Hi, peeps and devoted fans. First off, I want to apologize for not updating for 4 STRAIGHT MONTHS! Honestly, why didn't someone send me a comment and remind me? The only excuse I have is that I got writer's block for a while, then ran out of good ideas and it got to the point where I lost interest and forgot about it. I'm just REALLY REALLY SORRY and know there's NO excuse for being that neglectful. But please don't hesitate to remind me if it's been a while since I've updated and you would like another chapter posted. Please try to phrase it nicely, if you're rude it'll just annoy me and make me take longer. I'm really, truly sorry and give you guys my sincerest apologies. Also, I want to thank you guys for reading my story and everything. Lastly, I just want to apologize to tell you I'm SUPER-EXTREMELY SORRY! As a request, it would make my day if a few of you could send me a review about my fanfic. (Hint: Reviews will probably help me write more faster.) I really want to thank my friend Tori for bugging me about this fanfic and getting me back into the swing of writing! Thanks T, I owe you one!
Once they got back, everyone dispersed throughout the house, no longer worried now that they knew what was wrong with Maaya and that she was in good hands. Kyouya went straight to his room and collapsed onto the bed to think. He sighed, Time to assess; let's see I'm in love with Tamaki's cousin, I have no clue what to get her for Christmas or her birthday, she probably doesn't care for me as more than a friend, and I may or may not be going to the same school as her in a few weeks. Great. He sat up and rubbed his temples, he was completely screwed. Just then, someone knocked on his door a couple times. "Kyouya, are you in there?" he heard a voice ask, but couldn't place it.
"Yeah, come on in," he replied as he got up and sat in the chair for his desk. Alec walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed. His fair hair was cut short and he was tall for his age, almost taller than Kyouya actually.
"You like my sister, don't you?" Alec asked, not accusatively, just a simple question, cutting straight to the point of his visit.
"What? No, of course I don't like Aranel; she has a boyfriend," Kyouya replied, even though he was quite sure Alec wasn't referring to either of his blood-related sisters.
"No not Aranel. Ok, I guess you could call her my almost step-sister in law…sort of," Alec clarified. "I'm talking about Maaya, she may not be related to me by blood, but I still consider her my sister, just like Ally and Iris."
"I still don't know what you're talking about, I don't like Maaya or anyone like that," Kyouya persisted, trying to keep any part of his body from reddening.
"You can deny it all you want, but I saw your face in the hospital when Avondale said she was going to die. You looked just the way Ally looked when she found out Twi was in a coma and may never wake up. My dad had that very same look when my mom died, the look of pure despair as you realize the only person you'll ever truly love is gone," Alec replied calmly, leaning back on the bed so he was laying across it and folding his hands behind his head. Kyouya just stared at him in disbelief, Alec had seen through his defenses and seen what it had taken him so long to figure out. Kyouya had no idea what to say. What was there to say?
"So, when are you going to tell her?" Alec asked as he gazed at the ceiling.
"I don't know, she probably doesn't like me that way anyhow. She's not interested in boys," Kyouya replied glumly, letting some despair color his voice.
"What does that matter? Were you interested in looking for a girlfriend when you came here?" Alec didn't wait for an answer, "No, but you fell for her anyway. It doesn't matter if you want a relationship or not, love always takes you by surprise so sometimes you just have to roll with the punches and hope for the best. Anyway, considering how open Maaya's been with you since it's only been like a month since you met, I'd say she likes you more than you know, but that's just an assumption.
"What do you mean?" Kyouya asked, confused by Alec's last remark.
"She's not a very outgoing person, sure she laughs a lot and doesn't care what other people think, but Maaya doesn't open up easily to people. Hell, she didn't talk for over two months solid the first time she moved to Pennsylvania. Trust me, Maaya's being a lot more open over all now that she's met you. Everyone can see the changes, she smiles more, she laughs louder, she even lets more people see her artwork," and with that, Alec left the room, closing the door behind him as he left Kyouya to ponder what he'd just said.
He sighed, he had no idea what to do about telling Maaya his feelings for her, and he still had to get her presents. Well, first things first, so he opened his laptop and started browsing through online art stores, hoping to find something. Suddenly he found it, the perfect gift for her. Kyouya still had money in his bank account so he ordered the gift and put express mailing so it would get here in time. Kyouya wondered idly if there was an art store in town where he could buy a painting for her, or maybe a book collection of works. He knew that Maaya's favorite artists were M. C. Escher and Rene Magritte. He'd have to ask Jien to take him to an art store in the next few days.
Kyouya woke up the next morning actually somewhat excited to his surprise. Maaya was coming home from the hospital and he was looking forward to see her again, even though it had been less than twenty-four hours since he'd last seen her. He shook his head, it had only been yesterday that he'd realized his affections for her and yet he was becoming more besotted by her still. He pushed his feelings to the back of his mind as he'd been in habit of doing for the past who knew how many years and got dressed.
As he walked downstairs, he noticed almost everyone was running around while Maaya was getting tackled by Shadow and Sadie. She laughed and exclaimed, "I've been gone a day and they act as if I've been away for a week!" Maaya stood up and smiled at Kyouya. "Hi, Kyouya. Just so you know, you guys are leaving for the festival in two hours, and I have to leave in five minutes. I'm actually surprised you got up this early, it's only six thirty."
"Why do you have to leave now?" Kyouya asked, somewhat disappointed that he couldn't spend more time with her, not that he'd admit it.
"I have to help with the festival. Also, there's this thing they need help organizing and community service is mandatory to graduate. I better get going, see you in a couple hours. Oh, and thanks for you know, doing what you did when I collapsed yesterday," she said, before leaning up to kiss him on the cheek with a smile and dashing off to where he saw Jack waiting to give her a ride. Kyouya stood there, his hand holding his cheek where she'd kissed it. His heart fluttered excitedly. She'd kissed him! Not on the lips, but small details weren't important. Did that mean she liked him? Did that mean she'd go out with him if he asked? Whoa, slow down Kyouya. She was just thanking you, the kiss didn't mean anything, said that annoyingly negative voice that exists in the back of your head and exists just to crush your most intimate hopes and dreams. But it might have, he thought back before clearing his head of these thoughts and going to breakfast.
It soon became apparent that everyone was looking forward to the festival, and he, Tyler, and the rest of the Host Club had no idea what to expect. They all dressed casually and everyone left promptly at eight thirty a.m. The drive was short, Sam lived just on the edge of town and the cathedral was right in the center of it. It was huge, and was a mix of gothic and roman architecture. There were several spires and turrets jutting out of it, but he could see a few domes that surprisingly went well with it. Everyone walked inside and Kyouya was left agape with the beauty and size of it. The cathedral, or St. Peter's Cathedral as it was called, was huge, with wide open spaces and an altar, pulpit, and pews; meaning it was still in use as a church. There was a plaque saying it was over seven hundred years old. The ceiling was very high and the morning sun was streaming in through the stained glass windows, casting a myriad of colors on everything below.
St. Peter's Cathedral was full of people wandering around. There were countless stalls spread around it, with random performers strewn about trying to get people's attention. Immediately, Hunny-senpai dragged Mori-senpai to try out the multitude of desserts and cakes, Hikaru and Kaoru dragged Haruhi off to wander with them as Tamaki followed, desperately trying to get his 'daughter's' attention. Everyone else split up to walk around and talk, sampling the free food that everyone had prepared. Just as Kyouya was wondering what to do, he heard someone calling him. "Hey, hey you!" a boy with a collared shirt open over a blue T-shirt, jeans, sneakers, and sandy blonde hair was shouting at him as he struggled through the crowd. "Kyouya, right? Maaya and Ree's friend?" the boy, who Kyouya remembered was named Connor, they'd met at the train station.
"Yes, that's me," Kyouya replied, bewildered as to what this boy was so desperate to talk to him about.
"Good, now Maaya won't kill me. Well, she will kill Alec, Avery, Adrian, Ky, Twi, and anyone else she told to stick with you. This place is huge, and she didn't want you or anyone new here wandering alone. Maaya told me to find you so that she and Ree could show you around and stuff. I'm Connor, in case you forgot," Connor explained, panting slightly from running through the crowd.
"I remember, you and that other kid were biking through the train station," Kyouya said as Connor led him through the crowd of people.
"Yeah, that was Caleb. Maaya's going to kill him and Tyler soon," he added, with a shake of his head.
"Why?"
"Well, you see Tyler likes Caleb, and Caleb likes Tyler, but they won't tell each other and it's starting to annoy Maaya and Ree. So, if one of them doesn't ask the other out soon, Ree will probably come up with some wack job plan to get them together, which will sound totally nuts and probably end
up working," Connor explained as he led Kyouya through a doorway to a room lined with folding chairs and a huge stage in the middle of it.
Maaya and Ree suddenly came out, laughing about something that had happened backstage, and spotted them. "Hey, Kyouya, hi Connor," Maaya said, glad to see them. "I'm going to kill them," she muttered, "I specifically told them to make sure they didn't leave anyone behind, and they can't even do that."
"Maaya, you shouldn't talk about killing people in a church, remember this is a holy place, so try to think and say good things," Rina reprimanded her gently as she smiled.
Maaya rolled her eyes in reply and said, "Well I'm not really going to kill them, but I will smack them upside the head when we get home."
"I can take care of myself, you know. I'm not a child," Kyouya reminded Maaya.
"I know, but you are in a new place, and it's very easy to get lost in this place. I've done it before," Maaya answered calmly. "And so has Ky, Avery, and Tamaki when he, his mother, and his father were visiting once."
"How long ago was that?" Kyouya asked as Connor disappeared behind the stage and they started wandering around the huge church.
"Hmmm, about six or seven years, I think. I was around ten or eleven when they came to visit for almost the last time," Maaya replied, her face turning downcast at the unpleasant memory of when Tamaki had left and said he couldn't see them ever again.
"Well, I'm going to find Tagh, see you guys later," Rina said as she walked away in search of her boyfriend.
"See ya," Maaya called after her, not minding that she was being abandoned by her twin to escort Kyouya around alone.
Maaya and Kyouya spent the rest of the morning wandering around the cathedral, sampling everything and talking about all sorts of things. It was very easy to talk to her, she was so open to him about so many things. Occasionally they ran into someone from their huge group that had dispersed all over the place, but didn't stick together for very long. Kyouya told her about how he wasn't sure what to do after he graduated high school, and she immediately listed off a bunch of colleges he could apply to for any number of various majors. She admitted she wanted to be a violinist for a symphony like her mother and was trying to get into Julliard. It was fun, Maaya treated a lot of things as jokes and used sarcastic remarks, but didn't have a problem being serious if she needed to be. Kyouya appreciated this because it meant he'd always have someone to talk to if he needed it and someone to brighten his mood. Maaya asked him about things he liked or didn't like about England and what he missed about home, while he asked her what it was like in the United States and what she'd missed most about England while she was there. The more Kyouya thought about it, he began to realize that he and Maaya were on a sort of impromptu date without realizing it. He wondered idly if Alec or anyone else had anything to do with it.
At noon though, Maaya glanced at her watch and said she had to go. "There's a play in an hour and I have to report back and help set up and everything. I guess I'll see you when it's over," she made to leave before remembering something and calling, "Oi, Garrett, Ree, Tagh!" They came over, wondering what she need them for. "Ree and I have to go help with the play, so just hang with Kyouya until it starts and then tell everyone to find seats, although there should be an announcement, but I'm not sure," she explained before dashing off with Rina.
"Hey, Maaya, break a leg!" Garrett called as she and Ree turned around and started walking backwards.
"Ha! Been there, done that! But thanks anyway," she replied before turning back around and turning the corner into the makeshift auditorium.
"Break a leg?" Kyouya asked, unfamiliar with the expression.
"It's theater speak for good luck since they thought it was bad luck to literally wish someone 'good luck'" Murtagh explained. "No clue where it came from or how it got started, but whatever."
"Yeah, we better hunt everyone down and tell them the play starts in an hour. Then we should grab like fifty programs and reserve a seat for everyone with them," Garrett said as Murtagh agreed. They spent half an hour doing just that, then hung about for about 15 min before grabbing their seats to watch the play.
The play was an adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, which Kyouya had surprisingly never seen before. He rather enjoyed it and to his surprise, Maaya played the part of Bob Cratchit's wife. Mrs. Cratchit wasn't a large part and didn't have a lot of lines, but Kyouya thought Maaya did pretty well. Rina played the part of the Ghost of Christmas Past. The acting was good and he found the play very enjoyable. It lasted roughly an hour and a half, so it was over by two thirty. Everyone hung around the stage and talked to the actors. Maaya came down still wearing her costume which she hadn't changed out of yet. It was a peasant outfit, with a long skirt, blouse, apron, and bonnet.
"Hey, Maaya, you did really well, some of those lines fit you perfectly," Jack said as he gave his youngest sister a one armed hug before talking to Rina.
"Thanks, but I really wanted the part of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, but Ms. McAdams said that she wanted to see my quote unquote 'pretty face and hear my lovely voice'," Maaya replied in annoyance.
"Wow, who'd a thunk, Maaya has a pretty face!" Garrett exclaimed in mock astonishment.
"Oh, shut up, Garrett. At least I'm not blind when it comes to people who are in love with me," she retorted. This remark made Kyouya slightly nervous since it either meant she knew about his feelings towards her, or someone was going to tell her this very instant.
"You just leave Sara out of this," Garrett replied as he and Maaya got into a 'discussion' as they called them since it wasn't really an argument, more of a contest to see who could stump the other person for a comeback. They occurred frequently and so far the only undefeated people were Maaya, Alexis, Iris, and Jack.
"Who's Sara?" Hunny-senpai asked Avery as they ignored the 'discussion' between Maaya and Garrett that was becoming more ludicrous and absurd by the second. Their remarks no longer made sense and Maaya was chortling in between comebacks.
"Sara is Garrett's girlfriend and what happened was Sara was friends with Ally and had had a crush on Garrett for two years. It was pretty obvious, the first time Maaya met Sara she figured it out in like five minutes, but it took Garrett two years and a small setup to make him realize that Sara was in love with him. Ally kept telling Sara to tell him, but she wouldn't listen so Garrett is now the blind idiot because of that," Avery replied with a chuckle at the memory.
"Hey, does anyone know when the concert starts?" Kyprioth asked as he walked up to the group.
"Well, let's see, it's three o'clock right now, so in four and a half hours. Meaning Maaya and Rina have to leave in three and half to get ready," Avery replied, glancing at his watch.
"What concert?" Kyouya asked. He glanced at Tamaki and shook his head. He was complaining to Haruhi because she'd sat in between Mori and Kyouya instead of next to him so she could focus on the play without Tamaki's interruptions. Hikaru and Kaoru were talking to Ally and Iris and joking around while Hunny and Mori-senpai stood in a circle with him, Avery, Jack, and Ky.
"The annual Christmas concert that happens every year. Maaya and Rina are always in it, and so are like one hundred other kids. There's two parts to it, the chorus and the orchestra. Rina's in both and has a solo in the chorus while Maaya is only in the orchestra and has a violin solo. She's been practicing forever since they get the music in the summer before school starts and is really good. After that they play classical dancing music and everyone twirls around like in the 1800's, it's fun," Devon said as she walked over.
"Yeah, it's cool. I wonder what the songs are this year for the concert. Maaya and Rina have guarded their secrets insanely well. I swear, they sound proofed their rooms so they could practice without anyone knowing," Jack said, shaking his head at his sisters.
Kyouya listened to the conversation with interest and contributed a little, but no one seemed bothered by his silence. Maybe they were used to people being quiet and silent around them. After a while, Maaya and Rina disappeared to change into their regular clothes. Maaya came over to Kyouya and talked to him before steering him to some booths so he could try some different foods. Everyone dispersed and went their separate ways. Kyouya actually had fun, Maaya was amusing and had an opinion about everything. She made jokes about a lot of things and Kyouya found he loved it when she laughed, it was such a beautiful sound to him. And in that fashion, they whiled away the hours until Maaya had to get ready for the concert. Apparently the orchestra did the music for the choir before having their own concert.