Leave Me Breathless     by Hikari-chan

Disclaimer: If I owned Gundam Wing or Sailormoon, right now, I would sell both for an improvement on my marks at school. >.< Does anyone think teachers will like either?

AN: I honestly can´t believe I started writing this, and I wrote all this in a matter of a few hours too. O.o I thought I was in a trough when it came to fanfic writing. LOL. Anyways, I know people are waiting impatiently for the next chapter of Silent Waltz. I´ll be honest with you. I´m about halfway done the next chapter. As soon as I figure out what to write, I´ll get to it. The first half is always easier because I have a habit of leaving cliffhangers. ^^;;; Meanwhile, maybe you´ll find as much amusement in reading this new story as I did writing it. I wanted to write a modern-day business romance story, and after much contemplation on the roles, here it is! It´s a little shorter than most of my other chapters, but hey, it´s the first one, so bear with me. Much thanks to you guys for supporting me thus far. I love you guys. ^^

Warnings: AU story. Very different roles for many characters. OOC-ness galore. Read at your own risk. =P

On to the story. . .

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Chapter 1 – Aegis Electronics

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"That is it!" the raven-haired woman shouted angrily, slamming shut the door to the spacious apartment she shared with her friend. Kicking off her shoes, she threw her purse onto the kitchen table and poured herself a much-needed cup of coffee, black coffee.

"Problems at work again, Rei?" a blond haired woman teased, practically bouncing into the room, her sky blue eyes dancing with mischief as she seated herself across from her housemate.

Rei´s angry purple eyes glared at the other woman. "I´m quitting tomorrow," she replied flatly, downing her cup of coffee in one gulp. "I cannot stand that man!"

Her companion grinned. "Oh come on. There has to be a reason why he´s the most eligible bachelor in all of Japan," she answered.

"Yea, his money, his money, and let me think. . .his money!" Rei yelled, her temper flaring. "No wonder the job as his secretary was wide open, despite the salary."

"Unless my memory fails me, there was a gazillion people lined up for an interview," the blonde replied, twirling a piece of her hair with her index finger.

"Not a gazillion people. It was a gazillion women, and let me tell you, Minako, there was probably only ten that were qualified," Rei commented dryly.

Minako laughed, the twinkling sound floating through the apartment. "If I wasn´t already modeling, I would have tried for the job," she responded with a wink, which earned her a scowl and a glare from Rei.

At twenty-seven years old, both women were tall and equally beautiful in their own right. Having met at university, and both being excited about finding work in the capital, Tokyo, as opposed to their small hometown, the two best friends had agreed to share an apartment and vow to be successful in their endeavors. Rei Hino, with her luscious, jet-black hair and fiery violet eyes, graduated with a bachelor of arts degree, and after a few small jobs in small companies, had finally landed it big after being chosen for the secretarial job of the boss at Aegis Electronics. Meanwhile, wandering through Tokyo with her fine arts degree, waist-length golden hair and eyes like the sky, Minako Aino was now a well-known name in all kinds of fashion magazines, admired by teens and elderly women alike.

"So you´re quitting for sure?" Minako continued without waiting for a reply from Rei.

Getting up to grab herself another cup of coffee and some crackers, Rei nodded. "I can´t stand it anymore. I don´t know why I wanted to be his secretary in the first place," she muttered.

"Because the pay was good and you wanted a nice job that paid well?" Minako replied, hiding her glee behind her hand when Rei glared at her again.

"The pay is good, but the job is definitely not nice," the raven-haired beauty replied flatly.

"So what do you want to do instead?" Minako asked, reaching over the table to help herself to some crackers.

Rei shrugged before falling into a contemplative state. "Think you have enough influence in your company to introduce me?" she questioned.

Minako raised an eyebrow at her. "You want to become a model?" she replied incredulously. "You´ve always said you hated the industry."

"I do," Rei confirmed. "I don´t want to be a model. It´s shallow and degrading. I just want to see if anyone needs someone to do the paperwork. You know, there must be somebody organizing your schedules, planning out who´s in which photo shoot and where. God knows I don´t want to be a secretary again anytime soon."

Minako stared at the ceiling thoughtfully, completely ignoring Rei´s opinion of her job. "Give me a second," she said, getting up and reaching for the cordless telephone perched on the wall of the relatively large kitchen. The cream and white décor was simple and elegant, with a glass breakfast table pushed against one wall, which the two women were sitting at.

Minako dialed a familiar number and tapped her long fingernails on the table as she waited for the call to connect.

"Hi, may I speak to Mr. Winner please?" Rei heard Minako ask politely.

"Yep, yes, it´s Minako Aino. Yea, that´s me," the blonde said into the phone, letting out a short laugh. "Hey, Mr. Winner? Yes, it´s Minako. No, nothing´s wrong. Yes, I´ll be at the shoot tomorrow. Oh, I was just wondering if you needed someone in the office to help with the papers. What? No, not me, I can´t even type. It´s a friend. She´s looking a job that deals with paperwork. Oh really? Alright, I´ll tell her. She lives with me. Yea, okay. Thanks a lot! I´ll see you tomorrow!"

She cheerfully hung up the phone and grinned at Rei. "You owe me a nice dinner out," she stated, her voice full of mirth.

Rei raised an eyebrow. "You can´t mean to say that I´ve already gotten the job. Most companies won´t hire people based on a friend´s reference," she pointed out.

"Well, he said that he does need someone in the office, seeing as one of the girls is taking a maternity leave in a week. He was going to post up ads, but since I got to him first, he´s willing to try you before he posts those up," Minako explained quickly. "He wants your resume, three letters of reference, and your interview will be three days from now, at four o´clock in the afternoon."

Rei smiled for the first time since she had returned from work. "That sounds wonderful. Thanks, Minako!" she replied. "Now I just have to write a letter to inform Aegis that I´m quitting."

She pushed her chair back and stood up to head for her room. She walked out into the large dining room, which was connected to a den that led to a balcony on one side and the front foyer on the other. Beyond that was a small hall that branched into a master bedroom, a smaller guest room, and a bathroom. Minako had insisted on having the master bedroom, saying that she was a rising star and needed the space. Rei had merely shrugged and settled for the smaller room. She had found the guest room cozier, for it was more like her own room at home. Plus, she hadn´t needed all the space the master bedroom had. Minako had even gotten a second bed in there to "fill up the empty space," to which Rei had rolled her eyes and declared Minako to have too much money on her hands.

The violet-eyed woman seated herself at her desk and turned on her desktop computer, quickly composing a page long letter for her resignation. She had no trouble with it, and was only interrupted once by the sound of the telephone ringing, which Minako had no doubt answered out in the den. Rei smiled to herself once she was done, and printing it off, she hurried outside to see, rather shockingly, a thoughtful Minako looking through the newspaper.

"I wasn´t aware you read the news, and we´ve been living together for more than two years," Rei commented, starting up the stove for dinner. She glanced quickly over Minako´s shoulder to see the classified section, which made her more puzzled.

The blonde sighed, turning to look at her friend. The originally agonized look turned to one of pure mischief once an idea crossed her mind.

"What is it?" Rei sighed. "Tell me before you burn the house down."

"Ha, ha, very funny," Minako replied, pouting. "I was just wondering how much influence you have at work."

Rei quirked an eyebrow at Minako. This has to be what people called déjà vu. Hadn´t she asked Minako that just a few hours ago? "You can´t do my job, Minako," she answered. "You can´t even type."

Minako made a face. "You don´t have to rub it in, you know," she responded. "Besides, why would I want to do secretarial work, other than for the hot man who would be my boss?"

Rei turned to the stove to cook some noodles, obviously annoyed. Her employer was the most insufferable man she had ever had the displeasure of knowing, and she could not understand why other women found him so devastatingly attractive.

"It´s my sister," Minako explained as though nothing had happened to dampen Rei´s mood. "She just graduated from computer science, and you know that back home, practically nobody even has a computer, so she´s thinking of venturing out here for a job, and she asked me to look in the classified section." The blonde sighed, tossing the newspaper aside with a groan. "If only I don´t owe her about fifty favors from our childhood days," she muttered.

"I didn´t know you had a sister," Rei suddenly spoke up, her interest returning. "How old is she?"

"Twenty-three," Minako replied absentmindedly, "and she must have gotten the brains in the family. She´s practically a genius, at least when it came to computers and those electric whatcha-ma-call-its."

Rei carried the cooked noodles to the table. "And somehow, you still came out electrically-challenged," she joked, serving Minako a helping. "But if she´s that good, she should be able to find a job, no problem."

"I was thinking that she could take over your job," Minako admitted, playing with the fork. "Wouldn´t it be easier for her to get into some big company like Aegis if she was recommended by an internal source?"

"Minako," Rei began, "I don´t even work in the electric department. Secretarial work is typing and paperwork, not programming software."

"Well," Minako drawled, "once she´s in the boss´s good graces, then she can switch into the other department?"

Rei sighed. Once Minako had her heart set on something, it was going to remain that way. "Fine, I´ll introduce her once she gets here. Speaking of which, when is she going to arrive in Tokyo? You do realize I quit this job in a week."

"Tomorrow," Minako replied, "I offered to let her stay at our place until she finds her own."

"Wow, you mean having two beds in your room is actually going to come of some use?" Rei muttered sarcastically.

"Looks like it," Minako grinned.

"Did you mention her name, Minako?" Rei asked suddenly. "Or did I miss it?"

"Huh? Oh yea," the blonde said sheepishly. "Her name´s Usagi. Usagi Aino."

~*~*~*~*~

A blond haired man shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of the powerful man who sat behind the large, oak desk. He was almost spluttering out the well-rehearsed report. "And. . .and that´s it," he finished weakly, glancing around the room.

There were only three people, not including him, in that room fit to hold a hundred people, but he still felt like he was suffocating, and he wondered, for the twentieth time since he had stepped foot into that office, why he had been chosen to deliver the results of the audit.

The black-haired Chinese man, who was leaning against a bookshelf on the far end of the room straightened himself and walked towards the aforementioned desk in the center of the room. "So there aren´t any problems with my department´s bookkeeping and our numbers," he stated rather than asked.

The blond nodded, actually feeling more comfortable in another accountant´s presence. "Precisely. Everything is done correctly, and all the shifting of numbers to reduce taxes are perfectly legal," he confirmed.

"Great," the Chinese replied tonelessly, obviously not doubting his own accounting for one second. He looked impatiently at his watch before turning his sharp black eyes to the man behind the desk. "If that´s all for the accounting department, Yuy, I have to leave," he announced. "I promised my wife I´ll take her out to celebrate our one-year anniversary today."

The browned haired man behind the desk gave him a brief nod. "Have a nice dinner, Wufei" he offered politely, yet monotonously.

Wufei Chang, head accountant of Aegis Electronics, gave a nod in reply. "See you tomorrow, Barton," he added to the almost invisible man on the other side of the huge office before heading out the heavy double doors.

"You are dismissed too, Mr. Fujitaka," the still-sitting man stated. "Thank you for the report. Leave a copy of it on my desk, and you can be on your way."

Said man quickly did as he was told, and practically flew from the office, the doors almost slamming shut behind him.

"I think you scared him, Heero," the tall brown-haired man spoke from the side of the room. His green eyes stared after the fleeing auditor in well-hidden amusement.

Shrugging his broad shoulders, Heero Yuy stood up from the desk and crossed the room to a wine cabinet in a matter of a few strides. "Drink, Trowa?" he asked.

"Brandy, please," came the quiet response.

Heero nodded, poured the amber liquid into two glasses and walked to his friend, handing him one of them. "How´s the research going?" he questioned, leaning his shoulder against the wall.

"Good, but not great," Trowa replied, swirling the alcohol in his glass. "We made some good progresses, but no one has come up with anything exhilaratingly new and advanced."

Heero nodded, his Prussian blue eyes studying the liquid in his wine glass. "That will do for now, but if anything happens, tell me," he commanded before downing his drink.

Trowa Barton was head of the research department at Aegis Electronics, known to have one of the sharpest eyes in the company, with the exception of the boss himself. Right now, he was finding it rather queer that Heero had not asked for a deeper report of the progress in the research department.

"Something wrong, Heero?" Trowa asked cautiously, regarding the sudden defensive stance of his boss and friend with interest.

"Nothing," Heero replied, putting the glass into the small sink underneath the wine cabinet. "I just remembered that I have to escort Relena to some formal party tomorrow evening."

Trowa shook his head. Relena Darlian Peacecraft was one of the most well-known models in the entertainment industry. With her honey coloured hair, striking cornflower blue eyes, and tall willowy figure, she was a sought-after woman by many men. However, when it came to her own interest in men, she seemed to prefer the one man she can´t get. It was common knowledge that Heero Yuy and Relena Darlian Peacecraft showed up together to many functions, but anyone who had seen their relationship up close would conclude sensibly that it was one-sided. Heero had as much interest in Relena as he would in a dead fish, and being one of Heero´s best friend, Trowa knew that Heero never planned on marrying, though he didn´t know why.

"That´s nothing new," the green-eyed man commented.

Heero shrugged. "She´s becoming a nuisance," he answered.

"But you enjoy her company in bed," Trowa bit back dryly.

Heero shot him a warning glare. "Watch you language, Barton," he stated. "Otherwise, as soon as I find a fitting person to lead the research department, I´m firing you."

Trowa smirked, "If you ever find that fitting person," he bantered.

Heero had to smirk back at the comment. Trowa was good at what he did and he knew it. "I´ll have Wufei replace you," he replied.

Trowa didn´t bother to hide the amusement in his eyes. "And they can research numbers while I come up with new ways of handling your books," he said sarcastically.

"Precisely," Heero replied, seating himself at his desk and flipping over the auditor´s file.

Trowa shook his head again and decided to change the subject. "What´s this formal party for?" he asked instead.

"Some woman in some modeling company is having a baby. They´re celebrating," Heero answered, his eyes skimming the details in the report.

"Maybe it´s her modeling company?" Trowa suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"Frankly, I don´t give a damn," Heero responded, "but my secretary told me today that she has to leave early tomorrow to get ready for a party for her best friend´s modeling company. I daresay it´s the same party, if that helps in your deduction at all."

"Why don´t you go with your secretary instead?" Trowa joked. "It´ll definitely cause some commotion, you´ll be rid of Miss Peacecraft, and you still have the pleasure of attending."

Heero looked up over the brim of the file at Trowa, his eyes positively twitching with either annoyance or amusement at the suggestion.

"To be honest, she hates me. I can tell by the way she looks at me. It´s a wonder she´s lasted for a month. She´s the longest lasting secretary I´ve had," Heero commented, the mirth apparent in his eyes.

"Seems like women just want your affection, not your attitude," Trowa replied. "With the exception of Miss Peacecraft, of course."

Heero rolled his eyes at Trowa before returning to his file. "If you enjoy Miss Hino´s company so much, feel free to ask her out, Trowa," he stated dryly. "I won´t object to you making a move on my secretary, as long as it´s kept out of the office. You know I never liked mixing professional relationships with personal ones."

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End of Chapter 1.

AN: Was that boring or what? ^^;;;; Well, now you know some of the roles. I think a couple of pairings are already apparent, but I´m going to make this "courtship" as interesting as possible. ^_~ Please review and tell me what you thought.