Title: Five Things That Never Happened To Kiyomi
Author: Skyflyer
Words: 100 each, 500 in all
Disclaimer: Property of Shuri Shiozu.
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Kiyomi, the rest of the cast
Warnings: Severe pairing crack.
Notes: dies of exhaustion
"Kiyomi!"
Kiyomi paused at the door. "Yes?"
"Where are you going?"
"Just out."
"No, you're not."
"Muum!"
"I've seen your room, young lady. You're not going anywhere until it's tidy."
Kiyomi sighed and ran upstairs to her bedroom. She'd spent the night before getting up the courage to finally ask Hasunuma out and now…He might have said no, she thought suddenly, her face glowing crimson with imagined humiliation. He probably would have. She began to pick up the magazines and stuffed animals strewn over the floor.
Somewhere, not very far away, a car passed by with no incident at all.
Hasunuma was staring at her, concerned. Kiyomi tried to swallow past the lump in her throat and forced a smile.
"I'm sorry I bothered you, Hasunuma-kun." She turned to go, clenching her fingers in her blazer.
"Wait – Kiyomi-chan – " He caught her arm and she stopped. Hasunuma moved round to face her. "It's not that you're not nice," he said. "If I was going to date any girl…but I can't. I just can't." He cast a quick glance at a blond classmate which was more eloquent than any words.
Kiyomi attempted another smile, but her lips were trembling too badly.
Kiyomi knew that she'd only got the job as shrine maiden because there had been no other applicant. She didn't care. Priest Mikuni was…strange…but at least he wasn't hitting on her.
It was all fine until Mikuni hired a koto player to accompany her and Itsuki. His name was Shino and he barely ever spoke. Kiyomi was intrigued and made excuses to be near him, to coax him into saying something. Once he even smiled at her and she smiled back, bigger than she ever had before.
When she saw the way Shino looked at Itsuki, she wanted to die.
Kiyomi left the shrine soon after, hurting worse than she had when Hasunuma rejected her. A few weeks later, a notice in the paper caught her eye. She was accepted on the spot and began work the next day as a maid in the Sanjaya household.
Odd as the brothers were, Kiyomi was content until one day, passing her in the corridor, Ichiro stopped and stared blankly at her.
"You shouldn't be here," he said softly, his attitude completely detached. "You don't exist. You're not supposed to be here." Then he walked away, leaving Kiyomi shaking and suddenly freezing cold.
It was Satoi who found Kiyomi first, demanding to know why she was so upset.
"Satoi-sama – " He glared at her, and somehow the whole story came pouring out. He listened silently, looking thoughtful.
"Well, I think you're real. Ichiro's just weird, he always has been. I mean, I – " He closed his mouth firmly and blushed. Then he kissed her.
After a few moments, she pulled back. "Have you ever been in a relationship with another boy? Have you ever wanted to be in a relationship with another boy? No? That's all right, then." This time, she kissed him.