New Beginnings [Mei-li Yeh]

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro Lawson yawned as he gathered up his folded clothes and shoved them down into the duffel bag. He was looking forward to the trip that he hadn't yet told Orange--his girlfriend--about. It was a surprise for her. For them to just get away for awhile, be together and veg a little. He was going to have them board the ship and fly to Naboo to a place he had discovered when helping his brother find a place for a honeymoon. It was a little resort next to a big lake, really in the middle of nowhere, but it was the prettiest thing he had ever seen.

Jiro was afraid Orange wouldn't want to go. She not being much a romantic like Taro and Jesimae. He didn't know how much she would like a getaway like that. But since they had gotten back together, they hadn't done anything together. Nothing. And Jiro wanted to just get as far away from everyone as he could and just be with Orange. Alone, no worries. Just them.

He pushed the duffel bag into the closet. The ship left tomorrow, and he was going to tell Orange about it tonight when he went to her apartment. He glanced at his watch. He had to leave soon for her apartment. He sighed and went to his bed, grabbing his t-shirt, going back to the closet and pulling out the duffel bag.

Hoisting it onto his shoulder he moved out into the living room. He didn't see anyone but didn't really care. Waving a hand he started towards the door.

"I'm going to Orenji's! See you all in a few days!" he called. Everyone else knew about his plans, but Orange didn't. He hoped that she would like the idea.

[Orange Diren]

"Bloody hell!" Orange said as she glanced up at the holoscreen that showcased the game she was playing at her apartment. This day was so dreafully boring that she was contemplating on going ahead and working on her day off. She didn't know why she was taking a vacation from work. It had been Jiro's idea and already she was dreading that decision. She was at home, bored, playing a game, and losing horribly to the creatures trying to rip her head out and eat it. She saw her screen go dark red, letting her know that her character had just died. She did nothing but toss the controller on the floor and crawl over to the console and flick it off. She was quick to turn the screen off as well and stare at the dark living room.

"Bad idea, Jiro, bad idea." She voiced as she stood up off the floor and stretched. Her stomach growled and she realized she hadn't had much to eat that morning. She smiled and walked into the kitchen and began searching the cabinets for food.

[Jiro Lawson]

It took Jiro a short taxi ride to get to his girlfriend's apartment, and he felt his stomach flipping as he got out, paid his fee and started towards her apartment complex. Orange had had a copy of her card made so that he could get in at any time, and as he slid it through the lock, he felt the butterflies flutter violently in his stomach.

Swallowing, he pushed the door in and went into the lobby, heading for the lifts. He smiled and gave a short wave to the man at the desk who knew him by name now. Jiro switched his duffel bag to his other shoulder as he punched in the floor and boarded the lift, pocketing the key card. The lift groaned slightly and the doors shut, taking him upwards.

Jiro had talked Orange into taking a vacation from work. What she didn't know was that it was so that they could leave on this trip. God, how nervous he was. He was afraid that she would turn her nose up at it and ask him why the hell he had done this when she could be doing valuable work.

His thoughts were cut short as the lift doors opened and he got off, making his way down two hallways before reaching her door. He looked at it a moment before raising his hand and knocking.

[Orange Diren]

Orange shot up from the fridge and suddenly felt her head come into brute contact with the freezer handle. She groaned and felt her eyes sting with pain as she broke off the tip of the carrot she munched on and closed the fridge door, going over to answer her own. She swallowed the carrot in her mouth and quickly brought it back up to chew on it some more, it being a healthy snack and a quick fix for her stomach.

She sighed out and tilted her head as if this were some hard walk, but when she made it to the door she realized it could have been Jiro. She smiled at that thought and opened the door.

"Jiro!" She said happily. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss and wiping her mouth, hoping she didn't get carrot juice or peices on him. "What are you doing here?" She frowned as she back away so he could enter her apartment then seeing his attire.

"What is with the duffel bag? You coming to entertain me for a week?" She raised her eyebrow and closed the door as he entered.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro laughed, dumping the duffel down onto the floor and moving over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He looked down at her and grinned, leaning his head down and taking a bite of her carrot. He crunched it a moment before leaning down and kissing her on the cheek.

"Sort of," he answered, watching her a moment. He nodded back to the duffel bag and smiled, the butterflies still fluttering in his stomach. "In there, I have two tickets on board a passenger carrier to Naboo, and there," he said, placing a light kiss on her lips. "I have reservations at a romantic resort next to a senic lake..." he paused. "One week, you and me, middle of nowhere...with a pool, hot springs, and room service thrown in there somewhere..." he grinned down at her. "I wanted to surprise you."

[Orange Diren]

Orange frowned as she listened to him speak a mile a minute. After a moment of silence her brain finally caught up with her. A romantic trip? She let out a groan.

"Jiro...is that why you wanted me to take a week off?" She let out a sigh. "I will say you sure have surprised me." She looked at him a bit mad that he asked her to take a week off and miss some good pay all because he was a mushy guy. She was more of a man in this relationship than he was. But she gave him credit, he apparently checked this place out for he knew everything about their activities.

"Well....I guess!" She let out a laugh and shrugged. "Why not! A little time away from here wouldn't be such a bad idea, plus I haven't been able to have a lot of time alone with you recently either!" Suddenly this trip wasn't sound too bad, but she would need to make up for lost money in the long ruun.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro smiled, but he knew that it hadn't had quite the effect he had hoped. He moved away from her and picked up his duffel bag, pulling it away from the door. How disappointed he was. It wasn't like they ever did anything together anymore. Except see each other at really weird times of the day or night. He knew Orange wasn't romantic, but she could at least pretend for his sake!

Oh, well, he had gotten used to it. Romanticism was something he had learned to live without since he had begun dating her. Sure, he didn't want a girl who wanted him bringing her flowers and chocolates all the time, but wanting him to be romantic for her once in awhile didn't bother him in the least. He wanted to be that way...but Orange...she just...didn't want that...at all.

Jiro sighed and tossed out that they were leaving in the morning and to pack for warm weather. How annoyed he was now. He had spent all that money and time trying to find a place that she might like and she threw it in his face.

That was Orange Diren.

[Orange Diren]

Orange smiled at him and gave him a kiss. She told him she loved him and moved into the bedroom, telling him about her day and what not. She wondered how she ever mangaed to hook up with such a romantic guy. She liked romanticism, but she just didn't like it that much for herself. She was a much more blunt kind of person. If someone wanted sex then she was on it! But to have someone dilly dally around with romantic things such as flowers, candies, candle lit dinners, just bored her. Thankfully Haruko hadn't been that romantic back in his good ol days.

Orange grabbed her own duffel bag and suddenly began to pack. She was going to be glad to have Jiro all to herself, but if he was expecting her to get spa treatments and funny weed wraps she'd shoot herself. But, if he really wanted it, she guessed she could act a little bit excited about it, for most of the time she put on an act to make him happy. She figured that was relationships for you.

[Mei-Li Yeh]

Mei-li widened her eyes as she leaned close to the book in her hands, trying to translate what was being said on a pamphlet she had picked up at the ship port, reading about Coruscant's history considering she was very new to the large planet. She let out a disgruntled sigh as she closed it and tossed it into the empty seat on the air craft. Nobody was on this flight to Naboo and it made her wonder if she had gone at a bad time. She knew that during this part of the season they had bad storms, but she never really figured them to be liefe threatening, besides a good thunderstorm always raised spirits for it helped the plant life!

Mei-li smiled at the thought of seeing her precious Japanese gardens she had worked so hard on when she was married. Coruscant was severely lacking in the plant department and she was so glad to see that green land of Naboo, her home. She was a bit sad that she had left Hana behind, but she knew that she really couldn't risk taking her with her on this trip for she had so much to bring back with her. She didn't need the little girl to get lost like she enjoyed doing so many times!

Mei-li bent forward and grabbed the bag below her seat. She pulled it out and quickly unzipped it and rummaging through her clothes and other personal items she had brought along. She smiled when she felt the paper all the way at the bottom. She pulled it out and smiled when she saw her little girls face taking up the whole photograph, the only thing seen of Mei-li was her hair and her daughter attacking the camera, chocolate covering her face. Those two had been too hyped on chocolate when going to the zoo. Mei-li knew never to do that one again! She let out a laugh and put it beside her on the window sill, glancing out over the planet. A few more hours and they'd be docking and she'd be picking up the pieces and ending that bad chapter in her life.

[Jiro Lawson]

Neither Jiro nor Orange had said much on this trip. Jiro had realized that there really wasn't much to say. He didn't have any news, and Orange didn't want to be here anyway. So...

He sighed leaning back in his chair and looking out the window at Naboo looming closer and closer. They would be there soon, and he was happy about it. But Orange was another story. She'd never want to do anything. Jiro realized that morning as they had been leaving how out of Orange's alley this was. This was something Jiro might have done with Ren--God knew Jiro wanted to so badly, even now--or more recently...Mei-Li Yeh. Just her name brought a little smile to Jiro's face. He had liked her so forcefully when he had met her so long ago. He hadn't talked to her in forever, since they had returned from Naboo. He wondered how she was. And how little Hana was. It was the only child in the world Jiro could remember just wanting to adopt as his own. So sweet, and cute. And her mother, so meek and kind, a woman who could appreciate the time her boyfriend put into finding something romantic for them to do...

Unlike Orange. Who happened to be Jiro's girlfriend. He sighed, leaning his head back and watching Naboo come closer. Suddenly, he just wanted to turn back and go home, the thought of Orange acting like this the whole week making him want to puke and die.

[Mei-Li Yeh]

Mei-li drew in a deep breath the second she stepped off the ships boarding dock and breathed some real fresh air! Nothing artificial and reused. How she hated being in such a closed ship seeing nothing but metal and wires poking here and there. She just loved the nature of Naboo, which she was kind of sad she had left behind. But, that was nothing she could cry about now, it was already over and done with! She smiled as she walked quickly to a hover taxi platform, a little skip in her step. Oh the sights and sounds made her eyes water with joy and caused her heart to balloon up and just explode with joy. She wondered how all her old friends were back in town where she always got her fresh fruit. She must make a stop there before leaving.

She waved her hand in the air and was so happy to see a taxi docking without a soul in it. She opened the heavy door and gladly fell into the comfort of the seat, Naboo's taxi's being a bit cleaner feeling than that on Coruscant. She leaned forward and knocked back her heavy black hair and typed in the address of Sakura Suites, one of the best hotels in the Universe. She was so glad she had gotten in for the gardens they had there were perfect!

Mei-li leaned back with a smile on her face. She glanced up in the sky enjoying the bright blue and seeing a shadow being cast over the taxi when she saw a rather large ship ready to dock. WHoever was on that ship was coming to the right place.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro and Orange arrived in thier hotel room a little later than Jiro had planned due to the fact that there had been a mix up in thier names and they had thought he had booked under Lawdon, instead of Lawson. But once they get it settled, the were able to go to the suite Jiro had gotten for them. It was one of the more expensive ones, for at the time Jiro had thought that Orange was worth all the money. But with the way she had been acting about the whole thing, Jiro was thinking he should have spent less money on the thing.

The room was nice however. It was a big roomy living room, a nice bathroom and a bedroom with a hot tub in it. And the wall in the bedroom looked out over the huge lake and the gardens that held sakura trees, the reason why the hotel was called Sakuro Suites. Jiro loved the view, but he was waiting for something to be wrong with it as he sat his things down on the floor.

[Orange Diren]

Orange let out a sigh as she dropped her bags on the floor, suddenly running from here to there with excitement, finally. The whole trip had been boring, Jiro didn't talk to her at all and when they did it was in short sentences and quick snaps. He seemed annoyed, which ultimately made her annoyed. What was his problem? Orange really didn't care at this moment, she was enjoying all the luxuries the room had provided and she was definitely loving the hot tub. She suddenly walked out of the bathroom and let out a sigh of approval as she put her hands on her hips.

"Well, Jiro, I can say you have outdone yourself! I don't know how many people you had to blow to get it, but your girl is so proud of you!" She ran over to the bed and fell face first letting out a few moans of comfort. "Oh wonderful!" She said happily rolling onto her back.

"This place is just too good. I don't know how you ever found it! It is out of your league!"

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro stopped in what he was doing. Orange has a big mouth, Jiro, just let it slide. She's got the biggest flapper of anyone you know, you love her, Jiro, you really, really do, his mind was telling him as he straightened and the hurt trickled in from Orange's words. Hurt that went deeper than just a bothersome phrase here or there. It was a hurt that stemmed from his past and stemmed from the problems he and Orange were having.

Thier relationship was on the rocks slightly. Jiro had known it for awhile, but he was afraid to face it. He chewed his lip and sighed out, putting cheer in his voice, even though he was not smiling.

"Good, I am glad my girl likes it," he said, sounding as if he were grinning...but he wasn't. He couldn't not after she said that. He licked his lips and turned, putting a smile on his face. "Why don't you get in and enjoy the hot tub, I am gonna go stake things out in the hotel and on the grounds." He smiled again, forcefully. "I'll be back in a little while. I have my com with me if you need me."

He waved cheerfully to her, the grin immediately fading when he got out into the hallway and started down it. They hadn't even been there one night and he was already seeking refuge from her.

"Bad idea, Jiro, bad idea..."

[Mei-Li Yeh]

Mei-li hummed along to the music she was listening to on a tiny player she had stolen from Hana for the week. She knew the minute her baby found it missing and the note she left informing her she had taken it, she'd be fuming when she returned home which was why she was thinking about what she could take back to make her not so mad. She walked around the hotel looking up at the beautiful paitings and the beautiful flowers and random places where people could go see a certain tree or garden. She was loving every minute of it! This place was like an art museum and botanical gardens rolled into a fancy hotel with great service and great rooms. She was so glad she had the money to splurge!

"Come on now! Just fang kai ni de xin!" Mei-li sang out loud not really noticing considering her brain was focused on the good music and the beautiful floral art work hanging in the lobby.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro was muttering to himself when he heard someone singing in a different language. Chinese he recognized because of the time his brother had spent in the HWANG District on Coruscant and also because of the time he had spent with...

"Mei-li!" he exclaimed loudly. He couldn't believe it! He had just been thinking about her on the way here! Was it really her? He squinted, his eyesight not so good right now. He got closer, wondering if she could hear him from those head phones. He felt his stomach flip incomfortably. After all this time here she was and stil las beautiful as ever. He couldn't believe. He walked closer, his stomach getting butterflies. Good ones this time. The kind you got when you talked to that special person.

"Mei-Li?"

[Mei-Li Yeh]

"Baby! WO AI NI!" Mei-li sang a bit louder than she should have and she suddenly realized this when she could hear herself over the loud music. She looekd to her right and saw a few people looking at her. She pulled the earphones out and let out an embarassed laugh.

"Sorry." She said with a tiny giggle. "Sorry." She said again turning to walk the other way. She looked up from the floor and saw a man standing there, staring at her like were a figment of their imagination, then again, once she realized who it was, she did the same.

"Ji-Jiro?" She said surprised and floored beyond words. Her jaw dropped and suddenly she let out a laugh. "Jiro!" She dropped her hands and then let out another laugh. "Jiro!" She shook her head and lifted her hand to touch her forehead, knowing she probably looked stupid singing so loud then saying his name a million and one times!

"Hi! Oh! I mean...ko...ko...ko-ni-chi-wa? Konnichiwa? Right!" She was making an idiot of herself, what was the matter with her! She just didn't know and she really didn't think much about it. Jiro was all she was thinking about.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro's grin got bigger as she stumbled over the Japanese word that her pretty Chinese mouth was not used to. He felt like screaming at her that she was like an angel to him right this moment. He nodded emphatically, walking forward towards her, noticing that he had gotten just a little taller since the last time they had seen each other, due to the fact that he was looking down at her a little more than he remembered.

"Hai!" he said a little louder than he meant to. He laughed. "Hai! Konnichiwa, Mei-chan!" he said. Without thinking, he reached out to her and gave her a hug, unable to hide how happy he was to see her. He leaned back away from her and grinned like an idiot again. He shook his head. "I didn't expect to see you here, Mei-li!" he said through a laugh. He looked her up and down. "You look good! How are you? How's Hana? How's...everything!" he laughed, feeling like a fool.

[Mei-Li Yeh]

Mei-li laughed at his loud Japanese word, something she couldn't really remember, but it must've been a good thing for he was quick to cut that space in two and give her a hug that was absolutely something she had never felt in her life and she was absolutely overjoyed to have been one to feel it! SHe hugged right back as tight as she could muster and then he pulled back and gave her the quick once over. She simply giggled like a child and shook her head at his sudden blast of questions.

"Haha! Where to start, Jiro!" She said as she, too, found her gaze searching repeatedly over his stature. "You've grown tall! You so handsome!" She tapped his shoulder as she was smiling from ear to ear.

"Oh I'm good!" She said in a loud and exasperated way. She looked around and shook her head. "We are so loud!" She laughed again and grabbed his arm in a kind manner. "How are you? Oh...how is everyone? Oh Taro and Jesimae, was their wedding good? I couldn't make it I was so sad." This was like a dream come true! How crazy was it that the two of them would find themselves back on Naboo and in the same hotel at the same time. She was loving it.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro laughed as he put a hand over hers when she took his arm and he started walking with her down the hall. He couldn't stop smiling. He was so happy to be here with her again. He could remember some of the first times they had been together here on Naboo but under worse circumstances. He could remember one night in particular when she had seen him in his shy days, and he had been so afraid to let her see that scars he bore.

Jiro could remember liking her so much then. And then...he had met Orange and...Ren had come back into his life, and things had just gotten carried away and he had not been able to ever express his feelings for her. But seeing her here now was like a breath of fresh air. A calm after the storm. The storm that was Orange Diren. He smiled over at her as they walked.

"Yes, they are acting like a severe married couple," he said with a laugh. "They fought thier wedding day and when they finally got to go on thier honeymoon they were gone four days longer than they had said they would be. They came back with grins on thier faces and I haven't heard a bitter word between them since," Jiro said. He smiled. "They send thier love. Jesimae was upset you weren't there, but she understood," Jiro said, watching her as they walked. He sighed.

"What brings you here?"