Author: AuditoryEden
Rating: T
Warnings: None in particular. At the moment
Notes: I have discovered that I really like about 80% of KWMS fanfic. Now I choose to contribute.
Firefly
Where could he have gone?
Misaki could never stop herself from thinking that. Every morning when she sat in the student council room alone, trying not to remember. Every time she sat on the roof. Every time she walked past his usual table in Maid Latte.
It was anyone's best guess in hell where Usui Takumi had gone. Even rare people like Misaki, who knew a little about him beyond who he was at school had not the faintest of ideas. He had simply vanished one day, his locker mysteriously empty, his desk taken away, his shoe locker redistributed to another student. The most anyone could get from the teachers was, "He transferred."
Strangely enough, the kids had worked that out for themselves.
Misaki sighed deeply as she walked along the corridor, shooting guys with their pants too low evil looks, but not screaming at them or throwing them out of windows the way she'd been known to do in the past. For one thing, most guys were behaving better on principle, now that their precious Usui-kun wasn't there to protect them from her rage. For another, she too had lost the will to misbehave when the quiet, irritating, sweet blond boy with the insanely green eyes vanished. She nearly ran into a door that was being opened in front of her, and cursed quietly under her breath. She slid down the wall and simply sat with her head on her knees, willing herself not to cry. The first term of the school year was nearly over, and the nearly two-month break would begin soon. Only ten more days. Ten more days, including exams, and I'm free of this place til September, she had to remind herself. The darkness of having her knees pressed into her eyes was bliss—at least until it began to make her eyeballs tingle, and stars appear before her darkened vision. Just as she was about to haul herself to her feet, the P.A. System buzzed to life, and students all up and down the halls stopped and listened. The announcement, however, was brief and uninteresting.
"Ayuzawa Misaki-san to Student Services, please. Ayuzawa-san to Student Services."
Misaki took a moment before she realized that the announcement was directed at her, and pulled herself up, trudging towards the Student Services office.
xXx
She stared incredulously at the contents of the thick parchment envelope in her hand, her eyes wide and unbelieving.
"This school...is asking me...to go to England...to an English speaking school..." she turned her eyes up to the principle, who didn't usually hang out in the SS office, but was doing so that day to present the envelope to Misaki and convince her not to accept the offer.
"To an English speaking school," she repeated, then went on, "And they are not only willing, but insistent, that I get a full ride for the last two years of my high school career, should I go to their school."
The school principle nodded, a bit worried. Misaki had done good things for the school and he was sure she could continue to do so, but this was a very good opportunity. "That is what they are offering, Ayuzawa-san. In fact, they have offered the services of a Japanese-speaking student at the school, should you need help in your studies."
Misaki watched the letter in her hands as though it might bite her; she was very carefully considering the offer. There was very little, almost nothing, not to like about it. They would pay for her books, lodgings with the school, her registration fee, placement, everything except the airfare to England, which she could actually afford, although only once at the beginning of the year and once at the end. It was also a highly prestigious, sickeningly exclusive, exhausting private academy, which was very, very expensive.
Her grades weren't that good; although her GPA was something like a 3.8, that wasn't enough to alone qualify her for this school. She had no connections to speak of, so that couldn't be it. She was very good at sports, it was true, but the sports options at the British school were limited. It could be, she grudgingly admitted, that she was Asian, with a good GPA, and they were looking for diversity.
Either way, she mused, the offer was really, really good, and as between the fact that her mother had just secured a job that payed quite well, and that one of the people they owed the most money had decided, in lieu of his own recent windfall, to release them from their debt to him, her family was never in better shape to have her pick up her bags and hightail it out of Japan.
And it would give her a chance to get away from this town, so filled with memories of Usui Takumi.
xXx
Misaki slammed the door behind her as she entered her home, late from work at Maid Latte, where she had had to inform her weeping manager that she wasn't going to be able to work there from about the last week in August, to possibly late July. Thankfully, she thought, she still had a summer spot secured.
She smiled at her mother, who looked much healthier than she had even a week ago, and her mother smiled back. As Misaki slumped down on to the table, worn out by the day, Makato returned to chopping the vegetables on the cutting board. After a moment, she asked, "How was your day?"
"I was offered a full two-year ride to one of the most prestigious boarding schools in England," Misaki replied, her voice dead.
She heard a clatter, and turned to see her mother, having dropped the knife, half kneeling to retrieve it, her other hand over her mouth in surprise.
"And?" she asked, after a long moment.
Misaki buried her head in her arms and took a very deep breath.
"I'm going."
xXx
Parting Comments: Bit short, really...Much more very soon. I need to learn to juggle my stories more effectively...Also, I will be posting a VERY LONG (We are talking, possibly in excess of fifteen pages) one shot-that-should-really-be-chaptered for KWMS shortly.
As regards this story, I don't think it will be very long. Maybe two more chapters. And I'm not sure where Takumi will come in, but rest well assured, he will. If anyone has guesses, wild suppositions, or suggestions, please review and tell me. Also, the boarding school Misaki will now be attending is not real. I invented it. So don't go looking for it and then freak out about it not existing. It's like Hogwarts, people, we Muggles will never locate it.
Hugs and Kisses,
Eden