Chiharu could not believe it.
It had been a whole week since she had started attending Rakuzan High and there had been no signs of Akashi. She couldn't believe it when Yamabuki had told her he didn't know who Akashi Seijuro was. And even after a whole week with no signs of Akashi, she still refused to believe that Akashi wasn't here.
As she sat in her window seat, she put both hands to her head trying to figure out why Akashi wouldn't be here.
What had she missed?
She was sure that Akashi would be at the prestigious Rakuzan High school. And she was sure of it even before Satsuki confirmed it for her. From long ago Akashi had told her he planned to attend this high school. And despite it being in Kyoto, she told him that she would attend Rakuzan with him.
So where was he?
She closed her eyes in frustration.
She had come back to Japan. She was so close to meeting Akashi again. She was so close to returning to those peaceful Junior High days.
But where was Akashi?
"Nee Momoi-san?"
Chiharu opened her eyes, coming face to face with Kisara, her brown-haired classmate and first friend at Rakuzan High. Kisara with a cheeky smile on her face, had one hand ready and raised in a poking motion. Chiharu jumped in surprise but her reflexes weren't quick enough to avoid it. Before she knew it, Kisara's finger poked her cheek.
"Kisara! What was that?!" Chiharu cried, standing up and cradling her cheek.
Kisara burst out laughing.
"Sorry, sorry! You were just so out of it that I thought I would wake you up," she said in between giggles.
Chiharu shook her head, pretending as if she didn't care. But she did and she quickly shot forward, poking Kisara back.
At Kisara's dumbfounded expression, Chiharu burst out laughing.
A loud squeal interrupted their conversation.
Chiharu looked up in confusion and Kisara's expression changed. Kisara stood up from the spare window seat she had been sitting in to converse with Chiharu and looked out of the window.
A coach bus had just arrived outside the entrance of the school.
"The basketball team's back!" someone cried.
"That means our student council president is also back!"
Chiharu stood up as well, eyes widening. She looked towards Kisara who's cheerful expression had stiffened.
"Kisara," Chiharu began, "Who is the student council president?"
Kisara looked at Chiharu. She seemed surprised by the question.
"Akashi Seijuro," she said, "Didn't you know?" She looked back down at the bus. "The basketball team must have returned from their training camp. Akashi-san hasn't been here the whole week."
Chiharu's body responded to the name. Her hands turned cold and clammy and she felt her legs weaken.
"Akashi... Seijuro?"
She watched from the window as young men in light blue jerseys filed out of the bus. She watched until she saw his familiar red hair, his magenta eyes and his sturdy and calm steps.
Her hands moved to cover her open mouth and she could feel the tears stinging the edges of her eyes.
Akashi had grown taller, much taller than she remembered. And although she was far away and could hardly see him properly, she could imagine his deep but soothing voice.
...
"Chiharu."
Chiharu stirred in response to her name but her eyes were still closed and her head was still resting on her arms and on her classroom table.
Akashi smiled gently. He pulled out the chair of the table in front of her and turned it around so that it faced her. He took a seat, watching her. She had been studying too much lately and he had seen how tired she had been.
Despite telling her to go home and rest, Chiharu had been adamant in waiting for him to finish his student council meeting.
He watched as she muttered something incoherent under her breath. He smiled again.
Resting his head down beside her on the table, he closed his eyes, feeling the afternoon peace.
"Akashi-kun."
He opened his eyes. Chiharu's breathing was steady and she was still asleep, but it was definitely her voice that had come out as a soft whisper.
Humoured, he closed his eyes again, not knowing how or when but only that later he had fallen asleep next to her.
...
Akashi released a heavy sigh as he sat alone in the student council office. He glanced at the paperwork on the side of the room that had piled up during his time at the training camp. He rubbed his temples before he heard a ring and felt his phone vibrate continuously.
He took his phone out and seeing his father's name, answered the call.
...
Chiharu could hear her heart pound.
Her breathing was unsteady and short but she clenched her fist, reminding herself why she was here.
The only thing that separated her from Akashi was the door to the student council office. Unsure on whether to knock or surprise him, Chiharu opened the door slightly and stuck her head in.
Akashi's voice echoed through the room.
"The Azuma Corporation? ... No, it'll be fine ... They can't do anything."
It crossed Chiharu's mind that this could be a bad time to interrupt whatever Akashi was doing, but she knew that if she didn't meet Akashi now, she wouldn't be able to muster the courage to meet him again later.
She was excited but scared, joyful but extremely nervous.
She held her breath, hoping it would take away her nerves.
As Akashi's conversation ended, she took a step into the room, making her presence known.
As her footstep echoed in the room, Akashi looked up at her and his phone dropped.
Chiharu could see him way more clearly than from the classroom window. She recognised his red hair, and voice and figure but something had changed.
Chiharu's eyes met his heterochromatic ones.
His one magenta and one golden eye held no warmth or recognition. They were sharp and narrowed and foreign. His mouth formed a line that had no words for her.
"Akashi-kun," she whispered.
But he did not reply.
They stared at each other for a few moments, Chiharu feeling the tears well up again. But Akashi responded with a sharp command.
"Leave."
Chiharu was desperate. She could not leave no matter how much Akashi had changed. She could not leave him again.
She took a step closer to him.
"No," she replied.
Akashi frowned. One hand pushed something down on his desk.
"No one disobeys me Momoi. I am absolute."
"No," she repeated, "I came back, Akashi-kun. I came back for you."
The tears came out and she could feel them move down her cheeks.
Akashi's eyes seemed to change momentarily, but the change was so fast that it was gone before she knew it.
"You are my weakness Chiharu," Akashi muttered.
In one swift movement Akashi's hand held a metal ruler and he threw it forward, slicing through the air and next to Chiharu's head.
Chiharu's knees weakened in shock and she felt her body slump back. By now, her tears poured out uncontrollably.
Satsuki was right. Akashi was different. So different that she could hardly recognise him.
What had happened to change him like this? Was this her fault?
She used all of her courage to look back at Akashi, desperately hoping that this was a nightmare, that he was still the same Akashi-kun who was her first love.
Akashi's cold, heterochromatic eyes stared back.
There was no glimpse of familiarity in them.
"Leave."
Chiharu felt paralysed. Her legs had no strength and she couldn't move even if she wanted to. Under Akashi's condemning stare, she just felt fear.
A sharp knock on the door broke Chiharu out of her trance. The door opened and for a silent second didn't move before it closed again.
Yamabuki stood outside the door, horribly regretting his bad timing. He took a deep breath before opening the door again.
He glanced at Chiharu on the floor and quickly understood the situation. He took a cautious step forward watching Akashi in his peripheral vision. Akashi made no move and Yamabuki took it as a signal to continue. He moved forward, lifting Chiharu onto her feet and leaving the student council office.
Chiharu didn't stop him.
As Yamabuki brought Chiharu down the hallway to a nearby sink, it crossed his mind how unnerved Akashi was. He knew that Akashi could be cold and sharp but he had never seen Akashi act so irrationally. This was Akashi and the girl's business though and he wouldn't pry his nose beyond his boundaries.
He glanced at the peach-haired girl who couldn't stop crying. Feeling awkward and unsure of what to do, Yamabuki scratched his head. He wasn't sure whether to tell her this but if it would stop her from crying, he would.
"Nee Momoi-san," Yamabuki started.
Chiharu looked up, suddenly feeling very embarrassed.
Yamabuki continued, "To tell you the truth, I already knew who you were before I met you."
He glanced nervously at the floor and Chiharu didn't hide the surprised look on her face.
"You see, Akashi-kaicho..."
Yamabuki looked into the eyes of Chiharu.
"Akashi-kaicho carries around a framed photo that I sometimes see on his desk."
Chiharu's eyes widened.
Yamabuki's voice quickened.
"In that photo, Akashi-kaicho was smiling. He wasn't alone. He was with you."
Chiharu felt her fingers close into her palm. Her fists tightened until she could feel the pain.
She wasn't dreaming. She didn't hear wrong.
"Akashi-kaicho, although he wouldn't say it, sometimes spends his afternoon looking at that photo frame. Everyone in the student council knows how important it is to him. And so I was surprised when I saw you in person, not in that photo. I don't want to assume your relationship with him but what I'm trying to say is that... you're important to Akashi-kaicho"
A/N: The edited version of chapter 2 became too long so I split it into two chapters! I'll fix up the numbering of the chapters once I've edited the whole fanfic :)