Fun fact #24: Kosuke is allergic to bee venom.
Vivere Memento: Thanks! I guess I kinda smashed the bottle on the Kohtuke ship pretty quickly, eh?
Picandy: LOL. I love it! And neither would I.
starlight1395: Well, guess we'll have to see, eh? And I guess you and Vivere Memento are sailing the same ship here.
Counting Sinful Stars: Yes. Yes he is.
bored411: Thank you. I tried to make is as serious-but-funny as possible XD
BlackCrowsFrostDragons: Well, I thought it would be easier to talk to the reviewers in the chapters, then to fill my emails to the brim with messages.
The Yoshinator: Because (and I admit this myself, and quite proudly, too) Kosuke didn't have the common sense to lock the door when a real jerk on the soccer team was walking around school.
KOSUKE'S P.O.V.
It was quite difficult to rise from my bed this morning. When my alarm clock began to bleat into my ears, I had imagined what might have happened when I arrived at the Academy. Needless to say, I would have much rather curl into a fetal position under my blankets and stay there until I turned into a rotting corpse. Eventually, however, Minami had arrived at my door for a secondary wake-up call and I had no other choice but to drag myself to my bathroom to prepare myself.
After breakfast—a rather delectable meal of green tea, yogurt, miso soup, vegetables, and bacon that tasted unfortunately glue-like in my mouth—we had all climbed into our vehicle and took off for the Academy. My HRD was beeping every five minutes, and when asked, I had simply brushed it off as nervousness for an upcoming test. What exactly would happen if Kohta told everyone? I'm positive that almost every student would shun me away from them. But what if people start to threaten me? What if I cause so much conflict that the principal has no other choice but to expel me? Or, what if I cause so much conflict that I'm arrested? I'll spend the rest of my school life inside a cold, dark cell, I'll see my family members every other day, get a fifteen-minute phone call once a week, and I'll have absolutely no chance for an adequate college life!
I had snapped out of my panicked thoughts when I had noticed that the others were staring at me very bizarrely. I realized that I was hyperventilating viciously, my chest pumping up and down, and took several deep breaths until they finally turned around in their seats.
When we had arrived at the school, I had peeked through the glass window to see if an angry mob had already formed, complete with vulgar picket signs and fiery torches. But there was no such thing. All the students outside the front doors of the building were carrying on with their usual routine, chatting to one another and making their way to their homeroom classes.
The car had slowed to a stop at long last. Rituko and Honami had opened the doors beside them and climbed outside, sharing a few 'bye's and 'love you, too's with Mother and Minami. Eventually, I took one last, deep breath, bid goodbye to Mother and Minami, and stepped outside.
No one had reacted. No one had glared icily at me. No one had begun screaming shrilly. No one had paused in their walking to start stabbing me in the throat with their wooden pencils. I had closed the door behind me and began to slowly walk forward, looking over at Chiyo and Misora, standing where they usually do, waiting for me to escort them to class. When their eyes had landed on me, I had paused, unsure if I should dash back to our vehicle or start stuttering out apologies. However, they had just smiled kindly, saying, "Hey, Kosuke." "Good morning."
Finally, I can safely confirm that Kohta has not revealed my secret to the student body or anyone outside of it. I had breathed a sigh of immense relief, then gave them my best smile and said, "Good morning."
000000000000000
Once again, I can safely confirm that Kohta has not revealed my secret to the student body or anyone outside of it.
But, I can also confirm that he was not jesting when he told me that he would 'blackmail' me.
At first, it wasn't at all severe. As I had ambled into my homeroom, my eyes had landed on Haruhi, Kaoru, and Hikaru, all of whom smiled and waved to me when I had appeared. I had taken a single step in the direction to sit in my usual seat in between them...when Kohta called me over to him, demanding that I sit beside him in homeroom...
...until the end of the school year.
Which wasn't too abhorrent. Surely, not being allowed to be seated by the others didn't at all mean that I would never associate with them for the rest of my lifetime. Oddly enough, however, Kohta didn't say a single syllable to me throughout the entire period.
However, after first period (ironically, I had told my siblings that I was nervous for an important test, but when I arrived at the classroom, I had discovered that we, indeed, were having a test, to my shock), as I was ambling down the hall to my next class period, Kohta had turned around a corner directly in front of me, making me jump several feet into the air. Kohta had no reaction at all. He had simply pushed a printed worksheet into my chest, mumbling, "Get this done by tomorrow."
I had observed the worksheet in question. In bold, the top reads, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT WORKSHEET 1. Below this are twenty questions about the novel written by Erich Maria Remarque.
I do not know who Paul Bäumer is, or why he enlisted into the German army.
I do not know the names of three of Paul's accomplices.
I do not know the full name of Paul's mentor, 'Kat'.
I will have a rather difficult time researching this material on the internet this evening...
I am now near the conclusion of my physical education period, trying with all my might to keep my elbows and knees bent, my hands behind my head, and my breath steady as Sensei Kato restrains my feet to the ground. A slick sweat has formed on my forehead, my muscles feel as if I have used shale bricks to massage them, and my hamstrings are as loose as my hair now.
To spare delving into detail, I will tell you of what I now have to do for Kohta, as of yet. Other than the All Quiet on the Western Front worksheet, I have three more homework assignments: a worksheet for trigonometry, a chapter assignment for biology, and a rather...descriptive study guide for Kohta's health class. I have two homework assignments myself, an essay for English and a worksheet in math. I now have six homework assignments tonight. Also, Kohta demanded that, every day until the end of the school year, I pay for his lunch with my own money. And to put the metaphorical cork on the cruel bottle, he tossed his spare soccer uniform—sweaty, grimy, and covered in streaks of mud—and told me to get it washed.
The school day ends at three o'clock. Host Club hours begin at three-ten and end at four-forty-five. I arrive home at five-twenty-five, and we eat dinner at six o'clock. My curfew for sleep is at ten o'clock. That roughly gives me four hours, thirty-five minutes to complete the homework assignments and the uniform tonight. Now, all there is left to do is form a fib to my siblings and not sound like an ignoramus...
The bell tower on the Ouran campus booms out three chimes from its bell, sounding the end of the school day. I collapse on my back and take several deep breaths of air as Sensei stands, gives me a short 'good job', and walks away. I stand up, stumbling as my legs feel very similar to gelatin. I'm finally able to walk, approaching the school building and the locker rooms.
Some thirty minutes later, in the locker room, I have just finished adjusting the tie around my neck when someone knocks at the door. I had the common sense to lock it, thank goodness. I touch my wig, observe my eyes in a nearby mirror, and flatten my clothes, making absolutely sure that I have everything in place before I approach the door and pull it open.
"Actually got your thinkin' cap on today, eh, Nakahara?" Kohta asks me once the door is open. He's dresses in the school's soccer uniform today, in a tight, Tufts blue spandex shirt with gray accents and the Ouran seal on the left breast. A pair of Tufts blue shorts lined with gray, tall Tufts blue socks, and gray cleats accompany.
In confusion, I bring my hand to my head and feel for a headpiece of sorts.
Kohta makes an annoyed scoff and mumbles, "Just forget it." Kohta leans on the doorway, crossing his olive arms over his chest and peering down at me with his emerald green eyes. "There's a chick at the foyer."
"Oh...May I ask why?"
"I told her to meet me there."
"I...Pardon me, you instructed a chick to meet you at the foyer?"
"Yeah, I..." Kohta sighs, and gives me a very flat look. "I'm talking about a human girl, ya idiot."
"Oh. That is much more sensible."
"...Yeah, whatever, anyway, I need you to go there and give her a message."
"Yes, sir. Which message do you wish for me to send?"
"'I don't like you. I don't want to be your boyfriend. Leave me alone.'"
"..."
"..."
"...Must I repeat the message in those exact words?"
"Well, if you're such a little pansy, you can put it in your own stupid, going-to-take-five-hours words. Just make it clear that I don't want to talk to her. Her name's Shika, or something like that."
Before I can protest or disagree, Kohta walks away, whistling all too casually down the hall.
There is, indeed, a girl awaiting Kohta at the foyer. She's standing in front of the gargantuan windows, the incredibly bright light falling on her figure. Her hair is chocolate brown with an auburn shine, silky soft and cut into a bob that barely grazes her shoulders. Her eyes are cerulean, gazing at the gorgeous courtyard garden through a pair of round white glasses. She looks anxious. She's rocking on the heels of her Mary-Janes, her hands shifting from clutching the pale yellow skirt of her dress to pulling at the red bow around her neck. Her pale skin is slightly flushed pink.
I stand at the opposite end of the foyer, hiding behind one of the great pink pillars in front of the red staircase that leads upstairs. I'm chewing my bottom lip and curling my fingers. My HRD lines are low, as if sensing my despair.
Is there really no other way to do this? This girl seems so innocent and sweet. She doesn't deserve to have her heart broken. But if I don't, Kohta will reveal my secret to the student body. If I weren't in the Host Club, I wouldn't mind. Kohta could reveal my secret and I'd receive the only damage. But I am in the Host Club, and if the truth spreads that a cross dresser has been working with them, their reputations will also be ruined.
"...Excuse me? Miss Shika?"
The girl snaps out of her stupor and looks over at me. She seems confused for a moment, staring at me with unfamiliarity, before she speaks and says, "Er...My name is Shiori, if you're asking for me."
"I apologize; I must have heard Mister Akiyama incorrectly. He sent me here to...send you a message."
"Oh, was he not able to make it?" Poor Shiori looks so disappointed; I can feel a pang of guilt in my stomach. She looks down at the gold tiles of the floor and says, "I was looking so far to seeing him. Did he ask you to tell me why he couldn't make it?"
My mouth feels dry. I try to run my tongue over my gums to help, but it feels worse. "M...Mister Akiyama apologizes very deeply for not being able to meet you here today. He...he has to practice with his soccer team."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot he was on the soccer team. But why didn't he say anything when I asked him to meet me here?"
"Miss Shiori...I very sincerely apologize for what I am about to tell you. I despise to be the bearer of ill content, but...I'm the only one who will be."
"W-What is it?" Shiori looks so, so worried. Cripes, I am a monster.
"Mister Akiyama...he says that while you are very kind, and very intelligent, and very, very beautiful..." Shiori blushes, smiling softly as she pulls at her bow again. "...He does not wish to begin a relationship at the time being."
"He...He doesn't like me?"
"I'm positive that Mister Akiyama thinks very highly of you...He does feel romantic feelings for you."
"I...I don't understand, I thought that he liked me...He was so sweet..."
He was? "Miss Shiori, I apologize very much. But I'm positive that Mister Akiyama has a good reason for feeling the way he does. He's only arrived here yesterday, so maybe being in a relationship...is a bit in haste? And I've heard that the soccer team's practice times are very strict. He likely doesn't want to disappoint you by being with you very seldom."
Shiori is frowning, her eyes half-lidded and staring at her feet. She sighs. "Yes. I guess it was a bit quick. I've only known him for a day, but...he's so different from the other boys at this school, y'know?"
"Yes..."
"Even if he doesn't listen, and he doesn't talk most of the time...He's different. Like me and I..." Shiori takes a deep breath and tries to stand tall, but she looks so frail and weak. "I'll give him his space. I'll leave him alone."
Shiori turns on her heel and walks away, her shoulders trembling. I can see her hand reaching up to her face to wipe away the tears.
Why did I even come to Ouran Academy?
MEEEEEERRRRY CHRISTMAAAAAAS!
Thanks for the reviews and compliments. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be; what with all the family stuff I have to do. But hey, it's Christmas! Be happy.
~LunarisAmor