Ultimate War (Kaguya x Shirogane Fanfic)

Chapter IX

A week has just passed.

Miyuki's thoughts were filled with Kaguya. Every morning, he woke with the reminder that she was still gone. Every day going by felt like an extra wound in his weakened heart. When he entered the student council room, he thought of her. When he greeted Fujiwara, he thought of her. Even when Ishigami started bringing expensive tea for them all, it still did not taste as good as when Kaguya made it.

He often talked to her about academics. But nothing more. After that text message he sent asking her for a date, she replied with a dry yes then quickly shifted the subject to school matters.

Shirogane did not exactly blame her. She was the vice-president, and being away in such a busy time made her work extra hard to make up for her absence. Of course all she would think about was the upcoming school festival, and how to make it a success.

Yet.

A part of him felt really lonely. All this time, he was taking her for granted, he believed she would always be by his side. All this time, he was a fool.

He recalled her silky midnight hair, not once wavering in the wind. Always holding its perfect form, just like her. Her scarlet eyes were the reason he found her so charming at first. They gleamed with different shades of red, the light in them reflecting in the mirror of your soul, reading you an open book.

Kaguya was simply perfect.

His heart ached for her touch, for her smile, for the way she said good morning and the way she got scared of things he himself feared. She was an archer, and her arrows hit their target at its core.

There was no doubt about it.

Miyuki was in love with Kaguya.

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Kaguya was in love with Miyuki.

She couldn't believe this sudden turn of events... How else could she explain the chest pain she got every single morning when she woke up, in her silken water bed?

Did she hate being here? Did she miss her friends back in Japan? Of course, but most of all, the image of President pictured in her mind made her heart skip a beat.

It hurts. It hurts. Please make it stop.

"My lady, have you finally realized your feelings?" ,Hayasaka had asked her that night, right after she read Miyuki's invitation to the school festival.

Kaguya was terrified.

Of losing Shirogane Miyuki's love for her, of forgetting his tired face, his sunken eyes, his faint exhausted smile... Will he replace her if she is gone for too long?

Wasn't she doing her job properly? Was he perhaps mad because she didn't explain anything to him? Was he heartbroken because she was being cold to him in her texts?

Was she making a huge mistake?

Exactly one week after Shirogane's invitation, she had a strange dream.

She was sitting in her room back at home. On a rocking chair. Hayasaka was nowhere to be found. A small cat slept on her lap, purring. The animal's fur was yellowish, and his irises were painted in dark blue. She looked around, noticing that nothing changed in her room. Everything was a little dusty, that's all.

Where was Hayasaka?

"Why is there no maid to clean this place?" , she wondered out loud.

She could not dwell on it much longer, because a voice suddenly spoke to her. One she did not find the source of until she felt a tug at her shirt from below.

"No one is here, Shinomiya" , the blond cat said.

Her blood froze. She widened her eyes at the small creature, doubting her own sanity.

"Yes, I can talk" , the cat spoke once more.

Kaguya tried to stand, to escape from the strange animal, but a wave of electricity went down her spine, the pain rendering her vision dark for a while.

Her back hurt so much.

It was almost as if...

"Look at yourself, Shinomiya" , the cat, now sitting on the floor before her eyes, seemed to look beyond her, at the darkened corners of her very soul. His sapphire eyes shone in the dim room.

"You're an old lady now. You turned me down, you cherished your pride more than your happiness, and here you are. Still rich, but terribly lonely."

Only then did Kaguya realize that the cat's voice sounded exactly like...

Exactly like Shirogane Miyuki's.

That morning, she rushed to her father's office after quickly dressing up. It was inappropriate for a lady to show up in her sleeping gowns to her own parents.

"Good morning, Otou-sama" , Kaguya bowed.

"Hello, my daughter. You asked to see me?" , he replied, not looking back at her.

"Yes", she answered without an ounce of hesitation. "I have a question. When will your business deal be done?"

Her father, then, shifted his gaze up from his paperwork, staring at her. A small smile drew on his thin rose-colored lips.

"Tomorrow" , he said.