~Chapter Forty One~
Study Buddies
Went walking through town just the other day with nothin' much to do.
As the sun came breakin' down through the clouds,
I never seen the sky so blue.
Met up with some friends outside of town;
We got to the spot and the sun was hot.
Everybody was feelin' fine.
Lost in this moment now.
Ain't worried about tomorrow.
When you're busy livin', feels like dreamin', slowly driftin',
Through this perfect day.
~ Perfect Day, by Lady Antebellum
Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.
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!"
Sammy's P.O.V.
Somehow, Takashi continually managed to surprise me and change the perspective that I created of the strong and silent senior upon meeting him for the first time – back in the Third Abandoned Music Room. I'd believed him to be two dimensional, like Paper Mario, and made of concrete, but Takashi turned out to be incredibly complex, instead. My handsome boyfriend, with his tan skin, soft black hair, kind silver eyes, and strong muscles, was not only beautiful outside – but inside, too. He was generally sweet, nice, gentle, and funny, but also stern and protective of friends and family members when the situation called for his strength instead of kindness.
Now, Takashi was not perfect, like I originally believed him to be once upon a time. He was a nice young man, one with flaws and insecurities of his own. Takashi was introverted and quiet – too quiet sometimes, just like me – so we did not feel completely comfortable speaking about our worries and fears with each other. This, I realized, would eventually hurt the sweet but tentative relationship Takashi and I nurtured together. So I listened to him when Takashi leaned forward, placed his hands to my shoulders, and sternly demanded that I listen to him and stay out of the water.
You are my girlfriend, and I am worried about you, Sammy-chan, Takashi whispered to me and pressed his lips to mine in front of Hikaru, Kaoru, and the entire Host Club, too. Desperate and concerned, Takashi curled his fingers into my upper arms, pulling and pulling and pulling me closer. Do not enter the water without permission and do not attempt to be the heroine if anybody else is in the water and hurt.
Initially, I was upset with him for playing the Boyfriend Card, because I detested that someone – my sweet boyfriend, at that – could control the actions and choices I made simply through verbal demands and possibly physical force. Now, I might not live in the United States of America, but I could claim citizenship. He was attempting to limit – to control – what I considered to be the freedom that this citizenship gifted to me. Dammit, Takashi could not do that to me! I would not allow it!
Morinozuka Takashi! My mouth opened wide to release the defensive insults that naturally bubbled to life, but I could not bring myself to verbally abuse – You are not the boss of me – and hurt the beautiful boy that cared this much for me. "I do not want to lose you." Memories of the months together with him flashed inside of me with these words, and I inhaled sharply, lost in the feeling of his hot lips pressing gently into my mouth and his fingers curled protectively around mine. My God, I loved him so much that I couldn't find it in myselfto hurt him!
Nein, I could not – would not – hurt him.
Because I love him, too…
"You look constipated, Sammy-chan," Haruhi kindly informed her textbook, which seemed to capture all of her attention at the moment, and then turned to the next page. Tawny brown eyes continued to skim the text with haste. "Grape juice works wonders for that sort of problem."
My cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, but I did find the quip funny and laughed outright at her dryly uttered words of wisdom. "You studying to become some sort of comedian, Haruhi-chan?" I teased and deliberately pushed against her ribs with gentle fingertips, secretly in search of her infamously famous ticklish spot.
You're just like Tickle Me Elmo, Haruhi! I mentally cheered and grinned down at the younger girl, who immediately burst into laughter at the sensation of fingers digging into her sensitive sides.
Amidst her howls of laughter and demands that I stop, I continued to tickle her sides with fierce determination. My goal, Haruhi inquired? Why, I responded, to force her to bow down, submit to my superior genius, and become – dun, dun, dun– my evil minion! Just like Gru and Kevin! MWHAHAHAHAHA!
No, I mean it! Despicable Me 2 is so awesome. :D
Warm beams of golden sunshine, which previously covered Haruhi and I from head to toe, were suddenly blocked by the dark outline of something – or someone. "Whatever are you two doing down there?" Kotoko inquired, curiously, and put her small hands to her skinny hips with black eyebrows raised in question.
The sight of her hipbones, which jutted out almost painfully from beneath her tanned skin and above her bikini bottoms, really frightened the fuck outta me. However, I decided to keep my nose in my own personal business and instead gleefully exclaimed, "Haruhi-chan is ticklish!"
Chocolate brown eyes were narrowed with mirth and zeroed in towards Kotoko, who continued to watch the scene with barely concealed amusement. Tears of silent laughter streamed down her face, but Haruhi hissed down at me, irritated, and stubbornly declared, "No, I'm not!"
All remained quiet and peaceful for the next fifteen seconds, and then I poked Haruhi in the side, smirking gleefully when the smaller girl jumped and squealed like an itty bitty piglet. Excited, I flailed both arms in a windmill motion and frantically pointed this little sound out to Kotoko. I grinned in satisfaction and shrieked, "See, see, see, see, see?!"
Pissed off, Haruhi reached down, twisted the tender skin at my side between her fingers, and hissed, "I am not ticklish, Sammy-chan!" The words slithered through her clenched teeth like little snakes, hissing, whispering, and spitting at me in turn. Are you in there, Nagini?
Channeling my inner Parselmouth, I slipped out of her hold with the ease of I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Butter and hissed, "Are too!" My blue eyes were wide, like HootHoot, and glittered with the determination dedicated to the difficult task of beating Haruhi in this challenging battle of wits. It commenced!
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are not!" I cheerfully parroted.
"Are too!" Pause. "Uh, I mean…"
No longer amused with the situation, Kotoko sighed at this mutual display of immaturity and pinched her nose – much like Kyoya would if Tamaki cut one. "You two are idiots," Kotoko muttered beneath her breath, which whistled between her teeth with the force of her tortured exhale.
Of course, Haruhi the Humble blushed and mumbled her apologies, appropriately chastised, but I merely waved her words away and cheerfully exclaimed, "Yeah, but Haruhi-chan and I both know that you actually know that I know that Haruhi-chan knows that we are your idiots, Kotoko-chan!"
Did that make sense? No…? Damn.
"True, I think," Kotoko laughed, amusement dancing in her eyes, and leaned forward to place her face near mine. The Fangirls, I vaguely realized, could probably see us now and yet Kotoko did not hesitate in reaching down and curling her arms around Haruhi and me. We hugged each other, leaning into the warmth and laughter and happiness, and grinned for the whole world to see.
Clearing her throat, Kotoko opened her mouth and tentatively asked, "Speaking of idiots, I am curious if I might discuss something of importance with you?" Her green eyes, usually bright and happy, fluttered to stare at the ground in – of all things – shame! "I…well, I might have made a…a mistake…"
"Oh, Kotoko-chan," I softly said, surprised at the intensity of the empathy that whistled through the heart beating fiercely in my chest. My fingers slowly lifted to her face, pressing into her cheek, and I smiled sweetly at the stunned girl. "You should know better than that…"
"You can always talk to me – and Sammy-chan – about anything and everything," Haruhi explained, her voice serious but gentle with concern. She smiled, too, and wrapped her arms around the beautiful noblewoman, who gripped her tightly in return. "We're here for you!"
She smiled nervously; however, Kotoko eventually relaxed into her hold and admitted, "Well, I have not been having the easiest time at home lately, what with mother so worried about the public image of the family, and I have started to eat and vo–"
Our moment ended, however, when Mitsukuni suddenly called, "Can you come down here for a second, Ko-chan?" His small form bounced back and forth in the distance, near a section of the beach dedicated to the discarded towels left behind by the fangirls and several of the Hosts. "It will be fun; I promise!"
Kotoko gently removed herself from between Haruhi and I, stepping backwards to stare down at us with the strangest expression whispering in her eyes. It was a mixture between sorrow, regret, and – oddly enough – relief. I could not place the name or the meaning behind this expression exactly, but I believed that the next action, in which Kotoko rubbed her stomach with her left hand and grimaced in pain, hinted at what worried her.
My first train of thought promptly arrived to the conclusion that Kotoko might be pregnant, but I dismissed that idea upon remembering that nobles frowned heavily upon sleeping around. Lady Nakamura Kotoko was no slut, either. I frowned heavily, confused with the entire situation, and curiously glanced back at Kotoko. She liked Mitsukuni, and Mitsukuni liked her, too. However, I also realized that neither would consent to sex unless married. Against all odds, Kotoko could not possibly be pregnant. Therefore, I believed that there could only be one other possibility.
My eyes widened in horror. Kotoko is –
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Haruhi sweatdropped and stared blankly at the people – namely, Mitsukuni, Takashi, and Reika – that stretched alongside Kotoko. She narrowed her brown eyes in confusion and warily asked, "What is Mori-senpai doing?"
My blue eyes wandered back from Kotoko, to Haruhi, and then towards Takashi. My boyfriend, it seemed, wanted to be a mime. "Playing charades, I guess…?" I hesitantly answered this odd question, before I shrugged it aside without a care and wryly asked, "How the fuck should I know, Haruhi-chan?"
Annoyed, Haruhi rolled her eyes in exasperation and thumped her small fist into my shoulder, to which I scowled and rubbed at the (yeah, not really) bruised flesh. She smirked at this reaction and victoriously pointed out, "You're going out with him, though, Sammy-chan!"
Lips puckered like a goldfish, I turned to her and crossed both blue eyes in a sign of universal stupidity. "What does that have to do with the price of Hot Pockets in Australia?" I demanded, continually making faces at her and sticking my pink tongue out at the girl – simply for the fun of it, of course!
She bowed her head, embarrassed of and for me, and tiredly muttered, "Sammy-chan…"
Out of the blue, however, I noticed another senior student, dressed in an orange and yellow bikini, walking forward with two other girls that I immediately recognized from second period Japanese – Yui, Emiko, and Hana, if I remembered correctly. Emiko was a very quiet freshman girl who studied hard enough to take Japanese with the senior students. She liked to write, paint, and sing. Emiko played the piano and flute, too. Her cousin, Hana, was more outspoken and enjoyed cooking and horseback riding. She played the cello but refused to sing in front of others, which I found surprising given that Hana liked to talk all the time.
While I didn't personally know Yui, I remembered and liked both Hana and Emiko, even though I did not really know either of them very well. Why did I not know the inner workings of these girls? Simple! Unlike Kyoya, I didn't stalk through Ouran High School in search of victims to research, torture, and blackmail into submission. The Schatten König would not like it too terribly much if I intruded and practiced the Art of Stalking with him, either…
Smiling brilliantly, Yui stepped forward to speak to the exasperated girl resting beside me and kindly asked, "Are you not going to enjoy this nice weather and swim with the rest of the Host Club, Haruhi-chan?"
"Er, I don't know," Haruhi slowly said and turned to me, an expression of horror and panic now glowing in her brown eyes. This pleading expression – which I could actually read, unlike the earlier expression from Kotoko – clearly asked how Haruhi could avoid swimming with these girls. She wanted to keep her secret safe and sound, like Taylor Swift.
Haruhi, like her father, was a transvestite!
Gasp!
I smiled (perhaps too widely, given that Yui grimaced and backpedaled like I'd threatened to eat her firstborn child), patted her hand in reassurance, and hastily chirped, "We actually wanted to take advantage of the beautiful day and admire the scenery, instead!" My eyebrow twitched spastically. "'Cause, uh, it's really…beautiful, I guess?"
Extroverted Hana grinned cheerfully from beside her friend, Yui. She casually leaned forward to scrutinize the panic hidden in my own smile and smirked sadistically at me. Hana examined her nails with feigned interest and then teasingly asked, "Do you not like the water, Steel-san?"
"What gave you the first clue, Ashida-san?" I muttered darkly in response. In an attempt to render her unconscious with telepathic powers, I glowered at the senior – who, unfortunately, remained conscious and also laughed outright at my sarcasm. Jaganshi Hiei, I was not…
"Um, I'm not really interested in swimming," Haruhi hastily explained, leaning forward to rest on a single hand and stare up at the girls who called to her from behind the umbrella. She rubbed halfheartedly at the back of her neck. "And I kind of need to keep studying, too, so…"
"Oh!" Upon realizing that everyone was now staring at her with curiosity, Emiko blushed and softly whispered, "I just, um, r-r-remembered that Koda-sensei assigned that t-t-test to us." She shyly shuffled out from behind her younger cousin but averted her olive green eyes. "Is that the test you are s-studying for, Haruhi-chan?"
Sensing that Emiko only wanted to study, Haruhi nodded solemnly at her painfully shy classmate and admitted, "It is supposed to be pretty tough, and I don't really want to let my grades fall because I'm out playing in the sun when I could be studying!"
While I did have good grades, I would not willingly decide to study when given the chance to play outside. My nose scrunched in distaste. What the fuck, Haruhi-chan?
"I need to study for that test, too." Emiko clasped her hands in front of her, almost in a pleading gesture, and then quietly asked, "Do you mind if Yui-chan, Hana-chan, and I join you and Steel-senpai?"
When Emiko glanced towards me, I hesitantly smiled at her and shrugged both shoulders to emphasize that the decision should not really be left to me. "I'm okay with it," I honestly said, leaning backwards to rest on my palms, breathe in the fresh air, and stare up at the clouds, "but the choice should be he – his."
Still staring at the clouds, I mentally cursed myself for almost slipping up with the lesbian/ transvestite/gender bender issue. My best friend and study buddy extraordinaire was much too girly for his – uh, her – own good. I mentally slapped both hands to my cheeks, wishing to beat myself to the point of unconsciousness. On the plus side, I was really telepathic! Unfortunately, however, I could only knock myself out with the tremendous brainpower gifted to me. My brain hurts…
"Why do you want to study?" Haruhi asked, genuinely puzzled at this sudden and unexpected turn of events, to which I facepalmed and mentally exclaimed: That's exactlywhat I wondered, too!
"I think it would be fun for you and the other girls to swim!" My best friend smiled sweetly at the three girls, tawny eyes soft and full of emotion (in other words, Haruhi subconsciously used her Thousand Watt Smile of Doom to temporarily stun the girls) and added, "You are wearing very cute swimsuits, too!"
"Thank you so much, Haruhi-chan!" Yui, Emiko, and Hana cooed and instantly blushed, the elevated body heat staining their faces cherry red. Yui and Hana giggled behind their delicate hands, whereas Emiko stared at the pretty brunette not-a-girl with adoration. Hearts were practically floating above their heads!
Barf…! My eyebrow twitched faintly with frustration and disgust, to which several loud voices in my mind screamed, HYPOCRITE! I cautiously glanced towards Takashi, taking the moment to observe his lean physique without smart comments from Mitsukuni and Haruhi. My heartbeat jumped in my veins. Well, I admit that I might be a small – Takashi caught my eyes and smirked at me. Blushing at the hot lightning that zipped through my innards at his sexy smirk, I whirled around and facepalmed. Okay, okay, okay! I'll admit it! I'm a really big hypocrite! Yeah, I really am…
"You sure are a real charmer, Haruhi-chan," I muttered, huffing in annoyance when Takashi chuckled in the distance, having seen my shy reaction. Quietly, I watched the three lovestruck schoolgirls walk gracefully away (or rather, stagger off, too blinded by the beauty of Holy Haruhi to see straight) to play in the water. "Like Tony Stark…"
A pencil scratched roughly against the paper in her lap, but Haruhi paid little attention to the somewhat obnoxious noises it made. "Whatever are you mumbling about this time, Sammy-chan?" Haruhi innocently asked. Her attention was glued to the thin lines of black text printed in her math textbook – yeah, I know – again.
To refrain from the violence of hitting the oblivious butthead that I called "My Best Friend," I facepalmed again and dragged the hand down my nose, instead. I ignored the aching pain in my nose and leaned further back to relax against the purple blanket that Kyoya kindly loaned Haruhi – for a small fee. "Never mind, Haruhi-chan…"
Haruhi blinked at me and then studiously returned her attention the task of mentally devouring her textbook. She frowned down at the example problems in the current chapter, confused, and curiously asked, "So what would I do if I needed to find the variable in this equation?"
Instantly, I jumped back into the previous discussion from earlier this afternoon and pointed to the left side of the math problem, happy to help her in her time of need. "It would be easiest to move all of the numbers with that variable to this side," I easily explained, moving the pencil in her hand from that side and towards the next, "so subtract both of these to move 'em on over."
"Okay, I think I understand how to do this now," Haruhi muttered, staring down at her textbook and scratching at it with her blue mechanical pencil, which I noticed to be from B's Electronics. A frequent customer myself, I suggested that Haruhi visit the electronics store and buy herself a small music player to listen to during thunderstorms. Although thrifty, Haruhi immediately did this and downloaded the BarlowGirl CD that I purchased for her last month. She really loved Average Girl.
Amidst these memories, I quietly noted that Haruhi liked to nibble at the end of her pencil in thought and, thinking it cute, smiled at the little tic. My head titled to the side, I closed both eyes and serenely inquired, "Do you understand why it needs to be here and not part of the other side?" She would know, of course…
"Because I need the scratch work to be organized and coherent enough that I could keep the mistakes to a minimum, right?" When I smiled in silent approval of this observation, Haruhi nodded in determination. She made several notes in the margins to the right of the problem, paused in momentary confusion, and then sheepishly asked, "What should I do next?"
"Look at the left side again," I said, tapping at her paper with two chipped fingernails. My finger moved from the current side and back to the original without pause. Humming softly to the tune of Pocketful of Sunshine, I continued, "You need to move this variable to the other side now."
Haruhi leaned back to examine the scratch work outlined down her paper in neat rows, eyes moving back and forth at rapid speeds between each side of the equation. She smiled, expression gleeful in its realization, and turned to me in understanding. "Could I incorporate this answer into the next part of the problem now?"
"Yep, yes, yeah," I cheerfully chirped, plucked two seashells from the sand, and placed them over my separate bikini cups. Like Ariel: The Little Mermaid! Hearing my nickname yet again, I returned to the task at hand, mentally calculated the answer – thirty six – and waited for her (probably correct) answer.
"Okay, so it should be…" Haruhi muttered and circled her final equation at the bottom of the textbook paper, backtracking to check her work for mistakes. Brown eyes suddenly flickered to mine, and Haruhi confidently declared, "The answer is thirty six."
"Everyone should bow down before the genius that is Fujioka Haruhi!" I bellowed, jumping to my sandaled feet and doing the chicken dance. I grinned brightly at her, offered her two thumbs up, and proceeded to wave my palms around in the air like Captain Jack Sparrow. "You are an awesome 'possum, Haruhi-chan!"
"Well, I think I'm finally done with the study guide, thanks to you." Haruhi, appearing immensely relieved that the long study session was now over, nodded her head in polite thanks and laughed at me. She climbed to her feet, brushed the sand from her legs with her hands, and declared, "Now that I have a short while to do what I really want to do, I'm going for a walk!"
When I pouted at her with sad dejection, Haruhi laughed yet again and humorously teased, "Or should I have said, 'How about Sammy-chan and I head out for a walk?'" The brightest smile in the world claimed her lips, evidence of the fact that Haruhi could relax and attempt to have fun now, just like the rest of the Hunky Hosts! Woohoo!
"Damn straight," I grumbled irritably at her so-called mistake, feeling exhausted and somewhat disgruntled, before standing up and childishly kicking at the sand with two white sandals. It would be hard to stay mad at her, as always, but I could damn well try! BELIEVE IT!
"Come on, Sammy-chan!" Haruhi called out to me, a small laugh bubbling out from between lips when the wind rustled her hair and pulled the brown locks into her eyes. She carelessly brushed the hair out of her line of vision – just like Sarah used to do – and gestured for me to follow her lead.
"C'mon, Sammy!" Sarah shrieked in delight, cupping her hands around her mouth to scream over the wind, and giggled hysterically when I tripped again in an effort to keep up. Her yellow hair and pink gingham dress danced around her little legs when the wind whistled by. My scowl melted into a small albeit affectionate smile when I noticed Haruhi cheerfully walking through the yellow sand towards the cliff in the distance. "Let's play Follow-The-Leader!"
Obediently, I followed in her wake, as requested, before grinning mischievously and reaching down to remove my sandals. I paused to glance behind, beside, and in front of me. Noticing no one else around, I exploded into a sudden run, my smile wide, blonde hair and sandals whipping around in the wind. I bolted by Haruhi, practically blowing her doors off, and zoomed toward the familiar figures in the distance – Mitsukuni and Takashi.
"Noisy American," Haruhi muttered, pissed that I ruined her precious peace and quiet. Not to mention the fact that I essentially left her in the dust. She growled in irritation, her fists clenched tightly and her left eyebrow twitching with her frustration, and loudly yelled, "Come back here, you stupid…rich…BASTARD!"
Friends, I warmly realized with a giggle, are really wonderful people.
"SAMMY-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"
Even if said friends want to murder you!
***Author's Note**
Sammy: YEAH, I'M BACK, BITCHES! WOOHOO!
Haruhi: *Scolds* Language, Sammy-chan!
Sammy: English! Duh, Haruhi-chan!
Takashi: *Smirks* Language.
Sammy: ...I'll stop...
Haruhi: -_-;
Right! *Clears Throat* I hope you all enjoy the return to the crazy mind of Sammy-chan! Takashi-kun is more serious, by far, and is easier to right at times. Believe it or not, I have a really hard time spitting out references sometimes! I delete 'em, add 'em back, and then glare at my screen. I'm all: +_+. It's all: WTF? =_= But I personally like to think that it cowers in fear. :D
Please read and review! I about fainted from shock and happiness when I realized that this story has 504 reviews, 215 favorites, 232 followers, and about 70,000 hits. Thank you so, so, so, so, SO, SO, SO, SO, SO MUCH! My stupid self did not realize that I could read that in the Manage Stories section. Hehehehe...
Could I ask for 520 reviews, please? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!
Man, I need to lay off the sugar... ^u^;