écriture fatale
by crisis rain
Disclaimer: Kaichou wa Maid-sama!/Maid-sama! belongs to Fujiwara Hiro. Fiction plot & originals belong to crisis rain. No infringement intended.
The rest of the winter holidays passed by without much additional commotion. It wasn't long after she had spent Christmas over at Gouki's place, that his family attended to their relatives' visitation, which limited their interaction. Hisui didn't mind; in fact, she found it a little difficult to face him afterwards, for reasons she herself wasn't completely sure of. The time apart allowed her to focus on catching up on her studies; the last semester starts right after the holidays and that meant final exams.
As such, Hisui found herself preparing for the first day of the last semester of her second year with her usual routine; a morning shower, putting on her crisp and clean school uniform, and a quick and light breakfast her mother prepares. As she sat by the kitchen table quietly nibbling on her buttered toast, Sayaka would turn around from the sink; hands in the middle of washing the dishes.
"Hisui, don't you have to go wake up Gouki-kun?" Her mother would warmly inquire. Hisui jerked up in surprise, before quickly chomping down on the rest of her toast. Sayaka raised a perplexed brow at her daughter's strange reaction.
"R-Right…" Downing the rest of her breakfast with the last few sips of her orange juice, Hisui snatched up her school bag that hung on her chair, and she darted to the main foyer, hastily putting on her coat. Sayaka let out a sigh, drying her hands with a dishcloth before following after her daughter. She helped adjust the woolen scarf around her daughter's neck, making sure she was bundled up for the cold weather.
"I'm off now." Hisui murmured, stepping into her leather loafers before exiting the front door. "Take care!" Sayaka would call after her daughter, watching Hisui round the corner of their front gates before making the turn to the Aratake residence.
Closing the door lest not the chill would come in, Sayaka cupped her chin in thought.
The two marched in an uncanny silence on their way to school. Hisui's eyes were downcast, and although her face betrayed no emotion, it was clear to Gouki that she seemed deep in thought. Brow knitted together as he wondered what was wrong the atmosphere. 'Ugh, did I do something wrong?' Was his initial thought… but they hadn't seen each other since Christmas, and the last he saw of her, she wasn't particularly angry at him for anything. But Christmas replayed itself over again in his mind, and immediately he mentally slapped himself for not seeing the obvious.
'Duh! She's still hung up over Igarashi.' Chiding himself on his forgetfulness, Gouki cautiously glanced at her once more. She looked a little frustrated at something, but not a single peep came out of her mouth. Mustering his courage together, Gouki took in a deep breath, before quickly stepping in front of her so he would be sure to hold her attention. Hisui looked up in surprise, knocked out of her pensive stupor.
"C-Cheer up, Sui!" He patted her on the shoulder energetically, forcing himself to smile so that she would be encouraged to do so, too. "Look, I know that Igarashi bastard messed with you real bad, but um," He scratched his cheek nervously, glancing away in embarrassment. "If you need someone to t-talk to, you can talk to me."
Hisui looked at him, mouth agape for a full, long moment. "O-Oh, uh, thanks Goucchan." 'But that's not it though…' She silently thought to herself, feeling the strain of the problem weighing heavily on her mind. 'Ever since you…' She shook her head quickly as if to clear her thoughts, and forced a smile in return. "I'm fine, thank you."
She was taking it surprisingly well, Gouki thought. He had expected a lot more grieving on her part, but nevertheless it was refreshing to see her purge herself so quickly of that scumbag's influence. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The less Sui thought about Igarashi, the better for him. And he was pleased to see a smile return back to her face. Perhaps things will fall back to normal, like how they should.
A rancor of a large crowd could be heard from further down the street – in the direction of Oukashou High School. Jerking to attention at the sight of a large body of students gathered outside the front gates of her school, Hisui's brow knitted together into a worrying frown. Gouki also seemed surprised, and the both of them stood still, stunned, for a silent moment.
"What's going on?" Gouki inquired worriedly. Hisui shook her head, before quickly sprinting down the street. "I have no idea!"
When the pair arrived to the edge of the crowd, they were able to discern that the crowd was shouting and rather upset and angry. The school gates remained locked, unable to allow the students entry to the campus. "What's going on here?!" Hisui frantically asked a nearby student, who looked equally as worried.
"I'm not too sure, apparently the school isn't safe to enter or something...?"
Hisui's eyes widened.
The screech of a megaphone broke through the crowd's roar, silencing them for a moment. "U-Uhm… calm down please…" Trying to tiptoe and glance over the enormous crowd, Hisui could see the school principal in the forefront of the gates, looking extremely terrified. "Everyone, the school is officially foreclosed."
Screams of "what?!" rippled through the crowd. Hisui's jaw dropped. Foreclosed?!
"Holy shit, Sui… you didn't tell me your school was in debt." Gouki looked at Hisui incredulously at the scene that was unfolding before them. Hisui could only continue to shake her head in disbelief, mouth still hanging open.
"But what does that mean for us?! Seniors have entrance exams so we can get accepted to our universities of choice!" A student yelled through the protest, and a riptide of agreeing shouts followed suit. "Yeah! Are you just telling us we're gonna have to start over?!"
Another screech from the megaphone, and the high pitched sound stunned the crowd into a momentary submission. "Erm, about that, we are currently working on the issue… the school has been purchased by a private holder, actually… we will give news regarding temporary campus relocations soon…"
"How soon is 'soon'?!"
"I've got exams to prepare for, every single day counts!"
Hisui was starting to feel a little lightheaded from one piece of shocking news to another. She was counting on her idyllic, peaceful, no-nonsense school life to help keep her mind occupied. But so far, life wasn't exactly going as how she had planned it to be.
"About that…" The school director was doing a rather poor job at conveying the important announcements, it seemed, as the students only got angrier at his timid presentation. At last, he could be seen apologizing to a tall man dressed in black, and although Hisui couldn't make out the few sparse words she could hear exchanged between the two, she definitely recognized the man in black.
Hanagata.
Hanagata took the megaphone from the school director's hands, and assumed control.
"Students of Oukashou Academy." He started sternly, causing parts of the commotion to die down in the face of true authority. "Due to the presence of radon gas detected on the campus, as well as the school changing ownership, the property is now foreclosed. It is unfortunate, but you will not be able to attend classes here anymore."
The reality of what was happening fell like a heavy curtain on the crowd.
"Please do not worry, however. The new management have made arrangements to allow accommodation for the students so that they can finish their last semester of this school year without fail."
A sigh of relief rippled throughout the students.
"From now onwards, you will be sharing school grounds with Miyabigaoka Academy." Hanagata continued, posture tall, and intimidating as ever. "Directions and additional shuttle bus services will be provided free of charge to students for this inconvenience."
Hushed whispers could be heard now. "Miyabigaoka? Isn't that the prestigious private school?"
"We're going to Miyabigaoka?"
Hisui's face visibly paled.
"Unfortunately the soonest we can have these arrangements made properly for you, the students, will be delayed until next week at the earliest. We will keep you updated if anything changes. Please arrive at school on time next Monday, 8AM sharp. Dismissed."
And with that, it was over. Hisui sank to her knees, her numb mind attempting to process the fate of her school life.
She could hardly hear Gouki calling for her until she saw the shiny, black Oxfords sneak into her vision. The expensive, leather shoes could only belong to one person. She glanced up, and saw Hanagata's emotionless face staring back at her.
"Miss Kogarashi." He greeted simply. Hisui swallowed; her throat dry.
"Hanagata-san." She gave him a stiff nod of her head in respect.
"I understand this may be hard for you at the moment." He started with what sounded like sympathetic words, but his tone was not at all sympathetic. "But I was instructed to give you this." A hand dug into the inside pockets of his blazer, and he withdrew a white envelope from the folds of his jacket lapel. "For you, from Miyabigaoka's Student Council President."
Hisui took the envelope, flipping it over to read the words: "INVITATION FROM THE MIYABIGAOKA STUDENT COUNCIL."
The footman closed his eyes, before opening them and glancing at Gouki now, who scowled back in response. "I was also instructed to give Aratake Gouki one as well, on the condition he passes his entrance exams to Oukashou after graduating from Seisen Middle."
Gouki looked like he'd been hit by a rock in the face. "Uh… what?" The both of them would exclaim in unison, eying Hanagata in disbelief.
"That's right." Hanagata placed a hand on his waist, glancing down at the pair with disinterest. "The young master is cordially inviting the both of you to join his prestigious student council. Please be more elated."
"There's no way in hell we can be happy about this!" Gouki retorted hotly, before grabbing Hisui by the arm and began to drag her away. "C'mon Sui! Let's just go." Hisui shot Hanagata a last, unsure glance before quickly following after Gouki who angrily stormed off.
"I can't thank you enough for having me over again, Sayaka."
Aratake Karen cupped her mouth politely but inwardly she was smiling with glee as she was visiting her neighbour today for some afternoon tea. It was a weekly thing for the two housewives; catching up on neighbourhood gossip, complaints about their families, and more. Sayaka cheerfully gestured for her friend to come in, setting down a pair of slippers for her guest to wear inside her home.
"Come in, come in!" Sayaka welcomed Gouki's mother into the Kogarashi residence, leading her to the kitchen dining table. "Just in time! I got those butter cookies that had positively glowing reviews from the bakery in the neighbourhood…"
The two women settled in their seats, and Sayaka quickly poured her guest a cup of hot tea as well as a plate with a neat fruit tart and other slices of fruit. Karen smiled at this with delight. "My, what a treat!"
As the ebb and flow of their conversation flowed from the usual on-goings to their husbands, it was Karen who finally broke the topic of conversation. Sayaka could tell that her neighbour had been holding this particular conversation topic for quite some time now, judging by the woman's expression.
"So, you know our Gouki…" Karen would start slowly, and Sayaka would nod, taking a careful sip of her. She peered over the rim of her cup, eyes trained on her friend. "...he's been getting fights at school and whatnot. But I think, lately, he's been getting better…"
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Sayaka smiled back. "Would it happen to be due to my Hisui?"
Karen let out a chortle. "You seem to read my mind every time, Sayaka. I seem to think so, as well…" She would trail off, nursing her cup of tea. "...Actually, I've been thinking about this for a while, but Gouki, you see…"
A sparkle shone in Sayaka's eyes. "...do you mean to say…?"
Karen placed a hand over Sayaka's arm. She looked serious.
"Our Gouki should date your Hisui." This wasn't just a normal tea party between two gossip-mongering housewives anymore; this was a battle alliance. An alliance forged on the hopes and dreams of two mothers who would want nothing but the best for their children. Sayaka gave a slow but approving nod. This was it: an oath between two housewives; a bond created over the ideals they shared.
"Hisui's going to be a senior in high school soon, and Gouki will be in the same school as her." Karen pointed out matter-of-factly. "I know your daughter can be no-nonsense and 'head in the books', so-to-speak, but…" Karen leaned forward, her voice dropping in a hushed whisper. "...you remember Christmas when she came to stay over at my home? I found the two of them fast asleep together the next morning after, I almost thought they were back in elementary school again!"
A hand flew to Sayaka's mouth to contain her surprise. "Oh dear… I didn't realize the two of them were that close?" Worry creased over Sayaka's brow as she thought about her daughter. While Hisui had never let her nor her husband down and met all academic expectations, she was well aware of how troublesome her daughter's personality could be. Letting out a sigh, she cupped her cheek in resignation.
"Hisui can be so stubborn sometimes… I just hope she won't mistreat Gouki badly…"
Karen waved at hand in dismissal at Sayaka's worries. "It'll do my boy some good. Instead of going out every night and getting all rowdy with his school mates, having Hisui-chan ground him would at least shape him out. I don't have to worry about him being a functioning member of society in the near future."
"Ah!" An idea emerged into the headspace of Kogarashi Sayaka. "Wait a minute." She got up from her spot, and quickly exited the kitchen to the dresser sitting outside by the hallway. Pulling back a drawer, she rummaged around and retrieved the golden envelope she had won at the charity ball just last month. Quickly returning back to Karen's side, she waved the shimmering wad of paper in her fingers. She grinned uncharacteristically in a mischievous manner.
"I almost forgot about this!" She sat down in front of Karen, and unwrapped the envelope. Tickets and other forms came tumbling out – and Karen's eyes almost popped out of her head. She picked up a piece of paper which seemed to be a letter of congratulations to the winner. Eyes swiveled left to right as she quickly read the words on the paper.
"A trip to the Maldives… for two?! Sayaka, oh my goodness!" Karen wheezed, fingers pinching the letter even more tightly. "All expenses paid, including airfare… accommodation… and a week of planned activities?! Talk about hitting the jackpot!"
Sayaka smiled gently. "Yes, and I was wondering if I could have your permission so that I can send both Hisui and Gouki on this trip."
A light bulb flashed above Karen's head.
"Sayaka…!" She laughed heartily, setting down the letter back on the table. "You sly, cunning fox!"
"It'll be during Golden Week, so the both of them will be off school, and they won't miss any classes. Anyway, my husband and I wouldn't be able to go to the Maldives. He hates flying, you see, and we've made arrangements already to visit my mother in Hakone." Sayaka explained. "I think they're old enough now to experience a trip without adult supervision, by themselves."
"You certainly put a lot of thought about this." Karen mused. "But this sounds wonderful to me. Perhaps this trip will put some backbone in that spineless son of mine. You know how willy-nilly he gets around Hisui-chan."
Sayaka chuckled. "I certainly hope so as well."
The front door unlocked, and Sayaka looked up in surprise, before quickly glancing at the clock. 3pm. It was almost a hour too early for Hisui to be home. Karen glanced up as well in curiosity. "Oh my, is Hisui-chan home already?" Sayaka got up from her spot in the kitchen, and walked out and expectantly found her daughter already home, taking her shoes off. Hisui looked a little absentminded, which was rather unusual considering how fond her daughter was about returning back to classes.
"Hisui, welcome home. Did school let you off early?" Sayaka smiled, taking her daughter's school bag and bringing it into the foyer. Her daughter glanced up to meet her mother's gaze, and she cracked a half-hearted smile. "Well, about school, mom… I need to talk to you about that."
Karen popped her head into the corridor, before waving merrily at Hisui. "Welcome back, Hisui! I hope you don't mind my intrusion." Hisui shook her head, and quickly bowed. "Oh, no it's fine, thank you oba-san." Karen smiled. "Come in the kitchen and have some tea while it's hot, dear."
"So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Sayaka inquired lightly, as she set down a fresh cup of hot tea for her daughter, who was also seated in the kitchen now. Hisui glanced over at the tickets her mother had won from the charity ball for a short moment. 'I guess mom was showing oba-san her winnings, huh.'
"W-Well… try not to freak out, but um… Oukashou kind of went bankrupt… and… they foreclosed the school campus…" Hisui nervously replied, staring down at her cup.
A moment of silence filled the atmosphere.
"What?!" Sayaka held onto the base of her chair in an attempt to steady herself. Karen's hand flew to her mouth.
"Wait, relax, relax!" Hisui gulped, trying to calm her mother down. "W-Well, it's not like we can't go to school anymore… um… they're… transferring us to Miyabigaoka… Academy…" She trailed off, almost regretting saying the words when she witnessed her mother straightening herself back to life.
"Really? W-Well… that's… that's fantastic! Think of it as the one chance in your lifetime to study at such a prestigious institution!"
Karen leaned in closer to Hisui, her face also contorted in nervousness. "W-Wait, Gouki was applying for your school… what happens to Seisen Middle students?!"
Hisui fidgeted. "Applications to Oukashou… will also make the transfer as well in the spring…"
"Banzaiiiii!" Karen's hands shot up into the air. "My idiot son is going to the top school in the country! Woohoo!"
Sayaka finally took a seat beside her daughter, turning around in her chair to face her. "So… when will this take place? Tomorrow?" Her tone was hopeful, Hisui had noted. She wished she was as eager as her mother, but alas.
"Next week. I'll have to take a bus from the train station to get to school from now on." Hisui explained. She took a careful sip of her tea. "So I'll just do some self-studying this week."
"I see." Sayaka beamed. "In that case, congratulations dear. Let me know if you need to order new uniforms."
Hisui bit her lip, but said nothing as she sat in silence and drank her tea, basking in the celebratory cries of her mother and neighbour.
He could still vividly recall the way how her tears were rolling down to her chin when she looked at him, crestfallen and disappointed. The trouble that Arashiyama had went through in her makeup would start to run a little, but it didn't matter to him; she was still beautiful, even though she wasn't smiling anymore. And as if she took away what regret she had accumulated from before, her disappointment was replaced by an earnest, bittersweet smile; accepting of her fate. Accepting of his mistake.
If he could just put what he wanted first, past all the appearances, the titles, the responsibilities, all the bullshit, he would've just said what he wanted to say without skipping a heartbeat.
"What am I to you?"
My woman.
"I see."
No, wait –
As if the record had suddenly stopped playing, leaving behind a jarring, deafening silence, Tora's eyes burst open; his forehead lined in sweat, and he found himself back in the familiar scenery of his study, back at home. His left hand clenched; it could still feel the contour of her face when he had caressed it so gently, stirring his heart with the very fact that someone had tried to hurt her.
Resting his hand over his forehead and wiping it down, Tora sighed and leaned back into the sofa he lounged upon. Just a few more days.
Just seeing her face was more than enough salvation for him.
Her mother's worries about ordering and purchasing new school uniforms did not go unanswered. Three days before the start of the next Monday, a package had been left in front of the Kogarashi residence that was addressed to her daughter in question. Hisui found her new Miyabigaoka uniform sitting on her bed when she got home that day; presumably, her mother had left it there so she would know. It wasn't long until her cell phone began to receive frantic texts from Endou and Shinohara about the uniforms in question.
Endou: Hisui-san? Did you get your uniform yet?
Shinohara: I'm impressed that they managed to manufacture a custom uniform for us in such a short amount of time. As expected of the Igarashi Group.
Hisui's heart tightened at Shinohara's text. A sore reminder that it was only a matter of time until she would have to face the man who rejected her. She flopped down in bed, and rolled over to one side. The calendar she had hung up on her wall faced her. Just two more days until school starts again.
A vibration from her phone signaled she had received a new text. Rolling onto her back, she picked it up and checked to see who it was. It was from Teranishi.
Didn't see you at the Christmas party, nor at New Year's. What's up, inchou?
Hisui exhaled loudly. She sat up to reply.
Not much. Still kinda shocked about what happened. You?
She could see the message bubble bounce slightly on her screen, animated ellipses floating for a moment. Teranishi was writing back.
Enjoying the extra time off, but yeah that was crazy. See you on Monday.
Gazing at Teranishi's last text message for a small moment, Hisui dropped her phone back down onto her bed and she curled up, lazily drifting off to a light nap. She wanted to sleep away all of her worries and fears about what will come, once school begins.
"I'm off now, mom."
Sayaka waved goodbye to her daughter, seeing her leave for the day to study in peace. Hisui stood still in the foyer, slinging a book bag over her shoulders while unraveling her earbuds to listen to her music. She was off again, determined to be as prepared as possible for Monday. She glanced at mother, nodding, before stepping out the door. Sayaka tapped her daughter on the shoulder, handing over a bundled lunch box.
"Your lunch, dear. Have a good day at the library."
Taking the boxed lunch from her mother, Hisui smiled a little, before nodding. "Thanks mom."
She walked past the front gates of her home, and closed it behind her before spotting Gouki already standing outside, leaning against the lamp post. He looked like he had been waiting for her. Hisui cracked a small smile. "Morning, Goucchan. You're up early on a Saturday." He merely shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets before walking along with her.
He took his usual spot beside her as they walked down the street, towering over her with his usual glare to steer off strangers. "You nervous for next week?" He broke the silence, glancing down at her worriedly. Hisui laughed in return.
"A little bit, but it's… whatever at this point." Hisui replied forlornly, gazing out at the distance. "At least mom's happy about it. About me being able to study at Miyabigaoka, I mean." Gouki bit his lip, frustrated. Stepping in front of Hisui, he placed his hands on her shoulder, staring down at her seriously.
That caught her off-guard. Hisui could only stare back at him in surprise. The memory of feeling him kissing her forehead entered her mind at that moment, and she unconsciously began to blush.
"I'm gonna try my hardest so I can get into Miyabigaoka too, when spring comes." He was serious. He was definitely, dead serious. "So… just wait a little bit more for me, Sui. I'll catch up, just wait."
Hisui gaped, mouth opening and closing before she let out an awkward laugh. "A-Ahaha, Goucchan, what're you talking about –"
"Don't call me Goucchan! I'm not a little kid anymore!" Came his sudden outburst, deftly silencing her. 'What's… what's going on?' Hisui's mind was going numb. This was the first time Gouki had so openly opposed her in such a serious manner. 'O-Oh no, did I do something wrong…?'
He felt guilty when he saw how shocked she looked. But he couldn't stop at here.
"You're always treating me like a kid. Like a little brother." He quietly seethed, hands tightening on her shoulders. "I'm only two years younger than you, Sui… but I'm a grown man!"
A twinge of regret plucked a chord in her heart. She didn't realize, the entire time, Gouki had felt like this.
"Wanting us to sleep together again… only little kids do that! What if I did something inappropriate to you?!" He would continue to yell, and was starting to garner the attention of the passer-bys. Hisui visibly paled, and clung onto his arms, tugging him tightly. "C-Calm down, please..."
Why didn't she notice before? It was right in front of her the entire time. Why didn't she ever took him more seriously?
Like that one time when he had carried the crate of oranges for her. He was stronger than her. He was taller than her. And he had already matured into a full-grown man.
The way how he avoided from touching her too closely. The way how he got embarrassed at being called by his nickname.
She was an idiot for not noticing.
Gouki groaned, mentally chiding himself now. This was incredibly poor timing. "Look… I'm sorry, Sui. For yelling at you all of a sudden. I… just snapped. Sorry." He let her go. Her hands slid down his arms, until they rested on his hands. He held them back, squeezing them tightly.
"I'm sorry, Goucchan – oh." Hisui caught herself in mid-apology, almost forgetting his earnest desire for her to stop calling him by his childhood nickname. A frustrated frown came across her guilty, embarrassed face. "S-Sorry… I don't know what to call you anymore…"
He placed a hand on her head and leaned in, holding her close for a moment. She exhaled, feeling the rapid pounding of his heart from inside his chest.
"Gouki. Just call me Gouki."
He felt her nod, forehead brushing against his shirt, and he gently let her go, embarrassed now. She took a step back, fingers quickly brushing her hair back as she tried to busy herself in fixing her appearance. He cleared his throat.
"Let's go. You're heading to the library, right? I could use some catching up myself." It was uncharacteristic for Aratake Gouki to willingly participate in study sessions, but he'd do anything at this rate to catch up. Hisui looked back at him in surprise, before a silly smile worked its way onto her face.
"Okay. Gouki." She made sure this time to drop the nickname this time. With renewed energy, she quickly began to walk towards the train station once more.
Gouki cupped his mouth, trying to contain the flush on his face at hearing her pronounce his first name so clearly. Perhaps this might have been a mistake.
A/n: I haven't done an author's note in a very long while. Thanks to everyone who have stuck with this so far. I know the past two chapters have been very Gouki-heavy, but please do bear in mind that this story is based on a love triangle… so gotta let our bruiser have some time to shine as well. In addition, I have made a Tumblr to dump any additional information, art, etc. about this story. You can find the link on my profile page. Thanks.