Chapter 1: The Ice Queen
Disclaimer: I don't own KHR. Only my OC
I am hopelessly in love with an echo. A memory from another place and another time that comes back to haunt me every time I speak.
Maya closes her eyes. She lets the ice carry her. The beat of the music calms her thumping heart. Spinning and twirling, she lets the adrenaline control her body. Inertia is her friend and momentum is her playmate. Maya is a blur of motion. One moment she is spinning, and for the next exhilarating second she was flying. She pays no heed to the cold that surrounds her body nor to gravity that took her down from her high. Adrenaline was her heroine.
Tired and panting, she opens her eyes.
Suddenly, she wasn't alone anymore. The loud noise crashes into her, overloading her senses. The moment is over too quickly. And yet she is happy. Despite the coldness of her lips, a smile still appears. She tries to catch her breath as she looks around the audience. Flowers, stuff toys, and gifts were being thrown in the skating rink. She picks up a bouquet of rose and bows to the audience. She waves to them as she makes her way to the kiss-and-cry booth.
Maya touches the thimble hanging from her neck. It was a lucky charm that has never failed her before. She brings it to her lips and gives it a kiss, as is tradition. She smiles.
She can't wait to go back home.
"A year into her debut in the Senior's division and she is already dominating the skating world. Jumps after jumps, she has managed to shake the skating world to its core. And tonight at the Grand Prix final, she saw, she spinned, and she conquered." The news reported was buzzing with excitement as she talked. " Tonight we're here with Skater Critique and one of the judges of this year's Grand Prix, Cristiana Dionisio."
The camera zoomed out of frame until both persons can be seen. "Good evening to everyone," the judge greeted with a smile. "Good evening. Well let's get down to it. What did you think about Maya Akiyama's performance today?"
"It comes as no surprise that she was everyone's favorite tonight. She's only halfway through her career and she's already at the top of her game. Technique-wise, Maya has a strong foundation. Her movements are exact and nothing is ever wasted. Her strongest card is her stamina. At such a young age, she was trained vigorously to endure difficult and various jumps. At the rate she's going," the woman paused for effects, " there's nowhere else to go but up."
Maya turned off the television with a groan. She lets go of the remote and covers her face with her hand. She feels her face turn hot. Maya was never good with compliments. Still, it was nice to feel appreciated. She considers calling Kyoya but decides against it. He might be sleeping already. Maya can always tell him about the competition another time. Despite that, Maya can't help the slur of loneliness wash over her. She sighed. Today was a happy day, sure. But she can't help but reminisce old memories. Maya missed Kyoya. When they were kids, they were always joined at the hips, she remembers fondly. The two of them would always linger at Kyoya's house after Maya's skate practice. Kyoya would always bring his tonfas, ready for any kind of attack. To other people, Kyoya looked vicious. But to Maya, he looked cute, with his tonfas at hand and a grumpy snarl at his lips. Maya missed him dearly.
I dance in a winter wonderland with you as my audience. The friction of ice against my skates as I skid through. The wind becomes my music, setting the tempo as I jump. I twirled and I spun, and the cold around us made us immortal.
For as long as she could remember, Kyoya was always a constant fixture in her life. She was there when his family went bankrupt. She was there whenever he got sick. She was there when he started to learn how to fight. She was there to patch him up after every brawl. She was there for him. And in turn, he was there for her as well. He was there when she fell in love with ice skating. He was there to help her recover after the kidnapping. He was there to mourn with her when her parents died. He was there to support her when her sister went to the military. He was always there. Even when she decided to uproot her life and go to America to follow her dreams, he was still there for her.
Maya came from a long line of soldiers. That's how she came to be friends with Kyoya. Their friendship was a product of bonds forged in war.
Keisuke Nakamura is her grandfather from her mother's side. He fought in World War II where he met Kyoya's grandfather, Kyoutaro Hibari. According to Keisuke's story, the both of them were part of the same platoon. And that was where it started. Maya grew up hearing stories from both, tales of bravery and honor.
After the war, the two of them stayed in contact with one another until their friendship transcended generation. Even after Kyoutaro Hibari died last year of cardiac arrest, her grandfather was there by his side-firm and steady as his friend takes his last breath.
Maya looks at the gold medal sitting on the coffee table. This whole season was dedicated for Kyoutarou Hibari. She can only hope that it was enough to make the grumpy old man smile down at her in heaven. She can't wait to go back to Namimori and put the gold medal alongside his shrine. She can already imagine it. Kyoya will admonish her, surely but she can't wait to see him.
The waiting area of the emergency room has never been empty. It is where you will find the hopeful and desperate. It is where hope paces back and forth down the hall. Desperation sits patiently on the bench, its shoulder is tense as its hands busy themselves by rubbing its thighs in nervousness.
The emergency room has never been empty but right now, it's about as close as it gets. Maya and Kyoya are seated side by side, their shoulders touching-a silent support for one another. There's an old man adorning his old uniform, sitting with his elbows on his knees as he stares at the ground.
Hibari Kyoya is a strong man, Maya knows that just as she knows the sun rises every morning and will set every night. Maya knows this because she herself has witnessed Kyoya's was there through every hardship he encountered. Kyoya is strong, but Maya makes sure that he doesn't have to be strong all by himself. She holds his hand and brings it to her knee. Kyoya's attention is now on her. "He'll be fine. We're here for him."
Hibari Kyoutaro is also a strong man. Perhaps too strong, Maya muses. The man has lived through war, tragedy, and loss. Kyoutaro used to tell them stories about how he was so certain he was going to die in battle, with a gun in his hand, a helmet on his head, surrounded by smoke and fog and the smell of burning bodies. If today will be his last, Maya is glad that Kyoutaro will be surrounded by the people he loves. He used to tell them that for a soldier, dying peacefully in a bed is a privilege.
Still, it fills her with sadness. The doctor walks slowly towards them. Herr own grandfather stands up to greet him. Kyoya's hand tightens around hers.
Like Maya, Kyoya knows that only doctors with bad news walk slowly.
Maya wakes up to the phone ringing loudly by the bedside table. Strands of her black hair dangle on her shoulder, wild and in disarray. She scratches her head with a groan as she tries to chase away the last remnants of sleep from her system. Maya ignores her phone to look at the time. 4:18 am. She groans as she falls back to her bed. Why would people call at 4:18 in the morning? Why are there cruel people in the world who can't wait until the sun rises before they call?
She glares at her phone, willing it to stop ringing. When it doesn't, Maya sighs and grabs it. 23 missed calls from an unknown number. This raises an eyebrow from Maya and many red flags in her brain. Coming from a Military background, Maya was no stranger to death threats, harassment or blackmails. Maya accepts the call with a flick of her finger. What she hears next doesn't register right away. When the phone call finishes, Maya stares at the ceiling. She covers her face with her hands. She can never catch a break.
She has to go back to Japan right away.
Her own grandfather slowly loses his composure as they walk towards the ICU. Maya can only imagine what he must be feeling. Her grandfather met Kyoutaro when they were just fifteen. Maya imagines how scared they must have been, how lonely it was to keep losing comrades day after day until it was just the two of them. She imagines the both of them leaning to each other for support and guidance. The both of them were always joined at the hips, It was hard to imagine one leaving the other.
But as they open the doors to the ICU, Maya finds that she doesn't have to imagine.
Keisuke Nakamura has not cried in public in such a long time. The last he cried was at the funeral of his own daughter and her husband, Maya's very own parents. Now he cries again, knowing that he is going to lose his best friend as well. Small, silent tears slip down his face as he looks at the ashen and pale figure of his old friend. He looks so peaceful, lying in the bed. Beside him, Maya and Kyoya stood together, holding hands. Maya's head rested on Kyoya's shoulder. Kyoutarou raised Kyoya to be strong, Keisuke knows this, but looking at the both of them now, he was glad that Kyoya had someone to lean on.
Maya fiddled with her hands. She left in such a flurry in the middle of the night that she made her coach and manager worry. The season was over but that doesn't mean she has time to stop training. Her coach had cautioned her about leaving, about how she was still a rookie despite her achievements.
She sighed. Maya knew that but there was nothing she could do.
Looking over the window, she heard rustling at her other side. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a blond man sitting next to her. As Maya observed the young man, she noted that it was a very attractive young man sitting next to her. When said blond man turned to face her, Maya decided that he was not just attractive but extremely hot as well.
Lady luck was smiling upon her.
The blond man looked at her with surprise, "I'm sorry to bother you," he started with a sheepish smile, "but are you perhaps that ice skater, uhm, the one from that tournament?"
"You're going to have to narrow it down," she teased. The blond man blushed and scratched his head. "But yes I am that ice skater, Maya Akiyama," she offered her hand.
"I'm Dino," he said, shaking her hand. "Dino Chiavorone."
"It's very nice to meet you," Maya smiled as she let go of his hand. His voice was attractive as well, Maya mused.
"So what are you doing in Japan?" Dino asked her.
Maya hummed, what was she doing in Japan? She knew Kyoya can handle this himself. So what was she doing? Moral support? Kyoya doesn't need moral support. He abhors it. Is it guilt then? A misconstrued sense of responsibility?
"Miss Akiyama?" she was startled out of her thought. She smiled at Dino. "I'm sorry, and you can call me Maya. Just Maya"
Dino smiled at her. "Okay. Maya," he said her name carefully as if testing it out.
"I'm visiting a friend," finally answering his question. "A childhood friend."
Halfway through the flight, Dino suddenly turned to face her. Maya jumped up in her sit in surprise. Clutching her chest, she turned to look at Dino, "Is everything okay?"
"I'm sorry, I should have been honest with you from the start." Dino looked guilty, and a sense of dread starts trickling down Maya's stomach. "The phone call you received last night. That was me."
Lady Luck must really be smiling down at her. She must also be laughing her heart out.
Maya clenched her fist and narrowed her eyes. "Explain."
The blond put up his hand as if trying to placate her. "That phone call, we were trying to warn you. To try and get you away from the fighting, not to bring you in. It was your grandfather's wish."
She unclenched her fist, "A lot of good your phone call did," she bit out sarcastically. She was going to have a word with her grandfather after this. What the hell was he getting into? More importantly, why is he still getting into trouble at his current age?
Maya accepts the call with a flick of her finger."Hello. This is Maya Akiyama"
"You need to get away. Now." the voice, a man's voice, warned.
"Who is this?" This was not her first threat, she reminded herself. She breathes. And it surely will not be her last.
"Your friend, Kyoya, is about to participate in a very gruesome fight." the voice started, " you need to get away. Quickly." The call ended.
"Explain." she grumbled.
The blond sighed. "What do you know about the Mafia?"
Maya bit her lower lip, a nervous tick she had developed growing up. Nothing, she wanted to say. Instead, she questioned, "What does Mafia have to do with me?"
"The Vongola Family is the strongest organization of the underworld. They control Mafia's every movement, every breath. It's a very powerful organization. And right now, it's falling into chaos," Dino started. Maya said nothing, her eyes imploring Dino to carry on. "Varia, a shadow organization of the Vongola family is trying to usurp the 10th heir from his position."
Maya let out a sigh. "Again, what does that have to with me?"
The blond man looked at her seriously. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. But it does to Kyoya. He's a very important piece to this game."
"The Vongola has something called the Half Vongola Rings. Just as the name implies, they are half of a complete set. There are seven rings; the Storm, Rain, Sun, Lightning, Mist, Cloud, and finally, the Sky. The wearer of these rings gets to rule Vongola, and by default, the whole Mafia." Dino paused, letting her grasp everything he was saying. " The Sky Ring is donned only by the boss of the Vongola. While the rest of the rings are worn by the boss's guardians. The Guardians guides and protects the Boss of the family."
May interrupted Dino, "They're going to fight," finally understanding what was happening, "Varia or whatever they're called they are going to fight for those rings." Maya looked Dino in the eye," What sort of organization is Varia?"
There was a moment of silence before Dino answered, "They're an assassination squad. Made up only of the best of the best."
Maya covered her face with her hands. "And Kyoya? What ring did he get?" Please. .Please. I can't lose him as well. Please.
"The Cloud Ring." Maya breathed a sigh of relief.
She forced herself to calm down. She was getting ahead of herself. This was Kyoya's fight, not hers. But damn it, if she won't try to help him.
"You're going to tell me everything you know," that of itself was a warning and a threat to the blond man sitting next to her.
The plane landed after what felt like an eternity.
Allied Family. Vongola Varia. CEDEF. Sawada Tsunayoshi. Dying will flames. There were a lot of pieces on the game board. Knowingly, Maya made herself a piece of it as well.
She was waiting for her bags at the baggage claim with Dino, she still doesn't trust him but at this point, she has no choice. "I have one more question for you," she said as she took her bag from the carousel, "What does all this have to do with you? How are you benefiting from this ?"
"You said one question." Dino said jokingly. But answered when Maya glared at her. "I'm the boss of an allied family," Dino started as he pots his bag, "And leaving Vongola to the Varia, it would be bad, especially for the Allied Families." He turned to look at her, "Also, my little brother has the other Half of the Vongola Ring, I have to support him."
He turned to leave while Maya stayed rooted on her spot. "Are you coming or not?"
"Coming." Into the frying pan, she went.
Maya was in a car with Dino and his other subordinates. She tries not to fidget, not to make it noticeable that she feels way out of her league. It's not that she has no experience with danger or running for her life or making life-and-death decisions. Her family came from a long line of soldiers. Her grandfather was a soldier, so was her mother and father, and even her older sister. She grew up with people teaching her how to fight, how to handle stressful situations. But nothing had prepared her for the Mafia.
Maya supposes that her sister and grandfather might know something. Her grandfather once told her that to keep the peace, there should be balance. The government and the underworld both work together to keep society in peace. But it's not true peace, Maya muses, it's just convenience. The Government doesn't have to go to the trouble of arresting one person after another, as long as they keep it away from the public's eye. And the underworld doesn't have to worry about the Government foiling their plans and ruining their organization as long as they don't make too much of a mess.
It's an unspoken treaty. A peace born out of convenience.
However, as she hears a loud "VOI" out in the distance, she thinks that that peace is not going to last long.
And Maya thought assassins were quiet. Apparently, she was wrong.
Maya was in a hospital room. She was sharply aware that the baby, Arcobaleno, Maya reminded herself, was watching her like a hawk. And how could she forget the boy with the gravity-defying hair that was wary of her. Sawada Tsunayoshi, if worse comes to worse, Kyoya will be going to war for this boy. Looking at him now, Maya felt pity for him. He didn't want this. Neither of them did.
She listened to Dino and Reborn's conversation. Mafiosos are assholes, she decided. To use the poor boy as a bait. Basil, she remembered his name, only assholes do that. She felt bad for him. He must have been scared of carrying those rings, carrying his responsibility so cruelly give to him by his Master. Just to turn out to be fake.
God, Mafiosos are such assholes. The lowest of the low.
The room was quiet. And apparently, everyone was looking at her. She smiled wryly, "Did I say that out loud?"
Dino coughed.
"Yeah but, am I wrong, though?" she asked rhetorically, protecting herself. By now, Reborn, the Arcobaleno, was smirking at her. And Tsunayoshi was openly gaping at her.
Dino raised his hand, "But I'm a Mafioso."
Maya smiled again. "Exactly."
Maya was on her way to Namimori Middle School. It was a familiar road she was walking on. She and Kyoya used to visit her sister here when she was still a student. She passed by the playground she and Kyoya used to play in. Namimori was filled with many childhood memories, especially Namimori Middle School. Both Maya and Kyoya's grandfather founded that school. She remembers the effort and love they put into building it.
Maya was frowning. Her grandfather knew how much she hated loud noises yet here they were in the middle of a construction site. They were walking towards Kyoya and his grandfather. Maya hated him too, he cajoled her grandfather into doing this. Maya grumbled. The noise was too much for her six-year-olld mind.
"Grandpa, let's go home. I don't like the noise," she complained, tugging at his shirt.
Kyoya's grubby hand cupped her ears, "Is this good enough?" he asked.
Genius, Maya thought. Kyoya was such a genius. "Yup, thank you, Kyoya," she said with a smile. But then again, Maya thought, what about Kyoya? Who will protect him from the noise? Maya knows that Kyoya hates loud noise just as much as Maya does. With a determined face, she reached for Kyoya's ears as well, and covered it.
Unknowingly, their grandfathers were snickering at them.
The next time Maya went there with Kyoya, the building was almost built. Their grandfathers took them there to give them a tour.
Maya was happy for them. They looked very proud. Her mother said that this was very important to them. It was a dream come true. Even Kyoya was smiling. She missed his smile. Ever since the kidnapping, Kyoya was always sad and grumpy. He was blaming himself for something he had no control over. And it made Maya angry, it wasn't his fault she got kidnapped, it was the kidnapper's fault. Kyoya was being stupid. Boys are stupid.
But right now, he was smiling. It was small but he was smiling. She took his hand, like she always does. Kyoya looked at her, "Come on, Grandpa might be looking for us." He pulled her as well, not letting go of her hands.
They were at the rooftop of Namimori. Grandpa Keisuke and Grandpa Koutarou were both there. Both of them looked peaceful. It was such a appy occasion.
Grandpa Keisuke told them the story of this building. He used to go to school here, before the war started. Back then, this school was just a one-storey building. And it was one of the many that were obliterated in the war. After the war ended, Grandpa Keisuke wanted to rebuild the school. It held a lot of memory for him when he was just a kid. And Grandpa Kyoutarou helped him rebuild it.
Grandpa Keisuke turned to look at the both of them, "What do you think?"
"It looks nice, Grandpa. I'm happy for you." She said with a smile.
" What about you, Kyoya, you're awfully quiet."
Kyoya looked troubled. And when Kyoya's troubled, Maya gets troubled. Because that's the way it is, she can't let Kyoya be sad by himself. That just won't do.
After a while, Kyoya spoke, "Grandpa, why did you build this place?"
"Well, we built this for you, kiddo." It was Grandpa Kyoutarou who answered the question. "Me and Maya's grandpa, we want a place where you can have fun and be kids, where you can learn and have a childhood. Me and Keisuke weren't lucky to have that. But you guys are."
"That's right," her grandpa said. "This is all for you two. So you better be grateful. When we're gone, you have to take care of this place, you hear me?"
"Yes, grandpa," Maya answered dutifully.
"Kyoya?" Grandpa Kyoutarou implored.
After a beat, Kyoya answered, "Yes, Grandpa."
Looking at Namimori Middle right now, Maya can't help the flare of pride that surges into her. Her grandfathers built this school. They built it from scratch and they poured they heart out for this school. This school was their legacy.
When Grandpa Keisuke died, Maya and Kyoya took it the hardest. Maya threw herself into practice and ice skating. She dedicated the whole season for her pseudo grandfather. While Kyoya threw himself into training and being a head prefect, he became more overprotective of Nami Middle. Too caught up in mourning, they didn't realize that Grandpa Keisuke took it hard as well. It took them a phone call from her sister and a threat from Kyoya's mother before they got their act together again.
But that didn't stop Kyoya from being way too overprotective of the building. Maya supposes she can understand him. It was their legacy he was protecting.
She made her way to the rooftop, excited to see Kyoya again when a tonfa hit her in the head. She clutched her head as she knelt down the floor in pain. Teary-eyed, she looked at her attacker, "What was that for?"
The said attacker was smirking at her, "Your coach called me. Why are you here?"
Maya reached for her pocket, revealing her golden medal,"I wanted to give this to Grandpa Keisuke," she lied. Technically, she wasn't lying. The season was, after all, dedicated for him.
"You could have called me," Kyoya complained but taking the medal all the same
The ice skater huffed. "Would you have answered?" When she was met with silence, she smirked in triumph. "Exactly."
"And I missed my grumpy friend," she said as an afterthought as she walked forward to hug Kyoya. If she hugged him a little too tightly, Kyoya didn't say anything. She buried her face into his chest, "I really missed you."
In turn, Kyoya brushed her hair soothingly, just as he always did when they were just kids. "Where are you staying?" he asked.
Maya only laughed in response. She hadn't thought of that in her haste to get here.
"Maya," her childhood friend warned. Maya only laughed again. "Fine, stay at my place. Now let go of me before I bite you to death."
"I'd really like to see you try," Maya replied with a smile, stepping away from him.
"What are you cooking later?" she asked out of nowhere. Maya took his hand, leading him out of the roof top. And Kyoya let her.
It was just like old times.
Maya was worried. 14 times. She's been calling her grandfather fourteen times already and still no answer. He had something to do with this whole mess, Maya was sure of that. She stomps her foot. This kind of attitude was usually seen in her sister. But not Grandpa Keisuke. He always answers his phone.
Maya sighs. She'll stop for now. But this is not over, she promises as she glares at her phone. The ice skater grabs two facemasks from her bag and heads to the kitchen where Kyoya is cooking.
"Is it done yet?" Maya asks (complains).
Kyoya gives her an unimpressed stare. "This might have been finished faster if you had helped me." He admonishes. "But yeah, I'm done," he said, turning the knob.
"Let's eat then. I'll fix the table." Maya puts the facemasks at the island. "And you know what happened the last time I cooked. You were there, Kyoya. I don't think this house can afford one more explosion."
Kyoya sighs, rubbing his forehead as he makes his way to the table. "How you manage to make an explosion out of making rice balls, I will never know." He added, "I don't think I want to."
Maya sets the bowl and chopsticks down the table, "Hey, I didn't know flour could be used as an explosion."
This is a losing battle, Kyoya thought. "Let's just eat."
Maya smiles, sitting down as well. "Admit it, you missed me."
The skylark smirks. "Never."
Maya opens the door a little bit too loudly. Kyoya groaned at the noise. "What do you want, Maya?"
The ice skater grinned. "I brought face masks." She held up the two items.
"No." Kyoya said, already knowing what's going to happen.
"Oh, come on, Kyoya." Maya complains, she made her way towards Kyoya's bed. "Just because you're protecting Namimori's peace and biting people to death doesn't mean you can't have good skincare. Plus, these are very expensive."
"And I don't care. These are for herbivores."
Maya could only sigh. She poked Kyoya's side. "You know I never took you for a guy with a very fragile masculinity." She smirks when Kyoya tensed. Checkmate. "Fragile masculinity, now that's herbivorous."
Kyoya snatches one of the facemasks from her hands. "I am very comfortable with my masculinity."
"Exactly. A face mask doesn't make you less of a carnivore. Plus facemasks feel nice,"
"Hn."
"Kyoya, I know about your stock of bath bombs. Don't 'hn' me."
Kyoya looked affronted. "Just for that, you can't use my bath bombs."
TO BE CONTINUED
Sneak peak for Chapter 2:
Yamamoto was smiling at her as she made her way next to him. As she sat down, he introduced himself. "My name's Takeshi Yamamoto, nice to meet you."
His smile was nice, Maya decided. "I'm Maya. It's very nice to meet you to, Yamamoto-san."
"Alright, everybody, turn to page 48," their teacher instructed.
Opening her textbook, Maya suddenly felt dread. Dread and panic. In hindsight, she should have thought of this sooner. She was in Japan, of course their textbook wwas going to be written in katakana. This was bad. Maya groaned. Hopefully, the teacher won't call on her on the first day.
"Hey, is everything okay?" Yamamoto whispered, having caught on to her dilemma.
Maya tried to smile, "Yeah, it just, uhm,"she stuttered, trying to find the right words, "I'm sort of, well I'm kinda-" she sighed, "you see, I'm dyslexic."
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