~Chapter Thirty-One~
Tree Hugger
If you thought I'd leave, then you were wrong,
'Cause I won't stop holding on.
This is an emergency,
So are you listening?
'Cause I've seen love die, way too many times,
When it deserved to be alive.
I've seen you cry, way too many times,
When you deserve to be alive.
~Emergency, by Paramore
Kotoko bit back a startled gasp. I could feel all ten of her recently manicured nails digging into my shoulders, in part because her grip had tightened to the point of a stranglehold. Now, Kotoko slowly turned to stare at me, mouthing this morbid response with a suitably terrified expression on her pale face. I shared that feeling of despair, but instead of displaying itself in the form of sharp talons, that despair was burning through my stomach in the form of hot bile. And it was impossible to fend off an attacker with projectile vomiting, so…
Oh, shit. We were going to be eliminated!
Sammy's P.O.V.
Lady Luck had a nasty habit of leaving me to fend for myself as of late, or so it seemed. At the moment, I was clinging to the branches of a tall tree like a baby monkey. I was hanging upside down and staring solemnly at the tree branch above me, praying then that the thick limb did not decide to break under my weight, which was admittedly a little higher in pounds than most girls my age. I'd been meaning to lose a bit of weight, but that goal was next to impossible for me to accomplish. Potato chips, cookies, pocky, and ice cream were just so much tastier than rice cakes! Higher in calories and fat, too…
I carelessly shrugged that observation away. At least I'll die happy, unlike those skinny canaries that pick at their food back in the cafeteria at Ouran High School, I thought, trying to make the best out of the situation, which was not looking very good, to be honest.
Because at any moment now, this tree branch could snap in half, and my small form would still be attached to the broken limb – the one that was falling to the ground, anyway. Thus, I would probably fall fifty feet, land on my cranium – thusly squishing my incredibly smart brain – and break my neck. Only the sensitive backs of my shaking knees were wrapped around the larger portion of the branch for support, after all, so there was a pretty good possibility of this actually occurring.
You see, both of arms were currently occupied. The limbs were curled around the top half of my breasts, so as to keep the straps and black material of my skimpy bikini top in place. I did not want to flash the evil mercenary staring up at me through his visor with angry eyes.
Now, Takashi, on the other hand…
Mentally, I slapped myself for that last thought. Bad Sammy! This is not the time to be a really perverted teenager. My mind lazily drifted back to the memory of seeing my sexy boyfriend in nothing but his swim trunks, covered with a thin layer of water after swimming in the pool. No! I kicked myself this time around. Don't give in to the demands of your hormones, Pervertieren!
It would be impossible for me to kiss him in the middle of this situation, anyway. My blonde hair was fluttering in the breeze and had been caught in the grasp of the prickly leaves, my tired legs were wrapped around the branch, and a stupid twig was poking me in the cheek – and yeah, folks, it was my butt cheek that suffered this injustice! Obviously, I was still resting here in the endless ocean of leaves, fruit, branches, and miscellaneous twigs. Just hanging around, you know? And I wasn't desperately trying to hold on to this damn tree branch for dear life or anything. Nope. Not me!
I mean, seriously! My life was relatively tame, with the exception of the manic depression, crazy gorgons, vengeful fangirls, evil science teachers, and the occasional trip into a merciless body of water. Nothing bad, traumatizing, or life threatening ever seemed to happen to me, right?
Yeah, I agreed completely with that unanimous vote. My life sucked.
First, I'd been tricked into attending a school for the rich and elite, thinking that it would be a serious learning atmosphere, since the students were the treasured offspring of nobles. Wrong! Tamaki himself had mentioned that the school was a playground for those people with too much time on their hands. And I could attest to that simple fact, seeing as the odd fangirls – including Ayanokoji and her crew of bullies – were intent on ending my life before the school year was finished. Homework didn't seem to be an issue for those girls. My existence, however, was bothersome.
Then, I had made the grievous mistake of befriending Fujioka Haruhi, and thus – the entire Host Club! Tamaki loved to pester me beyond all belief, as did my wonderful brothers, Hikaru and Kaoru. The Shadow King and Mitsukuni were always busy manipulating me into doing their bidding, even going so far as to push me into a romantic relationship with Takashi. Not that I had been complaining or anything! My boyfriend was sweet, and smart, and protective of me, too. Takashi was an awesome boyfriend.
Cough, cough. Sexy beast. Cough, cough.
Ahem. Dating Takashi was the only good thing that had happened to me in a while, though. The truth of the matter was that befriending the popular kids had caused me quite a bit of suffering and, if the elaborate death threats in my locker were any indication, the suffering would continue for a while yet. Like with this little vacation, for instance!
I had willingly joined my friends on their trip to the water park, thanks to a momentary lapse in judgment on my part. Yes, I actually had a bit of common sense, for those in the audience that were staring at me in blatant disbelief and questioning that first statement. Contrary to popular belief, I actually had access to a decently working brain, unlike the Scarecrow. It was just too difficult – and much too embarrassing – to relate the reasons for my overwhelming fear of the water. And I hadn't done so, either, choosing instead to channel my inner Cowardly Lion. Zipped the lips and tossed away the key. Secrets were not meant to be told, after all.
Dorothy just wanted to go back home, okay? She had homework to do, some anime to watch, a new video game to open, and her childhood friend to chat with on Skype. Caleb would know how to make me feel better about the painful memories and my fear of water.
After coming to that conclusion, it came to my attention that the best thing to do would be to try and make myself scarce until everyone decided that it was time to leave. I'd stupidly wandered away from the protection of my brothers and my boyfriend. Haku, the moody spirit of the river, decided to attack me, then, simply because I was not his precious Chihiro – or Sen. The white dragon forcibly pulled me down into the skinny pool, ordering the cold water to throw my unconscious body around like a rag doll.
Yep. And I could now attest to how it felt to be a load of laundry going through the rinse cycle in a washing machine. Not fun in the least.
Needless to say, I had almost died – for the second time in my miserable life, too! And I was only eighteen years old! Well, I would be nineteen in a few months, but that was information was probably beside the point. Women weren't supposed to tell other people their true age, as it was some unspoken rule or something. Regardless, there were more pressing matters for me to consider at the moment. Like the fact that I was being chased by a deranged mercenary with a horrible sense of humor, a machine gun, and a trigger finger.
Oh, right. Mister Mercenary liked to play hide and seek, too. Yay…
Said mercenary snapped the trigger on his gun with one finger, allowing several bullets to spray into the dirt beneath the innocent tree. He raised his voice, as well as the barrel of his big gun, before darkly calling, "Come out, come out, wherever you are, little girl!"
I snorted at this particular phrase, amused at the wordplay, and cheekily responded, "Yeah, right! Fat chance of that ever happening, you stupid bastard!" Hell would definitely freeze over before that ever came about.
It occurred to me at that moment that it would have been better not to answer him. Too bad I was never any good at playing Marco Polo. That game was a bit difficult to participate in, too, due to my fear of the water. Caleb always won that one, since it was almost impossible for him to beat me at a rousing game of Mario Kart. Yoshi kicked serious ass, man!
The mercenary sneered up at me through the black visor and pinpointed my exact location atop the tropical tree. He smiled with chapped lips, laughed, and dryly added, "And I would like to thank you for giving away your location, you stupid brat!"
Thank you, good sir, for mocking my insults. I glared down at the forest floor, annoyed at the nerve of this stupid man, whereas he merely smirked in amusement and continued mocking my (accurate) imitation of a vampire bat. Oh, put a sock in it, you freakin' copycat! Bats rule and parrots drool!
Mister Mercenary wasted no more time insulting my (please insert: totally awesome) skills in the game of Charades. The soldier shouldered the machine gun, raised the barrel to point at the canopy of the forest, and steadily took aim at the large tree that was currently housing a tribe of monkeys, one sloth, and little ol' me. Consequentially, the local wildlife decided that now was as good a time as any to vacate the tree, even the lazy sloth, though his progress to the coconut tree beside ours was much slower than the other animals. Kinda like Slowpoke – or Psyduck!
And I, Sammy the Zubat, remained stubbornly rooted to the spot. I did not seem to have the luxury of leaving this tree yet, due to the development of a serious illness. The circulation in my legs had lessened from being turned upside down for so very long, and the damn limbs turned to jelly; thankfully, it was the tasty grape kind, and not that nasty strawberry one. Of course, I still wasn't going anywhere in the near future, regardless of the tasty jam pulsing through my veins.
Well, I guess it's true! I cackled inwardly, thinking back to the countless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches of my youth, early preteen years, and, well, yesterday at lunch, too. You really are whatcha eat!
A loud noise could suddenly be heard ripping through the air as dozens of bullets bit into the thick tree trunk, tearing through my thoughts and into the branches about five freakin' feet below my trembling form. I startled at the realization that the mean mercenary was trying to bully the tree into dropping me to the ground. My scared eyes widened to the size of basketballs, both of their blue depths showing the fear that stole my breath, thusly threatening to strangle me. Time seemed to freeze for a moment. The wrinkle in time jolted once, twice, and then – there was nothing but a screaming roar of wind in my ears. No time to find my happy medium.
Time resumed its normal pace, then, so the world rushed by in a blur of green, brown, and black lightning. I reached out with both hands to claw at a passing branch that appeared in the corner of my vision, before ultimately succeeding in my endeavors. My body remained suspended in the air for about a minute. Unfortunately, I could feel the brittle branch slipping, slipping, and yep, still slipping through my sweaty fingers. And I began to fall once again, thanks to the accursed laws of gravity. Damn Sir Isaac Newton for being so incredibly smart!
What goes up must come down, right?
I closed both of my eyes, preparing for that moment of impact that would surely come within the next few seconds. Hitting the ground after falling from the branches at the top of a fifty foot tall tropical tree was seriously going to hurt like a bitch, even if that ground was moist with the water from the recent rain. That was an act of nature that should not be possible in an artificial resort, I might add. Well, Kyoya was an omnipotent Schatten König – he had the power to make it rain inside of a building! If only the brilliant male could somehow fight the laws of gravity, too…
Oh, Takashi-kun~! Stupidly, I tried to send a telepathic message to my boyfriend, hoping that he would hear it and come to my aid with the speed of the Flash. I could really use your help right about now, ya know…!
Suddenly, I found myself in a pair of muscular arms. My fingers reached over the hand at the crook of my elbow, searching for the familiar scar on the left hand of my boyfriend, the national kendo champion with a talent for hiding sexy markings. I didn't find the velvety scar; however, there was a very shiny wedding ring resting an inch or so above his knuckle. Which meant that this man, ladies and gentlemen, was certainly not my boyfriend. Oh, fiddlesticks!
The telepathic message was apparently sent to the wrong recipient in my mental address book. Damn connection was about as reliable as my cell phone service. Picky T-Mobile had to bounce the signal off of one tower, to another, to the land rover located on Mars. And then, the message still wouldn't send! Please insert angry frowny face here.
"Gotcha…"
Slowly, I opened both of my eyes to stare straight into the black gaze of my captor, a man that seemed to be much too happy about finally getting me out of the tree for him to be considered a possible ally, friend, or kissing cousin. Based solely upon his rugged appearance, I surmised that this male was about thirty years old. He had black eyes, a full head of black hair, and a scar on his chin that was shaped like a banana.
I sweatdropped. You know, I am really starting to hate those freakin' bananas…
"Now, I was given two different options by my superior, brat," Mister Mercenary calmly said, running a hand over the barrel of his gun – and not the one in his pants! He was a psychotic killer, not a perverted pedophile. "I'm not too fond of killing little girls, though…"
"You could have fooled me," I muttered, sourly, and with a roll of my blue eyes.
Mister Mercenary twitched angrily for a moment, battling against the red anger marks that had appeared on the top of his helmet. "The first option was to eliminate the intruder, whereas the second was to bring the intruder back to our base." He squinted down at me through narrowed black eyes. "What will it be, brat?"
"By all means," I exclaimed, waving a hand in the general direction of the forest, and definitely away from the whimpering girl that was hiding behind a nearby tree. Kotoko didn't deserve to be dragged into this mess. "Take me to your leader, Mister Mercenary!"
Alas, the reference was lost on the completely serious – and seriously insane – mercenary. I was disappointed that this serious and seriously insane man was not the sexy Sirius Black. His name should legally be changed to Mister Mental Mercenary, instead. Yeah. It had a nice ring to it.
"We need to go through the center of the jungle to get to base," Mister Mental Mercenary kindly informed me, as though this were a tour through a museum, rather than a successful kidnapping attempt.
A few tendrils of blonde hair were stuck to the sweaty billboard that was my forehead. I exhaled through my nose, blowing the damp locks of hair back and away from my face, nonchalantly muttering, "Whatever is clever, mate…"
The mercenary readjusted his tight grip upon the back of my knees in response to this spoken consent. When Takashi carried me in his strong arms, my boyfriend would tenderly hold me to his broad chest, like a man would carry his wife over the threshold of their new home. This man, on the other hand, carried me as a fireman would, over his shoulder and with my big butt directly in his face. I debated for a moment on asking him if he appreciated the nice view, but ultimately decided against antagonizing the crazy man with the gun. He might give me another hole in my rear end with those bullets.
Five minutes, three seconds, and twenty milliseconds later, the common sense that had dictated that my mouth remained shut mysteriously vanished. The door to that part of my brain bore a generic white sign that read – Out To Lunch.
"So, I have a question for you, Mister Mental Mercenary," I cheerfully directed yet another question at the back of his right elbow, poking said body part for good measure as the soldier bolted through the jungle with the speed and grace of Chester Cheetos.
Mister Mental Mercenary growled angrily at the use of his full name, as most children his age did, and barked, "What the fuck do you want, now, brat?"
Apparently, the soldier was getting a little tired of all the stupid questions. This was actually my sixteenth one in the last three minutes. New record! Please consult the Guinness Book of World Records for proof regarding this claim. It is registered under Sammy Steel the Super Shark. Nom nom.
An evil smirk crawled across the lower portion of my pale face, along with a rather maniacal expression. "Are we there yet?" I queried, snickering delightedly at his resulting groan of annoyance. Score for Team Sammy! Or Team Jacob, if you prefer werewolves…
"No!" Mister Mental Mercenary snapped down at me. He pointedly patted one of his jacket pockets and adding a warning of sorts to that one word. "And I've got a pocketful of bullets to shut that yammering mouth of yours, brat, if you choose not to do it yourself!"
"Oh, is that so?" I feigned interest in this bit of information for a moment, pretending to quake in my figurative boots, since my dirty feet were actually bare at the moment. Cheekily, I countered, "Well, I've got a pocketful of sunshine, so there!"
There was a brief moment of stunned silence, and then – "Are we there yet?"
Mister Mental Mercenary opened his mouth to respond to this childish harassment, and more than likely with a bullet to the back of my head – or his, whichever came first. He was not given the chance to speak, though, because another man interrupted our private conversation by bluntly calling over to my captor that the target had been confirmed. Of course, the mercenary that was holding me argued with his companion that the short boy in question was a small blonde male, and not a brunette. Which meant…
"Haruhi-chan!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, kicking the mental mercenary in his delicate man parts and squirming away from his crumpled form, as well as the angry soldiers that were now closing in on me. "Somebody…help…me!"
A bulky male suddenly dropped down in front of me, with the unwilling aid of a skinny, green vine. His machine gun was still holstered, though, so my first instinct was to knock him down before he could reach the dangerous weapon resting against his muscular back. It wasn't one of those silly dart guns, you know! This gun most definitely had bullets within its inner chambers, and the owner of said machine gun did not seem too picky about the state of his target. In other words, alive!
I noticed another group of mercenaries darting over to the right and towards my friends. My feet automatically began propelling themselves in that direction, listening to the Road Runner within whisper that we needed to escape the hungry Coyote chasing after my small, albeit meaty, form. Running faster, I darted towards the nearby martial artists, both of whom were defending Haruhi from the evil mercenaries. My feet went into overdrive as yet another stupid thought whirred to life in my inner mind theatre. Didn't want to be dinner, didn't want to be dinner, didn't want to be dinner…!
The Coyote reached for the back of my bikini top, secured one of the straps at the base of my neck, and tugged quickly at the skinny string. Thankfully, I wasn't wearing one of those skimpy bikinis that would come undone if someone even sneezed at the bikini straps. On the other hand, the fact that it was so very secure allowed the mercenary to yank the back of my swimsuit closer to him, simultaneously pulling the rest of my paralyzed body along with the black bikini straps.
Verdammt! I am going to kill those little brothers of mine! I thought, trying to wriggle away from his grasp. This bikini is a goddamn death trap! Growl. Nun, Ich hasse Wasser, und Schwimmen, und Bikinis, zu!
Strangely enough, though, my clammy skin never came in contact with the rough material of his shirt, belts, or bulletproof vest. Instead, I found myself wrapped safely in the muscular arms of my beloved boyfriend. He placed a warm hand against my upset stomach, urging me to step closer to his larger form. I complied immediately with that silent demand, reveling in his protective embrace, which made me feel happy, safe, and loved. Like bubble wrap!
"Thank you, God," I muttered, basking in the warmth radiating from his lanky body. After being stuck in this wet bathing suit for the last four hours, it felt nice to stand next to my own personal Jacob Black. Heater extraordinaire!
Takashi smirked at that response and gently teased, "You can just call me by my given name, sweetheart." The older male tenderly kissed the top of my blonde head and moved to stand protectively in front of my smaller form, before pushing me in the direction of my best friend, Haruhi.
I blinked owlishly at the younger girl, smiled brightly, and chirped, "Fancy meeting you here, stranger!"
The short brunette twitched at this nonchalant greeting. "You have been missing for over two long hours, and the first words out of your mouth have to do with a stupid reference of some kind?" Haruhi asked, incredulously, and with a sweatdrop.
Though I wanted to respond in the affirmative, there was no time for me to do so, as a small blonde ninja chose that exact moment to steal the spotlight. Mitsukuni was clutching a green vine between his short fingers, using his momentum to swing towards our chaotic gathering at the speed of light. Like Tarzan on the way to rescue his lover, Jane! On that note, where was Waldo? Er, I mean, where was that clever and beautiful classmate of mine? Poor Kotoko had been hiding behind that mango tree earlier, but the older girl had yet to reappear since then…
A small whimper escaped the person that was now standing beside me, as though summoned by my awesome telepathy skills, which were not working earlier. Kotoko pressed both hands to her knees, out of breath, and gasped, "Oh, thank Kami! I thought that you might have been hurt by that man, but you seem to be fine."
Okay! Never mind, ladies and gentlemen! I had finally located the elusive person that was my older classmate, Nakamura Kotoko.
"No way, Kotoko-chan," I protested with a laugh. My lips twisted upwards into a kind smile at the worried expression on her face, before gently reassuring, "I am perfectly fine, hunky dory, and all that jazz."
"Are you certain that you have not sustained any further injury?" Kotoko inquired, suspiciously, and with a skeptical glow in her emerald eyes. She might have figured out the truth about my past and accepted it, but that did not mean that the older girl would permit any more lies.
Blue eyes were earnest as I insisted, "Pinky promise! And I would never break one of those, since it would be giving you an invitation to break my pinky and…" I trailed off at the thoroughly disgusted look on her face. "It was just a joke, Kotoko-chan!"
Kotoko stared at me with this deceptively blank expression on her beautiful face, and she deadpanned, "Ha, ha, ha…"
Haruhi snorted derisively in response to this strange conversation, shaking her head in detached amusement. The brunette tomboy sighed and quietly muttered, "There is something seriously wrong with the two of you."
"At least I'm not acting like Tarzan!" I pointed out, gesturing to the little blonde maniac that was heading this way, to which the other girls blanched. "Look out, home skillets!"
"Get out the way, you guys," Mitsukuni loudly bellowed, angling the bottoms of his bare feet upwards, so as to slam them into the visor of an unsuspecting mercenary. Totally PWNED!
Kotoko and I could have used his help much earlier than this, but he was better late than never, at least. Now, I scurried towards my boyfriend, clutching at his elbow with both of my hands. The older male was a quiet guy, one with manners, a sweet disposition, and a protective streak a mile wide. I would never admit this aloud, but it made me feel much safer to have physical contact with the Takashi at the moment. It meant that it would be harder for us to be separated again.
Unless Mitsukuni did not manage to defeat our adversaries, anyway. Then, I might be in danger of losing my boyfriend forever. 'Till death do us part! Or second death, in the case of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen.
Mister Mental Mercenary whirled around and, as a man with a trigger finger, happily pointed his large machine gun at the sleeping dragon that was Mitsukuni. "What do you think that you're doing, shortie?"
"Who cares about that?" Coyote interjected, moving to point the barrel of his gun at the target, as well. He clicked the trigger into place and snapped, "Just shoot the little nuisance already!"
Mitsukuni laughed shortly, as though it were an incredibly funny comment. To him, it must have been, because the small ninja avoided their guns, bullets, and armor without any trouble at all. He exploited every single weakness in their armor, seeing as it had been bulletproof, and not ninjaproof. In the span of thirty seconds, I could only watch in amazement as three mercenaries were rendered incapable of movement, including the crazy soldier that had captured me, the one that had chased after me, and another man that had roughly grabbed my best friend by the arm.
The last mercenary was defeated not a moment later, and by the amazingly Macho Mitsukuni, too. He was a one man wrecking team, it seemed, and the small blonde ninja had skills in the field of martial arts that someone as clumsy as me could only dream of learning. I envied the older male his calm, cool, and collected demeanor. Mitsukuni could attack a group of huge males – all much larger than himself – without a care in the world. He was that badass!
"What…in…the…world?" Haruhi muttered and stared blankly at the sight of our older friend cheerfully standing atop an unconscious, drooling soldier. "Honey-senpai demolished an entire platoon of enemy soldiers!"
Kotoko blinked once at this observation and, finding it lacking in truth, hoarsely added, "In less than two minutes!"
Brown eyes glared reproachfully at the group of mercenaries. "Don't be doing reckless things, you big meanies!" Mitsukuni promptly struck a pose, exclaiming, "Picking on my girl and any of our friends is a big no-no!"
Our older classmate ducked her head, tucking a single strand of black hair behind her left ear and stupidly muttering, "Oh, Mitsukuni-kun…" She blushed brilliantly at the memory of those two words – my girl – in that sentence. "Am I really your girl?"
"You most certainly are, Ko-chan!" Mitsukuni grinned widely up at the rich heiress and nodded his head empathically in the affirmative. "And no one is allowed to pick on you." He puffed the larger muscles in his chest outwards, proudly insisting, "Never ever!"
Oh, please…! I was standing behind the blonde ninja, and definitely out of his sight; thus, I took the once-in-lifetime opportunity to mime sticking a single finger down my throat, much to the amusement of my two female friends. Gag me with a silver spoon, ya rich bastards!
A loud, obnoxious voice broke through the resulting silence, meaning that it could only belong to the Host King, Tamaki. He released an excited yip and barked, "Haruhi! I am so glad that you have not been harmed, mon cher!"
And speaking of our friends, I thought, sweatdropping at the sight of the younger blonde male molesting my poor best friend – his hands were a little too close to her breasts for it to be an unintentional action. Here comes the rest of the cavalry…
Hikaru and Kaoru, the leaders of said cavalry, bounced over a number of unconscious soldiers, simultaneously choosing that moment to start crying. "Oh, Sammy-nee-chan," the redheaded boys chorused, "we were so worried about you!"
The Twins immediately wrapped themselves around my smaller form, enveloping me in a tight group hug. One pair of arms was entangled with my own, whereas another was firmly glued to my waist. Hikaru buried his nose in my hair, inhaling softly, because the action was actually a comforting one to him; this was something that he had done since we were all little kids. His younger brother sweetly pressed his face against the left side of my neck, about three inches above my steadily beating heart, as though to reassure himself that I had a pulse.
I released a gentle sigh at being smothered by the affectionate redheads, before returning the hug with all of my might – it meant a lot to me that the two of them were so worried about me. No one should have to be that scared of losing their sibling. Such loss was unbearable, and those two did not deserve being subjected to that kind of pain.
So I resolved to be more careful in the future. After all, the three of us were indeed siblings, even though that bond was forged through mountains of adoption paperwork, rather than blood. It didn't matter. Together, Hikaru, Kaoru, and I were inseparable.
"I'm so sorry," I murmured, rubbing my face against their tearstained cheeks. "I am so, so sorry for worrying you." Smiling at being reunited with them, I leaned forward and whispered, "Hika-chan and Ru-chan, my precious little brothers."
The redheaded boys were positively purring at the attention, even as the two of them helped their beloved lord explain to the oblivious brunette the truth behind the blonde ninja, Mitsukuni, and his younger cousin, Takashi. Poor Haruhi seemed to be struggling to accept the fact that the two seniors – one, a hyper bunny, and the other, a silent giant – were actually the national champions for their respective fields of martial arts. Judo, Karate, and Kendo were as easy as breathing for those guys.
Mitsukuni, the kickass ninja, chose that moment to approach his younger cousin, pulling him forward with one hand and gently patting him on the head with the other. The gesture might have been condescending to anyone else, but for the two of them, it was simply a display of affection, and one that Takashi happily accepted. The martial artist cousins were as almost as strange as Hikaru, Kaoru, and I. Yet Takashi and Mitsukuni complemented each other. Like peanut butter and jelly! Toast and jam! Chocolate and, well, more chocolate!
The small blonde smiled up at him and happily chirped, "Takashi! It was so great of you to have protected the girls!" He hugged the younger male, running a hand through the black locks on the top of his head. "Thank you…"
"Ah," Takashi murmured, smiling in response to the kind praise being directed at his actions. He did not require praise to continue fighting for those weaker than himself, but it was probably nice to hear, nonetheless. "It was an honor to do so."
Haruhi startled at that explanation, brief though it was at that, and softly whispered, "Oh…" Her tawny eyes gazed up at the older male in surprise and appreciation, having just realized that there was more to him that meets the eye. "That certainly explains a lot."
Gently, I elbowed the smaller brunette in the ribs and jokingly hissed, "Hey! Keep your pretty eyes – and your hands – off of the boy toy, Haruhi-chan." My eyebrows waggled up and down in a silly manner. "Takashi-kun is all mine!"
The tomboy rolled both of her eyes heavenwards at this possessive statement and sarcastically replied, "Right. Forgive me for trespassing upon your territory, Sammy-sama." She bowed mockingly in my direction.
"Damn straight!" I insisted, all the while crossing my arms over my chest and strutting towards the older males with a cheeky grin on my face. Time to hug the boyfriend!
"You weren't even lonely without little ol' me, were you?" Mitsukuni said, softly, and with a genuine smile on his face, as opposed to that manipulative grin that he normally wore.
Takashi smiled sheepishly at the insinuation, shook his head, and muttered the admission, "Not entirely." He glanced away, staring at the brunette female. "I enjoyed spending time with Haruhi…"
After a moment, Mitsukuni noticed my presence behind his younger cousin. The small blonde ninja smirked deviously, per the norm, and cried, "Oh! I'll bet that you missed your girlfriend, though, right?"
Takashi blanched because the secret of our courtship had suddenly been announced in front of the nosiest and craziest group of people in existence. The Twins darkly scowled at the reminder that the two of them had to share their precious big sister. On the other hand, Kyoya, Haruhi, and Mitsukuni smirked widely at the reaction. Everyone within our group of friends, minus the aforementioned people, exchanged strange looks with one another, each of them exclaiming the same sentence – "Are you dating Kotoko-chan?"
"Nuh uh!" Mitsukuni released a soft growl, glaring at them, and fiercely protested, "Ko-chan is mine, because I liked her first!" He pouted at their disbelieving stares and cuddled closer to the chest of his new girlfriend. "All mine!"
Kotoko, oddly enough, did not reprimand him for touching her inappropriately. The rich heiress merely smiled at the shorter male, laughing at the stubborn expression on his face. She sweetly said, "Mitsukuni-kun, I like you, too…"
The Hosts – those that did not already know the secret that was apparently not a secret – stared dumbly at their senpai. "Then, if that is indeed the case, who are you dating?" Tamaki asked, stepping forward to speculate openly about the question.
"Uh, that would be me…" I admitted, before facepalming at their overwhelming stupidity, as well as the frozen statue that was my boyfriend, Takashi. Silent giant, indeed!
A general chorus of disbelief happily attacked the sensitive canals in my ears. I rubbed at them, grumbling about my friends' lack of common sense. Yes, I could be labeled a hypocrite – so sue me! On second thought, I would rather that no one did that, because Kyoya would be more than willing to help a person steal the fortune that rested in my bank account, thanks to the generosity of my adoptive parents and my own thrifty shopping. Must have money to feed the video game addiction…!
Our friends continued loudly protesting that this could not be true. The noise eventually slipped through his frozen shock, thusly forcing my boyfriend into action. Takashi sternly insisted that the two of us had been dating for over a month, firmly adding that none of them could convince either one of us to end that romantic relationship, either. No one said anything, but the happy expressions on their faces indicated that this would not be a problem. In fact, the Hosts all congratulated us on our new courtship, mentioning that it was about time one of their own managed to bypass the iron fist of the Shadow King.
Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a mischievous glance, before simultaneously uttering, "Next time, we should go to the beach, Tono!" And then, the Twins began walking towards the exit, easily managing to distract the other Hosts, too.
I suppose that this is their way of accepting my boyfriend, huh?
A sweet smile curled at the corner of my lips, which only widened at the sight of my protective boyfriend moving forward and bending down to wrap his arms around me. I snuggled into his embrace, nuzzling the tip of my nose against his sternum, the part of his body that was now directly level with my eyes. Takashi shivered lightly at the contact, signaling that it was a welcomed form of affection.
I sighed happily against his warm skin, pressing a kiss to his chest, just below his collar bone. "I really missed you, Takashi-kun…" I admitted with a soft laugh, knowing that the taller male would understand the sentiment.
Takashi hummed in agreement but said nothing, choosing instead to stare down at me with the strangest expression plastered across his face. "…hmm…"
"What's up with you, sweetie?" I asked, curiously, and with a teasing grin. "Did you really miss me that much?"
Sweetie. It had dawned upon me that such an endearment for my boyfriend had never once crossed my lips. Takashi, on the other hand, noticed the additional word almost immediately, and a light blush spread across his tanned nose, cheeks, and ears. I smiled at the adorable sight, in part because it was so rare for the taciturn male to physically respond to my teasing. He was a very shy person, though, and being referred to so affectionately actually managed to catch him off guard.
My boyfriend cleared his throat, seemingly nervous, and mumbled a sentence that did not make any sense, as it was too low for me to hear. He repeated the sentence at my request, hesitantly meeting my eyes and adding, "I, uh, wanted to know if you would, er, go on a date with me."
I stared up at him in complete disbelief, feeling surprised that the older male would actually want to go on a date with me, even if we were dating! Granted, I knew that most couples went on a date within the first month, but our lives were pretty hectic. Between our friends, homework, and family stuff, neither one of us had time for a date. Still, I really wanted to spend some quality time with my boyfriend. Going on a date with Takashi would be fun!
With a wide smile, I bolted forward and wrapped my arms around his waist again, cuddling closer to his chest. "I'd love to go on a date with you, Takashi-kun!" I happily whispered.
His broad chest rumbled beneath my ear, signaling that my boyfriend was now chuckling at my enthusiasm. I blushed in embarrassment but looked up into his silver eyes, smiling sheepishly at him. Takashi leaned down, hesitated above my puckered lips, and then decided to kiss the soft corner of my mouth. I accepted the affection and returned it with a kiss to his cheek, but there was still this bitter disappointment boiling in my stomach. I had wanted him to kiss me on the lips. Like a real kiss, and not a chaste one.
Oh, well. I could still look forward to our date, right? Maybe I would be lucky enough to get a goodnight kiss! Because I loved him with all of my heart. Hopefully, Takashi loved me, too.
***Author's Note***
Holy...cow...guys! O_o I asked for 280 reviews, not almost 290! Thanks so much for all of the reviews, and favorites, and alerts! You are all amazing! :D
So, I will post the next chapter this weekend, but only if you guys can reach about 300 reviews. Why? Because it would be really awesome to see this story with so many of them! Anyway, please read and review! And this is your last chance to tell me what you think their date should involve. I'll be writing the chapter around Friday, so let me know!
A) Circus or Zoo - List Animals You Would Like to See
B) Dinner and a Movie - List Foods and Movies You Would Like to See
Goodnight, everybody! :)