Italian Goodness

Ryoma could not type anymore as his fingers were hurt from Keiichi's actions. He was quite angry and could not even finish the coffee he had just bought. He stood up and placed the laptop back in his laptop bag gently and zipped it up. He then carried the bag and took his coffee back up to the office.

As soon as he was on the top floor, it was already almost time for the meeting. He quickly walked to the CEO's office and knocked on the door and then proceeded to walk inside. Takahiro was on his computer typing away. When Ryoma walked into the room, Takahiro noticed and looked up at him as Ryoma closed the office door.

Noticing Ryoma's anger, Takahiro wondered why his secretary came back in a bad mood. He stopped typing. "Tanaka, why are you angry?"

"That bastard tried to break my fingers."

"Who?"

"CEO Hasegawa. I told you that he and his fiancé are out to ruin my family's lives.

"Ah. Well, I can't do anything since it's family-related."

"I suppose so. It's about time. Shall we leave?"

"Sure." Takahiro then shut down his computer and left the office with Ryoma.

When they arrived, they walked into the conference room and took their seats. Just as they sat, Keiichi and Risa walked in, along with their secretary. Ryoma was sorting out the papers. He glanced at them a few times, each time he did, he was getting visibly annoyed. They sat down and there was a brief silence before Keiichi's secretary handed Ryoma and Takahiro a sheet.

Keiichi soon stood up and paced around, explaining where to expand his store to. "Hello Mr Ichinomiya, Mr Tanaka. We have already opened a few stores around Tokyo, but I want to expand to Nagoya, and Osaka for now as there are some good malls there. I think we can make much more money with what we have right now." Keiichi smirked. His confidence had taken over him. The big boss would surely accept his request.

Takahiro leaned his elbows on the table as his hands overlapped, supporting his chin. He looked at each person who was in the room with him, they all stared at him, begging him to agree. After giving some thought to the deal, Takahiro decided to accept the request as opening a few stores only used a bit of money, which was considered play money for him. "Sure. Please talk it over with Tanaka and he will help you with it."

Ryoma was baffled. Takahiro knew that Ryoma was not exactly on good terms with the Hasegawa family, yet was forced to work with them. He thought it was payback from being snarky earlier in the day. He sighed and gave in, preparing to get insulted by Keiichi and Risa.

Takahiro stood up, getting ready to leave. "I am going to my next meeting now. Tanaka, please update me when I come back."

"Yes boss." Tanaka turned his focus back to the trio and started to discuss plans for the new store that were going to open at said location. Takahiro walked out of the room.

As he walked down the hall, the few workers that worked on the top floor, felt the cold aura come their way. They instinctively turned to the footsteps that tapped against the ground and bowed at Takahiro. He finally reached the elevator and pressed the ground button. A minute later, the elevator doors opened and Takahiro's driver was already there to greet him.

The driver opened the door and bowed as Takahiro climbed into the back seat of the Rolls Royce. They soon drove off towards the next meeting destination.

...

Whilst in the operating theatre, Kahoru had successfully removed the appendix from the patient's abdomen and was stitching up the incision she had made earlier on in the surgery. After finishing, she let the assistant wrap things up and she soon walked outside of the operating theatre. Kahoru stretched her arms up high and then stretched her back.

She took her gown and gloves off and threw them in the bin. She sighed and walked out of the doors. A man hurriedly walked towards Kahoru. His face was full of worry as he held both of his hands together as if he were praying, "Doctor, is my daughter okay?"

"Yes. We are going to move her to Ward D. Please follow me." Kahoru walked towards the ward the man's daughter would be staying in. She talked to him and explained what had happened. After, Kahoru went to do the scheduled surgeries as usual. There were emergencies in between her break as well.

As the evening came, she went to visit the last patient of the night, the man who had broken both his ankles. He had been in the hospital sometime. The nurse came in with a few radiograms. He was ready to start therapy since both of his ankles were healed. She explained to him that he would be assigned to new nurses and would be moved to a new ward. He did not smile but did utter, "thank you."

He was disappointed that he was not able to have any more bed baths as he enjoyed seeing the women clean him up. Although there were usually male nurses who did come in instead, The man only could imagine that the women were cleaning him. After finishing her rounds, Kahoru went to change back into her regular clothes. She checked the time on her phone, as it was starting to become dark by the time she had finished. Kahoru then decided to walk home, so she could breathe some fresh air. Especially after spending most of her day operating on her patients.

...

Takahiro had already finished his meetings for the day and was going to go home. The car drove past the hospital, as they usually passed it when he was on his way home. He stared out of the window in a daze, tired from all the business deals and collaborations he was involved in. Then he saw a familiar figure walk the opposite way from him.

"Turn around," Takahiro demanded the driver.

"Yes boss." The driver slowed, then turned into a parking lot and turned around to take the road back.

As the Rolls Royce was getting closer to the familiar figure, Takahiro told his driver to park just ahead of the woman. He did just that. After parking the car, Takahiro got out of the car and stood next to it.

Kahoru saw the man and continued walking until she got close enough to realise it was someone she knew. She stopped and gave Takahiro an annoyed look. "Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Get in." His face was expressionless.

Kahoru pouted. "Why?" She was starting to get irritated.

"Just get in." Takahiro opened the doors. He looked at her in the eye waiting to see if she would agree or not. As he saw her pout, Takahiro felt like he had seen that expression somewhere before. His heart skipped a beat. He felt strange. Since it was Kahoru, he brushed the strange feeling away.

Kahoru gave a long sigh. " Fine." She hopped into the car and then Takahiro followed behind. They sat in the car in awkward silence. Kahoru sighed again, this time it was shorter. "So, where are we going?"

"To eat."

"Where?"

"Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. You're the one who wants to eat-" Kahoru's stomach started to rumble. She quickly tried to cover the sounds by covering her stomach with her arms. In embarrassment, her face had turned red.

Takahiro brought his hand over his mouth, attempting to hide and muffle his laughter. He looked away from Kahoru to keep her from noticing, however, Kahoru had already noticed Takahiro and she started to yell at him. "What are you laughing at you meanie!"

Her yelling caused Takahiro to roar with laughter, as she tried to punch him on the arm. The driver, who was watching the event unfold, was feeling secondhand embarrassment. He sat still, waiting for the pair to stop fighting and tell him where they wanted to eat.

Kahoru had enough and opened the car door to try and get out. Takahiro stopped his laughter and grabbed Kahoru's wrist and pulled her back. "And where are you going?"

"Home."

"You can go home later. Fujioka, take us to Queen's."

"As you wish sir."

"Kahoru, close the door."

Kahoru sighed. "Fine." She closed the door and put on her seatbelt.

The driver started up the car and then drove towards the destination. The car ride was silent with Kahoru and Takahiro looking out of their windows. Not long after, they finally arrived at the restaurant. Kahoru climbed out and looked at the sign. "Queens?" she thought to herself.

She observed the building and came to find that the restaurant had a strange aura to it. She felt intimidated as it looked like where the rich would go, but when she walked inside with Takahiro, Kahoru instantly felt relaxed and welcomed. It was a cosy restaurant and the people that dined there were normal civilians. Kahoru did not expect that they wore casual outfits.

Takahiro stopped and in the midst of being astounded, she walked right into Takahiro's back. Kahoru immediately snapped back to reality and took a step back from Takahiro embarrassed. Takahiro ignored Kahoru as he listened to the waitress. "Mr Ichinomiya, the CEO is not in tonight."

"That's fine. Get me a private room."

"Yes sir, please follow me." The waitress bowed and they walked towards the private area. She led them into a room. Kahoru was again, amazed at the interior and looked around. The walls had diamond patterns carved into them with Gold painted over. The table was golden and had a red runner laid across with golden tassels. The chair was also golden, except that the cushions were bright red. She felt like she was in a castle.

They both sat down in their seats and the waitress handed both of them the menu. Kahoru took a menu and opened it. She saw the photos of the food and her eyes sparkled. It was an Italian menu. She then realised that Queens was an Italian themed restaurant.

Whilst they looked at the menu, The waitress came in. "Are you guys ready to order?"

Takahiro ordered first. "The usual."

"Okay. And you, miss?"

"I'll have the Carbonara."

"Would you like any drinks to go with that?"

Before Kahoru could say anything, Takahiro butted in, " two martini's."

"Okay. Thank you, your food will be here shortly." The waitress bowed at them and walked out of the room, leaving Kahoru and Takahiro alone. Kahoru felt a little awkward and placed her hands on her lap, looking down at the table.

Takahiro sighed. "I found out the marriage hasn't been submitted yet."

Upon hearing Takahiro's words, Kahoru's eyes lit up. "You mean we're not married?"

"Yeah. They couldn't submit it because the married couple is supposed to submit it."

"Oh, thank god." Kahoru breathed a sigh of relief. She was happy that she wouldn't have to marry Takahiro.

"Yeah, I don't understand why they had to pair me up with a noisy creature like you."

"Why are you so mean to me Takahiro?" Kahoru furrowed her eyebrows and glared at Takahiro. She pouted and clenched her hands.

"You're easy to tease."

"I am not."

"Yes you are, you idiot."

Kahoru did not feel like fighting back. A wave of tiredness had hit her. Kahoru did not get a chance to rest earlier in the day as there were a few patients that needed emergency surgery.

Takahiro gazed at Kahoru. He noticed her eyes had dark circles under them. Kahoru was puzzled. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You look like a panda."

"There you go again."

As they were about to banter, The waitress walked in with their food and drinks on a tray. "Here you go. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night." She placed their drinks on the table first and then their food. She bowed once again before making her way out of the room.

The room started to smell like pasta and Takahiro's usual dish, pizza. Kahoru was surprised that Takahiro's usual meal was a small pizza. Her mouth watered at the sight and smell and since she was not able to eat all day, she quickly dug into her carbonara. It was Italian goodness.

Kahoru loved Italian food. She could never get sick of it. Takahiro also dug in his pizza. He ate it very quickly as if he was in a rush.

"Don't eat so fast, you'll get indigestion."

"Why do you care?"

"Because I am a doctor. I am supposed to take care of your health. Also, you seem like you don't savour the taste."

"Uh okay." Takahiro looked at the pizza and decided to slow down his eating. It did taste a bit better when he slowed down. Kahoru took her time eating her food. After she cleaned her plate. Kahoru took a sip of the Martini Takahiro ordered. The sweetness filled her mouth and she quickly drank the martini. It had hints of strawberry and raspberry. She would drink it forever if she could.

After they finished, Kahoru took out her wallet and unzipped it. Takahiro put his hand over Kahoru's to stop her from taking her cash out. "It's on me."

"But-"

"No buts."

"Oh okay. Thank you then."

"No problem."

Takahiro called out for the check and then they both left the restaurant. Kahoru felt very tired as a food coma was starting to get to her. She enjoyed it very much, although she wouldn't admit it to Takahiro. The way back to Kahoru's home was still an awkward silence. Soon a thought had popped up into her head and she asked Takahiro, "Where do you work? You obviously have a driver and a secretary."

"Your dad didn't tell you?"

"No, why would he tell me?"

"Oh. Well, I guess I'm telling you now. I am the CEO of Yu entertainment and owner of King's Crown Resort."

"Oh, I believe you Mr bigshot. It all makes sense now. That's why your father is trying to get you married. He must pity a bachelor like you. You're such a mean person scaring all the women away. Look, you're good looking, but with your attitude, you're never going to get married."

Takahiro glared at Kahoru. He scanned her body and face trying to get her back. "At least I am good looking, unlike you. No one would want to marry you."

Takahiro's comeback had come back to bite at Kahoru. She was shocked to hear the words and felt a little sad. In the last few years, Kahoru had lost many of her friends, solely because of Risa's doing. She also figured that the way she looked was one of many reasons. She clenched her teeth. Just as she was about to yell at Takahiro, the car stopped in front of the apartment. "Miss we are here." The driver said.

"Thank you." Before Kahoru climbed out, she gazed into Takahiro's eyes with a dejected look.

"You are right." She sighed as she opened the door and climbed out. "Thank you for tonight."

Before Takahiro could say anything, Kahoru closed the door and walked into her apartment without looking back.

Fujioka watched Kahoru walk in and then he spoke, "It looks like you upset the young lady."

"I guess I did. Okay, let's go."

"Yes sir." Fujioka turned around and drove towards Takahiro's house. During the drive, Kahoru's words were embedded in Takahiro's mind. He was quite confused. When Kahoru gazed into Takahiro's eyes, there was a glint of sadness in her eyes.

Takahiro felt strange. He had the urge to hug her. He felt like there were more behind the words Kahoru had said. Something did not feel right to him. As much as they fought, Takahiro did care about her. He did not want to admit it to her. He had protected her from bullies and would be by her side when anything happened when they were children.

...

Kahoru walked into her apartment and set everything down. She went straight to the bathroom since she felt so tired that she wanted to take a shower and go to bed. After her shower, she unfolded her futon and made herself comfortable. She quickly fell asleep.

Through the night, Kahoru had woken up due to a lot of noise. She smelt something strange and slowly opened her eyes. Through the curtains were not the usual natural lighting, but an orange light.

She panicked and stood up to turn on the lights, but there was no power. She started to pack a few items in her tote bag, chucking the few clothes that were in her drawers. She then ran around her apartment trying to find a small key. When she did, She unlocked a metal cabinet and took out a medium-sized box. She could not leave without that box.

Kahoru took her coat, made her way out and as she opened her door, she started to cough as the smoke had blown right into her face. She ran to the fire stairwell. It was not easy to see and she slowly made her way down to the bottom of her apartment, one step at a time.

When she finally got out, a firefighter was surprised to see Kahoru walk out of the building. He rushed to her aid and dragged her towards the paramedics that were on the scene. She turned around and watched the flames go up and burned anything that was in its path. Once they reach the ambulance, they gave her an oxygen mask for Kahoru and drove her towards the Yukira Medical group.

She laid on the stretcher, coughing profusely. Her vision was blurry and her eyes stung and watered from the smoke. Once they reached the emergency department, the nurses and doctors on duty were shocked to find Kahoru lying on the stretcher. They started to treat her and moved her to a single room after she got a bit better.

She was admitted to the hospital for a few days before she could work again.