...Well...just remember that you wouldn't let her cancel...
Advent '08
December 20th – 5 days to go
Kyoko was waiting outside of the restaurant bright and early that morning, waiting for Kanae to arrive so that they could go shopping together.
She had hardly gotten any sleep last night because she had been so excited.
She didn't have to wait very long before Kanae turned up slightly flustered and keyed up.
"Kyoko-chan!"
Kyoko grinned and hurried over.
"Kanae-chan, are you ready?"
"Yup!" Kanae flashed the credit card at her. "Let's go!"
An hour later and they were well into the shops and enjoying themselves immensely.
"What about this one?"
Kyoko looked up to where Kanae was holding up a short red dress for her approval.
"Wow...that would look great on you! You should try it on."
"Do you think?"
"Yeah! I want to see you in it!"
Kanae blushed slightly at Kyoko's excitement and made her way over to the changing room. Kyoko hung around the dresses for a few minutes, looking through all the different designs whilst Kanae got changed.
She was excited to be shopping with her friend because she had never done anything like this before. Everything was a new experience and she was happy that Kanae had asked her to go with her.
She was happily daydreaming to herself when she heard her name being called out from the far end of the shop.
Rushing over, her jaw dropped when she saw Kanae in the dress. It was perfect for her, the cut accentuated her figure whilst the colour complemented her hair and made it shine like black satin.
Kanae twirled for her and Kyoko nodded.
"What do you think?"
"I think you should buy it. It looks so great on you."
Kanae grinned at her in response and went back into the changing rooms to take off the dress. When she remerged she grabbed Kyoko by the elbow and dragged her across to the tills.
"Was there anything that you liked?"
Kyoko shook her head.
"No...I don't think there's anything in here that suits me."
Kanae snorted and handed the dress to the sales assistant.
"Nonsense. This is just one shop out of hundreds. Your dress is out there and we are going to find it. We have all day after all."
Kyoko grinned. Glancing over at the till her mouth dropped open.
"Your dress costs more than I make in a year!"
Giggling, Kanae handed over the credit card.
"Yup! The president gave us a card to shop with...to buy something nice. I'm holding him to that."
"Do you...think that that's okay?"
Kanae shrugged and picked up the bag with her new purchase in.
"He never said we had a limit on what to spend." Linking arms with Kyoko, she pulled her away from the tills and out the shops. "Right. Now, all we need to get is you a dress. Then we both need shoes, bags, purses, jewellery...maybe a facial and our hair done.
"What do you think?"
Kyoko bit her bottom lip.
"Are you sure that the president didn't say that there was a limit?"
"Yup."
"Well then..."
Kanae grinned at her friend conspiratorially before they both ran across to the next shop in the street.
Lory really shouldn't have left two teenage girls in charge of a credit card with no limit.
---/---
By the end of the day Kyoko and Kanae were both exhausted.
They had gone for facials and had their hair done in the most expensive beauticians they could find. Had bought shoes, bags, jewellery and dresses.
Kyoko had finally found a dress that she liked and that Kanae threatened to maim her if she didn't get it.
In contrast to Kanae's short dress Kyoko's was floor length and completely white. The bottom half was just layer upon layer of a light, semi transparent material what billowed and swirled about her when she walked.
It gave the impression that she was gliding on ice.
They were both sitting down on a bench. Earlier that day Kanae had decided that carrying around all the expensive stuff was not a wise idea and had called up a company car to have their stuff taken to L.M.E. for safe keeping before the big day.
The plan was that they could go and collect it on the twenty fourth and take it home then. It was a better plan than to carry it across the city and have it stolen or something worse.
Kanae was staring at the credit card and flicking it between her fingers as Kyoko leant back where she was sitting.
"This card..." Kanae started, "is the best Christmas present I have ever received."
"I just hope the president doesn't want us to pay him back. It's going to take us years to work this off."
Kanae brushed off the thought and pocketed the card.
"Nah. He never said anything about that. He said he just wanted the best for the agency.
"And we got the best."
Kyoko grinned and stretched, looking at her watch.
"Wow...is it that late already?" she glanced around herself at the darkness. "I guess it is."
"What time is it like?"
"Nine forty."
"That's late. Maybe we should head back home?"
Kyoko nodded and stood.
"I'm just going to call a taxi and go home that way."
Kanae nodded.
"Me too. I'd share but we're heading in completely different directions."
Kyoko smiled.
"This was fun. I'm happy that you invited me to go shopping with you Kanae-chan."
"Me too."
"Meet up somewhere on the twenty fourth?"
"I'll phone you."
Kyoko nodded and hesitated for a second before she dove forward and caught Kanae in a hug.
"This really has been one of the best days of my life."
Kanae chuckled a little off guardedly.
"Kyoko-chan...when you say it like that...it sounds like you think you're going to die."
"I just...wanted you to know how grateful I am that you're my friend."
Kanae patted her on the back before prying her away.
"Okay...you're starting to creep me out a little here. I'm happy that we did this too and I'll see you on the Wednesday."
Kyoko nodded and smiled as Kanae searched in her eyes for something. Apparently satisfied, she turned and walked away.
"Remember, Kyoko-chan! Wednesday!"
Kyoko waved in response and turned in the opposite direction.
Now she just had to get home before it got too late and she started worrying Taisho-san and Okami-san.
---/---
Ren was sitting on his sofa, relaxing for the first time in days.
A small smile was continually on his face as her thought about what was going to happen the following week.
He was going to the awards with Kyoko.
He couldn't wait to see what she would look like. He couldn't wait to see her again.
Against his norm he had turned on his television as background noise and was staring at the news uninterested. It was only when a special news bulletin flashed on the screen that he started to pay attention.
"We interrupt the news for this special bulletin. There has been a twenty car pile-up on one of the major city roads earlier this evening."
The camera panned across the destruction and Ren leant forward, captivated by what he saw.
"It is believed that the cause of this tragedy was due to ice on the roads. Citizens are warned that if they intend to travel on the roads they should drive slowly and carefully.
"Over twenty people have been injured and three having had to be taken immediately into intensive care."
Ren watched as the presenter paused and seemed to listen into his earpiece.
"This is just news. It seems that one of the seriously injured is a one Kyoko Mogami, an up and coming idol that some may remember from her role in 'Dark Moon'.
"Our thoughts are with her and those others that are injured in this tragic accident."
Slowly, Ren switched off the television and sat in silence.
He was in complete shock.
Kyoko?
The next time he came to himself he was already in his car and driving to the hospital.
---/---
The hospital was a flurry of activity.
Ren arrived, still dazed, and quickly got a nurse to show him the way to where Kyoko was being kept. She was too busy even to recognise his face.
Ren took that for a bad sign.
He restrained himself from sprinting but he certainly made it to her room in record time. He opened the door and found himself in a waiting room. Lory, Yashiro and Kanae were there waiting.
Kanae was sitting, crying silently. Lory and Yashiro was pacing the room.
They turned as he entered but didn't acknowledge him and went back to their pacing.
"What's happening?"
There was silence for a moment before Lory spoke up.
"The doctors are still with her. They haven't told us anything but to wait."
Ren gritted his teeth in frustration and threw himself down in a seat. He shoved her hand through his hair and tried to calm himself down so that the waiting wouldn't kill him.
If was forty minutes later when their waiting was finally rewarded.
An exhausted looking doctor came into the waiting room and smiled tiredly at them.
Ren stood up.
"How is she?"
"Mogami-san is in a stable condition. Luckily she is relatively unhurt but she is still unconscious.
"We don't know when she will wake up.
"It might be tomorrow, a week, or months."
He turned but paused, as if weighing up the consequences. Eventually he sighed.
"I'm sorry."
...
What?!
Don't look at me like that!
You all didn't want her to cancel so she didn't!
...
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
DS