Kim
-One Month Before Graduation-

Studying one final piece before taking off back home to get dinner ready, my phone went off and I looked down to see Kaoru's text. He was already heading home with his brother, which is fine, but I did have some work for him to take back to his mother to look over. Lately it's been one thing after another since his mother discovered my talent in clothes that dating has become such a hassle lately.

"Geez, he could have at least waited," sighing and taking the materials and sketches into my bag, I sent a quick text to Kasumi and headed out.

The halls were decorated for the upcoming ceremony that will take place soon for all the graduates. Every year the school wishes to make it a bigger deal than the previous or at least make it classy enough to give credit to were credit is due. Of course it must end with a ball for all students to properly say farewell to their seniors so that their juniors will carry on their will. But if I had to think about any of us graduating and the changes that's happened lately, it probably have to be Kasumi and I.
While I am technically Kasumi's caretaker hired by her parents, pursuing my passion in the arts has always been my passion. Though I'm no slacker when it comes to my official work at home and otherwise, keeping myself hidden in character really drains me mentally at times.

As for Kasumi, she changed the most from my perspective. After her discharge from the hospital last year and the unveiled truth of her upbringing, the school demanded that she change her status from that of a commoner to one of nobility. Though it was a setback to have it done and the entire student body come after her to be 'friends', her strong will and desire outmatched them all and she took her newfound standing in the hierarchy and got them to leave her alone.

"If only Honey and Mori still attended school rather than graduate." Wishful thoughts coming out of my mouth, I was sure no one was around to hear me and trotted along quickly to the host club room to drop a few things off before heading home.

~O~O~O~

"I still need to compose my final art piece for my final before graduation…" sighing to the workload I have going for me, finally leaving the club room and heading out I pulled out the keys to the car Kasumi bought for me. The Lamborghini is still far too luxurious of a car for me to drive on a normal basis, but for the image the school now wishes of us we kind of made a compromise. Though driving it did make me feel like a movie star no matter what I truly felt, so I secretly drive it whenever I possibly can. =^_^=
*Phone rings*

"This is Kim speaking," having the Bluetooth answer it while driving, it was Kasumi.

"I just got home from work, do you want me to start dinner for us or shall I wait for you to get home?"

"I'll be home soon, I got dinner planned out already. Be home in just a bit."

"Alrighty then, when you get home I also have some great news to tell!"

"Can't wait!" Hanging up as I drove through the small streets and to the hillside where the mansion resides, I always gazed in awe to the location of this household. The yard was far too big for a single person to utilize. Even with all my crazy sculptures added to the scenery it's like nothing dents the size of it. At least the security is tight with Kasumi's latest tech from her company. Since she wants nothing to happen to us like with Zen, she's been really focused on work and everyone she associates with.
Once I got inside and placed all my things down in the hallway, I could hear Kasumi running through the halls and seeing her stop at the stairwell.

"Kim," Kasumi merrily trotted down the steps and kept fussing with her hair getting in her face as she moved. Her blazer was all crinkled as she came close enough for me to see, but she was so focused getting to me that I didn't even realize she was carrying something. "Do you remember that company overseas I've been trying to get to sign a contract with all these months? After discussing so many other options and variables as to why my company is the better choice in their market, they signed!" Showing the final document with signatures, she was so excited that I jumped for joy!

"This is awesome!"

"I know right," putting the documents away and following me to the kitchen, I almost forgot about one of the sketches I did today and wanted to show her.

"I have something to show you, it's just past my clothing sketches." pulling out my sketchbook and handing it to her, she opened it to the fifth page and looked at me curiously.

"Kim, you still doing these sketches again?" Concern colored her voice as she side-glanced at me, but I could only shrug and sigh about it.

"Mm…they've been a little more prominent lately. I can't seem to stop seeing it in my sleep either." Using my hands to express my frustration, there was nothing I could go off from to give the picture more shape. Always merely black shapes of a person but never any details forming them. No matter how many times I draw them I can't imagine the features they would have.

"Hmm," trying to decipher my drawings and maybe catching something I can't see, she sighed and shook her head slowly. "Hard to say what they are since there's no features. Just drawing a black shape is hard to figure out. And so much unknown shapes make it hard to think what it could be at all."

"I know," agreeing, we got to the kitchen and I began prepping. "They've become progressively worse since I can see the images even when awake. I just don't know why it bothers me so much though…I see it being a person, but then there's more to it and I get even more lost in thought when drawing it."

"I'm sure there's some mad reasoning behind it. Something just has to make sense to it eventually." She sat behind the counter and knew better than to enter the kitchen when I'm cooking.

"I hope so…" sighing and taking my beret off, my ears twitched around and got comfortable being out in the open.
After a few minutes, Kasumi couldn't stop aimlessly staring out the window. She must have something on her mind to be so quiet. I'm curious if it was because of work and all the studying she's been putting on before graduation. I think if I was in her shoes I would be stressing out just from being stressed out!
"Kasumi, do you have something bothering you?" I asked.

"…you always seem to tell I got something troubling me." Her eyes were sad, but her facial features tried hiding her emotions. Knowing her for so long I've developed a knack for reading her out better, but even still I can always make mistakes. "To be honest Kim, it's Kyoya. Lately he's been distant from me. Always working on something for his father and growing his business, he's just been getting further and further apart from me that it feels like we're strangers. And really just as of late I've been feeling like he's a whole different person compared to the guy I met last year."

"Well he is the youngest and has it a bit rough to take any lead in the family business." Reminding her, she nodded and leaned back in the stool ever so slightly and turned in a different direction.

"I know that, but it's different. I feel like he's avoiding me whenever he gets the chance…and when we are together he's always on his phone or computer that I don't have any room to say much of anything to him. Maybe I'm not so different since work calls me as well, but I don't know. I at least try to be part of the conversation and leave work out of our personal lives better than he has."
There was more, I could tell, and she knew I wouldn't give up until she told me. After a few minutes contemplating what to say, she caved in and sighed heavily.
" contacted me earlier…" she stopped and wanted to end there but I persisted and started nuzzling her and acting more cat-like that always makes her cave in. "K-Kim!"

"Come on~" nuzzling and nuzzling till she cracked, she conceded her defeat.

"Alright," she sighed. "Kyoya's father told me that he wants me to marry his son the day I graduate."

"What?" Looking at her seriously now and seeing she wasn't misunderstanding anything, she handed me a letter that she received either sometime today or earlier this week and I read 's words carefully before sitting on the stool next to her in absolute shock. "He really means for you guys to go through with marriage. I know you guys are going out and all but that's just a little far. It's barely been a year and he's planning this far? Make's no sense."

"…."

"…you seem indifferent?" Is there more to this than your letting on?"

She seemed so lost in thought that by the time she answered me she got up from her seat to run one hand through her hair and the other planted on her hip. "I still hold feelings for Kyoya still, but lately the flare just isn't there anymore. I'm not asking much, but he could at least acknowledge me a bit more. That or pay less attention to his father and be the guy I fell for. The Kyoya who always managed to get under my skin and be so persistent in the chase. The guy I desperately ran from and was still caught in his snare. I barely know love…it took me forever to accept it in the first place. Can't he just be the guy I fell for? The caring and sweet guy who insisted he'd stand by my side over every little thing and just…be himself?"

"Are you hoping for more, or maybe just having him not change?" Gingerly pressing this matter, she shrugged and looked to the window again and sighed once more.

"Honestly…I have no idea what I want from him. I just know that I'm not looking into marriage with him. Especially when it involves two high-end companies joining and becoming one absolute powerhouse of an industry. No matter how much I want to expand, marriage was never in the equation."

"Do you think Kyoya would come to understand that if you spoke to him about this? I wouldn't think he's changed all too much in this short amount of time to not care about your feelings."

"That's just it though…I tried talking to him, hell I even made an appointment with him and he still couldn't bother listening to me properly!" Her jaw clenched and I knew she was done talking about it. Getting up and finishing dinner while she set the table, we ate dinner leisurely while talking about graduation and how we'll get our diplomas at long last, we called it a day and left our worries for some other time.