Pairing: KyouyaxHaruhi
Rating: eto...PG. Nothing serious in this chapter.
Written for: boredom. I DON'T WANNA DO MY HOMEWORK!
Dedicated to: GoGothGirl...because I love her fanfic "Little Host"...so whenever you get bored of "Kimi no Koe", go on over and read her fic! x3 and also, to my big-time supporter, Nya-nya because she needs a lot of love in her life!
Warning: Beware of OOCness and just general suckage. And again, not BETA'd...sorry for little mistakes here and there! (And I really suck at tenses! If someone tells me about another tense problem, I will find a BETA reader immediately.)
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. I can whine, and cry, and scream, and complain, but it will never be. -tears- Also, I got a lot of help from Nya-nya, so...THANK YOU (heart)
Kimi no Koe
By, Yue Guang Kuroneko
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Chapter Seven:
Haruhi was lying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling blankly, her mind somewhere else. She wasn't quite sure about what she was thinking about, but it was either about her next assignment or the fact that she was going to visit her mother today…with Ootori Kyouya.
When he had asked to accompany her, she didn't exactly know what to say. In fact, she didn't expect him to even be at her workplace at that time of day, nevertheless ask her whether he could visit her mother with her or not. And when he stood up to leave, a small panic appeared in her chest and she answered 'yes' without quite thinking about their current situation.
She had been seeing much too much of him and it wasn't as if she didn't enjoy his company, but it was because she enjoyed it that caused her to worry. There were times where her mind would wander during class and every single time she caught herself, she had been thinking about him. She didn't remotely want to think about him—it was just that her mind went immediately in his direction every time it frolicked off-course.
"There's no point in thinking about it," Haruhi sighed. "I'll just have to concentrate more on my studies."
Her classes started later today—an hour and a half after noon, which meant she had time to go visit her mother, eat lunch, and be in class in time for the lecture. That is…if there was nothing that would get in the way of her plans.
Haruhi sat up and stretched, her eyes drifting to the small ray of light that had slipped in through her cotton curtains. She stood and headed to the window and opened it, welcoming the sunlight that greeted her after she did so. Even though the sunlight looked warm and comforting, when Haruhi opened the window, a cool breeze stung her face, waking her up immediately. She made a mental note to dress warmly before closing the window, shivering lightly in her thin pajamas.
It was approximately nine when she had finished breakfast. With nothing else to do for the next hour, she settled down at her desk and began to read out of her Law textbook. During this time, her mind began to wander off again, but Haruhi didn't bother to steer it back on course and allowed it to run rampant over her thoughts of the potential heir of the Ootori Corporation.
She had never expected herself to become so attached to him—perhaps 'attached' was the wrong word in their situation. She was still independent; she didn't need to see him every day to feel secure. But even so, his presence was certainly calming and reassuring and it only made her feel even more intrigued by him.
Why was he the one who captured her attention? Yes, he was certainly the most mysterious one of all of the Host Club members but she had never cared before, has she?
Haruhi glanced out of the window and watched as the wind grew stronger, leaves ripping from their places on the branches and scattering throughout the city. It was most likely a very cold day, but the weather wasn't of much importance to her.
The doorbell rang and Haruhi closed her unread Law book with a sigh. Her mind had been a bit too idle as of late—she'll have to discipline it soon or else she won't pass her exams with a satisfactory grade. She walked to the door and as she reached for it, the door unlocked by itself and the person behind it opened it.
"Good morning, Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi said, slightly shocked that he had the key to her apartment.
"I believe this is yours," Kyouya said, holding out her spare key. "I did not have the time to return it to you yesterday."
"Thank you," Haruhi said, slipping the extra key into her coat pocket. She turned and grabbed the scarf from the closet and wound it around her neck.
"Shall we go?" Kyouya offered her a grim smile.
"Yes," Haruhi answered, grabbing an extra scarf—just in case the weather turned worse—as he turned to leave.
As they silently walked down to his black car, Haruhi observed him silently. He walked in even and graceful strides. Dark locks of hair occasionally fell into his eyes but he ignored it and continued to walk. Straightforward, silent, but caring; Haruhi had to give a small chuckle. Ootori Kyouya was quite horrible at hiding his true self, but had managed to deceive those who work around him. Were they blind? Or were they simply so indifferent to him that they missed all of Kyouya's significance?
Haruhi settled in his car and watched the people pass by in colorful blurs as Kyouya drove in the direction of the florist and her mother's cemetery. All of this felt like a dream, a blurry dream, really. It was one of those dreams when she could fuzzily recall events but the more she tried to remember, the more the image fades until she was left with only the emotions she felt during that dream. And right now she felt content and warm and, in her own way, loved.
"We're here," Kyouya spoke up quietly, shutting off the engine of his car. "Did you want me to come with you to buy the flowers?"
"No," Haruhi said, offering him a smile. "I'll be back in a minute."
Kyouya nodded and she left the warm car, her eyes resting on the flowers she wished to purchase for her mother.
"May I please buy a bouquet of these?" Haruhi gestured towards the fresh smelling flowers that nodded in the cold breeze almost grievingly.
"Of course," The florist smiled at her.
Haruhi waited patiently as the florist quickly wrapped up the white flowers in pretty paper. She then paid for the bouquet and stepped back outside where Kyouya was waiting.
"Are you ready then?" Kyouya asked her as she buckled in.
"Yes," Haruhi nodded, clutching the flowers gently to her chest.
The ride was, again, shrouded in comfortable silence before Kyouya spoke up, "Haruhi,"
"Yes?" Haruhi answered, gazing up at his elegant face.
"Do you know what the Narcissus means?"
Haruhi was slightly shocked at his question. It certainly wasn't a Kyouya-type question and it sounded as if the silent Shadow King was attempting to make conversation with her.
"No," Haruhi shook her head. "Otou-san and I always brought Okaa-san Narcissuses because they were her favorite flowers."
Haruhi glanced up at him again and found a small, rather knowing, smile on his usually passive face and found her clutching the flowers a little tighter than before.
"They mean 'desire'," Kyouya spoke as he braked at a red light. He turned to look at her with mystery-clouded eyes. "Or 'returned affections' and 'sympathy',"
Haruhi lowered her gaze from his eyes and down to the flowers nestled in her arms. She smiled nostalgically at those flowers, closing her eyes to shut down most of her senses. This was her mother's scent—warm, inviting, loving, and accepting. Her mother was such a gentle woman, beautiful, witty and caring. All of those years that had passed after her mother left them should have made her stronger but just thinking about her mother made her feel as if she wanted to cry, even at her age.
The car stopped and Haruhi opened her eyes and found herself staring at the graveyard where her mother lay in peace. She took a deep breath to calm herself and steadied her hand as she reached over to open the door, although the door opened by itself just before she reached for the handle. She glanced up and found Ootori Kyouya looking down at her passively, his dark eyes hidden behind the protection of his glasses.
I should have worn mine, Haruhi thought to herself as she smiled at his kind gesture and stepped out of his European car with a bit more vigor and determination.
They wove through the many paths of the graveyard, passing a few families who had also decided to come visit their departed family members. Haruhi felt her heart wrench at the sight of a young woman, kneeling alone before a gravestone, crying silently, her body shaking with suppressed sobs.
She felt on the verge of breaking down, her heart reaching out to the young woman before a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Leave her be," Kyouya said in his monotone voice and said nothing more.
Haruhi nodded and continued to lead him to where her mother lay without looking back at the poor woman who was grieving alone, with no one to support her and her overbearing sadness.
When they reached her mother's grave, Haruhi felt slightly better and thankful that Kyouya was there with her. In all of the previous years, Haruhi had come with her father and all those years, she concealed her need to cry and bawl at her loss. Her mother had always wished to watch Haruhi grow but now, she did not have that opportunity and it must have made her mother cry up in heaven.
The grave was clean (her father was probably there earlier this morning to clean it since he had stated apologetically that he could not come with her this year due to his job) and a single Narcissus lay at the foot of the grave. Haruhi bit back tears as she slowly bent to place down the bouquet next to the single flower and when she straightened up again, her vision was blurred and she could no longer read the words on her mother's grave.
"Okaa-san," Haruhi murmured, her voice shaking lightly. She clenched her fists tightly to keep herself from shedding any tears. Those tears would only make her mother even unhappier in heaven.
Suddenly, a hand reached for her own and loosened the fist before entwining her fingers with theirs. Haruhi glanced down at their hands and realized that Kyouya had given it a comforting squeeze.
"It's okay to cry," He murmured, keeping his eyes on Kotoko's grave. "Your mother would be upset if you keep suffering alone."
Haruhi's eyes widened at his comment before she answered quietly, "You're right."
The tears she attempted to hold back made their way down her cheeks and she shut her eyes, accepting her sorrow. It's been years since she cried about her mother and to finally release all of those pent-up emotions were a blessing to her worn-out heart.
If she wasn't surprised when Kyouya took her hand to comfort her, she was now very surprised when he pulled her into his body and embraced her tightly. He didn't say a word but Haruhi somehow felt that she understood him and only continued to cry into his chest silently.
When she had finally calmed down, tired from her crying, she pulled away slightly. She couldn't tell him just how grateful she was of his presence, that presence that fascinated her and entranced her. However, before she could completely pull away, Kyouya's embrace tightened and she was pulled once again into his chest.
"You're not alone, Haruhi," He murmured into her hair, brushing away the lingering tears on her cheeks.
Hearing his words only made tears well up in her eyes once more, except this time in happiness.
"Thank you, Kyouya," She smiled into his black trenchcoat when he nuzzled her hair at the removal of the label on his name.
"Kyouya-kun, what are you doing he—?"
At the sound of her father's flirty voice, Haruhi pulled away from Kyouya to greet him. He was wearing flashy clothes as usual with a professional amount of make-up.
"Haruhi?" Ranka stopped in his tracks.
"Otou-san," Haruhi smiled brightly.
"Were you crying, Haruhi?" Ranka's voice deepened for a moment, his eyes softening.
"Yes," Haruhi smiled. "But—,"
"Kyouya-kun," Ranka's protective aura burst out as he said this, his eyes glaring at the indifferent man behind her with malice. "What. Did. You. Do. To. My. Daughter?"
"Ranka-san," Kyouya began.
"HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY DAUGHTER CRY?" Another voice that was frighteningly familiar interrupted him.
Haruhi glanced past her father and found the rest of the Host Club running in their direction with Tamaki's fiancée close behind.
"What are you all doing here?" Haruhi asked, feeling slightly irritated at the sight of them. Her plans for returning before her lecture started were definitely going to be ruined.
"We came to visit Haru-chan's mother, of course!" Hunny spoke up with a bright smile.
"Yes," Mori gave a single nod.
"What are you doing here with Kyouya-senpai?" Hikaru asked her with a hint of annoyance.
"Why don't we pay our respects first and then go out for lunch?" Akiko said in her usual gentle voice.
"Yes, darling! Of course!" Tamaki exclaimed heartily.
Haruhi and Kyouya stepped back and watched as the entire group paid their respects to her mother. She glanced up at him and found that he looked oddly uncomfortable. Reaching into the large pocket of her jacket, she pulled out her extra scarf and placed it over his head and wound it around his neck. Due to her short height, he bent down a bit and she pulled him down closer to her and whispered, "I'm sorry" into his ear, tucking the scarf around his neck securely.
"Don't be," He murmured when she was finished. "And thank you."
Haruhi smiled brightly at him and closed her eyes as he leaned down to kiss her. This time, they weren't interrupted and Haruhi couldn't help but feel that this feeling materializing in her chest was something deeper than affection. She'll just figure that out later. Right now, this beautiful world consisted only of her and Ootori Kyouya.
--
Author's Note: Okay, I JUST realized this seven chapters into the story. All of my footnotes have a nice error in it because when I explain "-senpai" or "-san" (etc) I put down prefix, but in reality, it's SUFFIX. I apologize deeply for my error...apparently, I need to retake 9th grade English. -sweatdrop- However, from now on, I will use "suffix" instead of "prefix" -smashes self on head with a skillet-
Also, I forgot to put "Chapter Six" at the top of the previous chapter. Oops. So sorry!
I didn't expect this to be out so fast either...because my calculus homework is sitting there, staring at me with begging eyes and I'm neglecting it. So after this chapter, I will do my calculus homework! (or write chapter 8...whichever catches my interest.)
- "Narcissus" is a pretty (and wonderfully fragranted) flower that is normally known as the daffodil. However, the Narcissus that I am referring to is the white colored one (with a yellow center) named the White Jonquil. Try wikipedia if interested. (I chose not to use 'daffodil' or 'white jonquil' because 'Narcissus' just sounded prettier.)
- "Otou-san" means "father"
- "Okaa-san" means "mother"
- "Kyouya" When a prefix is removed from one's name, it usually means that the formality between two people is gone and that they are familiar with each other at a close level.
- "Kentaro-kun," The suffix -kun is used for (in most cases) males.
- "Haru-chan!" The suffix -chan is used for those either younger than you, or someone you are affectionately close to.
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!
