Tomoko wouldn't look at Kyoya for the rest of the day; it was just too much…
"I wouldn't cheat on you, Tomoko." Kyoya said seriously.
Tomoko didn't answer and continued to gaze out Kyoya's window.
"Did you hear me?" he asked.
"I don't think I believe you…" Tomoko sighed.
"Why not?" he inquired.
"Because…well…I guess I just don't trust….men…they want what they want and once they have it they take off." Tomoko said, folding her arms.
There was a silence.
"Tomoko, tell me; do you think that Tamaki would cheat on Haruhi?" Kyoya asked, looking at her intently; she whipped around to face him.
"What? Of course he wouldn't!" Tomoko shouted.
"Really…and why do you think that?" Kyoya said.
"Because…because he loves her of course." Tomoko answered.
"So you've contradicted yourself. You just finished telling me that you believe that men have their motives and then abandon a woman after getting what they desire." Kyoya said smiling a bit.
"Yeah but…well…Tamaki is a good guy." She shrugged nervously.
"And I'm not?" Kyoya questioned.
"I didn't say that!" Tomoko snapped.
"Then why don't you trust me?" Kyoya said adjusting his glasses and taking a few steps toward her.
"Because…." She managed to say.
"Because you're insecure." Kyoya finished.
"What? I'm not insecure!" she argued.
"You believe that things will work for Haruhi and Tamaki. You think that I'm a decent person but you still have a feeling eating away at you, saying that something will go wrong. It's your insecurity. You're subconsciously thinking that at some point you won't be good enough for me anymore and I'll find someone else." Kyoya said, proceeding another step forward.
"You're wrong…" Tomoko said softly.
"I'm right." He said.
"NO!" she cried, snapping her eyes shut.
"And the feeling is so natural because of what you've gone through." He added.
Tomoko gasped.
It was true….she had gotten so used to being just a toy…and when she got old she'd be thrown away. Yes, things always worked for others but not for her…
"Because I'm….never enough…" she breathed, completing the thoughts running through her mind.
"Or at least that's what you've always thought. However, what you think and what's actually true are two entirely different things." Kyoya said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She flinched at the feeling; not the shoulder touching….she just couldn't take it.
"Like right now…you're flinching away because of a pattern you're used to. First he would touch your shoulders and then he would touch the rest of you. The same applies to your insecurity. First you would trust someone and then you would lose them." He said.
"And just like the rest…you'll abandon me…so then why am I trusting you at all?" she asked, looking up at him desperately.
Kyoya smiled. "Because a part of you knows that I won't leave you. I suppose you're just not ready to fully trust that part of yourself yet."
Tomoko stared at him in shock. He understood her…at least a little bit. Then Kyoya began to lean forward slowly to kiss her, but she turned her head away from him. He gave her a questioning look.
"Kyoya, how do you feel about Alia? And be honest." Tomoko said seriously, closing her eyes.
"You want me to be honest?" Kyoya said.
"Yes. Even if it hurts me." Tomoko replied. She prepared herself for heartbreak.
"Alright then. I hate her." Kyoya said smiling.
Tomoko's jaw dropped a bit, before she regained her composure. "You hate her?"
"Yes." Was Kyoya's simple reply.
"Wow…so just out of curiosity, what do you hate about her?" Tomoko asked, blinking a couple of times.
"I hated everything about her from the time I met her. I hate the sound of her voice, her personality, her hobbies, and the way she talks. I even hate the way she smells." Kyoya fired off with brutal honesty.
Tomoko was in shock. "And…you're going to marry this girl?"
Kyoya looked off to the side with suddenly saddened and frustrated eyes. Tomoko's heart broke for him. What was he supposed to do?
"How are you gonna get out of this marriage?" Tomoko asked.
"I don't really know." Kyoya answered, pushing his glasses up.
Tomoko reached up and removed his glasses to make full, undivided eye contact with him; Kyoya was quite shocked by the move.
"Kyoya, you hate this girl. You…you've gotta just refuse or something!" Tomoko exclaimed.
"What would you recommend I do, Tomoko?" Kyoya asked firmly.
"I…I don't know…sorry…" Tomoko said, frowning. But then she smiled, much to Kyoya's surprise. "But Kyoya…I just wanna let you know, that I'm gonna be here for ya; ok? I won't diss ya! I'm always going to be here to back you…" she said, taking one of his hands in both of hers. "I'm gonna be with you no matter what. I promise you. Tomoko Yamazaki doesn't back down from her promises."
Kyoya gazed at her intently. Mixed emotions reflected in his eyes. Obviously nobody had ever said something like that to him before.
"Kyoya…if you want to, I'm giving you permission to kiss me." Tomoko said smiling.
And that's exactly what he did. He rested one hand at the base of her skull, and the other against her lower back and pressed his lips to hers. It amazed Tomoko, just how much she trusted him…how comfortable she was with him. She found herself instinctively leaning forward to connect their lips even more firmly as she placed both of her hands against his chest.
This must be what it's like…the right kind of touch… Tomoko thought.
She gasped as she felt Kyoya's hand slip from her lower back to her hip; he pulled away.
"Sorry." Was all he said.
He was surprised, to say the least, when Tomoko shook her head and smiled. "It's ok…it just surprised me is all. I don't….mind that much." She said with flushed cheeks.
Kyoya smiled at her embarrassed expression and reconnected their lips and carefully placed his hand back on her hip.
Tomoko felt so odd…perhaps she even felt a bit of guilt…because she was enjoying the feeling of Kyoya's hand cupping her hip. She absentmindedly wrapped her arms around his neck and laced one of her hands in the hair on the back of his neck. It was all so natural to her…this was where she was supposed to be.
Sensing the change in the mood, Kyoya tilted his head to the side a bit more, getting a better angle on her tiny lips. He couldn't believe it…he was actually feeling a rather large flood of emotions. This never happened….he never felt so much. He wasn't sure about it…however he was sure about Tomoko. In fact, he had never been so sure about anything in his life. He knew this was the woman that was supposed to be in his life. Odd…he met the woman of his dreams by getting robbed and having her arrested.
Finally the need to breath took over them both as they finally separated. Kyoya looked completely unfazed but nonetheless content, while Tomoko looked terribly embarrassed.
However her expression soon subsided to one of thoughtfulness and care. "You know…back when I was homeless…I used to go out at night and just look at the Ootori estate from a distance…sometimes I'd get a bit closer but I didn't want to look suspicious."
"If you had seen this place before then why did you look so awestruck when we approached it?" Kyoya asked.
"Because…I was finally getting to go inside the place. When I used to look out at it, I always wondered…what kind of people live in there? I just wanted so much to know what it was like….and the fact that I was suddenly going to be able to enter the place I admired for so long was pretty amazing." Tomoko said with a small smile.
Kyoya smiled a bit…it was amazing how much she could get him to do that without even trying. He made a small sound of surprise when Tomoko reached her arms around him and rested her head against his chest.
"I think I'm in love with you…officially. But you're still kind of a prick." Tomoko said laughing a bit.
Kyoya returned her embrace but said nothing. Why? Why was he being set up with Alia? If he could have it his way…he and Tomoko would be—...
How…how had he managed to fall in love with such an unusual girl? No…it didn't matter. What mattered was what was happening right now. He was concerned for the future, but for now at least, he wanted to enjoy the present. He wanted to enjoy this time with Tomoko Yamazaki…