Terribly sorry for the long hiatus! But I'm back and ready to spice this story up a little. I haven't gotten the time to reread everything I've written so far, and I probably won't because reading my own writing makes me cringe a little (OCD here)... so let me know if I'm missing any key points in the later chapter. I've missed you guys.
"Does Yuubi even own a phone? Where could she have possibly disappeared to in this amount of time," Tamaki asked as he and the twins paced restlessly at the edge of the music room.
"I wouldn't know," Kyoya remarked as he took another sip of his coffee; his eyes glued to the daily newspaper. It was about 30 minutes before class started and had been about two weeks since they haven't heard from Yuubi despite their desperate efforts to search for her. The whole host club made a consistent effort to stop by her apartment complex on the drive back home from school; however, her place was vacant every time, each time slowly killing their belief that they would ever see her again.
"Pour me another one," Yuubi slurred with a slight laugh as she sloppily slammed her shot glass on the hardwood table.
"Ok ok ok. Hahaha. Here you go!" Akihiro poured her a fifth one. "We've only been sitting here for 5 minutes, and you're already on your fifth..." Concern seemed to cloud over his expression, in which Yuubi quickly picked up on and sat up straighter before responding.
"What are you talking about? This is my third. I mean the question should be why aren't you drinking?" She put on her cheeriest smile as she filled up his cup and motioned him to down it.
"I am, at a normal pace."
"Eh... Akihiro-kun, when did you become so boring? We've always been drinking buddies."
"But its different this time... I don't know. I don't know. Do you hate the job at the shabu restaurant that much? I know the boss can be hard on you sometimes, and the coworkers seems to take advantage of you since you're new... and the thing that happened at Ouran... wasn't your doing at all..." His grip on his glass seemed to tense. "It's not fair. You worked so - "
She cut him off "I know! I know," she drunkenly shouted. "Thanks for your concern really. I don't have a problem working at the restaurant. I was silly for trying to go to a school out of my means. Maybe its meant to be. Iunno. Iunno. Tobhonest iuncare... Let's just - How have you been?"
They had a couple more rounds.
"I've been okay - don't you think you should contact your friends at least?"
She let out a loud sigh. "Maybe. Probably. But probably not, they'd waste their time trying to help me. They'd make me miss being there... I just need to be separated from it all for a while until it just disappears into my memories..." Her voice softened in disbelief as she realized the cold reality she was delivering to herself. "Iunno... I miss them a lot."
"I wish I knew what to tell you... at the same time, I really enjoy working with you and getting to spend more time with you just like we did before you transferred to Ouran, but I've known you forever. And, I know you're not happy. You NEED to be making art." He glared at the girl sitting across from him, who didn't hear him. His once always energetic, careless and easy going friend now seemed so pitiful as she found herself in a wired cage. In the long silence she didn't respond, he examined her expression in hopes of finding some kind of cue or mark of a response. There he noticed two sad glossy eyes, windows to a soul who was lost and in utter confusion... He really began to feel the heat from the alcohol running through his body, causing it to feel as if it were pulsing. He noticed his breathing getting heavier; he noticed that her hair had been getting longer - especially her bangs, turning her pixie to almost a very short choppy angled bob. He noticed her the femininity in her collarbones. And, the green alcohol began to spill... "Do you like one of them in that sort of way?" He raised his eyes upward as his voice hardened, begging for her to answer it correctly - the way he would've preferred her to answer. Screw it if it messes things up, I've always been there for her. I've always cared for her. Why can't I be curious? ugh I'm drunk He quickly reassured himself.
"Huh? Who?" Unsure if she heard the question correctly.
"Those guys," he groaned.
"Ah... them. Have I ever really liked a guy in that way," she retorted, slowly swaying the bottle in the air with a failed attempt to outline his silhouette. " I haven't! I'm not that type!" A strange sadness overwhelmed her in that moment as it brought back memories of the host club with it. Her eyes began to close involuntarily, and her body weight took over, causing her head to collapse straight on the hardwood table.
"HEY," Akihiro jumped and rushed over to her but found relief when he realized that she was just snoring away. "You had a long day," he chuckled silently to himself. "Why don't you ever tell someone when you're tired..." He began to slip on his shoes to carry her back to her place, knowing she would feel a little uncomfortable waking up at his place. "I guess this is why we're neighbors..." He enjoyed the breeze outside that night, the smell of alcohol reeking from her clothes as she was being carried on his back added to the melancholy he felt in this warm silence. He reached the empty single bedroom apartment, carried her back to her mattress, and tucked her into bed. He knew that was all he was supposed to do, and it was time for him to leave, but he lingered for a minute. The minute seemed to give his hands their own mind, as they trembled towards her face and decided that her head would be a safer option. He gently ran his fingers across her soft short hair and the light sweat on her forehead.
"Hitachiin...?" she mumbled inaudibly between light snores and groaned, then turned to face the wall.
