PROM FEVER


Last year, Tokiya was lucky to have missed the Juniors-Seniors Promenade because he was one of the finalists of the National Chemistry Olympiad which was held at Tokyo. Now on his senior year at Nashikiri High School, there was no way he could escape it. At present, majority of the student population, especially the female juniors and seniors had caught the prom fever. There were only two options: show up with a date or go stag. Third option was not an option: skip prom altogether and get a failing grade in homeroom. On the big day, the homeroom advisers would be checking attendance and dress code, ensuring that all students would be on their best behavior throughout the program, and texting the parents when it ended so the students would not get away with anything sneaky. Not that it would stop some of the devious students from trying anyway.

Tokiya brought a fork of beef teriyaki to his mouth and chewed silently.

"Isn't this going to be the most perfect prom in the history of Nashikiri High?" A girl in her junior year spoke from the table across Tokiya's.

The girl with pink hair sitting beside her sighed dreamily. "Because it's on Valentine's Day which is just a week away?"

"Because of the Famous Anime Couples theme?" asked another voice Tokiya recognized as belonging to Akane Ito, the seniors' class representative.

"Because the food will be catered by Vicellis? Pretty much makes up for the sucky gym venue." From the corner of his eye, Tokiya caught Pink Hair crinkling her nose delicately.

"No, silly!" The first girl's voice rose to a feverish pitch. "Haruki, like, asked me go with him!"

Her two other companions gasped dramatically.

"I know, right? He's such a catch! Just one look from those cool green eyes and I melt to the ground like hot fudge on a sundae." The first girl placed the back of her hand against her forehead and swooned for a total of five seconds. "We're going as Goku and Chichi, by the way."

"You're so lucky, Seira. Haruki's a hunk." Akane remarked.

"Yes, but your crush is the campus heartthrob. Have you asked him to the prom yet?" Hot Fudge aka Seira asked.

Akane choked on her sandwich. "Me? Why should I?"

"Well, it's not like he's gonna get off his high horse and ask you. Sometimes, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." Pink Hair said.

"I don't know," Akane hesitated.

"You were prom queen last year, plus you have a 1.25 GWA, and you're the senior class representative. You've got the whole package, girl. Work it! Look, he's right over there -"

Thankfully, the girls' voices dropped to a whisper, allowing Tokiya to enjoy the rest of his lunch in silence without inane banter interrupting from the background. His mind drifted to some trigonometric formulas for his quiz next period, when all of a sudden he felt a presence and someone tapping him on the shoulder from behind. Tokiya turned to find Akane smiling nervously, a blush coloring her cheeks. His blood ran cold, as if anticipating dread.

"Mikagami-san, I was wondering if I can ask you something about the prom." She placed her hands behind her and swayed shyly.

Oh no. Tokiya remembered the frivolous conversation at their table earlier. He wished the ground would just open up and swallow him, or that lightning would strike Akane any moment. Not that there was anything wrong with her per se, everyone practically worshipped her, but his senses could detect something else. It could hypothetically be that she was a closet slut.

"Are you going…." She started, but the rest of her sentence was cut off by a resounding thud as someone dumped a heavy backpack on top of his table.

"Hi, Mi-chan!" That someone, based on the voice and the peculiar nickname,was none other than the purple-haired monkey who was his former Hokage teammate.

"Kirisawa." Tokiya turned to her and raised a brow as he surveyed her. She was wearing a black baggy hoodie with the hood over her head, not a hair in sight. Dark sunglasses concealed her eyes.

"Shhh! I'm hiding." She sank down lower in her seat and behind her backpack.

"In plain sight?" Tokiya questioned.

"Yes, in plain sight. I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" Fuuko nodded in Akane's direction.

Tokiya had forgotten about the other girl.

Akane glared darkly at Fuuko, silently seething. She wasn't about to invite Mikagami-san to be her date to prom with this Kirisawa tomboy around to witness it. She pressed her lips together in a thin line. "No, no." She faked a cheerful voice. Kirisawa seemed to be disinterested, snatching the thick Trigonometry book from the table and hiding behind the pages.

"I'll talk to you during English period, Mikagami-san. Enjoy your meal." Akane cast him a furtive glance and walked back to her table.

Tokiya released his breath. "Great timing, Kirisawa. You just saved my life."

Fuuko lowered the book a little. He almost felt her questioning glare. "How?"

"She was going to ask me out to the prom." He replied.

Fuuko groaned. "Aww! Mikagami, you bastard. She's hot! I would go out with her if I were gay. You missed the chance of a lifetime."

"No, thanks." Tokiya wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Why are you hiding, anyway?"

"Ugh, it's Domon. Recca gave me intel that he's tearing the school apart, looking for someone to ask to prom and that someone happens to be me." She made gagging sounds.

"Of course. What did you do to him? I have never seen that amount of drool from any person's mouth the way he does whenever you're near." Tokiya commented. "It's like a werewolf imprinting."

"Except that werewolves imprinting are supernaturally beautiful, whereas there is nothing pretty about Domon salivating or Domon, period. And to answer your question, nothing! It's just the natural Kirisawa charm." She smiled cheekily.

"Apparently, boisterous, violent insane monkeys are his type. I'll never get it." Tokiya shook his head.

Fuuko growled, dropped the book, and tried to punch him across the cheek, but she missed.

"Losing your touch, Kirisawa." Tokiya smirked.

"Really?" Fuuko kicked him from under the table.

Tokiya almost howled in pain, but held himself in check. "If the Uruha knew you could to resort to underhanded tactics like that, they would've recruited you."

"Well lucky for you, said underhanded tactics only apply to fridge boys." She shot back.

"Whatever. I'm leaving." He was not having this banter again. What was it, the zillionth time? He made a move to stand up but Fuuko stilled him with a grip on his arm.

"Wait. Before you go, answer my question or I won't be getting any sleep tonight. Why would you reject Akane?"

Tokiya sighed impatiently. "You know why."

Fuuko bit the inner part of her cheek until it finally dawned on her. "Oh."

And as if on cue, a beautiful brown haired girl entered the cafeteria. She was holding two textbooks to her chest with one hand, and a shoulder bag was hanging gracefully from her other shoulder. She had an angelic smile on her face and her eyes sparkled as she waved back delicately at some girls from the baking club. It's as if everything faded to slow motion the moment she entered, and Tokiya's heart skipped a beat.

Fuuko poked his cheek with a finger. "I know that look, Fridge Boy. You still got it bad. Well, what are you waiting for? Ask her to be your prom date."

"Are you mocking me?" He raised a brow.

"No, I'm dead serious." She answered. "You like her, go get her. It's THAT simple. Seriously, men make everything complicated."

"Why? Hanabishi is your friend and he has staked his claim." Tokiya said dejectedly.

"Are you sulking? You're pathetic, Mikagami. Get your ass over there and pop the question. NOW." Without waiting for a reply, she shoved Tokiya in Yanagi's path and disappeared behind the post nearby.

Yanagi looked up, startled. Beholding the silver haired bishounen in all his glory, she blushed prettily. "Mikagami-sempai. Hello. How are you?"

"Good, Yanagi-san." He replied. "You?"

"I'm having a great day. I just sold the last of my cookies. We're raising funds so we can hire that rock band Reckless for the prom." She said excitedly.

"Cool." Mikagami answered.

After a minute of awkward silence, where Yanagi's gaze dropped to her shoes, Tokiya cleared his throat. "Actually, can I ask you a question?"

"Hold on, sempai. My phone just vibrated." She took out her phone from her bag and pressed some buttons, then read from her screen. "It's Recca. He's asking if we should dress up as Naruto and Hinaka for the prom, but I was thinking more along the lines of Yusuke and Keiko from Yuyu Hakusho? What do you think, Tokiya?"

Damn it. I should've known. Tokiya gritted his teeth, and a wave of insecurity and disappointment washed over him. Not that he was insecure of Recca, but he was insecure and honestly jealous about what he and Yanagi had between them.

"I think your taste is more refined than Hanabishi's, so go for it." Tokiya answered tersely.

Yanagi broke into a thousand-watt smile that caused a lump to form in his throat. Why did fate have to be so cruel that it wouldn't simply let him be her date instead?

She thrust her phone back into her bag. "Thanks, Tokiya-sempai. You were gonna ask me something?"

"No, nothing important. If you'll excuse me, Yanagi-san, I have to prepare for a quiz next class." He bowed down slightly and started to walk past her.

"See you around, Tokiya-sempai." She waved cheerily and turned towards her friends in the baking club.

A voice called out to him from behind a post. "Psst! Mi-chan!"

Fuuko pulled him by the arm to where she was standing. "Tough luck." She smirked, folding her arms across her chest. "Please don't cry me a river."

He smacked her behind her head with his palm. "Stop eavesdropping on me, Kirisawa."

"What? I didn't want to miss any of the action." She muttered defensively. "Wow, Mi-chan. You sure have a way with words in front of the chicks. So glad I'm not one of them."

He rolled his eyes. "Thank God, you monkey. What a repulsive thought." With a sigh, he took a step back. "Looks like it is serious between her and that pyromaniac."

Fuuko placed an arm around his shoulder. It was oddly comforting so he didn't shake it loose this time. "Man up, Mikagami. You'll get over her. There are plenty of fish in the sea, e.g. Akane Ito. And she's gonna make her promposal to you in English."

Mikagami could no longer quell his distaste as his mind began conjuring images of them at the prom, him being paraded all over the gym as if he were on display as her personal trophy. And she would do so in the most inconspicuous and innocent way, that sneaky devil. No snowball's chance in hell he'd let that happen, he thought derisively. He wasn't born to be some woman's arm candy.

At that moment, the doors to the cafeteria burst open and Domon Ishijima walked in dramatically. He took enormous steps forward, then stopped abruptly, bending over and placing his hands on his knees while he panted slightly. "Yo! Any of you people seen Fuuko Kirisawa?" He bellowed.

Fuuko's eyes widened and she held a finger to her lips. She jumped behind Mikagami for cover, not that it was necessary as they were already hiding behind a post.

The cafeteria was silent for two seconds till one of Fuuko's classmates called out, "She's not in here, Romeo. Try her usual spot at the rooftop."

Domon laughed heartily. "Why didn't I think of that? Thanks a lot, dumbass!" With that, the heavy Mohawk-haired junior left the way he came.

"Can't you just let him have his way, just this once? Is it really that bad?" Mikagami asked Fuuko when the cafeteria returned to its usual buzz.

"Hello? Do you even have to ask? I thought you were smart. Did you not see how crude he was to that guy who answered him?" She removed her sunglasses and flashed him a heated glare. "If I say yes, he'll want more and I'll never hear the end of it. The only way he'll leave me alone is if I go with someone else, and no one will want to go with me, so now I'm officially screwed."

At that moment, Tokiya had a light bulb moment and the strangest idea. "What if … I paid you to accompany me to the prom? That way Akane would get off my case and Domon would get off yours."

Fuuko looked dumbstruck. "You mean – go to the prom together? As in you and me? As a pair? Won't that be weird?"

Tokiya pinched her ear. "Mark my words, monkey. It's a business deal, not a date. I'm going to pay you, and you will use that money to buy a decent dress for the prom."

"FYI, we need to follow the prom theme, so I'm getting a costume, not a dress." She suddenly doubled over in laughter. "I'm thinking, what if I dress up as Gray in Fairy Tale and you be Juvia? I'll be the guy, and you go as the girl. Let's give them all a prom to remember."

"No, thanks." He drawled.

The bell rang, signaling five minutes till the beginning of the fourth period.

"Do we have a deal, Kirisawa?" He asked, stretching his hand out for her to shake.

"No choice. I believe you got yourself a deal, Mikagami." She spat on her hand and then firmly clutched his.

Tokiya flinched. "Disgusting, monkey. I'm regretting my decision already." He scanned the cafeteria for the nearest water fountain to wash his hand and found the one behind the door. "Goodbye."

"I'll need the money later, Mi-chan." She called out. "Oh, and break it to her gently. HER. You know. During English period. Bye!"

With that, she took off for her next class, leaving Mikagami to shake his head at her retreating figure.


Mikagami had never ached for the solitude of his home more than he did today. At last, school was over and he was heading for the bus stop when he noticed Domon and Fuuko in the school grounds on the way. Domon was bawling comically which triggered the temperamental Kirisawa to kick him in the shin.

"Tell me who your date is and I'll beat the crap out of him!" Domon growled.

Tokiya quickened his pace, determined to ignore them and make his escape, but Fuuko looked in his direction and caught his eye.

"I doubt you'll be able to, he's an excellent swordsman. Speak of the devil." She waved him over.

Damn it. Tokiya frowned. He approached them cautiously.

Domon's jaw dropped open. "MIKAGAMI?!" He punched himself in the cheek. "Wake up, Domon! You're in the freaking twilight zone!"

Tokiya nodded. "Indeed, this is stranger than fiction."

"Is it true?" Domon pointed a finger at him accusingly. "You've stolen my prom date right under my nose after I've worked so hard to track her down and ask her out?"

Fuuko snarled menacingly.

"It's not a date." Tokiya smirked. "It's a business deal. I'm paying her to keep the other girls who want a piece of me at bay. So you can stop with all the theatrics."

"Yeah… I'm kinda broke these days." Kirisawa seconded, scratching the back of her head for effect.

Domon sniffled and threw an arm around Tokiya's shoulder. "Ohhh, okay. A business deal, huh? I can respect that. But then who am I going to prom with?"

Tokiya shook off his arm. "Go solo, then dance the night away with Kirisawa. I'll be more than happy to give her up."

"Mi-chan!" Fuuko threw him a threatening look. "Shut your trap or I'm calling the deal off."

"Sounds like a great idea, Mikagami. I'll hold you to your word." Domon laughed. "Gotta practice my dance moves. Need to brush up on my mambo." He swayed his hips provocatively to their combined disgust.

"Yeah, whatever. Goodbye. I need a word with Mikagami." Fuuko waved dismissively, and pulled Tokiya to one side of the school gate by the strap of his backpack.

"What is it now, Kirisawa?" He asked impatiently.

"We need to pick a couple to dress up as." She blurted out. "But before that, how'd it go with Akane?"

He scoffed. "Well, she's out of the picture. Told her I already had a date. I mean, companion. Not date." Tokiya blinked, trying to fend off the incoherent thoughts.

She raised a brow. "Did you say it's me?"

"No, because it's none of her business." He answered brusquely. "But because Ishijima knows, the whole school won't be far behind. I'd say they'll know it's you by tomorrow morning."

"You and your big mouth." She replied with a snigger.

"You were saying something about the prom theme? Do we really have to discuss that now?" Tokiya demanded irately.

"Yeah, prom's only five days away. It's gonna be a long discussion and I function better when there's food. So, where to?" She winked. "Pick a place that has wi-fi, so I can show you pics of the characters."

"Kirisawa, I have college entrance exams to study for. I have no time for these trivialities. What the hell do I care about costumes? Just choose a damn pair and tell me what I have to do." He gritted out in frustration.

Her eyes widened. "Really? Okay. Here. I've downloaded ten pics, but that's all I've got. I spent the whole afternoon looking for options."

He frowned. "You've got the prom fever too, Kirisawa. You. Who would've thought?"

"What? I'm in this situation so I might as well make the most out of it." She took her phone from the pocket of her blazer and showed him an image of a boy with a slash across one eyebrow and dark brown bangs over the other eye. He was carrying a weapon that looked like a cross between a pistol and a sword. Beside him was a pretty girl with long black hair and porcelain skin.

"Squall and Rinoa?" Tokiya raised a brow. He had watched Kaoru Koganei play the game once.

"Yeah, you know. Squall's a lot like you. An arrogant, cold ass who's not bad-looking. So what do you think?" She clapped her hands excitedly.

"How the heck am I going to transform into Squall?" He demanded. "We don't have the same hair length."

Fuuko formed scissors with her left hand and made snipping noises.

He gave her a menacing look. "No way, Kirisawa. You will not touch my hair."

"Gotcha. Don't bite my head off." She chuckled.

He took a deep breath. "Anything else?"

She took a step closer to him till their shoulders were touching. He smelled vanilla and jasmine. She adjusted her phone so he could see the screen and then began scrolling through several pictures.

She paused. "How 'bout this one? Vegeta and Bulma?"

He cringed. "Again, the spiky hair."

"I knew you would object. Too bad. I totally dig Bulma's blue pixie cut." She locked her screen and the phone darkened. "That's all I've got." Then her stomach growled and she snickered. "Sorry. Told you I need food."

He rolled his eyes, but conceded. "There's a ramen shop nearby. They have wifi there."

At the ramen shop, Fuuko continued the research, since the whole thing was way out of his comfort zone. She showed him pictures of more anime couples, which he rejected one by one.

After the twelfth picture, the purple-haired girl folded her arms across her chest, clearly exasperated. "You know, now you're just being difficult."

"I'm being honest, Kirisawa. I want to be comfortable in my own skin, costume or not." He replied, drumming his fingers along the edge of their table and looking outside where gray clouds started to form. Music from the radio played in the background.

"So to date – I'm looking for a tall, long-haired, intelligent, standoffish doppelganger of yourself. And he must have the same hair color or something close to yours since you refuse to dye your hair, even if it's non-permanent dye. Edward and Winry from Full Metal Alchemist are now off the table."

A new song started to play on the radio. It was the opening song from Fushigi Yuugi.

"Hey…" Fuuko scratched her chin. "That song is from Fushigi Yuugi. Mi-chan, you do remind me of Hotohori. Who did he end up with?" She opened google on her phone and began to search. "You Houki, or Empress Dowager Youtaiko. Ohmygosh, she has purple hair!" She showed him a picture of the character. "Long purple hair so I could just get hair extensions! This is it, Mi-chan!" She took his hand and squeezed it excitedly.

He froze at the contact. Her hand was soft, which was surprising, and warm. He felt the warmth travelling up his arm.

"And who's Hotohori?" He asked.

"Emperor Hotohori is described as 'unquestioningly beautiful and narcissistic'." She showed him a picture. "An uncanny match, in all aspects. Mi-chan, he could be, like your ancestor or something."

"Yeah, right." He mumbled, as he grabbed her phone and continued reading. "Can't say the same about you and your character. She's reserved, gentle and hard-working."

She shrugged. "We're just supposed to dress as them, not act like them."

"I beg to disagree. That goes against all the rules of cosplay." He countered.

She took a deep breath. "Fine, I'll pretend. It's just one night. This is the closest lead we have and I am not giving it up. Unless you object." Again, she dropped her voice, but he heard her.

"No, no. I can pull off Hotohori." He said.

"Won't it be akward if Yanagi and Recca go as Miaka and Tamahome? I know you don't watch Fushigi so FYI, Hotohori was in love with Miaka before he married You Houki." She put her elbows on the table and leaned her chin on clasped hands, waiting for his reaction.

"They're going as Yusuke and Keiko. She told me." He replied, stirring his ramen with chopsticks.

"Woah. Way to miss the point." She shook her head and smiled teasingly.

"I know your motive, monkey, and I won't indulge you." He said wryly.

"Did you ever stop and think, maybe Yanagi's not meant for you, and you're meant to be with someone who's more … I don't know … hotter? Bigger boobs? Even bigger brains? I mean, not to demonize Yanagi. I love her to bits but for you it has to be someone who would melt your ice cold heart so yeah, someone hotter - "

"Oh God, will you stop?" He interrupted. "I'm not interested in anyone else."

The last word was not lost on Fuuko and for some reason, she felt unsettled. She cleared her throat. "Mi-chan, you're my friend. I just don't want to see you hurt, but you already are. She's breaking your heart without even knowing it."

"You don't know what you're saying, Kirisawa." He said wearily, putting his chopsticks down. "She's happy and that's what matters. I'm used to being alone."

Thunder roared from outside and rain started to fall.

"Except you're not alone." She smiled. "You've got … uh, books. And uh, lots of money, but look on the bright side – I'm here. At least you have one friend." She grinned. "Right?"

He refused to dignify her question with an answer, and transferred his gaze to the rain falling in sheets outside. What was she to him, anyway? Except a nuisance. But here he was, sharing a meal with her, something he would never do with any of the girls throwing themselves at him. Talking to her about his secrets. Getting her out of the Domon quandary and letting her get him out of his. She was right. He was already giving her access to his life as a friend. Instead of being horrified, the thought somehow warmed his heart.

She brought her bowl to her mouth and slurped the remaining soup, not offended and rather used to his silence. "It's sad, man. I don't have an umbrella or anything. How am I supposed to get home now?"

"We can wait here till the rain stops." He offered. "It's warm and nice here. I kind of like it."

She met his eyes and smiled thoughtfully. "Yeah. Yeah, me too."


A.N.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Although the romance here is kind of sterile, still I hope I gave you a glimpse of how and where it all began.