A/N: Okay so I have been a little absent but there is a good reason behind it. I'm working on trying to finish up on college and this semester is really difficult.
I was inspired to finish up this chapter and get it posted by some really persistent reviewers. :) I have to say, you guys make writing for this tv show fun and enjoyable to do. I hope you guys like this chapter because I come with some bad news. I won't be posting until this summer. I'm sorry but I need to keep my focus on school. You all should be happy with this one because the word count that came in on this one was a whopper of write, 10,101. So I hope no one is too disappointed because I will continue to write this story but I need to finish this semester of school.
Keep up the reviews and thank you guys for the ones who left reviews. Anyways, I don't not own Wolf Girl and Black Prince.
It has now been three months since Erika had asked Kyōya to be her fake boyfriend and he had agreed. Now he was beginning to regret the whole thing. It wasn't the fact of Erika or that she was starting to get on his nerves about them going out. It was the fact that he was having a hard time keeping his emotions in check and getting attached to Erika. He was scared. Even though he laughed at that but it was true.
Kyōya was finding out things about Erika that he liked and of course there were things he didn't like but he couldn't judge. He had no right to judge her and that only felt fare because he did say mean words to her. Even if she got mad at him, she still walked with him and talked too. He had moments of self-doubt and that scared him even more.
When summer vacation rolled around she e-mailed and texted him non-stop—he couldn't bring himself to answer any of them. In a small way he felt that she should be with someone else who would treat her right. Not be a complete asshole towards her and call her a dog. He was truly starting to understand why she yelled at him most of the time and why he acted the way he did with her. She understood.
Kyōya made the connection that she understood him because she was taking the time to get to know him. The him that he kept away from everybody because he couldn't let down his guard. It was impossible for Kyōya to bring down his wall, even if it was only a little. That little of the wall was because of Erika and her wit.
Though one day he got a text from her and it surprised him a little. She had asked if 'she could come over and if they could just hang out at his place.' Of course he immediately texted back 'no' and put his phone as far away from him as possible. He had wanted her to come over but his dad was home and he didn't really want to explain anything to his dad. In the end he had berated himself because he was being selfish. Selfish in that fact that he wanted Erika next to him so he could smell that wonderful perfume of hers and so that he could watch her reactions as he said something to make her show them.
Kyōya looked at his father at one point and had wanted to ask what it was like to know that you had found 'the one' who understands who you are. But the question had died on his lips when the thought of asking would bring up the subject of his mother. In some small way, he did miss his mother but she never came to see him and she never called to talk to him. His sister of course came to visit sometimes but nothing really came from their mother when it came to him. He felt that he had done something wrong but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what he had done to deserve her silence.
He shook his head. He didn't need the help of his parents. He could figure this out—or at least attempt too.
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When school rolled around he wasn't feeling too hot. Of course it had to be a week before school but he was hoping that he could maybe get better beforehand.
It didn't. The closer it got to the first day of school the more he felt like shit. His head was pounding, his nose was stuffed, and the chills he had was enough that he had to put four blankets on the bed. His dad wasn't home and the thought of going to the store to get medicine was out of the question.
The first day of school came and Kyōya was weak with exhaustion. By the time he looked at the clock it was almost two in the afternoon. He sighed, rolled over, and went back to sleep. His mind too tired to worry about missing school.
A couple of hours, or what he thought was a couple of hours, went by and he heard the doorbell. At first he didn't understand what the hell the noise was. Then it came again and he woke up, looking toward the door. Who the hell? He thought. Kyōya rolled out of bed and stumbled sideways into the wall. Damn it!
The doorbell came again and it grated on his nerves, the damn thing was annoying. He got closer to the door and there was a soft rap on it. His face scrunched up in confusion as he hit the voice intercom button. "Yes?" he asked.
"Kyōya? It's Erika!"
He was now officially confused. Why was she here? "Erika?"
In a nerviest tirade she spoke, "Um, I came to bring you printouts and stuff from school."
He thought for a moment then flinched when a sharp pain pierced across his head. He was still too exhausted to think straight. "Coming," he said as he wanted to get this over with then go back to bed.
He opened the door and a wave of dizziness hit him as the heat of the day hit him. Erika took a half step back, looking shocked.
"K-Kyōya."
He asked the obvious question. "Why are you doing it? You're not in my class."
"San asked me to," she stated. "It's the stuff the teacher asked for and a souvenir Tezuka brought from Okinawa."
Kyōya's mind blanked out, his head felt better and his nose wasn't as stuffed. He was confused. Of course he had been up a couple of times but there was something different that was making him have a little more energy. Being outside? He rolled his eyes mentally.
Erika lifted the bag she had in her hand and he slowly grabbed it from her. "Sure," he said as his way of saying thank you. He waited for Erika to leave but she continued to stand there and he was starting to get irritated. "Great. You've done what you came for, so you can go now."
"Um, sure," she said sounding unsure.
He turned to leave, saying, "Later," as he went. Though at that same moment his body was being stupid and decided to have a dizzy spell. He walked right into the door jamb, worse yet the door came and slammed into the back of his head. Kyōya saw stars as he falls to the floor.
He heard Erika as she let out a surprised sound then she rushed forward. She grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back up. He tried pulling away but his head pitched forward and he landed hard on the ground inside his home.
"Oh, my god, Kyōya," Erika said. She rushed through the door and pushed him over to see his face.
His eyes focused on her face and she looked close to tears. He unconsciously showed his confusion on his face as he tried to figure out why she was worried for him. He noticed that her look changed, he thought he had saw surprise deep in her eyes. He pushed it aside and glared at her. "What the hell?" he whispered.
She jerked back when he sat up and had the look that there was a question on the end of her tongue. He continued to glare at her as he labored to get up from the ground. He turned away from her and started walking back to his room, angry that he walked into a damn door jamb.
"Um, are you okay?" Erika asked quietly.
He stopped, once again his vision swim before him and he reached out for the wall for support. What the hell was going on? His body acted as if being this long out of bed was a very bad idea. He took a step and felt his leg give out—thankfully he still had a hand on the wall.
"Kyōya?" Erika asked quietly from behind him.
He could hear the concern in her voice. But his anger was getting tripled with the fact that he didn't feel good, so when he spoke it was harsh. "What?! Leave me alone." Then as if his anger deflated, he said softly, "I don't need anyone here."
He jumped when he felt a cool hand on his arm. He looked and was surprised when Erika ducked under his arm and settled it across her shoulders. Her right arm wrapped around his waist and she kept a hold on his arm as she pulled some of his weight toward her. Surprisingly she held her ground and then looked up at him. "Let's get you to bed," she said, determined.
At first he tried to lean away from her but she quickly pulled him back and he could almost hear her growling at him. He didn't like her helping him but somehow he lost some of his resistance as he realized that he would never had made it back to bed by himself. He reluctantly let her lead the way and by the time he made it back to bed he was barely conscious. She pulled back the covers and he flippantly fell into bed, not facing her.
Erika settled onto her knees as she pulled his covers up. "Are you okay? Have you taken cold medicine?"
"No," he said uncaringly.
"You've got to eat something first." For a split second she was stumped then went on, "What to do?"
He was beginning to get irritated with her. Couldn't she just leave him alone? "It's fine. You don't have to do anything."
"No, I have to!" Erika said, sounded pissed with him. "It'll last longer if you don't treat it. I know. How about I make rice porridge? How do you make it again? Um…" He could hear her tinkering with her phone—trying to find something.
He turned around and sat up—reached out and took her phone from her. "I don't need you to go out of your way for me. Butt out already," he said sounded tired even to himself.
A light flared in Erika's eyes as she sat forward. "How can you say that? I'm trying to take care of you."
"I never asked you to." He was confused by her willingness. Why would she even care that he was sick? Shouldn't she be happy that he is? He was sure that it had to be some trick. He tossed her phone away from him and she leaped forward to grab it from the air.
She turned back to him—anger and confusion mixed in her eyes. "Why are you acting so tough? With the way you exploit me all the time…" He turned away from her and laid back down. Not wanting to listen anymore. He heard her get up then walk away a little. "When is your family coming home?" she asked softly.
"How should I know?" he said bitterly.
"What? Why don't you know?" she said, surprised.
He wanted to throttle her but he felt light headed. So quietly he said, "You never stop, do you? My dad works late. My mom doesn't live with us."
"I see…" He could almost hear the wheels creaking in her mind.
He turned toward her—serious. "Please don't turn melancholy. It's been like that since I was a kid." He turned back—his eyes feeling heavy. "It's become normal for me. I don't even think about it anymore. So just go already. You'll only make my cold worse. Go."
Erika quickly fired back at him. "Fine! So you'll be okay without anything, is that it? Excuse me!" She grabbed her bag and he jumped a little when she slammed the front door.
He sighed. He had realized that she was not to blame for him feeling like shit but still she was being a bit pushy. He settled more into his bed and then he was out.
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The next morning was no better than yesterday morning. In fact, it was so much worse that when the doorbell rang he jumped out of bed—disoriented. He cursed as he slowly walked toward the door, he glanced at the clock on the way, and cursed some more. It was four in the morning—or so he thought. When he opened the door he was surprised to find Erika standing there and the sun shining bright.
"Hello!" she said, bringing a hand up in greeting.
His mood soured. "You again?"
"I'm coming in!" Erika marched into his house and he was left at the door, confused.
As quickly as he could he followed her into the living room and tried to block her. "Don't invite yourself in."
She stopped, looked at him, and then placed her hands on his shoulders, looking him square in the eyes. "It's fine. Just get back to bed." She started pushing him backwards toward his room.
He was mad but at the same time he had a new appreciation for her. She was showing a side of her that made him want to listen to her but at that moment it pissed him off. "Hey!" he said. His head was spinning and she was pushing him backwards—a sure way of making him fall. But they made it to his room and she pushed him down onto his bed.
His gutter mind kicked in and he caught himself before he could grab Erika. This was really the first time she forced her way into his house and a dirty part of him liked that. He wanted to pull her into his bed, kiss her, and hug her, anything so that he would just feel better— even if it was for a moment. But he quickly knocked that thought away as she walked away from him.
She knelled at the table in his room and dumped a bag full of medicine. "Is there anything you want? If there is, just say it. I'll do anything." Erika was looking down, hiding her face.
He wanted to laugh. Yes, there was something he wanted her to do but he was sure that she would quickly find the door. He knew she was talking about the medicine but that was not what his body was wanting. It wanted her. He wanted to do all the things he had thought of earlier, even smell her skin. His mind was overridden with the want and need but he knew it was because he didn't feel well.
He spoke up but it was a little—breathy? "I told you to just let it go. Are you trying to get me in your debt?"
She looked up at him and then the next thing he knew; she slapped patches on his face. He was completely surprised and almost grabbed her hands but he froze.
"Listen to me. When you're in bad shape, you need to let people dote on you unconditionally." She balled her hands into fists as she continued. "Drop the self-consciousness and pride already." She looked down. "You need to let the kindness of others fill you up. If you don't…you'll end up a total sourpuss, like you."
He was blown away by her bluntness but it still hit him hard. She was trying to help him and he was being a total asshole about it. Yeah him… He listened as she continued to talk to him.
"Well, I know it might be hard for you. But you can at least let down your guard for me. I'm your dog." She looked at him, hope shining in her eyes.
He sat there thinking about her speech. She had a point but still it was very hard for him to let loose and let someone in. He tried to think of something that would make her understand but it fell short—there was nothing he could say. Finally, he said, "Calling yourself a dog? You're hopeless."
Erika looked at him with disbelief then yelled, "You say it all the time!"
Again he wanted to laugh but then his head felt light. He laid down as he thought about her question in a clearer way. "Fruit," he said.
"Huh?"
"I want pineapples, kiwis. Sour stuff."
"Leave it to me! I'll buy them now! Hang on!" she said with enthusiasm. He listened as she walked out the door and then was gone.
He closed his eyes and fell asleep. In a dazed half sleep, he heard her come back through the door. Then there was some banging of pots and soon there was a smell that drifted into his room. He woke up just as Erika stepped into the room, holding a tray in her hands.
"Here you go! I call it 'even a terrible rifle will eventually hit if you keep firing' gruel."
He rolled over and looked at the tray. There was a lot of food and his stomach knotted with discomfort. "That's pretty substantial food to feed a sick person. And I didn't actually ask for it."
"I searched and got lots of results, so I just combined them. It's tasty, anyway." He wanted to groan with frustration. Then he watched a mischief light lit her face. "You okay? Want to sit up to eat?"
"Feel groggy," he said trying to get her to leave him alone.
She smiled. "Then I'll feed you."
He sat up in bed—the hell with that. If she feed him then she would make sure that he finished everything. His stomach lurched at that thought—no way. He took the food from her and started eating.
"After you eat, take some medicine, okay? I bought you a sport drink, too. Want it?"
He looked at her and was once again surprised to find himself thinking that she was just as manipulative as he was. Of course her manipulation was minimal but she knew how to make it effective. He liked that. Not everyone could get away with it but Erika knew that he wouldn't let his pride be wounded.
Kyōya took the drink from her and watched as she got up, walking back towards the kitchen. He turned back to his food and tried to finish the soup but his stomach wasn't having it. He ate most of it but then stopped, got out of bed, and placed the tray on the table. He got back into bed and called out, "Erika?"
Within seconds she was at his door. "Finished?" she asked.
He looked at her. "Why?" His mind was trying to figure something out.
She looked down. "Even someone like you will always have someone out there that will be willing to take care of you." Erika stepped forward, grabbed the tray, and left the room.
Kyōya watched her retreating back then looked at the ceiling. It was nice to have someone that was being nice and helping him to get better. He closed his eyes and drifted off.
What he didn't expect was that he would dream about a long forgotten memory. He was maybe nine years old or he thought and it was winter. He was enjoying the snow that had fallen the night before, making snowmen. He had turned to let his parents know what he had done but then he heard snow being crunched down. He looked back and one of the snowmen had fallen over. At first he didn't understand but then he cried when he made the connection that something bad was going to happen.
Suddenly he felt a cool hand on his forehead and he slowly woke up from his nightmare. Kyōya looked at the face that was hovering over him, it was Erika. He tried to understand when had she came back and how had she gotten in. Before he could say anything he saw the look in her eyes. She was sad about something.
"Sorry. Did I wake you?" she asked.
"You've been here the whole time?" he asked her, surprised. There was a feeling that welled up inside him—gratitude. But there was also another feeling that made him feel like it was impossible to have—contentment.
"Yeah," she answered. She looked at him another moment then she looked down.
He couldn't understand why she had stayed. Was there a reason behind it? Did she really care? He almost wished that it was because she did care but he knew better. He sat up in bed.
"You should sleep a little longer," she cried out, looking up at him.
"Hey. What are you trying to get out of this?" He really wanted to know.
"Huh?" Erika looked confused to his question.
"You're always whining at me about everything. So you're after something, right?" Kyōya tried to find the fault in her thinking.
When he watched her reaction to his question, her face saddened even more, as if she could see right through him. "Why do you only see things in that sort of light?" she said softly. She closed her eyes as she continued. "I wanted to do it, so I did it. I'm not after anything."
He looked at her and tried to see through her lie but she was being serious. In all his life no one has been this nice unless they were after something. For Erika not to want anything was a nice change of pace for him. It still rubbed off wrong but he couldn't help the remark that came out his mouth. "So you're faking nice."
Out the corner of his eye he could see her shaking her head slightly. "That's a nasty way of putting it… Fine. I am. You got a problem?" No, he didn't have a problem with it. She was being truthful about her actions and that was saying something. If only he could be truthful about the way he treated her.
She turned away from him and continued talking. "Most people would still be happy about it. What's the problem?"
He bent his head forward. How could he have been so mean to a girl who had her moments of having a pure heart? But he answered her question because it was a problem to him. "There's such a thing as an unwelcome favor, too."
Kyōya was starting to understand that Erika was trying to understand why he was the he was. She turned around and shoved a glass of water in front of him. "Whatever. Take in fluids!"
He looked at the glass in surprise, she was angry with him but she still tried to help. He took the glass from her and took a sip. Erika got up and went back through his bedroom door. He heard the water running and sighed. She was a handful at times but then again she was only thinking about how to help him. He looked toward the door.
Could he really drop his defenses and have someone like her? Would she even stay with him? Kyōya retreated back into himself at that thought. No one stays around him. So why would she even want to? Then a thought occurred to him. She was still here, wasn't she?
He moved to stand—his inhabitations gone. He got to the door and froze, a thought floating in the forefront. You can't! He stumbled back. There was no way that Erika would put aside all the things he did and be with him. She would hate him, if she didn't already. But he felt his heart skip a beat—misery taking its toll.
His heart wanted him to wrap his arms around her, kiss her, making her his, anything to fill the hole that had formed in his heart. He wanted to see her smile and use her wit to make him smile. She was making his life brighter and he wanted more. But he couldn't bring himself to give in to those feelings because they weren't real. He was sure that they weren't.
Kyōya heard the water shut off and he headed back to bed. Erika came a moment later and looked at him. "I'm sorry. I know you're sick and you don't need to hear about why people are nice." She walked in and grabbed her bag. "See you tomorrow."
He laid down and listened to her head toward the door. Then she called out, "If anything goes wrong or you feel lonely, text me! I'll come by anytime!"
He sighed as he said out loud, "What am I, a child?" He smiled despite himself as he settled deeper into the sheets. He guessed it was better than being treated as a child who didn't know any better. Then he thought that the past two days have been great—he did feel better. Again he smiled as he drifted to sleep.
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Next day Kyōya woke up with a headache but when he sat up in bed he noticed that his nose wasn't stuffy and felt warm compared to the other day. He stood and stretched—loosening some of the aches in his joints. He went to the table in his room and tried to see if any of the medicine was left. There wasn't any.
He looked up at the wall, sighing. He needed to go to the store any ways. There was no food in the cabinets, he was for sure about that. He got around to go out to the store. As he was locking up his door he heard a female voice yelling.
"Kyōya! You have to sleep!"
He looked and nearly rolled his eyes, Erika. "At least let me go to the convenience store. My fever's down," he explained to her.
"Lair. Then why didn't you come to school?" She asked.
Kyōya wanted to slump with exhaustion, she never quiet. "I felt groggy," he threw out. Though really he had just slept through his alarm clock and there was still a lingering ache here and there.
"Darn it!" She turned to open his door. "You're acting tough again! Now get back in there!" She grabbed and shoved him back into his house.
"Hey!" he yelled. He didn't like her being so pushy and 'man-handling' him. She pushed him all the way back to his bed and forced him to get back in. He wanted to argue but knew that she would just make it worse by glaring at him.
Erika stuck a thermometer in his mouth, waited for it to beep, and snatched it out, looking at the temp. "It really is down…" she said, smiling.
"Yeah, just like I said." He sat up.
"I'm glad. Just faking it, huh?" She went over to the table and starting messing with the bag she had sat down on it. "I guess it was a waste to buy all of this for you. Well, I guess I'll just take it home with me."
He watched her then he leaned his head on his fist. She truly was only thinking about him and making sure he was well. He wanted to ask her something but his mouth dried up. His mind was yelling and he looked on as if it had nothing to do with him. But it did. His heart had done told him what it wanted and now his mind was trying to line up with his heart. They wanted Erika because she acted herself around him and that she was trying to get to know him.
"Wh-What is it? What's wrong?" Erika asked, making him focus back on her.
"Nothing," he said, blocking what he wanted to say. Finally, he said the only thing that he hoped was okay. "Thanks."
"Huh?"
He turned to her and she was spacing, he sighed. Was it that odd? He reached forward—at first he wanted to hug her but then he—pinched her cheek. "Hey."
That snapped her out. "That hurts!"
"What's with that slack-jawed expression?" He smiled quickly to himself. Remembering the first day he actually got to talk to her, when she had asked for his help.
"Well…" she started, holding her cheek. "You know you said something kind of surprising." She had turned back to the table.
He looked away from her, embarrassed. "You dummy. Even kids know how to say 'thank you.'"
"It's not that…" she said quietly. "It's weird to say this after practically forcing my way in here… But I thought you found this kind of thing annoying."
He looked at her, oh how he wanted to hold her now. She saw through his words. "Good catch," he told her, looking away. "I hate girls who push kindness on me so much it makes me want to die. 'Look what a beautiful heart I have. So please fall for me.' I get girls like that after me all the time. It pisses me off. I'm not that stupid. You're just acting like I am. But you don't harbor any transparent ulterior motives. You seemed relaxed the whole time. So I decided that I don't mind thanking you. That's all." He expected her to laugh or something like that but she didn't say anything at first.
"Wh-What? It's creepy when you put it like that. You're acting kind of weird. Oh, I know. You still have a fever!"
Kyōya didn't understand at first what was running through her mind but it became apparent when she acted like she was trying to cover up her embarrassment. He knew that he wasn't acting like himself but he couldn't let her leave without him saying his thank you. Though, it did bother him when she asked to take his temp again. "I do not. You measured before." He closed his eyes.
"The thermometer must be broken, then!" She placed her hand on his forehead.
He grabbed her wrist—his need burning through him in an instant. She was too close and he was too close to having her. He was hoping to keep her away from him but then he couldn't shut down the part that wanted her. With her this close he could smell her scent and his deep need thrummed through him—making him focus on getting her away from him. "Stop acting ridiculous. I'm embarrassed just watching you."
She pulled away from him. "Oh…sorry." She stared at him and he stared back. He started pulling her back but he let go just as she pulled her arm away from him. "Th-Then I guess my role here is done. I'll go home. Come to school tomorrow, okay?" She bolted for the door.
He tried not to let it get to him but he wanted to go after her. He wanted to call her back and ask her to stay with him, just for the night. But it didn't work that way, he could never have her—at least that was what he told himself. He laid on his bed and tried to think of something different.
In the end his thoughts kept going back to Erika. She was starting to be the only thing he ever thought about and again it scared him to death. No girl has ever made more of an impression on him then Erika and she wasn't even trying. He closed his eyes, deciding that he was going to school tomorrow. He smiled—it should be an interesting day.
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Kyōya sat in class and knew that everybody had their eyes on him. He did his best not to fidget under the un-slot but it was difficult. He wanted to reach out and find Erika so that he could ground himself. But he shook his head, no way was he that pathetic, though a very small part of him was crying at the loss of such a gift. In small ways though, she did help him stay in a relative calm mood even though he had his days of snapping at her.
All morning he thought about Erika so that he could make it through. Finally, when the bell rang he quickly went to his locker, grabbed his shoes, and then headed toward Erika's locker. That's when he found Erika and she looked and sounded worn.
"I didn't sleep at all last night," she said quietly out loud.
"Hey," he spoke to her.
She closed her locker as she continued to talk to herself. "This is so not…"
He sighed with both annoyance and relief. "Hey!" he said a little louder and gave her a slight shove in the shoulder.
She didn't turn toward him and that…annoyed him? He spoke again to her. "Answer me." That's when she turned toward him and he saw the sleepy look in her eyes. Crap! Did he give her the cold he had? He thought as he continued to talk to her. "I was trying to say hello. Are you ignoring me?"
She reacted then and tried covering her tracks. "Huh? Sorry…I was spacing out."
He wanted to laugh because she had finally admitted to spacing out on him, instead he leaned down so he could look her in the eyes as he asked, "Did you catch my cold?"
She looked at him and he could see the truth in her eyes, she had something. He tried to have the caring look but then she jumped back from him with her hands up as she spoke. "I-I'm fine. Fine! I don't have a fever. I feel super-energetic, as always! So you don't have to worry one bit!"
He stood back up and watched as she tried to look energetic but was failing at an alarming rate. When she got done speaking he spoke up, trying to sound like his usual, but inside he was laughing. "Huh? Who said I was worried? It's a dog's job to risk life and limb for its master, right?" He couldn't help the slight smile that crossed his lips when he walked by her to head to his next class. She looked shocked by his attitude. "Later. Don't space out."
Kyōya could feel that she was following him as he headed to his next class. An old class mate spoke to him. "Morning, Sata."
He turned to her. "Morning!"
Another girl spoke up. "Is your cold better?"
He turned to her, "Yeah!" They continued to speak to him but he never could focus on them. Erika was still standing behind him and he could feel her hot gaze on him. He looked back and noticed a slight blush to her cheeks. Yep! He knew she was thinking about him and he wasn't far behind thinking about her. With her staring at him like that he wanted to excuse himself, grab Erika and find the nearest private place.
In the end though he turned away from her, excused himself from the two girls, and headed to class. Again he found himself thinking about Erika so that he could ignore the stares he was getting from the other students in his class. When lunch rolled around he was more than willing to sit with Erika. She looked at him as he slid into his seat across from her. She looked like she wanted to ask a question but then she looked away from him and quietly ate her lunch.
At first this stunned him but then again he was okay with a quiet lunch. It still bothered him though that she wasn't being as chatty as usual and that she seemed distant. He tried to ask a question but she pushed her tray forward, folded her arms on the table, and proceeded to take a short nap. He sat back in his chair, off put by this. How can the woman stand to take a nap in a noisy place like this? But then again he remembered that just before her head hit her arms, she looked like she was already half sleep.
He finished eating then moved his tray away and looked steadily at her. She stirred but then she just huffed and got more comfortable. He thought about poking her and trying to ask the question he wanted to ask but a soft spot in him told that maybe he should just let her be. That stopped him for two minutes and then he poked her on the arm. She curled closer to herself and he waited. She didn't look up. A frown pulled at his lips. What the hell?!
"Erika?" he asked. Nothing from her. He asked again with a little more force, "Erika?"
Slowly her head pulled up and she looked at him with very tired eyes. "What?" she said, an edge to her voice.
Kyōya looked at her and suppressed a sigh. The woman was tap dancing on his last nerve. "You're sick."
Erika's face morphed into surprise. "No, I'm not sick. Just tired."
He rolled his eyes. "That's a load of crap."
Erika sat up straighter, eyeing him with resentment. "Damn you Kyōya!" she yelled then stood up, shoving the chair back.
She walked away from him and he felt his mouth hanging open, he snapped it shut. That was not like Erika but he held himself back from going after her. He shouldn't have to concern himself about her, but why did it feel like he was sinking while he was drowning. He shook his head, who needs her? Kyōya grabbed his tray and hers and took them to the cleaning window then left to head back to class.
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Some two hours later they had a break between their last two classes for the day. Kyōya opted to leave Ms. Grouchy to her whims and he found a quiet place in the back of the library. Nobody knew that he went here to think about things. He made sure of it. It was a fairly large library and his spot was well hidden from anyone happening to come across him.
He sat down on the carpeted floor and leaned against the book shelves, thinking. How did he get himself into this situation? If he wanted to be honest with himself, the answer is he didn't know. Yes, he agreed to Erika's request but at the time he thought it funny. Thought that maybe he could give her a good dose of her own medicine, well that back-fired. What was the whole reason for him to agree? There was nothing to gain and, of course, nothing to lose but why did it feel that the floor was slowly slipping out from under him? And why is Erika taking his crap?
That stopped his thoughts. Why was Erika staying around him and taking his crap? He looked closer at their conversations that they had. At first he could tell that she hated him, well not the very first time. The very first time she had surprised the shit out of him by sneaking up behind him then taking a picture of him. It had totally thrown him off. Most girls ask or stand a distance away before they take a picture but her…She had come up to him and snapped a pic then threw some bullshit and ran.
Kyōya laughed, that had been some kind of bullshit, flying dogs. Then he had thought that she was just some random girl but then next day had him twisted in knots. He still had flashes of his wicked dream of her and she continued to interest him more. He shook his head, that's just self-delusion, he told himself. But the always nagging voice raised its head, you're just telling yourself that so you can sleep at night and not have to worry that maybe you do have feelings for her. He snorted at the thought.
A short bell rang signaling that break was over. He pulled himself up and sneaked himself back out and headed to class.
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After school Kyōya headed to his locker and got his stuff ready to go home. Then he walked over to Erika and waited. She glanced at him then quickly looked away. He noticed that she fidgeted for a moment then quickly finished getting her stuff around. She closed her locker door then slowly turned to him, a small voice reaching his ears.
"Sorry about lunch."
Huh? She was sorry that she had left him sitting at the lunch table after she had gotten mad at him? "Whatever," he responded.
She jerked back and looked at him. "I didn't mean to offend you…"
"You didn't and I don't care. Now let's head home." He headed for the doors and held one of them open for her as they exited. She slipped out quickly and then they started the fifteen-minute walk toward her home.
About halfway to the park he pulled his cell phone. There were two missed calls, one from his dad and the other from his…sister. Holy crap! How many times was the woman going to call him? This would make the sixth call in three days and no way was he going to call her back. On the other note, his dad was the easiest to make out. He was probably calling to let him know that it was going to be a couple of more days before he was home.
Kyōya glanced to Erika and sighed, she was lost in deep thought. "Hey?" he asked, and then proceeded to pinch her cheek.
That broke her thoughts and she cringed as she asked, "What?"
"Don't let your mind wander when you're with me." He let go of her cheek. Though he couldn't blame her for it, his mind had wandered too.
"Are you desperate for attention?" she asked.
He was about to tell her that the answer was 'no' though in reality he wanted to say 'yes' but he felt something push on his leg. He looked down and so did Erika. "A dog?" she wondered aloud.
An out of breath voice came from behind them. "Hey, Kenta!" An elderly woman paced up next to him. "I'm so sorry dear."
He smiled despite himself and said, "It's okay. He's cute. May I pet him?"
The woman smiled and looked at the dog. "Sure, sure! He's a good boy."
Kyōya knelled down and Erika followed but he ignored her. "Did you want to play?" he asked Kenta.
He smiled with joy. Kenta was really a good boy and was enjoying the good ear scratching he was getting from him. That was probably the most truthful thing he told Erika when they first started fake dating. He really did love dogs. He felt a heated stare coming from Erika. He turned and she had a jealous look in her eyes.
"What? You want me to pet you, too?" he asked. The look that came across her face was priceless.
"Huh?! Don't be stupid! Why would you ask that?" she said defensively.
He wanted to laugh. "That look on your face says you want something." She turned away from him, placing her hands on her cheeks. He sighed, there was a blush on her cheeks and the woman bent down.
"I need to be heading home," the woman spoke.
He nodded his head. "So do we. Thank you for letting me pet Kenta."
The woman nodded her head in return then put a leash on Kenta and started heading away. He slightly turned back to Erika and she was still crouched down, he shook his head then looked down. "Ah, man, it shed on me." He started brushing off the hair.
"If you like them that much, why don't you adopt one?" Erika asked him.
He turned and looked at her then went back to brushing off the hair. "I can't."
"How come?"
"I had one long ago. It died when I was in my second year of middle school." He walked a little forward and Erika followed. He hated saying something about himself but to him this information was harmless. He stopped and put a self-concuss hand to his neck, rubbing it. "When I think of how I might lose one again someday, I can't adopt another pet."
Erika glanced away from him. "I see."
He smiled; she understood his reason and didn't push the subject. He put a hand to her head, like he was petting her. "Besides…I've got this big dog now." In a way he was glad to have her around and that he had someone to talk to. He started heading home again after he noticed the blush creeping across her cheeks. "Too bad she needs so much more upkeep," he said, jokingly.
"Don't lump me in with you! If one of us is high-maintenance, it's you!" she yelled at him.
He full on grinned at her words. He had poked a button and she was yapping at him. "Still barking, eh?" He continued to walk on and before he exited the park he heard rapid footsteps. Erika jerked up next to him, puffing for breath. He looked at her and she looked at the ground, he couldn't help the slight smile that pulled at the edges of his lips.
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Around five he couldn't stand it anymore, he gathered his things and headed out for supper. Anything was okay, so he stopped at a fast serving noodle shop and quickly ate. After he had paid he was about to head home when a familiar face popped out of the crowd.
"Evening Sata, I haven't seen you around for some time," Marie said in a pleasant voice.
He shook his head. "It hasn't been that long. Two months, maybe."
"Four," she quickly interjected.
"Okay, you're right. Anyways, why are you all the way over here?" Kyōya asked, curious.
"I was meeting someone but they bailed at the last moment. And when all hope was lost, I happen to look to the left and who do I see? Sata Kyōya walking from a noodle shop, looking lonely."
He looked at her and sighed. "I'm not lonely; just have the night to myself, for the most part." Did he sound that depressed?
Marie looked at him appraisingly, nodded her head then grabbed his hand. "I'll be your company tonight, since I don't have any tonight." She pulled him toward his house.
He didn't say anything and just followed her. At one time he would have run home with her and had his way with her but he didn't feel like it. Matter of fact, he didn't want her to come home with him nor did he want anyone to be with tonight. No, he took that back, he wanted to be with…Erika.
He almost jerked to a stop. That was impossible, why would he want to be with Erika? The woman had her own life and half the time she didn't want to be anywhere near him. But why did he want her instead of the pretty woman that was dragging him home?" Marie can we stop for a moment?" He pulled out of her grasp.
Marie turned back to him and there was a raised eyebrow. "Who is she?"
Kyōya felt like someone had struck him. "How do you know?" He asked her. He was lost as to how Marie could have figured it out. Did he really look that lost? That lonely? He was sure that no one could pick up on how he was feeling. So how was it that this woman, he barely knows, pick up that he was thinking about Erika?
"Kyōya, you think that the world is uncaring and goes by without noticing you. But the honest truth is that there is someone who cares and notices when you are not being you. I may not be the woman in your life, but there is someone, and you are at loss as to what to think," Marie spoke. She had grabbed his hand again and started walking.
He wanted to stop and get away from her but something told him to stay and listen for once. She remained quiet until they arrived at his apartment. He led the way up the stairs to his apartment and let her in. Finally, his tongue let him speak to her. "What could you possibly mean by that?"
Marie turned to him and a sad look filled her eyes. "If you can't figure that out then I hope who ever she is, she is willing to battle it out for you."
Kyōya sat down on the couch and thought over what she had said earlier carefully. "Could I trust you?" he asked seriously.
Marie looked at him taken aback. "If you have to ask and have that face then it must be something very serious." She sat down next to him, careful not to touch him. "What is it?"
Kyōya looked at her and thought against telling her but he had already opened his mouth. Even if he was to tell her it was nothing she would continue to look at him, hoping he would say something. Against his better judgement he spoke. "She asked me to be her pretend boyfriend three months ago and I…" he trailed off.
"That long ago," she pondered. "Well, does it seem that the relationship has changed? Meaning does she look at you differently or do you?"
Kyōya looked away from Marie. Could women really see right through a man? She about hit it right on the head of what he had been thinking but was afraid to say it to himself. "I believe," he said, still looking away from her.
She sighed. "Kyōya, don't take me wrong about this but you need to say something to her or there will always be this disconnection between you two. Even if this relationship is pretend, some where it has turn into something else entirely. It may not have been you, it could have been her, but I sense that maybe it was you."
Kyōya turned back to her and glared. "I didn't do anything," he bit out.
Marie leaned back away from him. "I don't know the whole story, so I'm spit balling here. I'm just telling you what I think is going on by how it feels."
He sighed, he wanted to keep from telling her the whole story but it was starting to give him a headache trying to figure things out. "She took my picture without asking me, which in turn made me angry because she had sneaked up behind me. Then the next day at school, fate played a mean trick and made us bump into each other. After that she was in some trouble because everyone thought we had been dating for a while even though I didn't know her. She wanted some help just to play off the boyfriend thing and then everything would be okay. I had thought about it then said okay. Partly I wanted my revenge on her for taking my picture but at the time there was another part of me that was speaking but I wasn't listening." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. "Now that other part of me is trying to make sense of how I feel about all of this. The thing is… the more I think about it the more it irritates the hell out of me." He stopped because he could feel is blood starting to boil.
Marie sat quiet for a little bit then she turned to him. "It sounds like both of you have no clue."
He looked at her and frowned. "What?"
She shook her head. "You're hopeless. She was brave enough to come up and take your picture then at school she braved up again. She hoped that maybe you would help her out of the mess with her friends. But if I know you right, you saw her as a tool and you thought she saw you as a tool. The end. The reality is that she does like you and you like her. You just can't come to grips with that."
Kyōya stood up and walked away from her. That was not what he wanted to hear. He didn't want to believe that he had fallen for Erika. There was no way he could have and he wanted to keep believing that. But for Marie to tell it right to his face without knowing the whole truth, it made him pissed. He didn't want the truth, he wanted falsehood and safety.
He stopped. Was that what he wanted? Safety? Or was it something else? No. He thought back to when Erika had come over earlier this week. She was being herself around him and wasn't trying to get something out of helping him. She had honestly done everything for his health, even though he'd been angry with her. Though that one time towards the end…his body felt on fire. He had wanted to hold her…
"Kyōya?"
He nearly jumped out of his skin. He had lost all track of what was going on, so when Marie had touched his shoulder, he nearly growled at her for scaring him. "What?" he bit out, failing to hide his surprise.
"The doorbell rang. Do you want me to go get it?" she asked, not missing a beat.
Kyōya looked toward the door, it could be his sister… He shivered at the thought of answering the door. Not many people made him feel small but his sister had an effect on him that rubbed wrong on him. "Yeah, you can answer it. Though I'll warn you it might be a girl."
She started walking toward the door. "Oohh, the one we were talking about?" she said over her shoulder.
He shivered again. "Maybe… Or it could be…"
"Coming!" Marie yelled. She opened the door and made a sound of surprise. "Oh. You were right, it is a girl."
He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. Hell, I know she's going to kill me for not answering the phone. He thought. He headed for the door. "Who is it?" he asked. He opened the door a little more, expecting to see his sister seething with latent anger. Instead it was Erika and she looked a little confused. "Erika?" Out the corner of his eye he could see Marie making a connection. Crap!
"Well, I'm heading home," she declared, turning to him.
He looked at her and saw the light of understanding shining in her eyes. She wanted to get away so that they could talk privately. But he wanted her to stay a little longer so he could figure out his place in all this. Instead she was bailing out and pushing him along. "Sure," he said, sounding beaten.
Kyōya watched her leave, trying to prolong looking back at Erika. He could feel the questions burning through his chest.
"Who was she? A friend of yours?" Erika asked.
He sighed, he was going to have to talk to her some time. "She picked me up in town," he said, telling her the truth. He almost bit his tongue. He never told her the truth out right, so what the hell made him?
"Oh?" she breathed.
He finally looked at her and she started to blush really hard, a look of understanding crossing her face. "So? What do you want?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head. He was happy it wasn't his sister but Erika showing up made him a little uneasy. He noticed that she had a bag of something and thought maybe that was the reason.
Erika had still been looking at Marie but then she turned back to him and spoke, "Kyōya, don't you think…you should stop doing this sort of thing?"
Kyōya was lost. "What sort of thing?" he asked.
"Y-You know…bouncing between girls," she fumbled for the words.
OH! He thought, it now clicked what she was talking about. Instead of trying to quiet her fears, he got a little hostile about it. He could invite anyone he pleased to his home. "Huh? Don't put it like that. That's not what I do. And you're not my girlfriend, anyway. Why are you saying that?" He couldn't help that her assuming made him bristle with the need to correct her. "It doesn't matter what I do, does it?"
"It does matter," she quickly said to him.
His anger hitched up a notch. Who was she to think that she had to control of what he did with his life? He did no such…thing… He stopped that thought because that was a lie. He was controlling some of her life but still… "How come? I don't need some criticism from the sidelines."
She looked down from him, her face showing some measure of understanding. "Maybe not…but…"
He glared at her. Was she serious? He didn't need her stamp of approval on what he did. "What? If you have some other problem, say it," he said.
He watched as her emotions came to a point, disapproval. "I don't like it. I don't like it!" She looked away from him. He was surprised but she continued. "Because I like you!"
There for a second he could have sworn that his heart had skipped two beats but then again it was now thundering hard in his chest. His mind blanked and his stomach dropped. She couldn't really be serious? Could she? But she never looked back up at him and her face clearly showed that she was telling the truth. Some really small part of him jumped with—joy? —at the fact that she was the first to admit it. Although, that voice was quickly covered by his hellish side. He smiled sarcastically as he spoke, "You really are simple." He leaned down to get into her face. "No, you don't."
She looked up at him and was lost to his words. "Huh?"
"You've never dated a guy before, have you?" He had her full attention and the small voice was trying to pushed back, but failing. "But because you're doing the play-dating thing, you're starting to imagine you feel that way." The good side of him was trying to beat the crap out of his hellish side but there was no chance. He was getting tired of her thinking she could do whatever with him. Of course he's still falling for her but the girl hit a nerve.
"Wait. Are you saying I don't really feel this way?"
No! His small voice yelled at him. Her eyes showed that something was splintering inside her. He had to show her that he could do anything he pleased, including pissing her off. "That's right."
A broken smile crossed her lips. "I see. Now that you mention it, you might be right."
He found that his heart tightened when he saw her shutting down. "Right?"
"I'm glad I don't really feel that way. I really didn't want to fall for you to be honest," she said.
Kyōya looked away from her, maybe this was for the better? Now that he thought about it, maybe he could finally get his emotions under control again and never have this happen again. "I'm just glad you've woken up," he said, sounding withdrawn.
She sniffled and he looked back at her. She had tears in her eyes and there was a look of brokenness in them. "Here! Apple-pears. Goodbye!" she yelled, shoving the bag at him.
He grabbed them just as she let go. What just happened? He thought. She turned away from him and jogged down the stairs. Wasn't this for the best? He could go back to being single and she could find a better guy. But why did it feel like someone was squeezing the air out of his chest? And didn't he hear her stifle a cry?
He leaned against his door and felt a slight fracture in his heart. She was being serious about her liking him and he pretty much laughed in her face. Well, she would have done the same thing to him, right? Though he couldn't be for sure about it. Should he go after her and explain? Maybe that was the wrong thing to do because she was upset. He shook his head. He had to be in the right on what he said to her.
Kyōya pushed forward and went back into the house. He sat the apple-pears on the table in the living room then went to his room. He laid on his bed, thinking about what just happened and what this night has told him. Then the doorbell rang. Who was is now?