Disclaimer: Santa Clause gave me a heads up saying that he decided to not give me Maid-sama this Christmas (he gave me a brand new iPod though… thanks Santa). So I still don't own it. :(
Warnings: Alternate Universe (AU) setting. Mild coarse language. Perverted thoughts from a certain alien. Spoilers from the prequel "Runaways".
Full Summary: Four months set after "Runaways", Misaki Ayuzawa is taking control of her life once more as she enters college and aspires for a place in Japan's leading university: Tokyo University. Just when she thought that things were finally back to the way it was, Misaki finds herself trapped in another family drama… though, not hers this time around and without Takumi Usui helping her either. She soon realizes that some ties are just really hard to break out from, and, while she wishes to escape them, she is only pulled further into the world of the rich that's filled with confusions, secrets, lies, and heartaches. Misaki has proven herself that she truly is strong but can she handle this new set of problems, or will she finally break?
Author's Notes 01: Hi peeps! The poll results that I had in my profile showed that "Morons" has a landslide victory (It has 14/17 votes)! ^^ And I guess it's also just reasonable to follow up the story soon so here we go with the sequel to "Runaways"! See you guys at the end! XD
Prologue
April 30th, Monday
Misaki Ayuzawa looked murderously at the single sheet of paper that she held so tightly between her hands, the sides creasing with the fierce action. In her hands she held her assessment exam result she received at Seika High last Friday, April 27th. It has been three day but she still couldn't believe what was printed out on the damn paper.
She didn't fail anything… she was even above average with the majority of the subjects… but… it wasn't just Tokyo U. material.
Ever since she got the results she has never left without it, always crumpled at her jeans pocket. She had thought: 'Maybe if I see it all the time it will motivate me to study harder.' Quite obviously, it did nothing close to it as she held her head between her arms on the surface of the table in the quiet public library, surrounded by mounds of text books. She was completely devastated, dishearten to see a glimpse of how immature she has acted during her last year in high school.
'You shouldn't have let your problems get in the way of your education! Now, look at what you've done!' she'd scold herself but she knew that it was impossible to do so anyway – to just ignore the threat that a contract with the infamous Igarashi Foundation held to her family, and wake up every day as if it was just some ordinary one. That would have been like dreaming even when she was wide awake, refusing to brave cold, hard reality. It went beyond shameless.
'I guess this isn't something as difficult to fix compared to working off Dad's stupid debts…' However, even with that optimistic thought, she couldn't make herself sit up, grab a book, and start studying.
'Come on, Misaki. You need to work on your English.' The optimistic voice continued to egg her on inside her head. 'What if a lost American tourist asks you for directions? How will you help him if you can't understand each other?'
'Why would a foreigner approach me? He should go to the police station.' Misaki mentally rebutted.
"Good afternoon."
"Eh?" Did someone just speak to her in English? Misaki looked up in confusion and almost had her eyes bulge out of their sockets as she recognized the intruder. "U-U-U-Usui!"
"Translate it." He said with a blank yet intimidating look.
"Eh?" She exclaimed again.
"Translate what I said in English to Japanese. Again: 'Good afternoon'."
"What are–" the words stuck inside her throat as he gave her a pointed stare. "K-Konichiwa." She answered reluctantly. "Now, what–"
"My name is Misaki Ayuzawa."
"…"
"…"
With a sigh, "Watashi wa nomae wa Ayuzawa Misaki desu."
"I have always been a very busy person."
"Erm… W-Watashi wa itsumo… uhm… Ah!... isogashiku sa rete iru."
"But…"
"Demo…"
"I've been thinking of you…"
"Anata… no koto wo zutto k-kangaete iru…"
"…Everyday."
"…Nichijo."
"Now, all I want to tell you is:"
"I-Ima, watashi wa anata ni o-otsutae shitai to omoimasu… subete wa ika no toridesu:"
"I love you."
She gritted her teeth, clamping down a retort as his emerald orbs just bored into hers. Grudgingly, "A-Aishiteru wa."
"Kiss me."
"Usui…" Misaki groaned exasperatedly, her cheeks heating up.
"Say it." He said with a voice tinged of dominance. Usui lightly gripped her chin between his fingers, angling her face so he could have a good look at it when she said those words. Oh, how immensely he was enjoying this.
"Tch."
"Come, now." The edge of his mouth twitched at the innuendo. Then he continued, tauntingly, "We can stay like this forever, Misa-chan."
She cast her eyes down, only to have the grip tighten its hold on her chin, forcing their gazes to lock. "W-Watashi ni k-kisu suru."
Usui grinned his signature grin for the first time, with that. Uh-oh. Misaki looked horrified as he said, "With pleasure."
He leaned over and captured her lips with his.
Her lips parted slightly with a gasp.
He was kissing her!, her mind registered before delving in further and dissecting the kiss.
Ah, yes. It was quite similar to the one kiss they shared – the last one they had before they parted – inside a Ferris wheel cart around two months ago. It was light and sweet and tender and heart aching and breathtaking… and absolutely confusing all at the same time.
Grabbing hold of herself, Misaki stood up abruptly, a hand rising to cover half her flushed face, and stared, disturbed, at him.
Usui, in return, started laughing aloud, ditching the stoical look he had on earlier. She turned redder as she listened to the foreign sound that emanated from the blonde man. She was certain that it was the first time she'd heard such laughter that was so genuine and so free from him.
The notion caused her voice to weaken as she said: "W-Wh-What are you doing? Why are you here?"
"The answer to number one is: I just kissed you, and Two: Because I want to be wherever Misa-chan is." Usui said, still chuckling.
"You can't just do… something like that in public!" Misaki retorted, lowering her voice to a half-scream, half-whisper, when she remembered that she was inside the library.
"Oh! You mean to say then that you don't mind it if we've done it in private? Misa-chan's naughty mind still hasn't changed."
She flushed even further. "That's not what I meant! B-Because of… y-you know… who you are…"
He assessed her with a quizzical look. "Ah. So you've remembered me. And you're sober…?"
Misaki reeled. "What?… Yes!"
"And…?" He pushed.
"Y-You disgust me! How could you not tell me that you were my damn teacher?"
"I never intended to hide it. It's your fault for being a moron, Misa-chan. And it's endearing to see you troubled over me." His green eyes glinted deviously at that.
"Excuse me!" She lowered her voice again as it also increased in volume once more, "But you're the moron!"
Usui grinned. "So, we're both morons. See? Isn't this why we're so compatible with each other?"
"For the second time, and seriously this time, what are you even doing here? I thought you moved to England already."
"I came to get the pages you ripped out from your journal." Usui stated nonchalantly as he brushed off imaginary lint at the front of his navy blue sweater vest. Misaki grimaced at the reminder of those embarrassing entries she discarded at the end of her drawer. "And, also, how can I live with myself knowing that a maiden's heart aches for me across the seas?"
"You're not making any sense anymore."
"Your diary."
"What about it?" Misaki asked annoyed. She refused to even think about that dastardly thing that held her secrets. Why did she give it again to him?
"It's a declaration of your love for me."
It was definitely not that.
"Y-Y-You're mad!" Misaki stammered as she backed away further from the man who sat at the edge of her table.
"Madly in love with you too, yes."
"Unbelievable." She muttered, shaking her head at the tacky line, her heart rate gradually going back to its normal pace. "What came over you to draw up some conclusion like that?"
"The bet we agreed upon at the beach."
"Ah. Well…" She cleared her throat, "I admit to liking you but falling for you is delusional of you, Usui. I gave you my journal because that one factor of the deal came true, and I never go back on my words." Misaki answered without a hint of a lie or a deception in her voice or in her eyes. It was weird that, although it rolled smoothly off her tongue, hollowness reverberated within her. 'Weird indeed…'
Usui visibly wilted. "Ouch, Misa-chan." She merely rolled her eyes and returned to her spot in front of the stacks of books. He sighed, pouting as he carried on. "And here I went all the way from England just to tell you that your message came across and, well, as you know, the feelings are mutual."
"It's your fault for being so assuming." She blanched at his theatrics before saying that matter-of-factly, and resumed doing what she came to do in the library in the first place.
"…"
A veil of eerie silence consumed them.
Hmmm… How odd to have him suddenly without a perverted comeback.
Had she said something offensive?
She started sifting through her words inside her head when Usui spoke in a thoughtful voice, "Then we just have to make that 'like' grow into 'love', don't we?"
Misaki slowly turned her head to her disturbing companion. "Eh?"
Her heart lurched to a pause before it resumed beating frantically with what she can only interpret as fear mixed with utter desolation.
Oh, God.
Oh, the foreboding dooms.
Staring at his admittedly enamoring emerald eyes, Misaki was suddenly aware that this man would be the confounding variable of the life she had that was just slowly going back to normal.
Things were ultimately never going to be the same again and she would drive herself insane if she tried to stop it.
The glorious look in Takumi Usui's face promised just that.
"I think that we should start calling each other by just our name, for starters, Mi-sa-ki."
End of Prologue
Author's Notes 02:
Hi everyone! Thanks for making it this far! XD
There we have it! A light start to the follow-up story of "Runaways". So… how was it? ^^
I have not much to say this time for I still have to finish up an outline for a research paper (and I have procrastinated yet again by finishing this… I'm such a good student.). :P But I shall be my o'le blabbering self in the next updates! Ha-ha…
Oh, yes. I have only an inkling of knowledge regarding Japanese so excuse any wrong translations there for I only had Google Translate as my reference. Torch Google, not me if ever they bother you. :D
I do hope to hear all your thoughts especially in the characterization (I had a difficult time with that again…)! Constructive criticisms and whatnot are highly appreciated.
Please, do click the review button! It needs to feel a lot of love for this holiday! So click away! XD
That's all and good day!
Hearts,
Mari
December 19, 2010
P.S.: Wow. This really is a light chapter. O.O And woah. Long prologue.
