Prelude

On Jinpachi's 19th birthday, he opened his mailbox and found nothing from England. Of course, he went out with his ex-teammates that night for a nice meal. At the end of the night, he had been handed a present from each member – each one a wrapped headband, each one more terrifyingly ugly than the last, but Jinpachi was always gracious.

But no packages arrived for him in the weeks after his birthday either. He hadn't heard from Maki-chan in over a month… but, that wouldn't affect him. No… no, it wouldn't. It just meant that he had to train harder to be able to climb with Maki-chan again!

On Jinpachi's 20th birthday, he didn't even look. He knew his mailbox was empty.

Promises

One

Five Years Later - September

New York Spring/Summer Fashion Week

The hustle and bustle in the dressing room was where Jinpachi felt most at home. A flower hairpiece in his mouth, he worked tirelessly at the model's long tresses. He talked around the clip to his colleague, who carefully worked on the model at the seat next to his. "No, no, no, Carmen," he critiqued. He quickly finished his model's hair and tapped her on the shoulder. She stood, the Valentino gown flowing behind her as she moved to line up to go out onto the runwat. "Like this." Toudou pinned the hair deftly, finishing the look.

"Such a perfectionist," Carmen sighed. "How is it that you do these things so quickly?"

Toudou laughed loudly, getting a sharp look from the stage manager. "It's a gift, I suppose."

They moved on to the next models, undoing their previous work to create a new look to go out in minutes.

Toudou was one of the greatest runway hairstylists in the world. He had worked tirelessly for five years, building up his career from the ground up. He was proud of his achievements; he had worked for some of the greatest fashion houses in the world. He was paid well, too. Jinpachi liked making others beautiful with his own hands. He was good at make-up as well, but hair was his true calling. Everyone knew that. Head designers knew that they had to book him months out to work on their shows, to consult on how their models should look during fashion's biggest nights of the year.

Backstage was always a whirlwind; this show was no different. Jinpachi let out a sigh when his hands left the last model's head. Finally done, he thought.

Carmen let out a long sigh beside him, before giving him a smile. "Going to the after party tonight?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling broadly. He loved parties, even if he was left half-dead the week after NYFW was over.

After they had helped clean up backstage, Jinpachi and Carmen left the venue. Toudou was dressed in a navy blue suit. His hair did not have its signature headband; even he knew that it would not be proper for where he was going. Carmen was dressed in a cute black dress, her blonde hair flowing down her back. They had been friends since Toudou's first show, when Toudou had helped Carmen in a bind involving a faulty hair straightener. They became business partners, as Carmen handled the business side of their partnership, Toudou handled the art, and they both worked side-by-side on models' hair in the green rooms of countless runways.

The early fall air was cool as they stepped out on the sidewalk. As support members, they were able to slide past the press that surrounded the models and head designers. Carmen hailed a cab and they got in the back seat. Carmen took out her compact while Jinpachi looked at his phone. There were several texts: three from some of his New York friends, two from his mother, and one from Shinkai. Shinkai's message had a picture attachment; it pictured a grumpy looking Arakita with one of Usakichi's descendants. It read: "Doesn't he look cute holding Usako? When are you coming back to Japan to see this little guy?"

Jinpachi laughed before texting back: "Who's the little guy, the bunny or Arakita?"

He didn't answer when he was coming home. Jinpachi didn't like going home, not when every hill reminded him of his teenage delusions.

They pulled up outside of the bar where the after party was taking place. Toudou showed his I.D. to the bouncer and they went inside. The music was not loud; this early stage of the party was more of a networking opportunity and a cocktail party than a rave. Toudou and Clara each took a glass of wine from a passing server before standing next to a tall table. They watched the fashionable and the famous socialize, talking softly amongst themselves. The two would have to branch out at some point, but they wanted a moment to breathe after the show.

A few moments passed, before they heard a voice behind them. "Mr. Toudou? Ms. Bronson?" The two hairstylists turned to see a small Japanese woman in a black suit and sensible pumps. Her hair was pinned back with a hairclip away from her face. She spoke with a thick accent. Toudou thought that she looked somehow familiar – something about her sharp features.

"Yes?" Carmen responded.

The woman smiled in relief. "Congratulations on your show tonight," she said, fumbling over the words slightly.

Toudou smiled at her. "Would you like to just speak Japanese?" he asked, speaking his first language. "Carmen-chan knows it."

Carmen laughed. "He forced me to learn it," she replied in Japanese.

He pouted at her, "You made me learn French."

"We're in fashion, Jinpachi. Tell me that it isn't useful."

Toudou scowled at her.

The woman smiled and bowed slightly, back shaking slightly with laughter. "Thank you," she said. "I really appreciate it. I'm afraid my English is still not very good."

"Don't worry about it," Toudou replied.

The woman took a card holder from her pocket and gave them both her card. "My name is Fujioka Chika," she said. "I am here representing Maison des Anges."

Carmen's eyes widened in recognition. Maison des Anges was one of the most famous fashion houses in the world. Located in Paris, it had recently climbed its way above Chanel and Dior to become the most prestigious French fashion house.

Fujioka continued, "I am here representing the head designer of Maison des Anges. He has been watching the two of you for some time and is impressed with your work. He would love it if you were our head hairstylists for our Paris Fall/Winter show in late January."

Carmen and Toudou looked at each other for a moment. Then, Chika replied, "We don't have anything scheduled for Paris yet, so we will keep you in mind. We will be sure to get back to you about your offer as soon as possible."

Fujioka bowed again and thanked them before leaving.

Toudou turned to Carmen. "We're going to do it," he said.

Carmen frowned. "It's appealing, but we don't even have a money offer from them. Chanel has been very generous…"

"But we haven't accepted it," Toudou interjected. "We can change our minds."

"I don't know…" Carmen said.

"Come on," Toudou whined. "I love their designs and you know about the possible unveiling!"

Maison des Anges was also well-known for the fact that their designers never had their names attached to their works; it prevented them from getting affected by fame. However, there had been a lot of talk about how the designers were going to be unveiled at the next show. The most mysterious of all was the head designer, who it was rumored even most of the workers at Maison des Anges had never seen.

"Please," Toudou pleaded, looking at Carmen searchingly.

She sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Okay, fine. We can do it."

Toudou cheered, hugging her tightly.

"How come I have a feeling I'm going to regret this?" But that was still to be decided.