My Knight in Shining Armor and Your Damsel in Distress
Serenade in Silence

Koko x Sumire

Sumire

"You can do this, Sumire; you can do this," I told myself.

Today, April 20, is an important day. It was today, 8 years back, that Koko and I first met.

I was being bullied that day, and he came to my rescue. He made them back off, and he comforted me after they had scampered off. He hugged me and then told me that I'll get wrinkles and look ugly if I cry, so I immediately stopped crying.

I smiled at the memory. I was 6 at the time, and he was 8; April 20 is our birthday. We became playmates afterwards. He'd always come to my house, and play my games with me; he'd also teach me new ones.

It's always April 20. The birthday we share, our first meeting... and after today, it'll also be the day that I tell him of my true feelings.

I checked my watch for the time. "Eh? He's late. How weird. He's never late. I wonder what happened."

I waited patiently for him, although I did keep glancing at my clock. I couldn't help it. He's never made me wait for whenever we meet. He's actually usually early. I'm worried.

After two hours have finally passed and he was still nowhere to be seen, I finally decided to call his house. Maybe he's just being held up by chores or something? But why hasn't he called me yet?

His younger brother, Yukito, picked up. "Hello?"

I was about to reply, but something caught my eye. I slowly lowered my cell phone, my lips slightly parting as I did so, and I could still hear Yuki-kun saying, "Hello? Hello?" But I was too shocked to notice.

Why? Why is he with another girl? And... she's clinging on to him... No... This can't be... He never even told me... He promised he'd come... So why is he with another girl? Why? How can he stand me up like this?

Tears made their way down my face. My vision got blurry, but I swear he looked my way and saw me. That was when I began to run.

My legs pumped, my heart thumped, my body ached, but I couldn't care less. I just wanted to get away from that. I wanted to leave that scene behind. I wanted to leave that memory behind. So I kept running.

I woke up, panting, sweating. It was that nightmare again. I've been having that nightmare since that day, April 20, our birthday, our first meeting, the day he unintentionally broke my heart, and the day he left for another school.

It's been almost a year since that day. Today's the 19th. I'm transferring to another school today, and I'll be starting school tomorrow. From tomorrow onwards, I'll be attending Alice Academy, and I'll be 15... and he'll be 17.

I got up from bed, yawning. "Might as well eat breakfast." I looked at my alarm clock. "Shoot! It's already lunchtime?! Crap! They'll be here in an hour!"

With that, I rushed to prepare. Shower, dress, eat, brush, check, and... Ding dong!

I was prepared. My few suitcases were already downstairs, and I've checked that I've packed everything. Good.

I opened the door, and there was the limousine that will take me to my new life.

April 20.

"Hi. I'm Sumire Shouda. Pleased to meet you. Please take care of me." I bowed.

I looked around the classroom, and someone caught my eye. Raven hair, ruby red eyes. What a perfect combination. I felt my heart skip a beat at his godly features.

I looked towards where he was staring at. It was a chipper brunette. She was beautiful. Even with the plain, common color of her eyes and hair, there's just something extremely alluring about her. Maybe it was her dazzling smile.

I noticed the sparkles in their eyes as their gazes briefly met. They're in love with each other... how envious.

My chest tightened, as did my throat. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "Please excuse me," I rasped and ran out the door.

Ever since the day I realized my feelings for him, I've always imagined us to be like that. I've even wished on all the shooting stars and the dandelions for us to be like that. They didn't come true...

"Ow!" I ran into someone and fell.

"Watch where you're going, will ya?!" he scolded me.

The two of us looked up at the same time.

"Sumire..." It was Koko.

My tears ran down even faster. Why is this happening to me?

I quickly stood up and began to run away from him. I wiped away my tears as I did so.

"Sumire!" I heard him call. I could hear his footsteps behind me, getting closer, closer.

He grabbed me by the arm and spun me around to face him. "Sumire..."

I shook off his hand and looked at him with cold eyes. "I don't know who you are, so please excuse me."

I began to walk away, but he wouldn't leave me alone. "Don't you remember me?" he said. "It's me, Koko. Your best friend? Hello? Sumire?"

I stopped. "I said, I don't know you."

"Neko-chan..." He called me by his nickname for me. He was the only one who ever called me by that name. I started crying again.

"Leave me alone, Koko!"

He saw my tears. "Sumire..." He pulled me into a hug, and I cried on his chest. "I'm sorry for not even calling you last year. I was busy all that day, and you wouldn't pick up that night. Then, when I arrived here, we weren't allowed to keep in touch with anyone in the outside world anymore. I'm so sorry. It was just, that day..."

I pushed him away and cut him off. "I know. I saw." I didn't even meet his eyes when I said that. I couldn't. I knew I would start acting up again. "I understand."

He hugged me again. "By the ways, happy birthday, Neko-chan."

"Happy birthday to you too," I murmured. Then I pushed him away. I said, "I'm sorry, Koko, but... I can't stand being your friend anymore."

I bowed quickly and then ran away, into the comforts of my classroom, leaving him standing there, shocked by my words. They all stared at me, but I didn't care. I just didn't want to be near him.

I sighed. I wonder how he took that. Probably misinterpreted it, as always. I sighed again. Oh well. Too late now.

When the final bell rang, I slowly packed up and trudged out of the room. Then, I froze in place. He was waiting for me.

He immediately noticed me and pushed himself off the wall. "Sumire, can I—?"

"No," I said, before walking away.

The next thing I knew, I was pushed against the wall and I was facing him. I tried to wriggle free, but my arms were pinned to the wall.

"Ow... that hurts..." I winced in pain.

He loosened his grip on me, but it was still tight. "You're not going anywhere until we talk." His eyes were serious.

I looked away. "We have nothing to talk about. Now let me go. You're hurting me."

He let go of my arms and embraced me. "I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to. It's just that... I don't understand... What happened, Sumi?"

"You hurt me... a lot. That day... you hurt me a lot that day."

As the memories began flooding back to me, my tears began to fall once again.

"But I thought—?" My tears wet his shirt. "Sumire? Are you crying?"

"Let me go. I've already told you what you wanted to know."

"No, you haven't."

"Please... just... just let me go, Koko,"I begged him, sobbing. "I don't want to talk about it."

Reluctantly, he let me go. "Sumire..."

I ran away. Somewhere... anywhere... just not near him. It hurt to remember. It hurt to be reminded of that day, that painful day.

When I calmed down a bit, I stopped running and looked around. I found myself in a dark alley, quite far away from the girl's dorms.

I shuddered in fear. A dark alley... I turned around, and my greatest fear came true.

There, in front of me, were three, unbelievably ugly, old guys. They were looking at me hungrily. I gulped in fear. I tried to scream for help, but no sound would come from my mouth.

"What's a cute, little girl like you doing in a place like this?" one of them asked.

I couldn't answer. I was too scared. I could try to run, but I knew it would be useless.

So, I just shut my eyes tightly and cried while they started ripping off my clothes. I couldn't even hear what they were saying. My head was spinning, aching. I thought of Koko. I'll never get to see him again...

Then, suddenly, I realized that nothing was touching me anymore. I slowly opened my eyes. "Koko..."

"Sumire!" He dropped the guy he was holding, obviously having beaten him to a pulp. The guy was already unconscious.

He ran towards me, which was good, because I fainted then and there. But, before I lost all consciousness, I felt myself fall not onto the cold, hard ground, but into a pair of warm arms. Koko's...

I woke up in a bed, in a room that wasn't mine. I looked around. White walls, an adorable, sleeping Koko, flower vase—Koko?!

"What the heck?" I voiced out. "Am I at the hospital? Why the heck am I at the—?"

Then it hit me. That incident last night... or I think it was last night. How long have I been out? Then, something else hit me.

Koko rescued me again. Not caring whether or not he woke up, I pulled his head up from the bed and immediately scanned it for any bruises, scratches, wounds, whatever.

He woke up the instant I rudely jerked up his head. "Ow!" he exclaimed. "Sumi?"

I sighed in relief. "Good. You're not hurt."

He grinned. "Of course I'm not. Why would I be?"

I knew what he meant by that. "You're still so conceited," I replied, rolling my eyes. "So, how long have I been out?"

"About..." he looked at his watch, "38 hours since you fainted."

There was an awkward silence. "Umm... thanks, for saving me again."

"You know me," was his reply.

I smiled weakly at him. I lowered my head and fiddled my fingers. "Umm... about that whole 'I can't stand being your friend' thing..."

"Go on," he urged.

"Well, umm..."

"Waiting," he singsonged.

"Shut up, or I won't explain," I warned.

"Shutting up."

And so, I told him. What I was planning to do, what I saw, everything.

I jerked my head up when I heard him laughing.

"You thought she was my girlfriend?!" he laughed.

"Wasn't she? I mean, she was all clinging on to your arm and everything."

"She's my cousin, idiot." He smacked me upside the head. "I had to show her around."

"Ow! Is that any way to treat a patient?"

"Anyways, hmm... how should I say this?" He positioned himself into a thinking position.

"Say what?" I asked, the fact that I just confessed to him not even slipping into mind.

There was a long silence, and I started getting impatient. Then, when I was just about to strangle him for making me wait so long and not even saying anything, he looked up.

"Do you still love me?" he asked.

The question caught me off-guard, and I immediately turned red. "Umm... well, that is... uhh..."

I was too busy thinking of what to say that I didn't even notice him sit on my bed and bring his face closer to mine.

I was brought out of my trance when I suddenly heard his voice so close, and I noticed our faces were only centimeters away from each other.

My face turned even redder, if it was even possible, and I gulped at our closeness.

"All this time, I've always loved you and only you, Sumire Shouda," he declared.

I was speechless. But then again, even if I wasn't, I wouldn't be able to say anything. He's already claimed my lips.

Typical story, don't you think? My knight in shining armor and his damsel in distress. So cliché, no? Well, that's our story, and you can't do anything about it. Hehehe.

Owari

Hi, guys! So, how'd you like it? Was it okay?

Oh, and yes, this is Masked Mistress.
If you somehow find me in your Favorite or Alert list,
You'll see "Her Cousin Was Here-Mwahahahah" instead of Masked Mistress.
I think the new name speaks for itself.

Anyhow, I'm re-posting everything again, after a few alterations here and there.

Anyways, review please?

Koko's version coming right up!

Much Love,
Chris.