Sometimes, when you fiddle the fragile pages of your father's old books and breathe in the ancient dust trapped between their pages, you can almost hear his voice again.

You'll understand one day son.

That's what he said whenever he refused to play with you, that was what he said when he left on long trips, and that's what he said when he ran frantically back into the burning house to save his precious collection of rare fairy tales.

In the end you were left with no parents, no house, and lots and lots of books, and somehow, in the back of your mind, you hoped you'd never understand.

But you grandfather is a kind and patient man, and went through pains to see that these last vestiges of your father's passion were always close at hand. Though it was ultimately chance that led you back to them.

You had been assigned a project to read a fairy tale and share with the class what it was about, and being the practical sort that you were, you figured that they would work as well as anything.

So you read one.

And then you read another.

And another.

And another and kept reading until your grandfather had to physically pull the book from your hands to call you back to reality.

Those magical journeys and heart wrenching tales filled something that had been deep and still inside of you for far too long, something that had felt strangely hollow and anxious for as long as you could remember.

The next day your mind was so full of fables and adventures that you decided to tell as story of your own, and you think that's when you first earned your prolific reputation.

The teacher had cried.

The girls had cried.

The boys rubbed their eyes a lot and totally did not cry.

And you began to understand.

This was not a passion, nor was it a gift. This was your father's curse.

And somehow, you couldn't help but love it.

-oOo-

AN: Yay, all finished. I don't really know where I was going with these, but it was really just me dreaming up some back story and trying to get a feel for some of the male students. Seriously, though, even Usui-kun got more back story that these guys, and that's just sad.

Well, at the very least I hope it was amusing for someone out there. Thanks for reading! :D