Classroom of the Elite: Amethyst and Amber

Prologue - The Encounter

A/N: This is a side project that I had done on a whim... like 4 hours ago. dall-kun and I both decided KiyoZuna would be a good idea. But I'm not sure if that lobster actually wrote something. Hopefully, my glorious yap king did.

A/N2: Re-uploaded. An expanded (and objectively much better) prologue.

Anyway, the rate of updates would depend on how much love this fic would get. So, if you liked it, feed this one with votes and comments. Pretty please?

***

The first day of school is always a metaphor for something. A new beginning, a chance to reinvent yourself, or perhaps, an opportunity to get hopelessly lost. 

For Kiyotaka, it was all three.

Formal school was a new experience. He'd crafted a new persona— not entirely successful, but an attempt nonetheless. Now, wandering the unfamiliar grounds, he was quite literally lost.

Should have stuck to the paths he'd memorized last month. Should have ignored the urge to roam around aimlessly. Should have.

Although, those were pointless thoughts. He was curious about the other things the campus had to offer. This was bound to happen.

Well... there was a solution to his problem— the GPS feature of his phone. 

But the school-issued smartphone was dead. Forty percent battery was all the phone had when he got it. Kiyotaka pictured the other first-years, huddled around charging stations like sensible sheep. 

Hindsight. Always 20/20.

And so, his journey continued.

As Kiyotaka turned a corner, the sound of his own footsteps echoing off the walls, he found himself in a quiet courtyard. 

He scanned the courtyard. Empty, except for a lone figure slumped against the far wall, one leg stretched out as if propping it up. Not the most graceful posture, but there was a carelessness to it that caught his eye.

"Hey, got any paracetamol?" The voice was rougher than he expected, a hint of strain beneath the casual tone.

She pushed herself off the wall, and for a moment, their eyes met. Hers were a startling amethyst, made even brighter against skin flushed an unhealthy pink. Something about the way she held herself, a slight sway to her walk as if fighting off dizziness, made him think of a lioness with a thorn in her paw— dangerous even when vulnerable.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He'd been staring, he realized. Damn. Not the best start.

A crooked grin spread across her face, doing nothing to diminish the impact of those eyes. "Paracetamol. Headache's trying to stage a hostile takeover of my brain, and frankly, I'd rather it didn't."

Kiyotaka shook his head. "No, sorry. I don't have any on me."

The girl shrugged, but he noticed the hand that went to her temple was trembling slightly. Her skin, even beneath the feverish flush, was paler than it should be. It was clearly not just a headache. "No worries. I'll just go to the pharmacy."

And just like that, she turned and walked away. Another face he'd probably just see in passing after this. That was just how life was.

But...

"Wait," Kiyotaka heard himself say. Why? It wasn't as if he needed something from her. He mentally cringed. He idly wondered if Horikita felt the same when she called him out earlier. Probably not. Horikita was... unique.

She paused, those amethyst eyes narrowing slightly, as if assessing his intentions. "Yeah?"

"Forgive my bluntness," he said, immediately wishing he hadn't. Where was this sudden concern coming from? "But are you sure you can even make it to the pharmacy on your own right now?"

"What's it to you?" she shot back, though her voice lacked its usual bite. "Do you even know where the pharmacy is?"

"No," Kiyotaka admitted.

A beat of silence. Then, a ghost of a smile played on her lips. "That's what I thought."

And with a finality that brooked no argument, she turned and started walking.

But her steps were slow. Each movement seemed to take an immense effort as if gravity itself had conspired against her. Yeah, pharmacy was definitely not happening at that pace.

Kiyotaka was about to tell her to take care, forget he'd said anything—inwardly, of course— when she swayed. Her hand shot out, grasping at air, then found purchase against the rough bark of a nearby tree.

"Okay," she muttered, her voice barely audible, "Maybe I need a little—"

"—help." The poor girl fell to her knees.

He considered, for a moment, pretending he hadn't heard. But even his non-existence conscience had rationalized that the best move was to help.

And so, Kiyotaka had closed the distance between them. Not that he was going to offer a hand. That would be presumptuous. And besides, her pride seemed to be the only thing standing upright at this point.

He waited, arms crossed, for her to regain her composure, which, judging by the way she was glaring at a loose cobblestone as if it had personally offended her, wasn't happening anytime soon.

"I really... really should have slept last night," she muttered, pushing herself up to a sitting position. Her cheeks were flushed, and not just from the fever this time. "Mind helping me get to the pharmacy?"

"You should rest instead," Kiyotaka countered.

She flashed him a triumphant grin. "Observe."

She held up her phone, the screen displaying a map with a route highlighted. "Just ten minutes, tops. Shortest route possible, courtesy of yours truly and this beautiful phone. You would have known that if you didn't— what was it?— oh, right. Let your phone die. I'm right, aren't I?"

She got him there. But he wasn't convinced by the timeline. Ten minutes at her pace could easily turn into an hour. And he had better things to do—he was lost, he actually had no idea where to go—than play nurse to a stubborn...

"You'd both be doing a good deed and finding your way back," she added as if reading his mind, "The First Year dormitory is in the same direction."

He raised an eyebrow. 

"Don't believe me?" she challenged, tilting the phone screen closer to his face. "See for yourself. Here, to the pharmacy, to the dorms. Same direction."

The moment she revealed the route, Kiyotaka had it memorized. Every turn, every landmark. He even saw a shortcut that even the application missed— Seven turns in total, three short ones right at the start... The first would be after three right corners from where they stood.

It would have been easier if I stayed lost, he thought, stifling a sigh. Now, he found out he was simply walking in circles.

"You win, senpai," Kiyotaka conceded, holding out his hand to help her up. A satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she took his hand. "Lead the way."

Although he could have guided the girl to the quickest destination, he'd rather not reveal this part of him.

End of Prologue

A/N: I don't know if it counts, but this makes it my 6th chapter in a week. (five for liquid inspiration and one for this.)

So... what do you think? Nazuna has been my favourite senpai character, so this was bound to happen.