Chapter Ten

Eleven Thirty P.M. That was what the clock read. Kana smiled at the guests as she handed out glasses of punch. She looked around confusedly as suddenly guests swarmed to one side of the room. She followed more slowly, hearing as she came up, "OMG The twin and that girl just kissed!"

Having an idea of what she was to find, she wasn't surprised when a tall red-haired boy made his way through the crowd with a dirty-blonde girl in tow. She rolled her eyes. So I'm was going to be alone as a Host Dog for the last thirty minutes while Tsuki enjoyed herself, she thought to herself. Then she smiled as she saw the blush and grin lighting up her younger friends' face.

"Well, Tsuki seems to be enjoying herself." Kyouya's voice behing her made her jump and she spun. He looked stunning in a slick white suit and red-and-green striped tie. Kana blinked surprisedly at him.

"Wow, Kyouya, thats twice now I've seen you in white this month. It's surprisingly refreshing, though I don't really think the tie is your style." Kana said, balancing the trays on her hands better as they wobbled.

He sighed, a smirk on his lips. "For your records, this was NOT my choice. Tamaki said the suit I was wearing previously wasn't ... how did he put it? Chirstmas...y."

"Ah." Kana nodded. "Either way, , you look great."

Kyouya's glasses flashed as he adjusted them and his dark eyes became visible, for once not narrowed in concentration or anger. "And you look beautiful, Miss Hiromi." he said.

Kana shrugged, glancing down at her dress. It was hanging just below her knees, scarlet, with white cuffs, and hem. She also had a green ribbon in her hair and oround her neck. "I feel like Mrs. Claus."

Kyouya laughed. "Well, blame Hikaru and Kaoru and Tamaki for choosing and creating the costumes for this evening." he glanced around. "Well, Kana, you seem to have done your job as expected. Every single guest is smiling. Thank you for honoring your bet. Feel free to do whatever you want now."

Kana glanced at the clock. "... But, Kyouya I have ten minutes-"

He put a slender finger to her lips and her face flushed. "Consider it our secret, Kana." he grinned. Kana grabbed his wrist.

"Alright. Then lets dance, Kyouya." She said determindly, even though her face went even darker.

He inclined his head and they walked onto the dance floor. As they twirled in circles, eyes fell on them and more whispers started. As if there hadn't been ENOUGH to gossip about with Hikaru and "the girl" dancing. But as Kana glanced around, she realised Hikaru had disapeared, leaving Tsuki to be swarmed by starry-eyed girls.

"Hikaru seems to have gone to find Kaoru. As I recall, Kaoru did not look so happy- ah, well, nevermind." Kyouya began as if reading her mind, and then he tilted his head meaningfully to the left.

Kana saw the younger Hitachiin, his mask gone to who-knows-where, pull a stranger onto the dance floor. They were smiling, staring only at each other, even as the whispers started up yet again.

They Kyouya pulled her close to him. The song ended and he led her to a table in the back of the room, away from peering eyes.

"Kyouya..." she looked at him confusedly as she sat down across from him. He looked at her. They were silent.

"Kana Hiromi, what do you think of me?" he asked her, eyes unblinking and thoughtful.

Kana stared at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"You know."

She hesitated, shifting through words. "You... you're Ootori Kyouya. You're calculating. Cold. Mean." he smiled as she spoke, but it didn't reach his raven eyes. She continued, a hint of a laugh in her words. "You use people for your own benefits." she paused, and lowered her face so her eyes were hidden behind som of her wavy hair. "But you're also smart. And a great dancer. If you make a commitment you keep it not matter what. You're brilliantly handsome. You're loyal. You're sweet, when you want to be, and I-" she cut herself off, and saw that that smile was now lit up like a black fire in his onyx eyes.

"Go on. Finish, Kana."

"... I wouldn't change a single thing about you. You're Kyouya, the third son of the Ootori family, and you're perfect." she wouldn't meet his eyes. He laughed. She felt her muscles tighten as she looked at him through the corners of her chocolate brown eyes. "Don't laugh at me!" she demanded, blushing profusley.

He stopped immediatly. "Thank you."

Kana's brow furrowed in confusion. "W...What?"

"Thank you, Kana, for that." his eyes smiled with his lips.

"Well... er... um." she said.

"You're so quiet, after something like that? You continue to surprise me, Kana."

"You're awfully talkative and happy tonight. Someone slip something in your punch?" Kana muttered.

"Perhaps I am simply relaxing, as you told me so often to do when we were little." he sighed, swirling a glass of red punch around and looking into it.

Kana smiled. "Ah... so you do admit I knew you when you were a little boy."

"Of course."

"You WERE happier back then."

"Isn't everyone happier when they're younger?"

"I guess." Kana allowed. Then her smile faded slightly. "I hated watching you become this adult so fast. I missed chasing you across the sandboxes and playing on the merri-go-rounds."

Kyouya looked at her, serious once more. "We were kids. Kids grow up."

Kana realized they'd been leaning towards each other, so now they were so close she could see a scratch on the side of his glasses, and smell the cherry-strawberry punch on his breath. "I hate that we grew up." she whispered.

He closed the distance, pausing before her lips to whisper back, "I don't."

The kiss was soft, but it made the warmth from his breath flood Kana's entire body, radiate through her fingers and toes, and burn inside her chest. She felt his hand softly brush her cheek.

When they broke apart, Kana stared at him. He stared at her. Then they both smiled.

"Suddenly I don't mind so much either." she told him.

He laughed, and she soon joined in.