The Rising Sun & The Morning Calm Ch. 03

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Angela blinked her eyes open at the sound of her alarm clock screeching. Giving it an annoyed slap, she sank back into her bed and scrunched her body into her comforter. [Why do I always have to get out of bed when it's just the right temperature?] she wondered. Sighing, she reluctantly pulled the sheets away from her and drowsily walked to her bathroom. Turning on the faucet, she rinsed her face in the cold water, hoping it would help her wake up.

"Mrowr?"

She smiled as the owner of the voice jumped onto the ledge of the sink and began rubbing her head under her chin. "Why, hello, Yin," she cooed as her kitten happily purred. As if sensing that she was getting attention, her two siblings wandered into the bathroom. It always made her so happy to see them, considering the state that she had found them in. While walking home from her office she found them in a box, huddled together trying to keep warm. Unable to resist Yin's bright blue eyes and white mittens, she had simply scooped up the box and carried them home and it was the best thing she had ever done. Within a few weeks, the kittens were thriving and their personalities were all extremely loving. Yin seemed to be the alpha of the group and she was also the most affectionate. Her sister, Yang, was a medium hair silver tabby and Snotty, the only boy, named so because she had found him sneezing blood, was pure gray. Three bright pairs of differently colored eyes looked expectantly at her and she grinned. "Oh, are we hungry?" Padding off to the kitchen, the furry trio followed her, their tails happily held high. As she pulled out the bag of cat food, they all began meowing and chirping. "Yes, yes, yes," she laughed as she poured a bowl full and set it down in front of them.

Taking advantage of their being occupied, she walked to her closet and pulled out a button down shirt and pencil skirt. Setting them on the bed, she walked back into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Looking out the window, she saw a dark mass of clouds gathering above the Chicago skyline. Hoping she would remember to bring an umbrella, she rinsed out her mouth and hastily applied a little bit of makeup before getting dressed. After grabbing her keys and purse, she tried to slide on a pair of heels while the kittens used the straps for a chew toy. "No, babies! Mommy has to go to work." As if understanding her, they stopped and sat back on their haunches to look innocently at her. She sighed with frustration – they always made it so hard for her to leave, they were so cute. Forcing herself out the door, she was halfway to work before she realized [shit I forgot the umbrella!] At the same time she hoped it wouldn't start raining until she got to her office, the first drops began to dot the pavement. Sprinting as quickly as her skirt would allow, she made it into the lobby of her building and shook the rain off her shoulders.

"Morning, Dr. Baek. Forget your umbrella?" The security guard smiled sympathetically.

"Oh, don't start with me, James," she shot back with mock annoyance. "See you later."

"Have a good day, Doc."

"You too, James." Checking her watch, she saw that she had about a half hour before her first patient would arrive, giving her enough time to get a little organized before her day started.

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"So I'll see you same time next week then."

"Thanks, Dr. Baek."

As her patient left the room, Angela realized that she was extremely hungry but the thunderstorm outside showed no signs of letting up. Typically she ate at a small bakery that she really liked on Wabash but seeing the weather, she figured she would have to make do with the restaurant in the lower level of her building.

When she'd entered the restaurant, she was surprised to find that it was mostly empty considering it was lunchtime. There was only one other patron in the entire place and it was a large space. Having never eaten here before, she assumed that the food was Asian of some sort, judging by the décor. After waiting for about ten minutes, a girl who looked to be Chinese walked towards her with a menu. "How many?" she asked pleasantly.

"Oh, just me," Angela answered, feeling a bit silly at eating alone in such a huge place.

"Follow me." The hostess sat her down in front of a magnificent saltwater aquarium. "Let me know when you're ready to order. Some tea before you start?"

"Sure." Angela scanned the menu and regretted that she was so ravenous. She always ate too much when she got this hungry and the last thing she wanted to do was feel uncomfortably stuffed while she was supposed to be listening to what her patients told her. It seemed to be pan Asian cuisine as she had guessed and the sweet and sour chicken looked particularly good, if the picture was any indication. Waiting for the hostess to return, she looked over at the man two tables away from her. Also, Asian, he was bent studiously over a pile of papers. Dressed in an impeccable black suit, she was struck by how long his hair was, reaching halfway down his back, tied back in a loose ponytail. He sported a short beard as well, which was also unusual for Asians. She must have been studying him for a while because he suddenly turned to look at her and she was startled to look into a pair of blue eyes. What caught her by surprise even more was that there was a look of recognition in his face.

"Do you know what you'd like?"

"Huh?" She'd been so busy staring at the blue-eyed man that she didn't even notice her waitress. "Oh, uh, sweet and sour chicken please."

"Sure thing." Taking her menu, she again disappeared into the kitchen.

Angela looked to the other table and saw the papers still there, but the man was gone. "What the-"

"May I join you?"

She squealed louder than she had wanted to when she saw that he had materialized on the other side of her table.

"I apologize, I did not mean to frighten you."

If those were color contacts then she needed to get the number of his optometrist, they looked so real, without a ring of brown to be seen. They were even flecked with grey. They were such a pale shade of blue. The only other time she had seen eyes so pale were on Yin and certain breeds of dogs.

"Are you alright?" The eyes she was distracted by looked at her quizzically.

Blinking a few times, she realized that she had been staring. "Oh god, I'm sorry! Uh, I'm fine." Realizing that he was still waiting for her answer, she gestured to the seat opposite her. "Please." She watched as he slid smoothly into the chair. Not knowing what to say she attempted small talk. "Such a big place, I wonder why it's so empty. Is the food here good?"

"It is alright," he said. Japanese, she thought. His English was flawless but accented. His voice was gorgeous though, if a sound could be gorgeous. It was deep, silky, yet gravelly at the same time, every bit as distracting as his eyes. "It is empty because it is currently closed for business."

Her eyes darted over to where he was looking and she saw a sign that read "closed". "Why did that girl seat me then? Or you, for that matter?"

The corners of his mouth turned up in a small smile. "Because I told her to. I own this establishment."

Feeling simultaneously confused and surprised, she blurted, "Why did you tell her to do that?"

"You looked hungry."

"I did?" For some reason she found that funny and laughed at the idea of presenting such a sad picture.

"You have a beautiful smile," he complimented her.

Taken aback at his comment, she didn't know anything else to say except, "Thank you."

He sat back a bit in his chair and studied her face. "You are Korean." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I am. How did you know?" This guy was strange but fascinating and seeing that he was apparently extremely observant only fueled her curiosity about him.

"You look like someone I used to know a long time ago. She was...Korean."

The way that he paused before the last word of his sentence was odd. "What was her name?" She smiled. "Maybe we're related."

"I didn't know her last name."

He must not have known her all that well. "Well, thank you for letting me eat at your place. It's beautiful. I've never seen such a lovely aquarium." She looked at the spiny speckled fish swimming in it. "What is that?"

"It is called a gunnard," he explained. "Extremely dangerous. It could take off one of your fingers if it felt threatened. And you are most welcome."

"I'm Angela." She held out her hand to him.

"[Ahn-young], Angela. I am Nobu." He took her hand in his but didn't shake it.

"You speak Korean?" she exclaimed. His hand was very warm.

"I do."

"Why? Aren't you Japanese?" He still hadn't let go of her hand.

"Is my accent that bad?" he asked with amusement, his eyes twinkling.

She was having a difficult time keeping track of their conversation, as she kept staring at him. "No, your accent is fine. I like it, actually. It reminds me of watching Kurosawa films."

"You like samurai films," he observed.

"I do, yes." Before he could ask her anything else, her food arrived, giving her an excuse to take her hand away. "Oh my god, it smells so good!" About to tear into it, she eyed him. "Aren't you eating?"

"I already ate, thank you," he chuckled. It was a warm, pleasant sound. "But please, do not let me stop you."

Trying not to eat like a complete animal, she ate half of her meal before stopping. "You were being far too modest about the fare here. It was delicious!"

The blue eyes regarded her with interest. "Then why did you stop eating?"

She laughed. "Because I'm full. I'll take it to go, I can have it for dinner later."

"Don't bother."

"What?"

"You do not need to eat the leftovers," he told her.

"Why not? I'm a big fan of doggie bags," she grinned.

"Because I do not like the idea of you eating cold food," Nobu smiled back. "Come back this evening for dinner and have something hot."

"Are you open tonight?"

"For you I am," he said languidly.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. It sounds so inconvenient." He was so friendly and genuine, it made her feel good though that he offered.

"Why not come to my home for dinner then?" He reached out and took her hand again.

The surprises just kept on coming. "Nobu, are you asking me on a date?" she joked, looking at his hand on hers.

"You can call it whatever you like so long as you join me for dinner, Angela-chan," he said warmly, releasing her hand.

"Where do you live?"

"Here."

"In the restaurant?"

He let out a delighted laugh. "No, Angela, I live in this building. Everything above the 50th floor is private residence. So, is that a yes?"

Finding it hard to say no to his charming manner, she laughed too and nodded. "What time would you like me to come by?"

"Come at seven if that is alright. The doorman will let you up."

"What apartment number should I tell him?"

"Penthouse." Standing up, he asked, "Do you work in this building?"

He wasn't making it easy for her too appear nonchalant. "Yes."

"I look forward to seeing you then." He began walking back to his table.

"Wait! What do I owe you for the food?"

He waved casually, sitting down. "Do not concern yourself with it. I will see you at seven."

Knowing that she had to return to the office, she smiled her thanks and left the restaurant.

When she had left, the waitress walked over to him and smile teasingly. "Hey, Boss, pretty smooth there."

"[Fuzaken-na], Mei." he replied warningly.

She pouted and put her hands on her hips. "You're lucky I was here to pick up my paycheck otherwise you would have had to wait on you herself and then you wouldn't have been able to talk to her as much."

Again he laughed. "[Arigato], Mei. Now leave."

"See you on Monday, Boss," she waved, before leaving. "And have a nice date!"

"[Baga]!" he growled. Mei simply giggled and sprinted out the door. Gathering up his papers, he closed the restaurant and headed back to his condo. Once inside, Noboru sat on his bed and covered his face with his hands, trying to get a hold of himself. It had been so difficult to maintain a calm exterior while talking with her. It was like going back in time and the four hundred odd years that had passed seemed to vanish and it seemed like only yesterday that he had met her for the first time. He could still smell her after she had gone and it was all he could do to keep from leaping over the table and attacking her. [Get a grip on yourself], he thought. Unsure if he would make it until seven, he decided that perhaps a little exercise would help him work off some nervous energy. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her away by behaving inappropriately.

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ahn-young: hello (Korean)
fuzaken-na: quit fucking around (Japanese)
arigato: thank you
baga: idiot (Japanese)