Author's Note: Hello y'all. I've just now started this new chapter fic (not like I need another to work on) but this idea just came to me and I really wanted to do it. It's only my second TRC and Kurogance/Tomoyo fic (check out my oneshot Missing You ;D) and it's only my second AU and my first for TRC or any manga/anime in general. I'm not used to writing an AU and I feel there are 1000 ways to screw up an AU (which I hope I didn't) so this was kind of hard to write. I hope I did it ok though and if not I'm sorry for any horrible OOC characters. I'm taking all of this mostly from TRC though there many be some nods to other CLAMP characters who didn't appear too much in TRC. I've sort of mixed some of the characteristics of Piffle Tomoyo and Princess Tomoyo in this and I hope it works. I also hope that I've somewhat portrayed Kurogane's personality ok. I will say this: I feel that he'd a little less gruff and mean to Tomoyo and I try to show that. Also I had to give Kurogane a last name and I decided just to use if true name (Youou) as a last name that way I could use Kurogane as his first name because it's much easier to refer to him as Kurogane. Anyway I hope you all enjoy this and please since this is only my second AU I'd love some feedback about it. So here is Chapter 1: "The Idea."
UPDATE: I've reposted these chapters with some changes to them. Mostly how Tomoyo's school life is potrayed because I made it way to much like an American high school. Luckily I saw a very good reference about how the Japanese school system works and so I decided to fix it in this story.
Steel. Tomoyo Daidōji stared at the piece of paper on her hand and groaned. It was as if the word was mocking her each time she unfolded the paper to look at it. She thought back to this morning when she pulled this evil word out of a jar.
It all happened during her Film Club meeting at Clow Academy. Their sponsor, Chitose-sensei, had told the group that for their next assignment they would all draw a word from a jar and make a film having to include the word in the title. Of course she had to get a weird one. What was she going to make a film with he word steel about?
When Tomoyo asked her about it she told her she didn't have to be literal; it didn't have to be about actual steel. It could be about anything so long as it had a logical reason to have the word steel in the title, meaning she couldn't make a film about kittens and call it Steel Cage or something just because they slept in one.
She had left the club with no ideas and, after clubs while waiting for her driver to arrive, asked her friends f they had any ideas after she explained the project to them. They were all standing outside the doors of the school.
"I'm sorry Tomoyo-san but I'm not really an idea man," said Syaoran, "Good luck though."
"Thanks Syaoran-kun," said Tomoyo as she pulled out her camera. That's when Sakura came through the doors.
"Maybe I could do something with Sakura-chan as my star!" said Tomoyo as she circled her best friend and favorite film subject.
"Do something with what?" asked Sakura, ducking away from the camera, embarrassed.
"Tomoyo-san's movie project," said Syaoran.
"What's it about?" asked Sakura.
"Nothing yet," began Tomoyo, "I have to come up with an idea and use the word steel in the title of it."
"Why steel?" asked Sakura.
"We had to draw random words from a jar and of course I got an odd one," she said, "I'm never lucky with these things."
"If Sakura had drawn for you you'd have got the easiest one," said Syaoran.
Sakura blushed a bit, "I'm not that lucky, Syaoran-kun."
"Oh course you are, Sakura-chan!" shouted Tomoyo-chan, "I don't think that I have one of your card tournaments on tape that you've lost."
Sakura had a small grin on her face, "Well...I guess that's true but don't worry Tomoyo-chan! I'm sure an idea will come to you when you least expect it!"
I hope so Sakura-chan. Tomoyo looked away from her paper and out to the window of the car. That's when she saw her neighbor, Kurogane Youou, standing in front of his car kicking it with all his might.
Tomoyo wasn't super close to Kurogane or anything but he'd been lived at the house/auto shop near the end of the road that lead up to the Daidōji mansion so they saw each other quit a bit and were at least close enough to ask how the other was when they saw each other or borrow sugar if the other needed it. She actually was wondering what in the world he was doing.
"Stop the car, please," she said and her driver pulled up beside the auto shop and stopped. She quickly hopped out and walked over to the tall, black-haired man. He was dressed in grey sweat pants and a white tank covered in oil and she could see a wrench in his gloved hand.
"Hello Kurogane-san!" she said with a wave.
Kurogane stopped kicking his car and sharply turned, about to yell, before he saw who she was. When he did he seemed to calm down and gave her a small wave. "Hello Daidōji-san."
"I told you you could call me Tomoyo-san," she began, "You make me think I'm at a business meeting or something."
"Keep forgettin'" he said, "Anyway you need something, Tomoyo-san?"
She shook her head. "Not really. I just saw you beating up your car and thought I'd ask if everything was ok."
He sighed as he leaned against the hood. "Yeah I'm just angry. I fix this piece of shit a hundred times and it decides not to run the one time I fucking need it too."
"Do you need to get somewhere?" she asked. "If so my car can take you."
"...I don't want to bother you. I can probably get in touch with someone to take me," he said.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "I wouldn't be any trouble."
"Really, it's fine. Besides I don't think you're driver would really want to go all the way to Tokyo."
"Tokyo's not that far, Kurogane-san. My mother has to drive out there everyday for work. Really it would be no problem."
"Look it's...really not somewhere you're driver would probably want to go into."
Tomoyo tilted her head, wondering what he meant. "Well if you change your mind you can always come up to the mansion and ask. See ya!"
"See ya," he said.
So Tomoyo returned to her car and headed back to her house however when they were about halfway up the road she quickly saw him running toward them, flagging them down.
When he reached the car she rolled the window down and he stuck his head in. "Hey, can I get that ride?"
She smiled. "Sure, Kurogane-san."
So he opened the door and scooted in beside her. That's when she noticed that he'd put on new grey sweatpants, a grey hoodie, and had a pair of silver boxing gloves with two twisting dragons on each one.
"Are you going to a boxing match?" she asked.
He looked down at his gloves and shrugged. "Something like that."
"Where's it at so I can tell my driver?" she asked.
"Uh," he began, "How about you just drop me off near the Piffle Princess tower of yours? It's close enough and I can walk the rest of the way."
"No Kurogane-san it's no trouble to take you all the way," she said.
"I'd rather you didn't," he said, flatly.
"Oh," she began, "ok then."
So she told her driver where to go and when the took off her and Kurogane sat in silence. She decided to pull out her camera and look over the footage she had got of Sakura that day. When she sat it in her lap she noticed him glance over at it, curious.
"My camera," she said holding it up, "I like to film."
"Cool," he said.
"...Maybe I could film your boxing match tonight," she said, shyly.
"That probably wouldn't be a good idea," he said.
Now her curiosity was getting really peaked. What's the big deal with this boxing match? She decided she try to prod him some to find out. "Why wouldn't it? I bet it'd be cool to have on camera."
"I'm sure it would but it's not really a place for girls like you to be in," he said.
"Girls like me?" she asked. "What does that mean?"
He shrugged. "You know young, rich girls. It's a tough place."
"As tough as the board room for the purchase of the Piffle Princess Company by the Daidōji Company?" she said.
"Pretty sure it's tougher," he said.
"Well then you've never been in a meeting with some of the people I have before," she said.
He just shook his head at her but a smile was on his face. Tomoyo smiled too. Kurogane was a normally gruff person but he was always a little less gruff around her. She wonder if that would help her as she kept pressing him.
"Kurogane-san, please let me go with you to your match and film you! I won't get in your way and I think I can handle just about anyone. It'll be cool and maybe I'll film something other than my beautiful Sakura-chan, not that I'll give up filming her!" she said.
"Look, Tomoyo-san," he began but was quickly stopped when the driver told them they'd arrived at the drug store. "Well I should get going. Thanks for the ride, Tomoyo-san," he said getting out of the car.
She then hopped out on the other side, camera in hand. "You're welcome, Kurogane-san."
He looked at her confused. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," she said, "Just taking a walk. Can't I take a walk on my own?"
He frowned at her and then sighed, "Whatever." He started down the sidewalk and she quickly started following behind him. She could see as they walked he was getting frustrated. Finally he turned around and glared at her. "You aren't going to stop are you?"
"Nope," she said, proud.
He groaned. "Fine, you can come. But I ain't watching you. Now let's get going before I'm late. My manager will beat the shit out of me if I am."
"Ok," she said, excited. So they headed down the street until they arrived at an abandoned building. "Why are we here?" she asked as they walked down the alley.
"This is where we fight," he said as they headed up to the door and knocked on it.
A large man opened the door up until the chain and stared at them. "Hey if it isn't Youou-san! Some people were saying that you weren't going to show."
"Just some car trouble," he said. "I'd never miss this tournament."
"Good cause your bitch manager was about to fucking cut us all if you didn't show," said the man. He then looked over at Tomoyo. "Who's the girl?"
"A friend," said Kurogane.
The man squinted his eyes at her. "You sure she won't talk about this?"
"Positive. Wouldn't have brought her if she would."
The man looked at her one more time and then opened the door. "Alright come on in. Little Miss Sunshine's already in the back waiting for you."
"Got it," said Kurogane as he and Tomoyo walked in.
When they got to the main part of the arena, Tomoyo was overwhelmed by what she saw. Men and women were everywhere, yelling and drinking and waving money around for bet collectors to come get as they watched the two men in the ring in the middle of the room throw punch after punch at each other. Tomoyo felt very out of place in the smoke filled, alcohol smelling place. She also was pretty sure she was the youngest person there and looking at most of the women she was the most moderately dressed in her school uniform.
"Hey come on," he hollered and Tomoyo quickly caught up, not realizing that she'd even stopped.
"Sorry," she began whens he fell in step beside him.
"Don't be getting lost around here. Some of these people aren't the most upstanding citizens," he said. "Alright come though here.
So they walked through a door down a back hallway and standing in the room was a beautiful woman with long black hair and then another woman with shorter black hair standing behind her. The first woman didn't have a happy look on her face though when Kurogane entered.
"Where the fuck were you?!" she shouted immediately.
"You knew where the fuck I was! Trapped at home because my card broke down! I called you!" he shouted back.
"Well," said the woman, "I can't deal with all your problems all the time. It was much too out of the way to come get you."
"You could have sent Souma!" he said pointing at the second woman.
"Don't yell at Amaterasu, Kurogane!" said Souma.
"Let it go Souma," said the woman called Ameterasu. She glared at Kurogane and then noticed Tomoyo for the first time. "You screwing a 15 year old?"
Tomoyo blushed and Kurogane scowled at her. "She's 18 and I'm not screwing her. She's my neighbor and you should be thankful she's here because she was my ride."
The woman looked at her again, same way the man at the door did, and smirked. "So you're Kurogane's neighbor, huh? I bet that's a living hell."
Kurogane frowned at her as he moved over to the bench to prepare for his match; Souma followed him.
Tomoyo shook her head and smiled. "No Kurogane-san's a good neighbor. He helps repair some of our company cars for free."
The woman who looked over at Kurogane and then back to Tomoyo. "What's you're name?"
"Tomoyo Daidōji," she said with a bow.
"Daidōji-san? I assume that you are somehow related to the Daidōji company," she said.
Tomoyo shook her head. "Yes. It's technically my mother's company but I am in charge of the Piffle Princess part of it. If I may ask who are you?"
"I'm Amaterasu Kendappa," said the woman. "I'm Kurogane's manager and the woman over there is his training partner Souma Kaida."
"Nice to meet you Kendappa-san, Kaida-san" she said.
"You as well Daidōji-san," said Ameterasu.
"Yes, it's nice too meet you too, Daidōji-san," said Souma as she finished wrapping Kurogane's hands with tape.
He quickly stood up. "Are you ladies done talking? Match is about to start," he said.
Amaterasu and Tomoyo both turned to look at him. He was shirtless, dressed in black athletic shorts, his hands were wrapped, and he held his gloves.
"Alright," said Amaterasu, "Let's go win us a match."
So the four of them headed out the door back into the arena. As Kurogane and Souma headed up to the ring, with her helping him tie his gloves, Tomoyo and Amaterasu went to take a seat at the bar.
"Do you drink?" asked Amaterasu.
"I'm not 20 yet," said Tomoyo.
"Didn't stop me when I was your age," said Amaterasu, "So you sure you don't want anything?"
"I'm sure," said Tomoyo.
"Alright," said Amaterasu as she turned to ask the bartender for a drink.
While she was getting her drink, Tomoyo prepared her camera. She held it up to see how good a shot she could get of Kurogane. She watched as Souma finished putting his gloves on and began talking to him.
"So why did Kurogane let you join him tonight?" asked Amaterasu as she turned in her seat, drink in hand.
"Well, he really didn't want me too. He just wanted a ride and then he'd walk here but I started following him and he just gave up and let me come," said Tomoyo.
"Well hope to see you at our next match. If we win tonight it won't be until Monday which gives us a good three day break," she said.
"Oh I probably won't be back. Kurogane-san very reluctantly let me come with him this time so I doubt he'd bring me back," said Tomoyo.
Amaterasu took a sip of her drink. "I'll bet you'll be back. Maybe I'll get you to film the tournaments," she said looking at Tomoyo's camera.
"Um, Kendappa-san, could you please explain all this to me? What exactly do you all do here, other than box?" asked Tomoyo.
Amaterasu grinned. "Well truly we don't even box here. Official boxing has rules; here we don't. Well other than that you can only use your fists, not kicking or anything like that. Most of the time it's just one guy versus the guy who challenges him and they fight and people bet. Sometimes, like now, though we have tournaments. They make the bracket, fighters compete, winner gets the jackpot. Simple. For each opponent they face they'll fight only one match. If you knock the opponent unconscious or if he forfeits then you win and advance. So far Kurogane hasn't lost a one and I don't expect him to lose tonight so we should be good. OH look it's about to begin."
Tomoyo quickly turned back to look at ring. She saw an announcer/referee step into the middle, getting ready to announce the competitors and she quickly turned her camera on.
"WELCOME TO WHAT IS SURE TO BE THE BEST MATCH OF THE NIGHT! IN THE LEFT CORNER WE HAVE THE ONE AND ONLY ZIMA!" Tomoyo watched as a man with long black hair put up in a thin ponytail wearing black shades, for whatever reason, walked into the middle of the ring.
"AND IN THE RIGHT CORNER WE HAVE THE UNDEFEATED KUROGANE YOUOU!" Kurogane walked into the middle of the ring pounding his gloves together in way that made the two dragons on them look like they were fighting. Tomoyo had to admit he looked pretty cool.
"LET THE MATCH...BEGIN!" With that the fist throwing began. Tomoyo was amazed at how fast and strong Kurogane was. Anytime his opponent would throw a punch Kurogane would duck and end up hitting him but wasn't close to knocking him out yet.
Tomoyo must have been watching in more awe than she thought because Amaterasu said, "He's something isn't he?"
"Yeah," said Tomoyo still watching him in her camera.
"Why don't you get up close and cheer him on?" she said.
Tomoyo looked over at her and then back to Kurogane's fight but hesitated to move.
"Oh go on," said Amaterasu. "Maybe he'll enjoy having a friend cheer him on. Most of the time it's only the betters and me doing it."
"...Ok I will," said Tomoyo as she got up. She quickly elbowed her way through the crowd of people to get up to the ring. Kurogane was still beating on Zima, who had yet to land a blow on Kurogane.
She could hear the different people around her shouting some for Zima and some for Kurogane and some just shouting for someone to 'hurry up and beat the shit out of someone'. Tomoyo decided she'd call out too. "You've got this Kurogane-san!" she shouted.
Kurogane probably didn't hear her but about the same time he delivered a hard hit to Zima's face breaking his nose. Zima fell to the floor and waved his hand around in a way to say "I forfeit".
Part of the crowd began cheering, part of the crowd began booing but Tomoyo excitedly smiled as she zoomed in on his grinning face. He must have noticed the camera looking at him because he looked directly in it and gave her a grin, his white teeth showing. Then the announcer came over to him and held his arm up and declared "WE HAVE A WINNER! THE STILL UNDEFEATED, THE ONE AND ONLY, KUROGANE YOUOU AKA THE STEEL DRAGON!"
When the word hit Tomoyo's ear she paused for a moment. The Steel Dragon. She smiled. Ideas really do come when you least expect it, Sakura-chan.
Well, it begins. Tomoyo has found her film subject: the Steel Dragon! Only problem is will he want to do it? In the next chapter Tomoyo confronts Kurogane about her idea to have him and his boxing matches be her film subject. If you've ever read anything of mine before then you know that I could get the next chapter up tomorrow or almost 6 months from now (I'm really trying not to take long hiatuses anymore) so if you like the story don't forget to follow if you want to keep up with when it updates. Anyway as always reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome! See y'all next chapter! ;D