Disclaimer: I do not own KWMS.
"Tavern!?" Usui could not help the shocked tone to lace his voice as he continued to shift his gaze from the building to the cheeky grin of his teacher and back to the building.
"Surprise, surprise!" Happosai exclaimed, dusting his clothes and fixing his hair…and testing his breath.
"You do realize men drink in there, don't you sensei?" Usui asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes…drinks served by lovely ladies," he piped in. "I might get a shot with someone if luck is by my side tonight."
Usui hung his head in defeat and silently muttered, "I should have known."
"What was that?"
"As if your sensitive ears didn't pick it."
Happosai smirked and urged him to enter but Usui stood rooted to his spot with a blank expression oh his face.
"Are you going to stand there all day?"
"I don't drink."
"There will be girls!" Happosai retorted.
"Good for you."
"You know, one of these days I can see the Lord getting the shock of his life after learning about his heir's…preferences." Happosai sighed dramatically while shaking his head, disappointedly. "So, now what?"
"I will take a look around the city," was Usui's curt reply.
"Suit yourself. Meet me here by dawn," he huffed before strutting in.
Dawn!?
"Great! Now I'll be strolling around aimlessly all through the night," Usui grumbled to himself and continued to walk down the streets, taking in the night view of the town life. Basking himself in the soothing moonlight, he took a deep breath and stretched his hands to relax his stiff muscles. He was about to continue his night stroll when a man suddenly bumped into him and fell on his rear.
"I am sorry!" he quickly apologized.
"Yukimura?" Usui asked with mild surprise at the man and offered his hand to him who immediately took it and pulled up to his feet.
"Usui!" Yukimura wheezed and panted, occasionally glancing at his back.
"What are you doing here…and are you running away from someone?"
"Huh? Oh no!" he quickly denied the charge and lied, "I came here to make deliveries…and I didn't keep record of the time. Henceforth, I am running late! I'll catch you some other time, alright?"
Yukimura pranced off immediately leaving behind a suspicious Usui who stared at his disappearing back. "He is definitely running away from someone," he concluded and shrugged it off before continuing on his 'mission'.
He didn't have to go far when he saw a female running toward his direction with a tensed look. Usui slowly brought his hand to chest.
'My heart, why is it beating so loudly?' he pondered and turned to gaze at this 'mysterious' lady who appeared quite foreign to his eyes. She stopped midway and searched frantically for something.
'Despite her outlandish appearance, why does she seem so familiar?' His brows furrowed in confusion and his eyes followed her form when she took a sudden turn to her right and sprinted onward.
Absentmindedly, his legs took off in the same direction as if something was calling out to him, begging him to follow.
'Curiosity killed the cat,' a voice in his head reminded him.
'Too bad for the cat then,' Usui retorted curtly. 'Something about her seems not right.'
'At least it is better than walking around aimlessly.'
Usui was about to continue this small banter with his mind when he was cut off by a sudden scream.
"Let me go!"
"Stop struggling and hand over everything you have got!" the other male yelled, taking out a dagger. "Or else, someone will get hurt."
"You heard the lady."
Misaki's eyes snapped open at this new intervention and she stood still in the firm hold of her ambushers, stopping all her previous struggles.
She recognized this voice.
Peering over the shoulder of the male who towered before her, Misaki sucked in a deep breath when she was met with the familiar gaze of those emerald pools of depth.
'Takumi!' her mind cried out and her heart skipped a beat when his stern gaze landed on her for a second before he turned to look at the other males who now seemed quite peeved at this unlikely interference.
"Leave at once if you value your life, lad!" one of them slurred before taking a few groggy steps forward.
The blond haired male seemed the least bit fazed at the threat as he continued to stare coolly at the two.
"Tough words coming from someone who can barely hold his ground," Usui replied with a smirk which earned him a glare from the attackers.
"Why you-"
"Leave the talks, Dai," the other male cut him off with an outstretched arm and turned to look at the man before them with squinted eyes, "The lad has walked right into his death. Now let's not deny ourselves the opportunity to end his miserable life."
Usui did not reply and waited patiently for their next move. He did not have to wait for long when the man named Dai sprinted towards him with a battle cry.
"It seems like we will be doing this the hard way," Usui mumbled and shook his head slowly.
When Dai's fist was a few mere inches away from his face, Usui easily caught it in his hand.
"Wh-What-"
Before Dai could think of his next move, Usui gave his hand a sharp pull and elbowed him square in the neck, knocking out the male instantly who plopped on the ground with a thud.
"Dai!" The other drunk male exclaimed in surprise and gawked incredulously at the blond male with a cold demeanor. "Y-you won't get away with this!" he squawked while shakily pointing his dagger at him.
Usui raised a single brow at his actions and sighed. "Scurry away and no one gets hurt. Sounds quite easy, don't you think?"
The man's face reddened in anger and within a blink of an eye, he grabbed hold of Misaki and placed his dagger close to her throat.
Misaki gasped audibly and struggled in his death grip but to no avail.
Usui clenched his jaw and his expression turned stoic.
"Who scurries away now, lad!?" he spat. "You have been a real sore in the hide. Grovel before me and I might consider sparing her life."
With his bangs covering his eyes, Usui slowly walked towards them with clenched fists.
"Y-yes, do as I tell you!" he croaked and took a shaky step back pulling Misaki along with him.
When Usui made no move to stop or grovel, he gripped his dagger tightly and neared it to her throat, breaking her skin as a single stream of blood rolled down the blade. Misaki sucked in a deep breath and shut her eyes close as pain shot down her spine.
Usui stopped short before them and the attacker gulped in fear.
"Hey, you-"
He was cut off when Usui grabbed the blade tightly and slowly pulled it away from Misaki's neck. The blade immediately broke his skin and blood rolled down swiftly down the object. Surprised, the man released his hold of Misaki, who immediately ran behind Usui and pressed herself to his back, clutching his shirt in her hands and wept silently to calm her racing heart. It was then when he looked into Usui's eyes and his eyes widened in fear when he saw as the rage emanating from those emerald depths. He was broken out of his stupor when he heard the blade snap in half and stared incredulously at the remains of his weapon.
"Kuso!" he exclaimed, dropping the object and dashed away from this scary male.
Usui hung his hand loosely by his side as the blade slipped away from his hold and dropped on the ground with a clink.
Time stood still and a period of silence ensued which was broken occasionally by the snivels coming from the female. A soothing breeze blew and gently played with her raven tresses, tickling her skin now and then.
Raven tresses!?
Dark chocolate orbs widened when realization hit her hard.
'My wig!' Her mind screamed in alert.
"It has been quite a while ne, Misa-chan?"
Thank you all for the reviews and support… and especially thanks to those who wished me luck for my exams. Trust me, I needed them. XD Thankfully, everything went well.
I hope you liked this chapter and don't worry there is more to come. Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters.
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Until next time!