Here's something to pay off yesterday's absence. ANOTHER CHAPTER IN A DAY! Though, this is where the lemons start to appear. I don't know why, but I love writing stories with lemons in it. In fact, I don't think I had ever written a story without at least a tiny bit of lemon in it.
=Misaki's POV=
-Afterschool, Maid Latte-
"KYAAA! Misa-chan! Congratulations!" I was greeted by the high pitched sound of my Manager right when I, still in my school uniform, stepped in the kitchen. "You're not a high school student anymore!" She hugged me tight.
"Y-yeah," I scratched my head. "I guess so."
"And I'm so happy that you're still going to work here! I love you so much, Misa-chan!" She squealed. "Oh! And here's your graduation gift!" She let go of me and grabbed a pink, square box from the table. "It's not much, but we all made it together!"
"Eh, we?" I asked while taking the small box, the perfect size for a watch, and rubbed the top of it.
"Yes! Honoka-chan, Erika-chan, Subaru-chan, Gon-chan, Sayu-chan, me and even Aoi-chan! Oh, and Usui, too!"
"Oh. T-thank you," I looked at the box.
'That pervert helped out too... I wonder what it is...' I thought.
"Well, I'll be going first then. See you outside, Misa-chan!" She said and waggled her finger to me before disappearing through the curtains.
I looked around to see if he was around. But nope, he was nowhere to be seen.
"Well, whatever," I let out an imperceptible sigh.
I went in the changing room, changed into my maid outfit and went out to the cafe.
"Krngg," the bell sounded.
"Welcome back, master," I bowed at the customer. "Here, let me take you to your seat."
And I went through a 3-hour shift. In where Usui didn't appear at all.
"Well, I'll be going first then," I, in my sweatshirt and jeans, shouted and went out through the back door.
I expected him to be there, leaning on the wall across the store, waiting for me.
But he wasn't there.
'Is everything alright? He didn't come as a customer today. Nor did he work as the chef. And he's not waiting for me here...' I thought.
'WHAT AM I THINKING?' I slapped myself mentally. 'Why do I care if he's here or not, all he does is annoying me, anyway.'
I walked towards the train station and rode a train going to my town. All the way, I kept on staring blankly to the metal floor.
'What should I do? Am I really going to spend 2 years without Usui in JIU?' I asked myself.
Then a person beside me suddenly said, "Love's more important than anything on Earth. Not even your dreams. Because you can make more of them with love by your side."
I turned towards the guy.
Oh please cut that out. He wasn't Usui, okay?
He was at least in his thirties. He wore a tuxedo and brought along a working suitcase beside him, between us. He wasn't talking to me when he said that. He was talking to his grey cell phone beside his ear.
"Make sure you made the right choice of going to that university, Hashiko-"
Wow. What a coincident. His daughter is going to a university that her boyfriend won't attend to.
Just how freaky can this get?
But right then, the bell ranged, alarming all the passengers that they had arrived.
I was walking towards home when I decided to open the present Satsuki gave me earlier.
I went to the park and sat on a white bench. A full moon was shining above. There was no one there besides me and a couple of birds and some cars breaking the speed limit just because they wanted to arrive home quickly and start their summer break.
I took out the box and opened it.
I was wrong, it wasn't a watch.
It was a bracelet. The kind of bracelet where you can add pearls and little metal pictures or something like that.
The bracelet was in a form of a chain. It was silver with lots of little metal hearts and cookies dangling on it. But in the midst of all the metal pieces, one stood out.
A small, metal figure of a blue bowl of white porridge.
"Ussuiiiiiii..." I growled.
I lifted the bracelet up and wore it on my right hand. I looked back at the box and found a piece of folded paper.
I opened it.
'KYAAA! Misa-chan! Congratulations!
I'm so happy that you're not a high school student anymore! And I'm so blessed to have a colleague like you! Thank you so much that you're still going to work in Maid Latte! I really appreciate it!
~Satsuki.
Hiya! Misa-chan! Congrats on your graduation!
~Erika.
Misa-chan! You're not a high school girl anymore, but you're still unladylike! You should've used your youth while you still got it, you know? Well, congrats, anyway!
~Honoka.
Misa-chan! Congratulations! Can't believe you're a college girl now!
~Subaru.
Misaki-san! Congrats!
~Gon & Sayu.
Uff. You're a college girl now. BUT YOU'RE STILL WEARING THOSE OLD DUSTY CLOTHES! What will your friends in college say if they see you wearing that?
Anyway, congrats!
~Aoi.'
I smiled while reading it. They drew hearts and star and flowers around the letter with different colored pens and markers. I felt really touched. I would keep this in a very safe place where no one but me could reach it. And I would read it when I'm sad, or alone in JIU.
But then something struck me.
'Where's Usui's note?' I asked myself.
I stared at the piece of paper for a while. It was hard to read it since there weren't any light source in the park except for a street lamp and the moon.
'Whatever. It's not like I like reading what he wrote,' I thought.
I folded the paper in half and then I saw it.
Usui's note.
It was in the other side of the paper.
I don't know why, but right then... I felt sort of relieved to see his writing. That means he still cared to write things down for me.
'Ayuzawa.' He wrote in black ink. 'By the time you start reading this, I would be in an airplane, flying back to England. My brother, Gerard, fell seriously ill and I needed to go there. I must say that I, myself, don't know if I will go back to Japan or not. Because Gerard's illness is really severe, and my grandfather wanted me to take over family's business at England. I hope you can understand. I never wanted to leave you, but my family will do anything to get me to England. And they will hurt people around me if it's necessary. I just don't want you to get hurt, Ayuzawa.
Your alien, Usui.'
"W-wh-what?" I whispered, my tears flowing down like a river, soaking the piece of paper on my lap.
'P.S.' I continued to read. 'All that I wrote just now is a lie.'
That bastard.
That gawd freaking bastard!
He dared to lie to me like this? What was he thinking?
I swear, if I ever see him again, I'll punch the shit out-
"Oh hoh hoh," he suddenly appeared behind me. "So Ayuzawa does care about me."
"USUI!" I quickly stood up, my hands clenched into fists. My demon aura showing clearly. I was standing in my fighting position.
"I feel so touched, Misa-chan. You cried for me just now, right?"He said playfully.
That moron...
"YOU SICK BASTARD!" I punched him on the shoulder. "You dare to joke with me like this?"
"Sorry..." He grabbed my fist just when I was going to give him his second punch. "I didn't know you will cry this much..." He used his other hand and wiped my tear-covered cheek.
"What do you expect? Me laughing?" I pulled my hand away from his grip.
"But that's good. Because that means that you still care about me."
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT-"
"So you don't care if I'm really going to England?" One of his eyebrows rose.
"Yes! I don't!" I lied, of course.
"Really?" He laughed. "Because somehow I doubt that."
"Yes! Really!" I gave him his second punch on the same shoulder I punched for the last 2 years. Sometimes I wonder if his bones were made of steel, because no matter how hard I punched him and how often I did, his shoulder would be perfectly fine.
Not a broken bone.
Not even a bruise.
Nothing.
"Hmh," he chuckled as he pulled my head towards his chest and laid his chin on top. His hands around my neck.
"Stupid Usui," I muttered while closing my eyes, enjoying his presence while I still got it. The tingle of heat vibrating between our bodies. Because I know that once summer is over, I would be in JIU studying pediatrics and he would be anywhere but there.
After moments of silence, he pulled away and said, "Come on, I'll walk you home." He grabbed my hand and started walking towards the road.
We walked in silence. Only a constant honk from a car would break the silence.
I stared at the road. Not a single soul on foot to be found. It was not a wonder to me, though. Since it was already 10 p.m.
But it was a wonder when a 5 year-old boy came running to the middle of the road, chasing after a small, round object. A marble, I assumed.
"What's he doing?" I asked Usui, my gaze not leaving the kid.
"Who?" He looked at me.
"That kid," I pointed towards the boy.
Then, out of the blue, a truck appeared, driving high speed right in the direction of the lad.
"Watch out!" I shouted as I ran as fast as I could towards the kid and used all my strength to push him away.
Right then, I felt a huge piece of cold metal crashing me on my stomach, breaking some of my ribs and sent me rolling on the rough ground.
"Ayuzawa!" I heard Usui shouted, followed by footsteps going near me.
I felt an excruciating pain when my head bumped the ground hard. Warm blood was trickling down my neck. My whole body was soar. My eyes could barely open. My vision went blurry.
"Ayuzawa! Ayuzawa!" Usui shouted as he shook my shoulders.
My eye lids were heavy. My eyes were stinging as if someone dropped lemon juice on it.
"Hang in there!" He shouted as he carried me up and went running.
My chest felt as if someone was sitting on top of me. I was suffocating.
"Ayuzawa, hang in there..."
Every time I inhale, I would feel a throbbing pain in my lungs.
"Hang in there..."
I tried to stay conscious, but the pain was agonizing.
"Hang in there, Ayuzawa!"
His voice was blurring away. Although I know for sure that he wasn't going away. I was still on his arms, that I was sure.
"Ayuzawa..."
And at last, I gave away.
Please Review!
(Sorry if I'm beating Misaki a little too hard...)