shining prince | yuki sohma

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Peace and quiet, it seemed, only came at the end of the school day when classrooms were emptied and clubs stowed away in their assigned hall. Thankfully, that particular corridor lied on the other side of the building.

Only those left with the responsibilities of class cleaning duty (and the distant shouts of the sports departments training) wandered this part of the school, and, while Yuki would usually rather be alone with his own duties (bestowed upon him by none other than the soon-to-be previous school president), he found the idle chatter echoing to ease the loneliness that crept from time to time.

It was then that he had been fetching paperwork from the teachers' office before it closed for the day, passing by a classroom he'd never really paid attention to due to his own being closer to the end. The close proximity allowed him easy access to the conversation going on just behind the partially opened door.

On any other day he'd elect not to listen in as gossip wasn't his cup of tea, what with most of it being scalding and only ever troubling those that dared to take a sip.

But, being cursed and all, he couldn't help but hesitate as the word "rat" slipped from the occupied room.

"Class pets are for elementary kids and, even then, it should be something cute! Why couldn't it be a bunny?" the same voice said, disgust clear in their tone of voice.

"We are a little old to be having a class pet..." another spoke. "Not to mention, we're the only one to have one."

"No one even likes rats! And the teacher always shoves the responsibility of it on us!"

A heated scoff rebounded and Yuki felt his grip tighten on the papers in his possession.

Disgusting... Yes, that was the normal reaction, wasn't it? He had gotten so used to Miss Honda's kindness that he'd forgotten.

Right--his head bowed, bangs slipping across his gaze--he was still a vermin to everyone else.

"Excuse me," a soft voice interrupted his dark train of thought, the owner of it sweeping passed. They were so close he found himself flinching, eyes widening as he caught sight of their face.

The girl held a grimace in her expression, one hand moving the door to the side to step through. The other, he spotted, held a filled water container for hamsters and the like.

He still stood there as she stepped into the room, skirt swishing behind her.

"Us?" He overheard her say as she entered. "I've never seen one of you lift a finger for Akihiko, let alone the rest of our class."

"We're just being honest, [Name]-san. Aren't you tired of taking care of that thing?"

"That 'thing' has a name and feelings just like the rest of us."

Yuki felt his breath catch as a tense silence grew between the peers.

"If you're done chatting, hurry up with your duties. We have a test to study for, you know."

"Oh, shoot! I almost forgot!"

"Hurry, hurry!"

The other two seemed to drop the subject of the class pet after that, and Yuki felt it was time to continue on with his own chores for the day.

When the paperwork was completed for the day, he found himself walking past the same class on his way out. The door was still cracked, he noticed, and by peeking in he saw someone was still inside, a student by the looks of it.

Sliding the door open, he saw it was the girl from before, seated at a desk closest to a wired cage with a textbook open and various papers scattered around it. She seemed pensive as she wrote, eyes flitting between the pages before returning to her own notes. He recalled the other student mentioning her name and found he didn't recognize it, but that wasn't too surprising. They weren't in the same class, after all.

The sound of her humming brought him back to reality, afraid he'd been caught staring, but she kept her focus on the work lying in front of her.

"What do you think, Akihiko? Does that look right?" she asked, the end of her pencil tapping against her bottom lip as she spoke.

Sighing, she dropped the writing utensil on the desk, leaning back in her chair just enough to reveal a small, white form sitting on her left shoulder. He didn't have long to observe as her gaze found him across the room.

She gasped, hands flying to the rat on her shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't think anyone was still here!" She rushed to grab the rodent from its perch, holding it gently against her chest as she stood and turned towards the cage.

"No, it's alright," Yuki finally said, causing her to pause and look back over as if she were waiting for him to change his mind and make a fuss. "I was making sure the door hadn't been left open is all."

A small lie, but he would have had to check either way.

"I must've not shut it all the way," she muttered, eyes lowering the floor before finding the animal in her hands. A grin lifted the corners of her lips, he barely saw it as she opened the cage door and delicately placed the rat inside.

"Do you...get it out often?"

She glanced up, studying him for a moment. Despite being across the room, it felt like he'd been cornered by her gaze.

"I'm not really supposed to have him out," she confessed, shrugging. "But, he just looks so lonely, and he tends to climb the cage when I sit so close, like he's trying to look at my work." She laughed softly before clearing her throat.

"I always keep an eye on him, if that's what you're worried about, so please..." she bowed, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this?"

"I wasn't planning to," he promised and she sighed (a bit dramatically, might he add) in relief, almost stealing a grin from him, too. "I'm surprised you like holding a rat. Most people hate the sight of them."

"Guess I'm just the odd one out," she said, scrambling to gather her stuff together.

Something must have occurred to her because she suddenly stopped what she was doing to face him again. "Wait you're...Prince Yuki, right?"

He cringed at the nickname that had haunted him since his first day which earned him a laugh in response.

"I'll take that a yes. It's funny...you almost share the same name."

He blinked at her, confusion evident. "What do you mean?"

"Akihiko," she answered, "it means 'shining prince.' Funny coincidence, huh?"

He hummed, mulling it over. It was a bit funny, now that he thought about it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You probably don't want to hear something silly like that," she said, shaking her head with a quick wave of her hands. "I should finish getting my stuff together. I'll be sure to shut the door completely on my way out."

He nodded, unsure of what to say. It was getting late and he was starving for some of Miss Honda's home cooked food. It was probably best if he left her to her cleaning.

On his way out, his hand curled around the edge of the doorway, feet freezing before he exited.

"It's a cute name," he said before glancing over his shoulder with a small smile. "I don't enjoy the title myself, but it's cute for him."

Clutching her notebook close, [Name] smiled, beaming as the sky shone with golds and pinks behind her.

"I'm glad to hear it," she murmured. "Thank you."

No.

He wished her a good afternoon.

Thank you.