~Chapter Twenty-Seven~

Past, Present, and Future – Part III

I Will Never Let You Fall.
I'll Stand Up With You Forever.
I'll Be There For You Through It All,
Even If Saving You Sends Me to Heaven.

Please, Don't Throw That Away,
'Cause I'm Here For You.

I Can Show You, I'll Be the One.

~Your Guardian Angel, by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

It was quiet for a brief moment, during which time we both moved closer to the other, as though drawn together by magnetic force. I'd almost forgotten that opposites attracted one another, but our courtship – even through those first few stages of our tentative friendship – exemplified that scientific law. And I had to admit that it was a strange phenomenon to experience firsthand. The attraction was obviously there, in spite of the fact that we were very different people. I was a tall and silent fighter, with a need to uphold honor above all else, and Sammy was a crazy little prankster.

At the moment, Sammy was not acting as she normally would, though. The small blonde female didn't speak a word, even though issuing an incoherent stream of nonsense was always her initial reaction to embarrassing, awkward, or foreign situations. Something was definitely bothering her.

Someday, I would be able to ease that pain, and we would be happy…together.

Takashi's P.O.V.

"Hey, sweetheart…"

I tenderly placed a hand on her bare shoulder, which was no longer trembling with fear, as it had been a few moments ago. She'd been standing next to the bright water, all alone. That was to be expected of her, though. My girlfriend was a tad bit more independent than the rest of the female student body at Ouran High School, and she'd always preferred to spend the majority of her time as a loner, excluding the time that she spent with younger brothers. And Kyoya had collected data that actually confirmed this, too. Damn Shadow King was stalking my girlfriend.

Even so, Sammy appeared to be infinitely more comfortable in my presence, at least in this one instance – the water really did appear to frighten her. And I had to admit that it stroked my ego a bit to be considered such a trustworthy source of protection. Sammy was admittedly a loner, but she had also developed a habit of coming to me for protection, and for comfort. I was glad that she trusted me, though, because she was my little sweetheart. Nothing in this world could – or would – ever change that fact.

My girlfriend glanced up at me with a strangely dark expression, before letting her sky blue eyes slowly wander over my barely clothed form. Her gaze transformed into one of appreciation, and she even released a soft sound of approval at the sight of my strong physique. But Sammy was not the first to have ever admired my form so openly. I was aware, of course, that many of the young women at our school were attracted to me. Their interest had never bothered me, but it had never really attracted my attention, either. This sudden display of interest, however, made my chest swell with pride. My sweetheart was among the women that found me attractive.

I'd willingly admit that it was nice to be admired by a pretty young woman. But, I was also a little embarrassed, too – this was my girlfriend staring up at me with rapt attention, and not some random stranger. I hadn't even really thought much of working out in the last few weeks, since my training was really strenuous and required more effort on my part. Thankfully, I was still in really good shape, and that fact was shown in the appreciative glow of her eyes.

So, I had to cough quietly into my fist to catch her attention, seeing as the small blonde female was too busy staring at my abs to take much note of anything else. Sammy jumped upwards in shock at the sound of my quiet but pointed coughing. I bit back a grin of amusement, to which she responded with an evil glare in my direction – the countdown to doomsday was about to begin, it seemed. The small blonde was probably planning to a prank of epic proportions. That didn't faze me, though. My cousin could easily surpass the level of her pitiful glower with his own threatening glares. And I'd become immune to such horrifying expressions. In fact, the only one that really scared me anymore was the Eyes of the Beast. That would probably never change, either, come to think of it. Mitsukuni enjoyed scaring people. If evidence of that fact was needed, one only needed to spend the day with his younger brother, Yasuchika. The two martial artists were constantly trying to beat each other into a pulp.

Oh, well. It seemed that rich nobles were simply incapable of being normal…

For example, Tamaki was always incredibly cheerful, even though the members of his family never treated him with any respect or kindness. Kyoya tried to control anything and everyone, since his father treated him in the same manner. The Hitachiin Twins were eager to immerse themselves in their pranks, as that allowed them to make contact with other people; contrary to popular belief, it wasn't merely a source of entertainment that helped ease their boredom. My cousin, Mitsukuni, compensated for his smaller height with a deceptively bright smile, loud laughter, and sweets. And I was an incredible flirt at times of great mental and physical exhaustion.

This is apparently one of those times, too. I stifled a yawn, and an amused smirk, with the large back of my hand. My innocent little girlfriend is going to be scarred to within an inch of her life, but…

I leaned forward and pressed myself against her smaller form, gently nipping at the shell of her ear. "Do you like what you see?" I whispered, quietly, and with a seductive smirk. My lips moved down the side of her face, placing several soft kisses against her pale skin.

"Er, well, yes…" Sammy began to tremble lightly at the sensation, and her lips twitched with the effort of forming a decent response. She paused, as if deeming that response anything but decent, and then stuttered, "Uh…"

She's such a cute little thing… I thought, amused, and leaned closer to stare at her lips.

My fingers chose that moment to develop a mind of their own, urged forward by the force of that one thought. The slender tips of my fingers darted towards her soft lips and gently brushed over the pink flesh, caressing the little groove above them. I wanted to kiss her lips, too. Oh, Kami, I really wanted to kiss her senseless. But that was much too inappropriate to consider, even for my wild and flirty alter ego.

Sammy was apparently thinking along those lines, as well. "Takashi-kun, this is a little weird, and you're kind of invading my bubble gum." She flushed and corrected herself, stuttering, "I mean, uh, my personal bubble!" Then, Sammy laughed nervously. "Yeah, that's it…"

I smiled to myself, because it seemed to me that the fierce blonde didn't even seem to realize the timidity of her response. Sammy was blushing – her white skin was stained bright red with her embarrassment – and she appeared to be uncomfortable with my close proximity to her barely clothed form. My classmate was now wringing her hands together and trying to hide a nervous expression behind a curtain of her long hair. Finally, Sammy reached upwards and pressed her hands gently against my chest; however, it was merely an attempt to make her discomfort known, and not an actual attempt to shove me backwards.

Apparently, Sammy realized that she would never be able to physically move me. It was pretty obvious, however, because I was stronger, faster, and almost a foot taller than her in height. Not to mention a hundred pounds heavier, too. My girlfriend was much smaller than me – her form was soft and curvy, whereas mine consisted of pure muscle. But Sammy was a stubborn little creature; thus, the small blonde would probably fight against me, even though it was painfully obvious which of us would win. She'd adopted a strangely rebellious nature out of necessity, since it was the only way that she would be able to keep the broken remains of her shattered mask intact.

My girlfriend was slowly allowing those barriers to disintegrate, though, in an effort to get even closer to her younger brothers, her new friends, and…me.

So, I was going to respect her wishes, and her boundaries, as well. It was very important that my girlfriend understand that she had nothing to fear from me. Yes, I was stronger than most men, but that brutal strength was only exerted during instances that required it – for example, kendo tournaments, training, or emergencies. I'd never use my muscles to physically harm any of my relatives and friends, or my precious girlfriend. My strength might actually be needed to defeat any other possible suitors that believed themselves to be worthy of her, though. Like that damn lecher, Nekozawa Umehito…

With a smirk, I stepped forward once again, and this time, the game was going to have a victor. I wasn't about to allow someone else the privilege of winning her heart. I was always going to be her protector – forever and ever. That small blonde female was going to be my wife, after all. It was only a matter of time. And then, Sammy would always belong to me.

I teasingly whispered, "Well, I like your attire, sweetheart." Playfully, I plucked at a single one of her black bikini straps, just above her right breast. "I should probably thank your brothers for that…"

The small blonde female stared up at me in utter amazement, and her jaw promptly dropped in response to that little teasing gesture, apparently not having expected such boldness from me. Of course, Sammy was not aware that this side of me existed, and she wouldn't be too familiar with my flirting. I had been very careful to hide that wild personality from her, because it might have frightened the shy young woman away at one point. My girlfriend had grown more accustomed to my touch over the last few weeks that we had been dating, though, so there was a good chance that she wouldn't avoid me, as she had done that day in the park. I couldn't handle that again.

"What the fuck?" Sammy glanced up at me, dazed, and muttered, "Bad Takashi-kun. Little Red Riding Hood is not on the menu this afternoon, so you're just gonna have to go eat someone…er, something else." She scowled. "You better not eat some other girl, dammit."

I allowed my lips to twitch upwards into a wide grin at those words, gleefully realizing that she did indeed understand the nature of that one gesture. "Swimming does work up an appetite, though," I calmly pointed out.

My eyebrows were raised at that point in time because her reaction was very strange – and cute, too. I'd expected her to blush. Instead, Sammy began to panic and wildly flail her arms about in a very silly manner. The timid girl released a startled yelp and a little whimper; then, she plastered a blank expression across her pale face and stared off into the distance. Sammy slowly blinked once in surprise. That blank gaze immediately transformed into a number of other expressions. There was an expression of pain, then subtle irritation, and lastly, one of shameless fear.

A voice promptly declared, "That is not good enough! It must be understood properly…" The stark exasperation – and annoyance – in those words was obvious to even the densest person, like Tamaki.

Sammy warily glared at something in the distance, before scurrying away from the person that she had deemed a threat. The small female darted behind my larger form, using it as a makeshift shield, and clutched at a handful of my swim trunks with one tiny hand. My girlfriend was now crouching behind me in a defensive posture. She muttered something unintelligible to herself and cautiously peeked around the sunburned side of my right elbow, which was located just above her trembling form.

I glanced in the direction that my girlfriend was glaring so intensely. Sammy glared at many people, but there were only four students at our school that she consistently glared at with such absolute hatred burning in her icy eyes. Ayanokoji, Yuki, Mizuki, and Renge were her prime targets, just as she was a favorite of theirs, too. Thankfully, Kyoya had the good sense not to invite any of our customers on this little excursion – Ayanokoji and her fellow bullies were not invited on this little trip.

Neither was Miss Renge, though, and yet there she stood, wearing a tiny black bikini and ranting about some anime series.

Oddly enough, Renge was wearing a swimsuit that was even smaller than my girlfriend's little bikini, and that had seemed like an impossibility earlier. Sammy seemed like a respectable girl, but she was raised in the States. As a commoner, the small female was not raised to dress in a more conservative fashion, either. My girlfriend believed that every single skirt, dress, and pair of high heels in this universe was a minion of the devil. The Canadian, Kiki, shared her opinion, and insisted that the color pink was the devil incarnate. Both of them were adamant about their claims.

I continued to ponder over the matter, all the while playing with the blue ruffles sewn across her black bikini bottom. That collection of cloth was dangerously close to one of her female assets, a fact that only served to fuel the teasing nature of my gestures, and their frequency. Plucking, pulling, and tugging at the small cloth. I knew that my shy girlfriend wouldn't appreciate those antics, yet it was impossible for me to stop. Even now, I'd wrapped my arm around her waist, thusly holding the small blonde in place.

She reacted according to my predictions and promptly began to squirm, practically beating her palms against my arms, desperate to be released. Coincidentally, Sammy was wiggling her thick hips against a part of my anatomy that the small blonde female probably wouldn't have, had she actually known. Dammit. I tightened my grip at that moment – much to her chagrin – placing both of my hands on the sides of her hips and moving her small form a little to the left, away from that throbbing section of my body. It didn't ache so much that way.

There, Sammy-chan won't be able to touch me, now. I grinned triumphantly, before glancing down at her and dryly thinking to myself – Sammy hasn't even realized that she was doing that, either. My girlfriend really is a little ditz…

Sammy shoved against the thick muscles in my upper arms, which were still wrapped tightly around her waist, before loudly exclaiming, "Hey!"

For a moment, I thought that the word had been spoken in protest to my thoughts about her being a blonde ditz. I wondered if the small blonde female might actually be able to read my mind, a belief that simultaneously managed to thrill and scare the wits out of me. But the silly creature then attempted to pry my strong hands from her waist, which was an impossible feat for her to accomplish. Grin.

"Do you, er, think that you can let go of me, now?" My girlfriend began to wiggle once again, almost frantically this time. Sammy pouted at my lack of compliance and whined, "This is a little uncomfortable!"

Annoyed, I frowned at that last comment, because that was not my intention. To intentionally cause her such discomfort would make me feel very guilty. And I'd merely wanted to squeeze the breath out of my girlfriend. Er, I mean – I wanted to hug my girlfriend. Yeah…

I quietly whispered, "I don't wanna…" And I snuggled closer to the small female, placing the tip of my nose in her blonde hair and gently rubbing it against the soft locks. She smelled like strawberries.

My cousin suddenly released a loud squeal of excitement, waving his hands in the air as he dove headfirst into the nearby water. "Look at me, Takashi!"

I smiled at the blonde ninja and said, "Ah." Then, I complied with his wishes, albeit a little bit reluctantly – my girlfriend was making the most adorable expression at the moment, and her blue eyes were the size of basketballs. "Are you having fun, Mitsukuni?"

Mitsukuni was swimming around in the pool once again, kicking against the current. My blonde cousin subtly glanced over in my direction and nodded the affirmative, per the usual. The two of us were always trying to keep one another in our sights and out of trouble, even whilst talking to someone else, or doing another task. That could easily be seen as a direct result of our strict upbringing, but the truth of the matter was that we loved each other – a lot.

Brown eyes widened in amusement, and he released a small squeal of laughter, before choosing to stare pointedly at the two of us. "But, I'm not having as much fun as you are, little cousin!" Mitsukuni giggled, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"See! That could never be conceived as innocence!" Renge haughtily declared, pointing a finger at the little smirk playing across his lips, to which my cousin replied with another silly squeal.

Strange, I thought, bemused and a little irked at this observation. Renge-san is actually correct in her assumptions about my cousin. My eyebrow twitched in annoyance. That damn girl needs to stay away from him. I protectively pressed myself closer to Sammy. And my girlfriend, too…

"Oh, Mori-senpai! There you are," Haruhi exclaimed, and her cheerful voice ripped me away from those dark thoughts, effectively bringing me back down to Earth. Crash landing. Ouch. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Ah," I slowly muttered, because it was getting a little difficult for me to concentrate on more than one conversation – or person – at a time. Yeah, I was much too tired for that to be an easy task. "What do you need?"

Tawny eyes darted towards my large hands, both of which were located only a smidgen below my girlfriend's breasts. Haruhi raised an eyebrow, snorted, and explained, "Honey-senpai wants a swimming partner." She smiled sweetly up at me. "So, I offered to find you."

That sounded oddly suspicious, considering the fact that my cousin was more than likely waiting for me to make a stupid mistake and kiss my girlfriend in front of the unsuspecting members of the Host Club. Oblivious Tamaki would probably scream and faint from shock, Kyoya would make some stupid comment about the two of us aiding the expansion of his empire by getting married someday soon, and Haruhi would simply be amused with the entire situation. Needless to say, Mitsukuni would definitely enjoy watching even one episode of that soap opera, especially since that crazy soap opera was about my life.

Nevertheless, I released my girlfriend and softly murmured, "Thank you, Haruhi."

"No problem, Senpai!" Haruhi nodded once in response, before dragging my incredibly dazed girlfriend towards their table, which was currently empty at the moment. She waved and quietly called, "See you later…"

I staggered towards the ocean of blue water, attempting to quell the feeling of unease that was boiling deep within my stomach at the sudden change. Now, I was separated from my clumsy girlfriend – a girl that inevitably called to danger like a siren – and my instincts were screaming at me in protest. The hectic screams calmed a bit upon my reaching Mitsukuni, however, and the unease slowly drifted away. It appeared that those very same instincts realized that watching my cousin was an important duty, even more so than protecting my girlfriend.

Yes, I loved Sammy, but caring for my cousin was a priority. It always had been, and it always would be. Mitsukuni referred to this concept as shirts before skirts. Pretty funny, right?

"Hey, Mitsukuni," I drawled, amused, and gestured towards his pink swimming ring. "Haruhi claimed that you wanted a swimming partner, now, but you seem to be enjoying yourself as it is…"

Mitsukuni grinned up at me, winked, and continued energetically kicking his legs beneath the water. "You're so silly, Takashi!" He laughed, seemingly in excitement, and said, "I'm perfectly capable of swimming by myself, you know!" The small ninja pointed to his ring. "This is fine."

I stared at him in disbelief for a moment. Then, I noticed that the small senior was pointedly looking in another direction, a clear sign that he was trying to feign nonchalance. Mitsukuni would never willingly ask for the two of us to swim together – that was a sign of weakness.

So, I slipped into the water and began swimming underneath his smaller form. "Well, I know that one of you is trying to keep me away from Sammy-chan, then." I raised an eyebrow in question and curiously asked, "Which of you is the culprit?"

"That would be Haru-chan!" Mitsukuni readily exclaimed, before pointing towards the girl in question, the latter of whom was talking animatedly to a very perplexed Sammy. The blonde female mouthed the word marriage to herself in apparent horror.

Well, I suspected as much, but it's still weird that the innocent freshman is really a conniving thief. I sweatdropped, admittedly feeling a little shocked at the reality of this situation. My martial artist cousin is secretly a matchmaker, and my only female friend is actually a kidnapper. She stole my girlfriend, dammit!

Mitsukuni spared me a glance, ran a hand through my black hair, and kindly suggested, "Why don't you go get something to drink, Takashi?" He smiled sympathetically, obviously sensing the turmoil within my thoughts.

"Ah," I murmured in agreement and began swimming towards the distant shore, with only a quick glance over my shoulder to assure that my cousin was safe and happy. He didn't seem to be in any danger, anyway. And I need to have a serious talk with that sneaky little freshman…

I immediately began to walk around the perimeter of the tropical garden, calmly searching for the guilty party. Three minutes later, it dawned upon me that our friends had all backed away from the water and, consequentially, away from the crazy war being waged between the Twins and Tamaki. Kotoko, Kiki, and Kyoya were seated on a yellow beach towel near a mango tree, comparing their classwork load. And Haruhi was sitting at a table, with only a glass of juice for company.

Ah… I smirked evilly at the sight of the younger girl sitting all by lonesome. Target confirmed, and now, a word from our sponsor.

"Are you taking a break, now?" Haruhi asked, innocently offering me the glass of coconut juice that had been resting in her hands. "Would you like a sip, Mori-senpai?"

I stared down at the brunette in annoyance, took a deep breath, and opened my mouth to loudly berate the younger girl for stealing my girlfriend. But, I really wanted that juice, too. I was incredibly thirsty, and it looked delicious. Coconut juice was also a weakness of mine. Thus, I opened my mouth, paused in consideration, and exhaled slowly. The glass was placed in my hands, and suddenly, all was right in the world. There were no wars, evil plagues, terrorist attacks, or sneaky kidnappers. Who was Haruhi, anyway?

"Ah…" I gulped down a mouthful of the heavenly drink and closed my eyes at the sweet sensation rushing over my tongue. "That's really good."

Suddenly, I began to feel rather sick to my stomach. It gurgled, annoyed, and promptly began to shove the contents of my stomach upwards, towards the upper portion of my esophagus. I stared accusingly into the drink, before sipping once more at the tangy juice. The hot bile continued to burn through the flesh of my throat, but it did not make a formal appearance. Now, I was pretty confused. The juice tasted perfectly fine, and it was not the cause of my upset stomach, so…

I froze at that exact moment. There was a sense of terrifying foreboding within my chest, then, oddly similar to the one that always rippled through me in dangerous moments. It was obviously a warning, much like the sensation that one had during that moment in a horror movie, moments before the idiot climbed into the shower. The murderer always killed people with good personal hygiene. And Mitsukuni always managed to get himself in trouble at places such as this one. Damn Kyoya. Damn Tropical Aqua Garden. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

Haruhi tentatively touched the rough skin on the bottom of my elbow, apparently wanting my attention. She warily inquired, "What's wrong, Mori-senpai?"

But, I could not answer the small brunette female, because my mouth – and my heart – had suddenly stopped working. An unearthly scream was whistling through the air, thusly shattering the relative peace and quiet in the Tropical Aqua Garden. Sammy…? That shriek was immediately followed by an exclamation of surprise, which was a strong indication that my cousin was in danger, as well. Oh, Kami. Mitsukuni…! Their voices echoed loudly in the silence and repeated a few more times, bouncing against the ceiling of the glass dome as the two of them were torn away from me. All that was remained of my two best friends was black silence.

***Author's Note***

Shadowsammy: I'm baaaaack!

Takashi: *Grumbles* About damn time, too!

Shadowsammy: What's got your knickers in a knot, Mister Strong and Silent Type?

Takashi: My girlfriend!

Shadowsammy: *Evil Grin* Oh, really? Imagine that...

Takashi: *Blushes* That's not...but...oh, never mind...

Anyway, I'm sorry for the long intermission between updates, but this chapter had me completely stumped! XP I'm over the writer's block, though, and a new chapter will be up next weekend. Promise! The "Past, Present, and Future Arc" will have about four more chapters, too.

*Important!* I want everyone to read and review, so post an answer to this question! Would you guys like Takashi and Sammy to go on a date in the next section, as in the chapters between this arc and the one concerning their trip to the beach? If so, please give an example!

Thanks, guys! I'm hoping for around 235 reviews, okay? I did give you guys an extra one thousand words as an apology for the late chapter. ;)