When The Truth Collides
The Case of Zero Kiryuu #1

Mr. Kiryuu, Zero
6-3-8 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo 170-4629

Dear Mr. Kiryuu Zero

Thank you for renting this apartment with us for a year. Due to rising costs of living standards in Japan, the monthly rent had now increased from ¥50,000 to ¥70,000. We hope that you would continue with your timely payment. Kindly contact us for any enquiries. Thank you, and have a nice day!

Satoshi OSAMU, Landlord

(0) 3-9467-1549

Zero stared at the letter he held in his trembling hands with disbelief. He could not believe his ill luck. ¥20,000 is a lot of money! Zero groaned internally. Being a fresh law graduate of Tokyo University, he is now stuck in a financial struggle to make ends meet by holding a part-time job at the nearby Starbucks joint.

There's always an option of moving out and finding a cheaper alternative…Zero sighed in frustration, messing up his silver locks. He really liked his current living quarters. It's really convenient, and he felt a little reluctant to search through the classified ads and going through the tedious process moving out again. He should really start on his resume and get a full-time job with a pay that could support his lifestyle.

Speaking of jobs…Zero glanced half-heartedly at the clock and almost fell over.

"Oh shit!" Zero yelled, grabbing is work attire and wallet. He is so not going to be late again. The manager is as scary as hell, and losing the only financial support Zero has doesn't sound like a pretty swell idea.

"A venti Double Espresso, pure black, takeaway," The handsome brunette ordered nonchalantly, handing over a ¥2000 bill. Zero flinched a little at the large bill and received it with both hands. That'll be a lot of change…how troublesome!

Well he sure was a fine male specimen though. Zero sneaked over a peek while counting out the change. Wavy chocolate brown locks reaching the nape of his neck, a strong jaw structure, a prominent chin…too bad he was looking down. Zero would give in anything to – wait, he wasn't gay! Zero flustered and almost dropped the change. The man drummed his long elegant fingers on the counter impatiently.

"Thank you, have a nice day," Zero smiled awkwardly, handing over the change. He never got used to dealing with customers (especially one as good looking as this). Their fingers brushed a little over the exchange. Those fingers felt a little cold…suits his cold demeanor perfectly, Zero thought. Since when had he been such a judgmental person? Oh well. Zero shrugged it off.

The customer collected his order and exited the café, driving off in a red, expensive-looking sports car parked conveniently outside the café. Zero noted all of these out of the corner of his eye before realizing that he's being a total stalker, and hit himself mentally.

Back to work, back to work! Zero sighed impatiently and chastised himself over his lack of concentration.

The door chimed, signaling a new customer.

"Hi, welcome to Starbucks," Zero put on his best employee smile, "May I have your order please?"

"Zero-kun?"

The customer, a petite girl with large sparkly brown eyes stared up at him in amazement. She looked really familiar, but Zero just can't place her among his vast library of memories…

"…yes?" Zero managed out weakly. He vaguely hoped it would be enough to shake her off him. Her sparkly eyes are kind of disturbing.

Zero's response made the girl even more enthusiastic. Zero wished that the ground would open up and swallow him whole. God, why is he such a socially awkward person? He wanted to sock himself right in the eye.

"Zero-kun! You didn't tell me you were working here!" The girl gushed excitedly. She reminded Zero of a puppy on heroin. He really doesn't want to be here, associating with such a weird person…on a second thought, she looked a little like his classmate from university. Zero squint his eyes and tilted his head a little to the left, studying the puppy –wait, girl– carefully, and his eyes widened in sudden recognition.

"Yuuki? What are you doing here?" Zero asked, flabbergasted. "That's a really short haircut…"

This was a girl who is the daughter of the prestigious Cross Enterprises, well-known for their numerous medical breakthroughs. Rich little missy and all, living the high life up the streets, sipping afternoon tea at classy and posh restaurants. Definitely not Starbucks material.

"Just felt like grabbing a nice cup of coffee. A grande white chocolate mocha, if you would," Yuuki grinned, handing over the exact change.

"Sure," Zero smiled back.

It was the time of the day when there were little to no customers, thus Zero decided that sitting with Yuuki at the corner of the café was the best thing to do during this idle period.

"Man, my dad's such an asshole!" Yuuki whined, setting down her cup of coffee with a huff.

Zero raised a questioning brow. "What's wrong?"

"He got me engaged to the son of another bigshot company," Yuuki scowled, "I mean, an arranged marriage? In an era like this? Where is my freedom!" Yuuki emphasized the seriousness of her words by throwing her arms out dramatically into the air.

Zero held back a snort, and Yuuki's scowl deepened. She delivered an unfeminine blow on his arm. Hard.

"Ow! Alright, I'm sorry!" Zero laughed, not sounding sorry at all, "Have you met the guy?"

"Nope," Yuuki sighed.

"Ten bucks says he's a geeky mummy's boy who actually likes riding on daddy's tailcoats," Zero sneered.

"Hey! That's unlucky!" Yuuki pouted, "Alright, enough with me. What's up with your life?"

"Pretty uneventful,"

"That can't be it! Tell me!"

Zero sighed. Yuuki never gives up, and he would die trying to escape from this particular subject.

"My rent increased drastically and I really need a full-time job with a better pay, a-s-a-p," Zero replied, a frown forming on his face. "Being a fresh graduate really sucks."

Yuuki nodded her head in agreement, being pondering a little, leaving Zero with ample time for his train of thoughts. A job? What job should I apply for? Why did I even take up law in the first place? I don't even like the subject! I should start my resume tonight…

"I could help you, Zero!"

Maybe I should start out small. A courtroom assistant? Aarghh! This planning's giving me a nasty headache!

"Hey, Zero!" Yuuki yelled into his ear, startling Zero out of his train of thoughts.

"Woman! What the hell?" Zero yelled back.

"You weren't listening to me! I said, I! Could! Help you!" Yuuki declared proudly.

Zero narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

"If this is about the joke about me getting a stripper job back in university, I'm really going to kick you out and add you to the blacklist of this café,"

"No no no!" Yuuki rebuked persistently with a gleam in her eyes, "The guy I'm engaged to recently replaced his dad as the new managing director of his bigshot company, and he needs a new secretary. I could say a few good words for you to land the job!"

Zero stared up at her, and saw her in a different light. It's as though she has this faint glow around her like an angel that descended down just to help him out of this terrible crisis…funny how she looked like the spawn of Satan a little while ago. The world works in many ways.

"...my God, Yuuki! You're God-sent!" Zero grinned. He is saved! Hallelujah!

Yuuki smiled kindly (everything she does now is deemed saintly in Zero's eyes). "All you have to do now is to email me your resume, and I'll try my best! You're going to get the job, Zero! I just know it!"

"Thanks a bunch, Yuuki!"

Oh boy! Goodbye to the days of financially struggle! He is now a free man!

"Resume, resume," Zero muttered under his breath, tapping his fingers on the desk. It has already been an hour and Zero is still facing the blank Word document of death. Zero has the letter writing skills which an elementary kid would scoff at. He really wondered how he even got into the law division in university.

After a few more backspaced sentences and cup of milky coffee (people who drink strong black coffee are weird, like that cold handsome customer during the afternoon rush hour), Zero finally gave up.

"Man, this is getting nowhere," Zero huffed, picking up his phone and dialling a number he knew too well.

The receiver picked up after three rings.

"Zero, I'm busy."

"No you're not. You're going to help me out with my resume, Shiki."

Shiki sighed exasperatedly at the other side of the line.

"What did I tell you all these years? What did I tell you? I told you letter writing is important for your future! You didn't listen, and now you're stuck even at the basics!"

Zero held the phone away from his ear, wincing a little at the guy's nagging antics. He can be as quiet as a lamb most of the time, but once he gets to it, he never stops ranting. The guy is raving mad.

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry! Just help me out a little, okay? For old time's sake?"

Zero heard Shiki sigh even more.

"I have this hot chick waiting for me to shag her brains out. I am not going to give this up for the likes of you."

"I never imagined that our friendship could be broken because of a hot chick."

"Zero, that's childish and you know it."

"I have instant coffee."

"No."

Damn!

"Drink's on me the next time we visit the club."

Shiki pondered a little over the line.

"…fine. I'm coming down in ten, and don't make me wait outside your door."

Zero almost did a happy dance. Almost. Wait, what did he just get himself into? Shiki's one hell of a drinker! Zero wanted to hit himself in the face.

"'Kay thanks."

Shiki hung up, and Zero sat next to his door, keys in hand. Never anger a sex-deprived Shiki. Zero had learnt that from experience during those high school years.

Zero laid on his back on the cold marble floor of his apartment while Shiki typed away on his laptop.

Tap tap tap…it sounds so soothing…Zero could really use a little nap…

"Zero don't you dare sleep right now. It's hard enough to even attempt to wake you up, and I really do not feel like staying over at your dingy little apartment," Shiki snapped.

Zero wanted to retort about the insult made to his beautiful apartment, but he couldn't muster up the strength to do so and let it go just for once.

"Maaaaaaan, I'm dead beat!" Zero yawned loudly.

"Try having a photoshoot at the bustling streets of Tokyo from dawn till dusk," Shiki said scathingly.

"Sounds like fun," Zero let out another yawn. Shiki simply shook his head and continued typing away.

Zero stared up at the white plain ceiling of his apartment. He should really do something about it, it's so dull looking. How about blue? Blue's a nice colour. Zero likes blue. Paint's pretty expensive these days, though. Zero sighed loudly.

"Hey, Shiki?"

Shiki ignored him. Zero nudged his back with the tip of his toe.

"Hey, Shiki?"

"What?" Shiki snapped. He is not in the mood for Zero's antics.

"Doesn't this remind you of our high school days?" Zero grinned. "When you would help me out with my homework?"

"Oh, sure. Best days of my life," Shiki replied sarcastically.

"And when those mobs of girls would stalk you all the way to your home and you had to resort to staying over at my place instead."

"'Kay."

Zero frowned at the back of Shiki's mass of purple hair (purple is the latest trend, according to those magazines Shiki modelled for).

"Right, I'm done. All you have to do now is to drag a photo of yourself in the little space at the top right corner. Have fun," Shiki announced with his usual stoic look.

"Woah, thanks, Shiki!" Zero marvelled at the 4-page long Word document.

"I'll text you when I'm free for the free drinks," Shiki smirked.

Zero groaned. He wished he'd forgotten all about that.

"Alright, fine by me. Would you like some coffee before you go?"

"I don't drink instant. It's bad for the skin. Besides, the hot chick's probably still awaiting my return."

"Riiight, I forgot. No chick could ever resist Shiki Senri," Zero smirked, rubbing the bridge of his nose and stifling a yawn.

Shiki chuckled. "Glad you know. I'm leaving now, bye."

Zero led his childhood friend to the door and bid him farewell, before going back to his trusty laptop and marvelling at Shiki's work of art. The guy's too smart for his own good.

With that last thought in mind, Zero plopped onto his clothes-filled bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

Sender: Yuuki Cross (butterflywingsyuuki yahoo . co . jp)
Receiver: Zero Kiryuu (kiryuuzero yahoo . co . jp)
Subject: BAD NEWS

Zero-kun! You got the job! oO(W)Oo Were you tricked by the title? WERE YOU? d(^o^)b

I'm so happy for you! Good luck! v(^_^)v You can start work at 9:00AM on Friday, 21 January!

Congratulations! Do your best!

P/S I met my fiancé already. He is sooooo hot! (*_*) Don't get jealous okay? Hehehe! (^_~)

Xoxo
Yuuki~~

Zero read the email, then re-read it a second time in order to decipher the girly phrases Yuuki used in the email abundantly.

When the email finally processed in Zero's mind, he almost cried tears of joy. Yuuki! His guardian angel! Zero made a mental note to treat the girl extra well the next time they meet up.

Zero sent back a quick reply and laid back, releasing a sigh of relief. Goodbye, days of financial struggle.

Today's the last day of his café job (he's planning to turn up his retirement letter today), and Zero fingered his work attire nostalgically. He'll sort of miss the place. Meeting loads of new people every day was actually kind of fun.

Time to face the future and look up! The future's bright and full of new perspectives! Zero thought optimistically, and made his merry way down the café.

It was a quaint work day. Zero hummed softly to himself as he whipped up the very last Double Chocolate Chip Cream frappe he'd ever make.

The door chimed, and Zero looked up, and welcoming smile poised at the ready on his lips.

"Welcome to Starbucks! May I have you order pl – "

Oh God. Rich hot brunette guy alert. Why the hell is he back anyway?

"A venti Double Espresso, pure black, takeaway," He ordered in that deep baritone that (sort of) sent shivers down Zero's spine. The heck, I'm not gay! Not gay! Zero thought frantically.

Wasn't the order the same as his previous one? Even his words are the same. Funny how Zero remembered such mundane stuff instead of those letter-writing tips he learnt in elementary, middle and high school.

"A-Alright," Zero's smiled twitched.

As Zero passed the change to the customer, he paused for a moment and examined Zero for a little.

"You look a little familiar," He studied carefully. "Have we met somewhere besides this place before?"

Zero gulped.

"No…I don't think so?"

The man frowned a little, and waved it off.

"My apologies. I must have mistaken you for the wrong person. Have a nice day," He collected his order at the collection counter and exited the café.

Zero stared at his back as he made his way to his vehicle and drove off in a flash. Oh well. This'll probably be the last time he'll be meeting him anyway. Zero couldn't help but feel a little pang in his heart when he thought of that. Guess I'll be missing this job more than I thought, Zero thought sadly.

The rest of the day had been pretty uneventful. Zero turned up his retirement letter to the scary-as-hell manager, and exited the café while releasing a breath of air.

Tomorrow will be the day he starts work at Kuran Corporations as the secretary of the managing director. He felt extremely excited at the thought of it, and grinned at the clear blue sky. It'll be a brilliant new life of Zero. He just knew it.

Feeling happier than he has ever felt throughout the year (that wasn't really long, actually), Zero made his merry way back home.

A/N: Phew, I'm finally done! I hope you guys enjoyed it! ^_^ I'm aware that Zero seems a little ooc over here (a lot, actually, hahaha...), but I sort of like him better as a happier person? I don't know. I never really had a fetish for the emo Zero. Hmmm.

I have a rough idea on how this fic is going to turn out. It'll turn out a little angsty, but not that much…I suppose.

This fic follows the format of 'The Case Of', meaning the point of view of the person in a third-party style. Shiki/Ichijou will turn up later on in the third chapter, don't worry!

More Kaname/Zero interaction in the next chapter, I promise! I hope this chapter doesn't seem too dull or anything, it's more of an introductory chapter and the usual drills ;(

& ooh, yes, there'll be smut in later chapters. Stay tuned ;) I won't keep you guys waiting long, no worries! Hee hee hee.

Reviews are lovely, they feed my drive to continue the story ^_^

xx, Rusty