Part 2

Honey and Mori were having a late breakfast outside, at a round table facing a beautiful koi pond, its surface barely visible beneath all the floating cherry blossoms. The sunrise had brought a pleasant cool day in its wake, and even though Honey had awoken alone in his bed, a certain white lotus fragrance had graced him as he had slowly opened his eyes, and he'd noticed that one of his pillows looked slept on. He might have punched it during the night, but he couldn't be sure, and that made all the difference.

They were both wearing the same robes as the night before, but this time Honey had underwear on so that he could sit improperly on his chair, with a foot up on his seat and Usa perched on his naked thigh. Mori had his legs crossed, and once in a while would take a sip from his Gyokuro green tea.

Honey had just opened his mouth, ready to take a huge bite off a strawberry dripping in cream, when his cell phone rang. He dropped the strawberry, licked his fingers, and picked his phone up from the table.

He had barely said 'hello' when Tamaki started blathering loudly about how he was in trouble and only Honey could help him. Honey waited for an opening, then spoke.

"Wait, wait. You're confusing me. What's going on?"

"Honey-senpai, you need to help me! I asked Haruhi out on a date. I don't know what I was thinking, but I definitely didn't think she would say yes! She did!"

"She did?" Honey smiled in Mori's direction, but his cousin was staring at his tea pensively. "That's great! I'm really happy for you, Tama."

"But... Honey-senpai, you don't get it! It's completely improper for me to take my daughter out alone like that, it just can't happen! Something bad will come to pass and I'll never be able to live with myself..."

"Tama, calm down. How do you need my help?"

"You can come with Mori-senpai! It will be like... like a double date! Please, come with us. We're going to this commoner park in Yokohama, Cosmic something. I've heard it's fun!" Honey could see Tamaki doing his puppy dog eyes right about then.

"Um... when are you going?" Honey put his leg down and his foot landed right on top of Mori's. He left it there, and Mori didn't move his either.

"Tonight," Tamaki answered, "but I think it'll be more comfortable if we take two limos, are you okay with that? I'll have my driver discuss the details with yours."

"Yeah, sure!" Honey had only one rule left to abide by - because he could - and that was to never say no to fun opportunities.

"We'll meet downtown at five-thirty, then! You're the best, Honey-senpai!"

Tamaki hung up.

"Takashi, we are going out tonight."

"Aah."

It was fully dark, and the view from the Yokohama Cosmoworld theme park was beautiful. There were lit-up skyscrapers and a building shaped like a sail surrounding them on one side, and a canal on the other. The gigantic ferris wheel earned a high-pitched, admiring exclamation from Honey; the massive digital clock in its middle showed the time as seven.

There were colored lights everywhere, and Honey couldn't stop smiling as they made their way through the crowd, trying to decide what to do first. Tamaki was just as excited as Honey, and they both gasped and laughed when they found a machine that made popcorn in a cup. Haruhi bought portions for everyone, because none of the boys had coins on them, and then guided them to a deck built around an artificial lake, where there were wooden picnic tables to sit at. Honey gasped again when the roller-coaster train followed the rails right through a hole in the middle of the lake, where it vanished from sight.

"I wanna go there!" he said, pointing. Tamaki gave him two thumbs up, grinning wildly.

"We can go there next, Honey-senpai," Haruhi said. She looked beautiful and even a bit radiant, and Honey complimented the white flower she was wearing on her hair so profusely that she plucked it off her head and placed it on his.

"There. Now you look beautiful, Honey-senpai," she said, smiling. "Don't you think so, Mori-senpai?"

Mori choked on his popcorn, and Tamaki bent over the table to slap him on his back.

"Oi, Haruhi, what are you thinking, winding him up like that?"

Honey couldn't suppress a smile, touching the flower on his hair lightly.

"I just noticed you didn't bring Usa, Honey-senpai," Haruhi observed.

"She could get hurt!" Honey exclaimed. "This isn't exactly the proper place for a plush bunny, is it?"

Haruhi laughed. "Can't argue with that. All the plush dolls I've seen at this place are trapped inside arcade games."

After a while Honey gave Haruhi her flower back, and she started rounding up their empty cups to throw away. Mori held out his arm, wordlessly offering to help, and as he walked away with his load, a girl Honey recognized from the senior section at Ouran approached their table, holding two small ice cream cups.

"Good night, everyone," she said, her face a deep shade of red. "Er..." she gave Haruhi a quick, puzzled look and abruptly turned her head towards Honey. "Honey-senpai, would you... would you have an ice cream with me?" She held out a cup to him, just as Mori towered behind her, covering half her face in shadows.

Nobody moved, and everyone was looking at Honey.

"Well... I don't see why not. Do you guys mind? I'm sure it won't take long." Honey didn't want to flat out refuse; he always liked to be nice to everyone.

"Go ahead," Haruhi said. "I'm sure Tamaki wants to have a go at those soda machines." After a pause, she added, "Mori-senpai?"

Everyone looked at Mori, who was quite expressionless, almost comically so. After a few seconds, he finally spoke.

"You have already expressed your wish... Mitsukuni."

That was definitely true, but it didn't stop Honey from getting mad. He was beginning to relate to Mori in a different way, and their friendship seemed to be changing, morphing into something; a shapeless mess. Honey got up and took one of the ice cream cups from the girl, gripping her elbow and steering her away.

They went down two small flights of steps onto a second, lower deck, with rails facing the canal. There, Honey stopped, and smiled at her. She was fairly attractive, and a head taller than him, with shoulder-length brown hair and eyes.

"I'm sorry to be so forward, Honey-senpai. But under the circumstances, I had nothing to lose."

"Don't worry... hm..." He felt guilty that he couldn't remember her name.

"Tsukasa. Tsukasa Yoshinaga."

"Right. Of course!" He took the first lick off his ice cream. Vanilla.

"I'm not usually like this, but this opportunity was too good to ignore. I couldn't gather up the courage at school, and with your graduation and all..." She pushed her hair behind her ear nervously. "I'm moving to the USA, and thought I'd never see you again. I couldn't believe it when I saw you, here of all places, and I had to talk to you. I'm sorry for not doing it properly..."

"Oh, it's all right," he said kindly. "I never noticed, though."

"I know you didn't," she laughed, a lot more relaxed now that she had gotten the worst out. Honey smiled with the plastic spoon between his teeth.

"I knew my chances were slim, though," she said, looking out at the dark waters spreading in front of them.

"What do you mean?" Honey asked, sticking out his tongue to scoop all the ice cream from his spoon.

"Well... there were rumours going around at school. I'm a personal friend to a girl who used to be in love with Mori-senpai. Even though he was always nice..."

Honey scraped the bottom of his cup for leftovers, politely waiting for Tsukasa to say everything she had to, so he could give her his answer. He'd gone through this same routine hundreds of times, and he was never interested.

"Well, he was always nice," she continued, "but he never returned anyone's feelings. My friend told me the reason for that was that Mori-senpai's heart already belonged to someone."

At her last words, Honey held his breath in surprise.

"To you... Honey-senpai."

Honey stared at Tsukasa, his eyes stretching as wide as they could go.

"You look so cute with your eyes that wide, Honey-senpai," Tsukasa laughed. "And I love your hair like this, parted to the side, so full and pretty."

"You're very nice," Honey recovered the use of his tongue, yet his state of shock only allowed him a very robotic answer, "but unfortunately, I don't feel the same as you. I'm sorry."

"I had a strong feeling you would say that." Her smile was bittersweet. "In fact, I wasn't expecting anything else, but it still feels good to get it out." She was gazing inwards, as if talking to herself. "There was always the chance you belonged to him as well."

Honey kept staring, his fingers shaking around his empty cup.

"Well, I guess we're done." She took the cup from Honey's hand gently. "It was nice talking to you."

Tsukasa flashed him one last smile and walked away. Honey turned to face the water, wondering why he had never stopped to consider how outsiders might view his relationship with Mori. It was strange that something that was as natural as breathing to him could be interpreted as singular and exceptional by others. He had never given a second thought to the way things were between them. What did it mean, to be that focused on each other?

Honey didn't need to turn around to know that Mori was standing behind him. His arms reached around Honey to hold on to the rails, and his lips touched Honey's ear briefly.

"Mitsukuni..." Honey closed his eyes, tilting his head toward the sound of Mori's voice. "Please understand my only wish is to serve you."

Honey felt a shiver so powerful that it shook his body from head to foot. He turned around to look up at Mori, who was leaning over him, looking absolutely striking.

"Takashi, I know." Honey felt completely arrested by the poignancy in Mori's eyes. "What does that mean?"

Mori shifted his gaze to Honey's lips, and didn't answer.

"I allow you to serve me," Honey continued, watching as Mori bit his lower lip discreetly. "What does that make me? Selfish or generous? What does it mean that we are like this?"

They looked at each other for a while.

"Do you wish for things to change between us?" Mori asked, and Honey thought he saw a flicker of fear in his eyes.

Honey didn't, at all. And still, he wanted more. He wanted to be even closer to Mori, somehow. It was like a terrible hunger that he had no means to satisfy.

"What more can I ask of you, Takashi?" Honey asked, melancholy hovering over his heart.

Mori turned his back on Honey.

"Anything," he said, getting down on one knee.

Honey took a deep, trembling breath. He ran his hand up Mori's hair, straddling his shoulders, an involuntary gasp escaping his lips when Mori's hands gripped the flesh of his thighs a little more strongly than necessary. This, right there, was the thing that was missing.

"Takashi, I don't want things to ever change between us."

Mori got up, taking Honey higher in more ways than one.

"Aah, Mitsukuni."

They left the Yokohama Cosmoworld at ten, and walked to their cars. Tamaki looked exhilarated, Haruhi slightly flushed, and a content smile graced the corner of Mori's mouth. They had explored every nook and cranny of the park, and gone on practically every ride, from the ferris wheel and roller-coaster to the venetian carousel. Honey had aced a Dance Dance Revolution game on maniac double to thunderous applause from the onlookers, and Tamaki had painstakingly won the Stitch plush doll that Haruhi now held in her arms, and that was already invited for tea with Usa.

Finally, Honey and Mori said goodbye to their friends, and got into the very pink interior of Honey's Rolls Royce Phantom.

The divider for the driver compartment was up and Honey, hands perched on his lap, watched as the bright and colorful city lights passed by his window. The drive home was over an hour long, and he was getting sleepy, his eyelids ever more heavy. Mori's presence right beside him only added to his feeling of great comfort.

Honey felt long fingers clasp his face very gently. Mori guided Honey's face towards himself, in a smooth slow movement, so that Honey would lean against the side of his arm. Honey thought that felt much nicer, and sighed with pleasure.

"Takashi," Honey said with his eyes closed, "I've been meaning to ask you. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Not much."

"Oh, it must be because you are missing your bed, right?" Mori's hand was resting on the seat between their thighs, and Honey reached out to cover it with his own. "I'll drop you off at home, don't worry."

"Thanks."

"Did you have fun?" Honey asked, yawning.

"Aah." Mori slid his fingers in between Honey's, intertwining their hands together. "You can sleep now, Mitsukuni."

"I might," Honey said, bringing Mori's hand to his lap so that he could snuggle closer. "I was planning on having passionfruit cake when I got home, but I don't think I'll manage. I'm so sleepy."

After that, they remained quiet, and Honey eventually fell asleep. Mori dropped Honey off at his house first, before going home.