A/N: Thank you everyone! Your support is what keeps me writing! I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I will be publishing the last two chapters today and tomorrow. Enjoy!
Chapter 3 – Challenge Issued and Accepted
His heart was going to stop…if it hadn't already. Seeing Haruhi trip over her own kimono and start falling, Kyoya had never experienced a panic such as he did in that very moment. His heart was beating so hard and loud, he was sure it would break his sternum and fly out of his chest. The blood was pounding in his ears and he couldn't hear anything around him. He couldn't even breathe. Air was trapped in his lungs, burning and suffocating.
Did he yell? He didn't know. Didn't remember, and he didn't care. Without thought for himself or anyone else save Haruhi, he ran the short distance separating him from her and grabbed her arm pulling her towards him. They would worry about injuries or dislocated shoulders later. She could yell and berate him later. He just needed to know she was safe. She landed against him with a thud and they both fell backwards landing on the dirt floor of the cliff with Kyoya holding her tightly in an attempt to shield her from the impact.
He sucked in his breath as his head hit the ground, a small stone or pebble digging into his skull as others under his back made him feel as if he had landed on a bed of needles. He wanted to scream at the pain. His back felt like it was on fire and he was sure it would be at least bruised if not a little bloody once he was able to pick himself up. And once again, his glasses flew from his face and landed on the ground; and the distinct crunch followed by someone shouting, "OW!" told Kyoya they had not survived this final adventure. Still they were a small price to pay for Haruhi's life. Anything he suffered, as long as Haruhi was safe, would be worth the cost.
His eyes looked from the mop of brown hair on his chest to the cliff. Had those ropes always been there? Hadn't they been closer? If he was to judge, he would say that they were currently about 20 feet from the edge. He could have sworn Haruhi had been inches from the edge and about to go over, plunging into the ocean below, possibly crushing herself against the rocks.
Groaning, Haruhi slowly lifted her head and narrowed her eyes, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Kyoya-senpai?" She stressed the word senpai and it came out almost as a sneer. She refused to succumb to the feelings his arms around her invoked, and refused to acknowledge how right it felt to be pressed against him. No, she would not allow herself to be happy that he had come after her or that in some sort of odd sense of duty felt the need to rescue her. Hell, the others were probably searching for her as well and Kyoya had just been the first person to find her…so he could ship her off or kill her and hide the body. Maybe both? Squirming, she tried to stand and found herself trapped, "Let go."
When she tried to get up, he tightened his hold on her, "No." How had he stayed away from her for so long? Now that she was here with him, his arms wrapped around her, her body pressing into his, everything fell into place, like a painting that was finally complete full of brilliant colors – a masterpiece.
"Excuse me?"
He could feel her indignation rising and hid his smile. Debating her, arguing with her, gave him a thrill he had never experienced before. Most of the time people couldn't hold their own against him or refused to get into with him. Not her though. She would dig her feet in and prepare for a fight. Of course, it didn't start off that way. During her first year, he was sure she was almost afraid to go against him because of her debt, but once that had been taken care of, the gloves were off and she gave as good as she got. She was glorious and he found himself looking forward to those moments when she could argue with him as if she already had her law degree and was in the middle of trying to win her case. Why had he said he didn't want her? Why had he ever questioned what his feelings were for her? The moment he saw her standing near the edge of the cliff – although now that he looked, maybe she wasn't as close as he initially believed – everything came crashing down on him. When he saw her run away, he had felt guilty and empty. He knew he needed her then, but seeing her on the cliff…his world stopped and his future flashed before his eyes: dark, uninviting with no love, hope, laughter, or light. He had no life, no world, without her. And if he couldn't convince her of that, then having her in the world would be enough until he could prove to her he needed her.
"Let go!" She demanded with more force than previously. The longer she lay there, the longer his arms stayed wrapped around her, the harder it was to shut herself off from him and the more it hurt her heart and her pride.
"No," he denied her again trying to find the words he needed to convey what was in his heart.
"Kyoya-senpai, if you don't let me go, I'll scream," her threat hung in the air. She had never resulted to something that one of the other girls at Ouran would do, but if it helped her cause, she would do it.
Before he could think of anything else, words rushed out of his mouth, "I like you." He settled on the same words she had used before. He wasn't sure why, but based on her reaction, he had a feeling she had meant more than just like as a friend. Coupled with everyone else's reaction to what he had done, he felt like a horse's ass…not that he would admit that to anyone. It was going with him to his grave.
Her eyes narrowed even further appearing as mere slits, "Yeah, as a friend. I got it. I'm nothing more than a commoner." Again she tried to push herself away from him, but alas her struggles were still in vein. She needed to escape because the disappointment and heartbreak were almost suffocating.
"No!" He snapped and then more softly said, "No, not just as a friend." He would spill his guts and if she still chose to walk away, he would let her go…for now.
"Then what?"
He lifted one hand, his other holding her tightly, and brushed her bangs out of her eyes, "You make me want to be a better man. You complete me."
"How very Jerry McGuire of you," she rolled her eyes. Inside, a small speck of hope had been ignited.
"When you are focused on your studying, you start to bite your lower lip. You secretly wonder what Tamaki and the twins will do next even when it usually irritates you. You don't care about what you wear, but you have been wearing more feminine clothing for the past year. You could care less about our bank accounts or our family connections – even if they could benefit you in your chosen future profession – and treat us like you would any of your friends prior to high school. You argue with me like no one else, are more genuine than anyone at Ouran, have a pure beauty that most girls crave, and are clumsy, oblivious, hardheaded, obnoxious to a point, fastidious…"
She interrupted him with a growl, "Are you supposed to be flattering me or insulting me?" The small speck sparked to a small flame of hope.
"You are also caring, loyal, intelligent, brave, and perfect for me."
"Perfect for…?" Shaking her head, she said, "I'm nothing more than a commoner to you. Let me go so I can get up."
He was afraid that if he let her up, she would run away again, so they remained on the group, the crowd seemingly oblivious to the two teens sprawled on the dirt. "You are so much more. I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking when I was put on the spot. I wasn't ready to face my feelings and didn't want to hurt Tamaki."
"Tamaki?"
"He, like with some of the other hosts, have developed feelings for you - myself included."
"No, he doesn't. He sees me…"
"The daddy act? Think about it logically. He uses it to cover up his feelings because he is unsure and had never experienced those feelings before. He is my best friend and the first person to show me I could be more than my family told me I could be."
"What are you trying to say?"
"If he wanted you, I would have been willing to step aside for him, but that is no longer true."
"What do you mean?"
Kyoya could see that she didn't trust what he was saying, that she didn't quite believe him. She was holding herself back from him. "I mean, I love you."
Her mouth opened and then closed, saying nothing. It wasn't that her mind drew a blank, it had more to do with the multitude of thoughts and feelings racing through her and she couldn't seem to settle on one.
Believing it was safe to release her now, he relinquished his hold on her body and set her to the side, getting up and then helping her to her feet. Still she said nothing. "Haruhi?"
Her heart sped up, the small flame engulfed her body and set everything ablaze with hope, love, and happiness. Did she dare trust him? He wasn't going to deport her for slapping him? Belatedly she realized, she already believed him, however, she would not let him off the hook so easily, "How can I trust you?"
"If you will reason it out, you can deduce it for yourself," he stated as his fingers went to his face to adjust the glasses that were no longer there.
Haruhi noticed his simple action and frowned. Her eyes scanned the ground and found the broken frames and lenses. She went to them and picked them up, "Kyoya-senpai, how good is your vision?"
"I need those for distance, but my vision is not so bad that I can't see several feet in front of me."
"Good because you're going to need a new pair of glasses."
"I know. I heard someone step on them after we fell."
"And you didn't attempt to go all Shadow King on them?"
"I had more pressing matters to attend to."
The thought of lying on the ground with his arms wrapped around her brought a blush to her face. "Is this some sort of revenge for slapping you?"
"While it was not a pleasant experience, I do not hold it against you."
"Who are you and what have you done with Kyoya-senpai?" She laughed nervously.
He approached her cautiously, "I deserved it. You were trying to tell me something before the others arrived, what was it?"
"Nothing."
"Haruhi?"
"I…" Sighing, she reasoned that he had confessed and now it was her turn, "I like you as more than a friend. That's all I was going to say."
"Then we are agreed."
"About what?"
"Our future."
"Excuse me?"
"Given that our feelings are mutual, it would stand to reason that we now begin a romantic relationship."
"Excuse me?"
He attempted to push his glasses up again, irritated when he could not, "What exactly do you not comprehend?"
"Everything! Do you really believe that just a few simple words, a confession, a brief apology, and that's all I need to jump into a relationship with you?"
"Yes," came his matter of fact reply.
"I need more."
"More? Such as?"
"I want to be wooed like you would one of the Host Club's guests!"
Taking a small step forward bringing them within inches of each other, he smirked, "Challenge accepted, but you will be mine by Valentine's Day."
She gave her own smirk, "Maybe. That doesn't give you much time to woo me."
"I don't need it," he commented confidently.
"You can't be serious!" Hikaru and Kaoru shouted joining the couple on the cliff, the others right behind them.
As Haruhi and Kyoya had challenged each other and come to an agreement, the other hosts joined them on the cliff having gotten away from the bodyguards thanks to Mori and Hunny. The graduated members could have dealt with the three guards sooner than they had, but they wanted to give Kyoya a head start. Apparently, that had done the trick.
Smiling sadly, Tamaki told his best friend, "Don't hurt her."
"I have no intention of ever making that mistake again," Kyoya proclaimed without looking away from the girl in question. By the time he was done romancing her, neither she nor their friends would question his intentions towards her.
Haruhi couldn't wait to see what Kyoya would do.
