CREDITS TO : UTA NO PRINCE SAMA  

CHAPTER 3

Haruka opened her eyes slowly before realizing something that was still weird in her eyes as she turned to her right side.

Since a month ago, Tokiya was no longer by her side.

Since a month ago, she had to convince herself to accept the reality that she lost the first person who would greet and kiss her lovingly in every single morning since their marriage.

"Good morning, Haruka."

She missed his voice. She just missed everything about him.

"Good morning, Tokiya-kun..." she caressed the empty bedside, missing the actual and warm presence of her late husband.

"Did you sleep well?"

She shook her head as if Tokiya was greeting her.

"I am not. I finally can forget about you a bit but I still love this house. That's why I moved in back with obachan and I really wish.. all of this was a dream. I really wish the fact that you left me forever is just a nightmare..."

"Haruka?"

She looked around nervously. That was not a voice she hoped for. Is there another person in her room? That voice sounded familiar, though.

It took a while for her to realize that her bed is not the king-sized one, the one she shared with Tokiya. Not to mention that...

The room.. It looked just like her dorm in Saotome Academy. If her memory serves her right, she slept in her shared bedroom with Tokiya last night. Not in the dorm...

Wait... school? Her small body spontaneously rised out of panic. Her eyes caught another figure who just came back from outside.

"Tomo-chan?"

"Haruka, are you awake?" the idol took a seat on the composer's bed before grabbing her shoulder. "This is so weird," Tomochika looked as puzzled and curious as her. The idol looked around the dorm, struggled to convince herself that last night, she came back home in a completely sober state.

"Tomo-chan, how did we..."

"How did you and I sleep in the same room? You just moved back to your house yesterday, right?"

Yes, that was even weirder..

Wait! Where is obachan?

Suddenly, they could hear noisy sounds from a group of female students, right from outside of their dorm. Haruka quickly approached the window before getting more confused and shocked.

"What's wrong, Haruka?" Tomochika asked from the shorter girl's back. "Ehhhhhh? Are those girls from our batch? What are they doing here? Why are they wearing school uniform?"

More students walked past their dorm while doing any typical things that a high school female students would do like gossiping and fixing makeup.

Haruka quickly called Yachiyo's house, confirming something.

"Moshi - moshi, obachan."

"Haru-chan? Why are you calling?" Yachiyo could not contain her surprise as she asked but it just made her Haru-chan got more surprised.

"No.. nothing. It is just that I felt nervous to go to school today."

"Why, dear? Is it because of your assignment with... his name is Ittoki-kun, right? You hummed the tone last night and I think it is great. I am sure you will get a good grade for the assignment."

Is obachan talking about Brand New Melody? That means... now it is supposed to be the first week of the semester.

After finished talking with Yachiyo, Haruka turned her attention to Tomochika, only to find the idol stared at a calendar on the wall in disbelief.

"Haruka..." the idol looked at her best friend. "It looks like we just came to our past. Just look at the calendar."

"What?"

Just what happened to both of them?

The circumstance became more confusing when the assembly that they had to attend every Monday ended. Haruka and Tomochika came across Otoya, their classmate or to be more specific, their classmate from 12 years ago. They could not help but wondering about the way Otoya dressed up.

Back then, he dressed up casually with a loose tie, an unbuttoned blazer and a red headphone around his neck.

But now, he looked more dishevelled. He was not like the high school version of Otoya that they were so familiar with.

"Nanami? Tomo-chan?"

"Ittoki-kun?" the girls quickly approached Otoya.

Otoya and the girls now stood opposite to each others in the midst of the other students who walked to their classrooms respectively.

"Hey.." they tried to say something that bothered their minds but...

They just could not find right words to portray their puzzlement.

Things suddenly turned awkward between them. Not like before when they would spontaneously chat about random things, proving their close relationship.

"Actually I... I was wondering if you are.. you know.." Otoya scratched his head roughly.

"What?" Haruka's golden eyes fixed Otoya with a curious look.

"Er... 29 years old... ehhh, how should I put it?" Otoya also looked as confused and anxious as her this morning. He scratched his red head even rougher.

"What is it, Ittoki-kun?" while Tomochika asked him, Haruka's mind generated a sudden thought about her late husband.

If it was true that she was in her past, did it mean she could see Tokiya again?

"Tomo-chan, Ittoki-kun,excuse me.. I will meet you guys in class..." she ran away, ignoring questions from the duo. What mattered the most right now was...

Tokiya. She needed to find him.

"Tokiya-kun... where are you..." her golden eyes searched for the blue head but to no avail.Others started whispering around her, wondering what on earth this girl was doing when they were supposed to go back to their class but she did the opposite one instead. She headed towards the main hall which where the morning assembly was held with a hopeful smile on her face. If it was true that Tokiya existed in this world....

She could not describe with words how precious this so-called-back-to-her-past gift to her. She certainly would hug and kiss him.

She stopped for a while. Her not-so-athletic body got tired after running but her eyes still did their job, searching for her late husband's figure. She continued with the same steps. Running to find Tokiya, paused for a while to catch her breath until eventually...

You can't find him, right, Haruka? You dimwit! In your present, your husband is already dead! That's why you can't even find him. Just accept the truth that there are certain things will never be the same, won't you!?

The tease in her head hit her like a school bus. Her body started shaking terribly as she started to believe her random thought.

I guess I was cheated by my own excitement.

When she slowly walked to the direction of her class,Tomochika and Otoya were still at the same spot when she abruptly left them just now.

"Haruka, are you alright? Where were you going?" Tomochika held the small shoulders of Haruka when the composer just looked down.

"I.. I am okay. It is just that I left my handkerchief in the hall by accident," she answered but she did not have any guts to meet their eyes when hers tried so hard to not drop any tears.

She did not want to make them worried about her anymore.

"Nanami,what's wrong?" the red head asked as her shaking body caught his eyes.

"Nothing..."

Haruka smiled guttedly before biting her lips, convincing herself that even she was currently in their past...

It was possible that there were certain things that would never be the same..

Tokiya would never come back to her. Not anymore.

"Otoya!"

The depressing moment was broken by a familiar voice. A voice that they never knew they would hear it again.

The three heads turned to the voice's direction before gasping out of surprise. They could not believe their eyes as a tall frame approached them with a frowned face, glaring at Otoya.

A spiky blue hair, a pointed nose, a pair of cobalt blue eyes, an astonishing voice that you know it will be more impactful when he sings...

To..Tokiya-kun! Haruka wiped the tears on her cheeks as the figure became clearer in her sight.

"Haruka... is that.. Ichi.. Ichinose-san..." Tomochika's words just proved her that it was not only her imagination.

She did not hallucinate at all. The love of her life, Ichinose Tokiya was standing right in front of them.

This was too good to be true.

"Otoya, you..." before Tokiya could even be cross, Otoya hugged him tightly. It looked more comical when Otoya wrapped his legs around his roommate's waist, supporting himself from falling onto the ground.

"Tokiya!!!"

"Otoya, what the..." Tokiya struggled to break the hug but the more he tried it, the more Otoya desperately hugged him again. "What's gotten into you!? It's embarrassing, you moron!"

"Tokiya, is this you? You're Tokiya, right!? The real Tokiya, right, right!!?" out of amazement and ultra happiness, he slapped Tokiya a few times, much to his roommate's annoyance.

"Of course. Is there any fake Tokiya around?" the taller teen rolled his eyes, totally could not bear with his roommate's ridicule. "That hurts!"

"I miss you! Is this a dream? I can see you be alive again!" Otoya held Tokiya's broader shoulders before shaking them strongly.

"Wait, what are you on about? Of course I am still alive, you idiot! Now let me go!!" the perfectionist finally managed to break the hug by shouting furiously before fixing his blazer and tie.

"But I swear you are already dead, Tokiya!"

"What!!?" the other three shouted at the same time but due to different reasons.

Ittoki-kun also thought that my husband was dead? Is he just the same as us? Haruka slowly got the picture.

"What the heck are you talking about? Did you have a nightmare again?" Tokiya sighed as he crossed his arms. Obviously, he did not take his roommate's words seriously. "Back to our topic, do you actually forget that you owe me an explaination?"

"Eh? I owe you.. what?" Otoya responded with a naive and stupid look as usual. Obviously, he had not idea why on earth this roommate of his became this angry when the morning had just started.

"You shouldn't ask me with that question when you used my laptop without my permission and to make it worse, you opened my files. Why are you so rude, Otoya!?" Tokiya's voice got louder as he recalled why he was pissed off with the red head in the first place.

"Eh? When did I..." Otoya's eyebrows furrowed, struggling to remember the 'using-Tokiya's-laptop-without permission' episode but to no avail. He looked ridiculously calm for someone who faced Ichinose Tokiya which everybody around him knows just how intimidating he can be eventhough he is not violent at all. "Oh, that one! It has been quite a nostalgia, right? No, I mean, I.. I am sorry! I just wanted to watch some Hayato's videos and wondered if you ever have one.. I guess you don't want people to know that you are a hardcore fan of your own brother... wait, Tokiya! Don't get mad! I swear I never do it again! I promise!!"

But it was too late. The dark purple aura around Tokiya was emitted, enough to make the blue-haired boy just looked like one of the villains from Dragon Ball series who was determined to destroy the earth. But those exaggerating comparison shattered when Tokiya suddenly got calmer before sighing heavily.

"Next time, don't just casually use my belongings like that," with a look which managed to make Otoya flinched while smiling like a moron, he left them. He did not even bother to glance at Haruka who stared at him with a longing in her eyes.

"He is still scary as ever," Otoya sighed heavily before smiling in relief. "Well, I guess being sent again to our past is not bad at all. I can see Tokiya again."

It took a while for Haruka to realize the hidden meaning of the words from Otoya.

What's that supposed to mean? He is the current Otoya, right?

Or he is not? Like her?

"What do you mean by 'being sent again to our past'?" Tomochika asked, curiously.

"Eh? I... you see..." while Otoya was hesitant to explain, Haruka already left them again. She ran desperately towards Tokiya.

"Tokiya-kun!" her boldness in calling the antisocial boy with his first name managed to make other students shocked.

The said boy stopped walking before glowering at Haruka. That action was enough to make her remember something that she should be aware from the start.

Ah, he must be angry because I called him by his first name. He is not the Tokiya-kun who prefers me calling him by that name instead of 'Ichinose-san'. Stupid Haruka!

"Excuse me?" the boy raised his eyebrow, indirectly telling her that she was being rude.

"Toki.. I mean.. Ichinose san..."she struggled to breath normally as her eyes met the fascinating blue eyes of him. Not to mention her tongue felt awkward when addressing her husband like that.

"You.. You are Ichinose Tokiya, right? The roommate of Ittoki-kun.." she asked while coaxing herself to not being a weirdo by breaking into tears in front of this boy who treated her as a stranger.

Yet, she knew it was impossible since all she wanted to do if she could see him again was holding him tightly.

Once again...

"Yes, I am... Why?" Tokiya started to be truly annoyed with the fact that so far, there were two people who randomly questioned his identity while the rest of them distracted him to ask either he is Hayato or not. It was tiring for him to answer the same questions all over again.

Before he knew it, a small frame suddenly approached him before hugging him affectionately.

It felt like the time suddenly stopped for Haruka when she finally could touch Tokiya again especially when her body missed his warmth and scent.

"I miss you, Tokiya-kun..."Again, she called him by his first name but when Tokiya was about to react, he felt a soft lips was pressed against his cheek.

"W..what?" the boy was gobsmacked to scold her for acting that shamless.

Just where did this girl come from? If his memory serves him right, all he did when he saw her was either ignoring or glaring at her furiously.

And she missed him?

"Miss Nanamiiii.... Misterrr Ichinosee..." suddenly, a familiar voice that always appeared out of nowhere could be heard throughout the school area. That was when Haruka who finally broke her hug realized just what happened around her.

All students froze on their spots respectively just to stare at them. She was puzzled when most of the female students glared at her while a few metres away from her, Tomochika and Otoya just gave her a sympathetic look which she knew why.

"Miss Nanami, Mr. Ichinose, come to my office right now!" Shining Saotome, the principal of the academy obviously looked pissed off as he suddenly and ridiculously disappeared.

Haruka knew, she would pay the price.

"You both do know that in this school, love is forbidden, rightttt?"

That one bloody sentence still hit her hard as both Tokiya and her just walked out from Saotome's office. Silence engulfed the whole corridor as other students had just started their class and Haruka did not even have the guts to break the atmosphere with a small talk.

Especially when she knew how Tokiya struggled to calm himself down from punching her. Being a friend of this guy since high school and living together for two years after their marriage made her as a person who can read Tokiya from A to Z.

Tokiya is utterly angry. He feels that this whole situation is retarded. He blames me for this commotion because apparently, I was the one who caused both of us to get into trouble. Oh my... how am I supposed to make him cool down?

She got more nervous as she knows that Tokiya was used to be so serious and cold to the point of he could not tolerate Otoya's effort to get chummy with him. Instead, he called the red head a nuisance.

Now, his face looks like... eh, if i am not mistaken, he was curious about... just now?

"What are you looking at?" his cold voice sent her flinching and shouted a bit.

"I.. I just wanted to see your face," she knew her answer sounded absurd yet she could not help it. Tokiya's presence right in front of her after she believed that she lost him forever made her happines overflew. She just could not control herself from being bold.

If only this guy knew how much she loves him...

"My face? Why? Are you such a fan of Hayato that you just wish that you are walking with him instead of me?"

Haruka bit her lips. Ah, he must refer to our first encounter. I mistook him for Hayato. Well, 'mistook' is not the right word since he is Hayato after all.

Yes, she was Hayato's fan but back then, he admired him solely for his singing. "No.. I mean, yes.. I am a fan of him but..."

"Then, get lost. Don't even bother to approach me like just now and say something creepy like you miss him and stuff. You almost got us expelled. Luckily, Saotome-san is very considerate this time. He even gave us one last chance and you should be grateful with that."

If Haruka was any random student, she would wonder about how could Tokiya just casually address their respected principal as 'Saotome-san'.

But being his friend and wife, she knew thorough enough about Tokiya's history that she did not even bother to ask him anymore. She knows that before attending this academy, Tokiya used to act together with the principal, which made their relationship closer than just a principal and a student.

"I am sorry. I promise I will never do that again," she decided to apologize instead. She absolutely did not have any solid reason to answer him.

It's better for me to apologize... He won't buy the 'I miss you because you are my husband. You are dead from a homicide. Trust me. Ten years later, we will get married' thing. Anyone would not buy such illogical excuse.

Am I not supposed to tell him just where do I come from? But.. I really want to use this chance to create great memories with him as much as possible, though..

Tokiya stared coldly at Haruka before leaving her abruptly. Not to her surprise because she absolutely could predict how her husband would react when he led a double life as Hayato. He was cold with everyone.

Haruka's eyes just fixed Tokiya with a loving look until his frame was no longer in her sight.

Swear to God, I'll do whatever it takes to win your heart and help you to get out from every single problems that you have gone through. I know you had hard times, Tokiya-kun.

"That Hayato's little brother was just caught by the principal for hugging a girl!"

"The girl even kissed his cheek and guess what? He just let her did that!"

"For someone who is so icy and aloof, he could be that lovey-dovey with a random girl, huh?"

"Maybe that chick is his girlfriend from the start? Who knows..."

"I bet both of them will be punished."

Ren's brows came together as every single word from those gossipers alias his classmates were registered in his mind. Obviously, they talked about Tokiya.

Wait! Is Icchi alive in this world? Does it mean I can see him again?

Ren's mind could not be more confused than now. This morning, he lost his coolness when he found himself in his school dorm instead of in his sumptous mansion. Weirdly enough, he found Masato who was his roommate to have the same expression as him before preparing to go to school.

He stared at Syo whose seat was right in front of him. From the body language of the small boy, he could assume that Syo had something in his mind. The roommate of Natsuki has been spaced out since he got back from the assembly.

Here and there, the gossip about Tokiya hugged a girl still circulated in the top class.

Thank God, I can see Tokiya again! Well, considering that I kinda returned to our past, it does make sense that Tokiya is here, Syo's mind spoke in between nervousness and thrill. He could not bring himself to have a chit-chat with his classmates when he was still shocked with what happened to him after waking up from bed this morning. He needed to find the truth.

Suddenly the said person who was instantly became a hot topic since this morning walked into the class, caused his classmates settled down and randomly did anything to cover the fact that they just gossiped about him.

But it was different with Ren and Syo. Ren's eyes widened while struggling to pull himself together while Syo's jaws dropped as his eyes followed every steps of Tokiya, heading to his seat.

I.. Icchi?

Tokiya?

Tokiya ignored those stares from his classmates. He took out a note from his beg before doing a revision. However, after a few seconds, he could not help but feeling irritated with the way Ren and Syo stared at him like they were going to eat him for breakfast.

"What?" his question was enough to make the other two flinched before pretending to do some random activities.

Tokiya sighed heavily. He wondered just what the hell was wrong with everyone. Just now, while heading to this class, he really just wanted to punch everyone who talked behind his back before zipping their mouths automatically and ran away when he gave them a death glare.

Either they just commented on how different his personality with Hayato despite of being twins or they just gossiped about his hugging scene with a random girl, he just felt equally annoyed. Could they just shut up and mind their own business? It was not like he caused trouble to them, considering how aloof he was with everyone.

However, his 'don't disturb me' aura was not enough to resist Syo from softly patting his arm out of curiosity.

"What?"

"You... You are Ichinose Tokiya, right?"

Again... Another different person but with the same question. Did he really look like the fake Tokiya that everyone started to question his identity now?

Well, at least, these people did not mention anything about Hayato.

"Yes, Syo," his answer sent Syo approaching him aggressively. To his shock, the a la mode boy cupped his cheeks before slapping them hard.

"You.. you really are!" Syo exclaimed dramatically before his black-nailed hands pulled Tokiya's blue hair, enough to make the soft-spoken Tokiya screamed in pain. Of course the other classmates instantly looked at them but the duo just ignored it. "This kind of hairstyle... only you will have it, Tokiya!"

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Tokiya rolled his eyes. "Seriously, what's wrong with everyone? Why did you guys keep asking either I am Tokiya or not!?"

"Everyone? Who is everyone?" Ren interrupted all of sudden. Being quick-witted as always, he was convinced that he finally could solve the puzzle.

"Otoya," Tokiya replied shortly. He did not even bother to include Haruka in the list because of the fact that he did not know her but she still managed to make him seeing red.

Yet, he did not notice that the answer he gave them made Syo and Ren dumbstruck.