Chapter 21- An Unnoticeable Gift

Winter arrived.

Now two weeks after Thanksgiving and their trip to Spain, Eri stood in the middle of her living room, looking on as the servants hung up the decorations for Christmas. Red, green, and white materials scattered across the hall, huge white plastic bags piled up in the corner.

"Eri-sama,"

She turned, "Yes?"

Yamaguchi- her butler- stood there with a big cardboard box in his hands, "Eri-sama, where do you want to position the Christmas tree?"

Christmas tree? Eri blinked, her eyes darting across the room, finally landing on a certain spot-

"Would it look good beside the piano?" she asked, pointing to the grand piano standing quietly beside the floor length window.

"Of course, Eri-sama."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Eri gazed at the small crowd of people gathered around the table. A discreet smile made its way to her face, her eyes softening into a lighter shade of blue that resembled the sky. A year ago, if anyone had told her that she would one day have a group of friends, and that they would be celebrating Christmas together, she would have just dismissed the idea with a polite smile. Friends? A Christmas party that was held for the pure and simple purpose of celebrating? To the old her one year ago, it would have been unimaginable.

Winter break just started two days ago, and, according to Tamaki, it was the perfect time to hold an early Christmas celebration in their apartment. His exact words were- "It is simply unforgivable to let this occasion go to waste. Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, as well as a time of bonding- with dear sweet Haruhi. I will prepare the most romantic candle-light dinner, with beautiful elegant flowers, along with-"

Haruhi elbowed him in the guts at that point and he wasn't able to finish what he wanted to say.

But no matter what he had said in the latter part of his speech, the first part was what the other hosts had heartily agreed to.

And as a result, Eri was also invited.

Looking at how the ex-host club members interact with one another, a familiar pang of longing shot through her heart. How many times had she seen them united as a group, having fun as if nothing mattered, while she ate alone in the corner of Ouran High School's cafeteria? How many times had she seen Tamaki's arm hanging around Kyoya's shoulder when they were in class? How many times had she looked through the glass windows and saw Honey sitting on Mori's shoulders while hugging his favourite pink stuffed rabbit as he talked to his solemn cousin?

But as quick as it came, the feeling faded away into a gentler emotion.

One of gratefulness and gratitude.

While she could never become someone in their group, they had accepted her as she is.

A classmate, a senior, a sister… a friend.

Just as Shouji Nanako had observed, Eri, at first glance, seemed to be an outsider- out of place with this merry group. It was true that she rarely conversed with the twins, it was true that she merely talked with Tamaki and Haruhi for a handful of times, and it was true that for a fact, she had made no memories of the past that could join them together. Yet despite all these, despite the fact that she was merely in their life for one short year, despite the fact that she sometimes kept her distance out of habit , and, despite the fact that she avoided coming into their close knitted circle- whether intentionally or unintentionally, they still welcomed her.

"Ri-chan, what are you thinking about?"

Honey's cheerful and upbeat voice broke through her thoughts. Eri turned to look at the young man who was now slightly taller than she was and gave him a small smile, "Just, thinking." she told him with a faint shrug.

Honey hummed at her response, staring at her with a rare look of contemplation in his eyes.

Then with a beaming smile, he beckoned her closer- only to place a quick peck on her cheek when she did.

Eri blinked. And for a second failed to react.

But when she refocused her eyes on the blond-haired senior, all she saw was a heart-warming smile as he answered her unasked question- "A present for my favourite sister."

For a moment her vision seemed to blur and the back of her throat itched. Her face broke into a smile- one which could be described to be almost radiant-

"Thank you, Honey-senpai."

It was the only thing she could say to this senior. Regarding Honey, Eri had always felt as if she could never thank him enough for all the things he had done for her- and she knew he would never demand anything in return. Through the months here in Boston, he had been slowly but surely becoming an important part of her life. Perhaps this change had already started the day he went to the host club just to make sure she was okay, the day her belief shattered. He was there for her, something Minori nii-san was no longer able to do as his work load increased over the years. Honey-senpai was the first one- other than Kyoya- to tell her that he cared. This child-like senior had been breaking down her barriers and defences unknowingly- and, somehow, she trusted him enough to let him continue doing so.

Haninozuka Mitsukuni smiled gently when he realised the girl had once again lost herself in thought.

How could he tell her she would always be welcomed into their circle?- that she was already a part of them. He had always known her unconscious apprehension when she was around the host club as a whole. When it was just himself, Takashi, and Kyo-chan, she was perfectly at ease- relaxed even; but when they have gatherings just like this, she would always shrink away into the background. He was aware of her self-protecting barrier- all of them had one, it was the only thing that prevented them from getting hurt in their world. However, every time he saw her sanding quietly by herself in the corner, with that look of yearning that perhaps even she herself did not know she was wearing, he felt for her. Somehow, he did not want her to live her whole life like that- always keeping distance, always being cautious and alert. The saddest part about their world was that while many strived for and enjoyed the luxury, a remnant of them would have chosen another life without a second thought if given the chance.

To be able to enjoy life the way they want it, to be able to go wild once in a while, to be able to cry and laugh whenever they felt like it and not just for the sake of putting on a show in front of others...

That was why he had worked so hard to tear her walls down bit by bit. He wanted her to know that even in this cruel world, she was not alone- that she still had people to turn to.

That was why, initially, when he- along with Takashi- saw her and sensed that she could potentially become someone special to Kyoya, he wanted to break down her defensive wall.

Perhaps, in the beginning, it was for the sake of Kyoya that he wanted to do this. But as time passed, he saw her difference from the others. She did not seemed as if she belonged to their world. She was far too untainted and tender-hearted.

But he wouldn't call her naive. Akino Eri knew what reality was, she knew what one had to acquire in order to survive, yet, she had remained pure. Always trying to believe in the good side to humanity, always trying to find reasons to believe in others if that person had not yet proved him or herself to be unworthy. Through all these, she had wisely tried to keep herself and her heart safe. Most of the time, the distance she had placed was not because she did not want the others near her, but because she wanted to believe and trust in them and still be able to pull herself back if situations ever demand it.

Honey looked across the room and accidentally caught sight of a certain raven-haired youth. He watched the younger man and saw the unhidden soft glint behind his glasses- there was no doubting who he was looking at.

Honey glanced beside him, at the girl-grown-young woman who had actually made a change in them without her knowing it.

Some people just had that hidden charm.

And looking at that pair of soft eyes, that small upward lift of those lips, and that little becoming curl of honey brown locks at the base of her neck, Honey was never more certain that Akino Eri was one of those blessed with that very unique gift. It was an invaluable gift. Something that they- not even Haruhi- had. It was something so faint and unnoticeable, so much so that most people ignored- or failed to recognise- it.

Three days later, when Eri received a package handed to her by one of the servants, she wondered about who the giver would be.

Entering her personal library, she tore it open. Staring at the content for a long while, she let out a small laugh.

Wrapped in those brown paper was a framed photo. And in the photo, was a scene taken down during the party when no one was aware- except for, maybe, the photographer.

- Tamaki was in the middle of the photo, his face white with whipped cream; Haruhi was beside him, a towel in hand as her eyes danced with laughter; the Hitachiin twins stood, one on the left and the other on the right, behind Tamaki, each holding an empty plate while pointing at the dumbfounded blond, pointing and bending over as they howled in laughter; to the right of the havoc beside the table, was Honey, happily eating away; Mori stood beside Honey, merely holding his plate, motionless- though if you looked closer, you could see the slight curve of his firm mouth.

- In the other corner where the mantlepiece was situated, was herself. She was looking at the others with a smile on her face- a smile, she just realised, filled with genuine happiness.

All of a sudden, the taker of this photograph was clear.

And as if on cue, her phone vibrated.

Pulling it out, she opened the new unread text message-

- 'Blessed Christmas.'

The sender was Ootori Kyoya.

Eri felt herself smiling as she typed a reply-

- 'Blessed Christmas to you too.

I loved your gift but-

Where are you?'

The reply was almost instant-

- 'Take a closer look.'

Puzzled, Eri did as he told her to.

And when she did so, her eyes widened.

- On the wall beside the mantlepiece was actually a piece of mirror. Eri had missed the vague figure that appeared in it- Kyoya, holding a camera, seemed to be standing beside her when in reality, he was on the other side of the room. He had skilfully taken this picture when no one was watching, at the same time making sure he himself was in it.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Kyoya readjusted his glasses as he read the 'Thank you, Kyoya.' Eri sent and snapped his phone shut.

Honey was not the only one who noticed the unnoticeable gift Eri possessed.

- The gift to influence another individual to change for the better.

He recalled the farewell speech she gave in front of the whole class back in Japan. He had seen the many pairs of teary eyes, heard the subtle sniffs, and felt the altering of the atmosphere. He witnessed how she caught and held the attention of others, how her heart-felt speech- filled with such honesty and emotion- had stirred up the hearts of the whole class.

She was an observer under the guise of a loner. A leader under the semblance of a follower.

He noticed it all.

And Kyoya knew his father noticed as well.

- "Kyoya, you made the right choice befriending Akino Hiroto's daughter."

- 'She's something.' were his unsaid words.

"I don't think I'm ready."

"And it is for that very reason, I know that you are."

~The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Here it is, the 21st chapter! I hope you were able to catch the significance of the photo at the end. Hint: Unnoticeable.

As I have stated on my profile, I'm taking my time collecting my thoughts. (Because, after that Spain trip, I suddenly felt lost as how to continue this story and I definitely don't want to end this yet.)

Also, if I realise that I'm hitting the writer's block or will be updating slower, there will be a notice on my profile. (I don't want to post any author's note in my story… and I know how frustrating it is to receive a mail telling of a new update only to find out that it is an announcement and not a real update… XD)

For those of you who knows Chinese, and is a fan of Kuroko no Basuke, and is a fan of Akashi, feel free to check out my profile for the new story I'm working on. It's called 夕陽下的牽絆 and my pen name is 散櫻. You don't have to worry though, I've put my name as Lura Elsworth on the cover of that story so there'll be no mistaking it. Initially I have been thinking of posting chinese stories on this site but after asking around and checking out other chinese stories, I found out that the number of people who understands Chinese is lacking… really lacking. (And you know how discouraging it is if the viewings and number of comments are low…)

...

Back to this chapter.

This could be counted as a filler chapter. I had wanted to update this story during Christmas but unfortunately, I opened this document, stared at the screen… and blanked out.

And before I forget, a belated Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year!

All of you have been so supportive… and patient.

Thank you.

...

I do not own Ouran; only original characters and scenes are mine.

Till next time.

~Lura.