[A.N.] Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! DeMoNzMaGiC, dbzgtfan2004, and two guests. So sorry for the long wait by the way guys, I am hoping to get this story up and going soon.
DeMoNzMaGiC: Yes, this is an AU fic, I apologize for not mentioning that earlier. The circumstances of Tsukune going from Japan to America and then to London will be explained throughout the first few chapters in establishing the first arc, etc.
dbzgtfan2004: I'm glad you liked the prologue! YES! MxT erryday!
Just as a quick note: "This is mental thought."
"This is over the radio, television, phone, etc."
In The Dead of Night
Chapter One - New Beginnings
[Tokyo, Japan - 1999]
[Koji Aono]
Koji looked at his computer screen with shock and panic. He had just received a letter from upper management that things around the company would be changing. He swallowed hard, for he knew what was coming. Koji only had to see one word: Risutora. To know what was happening. The financial company he worked for was going through a layoff.
Koji sighed and continued to read the letter. It went on to explain that they would no longer need his services, as his division was slacking far behind and that the CEO wanted to restructure things.
"Why now?" Koji wondered to himself with a heavy heart.
His mood changed, then, when he scrolled down to read that the company had actually found a representative from another financial firm that wanted to speak with him about a new opportunity. The representative would be arriving today!
Koji sat up from his chair and looked around from his cubicle, but he couldn't see anyone out of the ordinary. Koji glanced down at his digital wrist watch; it read 4:30PM
He sat down and looked back at the email for more clues, but there was nothing besides a small apology for any inconvenience they may have been caused. Koji wondered just who this supposed representative was, or if his company he worked for was just making it up to make him feel better and then not have to worry about him anymore.
He looked at his watch again; 4:49PM. In eleven minutes he would be clocking out and there was no sign of any representative. Koji sighed and closed his eyes. He should have known it was a hoax. There was no new opportunity, and now he was out of a job. What was he going to say to his wife? What would happen to them and their newborn son, Tsukune?
Someone cleared their throat beside Koji and he looked over to see a tall man dressed in a very sharp suit and a thin briefcase in his right hand. The man smiled at Koji and extended his hand out. "Hello, my name is Toshiro Kiski. I am a representative of F and T Financial – I am very pleased to meet you."
Koji seemed taken aback by the man's sudden appearance, but he nevertheless shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you too. My name is Koji. Koji Aono." He said politely.
Toshiro chuckled lightly. "Yes, I know, your boss briefed me on your history."
Koji's eyes widened. "H-he did?" He asked, sounding somewhat concerned.
Toshiro laughed. "Do not worry; he had nothing but nice things to say."
This made Koji even more surprised and confused. "If Mr. Ushiyama had nothing but nice things to say about me then why am I being forced to leave? "What can I do for you, Mr. Kiski?" Koji asked kindly.
Toshiro's face flashed vibrantly as he placed his briefcase on Koji's desk. Kojio watched as the mysterious man opened it up and pulled out a thin stack of papers that were stapled together. "I am sure you have already seen the email your boss has sent out." He said to Koji as he handed him the papers.
Koji took them with some hesitation before glancing it over. "Yes. It was my understanding that a representative was coming to speak with me about a new opportunity…but when no one came I assumed it was a mistake." He said, giving an awkward chuckle.
Toshiro shook his head. "There is no mistake; I am that very man, Mr. Aono." He said, sounding enthusiastic. "I am here to tell you that we are looking for a man with your expertise and talents."
"But I-I'm just a financial auditor." Koji replied, looking confused. "What talents could you possibly be looking for in me?" He asked, sounding skeptical.
Toshiro smiled. "Let us worry about that. All you need to do is accept a position at our firm and we will take care of the rest." He said reassuringly.
"T-this is all happening so fast." Koji stated, trying not to sound rude. "I would like to take this to my home and discuss it with my wife...if I could." He asked.
For a moment it seemed as though a dark shadow crept across Toshiro's face, however it quickly disappeared. The momentary sight still made Koji wonder more about who this man really was and why he and his company wanted him to work for them. "Certainly." Toshiro finally replied with a smile. "All the information you need is in the files I gave you. Please look them over with your family." He said before handing Koji a small index card. "Call me when you are ready. You have three weeks to decide, after that I won't be in Japan anymore and I won't be able to help you." He explained quickly.
"O-okay." Koji said as he nodded and stood up to shake Toshiro's hand once more.
"I trust you will make the right decision." Toshiro said before bidding Koji farewell.
Koji watched as the representative made his way towards the elevator, and then down to the lobby. He sighed and sat back down, what was he supposed to do? He looked at the card Toshiro had given him. The company name embroider in lavished penmanship read:
F and T Financials
Locations in Every Major City
Looking at his watch, Koji nearly jumped up from his seat as he noticed the time. Quickly picking up his things and logging off his PC, Koji grabbed his jacket and car keys before leaving his workplace. Hoping he was making the right decision...
[Fifteen Years Later]
[Rancho Palos Verdes, CA – Present Day] – [9:30AM]
[Tsukune]
Tsukune Aono was just a regular Japanese-American raised boy, like any other. Even though he was born in Tokyo, Tsukune had spent most of his life growing up in the Los Angeles County. The school system was okay, but low testing scores made it seem like the schools were worse off than they seemed, or were given low ratings.
But Tsukune thought of himself as a lost cause – his entire experience within the education system had been rocky to say the least. He was horrible when it came to test taking, and did bad on pretty much every standardized test he had to take. So bad, that despite the fact that he was placed in a modified learning environment that tried to focus on his strengths and weakness, Tsukune's teachers did not think he could go to high school. Not only that, but the job his father got that had them move to California paid very well, as the cost of living was substantially higher in California than pretty much anywhere else in the country.
Because of this Tsukune had a host of private tutors, mentors and other learning tools to help him, but simply nothing would helped him improve his testing scores. Tsukune was now in the bathroom as he slowly began to go about his morning routine when suddenly his mother called him from downstairs. "Tsuku-ne? Are up dear?" She asked loudly.
Tsukune, who had been brushing his teeth, opened his bathroom door and stuck his head out. "Meah mom, mime mim da bathwoom!" He said with some difficulty as he tried not to let any of the foamy paste fall from his mouth.
"Alright well I want you to come with me to the shop today, okay? I could really use some help with Leo gone for a few days.
"Sure thing mom, let me just shower up first…" Tsukune replied tiredly. His mom owned a florist shop about ten minutes from their home, called Aono Flowers. His mother was never big on making lots of money, she rather preferred to do something that made her and others happy. Since she didn't have much of an education so she decided to take up gardening, as she had grown beautiful flowers back in Tokyo. That hobby soon turned into something larger when she saw a small store that had gone out of business in a nice, quaint area of their community. The area seemed to get great business, so his mother (with his dad's help) bought the property and started up a florist business. She does pretty well, actually. Occasionally she even gets wedding requests.
Tsukune walked down the wood staircase dressed in khaki shorts and a blue polo. Entering the kitchen, Tsukune saw his mom had already made breakfast. "Where's dad?" Tsukune asked as he sat at the table.
"He said he had to go in to work early today, he must be busy, you know your dad." His mother replied as she gave him a plate of eggs, toast, a single piece of bacon and some orange juice.
"Wow mom, this looks great!" Tsukune said. He picked up the fork she had provided and was about to dig in when he suddenly stopped. "Wait…why did you make me such a nice breakfast?" He asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. "Especially when I flunked out of school!" He added with a bit of undertone.
"Aww, sweetheart!" His mother said as she sat down beside him. "Listen to me school is not for everyone, alright? Everyone is special and we just have to find our way in this world." She said comfortingly.
"So…that's it?" Tsukune asked as he blinked.
His mother chuckled and shook her head. "Well, no, I guess that's not all…" She looked a little nervous now and she fidgeted around her chair. "How would…Tsukune how would you like to come and work for me?" She asked suddenly.
Tsukune's eyes widened. "So that's what this is all about!" He looked at his mom with a frown before looking back at the eggs she had made him. Tsukune sighed, he felt bad because he really didn't want to work at a florist shop. But then again, her business was picking up lately, maybe this would be a good way to get back up on his feet.
"I know what you must be thinking," his mother began as she placed her hand gently over his. "But this could be a really good thing for you. My business is just now starting to pick up and I'm getting all these wedding requests – I could really use someone I know I can trust to help around, and who knows maybe even become my store manager one day…?" She said, giving him a keen look.
Tsukune chuckled. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, mom," he said with a smile. "but yeah, I'd love to work for you." He said.
His mother smiled and bent over to give him a kiss on the check. "I'm so proud of you! Finish up and then we can head over to the shop!" She said excitedly before standing up and leaving the kitchen.
Tsukune sighed and wondered what he had gotten himself into. Finishing up his breakfast, he placed the dirty dishes in the sink and got ready.
[Aono Flowers] – [10:30AM]
Tsukune rubbed his eyes as he stood behind the register. His mom had given him a quick run-down on how to use the machine. To his surprise, Tsukune found it rather easy to operate. There were a few sparse customers thus far that had been paying cash, so things had been pretty easy. His mother was able to restock a lot of inventory and help out larger customer orders and future engagements while Tsukune managed the phone and register.
"You should think about hiring some more workers, mom." Tsukune said, not unkindly, during some downtime when the shop was empty.
"Already hating the job, huh?" She asked jokingly with a chuckle.
"N-No!" Tsukune replied quickly. "It might help, though, if you had at least one other worker." He pointed out.
"Well, if you decide to stay her long enough maybe I will leave you in charge of the hiring." She stated, looking at Tsukune keenly once more.
"Hehe…yeah maybe…" Tsukune replied, sounding unsure.
"I will be right back dear, watch the shop for me alright?" She asked suddenly as she removed her apron and walked out the back.
Tsukune furrowed his eyebrows, but soon shook his head and turned his attention back to the front of the shop. The small space was empty save for all the floral arrangements and decorative ornaments that were on sale. Tsukune sighed and looked around for something to do. His mother wasn't particularly interested in watching TV, so the only one she had was for the security camera. She did, however, enjoy listening to satellite radio and had his dad install a receiver in her shop.
Tsukune turned on the radio and flipped through the stations until he heard The Lumineers, "Hey Ho" playing. He rather enjoyed listening to calm, soothing music and really liked folk. He wasn't much of a rap listener. Before the song could finish the station suddenly began to get static and cut in and out. "Are you kidding me?" Tsukune grumbled as he tried to fiddle with the box.
A few odd noises came from the radio and then a very soft voice could be heard. "Yoki….. –demy….one of th-…..-schools in the world - …filled with bright young…..-ters…" The voice cut in and out until it faded away and then, suddenly, "Hey Ho" resumed playing.
"Huh, that was weird." Tsukune said before the doorbell chimed and a customer entered the shop. "Hello, and welcome to Aono Flowers!"
[F and T Financial] – [Los Angeles, 4:45PM]
[Koji Aono]
Koji gave a yawn as he stretched. His job had him auditing several financial firms and subsidiaries all over the country. Koji's last assignment – a 200 page financial report from a large shipping industry had several numbers that didn't make sense, and so he had spent all morning and through lunch talking with the company's CFO to determine what was going on.
Turns out the company had hired a temp in the financial department whose task was to look for errors in the company's records, only he never did. The temp was fired and Koji was left to move on to the next assignment. Glancing at his watch, Koji nearly jumped out of his seat. It was almost five! Thankfully that meant it was time to for him to go home.
Koji shut down his computer and shut off the lights in his small, but comfortable office. Locking the door, Koji walked down the hallway of the East Wing of the main building. He had almost made it to the sliding door when suddenly he ran into someone.
"Ouch!" He shouted, grabbing his head. "Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" He said quickly when he realized that he had just run into someone.
"It's quite alright, just look where're you're – " The man paused and then chuckled. "Koji?!"
Koji looked up at the man and grinned widely. "Toshiro?! What are you doing here?" He asked in a shocked voice.
"I've been visiting all the branches and getting in touch with employees and getting the word out." Toshiro explained.
"Getting what word out?" Koji asked, looking confused.
"Oh, you didn't know?" Toshiro said, looking surprised. "F and T Financial's backs up a private school in London for…special kids." He said.
Koji frowned. "What do you mean by special?" He asked.
Toshiro waved a hand. "Oh no, nothing like that I can assure you." He began with a laugh. "No, what I mean what that the school is geared towards struggling youths are having a hard time grasping key concepts and learning strategies." Toshiro explained.
"Wow, sounds impressive…" Koji said. "And expensive." He added in an undertone.
"Not at all." Toshiro said. "In fact kids of F and T financial employees get a full ride."
"You're joking!" Koji exclaimed in disbelief.
Toshiro shook his head. "I'm not." He looked at Koji for a moment. "Are you interested, Koji? I didn't know your son was struggling in school…you don't talk about your family a lot." He said.
Koji shuffled around. "I just like to keep my private life…well private." He stated.
Toshiro shrugged. "Fair enough." He paused and looked at Koji interestingly. "Tell you what, how about I take you out for a couple of drinks tonight? We can catch up, you can tell me about your family and I can tell you more about our school. How does that sound?" He asked.
Koji gave him a small smile. "Yeah, that would be great Toshiro."
Toshiro smiled. "Great, let's meet up at Rosalina's at around 8:00PM."
"Sounds great, see you then!" Koji said as he walked past Toshiro.
Toshiro smiled and watched as Koji walked out the door. His smiled faded and he pulled out a round device. Pushing a button, a screen lit up and a red senor began to flash.
[Rosalina's Bar and Grill, 12:01AM]
Koji and Toshiro stumbled out of the restaurant, having had one too many drinks. "Tanks fer thee awsum time, pal." Koji said, giving Toshiro a sloppy smile.
"Yes I had a good time as well." Toshiro said. "And don't worry Koji, your son is in great hands!" He said as he pulled out the registration forms that he signed.
Koji stared at the papers in Toshiro's hands before looking confused. "Huh?"
"Here, let me call you a cab." Toshiro said. "Taxi!" He called giving a whistle. A yellow city cab pulled over and Toshiro opened the back door for Koji. "Take this man wherever he needs to go." He said, handing the driver a one hundred dollar bill.
Toshiro placed a gentle hand on Koji's shoulder. "Don't worry, we will talk in the morning. Get some rest, Koji." And with that, Toshiro closed the door and the cab took off.
Toshiro waited for a moment before pulling out his round device. He dialed a number and placed the device to his ear. "It's done, the kid's enrolled."
"Excellent." A sultry, young female voice replied on the other end. "Remember, there can be no mistakes."
"I understand." Toshiro said before hanging up.
[Aono Family Residence, 10:30AM]
Koji awoke to his wife yelling incoherently and groaned as he felt his head throb. "Ahh…my head…" He groaned in pain.
"Koji? Koji!" Kasumi yelled.
"What?" Koji groaned again.
"Koji, I just got a call from a Headmaster Mikogami? Did you enroll our son into s private academy without talking to me first!?" She yelled.
Koji suddenly jumped up in shock. "Oh my, I am so sorry sweetie. Toshiro proposed it to me – he said it was one of the best private schools in the world, and they help kids just like Tsukune!" He added defensively.
"Oh…well…if it's really that good." Kasumi said as her attitude suddenly shifted.
"Besides, kids of F and T financial get a full ride tuition." Koji added as he rubbed his head.
Kasumi nearly fainted. "Full ride? Koji that wonderful! I can't believe out boy is finally going off to high school! This is the best day ever!" She yelled, running up to Koji and planting a firm kiss on his lips. "You're amazing honey!" Kasumi said before hurrying out the room.
"T-Thanks…wait, I am?" He asked, unsure of what exactly was going on.
"Tsukune? Tsuku-ne!? Come down here your father and I have some great news.
"What's going on you guys? What's with all the yelling?" Tsukune asked.
"Tsukune, there you are." Kasumi said with a smile. "Your father did something spectacular last night." She said.
"He did?" Tsukune asked, looking at them oddly.
"He sure did." Kasumi said. "He's gotten you enrolled in the top private academy kids like you in the world!"
"For…kids like me?" Tsukune repeated, not liking the sound of that.
"It's not like that at all, son." Koji began. "I think this could really benefit you, plus it's free, so there's really nothing to lose." He added.
Tsukune seemed to think this was reasonable, but was he really ready to leave? "Where is this school, anyway?" He asked curiously.
"I believe it's in London." Koji replied.
"It's called Yoki Academy for the gifted!" Kasumi stated happily.
"London?" Tsukune repeated. "And exactly how long do I have until school starts?"
"Oh, good question!" Kasumi said eagerly. "Your headmaster just called, he said you start next week so you better pack your bags!"
Tsukune nearly fell over. "Next week, so soon? Man, my life is really starting to change. Yoki Academy, huh...why do I feel like I've heard that name somewhere else?"
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Any thoughts/comments are always welcome! ^^
- HF99