Kaichō wa Maid-sama! 2005 © Fujiwara Hiro

Lala Magazine under Hakusensha Publishing

WARNING: Major OOC and One-Sided ToraXMisa.

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Chapter 11: Ice Cream, I Scream

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The earthy smell was everywhere as the cold autumn wind passed by. That Saturday morning was unusually exciting for Misaki, which was rare, since she hated Saturday because of the fact that she had to go on chemo. But that day was different as she made her way to the park where she promised to meet Usui.

Following the dream-like events of the past week, Misaki was amazed she managed to live through the entire night without feeling his presence in her room. But then again, she'd survived seven years without him. What was it that made her think she couldn't live through that in just a single night? The answer she found scared her: Maybe because she grew too accustomed to his constant presence when she was in the hospital. Maybe she was beginning to rely on him again. Was it okay? Was it wrong? She didn't know.

Last night, after giving her an awkward kiss on the forehead and whispering goodnight, Usui left. As she watched him walk away, all the colors and warmth in her apartment seemed to slowly vanished, as if he was taking them along with him. And she felt so heartbreakingly alone.

Everything in her was begging for him.

Misaki securely locked the door, just as he firmly instructed her to, and quickly slipped into her pajamas. She lay on her cold bed, willing her eyes to sleep. She comforted herself with the assurance of seeing him again in the morning.

And now, with every step she took towards the park, she felt like she was reverting back to her young, naive self, when everything wasn't a complicated math problem. A course of excitement flushed through her when she saw the tall, handsome figure she yearned for.

Hands stuffed in his pockets and messy blonde hair swaying with the wind, Usui was casually leaning on a flower box not a few meters away from where she was. He was looking up the sky like he was searching for something.

Misaki approached him, taking care not to look too excited. She calmed her breath and steadied the erratic beating of her heart.

"Good morning... Usui," she mumbled against the red scarf around her neck.

Usui looked down at her and a smile grazed his lips. "Good morning, Misaki."

"Sorry for making you wait."

"It's okay; I just got here a few minutes ago."

The silence between them was filled by the passing wind.

"Aren't you cold?" was Usui's first comment as he casually roamed his eyes over her entire being.

Misaki was wearing a pastel colored, knitted cardigan over a long-sleeved blouse and a decent pair of black shorts. But the thigh-high cotton socks kept her warm enough, despite the little skin left exposed.

"Not really. I'm fine," she assured him.

Usui pursed his lips but didn't press it. "Okay then... let's go?" he prompted.

Misaki met his eyes and smiled, "Let's."

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"It's been so long since I've been here!" Misaki exclaimed as soon as she saw the majestic gates of Tokyo Disneyland. The look on her face could rival a hyperactive four-year-old. The way her eyes lightened up and the big smile on her face didn't go unnoticed by her companion.

Misaki remembered the last time she was here. It was the Christmas of seven years ago. In her senior year. With Usui. Inevitably, she winced. She tried to push particular memories out of her mind for the sake of what they had today.

Usui bought their tickets in advance so they didn't have to queue in line. Since it was weekend, people were streaming like river in all directions. He caught her hand and gingerly gripped it.

"We might get separated," he said as if he needed to explain. But Misaki was so distracted to even notice it.

"Bump cars!" she exclaimed. Without much thinking, she yanked Usui towards it. She looked back at him; the grin on her face was worth a thousand watts. "I'm going to beat you this time!" she said over the noise of the people around them.

Usui smirked. "Let's see about that, Ayuzawa," he shot back.

The last time they were there, Misaki lost to him in their mini bumper battle. He could see how fired up she was now after all these years as she squeezed his hand tightly.

Usui let her drag him around; it was great to see her so full of life after a week of being held down by flu, which reminded him of the chaos they created in hospital.

He kind of felt there was something going on. He knew that just by observing the way the doctors and the nurses, including Tora, treated her; the way they whispered to each other like they were discussing a top secret conspiracy, and the way she looked at him as if she wanted to tell him something. What was that all about? Was it that serious? In the very back of his mind, even though he didn't want to admit, it actually scared him.

"Loser has to buy crepe and ice cream," Misaki grinned, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He smiled, "Deal."

So, after a few –no, honestly, it was a lot of bumps between their cars which resulted in painful backaches, Usui was carrying two crepes in one hand and two cones of vanilla ice cream strategically placed in his other hand.

He swore he didn't hold back. It was just that the former demon president was so determined to crush him. She managed to throw him off several times and he suspected that there was a bit of sadistic intent coming from her. When he saw her victorious smirk, he had the feeling that she was mentally saying something like, Suck it up, loser. You deserve so much more than that after the pain you've caused me all these years.

Yet he found himself smiling. He would feel better if she really thinks that way. He would feel better if she would just slap it on his face rather than being nice to him and pretend that he never left her. Maybe he would feel better...

Usui trudged back to the bench where Misaki was waiting. She quickly helped him the cones and scooted a little to give him a sitting space beside her.

Misaki still had the cheeky grin plastered on her face as she took one of the crepes. She seemed very pleased with herself. "Thanks," she said and happily licked her ice cream.

"We just played one game and we're already eating?" Usui commented while watching her amusedly.

She looked at him for a long time. "If you're going to let your ice cream melt, might as well give it to me," she said, pointing to the soggy ice cream in his hand.

"What?" he blinked as if in a trance.

"Ah! Look, it's dripping already," she clicked her tongue and struggled to pull the packet of wet tissue in her bag.

The soft cone had crushed and Usui's hand was soaked. He didn't have a choice but to throw it away.

"Such a waste," Misaki muttered. "Here, hold this." She gave her half-eaten cone of ice cream to his good hand and took his sticky hand. Usui watched her silently as she wiped his palm and fingers with wet tissue.

Her hands, they were as soft and caring as he remembered from a long time ago. How come he managed to let go of those beautiful, petite hands? Why did he let go?

"Usui?" Misaki gazed at him curiously, once again taking him back to reality.

He smiled. "Thank you, Misaki."

She beamed as if he'd never hurt her. As if nothing's wrong with all these pretends. Pretends that always held painful truths.

Misaki stood up, still holding his hand. "Come on, there's nothing to be thankful of," she gave him a light tug and he stood up, as well.

"Where do you want to go next?" he asked.

Misaki's eyes twinkled and that was pretty much enough for an answer.

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"Uh... what are we doing here?" the raven-haired girl cringed closer to Usui as they stared up the majestic structure of the Haunted Mansion.

It was past noon when the couple found themselves in Fantasyland after riding all the available rides –whether it's for kids or not– and visiting all the attraction –again, it didn't matter if it was meant for tiny kids– they could find.

They lined in rides like Alice's Tea Party and the Castle Carrousel and made their heads spun like crazy. They went pirate mode in Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan's Flight and Jungle Cruise. They visited several Disney-themed attractions like Cinderella's Fairy Tale Hall, Snow White Adventures, and many others. It was a bit embarrassing to go there –two grown adults running around a children's place– but hell, who cares? They were having fun and nobody was going to spoil it.

It felt great to step back into their childhood and forget reality even for just a few moments.

The sun was on its full glory in the middle of the sky when they stopped by the food court. Usui bought bento boxes for both of them. They ate in an open area with tables under big, red umbrellas.

And now, they stood in front of a gothic mansion with creepy statues on top of the ominous gate. It seemed that all the cheerfulness and excitement vanished from her as Misaki looked at it. Usui watched amusedly as her face morphed from wide smiles to deep frowns.

"You said you wanted to visit everything, so..." he shrugged; suppressing a mischievous grin.

"I did not say that!" she spat through gritted teeth.

"You didn't?" he cocked his head teasingly, knowing perfectly well she never said it.

"I didn't!" she insisted.

"Oh. But we're already here, might as well go inside," he said it like he was just inviting her to walk in the park, rather than going inside a house full of monsters and traps.

"I... I..." she was lost for words. I don't want to. I'm scared, she whimpered mentally. But she didn't get a chance to protest as Usui took her hand and pulled her towards the entrance where a staff was beckoning them. She had the sudden urge to dig her heels on the ground and stayed the hell out of the mansion.

"It's our turn, Misa-chan. Come on," he said. He clearly knew about her extreme fear of ghosts, yet he never let a chance slip just to scare her. Her mortified face never failed to amuse him no matter how many times he'd seen it already.

"Usui..." she whined softly.

"Yes?"

"I... don't want to go in there," her voice quivered which amused him more.

"Why?"

Misaki swatted his arm angrily, "You perfectly know why!"

Usui laughed and pulled her closer to him. "Aw, it's not that scary," he assured her with a small laughs and squeezed her hand. "Besides, I'm here, you'll be fine."

Misaki grimaced, not quite convinced. Nevertheless, she reluctantly followed him inside the Haunted Mansion...

In the midst of the noisy, weekend crowd, the mansion's premises felt so isolated. It was as if they stepped into a different dimension. The garden was overgrown and messy, the fountains were broken and a window was hanging on its hinges.

The noise outside was completely blocked as they walked into the mansion's foyer, led by a maid who looked like she hadn't seen a single ray of sunlight for the past fifty years. Misaki eyed her cautiously.

Then, a booming voice came from nowhere, successfully making her jump. The voice identified himself as the Ghost Host. He welcomed them with maniacal laughter as the maid ushered them to the first room: an octagonal portrait gallery.

The door behind them slid shut and the tour began.

While the voice kept on ranting for a few minutes, Misaki noticed the room. It was moving... no, stretching. The room was stretching.

She blinked. "Is it me, or is the room changing?" she whispered to Usui, who just smirked. He had been inside the attraction a few times and knew exactly what was going to happen.

Misaki watched in awe as the portraits on the wall elongated and changed into gruesome images.

"Usui, look, the pictures are–what the hell was that?!"

With a sudden thunderclap, the lights went out. Misaki jolted and in the same moment, she was practically choking Usui with her hug. The voice continued to speak, to taunt his guests. All the hairs on her skin stood on its end.

Lightning illuminated the dark room in irregular rhythm. There was something moving above their heads, Misaki noted with every flash of light. The ceiling was gone. It was replaced by a skeletal corpse dangling from a noose.

A tingle ran down her spine. "Make it stop! Make it stop! Please, make it stop!" she whispered urgently, tightening her grip around Usui and pushing herself more in his arms like she wanted to hide inside him.

Usui, on the other hand, was calm and collected. As expected from someone who had been there a couple of times already. His arms automatically closed around her petite body. Instead of sympathizing on the frightened girl, he laughed softly.

"I can't make it stop, you know," he said to which Misaki whimpered in response. He was barely aware of everything other than the fact that Misaki was hugging him, desperately clinging on him.

The room went pitch-black. He felt her flinched and heard her gasped in surprise when a bloodcurdling scream resonated throughout the stretching room, followed by a crashing sound of bones.

Finally, it stopped.

Misaki cracked open one eye and examined the room, which was back to normal. "Is it over? Can we go out now?" she asked hopefully.

The guy on which she still had her arms around chuckled. "No, it's just the beginning."

"What? No! I want to go out. Please, Usui, let's get out of here. I don't think I can take another– what's that?"

The wall at the far side of the room slid open and revealed the other side to be all dark and misty.

Usui gently pried off her arms from her strangling hug and held her hand. "It's the Doom Buggy. We're going to ride on it for the rest of the way."

"Eh? There's more?" she asked horrified.

"There's a lot more," he smirked and pulled her towards the loading area.

Once she was sitting on the carriage beside Usui, the Ghost Host returned and invisibly lowered the safety bar. Holding on to Usui that she almost cut off his blood supply, Misaki entered her worst nightmare.

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Haunted Mansion was just a good less than five-minute ride. But when Usui stepped out into the bright afternoon sunlight of Tokyo Disneyland, he was dragging a tearful Misaki behind him.

"I fucking hate technology," she muttered, sniffing like a poor kid. Her cheeks were red, sweat clung on to her forehead where a stressed vein was popping out, and her hands were cold.

The Haunted Mansion evidently and seriously spooked the hell out of her.

Usui couldn't help but laugh at her face. "If you knew it was just technology, then why are you so scared?"

"When you are driven by your absolute fear, knowledge and common sense don't exactly catch up with your brain," Misaki scowled.

He smiled and with a moment's paused, he stepped a little closer to her. He smoothed the cute scowl on her forehead with his finger.

"You're exactly right," he said almost incoherently, like he was saying it to himself.

He sounded as if he was speaking out of experience. Misaki wondered why.

Usui just stood there, gazing at her. It had been a week since he came back and almost every minute of it was spent with her. But it seemed that he just couldn't have enough of he; her raven hair, her warm amber eyes, her beautiful blush, her perfect little nose and those plump lips that he wanted to kiss so much...

He missed her. He missed everything about her. He missed her even though she was right in front of him.

Looking at her, he vowed: One of these days, he will take her back.

"Usui?" Misaki blinked at him curiously. "Are you okay?"

He gave her a breathtaking crooked smile and slipped his fingers through hers, gently tugging it. "I'm fine. Want to go for another ride?"

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And of course, a date in an amusement park is not complete without a chance in the Ferris wheel by the end of the day.

The cable car was alarmingly made of glass with two cushioned seat on both sides. They could see the sky in abstract colors of pink, orange and violet as the sun retired to the horizon.

As the staffs filled all the cable cars, the wheel moved one step at a time, giving the couple a seemingly infinite time to be completely alone together and detached from the revolving world beneath them.

They sat on the opposite chairs, knees brushing against each other.

"Ah, my hair is so messy," Misaki blew her fringe upward. It fell back on her eyes stubbornly.

Usui chuckled, "That roller coaster ride sure did a good hairstyle on you." He reached over and let his long fingers combed through her raven locks.

Misaki felt something flutter inside her as her eyes involuntarily closed.

"Your hair is long," he commented quietly.

"Hm-mm... should I cut it?"

"No, I like it long," there was a hint of smile in his voice.

She opened her eyes and smiled. "Maybe I should just trim my bangs, instead."

Usui gazed at her for a few second. Then, he perked up. He suddenly withdrew his hand from her hair as if he just thought of something brilliant.

Misaki watched curiously as he fumbled with his pockets and pulled out a small paper bag no bigger than his palm. He opened it and took out a vintage hairpin with intricate flower designs.

Her eyes widened. It was so beautiful.

Usui had a boyish grin as he gathered together her stubborn bangs on top of her head and clipped it with the hairpin.

"There," he declared. He seemed very satisfied with his handiwork as he looked at her.

Misaki chuckled, touching the poorly-placed pin. "Where did you get this?"

"Bought it," Usui shrugged.

She blinked at him, expecting a more elaborate answer.

"In France," he added. "When I saw it, I thought it would suit you perfectly. And it does," he smiled.

"You... bought it for me?"

"Of course. Who else would I buy it for?"

"Oh. Um, I supposed I should say... thank you?" she blushed.

"And I supposed I should say you're welcome," he replied, eyes crinkling in delight.

Misaki bit her lip. A million questions kept popping up in her mind like tiny, evil bubbles. France? I thought he was in England all this time. Why did he go there? Why didn't he just tell me? Was it too much to ask?God knows how much she wanted to ask him all that.

"I'd love to go to France someday," she mumbled in an attempt to fire up a conversation.

There was a few moments' gap between them.

"France is beautiful," he said. But his tone was filled with so much sadness. Usui took her hand in his and ran his thumb across her knuckles like it was the softest thing ever, remorsefully thinking, Yeah, it's beautiful... but it's empty without you.

"What did you do in France? Sightseeing?" Misaki casually prompted him to talk.

"No, I studied there," he answered slowly as if careful choosing what words he was going to say.

"Really?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah."

"But you came from England..." Misaki mumbled.

"The company's main office is in England."

"Ah, right."

The cable car moved faster; finally, the ride began.

The conversation drawled on. Usui mostly did the talking and little by little Misaki had a glimpse of life he had after he left. He told her where he studied, which part of France he lived, and small stories from his daily life there. She was glad he had a good life, but it gave her more questions than answers.

And the more she thought about it, the more she was craving to know.

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It was already dark when Usui parked the car in front of Misaki's apartment building. He glanced in the passenger seat and smiled at the sleeping girl.

He took time watching her peaceful face and calm breathes. He reached over and lightly traced the bridge of her nose with his index finger. She must be so tired she didn't even stir.

When will he be able to tell her everything, he wondered. When will he be able to tell her how much he missed her, how much he love her and how sorry he was for leaving her behind without any explanation.

A comfortable sigh escaped Misaki's lips and even though he just wanted to watch her forever, time wasn't friendly. He touched her shoulder and very gently shook her.

"Misaki..."

The girl fluttered her eyes open. Against the dim light of the car, her half-closed eyes seemed to glow.

"You're home," he informed her with a smile.

"What?" she rubbed her eyes like a child would. Sitting upright, she looked around and sure enough, they were right outside the glass door of the entrance.

"Oh," she mumbled and slumped back on the seat.

"Tired? Want me carry you upstairs?" Usui smirked.

"No, thanks," she glowered.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." She unclasped the seatbelt and opened the door.

"I'll see you off on your door, then." Usui followed her suit and a few minutes later, they were in the elevator with some of the other tenants.

With each floor, Misaki slowly realized that their day was coming to an end. Their date was over and Usui will leave her side once she's inside the safety of her apartment.

The silver metal door slid open. Reluctantly, she stepped out along with him. The hallway was oddly deserted and the silence was unnerving.

Her heart was already pounding her ribs mercilessly. When they stood by her door, it took her a while to fit the stupid key and open the freaking door. She turned to look at him and... why did it suddenly feel like their moment of solitude?

Usui smiled brightly, but there was the unclouded mix of emotions dancing in his eyes. Misaki was sure she had those in hers, too.

"I had so much fun today, Misa-chan," he grinned. "Especially in the Haunted Mansion."

Misaki aimed a punch to his gut.

He laughed and sighed. "No, really, it was fun."

"Yeah... it was fun." Her voice didn't sound too enthusiastic. Her mind was full of their inevitable parting soon.

"Are you okay?" he asked concernedly, seeing her unsettled expression.

"I'm fine," she mumbled. Each passing second was like a torture to her; teasing and taunting her.

"So... I guess I'll let you rest now," he said quietly, like a lullaby.

She bit her lip, looking at him with wide eyes. Her fingers fumbled with the strap of her bag. Her toes curled and uncurled inside her shoes. Stay with me. Don't leave, please. Don't leave me alone.

Seeing him, touching him, talking and laughing with him... Misaki missed him so much more than she had anticipated. He was there, right in front of her, just within her reach, just one step away from her embrace. But the invisible gap between them seemed to separate them more than the Earth and the moon could.

Following what her heart desired the most, Misaki made her decision. She wanted him back. She wanted him back to her so badly her chest hurt. She needed to know but his reasons for leaving her didn't matter anymore. She just wanted to go back to where they used to be.

"Thank you for today, Misaki," he said in that goodbye tone she hated to hear.

Like last night, Usui lightly kissed her forehead and whispered goodnight. Then without further delay, he smiled and turned his back on her.

Misaki remained standing by the door, not making any move to enter.

"Usui..." she called out before she could bite her tongue.

"Yeah?" He looked back at her with easy smile, not knowing what was coming.

Misaki took a deep breath. She had enough of running away. She had enough of this pretend. And anything to make him stay, she thought desperately.

Her heart felt like bursting as the words tumbled out of her mouth like ice-cold water slowly being poured on his head: "Usui... that night seven years ago... why? Why did you leave me?"

Her voice quivered and Usui Takumi knew there were about a million more hidden words underneath that simple question.

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22 October 2013

OWARI

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SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:

Okay, we're back! This chapter is really difficult to write and now that I finished it, I feel like I want to fly, hahaha!

I am so sorry for going on a long hiatus. Reasons:

1. College Annual Event (assigned as a one-man committee tasked to do all the designs and layouts. Includes making the official logo, posters, tarpaulins, tickets, certificate layouts, t-shirt design, invitations... practically everything related to designs. And I was the only one doing it).

2. OJT for my last semester in the university (yes, I am a graduating student).

3. Sick two times in just one month. (Make that three times since I am sick again as I am writing this.)

4. School requirements (TONS of them, mind you).

5. Massive writer's block.

6. Away for a four-day vacation with the family.

Now, about this chapter...

Um, I honestly don't know about this chapter. I've been writing it since the last time I updated and the plot is still on track, but the thing I'm worried about is the way I constructed it. I think it's too confusing... or not. Or yes. Whatever.

Hahaha! See? It's confusing.

Anyway, I hope I didn't mess up their amusement park date. It's lacking something, I know. I tried hard to make it more sweet and fluffy but my brain was exhausted from all the earthly responsibilities I needed to get done.

But I truly hope you enjoy this update after a very long time. I've already started writing the next chapter even before I even finished writing this, so... we're probably not on hiatus anymore. Hooray.

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this, even though my writing is evidently slipping off and the characters are way out of their personalities. Thank you for looking forward to my every update. Thank you for all the reviews and favorites and follows.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!