Tamaki's eyes kept looking at me uncomfortably, and then his gaze would be instantly cast to the table, where a cup of coffee sat. He sipped at it, as a way to prolong the inevitable. If he insisted on having these "unavoidable meetings" he should at least have something to say. Apparently this whole occurrence was so "unfortunate".
"Um...I like what you've done with your hair. New hair cut?" I said, watching his eyes light up and knowing I struck gold.
"Yes, you noticed? Well, there's actually a funny story behind this." he launched into a story, the one topic he's always willing to talk about being himself. It was then that he realized what I was doing, and he cast me a degrading stare.
"Okay, that was low. Even for you." he muttered, retaining his reclusive composure.
I returned his stare and said abruptly, "Can we just get this over with? It's obvious neither one of us wants to be here, and I'm pretty sure if it wasn't for your job you wouldn't be here. So, let's just cut to the chase, hun."
He smiled bitterly, "I couldn't have said it better myself."
"I have a second clue. Here you go." I said, holding it out to him.
"Oh, no thank you. Apparently, I don't need to see any of the clues. You're the expert." he grumbled.
"Smart ass." I muttered.
"The smartest ass you know." he said with a wink. I was irritated yet I couldn't help but smile. I quickly hid it though as his eyes turned to my direction when he snatched the note out of my hand.
As he examined it he was grumbling to himself and it sounded a bit like this, "Kills laughter that sounds like someone I know (insert evil glare here). And empty holes it fills... (Insert laughter). Lies behind stars...bingo!"
"Did the genius discover something?" I said in a snarky voice.
"Darkness." he stated simply.
"What?" I asked.
"That's the answer. Darkness." he said nonchalantly. He reminded me of someone, with the way he said the word. Uncaring. Indifferent.
"Kyoya!" we both cried at the same time, "You little genius! No, you're the genius!"
We weren't mad at each other for a brief instant and we were jumping up and down like little children, high-fiving each other. Then Tamaki caught himself and returned to his reserved, mean demeanor.
"So, Kyoya is now on our most suspicious list." He then started coughing dramatically, "I think...cough...someone...cough...should...cough cough..."
"Okay! I get it. I'm sorry, Tamaki, okay. You're not a killer, I love your new haircut,you're a terrible actor, and you're the smartest ass I know." I said all at once.
Then a waitress came rushing over with a cup of water and said, "Are you okay, sir?"
Tamaki gave me that eat-your-words-BIOTCH look. Then he started coughing and responded weakly, "No, miss, I'm fine. You're so kind."
It caused the air head to giggle profusely and give us our drinks for free.
I looked up at him with a gaze crossed between admiration and disgust.
"You don't spend money in this town, do you?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Have you ever seen me actually pay for a cup of coffee?" he said, using his typical answer a question with a question response.
Out of Maria's POV
Maria was in orchestra again, playing away on her violin. Performing in orchestra was an unwanted obligation, considering most students weren't up to par with her abilities. Sure, a lot of them could probably beat her academically, but music was her strong point, and she didn't appreciate having to learn the basics like everyone else.
In front of the instructor, they would all treat Maria with utmost respect, but when backs were turned they ensued with their teasing.
"She's so obnoxious." they would whisper.
"She's a show-off." they would say to each other.
"She's an outcast. She doesn't belong here."
Silently, Maria would nod her head in agreement. She could be obnoxious. She may have been a 'show-off'. Hell, even she knew she was an outcast. She didn't belong there at the elite private school. But there was something funny about the whole situation.
Some of the girls, who would insult her, would be the same girls who showed up at the host club and went gaga over her alter ego, Mark. This made her laugh, and gave her comfort when she needed it. Imagine their faces if they found out!
So Maria just giggled to herself in the corner. By the end of the day, the very people who hated her would grow to love her.
So, was any form of emotions towards her also a lie?
This was another question that weighed down on her mind, and messed with her psych at every available moment.
Maria's POV
After the last Sex Ed. class Hikaru and Kaoru weren't nearly as eager to get to class. None of us were.
"We should have just skipped with you guys when we had the chance." said Kaoru, reminiscing about the time they forced us to go to class.
"That's still an option." I reminded them.
A mischievous grin spread on their identical faces, and Haruhi simply sighed, saying "I need to get new friends."
About five minutes later and we were wandering around the building, and then we decided to play hide and go seek.
"Okay. Rule number one. Hikaru and Kaoru cannot be together! They will pwn us and we will cry." said Haruhi.
"Yes, so Hikaru, you're it." I clarified.
The two pouted but agreed.
"And we can only use the second floor." said Haruhi.
Then, we were off, the three of us running like madmen as Hikaru counted.
Haruhi went off on her own. Everywhere I went Kaoru followed me like a lost puppy, so finally I whispered harshly to him, "Dude, find your own hiding spot!"
"B-But I'm scared. These hallways are spooky when they're empty." he stuttered, giving me a more adorable look than any toddler could master.
"Okay. Just please be quiet." I said. I then looked up and finally found the perfect hiding spot—the same closet Tamaki and I had our first meeting in.
I opened it and from Kaoru's point of view, I'm pretty sure the darkness looked terrifying. So I pushed him in first, only to hear him shriek like a girl.
"Come on, don't be a wuss." I said as I got in the closet myself.
Then I saw what he saw and I screamed. He screamed again. Then we screamed in unison.
"It's...it's..." my voice trailed off.
"What the hell are you dim-witted creatures trying to do? Did you think you could actually skip my class? Well then, come with me, I have something planned." She stopped to glare at a frightened Kaoru, "Especially for you."
Stephanie had the you-people-are-lucky-that-its-illegal-to-kill-someone-because-you're-pissed-off-at-them look on her face. If I wasn't scared shitless I would have laughed.
A couple of minutes later while walking in the hallway in silence I caught sight of Hikaru. He looked directly at us, but luckily Stephanie wasn't paying attention.
"Go." I mouthed the words, motioning for him to run.
"What?" he mouthed back, tilting his head to the side.
"Run." I mouthed, shaking my head. Was he an idiot?
It took him a while to figure it out, and once he started running Stephanie already caught his scent and turned around like a ninja.
"You!" she yelled while pointing.
"Shit." he muttered, as he joined the two of us in captivity.
Out Of Maria's POV
When the three arrived at the classroom, they discovered something. Haruhi was sitting in her chair innocently partaking in a class discussion. The one thing on all three of their minds was "What the hell?"
Haruhi saw them walk in and she waved while grinning. Remember when Haruhi went off on her own while Hikaru counted? Well, she went back to class. She had a feeling all of them were going to get caught, so she pretty much ditched.
Hikaru looked like he wanted to beat her up and Haruhi just stuck her tongue out at him mockingly. Kaoru just thought to himself, "I should have thought of that." Maria just sighed and thought, "Damn, she's good."
"Thanks to your fellow students and their tardiness, the whole class will have an extra week to do their project." announced Stephanie. The whole class groaned.
"What's so bad about an extra week? Isn't that a good thing?" asked Maria.
"Not this project." clarified Stephanie, "All the girls on one side of the room, all the boys on the other."
A boy named Spencer in their class was the first to catch on, "Oh no. You can't do this Ms. C." he started to protest.
Stephanie just smiled her evil smile and started pairing up girls and boys. Although occasionally she would pair up a girl with a girl and a guy with a guy saying, "There are gay couples in the real world, my kitties."
So, that would explain how Haruhi got paired up with Kaoru. They sat there in silence for a moment, awkwardly looking at each other, then Kaoru finally built up the courage to ask, "So, which one of us is the girl in the relationship?"
It was then that a tiny light bulb went off in Maria's head as she figured out what was going on. They were going to be parents for two weeks. We all know the high school project of having to carry a baby doll around and take care of it. But, this is Ouran we're talking about. These aren't just baby dolls.
They were highly sophisticated robots with higher intellegents. They moved like normal babies, they cried like normal babies, they even needed "food" like normal babies. If they were dropped, their damage was recorded and sent back to the teacher's computer. If they were exposed to outrageous amounts of cold or heat, they also responded.
It was basically just a really complicated doll, and it scared the crap out of Maria.
Especially since her partner was Hikaru.
Maria's POV
So, they expect me to lug these creepy behind babies around with me everywhere I go? And be partners with Hikaru?
"Hello, Maria." he said with a wink.
"Hi. Okay, in case you're wondering, don't expect to dump this whole project on me. We have to work as a team." I reminded him.
"Of course we're a team. After all, we are a couple." he said, while he raised his hand to wrap around my shoulder.
I tilted my chair back while trying to avoid him, and I fell over with a huge bang.
Of course, the whole class was laughing at me as I got up and evilly glared at the worst of the Hitachiins.
"Damn, Maria. I'm not that bad." he complained.
"You know, you're right. You're not bad..." I started off in a pleasant voice, "You're terrible."
"Bitch wanna fight?" he asked with his eyebrow raised.
"Why? So you could lose?" I asked.
If a new student were to walk in the classroom they would be worried. The scene looked like Hikaru and I were getting ready to duel to the death. But most of Class A new better. They were used to Hikaru and I killing each other one day and being best friends the next.
"Hey you guys. Break it up! Not in front of the baby." said Stephanie, motioning to that thing. Oh my God. Did it just blink?
I swear it just did. And...is its arms reaching out towards us? Does it want a hug?
"Hikaru, you're the man of the house, take care of that monster." I said, pushing him infront of me.
"Maria, I think we both know that I will piss my pants if I get anywhere near that thing." he stated, while running behind me.
"Take it like a man!" I teased.
"I'm not a man! I'm just a boy!" he cried.
Ms. Clark was laughing her ass off. Hikaru had been one of her most difficult students since day one and now she finally has him cowering in fear.
After five more minutes of arguing we agreed to hold the doll at the same time. I picked up the legs as Hikaru picked up the head, then Stephanie started to yell.
"It's a baby, not a Nintendo DS. Pick it up with care." she insisted.
"If I were to cut this thing open, I think it would resemble a Nintendo DS more than a human being." he grumbled. I laughed.
"Why don't you show us an example, Ms. Clark?" I asked.
"No, are you kidding me? Those things scare the crap out of me." she responded bluntly.
Yes, it has now become official. I hate school.
When I went to my locker I expected the usual. Another note maybe. Well, I did get another note, along with a bag that smelled like dead animals.
"Hikaruuuuuuuuuuu! I demand you get your gym clothes out of my locker." I yelled.
"We had a deal. I take the baby for today, and you do my laundry." he said.
"We had no such deal!" I protested.
"We do now." he said with a smile, then ran down the hallway before I could argue, while holding the baby upside down by the foot.
I sighed, then looked at Kaoru and Haruhi who were waiting up for me.
"Hey, Kaoru, he's your brother." I said, holding up the bag of death.
"Who do you think usually does the laundry?" he asked.
Haruhi looked at him like he just confessed to having a disease.
"Oh my god. I had no idea." she grabbed him into a hug, "You've been through so much."
I laughed at the two and told them I'd meet up with them in a bit. That's when I took the time to look at the note. But before I did I thought of something.
How did Hikaru get his gym clothes in my locker? It was possible that...no, I couldn't start doubting him too. But anyone with common sense could admit it was way too suspicious. If he was the killer, he could have dropped his gym clothes and the note off in the same go. If he wasn't, he would have seen someone trying to put something in my locker.
But that didn't make sense. We didn't even know we were going to be partners until a couple of minutes ago. He would have had to know in the morning, and have dropped it off then. If he dropped it off later then that I would have been there.
Or maybe he was planning on making me do his laundry days ago. You could never be sure with that guy. Either way, Hikaru just put himself on the suspect list again, right under Kyoya.
After that whole thought process, I put the note in my pocket. I would check it out after the Host Club, so I wouldn't get all paranoid about everything.
When I changed and got to the Host Club, Kyoya gave me his usual polite smile. I returned the gesture with a smile myself, but this time it was shaky and nervous. I was sure he noticed, he was keen on details. Yet he brushed it off, almost as if he would expect me to be nervous. Almost as if he knew something I didn't...
Haruhi and Kaoru were particularly popular with the ladies today, as they had spats over who would get to hold their "baby". It was as if they actually loved the thing.
"We're naming her Jamie." Kaoru said fondly while rocking that thing to sleep in his arms.
"Oh, come on! I want to hold her now." said Haruhi.
"Here you go. Be careful! Her pretty little head is fragile." said Kaoru.
Haruhi grabbed the baby and went gaga over it, carefully rocking it back and forth, saying "It's so cute!"
"Not as cute as you. You're the perfect parent." said Kaoru, obviously acting. Yet the girls fell for it and went wild. Some even fainted.
Hikaru sat grumbling in the corner, saying things like "I should be the one acting all cutesy ." and "Those customers should be mine."
Of course, Hikaru was suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Ever since the club started he was always a host with Kaoru. They were a team. But one little project split them apart.
"Don't worry about it." I said, "It's only two weeks."
"Two weeks of torture." he muttered. Although he was oblivious to the fact that he also had a lot of customers that day. No one could resist a jealous twin. Even if he might be a killer.
As I walked out of the meeting I was stopped by Kyoya. He had a very rare expression on his face. It was a face of worry.
"Maria, I've been meaning to ask you...have you been feeling okay lately?" he asked, obviously uncomfortable from showing his emotions.
"I mean, it's effecting your sales." he quickly added. I smiled.
"I'm fine, really. Thanks for the concern." I said, watching him cringe at the word "concern".
"Are you positive? You've been acting strange lately. And so has Tamaki..." the creases in his forehead deepened.
"Worried about your lover?" I asked, jokingly.
"N-No. Tamaki and I are just business associates." he clarified.
"Lord, don't die of a heart attack. I'm just joshin' ya." I said.
"Joshin' ya?" he repeated.
"I'm joking, Kyoya. You know, just foolin'? Just playing around?" I gave a few examples.
"I'm familiar with the term." he said, "Just, if you have any problems, talk to me. Oh, and tell Tamaki I'm...worried about him."
I was about to walk out of the door, but before I did I turned to him and said, "You know, there's nothing wrong with caring about your friends. It's not a weakness. More than anything, it gives us strength."
He gave me a surprised look, as if he didn't expect me to be the one giving him advice.
"I'll remember that." he said with a genuine smile, "Good day, Ms. Standford."
"Catch you later, Kyo." I said and left before he could protest my new nickname for him.
While walking home, and having Tamaki right on my tale whining, "Can I see the note nowwww?" I had no choice but to open the note.
Note:
Dear Maria,
Blah, blah, blah. You know the deal.
Third Clue:
You saw me where I never was and where I could not be. And yet within that very place, my face you often see. What am I?
"Okay, if I wasn't completely brain dead right now I'd be able to figure that out." said Tamaki. He had his extremely hard Literature class at the end of the day.
I sighed. Was I really that stupid? I had no idea what it was either.
Tamaki and I were walking home together because we figured we needed to start taking the case seriously. We treated it as a hobby, and not as a life threatening situation. So, our excuse in case anyone asks is that we formed a study group.
When we got home I bumped into Connor. He tried to say something to me but I was really in a hurry.
"Listen, I know I was home late again. But Mom's away on a business trip. She doesn't have to know, right?" I pleaded.
"That's not what I was going to say." he started, then he noticed Tamaki, "What's the gay doing here?"
"First, I'm ninety percent sure he's straight. Second, he's doing his homework here. Hope you don't mind?" I said, putting on that your-adorable-little-sister smile I had mastered at the age of three.
"Fine. Just, no funny business." he said with a sigh.
"Funny business? I'm gay, remember?" called Tamaki spitefully as I dragged him up the stairs.
When we got up there Tamaki started on his Literature homework. After all, we technically weren't lying. It was then that he cried out in excitement.
"Oh my!" he cried while jumping out of his chair.
"Wow, your class is that exciting?" I asked while tackling my Calculus homework.
"No, it just happens to have the same riddle that was in your note!" he exclaimed.
I jumped up and looked in his textbook. There it was, plain as day.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Flip to the back for the answer!" I exclaimed.
He flipped as fast as he could, and then out of excitement dropped the book. I picked it up quickly and flipped through it as well. All the while we were jumping up and down with excitement.
"I got it! I got it! Okay, let's see..." I said, as he leaned over me to get a look at the answer himself.
When we saw the answer our mouths dropped open. It was so simple...so obvious...why didn't we think of it before?
The answer was...
A/N: Do you know the answer? Or are you going to google it =) Haha. Next chapter done in a day or two...or three ;D
