I don't own Maid Sama

Chapter 6.1: Saturday and Serenity

It was white. It was warm. And he had never felt so comfortable in his life. Light shifts before him, and began to steady until finally, he found himself standing on the ocean floor.

But he wasn't alone.

"Aoi,"

Suzuna was there, a white 1-piece blouse coating her slim figure. She stood in front of him, feet tiptoed on the ocean, afloat it would seem, like him.

But it wasn't the wierdness of it all that got him awed. It was the bright smile on her face, so unlike her, and sweet look she was giving him.

She hovered towards him, and laughed.

She pulled his hand, twirled, until her back was on him, and she had laid his hand on her belly.

As if sensing her intention, he began to sway, and so did she. With the rippling of the waters as their music.

They laughed for a while, continued to dance, and let the silliness of it all fill them with childish joy. She then stopped, turned to him, and pulled his face towards her.

"Suzuna..."

He closed his eyes, and waited for her lips. It was wet. It was cold. Everything was. A weird pain enveloped his mid section, and he sat up, regretting it straight after with a terrible headache and a stomach turning diziness.

"Yeah, he's awake."

When his senses came through, he found Usui, just finishing a phone call. His left hand was still on the table where glass a water magically toppled and poured its contents on him.

He didn't have time to accuse. A towel was already offered, so he wiped his face dry. If Usui could pull a prank like this while he was hurting then it must not be too serious.

"Jerk." he whispered at the blonde who had pulled a chair beside him. "How long was I out?"

"Whole night last night. Then the whole morning. It's 2:30 in the afternoon." Usui stood up, fixed up the glass with water and a sizzling tablet submerged within, and handed it to the lad.

"Happy birthday."

Aoi looked at his smiling face, and took the glass from him, nodding slightly. The tablet worked its magic quickly and he began to gain constitution. He realized he was in his room. A bandage was covering his upper body, and a portion of his face was riddled with band-aid.

"Aoi-chan!"

Misaki suddenly came in. Though her loudness didn't help in the growing pain in his temple, he was glad to see her.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?"

"If you let me go it would probably stop hurting."

"Oh, sorry."

Aoi turned his shoulders and tried to feel his body. He didn't hurt that much anymore, but his ribs ached like hell.

"You were badly bruised," Usui said, filling the glass again, this time with juice. "Then you passed out."

"Blood lost?" Aoi asked.

"Nope. Because you were a pussy. You fainted at the sight of your own blood."

"Usui!"

Misaki threw him a glare, but the blonde just shrugged it. A small heater was on the table beside him where a pot was being kept warm. Usui scooped thick soup out of it on a bowl. Aoi smelled the fresh broth and realized he was hungry.

Then the image of the man, holding Suzuna by the neck, came to him. A sickening feeling filled him, and he looked sorrowfully at Misaki. The girl blinked, and for a moment shared his worry, though she didn't know why he was making such an expression.

"Misaki-chi," he began, "That man... did he, um, with Suzuna, before I came..."

The girl smiled a reassured smile, realizing what he was worried about. "No, Aoi-chan. You came just in time for her."

"Suzuna put up a good chase before that asshole got a hold of her. By the time he did, you were already there." Usui said. He handed Aoi a bowl of thick, creamy broth, "It's hot. Careful."

"She's at home right now - probably reading through some pamphlets like she normally does at this hour."

"So she's okay." Aoi whispered, feeling relieved. Misaki held his hand over the bowl and blew on the blanket of steam, until the broth cooled down. She smiled at him, while he took a sip.

He knew Suzuna would fight her way through this - she's Misak's sister. But that doesn't take away the horror in the experience. A lot of things could've happened. They could've died. She could've been... hurt, in so many ways, and that's saying things lightly.

He won't be surprised if she never enters that park again.

He noticed his right hand was wrapped heavily. He almost couldn't move his fingers, but he tried to, and the sting made him wince.

"Does it hurt?" Misaki asked, seeing the pained expression on him. She looked at Usui, who immediately took out some bandages and antiseptic from the drawers in case they'll be needed.

"Ano, Misaki-chi. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"The reason why Suzuna was there - it's because of me. I told her to..."

"I know, Aoi-chan." Misaki said, "Suzuna told me everything. And it's not something you should be apologizing for. Not after saving her."

"Ah, he just wants to gloat." Usui sat on the other side of the bed and ruffled Aoi's hair. Said boy grumbled and pushed him off. "The kid's feeling like a man after his knightly rescue."

"Ohh... you! Come here!" Misaki pulled Aoi to a sudden hug. And while her crushing strength was painful, Aoi didn't necessarily find displeasing. He sighed under her shirt, and let the warmth of the embrace sink in.

"Alright, hug's over."

Usui pulled the boy from his girlfriend's arms, forcing Misaki to let go and chuckle at the subtle hint of displeasure on his face. Aoi snarled at him. "What, afraid I might steal your girl from you?"

"You're way out of your league kid." Usui returned the arrogant look, and took the bowl from Aoi's hand.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Misaki briskly pushed him off, and shoved a medium-sized wrapped box towards him, "Happy birthday!"

He held it in his hand, and pretended he wasn't happy. "Gee, I wonder what this is." he said sarcastically, though the smile on his face said he meant it true enough.

"It's from Usui and me." Misaki said, standing up from the bed. "We figured you'll have good use for it later."

"Thanks." he said, grinning at them both. "Where's Satsuki-san?"

"The manager's at Made Latte." Usui answered, "She said you should probably hold the party at your house instead."

Aoi's face turned serious.

"No," he declared, and pushed the sheets away. "I'm going to Maid Latte."

"Are you sure about that? With your condition?" Misaki asked.

"It's not that serious." he said. A few cuts and bruises really didn't incapacitate a person. And it'd be too embarrassing if he had a bunch of people seeing him so pathetic. He placed both feet on the floor and stood. For a moment, his vision got blurred and he felt like throwing up, but a pair of hands from Usui steadied him. He struggled for a tangible statement, "I... can do this. I'll go to maid Latte."

"I figured you'd be stubborn about this," Usui said, "So I told the manager to keep arrangements there."

He always saw things beyond the apparent - that Usui. Aoi raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed. Usui concluded it was as far as he'd go for a 'thank you.'

Aoi crinkled his nose when his head cleared and after sensing an unsettling smell.

"I need a bath."

This was probably as good as he could get.

Even as he gazed back at the now 16 year old teenage boy in the mirror, looking so displeased while fixing the blazer over the silken shirt he was wearing, Aoi already knew he wouldn't be at his best appearance at his own birthday party.

Or perhaps he's just not used to seeing himself in a male, formal attire.

The door to the staff room suddenly swung open, and in came the egotistic lead vocalist of UxMishi, accompanied by his pink-haired girlfriend. The pair was wearing complimenting dresses.

"Happy birthday, twerp! And congratulations! You are now a year closer to legalized sexual activities."

"Stop it, Kuuga." Sakura said, pulling down the outstretched arm of the blonde, and shaking her head shamefully while looking at Aoi. "Happy birthday, Hyoudou-kun."

Aoi took their gift in his arms. "Thanks Hanazono-san. I'm glad you guys could come. Where's the rest of the band?"

"Already finishing half of the buffet. Hm, you're not going to wear your hair like that, are you?"

Kuuga asked, eyeing the lad critically. Aoi became conscious of his hair and he ran a hand through his locks, wondering if he had ever learned to fix it other than just letting it down.

"Hang on, I got just the thing." He was out before Aoi could stop him. Sakura giggled as she watched him run amok with the already chaotic main-area.

"You look really great, Hyoudou-kun." Sakura told the lad, running a finger on the slit of his blazer.

"I'd say." Honoka had entered the room, a green gown accenting her body. "For once, you're not being annoying with what you're wearing."

"Heh, glad you're please." Aoi gave her a customized poker face, which vanished when she held his chin and began examining the cuts on his face. She winced when she noticed the red spot by the corner of his lips.

"Dang. Really got you beat up, huh?" she asked soft, then smirked at him, a mild color of respect forming, "Hyoudou Aoi - the human soccer ball."

"Step aside ladies. Let me work my magic with this pipsqueak." Kuuga returned twisting something in his hand.

"Alright, I'll see you later, Hyoudou-kun." Sakura stroke his arm and walked off with her other hand holding Honoka's, who went about squeezing the boy's nose.

"Yeah, we'll wreck the party, little man." she said.

The boy growled at her while the two laughing girls skipped out of the room. When he turned to Kuuga, he was gesturing for him to sit in front of the mirror. In his hand there was a cap of wax.

Aoi sat by the chair and asked, "Where did you get that?"

"That Irigashi kid had it."

"Did you ask for permission?"

"Nope. Now, what sort of catastrophe do you want your hair to be?"

The door suddenly swung open again, this time more thunderous as if a wild gorilla had taken entry. "Happy Birthday, Aoi! I brought fooooooood!"

And by food, Hinata Shintani meant an oversized toper wear containing all sorts of sweet pastry. Aoi couldn't afford to nag him for brute behavior, not when the grace-less guy went through the trouble of wearing a suit and bringing some treats.

"Uh, thanks, Hinata. Why don't you join the rest of guys in the hall, they're already eating."

Kuuga was already applying the wax on Aoi's hair in a surprisingly gentle and nimble way. He gave the new arrival a nod of acknowledgement.

"Oh, are you doing his hair? Because I know a good style you could try."

"Well, by all means my barbaric friend." Kuuga step to the side, and the look on his face gave Aoi a chill. He wouldn't let Shintani handle anything, let alone his hair.

"No thanks, I think we're good - ahh!"

Contrary to the hands of the singer, the brunette was rough and totally chaotic. After a few minutes and a lot of painful pulling of Aoi's hair, Shintani ended the younger boy's ordeal with a wide smile and proud punch in the air.

"Tadaa! Check it out!"

It wasn't really much of a style. He just turned Aoi's silky tresses into 5 demonic spikes protruding from his scalp. Aoi gawked at his image in the mirror - he had no idea he could actually look this stupid.

"Hm, not bad." Kuuga said, holding his chin and acting as if he was impressed.

"I'd say!"

They all turned to the door and saw Misaki laughing so hard she was actually bending over. Aoi wanted to throw something at her face.

if she didn't look so nice in a pink dress.

Behind her were Shouichirou Yukimura and Soutarou Kanou, both in matching tuxe's. They entered the room and placed two paper bags on the table.

"Happy birthday, Aoi." Yukimura greeted, "I didn't know you appreciate that kind of hairstyle."

"Like hell I do!" Aoi growled at Hinata, who simply laughed.

"Well, I think it looks good on you." Kanou commented blankly.

Misaki was able to recover after losing a lot of air, and had glanced at the clock by the wall. "Alright, gentlemen," she began, "Mr. Hyoudou is not yet as presentable as he wants himself to be, so I suggest we leave him with a more reliable mind. Yukimura?"

The green haired boy nodded and started removing his blazer. "Alright. Kanou, you can go ahead and eat. I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay." the tall boy placed a hand on Aoi's shoulder, "Happy birthday."

In minutes, they were left alone, and Aoi realized how exhausting it was being in the same room as those guys. He signed, and grinned at himself. He did look very funny.

"Silly bunch, aren't we?" Yukimura said, seeing the content look on Aoi's face.

"Mhm. I'm not complaining, though. So what will you do with this? Shintani just turned my head into a weapon."

Yukimura chuckled and assessed the strength of the wax. It wasn't the strongest hold. "You can wash it off easily. Or if you want, I can try to fix it up for you."

"Do what you can please. I just want to look normal."

"You got it."

Having placed some of the wax in his fingers, Yukimura started by spreading his hair out. He ruffled it a bit, letting the strands fly in all sorts of direction. Then, to simplify the style, he pushed the boy's hair up, making sure to have a small, yet distinct split in the middle.

The blue strands cooperated, and they stayed flown up, though not flat. Yukimura let them lose well, so they had a profound wavy effect. To finish, he flicked his fingers on Aoi's scalp, allowing a few strands to escape the direction and give a thin layer of bangs over the side of Aoi's small forehead.

Aoi looked at himself in the mirror. It wasn't an image he had ever seen before, but he liked it. Mostly because he thought it made him look a lot like his father.

"Well? What do you think? I tried to match the style you used on Usui when you helped me with my sister, but I think yours look a lot better."

Before he could answer how 'okay' it looked, a gasp was heard from the door. They saw Satsuki, wearing a faded blue gown, her hands covering her open mouth and looking teary-eyed.

"Oh. My. God! You look so handsome!"

She literally flew across the room, almost shoving Yukimura to the side, and squeezed the boy's cheeks on her own. Aoi was used to this kind of reaction by now, but he still found it annoying.

"Satsuki-san, stop!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Moe-overload." the young woman turned apologetically at Yukimura and composed herself.

"No problem mam. So, Aoi - will that work out for you?"

"Yeah. It'll do. Thanks a lot." Aoi said, not completely sold with the prospect of copying Usui, but still appreciative of it. Yukimura beamed at him and walked out after putting his blazer on.

Aoi looked at himself in the mirror, and fixed his blazer again. It was actually custom made - by him, of course, but he was slowly doubting the appeal of this kind of attire on him.

The mirror took another image of a young woman carrying the same hue of blue on her hair.

"You look really nice Aoi." she said, placing her arms around the boy. "Did you open Misaki-chan and Usui-kun's gift?"

"Yeah. It's an ipod." he pulled the device and stroke through the circular pad, "Nano. Got a few great songs in it - the headset's a bit too long, though."

"I'm sure they bought it for a reason."

He placed the ipod back in his pocket after curling the long chord of the headset around it. "Where's your gift, Satsuki-san?" he asked, letting her cuddle him for once.

"Ah, good thing you asked."

It was supposed to be a joke - he had already asked her to reserve Maid Latte for him, so there wasn't anything else he could ask for. But the woman had already taken out a fancy looking black, rectangular box.

"Happy birthday, my dear Aoi-chan."

"Aw man," Aoi scratched his head, "I was just kidding, Satsuki-san. I've been causing a lot trouble for you already."

"What do you mean causing trouble? I'm not going to let my own nephew have his coming of age celebration at a dull setting, not when he's about to get a girlfriend."

"Uh, say what?"

"That's actually from your father and me. It's probably a watch or something. He was the one who bought it."

"Otosan... will he be coming?"

Satsuki shrugged, and reached out to level his clothes. "I don't know. But he's probably not the only person you're looking for."

It finally struck him that the main highlight of his day hasn't come through that door yet. He pushed the black box in his pocket along with the ipod, hissing as the deep wound on his hand got pushed slighted, and burst out the door.

His guests were there, along with the beautiful staff of Maid Latte. They were eating, chatting, and were playing way with a Wi console set up by Usui. It was a good party, though the formal theme didn't seem befitting a rowdy crowd, especially one where Hinata was involved.

He did a head count, and discovered only one person was missing.

"Darn it, where is she?"

Some of the people there saw him and greeted. Misaki was talking to Usui by the buffet table. "Misaki-chi!" he called. "Where's Suzuna?"

"She's at the park."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. Didn't you invite her?"

"I did, but... wait, what's she doing at the park?" Aoi asked, suddenly getting angry at Misaki.

"She's probably still selling her things."

"Even after what happened last night?

"The guards have doubled their security there." Usui said, understanding Aoi's frustration.

Calling her number and telling her how stupid she was would be pointless. He realized this when he flipped his phone, but remembered hers was broken during the incident. He would have to call her stupid in person.

Further to that, she was probably looking to buy that necklace.

Aoi turned heal and ran out the door, missing the triumphant look Misaki and Usui gave each other.

it started at the park, it'll end at the park... finale up next