Disclaimer: Nope, these characters arn't mine! They belong to Chiho Saito, and Bepapa's of course! So don't sue me, its not like I have any money to give you anyway. I just have my computer *clings to computer* DON'T TAKE MY COMPUTER! *cough* Okay, perhaps that was a bit dramatic.
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"Tsuwabuki!", That was the magic word. Any bit of discomfort she could possibly imagine and all she had to do was snap her fingers, "Tsuwabuki!" Thats why I'm here! To be her prince and serve her, as any gracious prince would. I understand that her feelings for me run no deeper than they would for a servent, but none of that matters when I'm with her...
"Tsuwabuki, this udon is terrible! Take it back and bring me something more to my liking." she commandeds me as no more than a slave, as well she should, for thats all I am to her. So I'll hide my pain, tuck it away in my bottle of emotion and smiled for her.
"Yes Miss Nanami!" I scurry to the lunch table to buy her a new lunch, with my own money no less. I see the way the middle school students look at me, and I know what they are thinking:
"Why does he let her treat him that way?"
"He's got to be sick of her!"
"Why won't he stick up for himself?"
None of them will ever understand why I do what I do for Miss Nanami, its an honor for me to even be allowed in her presance. Sometimes I wonder how she tolerates a stupid kid like me. If I had only been born two years earlier, than perhaps I could've been her real prince. There's no use crying over spilled milk, I guess... I'll just remain happy in slavery.
"Mitsuru! Your late again! I should report you, always coming into the dorms past curfew. Where do you go?!" Maki was always there to reem me about any peice of dirt she could get her grubby little paws on.
"I was preparing dinner for Miss Nanami and Touga-sempai." I answered solmnly, dragging my feet, out of sheer exaughstion. I collapsed on the bed while Maki yipped into my ear, her ears slurred in my brain as I drifted off and fell asleep.
10:43 a.m. the digital readout of my alarm clock read as I lifted my tired eyes and realized that I had collapsed without setting my alarm for the morning. I made a mad rush from the bed to the kitchen to make Miss Nanami's lunch failing to brush my teeth or comb my hair. There were more important things at hand, other than my appearance!
I arrived at the middle school just in time for the bell to ring letting the first lunch students out. I sat in the quiet halls of the middle school level of Ohtori, contemplating the checkered floor and concentrating on not falling asleep while clutching to the Obento that had been thrown together in a frantic scurry to have it prepared on time. As I traced the checkered pattern of the floor with my eyes, a pair of Ohtori issued school shoes appeared in front of me, attached to a pair of long pale legs and a pair of scowling blue eyes.
"Tsuwabuki! Whats the matter with you! You look like you just woke up and ran here, how dare you embaress me at school like this!" Without a second word she stompped off, furious with her servent. I clutched the Obento to my chest.
"She didn't even look at the lunch I made for her..."
Without knowing where to go, or what to do without Miss Nanami's endless orders, I wondered, lost and confused through the halls of Ohtori. There was a meloncholy air all around me. I'd never gotten a chance to admire the halls of the Academy, I was usually to preoccupied with attending to Miss Nanami, but even now as I examined them, they didn't seem so great.
I strolled passed the rose garden, but something compelled me to turn around. Though I usually ignore my instincts and let Miss Nanami make up my mind for me, today was different. I stopped and walked the narrow stone path to the garden. Its was a beautiful place, with the scent of roses all around, and a serene, peaceful feeling. It was strange how being in a glass birdcage could be so relaxing.
There was a yellow rose no more than a foot from my face, I raised my fingers to touch it, wondering what its soft pedals would feel like, but before my fingers could reach it there was a sharp stab into my index finger. I pulled back feeling an intense pain shooting in my finger as the blood balled on the tip of my finger, so did the tears in my eyes. I wouldn't allow myself to cry just yet though. I raised my eyes to the beautiful rose that still sit untouched, its thorns now glossy with the hint of my own blood.
I balled my fists tightly, fighting back all my emotions. My mind made a mental roledex of everytime I had been scorned, betrayed, or lied to by Miss Nanami, and it seemed to be flipping through it, reminding me of all those horrible things. For a moment I questioned my own sainity, "Why would anyone put up with that?!" I asked myself retorhically. All at once, it was as if someone had uncapped my bottle of emotions tears flooded to my eyes and my balled fist shot through one of the glass panels of the greenhouse, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the empty hallways. Time seemed to pause for everyone except me.
I retracted my hand, shards of glass still pertruding my skin, "I just wanted to touch it..." I reapeated to myself, over and over. This birdcage didn't seem so peaceful anymore, I turned to leave, but there was a hand on my shoulder stopping me. "Miss Himemiya! I'm sorry about your rose garden... I'll fix it I promise!" I hung my head in shame, positive that she was going to scorn me."
She kneeled bringing herself eyelevel to myself, she wiped my eyes, shiny with unshed tears, "Its alright. Its just a window." she examined my hand, now dripping with crimson. "Come with me, I'll help you bandage your cut." she took me by my un-wounded hand and led me acrossed the campus amazed by her kindness.
"Next time you try getting too close to a rose, remember that they have thorns." the emeraled eyed girl offered some words of advice while wrapping my wound.
"Yes Miss Himemiya!" That was the only response I could think of, it was the only response I was used to. She didn't question it though, I was glad. After bandaging me up, she made me some shaved ice. We sat in silence, eating shaved ice, neither one of us was much of a conversationalist, but I was happy... and she seemed to be too. So I smiled at her, and she smiled back. "I think I need to get back to class now Miss Himemiya, but thank you so much for wrapping my cut, and for the shaved ice, it was delicious!" I bowed and excused myself.
"Tsuwabuki! Your late to class! And why is your hair so sloppy? Did you oversleep again, your so irresponcible!" Maki, never let up, but it didn't even phase me today.
"She smiled back at me..." I whispered to myself, Maki making no sense of it at all.
"What happened to your hand?!" She took it examining the blood seeping through the bandages, and pleading for an answer. Maki was quite the buisy body when she wanted to be.
"I just got a little cu-"
"TSUWABUKI!!!" I heard a voice shout from a good 15 meters away.
"Hai, Miss Nanami?" I crawled back into my shell of misery, simply wishing she would leave me alone for the rest of the day to revel in the fact that she had smiled back. She trounced toward me, I knew that I was in trouble this time.
"Do you know what kind of embaressment you put me through today?!" She shouted loudly, "I should beat you good! You know that? I shou-"
"-I resign, Miss Nanami." I said calmly turning to exucse myself.
"You WHAT?! You can't resign! Your not allowed!" I could hear her beackoning me to return and take whats coming to me, but for once in my life, I didn't have the urge to rush to her side and cater to her every whim.
"So you DO have a backbone!" Maki teased and playfully punched me in the arm. I smiled and punched her lightly shouting, "TAG, YOUR IT!" Then darting acrossed the playground, laughing. I was no longer happy in slavery.
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I hope you like it! Tell me your opinions! I want to hear them. Go Review!! heh heh, -Jowy Blight
