Pairing: KyouyaxHaruhi
Rating: eto...PG. Nothing serious in this chapter.
Written for: well, I have to finish this story or else my readers will be upset and upset readers are scary.
Dedicated to: all of my fans (that is, if I have any?) because your reviews and support really got me to prolong this fanfic -laugh-
Warning: Beware of OOCness and just general suckage. And again, not BETA'd...sorry for little mistakes here and there (and hopefully I improve, ne, mercy-angel-09-san?)
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran or any of its characters. They belong only to the great Bisco Hatori-sama (and BONES)...and they're not mine. So call: 1-800-disclaimer if you have a problem and you may have a nice long chat with my attorney.
Kimi no Koe
By, Yue Guang Kuroneko
--
Haruhi opened her eyes with much difficulty. She felt much too comfortable to wake up, but she knew that she should. It must be morning now and class would be starting soon, not to mention she had to make breakfast, shower, and look over her finished essays, but of course that won't take up much time—so that meant that she could sleep just a little more.
She unconsciously snuggled deeper into her pillo—wait a minute. This doesn't feel like her pillow at all. In fact, now that she thought about it, she doesn't even remember going to bed last night…
Her eyes snapped open before she was forced to close them again due to the brightness of the room. She still had her eyes closed when she felt something tighten around her body and a low groan before silence filled the room again. She glanced up cautiously, eyes adjusting to the bright room and slowly, they widened in surprise as they took in Ootori Kyouya's content sleeping face.
Suddenly, Haruhi remembered the thunderstorm last night and felt grateful that Kyouya had kept her company (in her commoner home, no less.) She glanced down and found that his right arm was wrapped securely around her waist and the other was…
She couldn't help but blush at their awkward position. Their fingers were entwined with each other's and as she observed their hands, she realized that his hand was graceful and flawless. His hand was soft—of course they would be soft! A rich boy like him couldn't have done any hard labor in his entire existence!—and they were comforting. His hand tightened around hers momentarily as he shifted lightly, still engulfed in sleep.
Haruhi carefully slipped her hand out of his and reached up to pull off his glasses. She had never really seen him without his glasses before (except that night at the beach but it had been dark in his room) and realized that he really was good-looking, especially up-close. His face usually held an intense look, but when he slept, there was a touch of innocence.
Glancing over at the clock on the wall, she decided it was about time to get breakfast ready since she had another mouth to feed. She attempted to pull out of Kyouya's grip but only earned a low, sleepy growl from the dark-haired man.
"Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi said in a low voice. "Wake up, Kyouya-senpai."
He only shifted, but remained asleep.
How troublesome, Haruhi thought, taking another quick glance at the clock once more. I'm going to be late for class at this rate.
She carefully removed the arm that was planted firmly around her waist with a bit of trouble but after a few moments of struggling, Haruhi freed herself. As she stood, the jacket that had been placed over her shoulders slipped into an ungraceful pile on the floor. Quietly picking it up and slinging it over the back of the couch, she glanced at Kyouya once more and found that he looked a little lonesome, if not entirely.
Ootori Kyouya was always a mystery to her with those intense onyx eyes and his cunning way of gaining the maximum profits, but she (somehow or other) knew that he was a lonely man. He stood alone, even at the Host Club when he was surrounded by friends and now he resided in the business world, he was more alone than ever.
Haruhi couldn't help feel a bit sorry for him as she set down his glasses and headed to the linen closet to grab a blanket. She had always been alone, yes, but never had she felt lonely. She was constantly loved by her father and was usually always bothered by somebody when she didn't want to be bothered. Their situations were similar but…Kyouya gave the impression that he had never been loved before in his life.
Letting out a sigh, she carefully placed the blanket over Kyouya's sleeping body and stood to admire him just a little. One way or another, he seemed right at home on a commoner's couch.
She gave a little laugh at that thought and began to make breakfast. It wasn't as extravagant as the breakfasts that he probably had every morning, but it was definitely better than going on an empty stomach until lunch.
As she finished cooking, she glanced up at the clock, quickly calculating the amount of time she had left before she had to leave. Kyouya was still sleeping, and she still needed to shower and change (since she didn't do so the night before.)
Oh well, Haruhi thought, pulling off her apron and heading towards her bathroom. Kyouya-senpai wouldn't wake up this early anyway.
That day was approaching and even though she went to visit every year, her heart was always filled with heaviness. She dreaded that day of every year, the day she had to learn to be independent and alone. Her father had told her multiple times that going to her mother's grave with a heavy heart would only make her mother sad in heaven, but Haruhi couldn't help herself from feeling this way. It wasn't as if she didn't want to visit her mother, but it was because her mother would never possess the opportunity to watch her grow up—something that her mother mentioned every day before she tucked her in at night—and that made her heart lurch terribly.
Haruhi sighed, running a hand through her brown hair before inspecting the grown locks.
I should cut it soon, Haruhi made a mental note in her head as she slipped on a bathrobe after her shower. It's getting a bit too long.
She still maintained her 'I-really-don't-care-how-I-look' attire because they were comfortable and easy to "slip on and go." Taking extra time in the bathroom was unnecessary and it gave her more time to do other things that were far more important than keeping up with the latest fashions and cosmetics. In other words, she hasn't really changed, but that didn't bother her at all. Consistency in her life was precious (a lesson learned from a certain club she was forced to join years ago) and she attempted to preserve that as well.
"Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi said, dressed and just about ready to start on breakfast. She shook him lightly. "Kyouya-senpai,"
Haruhi watched as Kyouya's eyes slowly began to open.
"Eh?" He grunted, looking not quite awake.
"Good morning," Haruhi offered him a smile.
She expected him to shoot her a snide comment (due to the rumors at Ouran that the Shadow King had very low blood pressure in the mornings) but instead she was offered a rather calculating look.
"Did you sleep well?" He finally asked her, his dark eyes holding hers intensely.
"Um…yes," Haruhi answered, quizzical of his question.
Were the rumors false after all?
"Good," He stated rather bluntly. "Then let me sleep."
Haruhi raised an eyebrow as he resettled down into the couch, pulling the blanket over his shoulders.
"Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi mustered her courage (after all, he was still the Shadow King) to shake him awake. "Will you please wake up?"
Kyouya seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep and Haruhi gave up after a few moments of attempting to wake him. There was no point in having the demon inside of Kyouya emerge right before it was time for her to leave.
Quickly scrawling down what she wanted him to know, she placed the note under his glasses and covered the food on the table. She grabbed a Danish roll from the counter and gave him one last look before leaving the apartment, locking it securely. There was no worry in leaving him in her home—it wasn't as if he needed babysitting. She knew very well that he was capable of taking care of himself even in a world he didn't understand and that was enough for her to trust him.
--
When Kyouya felt that it was about time he should get out of bed, he realized that he was in an unfamiliar place, sleeping on a very uncomfortable couch. As he waited for the sleep to leave his eyes completely, he began to remember what had happened the night before and why he had ended up sleeping on Haruhi's couch.
He gave a slight groan as he sat up, his eyes observing the room. He didn't have time the night before to get a nice look at Haruhi's home, but as he glanced around now, he found that there was nothing much to see. The apartment suit her—simple, small, but comfortable. There was just enough furniture for a few guests and herself. There were few trinkets in the house besides a few photographs adorning polished wooden surfaces.
His eyes caught sight of a white piece of paper on the table and reached for it. He placed on his glasses and read her note. It was short and straightforward—as he had expected. He didn't know what to do with her.
Kyouya stood, glancing at the clock and taking the note's message into consideration before letting out a silent sigh. He'll have to turn down her offer today. Good thing he decided to wake up when he did or else he was going to miss a very important appointment. He folded the blanket neatly (who said rich boys couldn't take care of themselves?) and picked up his jacket. After a moment's hesitation, he searched his pockets for a pen and wrote a short note to Haruhi on the back of her own note.
He had slipped on his leather shoes and was prepared to leave before the calendar hanging on the wall next to the door caught his eye. The next day's date had been circled and small words that were written in her neat handwriting could be read. The event somehow irked him and caused him to think ridiculous thoughts.
Damn it, I don't have time for this, Kyouya thought to himself as he let himself out of her apartment, locking her door with the extra key and pocketing it. He'll just have to return her key tomorrow.
Haruhi's neat handwriting written on the calendar irritated him the entire day, causing him to almost lose his concentration during one of his meetings. By the end of the day, he was so irritated that he had nearly shouted for one of his nagging business associates to "please shut the hell up" but managed to stop at "please" and ended with "give me some time to think about it."
Unable to ignore the irritation (and the desire to see Haruhi under these circumstances, although he wouldn't care to admit that to himself) building up in his chest, he left his office quite a bit earlier than he usually did—shocking his secretary into a mild heart attack—and drove down to the café where he knew that Haruhi was currently working.
Kyouya entered the café almost casually and his eyes almost immediately sought out the petite woman who had not left his mind the entire day. She was quite easy to spot through the tidal pool of commoners. Where they were dull, she was brilliant; where they were lifeless, she was vibrant. Anyone could seek her out in a crowd, wasn't that right?
"Just one person, I presume?" A nearby waitress questioned him.
He only gave a curt nod—there was no need to be kind and courteous to commoners. He had been taught that those with lineage were worth far more than the common type. Riches and a well-feared name were only results of that; therefore, he was above them and will stay above them.
When he had seated and given his order, he watched the crowds idly, his mind still on the small note Haruhi made on her calendar and wondering why the hell he had decided to come see her in the first place.
"Your coffee," The waitress returned, placing the cup in front of him.
He took a dignified sip and returned to observing the commoner world, his mind wondering how he was going to explain himself for showing up at a commoner cafe without a valid reason.
"Kyouya-senpai?"
Kyouya glanced up as he heard her voice and gave a smirk at her shock. She always was pretty cute when he managed to throw Haruhi's stable mental state into disarray.
"Haruhi," He replied casually.
"What are you doing here?" Haruhi asked.
"Haruhi! We need you at table five!" A voice called from across the café.
"Ah, hai!" Haruhi replied quickly before turning back to him. "Excuse me, Kyouya-senpai."
He watched as she bowed quickly and rushed to table five where a commoner toddler was bawling shamelessly. Why was it that he could never pin down his feelings when Haruhi was in the picture? Every thought, every movement, revolved around Fujioka Haruhi and he was at a loss.
Her movements were effortless to memorize, her face was unproblematic to visualize, her intelligence was painless to recall, and her essence was not easily erased. It was the way she smiled, the light scent that could only be identified as her own, that stuck to him like glue. She was a strong woman, but that only made him understand that underneath that armor sat a girl, frightened of thunderstorms and…
"Did you need something, Kyouya-senpai?" Haruhi returned and stood next to him.
"Haruhi," He started, looking up at her. "Will you accompany me somewhere tomorrow?"
"Gomen nasai," Haruhi answered almost immediately. "I have somewhere to be that day."
"I know," He stated, never removing his gaze from her face. "Will you accompany me there, Haruhi?"
Haruhi was silent and he took it that she did not understand his question.
"Allow me to rephrase that," Kyouya sighed, placing his cup of cooling coffee back down on the tabletop. "May I accompany you to your mother's grave tomorrow?"
When Haruhi remained quiet, he felt a rather melancholy feeling coming from her. Yes, he knew this feeling—it was the sad aura that surrounded her at very rare times and he was quite sure that he had been the only Host Club member years ago that noticed the random moments of sadness erupting from their beloved "natural rookie."
"If you prefer to go alone—," He began, standing up from his seat.
"No," Haruhi said quietly, interrupting him suddenly. "I—would like that, Kyouya-senpai."
Kyouya's eyes softened at the tone of her voice and, without thinking, he reached over to her and placed a hand at her cheek.
"I'll pick you up at ten tomorrow morning then," He murmured into her ear. "Be ready by then."
--
Author's Note: Now that school has started, updates will be really fast. (HAHA...I wish.) In fact, it's senior year for me, so I REALLY have to concentrate this year. I pray that updates won't take weeks, but maybe a week or two (maybe three if I'm packed.) Please be patient--I'm not happy about it either. I'd rather sit at home all day and write fanfiction than sitting at school taking notes about stuff-I-really-don't-need-to-know. -o-" AND SORRY! This chapter wasn't very fluffy. The next one will though! (With more appearances made by the rest of the Host Club -tapes mouth shut-)
ALSO...there is an anime convention where I live right now, so don't expect quick updates (especially with the amount of homework I'm procrastinating on...) but hopefully, I can get them out soon. x3
- "Kyouya-senpai" The prefix -senpai is used for those higher than you. For example, an 8th grader would call an 11th grader "-senpai"
- "Ah, hai!" is equivalent to "Okay!" or "Yes!"
- "Gomen nasai" means "I'm sorry"
Feedback is really appreciated. Constructive criticism is also appreciated. Mean flames are retaliated with my evil dust kitties and their water furballs...so don't try them. You'll regret it. Really.
Thank you for reading!
