Author's note: Yay! I finally reached my 100 review quota! Please believe me when I say that I am the happiest breathing creature in the whole world at the moment. :D Now that I finally know that I have the ability to produce such a big number, I think I'm going to raise it to 200. Can we do it? Yes we can! :D :D
Forgive me if I have a big head. I'm going to go to the other room to deflate it now.
I hope you like The Date part ONE.
--
TWELVE
Fact: In the world of dating, I would be the tiny, insignificant little girl who knows nothing.
I walked out of the apartment, breathing heavily—as if I just ran a marathon in my heels. I stared at the street, counting cracks and leaves on the ground. A kid across the street smiled at me, and to my surprise, walked over to my side.
"Big sister, are you a princess?" she asked, her voice exclaimed in awe. I grinned at her, not able to help myself.
"Of course not, but in a few seconds, you are about to see a prince," I told her, and her eyes widened. I watched as she planted her feet next to me. I asked her, "Are you going to wait for him too?"
"Yes! I told my mom that if I see a prince, I'd marry him," she cried happily. And then her eyes suddenly narrowed, I inched away further. "Are you going to marry him?"
I looked at her, feeling my face turn pink.
"Well—"I started, but stopped—gratefully—as a long, white limousine stopped in front of me. The girl next to me gasped, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"A prince!" she screamed, pointing a stubby, pink nailed finger at Tachibana-san—who seemed oddly dazed for a second, before he decided to ignore her. He turned to me, and opened the door at the very back of the limo. I nodded at him, grateful. I peaked at the little girl who still stood on the side of the road— her eyes staring with awe at the back of Tachibana-san. I waved at her, but she didn't seem to see me anymore.
He nodded back, his face blank. As I entered the darkness of the limousine, a soft chuckle sounded next to me. I turned, almost obtusely amused, to see Kyouya-senpai next to me, wearing a black suit. He was smiling.
"Kyouya-senpai, happy birthday," I said, greeting him. His smile widened, but I detected an inch of slight malice in it. I moved away an inch.
"Thank you," he said, and then turned to the buttons, pressing one. The huge black window that separated the driver opened. "Let's go."
I looked at him, eminently curious all of a sudden.
"Where are we going?" I canvassed.
"A restaurant," he replied, his arms crossed. I nodded, looking at my hands.
"I wonder why you decided to have bodyguards on your birthday," I said, suddenly noticing that there were body guards again, unlike on days when he was bringing me to work.
"My father wanted me to have body guards on days when I go out like these," he said, his tone one of annoyance.
"You don't like people around on your birthday?" I asked, blinking. He smirked at me.
"It's not that. It's just that my father has yet to learn that I can handle myself without body guards surrounding me," he said quietly. He added, scoffing, "I wanted to drive us to the restaurant. But apparently, that place is much too far away for my 'capabilities'."
"Where is this restaurant?" I asked. He rolled his eyes.
"You really must learn to be patient, and wait for your surprises in silence," he said silkily. I glared at this.
"It's your birthday, senpai, not mine," I pointed out. Kyouya-senpai laughed the sound echoing around the limousine. It felt a lot more evil than it usually did.
"Ah, it's true. I wonder…" he said, his eye glasses glinting in some light from the outside.
"Wonder…?"
"I wonder if you have any surprises for me," he finished, his face blank. I bit my lip. Was he expecting a present from me? Did he honestly think I would have money to buy him something special?
"I didn't realize you wanted a present. I had an impression that gifts were never your thing," I mumbled. He laughed again.
"Everyone appreciates presents. But your impression is correct—indeed, gifts are never my 'thing'," he said, his lips twitching upward.
"Okay," I muttered.
There was silence in the car, no sounds but the silent engine and the sloshing of wine by the windows. I watched them, wondering why there was alcohol in the car.
"Would you like a glass of wine?" asked Kyouya-senpai, his voice lined with open curiosity. He was probably wondering if I was vulnerable or intolerable when it came to alcohol. I shook my head, pink in the face. He nodded, and poured himself a glass of wine. The red gush of liquid from the bottle seemed to take forever. When it hit the bottom of the glass, he turned to me and sipped it lightly.
He smacked his lips, and I watched, evidently mesmerized. And then he suddenly winked.
I stopped staring. Wait, did he just wink at me? I turned to him, but his face was turned to the window, sipping wine once in a while. I shook my head; I probably just imagined it all of a sudden. It was probably a product of wine and sake commercials on television.
There was silence.
--
The restaurant looked like expensive from the outside to the inside. The walls, heavily adorned with froufrou laces, ornate glasses and gaudy, untarnished statues of naked white marble stood from every corner of the lobby. Everything seemed to be embellished with the word 'rich' and 'non-commoner'.
It was most intimidating.
"Welcome to Miyake Yamamoto bar and restaurant, do you have reservations?" asked a small, thin woman in the front desk. Kyouya-senpai took my hand and put it on his arm. I turned to him, surprised, but it seems he was completely unconscious of his action.
"Yes, Ootori Kyouya at four p.m, table for two," he said, clearly used to over-powering everyone else around him. The couple behind us watched him. They seemed to shrink behind us into a black hole as Kyouya-senpai spoke. I giggled quietly, which was caught by Kyouya-senpai.
"Is there something that is amusing you, Haruhi?" he asked in my ear. I shook my head, but turned to him. His eyes seemed almost a few centimeters from mine.
"Have you been here before?" I asked. He shook his head, tightening his grip on my hand by his arm.
"No, but I read in a review that this place serves the best sushi in Japan," he replied, smiling. I shook my head in disagreement. He blinked at me.
"The best sushi in Japan is served in a small hut by the park," I said, "My father and I go there on special occasions."
"Then you might be quite surprised when you taste the sushi here," said Kyouya, sounding defensive. I smirked at him, amused.
"I'm sorry, sir. But your reservations don't appear to be in the list," said the small waitress, her voice squeaky all of a sudden. Kyouya-senpai let go of my hand, and I let it drop, feeling the blood gush into my fingers. Was his hold that tight?
He looked at the girl, his face hidden in apparent darkness. The girl gulped.
"Well, I searched the list twice, but it really isn't there… Sir," she added nervously. Kyouya-senpai balled his fists, and breathed heavily.
"Do you have a table for two?" he asked, his voice shaking with unfaultable anger.
"W-We only accept reservations, sir. If you would like, I can reserve you another seat for the next month," she said, trying her best to control her voice. I could see tears on the edges of her eyes.
Kyouya-senpai glared at the waitress, and then snapped his fingers. Tachibana-san appeared with two other body guards on our side.
"Fire her, and then get the car ready," he muttered heatedly. With one sharp tug at my wrists, he pulled me out of the fancy and baroque hotel. His face was mask of anger and disgust, one that I do not often see on his face.
I didn't dare resist.
--
He sat on the bench nearby, his head buried on his face. I sat next to him, my hands on my lap, waiting for him to speak.
Finally, after a minute of silence,
"I'm sorry," he whispered. I cocked my head, wondering why he was apologizing.
"For what..?" I asked lightly. He straightened his back, and looked at me. I could see that his eyes were slightly blurred.
"I'm sorry that I brought you to such a damned restaurant. I wasted your time," he said, every word seeming to weigh down even more. I have never seen him so agitated. I smiled encouragingly. "I should've known that this would be the result."
"You didn't have to fire the poor girl," I said and sniffed, "She probably needed the money that came with that job."
Kyouya stared at me for a second and then looked at the sky above. It was dark now. I realized that we were very much alone.
"Well, I guess its fate that brought us out of that restaurant," I said. His left brow quirked.
"What are you mumbling about, Haruhi?" he asked.
"The sushi shop in the park is waiting for us. After all, if you want the best, then you have to go to the best, right?" I said, grinning up at him. He adjusted his glasses, one thing he only does when he means business.
"The sushi shop at the park… Is that place quite safe?" he asked, his eyes closed. I smirked, my eyebrows contracted.
"Of course it is," I said with a mixture of annoyance and amusement in my voice.
"The park is only a few blocks from here. Let's go," he said slowly, grabbing my wrists for the second time of the day.
"Wait, to the park?" I asked, disheveled by the sudden change in his attitude.
"Where else?"
"On foot?" I gasped, staring at my feet. The heels seemed to be a lot higher than it seemed.
"Unless you want me to carry you, yes," he said with a small smile.
"How about your limo?" I asked, looking at my back. He tugged at my wrists again.
"It doesn't matter. When I want my privacy, I get my privacy," he said loudly.
"Oh," I said, not knowing what to say. He pulled me, and I suddenly felt like a small girl that needed to be guided.
I pulled away.
"I can walk."
He smirked and led the way. I followed suit, watching as his hand reached into his pocket to reveal a silver box that looked distinctively like a lighter.
Is Kyouya-senpai is a smoker?
--
Author's note: The next chapter will be mainly The Date part TWO, wherein they will have it in the small sushi shop. Of course, this one will be amusing for many reasons that I cannot disclose at the moment. I'm sorry again, if this chapter seems to be shorter, or somewhat boring.
Please review!! Help me reach quota 200! Hey, that sounds really cool. :D :D
