A/N: I wrote this one ages ago, and completely forgot about posting it. Silly me, particularly as this is one of my favourites. It contains some rather misguided decisions… XD
67- Misguided
Precious Moments
940 words
15:35, 46th Meeting of the MMOJ Publishing Committee.
The room was silent. Was it right, that their editor should be absent? Was it right that Sora-san had called a meeting uninvited, without running it by Rengé-sama? Could it be right?
And could it be as important as she had claimed?
At length, Sora took a deep breath, steeling herself, and stood. "Ladies," she said, loudly. "I should like to call the first unofficial meeting of the Moe Moe Ouran Journal to order! I'm sure you're all wondering why I did not tell Rengé-sama…but I'm sure you'll understand when you see this." Not hesitating, she lifted up a piece of paper. "Prepare yourselves." She said, quietly, dramatically, and flipped it over so they could see.
Silence.
Then the screams, gasps, cries. Shock, horror… delight.
"Is that real?!"
"But, I thought it was the twins who…"
"Ah, Rengé-san will be so upset…"
"But, news like this…"
"I don't believe it!"
"I never expected this!"
"Kyaaa!"
Sora waited. Waited a long time, until, at length, the commotion died down and the girls that had fainted had been revived. Then the sub-editor spoke gravely.
"We have big news in our hands, ladies, and great power. Bigger than anything we've had before. We have to think carefully about how to use this information."
"Our fiftieth edition!" One girl said immediately, and the prospect was immediately greeted with cheers. "What news! We owe it to the girls of the school to let them share it!" More cheers.
"Is that really what you think?" Sora asked innocently. "If yes, that's what we'll do; I'll give it to Rengé-sama tomorrow. But…" She looked around at them all. "Wouldn't it just cause trouble for the very boys we're supposed to love so much?"
Quiet mutterings.
"Do we have a right to spread a secret they've been keeping?"
More mumbling.
"To break the hearts of so many women?"
Rising in dynamics.
"And to cheapen their cherished memories?"
The girls were almost in tears now. A unanimous no.
"We have to destroy it before it falls into the wrong hands!" One declared.
"Throw it away!"
"But what if someone finds it?"
"We'll have to burn it…"
"No." Sora said, flatly. "We can't. We can't destroy a precious moment. We have no right. But… we can put it in safe hands, in secret, where it can be treasured and safe. And not a word of this to anyone else. Let us swear."
Across the round table, hands pooled together, and they swore on the secret. The oath of the Precious Memories.
- - - - - - - - -
The envelope was nestled at home, in safe hands. It was lunch time, and Kyouya was sitting opposite Tamaki, who was looking at the curling address curiously.
Please keep this safe. We are trusting you. – Your friends.
"I wonder what it could be?" Tamaki asked, for the ten thousandth time. Kyouya, who was reading a book- even he didn't type while eating- answered boredly.
"Just open it and find out." After all, it couldn't be different to the dozens of others of fan letters Tamaki got. It was probably a lock of girl's hair or something.
It wasn't, but it was equally disturbing.
Kyouya heard Tamaki's strangled gasps for air and decided he probably didn't want to know; did not look up from his book. The twins turned up, complaining about how Haruhi had insisted on eating in the classroom, and then noticed Tamaki's face.
"What's eating him?" They asked in sync. Kyouya shrugged, and the twins glanced over at the paper Tamaki was staring at.
"Wow." Kaoru muttered. Hikaru said nothing. Kaoru glanced at Tamaki, and stood. "We'd better get him out of here before he explodes…" Hikaru nodded mechanically, and between them they hauled the stunned Tamaki up and began to lead them out. It seemed Hikaru was too shell-shocked to do anything more than what he'd been advised. But Kaoru knew it wouldn't last long.
"I suggest you hide somewhere." He said to Kyouya. "Before these two remember they should be killing you."
The three left, and, alone, Kyouya was overcome with curiosity. He reached over for the abandoned paper and looked at what was on the other side.
His eyebrow raised. Just slightly.
He tucked the photograph safely out of sight in his internal pocket and left rather hastily.
Inside his pocket, the photo was in line with his heart. Not that he noticed. The picture would make him smile a little later. But more than that, he wondered who had caught them; and more importantly why giving it to Tamaki for safe-keeping had been a good idea. What a misguided logic that was.
He would have to be more careful in future. No more in school.
And then he passed the classroom where Haruhi sat alone, eating her lunch and reading, and couldn't resist joining her, showing her the picture; of her hands around his back, in his hair, his around her waist, their lips together.
"Tamaki had it." Kyouya broke the news.
"Well." She said, calmly. "At least we didn't ever have to tell him."
"And now we don't have to be secret anymore."
"No."
They weren't. They pulled close again.
And, outside the door, Sora and another girl from the journal, stood watching, silently crying at the beauty of the relationship, and that the boys would never be theirs. Sora could take no more and ran.
"Good luck, Kyouya-senpai! Good luck, Haruhi-kun!" She cried. "May you have many precious moments!"
They did not hear her words; but they took the advice.
Once Tamaki was done ranting at them, anyway.