AN: Hello. Hi. I'm alive.
I am so so sorry for disappearing (again). Here is a short version of what happened.
Me: Hey, I should be productive and do homework and update my fic and actually be able to eat food.
My Stomach: No. Here are some inexplicable cramps and pains that will last for hours and leave you eating porridge and toast and applesauce for days.
Me: why
My Stomach: because
So there you have it. Shorter chapter this week, more Kyoya because I got a pretty positive response to his guest appearance. If you guys like him and want to keep seeing him, let me know. I might be up for writing more Kyoya and maybe some Host-Club omakes. Idk. We'll see whether my stomach wants to let me live.
Disclaimer: Nope, Fruits Basket is NOT mine (neither is Ouran or its characters). (But Saki is, hehe)
The days following Valentine's Day are really just a series of disasters.
Sunday brings about a morning crisis with her washing machine breaking and nearly flooding her apartment, ruining her plans for a nice morning jog with Yuki. Monday is awful because Mondays are always awful, and come Tuesday, her mother is pestering her about working out "a followup date" with Kyoya. The idea of meeting with Kyoya again isn't unappealing, but the idea of it being a "followup date" certainly is, leaving Murasaki in a foul enough mood to prompt an evening jog that night, a bit of exercise to release some pent-up frustration. This works against her: in the changing light of twilight, she misses a step and twists her left ankle.
But, probably worst of all, Valentine's Day has left a depressed Yuki in its wake. He's retreated back into his shell for some reason, smiling only when the occasion calls for a polite laugh, spending his lunches disappearing to the student council room, probably to do paperwork of some kind.
It's confounding. They had just been making progress, and now Murasaki feels like he's turned back his emotional clock to first term.
Wednesday, though, is when disaster really and truly strikes.
It starts with the whispers. The way the class goes quiet when she enters the room, and then the slow, incremental build of whispering until the teacher comes in and starts class, leaving in its place a low, silent, static state of murmured conversation and quiet curiosity.
The stolen glances and curious stares of her classmates make Murasaki's skin prickle unpleasantly.
The others seem to notice it too. Uou keeps shooting death glares at girls who whisper and point. Hana seems on edge, a threatening aura of electricity surrounding her, while Tohru worries. None of Murasaki's friends seem to know what's going on either.
But they get their answer at lunch break.
~.~
"Murasaki-san! Is this you?"
It's Suzushi Yukira, one of their classmates, holding a phone in Murasaki's face. Ordinarily, Suzushi barely even talks to Murasaki or her circle of friends, so the direct question out of context startles her.
But a mild sense of surprise quickly shifts into a deep, heavy twist of horror in her gut.
It's an online tabloid article, featuring a picture of her and Kyoya together on Valentine's Day. "Are They Engaged? Third Ootori Son Spotted With Piano Prodigy Murasaki Kaname on Valentine's Day".
All of the blood in Murasaki's body seems to suddenly rush to the center of her chest, where her heartbeat increases to wild degrees of flight flight and flight.
Piano prodigy? Engaged?
Panic fills her lungs. And then another thought enters her mind.
Kyoya is going to kill me.
"I-I ... " her voice has ceased to function properly, but her friends save her from having to confirm or deny the claim.
"Yo, why don't you leave her alone? Obviously, whatever you're showing her is so stupid she can't even dignify it with a response," Uou says, whipping a metal pipe out of literally nowhere and smashing it into the corner of Suzushi's desk.
The poor girl visibly pales by several shades.
But it's too late. The damage has been done. Talking and questions erupt from every side of the classroom, and Murasaki quickly flees the scene, leaving behind both the mounting sound of gossip and the concerned voices of her friends.
Murasaki weaves her way down the hall, ankle aching in protest, before ducking into one of the student council storage rooms before anyone can interrupt her. She pulls out her phone, scrolls through her contacts, and hesitates slightly before clicking "Call".
"~I take it you've seen the article?~" is the first thing Kyoya Ootori says to her.
"Kyoya, I'm so sorry, I didn't think... Oh, this is all my fault-" she begins to ramble.
"~Hardly. I was much more involved in the planning of that meeting, I should have anticipated that this would be a possibility.~"
"No, you couldn't have foreseen this I mean... No one could have foreseen this," Murasaki mutters, tugging on her hair in frustration.
"~On the contrary. It was rather elementary. Your sudden disappearance from the academy and from the public eye makes you a figure of interest. People love a mystery. I should have seen to a more thorough protection of your privacy. I apologize.~"
"Kyoya… no, it's my fault. Keeping my past a secret was never your responsibility. They were bound to find out eventually."
"~I am sorry, nonetheless. That said, I'm afraid we will have to discuss a course of action.~"
"Yes, of course. I'm all ears."
The basics are this: the article isn't as bad as it could be. For the most part, it just paints them as a cute, innocent couple of kids going out on a romantic Valentine's Day dinner. There are some not-so-subtle implications that they might be in an arranged engagement, and the article goes on to compliment her and Kyoya's apparent natural compatibility and chemistry. (Which... Ugh. Just no.)
There are no implications of a scandal or any untoward behavior. It's really just a stupid article making her and Kyoya look like a cute, innocent couple.
But it's still bad. The engagement rumor is many, many different shades of bad. And Murasaki can't even bring herself to think about the "Piano Prodigy" bit of the headline.
"~Frankly, the magnitude of this article is small. In fact, I'm amazed any of your classmates even found it, as the organization from which it originated is still fairly new. It should be easy enough to get it removed. While I take care of that, I have a favor to ask of you.~"
"Sure."
"~Don't let either of our mothers get it into their heads to make this article's rumor a reality.~"
Murasaki snorts, the weight on her chest lifting slightly.
"You realize I have very little control over that."
"~You're a brilliant individual. Work something out.~"
"Brilliant and God are not synonyms, Kyoya," Murasaki deadpans.
"~Don't argue semantics, Kaname, it ages you greatly.~"
She almost manages to get a word in edgewise when her voice catches in her throat.
"You called me Kaname," she whispers. For a moment, the quiet of the storage closet eats at her, as she presses her ear into the phone, listening to the faint sound of static from the other side.
"~According to the tabloids, we're engaged. I supposed it was about time for first-names~." he replies evenly.
"You called me Kaname," she repeats, like it's a revelation of global proportions. For the first time all day, a small smile spreads across her face.
"~And you are going to stop the raging storms of chaos that are our mothers. Good luck, Kaname~."
The smile disappears.
"Kyoya, that's playing dirty-"
But he's already hung up on her. Murasaki stares down at her phone, feeling slightly better, but still miffed.
"That bastard," she mutters.
The class is in chaos.
Yuki exchanges a look with Tohru, one of shared confusion at Suzushi's comment and Saki's subsequent flight from the classroom. Both incidents are unusual in their own right: Suzushi barely knows Murasaki and Murasaki is typically a very level-headed person.
However, it's Uou that ultimately seeks answers first.
"Alright, Suzushi. What the hell did you show her?" the former-Yankee growls menacingly, brandishing her lead pipe with frightening strength and conviction. Suzushi begins to visibly tremble, and Yuki has half a mind to defend the poor girl.
But then he remembers the look of fear and horror on Saki's face, and that half of his mind slides into agreement with the rest of him. Answers are to be had.
"I-It's the a-article! I found it, I w-was just curious!" Suzushi stutters, holding up her phone to Uou as Hana, Tohru, and Yuki get out of their seats to take a look at the device. Yuki's stomach drops at the headline.
"Are They Engaged? Third Ootori Son Spotted With Piano Prodigy Murasaki Kaname on Valentine's Day:
Former Tokyo Music Academy student and piano prodigy Murasaki Kaname was spotted this past Valentine's Day with none other than first-year Ouran student Ootori Kyoya, the third son of the Ootori family. Both families have established amicable relations and business deals in the past, and it is speculated that Ootori Kyoya and Murasaki Kaname have been in an arranged engagement for some time. Sources claim that the attractive pair exuded a natural attraction and chemistry during their date on the top floor restaurant of…"
Yuki doesn't bother trying to read the rest, his stomach twisting into knots.
Ootori? Engaged?!
But it's unmistakable. That's Murasaki Kaname in the picture, red dress and all. And the boy standing beside her, in that slick, grey suit…
"Yuki-kun, I think we should go look for her," Tohru murmurs to him, as the class boils with excitement over the article on Suzushi's phone. Uou is already threatening mass-violence with that pipe of hers. Hana is exuding a dangerous aura.
Yuki inhales sharply, unsure of why breathing suddenly hurts so much.
Engaged his mind supplies him, and a fresh sharpness embeds itself in his lungs.
"You're right, Honda-san," he manages to say past the stabs in his chest. "Let's go find her."
Rice ball and Rat escape the chaos of Class I-C.
They split up, Tohru jogging towards the cafeteria and Yuki towards the student council rooms. The first few spots- meeting room, supply room, library- turn up empty, but upon reaching the student council storage room, Yuki flings the door open only to be greeted by the sight of Saki seated on a storage crate, staring helplessly at her phone and looking equal parts annoyed and frustrated.
But Yuki notices that most of the fear has left her eyes, which is a relief.
"Saki?" he pants, out of breath.
"Yuki?"
She looks surprised to see him. Not just surprised to see anyone, but surprised to see him specifically. It's at this moment that Yuki realizes the pain in his chest has really been there all week, and he's been avoiding her because of it. A stone of guilt settles itself into his stomach, whilst a stab of something inexplicable and sharp presses into his heart anew.
Looking at her reminds him of that beautiful dress and her beautiful smile.
And that makes his heart ache.
"Yuki, you startled me-"
"I'm sorry," Yuki whispers, each syllable ripping his tongue on the way out. He takes a step into the storage room, the door sliding shut behind him. Suddenly the space is small and they're alone and the dust seems to filter through the light like little pieces of shimmering, fine glitter.
"What?"
"You're engaged," he breathes, voice quiet and defeated. "I've been going on runs with you and stopping at your apartment for tea and taking advantage of your selfless kindness and you're engaged-"
"No I'm not."
Her words cut the air like a knife.
"That article was making ridiculous speculations out of nothing. We're already working on getting it taken down," she says. For a moment, Yuki's chest untwists in slight relief, but the feeling is fleeting. He doesn't miss the "we" in her statement.
"I still owe you an apology," he says. She looks up at him, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Why?"
He sighs, pressing his fingertips to his temple where a headache is quickly forming.
"You've been so kind to me, but I'm afraid I've acted inappropriately. It's hardly my place to be having tea in your apartment when you have a boyfriend-"
For the second time in less that a minute, Saki surprises him: she laughs.
"Pfft, b-boyfriend. Kyoya. Ha!" she giggles, words escaping her mouth in disjointed half-thoughts around her laughter. "He's not- God, we don't even- we'd murder each other," she laughs nonsensically. It's his turn to be confused.
"So he's not…?"
"God, no. Is that what everyone thinks? Is that what they're talking about?" Saki asks, eyes full of mirth, and something else. It looks like it might be relief.
Some part of Yuki lets out a deep, deep sigh. He unclenches hands he hadn't even realized were clenched, taking a seat on the storage crate opposite hers.
"I wouldn't know for certain, but the whole 'engaged' part of the headline seems to be all anyone is talking about," Yuki states. It's at this moment that he notices how close they actually are: his knees are mere inches from hers. In the dim, half-light of the storage room, he can make out every contour of her face, the dip of her cupid's bow, the curve of her cheek, the thin, straight line of her nose.
"I should have known that all anyone was going to remember was the bit about Kyoya. Leave it to teenage girls to be distracted by his face," she chuckles, mostly to herself. Yuki can't help but smile at her. But the light leaves her eyes after a moment, and that alarming shade of fear is once again written all over her delicate features.
"Saki?"
"Did you read it?" she asks, not looking at him. Her eyes have drifted to the window of the storage room door. Vaguely, they can make out the tops of people's heads as they pass in the halls, but from their seats closer to the floor, it's hard to see much else. And it would almost certainly be impossible for anyone outside to see them.
"Just the headline and the first paragraph," he says carefully. "After that, Tohru and I split up to go looking for you. Speaking of, we should probably let her know that I found you," Yuki says, standing. Saki jumps to her feet, and he notices that she winces slightly at the sudden movement.
"Yuki, wait-"
Her hand reaches out to grab a fistful of his shirt and he instantly freezes on the spot.
There's something shimmering beneath her eyes that makes him stop and hold his breath. It's not that the emotion lying there is foreign: quite the opposite, in fact. She looks haunted in a way that he used to see in the bathroom mirror every day. It makes him want to reach out and touch her, reassure her, hold her. The urge startles him in its intensity.
A moment of unbearably tense silence passes between them before she closes her eyes and lets go of his shirt, sucking in a breath like her lungs are in pain from lack of air. For a moment, Yuki sees himself in her: afraid and hurt and lost.
"S-sorry. I-I… I… I'm sorry. Let's go … let's go find Tohru," Saki whispers.
She's out the door of the storage room before he can even ask what she's apologizing for.
Before her last year at the academy, Murasaki considered herself brave.
She was under constant scrutiny from her peers. She faced high-pressure performances and aggressive rivals and demanding teachers on a frequent basis. She was unapologetic in her talent, never once backing down from a fight or a competition on the piano.
She was strong. But she was also merciless.
Ultimately, she wonders whether or not her very strength, her very refusal to be anything less than what she was, is what killed her sister. The cruel thing about the competitive world of classical music is that there are winners.
And the existence of winners necessitates the existence of losers.
Ironically, Murasaki's final win produced her current, endless, spiteful cowardice.
She wonders if that's why she couldn't bring herself to tell Yuki, why she felt so shamefully relieved that the words "piano prodigy" didn't cause as many waves as the word "engaged". Her past is like this vicious villain that she tries to pretend isn't a part of her. She tries to convince herself and everyone else that she's brand new, rewritten, different, better. But the secret is heavy on her tongue, on her shoulders. She drags it around every day, going to great lengths to hide it away. Perhaps that's why the article frightened her so much. Perhaps that's why she couldn't bring herself to tell him.
If he knew, would he still be able to look at her and not see a monster?
And if she keeps hiding it away, does that make her a monster anyway?
Slightly darker chapter. It's time to dive into Murasaki's big ball of fear so that someone *ahem*Yuki*ahem* can start helping her detangle it.
As ever, a huge thank-you to my Favorites/Followers: AngelofMusic1321, Deneb E. Winter, Sayuri Tamano, Yakitori-Chan, ayamiamy, cappie14, frustratedfox, sheeto1011, tokkiKANA, Of-Constellations-and-Coffee, SimULater, Ice of Serenity, TheAlleyCat18, Stestiel, wildflowerboots, ivyqiu112706, TwilightNewMoonEclipseMidnight, ColorfulPhoenix92, starrycalypso, BlackWind 34, im-so-confused-18, mysticfairydancer, Diamond D' Natsuki, judjejuj, Supix, Elsangelee Irizarry, satirepoet2649, MistiFlare, ChuChewy, Dragon Queen001, and yatogod1!
(literally, there are so many of you guys that I'm terrified I missed someone. If I did I am so sorry, please let me know, and I will send all the apologies)
Review Replies!
starrycalypso: Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the guest appearance as much as you did, as well as Murasaki's friendships with the girls and her relationship with Yuki :)
Anon: So so glad you like Murasaki. I always worry about my OCs becoming Mary-Sue, so I'm glad she doesn't give you that vibe. If she ever ventures down that path, don't be afraid to keep me honest! OMG I didn't even think about Your Lie in April, but you're so right! (And I love the Ballad 1 as well. Had a friend who would play it in school, and I cried every time.) Your opinion of Machi and her relationship with Yuki totally reflects why I wanted to write this story: I always felt that Yuki deserved to "get the girl" and even though Kyo deserved Tohru 100%, I never felt that Machi was really the one for Yuki. I felt he needed someone to not only bring him out of the darkness, but help him see the other side. He deserved his own girl from the very beginning, which is why I created Murasaki. So ecstatic you're enjoying it and thank you for the wonderful review :)
Guest (Ch.6): Thank you so much for your sweet encouragements, I wish I could give you a hug. I was so sad for Yuki too, but really this misunderstanding serves the purpose of kick-starting his realization that "Oh, oh I like her. Crap.". (Hopefully). And although this one was cleared up pretty quickly, there's going to be some *ahem* lingering effects. *cough*TheTabloidDisasterpt2*cough*. But yes, you're right. Wonderful, sweet romance will be had. (eventually. I honestly don't know when, but eventually, lmao). Also, yes. Her banter with Kyoya is honestly one of my favorite parts of this story so far. And I didn't even plan that ahead of time, it just sort of happened. I was literally waiting to take an AP exam and a scene with her and Kyoya appeared in my brain, so I jotted it down before exam time started, haha. Thank you for the wonderful review! :)
judjejuj: So happy you're enjoying the story, and thank you for the input about the Kyoya guest appearance! I'm glad to have (maybe) done him justice. Hope you liked him in this chapter too. Thank you for the lovely review :)
Catniss07: Loll, Murasaki going to meet the host club sounds like such chaos, I love it! Thank you so much for the review (and hilarious scene idea, I might steal that, hehe).
As ever, reviews are super duper welcome and they honestly keep me going. It's been a rough few weeks (I need to just replace my stomach. That's it. That's the solution) but you guys keep me motivated to give Yuki the love story he deserves.
