LOST IN THOUGHT


Kato spends the next few days avoiding Reve, mind clouded with too many thoughts and conflictions to be able to make sense of it. The small kiss shouldn't have meant anything. It doesn't mean anything. Back home, it isn't uncommon to kiss friends and family members, affection isn't shied from, as tough and gruff as her species is. But something about it lingers in her mind. Something nags at her and it gets worse and worse the more she replays it in her mind.

Reve sitting so close to her, leaning against her in an unfamiliar way. Her eyes drifting closed, from the way the mind link wavers, it is clear that she misses Moriko's rant about Haruhi while Kato listens with polite interest, not wanting to bluntly ignore her sister. Reve's hand drifts to Kato's thigh, drawing Kato's attention away from Moriko. She looks at Reve in confusion, brows furrowed with uncertainty as Reve's hand squeezes her thigh. Reve's eyes flutter open, gleaming with an emotion that she's not seen before in her. When Reve gets too close, Kato turns her head as words from Moriko's speech gain her attention again - and, admittedly, she is trying to ignore the way Reve is planted so firmly against her. But when she turns, Reve's soft lips touch the skin at Kato's temple.

When she looks to Reve, she is flushed, eyelashes grazing against her cheeks as she glances away. But Kato cannot bring herself to say anything.

Kato lets out a string of curses in Esperanto, eyes sharp with frustration. She ignores the stares of the other students as she stomps her way out to the courtyard, away from the crowds. She can't think with so many people around, so many scents, so many sounds. Her mind is too busy to focus on anything else around her. She doesn't bother warning the others that she won't be joining them for lunch, she just needs to get away.

The first tree she reaches is her victim. She lets out a snarl and punches it hard, knuckles hitting tough bark. When that's not enough, she hits it again and again. Alternating hands until both of her hands are starting to bleed. Thin human skin. Sensitive. Weak. She lets out a sound of frustration before plopping down on the ground, leaning her back against the abused tree with a thud. Fuck.

She doesn't know what she is going to do or if she should even do something in the first place. She thought Reve hated her, she thought that she couldn't stand her, she never imagined something like this - something that she hopes that she is wrong about. Dio, please let her be wrong. She has never even had anyone express such a potential romantic interest in her, she wouldn't know how to reject someone like that if she tried. Maybe if it was some stupid student way over their head or any other weak human in their area, a stranger. Hell, she knows that if it was anyone else, she would have punched them. Made them sorry to even think of her the way. But Reve?

If she speaks up, if she says anything, would Reve even want to still be her friend? Would Reve just abandon them? Not to mention the possibility that she is looking too much into this. She bangs her head against the tree. She misses when things were simpler. No complicated feelings. No human drama. Just running through hot sand and hiding in cool dunes and caves.

She smells someone approaching her. If it was an unfamiliar or unwelcome scent, she would have growled and snarled and scared them away. But it's a welcoming musk, one that she knows and as much as she hates to admit it, one that she doesn't hate.

"I'm surprised Hunny isn't with you," Kato speaks up bluntly. She doesn't even have to open her eyes to know who it is and know that the small boy isn't with Takashi; she doesn't even smell the boy lingering somewhere in the distance.

Takashi, to his credit, hides his surprise well when she knows exactly who it is. Considering that she hasn't told him to fuck off, he sits beside her with his lunch tray. He's always liked to spend his lunches outside, but with the host club and his cousin, the times he could were rare and few. But something about the outdoors has always been more appealing - open air, less crowds, no fawning fans everywhere he looked. He enjoyed the company of his clients, but sometimes, he still liked to be alone.

"Getting cake."

Kato opens her eyes, just barely, to peek at him with mild amusement. She lets out a soft snort before leaning her back again, "That sounds about right."

She takes a deep breath in and immediately smells the tuna from the tray, eyes opening a bit wider and more aware as she looks at his tray longingly. Moriko's constant lessons to stop stealing food from people ring in her ears as her fingers twitch. But even the idea of disobeying Moriko to steal food from Takashi leaves a bad taste in her mouth; it doesn't feel right.

Takashi immediately knows the look in her eyes and he should have expected it since Kato's apparent love for fish easily matches if not outdoes Haruhi's love for fancy tuna. He glances toward her hands when they twitch, noting the bruised and bleeding knuckles. He wonders if she started (or at least ended) a fight, but he can see the marks in the tree about her head. Without a word, he just passes his tray to her. He can always get another later and it is no skin off his back to miss lunch for a day anyway. Kato looks at him cautiously, almost as if she doesn't believe the offer. He gives her a silent nod and that is enough for her to start to dig in.

For the most part, they don't really say much as Takashi waits for his cousin. When she isn't devouring the food, she makes no effort to fill the gap of silence between them. She doesn't want to, she came here for silence and peace, company or otherwise, that is what she wants. She doesn't want to be disturbed or confuse herself any further with overwhelming stimulation.

To her relief, Takashi seems to understand that. He leans his back against the tree completely, closing his eyes to enjoy it - this comfortable silence that wraps around him. Kato watches him closely, uncertain, but ultimately she puts the empty tray aside, leans back right beside him, shoulder brushing against his, and closes her eyes peacefully.


A part of Moriko is starting to worry, and it shows on her face each time she glances around the empty classroom. Eating away from the cafeteria is still new to her, but due to the tension that is forming between her sisters that has kept them away from each other, there's nothing for her there anyway. Not unless she wants to spend that time overwhelmed by the hosts and she gets that enough after school.

She still isn't sure where Reve has been during lunch; the mysterious dreamweaver has cut off their mental link entirely. Considering that there's been a severe drop of danger in their surroundings, at least she doesn't think that she has to worry about anyone getting hurt or kidnapped or taken away. In fact, there's been such little suspicious activity, that she dares to think that maybe they have a shot of living here permanently. A sentiment that she is too scared to bring up to her sisters, at least right now.

She wishes that she could get at least one of them to tell what has been going though. Kato has completely shut down, something rare for the Katojn. Kato usually voices her concerns with a careless, sometimes hurtful, ease. To see her so quietly frustrated is unusual. While Reve hasn't been more or less reserved than usual, she has been openly avoiding being with Kato - especially alone. Moriko has been leaving meals at their doors back home for the past week now since no one will eat together.

"Something's bothering you," Haruhi voices as they pick through their packed lunch. "If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine, but if you do - I'll listen."

Moriko thinks about it for a moment, humming thoughtfully over the bento box that Haruhi very thoughtfully packed for her; the gesture was very sweet and made her wish that she brought something too. She can tell Haruhi put a lot of care into it, with each food being packed gently and perfectly. She openly swoons over the fruit that has been cut into hearts and even some placed together with toothpicks to mimic the shape of a flower.

But it also serves as a reminder that at some point, they will have to tell the host club that they are dating. She imagines that Tamaki will be throwing a fit just knowing that Haruhi made her a bento box. Though she supposes she should talk to Haruhi more about if they are really officially dating now or not.

"I think Kato and Reve had another fight," Moriko admits, "But neither of them will tell me about what and they just keep ignoring each other."

Haruhi snorts, "At least that's better than what the twins do when they fight. From what you've told me, fights are common between them though, isn't it?"

"Common, yeah, but -" Moriko sighs deeply, leaning forward on the desk to plop her chin on the cool surface with exasperation, "I don't know. Something just feels different about it this time. I feel like I'm missing something important."

"If they don't want to talk about it, you can't force them." Haruhi gently reminds her, "I guess the most you can do is just remind each of them that you're there if they want to. Hopefully, it will clear up on its own soon or they can talk it out on their own time. If it doesn't, then maybe we can figure something else out."

Haruhi gently reaches across the table, placing their palm over Moriko's hand to give it a comforting squeeze. The gesture makes Moriko smile, her cheeks flushing, as she takes Haruhi's hand in hers more confidently. The fact that Haruhi said we makes her heart feel fuzzy and her mouth feels dry as she feels that she should finally bring up the one thing that has been bothering her.

"Speaking of talking things out on their own time," Moriko starts hesitantly, "I've been meaning to ask you about this."

Haruhi's head tilts, their doe eyes staring at Moriko in an oblivious wander, "About what?"

Moriko's heart clenches, "About this."

She raises their still clasped hands in a gesture. Understanding starts to dawn on Haruhi's face as they make a small oh expression, a pink dusting their cheeks.

"Well. I'm pretty new to this to be honest, but we did go on a date, didn't we? And we both enjoyed it. As far as I know, we both like to spend time with each other and we both like each other. That makes us - girlfriends? Partners? I don't really mind which term you use, even boyfriend if you want, especially in front of the customers, though I think Tamaki-senpai will have a cow."

Moriko flushes deeply at the casual confession that starts to flood from Haruhi, but it does make her breathe a little easier with a more clear term settled between them. She likes the idea of officially dating Haruhi and not having to hide it either. Moriko squeezes Haruhi's hand tightly, bringing their knuckles up to press a kiss to them.

"Partners it is then."


Music Room Three, despite what most of the population believes, is actually empty and silent during lunch breaks. Of course, the host club may do an event here and there or simply have lunch here with guests every so often, but the past week, it has served only Reve.

She knows Kyoya has cameras in the room, but it doesn't take much for her to be able to loop old footage to keep him from knowing she's in there. She would hate for any sort of ridiculous charge to be added to their debt just because she eats lunch in the room. More so, she just can't stand the idea of Kyoya - of anyone - seeing her so vulnerable.

And as much as she hates it, that is exactly what she is right now. Vulnerable. Bare. She feels like her chest has been ripped open for someone to either grab and protect her heart or tear it to shreds. So far, she still doesn't know which it will be. The inner turmoil has been hard for her to reign in, through meditation or through essential oils, even the yoga she has been doing in her room. In the safety of this empty room, knowing that she isn't being watched, hiding away in the most shadowed corner she can find, she can feel her physical form slipping away from her grasp, thin wisps of purple floating around her as she tries to force herself to eat.

She knows, and appreciates, that Moriko had at least been trying to feed her by leaving the dinners by her door, but she doesn't have the heart to tell her that she just isn't hungry anymore. Her stomach feels a constant unfamiliar nausea, twisting and turning each time that she gets up in the morning. She pushes her lunch tray away with an unsatisfied groan, running transparent fingers through semi-solid hair.

She could always erase Kato's memory; an option that she selfishly considered. But ultimately, it feels wrong to tamper with the mind of someone already so - sensitive, so hard to trust, someone she considers her friend and her - Fuck. She doesn't even know what to call her. A crush? She can't use the word lover, aside from the fantasies that have played in her mind, they haven't shared more than that selfish, stupid kiss that she stole.

She isn't even sure if Kato meant to turn away from her; the Katojn had been so wrapped up in whatever it was Moriko was saying that she was only semi-paying attention to Reve, something that irked her more than it should have. And the second her lips had kissed almost hot skin at the temple, she immediately wanted to take it back. She was so tired, so drained after trying to get a hold of herself after all the confusing things about Kato that were swirling in her mind that day. She wasn't thinking straight and Kato's response is so unsolidified, so open ended, that she doesn't know what to do about it.

Every time she sees the Katojn, she is filled with an urge to just hold her, kiss her, run her fingers down muscled thighs and arms, and see how far they can go. Is it love? Is this love? She wants to just rip her hair out - no, she wants to rip her human heart out.


Kato reluctantly drags herself to the Host Club, mostly through the silent urging of Takashi and the not so silent urging of his smaller cousin. Hunny takes her hand, happily dragging her to the Music Room, and because Kato doesn't have it in her to fight it, she lets it happen.

"I think Hikaru-chan said that today's theme is to go along with Valentine's Day since it's coming up so soon."

Kato decides that next time she lets someone drag her into Music Room Three, she is going to fight it with everything she has got.