I was chewing on my pencil, deep in thought about a certain glasses wearing, young man who drove me insane.
Since my awkward realization at the beach, I hadn't been able to carry on a decent conversation with him. As much as I wanted to treat him like I had before I understood my feelings, I couldn't seem able to. And it was pissing me off.
"URGH!"
I stood up, slamming my hands down on Haruhi's kitchen table startling my best friend so badly that she dropped the textbook she had been reading.
"What was that for?"
I started pacing, still deep in thought before pausing suddenly to turn and face Haruhi.
"I am in need of advice."
Haruhi merely raised an eyebrow, and after replacing her textbook on the table, she leaned forward with her chin rested on her palms.
"Have you ever realized that you fell for someone you shouldn't have? And you don't know when you did, but you just kind of realized it happened? And then you couldn't look at them, or talk to them because you feel too awkward?" A small grin slid over my best friend's face and I wrinkled my nose at her. "Don't make that face, it was a hypothetical question."
She snorted.
"I'm sure it was. Is this about Kyoya?"
I felt myself turning steam engine red at that, and started to wave my hand around dramatically.
"W-what ever gave you that idea? Because, it's, um, wrong? Right! It's wrong!"
An eye roll from her told me she saw through my weak defense.
"Ugh fine! So it is! But Haru...I don't understand when it happened….he's never done anything to..i dunno warrant that from me."
She sighed.
"Well Nala, it doesn't always happen from a single action. Like you said, it probably happened over time. You see something in Kyoya that none of us do. I don't know what it is, and i'm not going to pretend to understand, but you can sense something in him and it's affected you in this way. He's a nice guy, and he's so different from all the male influence you've had in your life that you're probably drawn to him naturally. I think you should tell him."
I squeaked, blanched, and thumped down into a chair at those words.
"No! No way in hell! He's...he's...Ootori! He'd probably just give me a weird look and reject me!"
Haruhi's big, brown eyes were calm as she looked at me, but her demeanor held a note of serious as she spoke.
"Worrying about rejection, and not asking may as well be rejecting yourself Nala. Human emotions are chemical reactions, once you have a reaction you can never go back to how you were. So you might as well act on your reaction to him."
I moaned into my hands from pure aggravation, even as her words seared themselves into my mind. She has a good point...but still...i just...I'll have to observe him and see what it is about him that draws me in. Nodding to myself, i sighed into my hands.
"I wish i could just make my heart invulnerable to him."
"You're trying to stay unscarred aren't you? Nala if you've come this far and realized this, you're going to get hurt. The more time you take to decide, the deeper and more it'll hurt for you."
I glared at the ground in front of me.
"Yeah, i guess." A moment of silence followed by, "Damn it Haru! This sucks!"
"What does?"
I let out a yelp at the voice that was suddenly behind me, and spinning, textbook in hand to fight off the intruder, i let out a hysterical giggle upon finding Tamaki behind me.
"Stop sneaking into the house Tamaki! One of these days i'm seriously going to brain you because i think you're an intruder!"
He raised a hand to his heart, gasping in shock.
"How can my darling daughter speak so ill of her father!"
"For the last time! I'm not your daughter!"
"It doesn't need to be flesh and blood! You're the daughter of my heart and soul!"
The hell dude? You're a vampire! You don't have either of those!"
"But it's the thought that counts!"
I snorted, and after poking the heavy book at him threateningly, i dropped it onto the table, and myself into a chair.
"Whatever you say my vampy friend, whatever you say."
He grinned at me, before leaping around the table to drop a kiss onto Haruhi's forehead. The action had me hiding a grin with my hand, while she turned bright red.
"We were just, er, discussing Nala's future."
Tamaki's face instantly lit up.
"Fear not! For i shall help to guide her onto the right path to adulthood!"
"Gee thanks."
"Of course! It is only what any loving parent would do."
I merely rolled my eyes. It still humored me how Tamaki acted. He was so different than the calm, cool, collected vampires in the storybooks. His joy about life was infectious, and his idiocy was adorable.
I had found it strange upon discovering that he wasn't bit to be formed, but born. Coupled with the fact that he had only been born seventeen years ago, and was still in the learning process always made me smile. However, and Haruhi constantly warned me about this, even young and adorable, he was born to a powerful bloodline, and held powers that i could only dream about. Hence why i was told to tread carefully with him at times, but still, as long as i'd known him he'd never had a problem that seemed to warrant using his so called 'gifts'. In fact, he was so laid back and happy go lucky, i couldn't help but wonder if they were even a thing so to say.
I was so caught up in my thoughts over him, that i failed to hear the front door open, and steps coming down the hall until suddenly, Haruhi's father Ranka stood in the kitchen.
His eyes lit up when he saw me, and swooping across the room he yanked me into a hug.
"Nala! I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks! You're always locked in your room studying these days! You haven't even come out to try on the clothes I get you!"
"Can't. Breathe."
He dropped me hastily and I doubled over wheezing, as I tried to suck in deep breathes.
"Sorry darling!" He batted his eyelashes, I could mentally see it in my head. "Now! How is my sweet, wonderful daughter."
"Don't even think about it."
Haruhi's blank voice made the man currently standing next to me fake a swoon.
"You wound me! Your own father!"
I stood up in time to see Tamaki open his mouth and step forward with his violet eyes glinting in that way they did whenever he was gearing up for a dramatic moment. Before he could speak, Haruhi leapt up and slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Sorry dad, but we're just kind of busy at the moment."
I watched Ranka's eyes flicker between his daughter and Tamaki. He raised his eyebrows suggestively at them, and I choked back a laugh. Haruhi's father was the only 'man' who would ever even imagine doing such a thing.
While he hadn't approved of Tamaki at first from what I'd been told, I knew that at least now the gleam in his eye was a teasing light, not one of challenge.
"Not like that dad! Nala was just having some trouble that's it."
I glared at her
Way to through your dad at me
Hush up Nals.
Now this is going to get real awkward...
At least it's keeping the attention of Tamaki and me for now though
Ugh! My glare intensified. The things I do for you in the name of friendship Haru!
Ending our short meaningful look conversation, I turned to her dad who was eyeing me speculatively.
"Er, well, you are. We were, um, talking about my uh... non-existent love life."
"You found a boy?! Nala I'm so proud of you honey!"
"What part of 'non-existent love life' wasn't understood there?!"
Ranka didn't even hear me.
"Is this about that boy from the host club? What was his name again? Ah yes! Kyoya!" Haruhi's dad smiled proudly as he recalled Ootori's name. "A nice young man there. He still calls in occasionally to let me know how things with Haruhi and you are going."
What?!
What?!
WHAT?!
"HE DOES WHAT?!"
"Dad! I told you to stop checking up on me like that!"
Ranka fluttered his eyelashes innocently.
"Oh I'm sorry Haruhi. I thought I'd mentioned it to you. Besides, I wouldn't have to if you told me what you did at school!" He tensed up dramatically as he stared at his scowling daughter. "Ah yes! Nala!" He spun to face me as if to escape fro Haruhi's annoyed expression. "Yes Kyoya does tell me what goes on with you at school. He specifically keeps tabs on what you're doing during the day for me."
My heart sank. Of course. He wouldn't think of me as anything aside from Haruhi's annoying best friend. He keeps tabs on me for Ranka, not even to just check up on me.
The people in the kitchen must have noticed my downward mood shift, because Ranka nervously started laughing before turning to poke fun at Tamaki.
I didn't pay attention to the conversation as it flew back in forth between Ranka's teasing and Tamaki's foolish indignation.
"I'm going to go for a quick walk, I'll be back in a bit."
Haruhi's big brown eyes stared at me knowingly.
"Do you want company?"
I shook my head, my eyes flicking to look outside at the sun pouring in through the window. It was a beautiful day to think.
"Nah thanks though. I just need to clear my head."
She nodded and waved at me as I stepped out of the kitchen and began walking down the hall.
Slipping into my shoes, I wrenched the door open and shut it with perhaps a little more force than necessary.
The sun was warm against my back, but there was a brisk, little breeze flitting through with the warning of fall on its chilly hands as it swept by the people out walking on the street.
It's almost fall...Maddy will be here in a few weeks!
I smiled at the thought, but the smile didn't last long as my mind once again drifted to Kyoya. A frown slid over my lips, and I kicked at a loose pebble on the ground as I walked down the sidewalk.
Why is he so confusing? I don't understand him. He can be so kind, and then so cold. He doesn't do it on purpose I know, but it's hard having him tug me back and forth with his random moments of kindness only to be followed by his chilly, professional demeanor.
I tipped my head back to look up at the clear, blue ski as I walked, shoving my hands into the pockets of my shorts.
In his defense though, he does treat everyone like that. Except maybe Tamaki, but even with Tamaki he sends him death glares sometimes when he's done something truly foolish.
A car passed a little too close to the sidewalk for my liking, and I jerked closer to the wall on my other side that separated the homes that lined the street from being directly in the view of the busy road.
I was still deep in thought about Kyoya when my neck began to tingle. Jerking around, i scanned the road until my eyes fell on a tall man on the opposite side of the street staring at me.
Even with the distance between us, I could tell that the stranger's dark eyes were fixed on me with an uncanny coldness in them. My neck began to crawl for real as I stood there frozen from momentary fear. As I looked at the man, a slow smile started to curl his lips and my heart skipped a beat at what I saw. Fangs. He had fangs.
Dear Lord he's like Tamaki...he's a vampire...shit what was it that Haru warned me about them?!
It came back in an instant. Her words of warning filling my mind.
If a strange vampire ever sets his sights on you...do not run. If you run they'll chase. But do not confront them either. Ignore them, or pretend to but keep an eye on them. They can move a lot faster than you can Nala, and if one of the guys from the club isn't there to protect you, you won't stand a chance.
Most vampires in this city are under the rule and control of the Suoh family, but there are rogue ones that will prey on the people on the streets. You have to be careful.
I pulled my eyes away from the vamp, shrugged my shoulders to roll the stiffness out of them, turned and kept walking.
The only sign that I was nervous, was that my fingers had curled into the sleeves of my long sleeved lightweight shirt so hard that I was sure I was digging holes into the fabric with my nails.
Don't run. Don't run.
The mantra kept me walking at a steady pace, but I couldn't help but notice that the previously cheerful day seemed somehow grim. As if the presence of the vampire made the bright sun somehow dimmer on the street, and caused the cheerful wind to take on an ominous note.
I walked faster.
Don't run. Don't run.
I could hear the echo of the vampire's footsteps as he drew closer to me on his side of the street. A brief glance around showed that the street had emptied except for one person ahead of myself who was preparing to turn into a small side street.
I have to catch up with them! There's strength in numbers.
My hands started to shake. My pulse beat erratically in my ears as i hurried down the street. I didn't know how i knew, but some sixth sense told me to do anything it took to not get caught by this person.
I kept walking, my head bowed, so focused on not getting caught, that when i turned onto the side street after the person, i failed to notice someone melt from the shadows ahead of me until i bumped into them.
"Sor-"
My voice broke off as a strangled scream escaped me.
The person in front of me, with a friendly smile on his face, and a cold, calculating gleam in his eyes, was none other than Officer Tokiya.
**Author's Note**
Hey guys! I live! Thank you for all the kind words about school :) I actually finished this in my study today. How many of you guys are still following this story even after my break? Also what do you guys think of Nala's realization about Kyoya, and her being stalked by a vampire?