Siopao: (11/26/2016) Sorry for a late update! I've kind of run into some writer's block. This chapter took me like three whole weeks to write and it isn't even a long one. I tried my best to get through it, though. Thanks for reviewing, Mina, Maria, Shachiecoh Hime, and Mami! And Mami, you're right! I have a lot of "M"-named people reqieing my story. I noticed that too lol.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gals! or Ouran High School Host Club.
The Space Between Two Worlds
Chapter XII — Space
Another brisk fall morning swept across Tokyo. The sparse brown leaves were swiftly falling from their almost-bare branches. The breeze was chilly, all the more indicating that winter was just around the corner. Soon, it would begin to snow.
Aya stepped into the school the following Monday morning and heaved a huge sigh is distress. Today would be her first day not wanting to be at Ouran since her arrival. Although she made such good friends like Kana and The Host Club in her few short months thus far, it just would not be the same if she and Rei were not on speaking terms. She recalled what transpired over the weekend and felt her heart give a painful squeeze.
"I hope Morinozuka is good to you."
His words echoed in her mind, just as they had done for the past few days since he uttered them in that cafe. They lingered repeatedly in her head, taunting her like a ghost and preventing her from getting a proper night's sleep for the entire weekend. What did he mean by that? Why was he saying such things?
She never once indicated that she was going to choose Mori over Rei. Why did he think that? Quite honestly, she could feel a particular attraction towards Rei that did not quite exist with Mori. It was more than just physical— she felt as if it were based more on a soulful connection. As if from the moment she saw him on the first day of classes, she had felt that she knew him from another lifetime. She couldn't quite explain it at all, to be frank. This was why she wanted to continue to spend time with the two guys; she longed to all the more explore and confirm what her feelings meant, exactly.
Aya began walking to her class, despair surrounding her like a dark cloud. But as she turned the corner at the end of a corridor, what she saw next stole her breath.
It was him— Otohata Rei. Accompanied by Yuuya and a few other guys that she recognized to be a part of the Baseball Club. The group that surrounded Rei was lively and smiling— completely opposite from Aya's current disposition.
"Ah," she mouthed in surprise, as she was at a loss for words. They were basically face-to-face. For a moment, it was just the two of them in the world. The laughter of the guys were muted. The chatter from the halls seemed far away and essentially nonexistent. All faces but his were blurred. "Rei-kun," she finally spoke his name.
He wordlessly replied with a weak smile. His fluid slate eyes seemed a bit sad to her, as if a part of him had recently shattered. Before she could say anything else to him, he was swept away by the lively crowd he was accompanied with. He was gone just as quickly as he had appeared.
"W- Wait—" she tried to speak out but to no avail. He was already out of her reach. She cursed herself for hesitating.
She only wanted to clarify if he truly did not want to speak to her again. Watching him walk away made the answer to that question all the more clear.
Rei once again stared out of the window at the open baseball field, ignoring the dull lecturing of the instructor, as per usual. History never was very interesting to him in the first place. The clouds were white and fluffy as he observed them flying through the sky. It was quite windy today and they were moving at a fairly fast pace across their blue canvas.
Aya's face popped into his head once again, for the nth time that morning. Or, rather, her faces popped into his head— her smiling face, her surprised face, her embarrassed face (his personal favorite), and even her face from this morning when he chose the executive decision to ignore her.
It's not like he got away with it unpunished, though. Yuuya made sure to endlessly address the situation on his soapbox. He always hated getting scolded by Yuuya.
"Don't think I didn't just see that. You totally ignored Aya-chan!" he recalled Yuuya's annoying lecturing voice from earlier this morning. "I don't really get what happened this weekend but you've got to fix it. Do you understand what you're doing, man? It's basically like you're handing Aya-chan to Morinozuka— as if you'd just easily given up. Are you okay with that?"
The last part of Yuuya's nagging lecture particularly resonated within Rei. Was he okay with that? Of course he wasn't. Aya was the first girl that had ever truly captivated him. She was the only girl who he could talk about personal things with, such as his family, attending Ouran, or his feelings about being born into his certain lifestyle. Never had he opened up like that to anyone else, save Yuuya. Aya was special. She was unlike any other girl at Ouran. Unlike any other girl he had ever met.
But something worse than losing her was seeing her sad and conflicted. It was because she was placed in a situation in which she had to choose between him or Morinozuka Takashi. He couldn't bear to see her fighting that internal battle, even it if was just for another day longer. He could sense the pain and discomfort it was causing her and did not want to be the cause of it anymore.
Another part of him also wanted to just end it all on his own terms because he was afraid of what the outcome could be. He said that he would be able to take it, whatever her decision might be. But was that really true? He couldn't imagine what it would feel like if she had chosen Mori over him, after weeks or even months of deliberation. It would hurt way too much.
He silently sighed as he looked away from the clouds and discreetly peeked over towards Aya. She seemed a bit distracted and it bothered him that perhaps what he did this morning could have a factor in her lessened attentiveness. A small smirk graced his face as she erased a mistake from her notes. She wore cute, flustered expression as she did so.
His chest tightened as he quickly shot his gaze away from her. He inwardly cursed himself for watching her again. A large part of him wondered if he was doing the right thing by putting space in between them. An even larger part of him wondered how long he would be able to keep up this charade.
Aya blankly gazed out of the window as she studied her notes in her usual spot at the library. About a whole week had gone by since the incident at the cafe with Rei, meaning it had basically been a full week of not being able to speak with him. It seemed so much longer to her.
She hated being alone like this. All she could think about was Rei. When she was in class or with the Host Club, she could occupy her mind from thinking about him. She thought that she was pretty pathetic. She almost felt sorry for herself.
Even in the Host Club, Mori was able to tell that she wasn't acting right. A few days ago, after he caught her spacing out while serving tea, he asked her what was wrong. She shook it off as being tired and cursed herself for being too obviously distracted. Since then, Aya tried her best to act more mindful and less absentminded.
Her thoughts then drifted to the Monday after the incident, when she tried approaching Rei. It was the day he blatantly ignored her.
Ever since then, she hadn't tried to reach out to him ever again. They didn't speak in class and didn't even make eye contact anymore. He resumed to his staring out into the distance with the same dreamy look that always graced his face.
It saddened Aya that he was acting like the way he did before they met. Rei didn't seem the least bit phased, though. She was nothing to him, after all. She was a disposable commoner and this situation definitely put her back in her place. He and I come from two different worlds, after all, she thought.
Aya sighed in a frustrated manner as she stared at her notes. The algebra written on the page suddenly was making very little sense to her. Deciphering it seemed an impossible feat, at this point.
She took in a deep breath and decided she would attempt the final problem one last time. Then, she would head over to the Host Club to, hopefully, clear her frenzied mind.
"Check it out!" Hikaru chimed as he slapped a magazine onto a coffee table in the Host Club.
The guests had all just left and the club members were all about to start tidying up for the afternoon. Mori looked around and noticed that Aya still hadn't shown up, which was quite unusual of her. Running late really wasn't one of her key qualities.
"What is it?" Haruhi asked, drawing nearer to the twins.
"It's the newest edition of that 'GALS!' magazine," Kaoru informed smugly. "Was published the other day. Snatched it from one of the girls in class. "
"I didn't know Hika-chan and Kao-chan liked to read these types of things," Hunny-senpai said as he approached with his Usa-chan doll.
Mori followed behind his cousin and skeptically stared at the magazine. He knew that there wouldn't be any good news with whatever the twins were about to announce. After all, this was typically one of the magazines that Otohata frequently got published in, and Mori knew that.
"What's this?" Kyouya said as he also gathered round the table. "Getting your noses into other people's business again, you two?"
"What?" Hikaru said defensively, crossing his arms. "I'm insulted! Kaoru and I have some good stuff this time."
"Yeah, yeah," Kaoru followed up with a grin on his face. "Check out page twenty-seven."
Haruhi, who was closest to the magazine, did as the twins said without a second thought. Once she flipped to the instructed page, Haruhi's eyes slightly widened at the large image that she saw.
"Ne! Ne! Let me see, Haru-chan!" Hunny said, looking at the page. He gasped upon seeing the photo. "Isn't that Aya-chan?"
"What is this?" Haruhi asked, her eyebrows furrowed. It was a photo of Aya as her hand was being held by Rei. He seemed to be pulling her away from a large group of girls in downtown Shibuya. Haruhi began to read the headline of the article. "'Heartthrob and Grand Prix Winner, Otohata Rei... Runs Off Hand-In-Hand With A Mystery Girl!?'"
Mori caught a glimpse of the photo and then immediately turned away from the magazine. He didn't want to look at it a second longer. Just seeing it for that fraction of a second made his blood curdle. Hunny seemed to have noticed the sudden change in disposition of his cousin and eyed him curiously.
"Yeah! It's Aya and Otochi!" Kaoru said, pointing to the large image of the two, which appeared to be snapped by paparazzi personnel from a safe distance.
"Crazy, isn't it? Apparently, it all happened just last weekend," Hikaru added.
"My, my, Aya-hime seems to be getting quite close to Rei-kun, huh?" Tamaki said as he finally made his entrance in the conversation. He picked up the magazine and studied it with vigor.
"A shame he couldn't join us," Kyouya said, pushing up his glasses. "Such potential, wasted on local modeling."
"Hn," Mori grunted under his breath as he was still turned away. Only Haruhi and Hunny seemed to hear it, though. He began to walk away but was stopped by Hunny, who grabbed onto the back of his cousin's jacket.
"Takashi," Hunny spoke innocently. Haruhi keenly listened in on the conversation. The smaller third-year paused for a bit but knew that he hand to clarify the question that had been clouding his mind for a while now. "Do you like Aya-chan?"
By this point, everyone in the club suddenly stopped talking and dropped whatever they were doing to look over towards Mori. They stared wide-eyed as he silently stood, as firm and solid as an oak tree. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets and his back was facing the rest of the club members. There was no reply for several seconds and everyone seemed to be holding their breath in anticipation.
"Un," was his simple, yet confident, reply. His face showed no emotion, save for the tiniest speck of scarlet on his cheek. The sight was indeed a rarity for the Host Club members, for only they were the only ones who were around Mori enough to actually detect it.
"EEHH!?" the twins and Tamaki erupted. Tamaki dropped the magazine and began flailing his arms dramatically. Hunny simply smiled, as his speculations had finally been confirmed.
"That's great, Takashi!" the small blonde said as he patted his cousin's arm.
"Oh! How wonderful!" Tamaki swooned, clasping his hands together. Somehow, he was surrounded all around by red roses.
"Mori-senpai did always have a fetish for small things," Kaoru snickered.
"Who knew that even Mori-senpai would be able to— wait!" Hikaru suddenly yelped. "This means that you and Otochi... are rivals!?"
"Don't even say my name and his name in the same sentence," Mori grumbled grumpily.
"Oh, man!" Hikaru laughed, holding his sides. "No wonder Otochi looks even more cranky these days!"
"Wait, Haruhi! You aren't surprised!" Tamaki observed. "You knew?"
"W- Well," Haruhi spoke softly. She didn't want to say the truth in order to protect Aya's privacy but she was also pretty bad at lying. "Aya-san may have mentioned it to me on the train one day..."
"The train?" Kyouya asked curiously. "You two commute on the same line?"
"Ah, yes, that reminds me," Haruhi nervously chuckled as she scratched the back of her neck. "Something else may have happened on that same ride home..."
"What is it, Haru-chan?" Hunny asked cutely.
"You see," Haruhi began, stumbling to find the right words to say. "Aya-san kind of bumped into me, since the car was so crowded and..." she trailed off.
"And?" Kyouya asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, basically, she found out that I'm a girl," she continued. "It's no big deal though, right?"
"EEHH!?" the twins and Tamaki exploded for a second time. This time, Hunny, Mori, and Kyouya also showed their shock but, of course, in less eruptive manners.
"That's truly some news there, Haruhi," Kyouya stated seriously as he pushed his glasses up. "It's a bit careless of you, actually."
"What? That's pretty harsh, senpai," Haruhi pouted. "It was all an accident, after all. Some guy pushed her onto me—"
"Nonetheless, you must take responsibility," Kyouya said. "Are you sure Hoshino-san can be trusted with this knowledge?"
"Yeah, of course! I mean, we all know her and she isn't the type to gossip in the first place, right?" Haruhi defended. "Besides, she's known for a week or so already. And I don't think anyone has come barging in here questioning me."
"For your sake, you better hope not," Kyouya said. "Or it may affect your sales and you might be stuck here longer than you'd like. In addition, we also need to confront Hoshino-san about this matter to ensure she knows to keep it secret."
"Ugh," Haruhi grunted, hitting her forehead with her palm. Kyouya could really get under her skin, at times.
"Anyway," Hikaru interjected on their serious conversation and addressed Mori. "About this Aya thing, Mori-senpai..."
"Hn?" Mori grunted with an indication of confusion on his face.
"You know," Hikaru continued. "You and Otochi are going to duke it out, right?"
"Like a love battle?" Kaoru snickered under his breath.
"Stop this, you two!" Tamaki reprimanded the twins. "Mori-senpai's feelings are serious! And we must not disrespect Aya-hime like that!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Boss," the twins droned on together, shrugging their shoulders in unison.
Then, as if right on cue, the doors of the Host Club swung open and in came Aya herself, oblivious to the fact that she had been the topic of interest for quite some time already. All the members looked straight towards her as she innocently came scuttling in.
"Hey, everyone! Sorry I'm late! I had so much algebra homework and getting through it was so difficult," she said as she approached the group hastily.
"Oh hey, Ayaaaa," the twins teasingly said as they each put an arm around her.
"H- Hello, Hikaru," she said looking at the twin on her right. "Kaoru," she said as she looked towards the twin on her left. She had gotten pretty good at distinguishing between the two. However, she still was not so used to how physically close they always got to her. The twins were never really good at respecting others' personal space, after all. Mori looked on at the scene, a tad bit of annoyance welling up inside of him.
"How's your day been? Any love quarrels happen around you lately?" Hikaru snickered.
"H- Huh? What are you talking about?" she asked, genuinely puzzled.
"We're talking about—" Kaoru began to say, as he leaned in closer to Aya.
"Enough," Mori said, stepping closer to the twins and Aya.
"What is all this about?" Aya asked. She could sense the tension that was in the air. Then, she spotted the magazine laying on the floor, still opened to the page of the main article. There was a candid photo plastered on the page wherein Rei was holding her hand and pulling her away from the frenzied crowd of gals. Aya's heart gave a small squeeze as she recalled what happened that day.
"Hoshino," Mori mumbled as he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her from the twins. "Can we talk?"
"H- Hai," she whispered, allowing herself to be pulled away by the tall third-year.
They walked over to a secluded corner of the club, away from the prying eyes and intrusive ears of the other club members (mainly the twins and Tamaki). Luckily, Haruhi held the three back when they tried to sneak off and listen in on their private conversation.
"What is it, senpai?" Aya meekly asked, blushing as Mori gently let go of her hand.
"Something happened between you and Otohata," he said. It wasn't a question; it was more like a statement, as if he already knew without asking.
"What makes you say that?" she asked, taken slightly aback by his straightforwardness.
"You haven't been yourself." he said, recalling her previous spaciness. The fact that she was struggling to get through her homework was also an obvious sign to him that she was distracted. "Plus, I saw the magazine article. You were with him this weekend."
"Ah, senpai..." she didn't quite know what to say. He didn't seem angry but, still, he intimidated her just a bit. Especially since he was so close to her.
"What did he do?" Mori asked, his expression as serious as ever.
"It... It was nothing," Aya lied, looking away as she made a conflicted face.
She didn't want to bring up the situation due to a few reasons. One, it still hurt talking about it. Over the past several days, she tried hard to deeply bury the memory and feelings that were elicited that day. Bringing it up would surely just cause her heart to ache even more. Two, Mori didn't deserve to hear it. It would be unfair to talk about what transpired between her and Rei to Mori, who would ultimately just become annoyed by what he heard. She didn't want Mori to dislike Rei any more than he already did.
"You're making the face," he pointed out straightforwardly. "You're a terrible liar, Hoshino."
"I— I'm sorry," she said as she closed her eyes. She felt like such a horrid person.
"Did he hurt you?" he asked, his piercing grey eyes filling with enmity.
"I— He—" she stammered, avoiding Mori's intense gaze. If she said no, she would be lying again and Mori would be able to tell. Yes, Rei did hurt her but he didn't mean to... right? "Please," she whimpered in attempts to change Mori's mind about speaking of the topic.
Then, he took both of her small, fragile hands and held them within his own. He held her hands to his face as he bent down and kissed her fingers.
"Trust me more," was all he said, his warm lips still touching her hands. Being this close to him really put her heart on overdrive. She could feel her face heating up and turned away in attempts to hide her embarrassed expression.
"Senpai," Aya pled again, her cheeks scarlet. "Don't make me talk about it."
"Fine," he said seriously. "If you won't do it, then I'll make Otohata talk."
"The Space Between Two Worlds
Chapter XII — Space
End.
Siopao: Thanks for reading! Hopefully it was okay for you guys. Please review!
