped and he glanced down at it.
"I need to go too," he told his companions. Turning to Tsukushi, he offered politely to drive her home.
"No, it's fine," she insisted. "My bus is arriving in about 2 minutes time."
"At least permit me walk you out. My chauffeur is waiting outside anyway," he finally threw in the towel. Mentally heaving a sigh at his persistence and yet not wanting to offend any of their customers/fans, Tsukushi consented and they left together after saying goodbye to their respective friends.
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Tsukasa splashed water over his face furiously, ignoring the fact that he was getting his dress shirt wet. His hands gripped the sink so tightly that his knuckles turned white as he glared at his dripping reflection. She left with him. She actually left with that pathetic loser! He took a deep breath and tried to push aside the irrational feelings of rage and jealously that were threatening to overcome him … …
His first reaction had been one of disbelief when he saw Tsukushi and the rest of the dancers in the company of the son of one of his competitors, a rich but (in his opinion) useless flop. Another customer had apparently quickly agreed to the manager's proposition after his rejection. The dancers, including Tsukushi, had been just as quick to fulfill what seemed to be part of their "normal" duties. So the offer made to him had not been exclusive – he had been a fool to think otherwise.
He had only been observing them for a short while before Tsukushi and the flop left, together. Bile rose to his throat and he had felt sick to his stomach for a moment as he recalled the words of the manger, "…if any of them subsequently agrees to go out on a date with you fine gentlemen, it's no business of this establishment's and I won't know anything about it … …" Surely Tsukushi would not? But yet … … The sick feeling he was experiencing was quickly displaced by fury and a deep disappointment that cut to the core. He left the gathering as soon as he could subsequently.
It had been somewhat shattering to realize that the secretary whom he had to come to trust and rely on – he stubbornly refused to let himself think that she might have come to mean more - might either be a spy or a cheap slut. Although he was aware of the disloyalty of such thoughts, Tsukasa realized with a sinking sensation in his stomach that he preferred her to be the former rather than the latter, because that would mean that he had never really known her and she was far removed from the innocent, hot-tempered but kind-hearted girl that he had come to … … He quickly dunked his head under the running tap, not wanting to further pursue the direction his thoughts had turned.
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The next day he surreptitiously observed Tsukushi as she did her work, but she gave no sign of behaving any differently from the day she started working for him. To test her loyalty, he placed two highly confidential documents on the table and left the room just before one of her daily trips to his office. Tsukasa watched her actions carefully on the screen that was connected to the video camera installed in his office. However, Tsukushi simply placed the mail on his in trays and left without even glancing in the direction of his documents. He was torn between a sense of relief and dread.
"Would you like us to continue to observe her, sir?" His chief of security asked him.
"Yes, continue to do so for a week. Let me know if she does anything out of ordinary … …"
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Tsukushi suddenly felt the presence of someone near her. Her face lit up with a bright smile when she turned to see Rui standing next to her, placing an empty glass on the counter. In silent agreement, they walked to the back of the club.
"You're really early today, are you free for the night?" Tsukushi asked a little cautiously. The corners of Rui's mouth curled into a small ironical smile.
"Not really, but my client is having a facial done, so she generously gave me two hours off." He gestured his head in one direction, "her beautician's parlour is just around the corner."
"Isn't it pretty late for a facial?" Tsukushi asked in puzzlement. "I thought all beauty parlours closed by six pm."
"Not if you own the chain." Rui's cynical smile melted into a genuine one when Tsukushi's mouth fell open in shock. He could not resist pinching her nose playfully. "You're really cute, you know?" He laughed outright as she turned bright red. After an embarrassed pause, Tsukushi joined in the laughter.
"Rui," she began tentatively when a comfortable silence had fallen over them.
"Mmm?"
"Can I ask you something?"
His lips twisted into an amused smile, "you just did." When he saw her dumbfounded expression, Rui chuckled, "it's alright, you can ask another one."
"Why don't you do something else?" She asked carefully, aware that she was treading on dangerous grounds, "you don't really seem to enjoy your job."
His smile froze as his eye darkened and he tensed for a moment. Then Rui forced himself to relax as he pulled out a silver cigarette case and lighter from his trouser pocket. Removing a cigarette from the case, he lit it with a slightly unsteady hand before taking a deep drag. He slowly exhaled and moved the thin stick away from his lips, holding it elegantly between two long fingers as he gazed unseeingly into the darkness.
Just when Tsukushi thought that he was not going to reply, Rui said in such soft tones that it almost seemed as though he was speaking to himself, "what else can I do?" The trace of despair and hopelessness underlying those words broke her heart. As he raised the cigarette to his lips again, Tsukushi automatically stopped him.
"Don't do that, you're destroying your health." He allowed her to remove the cancer stick from his fingers and throw it into a nearby bin. "There are so many more things you can do," she continued with a burst of forced enthusiasm, "you could easily work in a PR or sales department … …" His finger pressing gently on her lips and a gentle smile terminated her flow of words.
"Do you know how much I'm earning?" Before she could reply, he continued in a toneless voice as the smile disappeared and he looked at her with disturbingly empty eyes, "there isn't any no other job that pays so well and supports the extravagant lifestyle that I have gotten used to." He sounded as if he had memorized the entire litany, the way a person would after having spent ages trying to convince himself of the truth of his statements.
"Well, we better head in," he glanced at his watch. "There's only half an hour more to your performance. Your manager's probably wondering where you are."
"Wait," Tsukushi called as she hurried after him, slipping on a wet patch on the ground in the darkness. He turned obediently just as she was starting to fall backwards and instinctively reached out to stop her descend. His strong arms wrapped firmly around her waist, steadying her against him as her fingers tightly clutched at the lapels of his coat.
"Are you al … …" Rui began as he looked down at Tsukushi, his voice dying away when he found her face only inches from his. As their eyes locked and melded together, something ignited between them and the feeling of déjà vu washed over them as they forgot about the rest of the world. The gap between their bodies disappeared as they were drawn inexorably towards each other. Rui paused, breathing in her delicate jasmine scent. Tsukushi was so close that he could see the curl of each of her long eyelashes over heavily lidded, dreamy eyes, the tiny freckles on her nose and feel her warm breath gently fanning his cheek.
"In any fairytale, this would be when the prince gets to kiss the princess," Rui breathed softly as his reason returned, reluctantly drawing back to put some distance between himself and those enticing, slightly parted lips before he succumbed to temptation and tasted them.
Lost in a world of dreams, Rui's words had the impact of a pail of cold water on Tsukushi. The dazed look in her eyes vanished immediately and pain was reflected in those dark orbs as she slowly but firmly extricated herself from his arms.
"But we are neither princes nor princesses, nor do we live in the fairy realm," her equally quiet words were heavy with sadness and a certain resignation as she acknowledged the harsh truth that he spoke.
"Tsukushi," Rui automatically started reaching out to comfort her before thinking better of his actions and letting his arms fall back by his sides. This was reality and he refused to lie or provide false solace that would likely result in even more pain for her.
"Take care, Rui, I'll see you around," she tiptoed and gave him a friendly peck on his cheek before walking back into the club. Rui stood there for a few seconds watching her departing figure, and then followed her in through the same door. Neither of them saw the dark figure around the corner watching their little exchange. They did not realize that shrouded in the darkness of the night, their actions could be easily misconstrued as those of lovers, clinging together in a passionate embrace … …
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She secretly glanced at the clock for the umpteen time, cursing him for being late. Being a master in clinching deals, he should have known that it was DEFINITELY not a good strategy to start negotiations by making the principal decision makers wait. What on earth was holding him up?
She continued to maintain a calm front, smiling as she kept the light conversation going, and pretended to be oblivious to the censure apparent on the four displeased faces in front of her. Letting her concentration waver for a brief moment, she felt a sudden urge to laugh hysterically. For goodness sake, he was only fifteen minutes late. They did not have to act so affronted … …
She quickly stood up as the buzzer sounded, indicating that someone was entering the mansion, "that must be him, I'll just go and get him." Ignoring the approving looks and murmurs, she quickly left the room.
"You're late! What on earth were you thinking of … …" Her voice trailed away when she caught sight of his dark visage, clenched jaw and the strange glitter in his eyes as he passed his suit jacket to a servant. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She tried to suppress a wave of fury at his blunt tone and the not quite subtle warning to keep out of his business. Fine, if that's the way he wanted it. She would be extremely relieved when their contract was over. She forced a smile onto her face just before entering the living room and hoped that he was doing the same.
"Good evening, father, mother, Mr and Mrs Sumimoto," he inclined his head to them in a respectful manner.
"Tsukasa, we are ashamed of your tardy behaviour." Tsukasa's lips thinned as he looked at the cold expression on the face of the woman who gave birth to him.
"I was caught up at work."
"You have better planning skills than that. You need to be more respectful, especially since your in-laws have traveled all this way with Shigeru to see you." Mrs Doumyouji glanced approvingly at her before looking at Mr and Mrs Sumimoto who both nodded. "We have all agreed that it's time to announce your wedding to the world."
All four heads whipped towards Tsukasa with varying degrees of disbelief and shock as he drop the bombshell on them, "not when we have both decided to get an annulment."
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AN: Now an added apology for the cliché. I think most of you actually guessed their identities correctly. The guy was Tsukasa, the girl was Shigeru and the nature of the contract is similar to the engagement contract that most of you thought it was too. Just a couple of minor differences: 1) They are actually married – the contract is not an engagement contract but the legal marriage certificate. I simply focused on the form of the legal document and twisted it to sound like a business arrangement ;). 2) The marriage certificate forms part of the contract but is not the full contract. There are other unwritten conditions which I think would be revealed by the next chapter. I do hope that you aren't too disappointed and I would really love to hear your opinions !!!
P.S. I apologise for changing Shigeru's surname from Okawhara to Sumimoto. I had forgotten her surname and anyway, I guess it worked out well because no one could guess her identity and draw the parallel after all!
thefrustratedwriter: Very interesting idea that – Tsukushi seducing Rui. I think he would completely freeze for a long instance, then blink and swallow rapidly when his muscles relaxed sufficiently to allow small movements! Thanks so much for the useful information you provided on tissue typing. I was wondering if I could ask you a further question? Don't worry about replying if you don't have time :)! It's just that the article I read said that there were 3 conditions that needed to be fulfilled prior to becoming a kidney donor. Can't remember the 3rd but the 1st was a matching blood type and then 2nd matching tissue types. I thought that it would be difficult to explain why the tissue types of siblings would not match so I had to use the more lame reason that their blood types do not match (this is the case in my family i.e. bloodtypes). I felt it was rather lame really, so I wonder in addition to the mismatched blood types, would it be equally lame to say that because Susumu's problem was genetic, they did not want to risk using Tsukushi's kidneys? However, I thought there were probably extant tests that could deal with this issue? Thanks so much for your review and constructive comments !!!!
kensingtonkid: Hi hi! Really glad to read your insight !!! I had thought that you were probably caught up with sometime just like me! Finally a few questions that I can answer without giving the plot away! Here goes: No, Yamada-san will not be playing a major role. He was just there to hint at the things that a performer may do beyond dancing i.e. entertaining ;)! The 'darker side' of dancing has been explained by the manager (who is by the way not Cleve who is the owner) i.e. the ways dancers can add to their income on the side … … which also happens to attract more customers to the club. Sorry to hear that things aren't going well. I do hope that things are getting better for you! When things are at the lowest ebb (or what seems to be the lowest ebb at the point in time), I used to tell myself that they can only get better, that things are transient. Just grit your teeth and endure, the difficult phase will pass. Take care!
.:: Stacey ::. ): Really good to hear from you! I must really applaud your insight regarding "Everything in this story has been running too smoothly (for Sheen stories .), this probably means the bomb is ticking and getting nearer to explode." Do you know, I never even realized this myself until I read your sentence! I was actually taken aback for a moment when the truth of the statement struck me forcibly in the face! Ah the moments of revelation that send a chill down your spine! I hope this coming chapter meets your expectations! One serving of Tsukasa coming up!
sweetpeakit: Was thrilled to read about the goosebumps! I only hope that each chapter will incite the same reaction ;) !! The answer to the negotiations are finally answered!!!! Really hope the answer does not disappoint. Take care and have a great week!
sadness-reigns: Hi there! Your question was answered in this chapter i.e. "will Tsukasa see Tsukushi dance as well?" Sorry for the lack of a dramatic scene. I actually had another scene planned in my head as well, but I thought this would be more in line with Rui's character. But you might be interested in knowing what the other one is so here goes (briefly):
Rui was hanging out with Soujirou at "the Den" and he sees Tsukushi's performance. He immediately waits for her performance to end and pulls out her out into the alley, asking her what on earth does she think she's doing and why she has degraded herself thus etc? Tsukushi thinks he's overacting and he laughs bitterly asking her just what she thinks his job is all about. He throws the truth right in her face. They exchange confidences thus and end up apologizing to each other for overacting and embrace.the end/
Would you have preferred that?
Chi5: Sorry for the long delay in updating. I do hope this extra long chapter makes up for it! :)
angel310: hi hi hi! Yup, there are more secrets between them on Rui's side ;)! In his job, he can't afford to be attached to anyone be it clients or others. More will be revealed (in a voice of doom)! Just joking! Thanks soooo much for supporting this story – I can't tell you how good it feels to see familiar names again!!!
KuroiRuy: Urm … … at the moment, I have lots of different endings planned – as my readers of Façade will know is my style. Who Tsukushi ends up with (or if she ends up with anyone at all) will depend on how this story writes out. Sometimes I don't even know the pairings myself until the last chapter. I know I was still dithering between different endings for Façade until the last 1 or 2 chapters!
Scarlet Rayne: Hi there! Thanks so much for your kind comments – very motivating! Hope you like the next chapter too!
ObsessedMeteor: A new reviewer! Yeeessss! Thanks for your generous comments – I'm really, really glad that my story touches you. That's the greatest compliment any writer could get! Thanks again!
polabear: Hi hi! Thanks soooooo much for reading this story and I also read your comments in my other stories … … Wow! I can't believe that you would actually take the time to go and read Façade and POV as well!!! I have to admit that POV really lacks a lot of polish because it was my first effort on HYD and I didn't really even have a plot then. It was my intention to write the 1st 3 POVs and end it there, but it became more popular so I thought why not continue? So sorry about this long delay in updating and thanks again – you've really motivated me to continue writing !!!
Suave101: Really liked your summary of Rui's career "I like, I buy?" That really hit the spot man! Thanks so much for your kind comments – you really made my day!!! And again, I must really apologise for this long delay in update and I hope the extra long chapter makes up for it!