Chapter Seven
The next several weeks passed normally. Every Saturday Raya would show up at his doorstep at precisely one in the afternoon. She would proceed to help him with homework, or do other things with him. One day in particular, she insisted on cooking something for him.
"Come on, it'll be fun." She pushed, giggling as she tied an apron she had brought with her around her waist. He smiled back at her and finally followed her to the spotless kitchen.
"Fine." He replied.
Hours later, both were covered in flour and Kyoya was barely able to stifle his laughter at the cake in front of him. Raya sent him a glare.
"Shut up. You couldn't do any better." She pouted and began to clean up the mess they had made whilst baking the lop-sided and partially burnt chocolate cake. Kyoya watched her move swiftly around the room, her lithe body easily wiping away flour spots and batter spills. She was so cute. He stopped and blinked for a moment. Why did he find this cute? She was just cleaning up a mess, a mess that SHE herself had made in HIS kitchen. He should be scolding her. So why was he smiling warmheartedly at her back as she moved around his home?
"Kyoya? Where does the sugar go?" She asked, her messy bun jiggling as she turned to face him.
"Top cupboard." He answered. Raya had effectively halted his train of thought.
It might have been then that he noticed a change in the way he viewed the girl. Though he still wanted to know exactly what she was hiding, he began to focus less on that, and rather just enjoyed her company. It wasn't until later, however, that he realized that he had unknowingly developed feelings for her.
"You're going to the beach?" Raya looked puzzled. Tamaki held her hands between his in front of her.
"Yeah! The whole club is going, and we're bringing the customers! You should come too!" The blonde bounced, letting go of her hands and twirling haphazardly around the room. Tamaki thought that the beach would be a perfectly romantic place for him to finally tell Raya how he felt about her. It would be perfect. The sun on their backs, the wind in their hair, and the sand beneath their feet; it couldn't get any better.
"I'm not a customer though." She said, smiling wryly at the blonde. Her pocket buzzed, she took out her phone and looked at the screen, "That idiot wants to get everyone to come. –Kyoya" Raya smiled, and replied, "That's nice though...kind of . –Raya"
"Are you texting someone? You have a phone!? Let Papa have your phone number, Raya-chan!" Tamaki squirmed and pouted until Raya reluctantly gave him her real phone number. Her pocket buzzed again, "You're only encouraging him. –Kyoya" Sighing, she replied, "I know, but I have to be polite, don't I? I mean, he IS the chairman's son. –Raya"
Tamaki smiled, finally putting the last digit into his contact list, he closed his phone and looked up to see Raya smiling at what he presumed to be another text from an unknown person (unknown to him, at least).
"Who are you texting? Are they funny?" He smiled, trying to see her screen. She pulled it away just in time.
"My friend and yes. They are quite funny." She answered, sighing.
"Well…you should invite them to come to beach with us too! You are coming, aren't you?" Tamaki's puppy-dog eyes surfaced and Raya could feel herself giving in.
"Sure, why not. Though my friend unfortunately cannot attend, she lives in another country." Raya felt bad for lying to him, but he wouldn't know the difference, nor did she think he would care. Tamaki smiled, "GREAT! I'll see you tomorrow then! Ten o'clock sharp at the beach!"
"Do you see what she's wearing? Embarrassing. She isn't even a customer. Why is she here?" Kimiko glared at her sister, who was striding down the beach in one of her many colorfully printed practice suits. Scarlet hair was tied back in a tight bun and a swim cap and goggles hung out of the hip of her suit. If she had to be here for Tamaki, she was at least going to get some practice in.
"Is she…going to swim laps?" Tamaki asked Kyoya. They sat in the shade, taking a slight break from the constant flow of women fondling over the blonde. Kyoya looked up from his book to see her inspecting the water's temperature.
"It looks like it." He said, going back to his notebook.
"But…I invited her here so that she could spend time with me!" The taller of the two whined, lying back in the sand.
"You have customers to attend to. You can talk to her at dinner." Kyoya retorted. He looked up long enough to see Tamaki race off toward her, almost knocking her into the water as he takle-hugged the girl. His plan to get Tamaki interested in Haruhi had failed, so he thought.
"RAYA-CHAN!" Tamaki squeezed the smaller, lifting her up and twirling her around.
"Yes, Tamaki?" She answered after being put down.
"I'm gonna swim with you!" He smiled and began to stretch halfheartedly, making a fool of himself in the process. Raya smiled, he meant well.
"You don't have to sweetie. Go play with some of your friends, I'll talk to you later when you don't have any customers, alright?" She patted him on the shoulder and watched as he sulked back to the line of girls that were waiting for him. Her vision caught something odd. A blur of pink and white headed up to the top of a cliff. Odd, she thought. She followed their path to the top of the cliff and saw three of the Host Club's customers standing at the edge. Raya could only guess what this was about. Without another thought, she took off toward the cliff.
Haruhi stood a few feet in front of her, yelling at the two men that had approached the girls on the cliff.
"Why don't you quit bothering them? Weren't you jerks listening? You better just leave them alone." She said, still holding the bucket that had once contained a variety of sea animals. The men began to approach her, "You little runt!"
Raya watched, dumbfounded, as one of the men picked Haruhi up by the collar of her shirt and led her to the cliff's edge. This wasn't good. The scarlet girl raced from her hiding spot and punched the man holding the other two girls in the back of the neck, effectively knocking him unconscious. He let out a loud yelp and fell to the ground, releasing the two captive women. His partner, who was still holding Haruhi, turned to see the scene.
"Alright bitch, what the fuck did you just do?" He growled toward Raya. She shrugged, acting innocent.
"He just collapsed, I have no idea what happened, honey." Cerulean irises gleamed in the sunlight. There was nothing more in the world that she wanted to do more then she wanted to snap this man's neck. Men that took advantage of other women disgusted her.
"He obviously didn't just fucking drop dead, you little c*nt. What the fuck did you do?" He screamed, edging Haruhi closer to the edge.
Down on the beach, Tamaki was running around and Kyoya was sitting in the shade, completely unaware of the situation unfolding at the top of the cliff.
"TAMAKI! TAMAKI! It's Haruhi!" One of the girls came screaming across the beach. Kyoya could see Tamaki's eyes widen from where he was sitting. They rushed off in the direction of the cliff, Kyoya standing and following behind at a steady pace. It's only Haruhi, he thought.
"Stay away from me, you scary bitch!" The man screamed at the slowly approaching Raya, "I'll…I'll throw him over!"
"You wouldn't do that, now would you?" She asked him, only about three feet away now. He smirked.
"Wanna bet?" He jerked his arm outward, effectively throwing Haruhi off of the cliff and into the plunging depth below. CRAP. Raya quickly closed the distance between her and the attacker, managing to doge his blow and strike him in the throat, effectively striking his Adams apple. The man began to sputter and choke as she dove off the cliff into the water to find Haruhi. Once incased in water, she saw a dark shadow below her. Racing toward it, she grabbed at it, sighing internally when she found to have Haruhi's wrist in her grasp. Pulling at the girl, she began to kick toward the surface of the water.
"Haruhi!" She could hear Tamaki calling as she broke the surface of the water. Raya turned Haruhi over and grasped Haruhi's shoulders in the traditional lifeguard fashion. Until she hit where she could stand, Raya kicked Haruhi and herself toward shore. Tamaki rushed toward her, immediately taking Haruhi from her and rushing off toward shore. Mori and Hunny weren't far behind him, sweeping Raya up and taking her to shore. Today was an interesting day, she thought as she faded to sleep in Mori's arms.