The First

Disclaimer: Kaichou wa Maid-Sama is written by Hiro Fujiwara. The song mentioned in the story is So Close by Jon McLaughlin. I own nothing but the plot. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Tora shares one last dance with his first love at her wedding.

Author's Notes: Happy 2017, Maid Sama FanFiction Archive (MSFFA)! Hope the New Year has been a blast so far. And with that, here's my first (pun intended) oneshot of the year. This story may not follow the exact details from the manga to a T, and I may have added my own interpretation for some scenarios so that it would match the theme, but it stays true to the key events that transpired in KWMS (which are portrayed through flashbacks and are in italics). I hope it doesn't come off as cheesy and cringe worthy. Not necessarily linked to The S Word but could be. Anyway, enjoy this oneshot / songfic!

Dedication: To unrequited lovers.

"There you are!"

He turns his head away from his wine glass to the left, where she was standing expectantly with her hands clasped behind her back and a smile so radiant that he had to hold his breath for a moment to take her in.

It wasn't his first time seeing her in a wedding dress—she was wearing it back at the church—but perhaps it was the change of scenery, or the realization that she was definitely married that altered Tora's perceptions for a moment and made her look more beautiful than she was a while ago. She was glowing under the yellow tinted lights of the chandelier above them, her amber orbs glistening while they stared endearingly at his, which had slightly reddened after drinking a bit too much wine.

"I was wondering where you were." She confessed, reaching out for his hand that was resting atop his lap before pulling him towards her, urging him to stand. His body follows her willingly, stumbling during the process, but he was quick on his feet and regained his balance in a second. She laughed apologetically. "Sorry. I got too excited. Everyone was dancing, and I noticed that you weren't there."

He smiled complacently at her. "You were looking for me? My, my… have you just realized your feelings for me right after you got married to Usui? Seriously, Misaki, you have to be more honest with yourself. But to tell you the truth, I do enjoy affairs."

She blushes at the thought, but being aware of his playful disposition with her, shakes it off by lightly punching his chest. "Hey! At least refrain from teasing me for now. It's my wedding day. I want to make it as memorable as possible."

His face hardened upon the mention of the words "wedding day", and as an attempt to hide his disapproval, Tora averts his head to the side, his eyes coming into contact with the white linen tablecloth. "Anyway, since you went through the trouble of finding me, how may I help you then?"

She tugs her lips. "I was hoping you'd be my partner for the next dance."

Tora lets out a chuckle in response, unable to hide his joy over the matter. "Your skills must've regressed, and the reason you wanted to dance with me right before your last dance with Usui is so that you would have enough time to practice with the others before me. Your male friends, your father, and your husband must be in misery after having danced with you."

Misaki frowned at him. "Don't push it," she points a finger at him, her eyes sending daggers towards his, "If you don't want to dance with me, fine. Just so you know I took a dancing course the entire week before my wedding just so that I could reorient myself with it. After all…" she paused for a moment to grasp his hand. "I want to show you that your efforts weren't all in vain."

Tora sensed the warmth rising in his cheeks as his eyes widened in surprise. His heartbeat intensified when she smiled at him, even while she brought him to the platform situated at the center of the venue, where the other guests have been dancing. As the current song faded and a familiar tune takes its place, almost everyone had parted from their partners and diverted their attentions to the MC in front of them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this will be the final dance for the night before the bride and groom's last dance. To those who wish to dance with the bride or groom, or with anyone in particular, this is your last chance to do so."

He made sure that he wasn't grasping her hand in return while she led him to the dance floor. Tora didn't think that he'd be capable of controlling himself if ever he did. His heart had lost its rhythm the moment she held his hand and told him those words. Alas, the reality of her belonging to somebody else's arms had completely sunk within him, only that he had been denying these ill feelings by sitting by a round table at the far end, isolating himself with a bottle of red wine. It was no wonder that Misaki had a hard time finding him.

But now, they were standing in front of each other, with one hand holding hers and the other placed at the small of her back, after Tora had mustered the courage to do so without ever revealing the emotional turmoil ongoing. After all, this was the last time he could ever hold her in this manner; that he could appreciate how beautiful she was that night and the past nights, for the last ten years, as she had always been lovely in his eyes. While the band played and the singer mouthed the words to the melody, the crowd had picked up their feet and waltzed across the floor.

You're in my arms, and all the world is calm
The music playing on for only two

As their feet glided, Tora didn't bother to hide how impressed he was at Misaki for dancing without ever stepping on his foot. But to give her credit, she was able to execute it with the utmost elegance that a lady could possess. Recalling the times when she was first learning how to dance, Tora would roar in laughter with every misstep she had made. He exploded when he found out that his friend, who was Misaki's dance partner on most days, had to wear splints for both feet after having incurred close fractures. The memory made him smile.

So close, together
And when I'm with you
So close, to feeling alive

"Stop staring at me like that." Misaki looked away, slightly embarrassed, while her feet followed his lead. "It's weird."

He wasn't even aware of the fact that he had been staring at her intently all this time.

"I won't." He retorted, raising his arm and allowing her to spin in place. Upon facing her, he brings her body closer, his gaze ever intense. "This will be the last time though. I promise." He guaranteed albeit with a hint of bitterness in his tone before moving on to the next step.

A life goes by
Romantic dreams must die
So I bid my goodbye
And never knew

…

"Hurry up and show me."

He smirked, having extended his hand in front of her. It had been weeks since she was first taught how to dance, and he was growing impatient with the pace of events. At this rate, it would take a while before she could be presented to the Walker family; mediocre results won't do if she wanted to continue staying by his side, and she had to prove that she could integrate herself into England's high society.

Unconfident, she brashly told him off. "There's no way I can do it! I've never learned how to dance without a partner."

He rolled his eyes at her. "What a boring person. You should be able to say something nicer now, shouldn't you?"

She eyed him in petulance, holding back the urge to yell at him further, for deep down, she knew that he was right. She had asked him to teach her how to behave in high society, and he had granted her everything that she needed to know, with the help of his peers from Miyabigaoka, at least. Tora had the option to deny her request, or halt their sessions whenever he became annoyed with her or every time she would burst in frustration, yet he was patient with her, and he proceeded to teaching her without asking anything in return.

"Well, from the very start, you're someone who would use her own ability to win." Tora extends his hand further to make it easier for her to reach, even if he seemed to be apathetic to her. "Alright, come on."

Puzzled, Misaki had her mouth agape as she contemplated on a response that would aptly express her gratitude. However, her musings were cut short when Tora spoke once more, and it occurred to her that he was only referring to the dance.

"You should be able to dance to blues, at least."

"You're dancing with me!?"

…

So close, was waiting
Waiting here with you
And now, forever, I know
All that I wanted
To hold you so close

"You know, looking back, I never got to thank you properly." Misaki said, avoiding Tora's gaze by looking at the marble floor beneath their feet. "I know you'd say that you were only doing those things because you saw me as an investment for the Walker family, or that you found me entertaining every time I mess up… but I wouldn't be where I am now without your help."

He smirks. "Tch. Don't be so confident, Misaki. I benefited from our past interactions. The Igarashi Foundation owns 3% of the Walker Corporation's stocks."

She hummed in agreement. "True, but you got there purely out of business transactions, and that crash course on high society was something that you've done at your own discretion. Though to be honest, it did score you some brownie points for you to attend this wedding. But all in all, what I've been trying to tell you for a while now is…" Towards the end of her sentence, Misaki lifted her head to face him, and she gave Tora the same heartfelt smile that she once did before, and just like back then, his heart fluttered the same.

"Thank you, Tora."

So close to reaching
That famous happy end
Almost believing
This one's not pretend

"It was probably then, while we were dancing the blues…" Tora voiced out his thoughts, his eyes never leaving hers. "…that was when I realized that I've fallen in love with you."

And now you're beside me
And look how far we've come.
So far we are. So close...

For a while, Misaki didn't know what to say. Although his bold confession had indeed astonished her, her feet still moved to the rhythm of the song, and so did he, handling the situation with as much grace as his manner of dancing.

It had been long overdue, but he felt that it was a step towards his acceptance of the fact that he had been in love with her even back then, along with his attempts to justify his emotions by fooling himself that it was anything—interest, curiosity, lust—but love; that everything he had done for her amounted to that very reason, even if he knew clearly that she didn't need his love to be happy.

And yet, there she was, dancing in front of him with as much mirth as her heart can carry, warmly expressing her gratitude and telling him that she wouldn't have been this happy if it weren't for him… if it weren't for the love he had tried to conceal.

How could he even begin to move on when she keeps on saying such things that would catch him off guard?

Oh how could I face the faceless days
If I should lose you now?

And as if the answer had occurred to her at that very instant, Misaki opened her mouth, ready to evoke her sentiments, but overcome with the immense feelings that reflected on his face, falters. Instead, she draws her lips back, and conveying her fondness of him with her eyes, comes up with another reply that shakes Tora to his core.

"Thank you… for loving me all this time."

We're so close to reaching
that famous happy end
And almost believing
this one's not pretend.

Tora fell silent afterward. With his head lowered, he lifts the corners of his mouth. Kindness does kill after all.

Let's go on dreaming
for we know we are…
so close, so close
and still so far…

Both had allowed the silence to fill in between them during the remainder of the song, with her having ran out of other topics to mention, and him to fully revel in his last moments with her, the first woman he had cared for.

Towards the end of the song, Tora slowly releases his grip onto her hand while carefully removing his other hand from her back. Misaki takes a step back, glancing at the floor before giving him her full attention. "How did I do this time?"

He withheld his reply for what could've lasted a minute in order to look at her with deep admiration, as if he were taking a photo at the back of his head and storing it at a makeshift memory box in the depths of his mind, so that he may have something from her that was worth remembering as time goes by.

"You were wonderful." He managed, earning him a smile in return for his honesty. Though it didn't make much of a difference, considering how elated she was right now that his attempts to please her didn't seem to touch her at a deeper level, he wanted every moment shared with her that evening to be unforgettable.

Abruptly, she swiftly wraps her arms around him in an embrace that only lasted for a second or two. Upon parting, she turns her back at him as she headed straight for her husband, who was standing at the other side of the platform in a black tuxedo, watching her walk towards his direction in a classic white dress.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please…" The MC spoke over his microphone pleasantly. "Right now, I would like to call the bride and groom to the center so that they may share the last dance together before leaving the reception. I would like everyone to please come over to the dance floor and form a circle around the bride and groom. I repeat: all guests please head over to the dance floor and form a circle around the lovely couple for their last dance!"

Tora blended in with the crowd that was encircling the couple; this time, he didn't isolate himself at the very back, though he was considerably far from the row closest to the couple. He had enough public displays of affection for the day, and would rather just stare at the head of the person right in front of him, partially blocking the view. In spite of that, however, he did see her contentedly resting her head against his chest while they danced to the ballad playing, and strangely, the image had given him a sense of peace, which he didn't understand, but nonetheless, accepting it.

He didn't wait until the song finished when he stepped out of the room to get some fresh air. On his way out, the idea of drowning himself with wine that night seemed like a great plan, but it would've been pathetic if he were to drink by himself, late at night. Opting for a cigarette in his pocket, Tora enters the smoking area, consumes three sticks, and leaves with the smell of burned tobacco on his white formalwear.

Standing by the driveway, Tora calls for his chauffeur. When his black limousine had arrived, he boarded the vehicle and laid down across the leather seat, still feeling tipsy from the wine he had drank a while back. As the limousine moved, he recounted the times when he had given her a difficult time, and how she was able to manage through it all with the help of Usui—no, Takumi Walker.

But unbeknown to her, she was giving him a difficult time right now. He realized that those measly trials he had her do were nothing compared to the pain that he felt in his chest the moment he left that wedding reception. His hand clutches onto the fabric of his shirt at the area near his heart, while his head was directed to the passenger seat. In a daze, he feels something wet across his right cheek. He reaches for it with his hand, and upon coming into view, widens his eyes in disbelief.

Is this...?

Tora knew for the time being, he had to deal with these scars on his own. Nevertheless, he still bears the hope that time may ease his pain, for even if that night marked the end of everything with her, to him, she would always be the first.

His first.

Fin

End Notes: Well, I hope you enjoyed that, even if it's sad and it's mainly about ToraMisa. I just realized that I started the new year with such a sad fic. Reviews are highly appreciated.

Cheers,
Lady Stradivari