KKJ OAV

~ Bahh.. Sorry about the small confusion in the first chapter. I used "they" in the second sentence because the readers weren't supposed to know what gender the woman was yet, thus the reason she was wearing a cloak. I didn't want to use "it" because then people might think it's some sort of creature or something. *Gulp* Don't want to bore you, so I won't continue. Enjoy! ~

"Paris, France!?" Miyako's mother squealed with delight, her hands clasped together like a child in prayer.

"In the middle of the school year?" Toudaiji Himura, Miyako's father, grumbled.

"Yes! Can I please go?" Miyako exchanged smiles with her mother.

"Why of course you can!" her mother replied. With that, she left everyone else in the living room and went to go cook up a celebration meal.

"In the middle of the school year…" Himura mumbled again. Miyako and Maron sweat dropped, while glancing over at him. He was sitting in a chair, comfortably. But his expression was not all that comfortable.

"Yes, Otoosan.. In-the-middle-of-the-school-year! If it bothers you that much, I can always ask Packelamou-sensei for the work ahead of time.. and Maron and I can-"

"Ne, Miyako!" Maron interrupted with a nervous laugh, "I'm sure we can make it up -after- we return from France."

"In the middle of the school year.." Himura still had the same sullen expression on his face.

Miyako sighed with a 'What can ya do?' look on her face. She and Maron left for the kitchen to help Miyako's mother prepare dinner.

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Chiaki unlocked his door and entered his dark apartment. The usual quiet was present in the room, but Chiaki still felt uneasy. Without bothering to turn on a light, he made his way over to a chair and sat in it. The moon was faint that night. It was too weak to shine much light through the open window beside Chiaki.

"Paris, France.. Why do I have a strange feeling about this?" He closed his eyes, while thinking over it. Not intending to, Chiaki eventually fell asleep.

In his slumber, he dreamt he was sitting upon a the edge of a cliff and staring down into the abyss below. He felt something unusual flowing over his back.

Wings?

The vision faded and now Chiaki was looking at.. himself? No, Maron was there too. He saw his other self with his back turned toward Maron. Maron had her hands covered over her face. It was obvious she was crying.

"Chiaki!" she cried out to him. The other Chiaki continued to ignore her and he began to walk away.

"CHIAKI!!!!!!!!!!!"

Chiaki awakened with the most unpleasant feeling and jumped upright out of his seat. He ran through the darkness of his apartment and hurried out the door.

Chiaki knocked on Maron's door. No answer. He knocked again, three times. There was still no answer. "Not home.." he said with disappointment. He decided to wait against the wall next to her door until she came back.

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Maron finished the last spoonful of her dessert, strawberry mousse, and rose out of her seat. "I'd better get back to my apartment. My parents wanted me to call them with a reply, today!" she smiled at the Toudaiji family. Miyako and her mother winked and waved to Maron.

"In the middle of the school year.." Himura sighed, acknowledging Maron on her way out.

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Maron closed the Toudaji family's door behind her. She turned around and was surprised to see Chiaki frowning at her from across the hall. "Chiaki! …Isn't it a bit late to be bothering me?" Maron grinned, walking around the big drop in the hall that showed the other floors of the building.

She pulled out her key and stopped in front of her door, glancing at Chiaki who was standing on the side. She stopped smiling however, when she realized that he was still frowning solemnly. "Is.. something wrong?" she finally asked, turning toward him.

What happened next was unexpected. Chiaki stepped forward and pulled Maron close to him in an embrace. Maron dropped her key. Her face was flushed with bright red.

"Chi..aki.."

As he pulled away, Chiaki's glance followed Maron's eyes down to the floor at her key. Before Maron could pick it up, Chiaki grasped the chance and knelt down. He grabbed the key, rose back up, and held it out to her. Maron reached out and took the key, all the time staring at Chiaki's tense face. 'What's wrong with him..?' she thought.

Chiaki walked around Maron to return to his apartment. As he passed by her, he said gently, "I'm going to France with you."

~ Anooo… More to come soon, I promise! ^.^* ~