Chapter XIII

"They're odd," one said when describing the pair.

"It's impossible. His standards would never stoop that low," another said in disbelief.

"Who is she?" someone hushed down to a whisper.

It wasn't until halfway through the school year when Kaori started to garner attention from people. Kaori walked into homeroom one day, noticing a group of girls conversing. They immediately shushed when she moved closer. It was clearly obvious that they were speaking about her. Kaori looked around the class once more, wondering what else was being said.

She had felt uneasy, not liking the attention she gained. She wondered if it was about Kyouya, or if it was about… her mother. Her mother was always the source of her insecurity.

Tamaki flamboyantly walked in, just like he usually did. He swayed his way towards the group of girls who squealed and giggled at his flirtatious ways. Kyouya took a seat, while some girls made conversation with him. It was normal, but today was different. Kaori felt those snide looks given to her.

Part of her wanted to shrug it off, hoping that the girls would go around believing that he was too good for her. And he was, she had to admit that. Another part of her knew that something unpleasant was coming. She wasn't so prepared for that. At the very least, it was different from dealing with her grandmother. Perhaps these girls only had words to hurt her.

The old saying of how sticks and stones could break bones, but words could never hurt was a big lie. Kaori knew that first hand. Words hurt more than anything. Sometimes words told the hard truth, words hurt in places that bruises and cuts can not heal from. Kaori kicked herself on the inside, mentally thinking that she had gone through this more than enough times.

But it still hurt.

It was rather cliché when her first encounter with a jealous heiress was in the washroom.

"Hm, it makes me wonder how Ouran accepts these pieces of filth into this school." The girl wore the Ouran uniform. She was poofy and yellow, but her high heels clacked as she walked on the floors, making her tower a bit over Kaori. Her long brown hair was held back by a red hair band with her hand clutching her make up bag as she looked down on the younger girl.

Kaori walked passed the girl as though she was thin air. It wasn't worth her time. She bit down her tongue.

"Oh, I forgot. Pieces of trash can't speak," the girl's nasally voice called out.

Kaori walked out of the washroom, a little amused at how ridiculously cliché the whole encounter was. Trash or not, she was glad she had her iPod to drown out the words.

Another day, she was walking towards the library. A group of girls that were obviously waiting for her gave her dirty looks.

Kaori wondered if rolling her eyes would be appropriate, but it was rude. Staying classy was always something her father would want his daughter to grow up to be. Ignoring them seemed like the best option.

"Nakamoto, isn't it?" one of them called out.

Kaori stopped. What would the polite thing be?

"Can I help you ladies?" she courteously asked as she turned around.

The large blob of yellow walked towards her, observing her from head to toe. It reminded her of the Hitachiin twins, but this time it seemed more… unnerving. She took a deep breath. The old chant of sticks and stones replayed in her head, a childish tactic. She knew it was childish, but she didn't have anything else to remind her to stay calm.

"What is it between you and Ootori-senpai?"

Kaori shrugged. "Whatever you'd like it to be," she gave a curt smile while wondering what took them so long to be suspicious of their little relationship. They were in the same homeroom, they shared almost all of the same classes and they studied together in the library. Perhaps the last part was unknown to the girls as most of them never stepped in the library in the first place.

"I don't care what it is. But you and your filth can stay away from Ootori-senpai. He doesn't need you to bring him down," a carefully manicured nail pointed at her.

Kaori thought back to the times where she told him that she'd bring him down. Was she really? She wondered if Kyouya would think terribly of her, especially when dealing with these girls who glared at her with such malice. Unfortunately, their stares were nothing compared to her grandmother.

"I suppose I'll keep that in mind," Kaori walked her way to the library.

"You aren't concentrating very well," Kyouya noticed as she stared into space. Exams were nearing and it was very unusual of Kaori to be in a daze.

She sighed, leaning back in her chair. Kaori looked around wondering if anyone was looking at them.

"No one's here," he assured. Kyouya took one of her cold hands and gave it a little squeeze to comfort her.

"I don't know. I guess…" she wasn't sure if it was worth telling him. Kaori decided not to. Exams were creeping up quite quickly and they had other things to worry about than some petty little problem.

"Nothing," she shook her head and went back into making study notes for her German and English classes.

Kyouya had a gut instinct that it wasn't something meant to shrug off. He gave her a glance, hoping that perhaps she would break down and speak about it.

"That stare doesn't work," Kaori said with her head still drowned in her books. She felt his pair of eyes on her.

Kyouya didn't give up though. He merely put the issue aside for another time.

Kaori yawned, clearly exhausted even though her day was only halfway over. A headache started to pound her head. She massaged her temples in an attempt to soften the pain but it didn't work. Kaori decided to take a break.

"I'm going out," she simply said. Kaori quickly packed her bags and headed outside for some fresh air. She needed some time to relax, maybe some music to calm her down. She didn't wait for Kyouya. A little part of her hoped that she could get away from him as she needed some time alone to think.

Kaori sat by the fountain, a little fascinated at how the water pumping out of the fountain didn't freeze. It was quite chilly. Her hair blew around in the wind as she hugged herself a little tighter to conserve the heat. She took a deep breath of the cool fresh air. She always loved the cold.

Her mind wandered around. She thought about her review notes for a while, trying to recite the facts. She moved onto thinking about her lunch that she skipped. She had a habit of skipping meals, usually only to study. Kaori decided to cook a decent meal for herself that night. Somehow, she came back to the topic of…him, and those girls.

She couldn't avoid it, her mind nagged her to come to a conclusion on the subject. Kaori didn't want to bother Kyouya with such a petty situation. Although it really did make her wonder if she was really tainting his reputation. Who knew about them? Besides maybe the Host Club, and the school population catching onto the gist. Did he mind? Did he even know? He probably didn't. He had other things to worry about.

She made her way back to class and took her usual seat in German class, the only class she didn't have with Kyouya.

The teacher outlined the contents of their exam, and left the students to do whatever they liked with their free time.

"Nakamoto-san?" it was a boy. He wore the normal blue blazer of the Ouran uniform. He had hazel eyes with dark brown hair. It seemed that he wasn't fully Japanese. His face was rather thin and his body structure was quite lean in general. Kaori narrowed her eyes a little, trying to remember the boy's name. He wasn't in her homeroom class. He then took a seat beside her without any invitation.

"Suzuku Hazu," he introduced himself with his Japanese name. Kaori nodded and shook his hand, still silent.

"You tutored my brother," he reminded the clueless girl.

"Ah," Kaori smiled. "He's a good kid," she complimented.

He shrugged.

"What brings you here?" Kaori asked. Very few people talked to her, or rather, very few people noticed her. It really didn't seem like the boy beside her had any ill intention. Not that she could tell, anyway.

"The ladies up there seem to be quite fond of you," his head pointed to the front of the classroom.

"Oh are they?" Kaori knew it was total bull.

"Something about you and the Ootori. Say, what is it with the Ootori guy anyway? Such an egoistic bastard."

Kaori smiled and chuckled a little. "Yeah," she agreed. She was very amused. "I have to sit beside him for nearly all my classes," she added.

"Terrible," he shook his head. "He was in my business class last year. Outshined everyone."

"Work a little harder next time," she said like it wasn't a big deal.

"Having your chances crushed by him isn't something that's fixed by working harder," the boy snapped.

"He has two brothers and he's aiming to become the heir," Kaori replied bluntly.

Suzuku leaned back in his seat, knowing that the girl was right. His arm rested on one of the arm rests and he faced the girl.

"Why haven't I ever seen you before?"

"I've been here all year."

"Hard to imagine that you've been here all year, seeing that you're uniform-less." She stood out like a sore thumb now. "Scholarship student?"

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. The type of look you'd give someone so they can figure things out on their own.

"I apologize, so you are a scholarship student. Where are you from originally?"

"Someplace," her answers were vague.

"I'm from America," he wondered if sharing things about himself would make her open up too.

Kaori nodded, not really caring.

"My dad's here on business for a few years. Learning a new language is pretty difficult," he continued.

Kaori wondered why he was learning German if he found learning a new language is pretty difficult.

"You can speak English right?" he asked, switching languages.

"Everyone can," she replied, though not in English. Everyone in Ouran was at the very least fluent in English, with very few exceptions. Most heirs and heiresses learned English regardless.

"Why are you here?"

"Scholarship," she replied.

"Why don't you want to be friends?"

"No need," she smiled.

Suzuku became silent. He only approached her to see what made her so unlikable by the girls in front. Although her answers were short, her tone of voice was polite and didn't have a menacing feel to it. She spoke slowly, but fluently. Quite eloquently, to be honest.

"Do you want to… hang out sometime?" It was a friendly gesture, something that people would do to form a friendship. He didn't mean any harm.

She looked at him a little suspicious, wondering what made him want to hang out with her of all people. Her cynical personality made her that way.

"I appreciate the offer, but no. Exams," she explained.

"Or is it because of the Ootori?" he teased.

"Whatever you'd like it to be," Kaori let him wonder.

He walked her out of class, trying to make more conversation. Kaori didn't mind, there was something about him that reminded her of back home. People that were outgoing and nice enough to make conversation regardless of who you were, it made her feel welcome. That didn't mean she was going to share who she was. Suzuku never gave her that odd sense of trust she could place on him like she did with the Ootori.

They parted ways and she said goodbye out of politeness.

She walked her way to the main entrance, ready to go home. The raven haired boy was already waiting for her behind a pillar. He leaned casually, expecting her all along.

"Hello," he greeted.

"Hello to you too," Kaori replied.

They stood in front of each other in silence. Kaori waited for him to spit whatever he wanted to say out. The slight twinge of annoyance was written all over his face. She wondered what it was about.

"Hazu-san, what did he want?" his voice was smooth. He didn't demand, but his voice didn't let her avoid the question either.

"He was talking to me during class," Kaori wondered how he knew about her encounter with Suzuku. "He was in your business class last year."

"He was."

"Seems like a pretty good guy," Kaori innocently said.

"So am I."

"I know," Kaori smiled.

"You're not… jealous, are you?" she wondered after a few seconds of silence.

"No, just curious," Kyouya didn't admit that he was jealous. It wasn't every day Kaori talked to anyone, even more so when it came to a boy.

"Sure," she dragged out the word, clearly showing off her sarcasm.

"What was it that bothered you earlier?" Kyouya decided to be straightforward. There was something about that nagging feeling that told him to get to the bottom of her uneasiness.

"Nothing. Nothing important, anyway," Kaori calmly said. She didn't think it was important to burden him with something so petty, and it wasn't like she could tell him to tell people to stop gossiping.

Kaori decided to take her leave, saying she had a lot of work to do even though all she had was review. On top of that, everyone was graduating this year. University applications had to be done.

She left Kyouya feeling stumped, like she did on the first day of school.

It was late. 11 PM. Kaori was still up studying getting through most of her subjects. A feeling of relief rushed through her after noting that she was almost done. 4 hours of studying, one hour for each subject each night. It certainly distracted her well enough to make her feel exhausted.

Her cell phone vibrated on her kitchen counter. Kaori got up from her desk and answered her phone.

"Hello?"

"Vivienne," her father answered.

"Dad," she replied.

"How have you been?" Kaori missed her father's deep voice. It made it seem like everything was going to be okay.

"Tired," she honestly said. "How about you, Dad? Have you been eating well? You need to get out more. Exercise."

"Fine, fine. Don't worry about your old man," her father's quiet chuckle came back.

A few seconds of silence played between the two.

"Dad, why are you calling me?" Kaori asked. It wasn't like him to call her. It had been a while since they shared their last phone call. Even though they didn't speak much, Kaori trusted that her father would still feel concerned but neither of the two could voice their concerns very well. Kaori was better than her father, something she picked up from her mother. But since she had left, Kaori had trouble trying to voice her emotions.

"Just checking up on my daughter like the usual father." Her father remembered something. "Ah… have you thought of where to go for University?"

"I'm thinking of applying to Cambridge, maybe Oxford." It was quite ambitious of her, she didn't tell anyone though. Kaori didn't really want to share knowing that perhaps she won't make it.

"You're not applying to a place back home? I've always told you that Harvard would be a nice option," the last part was a joke. The two of them knew that Harvard was an overrated school. Kidding aside, Kaori's father went back to the topic of universities. "How about Japan? You could stay in Japan if you'd like. Toudai's quite nice," he suggested.

"No… I think I'd rather go some place else. Ouran's program goes international, so I might as well make use of that." It wasn't that she hated Japan or anything. She just wanted to see the world, in her own way.

"I'm glad," her father sighed a sigh of relief.

"Why?"

"You're not coming back home," he half-joked. "I'd have to provide for you all over again."

"You already provide for me with the money you send. What's wrong with having your daughter back home?" Kaori teasingly asked.

"Alright, alright. Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge, Oxford, you can have the world. As long as you do what you love and make yourself happy, I'll be happy."

"Dad, you sound ridiculous right now," Kaori picked up on how incredibly cheesy her father was being. It wasn't like he preached on about happiness every day. He always emphasized practicality and realism. In fact, Kaori was thinking that her father would reject her thought of applying to schools in the UK.

"Do I? Well that– " Her father was cut off by a coughing fit.

"Dad, are you okay?" she worriedly asked. She hoped it was just him getting old and nothing serious.

"I'm alright," he replied after his coughing calmed down.

"Dad, honestly, are you sure?"

"Of course. When is your father ever not sure?"

She sighed. Her father had a large sense of pride that unfortunately also rubbed off on her. She understood if he didn't want to be taken care of, but she could only do so much when she was halfway across the world. Her constant reminders were the only thing that she could do.

"Dad?"

"Yes."

"Why did you send me halfway across the world?"

"You don't like it?" his voice didn't hint much sadness or remorse, it was surprisingly neutral.

She thought about it for a moment. Did she really not like it? She thought of the time she had spent in Japan so far. There were things that she would have definitely preferred not to deal with but meeting him… it felt like an empty part of her was filled.

"I don't know."

"Let me know when you do know, maybe I'll tell you then."

"Maybe?" Kaori and her father were similar that way. They never gave away their thoughts or their answers completely.

"Ah, and remember. December 18th is coming soon," he changed the topic.

"Is it really?" Kaori can't believe she had forgotten.

"And remember, she loved-"

"Roses. I know. She had to love the most cliché flower of them all."

She heard her father quietly laugh. "Yes, yes she did. I'm glad. It was always easy and convenient to buy."

"Christmas is coming soon, isn't it?"

"Why of course."

"Dad, please don't spend it alone," she hated the thought of her father spending holidays alone. It was her first time spending Christmas away from her Dad. Of course, they were never religious. But they had a good time, speaking to one another about really anything that came across their minds. They spent the day in relaxation, with Kaori cooking brunch and a quiet dinner for the both of them for the past few years.

"I won't," he assured.

"Who will you spend it with?"

"We'll see." It was obvious he was probably going to still spend the day alone, regardless.

"Dad…"

"It's just another day, Vivienne. No big deal." He went back to his pragmatic personality, his usual self.

He heard her sigh again on the other side of the line. She was unsure how to make things better, but he was so grateful to have such a daughter. He was the only one he had left.

"It's late. Sleep early, Vivienne," he ended the call without letting her say goodbye.

It was a busy month for Kaori when it came to school. Her culminating assignments were handed in, and all there was left was the exams to finish off the semester. After that came winter break, and the start of a new semester.

Kaori enjoyed having fresh starts. She was looking forward to finishing off her semester and taking a break. Part of her needed to spend some time alone, and explore Japan some more before she had to leave when the school year ended.

She ignored the occasional nasty comments that were made to bring her down. They became sparse as everyone became busy with their work. Kaori was glad, knowing that perhaps everyone would forget about her after a break from school. She had other things to worry about than petty comments.

Haruhi found Kaori walking towards the library one day, taking an alternate route to avoid the crowds.

"Nakamoto-san!" Haruhi called as she jogged to catch up to her in the vast hall.

Kaori turned around and noticed the brunette. "Kaori is fine," she said when Haruhi met up with her.

"Kaori it is. I don't see you walk here often. How are you?" Haruhi made the friendly gesture to make small talk.

"Busy. Probably you as well. Where are you headed to?"

"Library. I have to sign out a book for a research paper," Haruhi explained.

"Ah, so am I. We could walk there together then," Kaori offered.

It took a while to get from place to place in Ouran. The two girls made a bit of small talk here and there, comfortable with each other's presence.

"Tamaki and Kyouya-senpai are graduating this year," the brunette sighed wondering what would happen to their Host Club.

Kaori nodded.

"As are you. Have you thought about where to go?" Haruhi asked.

Kaori shrugged. "Filled out a few applications here and there, we'll see where it leads me," she vaguely answered.

Haruhi didn't pry. She respected Kaori's ways. In fact she found it more interesting when she could guess where Kaori would go.

"Where do you want to go when you graduate?" Kaori asked.

"Toudai first, then Harvard." Haruhi was also ambitious. Kaori smiled.

"I can see you there."

"I can see you… in many places," Haruhi said after pausing to think about where Kaori would fit in.

"What would you be majoring in?"

"Law," Haruhi said without any hesitation.

"Hm," the other girl nodded. "Persecution?" Kaori asked. Law wasn't really Kaori's field of expertise. Although cases may seem interesting, the drone of a court made it feel boring to Kaori.

"Hopefully, yes," Haruhi smiled. Kaori could tell that she felt happy when talking about law.

"What about you?"

"Something in the sciences," Kaori didn't quite make up her mind yet.

"Not business?"

Kaori laughed. "Oh gosh, no. I hate business. It's so mundane and boring. What made you think so?"

"Just you… and Kyouya-senpai. I just expected you two to have similar interests," Haruhi explained her thoughts.

Kaori shrugged. Kyouya excelled in everything he took, including the sciences. It was probably because the Ootori Cooporation was an affluent medical company. It didn't seem like he liked it very much. He leaned more towards Business and numbers.

They both reached the library and went their separate ways.

Kaori went to the usual table to study, finding Kyouya already there. She took a seat in front of him silently, continuing their usual routine.

"Have you applied anywhere?" he asked while typing away on his laptop.

"Yes," she replied. "You?"

"Of course."

"Let me guess. Stanford, Harvard and… Toudai?" It was unlikely he would go to Toudai. Not many people stayed in Tokyo. America was where most rich people went. Well, if they had the grades of course. Perhaps Toudai was a back up in case he didn't get into his first choice. That was rather unlikely.

"Hm," it was odd how she knew. But then again, Kyouya applied to the top schools so it wasn't a surprise as to how Kaori knew. What was more of a mystery was where Kaori was going.

"Studying over the weekend?" he asked, making small talk. He liked hearing her voice.

Kaori looked at her cell phone, checking the date. The eighteenth fell on the Monday the week after. She'd have to make a trip on the weekend to visit.

"No," she said, a little surprised at how quickly time passed. She could sacrifice a day to visit, it was alright seeing as she prepped for her exams for nearly a month already.

"Exams are next week," Kyouya reminded as he looked up from his laptop wondering what made the girl so crazy as to not study before her exams.

"Yeah," she replied knowingly.

"Where… are you going?" he was curious, but hesitant to ask thinking that she wouldn't want to tell.

"I…" Kaori honestly didn't know, she had to look up the address soon. "Stay at home, Kyouya, you'll need to study. Don't worry." She smiled, hoping he'd let the topic go.

Kaori woke up early, or earlier than usual on a weekend. 9 AM. She got herself dressed in a cozy sweater and jeans. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and grabbed her army jacket. It was thicker, and kept her warm. She never zipped up her jackets, she didn't like the hassle. Kaori decided to bring her camera as she had planned something out for her father.

Her doorbell rang. It was odd, no one would ring her doorbell. The only person she could think of that would visit was Kyouya, but that was rather unlikely since it was early. She remembered the last time she had a meal with Fuyumi and how irritated he was for being called at 10:30 AM.

She reluctantly opened the door, revealing a dark-haired boy in a dark trench coat.

"Good morning," his smooth voice greeted.

"Why are you here?" Kaori bluntly asked.

"Wanted to know what you'd be doing besides studying," he replied.

"I'm going out," she answered.

"Where?"

"A place."

"I'll accompany you there," he offered as he stepped into her apartment.

Kaori grabbed her iPod and lenses. She stuck them in her messenger bag along with her wallet. Kaori took a look around her apartment to see if she forgot anything.

"I don't think she'd appreciate your presence," Kaori replied.

"Who might she be?"

She made her way towards her door, ready to step out ignoring Kyouya who followed her around.

"You're going barefooted?" Kyouya commented.

Kaori looked down and sighed. She always forgot her socks since being barefooted at home made her feel comfortable.

She took her messenger bag off and went to her drawer to grab a pair of socks to wear. Kaori heard Kyouya quietly chuckle at her mistake.

"It's a habit," she snapped.

They both stepped out of the apartment, with her door automatically locking. It was key-less, there was a keypad with numbers to punch in instead of a key.

The two stepped into the elevator to go down to the lobby.

"Kyouya, I don't think you'd want to come with me. We have exams in a few days, go home and study," Kaori urged.

"You don't seem to be studying. I assure you that I will be fine," Kyouya confidently told her.

Kaori shook her head. "I don't know why you'd want to come along."

"I don't know where you're going."

"It's not a place most people would go," Kaori hinted.

"But you're going."

"Yes," Kaori replied.

"Then it can't be a terrible place."

Kaori scoffed. "Why are you so stubborn? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" her voice became irritated.

She saw his shoulders lower as he exhaled. Kaori noticed the small hint of disappointment in his eyes, it seemed like he was going to give in and leave. A sudden feeling of guilt washed over her, perhaps she was being too impatient. Kaori wondered if she would like to see him. What was Kyouya to her? She didn't know. A boyfriend, friend, he was just someone that filled that void she left in her.

She sighed.

"Just… don't regret coming." They stepped off the elevator and made their way to the subway.

Kaori spent the past six years alone, or relatively alone. Her father never gave her the support or comfort she longed to have. Nonetheless, she loved her father and knew that her father had trouble trying to connect emotionally. Kaori was glad she had someone beside her. It was comforting. He was silent, and oddly patient.

She could tell he was still tired, and tried hard not to fall asleep on the train. It was a long ride anyway.

"You can take a nap," Kaori offered. "I won't leave you on the train," she joked.

She saw his eyes narrow, suspicious of the idea of leaving him on the train. Eventually, she saw his eyes close and succumb to his fatigue. Kaori smiled at how pleasant he looked when he slept. She was tired too, but she couldn't bear to fall asleep. Kaori took out her iPod and listened to music to keep herself awake and aware of which stop to get off.

He still held her hand, even when he slept. No one held her hand besides her father. She grazed her thumb on his hands, taking note of the deep lines. She leaned her head on his shoulder while looking out the window. Kaori was glad that it was sunny, but still chilly. The dry cold air became more apparent as December progressed.

She turned to look at him, in deep sleep. What was he? How would she explain him to her?

She didn't like the term boyfriend, or friend. He was definitely not a brother; that just felt utterly wrong. He was just him. But she didn't now how to explain that to others. It only made sense to herself.

She wondered what he thought of her. Did he feel the same way? Did he think it would be okay to call her his girlfriend? Or friend?

Everything was so new. Kaori had never experienced such a relationship. All she knew was that he could never be replaced. She still had trouble telling him every detail of her life, but it didn't seem like he minded too much. He got used to her habits. It was difficult to open up. Kaori had never done that to anyone, not even her childhood friends back home.

It was getting easier to tell him things though, only if he didn't pry. Although there were times when she wanted to know more about him too. She chuckled a little, realizing both of them were quite boring. There wasn't much about the two to share. Kaori didn't think of her as a very interesting person, there wasn't much to say about her. She wasn't good at talking about herself.

But maybe with him, she was.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the train came to a halt. The automated voice announced their destination while people shuffled to get off the train. Kaori gently shook Kyouya awake. She laughed at how clueless he looked when he slowly opened his eyes. He rubbed his eyes a bit, trying to get used to the light. Kyouya got up silently, still not letting go of her hand.

They got off the train, finding themselves in a small city. It was quaint, but friendly looking. Kaori looked around and made her way to the map with the boy attached to her hand.

They started walking, with Kaori occasionally taking pictures of people and little things.

A small floral shop was along their way where Kaori stopped to buy flowers. She picked a small bouquet of red roses and held them in one of her hands after putting her camera away in her bag. They exited and Kaori continued to lead the way.

He watched as her head looked everywhere, taking note of every little detail.

"It all looks so familiar," she said as they kept walking around the place.

They reached the gate to a cemetery. Kaori didn't hesitate to walk through the gate.

"Do you want to know something?" she asked him quietly.

He looked at her, nodding.

"This is the same place where my Dad held my hand for the very last time," she said it with a small broken smile. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Kaori felt oddly overwhelmed with emotions. She wasn't going to cry though, not in front of Kyouya. She wasn't ready for that quite yet.

He stood there in silence, not knowing what to say. He only gripped her hand tighter, the only type of comfort he knew how to provide.

They walked through rows and rows of tombstones, while Kaori silently counted to find the correct one. She led him through a row and stopped a few stones from their entrance.

She silently faced the grave, solemnly placing the bouquet of roses in front of the grave.

"That's… my mother," she introduced.

He bowed to the stone to show his respect. He too, was overwhelmed. He didn't think he would be going through something so… serious on this very day.

Kaori didn't know what else to say. Every time she visited, she always had a mixture of emotions. On one hand, she still resented her mother. She visited only because she had to. Or at least that was what she told herself the first few years. Kaori was still angry at her mother for leaving her so helpless and alone. Because of her mother, she felt insecure, so terribly insecure about her social status, insecure of how others looked at her. She made her scared to turn out like her. Kaori couldn't sleep at night for the first few months and there were still times when she still had trouble.

But she was still her mother. The mother who taught her to stay happy, despite all things. Her mother taught her to look at the small things, to enjoy life. Kaori couldn't help but to feel betrayed at the irony. Her mother was so depressed, yet she could still tell her child to be happy.

Kyouya noticed Kaori scoff to herself. Her expression was hard to read. Her eyes showed anger and resentment, yet they faltered to a softer glance after she sighed. She didn't shed a single tear.

"You're… not going to pay your respects?" he asked, noting how she hadn't bowed yet.

"I would if my father was here," Kaori replied.

"She's… your mother," Kyouya was taken back at how she would be so disrespectful. It wasn't like her.

She shook her head.

"I can't bring myself to do it," Kaori admitted.

"Then why are you here?"

"I… don't know." Kaori didn't know if she would have visited her mother if her father hadn't reminded her.

She stood there, still contemplating.

"If your father passed away, would you pay your respects?" she whispered, knowing that Kyouya's father was not the best father out there but still nonetheless his father. Would he be willing to pay the respect to a father that was…never a father? Would Kyouya have the heart to forgive his father for only seeing him as a pawn for the company?

Kyouya stayed silent. He didn't know. The two teenagers drowned themselves in their thoughts. What would be the right thing to do?

The things that Kaori exposed Kyouya to were things that he would have never thought of.

Kyouya changed the topic, trying to pull the girl out of her deep melancholy.

"You haven't introduced me to your mother yet," he said.

"I don't know what to introduce you as," she admitted. "She's only a pile of ashes after all."

"If she was only ash, you wouldn't be here." He was right. Kaori still had that sentimental attachment. She looked down to the ground, not really knowing what to do with him.

"You're still not going to introduce me?" his deep voice daunted her.

"Introduce yourself if you're so insistent," she shrugged. She looked up from the ground, watching what he would do next. He took her hand in his, warming her cold hand.

"Kyouya Ootori. Pleased to meet you," he politely said, almost like he was addressing a business associate. He paused, not knowing what else to say.

Kaori quietly chuckled, knowing that he was stuck.

"You have your mother's eyes," he commented as he observed the photo on the gravestone.

"I do."

"They're beautiful."

Kaori became shy, still not exactly used to his compliments.

"Are you really doing this in front of my mother?"

"She's just a pile of ashes, is she not?" he proved his point.

Kaori sighed at his smug expression. "Anything else you'd like to say to my mother?"

He turned back to the tomb. What he wanted to say was too out of his character. He was embarrassed to say. Kaori took his silence as a no and let go of his hand to take her camera out of her bag.

She crouched down to the roses she set on the stone and snapped a few photos in different angles.

Kaori got up, feeling like the visit was sufficient enough.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he gently asked as they walked hand in hand back to the train station.

"I didn't think you'd show up at my door and spontaneously come with me."

"I'd go anywhere with you," he simply said.

She laughed at how odd that sounded when it came from him. "Why? Where's the merit in being with me?"

Kyouya liked hearing her laugh. He didn't like feeling ridiculous in front of her though. Admittedly, his last sentence wasn't very well thought through, it rolled off his tongue.

"You make things interesting," Kyouya confessed.

"I suppose meeting a dead person is interesting if that's what makes you happy," her sarcastic personality was always there.

Kyouya smirked, glad that her sarcasm was always an indication of her well-being.

"But that's sweet. Thank you," she sincerely said. Somehow having him beside her made her feel better, calmer even. She looked up at him, feeling short. He still looked ahead, trying not to shiver as the cold wind blew towards them. Kaori laughed a little, stopping them in the middle of the street. He turned to her, curious as to why she stopped in the cold weather.

She unravelled her thick grey scarf around her neck and stretched her arms to place it on the taller boy in front of her.

"What are you doing?" The weather was cold enough to show his breath in the air.

"What does it look like? You're shivering," she said as she wrapped it around his neck. It surprisingly matched well with his dark trench coat.

"You'll be cold," he gently stopped her arms.

"I'm never cold, Kyouya," she assured. "I have your hands to keep me warm." She smiled with her straight teeth that shined in the sun, with her tongue that stuck out playfully.

Kyouya didn't take off the scarf, feeling elated by the scent of her wrapped around his neck. It kept him warm as they walked hand in hand back to the station.

He found himself in her apartment looking at the pamphlets she had on Universities. Most were the Ivy League, with a few in England. He was surprised to find a few Canadian universities scattered within the pile.

"Here's your black coffee," she handed the cup to him as he hovered over her kitchen table with piles of paper and work. She was glad that she finished with her university applications, and she let him speculate on which ones she applied to.

"Thank you," he politely said as he took the cup from her.

"I apologize for the messiness," she was embarrassed by her apartment. Papers and textbooks were scattered on desks and tables. Her bed wasn't made but at least her kitchen was quite clean. Her laptop sat on the living room table, still on and connected to the charger. It was flipped to a page with a medical journal published a few months ago on Cardiology.

Kyouya found the messiness rather interesting. Although it definitely wasn't as messy as Tamaki.

"It's snowing outside," Kaori looked out her glass windows that overlooked Tokyo. "It's so beautiful."

Kyouya learned something new. She liked snow. He always found it odd when she liked such petty things, how she found the enjoyment in the smallest things in life.

He walked around her apartment, taking note of the fact that she wasn't as messy as she turned out to be. Most of the papers that were scattered around the place were organized in some way. University applications were on the kitchen table. While her books and review notes were placed on the living room table with her black laptop.

"What do you want to do?" she asked. There wasn't much to do around her apartment.

"Study?" he suggested.

"There's no point in studying if you already know the material," Kaori rolled her eyes. He always assured her that he would be okay. She studied enough to be pretty confident as well.

"Alright. Let's talk," he sat down on her couch. She took a seat facing him, on another chair.

She waited patiently, both of them having their usual staring contest as they waited for each other to speak. Kaori took a sip of her tea, smiling and eventually giggling.

"This is so awkward…" she quietly said and looked away from the handsome boy in front of her.

He smirked. Kyouya could never get enough of making her feel uncomfortable. It was cute for the lack of a better word.

"I don't think so," he disagreed.

She shrugged, already knowing his opinion.

He looked around her apartment, and asked what she did in her spare time.

"Regular things. Watch TV, catch up on reading, cook a decent meal… what do you do?" Kaori asked even though she knew he didn't have much spare time in the first place. It always fascinated her when he made the time to show up at her door randomly to take her out.

"Sleep," he replied.

She laughed. "I do that too."

"You're applying to Harvard?" He saw a pamphlet on her kitchen table.

"What do you think?" she asked, curious to hear his answer even though she didn't apply. She just took the pamphlet to keep her options open.

"I think Harvard would suit you," he shrugged.

"Why?" Kaori pried. She was an average girl, with decent grades. But she had nothing else. Nothing stood out for her, besides graduating from Ouran.

He took a sip of his coffee. "You're hardworking."

"That's it?" Kaori was disappointed. Kaori looked at Kyouya with such admiration with his grades and how he was so… out of her league for the lack of a better phrase. To him she was just "hardworking". She exhaled, obviously disappointed with his answer and sunk back into her seat with her tea.

"Have you planned out your career?" Even his questions showed off his organized personality. Always planning ahead.

"No," she replied. "I'll see where my education takes me."

They were different that way. Kaori planned out her life, but not to the very last detail. She had no particular goals, she just wanted to explore. She was more carefree, but careful with her options. Kyouya on the other hand, had timelines and goals to fulfill. They were both realistic, and pragmatic. Yet they had two different approaches.

"Oh?" he wanted her to elaborate.

"You can plan all you want, but life tends to throw things at you that you'll have to take and make the most out of. I'd rather not be disappointed if things don't go my way," she explained.

"Ah, but you can change where you want to go so you won't be disappointed no?" Kyouya always had things his way. If he didn't, he'd make it happen. That's how it worked.

"Of course, but things will still go wrong. That unknown factor is always there. You can't calculate life," she argued.

"So what do you know so far?" If she didn't know what the unknown factor was, she must've had some idea of what she wanted.

"I'll go to University and study something I love. I know I'll want to do something that reminds me why I live. I'll live a meaningful life filled with memories and a beautiful family."

"Your plans are rather vague, no?"

"They're vague for a reason," she shrugged. "I can shift and change things as I please. Yours must be down to the very tee."

He smiled. They were. He wanted to graduate on a combined degree program, with both his Bachelor's and Masters. He wanted to inherit the company at the very latest at the age of 25, and so on. They had completely different plans.

"What about… us? Do we fit?" she pondered about their future together.

Kyouya didn't want to think too much about it. She was something that happened to him in the spur of the moment, something that he was so glad to discover by pure chance. The more he thought about them together, the more complex things came to be. He was continuously learning from her, and how she lived her life so differently from his. He was exposed to things he would have never experienced. He never wanted that to stop.

"Somehow." He paused. "We will." He'll make them work.

He saw her eyes perk up, surprised at his answer. "Seems rather optimistic of you," she noted. Kaori moved closer to him, shifting to the couch he sat on. She placed her cup down on the table with his and held out her pinky.

"What is this?" he asked as he glanced down to her small finger.

"Promise that we'll somehow fit," she childishly commanded.

"Don't be childish," Kyouya waved her off, but didn't move away from her. The warmth she brought was calming as she sat beside him. Kaori looked at him with her deep brown eyes. Her actions were childish, but her eyes were serious.

Kaori never realized how much she wanted him to stay in her life. The thought of him being gone made her feel uneasy, especially when she had no one to comfortably be with anymore. Granted, she still wasn't comfortable enough to tell him everything. Part of her only liked to leave him guessing for the fun of it, another part was insecure about her feelings and how he felt. She wanted to know if he reciprocated her feelings for him, even though they didn't show it well or often for that matter.

Reluctantly, he brought up his pinky and linked it with hers. A smile grew on her face and her arms wrapped around his neck. He inhaled the scent of her hair as he brought his arms around her waist. He lightly chuckled at how happy she was over something so childish. She pulled away.

"You should laugh more often."

"I do."

Only with her he'd laugh.

A/N: This was supposed to be up yesterday... but FF was down and I couldn't log in so I couldn't update. Anyway, introduced a new character. :) Suzuku probably won't show up for quite some time after a bit of planning. Very vague planning, mind you. I still need to figure out a lot. I wonder if this chapter is too long... the length might take a while to get through and I hope you guys didn't get bored.

Anyway, thank you so so so much to all of you for sticking by and reading haha. All these reviews and story alerts/favourites make my day! Sometimes I even wonder how I even got them with such a messy story (I've noticed quite a bit of errors in my other chapters, and I felt so irritated for not catching them).