Notes: This was written to basically help my real life brother Wang Hu finish his project for English class. Even though he's clearly running out of time, he insisted on having five fics done and published three days from now, and well, he demanded that I write one for him, with Kuroudo as one of the main characters. And since I was bored (unable to think properly and uninspired, too) when he asked me to do so… you have this! XD
Also, this was written in response to an early discussion (a semi 'fanfic challenge', actually) at the Crush Gear Community; thus the reason why the pairing is such despite the fact that I am a die-hard Kouya/Kaoru shipper. So please, fellow Kouya/Kaoru fans, keep your violent reactions to yourself if you have any. Thank you.
Story Notes: This takes place a few years after CGT --- I leave the counting to you since I'm too lazy to analyze the details regarding the time setting and their ages. And please forgive the insanity; I think of the strangest things when I'm bored and under pressure in terms of fanfic writing.
The bell rang in dismissal, and out of the classroom doors students flooded into the locker-lined corridor. Classes were finally over for that day, and since it was a Friday, the last day of the week, they were all jubilant. Homework and exams would have to wait. However, strange as it may seem, one particular learning area appeared to be surrounded by a horde of giggly junior high students in all entrances imaginable.
And all of them were saying one thing: "Kuroudo-kun, please go with me to the prom!"
The teenager they were directing their pleas to was a blonde-haired young man with a pale, handsome face and gleaming blue eyes the shade of sapphires. He, too, had a gallant, almost aristocratic stance and a calm, soothing voice that blended perfectly with his physical features to give rise to a very dashing individual. Add in the fact that he's half-French and a skilled Gear Fighter with an utterly impressive record, and you get Kuroudo Marume, the school's most popular and most eligible bachelor.
"I knew this was going to happen," a spectacled youth remarked from beside the blonde with a knowing smirk on his slightly tanned features. He was Kyousuke Jin, the Gear Master of the renowned Tobita Club and Kuroudo's best friend.
"Now, now, ladies, Kuroudo's yet to make a choice, so why don't you all settle down and give him the weekend to think it over? It's a tough decision, you know. Considering how lovely you all are," Jirou Oriza, another member of the Tobita Club, compromised in an attempt to make the annoying third years go away. At his words, they let out a squeal of flattery and delight, before they headed away from the room while talking animatedly.
Kuroudo sighed in relief. "Thanks, guys."
The former baseball player grinned as he went to his friends' side. "Hey, it's no problem. But you really have to make a choice, you know. Don't tell me you're going stag just like last year? It's our final year, remember that, and we won't get to attend another one of these prom thingies ever again."
The blonde groaned audibly as he scooped up his books and slung his backpack over one shoulder. "I don't want to take any one of those girls," he protested, scowling. He then averted his gaze from his best friend, who had nodded in agreement, towards Jirou. "And tell me, who among the juniors don't belong to my… uh… fan club?"
Jirou shrugged. "Who knows? They seem to be uncountable."
"Go stag," Kyousuke suggested with a shrug. "Save yourself the headache."
Although the flaxen-haired youngster nodded at that, he could not help but think about Jirou's words. It was their final year, and the last time he went to the prom --- without a date --- he ended up the victim of the so-called 'We Love Kuroudo Fan Club', as his classmates left him at the mercy of the rabid senior fangirls. Even though Kyousuke and Jirou were with him that night, they still weren't able to prevent him from being dragged around and tortured by a bunch of girls.
He groaned again. He had to find a date… but who, just as he asked, wasn't a member of his fan club?
Kouya Marino walked over to his opponent and looked at him quizzically, his Garuda Phoenix held tightly with one hand. "Kuroudo, are you all right?" he asked with a concerned tone. After-school training was something the Tobita Club members were fond of --- they especially liked tormenting their team captain by making him fight all three of them without taking breaks in between --- for it allowed them to relax and unwind.
"I'm fine, Kouya."
"You just lost to me."
"I know."
The younger boy, still a junior student yet already a title holder in the Gear Fighting world, scratched his head out of his puzzlement. Something was definitely going on, but he had no idea what that something was. "And you're not upset? The last time you lost, except the time when Takeshi didn't give you the five-minute extension, you went wacko for a while and---"
Jirou clamped his hand over their captain's loud mouth. They were aware that defeat was one of the topics Kuroudo did not like talking about, and there went Kouya, blabbing about it. "It's girl trouble, Kouya," he told him. "He has no idea who to take to the prom."
The other's response was reflexive. "Kaoru!"
Their Gear Master, who was examining if any damage was done on Kuroudo's Shooting Phantom, dropped the screwdriver he was holding in surprise. "Kaoru?" Kyousuke inquired in a disbelieving voice, turning to face Kouya with an indescribable expression on his face. He then let out a laugh. "Are you serious, Kouya? Kaoru's your crush!"
"Kyousuke!" Kouya warned him off, his face reddening.
"You're blushing."
"Cut it out! It's not like you don't blush when we talk about Lan Fan!"
Instantly, a tinge of red appeared on Kyousuke's cheeks. He then snapped defensively, "I do not blush!"
Again, their baseball-playing comrade intervened before Kouya and Kyousuke could start killing each other. "Hey, you two, stop that. We're not talking about any of your romantic involvements right now; we're thinking of who Kuroudo could possibly ask to the prom. Any suggestions?"
"I already told you," Kouya insisted. He turned to Kuroudo. "Ask Kaoru."
"Why?"
Because you're my friend, the Tobita Club captain answered silently, making sure to keep his words to himself so as not to say anything more than he intended to. He didn't want to divulge how much he truly liked their team manager, after all. "Well, to begin with she doesn't have a date. She isn't thinking of asking anyone out either, and she said that she'd just wait if there'd be anyone who'd ask her. If nobody will, she'd go stag. And besides," Kouya paused to grin, "she isn't a member of your fan club."
The other two Gear Fighters looked at Kuroudo. Finally, the words they wanted to hear escaped the lips of someone credible. "She's not a member of your fan club, did you hear that, Kuroudo?" Jirou echoed, before winking. "Go ask her before anyone else would!"
Kyousuke chuckled. "But do you know what that means? Kaoru not being a member of Kuroudo's fan club, I mean?" He eyed Kouya with a mischievous gleam in his raven eyes, before his lips curled into a smirk. "It simply means that she's a member of the 'We Love Takeshi Fan Club'; girls here either belong to that or Kuroudo's, after all. Hey, do I sense an aura of jealousy brewing somewhere in this room? Hm, where could the source of that---"
"Gear Master Kyousuke Jin, will you stop that?!"
And round two of the boys' daily quarrel began. After all, Takeshi was Kouya's greatest rival, and even thinking of the remote possibility that his longtime crush was a member of the said Gear Fighter's fan club made him… well, jealous, to state it in the simplest terms.
Riiiing! Riiiing!
"Hello?" Kaoru Hanano asked as soon as she picked up the receiver and flopped herself on the couch, stretching her muscles. She was a loud, hot-tempered brunette who was the self-proclaimed manager of the Tobita Club, but despite her fiery attitude her companions were fond of her. Although it might have only been the effect of time, as they had been friends for a few years already. But she didn't care. "Kuroudo! Hey, you called! What's up?"
A pause. "Can I ask you something?"
She could not help but grin at the other's words. He sure is direct to the point. You haven't changed a bit, Kuroudo, she thought to herself before she lowered the volume of the television and continued. "Sure, fire away." She quickly added as soon as she remembered, "But if it's about Kouya, I'm telling you ahead that I don't like him the way you all think that I do."
"Really?" The other's voice was taunting.
"For crying out loud, Kuroudo; you too?! Geez, you guys are impossible!" she snapped hotly, but then she sighed and apologized for her behavior --- which was already normal for the person at the other end of the line. "So anyway, what was that you wanted to ask me?"
"Will you go with me to the prom?"
Kaoru fell off the couch.
"Can you gals believe it?! Kuroudo-kun is going to the prom with Kaoru!" one of the third years exclaimed angrily, a vein popping out from under her neatly combed reddish-brown hair. She clamped her hands into fists, and then she climbed on the teacher's table that was in front of everyone else. "Are we going to allow this to happen? Are you going to allow our dear Kuroudo to be escorted to the prom by a non-member of this organization?"
"NO!" the fangirls chorused.
Another one jumped on the table. She was just as angry as the one who started the informal meeting of the members of the 'We Love Kuroudo Fan Club'; it was evident in the way her eyes glowed. "Are we going to allow her to spend the event with our beloved Kuroudo-kun while we hang out with some low-class senior? Are we going to allow her to enjoy while we sulk in our misery?"
Then one more girl joined those who were on top of the table, yelling with much emotion as she waved her arms in the air to catch everyone else's attention. And like the other two who spoke before her, she was raving mad. "All for one, one for all! If we can't go to the prom with Kuroudo-kun, then nobody else will!"
"This means war!"
For the whole week, the members of Kuroudo's fan club thought of ways to prevent Kaoru from going to the prom. And they executed those plans, too --- but all to no avail. The accidents they tried to set up, hoping to catch her and injure her, all failed despite their seemingly flawless plans and ideas. It was as though the heavens were on the brunette's side, as nothing bad happened to her as the days went by.
Monday…
Tuesday…
Wednesday…
Thursday…
Friday…
And then, Saturday came. It was a nice day, full of sunshine and blue skies that denoted happiness, but not for the Kuroudo fangirls. The Juniors-Seniors' prom was only in a few hours, and they were getting more and more desperate by the minute to get rid of Kaoru…
Ding dong!
"Kouya, get the door!"
"But… I'm… still… fixing… my… pants…!"
"Stupid suit, why were these invented anyway…"
Ding dong!
"Somebody get the door!"
"But I'm changing!"
"So am I!"
Ding dong!
"Kouya, you happen to be nearest to the door," Kuroudo pointed out calmly as he slipped on his long-sleeved polo. But at that time, he was not going to wear the traditional purple vest he had been known to sport. "Please open it. We're still changing here."
Grumbling, Kouya headed towards the door while still buttoning his polo shirt. The four Gear Fighters were getting dressed for their prom in the Tobita Clubhouse, simply because they refused to let a day pass without practicing. And they did so, sweating out and raising their levels up even just a little bit --- but after half an hour of preparations, they looked as if they had rested for the whole day. Their Gears and their plainclothes had been stuffed into their bags, and on them were their formal wear especially prepared for the said event. With neatly-combed hair and fresh faces, to boot.
Ding dong!
Their team captain unlocked the door, and while doing so, yelled, "Wait a minute, will you?" Afterwards, he quickly twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open, only to see a young woman standing in front of him with messed-up hair and torn clothes. Plus she was drenched from head to foot, as it was raining. Despite her appearance, however, it didn't take him long to recognize who the unfortunate girl was. "Kaoru? What in the world happened?"
She stormed in the clubhouse with heavy footsteps. "Next time, don't lock the door!" she muttered hotly before she stopped and hung her head silently for a few seconds. Slowly, she turned around to face Kouya who was closing the door, but not locking it, this time. "Kouya, I'm sorry. It's just that---"
"Hey, what happened?" Jirou asked, approaching the two. And at his inquiry, the remaining members of the Tobita Club emerged from the room they were changing in to see what was going on. Kuroudo, who had his black overcoat on already even though it remained unbuttoned, was very smart looking, and even if Kaoru was upset because of what happened to her, she knew her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.
And he looked very concerned, too.
Kaoru pushed her anger away and sighed. "Your fangirls," she answered them while looking at Kuroudo --- she was glad to have an excuse to stare at him without feeling awkward, "apparently planned to harm me so I won't be able to go with you to the prom. And they got me today. I was at Shieru's place, getting myself ready, when her friends came along and made sure my day was ruined. I fought them back, and well… you're looking at the result."
"You're not injured, are you?"
The look on Kouya's features was that of disbelief. "That's all you can say, Kuroudo? That's all you can say after what they've done to her? Well here's what I have to say," he told her, one of his hands clamped into a fist. "Let me at them!"
"Calm down, guys. I'm fine, don't worry about me. That's not the reason why I came here," she stopped them before chaos would ensue in the place she had found solace in through the past years. "I came here because the prom's barely in half an hour and I don't have any other dress. My mom has discarded her party stuff, too."
"I'm sorry I got you in trouble, Kaoru," Kuroudo suddenly said, bowing towards the brunette in apology. "I didn't know they could get that desperate. Please don't go to the prom anymore, so they---"
"So they'll laugh at me and call me a wimp? No thanks, Kuroudo. I'm going to attend that party, and I'm going to show them that Kaoru Hanano isn't a pushover. I wouldn't be the manager of this club if I was! Besides, I promised you that I'd be your date, and I intend to keep that promise." She held out a victory sign and winked. "Now, can you guys help me find something to wear?"
"In less than half an hour? That's hard… very hard."
"No, guys, wait! I got an idea!" Kouya exclaimed excitedly. "I know where she can fix herself up and choose the dress she wants --- in a few minutes. It's near here, and I'm sure we'll only have a little trouble…"
Kyousuke's eyes narrowed. "And where would that be, Kouya?"
"Why, the Manganji Corporation's head office, of course." He grinned, enjoying the surprised reactions and disbelieving stares of his comrades. "I think it's about time I take the offer Takeshi presented to me years ago. All right, let's get to work. We have to make a princess out of her in less than half an hour."
"Is that an insult, Kouya?" Kaoru pressed, raising an eyebrow and making the young man cringe in fear at her sharp tone. However, she then laughed, realizing how effective her style remained, and she sent her teammates laughing, too. It was going to be one fun prom night; that she was sure of.
The fangirls could only look on with envy.
Despite the 'beating' they had done on Kaoru earlier, she still made it to the prom, arm locked with the most popular boy in the campus. And she was the most dazzling one among the females as well, her simple, straight-cut gown bringing the woman out of her. To make matters even worse for the already jealous fangirls, she was proclaimed 'Prom Queen', too.
And who was the 'Prom King'? The decision was unanimous; everyone knew right from the beginning of the school year who was going to win and get the title. And they were right.
"Just look at how they stare at us," Kaoru commented with a laugh as she danced with her partner, just as they were asked to do. She then averted her gaze to the blonde young man, about to ask jokingly how it felt to dance with someone like her, when she realized that he was looking at her intently, a soft but sincere smile on his face. She instantly blushed and looked. "Don't look at me like that. You're making me feel uncomfortable."
Kuroudo only smirked. "Why? Can't stand to be this close to one as handsome as I am?"
"Well, it seems like someone's head is rapidly expanding. I wasn't aware how much of a braggart you are until now, Kuroudo. I thought Takeshi and Kouya were the only ones who had such humungous egos; now I had just been proven wrong."
The smile on his pale features grew even more mischievous, and so did the gleam in his blue-colored eyes. He didn't know why he was acting such, all he knew was that the opportunity he had been waiting for had come, and he was going to make full use of it. "So you don't like guys that have 'humungous egos'?"
She nodded. "I hate having to deal with braggarts. They think they're so great, they think they're the best, they think that everyone needs them yet they don't need anyone. Well, I've learned to cope with Kouya's behavior, but as for Takeshi, I don't think I can stand him despite all the good things he has done for the club and us. He's just too… cocky," she finished with a shrug.
"How about cowards?"
"What do you mean?"
The music did not stop playing, as the other students were invited to join in the dancing, but Kuroudo, to his date's surprise, did. And his eyes weren't fixed on her anymore; he suddenly found the floor to be very interesting. "What about guys who make up excuses to cover up their fears? What about those who don't take risks, fearing that they will fail?"
"Shame on them! And to think they're supposed to be members of the 'stronger sex', too!" Her rather annoyed voice, however, quickly changed into a soft, pleasing one. "But you know what, Kuroudo? They say that there are exceptions to every rule… and I… well, this deal about cowards and losers… I believe you're the exception I'm talking about."
Silence.
Kaoru suddenly let out a laugh. "Did I just say that?! Man, how corny did I sound?!"
"You didn't." He met her gaze. "You've changed, you know?"
"And you haven't one bit."
A thoughtful expression filled his face, and then, he said, "Guess that'll make things work." He hesitated for a moment, afraid that his interpretation might be wrong, but then he told himself that the moment, too, was the opportunity for him to start overcoming the rest of his fears. "For the two of us, I mean. What do you think?"
She grinned playfully. "You know what, I like losers --- and cowards, most especially. I think they're great people." Her gaze caught his, and without letting that go, she held out her hand for him to take. "Well, shall we go on?"
Kouya looked on from a safe distance, his eyes sad, but a feeling of satisfaction taking root inside of him. And as he remembered their inquiries about why he insisted that Kuroudo ask Kaoru out for the prom, when in fact Kaoru was his longtime crush, he answered out loud, at long last, "Because you're my friend, Kuroudo, just as she is, and I want both of you to be happy. That's all."
Truly, he was not a boy anymore; he was already a man, a man who knew how to love and let go.
Slowly, he turned around and walked away towards the darkness, leaving his two friends on his own. It was time for them to have their fun, while it was time for him to start thinking of how to pay Takeshi back. As much as his rival was so generous to make the necessary arrangements for Kaoru when they arrived at such a desperate time, the black-haired Gear Fighter insisted that he and his comrades do something for him in return --- as if they weren't in so much trouble already.
He stopped as soon as he saw two figures approach him. Jirou and Kyousuke, as soon as they arrived in front of their team captain, halted and squatted down on the moist ground without giving it much thought, panting and groaning.
"I hate fangirls!"
"Those cold-hearted, men-trampling harpies…"
Kouya let out a laugh, but was immediately cut off as he heard angry screams from the far end of the dark path his friends had taken. And the next thing he knew, he was running, Jirou and Kyousuke alongside him, towards wherever their feet would lead them. There was no time for them to lose; they had to get away before they would get caught in the midst of the stampeding mortals in dresses and gowns.
What was the problem?
Realizing that they had lost their chance to take the men of their dreams, the members of Takeshi and Kuroudos' fan clubs decided to merge and fight for a new cause. After all, their obsessions had found their own obsessions, and there seemed to be nothing that would make them change their mind. So the girls turned to new targets and sought to grab those that were nearest to their reach instead --- the three other members of the Tobita Club.
"Did I mention that I hate fangirls?"
"Yes, you just did, so quit whining and run for your life!"