welcome to chapter number two of my first ever 'Shugo Chara' fanfiction. in this technically second chapter, we have the everyday happenings from within Amu's workplace at the news broadcasting studio. let's just say that things are about to wind up with even more unintended negative consequences amongst the characters in this chapter and in the next, as well. yep, everyone's lives in this fanfiction are about to go from bad to worse in the two chapters ahead. this fanfiction may be a 'Shugo Chara' story, but it is for anyone other than the faint of heart. anyway, this actually second chapter of my first ever 'Shugo Chara' fanfiction is a good two-thousand-eleven words worth of storyline. it is a storyline that, however, does not include the author's notes and/or comments I wrote about my own writings in this chapter. it also does not include this headnote, right here. nor does it include the (mandatory) disclaimer which makes up the paragraph following this headnote. there will be some author's notes about how much older than in the anime/manga the characters are in this fanfiction, itself. OK, enough jawing around. time for the disclaimer.

disclamation: I don't own 'Shugo Chara' or 'The Ugly Truth' in any way, shape, or form. I am but a humble fanfiction blogger on both FanFiction and Wattpad. I have an account with Wattpad that I keep meaning to edit my own username. the same goes for my usernames on both YouTube and on DeviantArt. why do I keep forgetting to edit my own usernames. anyway, 'Shugo Chara' is owned by the duo of manga artists known in their home country as Peach Pit, AKA Banri Sendo and Shibuko Ebara. Meanwhile, 'The Ugly Truth' was directed in 2009 by Robert Luketic and was written by a trio of writers made up by three women with the names of Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz, and Kirsten M. Smith.

A little later in the backstage media room at the TV station, Amu and her husband-and-wife co-executive producers, Yuu Nikaido and Yukari Sanjo/Nikaido, were all but tending to their television station and to Hikaru Ichinomiya and Rikka Hiiragi's time interviewing Taichi Takemoto about his newest recipe for cacciatore, apparently. Yuu and Yukari's assistant, Kairi Sanjo, who was also Yukari's kid brother, was also there directing everything and everyone on the set.

Kairi Sanjo: Stand by to go to three.

Taichi Takemoto: Yeah, so some of that. Cacciatore gets mushrooms and garlic. Exactly. Yeah, put the mushrooms in, and whatever amount of garlic you want.

Of course, after earlier that morning, Rikka chose to simply go along with whatever Taichi had in mind about the recipe for cacciatore she and Hikaru were agreeing to cook up with Taichi.

Rikka Hiiragi: Alright. Alright.

Hikaru, on the other hand, was really unsure about how much garlic Taichi was telling him and Rikka to put into his cacciatore recipe, evidently worried about a potential overuse of garlic.

Hikaru Ichinomiya: Really, now?

Of course, Taichi did not mind the overuse of any ingredient in his cacciatore recipe, whether it was right or wrong to overuse any of the assigned ingredients.

Taichi Takemoto: Can't get enough garlic.

Rikka happened to agree with her friend/unknown admirer, Hikaru, about the need for a controlled amount of garlic in cacciatore.

Rikka Hiiragi: Oh, I beg to differ, Taichi. You can have enough garlic in cacciatore.

Obviously, Hikaru, himself, liked a certain amount of garlic in his cacciatore.

Hikaru Ichinomiya: I know I certainly can get enough garlic in my cacciatore. I do it every night at dinner.

Of course, Taichi felt as though he needed to defend his cacciatore recipe to Hikaru and Rikka.

Taichi Takemoto: Come on, just taste it my way. I got a nice, big spoon for you, Rikka.

Rikka was grateful to Taichi for offering her a spoon to just taste the cacciatore he had made for the audience, himself.

Rikka Hiiragi: Oh, excellent. Arigato, Taichi.

That was when Taichi began sprinkling pepper from his pepper mill onto the cacciatore recipe he developed, himself.

Taichi Takemoto: Here we go.

With Taichi sprinkling the pepper onto the cacciatore and her friend, Hikaru, looking on, Rikka decided to just go in to taste the cacciatore made by the station's chef, Taichi Takemoto. She placed the spoon he had provided for her into the cacciatore, scooped a little of it up into her spoon, lifted it up to her lips and brought it to her mouth for a taste. She was pleased with it.

Rikka Hiiragi: I have to say, Taichi, this is the best recipe for chicken cacciatore I've ever tasted.

Taichi just continued stirring the cacciatore sauce about in his frying pan.

Taichi Takemoto: I knew you'd like it. It's-it's duck cacciatore, actually.

With Taichi's confession to having used duck meat instead of chicken in his cacciatore recipe, all of Rikka's enjoyment that came with eating Taichi's cacciatore recipe went straight out the door as did Taichi's credibility as an expert chef. Granted, Taichi did not lose his credibility with the confession of his cacciatore recipe being that of a duck cacciatore because he was bad at cooking. He lost his chef credibility because of not knowing what dishes his news anchor customer, Rikka, was intolerant of.

A/N: that's right, everyone. in this particular fanfiction, Rikka Hiiragi is allergic to duck. no, she won't die now that she's eaten Taichi's poorly credited duck cacciatore recipe. She'll just get a bad case of 'squeakers', maybe an extra terrible stomachache. also, the consumption of duck meat in my home state of California is illegal, and so is using ducks in recipes at all.

Kairi, naturally, was the first person to get upset with Taichi for another poorly advised recipe with the use of duck, especially since poor, unsuspecting Rikka was allergic to duck.

Kairi Sanjo: Oh, no. No. No, no, no.

Amu was naturally taking her end of viewing the scene on the television screen at her work office in so much alarm, especially since the show was falling so far out-of-control so quickly.

Amu Hinamori: Did he just say duck?

Of course, poor Rikka almost felt close to gagging on what she was told was duck, a meat to which she was allergic, just to get it out of her mouth. Unfortunately, Taichi still remained totally ignorant of Rikka and Hikaru's shared reactions to what he revealed too late as duck.

Taichi Takemoto: And it's a great alternative to chicken, 'cuz it tastes kinda like chicken, doesn't it?

Hikaru already saw the face his potential girlfriend/attractive co-anchor, Rikka, was making after having devoured Taichi's specialty of duck cacciatore. He immediately recognized it as her gagging face.

Hikaru Ichinomiya: Duck, like the 'quack, quack' kinda duck? That kinda duck?

Immediately realizing that Taichi had screwed up once again at knowing what foods to which his customers were allergic Amu knew she needed to get Kairi to do something about Taichi's second time in a row being ignorant of food allergies.

Amu Hinamori: Kairi, Kairi, get ready to roll to an early break, will ya?

Kairi understood that an early break was naturally necessary for the station if only to give Rikka time to adjust herself and get her EpiPen shot ready for both her throat and her stomach.

Kari Sanjo: You bet I can get ready for an early break… lovely Amu.

Of course, Kairi whispered 'lovely Amu' under his breath. Meanwhile on the main set, Hikaru was holding onto Rikka and was stuck doing all the talking, particularly because Rikka did not only have a food in her mouth to which she was allergic, but the duck mixed with the cacciatore sauce had also glued her lips shut as an aftereffect.

Hikaru Ichinomiya: Well, mine is sort of a chicken household and so is my favorite girl, Rikka's, house. Both of our houses really are, especially Rikka's particularly because my girl's kinda allergic to duck meat, you heathen! You philistine! You infidel!

The normally calm, cool, and totally collected Hikaru was almost ready to make a run for Taichi and strangle him for serving Rikka a food to which she was allergic. It took Rikka holding her friend back and what Amu told Kairi to do next to hold Hikaru back from attacking Taichi for ignorance towards potential food allergies.

Amu Hinamori: Kairi, quick! Tell Hikaru to throw it to Yukio while Rikka pulls herself together.

Kairi Sanjo: Got it… beautiful.

Kairi once again kept his comment about Amu being beautiful under his breath. Meanwhile on the set, after Hikaru had been told by Kairi what to do about Taichi's stupidity in not recognizing once again to which foods his anchorwoman customer, Rikka, was allergic, Hikaru took the director's advice.

Taichi Takemoto: I'm very sorry. I promise that serving your girlfriend a food she happens to be allergic to for a second time in a row was just an accidental coincidence, I swear, Hikaru. I genuinely hope nothing bad happens to her because she ate my food. But the main question, Hikaru, my friend, is 'what do you, yourself, think of my duck cacciatore'? Do you think it's good, or is it just OK?

Rikka was finally able to tell everyone what she really thought of the duck cacciatore recipe Taichi had cooked up for hers and Hikaru's shared show.

Rikka Hiiragi: It's good. I'll probably need an EpiPen shot later, but it's delicious.

Hikaru did not want to even try what had been revealed as duck cacciatore instead of the standard chicken cacciatore.

Hikaru Ichinomiya: Yukio, do you like it?

Naturally, Yukio, an obese weatherman at the station who was not allergic to duck meat like Rikka was, liked the duck cacciatore better than Rikka had.

Yukio Arimoto: Can I take home the leftovers?

Rikka was only too happy that Yukio liked the duck cacciatore better than she had, particularly because of her being basically allergic to duck. Taichi just ignored Yukio's request because he was an obese weatherman working at the station while Rikka was a pretty girl with a sense of virginity to her.

Taichi Takemoto: You sure you don't want any leftovers, Rikka?

Of course since she was still allergic to duck meat, Rikka could never take any leftovers from a duck cacciatore recipe. So, she just did to Taichi what he did to Yukio and ignored the chef.

Rikka Hiiragi: When we return, our live Skycam traffic update.

Back in the Media room, Amu let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in her lungs.

Amu Hinamori: OK.

Meanwhile back on the set, Rikka continued getting ready to roll to the show's early break with her next news listing.

Rikka Hiiragi: And guess who's in rehab this week.

Kairi Sanjo: Stand by to roll your break.

Hikaru was ready with the next bit of news for after their break.

Hikaru Ichinomiya: Also find out the latest fashion trends and what sports teams can make the playoffs in their chosen field, when we come back.

Back in the camera room, Kairi was ready to direct the others in the camera room to roll to their early break.

Kairi Sanjo: Roll your break, guys.

Taichi, on the other hand, was not ready to give up on getting Rikka to like his cooking.

Taichi Takemoto: How about salt? Do you think salt'd make it taste better and decrease food allergy risk?

Unfortunately for Taichi, he began offering ways to improve his duck cacciatore recipe after Kairi asked Amu's backstage staff to roll their break. By then, the main screen in the backstage camera room showed a commercial for a special type of new car. Kairi had also turned himself around to look directly at Amu.

Kairi Sanjo: I don't know how you do it, Amu.

Of course, Amu knew exactly what to say to Kairi about her total control over the network and her discord avoidance procedures.

Amu Hinamori: Oh, it's just a matter of looking chaos straight in the eye and tellin' it to eff off.

After explaining her order maintenance procedures to her co-worker, Kairi, Amu turned her attention to the rest of her staff.

Amu Hinamori (continued): You guys all did great. Arigato.

Kairi had something to say to Amu before she had to walk back out of the backstage camera room.

Kairi Sanjo: I suppose I'll finally see you tonight for our date.

At first, Amu was very confused until she remembered that she had gone and rescheduled on poor Kairi four times over in the past two months.

Amu Hinamori: Oh, right. The date I've had to reschedule three times in two and a half months.

Kairi Sanjo: It was four times over in just two months.

Amu Hinamori: Oh, right. Four times in two months. I never was all that skilled at math. I was always better at English, anyway.

Meanwhile on the set, Rikka was just slightly ticked off about Taichi's continued incompetence at acknowledging the risks of potential food allergies.

Rikka Hiiragi: I think it's time for a new chef on the show. I really do.

Hikaru finally decided to give Chef Taichi's duck cacciatore a chance.

Hikaru Ichinomiya: Now, come on. Taichi's been here with us_

But Hikaru did not get to finish what he wanted to say to Rikka, because she was already calling for Amu, the producer. Taichi felt bad for causing a further rift between Hikaru and Rikka. He also felt bad about basically poisoning poor Rikka when he let her eat his duck cacciatore.

Taichi Takemoto: It's this upsetting?

Back in the backstage camera room, Senna went to get Amu for one reason or another.

Senna Hanazono: Hey, Yuu and Yukari wanna see you. They're both freakin' out.

Of course, Amu obviously knew just what her husband-and-wife team of co-executives were freaking out over.

Amu Hinamori: They already got the ratings?

Senna only nodded at her friend, Amu, about Yuu and his wife/co-executive, Yukari, getting the ratings for the show for which Amu, herself, was the producer. Meanwhile back on the set, Taichi was just drinking a bit of wine straight from the bottle just for the sake of getting slightly drunk simply to suppress having stupidly poisoned poor Rikka with a type of meat to which she was revealed to him to be allergic… too late to prevent her from tasting it. As soon as he drank a swig of the red wine straight from the bottle, Taichi offered said wine to share it with Hikaru to ease his trouble with Rikka.

Taichi Takemoto: Want some?

Hikaru Ichinomiya: Yeah, give me that.

A/N: for those of my readers who are probably thinking, 'what are you thinking, offering an alcoholic drink to minors?'. well, I promise all of my readers that because of the mature rating of this very fanfiction, not one of the lead characters is a minor, other than Ikuto's nephew, Takeru Hoshino/Tsukiyomi/Nakamura, who will make an appearance before even his own mother, Utau.

With the offer of red wine that was made out to him by Chef Taichi, Hikaru just downed his drink of red wine if only to ease the trouble he was having with being in the metaphorical doghouse with Rikka.