Chapter VI
"Has she called you out yet?"
"No. She better not."
"You know she will. She's family, Vivienne."
"I'd like to think otherwise."
"We've been through this before, Viv-"
"I know, my last name is still Nakamoto, I'm still related by blood…" She scoffed at the irony.
"Well. Be on your best behaviour, alright?"
"I'm not a child, dad. I know what's expected of me."
"Good, I guess I won't keep you then."
"Good night, Dad."
She remembered her first visit to Japan when she was six. Kaori loved travelling. Being in new places, going on adventures, seeing new things…as a child she was filled with curiosity and wonder. Japan was something she never experienced before. She took in the language, everything sounded familiar to her.
Meeting her cousin for the first time, they got along rather well. One was a year older, and a little taller with pigtails and dressed in girly clothing. While the younger one, had their hair loose and dressed in a more comfortable fashion. The two girls chased one another around and played with each other. Their laughter and giggles resonated around the entire place. It was a little difficult to communicate given the language barrier, but years later Michi learned English while Kaori picked up the pieces of the Japanese she left behind.
Kaori was brought into a traditional home of the elder Nakamotos. She was told to stay quiet and respectful. Not that it was difficult, Kaori was already brought up that way. She was extra careful to stay the way she was told to.
"Keep your head high, and don't falter one bit. You will not flinch. You will not cry. You will not speak. Understand?"
She nodded.
She sat on her knees.
"Back straight. Head high."
She straightened her back. For the first time in her life, she felt fear. The atmosphere in the household was eerie and quiet. The hushed whispers were all she could hear. She was not oblivious to the servants staring at her. She felt uncomfortable, but she felt safe with her mother. Kaori knew her mother would protect her, her mother would be there regardless of what was about to happen. Her father was inside another room adjacent to the one she sat in. She wondered what was going on, but made no move to question it.
Her father emerged from the room, hoping to whisk the two away before anything happened.
A lady in a traditional kimono, with her slow greying hair neatly placed in a tight bun stiffly walked out of the room her father just exited from. Her eyes narrowed as she eyed the two.
"Hanaka, give me a minute, won't you?" the old woman glared at her son, ushering him to leave.
"Those looks don't work on me anymore, mother. If you are to speak to them, I will be right here in this room," he calmly said.
There was tension. Even Kaori could feel it. She swallowed a bit, not making eye contact with the woman.
"Get out! Do you not know a thing about filial piety? Listen to your mother, you little-"
"Hanaka, just leave. I can handle this," she said. It was Kaori's mother who spoke. She gave Hanaka a nod, to say that she'll be alright.
"Then I'll take Vivienne with me." He was aware of what was going to happen, and he didn't want his daughter to hear it. Not at this age.
"No. Leave the child."
Her father was about to protest, only to be cut off once again.
"I said leave the child!" the woman narrowed her eyes as she yelled at him.
Kaori's father huffed and gave a nod to both his wife and daughter. He walked out of the room.
The woman encircled the two, observing their every feature.
"Now to deal with you, you little…"
"I hope you will refrain from using any inappropriate language in front of my daughter, Mother."
"Mother! Mother, you say!" the woman's expression was a mixture of mockery and ridicule.
"You have absolutely no right in calling me that, you worthless piece of trash. Marrying my son, and coming back with a daughter, no less. It's already too late into making you go back on your decision to marry Hanaka. I don't know what the hell you did to seduce him, but look where you are now. You're with the trash, bringing down Hanaka with you along with that thing of yours. You've ruined his future, his career-"
"I digress. Rather, you were the one who told him to end it, Nakamoto-san."
Kaori snuck a look at her mother. She wasn't sure what the lady was saying, the language barrier was rather inconvenient. But Kaori had a good sense of what it meant. Someone didn't like her mom, someone was pointing and ridiculing at her mother. Yet, her mother didn't seem fazed. Kaori wondered how her mother did that. But if her mother could, she could too. She straightened her back a little more, keeping her head high and she stared straight ahead.
The elder lady began to closely observe her so-called granddaughter. Her piercing stare made Kaori shiver a little bit, feeling uncomfortable at the unwanted attention. The elder sat in front of the little girl, and slowly Kaori raised her head a little more to make eye contact with the woman. She never forgot those eyes. Those eyes that looked down upon her, telling her she was no good, that she was worthless and dirty. There was no need for words to explain what her "grandmother" felt about her.
"Hm. She looks like Hanaka. Still a worthless piece of trash, like you though. Get out. I don't want you stinking up this place any longer."
Kaori's mother took her hand and walked out the door without a goodbye. Kaori didn't dare turn back.
It was not her last encounter with the woman.
Kaori found herself reminiscing. Not that she had anything else to do, with a lot of her assignments either finished or nearly finished, she was ahead in a lot of her classes anyway. She sighed to herself as she admired the view of Bunkyo from her apartment. Tokyo was quite a beautiful city. She wished that it didn't have to bring back such memories. She went back to work, tying up the loose ends of her assignments to distract herself.
It was going to be a long, sleepless night for Kaori.
English class. The window seat Kaori took had sunshine pouring through the windows. It was a glorious day outside. The sleepy girl had trouble paying attention during class. She didn't really have to pay attention in the first place, as she already reviewed for the class days prior. The girl had her hand on her forehead looking down on her work. It was obvious when she had finished. Her eyes were closed and she tried to nap.
Kyouya took note of this behaviour. It happened every once in a while. It was rather normal for most students, catching a few minutes of sleep. It was rare when Kaori had trouble paying attention though. Her cup of green tea usually kept her awake throughout the day. Sometimes she had an earbud in her ear to listen to music in order to stay awake. But today, she had neither of those. It seemed as though she planned to sleep through some classes today. He wondered why.
Kaori slowly opened her eyes and checked the time. There wasn't much time left until lunch. She sat back in her chair, looking out the window. She contemplated on reviewing in the library or sitting in the courtyard. Perhaps a walk would keep her mind off of things. She was so tired that she didn't even feel the Shadow King observing her. She was too preoccupied with the memories of Japan she tried so hard to suppress.
The second time was when she was eight.
Her parents made an effort to speak Japanese, as well as Chinese within the home. Her father spoke Japanese, while her mother spoke Chinese. "Keeping the culture" is what they called it. Kaori was aware of the bits and pieces of both languages, although she preferred listening to Chinese over Japanese. She knew enough to hold up a conversation. Her parents were proud, despite the fact that their child was unable to read or write in the languages they spoke. They didn't mind.
This time, it was a short trip. She had to attend a funeral. The month was April, and Kaori was suddenly pulled out of school for a week. At first, Kaori felt excited. A spontaneous trip to a place she didn't know seemed exciting to the little girl. It gave the girl a little break from constantly practicing the piano, but it meant she couldn't see her friends. Her disappointment faded as she stepped onto the airplane, unknowing what was to happen in the next few days.
"Vivienne, we're going to attend a funeral."
"Someone died? Who?"
"Your grandfather."
She never saw her grandfather. She only saw him in pictures. A ceremony was held in a blank room, with the casket at the front of the room, and a picture of her grandfather was placed with flower arrangements. She recognized the lady, or her "grandmother" up at the front dressed in a traditional white kimono, her father and uncle were also present. Her mother and Kaori were buried in the sea of black. Some people went up to pay their respects to the late Head of the Nakamoto family.
The curious eight year old looked around. She wondered why no one shed a tear. Someone died, it must've been a sad occasion. Yet, even as a child she could not muster up any tears for the dead man she had no connection with. She wondered if it was the same for everyone in the room. Everyone attending a funeral of a man under obligation and not because they genuinely cared. Even her father did not cry.
When the ceremony ended, a private dinner was held exclusively for family members. The new Head of the Nakamoto family sat at the end of the table, while her two sons took either side of the table with their respective family members. Kaori sat in between her mother and father, careful not to speak or make any noise.
"What is she doing here?" the elder woman pointed towards Kaori's mother in disgust.
Silence ensued.
"I can handle the filthy child, but that whore is not worthy of staying in this family dinner."
Kaori's Japanese was not good enough for her to understand what the woman said entirely, but it was obvious her mother wasn't welcome again. Kaori didn't like it. She wanted her mother to stay. After all, her mother was the one who knew what she liked to eat. She was the one who held her hand during the funeral. Her mother could not leave. She gathered up the courage to face her grandmother.
"I'd like my mom to stay, please."
Her Japanese was slow, but understandable. All eyes were on her. Even her own mother couldn't believe her daughter had said anything towards the menacing figure. Suddenly, Kaori felt nervous. Was it wrong for her to want her mother beside her?
"Who told you to speak?" the Head Nakamoto screeched. Her glare frightened Kaori to no end. She froze on her seat, and looked down.
"Is this how you raise your child? Did you not teach her to respect her elders? To speak when she is told? Your child adds onto the disgrace of this family."
Her mother said nothing. She looked like she couldn't take the ridicule anymore. She was tired.
"Out of words to say? After all these years, you finally put your blabbering sharp tongue to an end? Ha you-"
"That's enough." Her father stepped in.
"Hm, it seems as though you never learn…" she continued on as Kaori snuck a glance at her mother.
Kaori's mother's hands were beginning to shake, and her face was pale. It was as though her mother aged in the past few days. Her eye bags were present and wrinkles started to appear. In the past few years, her mother had been in and out of the hospital. Various pills were prescribed, but Kaori never thought of it as anything else. She was just "sick" nothing more, nothing less. Kaori realized that something was wrong.
A hand was placed on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" She recognized the deep baritone voice, it was Kyouya.
She looked up at him and gave him a small smile.
"I'm fine. I don't feel like reviewing today."
"I noticed. Are you cold?"
She scoffed. Kaori never felt cold. She loved the cold. It numbed her. It was refreshing to her. All the good things happened in the cold months.
"No. It's a beautiful day."
He took a seat beside her on the bench in the courtyard. Kyouya was never the one to comfort someone. He didn't even know if Kaori needed any comfort in the first place. Today, he was especially stumped. Kaori never acted this way before. Something was wrong, she didn't blatantly show it. She was just a little more reserved. Perhaps to most people she seemed normal. Kyouya's instinct had told him something was wrong. But being the Shadow King he was, it was difficult for him to provide emotional support.
"Are you…do you want to talk?"
"Kyouya, what else would we be doing right now if we weren't talking?"
She looked at him with a face that made him feel…dare he say it, stupid.
"We would be in silence."
"I suppose. But I like it."
Kyouya smiled to himself. He liked the silence too.
"Why?"
"It's calming. I guess…having you beside me makes things a little better."
"What things?"
"Memories."
She was cryptic. She always was. It made her interesting.
"Good ones?"
She smiled, in a way that mocked herself.
"I wish."
They stopped there for a while. They let themselves drown in the silence. The wind blew, while the sun shined on the two. Trees leaves were beginning to turn to different colours as animals began to prepare for their hibernation. The wind blew through her long hair as she tried to keep in place.
Kaori took a big breath and exhaled.
Kaori never liked remembering what happened after that event. She realized that over the years, her life could have been worse. She had many things to be thankful for. A roof over her head, food to eat and two very close friends. She had so many things other people did not have.
But to her, it was not enough. She felt selfish. She felt guilty. She couldn't help but to feel like she was missing something. She felt emptiness.
"Do you ever feel…empty?"
"Empty?"
"Like... you feel life isn't worth living for after a while for no particular reason. But we all have so many things to live for. Isn't it difficult to remember what keeps you going? What keeps you happy? It's always the little things. But it's so hard sometimes, just to remember. Everything just…doesn't feel right."
She didn't make much sense to him. He got the gist of what she was saying though. Kyouya never realized if he had anything worth living for. All his life, he's worked towards being the sole heir of the Ootori Group, to outshine his brothers, to gain the approval of his father…he couldn't think of anything else.
"I'm sorry. I…I don't even know why I'm even talking to you about this. I never meant for this to sound like a sob story."
Silence followed after a few minutes as Kyouya reflected on what she had said.
"Thanks though."
He looked at her questionably. Kyouya wondered what made the girl seem so grateful for him doing nothing.
"For…listening." She gave him a genuine smile, one that made him know that she was okay.
Kyouya felt quite satisfied. It was a different type of satisfaction. He wasn't looking for approval from her, but he got it anyway. He felt… good on the inside.
"Class is starting soon, Kyouya. I'll see you there."
She got up from the bench. He caught her arm before she left.
"Let me walk you there."
"Dopamine, and Norepinephrine… otherwise known as…" the teacher drew the chemical structures on the board.
"Who can tell me when these chemicals occur within our body?"
Kaori rolled her eyes. It was obvious.
"Love," she mumbled to no one in particular.
Unfortunately, teachers had super sonic hearing.
"What was that, Nakamoto?"
"Uhm…" she looked around the class. All eyes were on her. She couldn't really back out. She turned to Kyouya, who was pleasantly amused at her being uncomfortable.
"When we are in love," she spoke so everyone could hear.
"That is correct, Nakamoto."
The teacher turned back on the board and jotted down a few points down as the class copied. The chemicals listed above occur near the first stages of a relationship. They both made hearts beat faster, and people blush. These two made the adrenaline rush through the veins of the human body, and caused intense energy, sleeplessness and focused attention.
"It's quite interesting knowing that low serotonin levels also occur in people with obsessive compulsive disorder, but also causes the obsessive behaviour in lovers," the teacher noted.
"Endorphins are released during physical contact…" he drew another chemical diagram. "While Vasopressin is essential to long-term relationships."
He continued on for a few more minutes, writing a few more facts. He moved onto the chemicals released during sexual intercourse, "a natural component of love" as he described. Assigning the page numbers for homework, the professor sat back in his seat, allowing his students to socialize if they wanted to.
"Quite an interesting lesson, don't you think?" Kyouya commented.
"I suppose. I wonder why it's in the curriculum though…" Kaori wondered to herself. Perhaps it was easier for students to relate the chemicals to the biochemistry of love.
Kyouya smirked at the girl who got started on her homework earlier than he did. During the talk of estrogen, testosterone and oxytin, he noticed that Kaori's expression was…oddly uncomfortable. Even more uncomfortable than being in the centre of attention. It seemed as though Kaori was rather awkward when it came to sex. He inwardly laughed to himself.
"What's so funny?"
"I wasn't laughing."
"You were on the inside. Your smirk gives it away."
"Smirking isn't the same as laughing."
"Well then, what makes you so amused?"
"You."
Kaori shook her head. She gave up. Finishing up her chemistry homework, she previewed the next section. Leaving the boy beside her in silence, but still wondering what made her so amusing.
"Oi, Tono, why are we here so early?" Hikaru said, obviously annoyed.
"Because Mommy needs our help!"
"Kyouya-senpai would never need our help, Tamaki…" Haruhi said.
"But he needs help dans l'amour mes amis. Don't you see? The chemistry between Kaori-chan and Kyouya-"
"I don't see it," Kaoru blatantly replied. Besides, they've only met the girl once.
"Yeah, the Shadow King being in love…ha, I suppose it would be alright to tease him about it…" Hikaru couldn't see his friend Kyouya in love though. As a joke, maybe.
"Teasing him would only make him go against you, Hikaru. We should just let them be," Haruhi advised.
"But they will never be anything if we don't give them a little push towards one another!" Tamaki insisted. He knew his best friend would never make a move in a million years. He'll never be happy, because he'd never realize his feelings towards the girl. Tamaki meant the best for his friend.
"How would you even know if they liked each other?" The twins couldn't think of any girl that would fall for him willingly. Much less having the Shadow King developing feelings for a girl. It just didn't make sense. The cold, calculating, merit-chasing man ending up with who? Probably a girl through an arranged marriage. It was the truth.
"I just know," Tamaki stated. He knew. No one else knew Kyouya the way Tamaki did. The rest of the host club took his word.
"Let them be. The more you pry into their relationship, the more unwilling either of them would want to succumb to our wishes," Haruhi knew the Shadow King was a very private person, and same went for Kaori when she spoke to her on the subway. The more the Host Club meddled into their relationship, the more annoyed the two would become. Haruhi realized that they suited each other, for being so similar. She was beginning to understand why Tamaki believed the two would become one.
"The way he looks at her! You can tell!" Tamaki was excited.
"The way who looks at who?" It was the Shadow King.
The Host Club turned around, frozen and scared for their lives. Did he just hear their entire conversation? Surely he wouldn't reprimand them for speculating…after all, the Host Club would only have Tamaki to blame for starting it.
"Well? I'm waiting. I could just cancel next week's cosplay, add some more debt to Haruhi's already growing debt and-"
"Nothing. We were just…" Tamaki tried to look for the words to say.
"Tamaki-senpai was talking about you and Nakamoto-san," Haruhi bluntly stated. She didn't want anymore debt. She noticed the Shadow King's sinister smile.
"Ahh, well then. Elaborate on that please, Haruhi. Your debt will be deceased by a few million yen," he bribed. Of course he would bribe.
She wondered if it would be the right thing to say. After all, she just said that the Host Club should leave them alone. Leaving them alone meant not mentioning anything about their relationship…but since they were already on the topic…
"Tamaki-senpai was planning on getting the two of you together somehow…"
"Daughter, how could you betray me like this?" Tamaki wailed.
"Is that so?" he glanced at Tamaki, who retreated to his usual corner. "What are you waiting for? Get to your places. It is almost time to open," he said as he looked at his watch.
After the Host Club ended, the hosts went their respective ways with the exception of Tamaki and Kyouya. In all seriousness, Tamaki approached Kyouya about Kaori.
"Kyouya, what do you think about Kaori?" Tamaki tried again.
"I believe we discussed this already."
"No, my friend. I mean it. Do you like her?"
"I suppose. We're friends after all," Kyouya replied.
Tamaki sighed. How oblivious could he get? As friends, ha. He thought to himself for a moment. Kyouya never mentioned that they were friends in the first place. He tried a new tactic.
"What do you like about her then?"
"What do you mean?"
"As friends."
"Tamaki, stop asking me these irrelevant questions. I have to calculate the budget for the next few weeks."
"Just answer the question, Kyouya."
The Shadow King looked up from his laptop and faced his friend. He sighed. He didn't like these questions.
"She amuses me."
"Is that it? Is that why you like her?"
"Yes."
"Oh please, Kyouya. There must be more than that. You just don't realize it. The way you look at her…you're smitten by her."
"I beg to differ, when have I ever looked at her that way?"
"Every day, my friend. Does your heart race when she's around you? Don't you long to be beside her? Oh, the joys of love. Tell me Kyouya, do you feel that way? Kaori-chan is a wonderful-"
"No."
"But why not?" Tamaki begged his friend. He couldn't think of anyone else Kyouya would possibly have feelings for.
"Tamaki, even if I did have feel-"
"You do."
"It would never work out."
Tamaki looked at his friend in the eye. Kyouya was speaking the truth, and Tamaki knew it too. That didn't mean Tamaki didn't have hope for the two to be together. He barely knew the girl, but he knew that she was right for him. They were soul mates. They just fit.
"How would you know if you never try?" Tamaki was serious. These times were rare, and Kyouya could count the number of times Tamaki was dead serious with his fingers. This time was definitely something to take in for Kyouya.
"Think about it, Kyouya. Please. I'll see you tomorrow."
Kyouya wondered to himself for the next few days. He would never have feelings for Kaori. She was just something that amused him greatly. Her presence calmed him, and made him feel like he was meant to be beside her. He barely even knew the girl. Her favourite colour, her interests…it wasn't like she knew his either. But that didn't matter to him. He just liked being beside her.
He liked seeing her smile, and her embarrassed face. He liked it when she was confused and irritated at him. He wanted to see her play the piano again, he wanted her to share things with him.
He wondered if Kaori felt the same way. He wondered if she thought of him like he thought of her. Was there something wrong with him medically? Were his serotonin levels low? Is that why he was slightly obsessed? He didn't have OCD, but he was certainly not in love with the girl either.
He was deprived of sleep because he couldn't stop thinking about her. It never made him angry. Just irritated at himself for not knowing what made him think about her.
September 27th.
Kaori was terrible at wrapping gifts, but she wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect. After all, it was her cousin's birthday present. The present was the least of her concerns. The party at the Nakamoto Mansion was more worrisome to her. Getting herself ready was a tedious task.
She was always reluctant to wear dresses. It made her feel uncomfortable to be showing so much skin. She was never used to these high-class parties, she wasn't even used to putting on make up. Kaori never felt the need to put on make up because it took too much time in the mornings. She slipped into her strapless dark purple dress after a shower. The dress accentuated her figure and stopped a little before her knees. Her cousin lent her heels, as Michi knew Kaori wouldn't even bother wearing them to her party unless she was told to. It was true, she would have gone with simple flats instead. Kaori took some time into practicing how to walk with them. Kaori felt self-conscious. Even at the party before, she felt very awkward with her dress, especially with people sneaking glances at her.
She hoped it wouldn't be the same this time. After all, it was a masquerade party. Her mask hopefully wouldn't give her away. She put on a necklace with a star pendant, and a simple silver bracelet. Although she didn't wear jewellery often, she still owned bits and pieces. It took her forever to get her eyeliner on, it was obvious she required quite a bit of practice. She added a bit of mascara and a layer of lip gloss. She curled her long hair, just enough to make it seem wavy but not too much. It was nothing special; she planned to sneak away from the party anyway. She had something planned for herself.
When she arrived to the large mansion, she was greeted by the birthday girl who pulled her into a hug. Dropping off her gift, she walked in the foyer looking for a particular person. Hiro, the family butler smiled as he appeared from one of the many rooms.
"Oh my, you've grown to quite a beautiful lady, Vivienne," he noted.
Kaori smiled. She remembered him from the visits when she was little. He always offered her candy and told her stories about her dad when he was little. He was beginning to age quite a bit, but he still had the energy of a healthy young man.
"How have you been?" Kaori asked politely.
"Fine, fine. How is your father doing?"
"He's well. But uhm, I have a favour to ask…if that is alright with you," Kaori shyly asked. She knew he would agree to it anyway, but she felt guilty for making him go out of his way to meet her. He was quite a busy man.
"Well of course, tell me what I can do for you."
"Remember how you told me my dad used to stargaze in the courtyard? I was hoping you could find his telescope for me so I could do the same tonight..." Kaori always wanted to go stargazing on her own. It was always her dad that showed her the stars. It made her happy.
"Why of course! I would be more than happy to find his telescope. It's been stuck in the storage for so long, I wonder if it still works…no matter, I'll meet you here after the dinner. I'll show you the way to the courtyard then."
"Thank you, Hiro-san," she bowed to show her respect.
"Ahh, don't thank me. It's the least I can do for you," he replied, taking her bag that she brought with her.
They parted ways as Kaori walked into the large reception hall.
Everyone was in their own little groups, mingling with one another. A servant asked if she wanted any champagne. She declined. She wasn't even of age yet. She asked if there was water, hoping for an actual reply. But instead, she was scoffed at. It seemed as though the high-class society preferred to get drunk, it made sense since they didn't have to drink and drive. Kaori rolled her eyes and shrugged it off. She walked towards the table that was reserved for her.
It took a while for her to find her table given the size of the room. Luckily, she found her seat by her cousin. The table was spacious, with cutlery and tableware neatly placed side by side. The meal was delicious, as expected. It was rather quiet around the table, with a bit of small talk on the side. Ryuuchi, Kaori's uncle got up and made a speech, and soon the adults and teenagers parted ways.
Adults were left to mingle in another room, while the teenagers walked into another reception hall. Lights were dim, and loud music blasted through the speakers. Kaori realized that it was pretty much just a club, no matter how "high-class" it was. The room had more or less a partying atmosphere. Partying was definitely not Kaori's thing. Quietly, she sneaked away to the foyer unknowingly leading behind another figure.
She met up with Hiro who handed her the bag she brought earlier.
"You don't like dancing, Vivienne?"
"Oh no, I don't…I'm not good with crowds," she awkwardly laughed. She never liked dancing either, or stuffy places.
"Ahh, well, I have to supervise the kitchen a little more, so I will be unable to escort you to the courtyard. You've been there before, no?"
"Maybe once or twice…" Kaori couldn't remember much from her past visits to the mansion. It was renovated a few years back so it was no longer a traditional home.
"You go down this hall, turn left and you should see a door leading to the courtyard. Your father liked to sit by the tree. It shouldn't be too difficult to spot; the telescope is placed there as well. Don't worry about bringing it back, I'll be there to collect it tomorrow morning," the man smiled at her after he gave her the set of instructions.
She nodded and bowed deeply. They parted ways.
Kaori started walking down the unending hall. Her feet were starting to hurt. She wasn't used to wearing the high heels. She nearly tripped and lost her balance for a bit.
"Augh, this is ridiculous," she said to herself. She was always clumsy like that.
"Not used to heels, I see." She stopped right in her tracks. Her heart stopped for a moment, thinking it was someone else. But she recognized that voice. It was Kyouya. He chuckled a bit.
When was he ever invited?
She turned around slowly, taking caution not to fall. A slow figure emerged from the dark. It really was him, with his raven black hair in a suit and tie, covered by a dark mask.
"Since when were you invited?" she was surprised, it also felt rather deja-vu like.
"Your cousin invited the Ootori Corporation. Surely you would've known that we do business together."
Fair enough. But it never explained why he was following her, or if he knowingly followed her.
"And you aren't at the party because…?" Kaori questioned.
"Dancing isn't my thing," he replied.
"You could've mingled with the adults, you know. All that networking could definitely benefit you in the future." She was trying to make him go back.
"No need, I've already established my connections with everyone worthy," Kyouya said, waiting for her to get to the point. He could tell she was getting impatient.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack, Kyouya. I kindly ask you to turn back and leave me alone, like what most people would do."
"And if I don't want to?" Kyouya challenged.
"Tell me why you followed me then."
Kyouya didn't really know. He felt a strange familiarity when he saw her with a white mask as she entered the reception hall. Something drew him towards her, like the time at the previous party. Sneaking away from parties just made him think that it was Kaori. Something inexplicable drew him into her. He only realized that it was Kaori for sure when she took off her mask to talk to the butler.
"Because…something made me think it was you."
"Well even if it was me, why would you bother following me?"
"I felt inclined to. You seemed... like you needed someone." It was true. Throughout the reception, Kaori was rather lonely. She had no one to speak to. Kaori eyed him suspiciously. She always did. Everything the Shadow King said was hard to determine whether or not he was genuine. Kaori didn't really want anyone with her tonight.
She took a moment to think to herself. Kyouya wouldn't have anyone to speak to tonight either, neither of the two really fit in the partying scene. Besides, Kyouya speaking with more business associates wouldn't do him any good.
Kaori sighed. She realized that they were quite similar with each other. Neither belonging to either scenes of the party. Maybe for Kyouya, he fit into one more than the other, but he either way, he would've been isolated. She turned around and continued walking. She let the boy follow her out to the courtyard. Kaori didn't feel the need to speak, the two of them understood each other in their own way.
Kaori continued on walking with her heels echoing through the hall. She tried her best not to stumble, especially when there was someone watching her. Embarrassing herself was something she did often, and she hated it.
She reached the door to the courtyard, and sat on the bench. Kaori felt tempted to take off her shoes, but she could deal with it a little more. She took out her leather jacket and her camera. It was a perfect time to take some shots. The night was beautiful. The skies were clear, leaving the moonlight to shine upon the garden.
Quickly adjusting a few settings on her camera, she walked around looking for a decent spot to take pictures.
She nearly forgot Kyouya was beside her.
"Look for a tree with a telescope underneath, would you?"
He nodded but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He never noticed how beautiful she was. Her long wavy hair shined under the moonlight, her smile made him feel elated every time she took a good shot. Before he knew it, Kaori had the camera pointing towards him.
A click went off and she giggled as she went back to look at her pictures.
"Kyouya, you need to smile more often," she noted. "Genuinely, I mean."
"Smile!" she cheered as she pointed the camera towards him again.
Kyouya couldn't help but to be amused by her child-like behaviour. His lips curled upwards, just the slightest smile appeared in the picture.
"Did you find the tree yet?" she asked.
He was too wrapped up in her behaviour to even look for it. Kyouya never saw her that happy before, it started to rub off onto him. It was a good thing. Kyouya felt his heart race.
"Oh, it's over there," she said, excited to find the telescope. She was so excited that she nearly tripped over herself. She was glad her camera was in her bag, but she wasn't so glad when she heard her ankle crack. She rotated her right ankle, to see if it was alright. Relieved, she took off her shoes and walked the rest of the way to the tree. Kyouya followed shortly after quietly laughing at her clumsiness.
She studied the telescope, wondering how her father made it work. With her naked eye, she looked towards the sky hoping to find the North Star. She smiled after spotting it, and geared the telescope towards the north. She turned to Kyouya.
"Want to have a look?" she offered.
"I suppose," he said as he walked over to the telescope.
"Stars are so beautiful. Don't you think?" She sat down under the tree, tired of standing but still gazing at the night sky, admiring the constellations.
"I used to want to be an astronaut when I was little," she continued on. Kyouya could hear the smile in her voice. He turned to look at her while her face shined in the moonlight.
"But then I read that there was a height restriction. I was pretty bummed out because I thought I would never grow tall enough," she giggled. Kyouya laughed.
Kaori turned to the boy beside her as he took a seat. She liked listening to him laugh. As she faced Kyouya, she took note of his eyes, his dark brown eyes that observed her. She never actually saw them that close, but they were mesmerizing. She couldn't stop staring at him. She looked away back to the sky to avoid an awkward situation.
"What did you want to be when you were little?"
"The heir to the Ootori Corporation," he answered in a heartbeat.
"Still going at it I see," Kaori nodded in understanding. "I've never seen you without your glasses…" she murmured.
"Most people haven't, think of it as a privilege."
She scoffed at his ego. His ego never stopped growing.
It was only then Kyouya noticed how physically close he was to the girl. Her hair loosely fell onto her shoulders, smelling like sweet pea. Her small pointed nose and thin lips that always talked back to him. Her deep brown eyes that stared deep into the night sky made him hypnotized.
How would you know if you never try? Those words from Tamaki ringed in his ears.
"Hey," he said.
She turned towards him.
"What?"
He leaned in and closed the distance between their lips. She tasted like mint, probably because of her lip gloss. Something made Kyouya feel as though it was right. His heart raced faster and faster, but she pulled away. The Shadow King looked at her expectantly.
Kaori's face was filled with astonishment.
"Kyouya, what was that?"
"What did you think it was?" he retorted.
"Are you sick?" She put her hand on his forehead. Her hand was ice cold.
"I assure you I'm healthy as can be."
"Drunk?" she looked at him expectantly. Surely that must've been the answer to his behaviour.
"I'm completely sober."
"Prove it."
"Did you taste alcohol?"
Kaori thought for a moment. She never actually tasted alcohol. She pondered over what other viable explanations there were for his rash behaviour. Kaori wasn't really sure what to feel. She didn't feel angry, more confused if anything. Then she came to the revelation that an egoistic bastard just stole her first kiss. It was until then she felt rather irritated at Kyouya.
"Think of it as…a rush of dopamine and norepinepherine," he offered.
"Really Kyouya, you're going to tell me to blame it on your hormones? Is that what you're going to tell every girl you kiss? Oh, just blame it on the dopamine rush. You don't do that! You just…that…that-" her rant was cut off by another kiss, but this time Kyouya had grabbed her wrist, feeling for her pulse. He pulled away after a few seconds.
"Your pulse is rather high, and you're blushing. The effects of dopamine and norepinepherine are present in your body." He smirked at her.
She looked away slightly embarrassed. She touched her cheeks with her cold hands to make sure he wasn't lying. They were burning hot. She turned back to him.
"Those are also the effects of someone angry, Kyouya. Not every girl falls for you and your egoistic...bastard ways." She was beginning to find it difficult to speak. She was so flustered, surprised and confused, she felt so many things at the moment.
"I don't even like you," she said exasperatedly.
"Are you sure about that? We're friends are we not?" He raised his eyebrows at her.
"Friends don't kiss each other, Kyouya. You don't go kissing Tamaki, do you?"
Kyouya chuckled.
"Well, my sexual orienta-"
"Okay, okay. That was a terrible example." Kaori looked away, extremely embarrassed and awkward at the situation. She sighed.
"You know what, uhm, this night has been sufficiently awkward for both you and me."
"Just you, actually. Rather amusing for me," he cut in.
"Not the point here…but I'm going to assume you're on some type of medication that I should know about. I'm going to leave, and pretend that this didn't happen..." Kaori got up from the grass and took her bag with her.
Kyouya got up as well.
"Wait no, don't follow me. You go…get some rest, and uh, get better soon." Kaori left as fast as she could.
Kyouya was thoroughly pleased at her behaviour. She left him with a warm feeling. He thought of Kaori as cute. He knew that she could never get angry at him. Those times during class when he teased her…no matter how much he got on her nerves, she always pushed it aside.
She had a habit of forgiving and forgetting.
A/N: I wonder if it was too quick for them to already share their first kiss haha. Anyway, this chapter was rather lengthy, or lengthier than what I usually write. Thank you for reading and reviews are always appreciated.