Name of Story: Criminal
Written By: Iced Hearts
Pairing(s) & Character(s): NiouxOC. A rather abusive Kirihara happens to be involved, too.
Genre & Rating: Romance/Drama/Crime. Rated T for heavy swearing and light sexual situations.
Full Summary: Severe AU. Being the calm and collected heiress to the Michiko Corporation wasn't easy; especially when she's engaged to a male who has violent tendencies. What Hell will break loose when she meets a hotshot criminal on-the-run? NiouxOC.
Official Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis © Konomi Takeshi; Michiko Fuyumi © Iced Hearts.
Author's Notes: This is just an experimental story, really. I'm still contemplating whether or not to go on with this or continue Louder first. My muse for Louder sort of died, but I'll get back to it as soon as get my inspiration back, I swear. In the meantime, please bear with me and be content with this story for now.
Chapter 1 – Grand Celebration
The humongous ballroom had been extremely well-decorated. From the bright glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, to the gorgeous, sparkling water fountain placed tastefully in the thick of the hubbub, to the mile-long buffet table set near the stage where the hired band was playing, it had been obvious that no expense had been spared for this celebration.
It was bursting at the seams with mingling guests, and from the looks of it, they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Some were dancing to the soft, pleasant music playing in the background, while others were chatting amiably with their newfound companions. The greedier ones could be found hovering over the various foodstuffs at the buffet, trying to eat as much as possible without getting caught; the gold-diggers were rubbing shoulders with the rich-and-famous, attempting to sweet-talk their way into clinching a partnership with them.
Tucked away into a corner of the grand setting, there stood a petite figure on the balcony, where a cool breeze gently ruffled the few wavy locks that were loose from her sophisticated bun. She was wearing a sleek, wine-coloured cocktail-styled dress, along with matching black pumps. Leaning over the balustrade, the girl was as pretty as a picture.
She tilted her head ever-so-slightly, closing her eyes and listening to the muffled ambience back in the ballroom. Such a lovely, quiet melody… She sighed, swirling around the wineglass in her hand slowly. Quite unlike my hectic lifestyle at the moment…
Her musings were interrupted by someone slamming open the balcony doors rudely. "Where have you been?" A familiar, much-hated voice hissed out from behind her, grabbing her by the waist harshly and twirling her around to face the intruder.
Her lower lip trembled in fear, but she managed to look up at him with her indifferent mask. "I've been standing here this whole time. Where else do you think I went?" She retorted, hiding her wince when his hold on her waist tightened significantly. That'll leave another bruise…
"Stop bitching around, Michiko. You should know as well as I do that this celebration is extremely important." He growled, trying to control his temper. "Come back inside. NOW." Before she could react, the man had already stormed back in.
Sea-foam green eyes narrowed at the balcony above him, watching the girl stare wide-eyed after the black-haired man, who had long-since disappeared. Who does that idiot think he is, pushing girls around like that?
His gaze fell onto the feminine figure. You're such a pretty little thing… A pity you have to endure all that shit…
A sigh slipped past his lips. Not my problem, though. That's her life, not mine. With that, he continued his many, many attempts to fix up his motorbike before anyone saw him.
After calming her frenzied heartbeat, she followed suit, instantly locating her fiancé laughing forcedly with some business associates. As she walked over emotionlessly, his laugh turned into a discreet glare aimed at her. "Excuse me for just a moment, guys…" He murmured with some degree of politeness, before catching the girl's wrist and pulling her aside. "What the Hell is wrong with you tonight?"
"…" She stayed silent, refusing to dignify him with any response.
"Why, you little–" He pinched both her cheeks with a calloused hand, slouching over to meet her at eyelevel. "Listen, can you just pretend you're happy or something?" He demanded through gritted teeth. "You better smile, or I won't hesitate to kill you later. Understand?"
Satisfied with her reply in the form of a pained whimper, he shoved her away quickly, heading back to those money-orientated people again.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it…" He cursed, running his hand through his bleached hair in frustration. "Why won't you work, you stupid bike?"
He grumbled incoherently under his breath, checking over the vehicle once more. "Everything's in place… There's nothing wrong with it… So why the Hell doesn't it w–What the fuck?"
The man frowned at the engine, which began to splutter horribly. As he bent over to take a closer look, a black substance shot out and hit him right smack in the face.
As soon as he swiped the goo off his face, a string of expletives left his mouth. "This is so not my day…" He glowered at his motorbike, wanting so badly to chuck it at the idiot he saw on the balcony previously. Of course, it was currently impossible to do that, so he settled for the next best thing: Fix the bike again. "Puri..." He murmured.
Even the taps in this restroom are classy… Everything's classier than me. The black-haired girl grinned bitterly, as she gazed at herself in the polished mirror. She blinked, and a single tear trickled down her face. With a sniffle, she lifted a shaky finger to wipe it away, to prevent her make-up from getting smudged.
I have to stay strong… Just a little longer… For my parents, and for myself…
Drawing in a shaky breath, she gave herself a watery smile in feigned encouragement before heading out to find him.
When she left the restroom, she stopped dead in her tracks. Well, I don't have to find him now… She concluded dryly, raising an eyebrow at the sight before her.
The lousy excuse of a man was letting another girl cuddle up to him, one with purple hair and calculative black eyes. Evidently, that girl was either looking for a fling, or attempting to manipulate someone for money.
As she moved towards them, she could hear bits of their conversation floating within earshot.
"…handsome… wouldn't you like to come… it'll be fun…"
"…I'd love to… you're really hot… in bed…"
"…haha… won't she notice… if she finds out…"
"…she won't know… be discreet… stupid…"
As she closed in on them, she recognized Ms Purple-Hair as the daughter of one of his business associates. Hmmph. Time for me to step in.
"So, you two are having fun getting to know each other, I see." They were so absorbed in their own little world that they never noticed her presence, instantly jumping at the sound of her voice.
"Haha, yeah, I guess…" Ms Purple-Hair giggled nervously, edging away from Michiko as much as possible.
He shot a menacing glare at her, to which she ignored with her usual indifference.
"Ha. Ha. Ha. We'll be right back." He ground out, yanking his "future wife" away from Ms Purple-Hair, who gaped after them.
She gulped inaudibly as she was dragged towards the backdoors by the arm. I'm so dead…
"Yes, I did it!" The silver-haired man exclaimed, before suddenly checking his surroundings. Seeing no one, he grinned. "Fantastic, I've fixed that accursed bike at last!"
Gathering all the ruined parts into a garbage bag, he jogged over to the nearby dustbin, across a set of doors. "Time to hightail it outta here, pronto…" He muttered, his eyes darting around cautiously.
As he tossed the black bag in, he heard those doors being pushed open hurriedly. He froze momentarily. Shit. Did they find me already?
In the blink of an eye, he hid himself behind a nearby bush, with only his eyes peeking out of it. What the...?
"What the fucking Hell, Michiko?" The man yelled, letting his anger overwhelm him, as his normally bright green eyes turned bloodshot. He let go of the girl without warning, causing her to stumble. She stared back at him, completely immobilized, afraid of what he was going to do in his rage. "Who do you think you are, huh? How dare you disrespect me like that in front of guests?" He snarled, slapping her right across the face with brute force.
"A-ah!" She cried out, clutching her stinging cheek. Her small frame could barely take the slap, so she crashed onto the hard cement painfully. Her eyes watered, but she tried desperately not to let the tears fall. I can't let him have the satisfaction of seeing me cry… I just can't…
His taunting laughter grated on her ears, nearly making them bleed. "That's what you get for being such a little bitch!"
She never bothered to look up. She refused to see that terrifying man mocking at her, insulting her, belittling her.
"This was your own fault, you know. If you'd just been good and did what as I said, you wouldn't be like this now, would you?" He sneered cruelly.
Her eyes squeezed shut, the tears starting to overflow. Please, Kami-sama… Make it go away… Make him go away… Make it all go away… Please…
"HEY!" A voice she couldn't recognize sliced through her wallowing in self-pity.
The girl blinked through her tears, trying to clear her vision. Huh…?
His green eyes were ablaze with fury as he watched the whole scene unfold right before his eyes. That bastard… He seethed, clenching a fist. When he heard the other man sneer at her like that, he lost it completely. "HEY!" He roared, jumping out of his hiding spot.
"What the–" The idiot never stood a chance as he socked him right in the jaw with a powerful punch. "OW!" He swayed slightly on his feet, but the silver-haired man quickly kneed him in the groin as hard as he could. "Arghhh…" And just like that, he was down for the count.
He glared at the fallen asshole for a second, before he turned to the girl. "Are you alright?" He questioned gruffly.
She squeaked under his unwavering attention on her. "U-uh… Yeah, I-I'm fine…" Her doe-like eyes flickered over her fiancé. "T-thank you… I think…"
"Hmmph. Whatever." The male flicked his low ponytail over his shoulder. "I'm outta here." He strode over to his motorbike and started up the engine, knowing that she was still watching him intently.
He was about to drive off when he heard a soft voice call out. "W-wait!" Turning around, he eyed the girl fiddling with the hem of her dress, seemingly unable to look at him directly. "U-um… I know this is sudden, but… C-can I come with you?"
Author's Note: The ending wasn't as I expected, and it's kinda abrupt, I suppose. Kirihara seems a little OOC… Oh well. Should I leave this as it is, or continue?
The OC's name (I'm sure no one cares, but what the heck)… "Michiko" means "wisdom", and "Fuyumi" means "winter beauty".
If you find any mistakes, do let me know. Reviews are welcome. Thank you.
.:Iced Hearts:.
Published: 28th October 2011.