The air in the room was tight, like a balloon on the verge of popping. His even gaze cut into me, holding me in place stiffly. Silky ash hair in its usual bed-head fashion, but still seemingly styled as it masked the majority of the anger in his eyes. My own, a dull green cowering away from their opponents fierce gaze.
Some part of me realized as I sat as still as possible, my knuckles white and strained, that I was holding my breath. Then, as I was lost in my thoughts, he let exhaled like he had been holding in week's worth of anger and frustration. My lungs eagerly inhaled the cool air as I in return let myself breathe. His eyes though, they had lost their anger but now, even worse, they were expressionless- like a blank mask.
"Do you know how much anxiety you cause me on a daily basis?" He said in a soft voice, slick and uncaring like that of the devils. Then he laughed, it was a humourless chuckle. "No, no you don't do you?" He answered his own question quietly and looked up at me with concerned eyes, their soft caramel touch there one more.
Rou stared at me, waiting for me to say something, but I kept quiet and stared back at him. He seemed confused for a moment and leaned forward to see what was wrong but caught himself and sat back in place where he was sitting on the other side of the table in second tier of the library where the History books were located.
He knew this drill; it was something you picked up quickly when you knew me. He lent on his knees and focused his gaze on me, appraising me.
I tried to convey all my feelings through my eyes, how sorry I was for leaving him out of the loop and how much I worried him, not just this time but all the times I had done something stupid and promised to explain to him later and breaking that promise. I really was a terrible best friend, but he stuck with me anyway.
My eyes dipped down to look at the floor and he laughed, the sound quiet, musical and so familiar. I could find that voice through the thickest fog, through the longest tunnel in the darkest hour of night. It was comforting, made me smile and laugh. A voice I lived for, that I awaited to hear each day, holding it so close to my heart.
"I really can't stay mad at you." He said to himself. "I wonder why that is…" He mused quietly and I felt a soft hand touch mine.
I looked up, caramel coloured eyes just centimeters away; staring so hard into my own it was like they could see into my soul. My eyes flickered away in both surprise and embarrassment, and I felt a hot rush over my cheeks as I saw the rest of his face so close to mine it would only take a tiny movement forward to touch him.
He exhaled, his icy breath tickling my skin and I blinked a few times. What was I doing again? What was I going to say?
His presence so close to mine left me feeling disorientated and I placed an unsteady arm against him, not too sure if I was trying to push him back or use him as a support to get to my feet. I wavered and started to tumble to the side but his arm caught me, bringing me close to him again.
"Are you alright?" He asked softly, concern lacing his tongue.
It took me a moment by I managed a nod, there was no way I would admit that I had basically, with lack of a better word, gotten drunk on his intoxicating presence. I would die before my pride let that one slip out.
I cleared my throat and steadied myself, nodding again.
"We're already late as it is, Tamaki is going to rant at us." I said hastily, sweeping up my books in my arms and grabbing his hand to drag him out of the library.
He pulled open the door and we stepped inside of Music Room 3 as inconspicuously as we could.
"If we don't make any large movements maybe he won't notice us." I whispered to Rou as we snuck along the side of the room, glancing around at the girls being entertained by their favoured hosts.
"Rei! Rou! Where have you two been~!" A singsong voice called out and I cringed, stopping in my tracks and feeling Rou bump into me with surprise.
I turned on my heel, a strained smile on my face as Tamaki, today dressed in Arabian robes of royal blue and indigo, danced towards us, covered in expensive looking gold jewellery. His smile dropped and so began his rant.
"I was looking for both of you! You, Rei, my beloved little sister I just wanted some music for my grand entrance but you weren't around!" I grinned sheepishly and tried to form an apology but he'd already turned his pointed finger to a perfectly calm and jovial Rou.
"And you! I did you a great honour of making you a host and you haven't done anything at all! You rarely turn up to the club and always monopolize my little sisters time when you are here!"
Rou smiled and shrugged, singing out a small "It won't happen again!"
Tamaki seemed to accept this and turned, his smile back once more to again join his guests at his lounge.
"I'm tired." Rou said to no one in particular and I looked around to watch him lope over to one of the spare lounges and flop onto it, his legs dangling in the air.
I raised an eyebrow and walked over, staring at his apathetic expression.
"What?" He asked. I shook my head in disbelief at the sight of him.
"You're like a lazy cat…" I said with a sigh as a group of girls appeared from behind the lounge, their faces alight at the obviously uninterested Rou.
"He's so cool~!" One of them cried and the other two nodded in agreement.
Rou didn't seem to take notice so I shrugged and ambled off towards where Haruhi was sitting with a few friends from our class who double as her regular customers at the club.
I kept my expression as uninterested as I could as I walked past him; his glasses perched perfectly on his nose and his usual black book in his hands.
He didn't say anything and in return nor did I. This wasn't the way to go, I knew that but it wasn't as easy as you'd think to go back to the way it was before. Well not the being at each other's throats every day, that part would be easy but would leave me with a sick feeling in my stomach afterward. I wasn't even sure if I could snarl at him like I used to.
Feeling rather blue and sickly I slumped down beside my sister, giving my friends from class a half-hearted smile. Haruhi's eyes assessed me carefully, she always reminded me of a little owl when she did that.
"Feeling a little down?" She wondered but I could tell she already knew the answer.
My head drooped and I heard her sigh, her hand rubbing my back comfortingly.
"It'll get better. I can't say when, but it will." She assured me and I grumbled. Damn Kyoya, he was turning me into a pessimist, I couldn't even trust my own sisters word anymore. What a mess I was.
There was the sharp sound of something hitting wood and my head snapped up, eyeing the situation on the other side of the room in surprise with Haruhi.
Kyoya was standing over a startled Rou, who looked as though he had fallen off the lounge where he had been idling away time. Kyoya's book had been the source of the sound I had heard, it was lying open on the coffee table.
I got to my feet quickly and took a few steps forward anxiously, as did Tamaki from the other direction; we shared a confused look when Kyoya spoke.
"This is a respectable place, and yet you, a host, just sits doing nothing or doesn't even bother to show up! You should just get out!" He snarled and I blinked. This was a bolt out of the blue, I hadn't ever seen Kyoya blow up like this before.
Rou, his testosterone-fuelled side reacting, got to his feet- standing just taller than Kyoya glared at him, his eyes burning.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You hypocrite, you're rarely ever here anyway!" He retorted, taking a step forward glowering just centimeters away from the shadow king.
I hesitated taking another step forward, one wrong move and this could get messy- I don't know what started this but it was getting out of hand. I gestured to Haruhi, Mori and Honey to lead the girls out of here, they didn't need to see an old-fashioned fist fight, they wouldn't be able to handle it and we couldn't have girls fainting on us in this situation.
I had missed a hunk of their yelling and grimaced as Rou's fist flew forward. It had been years since I had seen him get this angry, but he was still a guy after all and had gotten into a few fights like this when he was younger, his talking before thinking and frankness had left plenty of bad people with a sour impression of him and I had watched him smooth talk his way out of it all later.
Kyoya had dodged but I didn't hesitate this time, swiftly I moved forward and placed a firm hand on both of their chests, pushing them away from each other.
"Calm down!" I shouted with as much authority that I could muster. I looked back and forth between them, furious, feeling their heavy breathing pounding against my palm.
"What on earth is wrong with you two?" I demanded, my voice raising an octave higher from the stress of it all.
Rou ignored me completely and kept his defiant glare on Kyoya.
"It's all your fault, you heard her badly and I won't ever forgive you for that." He hissed and I stared at him in astonishment, he had never been this worked up. "You don't even know how much, that's the worst part! She had bundled it all up, crying on her own and not letting anyone in because of you!" He cried and Kyoya's eyes faltered slightly, flashing down to my strained face.
"I…" He started but broke off, taking a small step away from my hand.
The stress packed down on me and I gave Rou a stern look that said, "you aren't helping".
I exhaled sharply and pushed Rou back, these two were going to be the death of me at this rate.
"You two need a serious time out." I reprimanded them harshly and turned on my heel, striding towards the door.
Kaoru held out a comforting hand but I shook my head, I didn't need anything right now, my head felt like it was going to explode.
As I reached the door I heard Rou's voice call out loud and as clear as a bell.
"I'm not going to let you have your way any more, I'm now playing for real now. She's going to see just how much better I am for her."
I stopped and my head flicked back, Rou glanced around to look at me and gave me a gentle smile.
I stood there for a moment, stunned, then something switched back on and I hurried out. On the outside where everything was still in quiet I let myself collapse to the ground, disbelief all over my face. Then I chuckled, the sound amazed and tense at the same time.
"Just when I thought things were getting simpler…" I murmured and shook my head, Rou's smile replaying itself in my thoughts.
Woo! Finally Rou makes his feeling clear~! The story is just about to get very interesting :D
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