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Here is chapter 7, I have no idea what I'm going to write... boo...
Haruhi woke up the next morning feeling tired but healthy, she stretched and smiled. The weather outside was good and the heavy snow which had been falling for the past two days had left a thick blanket of snow on the surroundings. She was looking forward to skiing again, not that she hadn't enjoyed Kyouya's company but she wasn't sure what the chance were she would come skiing again. They were staying for eight days (including travelling days) and three of them were already gone.
'Haru-chan! Haru-chan! Are you excited it's Christmas tomorrow? Kasanoda-kun called to wish us Merry Christmas, isn't he nice? Oh! And He told me to say hi to you Haru-chan,' Huni smiled up at her and hurried of to the smaller breakfast table in the lounge (not the huge table in the dining room) before she even had chance to reply, geez, how does he have so much energy so early in the morning, I thought he wasn't a morning person.
Mori, who seemed to have read her thoughts explained, 'lots of sugar.'
'Ah,' Haruhi nodded knowingly, 'it was nice of Kasanoda to call, maybe I should...' Haruhi stopped talking mid sentence and turned pale, 'crap.'
'Are you feeling ill again Haruhi?' the twins were picking at a piece of bread, staring at her pale face with mild interest.
'No, I forgot to call my dad,'
'So? Just call him now,'
'Have you not met my father?' Haruhi looked at them with what could have been fear, the twins realised.
'Is he going to throw a drama llama like Tono does?' they asked, Haruhi nodded in confirmation, they pointed to a table in the corner of the room, 'there's a phone over there, you won't get service on a mobile.'
'I don't throw drama llamas!' Tamaki whined and pouted, Kyouya shook his head in amazement at his best friend's childishness and sipped from his coffee.
Haruhi pressed the number into the phone and pushed the call button, she held her breath as she put the phone tentatively to her ear. Her father picked up before the last ring was over.
'HARUHI MY DARLING I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!' Haruhi flinched away from the phone and rolled her eyes, she saw Kyouya give her a knowing look from his seat across the room. Haruhi wasn't sure whether he was trying to sympathise or patronise.
'Sorry, sorry, I was ill and my phone doesn't work up here, I'm fine, not dead at all so will you please stop screaming in my ear?' Haruhi tried in vain to calm her father.
'You were unwell? You should have come home, those buffoons are too incompetent to care for you!'
'Don't worry,' Tamaki had plucked the phone from Haruhi's unsuspecting hand, 'I assure you she was looked after with the utmost care and competence.' Haruhi wrenched the phone from Tamaki before he did any further damage. The hosts could hear the screaming through the phone from the other side of the room.
'No, no, Kyouya looked after me, not Tamaki-senpai,' Haruhi shot said person a look that he withered beneath.
There was silence for few moments as the hosts watched with confusion and amusement as Haruhi's face flushed a deep pink, 'no! Dad, shut up, geez I don't know how your mind thinks up these things,' Haruhi huffed, 'I'll talk to you tomorrow, Baka,' she quickly put the phone down and stared at it with a frown and her face still flushed, she turned to see the hosts staring at her.
'What? Is there something on my face?' she automatically went to wipe her cheek.
'Never mind Haruhi, the idiots were just eavesdropping on your conversation,' Kyouya informed her, Haruhi joined them at the table, picking up a slice of toast.
'Oh, that's rude,' Haruhi pretended to be annoyed causing a flood of apologies and begging, Haruhi just laughed, she caught Kyouya's eye and smiled, he smiled back.
~.~Later Skiing LaLaLaLa~.~
Haruhi had been happily plodding behind the others, skiing as fast as she could but still a lot slower than the others. She was glad to be on the snow, the rush made her heart lift each time she went over a bump, her light weight and petite stature meant it took a lot for her to fall so she enjoyed the recklessness while it lasted without consequences.
'I'm sorry that I'm holding you guys up,' Haruhi couldn't help but feel a bit guilty each time she saw the hosts waiting at the bottom of the piste for her, she also felt sorry for the poor people that got caught in the midst of their snowball fights that inevitably broke out every time they stood still.
'It's ok Haru-chan, you're very good considering you've never do this before,' Huni grinned up at her, his bunny painted snowboard in hand, 'me, Takashi and Tama-chan are going to go eat, do you want to come?'
'We're going on that slope up there if you want to join us,' the twins interjected before she could reply, they pointed to what could only be described as a vertical drop.
'I think I'll pass,' Haruhi told them, 'if nobody else is skiing I guess I'll get a drink or something.'
'I'm going to continue if you would like to join me,' Kyouya offered, already turning away from the restaurant, Haruhi said thanks and started to follow him.
'No! No! It's Daddy-Daughter time now, Mommy's had enou-gph,' Huni jumped up and clamped his hand over Tamaki's mouth; Mori took the host king by the neck of his jacket and dragged him towards the restaurant.
'You two have fun now,' Huni called, 'we'll meet up later, bye bye now!' he waved cheerfully. Haruhi just gave him a short wave and a confused glance whilst Kyouya nodded and gave his silent thanks.
'Huni-senpai's being weird this holiday,' Haruhi muttered to herself as she tried to drag her skis across a flat piece of land, annoyed the neither she nor Kyouya had any momentum yet he made it look easy.
'Oh?' Kyouya gave her a questioning look, 'how so?'
Haruhi gave him a sidelong glance, flushed and shrugged, trying to brush it off. Kyouya raised an eyebrow but left it alone. He held out a pole for her to grab and try and help, her face serious in concentration and her breath was heavy at the effort of dragging the dead weights of metal on her feet. She glanced up and pushed away the pole.
'I can do it,' she insisted. It was Kyouya's turn to shrug this time though he was at no end amused by her stubbornness although he had to admit it was similar to his view on things and maybe he and Haruhi were more similar than they had realised.
A single snowflake drifted onto Kyouya's glove, he noticed it's presence in an instant, 'looks like the weather's changing, it's irritating how unpredictable the weather in the mountains is.'
'Huh?' Haruhi puffed, basking in triumph at getting past the flat land then saw the gently snowflakes falling, 'oh, isn't it nice sometimes if you can't predict things, if some things are a surprise?'
'I'm not fond of surprises,' Kyouya said.
'That doesn't surprise me, you always seem to know everything, it's like you're psychic,' Haruhi concluded with mock wonder.
'Honestly Haruhi, I merely plan and observe,'
'You do more than observe, you stare into people's souls, can you read minds? ' Haruhi continued.
'Of course not, and I don't know everything or everyone,' he started to ski before Haruhi had a chance to answer. Haruhi frowned, wanting to know more.
'So what don't you...' she trailed off when she saw Kyouya leaving her behind, 'hey!' she cried indignantly before following behind him, going too fast to try and catch up with him. Unfortunately for Haruhi that ended up with her knocking Kyouya over at the bottom of the slope and into a snow drift to the side of the piste.
Haruhi rubbed her head, still bruised from before, 'ouch...' she opened her eyes to meet a calm stare, 'ah! I'm so sorry Kyouya, I was going too fast.'
Kyouya sighed, 'really Haruhi, I thought you'd learn to be more careful after last time,'
'Sorry,' Haruhi huffed, 'that time it wasn't my fault and you know it!'
'Well, whoever's fault it was that doesn't matter right now, would you mind getting off of me, people are starting to stare,' that was an understatement, as well as the whispers and pointing there was one small child sucking on his glove and staring at them with wide eyes. Kyouya sent the boy a quick glare that sent him running. Haruhi looked down at their position slowly before letting out a strangled squeak and flopped onto the snow beside Kyouya.
There were a few minutes of awkward silence filled in only by background noise and soft breathing, 'so,' Haruhi ventured, 'what exactly don't you know about people, I know you have files on practically everyone in Ouran,' she turned her face to watch Kyouya's expression, wondering in her mind why they were both still lying in the snow before noticing the tree above then stopping a torrent of snowflakes whipping them in the face.
Ah, she thought Kyouya thought out escaping this weather too eventually, I guess nothing does surprise him.
'That isn't true, I only have files on people related directly or indirectly to the host club, such as relationships, close friends, siblings and so on. I suppose that makes up most of the student body though,' Kyouya sat up and leant against a tree, removing his glove to wipe snow from his hair and jacket front. He continued, 'I can tell what most people are thinking at a glance, sometimes I need to study people or look into their files but I always work it out in the end.'
'So it is like you can read minds, can you tell what I'm thinking?'
'No, there are two people I haven't been able to figure out completely,' Kyouya told her amused by her insistence of making him sound like something out of a Twilight novel, 'Tamaki, and you.'
'Me? I can understand Tamaki-senpai, so simple minded and yet manages to be complex but what's different about me?'
'Everything,'
'Is that bad?'
'Not necessarily, it makes you interesting,' Kyouya thought about a way to explain it, Haruhi looked at him to continue, 'it can be frustrating not to understand what you want or think, there are some simple things I can work out, such as when you look at nothing in particular and bite your lip you're thinking about either food or cooking.' Haruhi blushed, realising what he said was true.
'Why don't you just ask me then?' Haruhi seemed confused as to how he didn't understand something so simple.
'Ask you?'
'Well, yeah, it's better than wondering about it all the time. Some people might find it rude but it doesn't bother me. I don't get why everything has to be so complicated for rich people,' Haruhi reached her handout absently to catch snowflakes, taking off her glove so she could feel each tiny cold peck. Kyouya watched her and digested the past conversation.
'Ok then, seeing as the visibility is terrible which would make skiing very un-enjoyable and it shows no signs of letting up, would you mind if I asked you questions now?'
Haruhi paused before replying, 'only if I can ask questions in return,'
'I suppose that's fair,' Kyouya agreed, 'I'll start simple then. What do you think of the host club?'
'I used to think it was annoying and unfair the way I joined but I'm glad because all of you guys are good friends. I never really had very close friends before apart from Mei, all of my middle school friends moved on,' Haruhi placed her head on her fist, frowning at nothing, 'the host club, with all its eccentricities makes me have fun, too much fun if you ask me but I'm happy there,'
'I'm glad to hear it,' Kyouya said, genuinely meaning it.
'My turn,' Haruhi spoke quickly, finding herself pleased that Kyouya actually seemed to care, 'what do you think of,' she trailed off as if she was thinking for something to ask him, 'me.'
That stunned Kyouya, he was planning on asking her the same question but only after he had gently started to get more and more personal or awkward. What did he expect? This was the blunt, oblivious, Haruhi after all.
'Well... You're blunt, gluttonous, you don't seem to care at all what other people think of you and you seem to understand everybody perfectly unless it's their feelings towards you,' Haruhi was trying very hard not to be hurt, and just when she thought the battering was over Kyouya started to speak again, 'personally though, I think all of these things make you a very intriguing person and naturally makes me curious about you. I also think my feelings have become more than just curiosity towards you which makes it even more frustrating at your obliviousness to people's feelings.'
Haruhi thought through what he said and tried not to smile, 'define 'more than curiosity, does that mean friend, or?'
'I'll go with or,' Kyouya wasn't sure what he was saying but he knew it certainly wasn't getting him anywhere by saying nothing, he'd lived enough of his life like that to know the outcome. Nothing.
Haruhi let a small smile creep onto her face, she wasn't sure still but she had been thinking about what Mori had said which looked like it could be true and she was starting to understand what Huni-senpai meant as well, 'are you going to ask me a question? It is my turn.'
Kyouya gave her a curious look and saw her smiling back at him, her cheeks painted a soft red, 'ok then, you just asked me two questions so I get two as well. Firstly, what do you think of me?'
'Cunning, money-loving, too worried about what people think, quiet, underappreciated, kind and personally I think... or,' Haruhi looked up at the slowly clearing sky, the sun just showing through the receding flurry of snowflakes. It seemed as if the weather was clearing along with her mind.
'I see,' Kyouya followed her gaze, wondering how this girl had managed to get Kyouya Otori to sit under a tree for over half an hour when they could have easily skied to the nearby restaurant (there seemed to be one for each and every slope.) He knew it was because it meant complete solitude, a wall of snow falling to hide them from the world, he liked being alone with this girl, this girl who should mean nothing to him but meant everything.
'My second question,' here comes the boldness, he thought to himself, 'would you be opposed to me kissing you?'
Haruhi turned to face him, both of their eyes giving away emotions their calm faces didn't, 'no. I don't think I would.'
Kyouya leant in close so his breath mixed with Haruhi's, leaving a feeling of warmth in the small space between their lips.
'KYOUYA, HARUHI! Is that you down there?' Tamaki called down the slop, Kyouya and Haruhi practically flew apart, gathering up their things, 'I can't see a thing clearly and why haven't you been answering your cell phone!'
'Yes it's us,' Kyouya called back, trying to keep the bitter annoyance from his voice.
'We're fine Tamaki-senpai, we'll meet you at the bottom of the slope,' Haruhi reassured the blond. She didn't have to see his face to know he was freaking out.
'See you down there!' Tamaki called gleefully. Both Kyouya and Haruhi sighed in unison.
'Don't worry,' Haruhi smiled up at Kyouya, her cold hand just brushing his, 'there be other moments without Tamaki's head in-between I'm sure. Besides, I'm not sure how much longer I could have sat here, my butt's practically dropping off with cold.'
*Phew* I had to think this one trough a lot but I'm kind of happy with the outcome, is it ok?
Remember, all reviews are accepted with abnormal enthusiasm. I would say press the shiny green button but it isn't green any more D:
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