A/n: Sup? :D This will be my first multi-chapter story. :) I shall go at my own pace so if my updates are slow, I apologize in advance. :) This story's AU.
Mikan Sakura
The phone was ringing. Whoever's calling better say something important or I'll punch the living daylights out of him/her/whatever. Grumpily, I got off the bed and stomped my way to the living room where the phone sat on the table whining its call. I really need to move it to my bedside table. Or maybe I won't. Nah. I really shouldn't. I'm going to run out of excuses for missing calls.
Without bothering to look at the caller ID, I picked up the phone, "Hello, this is Mikan."
"Of course its you, idiot. You live alone." The cool voice of my best friend Hotaru came clearly from the phone. It sounded like she was in the same room as I am. I picked up the telephone off from the table, careful not to pull the plug, and sprawled lazily on my couch. I rested the telephone on my stomach.
"It could have been Keima, y'know." The phone line went dead. Weird. I put the phone back down to the telephone's body. I let out a yawn and stretched out my arms, still resting on the couch. I rolled my head back and let out a startled yelp. The telephone crashed to the floor.
"Your imaginary boyfriend?" Hotaru was standing in front of my door in a black ensemble. Cue the backlights and smoke, she's going to look like a spy that just broke down the door. She had her eyebrow raised and her cellphone was clutched in hand. Only she was upside down.
I recovered from the shock and scrunched my eyebrows at her remark. "Keima heard that!" I retorted and laid on my belly. She was right-way up now.
She scoffed and closed my door. "But since he's a perfect gentleman, he's going to pretend that you didn't say anything offensive to him." I stood up and put the telephone back in its proper place.
Hotaru was stalking her way to my kitchen. Always the first place she goes to when she comes to my place. Actually, always the first place she goes to in anyone's house. I followed her footsteps.
"You could have just told me you were coming last night." I grumbled to her. She looked at me with dead set eyes and says, "How else was I supposed to wake you up today?" She turned and went back to scavenging my fridge for the ingredients of a sandwich.
She had a point, though.
"What time did you sleep last night, anyway?" Hotaru asked me with her back turned, half her body inside the fridge. I sat down on the island of the kitchen. My feet swayed back and forth. I may be 24 but I believe I'm allowed to act like a child in the comforts of my own home.
"Late. I was watching reruns of Vampire Diaries." I grinned. Damon is just so dreamy. I wouldn't mind if he bit me. Not one bit. The things we can do when we're both vampires.
"Stop drooling." Hotaru slapped my cheek lightly, effectively snapping my thoughts away from Dreamy Damon. "Get down from there." She pointed to me then to the ground and I got off from the counter. She'll make a scary mom.
She set the ingredients on the island starting assembling the sandwich.
"So," I dragged out the O. I clapped my hands together. "What are you here for?"
"What? You don't want me here?" was the breezy reply from Hotaru. She didn't even look up from her sandwich-assembling.
"I gave you those duplicates for emergencies." I was referring to the duplicate keys to my apartment. The first time Hotaru used them was when she ran out of food in her fridge and all the shops were closed. The second, pretty much the same. The third was when I was a mess. I don't really want to dwell on that topic.
"Come out with me and Ruka tonight." Hotaru said, still not looking up from her sandwich making process. Oh. So that's what she wanted.
"You know you could've just called for that. But Hotaru I really don't-" I started to explain myself but she interrupted me before I could finish.
"No buts." She slammed down a fist on the island. I jumped at her sudden outburst. "Nothing. You need to get out." Hotaru scolded me. She freaking scolded me. Oh my goodness. I fear for her future children.
"But I do go out, Hotaru!" I say, exasperated. Does she think I'm a freaking hermit with no social life or something? Okay, so maybe my social life is an area for development but I'm happy with the company I keep.
"Like with an actual existing male." Hotaru said in that matter of fact tone, she waved a lettuce to my face. "You do know that there are real gentlemen out there other than your TV Series flavor of the week, right?" Hotaru raised her eyebrow.
Oh no. I know where this is going. Groaning, I turned my back to her and stomped my way to the side of the island opposite her. I slammed down my hands on the counter.
"No, Hotaru." I told her firmly. I don't feel like going out with a guy. I don't want to go on a date, period.
"You're going and that's final." She slammed down the lettuce hard on the bread. A tiny jolt of panic shot through me. The sandwich! I quickly inspected it. Good. It didn't get squished. I don't want food to be wasted.
"But Hotaruuuuuu." I whined and stamped my feet lightly on the ground. Oh god. I'm throwing a tantrum at the age of 24. I realized just how wrong that was and I quieted down. I huffed out the last of my tantrum spell. Hotaru's acting too motherly. Maybe that's why I act like a child with her.
I sobered up and looked at her. She looked serious. "Its been months since that jerk happened, Mikan." I let out a sigh. I took a seat on the stool for the kitchen island. "I know." I said then hung my head low.
"Its important that you come tonight, okay?" a plate with a meticulously made sandwich was gently pushed towards me by pale, delicate hands. I grabbed the sandwich and took a big bite out of it.
"pffine" I mumbled my reply, my mouth full of food.
"Don't talk when your mouth's full." Hotaru snapped.
Natsume Hyuuga
Business Proposal: Justin Bieber shoe line. Aimed for Bieber fans both boys and girls alike. Will be advertised in such-
Reject.
I tossed it to the growing stack of folders to my left.
Business Proposal: SpongeBob Squarepants Krusty Krabb concept restaurant. Aimed for children, teenagers, and families. Will have a weekly random show where Plankton will try to steal the secret formula. Everything SpongeBob-
Issued For Discussion (IFD).
I set the folder to my right.
Business Proposal: Justin Bieber clothing line-
Reject.
I tossed the folder to my left.
Business Proposal: A single store that sells all things "it." Like a one-stop shop for everything trendy.
IFD.
I placed the folder to my right. A good business proposal. I can't believe nobody thought about this until now.
A dull throbbing pain was forming behind my eyes. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes tight, trying to will the damn pain away. Come on, come on, come on. The pain started to ebb away. Thank God.
I leaned back into my desk chair and made a one-eighty turn. I came face to face with a glass wall. This whole wall was made out of bulletproof, shockproof, whatever-proof glass – top of the line quality, of course. I stood up from my seat and walked over to the wall.
From my view up here, way up here on the 70th floor, I feel like I'm watching from heaven. Well, not really. I feel like I can just hit the pause button of life and watch as others' lives move forward before my eyes.
… Or something like that.
Pretend I never said that.
I continued watching the busy bustle of the city dwellers of Tokyo City unfold but alas, the shrill cry of the phone hit the play button of my life and I'm back to negotiating and handling money again. I try not to complain. I own this damn company. I own this damn building. I own the damn money. Life is good. But I feel so damn empty.
I looked at the caller ID. It was only my secretary. I picked up the phone. "What?"
"Mr. Nogi's on line 1." I could hear her typing rapidly away on her keyboard. I swear her job's harder than mine. I believe that the term 'secretary' is just a formal way of saying 'office maid.'
"Put him on," I told her and I sat down again on my office seat. I reclined it back while I waited for the phone line to transfer to Ruka's call. I heard static.
"Ruka, what's up?" I greeted him.
"Are you busy?" Always the first thing he asks when he calls at work. I looked at the mini tower of undecided stack of papers on top of my desk. "Of course you're busy." He's always going to answer himself.
"Yes, I am." I gave him my usual reply to our usual conversation starter on the phone.
"Come have dinner with me and Hotaru tonight." Ruka went straight to the point. I raised an eyebrow. I'm going to be a third wheeler. No way am I letting that happen.
"I'm bringing a date along with me too, then." I compromised with him. Ruka laughed. I made an irritated face. What's he laughing at?
"You don't need to. Hotaru's bringing her best friend." Ruka told me. "She's going to be your date."
"Is she hot?" was the first question that popped in my head and I asked him aloud. What? I'm only a man, after all.
"Ugh, Natsume."
Prude Ruka.
"When was the last time you went out on a date because you actually liked the person?" Ruka asked me seriously.
"I don't know. Too long ago, I guess." came my breezy reply. Of course I knew when the last time was.
"A year. Its been a year since your last serious relationship." Ruka reminded me. I rolled my eyes. "As your friend, I'm only telling you that it'll be good for your mental health. God knows you're really messed up in the head." Gee, Ruka. You're too honest nowadays.
"Whatever, Ruka. I'll just come, okay. That's what you wanted." I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice. It always gets to me whenever he brings up my lack of drive for commitment.
"I want you to meet Hotaru's friend tonight as a date - not a possible fuck buddy but as an actual date." Ruka spoke to me like he was explaining something to a toddler. That bastard.
"Its just really important that you come tonight, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I told you, I'll try." I said non-committedly.
"Don't just try. Be there, you bastard. I'm warning you, try hitting on Hotaru's best friend the wrong way and she'll have your balls cut off then she'll deep fry it and feed it to the baby jaguar I got her for her birthday." Then the phone line went dead. What kind of boyfriend gives his girlfriend a baby jaguar for her birthday?
I really have no choice but to come, then. I looked at the stack of undecided folders on the table again. I could feel another headache coming on. I got a long day ahead of me.
a/n: that's it for the first chapter. :D drop a review if you want me to continue this or just want to share some thoughts.