I hope you like this chapter.
The spring breeze, scented of fresh cherry blossoms, blew towards him and assaulted his nostrils with the gentle, flowery fragrance. The wet ground smelled of freshly blooming grass and of wet soil, making his brain shiver with happy memories of childhood days when he would sit in the garden and follow the sprouting flowers come forth from beneath the fecund loam. Kyoya straightened his posture and walked up to school in his well-measured, steady pace. His inquisitive gaze traveled over the students gathered at the entrance of the school, hoping to see the pearl-eyed brunette he unwittingly grew affections for.
His heart sped up sharply, as his thoughts betook themselves towards her. He rubbed his chest, looking around anxiously, feeling like everyone else could hear his rapid heartbeat, and inhaled frustrated. The air was never enough for his lungs, heart and brain when he thought of her. Was it her blood calling him like that? Or was it something else; something sinister and bone-chilling like... feelings of love?
He shook his head. How utterly stupid! How could he be so foolish and gullible? The feelings he experienced were nothing more than basic chemical reactions; bodily and mental illusions. And then he remembered the touch of her soft lips, and his whole being protested, displeased with his perspective. Love, too, was a chemical reaction, and that reaction hadn't proceeded in his body without the catalyst that was the chocolate-haired, pretty Fujioka Haruhi.
Even in the most material level he was in love with her; his body yearning for her, her very presence causing series of chemical reactions, forming metabolic pathways, increasing-decreasing his body temperature―something nothing and nobody could cause, and what was the strangest and the most frightening is that these reactions were possible only with certain enzymes that his body lacked. Her smell, her blood, the pheromones her body produced had attacked his central nervous system and infected him with these strange feelings.
He felt lost again and swallowed the thickness in his throat. He needed to stop thinking about her. It was an idle exercise for his lonely mind. He sighed and continued to walk to the building. His attention grabbed something unusual in the far corner of the school gates. Wasn't that Ayanakoji Seika's father? He was speaking with someone, and he appeared to be furious about something. Kyoya tilted his head and noticed his daughter. He was having a heated argument with her, and she was crying. The man didn't seem to be affected by her tears, because he continued to scold her with the same indignant expression on his face.
She turned back and looked at Kyoya, then cleaned the tears on her face with the sleeve of her dress and averted her eyes. Kyoya exhaled slowly and walked past by her, only stopping to greet her father in the most polite way possible. The man was a little startled to be interrupted, but recognizing Ootori's youngest son, greeted him in response. Kyoya didn't say anything else, even his face didn't bear any indication of him feeling triumphant or happy. He looked like he didn't consider this an achievement, and Ayanakoji glared at him frustrated.
Kyoya though was relieved. Now the little brat would stop harassing Haruhi if she knew what was good for her, or next time Kyoya wasn't going to be so nice to her.
.
"I will miss him so much," Renge whined again, cleaning the new droplets of tears that her eyes, for some reason, kept producing. "I can't live without him."
Haruhi looked at the redhead dumbly and a little confused by the over-the-top way she exaggerated Mori-senpai's graduation. It wasn't like with his graduation the silent man was going to evaporate into the thin air and never appear again. And they were not even in the same year, so they didn't see each other during the classes, only after them in the host club.
"He will graduate in a few weeks and..." she started to sob at this point, and Haruhi had to pat on her back gently to comfort her. "...and I won't see him."
"Of course you will," Haruhi reassured her. "In fact, I think you will see him more as he no longer will be in the host club and won't have to entertain other guests."
Renge-chan raised her head so swiftly that Haruhi for a moment thought it was going to pop up and fall down on the ground. Renge's eyes were burning with happy glints, and she grabbed Haruhi by the shoulders and then hugged her like her life depended on it.
"You are so right," she screamed, scaring Soga-san, who was trying to make a conversation with Momoka-chan already for the 4th time in the past 15 minutes.
"See and you were just worrying that you won't be able to spend time with him," Haruhi smiled, trying to calm the girl and apologetically looked at the class president who looked like he had lost the last shreds of confidence he had mastered to approach Momoka Kurakano.
She knew that it wasn't the last time she would hear Renge-chan's mournful sobbing of how there were still two years until her own graduation, and her Mori-senpai would graduate so soon, leaving her behind. But she only sighed and mentally prepared herself. As she was about to turn her attention to her textbook, that she was trying to read before Renge burst in tears, she felt someone's presence on her back.
"What are you doing here?" Renge stood up and glared at the person angrily.
Haruhi tilted her head to see who was the crazy fool to piss Renge and gasped shock, seeing Ayanakoji Seika standing there. The girl ignored Renge completely and looked straight at Haruhi. There were tears in her eyes that shocked Haruhi and made her feel a little confused and worried of how she was going to turn the situation against her, using those tears.
"I am sorry," Ayanakoji mumbled, causing Haruhi to gape like a fish. "I understand. Okay! Tell him stop. Just tell him to stop it all."
She twirled around and left in hasty steps, leaving behind shocked Haruhi and equally astounded Renge.
"What has happened to this bitch?" Renge snorted. "Does she think you are going to forgive her because she came up with an half-assed apology. What kind of nonsense was she mumbling?"
Haruhi cleaned her throat. She didn't know... or maybe she knew. Tell him stop. What did he do to her? She sighed. She told him she could handle herself. She rubbed her temples and stood up. What could have happened to her that she was crying? Surely, Kyoya-senpai didn't do something so terrible to her, did he? He wasn't that kind of person, right? She let out a frustrated growl. She needed to talk to him.
One of the twins walked passed by her dropping his pen. They rarely interacted, and Haruhi didn't really talk to them in the host club when she visited them with Renge-chan as a help. She didn't know them that well, but this one must have been Hikaru. He had quite the demeanor and attitude. The pen that fell out of his pocket was a pretty one, and it hit floor with a loud thud, but he seemed not to notice it, because he kept walking towards his desk.
"Hikaru-kun," she called after him. "You have dropped your pen."
He turned back, stared at her curiously and then at the dropped pen and shook his head. "I am not Hikaru, but thank you for letting me know about the pen."
"Um..." Haruhi stared at him and then smiled. "You are definitely Hikaru. But if you wish to be Kaoru I don't mind."
"You are wrong," Hikaru mumbled in a low voice, now very curious. "But why do you think I am Hikaru."
"You might look the same," she said with a smile, "but you two are very different."
The twin snorted, and as if amused by her explanation shifted closer. "You are something, Fujioka."
Haruhi rolled her eyes annoyed. So rude! Why were these kids so strange? She found it frustrating that after all this time in Ouran she didn't get used to the astounding madness everyone was sprouting. But before she could say anything, the auburn haired young man smiled at her widely and leaned his head down to look into her eyes.
"And you have pretty eyes. Pity didn't notice before."
"Hikaru, where did you put my textbook," the other twin called, searching his school bag frantically.
"Seems like I was right," Haruhi smirked playfully. "You are Hikaru, after all."
"Hey," Renge budged a little moody, and protectively pulled Haruhi towards herself, as if Hikaru was going to steal her any moment. "First, that idiot of Tamaki and now you! Back off, Haruhi's mine."
Seemed like Renge-chan had taken a certain degree of ownership over her, Haruhi thought amused, but let the redhead dragged her backwards. The class soon started, and Haruhi's thoughts scattered, as she started to think both of Kyoya-senpai and the way her body started to burn the other day. It was so overwhelming and painful, and she still could feel the strong pressure against her skull as the burning sensation had intensified, and she had felt like she was going to lose her brain to the fire set in his head. It was the worst pain she had ever experienced, and Haruhi's face wrinkled in distress, wondering if the pain would ever come back.
She also reminded herself how Kyoya-senpai's bite, instead of the usual sting, felt like an injection of coldness into her bloodstream that calmed her aching nerves and made her pained skull relaxed and sooth; it almost felt like a cone of ice-cream on a hot summer day. She felt such a strange relief when he perforated her neck. The deep way his fangs sat inside the muscles of her flesh and the way the blood left her body made her cool from inside, as if her blood was pile of embers, and Kyoya's bite was a scuttle of icy water.
After the incident, he avoided her and refused to drink, and that bothered Haruhi. She tried to convince him to drink her blood a few times, but he carefully and craftily distracted her and strayed her thoughts into a different direction. The sly bastard! He would question her all the time about her health, as if she had consumed some poisonous plant and was going to die soon.
She didn't even notice when the classes were over. Renge-chan packed everything she had, bid her a goodbye and ran to meet with Mori-senpai. Apparently, he had invited her to drink tea together. Haruhi nodded and sighed relieved that the redhead wouldn't pester her anymore and decided it would be good to go home. She had a lot of things to study before the spring holidays and the final exams.
She left the classroom and headed towards the stairs. Ouran did have a very pretty architectural style. The stairs looked like they were from a fairy tale castle, not that Haruhi cared. She wondered why they didn't have elevators instead, but she didn't mind walking down the stairs, even though, it was time consuming. Then she spotted Kyoya-senpai, walking towards the exit.
"Senpai," she called after him, and reluctantly realized that she didn't know what to say.
He stopped and looked up. Seeing her face, Kyoya smiled gently and climbed the stairs up to her. Haruhi froze in place , worried and anxious because she didn't know how to act around Kyoya-senpai after what happened a few days ago. She scolded herself mentally and schooled her features into a neutral expression.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, walking up to her. "Any burning?"
"No," she smiled, shaking her head. "I am fine. It didn't happen again. I don't think it will happen again, honestly."
Kyoya didn't look convinced, but he didn't pry further. "If something happens, please tell me," he asked surprisingly in a pleading tone.
Haruhi sighed. "You don't need to worry about me, senpai," she said a little annoyed. "I am not made of glass. I can take care of myself. You woo me and try to protect me as if I am some damsel in distress and quite frankly it doesn't sit well with me."
The expression on his face became scandalous, and he looked genuinely baffled, making Haruhi sigh frustrated and explain herself. "I don't need your protection. I can do well on my own, and I don't want you to worry about me. This past week you have asked me several times if I am fine and even refused to feed. That part angers me the most, honestly."
"I am sorry," Kyoya apologized, but the way he said the words made him come out very disingenuous and insincere like he didn't really think he did anything wrong. "It wasn't my intention to coddle you or treat you in any manner that might feel like I am thinking any less of your abilities to protect yourself or tend for your needs. I was just very worried, considering what happened to you, and we both know that it was some side affect of our arrangement thus entirely my fault."
"Like you were worried about Ayanakoji-san?" Haruhi asked with a low sigh. "She was crying today. I don't want anyone to cry because of me. I don't want you to do anything because of me."
Kyoya wanted to roll his eyes. That bitch deserved what she got, and he didn't regret anything, truth to be spoken, he was actually disappointed that she got away with a pat on her wrist. She deserved an actual punishment for being such a spoiled, little brat. He had no patience or tolerance for insolence the girl displayed, especially after he asked her nicely to lay off and not to harm Haruhi. But Kyoya knew very well that it wouldn't work very well with Haruhi, so he took a deep breath and shook his head dismissively.
"I didn't do that for you," he told her firmly, causing Haruhi to widen her eyes in surprise.
"Then why did you do it and what did you do exactly?" she asked a little surprised.
"You must understand Haruhi that even wealth and status can't save one from disgrace and embarrassment. Especially those holding higher status in a society are under constant scrutiny of the said society. They are like live dolls, and everyone watches them. And if wealth can make someone's appearance more refined and respected, the same wealth can make their mistakes seem more significant and unforgivable."
Haruhi stared at him as if Kyoya was trying to convince her that the unicorns were real, and he was a part unicorn, part vampire.
"And if Ayanakoji-san doesn't realize that her actions can disgrace her family and doesn't care, I think her family does. I just did a favour and made sure they knew about her dishonorable actions. Call it a small courtesy to her father. I didn't want him to be ashamed of her and let him know what she was up to."
Kyoya didn't care. If she did something scandalous and dragged her family's name to mud, he wouldn't bat an eye. He found his family's tolerance of her bratty behavior to be the root in the first place, but distracting Haruhi was his prerogative now.
"Oh," Haruhi said, pink coloring her features. "I understand. It was nice of you to do that."
"Are you upset with me?' he asked, sensing her discomfort.
"Er... well, no," she mumbled. "I am just...okay, fine! I am upset with you. I thought we agreed that you will not starve yourself anymore, but you are refusing to eat."
She couldn't understand why it was bothering her so much.
"That was before what happened to you," he said as an explanation, but his heart flattered in his chest, delighted that Haruhi cared about him so deeply. "We should discuss this more seriously later."
"No," she said angrily. "You can't change the topic again, senpai. Why are you refusing?"
"Haru-chan? Coming to the Host Club?" a small blonde boy asked, snapping Haruhi's attention, and she turned to face Honey-senpai, Renge-chan's lovely boyfriend-to-be's cousin, who despite being older and graduating in a few days looked like a little child.
He stared at her and Kyoya-senpai innocently, but curiousty burnt his eyes, and even Haruhi noticed how the cute blonde eyed them.
"No, Honey-senpai," she attempted to smile. "I have to go home and besides Renge-chan won't be in the club today, so I don't have to come to help her with anything."
"Maybe next time you can bring Kyoya-san," he smiled sweetly at the pair of them and then winked.
Kyoya cleaned his throat, disturbed the way he had been deconstructed and dismantled in the young looking man's eyes, but didn't say anything, other than a small smile and polite nod. She looked at him with that warm, pretty gaze, and she smelled like lavenders on a rainy day. Kyoya knew he didn't have any right to get close to her, just for her sake. If his father found out, if his illness had somehow also affected her, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. She was the only person that oozed light in the utter darkness and cold he had lived in for so many years.
It was truly childish and infantile to desire someone this strongly and desire them so much to give them up for their own sake. Kyoya knew he wanted to be selfish. He still couldn't understand what he felt, but whatever it was, it was strong and driving, and it compelled him to tell her no.
.
"How do I look? Will I blend in with crowd without notice?" Saori Ootori asked the maid, twirling around in her faux commoner outfit.
The maid made a face that said she didn't look like she had to work all week to make the ends, but instead of voicing her opinion, she nodded and smiled at the woman.
"I will put sunglasses," Ootori-sama's wife announced, finding her designer sunglasses in the drawer. "Remember nobody can recognize me. And my husband shouldn't find out about anything, or he might lock me up in my room for a month for endangering myself or some other vain excuse."
"Should I call the driver, Saori-sama?" the maid asked, skeptical that whatever was in her mistress mind was going to work.
"No!" the woman shook her head. "Just get a taxi here. If you call the driver, he will definitely tell Yoshio-sama about everything, and I can't risk."
"Alright, Saori-sama," the woman mumbled and bowing left the room.
Saori stared at herself in the mirror. Her make up was so heavy that nobody would ever think it was her, and the dress and shoes she wore were very flashy, and there was no way anyone would fathom that Ootori Saori could put something like that on. It was a good cover to go to a commoner area and sneak a peek on the girl without raising suspicion. What an humiliation it would be if her husband caught her like this. But nothing else came to her mind, and she was desperate.
"The taxi will be here in a few minutes, Ootori-sama," Miwa-san told her. "I can escort you to it through the back door quietly.
Saori gulped, took a deep breath and nodded. She was ready.
But when the taxi took her to the particular neighborhood where the girl lived and dropped her near the market, Saori felt like a lost kitten. She fixed her french-wrapped scarf on her head, hoping to look as invisible as possible, and then she realized that it wasn't really a common accessory commoners used around the market. The place looked lively, full of people, buying things and looking at different items. There was some sort of color and happiness to the way people buzzed around, and she stared in fascination.
"There she is," Miwa-san pointed at a girl who was walking up the street.
She was a small-framed girl with messily gathered short ponytail and had a large knitted jacket on her shoulders, her jean pants were a little lose on her, and she had bags of produce in her hands and was carrying them with such ease that startled Saori. This was the girl giving ribbons and cards to her son? She hoped to see something a little more refined. Kyoya had sure had a taste. Maybe she had fancied a friendship for her son so much that she was just ready to believe this to be true. She didn't look anything like Kyoya would like.
Spectacularly unimpressed, she wrinkled her nose and sighed, thinking she miscalculated and misunderstood everything. Maybe it was just a thank you note like Miwa-san said. There was no way Kyoya would have taken a shine to a girl looking like an unkept mess. He was raised as a sophisticated aristocrat, and the girl was anything but sophisticated. She was the most common commoner Saori would imagine.
"Should I approach her, Saori-sama," the maid questioned, seeing her indecision.
"Um...no, Miwa-san," she said, cleaning her throat. "If you have any business around here you can tend them. I will call you when I need you."
The maid politely nodded and left. Saori straightened her posture. How stupid of her to even think that she could foresee something before her husband. If there was any sort of relationship going on, her husband would have known. She just foolishly hoped, but there was no way anything between this girl and her son was going on.
"Haruhi," a woman called after the girl, prompting her to stop.
Saori stared at the woman intently. She was tall and pretty, had very nice pair of legs and definitely rocked those high-line shoes. The pretty suit on her was elegant, and her long curls cascaded on her shoulders.
"Wait for me," she called after the girl, in surprisingly deep, low voice.
This must have been her mother, Saori reasoned. She was a pretty woman, maybe the girl would have looked better as well, if she had nicer clothes. Her attention went back to their exchange.
"Let me carry them, my cute little treasure," the woman wined in a strange tone.
"I will take them home on my own," the girl insisted, pulling away the bags moodily, as if being called cute little treasure irritated her.
"Haruhi," the woman whined again.
"Just buy a few more strawberries," the girl said. "They are on sale."
The woman smiled at the young girl fondly and nodded. Saori smiled too. Fuyumi loved strawberries too, and she was like that too, independent wanting to do thing on her own, although her husband found a way to quickly kill off that rebellion. The smile on Saori's face faded away. When the girl walked away, the woman headed towards the strawberries and stood right next to Saori, giving the Ootori matriarch an opportunity to carefully observe her. Before she could fully scrutinize her, the woman stared at her and smiled.
"Nice shoes," she winked. "Where did you get them from? They look expensive."
"Oh," Saori gasped being spoken to so suddenly. "My husband had bought them for me."
She lied. Yoshio would rather spend time in hell than put his nose in her wardrobe. He cared very little as long as she looked proper and decent. And he knew very little about shoes.
"He has a good taste," the woman smiled. "Are you buying strawberries too? My daughter likes them so much."
"Ah," Saori stammered. "No, waiting for a friend, actually. So that girl was your daughter?"
The woman's eyes lit up cheerfully and she nodded. "Yes, she is so adorable. But doesn't listen to me at all when it comes to her clothes and appearance."
She took out her wallet and showed a photo of a very pretty girl, with long brown hair. "See, so cute," she squealed at the photo like it was a small child or a puppy.
"What has happened to her hair?" Saori gasped involuntarily.
"Some moron put a gum in her hair, and she had cut them," the woman made a weeping sound. "It was shorter before. It had grown. I can't wait until my baby has her hair as long as it was before."
She did look pretty before, Saori thought. The woman spoke really funnily, mixing up pronouns all the time going from male to female and so on.
"Seems like your friend isn't showing up," the woman said. "It's cold here. You can wait in the tea-shop on the corner."
Saori nodded awkwardly. "You are probably, right," she feigned a smile.
A/N-I hope you will like this chapter. Tell me if you like where the story is going.