Key (L x OC)

Sixteen

Kaori spent easily an hour in the bathroom that afternoon.  She showered, making sure her legs were shaved smoothly and that her hair would be silky and soft, yet not greasy. She then spent time drying it and curling the dark locks fancily.   She also darkened her thin eyelids with makeup and dramatized her lashes with mascara.  She looked professional, and her beauty in the mirror fueled her confidence.

She stretched and bent her arms in way she probably shouldn't have and managed to partially zip the back of her dark satin gown.  She sighed in defeat and finally emerged from the bathroom, holding her gown over her chest.

"Ryuuzaki, can you do me a favor?" She muttered.

Ryuuzaki hummed and rose from his seat on the couch. Secretly, he felt relieved that she was turned away from him so that she wouldn't see his reddened cheeks.  Her back was fully exposed, and the skin stretched over her muscles smoothly and softly.  He felt as though he just wanted to run his hand over her shoulder blades.

However, he didn't allow himself to have such a peaceful, alluring pleasure. "Can you finish zipping this, please?" She asked when she could feel that he was standing behind her.

He did as she asked without question, grasping gently onto the zipper that rested just above her waist and pulling it up towards her shoulder blades until it fastened at the hem.

"Thanks." She muttered as she turned to look at the formally suited young man.  He appeared very uncharacteristically dressed in a clean black suit, finished off even with a tie and leather shoes. But the girl couldn't bring herself to say anything but, "You look different."

Ryuuzaki's typically messy black hair was neatly slicked back, leaving only a few strands framing his pale face.  "I'm not too fond if this kind of clothing." He displayed a disgusted expression.

"I mean, I'm trying to convince myself that you're actually you." Kaori laughed lightly.

"Believe it or not, it's me." He answered with a frown.  "Are you finally ready, though? You look like you put a lot of effort into getting ready..." He trailed.  "Not to mention that it took an hour."

"Oh, shush." She huffed. "I've got to make sure that I look like a high-class, sophisticated young woman."

Ryuuzaki did not want to give her the pride she would gain if he admitted she looked beautiful.  Her dark, thick hair was twisted elaborately to the side of her face opposite from the shoulder that her navy blue gown draped over, and her blunt bangs were neatly collected together. The satin gown framed her curvy body nicely, without hugging her chest or hips too tightly as her leg peaked through the side of the flowing skirt.  And for the sake of his own ego, he would not admit such a fact. 

He averted his gaze. "Don’t worry, you've achieved that."

Outside of the hotel, the sun had already set and the remaining orange hues of the sunset were slowly fading into the velvety blue of the night sky.  A small, fancy black car waited for them with an elderly man, wearing a top hat, standing tall in front of the driving side.

To her surprise, Ryuuzaki opened the door for Kaori, so she elegantly lifted the side of her dress and slid into the car.  He walked around the other side and slid into the car beside her. Clearly, he was trying to be as gentlemanly as possible, seen as he generally wasn't.

They determined that the driver only spoke English and a few European languages, but not Japanese.  Thus, Ryuuzaki gave the girl a few directions for the evening.

"I need you to act like you can't speak any English, and leave all of the talking to me.  If asked, you are an intern that works for me and I am a Japanese business entrepreneur." Once the car started, he removed his shoes and looked out the window.