Wallflowers
Summary: AU Yuuki Kuran runs from her rich, overbearing, and influential home to pursue a life on her own. The only problem? She has to masquerade as a male at Cross Academy, an all boys boarding school. To add to her infinite list of problems, a certain silver-haired roommate may just jeopardize her secret— and his own. Zero/Yuuki
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Supernatural, Hurt/Comfort
A/N: First, thanks for taking the time to give my story a chance; I appreciate it a lot! Second, I should probably mention that I'm more of a Yuume shipper but that doesn't mean I dislike Zeki (if I didn't like it I wouldn't be writing this, lol)! So, please any feedback on characterization, story, etc. would be greatly appreciated. And, finally, unless otherwise stated, most characters will be human in this AU. Of course vampires will still be present, but even characters like Kaname will be human. That's all you really need to know, so, without further ado, here is Chapter 1 of 'Wallflowers!'
Disclaimer: I don't own VK, Matsuri Hino does.
Chapter 1- Fountain Mishaps
The brunette sat in front of the bathroom mirror, fingers wrapped around a pair of scissors.
"Are you sure about this, Yuuki?" a soft-spoken girl questioned, honey orbs trained to her friend's long chocolate locks.
"I have to, Yori-chan! You know my parents, unless I do something now I'll never be able to pursue my dreams!"
Yori sighed. "Just know I will always be here for you as long as you remember to write me a letter every now and then, okay?"
"Of course! I wouldn't even be able to do this if it wasn't for you, Yori!"
The hazel-eyed girl placed a comforting hand on Yuuki's shoulder. "I'm really only helping you with an alibi, saying that you are at the all girl's boarding academy with me. It's you who has the strength to do this. Although, I do feel bad about lying to your brother..."
The brunette lowered her gaze, clenching her fingers against her bare thighs. "I also feel bad about betraying Onii-san, but you know how he is. He'd have me locked in this mansion the rest of my life, if he could."
The girl's thoughts shifted to her elder brother. He had always been so protective of her, as if she would break at any moment. The sheltered lifestyle she lived wasn't bad, per se, but there was an entire world just beyond her fingertips.
"Besides, Yori-chan, I need to be able to do things on my own, without having to use my family name. My parents have an influence in many schools in this area; Cross Academy is the only boarding school that the Kuran name is not connected to. It's my only choice."
It's just a shame it's an all boys boarding school...
Steeled in her beliefs, the brunette guided the scissors to a lock of her hair, cinnamon orbs staring back at her reflection. The scissors snapped shut as a lock of brown hair fell silently to the tiled floor.
The girl rushed through the empty campus, clutching at her suitcase as she made the winding track from the school gate's to the principal's office.
Checking her watch again, she silently cursed. It was a miracle she was even given an acceptance letter; it was weeks of tutoring with Yori that allowed her to pass the exam and be selected for enrollment. She didn't need to jeopardize her chance at freedom yet again by being late to her meeting with the Chairman!
The sun continued to sink below the horizon while she ran through the trees, ducking under low-hanging branches and over bushes until she came to an open clearing. A large fountain lay in the center and she turned away from the path to watch the water pour down in gentle streams. Just as the brunette returned her gaze to the path she collided with some sort of hard surface, recoiling backwards towards the fountain. Before she fell a large hand grasped her wrist. For a moment Yuuki looked into the wide, amethyst eyes of her supposed savior— until they both went tumbling into the fountain. Spluttering out water, the girl quickly slicked back her bangs to peer into the angry eyes of the silver-haired man. His expression seemed much akin to a cat dunked into cold water.
"Are you an idiot? What were you doing, running like that without watching where you were going?"
The brunette blushed, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly at his intense glare, "I-I was just trying to find my way to the Headmaster's office. I guess I got distracted by the fountain— I'm really sorry!"
She bowed, keeping her gaze down at the water. She heard the man step out of the fountain and assumed he was just going to leave her freezing in the pool of water. Instead, she felt a hand grasp the back of her shirt, literally pulling her from the fountain by the collar and depositing her to the ground.
The stranger sighed. "Whatever, I'll let it pass since you're a new student..." He paused, looking the guy over.
The coat he was wearing was obviously too large, swallowing the petite brunette in heavy fabric. His eyes were a doe-brown and large, with long, feminine eyelashes. His hair was cropped relatively short, with a messy front fringe. The boy's skin seemed almost porcelain, glowing dimly in the light of the rising moon.
He frowned. In all honesty, the kid looked like a girl; he probably wouldn't have believed him if it wasn't for the fact that Cross Academy was an all male's school.
The silver-haired man returned to the pathway. He walked forward before calling out, "If you want to know where the Headmaster's office is then follow me."
Yuuki grinned widely. Perhaps this guy wasn't half as mean as he looked! She ran to his side, shivering slightly in the cold air.
"Thanks, uh..."
"Zero Kiriyuu."
"Nice to meet you, Zero-senpai. I'm Yuuki Ku— I mean, Yuuki Cross."
He didn't respond, merely pushing his hands into his pockets as they continued to walk.
He's definitely quiet... I wonder why he looks so upset? I mean, I did kind of cause him to fall into the fountain but—
"What?" He finally asked, noticing that the brunette had been staring at his face for the past five minutes.
"N-nothing, I was just uh, looking at your tattoo?" She offered, mentally berating herself for her own stupidity.
"You're strange..." He finally responded, setting his gaze back towards the path. A large brick building could be seen peaking just above the tree line.
The pair walked into the office soaking wet, beads of water dripping off of their clothing and onto the wooden floor in steady taps. The flaxen-haired man paused from his paperwork to stare agape at the two teens. He immediately stood from his desk to rush about the room in the hopes of finding towels to no avail.
"My goodness, what happened? I was worried that my new student wasn't going to show up and here you are, bringing a whole lake with you!"
He turned to the silverette, equally flabbergasted. "Zero-kun, I sent you on an errand and you come back soaking wet! Tell me you at least remembered to get the eggs—"
"Go get the damn groceries yourself. I brought 'him' here, so I'm going to go back to my room to change." He muttered, closing the office door with a loud slam.
The Chairman sighed, rubbing his temples. "He's an only child so he acts spoiled sometimes. Anyway, I'm glad you made it safely here, albeit soaked in water."
The brunette bowed, "No, I'm sorry for being so tardy. I won't let it happen again!"
He chuckled. "So polite! You don't need to worry, Yuuki-kun! I want all my students to have a wonderful time at my academy! Now, about your room… I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"W-what is it?" Oh God, there aren't enough rooms and I'm going to be kicked out on my first day—
"You requested a single room, but I'm afraid they are already all filled up. A student who was not supposed to show up until tomorrow came earlier today and took the last empty room. I'm afraid you'll have to room with someone."
Yuuki did her best to hide her shock, forcing out a shaky grin as her whole world crashed around her. How am I ever going to hide my gender now?
He saw through her façade and spoke, concern written on his face. "Well, I can see you are uncomfortable with this change. So, how about I let you room with the boy you were just with? You seemed to hit it off nicely, considering you weren't cringing in fear or running away from him."
"Ah, I did notice that he seemed kind of… sad. Is something wrong? S-sorry, I've overstepped my boundaries again—"
He waved his hand dismissively. "It's alright. You're going to be his new roommate so I guess I should tell you this now. Zero's whole family was… murdered in front of his eyes. He was just a child at the time, but it seems the wounds have not closed, even after all this time."
She stood speechless, feeling the pin-prick of tears. "T-that's horrible… I'm so sorry." She stared down at the wooden floor, unable to even comprehend the sadness he must have felt. And here I am, running away from my own happy family… I bet Zero would do anything to have his back.
The Chairman nodded sadly. "Yes. Because of this Zero's been unable to make many friends. This is the first time where he hasn't shown true malice towards well, anyone! Oh, but you can't tell him I told you this! He's quite the private man, after all."
"O-of course! I won't say anything about it!"
The hazel-eyed man gave a genuine smile, opening his office drawer to pull out a pair of silver keys. "Here are the keys to the room. There's an extra tied on to the key ring, just in case. Your room number is 19A. Ah, wait one second, I almost forgot!"
He rummaged through his drawers yet again, pulling out a folded piece of paper and a pair of wrapped clothing. He flattened out the paper and pointed to a lone building near the edge of the Academy grounds.
"This is where you will be staying. Normally, first years would be placed in the Sun Dorms, but Zero's room is in the Moon Dorms. It's smaller and has fewer students than the Sun Dorms as well as being farther away from the main buildings. But, it is relatively well furbished and is near the Academy's private lake. I hope you don't mind."
She shook her head frantically. "Not at all! That sounds fine; I'm not too fond of large groups anyway."
"That's good to hear! Here's your uniform as well. I'm sorry I can't show you to your dorm, but I'm sure you'll manage to find it! There's a lantern down near the foyer area that you can pick up; I don't want you falling into any more lakes or streams or whatever caused you to arrive in my office soaking wet!"
She looked away in embarrassment. "I, uh, kind of fell into the fountain… after running into Zero. He tried to stop me from falling in, so that's why we both arrived drenched."
The Chairman chortled, clutching at his sides. "Well, at least you two got first impressions out of the way! Now, remember, if you ever need anything just stop by my office. Every student of my Academy is like my own child. Don't forget that, Yuuki-kun!"
The brunette arrived at the entrance of the Dormitory, pushing the wrought-iron gate open with little effort. It swung open to reveal a large gothic-styled building lined with elegant pillars and arched windows. It's not too different from home, she thought, taking a hesitant step inside the foyer.
Her shoes clacked noisily against the marble flooring, resounding dimly in the spacious entrance. Almost immediately she heard the rush of footsteps and a blonde, emerald-eyed teen appeared at the spiral staircase, grinning widely.
"Welcome! I'm Takuma Ichijou, president of the Moon Dorms. You must be Yuuki Cross, right?" He held out a hand.
She shook his hand, nodding dimly, surprised by the man's charismatic personality. It's past midnight, how can he be so cheerful?
"Don't worry, the Chairman has already told me about your situation. He called to ask me to make sure you made it to Zero's room alright. Now, follow me!"
He bounded up the steps, dragging the confused girl behind him.
"Ah, Ichijou-san, are you sure we should be so loud? Isn't everyone else asleep?"
"No need for formalities, Yuuki-kun! You can just call me Takuma! And everyone sleeps so soundly here that it's like trying to wake the dead! Don't worry, I doubt anyone will wake up from just our conversation—"
As if on cue, a blonde-haired boy poked his head through the nearest room. "Keep it down, Ichijou. It's past midnight! I don't care if you're a night owl, but let us rest for once!" He said irritably, rubbing his cerulean eyes.
"Sorry, Aidou-kun! I was just showing a late arrival to his room."
This immediately caught the blonde's attention. "Really? I thought all the rooms were already filled."
"They are! That's why he's going to be rooming with Kiriyuu-kun."
A flash of remorse passed by Aidou's face. "Are you serious? Sorry, kid, but Kiriyuu is not the easiest to get along with. Good luck, though. You'll need it." With that the blonde shut the door, leaving the two teens alone in the hallway.
"Ah, Aidou's just exaggerating. He's not that bad…"
Yuuki flashed a smile. "It's alright. I've already met him so I know what he meant when he said 'hard to get along with.' But, I think I'll manage, somehow."
They eventually arrived in front of the door marked 19A. Hesitantly, the cinnamon-eyed girl knocked on the door. A few seconds later she heard a string of curses as the door swung open to reveal a shirtless silver-haired teen. He had a towel draped around his shoulders and a loose fitting pair of pants around his waist. She immediately looked away, blushing at his bare chest.
"What—oh, it's you." He stated dully, clearly annoyed by her mere presence.
"Ah, Kiriyuu-kun, I was told by the Headmaster to let you know that Yuuki will be your new roommate!"
The teen immediately tried to shut the door only to have the blonde plant his foot in the crack of the doorway. He pushed against the door as he spoke, "P-please don't be so unreasonable! I'm telling the truth! He even has the keys to prove it!"
Yuuki pulled the keys from her pocket, showing how they fit into the key hole. Zero sighed, turning away from the door but leaving it open.
"Whatever… I'll get that bastard later." He sat on the edge of his bed, towel-drying his hair as the Moon Dorm president ushered the petite brunette inside.
"Good luck, Yuuki-kun! I'll be rooting for you!" He gave a thumbs up before quickly shutting the door and sprinting down the hall.
The girl plopped down on her own bed, facing away from the silent teen.
"Uh, I just wanted to say that I apologize for what happened earlier today. And that I hope we can become good friends—"
"I don't need any friends. Just mind your own business and we'll be fine." He muttered, walking back into the adjoining bathroom.
She sighed. Well, her first day at Cross Academy and her secret hadn't been exposed yet. So, in reality, it could have gone a lot worse, she mused, tugging off her large overcoat. And, perhaps there was more to her roommate than the foul-mouthed, rude, stoic behavior that he kept portraying.
In the bathroom the lilac-eyed man turned on the tap, gasping for breath. He tried to swallow two tablets only to cough them back out. The water turned a scarlet as the tablets dissolved in the sink. Running a cold hand through his hair he saw a flash of crimson in his eyes from the bathroom mirror.
"Damnit…" He cursed, splashing water onto his face. When he looked up again his eyes had returned to their natural amethyst hue.
What is that idiot thinking, giving me a roommate?
Unaware of the inner turmoil of her new roommate, Yuuki curled into the blankets, not even bothering to change into her pajamas before she fell asleep.
A/N: Yes, what was the Chairman thinking, lol XD
I hope you guys enjoyed this mini-prologue thingy! I'll definitely continue the story if you guys like it! As usual, reviews would be loved! I hope no one's OOC; that's my biggest fear :P
-Isis
