Mori panted as he quickened his pace, the cold air surrounding him catching his breath as he jogged through the streets of the commoners' district. The tank top he was wearing stuck to his sweating body as a cold wind began to blow, stirring up the snow that rested along the sides of the sidewalk. The still panting young man began to second guess his decision not to wear a coat as he jogged in place at a cross walk. He had run almost five miles that morning, working up a sweat that only increased the cold feeling that penetrated his thin layers and spread throughout his body.
Mori paused for a moment, ignoring the questioning stares he was receiving from the local commoners as he took in his surroundings. The buildings in the commoners' district were much smaller than those near the Ouran Academy. Mori found himself having to duck to get through some of the doorways as he looked for a place to rest and warm up, finally deciding on a small coffee shop just down the street from the corner he had stopped at.
The modest shop's warmth coated Mori like a silk blanket as he stepped over the creaking threshold. The boy's chapped lips broke into a small smile as he looked around the dimly lit room, taking in all the sights and smells that surrounded him. The lamps hanging above the small booths gave off a modest orange glow, casting dim shadows over the faces that lingered below them. People bustled in and out of the busy coffee house, bringing a cold breeze with them as they stepped over the threshold Mori himself had just tread over. The room had a lingering scent of freshly ground coffee beans and wet leaves, but there was something else there. A slightly musky odor that made Takashi think of the dojo he spent most of his time in.
The tall boy's thoughts were broken as a pale hand waved frantically in front of his face. Mori looked down to see a rather flustered young woman standing on her tip toes as she tried to get his attention.
"Um, sir? Sir? Would you like to take a seat somewhere?" the woman asked, settling back down on her heels. Her head barely reached Mori's chest.
Mori nodded quietly as he was lead to a booth in the corner of the room. A small, dusty window beside him allowed a small beam of light to penetrate the dark corner he sat in as the stoic boy made his order. The waitress lingered for a moment, biting her plump lower lip as she looked Mori up and down before walking back towards the coffee shop's counter. Mori rested his cheek on his palm as he watched the waitress walk away, hips swinging slightly to the soft jazz music that flowed through the speakers.
He sighed softly, closing his eyes as he took in the sounds around him. The coffee grinders' clamor blended almost sweetly with the din of murmuring people near him. Footsteps could be heard rushing in and out of the shop's creaking door as the traffic outside buzzed continuously in the streets.
"Mori sempai?"
Takashi opened his eyes, his stoic face showing no signs of recognition or surprise as he stared at the girl in front of him.
Haruhi Fujioka stood before him, her sparkling brown eyes looking almost surprised as she looked at the senior before her.
"I thought that was you. What are you doing here?" she asked, sliding into the hard wooden seat across from Mori. The quiet boy watched as Haruhi began shedding her winter clothes, smoothing out her hair as she removed the pink hat and ear muffs that had cradled her pink face.
"Coffee." He said simply, once again resting his hand on his palm.
"What are you wearing? Aren't you cold?"
Mori looked down at the sweat stained tank top he was wearing, feeling only slightly embarrassed at his disheveled appearance.
"It's warm in here." He said, obviously not understanding the question.
Haruhi's head fell.
"Uh, no what I meant was-"
"Okay, here ya go!" The spunky waitress had returned with Mori's order. It looked as though her uniform had lost a few buttons near the top as she bent down to set the boy's cup on the table, successfully showing off her busty figure. "One steamed soy late with low fat…" The girl's sentence went unfinished as she looked down at the small girl sitting across from Mori. Her eyes darkened as she took Haruhi's order before stomping off in a huff.
"Looks like you get a lot of attention even without the Host Club" Haruhi mused, a slightly confused expression etched across her chapped face.
"Mm." Mori replied, taking a sip of the steaming beverage before him.
The two sat in silence, both sipping their drinks thoughtfully as the snow began to fall outside their window. The waitress had seemed only a bit flustered as she set Haruhi's cup down on the table, avoiding eye contact with either of the teens. Mori watched her walk away before breaking the silence.
"How did you know I was here?" he asked, his monotonous voice echoing his stoic expression.
"I was out shopping when I thought I saw you at the cross walk. I saw you come in here so I decided to check it out." The girl replied, staring down thoughtfully into her tea.
Mori nodded, taking another sip of his late. The two continued chatting, ordering and reordering their drinks as the afternoon carried on. Mori seemed to smile more and more as he continued talking with the brown eyed girl before him. Haruhi was in the middle of a story when her phone rang, a frantic voice drifting from the speaker near the girl's ear.
"Haruhi, darling! You were supposed to be home hours ago! And why haven't you been answering your phone? I was this close to calling the police, where on Earth have you been?"
Haruhi's eyes widened as she listened to a very excited Ranka spew out one distressed sentence after another.
"Oh, dad I'm so sorry! I got totally distracted. I haven't even made it to the market yet…"
Mori listened as the two Fujiokas continued their conversation, a bored expression spreading across his muscular features as he looked out the dusty window beside him. He knew he should have left over an hour ago, but he was enjoying the good coffee and good atmosphere. Not to mention the good conversation he had been having only moments ago with the young woman in front of him.
Mori watched as Haruhi stood quickly, pulling on her jacket, hat, and earmuffs before offering a hurried explanation.
"Sorry, Mori but I have to get going. I completely forgot I needed to stop by the pharmacy and pick up some cold medicine for my dad." The girl explained, tossing a few dollars onto the table.
"Don't worry about it." Mori said calmly, pulling out his own wallet from his short's pocket.
Haruhi paused to watch Mori as he pulled out more than enough money to pay for his drink.
"Uh, sempai? That's too much money…"
Haruhi continued to watch as the dark haired boy before her stood up, setting the money on the table before handing her back her own.
"Don't worry about it." He said again, his face maintaining the same stoic expression.
"Oh…uh…thank you, Mori sempai." Haruhi replied, shoving the money back into her coat pocket.
The two stood facing each other for a moment, neither moving from the spot they seemed to be rooted to.
Finally, Haruhi broke the silence. The girl thanked her sempai once more before walking hastily to the door. Mori could feel the cold air sweep around his feet as he watched her go.