Cosmopolitan Girl: KHR Style!
Ah, I am shameless for beginning another story when I have chosen to discontinue my other KHR fic; however, my brain has been wracked with dark, twisted and diabolical plot bunnies of death, conspiracy and murder that I started to wonder where my good old days of writing the typical Romance/Comedy stories went.
Since I have already got two 'Cosmopolitan Girl' stories written, I might as well go ahead and write a third for the heck of it, to complete a strange trilogy in which each Cosmopolitan Girl story (that do not even relate to one another) involves an OC who faces the woes of high school life, love lost and found as well as other problems revolving around family, friends etc, etc.
Anyway, this story takes place before KHR Volume 1 even starts! So, I suppose Hibari is a little different (my excuse for an OOC Hibari, heh). I don't own KHR!
Original Summary: Being Hibari's neighbour and classmate is tough, and what's with that black suit purple shirt guy who keeps saving her from sticky situations? Hibari x OC
Chapter 1
That Guy in the Black Suit and Purple Shirt
Namimori in spring truly was spectacular.
It was because of the pink sakura blossom trees that thrived in the shrine path that linked to a shortcut to Namimori Junior High. There were many trees at the very heart of the town and by the train station, the canal, the shrine and the school and many people would spare time in their schedules to appreciate and admire them. Unfortunately, I had no time to marvel any of them and quickly made my way up to Namimori Junior High through the shrine path towards the shortcut, with a piece of bread flapping around in my mouth.
It's spring already, I thought with a sigh, as I brusquely power-walked through the path that was covered in sakura blossom petals from the nearby trees, swinging a messenger bag around in my hand as I chewed unceremoniously on my bread slice. Since when did time fly so fast? …Getting old… Geez…
I checked my wristwatch promptly and realised that it was five minutes to the bell.
Ack! I'm late, I thought to myself again morosely, deciding to pick up my pace. Why couldn't dad have woken me up earlier?
Nevertheless, I grinned to myself when the school's building loomed into view. Almost there…
At the very end the path, I squinted my eyes when I realised a man was standing there in the middle. He was adorned in a smart black suit with his hands in his pockets, staring intently at one of the trees.
Whoa, check this guy out. I've never seen someone so snazzily dressed in this neighbourhood. Must be from the big city.
When I finally passed him on the sakura blossom trail, he turned round, facing me. Our eyes met, and I stopped in my pace without thinking twice. My eyes widened and my mouth opened somewhat in shock.
….Hibari Kyouya?
Indeed, this man looked identical to the neighbourhood autocrat, but he was taller and older.
"….Do I know you?" I couldn't help but blurt out.
When he smirked at me, I blushed and quickly turned away, cupping my sudden flaming cheeks with my hands.
Yowza, he's a hottie! My eye twitched as I swallowed down. …Aigoo, he looks a lot like Hibari Kyouya. Could they be related? But I didn't know Hibari had any older relatives… (1)
"No." He simply said, after the brief silence. "Not yet."
"Huh?"
"You're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up, herbivore."
"Ah?" I looked over towards the school just to see two members of the Disciplinary Committee began to close the front gates. "OH SHIT!" I quickly took off running, but managed to throw a concerned glance over my shoulder as soon as I reached the foot of the path. I was surprised to realise that he had been watching me the entire time.
…..
"ARGHHH! I'M LATE!"
I woke up with a fierce tug and a loud scream; my head jerking out of the cradle of my arms. I looked up frantically around my surroundings, sweating buckets. I was in my room. A thin ray of sunlight entered through the crack of my curtains, blinding me thoroughly as I squinted up. I was sitting at my desk at the window with a pile of unfinished homework from last night which was sitting in front of me, mocking me with its empty answer boxes. A pen lingered near my left hand beside a piece of paper with blurred black inky outlines in undecipherable writing. I wiped the unceremonious drool from my face and groaned out loud.
"Phew, just a dream…."
I checked my alarm clock. It was fifteen minutes to nine.
"ARGHHH! I'M LATE!"
Without hesitating, I flung myself out of my seat and tore off my banana-in-pyjamas pyjamas, then scrabbled to my closet and pulled out my haven't-been-washed-for-decades school uniform, rubbing at a dark stain that suspiciously resembled tomato ketchup from last night's supper, just on the rim of the skirt. I pulled on a clean pair of underpants and tossed the shirt over my head whilst hoisting the skirt up, hopping on one foot to the other as I pulled and let the elastic waistband snap back around my flabby tummy.
I looked at the clock again. It was eight minutes to nine.
"Stop mocking me!" I yelled furiously.
As soon as I got dressed, I ran out, bustled down the stairs by leaping on top of the stair railing and slid down towards the lounge. Unfortunately I have still not mastered the art of staircase landing despite my many years in this establishment I call Home Sweet Home and I crashed onto the ground, landing face-flat among dad's favourite collection of multi-coloured flip-flops.
"Urh…." I croaked out, spewing out a smelly slipper from my mouth.
A pair of flip-flop feet side-stepped around and lifted me up back onto my feet and I was leisurely dusted off, "Ah, my poor helpless daughter, stop trying to copy those stunts you see on Ninja Warrior, didn't I tell you they weren't real?" Dad exclaimed before thrusting a neatly-wrapped bento box into my hands. "Oh, yes, and I packed your favourite octopus-wieners in your lunchbox. Remember to chew before you swallow." (2)
"Thanks…" I mumbled out as I stuffed the box into my bag, "Yo dad, why didn't you wake me up?"
"Hey, you're old enough to get up in time." He sighed as he unlocked the front door, while I slipped on my school shoes, before pulling open the door - I had to shield my eyes from the extensive sunlight. He handed me a paper brown bag. "Here's your breakfast."
I quickly rushed out after pecking him briefly on the cheek, glancing over my shoulder to wave back at the man in a haramaki and pink frilly apron, standing at the front door of the two-storey house. Yes, that is my otou-san. This is my hometown Namimori. It's a quaint, dowdy town, with a dowdy town square, a dowdy town market and a dowdy town centre.
Me? Two months ago, I turned 16 years old. There's not a lot to stay about me other than the fact that I don't really do much. But I seem to sleep a lot. And eat a lot. And watch TV a lot. And play video games. I go to school and I managed to find part-time work at a Maid café where it's in my job description to wear a gaudy black and white pinafore dress and bibs and bows.
Aside from that, my life, it's always just been us two – me and dad - so dad took the dual responsibility of being a father AND a mother; I suppose he now has a bit more of a feminine side than he or his genetics originally intended to develop but I don't blame him. In fact, due to that reason I appreciate him more and I also intend, on my behalf, to do well in my studies and hopefully one day be able to land a good job and look after dad in return.
Currently, I attend Namimori Junior High and am presently a proud and decent Second Year student. No, not really. Somehow…. Just somehow, I always manage to leave homework to the last minute and I don't have a very good time-keeping record, as proven now…
It was three minutes to the bell, and the school's large building was still only partially in view. Having a dream where you were late for school was weird. I closed my eyes and revelled in the refreshing breeze. If only I was not late, I could've enjoyed a pleasant walk to school. It was such a lovely morning and -
- I collided head-first into something hard and stumbled in my pace.
I bounded back and cursed mentally. Did I forget to mention how clumsy and awfully uncoordinated I am at some inconvenient moments in my life like this one? I rubbed my aching head. Owww, that really hurt…
It seemed, accidentally, I had bumped into someone on my way. I wasn't surprised.
"Oops, so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you like that! I'm late for school you see, and I'll be in a lot of trouble because my sensei is a mean old crab who seems to hate me with a passion and I can't afford to be in detention again because there'll be trouble and my dad has already enough trouble as it is, raising me up by himself so please accept my humble apology!" I ranted and raved, bowing my head down low to the ground to the person I had bumped into with profound regret.
When I opened my eyes, I noticed something long and silver on the ground which must've knocked out of the person's bag from the impact, and picked it up. Still grinning haplessly, I quickly offered it up back to him.
"Oh, you dropped your tonfa – "
Silence.
I re-opened my eyes and stared down at the smooth, steel rod in my hand.
….T-T-T-Tonfa…?
My jaw dropped.
Could it really be?
It was.
It wasn't just any tonfa.
It was…
That fabled tonfa…
That belongs t-t-to…
I looked up –
- to see Hibari Kyouya.
"EEEEK!"
At the sight of him, I squeaked and leapt a few paces back from him and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, "O-Oh my, I-I-I'm sorry, so dreadfully sorry…um, yeah."
A stony silence spawned between us. I gawped at him, waiting for a response.
I could tell he was not amused. At all. "Late again, herbivore. It's the fourth time in a row this week."
"I – "
"Shut up."
I gulped.
Believe it or not, Hibari Kyouya lives next door to me. Yes, you can start laughing now.
He lives in that citadel, guarded by thick, grey-white brick walls so you can't see inside. I heard it's a house that's centuries old, two hundred decades ago or whatever, so it must be quite traditional looking but with a few modern enhancements. The only way in and out is through the thick, wooden front gates. And me and my dad, we don't live that close that I could hear this dude watching TV or playing music or whatever. Our houses were just built close to one another, that was all.
Despite this fact, Hibari Kyouya and I have never really interacted much even though we're in the same class. A part of me wanted to avoid his existence as I had heard the stories but I had hoped they weren't true, because Namimori was such a nice place and it was a shame. Although he lives in the same town as me, I guess I had never paid much attention to him and the stories that revolved around him. Or maybe it was merely my fleeting ignorance that led me to cast a blind eye towards this boy. Nevertheless, I could guarantee that our unfortunate meeting would certainly be not a pleasant one indeed.
I took note of the one clinching, twitching fist that was gripped firmly around the strap of his bag as the red band around the sleeve of his jacket indicating the authority of the terrifying Disciplinary Committee shone brusquely under the sunlight. Hibari Kyouya having anger management problems? Maybe yes.
He closed his eyes and calmly brushed at the sleeves of his jacket, before ripping the tonfa out of my hand. He inspected it for a brief moment. To my astonishment, it retracted into something resembling a small tin can that could hold tuna in a split second, and he slid it unscrupulously up his sleeve.
I stared at Hibari Kyouya blankly.
He stared back.
Then suddenly, his hand shot out and he grabbed my ear with two fingers. Immediately, a tear welled up in my eye. "Ow ow ow ow!" I squeaked, hopping around as he dragged me down the path with my schoolbag hanging off my shoulders. "Ahhh, please, Hibari-san, don't kill me…Let go, please." I managed to simper out. Sobs…What on earth happened to all the justice in this world?"
"Quiet, herbivore. You're coming with me." He lashed at me again, and he continued down the path with me in tow.
I sighed in defeat and lumbered after him, my poor ear still playing hostage in his grasp. Hmm, I pondered, as we made our way through the shortcut path through the shrine. This scenario is identical to my dream this morning. I wonder…
Curious, I looked behind my shoulder back to the top of the path, wondering if I'd actually see that man who looked like Hibari in my dreams. To my disappointment, he wasn't there.
It was just a dream after all…
Later on…Reception Room, 3rd Floor Namimori Junior High, Old Build…
"Hello?"
Silence.
"Heeellooo…? Anyone in there?"
He looked away from me.
"Are you even listening to me?"
A few minutes later, when I was about ready to explode, he turned away from the coffee machine and returned back with a steaming mug of espresso in his hand. "I have selective hearing," He said after a long pause, "I choose to shut out the cries of weak herbivores."
I stared at him incredulously. As if I honestly cared what kind of hearing he had! I sighed and rested my chin in the palm of my hand. "Can I go now?"
He ignored me once again and took a sip of his coffee although I was sure the water was one degrees boiling hot. It was amazing he hadn't scalded his tongue yet. Scowling, I got up from my spot, but before I could make my way to the exit, Hibari Kyouya shoved me back down on the sofa AND THEN CLIMBED ON TOP OF ME –
No, not really.
I just have a bit of a perverted mind, that's all. Ahem, sorry. I'll behave, promise.
I sat rigidly in my spot with my hands clasped together just as Hibari prodded at the side of my head with the tip of his tonfa. "Herbivore, what are you grinning about?"
Snapping out of my musings, I looked away to the side absent-mindedly. "…N-Nothing… Please…Can I go?"
"No."
This boy was too crazy and creepy to think any dirty thoughts, even if it was rumoured that every female student attending Namimori High did harbour a secretive frenzied crush on him.
I clutched my bag so tightly myself tightly in terror as he circled round the sofa that if it was really possible, I could've somehow absorbed the bag entirely. He stopped at his desk and pulled out the chair and sat himself down, now raking through the file stack in the tray. I craned my head to him and frowned thoroughly. "Why are you holding me prisoner here? We're both late for class."
The reception room belongs to the all-male Disciplinary Committee. Despite this fact, it's cleaner than I expected and actually has a nice interior that does not scream out 'Lair of the Big Bad Boys of Namimori'; heck, the coffee machine is even fancier than the one in the staff lounge. Hibari, at his desk, briefly skimmed through his paperwork before flicking his eyes to me. "I'm not late. I come here every morning."
Oh, I see. So that was why he was never present for roll call. I watched him drink his coffee, inwardly hoping that he would choke on it.
He added, "You have no consent to leave without my permission."
"So when will you give me permission?"
"When I feel like it."
I got up from my seat, clutched at my tummy and hopped from one foot to the other. "But, dude, I need to pee."
"Address me like that again and I'll bite you to death."
"Okay, okay, sorry: Hibari-san, but I really really need to pee."
"That's your problem."
"It's not my fault I have a weak bladder! And what about class – "
"If you cared about school in the first place, then you wouldn't have been late."
"I have my reasons!" I retorted, stamping and flailing around, but my response was met with a cold glare that could freeze water into ice in nanoseconds.
"Such as?"
"I…I…er…" Slept in? "…I was robbed."
"On the way?"
"N-No, our house got robbed." I winced inwardly. Gah, I'm such a liar… Father, forgive me!
"By who?"
"H-How the heck would I know? That's the whole point of a robbery, isn't it? You're not supposed to know who they are!"
He glowered at me again and I swallowed, looked down at my lap. He pulled out an empty form from the stack and began to fill it in, the pen in his hand flying over the paper. "And what was stolen?" He said, without looking at me once. "Then again, with your father's income, I suppose nothing in your household is worth much value."
I scowled at him in my seat. Tch! What a jerk!
"Did you report it to the police?"
"Y-Yeah." I lied, nodding, trying to be convincing. "We did. Look, can I go now?"
He ignored me and returned back to his work in silence. I stared at him, trying to suss out what the heck he was even doing. "Hello? Can I go now? Hey…are you even listening to me?" Damn him and his selective hearing.
Suddenly, Hibari got up from his seat with his now empty coffee cup. I sat back in my seat and watched him warily as he sauntered over to the exit – maybe he was going to go wash it in the nearby boy's loo. He shot me a warning glare that said 'Stay there or else I'll bite you to death', before exiting the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
I stayed limp in my seat for a few minutes before realising this would be an excellent opportunity to escape.
I was too scared to use the door in case Hibari would return, and the corridor was only one way so he would catch me easily, so I got up from the sofa and ran to the window. I pulled it open and looked out; the reception room was on the third floor. I instantly became dizzy. It's so…. high up… Gulp… I suppose I could climb over the windowsill, shimmy along the school building's pipe that goes along horizontally, and find one that was attached to the building's exterior vertically and use that to slide back down to the ground. Yeah, that'll do.
But wait! What would happen if Hibari returned back only to find the reception room empty? Surely, I'll be bitten to death. Ahh, well, I'd rather be bitten to death later on than now.
I spied around and found a pipe just a few feet ahead. Haha! I found my escape route! Grinning sleazily to myself, I clasped my hands together and rubbed them thoroughly. Without a second to spare, I climbed out of the window with my bag hanging off my shoulder and let my foot feel around for a hold. I found the ledge and stomped on it a few times. It seemed stable so I slid my other leg out while keeping my eyes closed, my arms clinging onto the curtains for dear life, but then –
Disaster struck! The door to the reception room opened and the Vice-chairman, or second-in-command of the Disciplinary Committee member, called Kusakabe Tetsuya stormed in.
"Hey, you! What the heck do you think you're doing?" He rushed to the open window and I swiftly tried to make my escape.
I screamed and flailed away from his grip. "No, no, no! Let me go!"
He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and tried to haul me back inside even though I tried to claw at him. "Are you crazy?" Kusakabe yelled, trying to dodge my flying fists of fury, "You'll fall!"
"Let go of me! Hibari will kill me anyway when he comes back!" I screamed, thrashing around wildly and then it happened –
My foot slipped off.
Eh?
A second ago, I was on the ledge, and now my body was a flimsy ragdoll in the air as Kusakabe leaned over the windowsill with an outstretched arm, his eyes widened in horror as he watched on helplessly. I stared at his mixed expression of horror and panic. Would this be the death of me?
"ARGHHHH! SOMEBODY HELP ME! I DON'T WANNA DIE, AHHH, GAWD!"
But I was so young.
And it was an accident.
I was clumsy and being stupid!
I could imagine the headline news the very next day, all about how a daft teenager attempted to climb out of a windowsill from the third storey just to escape from Hibari Kyouya, but ended up slipping and breaking all her bones when she crashed back down to the ground.
But there were so many things I had still to see and do.
Dad and mom still had to get back together after their divorce.
I had to meet Kazuya, too.
And now…
It's… over?
I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed out, "NO!"
And suddenly, it happened – I had no idea precisely why or what or where or even when, but it did - there was a loud crash and a dark figure came hurtling towards me out of the window of the second storey classroom just below the reception room at the speed of light, and an arm shot out and grabbed hold of me. I was brought into someone's embrace and as we plummeted down to the ground, I stared at up at the one who had saved me – I stared at how protectively and tightly he held me in his strong arms. He was wearing the same black suit with the lavender dress shirt and his cool, steely eyes met mine and I was sure I had seen him before…
"…I-It's you…" I gasped out once I realised, staring up at him with wide eyes. Surprisingly enough, dreams are easy to forget but I remembered everything in that dream this morning. He looked down at me and smirked again, and my jaw dropped. It was definitely the man from my dream before. "It's really you - "
But then my back touched the ground and I crumpled in a heap in the dirt.
"Oof!"
When I opened my eyes, I was alone.
He was gone.
Still blinking in bewilderment, I realised he had let me down gently on the ground carefully, away from the glass fragments on the ground but now had vanished without a trace. I looked around frantically. "….Where…..W-What the - ?" Where did he go? I looked around numbly, a little desperately, my heart still beating madly. What had just happened?
Who was he?
The window to the second floor storey was broken, and Kusakabe, on the third floor, was rubbing at his eyes in disbelief. When he wrenched away his hands, he gawked at me stupidly, but I was sure he had seen the same thing I had. He must have seen the man, too. He was definetely a human, but with insane speed and flying abilities, and he saved me. So that means, he was, a superhuman. Or maybe he was just a teacher at this faculty? I felt a bad taste in the mouth and shook my head clear of those thoughts.
Ridiculous, I thought. There was no way. No… He wasn't a teacher, or an angel. He was…
…. A superhero?
"Kazama-san! Are you alright?" Kusakabe managed to yell out despite his state of utter confusion.
"Y-Yeah…" I muttered out, although he didn't hear me from all the way up at his level. I looked around the empty playground.
Of course I was alright.
I had just been saved.
By a tall and handsome stranger, in a black suit and purple shirt.
(1) 'Aigoo', according to the Urban dictionary, is a Korean word expressing frustration and exhaustion, like 'Geez' or 'Aww, man'. Nevertheless, the OC isn't Korean. It just sounded so cute when I was writing it :)
(2) Her dad is a bit of an anime dad, ie, he is a bit eccentric, exceptionally proud of his daughter, a bit crazy but also a bit of a drama queen and a really good cook!
Here are the general warnings for the overall story which you should take into account before you proceed:
WARNINGS:
Awkward/Embarrassing situations!
Hormonally-challenged Hibari!
…erm, that's all I can think of so far.
Update: Someone mentioned that Rin should actually be in high school since she's 16. I actually didn't realise that, but I guess all I can say is that she got held back a year, if that's possible(?)