Telling Secrets to Strangers by Vicious Grin
Ready and Willing
YOU KNOW WHAT! SCREW IT!! I gave in. I didn't want to post this until I finished my first story, but that doesn't look like its going to be ending anytime soon... so HERE! I can't wait anymore. The next update prolly wont be until MY birthday, though. haha
This should be interesting.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7/13/2007
I can't believe it!!
I, Kagome Higurashi, am actually on this flight!! Typing on this NEW APPLE LAPTOP!! Going to a business competition... all the way in NEW YORK!!! I still can't believe it. Everyone always said I was smart, had good ideas and all that stuff, but I never thought I was THIS good. Of all the kids who applied in Tokyo, I was the ONLY one to win. I mean, they only send two kids from each country to these things. I don't know who the other winner was. I heard he did something with computer programming in Kyoto... or something like that (or maybe it was cars?)... and here I am with nothing more than a simple doll design. I must have done something right because I feel like a lot of other people who had WAY better ideas than me just got cheated out... No. I deserve this. Right?
I finally get to go to a meeting in one of those halls I've always seen people in nice suits go in! The 'reserved for whatever meeting' sign is actually intended for me this time. Does that mean I have to dress nice? I mean, all these people still boarding this plane are in nice suits and stuff, and here I am wearing...uhh...a faded black t-shirt, the jacket dad left before he died, and my dark blue pajama pants. Don't blame me!! They told me to dress comfortable!! Its my first time... -.-
Well, everyone's almost done boarding the plane now... I think... I should probably stop typing and pay attention- OH LORD! This really hott guy just came in!! He looks different from all the other business dudes in here... like his hair... its super white and LONG... and his eyes are kinda... amber/hazel looking. Fancy. OK, I'm shutting this off for now, I don't want anyone reading this last part. XD
---
"Sir, we're getting ready to take off now. If you'd please find your seat..."
Kagome just closed her laptop when she saw the tall man in white hair make his way down her aisle and was stopped by some short female flight attendant with a high squeaky voice.
'He was just doing that, geez.' she thought.
He nodded to the attendant and lifted his head to look straight into Kagome's eyes.
'What?! Oh lord... don't tell me... HE'S SITTING NEXT TO ME!' She shot her head down and tried to hide the embarrassed look her face seemed to always don with her thick raven black hair.
He made his way next to her and stopped, clearing his throat. "Ahem, I believe I have the window seat."
She looked up and quickly blushed. His body seemed to be made for the navy blue suit he was wearing. Perfectly sculpted and- "Oh! Sorry!" Quickly snapping back to the situation and scrambling out of her seat. She stood up to allow him to make his way across, hearing him grumble something about the 'damn seating.'
Feeling a sudden surge of anger build up in her chest, she decided to be bold and sarcastically told him off. "I'm really sorry, SIR. Please excuse whatever clumsiness I might make you endure from me on this flight. This is my first time being on a plane." she said, plopping back down into her seat.
He looked over at her, then at what she was wearing, and nodded his head. "Understandable."
His voice was so monotonous... but she kinda liked it. She quickly forgave him, even though, technically, he didn't apologize.
"Miss?"
It was that stupid flight attendant. Her voice made Kagome cringe, especially when she stood right next to her. She thought she gave off bad vibes, something the girl was quite good at when distinguishing people. Tilting her head to look up at her, she smiled.
The woman handed her a small bag filled with all sorts of toiletries. "Your complimentary travel pack."
She looked confused as the woman handed a same looking bag to the man, bowed, then walked off. He noticed her confusion.
"They do this for all the first class passengers." he told her.
"Oh..." she said, opening the zipper and peeking inside. "what'd you get?"
"Same things as you."
'Well, duh.'
He never made much eye contact with her, if any. His head was always just directed straight ahead, not looking at anything in particular. It made her feel a bit awkward.
Another flight attendant came to the front of the plane and began discussing the emergency procedures. The plane began moving as the seat belt light came on and that's when Kagome decided to freak out. Of course, she never showed any signs of fear. She remained silent about it and the other passengers never noticed her. Her method was simple: wiggle around in your seat like a five year old, and when that isn't enough, tap your foot repeatedly on the floor.
"Miss?"
She shook both her legs as the plane started moving down the runway.
A little louder, "Miss??"
Kagome froze and looked over at the man. He looked pretty annoyed.
"Would you mind not shaking so much?"
She sank down in her chair. "Sorry."
The plane moved a little faster. Kagome wiggled around, fixing her seating position, and tried as best she could to remain calm, waiting for the inevitable ear pop. She closed her eyes tight, hoping that would somehow lessen the feeling.
"Miss??" This time his voice sounded more pained.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"You're sitting on my hair."
"Oh crap! I'm so, so sorry!!" She quickly scrambled around and allowed him to pull his hair out from under her. This time the other passengers noticed her and began grumbling to each other. She looked around and blushed. "Maybe I should just find a different seat. I can already tell I'm going to make your flight miserable, along with those other guys." she said, pointing behind with her thumb.
"I don't mind," he said, looking over at her and placing his right hand over hers. Unfortunately that made her even more nervous.
The plane began to ascend from the ground and Kagome cried a rather loud, and pathetic, shriek. Instinctively, she slid her fingers around his and grabbed tight onto his torso with her other arm. He flinched at first from the sudden advances, but then smirked and wrapped his left arm around her, cuddling her close.
The flight attendant with the high squeaky voice saw this and turned to her coworker.
"Kikyo, look!" She pointed in Kagome's direction. "Is she his girlfriend??"
The other attendant laughed. "That girl is way too young! She's merely here for some award she won, Kagura."
She calmed down a bit. "Well, that's a relief... but they do look a little comfy, no?"
"You worry too much. You know he's never been with another woman since the last one walked out on both him and their daughter." Kikyo taunted.
"Yeah. ...I would never do that."
She rolled her eyes. "I know."
Kagome kept her eyes closed tight and held firm to the man, even as the plane began to fly at its normal level and passengers were beginning to walk around. He chuckled. "Tell me, do you greet all the strangers you meet this way?" His arm was still wrapped around her.
She jumped. "Oh my god!"
Her shout made him flinch. "Please don't yell like that." he said, rubbing his ear. "I AM sitting right next to you."
"Sorry."
"You don't need to apologize anymore, either. I understand the stress of being a first time flyer."
She smiled at him and held out her hand. "Kagome Higurashi."
He raised and eyebrow and shook it. "Higurashi? That name sounds familiar."
"Umm... I come from a long line of... shrine... peoples."
"I'm assuming they never taught you the proper terminology." he chuckled.
She blushed. "Not really..."
"It's alright. I come from some line of Western royalty, but I never bothered looking much into it." He suddenly paused. 'Did I just tell her that?!'
"Royalty, huh?" she laughed, "So you're like... a bajillionaire then, aren't you?"
He smiled. "I make a good amount."
"...riiight."
"What? You don't believe me?"
"No, I believe you make a 'good amount,' but not everyone can afford a Versace suit like the one you're wearing. And from the looks of it," she said, motioning her head, "it looks customized."
"Well, you certainly know your fashion," he told her, pulling out his laptop. "Excuse me for a moment while I get some work done. We will continue this conversation."
She nodded. "Alright."
While the man looked through a bunch of papers and typed for what seemed like hours, even though it was probably only twenty minutes, Kagome looked around the plane at all the other first class passengers. They all wore either black or dark blue suits, were concentrated on some kind of paper or program on their computers, and were all pretty much men. The one woman she thought was another passenger turned out to be one of the three flight attendants.
She smiled smugly to herself. 'I'm the only giiiiirrrrrl. I'm the only giiiiirrrrrl!' she sang repeatedly in her head. 'Wait. I'm the only girl! How weird...'
Hit by a sudden rush of inspiration, and embarrassment for her lack of attire and 'work' to do, she pulled out her laptop, courtesy of the business program she was enrolled in, and continued to write in the Works document she titled Ready and Willing, and dubbed as her temporary diary. She looked over her previous paragraph... about the 'tall, hott, white-haired-amber-eyed man' and quickly deleted it in fear that he might decide to glance over and see what she was doing. What she didn't know was that he already saw it long before she even decided to delete said paragraph, and smiled inwardly at himself in the process.
'Kagome Higurashi, huh? This girl is something else... Her business profile consists of nothing but fashion and dolls. Even the layout is different. She isn't like these other teenagers... all either trying to look too professional or desperate for my attention...' He clicked out of the page he was looking at and pretended to busy himself with something else while he watched from the corner of his eye at what she was writing in her little journal.
Kagome was too fixated in her writing to notice any of this.
Oh my goodness, there's so many business MEN on this plane! I'm in a sea of testosterone! (Eww.) Maybe its just because I'm in first class. THE PROGRAM EVEN PUT ME IN A FIRST CLASS FLIGHT! (if I failed to mention that already...) I should really give Watanabe-sensei some kind of super cool gift when I get back home next weekend. If it weren't for her, I would have never even gotten into the business class this Taisho person created. I think his name was Sesshoumaru Taisho. I've never seen him, but from what I heard, he's one of the most successful entrepreneurs out there. Even got his business started at a young age. That was like... 15 or 20 years ago, I think. I'm not really sure... anyway, I don't think it's a number one priority I need to know. (But it IS impressive!) All I know is my business plan 'intrigued' him, whatever that means, so now he wants to meet me after I get off my flight and settled in the hotel. (Of course it wont be IN my hotel room... its in some meeting hall. That'd be really creepy to meet with a guy probably THREE TIMES my age... alone... in a hotel room he's pretty much paying for through his own company. Sounds like some kind of sugar daddy. Hahaha.)
He chuckled to himself when he saw that last sentence.
ANYWAY, umm... I hope I don't make a fool of myself in front of him. I already did a countless number of times in front of this white haired guy I met on the plane. I think I made him really mad at first... seeing how he didn't seem to like the plane's seating arrangements... or me wiggling in my seat... or me sitting on his hair. Yeah. And that only happened in the first ten minutes. But he seems to be pretty nice. He held me during takeoff... when I pretty much freaked out as the plane rose. It was like a stupid, ear popping, roller coaster. I HATE THOSE!!! I accidentally held (squeezed the crap out of) his hand, too. But he was nice about it. Hey! I don't think I ever got his name. That would be a good idea, huh? I can see it now...
Mom: Hi, Kagome! Did you enjoy your trip?
Me: Yep! I even met this one guy on the plane. We held each other's hand during takeoff.
Mom: That's nice. What's his name?
Me: I have no idea.
Wonderful.
But anyway, I think I'm done for now. His laptop just went off and I think he may want to talk again. He sounds so cool! I'll write more tomorrow after I get more comfortable in the hotel room... in New York... for the entire week... after listening to entrepreneur presentations!!! EEK!!! -glee-
Bye!
"Higurashi, right?"
She turned off her laptop and looked over at him. "Yep." She was beaming.
"What are you planning to do in New York?"
She smiled. "I won an award from a business program in Tokyo. Maybe you've heard of it. It's called the Taisho International Entrepreneurial Foundation. The people who work for it help kids like me... well, better dressed kids, anyway, with the business ideas they either had prior to joining the program, or come up with their own business ideas while in the program. I honestly don't know how I won. Only two in the program, out of all of Japan, won. And my business isn't very... worthy."
"And why don't you think so?"
"It's just a doll I make and sell." She reached down into her carry on bag and handed him a small hand held doll made entirely out of cloth. "I call them MeiKo Dolls."
He studied the doll that lay outstretched in his hand. It looked like a simple little rag doll. The detail was fairly decent and its eyes were made out of glass buttons. "So are they considered girl or boy dolls?"
"You know... I've never really put that into consideration. I've sold so many to both girls and boys that I consider them to all just be asexual."
"Understandable. And how much do you sell them for?"
She thought for a moment. "For a while, they sold for about five dollars. But my business instructor said I could sell them for a lot more... now they range anywhere from ten to twenty."
He smiled. It felt so foreign to him, but to her, it looked kinda sexy. "Who was your sensei?" he finally asked, noticing the way she was staring at him.
"Myoga-jiji... OH! I MEAN MYOGA-SENSEI!!"
"I can only assume he taught you well." he chuckled.
"Yeah... but he was so old! And kind of disappeared when I had a question he couldn't understand."
'As expected...'
He closed his eyes and thought to himself for a moment. Kagome figured he went to sleep, and decided to get a closer inspection of him. His features were so smooth and he had no weird blemishes or markings anywhere. She felt a little jealous and unworthy of being in his presence.
'Why is it some people never have to suffer through the pimple phase?!!'
Her face was mere inches from his when he opened his eyes. He saw her giving a close inspection his forehead when he asked, "Yes?"
She jumped. "Oh my goodness! You startled me!"
"Well, it isn't everyday I have an attractive young lady staring at my forehead while I contemplate things."
Her face flushed pink. "Sorry."
"What did I tell you about that word?"
"Sor- err- I mean, ok."
He nodded. "Tell me, Miss Higurashi,"
"You can call me Kagome."
"Kagome, what do you plan on doing with your dolls?"
A huge smile spread across the girls face and she seemed to brighten up a great deal. "I want to own my own coffee house!! There'd be a restaurant connected to it, and I want to be able to teach kids how to play instruments, or draw, or sew. I can sell a whole bunch of dolls there! I'll even have a band play on a stage I drew up. I have TONS of blueprints!!"
"May I see them?" he inquired.
"Of course!" she reached back down into her bag, a bit too excited, and practically threw the pages at him. "Here! There's at least ten pages worth of things from the bathroom layout to an upstairs studio."
"Studio?"
"Yeah. Believe it or not, I enjoy my own little private time."
He smiled and lowered his voice. "And what do you do during this 'private time'?"
"Just draw... or sew... or write." she didn't seem to notice, or understand, what he really meant.
"My god, girl! You can't stick to just one thing?!"
She shook her head. "Nope. That's why I want my coffee house. Did I mention I love coffee too?"
'Typical starving artist.' He shook his head. "And how long have you had this ambition?"
"Umm... since I was about... five years old."
He looked at her in disbelief. If it was possible, his eyes might have just opened enough to pop out. "How old are you now?"
"What time is it?"
He raised an eyebrow to her, but she looked pretty serious. Checking his watch, he noticed it was noon. They had been on the plane for nearly two hours now. "Its noon."
"I'm seventeen for ten more minutes."
"Happy birthday... I think?"
"Thanks." she smiled, "How old are you? If you don't mind me asking."
He shook his head. "I'll be thirty-six next month."
"Wow. You don't look that old."
"Thank you." he said, "You know, we've been on this plane for nearly two hours and somehow you've managed to entertain me to the point where it seems that time was cut in half."
"Well, I'm glad to have given you an extra hour of life... or is that taking away from it?"
"Does it matter?"
"I guess not."
He gave a slight nod and went back to closing his eyes.
She sat around for five minutes and looked at the different people and things around her. Apparently there wasn't much to look at. "I'm tired."
"Grab a pillow." He mumbled. "Its going to be a long flight if you're bored already."
"But the guy behind me is working on something... and I can't sleep sitting like this." she whined, again, wiggling around in her seat.
He shifted his position and sighed. "Here," he said, lifting the arm rest and leaning over towards the window a bit, "you can rest on my shoulder. I don't mind."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. You can put your pillow on my shoulder if you'd like. Just don't drool on me." he warned.
"I won't." she replied, sleepily.
She grabbed her small, red, travel pillow and leaned over on the man's shoulder. At first all feelings of sleep she previously had were replaced with waves of excitement, but when she saw he was fast asleep, her body remembered why she was in that position in the first place and quickly dozed off.
Two hours later, the man woke to find his left arm feeling completely numb. He noticed the girl still sleeping on his shoulder and very carefully, he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her tiny body like he did with her earlier during take off. Only this time she wasn't stiff or shaking. She wiggled around and let out a little groan, scooting her body closer to get more comfortable before falling back to sleep.
'What is this feeling? Five hours into a flight and this one somehow manages to get past my guard...'
He tilted his head over and gently rested it over hers before falling asleep again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Kagome... Kagome..."
Kagome felt something soft touch her forehead.
"Wake up, tenshi." a voice whispered.
'Huh?' Her eyes fluttered open and she saw two amber eyes gazing at her. She shot up. "Wh-where am I??"
She looked around at all the men in business suits gathering their things together and heading out the plane.
"We're in New York now." he said.
"Oh..."
"Do you know where to go?"
"No."
He handed her bag and laptop to her. "Here, I'll go with you to baggage claim and help you find your hotel. Where are you staying?"
"Uhh..." she looked through her folder at all the instructions until she found a paper that told her about the hotel. "the... Sheraton?"
"We're going to the same place then." he said, walking her towards baggage claim. "We can take a cab over there together and then I'll leave you alone, if you want"
"No, its alright. I think I can find may way around. They told me everything I need to know... I'm pretty sure."
Beautiful and independent.
"Alright, it was nice meeting you, Ka-go-me. I'm sure we'll run into each other again." he said, shaking her hand.
'I certainly hope so...' She smiled. For some reason, she thought a simple handshake wouldn't suffice. Without giving it another thought, she stepped closer to him and gave him a little hug. "I hope the people here are as nice and helpful as you!"
Naturally, her actions took him completely by surprise and he reacted as such. But after her last words, he wrapped an arm around and gave her a light hug.
Kagura, the flight attendant with the high squeaky voice, saw this and shot daggers at the young girl.
Kagome let him go and smiled.
"Good luck." he said.
"You too."
He turned around and disappeared into a sea of people in the opposite direction. She stared off in the direction he went in for a few seconds when it suddenly hit her.
"I didn't get his name!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, I recently found out Meiko means 'clothing child.' And forgive me, for I know not of the yen. -.-
(I wish the guys on planes were that nice!! ...well, the cute ones, anyway.)
-VG-