Words: 2648

*****

D for Damoiseau

Damoiseau: a young man not yet dubbed a knight.

It was a soothing afternoon in the park. The weather had been very merciful this week and summer's reign of heat was nearly over with autumn on the brink of beginning. The temperatures were gradually dropping, and the trees were going from a healthy green to a warm, vibrant range of orange, yellow, and red.

Syo had been running laps since noon, and it was now three.

He decided he would run one last lap around the park before heading back for a good freshening up. When he approached an isolated park bench behind a hill, he spotted a vibrant head of hair hovering over some papers. Looking closer, the figure slumped over the papers was scrawling furiously and Syo realized she was writing music.

It was Haruka. Syo slowly crept forward, allowing her time to realize his presence. She never did.

"Ah!" He shouted abruptly. Haruka jumped in her seat, letting out a shriek of surprise. Looking up and seeing Syo's face, she let out a sigh. Whether it was one of relief or annoyance, he'd never know. Syo grinned at her, and took a seat beside her on the bench.

"So? Who's the song for?" He asked, vying that she would peer up at him bashfully and present it to him, confessing her undying love for him.

"Oh. It's just a piece I'm working on. I write down any songs that I think of." She replied, her gaze still glued to the pages.

"Mm-hmm." Syo mumbled, slightly disappointed.

Suddenly, he got a brilliant idea. Sure, it was going to cost him more than enough malicious glares when his friends found out, but he figured if everything went well, it'd be worth it.

"It's starting to get dark," Haruka said, peering up at the sky. Syo was still deep in thought when Haruka looked at him inquisitively.

"Haruka-chan? I need to ask you something," he began. When Haruka nodded encouragingly, he continued, "Do you have any plans tomorrow? I want to take you somewhere."

There was a brief silence that made Syo want to retract his invitation in fear of rejection, but when Haruka chirped her acceptance, he couldn't help but feel surprise at her nonchalance. He'd expected some blushing, maybe some stuttering. He helped her shuffle her sheets together, pulling her up from her seat and stepped back to let her adjust.

When she sneezed, Syo threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer despite the incoherent protests. He hid a self-satisfactory smirk as they walked out of the park and back to the dorms.

"So where are we going tomorrow?" Haruka was still meek from his bold contact.

"The aquarium!" Syo announced, despite knowing this was a cliché; he preferred to call it classic. Haruka brightened, overjoyed by the idea of spending a day at the aquarium. Syo smiled to himself, relieved by her reaction.

The remainder of the walk was left to a comfortable silence. Walking into the lounge room that Starish occupied, it didn't occur to either why they were warranting so many stares as they entered.

The first to notice was Otoya. He gasped in surprise, catching the attention of the rest in the room. Eyebrows raised, Ren drawled while concealing his own envy,"Well, look who turned out to be the wolf."

When their confuddled expressions didn't clear, Ren gestured at Syo and his arm. Realizing the indication, Haruka's face bloomed a gorgeous shade of red. Soon getting the gist, Syo's arm flew off her shoulder.

Now hyperaware of the show they'd put on, his gaze wandered around the room, the lack of comments unnerving.

The other members were all staring at him; some were glaring, others were observing him, studying him for the secrets to attaining Haruka's affection.

Chuckling awkwardly, Syo leaned down to whisper something in her ear before hurriedly scurrying upstairs, away from the piercing eyes of his friends and rivals.

Haruka reddened, her body tingling with the aftermath of his low voice in her ear. She didn't hate the feeling.

See you here tomorrow at 10. He had said.

Looking back at the audience in front of her, Haruka broke away from the gazes that the guys had pinned on her and mumbled a hasty goodbye before she ran up to her room.

Flopping unceremoniously onto her bed, Haruka let out an exasperated sigh. Tomochika still wasn't back from her promotions. She laid there, relishing the peace and quiet. Her heart was still pounding, and she was sure her face was still burning.

It was only a little past four when she decided to change out of her uniform and get some progress on the pieces she started in the park.

It was a brand new day and it seemed like summer was trying to squeeze in its last bits of energy before fall took over. She began her trek to the bathroom to get ready for the long day ahead.

Coming out freshened up, she headed over to wake Tomochika. It always took her a little longer to shake off the sleepiness. When her roommate began to stir, she headed over to her closet to contemplate what outfit she should wear in an hour.

"So. I hear you're going out with Syo now." When Haruka spun around, Tomochika was seated on the edge of her bed, red hair ruffled and pajamas wrinkled but her eyes twinkled teasingly.

"N-no. It's just a date- I mean, not just a date. It's um- hanging out with Syo. It doesn't mean we're going out. N-not like it'd be a bad thing, but um-" Haruka babbled, not knowing where she was going with her response.

Her eyes moved down to the dress Haruka was clutching in one hand and the heels that were hanging off her fingers. "Is that what you're wearing?" Tomochika asked.

Haruka looked uncertainly at the clothes.

"Okay, so you don't like it very much. You have other options?" Tomo continued.

When she was met with the blank stare, Tomochika chuckled, "Alright, come here."

Haruka grinned, pleasantly surprised by the offer. Tomo strolled over to her own closet on the other side of the room and threw the double doors open. Haruka let out an involuntary gasp, awed by the sheer quantity of high-quality clothes.

"Let's see here. We are going for sweet and simple," Tomo muttered to herself, shuffling through the rack. "Ah, here." She emerged with a creme loose-knit sweater, shorts, and leggings.

Haruka looked at the garments hesitantly, only taking them when Tomo gave her an encouraging nudge. When Haruka was done changing, Tomo pushed her down by the vanity table they shared. Despite the refusals, Tomo managed to apply the extra makeup that Haruka never wore.

Standing at the foot of the stairs in the lounge, Haruka had to admit, she looked really good in the ensemble Tomo had arranged for her. She was fidgety; she was early and the anticipation of seeing Syo and the aquarium made the minutes pass by that much slower.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came thundering down the stairs. Haruka managed to spot the blurry figure of her date for a split second before he yelled out, leaped the last steps, and fell onto Haruka, the two tumbling onto the carpeted floor.

Haruka blinked, feeling the cushion of someone's body against hers instead of the floor. Syo had spun himself to absorb the shock of the fall, gripping Haruka tight in his arms.

She peered up at him, who still had his eyes scrunched close. When he came to and saw the position they were in, he yelped and pushed himself up, detaching himself with a flurry of apologies and explanations to go with his bright red face.

Natsuki, who had descended the stairs in a calmer fashion than his roommate, looked appalled that Syo had jumped the stairs to get away from him. He had a Piyo shirt on and was gripping what Haruka supposed was a matching shirt for Syo.

"You would look so cute with this on, Syo-chan!" Natsuki implored, his plead complete with watery eyes and a pout.

"I'm not wearing the stinking shirt, I told you!" Syo ran his hand through his hair.

"Um? Are we going now?" Haruka asked, wanting nothing more than to see the fish.

It was now that Syo could take a good look at her. The look on Syo's face was embarrassment in its purest and most concentrated form. He took in Haruka's bright eyes, brimming with excitement, and her rosy cheeks, flushed from their previous contact.

He swallowed. This was going to be a hell long of a day.

Natsuki's eyes darted between the two. There was something he was missing here. When the connection was made, Natsuki let out a yell of disbelief.

"Shut up!" Syo hissed, not wanting the entire school to know about his life.

After a plethora of curses and some reluctant promises, Natsuki calmed down. Syo grabbed Haruka's hand and hastily left before any of his rivals came down.

The pair made it to the company car without any further complications and began the trip to the aquarium. Syo glanced over, smiling in amusement at the sight of Haruka fidgeting excitedly in her seat. She looked over, startled when she met his gaze, looking into her lap sheepishly. Syo laughed.

It was a short drive from the school campus to the aquarium. Syo followed his partner, happy that she was so enthusiastic. At the ticket booth, a woman behind the booth taped at the poster taped to the glass with her pointing acrylic nails while punching a hole through their tickets and handing it back to them.

"Today is Couples Day." She informed them in a nasally voice. "Any couple entering can receive a discount for their visit."

Unsurprisingly, Syo flushed a warm red, but what was surprising was that Haruka didn't seem the least bit fazed. Syo assumes it's because Haruka already knows this is a date and them being a couple isn't new news.

"Well? Are you guys a couple or not?" The lady in front of them asked impatiently, gesturing to the long line behind them.

"Yes." Haruka confirmed. The gaudy lady narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Alright, whatever." She took out a camera and leveled her eye to it. "Pose. The picture will be your ticket around the park and a cute memory." The lady recited the lines with a deadpan.

Still confused, Haruka asked, "What?"

Growing irritated at the girl's naivety, the woman answered with exaggerated calmness. "I don't know. Give him a kiss or somethin'."

Shrugging as if that was seemingly okay, Haruka turned, stood on her tippy-toes, and leaned in to peck Syo on the cheek. The people behind them on the line wolf-whistled, but the composer acted as if she didn't hear them. Or perhaps she really didn't. Stunned at her bold move, Syo stood rigid on the spot. He was always somewhat awkward around girls.

Haruka looked back to the woman behind the glass for approval. Having given up on pushing them any further, or perhaps just not wanting to do any more work, she sighed and pushed a button on the remote by her desk. The gate clicked open and Haruka, overjoyed that she could finally watch the fish swim, grabbed Syo's hand like he'd done earlier before, and ran inside.

This girl will be the death of me. Syo thought as he trailed behind the giggling girl. Despite this, he still enjoyed the fact that she was so happy.

They were both out of breath by the time they reached the main attraction, what Haruka called the 'Fish Bowl Room."As the name implies, it was fascinating how vast the glass that separated them and the fish stretched. It was like they were in the glass bowl and the fish were the ones living their lives freely.

Almost immediately, Haruka had recovered from her hyperventilation and yet again, tugged at Syo's arm, and yanked him to the puffer fish exhibit. Soon enough, Syo was having a grand old time, laughing with Haruka at the most ridiculous-looking fishes.

The puffer fishes were inflated balls with bulging eyes, spikes, and fins. They'd re-inflate every so often, and Haruka would burst out in a peal of laughter every time. Syo found that he spent more time watching Haruka than the exhibits.

Fortunately, there was never a dull moment. They were always laughing, and there'd always be something to do. It was a relaxing change from their typically fast-paced lives.

As they walked through the aquarium, Syo and Haruka finally succumbed to their hunger. They stopped at a food court and splurged on a full meal of burgers, fries, and sodas. Once they'd found a table for two amidst the sea of people, Syo and Haruka inhaled their food. There was a comfortable silence between them, the both satisfied with munching on their food and exchanging smiles.

About ten minutes in, a group of guys approached their table. They looked barely pubescent, and the pack leader, with his try-hard smirk and saggy jeans, looked like the most trouble. It was painfully obvious they were trying to flirt with Haruka, not acknowledging Syo's presence.

Syo watched in growing anger as the others leered at Haruka, occasionally adding rude gestures to the leader's cheesy pick-up lines. Haruka had been trying unsuccessfully to bat the guys away like flies and hadn't noticed Syo's simmering mood. Now she was trying to simultaneously rid herself of the gang's presence and calm her date.

When people started whispering and getting up to inspect the situation, Syo stood up, knocking his chair backwards. He began peeling off accessories of his disguise, and with every article of clothing came a collective gasp from the crowd around them. When his signature fedora hat came off, shutters and flashes erupted from the people around them. Haruka could only sigh as she knew that their peace had been disrupted.

Syo marched angrily up to the teens and stopped in front of the leader. Despite him being considerably taller, the teen looked fearful for his life. Syo stabbed a finger to his chest and growled something that made the teen pale marginally. He stepped away from the pack and grabbed Haruka's hand, pulling her away from the growing crowd. They broke into a run when hordes of screaming fans began to chase them.

Fueled by fear, they raced to the car parked by the exit. Syo fumbled for the keys as Haruka checked behind them for advancing mobs. Just as quickly as they ran, they slid into their seats and Syo swerved out of the parking lot.

When they were a safe distance away, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"First this, then the guys back at the academy, when does it end?" Syo mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Natsuki probably blabbed to the guys, so I have to deal with that when we get back." Syo sighed, gripping the steering wheel tighter at the thought of his impending doom.

She laughed, knowing that he'd shoulder the brunt of the members' might. And now that she thought about it, Syo had always ended up helping her. Protecting her. It sent a flood of warmth over her.

"Hey, Syo-kun?"

"Hm?"

"Why do you always end up protecting me?" She asked.

Realizing that answering this question truthfully would mean confessing, Syo hesitated before answering.

"Cuz you're my damsel in distress." He replied carefully.

Haruka felt the warmth spike into fluttering. She turned to the window to hide the flush on her cheeks but Syo caught it just before, causing rise to a smirk.

A knight?

Coming to a conclusion that it fit him quite well, Haruka smiled to herself.

I guess that's okay.