Ultimate Amiss X

This empty space needs something. So here we go: "Put my heart inside you, oh what could I do." I will not be owning any of these lyrics. This is your disclaimer.

Also, I think this is the first time I've updated a story this fast, this regularly. Yay! Enjoy my fast track!

His gaze strays to the phone, fingers twitching along the fabric of the throw-pillow. He should call her, after what happened in the backyard he should at least apologize for how he had acted.

The thought kept slipping through his mind - even more so these past few days - but, Hajime couldn't find it in him to pick up the phone and dial her number. Even if she didn't answer because she was at a shoot, interview, or whatever for the day he would still hear her voice when he was asked to leave a message. He wasn't sure if he could do that just yet, not after what had happened nearly a month ago.

Perhaps if he had gone out on a date with a girl before he would be able to just push through this. Then again... he would have needed to feel something for them, like he had - did - for Junko, to not be so effected when it happened again. A simple date with someone he had no feelings for wouldn't have prepared him for how it felt when his fears were brought out of the shadows and into the light.

He still wasn't sure why he had thought he could be with her. Whenever she had showed up at his school everyone would stare at them, clearly wondering the same thing he continued to wonder back then. Why someone like Junko spent any time with him, someone that was already plain without her standing beside him to make it even more obvious.

Of course at the time he had toyed with the thought that she liked him, that she didn't just stay with him because they had been friends since they were children. Plenty of people moved on with their lives without their childhood friends, even the people met in high school weren't guaranteed to be in one's life for even months after graduation.

Why did he think he was special? The exception to all the unwritten rules of society?

Had she found someone within the month that she liked that was involved in the tough-break industry she loved so much? His lip twitched at the sudden turn of his thoughts. That really wasn't something he wanted to think about. What if he jinxed himself just by thinking that-

No. Hajime shook his head, hard. It's not like he could jinx himself when she didn't like him back. If she did she might have called herself... No, that was also wrong. It didn't take glancing at the gyaru sites to know she was busy. She likely didn't even have time to spare him a thought with how active everything had been recently.

The news about her was filling with new subjects each day, an anticipated shoot or otherwise; her new fans couldn't seem to be sated. How many magazines wanted her on the cover to reap in the sales it would bring? Too many to count out on his hands; even if he included his toes it likely wouldn't be enough.

Busy probably didn't even begin to describe her schedule. Her manager would certainly make sure every time slot was filled, without making Junko's fans concerned with just how much work she was coming out with at such a quick pace. Since she was famous now people might actually start to get concerned if her hours didn't reflect the usual healthy outlook people liked to paint over the modeling industry. Junko certainly didn't want to leave her studio and neither would her manager with how well things were going. They wouldn't want to chance anyone pointing a finger at the company if Junko didn't remain bubbly on the talk shows.

Not that he would know anything about that. He had avoided such networks when he was at home; he just knew of them because of what people said in his classes. Somehow none of them had commented on the photo from a month ago, but he figured since it had been buried so quickly after she made her big break that they simply hadn't found it. If they had he definitely would have gotten some peculiar looks - at the very least, that is.

It was probably best that-

A ring echoed throughout the house, bouncing off the walls and up the stairs. Hajime shifted on the couch, glancing down the hall that led to the entry way. He waited ten seconds until the door bell sounded again before he even considered sitting up, but he still didn't stand.

It's not like his parents were home, hosting a dinner party while he used the excuse that his stomach was queasy so he could go up to his room and avoid the people on the ground floor. Occasionally they went to the second floor - especially if his parents had procured some new painting - not that it would matter. He could easily walk to any room on the third floor without worrying about running into the guests. It might as well have been a mini house up there, including a fully furnished kitchen, gaming room, whatever a teenager could dream up really. There was even a staircase that led down to the theater in the basement. Not a direct route, of course, but more hidden. In fact, the 'steps' were like the kind one found in a jungle gym; an adult could certainly use it, just with some effort and likely complaining about a sore back later.

The door bell rang for a third time and with a sigh Hajime got up, walking barefoot on the oak floorboards to reach the front door. He glanced through the peep hole, frowning when he didn't recognize the person; but when they went to ring the bell again he yanked open the door.

"What do you want?"

The man seemed to nearly jump when the door opened so quickly and without warning, but then composed themselves afterward. "You're a friend of Junko's aren't you?" For a moment he processed those words, feeling his lips tug down into a frown a second later. How did a reporter find his house? When he remained silent the man continued as if he had answered in the affirmative. "Of course you are."

He had to be referring to that photo. Hajime found himself wondering if this was the same reporter from that day, but he hadn't gotten a good look at them to know for sure. Besides, he wasn't holding a camera, just a recording device. "If I am? What are you doing at my house?"

"I'm from-" Hajime tuned out the website, he recognized it as a gyaru news site, a small one at that. Which explained why the reporter was here, to get a scoop of the untold story or something of that regard. So they would have exclusive content about Junko and get more traffic to the site. "-I was wondering how long you had known Junko. I wanted to ask you a few questions about her."

This was going to be a pain. He should have let the door bell ring twenty times, if not more before the reporter had gotten the message. "Why?"

The reporter actually seemed happy with his question, even though he hadn't answered either one directed at him. "Well, if you knew her then maybe you would know what was going on with her recently. Her fans really want to know. I mean, I would think it was serious enough for her friends to know about. For the last few days she seems a bit distracted. Everyone's just concerned."

"Right. You're concerned." You just want a story that makes your site popular with her fans. Hajime was tempted to just shut the door in the man's face, but he hadn't paying attention to the news concerning Junko for a whole month; and if the man wasn't just bullshitting in an attempt to get a story... "How do you know she's distracted by anything?"

"Well, she sort-of mentioned it in passing in her latest interview. They asked if she was feeling okay, if the company was working her too hard, but she denied that, saying it had nothing to do with the company. It implied that something else was going on in her life besides work, and a friend would know about those details." The reporter gave him a look that suggested he was waiting for an answer once more. Likely a real one this time.

Not that he would be able to answer; he didn't know what was going on with her that recently. Though... usually he would have called her by now even after everything that had happened between them recently. He was just using all his self control not to. But... that would be too convenient, wouldn't it? Of course, he would want to think it was because of that that she would be acting a little odd. That she was still expecting him to call even after he had brushed her off like that, telling her to leave him alone - which she had done; though he was sure that partly had to do with work. He would like to believe she would have showed up again if that weren't the case.

The reporter cleared his throat and Hajime scowled at him, making it clear that he wasn't going to be answering that particular line of questioning. Not that he would answer whatever else the reporter managed to come up with.

"It's fine if you don't know. But, I do have a source that mentions seeing you at her party a month back."

His blood runs cold at the man's words. How the hell did he know about that? Who- No, never mind. The bastard could be bluffing to try and get a reaction out of him, so he had something more exciting in the article. Hajime kept his face blank, refusing to stick his hands in his pockets and draw attention to his hands that he had to stop from shaking.

Whether someone had told him about what else they saw or not he couldn't let him hear about what had gone on in that party. It could easily bring the police down on the company for fabricating a scene and using it to their advantage. The whole incident that had been hidden so well from the media could blow up in her face. Even if her manager got blamed for it all... He couldn't let that happen to her. Not after everything she went through to get where she was; like having to deal with that disgusting man in the first place.

"You mind showing me a photograph that has the exact date and time from a month back? She probably had a dozen parties that I didn't attend." The reporter blinked at him, looking about to ask another question so Hajime cut him off. "I don't know who your source is but they're clearly confused. Even if I did know Junko I wouldn't know her well enough to answer any of your questions."

"Really?" Hajime nearly frowned when the reporter's eyes sparked with a small flame. "Then how do you explain her kissing you? Are you saying that Junko Enoshima just goes up to random people on the street? Or that the company loaned her to you-"

Now he wished he had put his hands - fists - into his pockets. The temptation to hit the guy in the temple was steadily growing with every damn word that came out of the reporter's mouth. "I'm giving you ten seconds to get off my property and then I'm calling the cops over to deal with you."

"I'm sure the cops would be interested to know that a teenager such as yourself is using their families' money to buy an expensive whore-"

"Five more seconds and then I'm going to deal with you myself." Hajime snapped, taking the first step down towards the reporter who had begun to back up a little while ago. "Who let you in anyway? This is a gated community. Get the fuck out." He reached forward as he spoke, yanking the voice recorder from the reporter's hand to throw down onto the driveway; he would pick it up again later to put it down the trash disposal in the sink.

"I have another recorder anyway that's been playing for our whole conversation, you can have that one-" His fist struck him in the temple, sending the man stumbling back, but he didn't fall like the last asshole. "This is all just evidence that Junko has something in her past to hide. You wouldn't be so worried and intent on keeping me quiet otherwise-"

"Worried?" Hajime actually stopped advancing on the man, partially because he could see security coming up the road; one of the neighbors must have seen what was going on and called for them. "You should be worrying about yourself instead of trying to come up with dirt on celebrities to make a living."

"So Junko was involved in-"

"You're about to be involved with an empty ditch when Fuyuhiko gets word about your activities." Hajime took a stab in the dark for something that would actually frighten the man. The mention of the heir of the Kuzuryuu Clan seemed to do the trick as the reporter just stared at him, mouth moving silently, perhaps actually comprehending the suggestion behind the words or not... This reporter didn't seem particularly smart. "If I were you my first order of business would be getting rid of your supposed 'evidence' or do you not know who those people work for?" He jabbed a finger in the direction of security - now getting out of the car, coming over to see what was going on.

The man looked frightened enough to have bought the bluff though. He could only hope the idiot actually got rid of the other recorder - if he really had one - as one member of security did work for the yakuza and would use those unorthodox methods against trespassers.

"Get him out of the community and see to it that he doesn't get in again." Hajime snapped when security got close enough to hear them. "You don't get paid to let stupid fucks like him in to harass everyone living here."

He turned away, not waiting to listen to whatever they might say to him, walking back up the steps of his house to close the door behind him and lock it. Hajime walked back into the living room to grab the phone, forcing himself not to jab the numbers before holding the phone to his ear, waiting for the call to go through; hopefully.

"Hello?" He let out a sigh of relief when Junko's voice sounded on the other line.

"Hey, are you okay?" He hadn't forgotten what the reporter had said about her acting a little different on the talk shows. It could be more bullshit or actually a topic of discussion in the gyaru forums. He wouldn't know until he checked, but he didn't have the time right now. "I saw the chatter on the forums. If anything's bothering you, you can always tell me."

"Hajime?" Junko's voice faded off for a moment, clearly talking to someone else in the vicinity. "This isn't really a good time to talk." He could hear multiple people talking in the background when she was focused back on the phone. "I'm expecting a call and-what? yes, yes I know. Sorry, could I get back to you later?"

He could feel his shoulders lower, as if the gravity in the room had tripled in force. Hajime sunk into the chair next to the phone's base. She didn't sound bothered, she just sounded busy, something he had expected. One of the reasons he hadn't wanted to call, but... "Yeah, sure. Whenever you get the time," his voice came out a little scratchy - awkward - but he could just chalk it up to yelling at the reporter if she happened to ask about it, today or tomorrow. Who knew how long it would actually take for her to get back to him?

Especially if something actually was bothering her and he didn't know about it, if he was even involved in some way, or not. He really wouldn't know, he should, but he didn't. He was suppose to be there for her and... "Mhm. Yes, the one on the right. Thanks. Hajime? I'm going to have to let you go now, but if you're-"

"Yeah," he repeated as he stared across the room. "See you in another month or five, whatever."

The line was silent for a few seconds and he pulled the phone away, so Junko's voice was a little muffled when it came through the speaker again, "W-wait, Hajime-" He set the phone down onto the base, ending the call.

Hajime sat back against the chair, briefly wondering why he had bothered calling. It's not like he couldn't have foreseen this happening. He knew she was busy, would remain like this for years. She didn't have time for him anymore, to indulge his own fantasy. The idea that he could remain in her life no matter what happened.

Still... if he could, that would be preferable. The problem was how. No immediate solution was coming to mind and she might as well be getting swept away on the currents of the industry, further and further away from him. Was there even a way to catch up to her? She would keep climbing up and he would be left behind.

After everything she wasn't going to stop and wait for him. And she shouldn't, no doubt there was someone in the industry that would eventually catch her eye. Though, he didn't particularly like that idea... Of someone else besides him being with her, supporting her on her path to the top of the tree to become a shining star.