Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SAMURAI DEEPER KYO. But the characters not featured on the original Samurai Deeper Kyo manga and anime belong to me and so does the plot of this story. Anyone can write an inspiration from this but please do not take the story as your own. Thanks~...happy reading ^.^

Chapter 1 – The inevitable

Have you ever had a day where you just wish everything could be forgotten? Where things could just magically vanish from people's memories? No?! Well I have and today is one of those days. It all started about a month ago, give or take. Anyways, things always begin a little bit chaotic for me…

"Yuya have you edited that report from Mitch yet?"

"Yuya don't forget your review for tomorrow's paper!"

"Yuya Shirley wants that cover from Halle on her desk now!"

"Yuya why haven't I got my coffee yet?"

"Yuya can you fix the printer it's broken again!"

Yuya, Yu-ya, YUYA!

Yeah. I'm a writer, well a journalist, well not yet but I will be. I work for the New York Life & Style Magazine, the magazine covers from politics to celebrity news and fashion to business,it pretty much has a bit of everything. But its biggest selling market is the celebrity and fashion column, no surprise there.

At the moment, I'm still an intern in the celebrity section, but my goal is to write for the economics and agriculture column. What?! Did you think I was some Malibu Barbie that just wants to write about fashion and fame?! Well not me. I suppose I was majorly influenced by my parents. Dad was a writer for Trade and Professional magazines he also published a few books on agriculture and mum was a journalist on business and economy. They were amazing writers as well as being amazing parents, but sadly they passed when I was 10. They were coming home for my birthday when their jet crashed…

Anyway, today started out as always: running late and getting tea and cinnamon bun on the way to the subway, make coffee for everyone and prepare the morning briefing and make small talks with Kelly, my best friend and partner here.

She's my best friend because she's the only person who knows my insane moments and still likes hanging out with me. In all honesty, this girl has stuck to me since high school she just can't seem to part herself from me. I'm joking, but we have been friends since high school all through college, despite being in different continents and now here being interns together.

Oh, are you wondering how old we are? Well, Kelly's 23 and I'm 18 well almost 19. Yes, you guessed it right, I skipped a few grades. I was 16 when I entered college, but studied in England whilst Kelly went to Yale. I was 14 when I entered second year high school, that's when I met Kelly, as you'd imagine she was the popular cool girl and I was the awkward overly shy new kid. Hey, what can I say opposites attract.

"Hey! Earth to Yuya!" a hand waved in front of my face.

"What? Oh, hey! What is it?" turning I saw her outfit for today, lilac cotton polo shirt tucked under faded denim knee high skirt and black ankle boots, with her hair in a pin-up bun. Very nice.

I, myself, am wearing a beige camisole top under a faded pastel pink oversize fluffy cropped cardigan, my favourite by the way, tucked under a dark navy blue plated high wasted skirt, peep toe heels and…

"Are you wearing reading glasses?" seeing her mortified face somehow brings joy to my day.

"Yeah, don't worry its fake" I said tying up my hair to a high ponytail.

"Why are you wearing fake glasses and those types even! You look like 'Nadia the Nerd' from home ec." See don't you just love those frowns, the confused and dazzled expression and her endless humour. "Hello? Am I talking a wall here!"

"I was just thinking how much I love being your best friend" I said teasingly.

Taking the glasses off my face she retorted "Yeah well soak it up because with you in those things this friendship may not last long!"

As I finished tying my hair I was about to put the glasses back on when she broke them in two and dumped them in the bin. Seriously.

"So, are you going to tell me why you decided to dress up as Nadia for today and what made you seem like a human wall?"

"Jess got me a date tonight, shhh calm down! It's not like that! You know every time she tries to hook us up with guys they're always her type. So, I was hoping to seem more I don't know strict lady-like and even more 'undateable'." Seriously the mere mention of me and dating gets her so hyped up. Is it really that incredible that I'm dating?!

"Yes, yes, it is!" she answered a thought in my head.

"Will you please stop answering to my narrations." Huffing I turned towards my computer and opened my mail.

"Okay so that answers those glasses. What about this, you being so, weird, well weirder." Sitting next to me she looked at my emails.

"This is why!" I turned the screen towards her to let her read the contents of the email "It's an email from Nozumo."

"My step-sister is getting married" I sighed.

"Congratulations-or not. Wow you'd think it a funeral than a wedding with you looking like that, shouldn't you be happy for her?" she raised a questioning perfectly drawn eyebrow.

"Yeah it's great and I'm happy for her, really I am. It's just I haven't been home since…"

"Maybe this is fate telling you it's time, time to forgive yourself and time to move on. Besides I'm sure they're all missing you. Plus, you could really use the vacation, I mean you're starting to have lines the lines and you're barely in your 20s." She nudges my chair to the side so she could fully face the computer.

"Oh, I have a great idea!" I said beaming at her "How about you come with me?! That way you could also meet my family and haven't you always wanted to visit Japan! Now you can, think of all those takoyaki, the amazing onsen spa, Tokyo tower! Come on it'll be like our little holiday, I'll even pay for your plane ticket!" I said emphasising the enticement.

"Yeah, that sounds really great and I would love to" she paused to look at me then turned back to the screen and typed away continuing "but I can't. Your brother said the wedding will take place next month. I'm going to Paris next month remember? My mum's getting married again and as much as I really don't want to be there I can't exactly just leave her maid of honourless!"

"Yeah but the dates are different, you can attend your mum's wedding and still have plenty of time to go to Japan with me. I can just tell Nozumo I'll only be staying for a week just for the wedding…" Kelly's looking at me as if it's impossible. Well, I guess I can't really force her to go.

"She wants me to go with them for their honeymoon. They're going on a cruise, she said something like bonding with the stepsiblings during that time or something" she apologised and then brightened up again.

"I just had a great idea! Why don't you invite Mahiro?! I'm sure she'd love to go with you to Japan! She hasn't been home for two years now because she hates flying alone and with you she could have a free plane ticket there and back! It's perfect!"

"Not exactly!" I had to intervene with her 'great idea' she means well but there's just one little problem. "She's not exactly talking to me at the moment."

"What do you mean?" Seriously what is that girl doing in my computer?! If I didn't know her any better, I would seriously think she's being rude I mean she's not even looking at me as she's talking.

"Do you remember Thanksgiving Day? Jess invited Shinrei and Mahiro despite not being close to them. And well, ever since that day the two just hit it off I guess, because now they're dating." It always gets me feeling a little bit embarrassed and uncomfortable talking about other people's relationship status.

"Oh please! Those two dating? I have never heard of anything so funny. Besides it's not so much as dating as more like hooking up, you know friends for benefits. Besides so? What does that have to do with her not talking to you?!" Now she decides to give me her full undivided attention, this girl was made for the celebrity and gossip column.

"Well, dating is where it will eventually lead to and Jess said it's a little bit uncomfortable for Mahiro to be around me, because you know" I wonder when I'll finally be able to talk about relationships and such without feeling awkward about it like normal people.

"Okay, first of all everybody and I mean eve-ry-body knows that Shinrei is still in love with you! Don't look at me like that you know it's true! Let me finish! Plus, you two broke up like centuries ago she needs to get over that!"

"It's only been a year and we did not date. The guy barely courted me." Not that I agree with Kelly about him liking me. I mean we just weren't meant to be, besides he didn't seem all that interested. He only courted me for like a month then just gave up and we only had two dates during that month. So, I thought it would be best to just end the whole thing. Plus, a month of courting?! I hardly call that being in a 'relationship'.

"Whatever look the point is, wait what was the point in all of this?!" That's exactly what I've been thinking. We completely lost track of the important issue at hand-which is me having to go back possibly on my own.

"You know I could just email Nozumo and tell him interns are not allowed holidays and we just started." Am I sad?! A little, I mean I do miss my brother and everyone but the mere thought of going back and seeing everybody again just makes me want to hurl.

"What? Are you crazy! They're all probably just as excited about this wedding as seeing you. Don't disappoint them it's the holiday season. You're supposed to be bringing them joy and laughter not mournful sorrows. Besides think of your sister, she named you the maid of honour." I was about to slide back into my space when I was nudged away again. Oh, and she really has a way of making me feel guilty.

"It's a gift" seriously she needs to stop answering my narrations it's bizarre, I gave her the look for emphasis. Turning around she said "Besides it's too late to back out now. I just got a reply from your brother and he's really excited you could make it. Oh, and I took the liberty of buying you a ticket already. You're welcome!" Oh, I give up there's no helping this girl.

"Alright fine, but how do you suppose I can get a month off? Shirley would never allow it." Not even if I pay her for it!

"Yeah, she would" she craned her neck I suppose looking for the woman in question.

"How? I mean unless you're getting married, about to have birth or at death's door there's no way she would allow such a thing." Oh, there she is. Great she's headed this way, I'm sure it's either I got her coffee wrong or I'm in serious trouble.

"Exactly!" Kelly beamed. Wait what?

"Hi Shirley, just to let you know Yuya needs at least a month's off. She's getting married next month!" WHAT?

If flies are entering my mouth right now I wouldn't be surprised since they are so agape even a hamster could fit in! And Shirley's could probably fit a whole kitten in there.

Seriously why me!

"Yuya's getting married?" Shirley surprising recovered a lot quicker than I did.

"Yes" Kelly affirmed.

"Yuya. Married?" She looked between me and Kelly as if we just came out of an elephant's posterior anatomy.

"Yep" with a nod she turned her cheshire smile at me.

"You mean this Yuya, right here?" Seriously does she need to point at me?

"Uh-huh" Kelly nodded and sat back down on the chair.

"Married" Wow Kelly really is amazing even if only for making the 'Madam Shirley' turn into a monotonic robot "To who?"

"Isn't it whom? And yeah. Well, to a Japanese man of course. It's an arrange marriage, it's a Japanese thing" like she would believe such a ridiculous...

"I see, and when is this wedding taking place?" narrowing her eyes at me the Madam was back and I stand corrected.

"Next month, that's why Yuya needs at least a month off. I mean every newly wedded woman needs a honeymoon, don't they? So, I'm thinking give her two months off" she's winking at me as if this is the most brilliant plan she's ever made. Wow two months off to spend in Japan with my family, yup what a brilliant idea. So, if I sound as if every word is dripping with sarcasm! That's because it is! How does she expect me to survive on my own there! I haven't been in Japan since I was 13! It's been almost 5 years now. I really can't do this.

"Great, bye Shirley" Wait what just happened.

"What happened?" I was far too busy having an internal mourning that I missed the rest of their conversation.

"Shirley has given you two months and two weeks off! You're welcome!" she plotted herself down next to me with such a boastful grin as if she hadn't just ended my life. Why not take my head as a souvenir whilst you're at it.

"I'm not thanking! How do you expect me to survive in that place for two months and whatever weeks off?!" Of all the crazy things, she's gotten me into this is probably in the top 3.

"Relax, I can almost see steam coming out of your ears!" Gosh, I wonder why!

"I'm serious here Kel!"

"Okay," she sighed and faced me before continuing "the two weeks is for your sister's wedding and two months is for us to go on vacation! Now can you thank me?!" Is she serious?

"Seriously?! Kelly you're amazing!" Her insane cranial capacity never ceases to amaze me.

"I know. I already told your brother than you can only stay for two weeks' maximum because of your tight schedule for work. That way, he won't be able to make you stay."

"Thank you Kel." I mean it. She might drive me crazy most of the time but I can always count on her.

"I know" again with responding to my narrations whilst winking "Now come on! Let's go shopping! You need a whole new summer wardrobe to knock them all out!"

"Okay, first of all, it's not time for us to leave yet and second of all I don't think it matters, we have winter there in Japan especially to the area where I'm going, so my winter clothes are fine." There she goes again with her great planning ideas.

"It is if Shirley said we could leave. And fine, in that case let's go winter shopping for your Japanese wedding and my Parisian getaway. Oh, and shoes. Come on silly we need to pack."

And just like that the inevitable happened where 18 soon to be 19 years old Yuya Shiina finds herself sitting in the business class section, flying to Hokkaido Japan, supposedly attending her step-sister's wedding.

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to comment, review, favourite or all of the above ^_-.

Ja ne~