In Her Mind (Kyoya x reader)

Chapter One: And So It Begins

(F/n) = fake name
(Y/n) = your name
(F/c) = favourite colour
(E/c) = eye colour

Unedited

For Kyoya it all started with one of the schools many art showcases.

These events were held 4 times a year to promote the wide range of skills many of the students had developed. For some, it was business opportunities. It was a way to connect, mingle, and create relationships. For a lot of students, it was an opportunity to network. To put their feelers out for either their own future endeavours or that of their parents.

Now normally Kyoya would disregard this sort of thing and walk right past it. Perhaps he would stop and take a quick look in case anyone could help with Tamaki's bountiful fantastical whims for the club. Previously that had been the case, and this year the "Host Club King" as he was called had decided to go down a more historical route for the most part. There would be more themed days overall then there were last year, and Kyoya was already grimacing at how this would eat into the clubs budget and the year had barely begun.

During the show case this year, however, a particular student caught his eye.

There on stage, showcasing her costumes and masks, was a girl in full French rococo period costume. A beautiful (f/c) venetian mask adorned her eyes and nose, obscuring her identity but yet making her (e/c) all but glow. Her almost white hair was piled on top of her head in the historical style as well, most likely a wig and quite the contrast to the rest of the ensemble. Due to the lavish looking costume her identity was completely obscured and she was called on-stage as (f/n). It appeared she was good at what she does, each piece hand crafted and exquisite in its detail. Most of her pieces were on mannequins however up on stage was one single other student. It appeared he was wearing the exact matching masculine costume to hers, and the pair seemed close. He, too, had his identity obscured and all that could be seen was his boyish smile. A smile primarily directed at the artist herself.

She could be helpful in the future Kyoya thought to himself as he began weaving his way into the crowd of students. Something told him he needed to get closer to the girl on stage, needed to see her work up close and perhaps catch her eye. As he did so he began asking around, trying his best to catch any hint of a name or other clue as to who this girl was. He wouldn't do club business with her without being thorough.

Kyoya needed to do a background check and find out who exactly this was, but those he asked were being of absolutely no help. All he found was that she had almost no friends, and if anyone did know her name they weren't going to tell him what it was. Even teachers, hell even the head master and chairman refused to give up a name. Everyone was claiming that her name was simply (f/n) and that that was all they knew her by. Other then that he found out that she was a second year much like him but yet he couldn't place those eyes. He couldn't match them to a name or a face, and yet they were hauntingly familiar.

Kyoya knew some of the student body and school staff had to be lying but for the sake of appearances he decided not to argue or push the matter any further then he had. He decided to let her keep her secrets, and he either wouldn't do club dealings with her or he would simply investigate further on his own time.

From up on stage Y/n knew she'd piqued the "Shadow King's" interest. She watched from behind her mask as his eyes trailed her, trying to catch her own. She watched as he weaved his way through the crowds, trying to find out information about her that she prayed, no, knew that no one was going to give up. Very few knew her real identity, in fact most just knew her by (f/n) or by "The Mask Maker". She had been doing dealings with students the last year and a half, handmaking costumes, masks or props for various people for various reasons and raking in the money because the rich idiots that she went to school with had no clue how much things ever actually cost, so she could price it however she wanted. As long as the materials used looked and felt to be of a certain quality no one cared how little or how much her creations cost.

Now usually the school wouldn't allow their students to work throughout the year whilst they were there, something about preparing them for adulthood whilst still letting them have the time to be teenagers. The one work around to that rule had been if the money was earned through a club, and so after a thorough discussion with the principle, Y/n was allowed to sign up for the art club under her stage name. The principle didn't know why she wanted to keep her identity a secret, but he didn't press the issue. He just let the young girl do as she pleased.

Y/n knew that Kyoya Ootari did not participate in anything that did not benefit him, and so to see him so intrigued in her was a shock, to say the least. He stayed for her entire showcase before he left, rushing off and probably late to that host club or whatever it was that he helped manage. The two of them locked eyes for the first time as he made his way out, his pace not fast enough to alarm anyone but fast enough for Y/n to know that he had been caught out and was late. She smirked as their eyes locked for a brief moment and he gave her a small nod that was nothing more then a polite dip of his head. They had acknowledged each other and beyond that, acknowledged the game they were going into.

A rather elaborate game of cat and mouse, one that both were entirely sure they were going to win.

Word count: 1062

Hey! How are we feeling about the first chapter?

As promised, this story is meant to be an elongated of my short form fic "The Mask Maker", and as it has been adapted from a draft/story I had never published some chapters might seem a little off to begin with. Some may also seem pretty samesy as "The Mask Maker" so I hope all y'all that have read that one don't mind!

Stay safe, happy, healthy!
-Moon 🌙