Say something . . . I'm giving up on you
She watches him sit there, silently, and — in her mind — begs him to look her way. But he is not a mind reader.
I'll be the one if you want me to
She wonders what it'll take for him to look at her, and not at Hani, or . . . or Haruhi. She wonders if this wild crush will ever fade.
Anywhere I would have followed you
She watches him stand, straightening to his full height and drawing back his proud shoulders before disappearing into the kitchen. She fidgets as if to rise, but stays in her seat as her uneasy movement draw a curious, but uncaring glance from the girl next to her.
Why would she care?
Say something . . . I'm giving up on you
She sits in front of him in class, and when he enters the room and passes her, she says 'Hello!' cheerfully, like always.
And only gets a blank look and a bland 'Ah' in return.
And I am feeling so small
When he looks at her blankly, with guarded eyes, she feels her heart compact just a tiny bit more, and feels her shoulders hunch, and suddenly she feels so dwarfed by him, more so than she normally does.
It was over my head
She really didn't see it, the quick glances passed over her head — not that it could get in the way of anything — but she supposed that she had been blinded by the crush that had festered since elementary school, and hadn't seen it until it was too late.
I know nothing at all
It wasn't until she was in the library during lunch, and he walked in. She looks up when she hears the breathy sighs of the girls in the row in front of her. She looks up in time to see him find Haruhi. He places a hand on Haruhi's head and ruffles his hair affectionately.
The small, sweet smile on his face breaks her heart.
And I will stumble and fall
She trips over a loose stone in the courtyard. They boys nearby laugh and snicker when they see that her knee is bleeding. They feel no guilit. After all, she's just the nerdy little girl with the glasses that's moony-eyed over the Wild host. Who wouldn't laugh?
Why should they care?"
I'm still learning to love
He watches out the window as he cleans up after Mitskuni. He sees a girl on the ground , with a group of boys laughing at her.
He recognizes her by her long, chocolate-brown hair. She sits in front of him. She's the one who always says hello.
He can't think of her name.
Just starting to crawl
'Mori-senpai?' haruhi's sweet voice catches his attention.
'Ah.' He replies, turning away from the window.
Say something . . . I'm giving up on you
With a new, white bandage on her knee, she walks to class, her knee stiff. She pauses as she passes by the Host Club in the hallway, and looks up when she senses someone's eyes on her.
Hazel meets silver-grey.
He doesn't acknowledge her.
The blank look is starting to haunt her.
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you
He takes notice of the stiff way she's walking, of the bandages on the heels of her hands.
Anywhere I would have followed you
'Hello.' She greets him, like she does everyday.
He answers the same as he does everyday. 'Ah.'
She retreats down the hall, following the mob of students.
Say something . . . I'm giving up on you
He watches her disappear down the hallways and towards the classroom. He feels an odd, unfamiliar urge to ask why her 'Hello' was more subdued then it was yesterday. But then he's swept up in a wild wave of fangirls.
Why does he care, anyways?
And I will swallow my pride
She's in the library again when she sees him next. He's seeking out Haruhi.
He ruffles Haruhi's hair again, and this time she watches his eyes very closely, hidden among the books.
They are full of adoration for the small boy in front of him. Not the adoring look he gives Hani, either.
You're the one that I love
She wondes if her heart break is audible. She breathes deeply, inhaling the wonderful, dusty scent of the books.
She supposes that it's not.
Who would care, anyways?
And I'm saying goodbye
She understands what she has to do now.
She has to let him go, and continue living her life. There was a life before he protected her from the bullies that had cornered her after school. There was a life before him, after all.
Say something . . . I'm giving up on you
The girl doesn't say hello like she normally does when he walks by. Instead, she shrinks a few centimeters before staring determinedly at the board.
He watches her, and an odd sensation festering in his chest.
Disappointment?
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you
She doesn't speak to him for a month. He doesn't see her at the Host Club any more, either.
So when he sees her at the park the next week, walking cheerfully by herself, it comes as quite a shock to him to hear her singing quietly to herself.
The Host Club follows behind her, several yards away. She doesn't hear them. She had ear buds in her ears.
Anywhere I would have followed you
They follow her, and Tamaki and the twins are quiet for once, watching the odd girl dance through the park, singing quietly along with the music.
He watches her curiously, wonder why she's alone. Does she not have any friends?
She reaches the end of the path and pulls out her ear buds, tucking them in her pockets. She looks both ways and listens carefully. The trees block the road around the corner from view.
He doesn't know why the way she has her hands stuffed in his pockets feels so familiar to him.
He still doesn't know her name.
Say something . . . I'm giving up on you
The street is empty, so she skips across. Her brother is coming home today, from the military. This is the happiest she's been in a while.
She laughs and spins, right there in the middle of the road.
And there they are. The entire Host Club.
They stare at each other in shock. It is silent.
Say something . . . I'm giving up on you
He doesn't even here the car until it is too late, doesn't even notice that the car is going to fast. He watches in shock as the dark, shiny vehicle slams into her, throwing her viciously over the hood of the car, cracking the windshield. The driver brakes, and she flies off the car and skids across the pavement until she rolls to a stop, ten feet away from where she started. Already, a large puddle is forming.
He only notices because her brilliant hazel eyes are torn from his.
His feet move without permission, making him sprint to the girl. He drops to his knees besides her, pulling the large shard of glass out from her stomach before pressing against the dark stain that is staining her white shirt maroon.
She coughs, and blood covers her teeth and her lips.
Kyouya is next to him, his hands flying. He hears the muted, furious roars of Tamaki and Hani, and the beeping of Haruhi's cell phone as she calls an ambulance. Hikaru and Kaoru are running for help.
'You have to stay awake!' He shouts to her. 'Do you hear me? Stay awake!'
The stain on her stomach grows. Her freckled stand out from the pale skin of her face. With on bloodstained, shaky hand, he brushed a piece of hair back from her face. She smiles softly as she gasps for breath.
Why does she seem so familiar?
The sound is hollow, and she shudders as the cold spreads from her stomach to her fingers.
'Say something!' He has to keep her awake. 'Please, say something!' He begs her. She can't feel anything. It doesn't hurt.
Suddenly she can feel her right hand. He's squeezing it tightly, and she's utterly happy.
Takashi Morinozuka is holding her hand. She wants to say something, but can't feel her mouth.
Behind him, she can see the horrified driver pinned to the car by Tamaki and Hani, with the twins standing by grimly, having found no one else in the park. Their cheerful auras are gone.
Say something . . .
She meets his eyes again. Hazel and silver. Silver and hazel.
The hazel dulls, then fade. Her eyes slide shut, and a crystal tear slides down the side of her head, disappearing into her hair.
.
.
.
.
It isn't until the memorial service a week later, when the pictures are shown that he remembers her. It takes her broken mother, her struggling father, her quietly sobbing brother — who is still dressed in his military fatigues -, and a picture of when she was in elementary school to remember her.
She is the girl that he saved from the bullies.
The girl that he had a crush on all through middle school.
Hitomi Sasaki.