Lost In Visions

"A gentleman is simply a patient wolf."

- Lana Turner

Windows reflected the setting sun relentlessly, awing the passing crowd with the burst of colors reflected from the clouds. Each onlooker craned their necks in an attempt to view the spectacle, unable to catch a glimpse of the people inside looking down on them as unworthy ants. It screamed of new age architecture, of a strange coldness that had evolved among the world of large corporations; Kaoru Kamiya did not pause to stare, moving into the building in a quiet rush.

The lobby floor followed the theme set on the structure; hard marble covered the floor, all the furniture a classic black and dull grey. Behind the front desk a glass panel hung, water falling neatly down that would make any sane person have the urge to run to the bathroom. A plump blond sat down, obviously full of herself as she stared at the contestants through her own nose.

On each side of the large desk stood two armed men, daring anyone to attempt entry without permission of the elevator doors set behind them. Biting her own lip in nervousness at approaching the situation Kaoru moved to the desk with a bit of hesitation, wishing that Yuki did not take so long to park their catering van. The girl had sent her to check in, promising that she could handle carrying the caramel chocolate mousse pie, and the large tray of sweets, inside by herself. After a bit of arguing Yuki had somehow managed to get her thrown out of the car and into the Himura building without screaming bloody murder.

Ignoring the sound of her own heels echoing of the hard walls Kaoru spoke up quietly, hoping to seem a bit more timid then she actually was. "Excuse me?"

The blond peered up with a half frown, eyes bored as they studied her up and down without trying to hide the fact. Speaking into the phone line for a minute the woman briefly pretended Kaoru didn't exist. It was hard to ignore the urge to swipe the woman's eyes out of face, in an attempt to show that she wasn't someone that liked being ignored. However, before the action could take form in a fight the woman decided she could keep whoever was on the line on hold; that, or the person hung up on her.

"Can I help you?" Her voice came out sounding monotone: bored.

"I'm here for the contest? Sweet Kittens café?" Kaoru bit her tongue before a comment slipped out of her mind as a Freudian slip.

"You're late, to the left elevator." The woman smacked on piece of gum Kaoru was sure she wasn't supposed to be having. Her hand tightened into a fist, hidden by the sleeves of her white long-sleeved shirt. The clothing seemed to sweep anytime she moved, almost see through, although most people didn't dare look too hard.

"My business partner isn't here yet, can they wait another five minutes?" She asked.

"Look lady, either you go in now, or you don't go in at all." The woman then proceeded to turn back to the phone call, successfully cutting Kaoru out of her vision.

Sighing in defeat (only because of the armed security guards nearby) Kaoru turned to the left and let her feet guide her. The man had seemed to realize she would go because he'd already summoned the little metal box, the numbers on the top of the doors glowing slowly as they descended. He'd thrown her a strange look, one that screamed of pity and relief.

"Sorry, got here just in time!" Yuki's familiar voice chimed, out of breath, as the ring of the elevator announced its arrival.

Turning around she couldn't help but smile at the muddled dirty blond hair of her beautiful friend Yuki. The girl had outdone herself when it came to choosing what they would wear for the contest. She'd given Kaoru the white blouse with a nice long white skirt to contrast the darkness that seemed to surround her, also to hide the bruises without any hint as to the fact that they were there. She'd worn a soft pink blouse herself, a black skirt cutting at her knees to accent the shape of her legs.

In each of her hands she balanced a tray, the covers hiding away the soft food that had taken them hours to settle on making, and even longer to bake to their liking. The girls had both compromised on what to put in the desserts, and hoped that the corporation would appreciate the food. It wasn't a surprise when Yuki slumped a bit when Kaoru took a tray and walked into the elevator. Just because it was dessert didn't mean the dishes they'd chosen weren't heavy as hell.

Both of them stood silently in the elevator, trying to gain back some of their composure before meeting with the owners. Unconsciously one of Kaoru's fingers twirled at her hair, which Yuki had convinced her to curl and leave down so that it framed her heart shaped face. Of course, that meant that she had to be careful while handling the food so that no little piece of hair accidently fell into her hair or something of that nature.

Jumping when the elevator announced the arrival to the top level of the building Kaoru took a deep breath, followed by a set smile as the metal doors slid open. Yuki stepped ahead of her, wanting to be sure that Kaoru didn't trip on top of herself or make them look like the klutz pair.

"So I see that you've both decided to attend, and keep to your appointment late." A voice cut through the empty hallway they'd found themselves in. The man, Aoshi, stepped from the shadows that he had seemed to have become a part of, eyes glinting in the dim light.

"Ye...Yes." Kaoru managed nervously, fumbling with her dish so as not to drop it.

"Ms. Kamiya, please follow me." The man announced, then turned his attention to Yuki. "If you would kindly get the dishes prepared," his hand swept towards a cart, "we are prepared for you."

Yuki smiled as if his request was a common thing, her blue eyes clearly stating that she wasn't allowing Kaoru to go meet the judges by herself. "The dishes are prepared, and we already have all the things needed to serve within the trays." She explained.

Watching them both for a couple moments the man turned without another word, leading down the hall that seemed to get darker as they merged further. He had not done anything wrong, but the man had a certain air about him that set both friends on edge; he was off for reasons unknown.

As the lights dimmed to the point in which objects became merely shapes, Aoshi turned sharply to the right, opening heavy wooden doors without a sound. The voices that had been in obvious deep conversation came to an abrupt halt, Kaoru and her friend holding their breath at the sudden silence.

A nervous giggle escaped Yuki's lips before she took lead and stepped into the equally dim lighted conference room. Kaoru followed her friend with more hesitation then she normally would have upheld, scanning the shapes of the people in the dark. Yuki had already begun to answer questions that had been spouted in their direction, mostly from a woman that sat in the shadows.

Placing the dish down herself Kaoru excused herself from the room, the sudden urge to get away from the atmosphere overwhelming. There was no room for protest, only a soft murmur before the girl hid in her own shadows, the hallway.

Pinching the tip of her nose Kaoru tried to calm herself, wondering why such a strange fear had started to make her heart beat faster. Inside she could hear her friend explaining the desserts, and comments made alongside the sound of dishes clinking. Ignoring the bile threatening to make itself up her throat Kaoru figured that she was coming down with the flu.

"Oh, Kaoru? Yes, just one moment!" Yuki's ever cheerful voice spoke.

Passing a hand on her own forehead Kaoru realized where she had suffered such a sever sickness, whenever a strong vision, one that involved death, was to take place these things would happen. Her breathing became staggered and the sudden urge to grab Yuki and run screamed bloody murder in her mind.

A hand grabbed hers, pulling her forward without waiting for protest and throwing her into the conference room. Kaoru paled instantly, her hand throwing itself over her mouth to stop the threat that was starting to form.

She heard a shriek, and exclamation of shock, and even her name hollered from a strangers lips. Looking up through the fever she found her body to be weak, then falling forward onto the tight carpet. Hands reached down and rolled her over, someone delicately removing strands of hair that had fallen into her eyesight.

When her eyesight cleared Kaoru's vision swam into darkness. Another scream followed, then the struggle of someone being pulled back.

"Kitten," a stranger's voice broke through the chaos, and her mind fell into darkness, but not before confirming one of her worst fears.

She saw amber.