Author: A friend of mine requested that I write Part II for Damsel in Distress. I never thought it would be hard to actually think of a good story to make. /crai

Kashima Yuu finall gets the wish of her lifetime - to perform in a play with her Hori-senpai! Will things go smoothly for the two of them now that senpai is the one playing the role of a knight in a gallant steed?

The Little Match Girl

Chapter 1

The auditorium was dim.

In the darkness of the room, murmurs rose from the audience, conversations of various things slipped from different lips. Chiyo had her seat on the front, hands clasped together in excitement as she waited. Nozaki was seated by her side, more interested on scenes he could use for the manga even if it was himself who wrote the script. Right beside them were Waka and Seo, with the male saying something about the other stealing his popcorn. Where is Mikoshiba?

I don't know either.

The audience was distracted by a giant image flashed on the screen, depicting the title of Drama Club's play: "The Little Match Girl." Afterwards, everything went to the way it was. From the front seat, Chiyo could hear low rustling sounds, which made her guess that it would be the members of the Drama Club preparing the stage whilst lights out. Soon enough, the stage lights turned on. The background was like that of in Europe around Middle Ages, and the roofs of brick houses were covered in snow. Despite the white background, from one side of the stage, a figure in white hood stood out, carrying a basket on one arm. Both hands were lifted, and the hood slid down to the shoulders. Everyone was left in awe.

It was Kashima Yuu, the one entitled Prince of the Drama Club, dressed in a tunic that almost matched the tone of her hair. Speaking of her hair, it had grown long, past her neck and hiding behind the fabric of her cloak. "Matches! Matches!" She called out.

"Kashima-kun is playing girl!" Chiyo squealed, excitement truly obvious in her voice. "Look! Look! Nozaki-kun! Kashima-kun is playing girl!"

"I can see. I can see."

As the scene went on, there was a voice-over: When I was little, my parents, my last living relatives, died. And today, like any other day, I stand in the snow, selling matches. They are only ordinary matches, and yet...

People then flocked around her, declaring their need for matches in lighting their cigarettes and igniting their fireplaces. It was a cold winter day after all. ... Business is thriving! "I'm glad I am able to sell so much today," cheered the blue-haired girl, happily skipping towards a structure that appeared to be a church. "I must go tell the priest of my success!" After she had said that, the room grew dim once more.

The next scene was inside the church, fire from the hearth eradicating the coldness of the season. "Father, I'm home!" Came the voice accompanied by knocks. One dressed in white robes opened the door, revealing Kashima with a bright smile on her face. "Welcome home, May," greeted the other.

This is the priest, who even though I was an orphan, took me into his care at his church. His loos and personality brought women frequently to the church, but Father seems so distressed because of it.

"Oh, right," said Father. "I have something to ask of you today."

May's ears perked up. "What is it, Father?"

"I was thinking it is time to give you a different job. While working, I wish you to learn various things as well. I was thinking... to have you be the house maid for the lord. Make sure you learn everything they teach you about etiquette."

"I will do my best, sir!"

And once, May was back in the snowy path, heading to a place alien to her knowledge. As she walked, she wondered of what the lord might be, remembering rumors about nobles she heard from the people in the streets.

"Hey, dear. Why won't you come and play with us?"

"I'm afraid I'd pass up on that offer," answered she. "I am in a hurry."

"Oh! Come on!"

"Please, let me go!"

Clop. Clop. Clop.

"Let's do something fun-" The stranger shrieked in surprise as a horse literally run on him, causing him to release his grip on poor May who had fallen down on the ground. She sat up quickly, wincing in pain. Her green eyes looked up to see a young man riding a white horse, calmly dealing with the man that dared harm her a while ago.

The lad's lips parted and he spoke, "I may not know of the details, but taking advantage of a girl is not a very admirable sight."

"What are you talking about?" answered the uncivilized stranger. "Who the hell are you?!"

A pair of brown eyes narrowed. "I would be such an idiot to give you my name. However, I would be willing to tell you if you will also tell me yours. In that way, it would be easier for guards to find morons such as you are."

Once again, from the front seat, Chiyo squealed. "Ho-Hori-senpai looks so tall! How-How did they do that?! And he looks so cool too!"

The man descended from the white horse, and walked over to May who was still trying to cope up with what just happened. He was dressed in white shirt under a brown vest, and beige trench coat. "Are you alright?" He asked, as he knelt in front of her. "Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine! Thank you very much!" She wasn't to supposed to stutter in delivering those lines, but... All of a sudden, the person in front her didn't seem to be the man she greatly admired. He was completely different... and cooler! But his eyes wandered over to her knee which was red and wounded. "You're hurt. We need to treat this immediately. There aren't many people going around here. I'll walk you to your destination."

"N-No thank you!" May quickly replied. "I'll be OK! Besides, I'm on my way to the lord's house." The response she received surprised her even more though: "What a surprise. I'm on my way there too."

In the end, she rode on the horse with him, after he said "Hurry up and get on." which sounded like an order more than anything else. The steed ventured further into the snowy road, as if there was no end to the cold snow covering the ground. "I am to become a maid at the lord's house," said May, upon being asked of her business to the lord. "My name is May."

"Is that so?" He replied. "I am Kite. The lord is my uncle."

"You are the lord's nephew?!"

Kite nodded. He definitely looked younger with his bangs down, she thought, taking a glance of him once more. "My father, a lord in the neighbouring country," he continued, "... had sent me to study under my uncle, in order to be able to follow his footsteps."

"I will try my hardest to look after you, Lord Kite!"

"I wish not to disappoint you, May, but..."

"...?"

"... I am able to take care of myself. I don't need you to do that for me. It is bothersome. I only ask for one thing: Do not get in my way, got it?"

"Y-Yes, sir..."

So... So scary...

They set foot on a large mansion, with Kite setting down his luggage on the floor and knocking on the door. A man dressed in black coat attended to them, a white jabot hanging around his neck. "Welcome, Kite," he greeted. "I am delighted you could make it." And his eyes fell over to May, who was tapping her foot against the flooring of the building, trying to see if there would be any booby-traps that will spring up and entrap her. "Who is this lovely lady we have here?"

"The priest had asked me to come here," answered May, a warm smile now adorning her face.

I haven't seen uncle since I was little, the voice was different this time. It was a male's, probably Kite's. But was he this young?

"Ah!" The lord exclaimed. "You are the new maid then. Right this way, dear."

"Uncle," cut off Kite before May could take her first step deeper into the mansion. "I would like to treat this woman's wounds before I get myself comfortable here." Which caused the older man to raise a brow, his gaze now on the reddening skin on the girl's left knee. "I... I just scraped my knee, that is all!" May quickly said, but the lord had already bent down, lifting a hand and pressing it against the wound on her knee.

"I see no wounds," declared the older man. "Shall we proceed to the living room?"

Seo took a handful of pop corns and shoved them into her mouth. After a bit of chewing, she elbowed Wakamatsu who was at her side. "Hori-chan-senpai really is good at acting, don't you think, Waka?" The freshman's face was grave and gloomy, grieving at the terrible situation he had himself stuck in. "Ah, yes, senpai. But please don't eat all of my pop corn."

They walked towards the living room, having fine decorations of paintings and lit up with chandeliers. The environment was cold though, for the hearth had died out and there was nothing in the fireplace but ashes. "I apologize," said the lord. "My other maid is currently out, and there was no one to light it up."

"I'll do it!" Volunteered young May, who had taken off her cloak, her blue locks gracefully following her as she walked over to the fireplace in search of a match.

"You are of great help," smiled the lord as Kite took a seat on the porch.

At last, she found a match, with an odd decoration on its box. But ah, a match is still a match, isn't it? As she worked her way with the box, her head was filled with nothing but the thoughts of mouth-watering food nobles would have served on their plates. It was almost dinner time, and suddenly, thinking of those thoughts had made her hungry.

As soon as she had scratched the head of the match stick against the side of the box, it burst up in bright colors, and a freshly-cooked turkey popped out, followed by a nice smelling salmon, and then a bowl of fresh fruits. Both May and Kite exclaimed in surprise, but the lord of the estate was not fazed. Instead, he said, "My, did you use that match?" With shaky hands, the girl returned the object to the man's hand. "This is magical, you see. It grants you any wish. I only have two left, but I am letting you have it."

"Really?"

Kite raised a brow. "Oh please, wasn't it just a silly magic trick?"

After a short talk and an orientation to her new job, May was sent back to the church, with the lord requesting Kite to accompany her, for it was already late and the road was dark. The lad was left with no choice but to fulfill his uncle's request. As soon as the two vanished from his sight, there was another figure his eyes caught, standing behind the bars of the gate. "Sire, are you in need of matches?"

With that, once again, the lights died out.

Author: IT'S NOT OVER YET! There would still be one or two more parts for this play. Although it went out of Kashima's request to do a prince and princess play (in Damsel in Distress)- Sorry! . Also, I have no idea what did the Drama Club do to make Hori-chan-senpai look taller, around the same height as his kouhai.