~Chapter Forty~

Promise

Baby, What You Doin', Where You At, Where You At?
Why You Actin' So Shy, Holdin' Back, Holdin' Back?

You're Beautiful, Beautiful; You Should Know It.
It Think It's Time, Think It's Time That You Show It.
You're Beautiful, Beautiful.

I Love Everything About You.
You're Imperfectly Perfect.

~ All Around the World, by Justin Bieber

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

To the rest of the Host Club, I probably looked manic when I blanched and furiously began to twitch in irritation. Her body will be free and visible for the entire world to see!

"No bikinis," I insisted suddenly and without warning, startling the others with the force behind those two words. My lips curled downwards, and I stiffened, scowling darkly at the thought of another man staring at her assets with hunger. Sammy was my girl.

No one would touch her.

No one would hurt her.

No one.

Takashi's P.O.V.

When Satoshi and I were much smaller, Father would ignore his work for the day and bring us to play at the beach. I loved those memories, in which Satoshi would frolic in the sand, shriekingin delight at the foreign sensation of the sand clinging to his tanned skin. My brother liked to make what Mother teasingly called "Sand Angels," too. He would then toddle off with his plastic shovel and bucket, relentlessly digging in the golden sand, in search of the perfect seashells to bring to Mother, who rested in the shade with her favorite book, Pride and Prejudice.

Personally, I did not share all of his enthusiasm about the sand, which would stick to my palms and feet. I liked swimming, but I preferred to do laps in the heated pool back home instead of mindlessly splashing around in the white ocean spray. The seashells, of which Satoshi must have thousands by now, were pretty but nothing too interesting to me. I did not collect the seashells for Mother, choosing instead to chat with her about books, food, and music. My Mother, in turn, joked about how much attention I focused to the interesting wildlife that followed in my wake – small hermit crabs, lobsters, starfish, and colorful seahorses.

I loved animals, but the beach…

While I did not hate the beach in my youth, I did not particularly love it, either. It merely did not catch the attention that I decided to focus upon animals, martial arts, school, family, friends, and Mitsukuni. I did not find it interesting or important enough to spend each weekend there, but I loved being able to swim and play around with Satoshi and Father, neither of whom I regularly interacted with during the later years of childhood. Mother remained constant in my mornings and nights, but Father worked hard during the week to find the time to visit the beach with his sons.

Between my strenuous studies, school, and training, I was very rarely given the time to play and speak with Satoshi, either. Ouran Academy encouraged students to study hard, socialize, and thus join in the activities of various clubs. His days at Ouran Elementary School consisted of similar activities to my own – with the exception of the training, anyway. He was generally asleep when I resurfaced from Kendo Club, bruised and tired, but feeling satisfied with my progress in martial arts skills. That, in my opinion, was a worthy past time.

The beach, however…

Kami, I could not stand the thought of going to the beach all of the sudden! The Tropical Aqua Garden was nice, safe, and predictable – with the exception of that banana debacle that resulted in both Sammy and Mitsukuni nearly drowning and thus becoming closer friends, anyway. The perimeters and the people involved in the situation were easy enough to visualize, too.

Only the Hosts were in attendance that day, and I did not have to fear for the wellbeing of the girl that I wanted to be mine, even while the small female paraded around in her bikini. I did underestimate the dangers of the water, but I could better prepare myself for the trials ahead, thanks to that bittersweet experience. The beach, however, could potentially be riddled with curious (and unpredictable) sons of privileged nobles, all looking for summertime flings. Sammy, with her curves and bright coloring, and Haruhi, with her sweet personality and innocence, would be considered ripe for the picking!

Thus, I could not decide whether I hated the beach, with its sticky sand and cold water, or the apparel people generally donned to visit said beach. I glanced curiously in the direction of the female fitting rooms, where I could hear The Twins and Sammy arguing about their choice in swimwear. Hikaru and Kaoru shoved yet another small bikini through the cracked bathroom door and demanded that Sammy attempt to try this one on, as well.

My eyes narrowed at the sight of the skimpy pink material, and I twitched in irritation, barely concealing the furious emotions swimming in my eyes. The pink material would barely hide her backside, let alone her front! Which I considered both immodest and unladylike. Sammy did not need to parade around in such ridiculously small and revealing swimsuits like…

She will look like – I paused, before cringing at the rude, stereotypical description, knowing that Sammy would probably hit me if I said this aloud, but – a commoner!

And I really could not stand the idea of Sammy thinking it a requirement for her to showcase her body for me. She should know that I loved her for her intelligence, humor, and personality. My girlfriend might have born in the lower middle class, but I observed the differences that her rich upbringing warranted in her character. The American could not firmly claim her biological heritage anymore. Our culture whispered through her veins, too.

"No bikinis," I firmly reiterated. It might not legally be left to me as a choice yet, given that Sammy and I were young and not married, but I could still complain (heartily) about the situation. Boyfriends deserved that right, at least!

Boyfriends needed to make certain that their girlfriends could and would be protected. Bikinis were incredibly dangerous and would allow the perverted stalkers to pinpoint her weaknesses –and take her from me, as well. I scowled, infuriated at the thought of others touching the girl that I considered to be my wife – uh, fiancée. Girlfriend? Whatever! Never would I permit another male from thinking her single, unattached, and without her protector – in other words, me. Not in this lifetime. Sammy was mine.

"Uh…" Haruhi, who was not standing calmly beside me, raised her eyebrows and shattered the silence with her next words. "I believe that it might be too late for that restriction, Senpai." She snorted in derision, shrugged her small shoulders in acknowledgement of this defeat, and dryly muttered, "The Twins win this round, I think."

When I glanced down at her, both eyebrows raised in question and silently asking her to explain the meaning behind these words, Haruhi diligently pointed to the door leading to the inside of the changing rooms. A small, awkward, and shy teenager remained partially hidden in the shadows of the door, shifting awkwardly and bouncing back and forth with the balls of her bare feet. But I could still tell, by her curious posture and that little nervous quirk, that this person was my girlfriend. This was my sweet Sammy.

I could not believe my eyes. My normally careless girlfriend intentionally picked out the least provocative of the bikinis, apparently mindful of her status as a girlfriend and her courtship with me. She was wearing a conservative but fitted bikini with blue lace trim around the edge of the bottoms, not unlike the white pair picked for her friend, Haruhi. Her white bikini top, however, was not frilled; it successfully managed to emphasize the size of her chest, though the scooped neckline could be called modest by most – including me.

My eyes, suddenly dark with the feelings burning in my stomach, wandered from her chest to her stomach which, while not incredibly flat, looked nice. I wanted to touch her skin, to feel how soft it remained beneath my own. Her pale skin appeared different to me, as a man of another culture, but I liked the difference in skin tone. My own was olive in color and rich in color pigments, whereas hers glittered in the sunlight. A small silver and blue belly button ring twinkled from its perch in her naval, too, just above her bikini bottoms and –

"Ah," I coughed nervously and tried to moisten my suddenly dry mouth, stomping down the desire to reach out and touch the tiny piece of jewelry. The belly button ring, a moon with little shooting stars, seemed to call out to me. Nobles did not adorn such exotic piercings in my country.

Moving downwards with both eyes in order to distract myself from its mysterious beauty, I focused attention to her wide hips – hips that were, as my mother said, perfect for childbearing. Like I mentioned to her earlier, I liked that I could hold her hips without fear of breaking her in half. My girlfriend shuffled nervously beneath the heat of this perusal and cleared her throat to gain my attention – or rather, to focus it to her face and not her hips, which I really wanted – strangely enough – to pull to me. My stomach churned, but I smiled gently at the thought of having children with Sammy, with black hair, blue eyes, and mischievous smiles, before returning to the current moment.

My girlfriend tensed, with shoulders stiff and both arms curled around her stomach. Her smile seemed to falter, falling beneath the heavy tension in the air and the confusion of what caused it to occur. "What about this bikini, Takashi-kun?" Sammy shyly asked, glancing first at the floor and then back to me, a worried glow in her blue eyes, as if I would tell her that I hated it.

Ha! I glanced at her defensive posture, her shoulders curled to ward off the harsh insults that the girl likely believed to be coming her way, and softened the strength in my gaze. My eyes were soft and brimming with all of the words that I wanted to speak – that I wanted her to hear from me. As if I could do that and intentionally hurt her!

Tenderly, I smiled at the normally loud and careless teenager, in awe of her sudden and rather unexpected return to the shy demeanor that I noticed the first day Sammy and I interacted, back in the Third Abandoned Music Room. I grabbed her hands with mine, leaning down to kiss the rough skin of her knuckles. I then kissed the tip of her nose and gently insisted, "You are very pretty, Sammy-chan."

My girlfriend did not receive compliments – at least, since comments about her cute appearance, anyway – on a regular basis, it seemed. She was very socially awkward, too, and still attempting to discern the difference between sincere compliments and jealous jibes. The American was also learning to cope with having lots of friends and family who cared for her. This girl, while from another country, could not claim to be beautiful and exotic. But Sammy was cute, and sweet, and funny. I loved and cared greatly for her. And I wanted her to know that to be true.

Blue irises frantically searched mine for the truth in these words. Upon finding compliment to be sincere, Sammy smiled brightly at me and chirped, "Thanks, Takashi-kun! I really appreciate your words." She whirled around, blushing, to face the changing rooms, intent upon gathering the rest of her clothes together before leaving for the beach.

Her plump backside bounced with the force of the turn, and I panicked, quickly reaching out to place both hands to her shoulders. My hands pulled her, almost subconsciously, into my chest. I exhaled sharply, hoping to calm myself, but I only succeeded in blowing several strands of hair from her face. Annoyed, I grimaced and paused to clear the horrible images of other people – men – reaching down to touch her. It burned and boiled like hot water in my mind. The idea that someone else might want to touch her – to kiss her – was scalding me.

My heart thumped painfully in my chest, begging to be released and pressed into her the palms of her small hands, to love, to hold, and to cherish. She needed to hold it closer, closer, closer to her. Because I wanted her to know that I adored and cherished her. I loved Sammy. Kami, how I loved Sammy! No one else could love her like I did. I would love her for the rest of her life – and mine.

Black hair dropped into my eyes, and I closed both tightly against the painful images. The hair shielded the world from the confusing whirl of emotions swimming in their silver depths, but I still could not hide from myself. I swallowed nervously, almost desperately, at the thought of what I wanted to tell her and whispered, "Wait…"

Confused, Sammy turned around to stare at me, eyes wide and mouth opened in surprise. Her lips curled into a small frown, highlighting the faint shimmer of lip gloss painted there, and moved to place her small hands in mine. She smiled sweetly and kindly asked, "What is it, Takashi-kun?"

"Well, I just want to discuss some…ground rules…before going to the beach this afternoon," I slowly said, leaning down to stare into her eyes, which burned suspiciously with what I realized to be emotions similar to my own.

My heart pounded, fueling the whispers of love in my eyes, and I could not help but pull her closer to me, my arms wrapping around her shoulders. I breathed in the smell of her perfume, her shampoo, and her skin, before pulling back to stare down at her. My eyes searched her baby blues, wondering if perhaps this crossed the unspoken and unwritten lines between boyfriend and girlfriend by demanding this of her. I could be going too far, but…

"What exactly do you mean –" My girlfriend stared into my eyes, curious but also apprehensive about the sudden change in the atmosphere, which seemed too tense for her tastes. She inhaled and hesitantly continued, "– by 'ground rules,' Takashi-kun?" Her fingers formed literal quotation marks for the last two words in the air.

What do I mean? I wondered, mentally repeating the words within my mind, and shifting them back and forth until I could fully process my response. Kami, I just wanted Sammy to be safe, and sound, and happy in my arms. I wanted nothing else to hurt her. I wanted –

"Do not enter the water without permission and do not attempt to be the heroine if anybody else is in the water and hurt," I demanded, knowing that I sounded harsh but stubbornly wanting her to see and understand the importance of her avoiding the water at all costs. I did not want her upset with me. But I could not stand by and let her intentionally harm herself.

"What?" Sammy huffed in irritation and immediately bristled at the firm command, the ends of her hair stiffening into spikes. She crossed her arms around her chest, lengthening and drawing attention to the plump cleavage displayed by her actions, whereas I tried not to gape. "You, Morinozuka Takashi, are not the boss of me!"

"No," I softly murmured the agreement, ignoring the burning desire in my stomach to reach out and touch her naked flesh. My nostrils flared when Sammy shifted in anger and her perfume drifted to my nose. "However, you are my girlfriend, and I am worried about you, Sammy-chan." Pleading with her to see sense, I begged, "Please, I… I do not want to lose you."

"Oh, Takashi-kun!" She immediately melted and darted forward to curl herself into my open arms, a small sniffle escaping from between parted lips. "You're not going to lose me," Sammy whispered, her face pressed into my chest. She pulled back, grinned mischievously at me, and winked in that familiarly dramatic manner. "'Cuz you're stuck with me now!"

Her eyes softened beneath the strength of her love, and I leaned forward to kiss her, wishing to return that affection tenfold. My lips molded into hers, pulling and pushing, sucking and biting, giving and taking. Our expressions remained bright, but Sammy and I slowly pulled apart, lips moist, cheeks flushed with heat. The Twins growled darkly, hissing cold obscenities and crude threats towards my manhood – which would apparently be removed from my person within the next hour or so should I touch their big sister again.

Nevertheless, I smiled tenderly at her, and leaned forward to kiss her again; Sammy responded just as eagerly with gentle hands and lips. Another minute passed, and I pulled back from the kiss to rest her forehead against my own, gazing down at her with sincerity and complete seriousness. "Promise me."

My girlfriend did not inquire what the promise would entail, knowing that I could only mean one request in particular – Do not enter the water without permission and do not attempt to be the heroine if anybody else is in the water and hurt. Sammy cocked her blonde head to the side, considering me and the request in turn, before reaching for me. She pressed herself into me, placing her lips to mine in a soft and accepting kiss. Then, Sammy pulled backwards in my arms, smiled gently at me, and…

"I promise!"

***Author's Note***

Hey! This is just a quick but meaningful ending to the latest collection of chapters from Takashi. Up next, I return to Sammy! She will be reflecting upon what darling Takashi finally admitted - not only that Takashi loves her, but that Takashi wants to have a marriage and family with her, too. How will Sammy react to this realization? She might freak out. Or Sammy might be mature about it for once! (Probably not, but one can still hope...)

Also look forward to Sammy, her feelings about Takashi, her friendships with Haruhi and Kotoko, and her interactions with the other girls from school. Can Sammy survive the beach? You'll just have to wait and then see! ;)

Please read and review! Reaching 500 reviews would be freakin' awesome! If I have that many next time, I might actually pass out... ^_^;

Peace out!