Hope you all enjoy the chapter!
~CWA
Chapter 54
I still don't know what Kyoya has done to make the situation handled. For all I know, he could have had her killed and the body buried. Not much of a loss as long as no one finds out about it. Pft. Like anyone would find a body that the Shadow King hides. Though a small part of me is worried about what Kyoya really is doing. I just… I don't want him to get in trouble or hurt. He is my friend after all. Not to mention if he confronts her himself then she may do something drastic to him. Though judging from the occasional text he sends me- usually it's a tip on how to speed up the healing process- he's doing just fine. Though he has asked for one strange thing. For me to send him pictures of the injuries, which I did so with no questions asked, being sure to show the extent of the injury. I think it was for evidence, but that would mean that he's taking Ursula to court and I doubt that's the case because Ursula has a lot of influence. So maybe it's for reference? To file away into that laptop of his?
Though I have a sneaky suspicion that whatever he has done has made Ursula at least unable to do drag me back to the house. Otherwise, I'm sure she would have found me by now and I would be getting shipped to a far off country, possibly with no phone since she wouldn't want me contacting anyone. Jokes on her I have everyone's numbers memorized anyway.
Though I have to admit, the whole no school part of this mess is pretty nice. I just get to take a few days of rest to help heal a bit more and get my thoughts together… And what better place to do that than at the ice cream parlor working on my book? I sip at the cold milkshake with ease, my eyes still on my laptop screen. My face isn't as swollen as it was yesterday, making it a lot easier to drink and eat. Not to mention see. I never realized just how much I wasn't able to see after the… stairs… Even if the twins have replaced my glasses with a new pair of thin framed black ones. I shiver slightly as there's a sudden pain in my side. Despite the many pain medications the doctor gave me, I still get small flares like that. And it's all her fault. I shake my head slightly and try to concentrate on the present. I can worry about Kyoya and Ursula later. But for now I deserve some much needed relaxation.
I turn my attention back to my laptop, typing out the words that come to me easily. Working on my book has proved a bit harder than I expected, but in the end I have a feeling this will all be worth it. Everything will be worth it. Taking a deep breath, I continue writing until I see Takashi from the corner of my eyes. I almost forgot that he came with me here to make sure that I don't irritate my injuries. He sits down across from me, a fresh sundae in his hands. Judging from the two spoons, I guess it's for us to share.
"I hope you know that I will eat that whole thing," I point out, still typing.
My comment doesn't faze him. He doesn't even acknowledge my comment at all with anything aside from a small hm. Usually, he's laughing or at least smiling by now. Slightly concerned, I stop typing and push my laptop over to the side so I can look at him. Only now can I see the look in his eyes that tell me that while he's here, his mind is a million miles away.
"Are you okay," Takashi asks.
His eyes are looking at me with concern as he puts his hands over mine gently as if he's scared that if he holds them too hard, he's going to break them. That's actually pretty possible since my one wrist is still in a split and the other is wrapped with an ace bandage. Heck. I can't even open doors or get dressed without help. Thankfully, Haruhi has no qualms in helping me dress or do anything else I need help with while I stay at her apartment. Ranka helps as much as he can as well, which is appreciated.
But how long is it going to take for me to heal? I mean, this is a lot to recover from. What if something goes wrong when I'm healing? What if Ursula finds me despite whatever Kyoya has done? There are so many things that can and could go wrong. Just so many different things that I wonder if things will go back to normal. Will I be able to host again without worrying about Ursula? Will I be okay? If things with Ursula do get sorted out, if whatever Kyoya is planning works, where will I go? I can't stay at Haruhi's forever. I can't do that to Ranka, he has a hard enough time as it is supporting just him and Haruhi…. And the only other option I can think of is living with Dad….
But I don't know where Dad is. I don't know if he's even still alive or working. I don't know if he's changed too. I don't think I could handle it if he's changed like Ursula had. I can still imagine him in my mind. His kind, warm eyes. His dark hair that rarely ever seems to gray (much unlike Ursula's own gray hair). The sound of his laugh as he would pick me up and spin me around. How nothing ever seemed to shake him. He was like a rock. He was the loving, dotting father that's always taken care of me. I pray he's still like that if I ever meet him again.
I can't even bring myself to smile for Takashi as I just bite at my lip.
"I'm… I'm worried…. And I… I can't help but think about Dad, Tashi. He's… He used to always be there for me and sure, I have you guys, but if Ursula gets taken away or something, then I would legally go to him, right? But I...I don't know anything about him, Tashi. I don't know if he's changed too and what if he has changed? What if he's not the same man I remember?"
I look up at Takashi with worry, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. Takashi's expression softens as he takes my hands in his own a bit tightly, bringing my hands up to his lips to plant a soft kiss on them briefly before just holding them on the table.
"And what if hasn't," Takashi prods, "He could be the same man just as easily as he could be a different one."
He has a point. There's a chance that Dad hasn't changed at all. I sigh slightly and grip his hands as tight as I can, which isn't very hard since I barely can even type with enough pressure to hit the keyboard keys. I lick at my lips hesitantly, musing to myself about the options I have. On one hand, I could wait to see what Kyoya has planned and see how it pans out. On the other, if I really wanted to meet my father again, there's something I can do that doesn't have a guarantee that it'd work. Biting my lip, I finally make my choice.
At my gesture, Takashi moves from across from me to sit beside me as I being typing on my laptop again. With shaky breaths, I go to my email to find my Dad's old email address. It's been a while since I've ever sent an email to it and I know that it's really like that, just like all the others, there'll be no reply. But it's a worth a shot. Looking briefly toward Takashi, I see him edging me on in encouragement. Taking a deep breath, I'm finally able to type out a letter to Dad, talking to Takashi as I do so.
"He never replies," I explain, "I sent e-mails, texts, and called his number so many times since he left me. But he's never replied. I… I just hope maybe this will be the one he replies to. Maybe he'll see it and realize that… that I need him."
My heart's pounding as I finish up the e-mail, writing about everything that's happened, all the way from Ursula to the hosts. I even write about Takashi and our relationship. It ends up being a really long letter and I can see Takashi reading it, his chin resting on my right shoulder as he does so with his hand snaked around my left arm. It's kind of hard to concentrate what I'm writing when Takashi serves as a distraction. Every once in a while, his fingers graze my side in a way that makes me giggle and swat his fingers away. He quirks an eyebrow, and I flush slightly,
"I'm… ticklish."
I decide I don't really like that gleam in his eyes that appear when I tell him I'm ticklish. I just know that he's going to use that against me eventually. Though I draw comfort knowing that he won't tickle me if I ever ask him to stop or if I'm not okay with contact. Though he's still chuckling a bit to himself, sending deep vibrations through my shoulder and my chest that make me shiver slightly. I glare at him briefly, but I can see him trying to hide that cheeky smirk of his. He knows what he's doing.
Damn it. I guess he's more than just the Silent Type after all. Or maybe Hunny is rubbing off on him… But when I see the dark circles under his eyes, I know the real answer is that he's just sleep deprived. My heart sinks. I know that he's not getting that much sleep because of me. My eyes soften and I pause for a moment in my writing to adjust my seating so I can look at him a bit better.
He stares at me with slightly half-lidded eyes and with a caring expression. I pat his cheek lightly in an attempt to wake him up a bit more, a small smile on my face,
"Don't fall asleep on me, Tashi, you'd probably crush me."
For the most part, I say that just to mess with him- though truth be told, he probably would crush me considering how much larger he is. Not to mention my injuries. But the look on his face tells me that he full-heartily believes my words as he stares at me horrified. I like this sleepy Takashi- he's a lot more gullible and not to mention cuddly. Though I can now see how the twins have so much fun messing with people. I kiss his temple softly,
"I'm just kidding, Tashi. If you want to fall asleep, you can. If you're careful to not put all your weight on me, I am injured after alll."
He yawns slightly, but manages to nod. Very carefully, he adjusts himself to rest his head on my shoulder. He must really be tired if he's not complaining that I'm not sleeping either. Within minutes, I can feel the soft rising and lowering of his chest as he falls asleep. He looks so peaceful. Like nothing could ever bother him. I can't help but smile when I see the happy expression on his face as he nuzzles into my shoulder. Thankfully, he took my advice to heart and I only feel a faint weight on my shoulder instead of his full weight. It doesn't hurt that much and even if it did end up hurting, I don't think I'd have the heart to wake him.
I giggle a bit and turn back to my laptop, finishing up the last of my letter. It takes a while, but eventually it's finally done. In the end, I'm left with a pretty hefty e-mail that's a lot more than I really thought it was at first. Whoops. I guess I got carried away. Glancing through it and checking for errors, I finally deem it worthy.
And with a heavy heart, I press send.
