2/3
There was noise, a disturbing noise
"Do you think he will be ok?"
"Hani-senpai said he would wake up after 3 hours. That means now"
"But he looks like a skinny weak boy."
"You can't judge a book by its cover, Tono"
Haruhi's eyelids moved. She opened her eyes a little. It was too bright so she raised her hand to rub her eyes. Standing near her bed, she saw, was three men Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru
"You're awake, Haruhi" They sang happily
"Where am I? Am I dead?" Looking around, she asked nervously and she sat up
"No, you're not dead" "You're alive and it was you who saved the General" The twins grinned widely
"You're so brave. I'm so proud of you" Tamaki's eyes were tearful. He sat on the edge of her bed, was going to pull her in a hug but Haruhi quickly leaned to the right so he just hugged the air. The twins let out a loud guffaw.
"Sorry, Haruhi. Tono always likes hugging others when he's in a good mood" Kaoru explained then they pulled Tamaki out of Haruhi's bed.
"What's about Ootori Kyouya? Is he ok?" Haruhi suddenly remembered the injured General
"He's fine. He came round an hour ago but he needs some rest so he is sleeping now" Hikaru said and Haruhi left out a sigh of relief
"Well it isn't your right manner to call him Ootori Kyouya, Haruhi. If you call like that in front of him, you may be taken to the dark chamber" Kaoru said complainingly
"Kyouya won't punish Haruhi just because he calls him informally" Tamaki snapped "Especially, little brave Haruhi saved his life, you will be awarded. What do you want to be awarded, Haruhi?" Tamaki said merrily
"I don't care about award" Haruhi shrugged
"No one doesn't like award" they whined
Unannounced, a soldier emerged from the entrance of her tent. That was the soldier called Kasanoda. He saluted Tamaki and the twins then turned to Haruhi and said
"Haruhi, Hani-sama told you to have the General taken the bowl of medicine he had prepared at the medical tent. He also gave you this note" Kasanoda handed her the note then left. Haruhi looked over the note in which Hani prescribed some pills for Kyouya
"Where is Hani-senpai and Mori-senpai?" She asked
"They left the camp" Tamaki said calmly
"What? There are a lot of injured soldiers here; they are physicians; how can they leave?" Haruhi asked in a surprised voice
"They are not only physicians" "They are our high advisors" The twins said
"Sometimes they do secret missions for Kyouya, too" Tamaki added.
Haruhi widened eyes, so they weren't normal physicians. Hani even called Tam-chan, Kyou-chan; that means they were on familiar terms. 'Well, good thing to know' Haruhi thought. She stood up and walked toward the entrance
"What are you doing, Haruhi?" Tamaki asked
"As Hani-senpai said, I must have Ooto-er- General taken the medicine" She answered softly
"But he is sleeping, Haruhi" said Kaoru panicky
"I will wake him up. He must take it every hour" She patiently explained
"He isn't The Low Pressure Evil Lord for nothing" "He has very very bad temper when he wakes up" "Just be careful, ok?" Three of them warned her in worried voice.
Haruhi didn't care much about it. When she reached his tent, he was sleeping tranquilly. Haruhi never saw a man sleeping so peacefully like this before. She bent down, leaned forward to watch him clearer. He had a raven hair, furry eyebrows and a straight nose. She just wondered what his eyes looked like. Instinctively, Haruhi laid her hand on his forehead to check the temperature. Suddenly, a hand gripped her wrist. He opened his eyes. Those black ones looked straight into hers as if he could see through her soul. Her heart skipped a beat.
"What are you doing?" He growled.
A bad aura rose around his head. Haruhi froze. She couldn't say a word as though she swallowed her own tongue. He slowly sat up, gave her a dead glare 'Is he going to eat me alive?' She thought.
"Who are you?" howled Kyouya.
"I-I bring you the medicine from Hani-senpai" She stuttered quietly
He seemed totally awake when she mentioned Hani; gradually his grip loosened. He looked over the bowl on a table nearby
"The medicine" said Kyouya in a low voice. As the realization hit her, Haruhi quickly handed it to him. Taking the medicine, Kyouya coughed slightly. The wound probably made him hurt again so he breathed roughly. Turning the look on her, he asked "You are?"
"I'm Fujioka Haruhi, the new trainee of Hani and Mori-senpai" Kyouya raised his eyebrows a little
"It was you who volunteered to take the experiment?" He asked in a less dangerous voice
"Yes" Kyouya gazed at her, expected something "Sir, yes sir" She added immediately. Kyouya put his feet on the ground so now he could sit on the edge of his bed.
"So, what do you want as your award?" He smirked
"I don't need award" She shook her head
"Haven't think about it, have you? Ok, when you find out what you want, just tell me. I can give it to you as the award for your bravery. Do you have anything to tell me?"
"You must take these pills every hour" She put some bags on the table
"Ok, anything else?"
"No – sir"
"You need to improve your military manner, young man. Now you are dismissed" Kyouya stated in a cold voice
"Er- Goodbye, sir" Haruhi left.
As soon as getting out of the tent, Haruhi left out a deep breath as if she had returned from the hell. 'That person's so cold, so scary. I can't believe he would become my husband one day. Er- what am I thinking? I go to here to tell him to break the engagement. How can I say to the Demon lord about that? Think, Haruhi, think' Haruhi mumbled on the way to her tent. At the end of the day, Hani and Mori came back from their mission
"Haru-channnn" Hani sang happily
"Hani-senpai" Haruhi greeted him
"How do you feel now?" He tilted his head cutely
"Very good, senpai" He smiled at him and Mori and Mori just nodded
"Thank god, you have luck, Haru-chan. I couldn't imagine what it would be if you took the wrong antidote. Ah, did you get my message?"
"Yes, senpai. I brought him the medicine and he took it"
"Have you told him yet?" Hani blinked
"Tell what?" Haruhi seemed confused
"Well, the engagement" he whispered
"Not yet" she sighed "I can't go to his tent and say I'm his fiancée, right?"
"Ok. From now on you'll bring the medicine to him so take your time" Hani winked at her then they continued their usual work.
The next days, Haruhi had chance to meet Kyouya at his tent but she couldn't say any other word because he kept being busy: meeting with the commander squad, reading books, sleeping (She didn't dare to wake him up again) And Kyouya, he just nodded, said "Thank you" and "Dismiss" to her with the voice cold as ice. Until the last day he had to take the medicine, he looked up from his book
"Have you found out what you want yet, Fujioka?"
"No, sir" She said shyly. Kyouya walked toward the table, stood next to her then took his pills
"It has been a long time and I feel sorry that I haven't given you your award" Haruhi blinked as he didn't say in his cold voice
"Well, no need to" She took one step; stumbling on her shoelace, she tripped. Expecting to fall on the ground, she shut her eyes. But suddenly, she felt a strong arm held her waist. Her eyes opened and she saw Kyouya holding her and his face was just an inch far from hers. She could feel her cheek heating. He loosened his hold; let her stand on her feet again
"Thank you, sir" She muttered
"Be more careful next time, you're dismissed" He turned away. She left hurriedly, ran as fast as possible to her tent. Putting a hand on her chest, she wondered 'Why is my heart drumming in my rib cage?"
That night, when she helped Hani and Mori at the medical tent, Kasanoda appeared and told the General wanted to meet her. In the surprise of her, Hani and Mori, Haruhi followed him to the tent of Kyouya.
"You want to meet me, sir?" She asked in confusion
Kyouya walked forward, stood in front of her, leaned down so that his nose was near her neck. He smelled her? He smirked and whispered to her ear
"You smell really good" His low voice sent chills down her spine
"Excuse me?" She blinked
Kyouya immediately stood straight up, turned his back on her
"GUARDS" He bellowed then two big strong soldiers emerged from the entrance "Arrest him". Haruhi was dumbfounded and didn't know what was happening. In one blink, the soldiers took her arm then dragged her out of the tent. Having not recovered from the shock, Haruhi heard the twins' voice
"Haruhi?" "Haruhi, what happened?" Before she could answer the soldiers led her toward the jail then threw her in one cell, locked her up. A second later, the twins rushed to her
"Haruhi, what happened?" "What have you done?" They asked
"I don't know" She said nervously "I haven't done anything. He smelled me then arrested me" She couldn't believe her ears when she said those words
"He arrested you because you stink?" Hikaru raised his voice
"Hikaru" Kaoru whined, gave his brother a glare
"What? Just kidding" Hikaru shrugged
"There is no time for kidding, Hikaru"
"He said I smelled good" Haruhi interrupted
"It's weird" "So unlike Kyouya-senpai" The twins exchanged each other a nervous glance
"Hikaru, you stay here with Haruhi. I'll go and ask Kyouya-senpai about it" Hikaru nodded then Kaoru left the jail.
"Hikaru, what is going on?" Haruhi's voice trembled
"Don't worry. If you do nothing wrong, you will be fine. Kyouya-senpai is cold, strict sometimes evil but very reasonable"
"I do nothing wrong" she stated 'except for being a girl' Haruhi shuddered at that thought. 'He didn't know I'm a girl, did he? So what is the reason for having told I smelled good?' Haruhi almost lost in her mind then she asked
"What is the most severe punishment, Hikaru? Is it the death penalty?"
"No, we don't have the death penalty. The most severe one is going to the dark chamber"
"What is the dark chamber?" Haruhi asked curiously
"It's a chamber. Once you go to there, you'll never get out. No one knows what happens in there." Hikaru leaned toward Haruhi, whispered "There was one soldier punished in the dark chamber. Sometimes at mid night we can still hear his screams" Haruhi went pale. That was the most horror thing she had ever been told. They heard some footsteps.
"Kyouya-senpai" Hikaru looked at man standing near the exit
"Get out, Hikaru" Kyouya grunted that made Haruhi get goose bumps
"But…" Hikaru hesitated
"I said OUT" Hikaru immediately got on his feet and walked out, left Haruhi and Kyouya alone. Kyouya came closer to her then said
"Very well, Fujioka. Very well." He smirked "Hani, Mori-senpai- my respected advisors, Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru – my commander squad, they all pleaded for you. What have you done to them? Are you charming them?" Haruhi stared at him "Do you know the reason why I arrest you?" Kyouya shot her a glare
"No, sir" she muttered
"Let me tell you one story of mine" He turned away "I have a favorite place where I usually take a walk when I'm stressful. It's a quiet, peaceful place – the lake." Haruhi froze, that Kyouya emphasized 'the lake' made her speechless. He continued "About a month ago, I saw a girl there. Can you believe that? A girl was wandering near the Royal camp. She even attacked me when I asked her who she is. Unfortunately, she escaped. I silently investigated her identity because I knew for sure she just stayed in this camp. Of course, there wasn't any clue until this morning - when I held you. You have a very good smell. I wondered if I had sensed that smell before. Yes, it's a girlish smell just like her. Do you have anything to tell me, young lady?" He asked with a mock grin. Haruhi just glared at the ground. "Tell me you are a spy. Are you spying on us?" He growled in a dangerous voice "Answer me"
"No, I am not. I am not a spy" Haruhi said with tearful eyes. She couldn't think clearly. Her mind was blank and she felt like a mouse trapped in a cat's claws
"Ok. Hani and Mori used their lives to guarantee you're not a spy" His voice calmed down a little "They said they rescued you from a gang of robbers on the way back to the camp. They knew your true gender but they let you in because you begged them. Why is a girl like you so keen on working at a camp? What is your real reason?"
"I want to find my fiancé" Haruhi uttered. Yes. It was time to tell the truth. Anyway, he knew her gender. There was no need to lie anymore. But, what if he didn't believe her. She didn't have anything to prove herself as his fiancée. He would think she lied and punish her. Or he would write a letter to ask her father. If her father knew, he would take her home and never would the engagement be broken. No, she ought to not tell him the truth.
"So touching" Kyouya smirked in amusement "Name your fiancé and I'll let you go, leave this camp"
"I can't" Looking at him, Haruhi stated certainly
"What?" Kyouya seemed surprise because no one dared to tell him like that
"I won't tell his name and I don't want to leave. Please let me stay"
"Now you are bidding me to let you stay?" He raised his eyebrows "Do you know where you are and who you are talking to?"
"You promised to give me anything I want as the award for saving your life. You're the General. You must keep your word. I want to stay here as a medical trainee. I will keep my gender in secret so no one will know and no rule will be broken" She said boldly. It seemed all her fear was blown up to the air. Kyouya gazed at her, showed no emotion then he laughed loudly
"Very brave as a girl like you, I must say. What about your fiancé?"
"He hasn't known me yet. It's an arranged engagement. He even doesn't recognize me when I stand in front of him. I just want to see him from a distance. I promise you the day he knows I'm his fiancée will be the day I leave this camp"
"No. The day anyone except for Hani, Mori and me knows you're a girl will be the day your fiancé goes to the dark chamber. Even you tell me his name or not I'll find it out one day. Remember it. You don't want, because of your craziness, one man to die, right?" He folded his arms "Let's just wait and see how things turn out. I bet it'll be interesting."
He said one last word then left. Haruhi fell on the ground because she couldn't stand firm anymore 'Is that over? I can stay?' She left out a sigh of relief then a soldier came in and opened the cell for her. It was one month living in this camp and she had to face so much difficulty even the death. When Haruhi reached her tent, Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru were waiting for her. They asked her eagerly, Haruhi lied that Kyouya misunderstood she was a spy but when he knew she was innocent, he released her. After that, she said to them she needed to rest so they came back to their tents. Until she climbed on the bed, she remembered she hadn't met Hani and Mori. She rushed to the medical tent and just saw Hani being there. He was sobbing
"Hani-senpai" She called quietly. Hani looked up with his tearful eyes
"Haru-chan, you *hiccup* are *hiccup* released?"
"Yes. Are you ok? What has Ootori Kyouya done to you? Where is Mori-senpai?" Looking around the tent, she noticed Mori wasn't there
"I'm ok. I'm glad that you're released. Kyou-chan just did his job. He didn't want to punish us like this. Wahhh…" He burst out crying and threw himself onto her in a hug.
"What did he do? Did he hurt you?" Haruhi asked concernedly
"No. He forbade me to eat cake in a month and Takashi won't see me in 2 weeks. Poor Takashi, we have never been apart so long like that before" Haruhi sighed. 'Are those really punishments?' She thought. But she ran her hand up and down Hani's back to comfort him as comforting her little brother. Some minutes later, Hani lightened up
"So what happened between you and him?"
Haruhi told him what happened. Hani just sighed
"I can't tell this is the good or the bad thing. When Kyou-chan said he bet it would be interesting, there would be something interesting for him. So you should be careful and tell him you're his fiancée soon"
That night Haruhi couldn't sleep. What Hani said sang in her head. Hani looked like a child, he was childlike, too but every word of his was very wise and sensible. He wasn't Kyouya's advisor for nothing. The next days, Haruhi became more and more careful, especially when she was near Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru. The closer they became, the more body contact they had. She didn't come back to the lake again. She had to wash herself very late at night even though it was freezing cold. There also were some attacks from the enemy and she used to treat the injured soldiers. At the latest attack, Tamaki got hurt. He had a large cut on his back and lost a lot of blood. While Haruhi was helping him stop bleeding, a man burst in
"Tamaki, are you ok?" It was Kyouya. He appeared to have come back from the battlefield because he hadn't taken off his armor. This was the first time Haruhi had seen his nervous face. Kyouya glanced at her then turned to unconscious Tamaki
"Is he ok?"
"He'll be fine. But he lost too much blood so it'll take time to completely recover"
He regained his emotionless face again, didn't look at her, he said "Please take care of him" then he left.
'He isn't a cold-blooded evil after all' Haruhi thought.
Tamaki's wound was gradually healing up. He seemed very happy to have Haruhi treated him (too happy). He sometimes said silly things that Haruhi couldn't understand
"Haruhi, sometimes I feel my heart beats very fast. Do you think it is a disease?"
"Disease? I'm not sure. When do you have that feeling?"
"When … When … I look at someone" Tamaki stuttered
"Oh, that's weird. You should ask Hani and Mori senpai. Because that the heart beats too fast is a sign of bad health"
"So you think it is illness. Can it be curable?"
"I said I'm not sure" Tamaki was a funny, optimistic, thoughtful person and a drama queen at the same time. But Haruhi could handle him so well because he was very like her father at home. Haruhi also had some chances to meet Kyouya again when he came to see Tamaki
"Do you feel any better?" Kyouya asked Tamaki concernedly
"Of course, Haruhi was very good" Tamaki gave him a look that made Haruhi's cheeks went slightly pink "About the agreement …" They exchanged some words about the battle. When Haruhi left, Kyouya bid Tamaki goodbye then followed her
"Thank you for taking care of Tamaki" He said coldly. Haruhi stopped and waited for him "That's my job" She replied bluntly
"You make me wonder if Tamaki is your fiancé" He walked straight, didn't looked at her
"What? He isn't …"
"I know. If Tamaki has a fiancée, he will tell me immediately" He smirked "But the look he gave you, well …" Kyouya tried to find a right word to say
"How is that look? Is there any pro… Achoo" Haruhi sneezed
"Are you sick?" Kyouya stopped walking, gazed at her
"Do you care?" Haruhi snapped
"Of course not" Kyouya smirked "But if you spread your illness to Tamaki or the others, it'll be your fault" He walked away with his hands in his pockets
Very late that night, when Haruhi went to the bathroom, she was very surprised at a bucket of warm water in there. She smiled 'Hani and Mori-senpai are so thoughtful'
In the days Tamaki was off sick, the twins seemed sad because they didn't have anyone to tease (Haruhi had to take care of Tamaki, too). One day, Haruhi was working at the medical tent; the twins burst in then dragged her out
"Let's play a game" They sang in unison.