Chapter 3: Going on with life.

"Ne Michi-chan, why are you wearing those kind of clothes by the way?" Asked Setsuna while they were eating dinner. "You used to be more elegant." She remarked casually.

"Oh, it's just that... I thought that it would be more convenient this way." Smiled Michiru sheepishly. She then looked down at herself and frowned. "Do you think I look like a teenager like that?"

Setsuna glanced briefly at her sister and then resumed to eat her pasta. "Well, not really, I would say maybe 16." Sometimes, she didn't understand her sister. Michiru should have known that wearing those baggy clothes would have make her look less elegant and thus a little bit younger, but obviously she didn't.

"No way! You really think I look that young?" Enquired Michiru rapidly. She didn't know why but the only thought that Haruka might have also thought that she was only 16 perturbed her. Before leaving for Tokyo, she had decided that it would be wiser to wear unattractive clothes, keeping that way a distance from unwanted people. However she hadn't thought about it until then. 'Maybe Haruka-san thought I was too young to hang out with…'

Setsuna saw the different expressions that crossed Michiru's face and decided to speak with more tact. She didn't like it when her sister looked sad, and the whole Haruka affair didn't help. "Hm… ok maybe not 16, but younger than 19." She replied smiling.

Michiru remembered Haruka's car and couldn't help but to think that it was probably the difference in age that made her reluctant to start a friendship. "Do you think Haruka-san also thought that I was 16 ?" Michiru voiced out her previous thought.

Setsuna looked at Michiru and replied. "Yes, probably."

.:x:.

"Ah I'm exhausted..." Sighed Haruka as she laid on her soft bed. She had driven for forty five minutes before she reached her apartment complex. And after putting her belongings in her bedroom, she went directly to her desk and started to work on the paper she had to present tomorrow.

"That was a very long day..." She told herself. "… but a very nice one." She added as images of Michiru popped up in her mind. "I should have asked her though." She then reprimanded herself, she had really appreciated the aqua haired girl company and wanted nothing more than to be able to be in her company again.

.:x:. The Day after .:x:.

"Haru-chan! What do you think you are doing?" Shouted a tall blonde man as he slammed the door closed.

"Well, you told me that if I wanted to work here, I had to prove myself first. That's what I am doing." Replied Haruka calmly.

"I remember, but I don't remember telling you to start here." Stated the man. He stared at Haruka and then sat behind his desk sighing. "What do you think the others will say?"

"The others? Who?" Asked Haruka exasperated.

"The shareholders." Replied calmly the tall blonde man.

"Nii-san, I don't see why they will say anything or even disapprove." Said Haruka to her twin brother, though older than her by a few minutes.

"You don't really understand business, Haru-chan. The shareholders are all very powerful men and I don't think they will approve if I let you start here as one of the head department." Explained Hatake.

"Why?" Asked Haruka astonished. "I don't see why they would disapproved I graduated with honors and worked for one year in a similar department."

"Haru-chan, I know you were a brilliant student and a serious worker but here... It's different. How can I explain?" Sighed Hatake.

"Go to the point please. If you don't want to see me working here, it's fine. I will prospect elsewhere." Said Haruka, she was starting to be annoyed by this chit-chat.

"Haru-chan, you know if it was only me you will be working here by now." Said softly Hatake. "Being the CEO, doesn't give me all the power... if only back then father didn't have to open the company to foreign investment. We will be our own master."

"I'm sorry Nii-san. You're right, I can't impose myself into the company without the shareholders approbation. I really want to run with you our company... as one of the head. Why do you think they won't approve? You've been turning around the pot for a while now." Asked Haruka as she finally decided to sit down.

Hatake looked at his twin sister and decided to tell her the truth. "Haru-chan, you've been living in America all your childhood then came back for 4 years to attend a Japanese High school and then back to America to attend university." He stated while resting both his arms on his desk. "The problem is that you probably don't understand our culture anymore."

"Well, you might be right...but what's the link with the shareholders?" Asked Haruka. She agreed with her brother that she wasn't well versed in Japanese culture and tradition but it wasn't her fault. Her mother who was American wanted her daughter to be educated like an American while her father decided to educate his son like a Japanese.

"In Japan, women don't work in high position job." Stated Hatake looking calmly at his sister. He knew that it was discriminating but that was Japanese's society. "Especially with your background... it will be very difficult." He then added.

"Are you with me or not?" Asked Haruka a little pissed. "You sound like you are against the idea of me working too."

"You are not totally wrong, maybe I prefer my twin sister out of this kind of work." He replied. "Why don't you go back to modeling?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Enquired Haruka with wide eyes. "I did that for fun only and... in this kind of job everyone think that you have nothing in your brain. That's not what I want to do. No thanks."

"Then I wish you good luck."

"Nii-san, you sure are pessimist!...Well I will show you then." Said Haruka to her twin brother. Seeing his astonished expression Haruka decided to explain. "I will show you that I can find a job and high position as that."

"2 months." He only replied.

"What?" Asked Haruka.

"I give you only 2 months before you realize that it's vain."

"Will see."

. : x : . A month later

"Damn!" Cursed Haruka, as she slammed the door of her apartment heavily. She had been looking for a position for almost a month now and all she received was the look of pure disbelief. "What is it with all those bastards?" She then asked herself angrily. She couldn't believe that with her good resume and her background experience in America, she couldn't find any high position.

"Maybe Nii-san was right…" She then sighed and headed to the bathroom.

.:x:.

"What's wrong with you Michi-chan?" Asked Setsuna concerned. For the last month, Michiru had been looking for a business school to apply and when she finally found the right one and had been accepted she just answered the school that she would think about it first. "I thought you wanted to apply for UME Business School?"

"I do… but the tuition is pretty high." Replied Michiru nonchalantly. She wanted to go there but she hadn't informed her parents about it.

"Well, that's not a problem. I can help you if you want, but why isn't Okaa-san or Otou-san paying it?" Asked Setsuna a little surprise. She knew that her parents would do anything for their children, so why did Michiru mention this financial problem? They were a wealthy family after all, that shouldn't be a problem.

"I... I didn't tell them that I wanted to study here." Replied quietly the aqua haired girl.

"You what?" Asked in disbelief the taller woman. She couldn't believe her ears. Michiru never went against her parents wishes and on top of that she always followed quietly what they told her to do. It was so out of character.

"I'm sorry... I lied to you." Spoke softly Michiru. She couldn't look at her older sister so she just decided to look down at her folding hands in her laps.

"You lied to me?" Asked Setsuna with utter disbelief now. "What's going on Michi-chan? You never lied before nor kept any secrets from our parents … care to explain it to me, or I will have to send you back home." Said Setsuna seriously. She was concerned about Michiru's recent behavior and wanted to understand it.

"I'm sorry Onee-san… I just wanted to live my life without everything being arranged for me… and the only way for me, was you." Said Michiru sadly as she was still looking at her hands. "I know I'm being selfish but I can't help it, I'm already 19 and I can decide on my own." She added looking at her sister with resolution.

"You sure have grown, Michi-chan. I have to say that because you're my little sister I tend to think of you as the small girl who always needed to be shielded." Said Setsuna with a warm smile. She walked to Michiru and took both of her hands in hers. "I understand that you want to be freer, but you shouldn't lie to people you love and care about. I'm sure our parents will understand and support you." She added.

The young aqua haired woman overwhelmed by her sister's understanding could only nod in agreement as hot tears made their way down her pink cheeks. Setsuna slowly took her sister in her arms and sighed. 'Youth people nowadays… always heading straight ahead without thinking.'

.:x:.

"I'm sorry Miss but there's no vacant position available right now." Informed a receptionist. She had tried at least a dozen of company this week and this was enough.

Removing her sunglasses, Haruka leaned forward the desk. "Care to explain to me why there's offer on your website then?" She asked.

"Ah… I'm sorry Miss. It must be an update mistake." Replied a little embarrassed the young receptionist.

"Then your company should really hire another computer engineer, because there's at least 10 offers that are out of date." Stated Haruka sarcastically.

"I'm… I'm very sorry about this, Miss." The receptionist was now all flushed from embarrassment and Haruka somehow felt guilty about it. She was just doing her job after all.

"I'm the one that should be sorry... It kind of angered me to be told every times I'm looking for a high position, that it was already taken and that in reality it wasn't." Explained sadly Haruka.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but… well you should know that every head of every company is run mostly, if it's not entirely, by men… so-"

"I know, unfortunately." Cut Haruka smiling thankful. "I'm sorry I bother you. Anyway thank you."

"You're welcome." Replied the receptionist. "By the way, with your good look you can always model… I'm sure you would be famous." Added the receptionist smiling and blushing.

Haruka looked at the young woman sitting behind the desk and smiled. "I will consider it." She put back her sunglasses, then walked out of the building and headed to her car.

As she sat behind her steering wheel, Haruka couldn't suppress a sigh. "Two more weeks…" She whispered to no one in particularity. "No, I'm not going to lose!" The blonde added with determination, she wasn't going to lose to her brother, not again. She did love her brother dearly, but sometimes she just wished they weren't twin for they always had to compete with each other.

Unfortunately, being stubborn didn't help them to soften this competition as years passed, it only ignited it. However, to Haruka dismay she had never really won against her twin brother.

She had joined every clubs activity Hatake had applied to when they were in the same high school, but little did she know that her twin had choose his activities according to the knowledge that they had a difference in strength. Yet being a considerate brother, Hatake had told his twin sister about this fact and had tried to explain to her that they couldn't compete in everything. The other blonde took it well but decided to stay in those clubs though.

She had won once but as time passed her win wasn't really a win for graduating top of her promotion didn't help her to get a better job. Now the only time she could consider herself better than her twin was when she was sitting behind a piano. She had excelled at it when she was young and treasured this gift greatly.

"All those competition… I wonder what it would have been if we were of the same gender…" She asked to herself, her eyes closed. Slowly reflecting on her words, Haruka suddenly opened her eyes as an idea stroke her. "That's it!" She looked at herself in the rearview and smiled.

AN: Sorry for the long wait but I've been pretty busy...well still am. Anyway I hope you liked this 3rd Chapter.

And special thanks to the reviewers! YulinG