Chapter Twenty Five

Kana

Tamaki was hot. Not in the I-want-to-jump-his-bones kind of hot, but literally hot. I woke up with his arms around me, his breath on my neck. His breathing was soft and even, as though he were sleeping deeply.

I carefully removed myself from his grasp and placed a pillow in his arms, hoping that would keep him from realizing my absence. I watched him readjust before I quietly left the room. I needed a shower, then I would make him pancakes. Surely he'd appreciate that.

Although, the sugar might make him even more hyper.

I let myself muse on that thought as I started the shower. My bathroom was always stocked with more product than I could ever imagine myself using. That's one thing I could appreciate about my maid, Meimi; she had picked up on my preferences for scents and made sure I never ran out of the things I did like. When I had first moved in, she had provided me with mostly florals and fruity scents, but she quickly moved to the more herbal and somewhat masculine scents that I preferred, like tea tree and mint.

I didn't want to think that she could be spying on me on my mother's behalf. She was the one good thing about staying here-she didn't overstep or get frustrated when I insisted on doing things for myself, and there was always coffee waiting for me whenever I woke up during the week, along with an assortment of snacks to throw into my bag for the school day.

I would have to tell her to make dinner for three tomorrow. I wondered how much she was going to judge me over the next few days…

The thoughts ran away with me as I showered. I hated washing my hair. If I had any sense I would cut it off a la Jo March, but like Jo my hair was my one beauty, even if I kept it pinned up most of the time.

Once I was finished, I quickly dried off and braided my wet hair in an attempt to keep it from tangling. I went through the rest of my routine on near autopilot until it came to picking out clothes. I still struggled with making sense of my wardrobe. Fortunately Hikaru and Kaoru agreed to give me plenty of neutrals, as opposed to their normal colorful sense of style, but there was no guide on what to wear when you were spending a day with Tamakim and later Mori.

I finally decided on a pair of black leggings and a deep green flowy blouse that was accented with gold designs around the neckline. Satisfied with my appearance, I headed to the kitchen and started the coffee maker before I began making pancakes.

It wasn't long before I heard Tamaki's voice. "Where'd you learn to cook, Kana-chan?"

I turned away from the stove where I had three pancakes warming. He was standing almost shyly next to the refrigerator, still in his pajamas. "I used to watch the cooks back home, one of them finally got annoyed with me and showed me a few things."

"I can't imagine anyone ever being annoyed with you. You're so cute!" Tamaki closed the space between us and pulled me into a crushing hug. "Good morning princess."

"Good morning." I mumbled into his chest. I let him hug me for a moment before I squirmed away. "You can use my bathroom to get ready if you want."

"What am I getting ready for?" He cocked his head to the side.

"The most boring Sunday of your life. I hope you brought some school work to do, because that's what I'll be doing." I winked. I returned my attention to the stove and flipped the pancakes, happy with the color they had turned.

"I'm sure that I can find something to do."

Tamaki left me to finish cooking. I tried not to think about him going into my bedroom and bathroom. This whole arrangement had left me feeling as though my privacy had been seriously invaded. This was a far cry from my life just a few months ago, where I spent my time alone. Was this what having a friend group was like? The constant interaction, the feeling of belonging, the assurance that I had people I could turn to.

I wasn't alone anymore. There was no longer a sense of facing the world on my own. I had six incredible men who were more than willing to go out of their ways for me. Me, Kanami Inao, who had been raised to believe that I would never be worth more than my name.

The thought made me want to cry, and I'm not one to shed tears. I was getting too sentimental for my own good.

My suspicions about giving Tamaki sugar proved to be correct. How was it that a college-aged man was still able to get a sugar high?! He became even chattier than normal as we sat in my living room. He had barely touched his laptop, instead he was giving a running commentary on the movie we were watching.

"Kana-chan, this is the part where Gandalf fights the Balrog!" Tamaki pulled at my sleeve. "You need to watch this!"

I tore my eyes away from the half-completed code I had been working on. "This sounds so much better in English."

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Tamaki's enthusiasm towards Lord of the Rings surprised me. I had picked the movie expecting him to be bored.

"Are you sure we shouldn't put on something else?" I grinned, my attention going back to my laptop.

"I can study later."

"Sure." I rolled my eyes. I managed to write a few more lines before I was interrupted again, this time by my phone.

The boss driving you up the wall yet? Kaoru's message was sent to only me, not in the usual group chat we shared with Hikaru.

He's actually behaving. I fed him pancakes.

Hika wants to kidnap you for our night.

I raised an eyebrow. Why do I feel like you're ruining a surprise?

Don't worry dear, I'm not ruining the actual surprise. I could practically hear his evil grin through his text.

Care to give me a hint?

His only response was a gif of a cartoon panda shaking its head. I tossed my phone to the side, not quite willing to play into his game. I knew that he wanted me to pester him.

I managed to keep relatively focused until the end of the movie, despite Tmakai's frequent interruptions. I was trying to get a head start on my midterm projects, which not only included developing a basic program, but two other projects for my business courses, on top of four tests. I was going to have to convince Father to let me drop down in hours before I went insane. Although, he would probably blame my friends to my lack of focus.

"Mori-senpai will be here in just a few minutes." Tamaki's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "I hate to leave you, princess."

"I have a feeling I'll be in good hands." I shut my laptop.

He closed the space between us and pulled me into a somewhat awkward couch hug. "I'll spend the rest of my nights wishing I had you in my arms."

"You can't possibly mean that, Suoh-senpai." I groaned.

"My Shadow King adores you, why can't I?" He pulled away slightly so that he could look me in the eye. "Surely you see it."

"I don't think 'adore' is the right word." I bit my lip.

"Kyoya's only pulled us away from clients once before, when my Haruhi was in trouble." Tamaki's voice took on a serious tone. "He wants to take care of you, Kana-chan."

"I'm still not convinced that he isn't just using me, you know? Or that all of this is just going to end. I've got the new girl thing going on, that's bound to wear off." Why did I get so emotional around Tamaki? Something about him brought out a sentimental side that I didn't know I had.

"I'm going to find a way to put your mind at rest. I promise." He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead before he released me. "I better go pack up."

It wasn't long before Mori arrived and Tamaki gave me a rather dramatic goodbye. The two of them exchanged a few words before Tamaki left Mori and I just inside the door.

Mori regarded my home with his typical cool expression. He seemed slightly on edge as he stood in my living room, as if something was on his mind.

"I've got a couch bed set up in the study, if you want to get settled." I offered. "Although, you might be too tall for it."

He nodded silently. I gestured for him to follow me as I headed towards the study. I heard his footsteps behind me, followed by the sound of his small overnight bag dropping to the floor.

Before I could react, I felt his hand clasp around my mouth. I barely had time to struggle as he pulled me against his broad frame. His other hand circled my wrist. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as he effortlessly pulled me to the couch and forced me onto my back.

"Mori-senpai, what are you doing?" My eyes were wide in shock. His hand clasped over my mouth once again. He lowered himself on top of me, pinning me down beneath his weight. I couldn't struggle, I couldn't breathe.

I felt his other hand slide down my thigh, then back to the waistband of my jeans.

No.

I could only scream against his hand.

What was he doing?!