Hello guys! I'm new to actually writing so hopefully my work isn't too mediocre. I've been around reading many fanfics for a while but never made an effort to start any of my own. Anyways, I've had this general concept for a long time and wanted to write my own short story, but got too lazy about making my own characters and names since those are a lot harder than I imagined hehe. That being said, I have no clear direction of the plot and character development so this story might make no sense at all but I'll just give it a try XD I own nothing of Maid Sama. It's all Fujiwara Hiro's.

Being a family of three with no father was difficult for the Ayuzawa girls and especially Minako, since she had to watch over her two children and balance her job at the same time. While they were left in debt after Sakuya left, the two sisters rarely complained about their circumstances and instead found happiness in the little acts in their lives. Even though they were young, they both had mature personalities and sought to ease the burden on their mother's shoulders. When times were rough, all three sought comfort and strength in each other.

Since it was rare for Misaki and Suzuna to leave for town with their mother, when it was announced that they would all be taking a trip for groceries and a break, the sisters were ecstatic. With the girls on each side of their mother, the three walked to the bus station to reach their destination. Seated on the bus, Minako made sure they were all comfortable before telling a little story.

"You girls know of that fountain in the center of town right?" She asked.

"Of course!" They chortled in response. "The fish in there are always so pretty!"

"Yes, that's true. Have you heard that if you toss pennies into the water with a wish in mind, then that will become a fish that watches over your wish until it becomes true?"

The girls giggled and Misaki spoke up seriously afterward, "What happens to the fish after the wish is fulfilled?"

"Well, I'm not sure, darling. Perhaps it disappears or maybe it becomes a real fish? I suppose anything can happen! It is just a story."

Misaki smiled and nodded in understanding before realizing something. "Mommy, that can't be true. How can coins turn into fishes? And then what do you mean become real fish? That's just not possible, is it?"

Her mother patted her on her head and looked down at her daughter. "That may be so, huh, sweetie. Well, I'll give you both a coin to toss anyway and we'll see if that's true."

Both the girls' eyes widened with delight at the thought of throwing pennies that they nearly dashed to the fountain when they reached their stop. First it was a day with the entire family and now coins to toss? It couldn't get any better in their minds. They waited for their mother with outstretched hands and widespread grins until she dropped a penny into each opened palm. Spinning around to face the fountain, the girls looked into the water. There were a few coins already at the bottom, but less than what Suzuna remembered from the last visit.

"Hold on, why are there coins missing? There used to be more than that. They didn't actually turn into fish did they? I'm pretty sure that can't happen!"

"Silly, the people in charge probably took out the coins to store it for later. It would be a waste of money anyways, right, Mommy? Coins don't turn into fish!" Misaki stated with confidence. Suzuna merely nodded with thought.

Nevertheless, the two girls held their coins to their hearts and closed their eyes, making a wish. With just the slight bit of hope that her mother's story would be real, Misaki thought, I hope that we can all be happy! She then opened her eyes and threw in her penny. It landed with a small splash and then sunk to the bottom. She stared at it intently, still anticipating whether it would actually transform into a fish like her mother had said. Seeing no change, she had a slight feeling of dismay, but ran back to her mother who was waiting at the benches with Suzuna, who had finished earlier.

"Done?" Her mother asked. "Did anything happen?"

Misaki shook her head. "Nope! It's still a coin!"

"Well, hopefully your wish still comes true! Now let's get going to the market. We have some shopping to do, right girls?"

"Yup!"

…

Throughout the day, she had fantasized that the story was still true and that as she made more wishes, she would fill the entire fountain with beautiful fish and her life with happiness. On their way back to the bus station after completing all the tasks on the agenda, Misaki pulled her mother and sister to the fountain again.

"Wait, I just want to check and make sure that my coin is still there. Come on, Suzuna, let's go look before we leave!" Even though she knew that nothing would change, Misaki wanted to ease that doubt that something so childish could actually happen, and perhaps even quench that hope that things could be different.

Coming up to the fountain again, she looked to the bottom, searching for her coin. After walking around the perimeter, she felt nervous at the fact that she had not been able to find it, or that it was no longer where she remembered it to be. Holding her breath, Misaki looked at the fish swimming around in the water. Her eyes flickered past the ones that she saw everytime she passed by and landed on a golden one that sparkled with the sun's light. That one wasn't there before, was it?

"Guess what, guess what? My coin isn't there anymore! And there's a new fish in the fountain. What if that's my fish?" She exclaimed to her mother.

"Nee-san, are you sure you were looking in the right area? You probably just forgot where you threw your coin. Mine's still there from earlier," Suzuna said, looking doubtfully at her sister's bright eyes and evident belief in the story she had denounced previously.

"Misaki, your sister is right. And maybe they just caught a new one and added it when we were gone shopping?" Her mother reasoned, amused at her daughter's excitement.

"Hmm, okay. Yeah, that must be it! Let's go back home, then. I'm hungry too!" Misaki said, accepting her irrationality.

Minako chuckled and led her kids back home, pleased that they were able to spend time together the whole day, uninterrupted with work and other worries for once. If only days like this could last longer and happen more, she sighed.

Unbeknownst to the Ayuzawas and other citizens, the story was actually true. After receiving the wish of Misaki and other children who had that same little seed of hope and belief, no matter how small, the coin retained that wish and became a fish that would watch over the individual and ensure that the wish would become a reality. In most cases, like Suzuna, kids had that disbelief and others had far-fetched ones that simply could not happen based on human capabilities. But since kids are young and innocent, it wouldn't hurt to reward those that sincerely believe and have a wish of normalcy, would it?

…

As the years progressed, Misaki made the effort to stop by the fountain frequently to check on the fish that she believed was hers despite her family's words that it was only a story. How else could her coin have disappeared when she was sure about its placement? And for a new fish to coincidentally have arrived while they were gone shopping? No matter how logical she was, Misaki entertained this little fantasy. Besides, the subsequent little wishes she made were all fulfilled, whether it be getting a job, letting her sister win the raffle, or having her mother's health improve. Even if those could be explained by pure luck or with her own abilities, she liked the thought of having a guardian angel watch over her and her family. Or guardian fish, perhaps, in this case.

On this particular day before her shift started, Misaki took the chance to sit down on the rim of the fountain and watch the fish before she was bombarded with orders and the annoyance of the male population at work. As she grew older, she came to understand the consequences of her father's desertion and subsequently harbored a hatred towards men in general.

"Why are men such swine?" she whispered to herself. She spotted a flash of gold in the corner of her eye and glanced down into the water. It seemed the fish was agreeing with her by swimming in circles in her shadow. With the sun reflecting off the water and the fish's scales, it seemed like it was shining and glittering.

Almost like magic, huh? She thought to herself.

"You are mine, aren't you? Even though they say that the story isn't true." Misaki leant over the edge and dipped her fingers into the water towards the fish. It swam up to her finger tips and nipped her lightly before casually swimming away in the opposite direction. She took a deep breath before getting up and walking to the café.

It was pretty much the same thing every day: go to school, go to work, go back home and work on homework. Today was no different than any other day, and she paid no mind to the boys who tried to get her attention after placing their order for drinks and snacks. At least it wasn't any of the students from her school. She desperately wished she could work in the kitchen with the other staff so she wouldn't have to deal with all the trouble, but god knows how terrible she is when it comes to cooking. At least her pay was good enough to keep things going and she was surrounded by a positive manager and staff that could uplift her spirits.

"Misaki! Can you get table 5 for me? I'm too busy right now! I'll get you back later, okay?" Subaru's request jerked her out of her thoughts for the rest of the day and she turned to said table.

"On it!"

She mentally sighed again when she took note that the customer was another male. While she didn't expect every guy to flirt with her, Misaki was still apprehensive about guys and couldn't help a twinge of annoyance.

Putting on her practiced smile, she asked, "Good afternoon, what can I get for you, sir?" Looking down at her customer, her mind blanked at his effortless beauty and charisma. The golden locks sat so perfectly on his head even though it was a little messy. His emerald eyes that scanned the menu were such an exquisite color that it took her breath away. His style was simple yet elegant, and she couldn't help thinking that he might be different from others. Misaki berated herself for losing concentration on her work and snapped her eyes back to his, only to realize that he was staring expectantly at her. Noticing that he said something already, she apologized and asked again for his order, angry at herself for getting carried away by his mere appearances.

"Don't worry, it's not everyday you can see someone like me. I don't mind if you keep staring," he chuckled. His eyes were filled with mirth as he watched her face flush with a lovely red color. Before she could open her mouth and tell him off of his arrogance, he changed the topic. "Anyways, I would like a black coffee and strawberry crepe, please."

Misaki messily scribbled his order and stalked away with a blush still on her cheeks.

"Oh, Misaki, what's wrong? Are you feeling okay? Your face is all red!" Satsuki, her manager said when Misaki dropped by the order.

"No, I'm fine. It was just some rude customer that ruined my day," she mumbled, not looking into her eyes.

"You mean that blond hottie?" she squealed with delight. Misaki's eyes snapped up and saw her manager already lost in her own world. "I saw him walk in to the store and would have loved to serve him, but was busy with other things. Oh Misaki, you are such a lucky girl. What if such a beauty were to fall in love with you?"

"Err, I don't think that's possible, manager. A- Anyways, I will get going then." Misaki awkwardly grabbed other customers' orders and served them to their tables. Through it all, she caught herself sneaking glances at the "blond hottie" and when she made eye contact with him once, she felt her face heat up and quickly looked away. She couldn't explain it, but she felt some connection between her and the man, even if she didn't want that connection to be present. She disliked the thought that she could have any emotion towards the male population aside from disdain and hatred.

After her shift was over, night had already fallen. She bade her goodbyes to the others remaining in the store and walked into the fresh air.

"Done working now?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

Startled, Misaki spun around with her arms ready to attack. Her eyes met the stranger earlier today with his hands up in surrender to her possible confrontation but his lips curved up in a small smile. She glared at him and walked away quickly, not wanting to get tangled up in any mess he could cause.

"Why are you walking so fast? I wouldn't do anything untoward to you, you know? And weren't you admiring me some time ago? Why not continue?" he grinned cheekily when she paused.

"Who are you and why are you still here? It's no wonder that I'm running away from a stranger that's waiting for a girl after dark!" Misaki countered. "And I wasn't staring! I- I was just thinking about something… something else!"

"Thinking about something else? Perhaps thinking about me?" he smirked.

Misaki sputtered at his nonsense. "No! What thoughts do you even have, you pervert!"

"Pervert? Hmm, I wasn't the one eyeing someone down on the first meeting. But it's not like I mind. I'm yours anyways, didn't you say that?"

Her jaw dropped at what he was saying. "W- What are you even t- talking about. That never happened, okay?! Stop making up random things!" She turned back and tore down the street to the bus station. When she reached the stop, she turned around, half hoping that he would be a few steps behind her, half hoping that he would get lost and out of her life already.

She scanned the line behind her and her heart dropped a little when she saw no golden hair. Who the heck is that guy and what does he think he is? She pushed down the disappointment and seated herself, clearing her mind for when she got home to start on her homework.

Hehe, I'm back. What did you guys think? I hope it's not too bad, but please leave reviews about what I can improve on and other critiques! Anything is welcome! Thank you for reading and until the next update!