**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter was edited by a wonderful beta reader. Thank you again.**
Rin and Zaina watched Kyoya's retreating figure vanish around the corner, Zaina's eyes catching the smile that was prominent on Rin's face. Though it was hardly noticeable in size, her face glowed with such pure emotion that it was near blinding. This particular happiness of Rin's was bittersweet for Zaina. She wanted her lady happy— the happiest in the world. Yet, she was unable to accept this particular happiness with a man who was shrouded in mystery and steeped in self-preservation. It was clear in his eyes just how guarded he was. She wondered if Rin saw the same.
Rin was not oblivious to walls that barred Kyoya from the world. She, too, had her own citadel of protection to keep her from harm. Though glittering and glamorous, the world of the refined and luxurious was plagued with such darkness and unspeakable evil, it was difficult to tell who was truly an ally, who an enemy, and who to keep closer. It was always so lonely. No amount of material gluttony or interlopers hoping to leech off of her family would ever be able to fill the vacancy.
She never had any intention of finding interest in anyone here, but the Host Club had given her a group of beautiful individuals that burned brightly in their own color, brilliant and brave. Watching them get away from the same old parts they had to play, taking a ride on the other side she had feared to tread… it was a breath of fresh air, the wind ruffling her feathers and teasing her to spread her wings. The walls she kept were suddenly suffocating and bland, the sensibility no longer as appealing.
How he was able to balance the truth that was himself and the role he was trapped in was what drew her in at first. It looked as if he was still in the cage, but it was her looking at him from her own bars. At first she was skeptical, grateful to the life she was trapped in—or so she thought. Deep down, she knew she wanted to get away, break free and act as they did. She was okay with the part she had to play, but if she was able to do as she wished while doing what was needed, life would be so much more fulfilling. It was a whole new world she had not considered possible. The moment the offer came her way after watching from the stands, she took his offer to live a little crazy, learn from him how their life could be their own to command without disrupting everything.
She admired him at first; she still very much did now, but it had become so much more. She had been given a taste of something secret and she was addicted, her walls breaking as she dreamt of something more for the first time. The glamorous world she was from suddenly seemed so very dull in comparison to the warmth that surrounded the Host Club, the vibrant colors clashing and harmonizing in ways that made the greatest plays or operas trite in comparison. He was so much more, and she knew once again that she would never regret her choice.
"Shall we head to class?" With those words, she turned to Zaina, who had been intently watching her this entire time. My own little prison warden, I suppose would be the best way to title her, but hardly as harsh. She's in my control far more than I in her's.
"Let's." Zaina bowed to her and gracefully extended her arm to signal that Rin should take the first step and she would dutifully follow her. Rin had no doubt that Zaina would come around to see her views, even if they disagreed on certain details. Zaina always remained steadfast; loyal to a fault, some may say. Rin took the first few advances, and Zaina fell into step not too long after.
As they made their way to the classroom, Zaina noticed a face she had never seen before walking with someone from administration. Frowning a little, she carefully took in what details she could as she kept pace with Rin. She made no mention to her companion, merely observing for the time. If some sort of trouble were visible in the future, she simply would act upon it quickly and in an efficient manner.
The third music room was alive with the chatter and squeals of the many girls that filled the couches. It was a rather busy and highly productive day. All the data Zaina had gathered reaped quite the unexpected reward of more clients, so many that there was a need to pull in extra seating to try and squeeze in everyone possible for the day. Rin was pleased with the sudden turn of events, but she was nervous with the sudden influx of young ladies.
The hosts can hardly give quality attention to all the girls. It will leave a sour taste with the young ladies here. There has to be a smarter way going about this. Leaning back in her seat, she sipped at her tea with the saucer in her left hand. Peering over the gold rim of the delicate china, she watched everyone enjoy themselves but noted a few too close for comfort instances. Her muscles tensed at every possible collision, ready to spring into action herself, but Zaina was there as if she knew it was going to happen. At least Zaina is here. She let out a soft sigh, watching Zaina effortlessly save a young woman from a sugary mess or from being pushed off balance.
So absorbed in the running of the club, Rin completely forgot she herself was with a host currently as well. Not just any host; it was the young raven haired male that had caught her attention from the very start: Kyoya. It had not occurred to her that she wa being a little too dismissive with her attention elsewhere.
"What do you think, Rin?" A sweet feminine voice called her attention away.
"My apologies, I was just surprised by the tea. It's a lovely blend that just brought back such wonderful memories of mine at my family's vacation home in Dubai." She effortlessly covered her tracks, giving a well placed ashamed and embarrassed look that had the other girls quickly trying to ease her worries.
"There's no need to apologize about that! I've had such nostalgic feelings here as well! One of the pastries reminds me of the one I had on my seventh birthday in Paris! I get lost in it every time I have it!" One jumped in with her own story, the others following soon after.
"It is heartwarming to hear you enjoy your time here at the host club." Kyoya spoke up, grabbing all of their attention. "Please, we hope to see your continued support."
"Oh, of course! We were actually just asking Rin about the survey that Zaina was telling us about not too long ago. Will we be able to access it soon?" The girl who initially asked Rin spoke up.
"We are currently on working on a way so that everyone will be able to comfortably take the survey without any pressure. We wish to have the most honest answer from everyone," he simply answered. Rin was grateful that the subject matter had changed in a way that benefited her. As she quietly heard them discuss, an interesting idea came to mind.
"Do you think it would be too distracting to have a host proctor with a faculty member?" she curiously asked the girls, "I personally think having them in the room would be more motivating to do the best I can for them." She gently placed her drink back on to the coffee table. "What do you all believe?" There was a slight pause as the girls looked to one another before carefully thinking over the idea.
"Oh, that would be amazing! It would be wonderful if we could designate a host to proctor like we designate them here. It would be such a refreshing change of pace, too, since it isn't the usual scenario!" The girl who had begun the conversation was the first to answer. "It would kind of like a forbidden school feel, like they are the teacher or a student teacher observing!"
"I didn't even think of it like that! Thinking of it like that is way more thrilling! I hope there's a place to comment, I'd definitely write a secret message to a host! It would be anonymous, too, according to Zaina, a love letter confession almost!" The girl next to her let out a lovesick sigh.
"Just like that soap opera! It's too perfect! I do hope it works out like that!" Another two squealed as they descended into conversation about the latest episode and development. Kyoya silently took note of all this information as usual, his eyes flickering to Rin. He caught her honey eyes in awe; her poised smile belied the lie in her eyes. That was a staged question, but a well-staged question that helped gather some valuable information.
Efficient as always. He smirked a little to himself as he quickly wrote in his black book. Pushing up his glasses, he watched the girls and their enthusiasm. If everyone took a room, it would certainly increase collection efficiency. The quicker we gather, the sooner it can be analyzed and used for us and the article. Rin Chibana...you really are something. He leaned back in his seat, eyes trained on the paper in front of him as the girls gushed on around him. Though her voice was soft and subtle like a whisper in his ear, it was loud and clear as if echoing through the whole room for all to hear. Her emotions were always changing, shamelessly expressing her true intentions, yet also hidden behind the mask they all wore. Since the day she landed on the school lawn, Rin Chibana and her personal shield became people of interest. Now, Rin was something more. A more he had not calculated possible, but he was not bothered by such miscalculations. Well, this is intriguing. I'm happy with a miscalculation this grand. This is a whole new side to me.
The sound of a shriek quickly ripped him from his thoughts, his once empty paper now filled with a plan for the survey. Everyone looked toward the source of the scream to see Zaina holding a guest upright, an arm securely wrapped around her hips. There seemed to be nothing wrong with the guest, however the same was hardly able to be said for Zaina. The arm that was not holding the young woman was wet. The shoulder and front of her jacket was soaked as well, but the guest was safely kept on the dry side. In her other hand was a teapot and lid.
"I hope you are alright, miss." Zaina carefully examined the younger and shorter student.
"I-I'm fine," she managed to squeak, "B-but what about you?! I'm so terribly sorry! I didn't realize you were behind me!" She fumbled with her apologies, shuffling through her dress pockets to find her handkerchief. "You need to dry up quickly!"
"All that matters is your safety, miss; I would be beside myself if I let harm come to a lady like yourself." Zaina smiled with relief knowing the young woman was safe, but had not accounted for how the smile could be misinterpreted as always. Carefully, she stepped back from her just as the handkerchief was found. The girl reached out to help dry her, but Zaina quickly grabbed her wrist and shook her head. "You needn't soil your things on me; please continue to enjoy your time with your host. My apologies, Haruhi. I'll bring a new pot right away." She turned to the host, cutting Haruhi off before she could insist anything. Using the towel that was on her arm, she wiped up the floor and was off once more to complete her duties.
The silence that befell the room was soon gone, the healthy chatter and squeals of delight filling the walls once more. Returning to his own table, he looked to Rin. She had stayed in her seat as per usual; that was nothing unconventional for their society. However, there was obvious concern in her eyes. The sight of such tension in her was not sitting well with him. He had seen her tense before, distraught to a point because of his own doing, but that was nothing like this. This was entirely different and he was not pleased with it at all. However, what really got to him was to see that someone else could make her so distressed. It was a foolish addition to the unease in him.
"I'm sure she is fine. I will have other staff check in on her." He whispered the words to her as he stood from his seat, the other girls missing the small bit of interaction. Rin looked up at Kyoya, her eyes searching his for sincerity. She had no need to look hard and long; there was not a single shadow in his gaze that would give way to question. Her lips curled up into a soft smile and she mouthed a thank you to him for only him to see. "If you'll excuse me a moment, I wish to check up on the guest who just screamed." The girls gladly gave him leave for the brief moment and watched him as he grabbed the attention of a nearby server before speaking with the girl at Haruhi's table.
No one noticed the lack of a particular host in the room. Though tall and easily noticeable, he was hardly ever taken account for by many. The sound of the scream had garnered everyone's attention, but his eyes were quick to pick up the details that many seemed to have forgotten. As soon as Zaina had left to the back, he excused himself from his table and followed her there as well.
Walking down to the kitchen, he found her preparing the tea service once more but her clothing was still wet. Without warning he grabbed her wrist and tugged her towards the sink, easily blocking her punch.
"Takashi!" She quickly pulled her fist away at the sight of the tall male. "You shouldn't just grab someone like that without warning!" she scolded him, "Especially me; if I hadn't cared to look, I would've kept fighting you! What are you doing here? You should be with your guests."
"To take off your clothes," he bluntly spoke as he pulled off her blazer and tie.
"Take off my clothes?" she repeated, frowning a little at this, "You don't have to worry too much; the stain will come off in the wash. I know a trick to remove tough stains." She quickly shook her head, stopping his hands before they began unfastening her shirt.
He blankly stared at her, blinking as he processed her words.What do you mean, stain? How can you think I'm worried about staining your clothes at a time like this?! He sighed in frustration at her lack of consideration for herself. "You're a woman just like them; you need to take better care of yourself," he grunted as he gently shook off her hand.
"I'm a woman like them?" She mumbled the words to herself. "What does that even mean?" She frowned to herself. She hardly thought of herself as equal to them. Their grey eyes met at the hushed words. The way her eyes narrowed stirred something inside of him. The confusion his word stirred in her was painful, as if he had struck something he never knew was inside her, an ache that even she had not realized was there until his words hit her. "Then would you be undressing a woman on your own as you are me?" She asked him aloud to mask whatever it was he uncovered, hoping to distract him from the thoughts. Realizing what she meant, he stopped at the third button of her shirt and quickly pulled away. His cheeks were noticeably red as his actions dawned on him.
"Take off your shirt and cool your skin." He quickly turned his back to her, but made no motion to move. "I'm staying here until I'm sure you've done it."
Zaina stared at his broad back, smiling a little to herself. She noted the tops of his ears were red from behind, the sight of them making her smile."You don't have to keep your back turned; I wear an undershirt." She assured him, watching his shoulders relax. "You realize we're not at the basketball court right? People will talk" she mumbled, turning on the sink as she finished removing her shirt as requested. Grabbing a towel to wet, she cooled her shoulder and arm with the soaked fabric. Takashi knew they were not alone and him being here was a risk to their secret meetings. However, as much as he enjoyed the alone time with her, it was not worth leaving her with a chance of being burned.
I know that...I just couldn't leave you like this. He frowned at the words that would not come out of his throat. It was so simple to think, and yet they were so hard to speak. As if saying them would cement something they were not yet ready for. Whatever it was, he was not about let it stop him. "I know," he finally answered, as he turned to see she had a tank top on. Grabbing the towel, he pressed the cold fabric to the back of her shoulder where she was unable to reach. The tea-washed skin was red in comparison to her olive skin tone. It looked painful, but she barely even flinched when it happened. His eyes fell on the scars he had become accustomed to seeing, hypnotized by them now that he had the proper chance to observe them.
She tensed at the touch on her shoulder. It was soft and warm in contrast to the bristled and cold texture of the towel. His fingers traced along a particularly nasty looking scar that ran down the back of her arm. She then realized this was the first time he got the chance to see her scars up close.
"There are a lot of them, and most of them are pretty unsightly...I'm sorry if they disturb you." Her voice was soft, almost inaudible, but firm. She knew what her body looked like, and she knew not many would find such things attractive. She was not apologetic for how she was, but for the fact he had to deal with seeing them.
Takashi was not entirely disgusted by them. He knew they were collateral to her line of work. For her to be unmarked would be more surprising to him. He was more unsettled by the fact that she had so many, and that it was she who had to bear them. He furrowed his brows as he pulled his fingers away from the scar, slipping the arm around her waist to pull her back against his body. His large hand rested on the side of her hip, squeezing just a little to make sure she knew he was not about to leave because of them.
"They don't...I just wish you didn't have them to begin with," he mumbled, the words surprising both of them. Unsure of what to say, she simply gave him a smile and he smiled back. How long they stood there, neither of them knew. What probably was a few minutes felt like so much more yet nothing at all. They simply stood there in the quiet embrace, enjoying the company and warmth, when the shout of the whistle brought them back to reality. Releasing her, she quickly pulled her clothes back on and Takashi silently left back to his host table. Staring at the arm that was holding her, he balled his hand into a tight fist, hoping to keep her warmth that lingered there.
