11. A Plan Hatches

When Misaki entered the student council room Wednesday, Kanou was standing in front of a row of mussed up boys, swinging a pocket watch back and forth in front of their faces. "You will not fight in the hallways. You are peaceful, rule abiding students. You will not fight—"

"Kanou!"

Kanou jumped and cast her a guilty look.

"What are you… are you hypnotizing them?"

"It's the only way I can get them to listen!" he said defensively. Misaki snatched the pocket watch from him.

"You can't take away their freedom of choice," she told him. "They need to learn, not be brainwashed."

His reply was snarky. "Then how do you propose I teach them?"

She eyed the row of boys, who shifted uneasily under her scrutiny. She looked at the watch.

"Misaki…"

Whap! Whap-whap-whap! Down the line she went until she hit all seven. They groaned, bent over in their cowering positions as they rubbed at their heads. Misaki, satisfied, gave Kanou his watch back.

"There you go."

"Gee, thanks." He checked it for dents before pocketing it. "Does this mean you're taking back over?" He looked hopeful; the boys looked scared.

"No... not quite yet," she said after thinking about it. "I have some personal things I need to take care of first." She turned to face the boys and jabbed a finger at them; they ducked reflexively. "But don't think that gives you the right to goof off! I'll be keeping an eye out, got it?"

To a grumbled chorus of, "Yes, President," she left the room.

The "personal things" she needed to take care of was actually a rescue plan. She pondered and brainstormed all week, but it was difficult. Usui had always been the planner; she was more of the action-taker.

Her father was not unaware of her renewed drive. He made excuses to barge into her room without knocking, and to hang around whenever she was on the phone, as if hoping to catch her in the act of plotting. When that proved fruitless, he changed tactics. He started bringing home little presents for her and Suzuna, making their favorite meals so often they stopped looking forward to them. Bribery. Like she would fall for that. The worst were the falsely cheerful conversations he would draw her into when her mother was around, so she was forced to take part. She never called him on anything, mostly because her mother was just too damn happy to have him back, and he didn't say anything either, but she knew. In the quiet moments when they're gazes caught over the table or on the way out the door, she knew he was not going to let her go without a fight.

"So what did you write down on your graduation form, Misa-chan?" Sakura asked. Misaki held up the paper, thoughtful. Class had just ended, and the students filed out of the room with noisy sighs of relief. Ever since Misaki had started speaking again, her friends seemed determined to make sure she stayed that way, involving her in even the most mundane of chats. Misaki didn't mind. She had treated them abominably after Usui left, Shintani's slap had cleared her head enough for her to see that. If some talking could make it up to them, then she would do so gladly.

"Nothing yet," she replied.

"You'll be applying for college, of course?" said Shizuko, joining them around her desk.

"Yes. I mean, I'd like to."

"Oooh." Sakura crouched low in front of her. "College. What will you go for?"

"I don't know yet. But I was thinking maybe, something like a public defender. But for children, you know?"

Shizuko raised her eyebrows. "How noble of you."

"What is that? Like an attorney?" Sakura asked her.

"Yes. For people who can afford legal representation on their own."

"Huh. That's an odd thing to pick."

"Not so odd," said Shizuko, and Misaki looked away from that too-knowing stare. Yes, her friend would make the connection between her current situation and her sudden desire to defend minors from things like, say, their abusive families.

"I haven't decided for sure yet, though. And there's always the issue of paying for it."

"Speaking of paying!" said Sakura, "have you bought your plane ticket yet, Shizuko? Kouga's concert is only a week away, remember."

"Yes, yes, I've got it," Shizuko answered wearily.

"Concert?" asked Misaki.

Sakura gave her shoulder a playful push. "You know. Kouga's was invited to go play in England. It's going to be amazing, I just know it."

"England…" Misaki echoed.

"Yes, silly. England."

Her biggest issue… Could it be that easy? But there was still getting a ticket. What if…?

"I-I've got go. I'll call you guys later."

Her friends shared a look as she ran from the room.

"Strange," said Shizuko.

"But it's better, isn't it?" said Sakura quietly. "At least she has her energy back."

Shizuko nodded. "True."

"So! Did you get a window seat, or an aisle...?"

Manager blinked at Misaki in bewilderment. "You need an advance?" she said. "But you've never asked for an advance before. Is everything okay?"

Misaki fidgeted. She didn't like asking for things, and she was very conscious of Honoka and Subaru listening in from where they were stacking dishes across the room behind her. She had waited until after closing to birng up her request, but now Misaki wished she had waited until the others had gone home.

"Everything's fine. It's not, uh, a family thing at all." On the contrary, the family's finances had never been so stable. "There's just something I want—I mean, something I would like to do."

"What's that?"

She mumbled it. Manager frowned. "What was that?"

Mumble, mumble.

"What?"

Mumble, mumble, mumble.

"She says she wants to go see Kouga's concert!"

Misaki jumped. Honoka was standing right behind her, having abandoned the dishes, and subtly.

Manager looked more confused than ever. "He's having a concert?"

"It's in England," Subaru said, ditching the dishes as well to join them. She cut Misaki a look. "I was under the impression you didn't like him though."

Misaki's fidgeting increased. "Well, um, Sakura's going… and she needs… moral support…"

Erica poked her head in from the front. "What'cha guys talkin' about?"

"Nothing!"

"Misaki wants to see Kouga's concert."

"But I thought she hated him?"

"How does everyone know this?" cried Misaki.

Subaru smiled coyly. "Well, you did tell him of in front of the whole restaraunt that one time..."

Oh yeah.

Manager shook her head sadly. "As much as I'd like to give you an advance, Misa-chan, I'm afraid I just don't have that much extra money on me. This café is on a pretty tight budget, unfortunately."

Embarrassed and rejected. All she could do now was retreat with as little fanfare as possible.

"Th-that's okay. I knew it was a long shot but I had to ask. I'll just head out then." Misaki turned to go.

"Hold it." Honoka grabbed her arm, forcing her back. "I'm not buying any of this."

"What—"

"Don't act innocent. Tell us what you really want the money for."

Everyone was watching her.

"You can tell us, Misaki," Erica encouraged.

Well, a very vague form of the truth couldn't hurt, she guessed.

"Usui, he… moved back to England," she explained awkwardly. "I wanted… to go and see him."

There was a moment of silence as everyone in the room absorbed that. Then Manager burst into tears. "Oh you poor thing! You must be missing him so much!"

"We knew he was gone. We didn't know he went to England," said Subaru.

Even Honoka looked upset by this. "Well, damn."

"It's no big thing," Misaki lied, desperate to get the pity off their faces. "I'll just find some other way…"

"Left behind by true love!" Manager howled. "It's too terrible!" She hurried into the changing room and came back with her checkbook. She scribbled out a check and shoved it at her. "Here, take this! I know it's not enough but if it can get you started…"

"I have some extra cash that you can have too," Erica said, hurrying for her purse with Subaru right behind her.

"This is really not necessary," said Misaki as checks and cash were forced into her hands.

"Of course it is! You go get your man, Misaki-chan!"

Honoka appeared in front of her, she held out another check. Misaki noticed the amount and sucked in a breath. Altogether, it would just be enough.

"If you're doing this, you better do it right," the little blonde warned her. "Nothing less than bringing him back will do."

Misaki looked at her coworkers—no, her friends. "You guys… I don't know what to say…"

"Just say you'll bring him home, Misa-chan," Manager told her with a wink.

Misaki collected herself and gave them a firm nod. "I will."

Igarashi lowered his tennis racket. "This is becoming a bad habit with you."

Misaki took in the court and net. "You're really into sports."

"I have to have some way to de-stress. Especially when a certain stubborn school president can't take a hint."

"But I have a plan this time."

"Really? Do tell."

She explained about collecting the money and using the concert as pretext. Igarashi was not impressed.

"So your plan basically ends at 'arrive in England.' Brilliant."

"Then help me!"

He threw his racket and stalked off the court. Misaki ran to catch up with him.

"Didn't we already go over this?" he said as he headed back towards the school. "It's a suicide mission. There is nothing in this for me."

"You keep saying that, but I'm starting to wonder if the real reason isn't that you're just worried about me."

Igarashi stopped so fast she ran into him. She quickly backed up as he turned around. His mouth worked but no sound came out. She had been going for reverse psychology, telling him he refused to help out of concern for her so he'd do the opposite just to prove that he didn't. But his shock made her wonder if she'd accidentally hit the nail on the head.

Or maybe his brain simply short-circuited at the thought of caring about someone other than himself.

"Like hell I'd worry about you!" he managed finally. "I just don't want to be implicated when you get caught. Which you will be."

Misaki rolled her eyes. "Then I promise not to tell anybody you helped me."

"Ha! You think they couldn't get it out of you if they wanted to? And even if they couldn't, you have so few allies it wouldn't be hard to guess."

That gave Misaki pause. "You… consider yourself my ally?"

There was that dying fish impression again. On such a haughty face, it looked even more ridiculous than it normally would. He cursed in disgust and took off again. Misaki followed.

There was a television in the inside basketball court, God knew why. Rich people. Misaki flipped through channels as she waited for Igarashi to come out of the locker room. At this time of day, it was all sitcom repeats and news shows. She left it on a channel of the latter.

Igarashi returned some five minutes later, suit and tie back in place. His dress shoes squeaked on the polished hardwood floors. Once again the young business mogul.

"Ah, speak of the devil," said Igarashi, nodding at the screen as he ran a comb through his damp locks, and Misaki turned back around to see a familiar young man with black hair standing at a podium, giving some sort of speech.

"Gerard's been trying to convince this other company to align with his family's for a while now, but never managed to impress them enough," Igarashi explained. "Always botched it somehow or another; it was very amusing to watch. Looks like he's finally found success though. Too bad."

"Usui," Misaki murmured.

Igarashi chuckled. "Yes, the resemblance is scary, isn't it? Especially for half brothers."

Misaki shook her head. "No, I mean, that's Usui!"

"Impossible."

But Misaki was sure. The careless yet smooth way he rattled off his facts, the lazy gestures, the mocking smile, the alien-level intelligence of those green eyes…

"Well I'll be damned." Igarashi had noticed the similarities now too.

Misaki leaned close to the screen, taking in every detail. She reached out to touch but dropped her hand at the last minute. "Why would they do this?" she whispered.

"Looks like they're using him as a figurehead. Making him pretend to be Gerard so they can use his skills without being shamed by the fact that he's a bastard. Now that is a stroke of evil genius."

She scowled at him. "You shouldn't be impressed by that!"

Igarashi shrugged, unrepentant. On the screen, Usui gave a curt bow and walked off-screen, camera flashes and yells of excited reporters followed after him.

"This has to convince you to help," Misaki said. "If not for me than for Usui."

Igarashi's look was pitying. "Ayuzawa, this only makes me more sure that you will fail. Finding a cover for Gerard's inability while still getting the prestige and respect that comes from using his name... If your family owned a billion dollar business, would you give that kind of pawn up?"

Misaki scowled. "Usui is not a pawn."

Igarashi rolled his eyes and said in a tone that implied he thought her extremely naïve, "In this world, one way or another, we are all pawns."

That's when she finally got it. For all his power and prestige, his snobbery and ruthless business tactics, Igarashi felt just a trapped as any of them. He'd just learned to accept it.

"Fine," she said, straightening up. "I can see I was expecting too much from you. My mistake. See you around then, Igarashi."

She made for the exit. As her hand touched the doorknob Igarashi snapped, "Wait."

She turned back. His hands were fisted and his glare could cut glass. In a voice that sounded as if the words were being ripped from him Igarashi said, "Make Kanade just opened a butler café."

She blinked. His innocent words jarred with his pained tone. What the hell did Kanade, that butler-in-training, have to do with anything? "So?"

Igarashi glare intensified. "So, it's in England."

The light came on. With feigned casualness Misaki said, "Is that so?"

His nod was stiff. "Kanade was very impressed by you at the butler tryouts—not that I understand why. I know he would be very grateful if you visited him while you were there."

Indirect, as always. Misaki didn't let him see her smile. "I'll be sure to stop by then."

Her father's reaction when she told the family her plan that night at dinner was unsurprising, but didn't make it less annoying.

"No, absolutely not!" He pushed away his plate and crossed his thick arms over his chest. He shook his head so hard he was liable to shake something loose. "You're too young to leave the country. It's too dangerous. You could get lost, kidnapped…"

Or make you lose your job as the family manipulator, Misaki thought acidly.

"I hardly think that will happen," her mother said from beside him, and for a terrifying second Misaki thought she had spoken aloud. But no, the attention was still on her father. "Misaki is a strong, responsible, smart young woman. She knows how to stay out of trouble."

Guilt twinged, but not enough to make Misaki ruin her own chances by spitting out the truth. That this was probably the stupidest, craziest, and most dangerous thing she had ever done in her life, and staying out of trouble would be like trying to avoid the heat in hell.

"Besides," her mother went on, "she'll be in a group; there's safety in numbers. And I'm sure Kouga-kun and his friends will help look after them."

Her father was incredulous. "You're relying on a teenage rock band to ensure her safety?"

He has a point there, Misaki thought, and then hated herself for agreeing with him.

"Misaki is a very hard worker and has done so much for this family. And it's not as if we have to pay anything. It's all comped you said, right, Misaki?"

The easiest lie of the night. "Right."

Her mother gave her father a look: there you go then.

But he was adamant. "No. No, no, no. No daughter of mine is traveling abroad with a boy band. And that's final."

Too far. It was like someone had flicked the tension switch on. From across the table Suzuna looked up from nibbling on her peas. "Whoa."

Her father squirmed uneasily, as if he'd sensed he'd finally crossed the line.

Now that's the coward I remember, Misaki thought.

When her mother finally responded, her voice was quiet. "Please, don't misunderstand me. I... was so happy when you returned to us, and with so much determination to make amends, and get involved again in our lives. The past... it won't be an easy thing to get over, but I would love very much to try. However." Her soft tone hardened. "You did leave, and because of that you forfeited some of your rights to this family, including final say about what our children do and don't do. Misa—" She turned to Misaki. "You go to England. And you have as much fun as you can, okay?"

Misaki could only nod.

Her mother looked back at her father. "Now it's final."

There were two maids dusting shelves when Usui entered the salon to find his brother sleeping on one of the couches near the window. Stretched out on his stomach with hot sun on his face, he reminded Usui of a cat sunbathing. Peaceful.

"Oi! Lazy bastard!"

Gerard jerked awake, blonde wig slightly askew as he bumped his head against the back cushion.

"What the hell, you bloody—" He caught himself as one of the maids peeped over at him. He bit down on the insult. From the look on his face, it must have tasted bitter. Usui grinned.

"What do you want?" his brother asked in a more modulated tone.

Usui shrugged. "Nothing, really."

"Then why did you wake me?"

"Can't let you sleep all day, can I? There's so much work for you to do. Oh—nevermind, that's right." Usui smacked his head as if to say, duh. "I'm the one with the work. You're pretty much useless, aren't you?"

"Keep pushing me, brother, and—"

Usui widened his eyes in horror. "You're not threatening me, are you? Threatening the famous Walker heir, the nerve of you!" He lowered his voice so only Gerard could hear. "And in front of witnesses, too. I'll have to have a talk with Grandfather about this. I don't think he'll like you risking cover just because of your bitterness."

"You're the one risking cover by breaking my patience," hissed Gerard.

"Just keeping to the role," said Usui innocently. "It wouldn't be very believable if I treated you nicely, would it? By the way, you're wig is crooked."

Gerard cursed and tried to straighten it. Luckily, both of the maids had "finished" cleaning and left the room.

"I hate this thing," Gerard complained. "Why don't you have to wear one?"

"Can't risk having it slip while I'm out and about with all the important people. Besides, it's easier to dye blonde hair black than it is to bleach black hair blonde."

Gerard wasn't listening; his wig wouldn't cooperate with him. Usui watched him struggle. It was like watching a beetle missing most of its limbs trying to right itself. Too pitiful to be truly amusing.

"How long do you think you can go on like this?"

The serious question had Gerard pausing. His brother's somber face looked down at him. He huffed. "As long as I have to. If it's what the family wants, then I have no qualms about it."

Usui's sigh was heavy. "So you lie about things like that too, do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Anything that might be a hit to your emotions. You block it, lie about it. I've become very adept at seeing through such defensive ruses."

"It's not a ruse!" Gerard yelled. "I'm not lying!"

"If you say so."

"Look, you..."

Cedric entered then. "Gerard-sama."

At the same time, both of the brothers looked over and said, "Yes?"

"You're grandfather would like to speak to you."

"I'll be right there," said Gerard.

Cedric looked uncomfortable. "Actually, I meant…" He nodded to Usui.

"Then why the hell didn't you just say so?"

Usui clapped him on the shoulder, jerking his brother's arm and knocking the wig off completely. "He's just sticking to the rules, Takumi. They do have rules where you come from, don't they?"

Gerard lashed out. Usui caught his fist easily and twisted it behind him, pinning him face down on the couch. Beaten, his brother's anger only flared higher.

"You forget," he spat, "that I still hold enough connections to punish you. One phone call from me and that pretty little maid of yours will disappear forever."

Usui dug his knee in the small of Gerard's spine, making his brother wince. "And you forget that if anything happens to her, I will have no reason not to take all of you down."

"You couldn't get to all of us. We would stop you in the end, like always."

"But not before I crippled you first," Usui whispered. "Physically. Financially. And then there would be the media fallout you would have to deal with, because I would make sure this little scam came out. How furious do you think that would make Grandfather?"

Cedric, who had been sneaking up during this exchanged, grabbed for him. Usui let go of Gerard and threw a punch that Cedric blocked. He kicked—another block—but it made Cedric stumble, and Usui used the moment to jump over the back of the couch.

Butler and boy faced each other for a long few seconds.

"You should go," said Cedric.

"Don't think I'm not watching you too," Usui warned him. "My brother is annoying, but when it comes down to it, he's incapable of anything but bluster and orders. If anything happens Ayuzawa Misaki, I'll know who's responsible for it, and I will come after you." His expression shuttered. "No matter who you are."

"What is he talking about, Cedric?" Gerard demanded.

"Nothing. He doesn't know what he's saying."

Usui's smile was sad and wry. "Unfortunately I do. That's the downfall of being a perverted stalker alien, you see. I know everything."

He left.