A/N: ohmigod, you guys, I set up the document last week to submit the update, but I COMPLETELY FORGOT to send it through! Gaaahhh.
So. Here's THIS week's chapter, right after last week's chapter too.
...this week's is longer and more dramatic. I think you'll like it more ;)
"-And then you'll spin me around and dip me, and we'll take a bow."
Kyoya frowned, his mood growing darker and darker as Kagome and Tamaki practiced.
"Like this?"
"A little more dramatic. Remember, this is the grand finale."
Tamaki spun and dipped her, and then they straightened and took a sweeping bow.
"Perfect!" Kagome said happily, clapping her hands. "Just like that."
"And you still won't tell us what your little magic act is?" Tamaki said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Kagome laughed and twirled away. "Never!"
The others were all practicing their Talent Show acts around the room. It was after they had finished Hosting, and they'd all invited their customers to the show – the more guests there that liked them, the better chances they had of the audience voting for the Host Club, regardless of the quality of their acts, Kyoya had pointed out. Their customers had all been ecstatic with the invitations, and nearly all of them had promised to show up on Friday.
Honey and Mori were battling intensely at the far side of the room, far out of the way. Haruhi was looking at a piece of paper, playing with a pen around her lips and writing occasionally – presumably revising her poem. The twins were playing around with a karaoke machine, arguing about which song they wanted to sing, and Tamaki…
Well. Tamaki was supposed to be on the piano, but Kagome had called him over to practice twirling her instead, and Kyoya was flush with annoyance.
Why was she let Tamaki touch her…?
Tamaki wasn't supposed to be special. Even though she was wearing gloves – very thick gloves, by the look of it – it still bothered him.
It was absurd that it bothered him so much. Kyoya was well aware that he hadn't offered Kagome anything – only expressed that he was fond of her and wanted to see her again – so it wasn't as if thing between them were serious in the slightest, but…
Well. It bothered him a lot. He couldn't help it – he could feel a possessive, angry cloud come over him. He'd never felt so furious towards his best friend before, but Tamaki knew he liked Kagome, so why was he flirting with her…?
How dare he.
And Kagome – Kagome would be his, and no one else's, so to see her flirt and touch Tamaki…
Kyoya was seeing red.
After another laugh, Tamaki bowed and returned to the piano, and Kagome smiled and went back over to her fans. Kyoya glanced around the room at the others before taking his chance.
"Kagome," he said, standing and striding by her. "Will you follow me for a moment? I want to show you something before the show."
Kagome looked curious and followed him obediently to the storage area of the Host Club – a giant closet with different costumes and props scattered around.
Kagome blinked. "Do you think one of these will work for my act?" she said, as Kyoya closed the door. "All of these are sized to the others…"
"No," Kyoya said.
Something in his voice made Kagome turn in surprise.
"What's wrong?" she asked him. "Kyoya-"
"Why were you flirting with Tamaki?" Kyoya asked. His voice was hard.
Kagome's eyes went wide. "Flirting with Tamaki?"
"You were having him twirl you around," Kyoya said flatly. "Teasing him about your act. Having him dip you."
"Kyoya, Tamaki is the President of the Host Club," Kagome said incredulously. "It's the most fitting end of the magic act. And everyone will run up on stage."
Her voice was patient but uncomprehending, and Kyoya's insides writhed. She didn't get it. She just didn't get it.
"You let him touch you!" Kyoya burst out, his eyes flashing, and Kagome's eyes went wide. "You let him hold your hand, you let him twirl you, you let him-"
"He didn't touch me," Kagome shot back. "Not really! I was wearing gloves, and his hand never-"
"Oh, boo hoo, he never touched your skin," Kyoya spat. "But you let him touch you. You risked it with him!"
"Is that what this is about?" Kagome's eyes flashed. "Your jealousy?"
"I'm not jealous!" Kyoya denied fiercely. "I'm just – what if you were overcome with weakness on stage? In front of everybody? It's my job to make sure our acts will-"
"Oh my god, Kyoya, it's not like I want to touch Tamaki!" Kagome's hands flew to her hips, and she was glaring at him. "All I want is to show up Kuze in the most spectacular way possible, Kyoya!"
Kyoya faltered.
"…what?"
"I want to show up Kuze," Kagome said impatiently. Her eyes flashed. "He called you a weasel. And said you were dishonorable. We can't let that stand."
Kyoya blinked.
"…you're risking being touched by Tamaki to defeat Kuze?"
"Well, why else would I be doing it?" Kagome huffed. "It's not as if I'm comfortable being close to being touched by people, as you might have noticed…" she said dryly, glancing at Kyoya. She paused. "…were you jealous?" she asked, her eyes sparking with the idea.
"I wasn't," Kyoya denied instantly. "I was-"
Somehow, a small, mysterious smile was playing around Kagome's lips now, and Kyoya had no idea where it came from, or how he'd lost control of the conversation so quickly.
"You're lying," Kagome said. "I can see it."
See it? That made absolutely no sense. Kyoya opened his mouth to tell her, but Kagome shushed him, laying a gloved finger across his lips, and Kyoya's eyes went wide.
"It's okay that you're jealous," Kagome murmured. Her eyes had dilated, and Kyoya found his breathing was coming quicker. "I think I like it. I like you… possessive."
Her eyes were locked with him, and Kyoya found words were hard to find.
"I got so angry," Kyoya admitted. His voice was lower, huskier, and Kyoya didn't know when it had changed. "I didn't want you to touch him. I wanted to be the only person you touched."
"Oh, Kyoya…"
Kyoya watched, spellbound, as she slowly pulled her gloves off, one finger at a time, the thick material slowly rising up and off her arms. She tucked the gloves into her waistband and turned back to Kyoya and took a step forward, placing her directly in front of him. Kyoya sucked in his breath.
"I'll never touch Tamaki like I touch you," she promised, her eyes filled with a sensual promise. She raised a bare hand to his face, almost caressing his cheek, but hesitating.
"Never?"
Kyoya reached forward and clasped her hand in his, taking what was offered, and a swirl of emotion and desire hit him hard, and he watched Kagome's eyes go molten.
"Never."
He couldn't help himself – he moved forward and cupped Kagome's face. Their eyes met for a long, heady moment before he sealed his lips over hers in a searing, possessive kiss. Kagome moaned against him and wound her arms around him, and Kyoya's head was flooded with sensation.
There was such wanting in him – he wanted to claim Kagome as his, to let her know he wasn't about to let her go, that she wasn't going to find someone else with him around – but he didn't want to tell her – words were such useless things, meaning nothing and full of deception and lies – so he could only show her – and show her he did. With a groan, Kyoya pushed her up against the wall, holding her face in both his hands to kiss her more deeply, unable to help himself.
Kagome moaned and writhed against him, winding her fingers into his hair to pull him closer, her other hand resting on his chest as she gasped and kissed him again. Kyoya felt like he was on fire, being consumed, and he wanted so much more. But he couldn't – he couldn't – he had to-
Kyoya broke away, gasping, breathing hard as he took a step back and looked at Kagome, who was breathing fast and looking at him with hooded eyes. It took a minute for him to catch his breath.
"Are you-" he said, panting. He looked back up at her. "Are you okay?"
Kagome was breathing hard, her clothes disheveled from their frantic kissing, and it was hard for Kyoya not to watch her chest rise and fall. One hand rested on her lips, her eyes wide, and slowly, she nodded.
"I'm… I'm okay," she said. "I thought… there at the end, maybe, but…"
She trailed off, her fingers still touching her swollen lips, and Kyoya was consumed by the desire to kiss her again.
"I- I have to go," he said roughly. "I can't- you're-"
Kagome looked confused.
"Go?" she asked. "Why?"
"You-" he started. "You're…"
He groaned, turning away and hiding his face.
"You're too beautiful standing there," he told her roughly. "I can't stand to look at you, with your lips swollen and your face flushed from my kisses. If I keep looking at you, I'll want to kiss you again, and again, and I won't want to stop…"
There was a mirror in the room, laid haphazardly against the wall, and in it, Kyoya could see Kagome's eyes go wide.
"I see," she breathed, watching him.
Kyoya turned to look back at her, but she was smoothing down her shirt and skirt.
"We'll have to figure this out, then," Kagome said. She looked up at him with a skittish smile – a nervous smile, not at all sensual – and Kyoya felt his heart warm. "Because I'm not about to stop kissing you, but…"
Kyoya felt his heart skip a beat.
"As long as you're accepting of them, you will have my kisses," Kyoya said huskily. He took her clothed wrist, now, and kissed the back of her bare hand briefly, and her eyes went wide. "I can barely stop kissing you. And I would want…" He dropped her hand, trying to maintain some sense of propriety. "But yes. I… would want too much."
He wanted her – all of her – and the slightest touch of her skin against his made his fantasies surge – capturing her lips at their wedding in front of everyone, claiming her as his for the first time in their marriage bed, possessing her against a wall in a fit of passion-
Kagome gave him a wry smile as she tugged her gloves back on.
"And we'd need to figure out a way to do that, anyway," she said. "So far, we've been lucky with the kissing, but with more…"
She shrugged, looking skeptical, and Kyoya's heart stopped.
"…what are you talking about?" he said, staring.
Kagome shrugged. "Well, my 'touching thing', as you so eloquently put it," she said, running her hands down her arms. "It would hardly allow… anything more, as you said…"
Kyoya was shocked.
"And… if you could do more with me…" he said, his mind hardly able to wrap around the words. "…would you?"
Kagome flushed and looked away, and Kyoya felt his heart clench.
"…maybe," she admitted.
"Kagome."
Kyoya grabbed her hand and whirled her around, Kagome's eyes going wide.
"I would not dishonor you like that," Kyoya told her, his tone fervent. "I would not even kiss you, save my weakness and inability to leave you alone. But Kagome… I do not mean to dishonor you." His eyes were locked with hers. The words were trapped in his throat, and he couldn't get them out – he'd have to work around them. "I- I intend to speak with your guardian. I- I would prefer-"
He could tell Kagome didn't understand. Her confusion was swimming in her sapphire eyes, and Kyoya couldn't get the words out to explain.
"I- I-"
The words wouldn't come. He'd never said them before – never – and now, with her eyes holding his, that beautiful shade of blue, how could he tell her he wanted to never let her go, if she might not feel the same?
"-I'd not have you be my mistress!"
Kyoya fled from the room, unable to face the stark truth of his words hanging between the enclosed walls. He could feel Kagome staring at him as he ran, and the others stopped their activities and stared at him as well as he came quickly into the room and grabbed his coat.
"I must go home for the day," he told them, collecting his notebook and school bag as fast as possible. "We will resume practicing tomorrow afternoon. Good day."
Tachibana, the ever loyal Tachibana, had the car waiting for him when he rushed down the stairs, and in minutes, he was halfway to the Ootori mansion. He stared out of the windows, his eyes seeing nothing, and finally felt able to breathe.
"I love her," he murmured to himself. "I love her. Curse me, but I love her."
He watched the autumn trees as they drove home, his mind lost in the thoughts of his heart.
Read it? Review! Please, review, and let me know what you think! It only takes a moment for you, but it means the world to me~! :)
