Disclaimer: I do not own Uta no Prince Sama.

Ratings/Warnings: T. Violence, jealousy, (spoilers) character death.

Pairings: Syo/Haruka, Natsuki/Haruka, Otoya/Tomochika

Other: Omitted from the anime was the very important fact that Syo has heart problems, and that he and Otoya played soccer together. This fic takes place during Season 1 of the anime, and this heading will not be used in the next chapters.

There was something that Syo loved about getting attention. The way everyone's eyes were on him, the way he stole their thoughts and words and made them his own.

He loved the spotlight. He supposed that was a good thing, considering he wanted to be an idol. Idols always got all the attention.

Needless to say, on the first day of the new term for Saotome Academy, Syo wanted to make himself known. He had repainted his nails, fixed his hair extra nicely, and adjusted his new hat.

Stylish, but straightforward. He wanted to make that kind of impression on people.

(And he had to do it quickly, because once people knew he was friends with the strange and outlandish Natsuki Shinomiya, his reputation would be over)

During lunch on the first day, he noticed a girl with obnoxious red hair and a shy stutter, fumbling around with her lunch card.

Easy, he thought, an easy person to make a good impression on!

The girl dropped her card, but Syo was sly and quickly grabbed it, preventing it from falling through the air grates.

He smirked, and lifted his bright, blue gaze to meet hers.

That moment, he was witness to the most bewitching set of eyes he's ever seen. They were green and gold with a hint of orange near the iris. Framed by large, soft eyelashes, he noticed that her face was pale and heart-shaped, like a doll's.

Syo felt his heart skip a beat, but retained his composure. After all, he had a reputation to uphold.

"Looks like you dropped this," he commented coolly, despite his heart beating discordantly. "Be careful, okay?"

She blushed, and timidly received the card back from him. "O-Okay, thank you very much!" she cried out, giving a polite bow.

"No problem."

"What's your name? I-If I can ask..."

Syo smirked, and tilted his hat.

"Syo Kurusu. And you?"

"I-I'm Haruka Nanami. Nice to meet you!" She cheered.

The blond had a glint in his eyes.

"Nice to meet you, too."

Since that day, Syo refused to believe it, but he felt himself getting closer to the girl. The way she smiled, the way she laughed...Syo found himself paying attention to such silly things. He also kept track of the things she liked.

"Do you like chocolate, Haruka?" he asked.

The two of them were sitting underneath a tree during lunch, the petals of spring flowers swirling in the air around them. Sunlight peaked through the leaves of the treetops, and Syo raised his hand, as if to clench that light.

"I do," she answered. "But if I eat too much I get..."

"Sick?" Syo finished, a small smile on his face.

"Yes, how'd you know?" The red-head asked, tilting her head ever so slightly.

He gave a sidelong glance, and stared at her beautiful face for just a moment too long. With a gulp and an awkward cough, he answered.

"I get the same way whenever I eat too much. My heart starts hurting, too."

"Your heart?"

"Yeah, well. I've always had problems with it, especially when I was younger. Gave Kaoru a hell of a scare when we were kids."

"Ah, I see. I'm glad it's not as bad now. And Kaoru's your younger brother, right?" Her voice was soft, like the petals that fell onto her from above.

She was very pleasing, in the warm light, adorned by flower petals. Beautiful, almost.

The blond gulped, and turned away to hide the heat that rose to his cheeks.

"Yeah. I should introduce you sometime."

"Please do. I'd like that."

The Kurusu boy breathed in softly, the scent of spring in his nose.

Her scent.

...

"I also like flowers," Haruka said out of nowhere, "I love the springtime, because there are so many flowers."

"Really? Which ones do you like?"

She thought about it seriously for a moment, then smiled.

"I like irises."

"How come?"

The red-head giggled (he loved it when she did that), and turned to face him.

"Because in the language of flowers, they mean hope."

He couldn't deny that the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to be with her.

It was then that he started becoming jealous of Otoya and Natsuki, since they got to be in the same class as Haruka.

(Even if it was a lower class than his)

Otoya, however, was an old friend of Syo's, ever since the two played soccer together in their youth. Ittoki was always seen around Haruka, and Syo figured he could get some information out of him.

It would be easy, since Otoya was also known for being too kind for his own good, and Syo was about to use that for his own gain.

"Otoya," Syo began casually. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course!" the guitarist answered cheerfully. "What is it?"

"Sorry if this comes off a little weird, but. How do you feel about Nanami?"

The red-head was surprised, and lifted an eyebrow in confusion. "Eh? About Haruka?"

"Yeah, do you like her?"

"T-That's kind of embarrassing to ask, Syo! You know that Ringo and the other teachers said there was no love allowed."

"I know, I was just asking! It's okay to tell me, honestly. I wouldn't tell anyone."

Ittoki thought about this for a moment, and gave a sigh.

"Well, to answer your question, no, I don't like Nanami in that way."

"I see."

"I like Tomochika."

The blond did a double take, before making questioning him. "Eh? Tomochika? Haruka's roommate?"

"Y-Yeah!" Otoya was blushing now. "We're in the same class, too, and she's really funny, and pretty, and nice..."

"I see. That's good, Otoya. But there's that no love rule, remember? So I don't know if it will work out..."

He pouted. "I know, I know! But, if the teachers weren't around, I'm sure everyone would forget the rule existed."

"I guess."

"Anyways, I have to go to guitar lessons. I'll see you later, Syo!"

The blond gave a small frown, before sighing. With an unenthusiastic wave, he called out:

"See ya."

The next day, Syo could have sworn the Headmaster was psychic, or something.

Posted on the school bulletin board was a letter from the Headmaster, stating that he and the teachers would be at an important conference in the music industry, and that substitute teachers would be assigned to fill in for the classes.

Everyone cheered.

No teachers meant more love. Syo felt his heart race, and placed a hand over his chest.

Maybe he could finally let her know how he felt.

That day, the blond went out to the nearest florist, and ordered a big bouquet of irises. He wrote a cheesy card (because Ren offered to help him write something 'lovely' for the 'ladies', but Syo turned him down, since he knew what kind of mind that guy had) and bought an obnoxiously red ribbon to tie it all together with.

This sort of thing would be something that Haruka would love, he figured. Because it would be real, genuine, and hopelessly sweet.

Just like her.