EDIT: 9/3/2015

Good morning~ Enjoy your dream?

Author's Corner!

Here's the fifth chapter and final part of the ESSENCE trilogy. THE LAKE SCENE KYAAAAAAA *cough*cough* Ahem, excuse me. Enjoy the storehhh~~~

9/3/15: Pfft... fangirling at my own stories. I am the best. /shot

Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters, italics represent past events/emphasis/memories/mail/text/etc, "bold" for telepathic conversation and the like, and bold italics time skips.

WARNING: May contain OOC, various point-of-view, and possible lemons! P.S. There may be vulgar language, so avert your eyes underage-lings!

V : ESSENCE pt. 3

I watched this amazing scene unfold before my very eyes. Never in my life have I seen this kind of professionalism. They know exactly what to do without having to be told. A once in a lifetime "connection" that two people share.

They have that.

These two kids. These two models. These two are just what we need.

But I can't decide that now, the test isn't even at its second part. I look over to where Ami, Yuzuru, and Wakana-san were standing, only to see them sigh dreamily at the two younglings as they were working. I stare at them blankly for a few seconds before decided to bring them back to Earth.

"Alright, let's stop here. We can only be here for a limited amount of time. Let's move on to the next location and take a lunch break, hm?"

The girls were brought back to Earth and replied with a "Y-Yes, ma'am!"

'Ah, the perks of being young' I thought to myself as I look at my left ring finger. Smiling, I look back to the models who haven't moved an inch since my announcement. "Shiki-kun, Nakura-chan, we're moving onto the second portion of the shoot now~" I cooed at them. They were still in the position where there foreheads are touching.

"Ah~ young love. A wonderful thing," I tell myself as I watch Nakura-chan chuckle at the thought. Even though she's like a doll, she's not all that emotionless, now is she. (A/N: Statement. Not question. -insert Russian accent)

"Pack up, everyone!"

The pair of models were behind everyone else, walking at the very back whilst they make their way to the second location. At the very front were their managers, Nakajima, President Kimuragi, and Shimizu.

"That was the first time I saw anything like that. Nakura's the real deal!" she says impressed by the display that was seen at the first location.

"That's what a lot of people say when they work with Kaori for the first time," Ishida states while stifling a laugh.

"Nakura-chan is perfect! She can handle whatever we throw at her, plus she's almost doll-like~ I don't know how to explain it, but, Nakura-chan just has this aura around her the makes people look at her. Like the aura of a true professional!" Nakajima says, clearly boasting about said model. "Yes, I can sense that," Wakana replies with a grin. Kimuragi smiles at this and looks towards the back where the two models lingered behind.

Everyone chatted happily along the trail to the lake.

...Except for the models.

They walked in silence. Pardon, they enjoyed their walk in silence. It seemed awkward for them to speak to one another after what they were doing at the first half of the shoot.

"Wow~ It's beautiful here!" Wakana exclaimed. Shiki had only nodded in agreement, though no one noticed this. Everyone else had already come down here to set up, including Ishida and Kaori.

"Alright, set up the remaining pieces on this here chess board! Everyone else prepare lunch! Ah, you models can go hang around somewhere," Kimuragi said, shooing the teens away.

"..." "..."

They both stared at the crew blankly, looked at each other for a second, then walked off in silence. This earned a laugh from Ishida. "Boy, the fans were right in those letters when they said they think Shiki-kun and Kaori make a good pair."

"They did?" Wakana asked, joining in laughter. This time, Shimizu spoke up. "I heard the fans gave them a couple name, like they did with him and Rima."

"Oh really? And what's that?" the managers asked in sync.

"...Senka." (A/N: I'll explain this at the end of the chapter LOL because the first one I thought of sounds similar to Shima.)

Everyone erupted into a fit of laughter that could be heard by the models, who were a good distance away from them. "...They're so loud," they both muttered at the same time. The two glanced at each other, each raising one brow. '...Weird.' they both thought.

The two continued to walk in silence until the reached a bench.

"There's..." Kaori started. "...a bench." Shiki finished. Kaori walked ahead of him and sat down, Shiki following her lead and sitting beside her at a certain distance.

Can't they just stop being awkward?!

Shiki decided to rest some more, so he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Kaori noticed this and decided to close her eyes as well. Deep in thought, she began to hum. (A/N: -picking a song picking a song- Uh. She hummed to "Beautiful Rain" from Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii) This was a very peaceful moment for the both of them. Probably the first one they've had in years.

...Until it was disrupted by a faraway shout from Ishida.

"Kaori! Shiki-kun! Everything's ready, come and eat!" she waved to the teens. They both looked at the manager blankly before sighing in sync and standing from the bench they sat on. Well, those moments will surely make for a good memory for the two.

Everyone was gathered onto the picnic blanket that was supposed to be for the photo shoot. But Kimuragi changed the idea to them sitting lakeside last minute, so she didn't care. The models were sitting under the tent in silence. (A/N: Silence is key?) They both claimed to dislike the sun's UV rays and that they would easily get sunburnt if they ate with them. Wakana and Ishida managed to convince Kimuragi to let them eat under the tent after her many attempts of persuasion.

After a few minutes of everyone chatting, Ishida came up to the models with a certain box in her hands. The moment Kaori saw the pack she knew what to say.

"No."

"Kaori, you know you have to take them. You haven't had any since last week," Ishida said, worried about Kaori's condition.

"But... They're disgusting."

This was Kaori's reply. Very childish if I might say so myself. "Too bad. You're taking them," Ishida said while putting one in Kaori's glass of water. Kaori grimaced but picked up the glass anyway.

"... I hate you and these tablets."

"Yes, yes. Now drink," the older of the two ordered. Ishida then looked to Shiki, who had been looking at the fluid in grimace as well. "How about you, Shiki-kun? Do you need to drink as well?" Shiki stopped looking at said fluid and turned to Ishida, the blank look returning to his face.

"No, I had one before coming here."

"I see. Well, if you ever need one, tell me or Kaori. I know your manager doesn't know about...us," Ishida informed. "... *sigh* Alright," was his reply. Ishida smiled at this and walked back to the staff, who were now setting up. Shiki looked to Kaori, who was wiping her mouth with a napkin. 'Can't blame her...those tablets are gross,' he says to himself. Meiko walks up to the tent.

"Hello, Nakura-chan. Since we're going to be starting again soon, I've been told to do a re-touch on your makeup. Oh, and don't think I forgot about you, Shiki-kun," Meiko informed the two with a wink. They stared at her blankly in return. (Meiko: *sweatdrop*)

"...Alright."

Kaori got up from her seat and walked to the trailer. "Ahahaha... I'll call you when I'm ready for you, Shiki-kun," Meiko-san hollered while running off to catch up to Nakura-san.

'What a long day...' he thought.

"Alright, you two!" Nakajima called from behind. The models turned to face him, waiting for him to continue his little "theme" speech.

"Imagine this, a young couple new to the concept of love having their first date by the lake! I won't tell you what to do, so just act natural for the camera, alright~?" he calls out. They nod in reply and look back towards the lake.

"Cue the fan," Kimuragi ordered. "Yes, ma'am. Fan!" Shimizu relayed.

Let the magic begin.

"Imagine this, a young couple new to the concept of love having their first date by the lake! I won't tell you what to do, so just act natural for the camera, alright~?" he calls out.

'So...we can do whatever we want?' is the question that formulated in my head.

Shiki and I nod in reply to what Nakajima-san said and look back towards the lake. 'Hm...if it's natural then how about this' I thought to myself while putting my hand out. 'Take the hint, buddy' I glanced at him from the corner of my eye to see that he was doing the same. Closing his eyes, he takes my hand in his and looks back toward the lake. Content with this, I look back towards the lake as well. A strand of hair falls onto my face from the breeze. Before I could fix it, Shiki beat me to it and placed the strand behind me ear. I mutter a "Thank you." and look down. Flustered. 'The heck...' I thought.

Thinking about what to do next, I let go of his hand and walk towards the lake.

'Hope your actions match mine...' I say in mind.

But without knowing it myself, I had told him what I said telepathically.

After placing her strand behind her ear for her, I look back to the lake. It's surface sparkling from the light of the sun. 'I hope we don't take too long. I really don't wanna get sunburnt... What a pain,' I mentally sighed, trying not to show the irritation on my face. While I was lost in thought, Nakura-san let go of my head and walked forward. She looked back at me while walking. That's when I heard...

"Hope your actions match mine..."

I stare at retreating figure. 'What the...' Was that Nakura-san? Must be her power or something... Sighing, I follower her lead and walk towards the lake as well. I hear the the staff pick up their things and move along with us. As I got there, Nakura-san was already sitting down, taking in the soft breeze. Her hair dancing in the wind. 'Hm...' I walk over to her and sit beside her. My legs stretched out as I lean back on my arms, I look up to the sky. *sigh* I felt Nakura-san shift beside me. Turning to look at her, I notice that she moved closer to me.

'Ah, right.'

After a few contemplating seconds, she leans her head on my shoulder- which she could only do because I was leaning back on my arms. She's considerably short for a model, not that it mattered with her looks. Looking at her from the corner of my eye, I feel myself rest my head upon hers. We stayed like this for a good couple of minutes, resting. Relaxing. 'But still under the sun...'

"Shiki-san."

I heard a voice within my head. It sounded like... "Nakura...-san?" I try replying, as stupid as it may seem. "Ah, so you can hear me," she said within my mind. "...Is this your power?" I state the obvious. "...You can say that. Anyway, I have an...idea."

I close my eyes and inwardly sigh. '...Shoot.'

...My reply was met with silence.

"Nakura-" "A kiss," she cuts me off.

"A...kiss?" I repeat. I agree, that is a good idea, but- "...Yeah, I know. The tabloids are annoying," she cuts my thoughts off. She reads minds, too. Noted. "It is a good idea, but would they be okay with it?" I'm referring to our managers. We can't just go around kissing people square on the lips. That's the kind of thing that leads to gossip, rumours, and reputation problems among famous people. "...They said to act naturally. I'd say a kiss at the end of a date is pretty natural," she states.

*sigh*

"...Alright. But if I get in trouble with anyone, I'm saying it was your idea." I heard her laugh. "Fine by me. Let's get this shoot done, I want out of the sun." Lifting my head off of hers, we turn to each other. Quickly noticing a change in the atmosphere, Nakajima-san takes position in front of us. I look into her red-brown eyes.

"Are you sure about this?"

It was quiet before she answered my question.

"Just kiss me, pocky boy."

"Pocky boy", huh. I leaned in as I notice her close her eyes. I looked over to our managers, who looked as red as tomatoes watching the unexpected course of action take place. 'I'm going to regret this, aren't I?' I go back to the main focus. Inwardly sighing, I close the gap between our us, connecting our lips together. Everything surrounding us drowns out in my ears, as though the two of us are in our own world. I could Nakajima-san shouting "Perfect! Brilliant! Bravo!" in the distance. But that wasn't the point. The main point is...

...is that I'm kissing Nakura Kaori.

He closed the gap between us and connect our lips. '...Shit, he actually did it' I thought to myself. 'Funny. He tastes like pocky, like a true pocky boy.' Our lips moved in sync as we kept going for the camera. I could hear squeals and cheering from the staff along with the sound of the camera clicking rapidly. 'Nakajima-san must really love this' Then, I realized.

I'm in for hell when this gets out in the next issue.

President Kimuragi and I discussed about the matter of ESSENCE's next issue before the shoot started.

"Nakura-chan, you don't mind if we use the shots from this shoot in the next issue, do you?" she asked me.

"...Not at all," I replied.

"That's great! Because we really needed more shots for our next issue, and we need it done by next week, so expect an early copy, 'kay?" she tells me. After that, she dismissed me to get ready for the shoot.

'Tabloids. Hate them with a passion' I mentally sighed. Then I remembered that I was still kissing Shiki Senri.

How long has it been?

Two minutes?

Are we even breathing anymore?

...Okay, disregard that last question. We're vampires for crying out loud.

That's when Shiki-san decided to pull away. I looked up to stare into his blue-grey eyes, watching him lean in once more...only to rest his forehead on mine. His eyes closed, he lingered there. 'Probably resting from the kiss...' I thought. Instead of telling him to move, I let him rest there for a few minutes before our peace would be disrupted.

"Wonderful! Just wonderful, you two! Alright everyone, that's a wrap! Pack it up, we're going back to the company!" Kimuragi shouted, obviously happy about the results she got from this shoot. She then walked over to where we sat. "Shiki-kun?" Shiki-san lingered, forehead still resting against mine, before pulling away and looking up at Kimuragi-san.

"...Yes?"

"I believe we have a contract to deal with. I look forward to working with you, cover boy," she said, her hand out for a handshake. I notice his eyes widen slightly as he gets up from the floor to take her hand. "...I'd be honored. I look forward to working with you as well," he replied back with a slight bow.

'He really did it'

She then looked to me, slightly taken aback that I was staring blankly at her the entire time she was here. "Y-You did great, too, Nakura-chan! In fact, you've gotten even better~" she complimented me. I give her a nod and a soft "Thank you" before looking at the lake. '...It's sparkling'

"Well, come on you two. We're heading back to the company to discuss some things before I let you go," she informs us before walking away. I keep staring at the lake until a hand makes its way into my line of sight. I look at the hand, then up at Shiki-san, tilting my head slightly. "...Come on, we have to go."

Oh, he meant for me to take his hand.

I hesitated before actually taking it. He pulled me up almost too easily, so I ended up crashing into his chest.

"..." "..."

I mentally sighed. This is just too awkward. To add up to the awkwardness, we just kissed. 'That was my first kiss, too...'

"Sorry..." I mutter before pulling away from his chest. I was about to walk away until I was stopped after taking two steps forward. He was still holding my hand. "Shiki...-san?"

"...Oh, sorry," he muttered, letting go of my hand then walking ahead of me. I stare at his back, titling my head in slight confusion. "Weird." Shrugging it off, I quicken my pace and walk beside him.

'I'm exhausted'

Have a sweet dream~

Literally, I'm exhausted. I pulled an all-nighter p . p And boy, was this chapter long. I've been at it for more than 4 hours! I might not have enough creative juice to write for tokyo ghoul and OHSHC, now /whining/. Well, I'll think of something. I thought it was kind of obvious, but Senka stands for Sen-ri and Ka-ori. The first one I thought of was Shina (Shi-ki and Na-kura), but, it was pretty much like Shima.

R&R? Contribute your ideas? Thoughts? Any advice for me? These are all well appreciated! Well?

See you in the next night.

ffxshilayt aka Shila -