Broken Fragments

Chapter 47: Hidden Intentions

The remaining four days that the couple had together quickly passed. The night before Yuuhi and her manager's flight to New York had arrived sooner than Hiroto expected.

After eating dinner at one of the most famous restaurants in Los Angeles, Yuuhi and Hiroto returned to the hotel right away so that Yuuhi could pack. As soon as Yuuhi could even walk into her room though, Hiroto pulled her by the hand to his room.

Before they knew it, the two ended up watching an old romantic movie that was playing on TV. Hiroto immediately called the hotel's room service for popcorn and drinks. The two snuggled in each other's arms also munching on their snacks, even playfully throwing popcorn at each other's faces and Hiroto tickling Yuuhi's sides. When the movie ended, they realized that they didn't pay attention at all for they were both goofing around. Together, they laughed and giggled at their silliness, turning the TV off.

While lying down next to each other in silence, staring at the plain white ceiling, Hiroto ended up confessing his thoughts on what was going on. Though he was able to spend every day with Yuuhi, touring California around on their dates, Hiroto couldn't help but selfishly think that they weren't enough. Yuuhi laughed, explaining how they'd be together again in a couple of weeks after they've both finished their own businesses in the US.

"Since when did you get so greedy, Kazama-san?" Yuuhi teasingly smiled, turning her head to the side to look at Hiroto.

Hiroto also turned his head to face Yuuhi. They gazed into each other's eyes with the same feelings in their hearts but with different expressions. Hiroto couldn't help but pout while Yuuhi mischievously smiled to see her boyfriend's new side.

Out of the blue, Hiroto turned his whole body and grabbed Yuuhi's cheeks to kiss her. Yuuhi's eyes were wide, not expecting what he had done. Hiroto pulled his face away from hers before she could close her eyes to savor the moment.

"Don't call me that again, okay? It's 'Hiroto' because you're mine," he declared, still holding Yuuhi's cheeks in his hands.

With a slightly open mouth and widened eyes, Yuuhi turned red. Yuuhi couldn't think of what to say to Hiroto, whose brown eyes continued to seemingly stare into her soul. Remembering herself, it didn't take long before Yuuhi could retaliate.

Pushing Hiroto down, Yuuhi got on top of him and kissed him back, also shocking him. Just like what he had done to her, she pulled back before his stunned eyes could close.

"Isn't it because you're mine?" Yuuhi corrected Hiroto.

They exchanged smiles of reassurance before they decided to go to sleep together for the last time in a while.

"Welcome to New York," an assistant of Genevieve Laurent's came to pick up Yuuhi and Subaru from the airport.

With the assistant were two male bodyguards dressed in black blazers and pants. They carried the Japanese visitors' luggage and loaded it into a different car. The assistant introduced himself as Henry Grant, also informing them that he would be their chauffeur for the entire time they were in New York. After the quick introductions, Henry drove the shiny Benz car with the other black car following closely behind out of the airport.

The Japanese celebrity could only make small talk with the driver on their way to the hotel. She struggled to keep a composed stature, mainly because she had no time to take her medicine for the day. Subaru had been keeping a close eye on Yuuhi ever since they landed in California.

Before she could close her eyes to catch a quick nap, Yuuhi caught Subaru's melancholic eyes staring out the car window. His blue eyes reflected the tall skyscrapers that surrounded the roads. Yuuhi's sleepiness faded as she realized that it might be her turn to look after Subaru. After all, the golden-haired boy had returned to a place he once lived in with his—no, their—mother.

Yuuhi placed a hand on Subaru's, contrasting her cool character. Subaru turned to give Yuuhi a smile, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"I'm alright," Yuuhi's older brother said.

"I'll show you around before we leave back to Japan."

Though his gentle smile's intent was to reassure Yuuhi, it did the opposite. Instead of using words to try and comfort Subaru, his little sister laid her head on his shoulder. She clenched onto his hand, hoping she could absorb some of the pain.

"We'll start filming some of the B-shots first before we start with the major scenes," Christopher Ray stated, handing Hiroto a folder full of ideas for their extra scenes.

"It's only a short film, so it wouldn't take too long."

Hiroto still couldn't seem to grasp what the story of the movie was. He hasn't been given a script and only a few scenes have been discussed with him. Hiroto was aware that Ray knew what he was doing. After all, the movie was completely in the ownership of Ray, being the one who wrote it and the one who was going to direct it.

"May I ask," Hiroto finally spoke up about the storyline.

"But what exactly is this movie about?"

Ray placed his drink down and looked into Hiroto's eyes.

"Finding yourself."

Ray's voice had no hint of hesitation. Just as Hiroto thought, the director knew exactly what he was up to.

"That's all I can tell you for now," the director, whose chin was starting to grow hair, stood up to end their short and casual meeting.

After bowing, Hiroto shook hands with the director before separating ways. Hiroto returned to the hotel and met up with Chairman Muranishi to inform him of the meeting.

"Apparently, Ray is the kind of director who wants to be as realistic as possible when it comes to emotions," Chairman Muranishi commented.

"The past actors he have worked with said that he wouldn't let you know about the story until the day they film your part. He would reason out and say 'The first emotions that come out are the best ones fitted for a film.'"

Hiroto blankly stared out the Californian sky.

"That's also why Mr. Ray takes a while to approve the casts for his movie. Most of the time, he would cast them himself because he'd look at someone and think hardly if they could portray what he wants the very first time. He has yet to make a mistake when it comes to casting," added the Chairman.

"Hopefully, I won't be the first mistake," Hiroto quietly said, his eyes still blank.

"I'm sure you won't. That director also does his research," the Chairman got up to return to his hotel room to give Hiroto some time to think.

As the door closed, Hiroto got up and looked out the window. He began to think about how much thought Christopher Ray put into his casting. In the corner of his mind, Hiroto doubted himself.

"Why me?"

Genevieve Laurent had returned from her worldwide trip in search for her models. Though there wasn't much time left, Genevieve reserved a night for all the models to mingle before rehearsing for the show. The fashion empress also had faith in all of the models she had chosen. Therefore, Laurent concluded that her models should only take one day—the day before the event—to rehearse.

"Here's a toast to all of you that have gathered here tonight," Laurent raised her glass of champagne while all the female celebrities from all corners of the world stood under her.

"Let's make this a successful fashion show!"

Everyone clapped, then took a sip of the drinks they'd taken. While everyone socialized, Yuuhi stood in the corner of the huge party room, silent. She observed her surrounding, including all the other models. Most of them had golden locks and blue eyes. Their smiles were gorgeous, postures great. They matched the elegant setting of the cocktail party that Genevieve had prepared. They all glistened under the huge and sparkling chandelier that hung above their heads. In all honesty, Yuuhi felt that she didn't belong.

"Is it your first time being in New York?"

Yuuhi turned to her right to find a model with shiny blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and fair skin. She wore a pink sleeved dress and glittered black pumps. The simplicity of her pink number made her even look more graceful.

"Yes, it is," Yuuhi replied with a soft smile.

"I'm Tina Garland. I'm representing the States for the fashion show," the blonde introduced herself, also reaching out for a handshake.

"I'm Yuuhi Tsubasa, representing Japan."

The two continued to make small talk about the night's event. Tina learned that despite Yuuhi's intimidating look, the auburn-haired Japanese was actually quite timid. Yuuhi also concluded that Tina, though very sophisticated, was also very down-to-earth and friendly. After sharing a short laugh, Tina's manager called for the blonde to pose for some of the event's photographers. Since they were going to be very busy for the event, Yuuhi and Tina knew that tonight might be the last time they'd share a conversation. Before parting, the two celebrities exchanged emails and phone numbers. Though they'd be apart halfway around the world after the fashion show, they wanted to keep in touch.

"Say 'Hi' to Hiroto and Seiji for me, okay?" Tina winked.

Yuuhi smiled and nodded before she too was called for by one of Laurent's assisstants.

While Tina posed for the photographers, a thought lingered around in her head.

"I know we'd never meet again, Kirari," Tina remembered the news of her friend's passing.

"But honestly, a part of me wanted to think that Yuuhi was you," the blonde-haired foreigner thought as a smile of pain slipped out.

"You needed me, Ms. Laurent?" Yuuhi entered Laurent's office located in the very top of the building.

Her office was dark with only the other skyscrapers' lights and a lamp illuminating the room. The fashion empress stood by the window behind her desk. In her hand was a wine glass filled with blood-colored alcohol. She slowly moved it around while staring out her window. After the assistant left and gently closed the door, Laurent finally talked.

"Have you taken your medicine for today yet?" the French brunette asked, turning around with a smile that hid unknown intentions.

Yuuhi's eyes widened, her arms starting to tremble. The auburn-haired idol could somewhat tell what Genevieve Laurent was thinking. Yuuhi was aware that Genevieve did not have good intentions with the question she had just asked.

"How do you know about this?" obviously shaken, Yuuhi clenched her fist.

The sound of Genevieve's heels reverberated around the room as she walked to the front of her desk. She stood closer to Yuuhi, more aware of how surprised the Japanese idol was.

"I'm merely being careful about my model's health," the empress smirked, lightly resting her body on her desk.

"Answer me," Yuuhi's eyebrows arched in, angry.

Genevieve let out a short snicker like she was a villain in a movie.

"You underestimate me, my dear."

Genevieve stood up and walked around Yuuhi. The empress crossed her arms as her sharp eyes begin to show her true color.

"I know a lot about you, Ms. Yuuhi," the empress began.

"In fact, as I received more information about you through one of my assistants—"

"You had somebody investigate me?" Yuuhi roared and tried to interrupt Laurent.

"I realized that we're a lot like each other," the empress continued without letting Yuuhi's fierce and abrupt comment intrude Genevieve's talking.

The empress had already circled twice around the idol. Genevieve stopped to look at Yuuhi from behind. In the brunette-haired French's head was the past her. Young and foolish.

Genevieve recalled how cold she was when she was a young adult. She had yet to learn how love actually felt until she met a young man her age. He had shown kind-heartedness to her despite her pushing him away all the time. Throughout spending time with the man, the Genevieve of the past fell for him, only to get heartbroken later on. She learned of his late lover that looked like her, who also pursued the same career Genevieve was trying to achieve. Before she could get anymore closer to him, Genevieve left France to go to a college in the States. She poured all her heart, mind, and time into college until she finally reached the top and became one of the most well-known fashion designers.

Peeking into her own past irritated Genevieve. The French brunette walked up to Yuuhi and whispered words that the idol have always been terrified of considering.

"He's only trying to replace your late twin sister."

Yuuhi's eyes vividly painted the horror of another heartbreak. In the back of her head, Yuuhi knew that Genevieve was more than possibly right. After all, Yuuhi, herself, had always thought about it.

"You're wrong!" Yuuhi turned around, lying to herself.

"Hiroto's not like that."

"Don't try to deceive yourself, Yuuhi."

"No! He…he…he loves me."

Tears started welling up in Yuuhi's blue eyes. She started shaking even more, her heart trembling and her mind about to fall apart. Genevieve looked into Yuuhi's eyes, realizing that Yuuhi was weaker than the Genevieve in the past.

"I'll schedule your flight back to Mr. Kazama as soon as the fashion show is over, how about that?" the fashion empress walked back to her desk and sat down on the chair.

Yuuhi clenched her jaw and her fists. She hoped it would help keep her tears from slipping out.

"Why are you doing this?" Yuuhi bravely asked even though she was in the brink of falling apart.

"I'm only trying to keep you from experiencing the past I had," the empress honestly answered.

Yuuhi walked out of Laurent's office without excusing herself. All alone once more, Genevieve turned her chair to face the window again. The lights outside were reflected in Genevieve's icy and dark green eyes. They were once lit with the warmth of loving someone until she learned a hidden truth and left with a shattered heart.

Author's note:

Hey, readers! I really and truly apologize for the slow updates. I've been busy with trying to get everything set up in our new house in the States, and also of course, school. Remember when I apologized for the weird updates that caused the time of the story to end up not matching the time in real life? Well, due to the slow updates, I'm back on track with the time settings! Haha! But anyways, do any of you still remember Tina Garland from the anime series? I decided to include her since almost everyone in the anime at least made one 'cameo' in my story. Haha! I hope you all liked this chapter! Stay tuned for the rest of the remaining few chapters, which I will try to update as soon as I can! Thank you so much, guys! Don't forget to post a review! :3