Chapter Nine

There was a knock on the large oak door. Nagi Sonohara, the Akiyoshi villa head maid, answered the door and blinked with surprise. There was a tall and handsome Japanese boy with short black hair and sleek glasses in a befitting suit standing in the doorway. He smiled at her and bowed. "Good evening. Ms. Sonohara, is it?" he greeted.

"Oh! Y-Yes it is, young man."

"My name is Kyoya Ootori."

"Ah, Kyoya!" Ms. Sonohara exclaimed. "I've heard a mouthful about you, young man, but my, Chikako was certainly right about you being handsome! To be honest, she didn't even begin to give your good looks justice! You're here for Miss Akiyoshi, I take it?"

"Yes ma'am, may I come in?" Kyoya asked, smiling at her.

She nodded. "Yes, yes, it's supposed to start raining soon. Come in before you get wet and cold standing out there in your fancy clothes."

Kyoya walked past her and looked around the front hall. "This mansion's layout and architecture is very impressive. When was it built?"

"Recently. Miss Chikako was the financial head and artistic co-leader of the project, actually. She may not let on, but she adores the arts. She helped design this house based on the Palace of Versailles in France," Ms. Sonohara gushed.

Kyoya raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really? She never mentioned that, but based on my research, I assumed that she was artistic. I never imagined it would be to this extent..."

Ms. Sonohara had closed the front door and was already scuttling around. "Miss Chikako is upstairs in the shower, but…oh dear…"

He smiled at her, gently. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure if I am allowed to let you up there to wait for her or if I should tell you to leave…you're only children, but you're also engaged. This is so strange, you see."

Kyoya smiled. "Of course, well, I need to speak with her right away, so if it is okay, I wouldn't mind waiting upstairs for her."

Ms. Sonohara nodded. "Her bedroom is the second room on the left with the large dark cherry double doors and glass knobs."

"There isn't another room I could find her in? I'm quite surprised that you would trust a young man in a lady's room," Kyoya said, surprised.

Ms. Sonohara laughed. "Well, the Ootori's tend to be very respectful. Also, one's already been in there."

"Oh?" Kyoya tensed up. "Who?"

"A … Mr. Fujioka?"

Kyoya instantly calmed down, relief washing over him. "Oh, I don't have to worry about him too much."

"Are you sure? They spend an awful lot of time together."

Kyoya smiled. "I can trust them, believe me."

Ms. Sonohara giggled. "Anyways, the other reason is that I doubt Miss Chikako will let anything happen!"

"Oh?" Kyoya mused. "Why is that?"

"Just think about it, Mr. Ootori; think about her spirit. Does she seem like the kind of person to let someone tell her what to do and then follow their wishes?"

Kyoya sighed bitterly. "No. No, she does not."

"That'll be the day, I tell ya," Ms. Sonohara went on, walking away. She waved her hands around, wildly to emphasize her point. "The day someone gets that girl in line will be the day that I make love with a twenty-five-year-old basketball player!"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow at the silly woman and wondered if she had helped raise Chikako. If so, he knew where Chikako got some of her wild impulsiveness from. He started up the grand staircase and could hear the shower going from the bathroom, along with loud music, and he couldn't help but smile, wryly. Music? It was like she didn't even care about what she had done that night and was already on to the next carefree thing…

The shower was going full blast, as was the fan. Chikako had cranked up loud alternative music that Jake had recommended for her in the UK. It played from a boom-box resting in the far corner of the large bathroom and the large white double doors leading back out into the hallway were locked. Chikako often did this, making her atmosphere so intensely loud, just so no one could hear her crying.

She was in her massive shower, curled up on the ledge where her hair and body products usually were. She had shoved them all off so she could sit there and let the water run over her, pelting at her chest, her legs, her face. She jammed the heels of her hands into her eyes, stifling the sound of her sobs. She had always hated crying, but at least when she was in the bathroom, people wouldn't question her wet eyes and red face. They would just assume it was from the hot shower and after all, the only people in the mansion were Sonohara and the other servants.

She squeezed a dollop of shower gel into her hands and rubbed in along her skin, trying her best to get her mind off of everything. Her dress had been flung on her bed back in her room, ready to be cleaned and possibly disposed of. She didn't know if she wanted to keep those memories or not. Especially when her father had called her the moment she got home.

He had managed to find out what happened and he was furious. "I knew you were wild, Chikako, but I never thought you were this reckless!" he had shouted at her. "What else do I have to do to tame you? And what will Kyoya do now?"

"Can't you just…sign a contract or something?" Chikako had asked, desperately.

"This is an aristocracy, Chikako! We need an heir—a successor!—for the assimilation and that is why your marriage to young Ootori is crucial!"

"I can't do this, father! Not anymore. It's killing me and I doubt he even wants to marry me anymore!"

"It doesn't matter what he wants, you stupid girl," her father had shouted at her over the phone, absolutely livid. "You two are going to be married and that is final! He is simply being courteous and proper. You could learn from him! Respect that! Why are you so emotional and melodramatic! It's just marriage, Chikako! It's business! I'm not asking you to kill somebody, for goodness sake!"

Now, letting the water course through her pores, Chikako retched forward, sobs gurgling up through her throat, like a finale. She pressed her lips together and waited for the tears to stop. With every drop from the showerhead, Chikako felt the weight piling on. Kyoya, Tamaki, Father, Mother, Aristocracy, Haruhi, Ouran, Sonohara, drip, drip, drip.

Jake.

After a while, when she felt calmer, she slowly stood up and twisted the shower knobs to OFF. She opened the glass door and walked into the bathroom, wrapping a large ivory-colored towel around her body. She still couldn't bare the silence awaiting her outside, so she turned on the hairdryer, but she only blew her hair dry enough so that it wasn't dripping. It was still damp when the noise stopped.

She stared at her reflection and twisted her lips, disgusted. Anyone could tell that she had been crying. Her face was blotchy and her eyes puffy. She let the towel fall and replaced it with a long, plush robe. It felt good on her skin. She pursed her lips and tried to touch up her face with powder and subtle eye makeup. She couldn't have her servants thinking that she was crying, even if it was true. Once she was satisfied with her reflection, she tightened the robe's belt around her waist and tossed her hair casually over her shoulders.

She walked out into the hallway and breathed in the cold, refreshing air of her home. She loved this place so much. It was her dream house and it was the source of another, smaller fear she had about marrying Kyoya. He would take her away from here, away from her paradise. She looked around the vacant hallway and scampered over to her bedroom. She quickly walked in and closed the doors behind her. She gripped her robe to change, but froze and nearly screamed in surprise.

Kyoya.

He seemed cool and collected, completely unabashed by her appearance, as he sat on her bed, one leg crossed over the other. "I'm sorry," he said, coolly. "I can leave you to get dressed, if you want."

Chikako took a deep, shuddery breath, shaking from the previous sob-fest. She swallowed, attempting to level her voice. "K-Kyoya," she said as smoothly as she could. "I didn't take you be s-so forward, sneaking into a woman's bedroom while she's in nothing but a bathrobe."

He stood up, ignoring her cut at him. "I needed to speak with you immediately."

Her stomach did flip-flops and she pressed her lips together. "I understand."

"Do you?"

She stared at the ground and tried to think of innocuous things like the shade of brown on her wood floors or the brand of china her tea cups on the coffee table were. Anything that wouldn't make her cry again. She hugged the robe to her chest and nodded. "I do."

There was a long, tense silence in which Kyoya began to walk over to her. He was only a foot away when she shot up her hand, making him stop. "I would prefer to be dressed." She turned and added, "I'll be right back."

She darted over to her closet, which was large enough to be another room, and locked the door behind her. She looked around, feeling beat and weighted down by her own fatigue, emotionally and physically. Why did Kyoya have to pick tonight to yell at her? Because it happened two hours ago and he wanted her to hear exactly how upset he was before he got a chance to calm down? Ironically, she understood that. She would have wanted to do something similar, perhaps with more flare. If Kyoya had been in the wrong, hell, Chikako probably would have yelled, punched him, and waved her hands around wildly in an angry fit, whether he was nude or not. At least he was letting her change first.

Not that it mattered. They would be married after high school and would see each other naked soon enough. Her stomach churned in fear, anticipation, anxiety, and strangely something else she couldn't register. The feeling you get on a rollercoaster right before you plummet down hundreds of feet, the point where you can look over the world around you from a bird's eye view. From up this high, she could see all her mistakes and all her regrets. She could see her father burning Jake's scholarship to medical school, she could see Mr. Ootori yelling at Kyoya, she could see herself kissing Tamaki. She also saw Haruhi looking hurt and shocked, and Chikako felt the future with her alone and hated in that damned school.

She let the robe hit the ground and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. She didn't need to impress Kyoya anymore, she didn't care. She pulled her hair up in a messy bun, a curly strand hanging on the side of her face. She took another shuddery breath, felt tears trickle up into her eyes, and slapped her hand over her mouth, inwardly swearing at herself. The wave of emotion passed, leaving a vague numbness, and she rose to her feet.

She quietly walked back into her room to see Kyoya sitting in her favorite chair that faced the window, overlooking her beautiful gardens. She followed his gaze down to where lights on the lawn outside glistened like candles and the fountain in the middle shimmered with the reflection of the glittering stars. She walked forward and sat across from him, waiting to meet his gaze.

He sized her up in the pajamas, missing nothing. His eyes swept over her bare feet on the floor, her crossed legs, her wild strand of hair near her temple. He gradually met her eyes and stared her down for a moment. Finally, he asked, "Did you mean to kiss him?"

She nodded, scared to open her mouth and start crying again. God, she was such a basket case. She looked away, trying her best to show her regret about it.

"Why?" Kyoya asked, levelly.

She had to answer, say something. She bit her lip, sucked in a sharp breath, and met his stare. "I'm a rebel," she whispered with a soft, sad smile. "It just…it was tactless."

He was silent.

She took another breath and looked out the window. She stared at a servant who was scurrying around, watering the plants, tending to the special breeds and rarities. Chikako furrowed her brow and looked over to Kyoya. He was still observing at her. She licked her lips and managed to choke out, "I'm sorry. And what's crazy is…" She chuckled, dryly, and added, "I actually mean that. I mean it so much. I am so…s-so sorry."

Her eyes flitted away from him. She couldn't admit it to herself, but she wasn't strong enough to hold his gaze. Not tonight. Yes, she was sorry, but for more than kissing Tamaki. She was sorry that she wasn't willing to give him a chance, that she had fallen too deep for Jake, that she was the type to let her life crumble around her as she sat silently in self-pity. She dug her fingernails into her skin, hugging herself and enduring the silence. She had never missed Jake quite like she did that night.

She finally sneaked a glance at Kyoya. She felt calmer, even though her lower lip was struggling to be still, trembling at the situation. A memory flashed across her vision. She was standing in front of Jake's motorcycle at his house. He had been inside with his mother and Chikako was about to head home. She ran her hand across the handlebars, silently saying goodbye. She was awful. She was leaving him forever and she wasn't even going to give him a proper farewell. Sitting there in her bedroom, now, she could remember how terrible she felt. She wondered if it could rival with her trouble now.

Something in Kyoya's face softened and he noted, "You're crying."

"What?" she squeaked, dabbing at her eyes. Sure enough, her fingers were wet with tears. She wiped her hands on her sweatpants. "Oh… I-It's…nothing."

He sighed. "What am I going to do with you, Chikako? You really are quite a nuisance, has anyone ever told that before?"

"Of course. My father, my mother, you …anyone and everyone who meets me, really," Chikako sighed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve "Like I'm some horse you need to break, or I'm a wild animal you need to tame, but you don't know how."

Kyoya nodded, bitterly. "It is quite a feat, taming a creature such as yourself."

Chikako looked up him, remembering her father's looming threat to have Jake kicked out of medical school. She needed Kyoya to like her, to want her again. Almost regretfully desperate, she whispered, "You don't want to break off the engagement…do you Kyoya?"

His cold glare broke as he blinked, surprised. "Break off the engagement? Certainly not."

"Really?" Chikako was a little stunned. "But I…I betrayed you! E-Embarrassed you."

Kyoya looked away from her and stood up. "Well, you probably will embarrass me more in the future, so I must prepare myself for that. I'm more upset with the twins for choosing you than I am with your kiss, to be honest. And, the way you abruptly turned your head and staggered back while blushing made it seem like an honest mistake. It was quite the act, and it played perfectly so no one suspected anything mischievous. I am thankful for that."

"You're welcome," she muttered, confused. Taking a deep breath, she stood up too, nice and tall, still ruefully shorter than Kyoya. She looked up at him, intently. "Honestly, Kyoya, I…" she took a tentative step toward him. "I really am sorry. Please believe me."

He looked at her for a little bit, assessing the way she was peering up at him, as if he was playing chess and trying to figure out a shrewd maneuver to win the game. As if this was the game and she was simply a pawn. She was not a chess piece, though. She was a player. Finally, he gave her a soft smile. "Yes, I'm sorry too."

Chikako took another step toward him and for the first time in her life, she didn't know how to play the game. She forgot the rules, lost her poker face, and shook with her piece suspended in midair. She strummed the air, clenching and unclenching her fingers by her side, thinking of what to say. She asked, honestly curious, "Did you come merely to yell at me?"

"Hm?" he peered down at her from behind his glasses. She looked up at him and studied the dark coloring of his irises. He paused in thought. "I was suggested to come here and clear the air. Your father told me tha-"

Chikako bristled. "My father?" she hissed through her teeth.

He narrowed his eyes, but continued, "Yes, I spoke with him before coming over here. He suggested that you needed calming down."

Chikako glanced out the window again and up at the half moon hanging in the sky, taunting her. She pursed her lips. Of course he called Kyoya. Of course he held the strings, he and Mr. Ootori, the puppet masters. She looked back, her expression relaxing, and realized that they were both puppets. Kyoya was never an exception. He just thought he was.

She took a deep breath in, eyes still red from both her crying and rampant embarrassment. "I am so sorry."

"You already said that with complete sincerity, Chikako. You don't have to keep saying it," Kyoya pointed out.

She shook her head and inched closer to him. She picked a piece of lint off his suit, absentmindedly. "I meant that," she started to correct herself. Shechuckled, humorlessly. "I'm sorry that of all the pretty, charming girls out there who would have been glad to marry you and never would have caused you such trouble…you got stuck with me."

Kyoya suddenly took her chin in between his index finger and thumb. He tilted her head up, facing him and he studied her face. "It's not all that bad. I'll tell you one thing: I'll never be bored."

Chikako sighed, rolling her eyes as her own shenanigans ran through her head. "No you will not."

"Well, good, because I could never be with someone who didn't give me a run for my money every once in a while," Kyoya answered and with that, he leaned down and kissed her.

And with that kiss, unconsciously, her hand reached up to his cheek. Her heart screamed in protest while her brain cheered. Her heart was breaking over her double betrayal to Jake. Her brain was happy that Kyoya didn't hate her, even after everything she had done. But it wasn't enough. When you are wild, you're heart tends to win most battles. Her hand slid down from his cheek to his chest as he leaned in again.

Only this time, she pushed him away.

A/N: Hello everyone! Happy April! It's currently my Spring Break and boy do I have a plethora of chapters for y'all! :D I'll post ten and eleven tomorrow, but it's 1am where I am and I've been college touring all day, which is exhausting, so I need some sleep STAT. Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter and even if you didn't, you know the drill-REVIEW! There's a little blue button down there and it's your best friend, trust me. You can click it and write all your thoughts and feelings about this chapter, click Submit, and viola! You have one happy author :) What I'd really like to know is, what did you think of the kiss? And did you like that Chikako didn't give him a second one or did you hate that? What do you think of their relationship? If you were Kyoya, would you forgive her? If you were Haruhi, how would you feel about her kissing Tamaki? All good questions to answer, so get crackin'! Haha and if you don't have time to review, I'm still happy that you took time to read my word :) Have a wonderful weekend!

~Kit Koko