Lost in the Dark
By E.M. Megs
Chapter 27 – Father and Son
His father hardly even glanced at him before turning back to his conversation with Akito. He felt his hand clench in a fist in irritation. He still wondered why Akito always thought that he was more liked by their family when he never even got looked at by their father. Finally, the elder brother bowed his head at Yoshio and said, "Yes, Father." He wheeled past him with a smirk.
Kyoya glared at him until he left his line of vision then he looked at his father. "Your brothers tell me that you were acting King in my absence."
The youngest merely nodded his head in confirmation. "Yuiichi did not feel as though he could rationally lead following Mayuri's death and Akito was close to mortally wounded as well as emotionally compromised from Sachi's passing. I was the last rational choice."
"You sustained no injuries of your own?"
"No. Nor Haruhi or I were hurt." He seemed to be suspicious. "Father… I achieved the position of Filandrian Hand-to-Hand Combat Champion at the most recent Exodus Festival. Tied with a Kiran Corporal for it. I can defend myself."
His father merely hummed. "I'm interested to know about Haruhi. Are you engaged to her yet?"
He swallowed. She had told him to say that they were, but he didn't want her to be stuck marrying him if his father acted out of turn and arranged for the wedding too quickly. He didn't want to go against her wishes when she'd already told him no. "… No," he finally murmured. "She… does not wish to marry yet. She's rather independent and would like to remain so for the time being."
His father snorted and Kyoya looked up from the bloodstain on the floor that his eyes had strayed to. Yoshio was scowling. "Women need to know their place, Kyoya. If she does not want to marry you, then I do not want her living with you in the castle."
Kyoya felt a lump in his throat and quickly argued his point, "With all due respect, Uherfa, Haruhi's independence is one of the things that intrigues me about her. I would like for her to come around in her own time. Besides her current injury should not be left unattended, as much as she hates actually needing someone to take care of her."
"Injury?"
"She… lost her leg, Father. Surely Yuiichi told you about it."
"How?"
"An accident with a litriad. She's lucky to have survived."
"Her family can take care of her."
"Her family is actually… preoccupied at the moment. She's only here because of that."
"I won't allow her to stay here, Kyoya."
"And why not? I believe I've given reason enough."
"She's not who she says she is." Kyoya stopped and stared at him, wondering now exactly what Akito had told their father. "She isn't Haruhi Fari because Haruhi Fari doesn't exist. And I'd like to see her to confirm her identity before I throw her out."
"Father, she isn't well… And at the moment is sleeping."
"Then go wake her and bring her here." He opened his mouth then shut it again, knowing that it was pointless to argue with a bitter old man that was used to getting his own way.
"Yes, Father," he muttered, bowing a bit out of sure spite. He left, running into Yuiichi on his way. "He wants to see Haruhi. Goddammit." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and growled under his breath.
"I just gave her the tea. She probably hasn't even gotten the chance to drink it," the older replied. He nodded and thanked his brother before disappearing into his bedroom. Haruhi was curled up, half asleep. He scowled. This wasn't really necessary. He could have waited until she was awake and well to interrogate her. If anything, this just caused him to be more irritated with his father. Regardless, he sat on the edge of the bed next to her and stroked her hair until she woke up.
"Hng… What?" she mumbled, voice drugged with sleep.
"My father wants to see you," he murmured, smoothing her bangs back from her eyes.
Haruhi almost flipped herself over and went back to sleep but instead grumbled curses of the 60-year-old under her breath and pulled herself into sitting position. She winced. He sighed and went to get her a wheelchair. "Kyoya," she said when he returned wheeling the device, "Why exactly does your father want to see me?"
"I told him that we weren't engaged."
"I told you to tell him we were."
He shrugged. "I don't want to trap you in something that you don't want. You told me no, so I told him no too." He took a breath. "Which is probably why he's a bit… pushy at the moment. It doesn't help that he's awake for the first time in two months. Though, he'd probably want to see you anyway considering that I think Akito did a little research and found out that Haruhi Fari doesn't exist."
She groaned as his lifted her from the bed to the chair. "Dammit," she cursed softly. "What do we tell him then?"
Kyoya had no response for several moments then he said, "You're Paitet. That would explain why you were in Pait when you were attacked and why I had to go to there to look after you. I'll think of the rest along the way. Fuyumi and Fuko will cover for you, I'm sure." She nodded as he tucked a blanket around her legs, bracing his arms against the wheelchair arms in order to lean over her properly. "I won't let him hurt you, Haruhi," he promised in a tone that wished death on anyone that touched her. She swallowed and nodded again.
He pushed her out of the room and down the hall to his father's bedroom. He stopped long enough to knock and bestow a kiss on the top of her head before entering the room.
~o~
Haruhi was miserable. Her leg ached from phantom pains, her head was still groggy, and all she really wanted to do was sleep. And here Yoshio Ohtori was questioning her harshly about her real identity. She slumped to the side in her wheelchair, trying desperately to keep her eyes open.
"Name. Real one," Yoshio commanded just as Haruhi's eyes started to drift close.
"Haruhi." Her mind raced to think of a last name. "Haruhi Yukikawa."
"And where do you come from, 'Haruhi Yukikawa'?" he asked next, glaring at her suspiciously, "And why hide your identity?"
"Oh, I don't know," she grumbled sarcastically, "Maybe because you'd take me away from your son and/or kill me. I'm from Pait with mixed heritage from all over the place. You don't even want to know."
"I do, actually."
She sighed and glanced at Kyoya, who stood as stiff as a brick next to her. "Third Paitet, sixth Narian, sixth Kiran, twelfth Moradian, twelfth Gratweny – those two are from way back, mind you – twelfth Chartonian, and a twelfth of some lower-class tribe that I can never remember the name of because it's ridiculously long." Yoshio raised an eyebrow while Kyoya remained expressionless, though she knew he was impressed with her ability to make up something like that on the spot. "Hardly someone that I thought you wanted around your son, thus I lied. To him even." Kyoya turned his head and stared at her. "Sorry," she whispered to him. He shrugged nonchalantly, indicating that he didn't care.
Yoshio did not look impressed. "After him just for the royalty then."
"Not at all," she replied quickly. "I didn't even know that he was royalty when I first met him. I can be a bit unobservant when… distracted." She glanced at him again. He was smirking just enough to confirm her fake story without ever saying a word. "I genuinely care about your son, Your Majesty."
"Then you should have no problem with marrying him."
"I believe it's too soon in our relationship for marriage." The King raised an eyebrow at her quick reply, his arms slowly crossing over his chest. "I'm sure he's explained to you that I do not like to rush things, especially things that might affect the rest of my life. Our lives."
"He has… How old are you Miss Yukikawa?"
"Twenty, sir."
"How long have you been with Kyoya?"
She swallowed and glanced up at him questioningly. "Three months?" she asked hesitantly.
"Four," Kyoya corrected, "Give or take a week or two." He paused and then said, "Father, I do not see the reason in this."
"Patience, Kyoya," his father reprimanded, "I'm merely making sure she's suitable for you."
"I thought dinner had sufficed."
"Not quite. She remained very silent the entire time if you'll remember correctly."
"With all due respect, Father, I don't care that she's what some people in your royal court would refer to as a 'mutt'. Nor do I care if she's from a different country, or how old she is, or even what her name really is."
"Then you will have no problem with my questions. It is my judgment and responsibility to make sure she's suitable for you, socially and otherwise. Your opinion in the matter has little effect on that. Hold your tongue," Yoshio said sharply, giving his youngest son a glare. He turned his ice cold gaze back to the woman in the wheelchair. "What is your status in Pait?"
She had thought about this already. "I'm… the daughter of a lower-rank countess and a commoner. I'm not even exactly sure if I'm what you would call legitimate." She almost snorted from the irony of it. Her grandmother would not have called her legitimate. Her grandmother would have called her an abomination, just like Tamaki's called him as such. Purely because she wasn't of full magical blood, full Witch blood. "Especially seeing as my mother died when I was young."
"You've been raised a commoner then?"
"Yes." She pursed her lips and bowed her head. "And if that isn't to your liking, then I apologize, but I cannot change my heritage and childhood anymore than I can my feelings for your son."
"Feelings can be forgotten."
"So can heritage," she bit back, "It gets lost in time and becomes so muddled that a lot of people wouldn't even know what country they originally came from. I'm lucky enough to have learned what I am from a young age."
For the third time during their conversation, Yoshio raised an eyebrow at her response. "That was very… Eloquent," he finally said, though his lips were now turning down in a frown. "I will reserve judgment for now, but be warned, Miss Yukikawa, I'll still be observing."
"Yes, sir," she said softly, bowing her head and blinking to keep herself from showing the pain that had plagued her throughout the entire ordeal.
"Dismissed. Kyoya, stay behind."
"Father, I must escort her back to my chambers."
"She can get herself there." Kyoya sighed and looked at her. She just nodded her head and waved him off, taking the wheels of the chair in her hands and pushing them forward until they moved. It took her a bit of time to get used to it but once she got that hang of it, she was able to get out the door quickly. Kyoya closed it behind her. "She has spark."
"Another thing I like about her," Yoshio's son agreed quietly.
"It amuses me, but it could quickly become an annoyance if she remains so stubborn." Kyoya almost twitched at the subtle hint to 'break her in.' "She's quite intelligent as well."
"From what she's told me, her father homeschooled her with what he knew and a local professor turned her into a charity project."
"A woman?"
"Yes. You'll notice that Pait's beginning to branch out to women as well, Father. Something that I support quite strongly, especially if the outcome is someone like Haruhi who could actually do something besides become a housewife."
"You knew she was from Pait then?"
"Yes, though I didn't know that she was of mixed heritage and raised as a commoner. Her refinement when I met her indicated someone of higher class." He took a pause and then added quieter, "She seems to be quite embarrassed about that part of her, though I, personally, don't understand why."
"She's a mutt, Kyoya. Anyone would be embarrassed about that, especially if they're going after a Prince. I don't like her. Her attitude… Does not sit well with me."
"Perhaps you're just old-fashioned."
"Hold. Your. Tongue." Another glare was sent his way but Kyoya deflected it easily with his blank expression. "There is something else off that she's not telling us, I can tell."
"I don't know what it could be. She's given you every kind of information she could possibly have."
"Does she have magical blood?"
He paused then carefully replied, "Yes… It's natural, like Mother's. I believe she told me that she inherited it from her mother but never got the chance to train it and thus doesn't like to use it very often. It drains her. I've seen it. She practically passes out after a single spell."
"Your brother told me that she has an uncle on the Kiran royal court."
"From what I understand, he is her half-uncle. He and her father are half-brothers who share the same mother."
"I've also heard that you stayed behind after the Exodus Festival to care for him after he had a heart-attack."
He nodded in confirmation, swallowing down his nervousness before replying, "I did. Haruhi was distraught though she isn't particularly close to her uncle and cousin, they are some of her only remaining family, Kiran or not."
"You acted purely on your feelings for her then. You're we-"
"Father," Kyoya said sharply, "I believe that having a Kiran royal court member who is indebted to me is an advantage that can be later used. I also believe it was you who said that Akito, Yuiichi, and I should invest emotional connection only in one person at a time. That's the only reason you allow us to take on lovers, is it not? Akito has far overstepped that freedom many times while he was married to Sachi as well as before."
"Do not speak about your brother in such a rude manner."
"I apologize if I sounded rude, Father, but I will not take back my words. I'm determined to make Haruhi my wife in time. When she is ready, of course. Seeing as such, I do not think it's completely unreasonable for me to invest my emotions in her. I care about her, Father, and that certainly won't change even if you decide that she isn't suitable."
Yoshio was completely silent for a moment then he said, "I'm disappointed in your choice in women, Kyoya."
"How so?"
"First you bring that Moradian into my palace and expect me to allow her to live-."
Kyoya blinked in surprised at the mention of his previous lover but didn't let her presence in the conversation affect him. "Saren was hardly a threat, Father. Nor was she a part in rebel activities. She wasn't even there when Mother was shot."
"Do not speak to me about your mother's death, boy. Do not try to defend that Moradian of yours either. She was Moradian and therefore she was filth."
"Moradians only rebel against you because you're so harsh on them. You treat them like garbage when most of them did not do anything to deserve such treatment. Mother would be-." He heard the smack more than felt it. He'd let his anger get the best of him. Even as his head whipped to the side and his glasses flew off his face, he didn't let anything show on his face. He hadn't even been aware that his father could get out of bed.
"Do not speak to me in such a manner, Kyoya. I will not stand for it," his father hissed, now practically spitting with rage. "I am now disappointed in more than just your taste in women. I am enraged by your behavior. Being King – you should not have had that position and surely not for as long as you did. Kingship made you cheeky and now it's my responsibility to reign you in. I will only say this one last time: Hold. Your. Tongue."
Kyoya practically had to bite his tongue to keep himself from spilling over in his own anger. "I apologize. You were saying about my taste in women, Father?" he said bitterly, not really meaning his apology but knowing it was better to give a false one than not give one at all.
"Your taste in women is repulsive. First you bring in that Moradian and you expect me to let her live." That had been a mistake. His father was never supposed to know that Saren was from Mora. As he always did, Akito had ruined it. "Next you bring in this mutt who has absolutely no status and on top of that is a foreigner with little Narian blood at all. Though you may wish to marry her based on her intellect and personality, it is not enough. I will not give you my blessing unless she proves herself fitting to wear a Narian crown."
"Well," Kyoya said sarcastically with a bitter grin, "It's a good thing that she won't marry me, then, isn't it, Father?"
Yoshio snorted in disgust and waved him out. "Get out of my sight."
Kyoya was only too glad to.
~o~
Haruhi, from her position on the floor, could tell Kyoya was pissed when he entered by the fact that he slammed the door behind him and almost smashed the vase sitting decoratively on his dresser. This was the kind of anger that she hadn't ever seen from him, nor knew how to quell. She stayed quiet although she'd been stuck on the floor, painfully trying to pick herself back up, for almost as long as she'd been in the room alone.
By the time Kyoya noticed where she was, he snapped out of his anger almost immediately. "Haruhi," he said, lurching forward to help her, "What are you doing on the floor?"
"I tried to move from the chair back to the bed and fell," she replied tartly as she sat down on the bed. He remained standing as though he was too angry to remain in one place. "Your father obviously said some things that he had no right to."
His cheek twitched just below his eye, upper lip almost turning into a sneer of distaste just at the mention of Yoshio Ohtori. She noticed the slight discoloration of it, but chose not to comment since she already figured she knew what had happened. "You could say that," he growled.
She could tell that he was holding something back, hesitating almost like he had something more to tell her. When he didn't continue, she asked very softly, "What is it?"
She visibly noticed him swallow from the strain on his emotions. Then he took a seat next to her heavily, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. "He… made an unnecessary reference to a person… That used to be very important to me."
"Your mother?"
He chuckled in surprise. "No, no. He never talks about Mother. This is a… different person." He seemed to want to avoid the topic but he sighed and slouched in his seat. Both hands ran through his hair, clasping behind it with his body bowed. When he sat up again, she was surprised to see his eyes carefully guarded and avoiding hers. "My ex-fiance. He talked about my ex-fiance, Sarentia Mareling."
Haruhi blinked and sat back a bit in surprise, mind racing. She wouldn't have ever once thought that he had previously been engaged. "What happened to her?"
"She… died." By the hesitation in his words she picked up the true meaning, 'My father killed her.'
"Why?"
"She was Moradian." He forced his voice to remain even and quiet. As though talking about the dead would bring her back to life in the worst way possible. He still didn't look at her. "She was Moradian, we were engaged, and my father didn't know."
"So he found out-."
"And killed her, yes."
"I'm-."
"Don't apologize, Haruhi. Don't you dare apologize." Now he looked at her and she could see the resentment in his eyes. The anger and absolute grief. "I was a fool," he muttered bitterly, "And it's because I was a fool with my emotions that she was killed. I'm tired of apologies when I'm the one that is at fault." He let the matter end right there without continuing, but she still had questions. He stood and pointed at her tea. "Drink."
"One more question?" she interjected quickly. He sighed wearily and nodded his head. "How old were the two of you?"
He drew in a slow breath and let it out again fast. "When we met, I was 17 and she was 21. We were engaged when I was 19 and she died… a month before my 20th birthday. She had just turned 24." She stared at him, doing the math of the time in her head as fast as she possibly could. A year and a half. It had been a year and a half since his previous fiancé had died and here he was proposing to her. "And Saren is the exact reason why we won't be talking about your heritage within the castle anymore. Drink your tea. I'll be in the library."
She sighed as he left. He'd been engaged previously, obviously something that hurt him greatly, though he talked as though it was nothing. She wondered briefly if that was the reason that he now hated his father so much. She guessed so. Especially since Maine and Mona had told her that he had wanted to be like his father when he was younger. Perhaps Saren's death had been the thing to change his mind.
She sighed. 'I need a chat with Charmaine…'
~o~
She couldn't take the passage to Charmaine's bedroom due to her current disability, thus she was forced to take to the main halls, while simultaneously keeping watch to make sure that none of the Ohtoris caught sight of her.
When she reached the bedroom, however, she could hear voices within arguing. She frowned and listened more closely, trying to identify them. "Akito! You need to stop meddling in his life!" That was definitely Charmaine, though Akito's name surprised her.
"And you need to stop telling me what I should do," the growled reply that came was definitely Kyoya's elder brother. She felt a shiver go down her spine. "That woman is… You don't even know."
"I do, actually," Charmaine said stubbornly.
"She's not who she says she is."
"And that isn't your business, nor is informing your father. If Kyoya withheld information regarding Haruhi he probably did so for good reason and would tell the King in good time. Stop meddling in his life. Even if you hate him that doesn't give you the automatic right to destroy his happiness."
"She's a menace! Probably a Kiran spy for all we know!"
"That still isn't any of your business. Kyoya is smart. He knows what's best for himself and he obviously cares for her as much as she does for him!"
"How do you know?"
"I met her."
"How?"
"Kyoya introduced me to her…"
"Dammit, Maine," Akito was growling again and Haruhi vaguely heard the squeak of his wheelchair wheels as they rotated loosely.
"What? I'm not allowed to even speak to your brothers now? To meet the people they're involved with in their lives?"
"No. No you're not. You aren't supposed to… You're not supposed to be friends with him of all people anyway!"
"And why not? Just because you've hated your own brother since his birth doesn't mean that I have to, Akito."
"Maine, you are mine."
"I'm not anyone's. I have never and will never belong to anyone. And I want you to stop trying to destroy the lives of people that you have no right trying to control. Like myself. Like your brother. Just stop."
"Main-."
"Akito, I swear to the Gods that I will never let you lay finger on me ever again if you hurt your brother or Haruhi." Maine's suddenly threatening tone was motherly towards the youngest Ohtori, much to her surprise. "You almost killed him twice when we were little, Akito. Isn't that enough? Can't you just put everything behind you and stop messing with him? He has it hard enough being the youngest, dammit."
"Maine-."
"Just leave him alone, Akito. I don't want to hear anything else. Leave him and Haruhi alone. Let them fall in love like we did once upon a time, it isn't that hard." She heard a masculine sigh, but no agreement. Then, after a moment, she sighed too. "Akito… I love you. You know I always have, I just want Kyoya to have the chance to be loved too."
"Fine," he grumbled, "Fine, I'll leave them alone. But I'm telling you, she's not right for him."
"Let him make that decision," Maine murmured gently. "You should get back. If your father catches you here…"
"I know." Haruhi, startled, moved away from the door and found the nearest nook that her chair would fit in and crammed in. Akito exited the room in his own wheelchair only moments after she was settled. Once he was out of sight, she breathed a sigh of relief and went to the maid's door, knocking twice. When Maine opened the door, she started in surprise.
"Haruhi!" Then she blanched. "Oh goodness, how much did you hear?"
"Just about everything… Thank you for it though. I think Akito was really getting on Kyoya's nerves. And with their father…" she trailed off and looked at Maine. She gestured her inside quietly. Haruhi nodded her head in thanks. "Did you know Sarentia Mareling?"
"Kyoya's lover? Yes, I did. The King was terrible to her."
"Can you tell me more about her?" Charmaine raised an eyebrow and smirked a bit. "I'm not jealous. I just… I want to know. Knowing helps me understand him better. And considering that King Yoshio doesn't exactly like me that much, it might help me avoid his bad side if I did know what happened to her."
"How much has he told you?" She looked apprehensive to be handing out this information. Haruhi didn't blame her.
"He told me that they were engaged, she was Moradian, and that his father had her killed."
Maine sighed under her breath and ran a quick hand through her auburn hair. She shut her eyes, as if thinking back to a time long ago then started quietly. "Kyoya was 17 when he met her. She was 21, that right off the bat made Yuiichi disagree with the relationship automatically. He wasn't allowed to bring her to the castle until he was 18, one of his father's rules but when he did, they were damn near inseparable. The King didn't seem to mind her much either.
"Haruhi, she was the first woman that Kyoya had ever even shown interest in. Akito, I know, was beginning to wonder about his sexuality. It seems though that he's just picky. Anyway… She… loved him. Everyone could tell, but of course she had to lie about her identity or Yoshio would kill her. And he cared enough about her to keep the fact that she was Moradian a secret.
"Akito… And this is why I told him to leave you alone… Akito found out and though I begged him not to tell his father, he still did. Yoshio was furious, absolutely furious, and it was only spurred further by the fact that he didn't know they were engaged. Kyoya, though he tried to protect her couldn't keep her away from his father's wrath. He had her hung. And the worst part is that he made Kyoya watch her writhe until she finally passed. To 'teach him a lesson.' That horrible man ruined what I genuinely thought was one of Kyoya's only chances at a happy marriage. And then he met you." She smiled at her and Haruhi felt as though she should have been looking at someone else as her heart dropped dangerously into her intestines.
"I know that you might not want to talk about it… But I know that you're good for him. The change in him since you got here has been… incredible."
Haruhi pressed her lips together in a thin line in an attempt not to show what she was really feeling. "He proposed to me."
Maine's face brightened. "Really? What did you say?"
"I said no." Her giant grin dimmed significantly, like Tamaki's usually did when she gave him bad news. It almost hurt her to tell this woman that she had only known for a short time the truth. "I told him no because I… can't deal with that. As strong as he thinks that I am and as much as I care about him, I can hardly conceive the idea of being married to him at this point. It's just… too much. And with my situation, I don't think it's even a possibility. I don't want to bring him down."
Maine looked at her like a confused puppy and Haruhi, once more wondered if she was related to a certain blonde Kiran Prince. "But Haruhi… The last thing you'd be doing is bring him down."
"No. I would. Our social classes aren't meant to mix, nor are our cultures. As much as he doesn't care, his father does and I don't want to put him in the deep end with his father. I don't ever want to hurt him personally or for him to be hurt because of me."
"If you care about each other then I don't understand…"
"It's the same reason that you and Akito couldn't possibly be married." She shot a mischievous look at the older woman, who looked away with slightly pink cheeks.
"Th-That is nothing close to the same thing. I'm a servant. Servants don't marry the Prince that they serve."
"Why not?"
"Because it isn't right Haruhi. His father wouldn't approve and I can't do anything to hurt his position in line for the throne."
"Exactly." Maine turned her head and stared at her. "That's why I can't – won't – marry Kyoya. Because it would hurt his position. I wouldn't ever put him in a position where he'd have to choose between me and the crown. Just like I'd never let myself be hurt by putting him in that position. Because I know that he would choose the crown."
"I doubt that, Haruhi," Maine said skeptically, "If he cares for you at all like he did for Saren, then he'll choose you."
"He can't. I won't let him. I'd sooner leave him than let him do that."
"You have to know that it isn't just your choice. He's going to insist at some point. And once he insists, you'll have no choice but to hurt him if you do as you say and refuse to marry him." She felt as though Maine were trying to corner her and, for some reason, she was letting her. "And yet, you also say that you wouldn't be able to bring yourself to hurt him. What a paradox you've created." She seemed very thoughtful for a moment, and Haruhi thought that she might say something else smart in the matters of the heart that might solve everything. Then she merely said, "You have a chance. More of a chance than I have. I just don't understand why you won't take the chance that I would do almost anything for."
Haruhi felt some part of her lurch at the woman's words. With truth and sympathy for the young woman who could never have the man that she loved (though she still wasn't sure how Maine could love a man as cruel and cold as Akito). She looked away from her, suddenly ashamed. "I'm sorry that you can't be with Akito, but you can't possibly understand the circumstances I'm under, and I need to be going."
She turned her chair to go. Halfway to the door she stopped at Maine's parting words. "Even if you refuse him, he won't be able to stop himself, Haruhi. He's only human. And a very good man. Enough to make you happy, I'm sure. Just… Think about that."
~o~
That night while Haruhi and Kyoya settled down to sleep, Haruhi turned toward him and stared at his face through the dimness, just thinking. He stared back until his exhaustion caused his eyes to droop. She sighed and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. His eyes fluttered open again. She thought about everything that Maine had told her today and felt her heart swell with sympathy for him. "Kyoya," she finally whispered. He grunted softly in response. "Did you love Saren?" He closed his eyes and shrugged. She took that as a sign that he wasn't positive.
She swallowed and moved a little closer to him. Although summer days in Nari were quite warm, nights were freezing. The warmth that Kyoya radiated drove her cold fingers and toes crazy. He opened one eye at the movement and her small gasp of pain as her hurt leg brushed against the mattress.
"Do you need something?" he grumbled, "Or are you just set on disrupting my sleep?"
"Are there more blankets somewhere? I think my toes are freezing themselves."
"You need to rest, Haruhi."
"My toes are freezing," she retorted, scowling at him. He let out a low tired breath and moved closer to her, pressing her foot between both of his. Why was he so warm? That was hardly fair! He recoiled slightly at first contact with her, truly cold, toes. "I told you."
He grumbled under his breath. "Anything else?"
"My fingers. But… I think I can solve that one." She intertwined the fingers of both her hands with his and he raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so warm?" she mumbled, scowling. He just shook his head and closed his eyes again.
"Because, unlike you, I retain body heat by not expelling unnecessary energy to visit certain maids." He opened an eye again just to see the look on her face. Then he chuckled. "I would have told you about Saren eventually. Though, maybe hearing it from someone else was better."
"Did you know that Charmaine and Akito are in love?"
He nodded, shrugging. "I don't understand how. He's hurt her quite a bit in the past. Her brother and I had to pick up the pieces. Especially after Father forbid them from seeing each other. Why do you ask?"
She lifted her shoulders. "Just… curious. Come up with anything on the planning front?"
"Haruhi, I'm exhausted." He looked at her, still allowing her to hold his hands in hers. "I've come up with a little, but it's not nearly enough. We'll talk about it tomorrow. You need your rest just as much as I do. Now sleep."
She nodded obediently and, keeping her hands and foot close to his, closed her eyes.
~o~
A/N: UGH. THIS ONLY COVERED ONE DAY BECAUSE I COULDN'T STOP FREAKING THINKING. ASJDFLWHEFUOWHFKJAHDF.
Crazy moment aside… This is just off of 6000 words. Eeeeeee. And also my last back-up chapter. Crap. Here I go to write 28 when I should be studying my butt off. Somehow. Oi. We'll see how well this chapter-a-month thing holds up after this.
Kudos to: Nessie-san, Obscurity Within Mercy, The Last Fallen Angel, Victoria5624, xxXDreamFan98Xxx, Magpie09, Toffee-Pixie, and hiya-exclamationpoint! You guys are all great!'
Oh! Also! Got a random idea for another murder mystery type thing with a Kyoya-Haruhi partnership! Already have written quite a bit for it too! So look out for that! Also think I'm gonna discontinue Rule 51 since all my notes and stuff for where it was going got lost on my old computer. Sorry.
