I asked Yuuchan to move this story out of the sandbox since it was becoming more a series than a one shot anyway...so yeah. Thanks Yuuchan!
But yeah, Nanchatte Renai.
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Nanchatte Renai"Yes, that's it, smile. Good, very good, another one please!"
The repeated flashes of a camera would have blinded any amateur, but the person in question was hardly, if at all, fazed by the attention. With a practiced pout at the lens, young fashion model Tanaka Reina presented yet another perfect picture for the photographer, soon to grace the front cover of yet another teen’s magazine.
"Otsukare~" Reina nodded casually to the staff as she walked into the dressing room to change out of her outfit and back into her street clothes. Not that it was that much of a difference, given that her own fashion style was every bit as trendy as what she was supposed to be modelling.
Dressed to kill, Reina paused only briefly to check her makeup in the wide mirror provided in the room, before heading out with a confident stride.
The combination of her appearance and attitude was electric; heads turned as men and women alike paused to watch her passing. Reina ignored them with her usual ease. She was used to the attention, rather enjoyed it to some degree. It added to her already considerable ego, giving her even more confidence in her own charms.
"Hey! Tanaka!" A deep, vaguely familiar voice called out from behind her. She turned, trying to place the voice in her memories, and then the face came into view.
He was cute in a pretty boy sort of way. Dark tousled hair, suave look, a sparkling smile. Just like any one of the dozens of up and coming young male models from the agency. Honestly, Reina sometimes wondered how she managed to even tell them apart as the days rolled by.
He jogged to catch up with her, an impishly flirtatious grin on his face. He was good-looking; she would give him that, and definitely passed her standards in terms of coolness. At the moment though, she was busily fishing for his name in her mind. The bright smile she gave betrayed no hint of her internal thought processes, however.
"Kyohei-kun, nice to see you again. How are you?" Her reply was effusive, giving no sign of the fact that she had all but forgotten his name only moments ago. His smile grew wider at the recognition, and he fell into step beside the much smaller Reina.
"Fine, and you? Are you free later? We could have dinner..." He invited with a look in his eye that Reina thought she recognized. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes as she mentally completed the words left unsaid in his sentence.
'...and head to bed afterwards, right?'Really, men could be so predictable sometimes. Reina had had her fair share of conquests in the game of seduction, and she knew well the rules of the game. She could read people like an open book in such situations, and play with them as easily as if they were within the palm of her hand.
All things given, Kyohei wouldn't be such a bad catch to land for the night. He was handsome, cool-looking, and he was interested. Reina wasn't interested in commitment, and neither was he. It would be the perfect one-off fling.
Unfortunately, Reina simply wasn't in the mood for games tonight. All the usual antics required for participation in this game, much as it was routine for her, gave her no excitement at the prospect of it. Somehow, being able to predict his game pattern made it all too boring for her. And Reina didn't like being bored.
"Dinner sounds really good..." Putting on her best girlish enthusiasm, she watched him beam in anticipation, then completed her sentence. "...but I'm afraid that I already have something on tonight." The light faded out of his eyes, and Reina resisted the urge to smirk, instead summoning her cutest 'I'm so sorry' smile.
"Maybe another time then?" At least he knew when he was rejected. Reina respected that. His tone was light enough to save his dignity without making him sound too desperate, and they parted ways without a backward glance.
With a sigh, Reina stood listlessly in the lobby, waiting for the elevator to reach her floor. The predictable rounds of her life made her restless, and even her clandestine activities were beginning to lose their appeal to some extent.
Sure, the sex was still fun, but it was only for the moment. In the darkness, with the even breathing of whoever her bed partner happened to be for the night rumbling next to her, she could neither see herself nor feel the reality of her life. It all felt so...pointless. Empty.
The hands of the clock moving steadily clockwise, always in precise intervals, running round the face with predictable regularity. Over and over, the mundane routines that made up her life. Just as the hands moved from point to point, so did she leap from one encounter to the next, one much like the other, except with a different face, and at a different time.
Restless. That was how she felt. The surge that kept her moving, always onward, never looking back. Something that kept her from settling down, that vague urge that always pushed her to go further, move on. It was more than a compulsion; it felt like a hunger that could not be sated, a thirst that could not be quenched. Always reaching out, yet grasping nothing. But always searching.
Reina did not know what she was looking for. She was not made for deep thought, nor equipped for mindful contemplation of her inner being. She was a person who lived outside herself; with too many things she kept a secret within, even to herself. She only knew that she was not satisfied, not with all the brief attachments she had experienced in her life thus far.
Yet she did not yearn for commitment, did not buy into the concept of love eternal, could not bring herself to believe in an unbreakable bond that could link two wholly separate people together. The very idea seemed like a collar, a noose even, to her carefree spirit. She could not, and would not, allow herself to be tied down that way. It would diminish what it meant to be her.
"Reina?" A friendly voice broke her out of her reverie, and Reina started at the sound of her own name. A pair of chocolate eyes stared directly into her own, almost precisely at eye level.
This time she did not have to hesitate to remember the name. This was one person that had a bookmark in her life, someone who was almost as free-spirited as her, and probably even more stubborn.
"Ai-chan!" Her smile was genuine this time, and she allowed herself to be pulled into the now open elevator by her older friend. and senpai in the industry. They were a matched set, in terms of height and build, and in their shared reputations within their line. No one else could match their records in jumping from one relationship to another, if one night stands were even recognized as relationships in the first place.
Takahashi Ai, actress and model, was a petite beauty much like Reina herself was. The similarities ended there though. Reina cultivated a haughty, cat-like aura of untouchability, a presence that demanded that you approach her...but only on her own terms. One could never tell if they would be receiving a scratch or a nuzzle from this one kitty cat. Reina was simply unpredictable like that.
Ai, on the other hand, gave off an intensity that both repelled and drew others to her. Some thought she was too serious, but those who knew her knew that she was only so under certain circumstances. She was quiet, and could pass through a place easily without drawing too much attention, something Reina had yet to be able to master. Put simply, Ai could blend; Reina couldn't, and didn't want to. She liked to be noticed, and blending into one's surroundings hardly contributed to that.
Yet both shared the same popularity in attracting the same sort of flies into their respective traps. Different ways of baiting, but both achieved results. Reina drew people to her like ants to honey, taking her pick from the many arrayed before her; whereas Ai picked her targets carefully beforehand, snapping them up before they even realized that they had been completely trapped.
In a way, they were kindred spirits. Reina felt that Ai was definitely a friend, well, more at times. They had not been above experimenting with each other on occasion, just to see how well the other played. It was a game that saw battles won, but never once had the war been decided.
Truthfully speaking, it was a war that Reina never wanted decided. Things were far more interesting this way.
"Want to come down to my apartment? I don't feel like going out today." Ai invited easily, a relaxed smile on her face. Reina raised an eyebrow.
"No party?" The older grinned in response.
"Too tired." She shrugged helplessly. "The whole of last week was totally booked, so I guess I deserve a rest today."
Reina understood immediately. Their own personal code never failed them. Reina knew exactly what the other girl meant. What she didn't know, however, was Ai's exact intentions. Not that she intended to ask; finding out was half the fun.
"And I'm your best choice for company?" Reina teased lightly, knocking Ai playfully in the side with her elbow. Ai chuckled.
"Nah, you just happen to live nearby."
That much was true. Their apartments were only a few blocks apart. They hadn't planned it that way, naturally, and had been wholly surprised the first time they met each other at the convenience store in the area. For all of Tokyo's size, it still seemed to be a small world indeed.
"Awww, so I'm not your first choice after all..." Reina faked a disappointed sigh, watching the flash of mirth in the other girl's eyes. Their usual game, not quite flirting but somewhere on the verge of it, just two girls having fun teasing each other.
"Of course not. You are just someone who understands, that's all." A knowing smile pass between them, oddly comforting in the shared secrets. They didn't have to pretend to be glossy cover girls, not even jaded celebrities. They could just be...themselves. It was refreshing.
"So who's cooking?" Reina asked absently as the elevator doors opened at the ground floor. Ai pondered that for a moment before replying.
"You just said it yourself." A pause, then Reina groaned aloud. It was a game they played. Whoever asked the question first had to answer it, and since it was this particular question, it meant that Reina had to answer it...by doing the cooking herself.
Ai was grinning from ear to ear. "Careless, aren't you?"
"Don't count on it, Takahashi." Reina growled with mock seriousness, her eyes narrowing. Still, it did not completely hide the spark of laughter dancing in them, and they both knew it.
They continued on in friendly banter as they headed back to Ai's place, where Reina, true to her word, did do the cooking....but not without coercing help from a not-so-reluctant Ai. Amazingly, they were actually able to get through the whole process without too much mishap, amidst all the teasing and general goofing around.
Reina had yet to figure out just what Ai wanted with her that night. An invitation to her apartment could be anything from sex to simply watching TV. It was hard to figure out just what exactly the older girl was in the mood for sometimes.
Dinner came and went, and true enough, Ai did mean what she said: that she wanted to rest. And rest she did, lounging in her comfy couch like a lazy tiger, soft music playing in the background with the lights dimmed. Reina was curled up with her on it, the two of them cuddled comfortably in a friendly silence.
There was no awkwardness, nor the sexual tension that preceded any sort of lascivious activity. They simply took comfort in their closeness, not needing to say anything more to reaffirm it, or even question it. It simply was. What was there, a connection, or nothing at all? It did not matter. Only that they both were there, at this time and place.
The silence was broken by the person who had initiated it in the first place, a languorous murmur that hardly disturbed the balance between them.
"Too bad we can't do this here as often next time..." Ai mused aloud, her fingers toying absently with Reina's long black locks. Reina's answer was just as sleepy, with just a hint of curiosity touching her words.
"Oh?"
"Gaki-san's coming to the city for work. She'll be moving in with me." Delivered offhandedly, as if it were merely another piece of information to be digested and stored aside, with no need for a great reaction. Somewhat odd for someone whose girlfriend was coming over to live with her. One would have expected her to be more excited.
"Oh? Well, isn't that good? You get to see your sweetheart every day then~"
Reina rolled over slightly, the side of her face pressed against Ai's chest, nestled comfortably there. She could hear the steady heartbeat of the older that way. It was oddly soothing to her.
"Perhaps..." There was just a hint of doubt in her voice, and Reina cracked one eye opened and rolled it lazily upwards to regard her friend. Ai's expression became distant, contemplative.
"I wonder if I'll get bored this way..."
"You're too fickle." Reina declared, yawning widely. She did not perceive the irony in her words, or if she did, she did not care. Ai mimicked her gesture, showing even white teeth in the process.
"Let's get to bed. I'm tired."
And so they did, arms wrapped around each other's waists, nuzzling into each other like affectionate kittens. And they did little more than sleep, all tangled up with each other, like missing halves of a puzzle.
The hands of the clock continue ticking, recording with them every moment of their repetitive lives.
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I'm so tired....does it show?