Hey guys! Just some info before you get started:
~text~ means thoughts
My story switches perspectives that allows you to only see thoughts within that persons perspective. I maintain third person writing throughout to allow a general description of the story yet still provide insight into thoughts as they go.
I post twice a week; once during the week and once on the weekend. I make chapters weeks in advance before posting them so if you want to add something feel free to message me and I'll try to incorporate it! Reviews are welcome and I love talking with you.
Thank you and happy reading.
Kyouya stared out the window, allowing himself to relax while simultaneously taking notes on the teachers lecture. He let out a content sigh as he watched the wind blow through the trees, enjoying the peace it brought.
That peace was brought to a screeching halt when a certain blonde turned around in his chair and grabbed onto his shoulders, "Mommy! Mommy! Professor says we can work in partners! We will of course need rockets and..." Kyouya quickly tuned him out as Tamaki continued to shake and shout at him in excitement. Already Kyouya was calculating the number of nights he wouldn't be sleeping in order to meet the demands of his friend and retain the title of Shadow King.
The teacher cleared his throat when he realized the class was no longer with him. "Settle down," he boomed and the whispering, or in Tamaki's case, shouting, ceased. "If I may finish then you can begin planning your assignment. This project will be twenty-percent of your grade this trimester so I expect you to take it seriously." The class groaned "It is due in one month and your partners are ~assigned~. There will be no changing partners, this is supposed to demonstrate the ability to work with anyone no matter the background. You will need this characteristic to survive in the real world." he continued, clicking to another slide on his powerpoint full of names.
"Find and your new co-worker and begin planning, an outline is due next class."
Muttering broke out once again within the class as friends separated to find their companion on the project.
"Mommyyy," Tamaki whined, tears starting to fill his eyes as he dramatically let go of Kyouya. He continued the façade for a few more seconds while the girls in the class struggled to remain composed then reverted back to his normal spontaneous self and bounded over to his partner. Kyouya internally smirked when he saw Tamaki introduce himself to his partner, the second son of world renown jeweler. That power team was sure to make an incredibly lavish project.
Kyouya darted his eyes up to the board and located his name next to one that quickened his heart rate. Sugita Emi. The mystery, the anomaly, the only person he did not have a complete file on. He turned his head to the back of the room where she sat focused on something in her hand. The petite girl had her gold hair spilling over her shoulder, the sunlight causing it to shine. Her emerald eyes peered down intensely at whatever she was looking at, her pointy, blemish-free face narrowed in concentration. She was impossible to track, untraceable despite all of his resources, and released the air of complete innocence. Nothing was off about her. The small amount of information he had scrounged up from Ouran students was negligible and held no insight. She had no group of friends she spent time with, instead preferring to enjoy lunch and off periods in the library. She was known to be incredibly caring and polite by all that happen to meet her. She was third in the class behind Tamaki but this year it was possible she would surpass him in grades if she continued to improve her scores. No one knew her relatives and no one seemed to care due to her genuinely sweet personality. Kyouya believed she used an alias due to her parents being in with an illegal network but even a mole within the Japanese gang community could find nothing.
A young girl with fair blonde hair and bright green eyes shouldn't be difficult to find but she could melt into the shadows better than the Shadow King himself. She intrigued him to say the least, he did not want to be bested. ~By the end of this assignment I will finally have a complete set of files~ Kyouya thought to himself as he stood and gracefully walked over to the girl.
o0o
Emi saw the name and silently sighed. It had to be him. She had been dealing with his snooping for three years and was sure he would take this opportunity to continue prying at her life. She lowered her eyes and continued to draw out her idea of a presentation. The project was broken up into two parts, a report and a class presentation. If all went well she could send off this Ootori with a subject and a purpose and not have to speak with him until the day of presentation.
"Hello, Princess," a silky voice said in front of her desk. She lifted her face to inspect the bespectacled teen in front of her and raised an eyebrow. ~Princess?~
The boy, Kyouya, reached forward, intent on grabbing her chin, "What wonderful things are you drawing for me?"
~Oh hell no.~ Emi grabbed his hand firmly before it touched her face and stood, quickly releasing it, allowing space to form between them.
"Do not call me Princess again. On second thought, just drop the whole host thing all together, please. If I have to work with a poor excuse of a seducer I would rather do this project alone." She said smoothly but without bitterness.
The Ootori brother looked slightly surprised then recomposed himself and offered a slight bow, more like a slight tilt of the head really.
"Forgive me Sugita-san, I did not mean to offend." He said briskly in his normal voice.
"It's quite alright, now let's move onto more important matters. I'm sure you will want to finish this project as quickly and efficiently as possible so-"
"I completely agree." Kyouya cut in, "Why don't we meet in the library during lunch then?"
Emi sighed internally, it had already begun. "I prefer to use that time to study for my other classes. Could we not split the work now and bring the research together before the due date?"
Kyouya pretended to think about her proposal for a second. "Wouldn't it be easier to talk directly instead of over email? Which I will need from you by the way."
Emi forced herself not to roll her eyes, he was sneakier than a snake. "Of course, give me your paper and I will write it down for you!" she chirped , plastering a cheerful smile on her face. While she wrote her business email address down she felt his eyes burning into her back. ~This is going to be much harder than I hoped.~
o0o
Emi sat on the floor next to a window in the Ouran Academy's majestic library. The musty books offered her a sense of content and safety. The quiet allowed her to meditate or indulge herself completely into a book. It was her escape from the eyes of many students around her and prevented unnecessary conversation. Usually she would disappear far into the recesses of the library that not even the librarian dared venture. Amongst the stacks and dust she could fully unwind without the stress of discovery. She had even found a spot for her personal enjoyment. Two years prior she remembered how she reacted entering the first day of school. Emotions had cut in at every angle while she was overcome with the amount of people and their questions. Behind the mask of excitement and enjoyment she quivered in terror. By some miracle she survived until lunch and all but flew to the library.
Upon entering she immediately lost control of her tear ducts and streams of salt water silently poured down her face. She walked into the darkest aisle only to discover that it didn't stop. Instead it twisted in all manner of ways until she turned a corner and faced a window that looked like a gift from God. It was dusty and had lost its shine years prior to age. Surrounding it were towers of abandoned books encrusted in cobwebs that had also been vacated. Emi had sat at that window and sobbed with vigor, knowing she was safe from the outside world. Nothing in Ouran was dirty so the sight of something so poorly kept gave her hope and sanctuary. Every day since then she used her hidden world to portray herself in anyway she desired. Some days she danced and sang, other times she would draw. Every now and then she would use it to release emotions that boiled up inside her.
Emi looked up at the window she was currently sitting under in frustration. This window gleamed like a freshly made caramel apple. Kyouya would be coming to look for her today and with his determination he might actually find her hidden spot so she was forced to sit by one in the main area. She sighed heavily before returning her gaze to the sketch of a poster for the presentation. It would all be handcrafted and paired with a power point to really hit home with their subject. She was positive it would be efficient but she worried Kyouya might veto the poster in attempt to talk more. How she loathed how slimy he was but she only had to put up with it for a month. That couldn't be too long, right?
"Good afternoon, Sugita-san " Kyouya said from behind Emi, drawing her out of her thoughts.
"Afternoon, ready to compare?" She replied sweetly.
"Of course, may we find a more suitable location?" He asked,
~Pompous jerk can't imagine sitting on the ground.~ Emi thought angrily as she followed Kyouya to a set of chairs a few feet away.
"I have an outline of the poster board and power point ready for turn in. The board will be ready by Monday next week and I can put on the research information you gather after that." Emi articulated, handing Kyouya the sketch. He traced the design with his finger before looking up with the slightest glint of awe in his eye.
"You drew this?"
"Yes."
"Do you plan on building it yourself?"
"Yes."
"How do you know how to make this?"
"I'm really not into the commoner game Twenty-Questions, just give me your outline." She said simply and slid the notebook out from under his arm. His plan was, of course, perfectly laid out and flawlessly.
"If you can give me your research by Monday then I can have everything ready by Friday." Emi said happily. ~Which means I only have to see you for six more days.~ She added internally.
Kyouya nodded and reached into his bag. From it he withdrew a book and reclined into a comfortable position where he started to read. Emi stared at him for a few seconds. ~He's not leaving. Why isn't he leaving.~
"Er- um, Ootori-san?" Kyouya flicked his eyes above the edge of his book as an indication that he was listening. "Can I help you with something?" she questioned,
"Well you have to study right? I am going to read, tell me if you need help with anything." He replied coolly, returning his attention to the book in his hands.
Emi felt the sudden urge to hit him with something. ~As if I would need his help. Just because he's an Ootori he thinks he's all that.~ She ranted internally, ~I really don't even need to see him tomorrow if I don't want to, all he's doing is research anyways. I will go back to the stacks instead.~ Satisfied with her outcome, Emi subconsciously smiled as she carried on doing her homework.
Kyouya watched her every move with calculated eyes, wondering what she could be thinking.
o0o
True to plan Emi arrived to the library as soon as the bell rang and made a beeline for her window. She placed her school bag on the floor before flopping herself in a very unlady like manner onto the ground in the puddle of sun pouring through the window. She closed her eyes as the rays of sun warmed her skin and caught the highlights in her hair. Her bright, overstuffed Ouran uniform encompassed her and made the ground surprisingly comfortable. ~Maybe there is a perk to this dress after all.~ She speculated in bliss. Today had been quite regular and for some reason it had established a sense of melancholy on Emi.
She laid in front of the window, and quietly began to sing. She sang to the books and to the window. She sang about the regularity of the day and how she never wanted to leave the quiet of this long forgotten aisle. She sang sweet nothings that vanished from her mind the second they left her lips. After a couple minutes of sunbathing she stood up and gracefully twirled around the window. Closing her eyes she spun and danced with grace rivaling a professional ballerina. Her sweet voice filled the air and when Emi decided she had recovered from her temporary state of sadness she finished her last tune and settled in front of the window.
Her sense of peace was ripped away by the sound of clapping coming from the opposite end of the aisle. Her stomach dropped and Emi feared she may be sick. Out from behind the stack of dusty documents stepped Kyouya Ootori. And the grin he wore was more terrifying than anything Emi had ever seen.