AN: Holy cow you guys! You set a new 1-day record for # of views and more than 150 views in a week! Did the last chapter's title make anyone think they would actually meet face-to-face? Sorry, not sorry. I have a mischievous streak ;) Anyway, the title referred the flashback within the story and that he has now realized she's here.

Now here's a little brain teaser for you.

Question: If train #1 leaves the station and travels east at an average speed of 49 mph and train #2 leaves another station and travels west at an average speed of 79 mph, how long will it take their worlds to collide?

Answer: Chapter 10. Well, I guess technically they were in the same place at the same time back in Chapter 7, but I'm not counting it since neither one noticed. And by similar logic, Chapter 9 could also work, but is discounted since only he realizes it whilst she remains oblivious.

The beginning of this chapter is one of my favorite interactions between characters. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Thank you all again for the reviews, follows, and favorites!

Disclaimer: I do not own KWMS. All honor and glory to Hiro Fujiwara-san! Nor do I own any other fairy tales or stories.

Chapter 10 – Beaches, Garry Marshall, 1988.

Aoi pulled Usui out of the grand hall and over to the elevators. He muttered, mostly to himself, glancing at his watch, "We haven't got much time." Turning to Usui, "Go get your contacts and meet me in room 3469."

Usui hestitated. "Um, while it was nice seeing you again, and I'm flattered by your invitation, but…I…uh…how to put it…don't swing that way." Memories of his quasi-friend's flamboyant nature and proclivity for dressing in women's clothes flashed through his head, a slight pink dusting his cheeks as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and stared in the opposite direction. "Not that there's anything wrong with that," he hastily added. (1)

"As if Usui." Aoi rolled his eyes. "You're not even close to my type. I'll explain later, now just get them and come to my room!"

They were already in the elevator heading upwards. Usui was mystified, but since he did not have anything else planned for the evening, decided to play along. He could always excuse himself if things got too crazy. His grandfather, brother, and their "special guest" would be occupied with cocktails for a while and now was his chance to escape the monotony for a bit.

Less than ten minutes later found a tall, well-built blond knocking doubtfully on a hotel room door. The door cracked open, a hand reached out, grabbed his shirt, and yanked him into the room. The door slammed shut.

"Take off your shirt." Aoi had a steely glint in his eyes.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I thought I just made it clear I'm not into that." Usui, his hands up defensively, backed away towards the door.

"We don't have time for this." Aoi rolled his eyes. "Your pants and shoes are passable, I guess, but lose the shirt and tie."

"Ok, I'm outta here." Usui turned to open the door.

"You want to meet her right?"

Usui froze, his hand on the doorknob. "Meet who?"

"Ayuzawa Misaki, my boss."

Usui's eyes widened in amazement. He turned, mouth slightly open, ready to ask.

"How did I know? It was all over your face when they announced her name." Aoi smirked in a self-satisfied way. "But we have to hurry, there's not much time."

Aoi was already rummaging through his closet. He selected a dark, silvery grey shirt and scanned Usui's upper body. "Yeah, this should fit you." He tossed it over.

"So about your boss…"

Aoi smugly grinned at Usui's astonished reflection. The transformation was complete. It was amazing what a bit of hair gel, contacts, and a high quality, fitted shirt and blazer could do to one's appearance. Usui looked runway ready. His collar was unbuttoned and a creamy white untied bow tie hung loosely around it. His hair, finally tamed, was slicked back, exposing his handsome features, most prominent of which were the exquisite emerald green eyes, now noticeably on display with the removal of his glasses. He stood with the blazer draped over his shoulder and one hand in his pocket, as if straight off the cover of the latest fashion magazine.

"Ever consider modeling for me?" Aoi muttered, half to himself.

"What was that?"

"Never mind, let's get back down there."

Two dashing young men discreetly entered the back corner of the great hall. It was still packed with the banquet crowd who were sipping on cocktails and vying for the acknowledgement of various VIPs. Two pairs of eyes searched for their prey. Target located. She was surrounded by a group of attractive men, all competing for her attention. She was smiling and laughing, seeming to enjoy their company.

"Are you sure I won't be disrupting any relationships?" Usui's brow furrowed, his eyes darkening. He had vowed to himself never to be the reason for someone to stray after what his mother and father went through.

"I already told you, no husband, no fiancé, no boyfriend, no nothing." Aoi checked his watch again, "It's been almost an hour. Knowing her, she's tired of mingling and is going to escape and head out."

As if on cue, Misaki pulled aside two of the men, a tall one with glasses and a short one with green hair, spoke to them briefly and pointed them towards her admirers. She then quickly took her leave, slipping out a side door.

"This is it. You're on your own now." Aoi gave Usui a little push in her direction before wandering over to join his two co-workers.

Misaki breathed a sigh of relief as she walked down the mostly deserted hallway. She moved at a steady pace, not too fast, not too slow, but with enough purpose as to avoid any interactions with the few individuals lingering in the corridor. She zeroed in on her approaching destination. Just a few more steps and she was out on the patio, inhaling the sweet night air, mixed with the tangy scent of salt water. The ocean breeze caressed her face as she leaned on the railing, gazing at the moonlight on the rippling water. It felt freeing. Slowly the tension left her. It was exhausting having to schmooze with all those people, pretending to enjoy their company. What she wouldn't give to be able to give a piece of her mind to most of them instead of plastering on a fake smile and using an overly sweet voice. But, it was necessary to play the part as a business leader and award recipient. At least she could trust Kanou and Yukimura to cover for her for the rest of the evening.

Usui headed across the room, his eyes fixed on the door where Misaki had just disappeared. He wove his way through the crowd, barely conscious of anything but his goal. Unexpectedly, a group of familiar faces loomed into his line of sight. Quickly sidestepping, he hazarded a glance at the group, fearful that he had been discovered. However, they continued with their conversations, no light of recognition dawning on their features. If removing his glasses and sporting a new hairstyle worked for Clark Kent/Superman, why would it not work for him? He even received an appreciative nod from Igarashi as he passed, as if saying "Hey dude, looking good, we should do lunch!" The earlier orders of his grandfather echoed in his mind, "You are to go straight back to your room after the banquet, boy. You will not speak with other attendees. We will be congratulating the award recipients." Usui smirked to himself. This was a dangerous game he was playing, and he liked it.

Misaki was lost in thought, still standing on the patio, enjoying her solitude and the peaceful evening. Usui approached and cleared his throat, "Congratulations on your award. You look lovely tonight."

Misaki jumped slightly at the voice disrupting her contemplations. She turned sharply and gave him a quick once over, internally rolling her eyes. Just great, another over-enthusiastic pretty boy hoping to become her suitor.

"Thank you," she hoped she struck the right balance, not sounding too cold nor encouraging. "Well, I've got to be going now." She turned to leave.

"I enjoyed your talk," he persisted. She sighed, not another guy who couldn't take a hint, and started to come up with escape Plan B, slowly edging away.

"You were very insightful," he continued, "However, you came to the wrong conclusions regarding the import tariffs on electronic components."

This stopped her in her tracks. "What do you mean wrong conclusions?"

"Well, if you read Section 52.4.6-7 of Article 9, it clearly states…" he continued reciting the passage verbatim as her eyes grew wider and her mouth hung open in astonishment.

"What are you? Some kind of alien?" she half-joked when he was finished with the recitation.

He chuckled, and for some reason the sound warmed her heart.

"Thank you for the reminder of the tariff code, but just how are my conclusions wrong?" she challenged him.

They argued their points back and forth, as if in a tennis match. During their volleying, their feet started to move and carried them down the patio steps and onto the boardwalk that ran along the beach for the length of the resort.

While glancing up to notice a lighthouse in the distance, Misaki failed to notice a slight crack in the surface of the boardwalk and promptly lodged the heel of her silver peep-toe pump in it. Her body moved forward for her next step, but her foot did not follow and she pitched forward. Before she could even think of bracing herself for impact, a pair of strong arms surrounded her and she felt herself lifted up, defying gravity. Confused for a moment, she realized that he had swept her into his arms and was now carrying her over to the side of the walkway. Before she could protest, she had been deposited gently on a bench and he was now kneeling in front of her, examining the troublesome foot. She blushed and tried to retract the disruptive appendage. He tenderly rebuked her attempts and removed the uncomfortable looking shoe. Once he had assured himself that she was not injured, he looked up and smirked. "I didn't think you would fall for me so soon."

This earned him a blush, quickly followed by a smack on the head and a bark of "Idiot! I tripped! Who would fall for you?"

Abruptly she clapped her hands over her mouth, face like a tomato, embarrassed by what she had just said and done. Old habits die hard it seemed. "I..I'm sorry! I should not have done that or said that. You were just helping me. You kept me from falling…and all I could do was hit you…and insult you…," she rambled on, feeling more and more like her ungainly teenage self that she had been so sure she had outgrown. He just chuckled some more at her flustered state.

"These don't look appropriate for strolling on a boardwalk, why don't we just take them off and you can go barefoot in the sand," he suggested, helping her slip off the other delicate pump. Before she could protest, he quickly took off his own shoes and socks. "I think I'll join you."

He offered his hand as she rose from the bench. She accepted it and was pulled up and into his chest. A familiar scent flooded her nostrils. It was comforting and tickled her memories, but she could not place it. Realizing their proximity, she quickly stepped away. He didn't say anything and handed her the unfortunate footwear. She took them, then looking him in the eye, spoke with utmost sincerity, "Thank you."

His eyes widened as he was taken aback by both the emotion conveyed in her simple statement and his own reaction to it. His heart had sped up and was beating a mile a minute. He ran his hand through his hair and winked at her while quipping, "You can pay me back later." The redness on her visage appeared again and she clenched her fists as she turned away, willing herself not to take the bait and respond like earlier.

They carefully stepped down into the sand and continued their journey across the beach towards the lighthouse, walking beside the boardwalk. The sand felt soothing between their toes, still warm from the heat of the day. Arm in arm they strolled, Misaki having gratefully accepted his arm to prevent any further stumbling, Usui grateful to have an excuse to stay close to her. Their conversation turned towards lighter topics, as they laughed and chatted like old friends. The beach ended and they climbed back up to the boardwalk, pausing at an observation point with gorgeous views of the water and the lighthouse on its lonely point. Still arm in arm, they stood in comfortable silence, each contemplating the scene. Misaki pointed towards the horizon, "What is that?" Two small lights had appeared on either side and were slowly moving towards the middle.

"Oh, those lights must be two ships…," she started.

"…passing in the night." he finished. (2)

They were each watching the opposite ship, heads unknowingly turning to follow the slow progression of the light across the horizon. As the ships passed by each other, amber and emerald orbs met, becoming trapped in each other's gaze. As Usui leaned his head down, Misaki raised her head up. He swore he could hear the rhythmically crashing waves murmuring "Kiss the girl…Go on…Kiss the girl…" (3) Their lips, caught in a tractor beam, were on a collision course. Two pairs of eyes were simultaneously closing.

BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP!

The sound came from Usui's pocket. He swore under his breath as the two snapped apart, Misaki facing away, back towards the water, her cheeks blazing like a flare beacon. Fishing his phone out of his pocket with a quick apology, he glanced at the text message. Crap, it was already midnight and he had to get back to his room. There were some last minute changes for tomorrow's meetings. With a quick wave goodnight, he hurried up the steps to the resort.

"You didn't tell me your name," she called after him. "Sebastian…" floated back to her ears as he disappeared into the resort.

1 – "Seinfeld, Episode 57: The Outing", US sitcom, Tom Cherones, 1993

2 – "The Theologian's Tale; Elizabeth", poem, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1863

3 – "The Little Mermaid", US movie, Ron Clements, John Musker, 1989

AN: So I realize that Eric is the prince and Sebastian is the crab, but Usui is not the prince in this story and besides, Sebastian just sounded better, and he sang that song.