Disclaimer: I do not own, or even pretend to own, the characters of Daa! Daa! Daa! So please do not sue me. That would be very bad. Much obliged. :D

In the End

As she looked at the door to the hotel ballroom, Miyu felt her heart drop into her stomach. Why did this doorway look so much scarier than usual right now? It wasn't like she didn't walk through this doorway everyday for the past month. Nothing had changed since yesterday. She had watched all the decorations go up and she had watched all the planning that the student council had done. Being the student council secretary, she knew EXACTLY how it looked on the inside.

"Miyu! Just go in!" Standing next to the beautiful blonde were her best friends on the planet, Nanami and Aya. She couldn't be positive if that was still what she wanted to call them, but that's what they claimed they were. "You look beautiful." Aya said, putting her arms around her in a comforting embrace. Even if she was being emotional, it wasn't as if it wasn't true. Miyu did look beautiful. Her dress was a deep purple strapless gown that completely complemented the emerald of her eyes and the gold color of her hair. Her hair was swept into an elegant updo that left her shoulders bare. Around her neck, she wore a simple necklace in the shape of a teardrop. She picked at it nervously. She knew that she looked her best. She was just worried that it wouldn't be enough. She glanced over to Nanami and watched as the girl confidently raised her shoulders and patted down her hair. Her heart dropped even lower, if that was possible. The azure of her dress looked like an entirely different version of beautiful. Miyu could feel her eyes tear up and her throat catch.

"I've got to go to the restroom!" Miyu flung herself out of her friends embrace, ran down the hallway and up the stairs to the restroom. Why had she had to have been there for that? Why couldn't God have given her at least one thing to look forward to tonight? She had been so excited. Her mind flitted back to the memory of a few days ago. She knew that she hadn't been supposed to hear, but still.

Flashback

"So what exactly are you going to do?" Miyu heard Santa's voice through the door that led to the inside of the student council room. She giggled quietly to herself. Some things never changed. She was forever overhearing Santa's distinctive voice. Miyu started to turn around to give them there privacy, but the sound of his voice stopped her in his tracks.

"I haven't quite decided. I know I'm going to have to tell her eventually… But I don't want it to affect anything." What? What in the world were they talking about? The blonde turned back towards the door. Kanata had sounded strained. That wasn't normal for him. She had joined student council just to keep that sound OUT of his voice. Not that she was really much of a help, but she gave Kanata someone that was easily accessible for staying late. Plus, she knew precisely how to make his coffee. That was the reason he let her in.

"Dude, how can you not immediately know the answer? That's one of the most important things in the world to her! She would be more upset if you didn't tell her." Santa's voice had a serious edge to it. If Miyu had been worried before, she was terrified now. Santa didn't do the whole serious thing. He never had and he probably never would, but the fact that he was almost there meant that something important was going on just behind those doors. She knew that she should have left, she knew that she was eavesdropping – which was wrong – and she knew that there wasn't enough reason for her to be there for her to even begin to defend herself if caught, but she couldn't pull herself away from the door. She needed to know what was going on. "Think about her feelings for a second, please."

"I am! That's why this is so hard! What if she doesn't feel the same way and things get awkward? I want to tell her!" Miyu heard a sound that she assumed was Kanata's fist slamming against the desk.

"Then tell her! Tell Nanami! Then tell everyone!" Santa was shouting and even Miyu could feel the tension.

"What are you saying? Tell Nanami the truth AND tell her that I love her? Are you insane?" Miyu heard another slam as she spun away from the door. Kanata loved Nanami? The blonde thought about her athletic, confident best friend and began to cry. She quickly put her hand over her mouth to stop the sound of her sobs. This couldn't be happening. After loving him for so long, she couldn't believe that she just had to let him go. She wasn't going to fight for him. Not with Nanami. If it had been anyone else, she would have fought in a heartbeat. But not against Nanami, never against her. She would never be able to win. She heard the squeak that she knew meant that someone was leaning on the desk. She needed to run. Her gut was telling her that she didn't want to hear this next sentence. "I just love her so much…" Miyu's heart felt like it broke into a million pieces, she couldn't stay there. She heard footsteps coming towards the door. Miyu frantically ran down the hallway and into another classroom as she heard the student council room door open. Miyu bit her hand to pacify her sobs as she listened to the footsteps come closer and closer to the door she was hiding behind, then start to fade. She listened to the soft rhythm of the footsteps until she had to strain herself to hear them. Then she broke. She cried and she cried. Not having the strength to stand, she leaned against the door as she slid to the floor.

End of Flashback

Miyu walked over to the mirror in the bathroom and stared at her reflection. Nothing had changed since she left her hair appointment. Her hair and make-up were flawless. There was only one minor difference – her red eyes. Those had to go. She willed herself to be strong. She was Miyu! She was stubborn as an ox! She was intelligent – mostly. She was beautiful – kind of!

She pinched herself. That wasn't how that pep talk was supposed to go. She sighed as she looked back at her reflection one last time. "You aren't going to cry because you don't have to. You've already shed enough tears over him." Miyu stared herself in the eyes and lifted her chin defiantly. That was what she needed to hear. Miyu readjusted the top of her dress and smoothed the wrinkles in the fabric. She shifted her shoulders and stood tall, her head held high and walked out of the restroom. As she reached the staircase, she lifted her skirts, hoping she wouldn't trip on them and ruin this sudden burst of self-confidence. Her friends would later tell her that she looked like royalty as she gracefully glided down the gilded stairs. But then again, people said things like that all the time about other people, so Miyu didn't really take it to heart.

As she finally reached the doorway once again, she felt a weight on both of her arms. Shocked, she glanced down to see Aya and Nanami. They had waited for her. She smiled softly at her two best friends and quickly grabbed their hands. "I'm fine. Sorry about that." She felt them squeeze her hands, almost as if they were willing her their power.

"Let's do this." Aya's voice echoed through the large hall.

"You're going to tell him tonight, right?" Miyu looked closely at Nanami's violet eyes. They were the same eyes that had comforted her and been there for her since she transferred. The strength and the honesty in those eyes hadn't changed at all over all these years. Nanami wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Ever. Miyu smiled as she returned the squeeze.

"Yeah, I'll tell him. I'll tell him how much I love him." She released the girls' hands and grabbed the handles that would open the door. That terrifying door that led to everything she didn't want to think about. As she pushed open the door and began to see the hints of the familiar room, she closed her eyes and took one last deep breath. She was going to need it.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

Miyu had done an excellent job at avoiding Kanata so far and honestly, she was a bit proud of herself. She had never done this well at getting what she wanted, especially when it had to do with that messy haired man that she had fallen in love with.

"Miyu…" Crap. The blonde flinched as she heard the smooth, masculine voice that she would never be able to mistake. She knew it was a mistake to get confident. Just because there were only a few more minutes of the dance, she had thought she was in the clear. It was because her numerous suitors had all mysteriously disappeared… Damn that Aya. She probably dragged them off. Her 'best friends' thought that he loved her. They thought that they were going to be this insanely happy couple. Hah! What a laugh. "Miyu?" She gripped her skirt tightly as she forced a smile onto her face and turned to face what had been her best dream and was becoming her own personal nightmare.

"Hey you! Where have you been all night?" She said brightly. This would have been so much easier if he was ugly. Miyu inwardly shuddered with delight at the sight of Kanata in a tuxedo. His messy brown hair was still messy, but the cut of the tuxedo made his shoulders look broader and his muscles look stronger. She raised her eyes to his face and realized that she saw all her emotions mirrored in his. Flustered, she looked behind her, searching for Nanami. It couldn't be her that he was looking at with that kind of hunger. Not with that kind of need.

"Miyu, look at me. Please." Miyu shot one last glance behind her and quickly brought her eyes to his face, locking eye contact. She felt her face blush and she knew that she must look ridiculous, but she stood defiant. She couldn't let him just take her on an emotional roller coaster every time that he looked at her.

"What is it, Kanata?" She hoped she sounded firm. She hoped she sounded confident. She hoped he wouldn't notice that her voice cracked on his name.

"You look beautiful." Kanata smiled softly at Miyu, making her lose her composure one more time.

"Thank you. You don't look half-bad either." Maybe she could joke with him! Maybe she could pretend she didn't hear! Maybe she could pretend that she didn't love him! Maybe pigs would start flying through the ballroom!

Kanata sighed and ran his hand through his hair, mussing it up even further. Miyu contained the urge to laugh and fix it, but that was the kind of behavior that had gotten her in this predicament in the first place. So instead, she placed her hands behind her back and clasped them tightly, as if to deny them the pleasure of touching him. "There are a few things I need to tell you. Do you think we could go out to the hall?" He made a gesture that pointed back out those horrid doors. He wanted to be alone with her? To talk to her? Okay, that made sense. It was fine! They were best friends! It couldn't be anything too awful.

"Sure. No big deal." Miyu shrugged as she walked towards the door. They had just gotten out and were starting an almost decent conversation about the dance, when Kanata suddenly stopped walking.

"Miyu, there's something I need to tell you." Miyu's panic gauge flared. Crap, she had been caught off guard with his question and normal behavior! He was going to tell her about his love for Nanami! He was going to tell her about how he wanted to get married to her and have her children! She couldn't hear this! Miyu twirled around to run when she felt something firm grab her arm. Before she could even register what was happening, she was spun back around and there was something firm and solid pushed against her lips. Even with her eyes wide open and the proof right in front of her, she still couldn't believe what was happening. Kanata was kissing her! She felt the lips soften after a moment and suddenly she was kissing him back. She felt Kanata shudder as she ran her fingers through his hair, pushing him closer. She had been about to see if they could deepen the kiss when she was abruptly pushed away from the mouth she so desperately wished to possess. She heard a curse and the sound of a fist against a wall as she forced herself back to reality. Kanata was facing away from him, his shoulders caved, one hand in a fist against the wall and one squeezing the bridge of his nose. All-in-all, not a very confidence inducing pose.

"That wasn't supposed to happen, Miyu. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Kanata didn't turn around as he said it. He just let his hand drop from his face. Miyu felt the smile she didn't know she was wearing fade. Oh god. "Miyu…"

Oh god. No.

"Miyu… I…."

OH GOD! NO! Miyu frantically brought her hands to her ears, hoping that she could block out the sound.

"Miyu, I'm in love with you." Kanata's voice broke as he spoke and he finally turned around to face her. Miyu froze. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him blush.

"What?" Miyu replied, dazed with the shock of his face and his words. She only hoped that he would repeat what she had thought she had heard. Not what she knew she had.

"I'm in love with you." Kanata grabbed her hands and held them tightly between them. "Deeply." He brought her hands to his lips and kissed them. "Insanely." He let go of her hands and wiped away a tear that was working its way down Miyu's face.

"Honestly?" Miyu felt her throat and her chest tighten.

"Honestly." Kanata kissed her one last time, gently. He pulled away and regained his hold on her hands.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Wait, wait, wait!" A 7 year-old girl with pink pigtails leaped out of bed and grabbed hold of her mothers skirt as she was about to leave the bedroom. "That can't be the end! What about Princess Nanami? Wasn't the Prince in love with her?"

"Oh, that…" The mothers face scrunched up thoughtfully, thinking of a good way to tell that part of the story. "Umm…"

"The Princess learned that she needs to listen to the whole story if she's going to eavesdrop." A man with messy brown hair entered the doorway behind his wife. "The Prince was trying to figure out a way to tell her that he was going to go far away for a while."

"What's that got to do with Princess Nanami?" The girl pouted cutely as she turned around and pranced back into her bed.

"Well, Princess Nanami went with him. They went far away together." Miyu said cautiously. She didn't know how to explain the whole college thing to her 7 year old daughter.

"Will you just tell me the story again when I'm older, that way you don't have to leave anything out?" Miu rolled over to face away from her parents. "I know it's about you anyways…"

Miyu and Kanata laughed as they turned out the light and shut the door to their daughter's room. "Smart little brat we've got, huh?" Kanata said as he wrapped his wife in a hug.

"That's what I keep telling you." Miyu laughed as Kanata caught her lips with his own. She pushed him away and grabbed his hand. "Come on, we've got dishes to do."

Author's Note: Alright! My first one-shot! :D It's done! I'm actually really proud of this one too! I don't think it's bad at all for a one-shot! So, why don't you all be dears and review? You know you can and I would really appreciate it if you did. I hope you have a fantastic day! :D