Disclaimer: I do not own Ai Yori Aoshi and Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi. This is the property of Kou Fumizuki, Pioneer/Geneon, and JC Staff.

Blue Monarch
Act 1, Scene 1

Aoi's eyes wandered over the line of women before her. They were assembled like suspects, and with each passing glance of their faces, she could feel the threads of fate each one held to Kaoru. Her eyes itched to narrow at them in suspicion. Which one of them was she? Who was she who dared to intrude on what she and Kaoru-sama shared? How was this one better than her that he would choose her?

Every moment that she spent here with them, those other women, the threads wound themselves into a noose around her neck.

Was it Tina, who was so audacious as to fling herself at Kaoru-sama without abandon?

Or was Kaoru-sama seduced by the similar timidity and mildness that Taeko held?

Could it have been Mayu, who boldly expressed her desire for Kaoru-sama that he could easily take advantage of her?

She felt the noose tighten.

Of all the faces present and showing themselves to her, Kaoru was the only one who would not even look at her, let alone face her.

Out of shame, guilt, or pride, it did not matter.

He had willingly turned away.

Tina's raucous laughter grated in Aoi's ears, and the arm that Tina clamped around her shoulders felt too heavy.

"Oi, oi! Do you really have to leave, landlady? We'll miss you so much! Let me give you a special goodbye check!"

A person who could chatter and laugh and smile, though a heart was breaking.

Aoi couldn't bring herself to say anything in reply before Tina helped herself. Thankfully, Miyabi could.

"Aoi-sama must return home," Miyabi said sternly. "Her family has very urgent matters at hand, and she belongs there."

Taeko eagerly leaned forward. "When will you come back, landlady-san?"

Aoi looked down. I don't know.

"It is undetermined. Only until the matter is resolved." Miyabi's tone left the issue at that.

Chika whined sadly. "Nyaah... I'll miss Aoi-neesan! Who will I help with the chores?"

The maid could only offer a smile and demure tilt of her head. "Ah, you'll still have me, Chika-chan..."

"And I will also help! We'll keep this place running just as perfectly as Aoi-san did, if not even better!" Mayu declared. She brought herself to the forefront of the farewell party. "It will be great and grand and it will look like you never left at all!" Mayu grabbed onto his arm, looking up expectantly and cooing the suggestion to him. "Don't you like the sound of that, Hanabishi-sama?"

"Hey! Stop bothering Kaoru, you brat!"

Taeko tentatively hung close behind Kaoru; she hesitantly raised one arm as if some signal to halt them, and her other arm swayed forward, ready to take Kaoru's hand and pull him away from the fray. As if he sensed her, his fingers twitched back to hers. "Ah... Tina-sempai... please stop arguing..."

Below the flying arguments and noise, Aoi resisted the urge to frown, to scream, to cry at how they could go on without her. All of them were vultures, ready to swoop in and take her place. She glanced at Kaoru, who was still turned away.

Her eyes traveled to him, and the girls' attention followed.

Tina bolted and jumped on his back, arms wrapped around his shoulders and hanging off him. How casual and presumptive... invasive.

Aoi's throat hitched as it choked on her unspoken accusations.

"Kaoru! Don't be so rude! Say goodbye to landlady-san!" The blonde's lips were dangerously close to brushing against his ear as she loudly encouraged him.

He looked at her through half-lidded eyes and his lips itched to force a smile, but he became suddenly aware of the situation he was in, so instead he looked down and away.

"Stop being so gloomy and just say goodbye! She'll come back, ne?"

Miyabi frowned. "That is yet to be determined."

She had said it so sharply at Tina that the girl disentangled herself from Kaoru.

"As for Kaoru-dono, maybe he would prefer a private goodbye." Her nod to him was imperceptible, but this was her last favour to him. This was the last time she would turn her eyes away from him and Aoi-sama and let them have their intimacy. She began walking away, and so Tina and the girls followed until they had congregated to Miyabi's awaiting luxury car.

Though Aoi did not feel brave, though she wanted to leave quickly, she wanted his last words. She at least wanted the dignity of a goodbye. Her sandaled feet peeked out from under her kimono with each step towards him. She stopped at a distance away from him. The space between them could have been filled by both their arm lengths, if they had chosen to reach out to each other at this time.

"Kaoru-sama."

The address was hollow, only for show. Her voice was quiet but clear; she could feel the other girls' ears straining for any finality, any confirmation that she was severed from Kaoru-sama. She would not give them that satisfaction.

"It is unfortunate that we must part like this."

The meaning was veiled but he could see through the pretense.

He glimpsed upward at her and then his head followed. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Aoi-chan..." He said it so faintly, but it was barely an audible whimper to the other girls.

His lips worked slowly, his tongue sluggish, trying to find anything to say to her without having to look at her. He could not even bring himself to bid her goodbye.

She bowed curtly.

"Hidoi... You truly are a son of Hanabishi."

Aoi turned away. She did not dare meet his eyes to see them widen, or look down to see his fists clench at his sides. She knew that she was the cruel one for saying that. She had never spoken or done anything with the intention of hurting someone. It surprised her that for her first time, she had done it so easily, she had hit her mark, straight and true. What was more surprising was though the taste of the barb was bitter on her tongue, it was something that she enjoyed and wanted more of.

Now that she had her goodbye, it was both much too long and much too short for her. Escaping her uncertainty, she briskly moved towards Miyabi's car, graciously seating herself on the passenger side and finding that Miyabi was already warming up the vehicle.

The heavy slamming of both doors and the screech of tires resounded in the air outside the once cozy and intimate home. Its mistress sped away from the memories in the house, hoping that none would follow her.

Aoi had said so herself: This will not last.

She was ashamed that though she knew, she could not bear it.

Blue eyes glanced about the inside of the luxury car. Aoi could not look at Miyabi directly, only look at her hands. She was clenching the steering wheel so tightly, her knuckles had gone white. Her gaze was but a glare at the road ahead and her foot as heavy as Aoi's own heart on the gas pedal.

As Aoi could feel the distance between herself and (what she presumed to be) home widen, the noose began to unwind, string by string. It was too late as she felt the last one snap, leaving her crumpled like a broken marionette.