DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Ouran High School Host Club
Warnings: The usual
This chapter is extremely important so read carefully.
Enjoy chapter twelve!
Chapter 12
Izumi cursed and rubbed his aching back. "I was just going to kiss you. You didn't have to flail like that." Kaoru sighed. Izumi picked himself up from the floor and climbed back onto the bed; flopping face-down he muttered an 'I hate you' to Kaoru.
He seriously wanted to go back to sleep. "Come on, get up. We need to get ready to visit the shrine." he heard Kaoru say. Izumi turned to his back and sighed, "That's right, we're going to... Su... Sumi... what's it called again?" He looked to the side where Kaoru was.
"Sumiyoshi Taisha." The raven haired groaned at the long name. "Too hard to remember. Why couldn't they pick an easy name?"
Kaoru laughed a little at that. "It's one of the oldest shrines in Japan. Of course it'll have a complicated name. You've never been there?" he asked curiously. Izumi looked at him with a raise eyebrow. "I was in America the whole time, remember? The only other country I've traveled to was Germany." Kaoru furrowed his eyes at that and asked, "Yeah, but you were born in Japan. You never visited, then?" Izumi frowned and turned his head to look at the ceiling.
"We couldn't go to a lot of places. My mother was sick most of the time. My father was worried about her so we barely left the house."
Kaoru felt a painful pang in his stomach when Izumi mentioned his father. He was curious about something. "Can I ask you something, Izumi?" he said cautiously, not wanting to screw this up. The raven haired turned his head towards him, "Yeah, sure."
Kaoru started to fidget, unsure of how to word it.
Noticing the boy fidget in front of him, he sat up, "You can say it. I'm fine with it." He had an idea what the auburn haired wanted to ask him. Kaoru sighed.
"Did your... father... um, hit you when your... mother was still alive?" Kaoru asked slowly. Figures. "Not once." Izumi replied. Kaoru looked at him with surprise, like he was expecting him to say yes. So he added, "My father was actually a very nice and generous man."
The auburn haired narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Then how did-" Izumi cut him off, "When my mother died, everything changed. He began drinking and he would break things and throw stuff everywhere."
Kaoru was silent for a while. He didn't know what to say. This was the first time Izumi ever opened up to him. First time they've actually had a decent conversation, even if it is about Izumi's past. "So that's when it started?" he asked.
Izumi shook his head and looked away. "No, nothing happened for at least a year." Kaoru saw as Izumi narrowed his eyebrows and frowned. "I made the mistake of trying to comfort him in the middle of one of his outbursts. I was caught up in it and he ended up hitting me by accident. When that happened I guess it... triggered something... in him." Izumi shook his head again, as if he were shaking off a memory.
Kaoru didn't push it. He could tell the raven haired didn't want to talk about this anymore. Kaoru went behind Izumi and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Hey, let's go shower." he said and nuzzled his head in the back of Izumi's neck.
"Yeah, alright." the boy replied dryly. Kaoru snickered, he missed it. "Together." he said, elaborating his offer.
"Not gonna happen." Izumi growled and forced Kaoru to let go. He got off the bed and headed towards the bathroom. "You're so boring." he heard Kaoru whine. Izumi rolled his eyes and locked the bathroom as he went inside; ignoring the pouting boy on the bed.
Sumiyoshi Taisha was crowded with people from all over the world. It seemed like there was a special event with the amount of people there. "We're nearing the holidays, that's why there's a crowd." Kyouya sighed.
The group edged their way through the crowd to pass the entrance. What made it worse was that the majority of the people were taking pictures and blocked their path. They weren't even able to enter the red bridge after getting past the entrance.
"What the hell is up with this bridge?" Izumi complained as the group got on it. The bridge was extremely arched, so there were steps on the it to help you pass the big incline.
"It's exhausting to climb a taiko bridge but it has a beautiful view of the lake." Yuka responded with a giggle. A drum bridge? That's rare. It's the first time he's actually been on one.
The group all made their way through the crowd of people and towards the shrine. They all took turns in small groups to do the traditional routine to not disturb the other prayers. Yuka and Mai, for once, silently guided Izumi in what he was supposed to do. This was his first shrine visit, after all. They did the usual washing of hands, bowing, and ringing the bell.
Afterwards Kyouya scolded Izumi because he apparently washed his hands the wrong way and skipped rinsing his mouth. Izumi argued that there were other people who also skipped it.
"I couldn't care less if other people don't do it. You're to do the full traditional routine as a host." Kyouya reasoned, not at all affected by Izumi's glare. The raven haired grumbled something under his breath as the group passed the red bridge again.
He stomped away with his arms crossed to the exit after the bridge. "Izumi!" Kyouya yelled behind him. "What!?" Izumi growled, turning around. "Don't go through there. It's disrespectful." he said sternly.
"Disrespectful? What am I doing now!?" Izumi yelled frantically. Yuka and Mai rushed over, grabbing onto each of his arms, to stop him from walking. "Izumi you shouldn't pass through the center line of a torii gate." Yuka whispered on his right, explaining the situation to him. "It's disrespectful towards the shrine." Mai whispered from the left.
The two girls pulled him to the side first and walked through the exit. Izumi grumbled the whole way, complaining about Japanese people and their traditions.
The group passed a souvenir stand in which Haruhi immediately rushed over to, girls following closely. Once Yuka and Mai left his side, he sighed, feeling exhausted. He glanced at the stuff the stand had with a passing look, not really interested in it. As his blue eyes scanned all the souvenirs and accessories, he caught something shiny.
He walked closer to the stand to look at it properly. It was a plain silver chain as a necklace. It had no pendant or anything, it was just a chain. It was perfect. "Ah excuse me, does this chain break easily?" Izumi asked the old man behind the stand.
The old man walked over and looked at the chain. "No, sterling silver is pretty strong. Not to mention that this chain is thick, it shouldn't break too easily." Izumi glanced at the chain and nodded.
"I'll take it." The old man took it and put it in a bag as Izumi paid.
He sat on the bed as he replaced the chain and put it on. Izumi grabbed the pendant to look at it. He had forgotten to replace the chain for his necklace. His had broken right before coming to Japan.
"That's what the chain was for?" Izumi tore his eyes from the chain to the auburn haired in front of him. "Ah yeah, I needed to replace the chain." he answered him and looked at the pendant in his hand again, but another hand grabbed it instead.
"This kind of looks worn out." Kaoru told him as he looked over the pendant. "But it's pretty." he added. The pendant looked like a circle that was made out of marble. It had a silver design wrapped around it. The marble was opaque as if it were old. Kaoru liked it but it seemed bothersome to wear it; it was heavy.
"It used to be my mother's." Izumi replied. Kaoru hummed and turned the marble over. "It's broken?" he questioned, noticing the small crack on it. "Oh um, I... dropped it."
Kaoru glanced up at the boy sitting on the bed; Izumi was looking at the pendant he was holding with a frown. The hesitation made it seem like Izumi was lying, but he didn't question it. Kaoru let go of the pendant and let it hang from Izumi's neck. The raven haired brought up his gaze to meet Kaoru's and blushed a little, just noticing how close their faces were.
Kaoru smirked inwardly and leaned in. He pecked Izumi on the lips and laughed lightly when the boy's face heated up more. "You're extremely easy." he teased.
His eyes narrowed as he glared. "I'm not easy." he snapped, irritated by the sly expression. In truth, Izumi knew he was easy when it came this kind of stuff. "Yes, you are." the auburn haired continued as he leaned in once more to capture his lips again.
This time Kaoru lingered there, making the kiss last. Izumi was about to back up and end it, but the boy grabbed his face and put more pressure into the kiss. By that Izumi gave up and forced his tongue in the auburn haired's mouth.
He gave a startled hum but otherwise copied Izumi. Kaoru was beginning to feel uncomfortable standing up while Izumi was sitting.
With the help of Izumi, who gripped his hips, Kaoru settled down on his lap. He then moved his hands back, towards the raven locks; he brought his body closer, making sure their torsos touched.
Caught up in the moment, Izumi unconsciously slid his hands up Kaoru's shirt. His gentle caresses caused the auburn haired to shudder. Izumi liked the response and pulled Kaoru's hips to grind against his. He was enjoying the friction it caused, until Kaoru bit him.
Izumi pulled away from the pain on his bottom lip. "Ow!" he exclaimed, wanting to soothe it. But the auburn haired stopped him and licked Izumi's lip instead.
"Sorry." he muttered. He then took Izumi's bottom lip and sucked, stopping the little dribble of blood. Kaoru pecked him once more before moving his mouth downwards, towards Izumi's jaw. He skimmed his lips over it, moving to the boy's neck. Occasionally nipping and sucking the flesh lightly.
At one point, very faintly, Izumi groaned. Kaoru smirked against his skin, feeling the vibrations. He kissed that spot lightly before proceeding to suck on it. The raven haired's heavy breathing and tight grip on his hips encouraged him into sucking harshly. For sure this will leave a mark.
The feeling was pleasurable as Kaoru nipped his neck before continuing to suck. Izumi enjoyed it too much, not realizing the dark red spot that was bound to appear. It was only when Kaoru bit him too hard that he reacted.
"Ah! Wait! Don't mark me!" he said alarmingly as he pushed the auburn haired's mouth away from his neck.
Kaoru blinked and glanced down at the dark red spot. "Too late for that." The raven haired cursed and pushed Kaoru off of him. Without a word he turned and headed towards the bathroom. Kaoru raised an eyebrow and followed after him.
Izumi leaned over the counter and looked at his reflection. He scowled once he saw the circular red spot between his neck and collarbone. "Fuck. Why did you do that?" he cursed, turning around to glare at the auburn haired standing at the doorway.
"I don't know. I wasn't thinking." the boy said while shrugging. He doesn't even care!
"You can cover it with a scarf. It's getting cold anyways." Kaoru added nonchalantly. "That's not the problem!" Izumi growled. Kaoru frowned. Then what's the big deal? "It's that you actually marked me!" The raven haired turned to glance at his reflection again and growled.
"It's not like its permanent." Kaoru sighed, not seeing the problem.
Is he stupid or something!? "I know it's not, damn it. But you marked me!" he repeated, emphasizing the word 'marked'. The auburn haired gave him a confused look, still not catching what he meant. "Marked me as in claiming me." Izumi elaborated lowly, getting irritated.
Kaoru just quirked an eyebrow. "We're not together, damn it! You can't mark me like this!" he shouted and pointed to the dark hickey on his neck.
The raven haired glowered at him as he stared blankly. "That's your problem?" he questioned. Kaoru found it ridiculous how worked up Izumi got over something like this."Yes!" the boy responded frantically.
Kaoru frowned and thought about it. Izumi sighed and walked out of the bathroom. "That can be fixed." he said, following after the other.
Izumi stopped walking and turned around to face Kaoru. "How?" he questioned with his head tilted. How can this possibly be fixed? "Well, we could always just go out-"
"No." the raven haired said quickly, cutting him off. "No? But, I mean, we've been-" he started but Izumi cut him off again. "I don't want to go out with you!" Izumi snapped, glaring at Kaoru. Whatever words he was about to say died at that. Well that hurt.
Noticing the disappointed look he cursed. That's not what he meant. "Ah, no that's... not... I meant... I just don't want to be in a relationship right now." he muttered, looking away from Kaoru.
They both stayed silent, neither knowing what to say. The raven haired couldn't handle it. "Damn it." he cursed to himself and grabbed his jacket from his bed. Kaoru didn't say anything. He just watched Izumi leave the room without a word. The door shut behind him, leaving Kaoru by himself.
The hotel was quiet, everyone was already in their rooms by then. Well it's pretty late. Izumi slowly walked back to his room. He wasn't sure if he made the right choice in coming back. But he was dead tired and needed to sleep. He frowned, feeling like an asshole coming back. He wouldn't be surprised if Kaoru wasn't in his bed. He wouldn't blame him. Izumi did a pretty shitty thing by leaving. But he couldn't handle it, he needed to cool off his head. He didn't want to argue with Kaoru anymore.
The first thing the raven haired noticed once he entered his room, was the auburn haired boy on his bed. This made him feel worse. He felt terrible how Kaoru still slept on his bed even after what he did.
The raven haired sighed and undressed himself; putting on his night shirt as usual and placing the necklace on the nightstand. He crawled on the bed and glanced at the clock. He cursed, taking in the 2 on the clock. Shit. I've been out this long?
Izumi looked over at Kaoru. He reached out his hand to touch him, but stopped. He clenched his hand and retreated it. He laid down on the bed, turning his back on Kaoru. Sleep quickly took him over.
The words, he didn't believe them. But he was reading them! But it can't be true! The lights still on! He fumbled with his keys, trying to find the right one. "It can't be. It's a mistake." he muttered to himself, trying to calm down.
He unlocked the door and walked inside the apartment. "Hold on! I'm almost done he- Izumi?"
A boy came out from the room, stopping in his tracks. Izumi stared unbelieving at the apartment. The TV was gone, the couch was gone, all the furniture. There was nothing, the apartment was empty.
"Izumi... I thought you were busy today."
Izumi looked up at the boy. "What are you almost done with?" he asked.
The boy gave him a sad look and turned away. "Luke, what are you almost done with?" he repeated.
He noticed how Luke gritted his teeth and clenched his hands. The boy shook his head and walked back inside the room.
"Luke!" he shouted, chasing after his boyfriend. "Answer me! What's going on?" Izumi questioned.
Luke ignored him and walked over to the suitcase on his bed. The shorter black haired boy closed up the suitcase and hauled it out of the room. Izumi froze, the suitcase alone was more than enough as an answer.
No, this can't be! Izumi turned and walked out of the room. Luke was walking towards the front door when Izumi grabbed his arm.
"Luke?" he said softly, begging him to give him an answer.
"I can't do it." the short boy answered.
"Wha-what are talking about? Can't do what?" Izumi asked urgently.
Luke turned around and faced him, giving him a sorrowful gaze. "I can't keep seeing you get hurt because of me. I just can't do it." he said quietly, tears forming in his eyes.
What's happening? This person with a flamboyant personality, that's always cheery and happy. Why is he crying?
"I don't understand." Izumi said as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"Seeing you get hurt is bad enough, but if it's because of me? I-I can't."
The more Luke talked the more confused he became.
"This... This is the most I can do... to help you." Luke let go of the suitcase and walked over to him. "I want you to be happy and live a-"
Izumi glared and backed away. "Then why are you leaving!"
Luke blinked, pausing what he was going to say.
"If you want me to be happy then you wouldn't be leaving!"
The boy gave him a another tearful glance and shook his head. "It's not that easy. If I leave then he won't hurt you!" he screamed.
It then clicked, realizing what this was about. "He... told you that?" Izumi asked slowly.
"I've seen it, Izumi. And I've seen how your injuries worsen each day after that. I don't want that. Not because of me." Luke said softly, then his tears gave out, running down his face.
Izumi turned his head away, not knowing whether to be angry or sad. The shorter boy got closer to him and reached up, grabbing Izumi's face to tilt it downwards. His tearful brown eyes bore into Izumi's blue eyes.
"Izumi, I love you. I really do. But I don't want you to go through this. Please, don't make this harder than it has to be. It'll get better. You'll find someone better." Luke reassured him.
Izumi shook his head, "No I won't. There's no way I'll find someone else!"
Luke smiled a little at that. "You will, eventually. I know you will."
The shorter boy then, hesitantly, pulled Izumi down, kissing him briefly. By then Luke was crying harshly, gritting his teeth to not make a sound. He hugged Izumi and stayed there.
Neither said a word as Luke just held him, burying his face on his chest. Izumi made no move to hug him back, he couldn't move, he was frozen.
A car's horn sounded loudly throughout the small apartment.
Luke let go and whispered very lightly, "I'm sorry." He then turned around and grabbed his suitcase. Leaving the room without another word. It took a couple minutes for Izumi to accept reality, to stop denying the fact that his boyfriend, who he loved so much, had just left.
He couldn't breathe, it hurt.
Izumi bolted straight up and grabbed his chest, gripping where his heart was. He panted heavily, trying to refill his lungs with air. His sudden movement must have caused the sleeping boy besides him to wake up.
"Izumi, what's wrong?" Kaoru asked urgently. Izumi shook his head and continued to breathe heavily through his mouth.
"I-I can't... can't... b-breathe..." he gasped out and sunk his nails in his chest. It hurt, his chest hurt.
It took a mere second for Kaoru to figure it out. He quickly grabbed Izumi and pulled him back, wrapping his arms around the trembling raven haired.
He was still a bit mad about what happened between them, but right now that didn't matter. "Calm down. Breathe slowly." he guided as he stopped Izumi from scratching himself.
Izumi held onto his hand tightly and continued to pant. "Slow down. Take a long breath and hold it. In through the nose and out through the mouth." The raven haired followed his instructions and slowed his breathing. Within a few minutes he managed to regulate it.
Although it seemed like Kaoru knew what he was doing, he was actually terrified. He's never had to deal with someone having a panic attack. It scared him when he saw Izumi like that. Kaoru sighed in relief once the boy calmed down. He wondered what could've caused it. It's not like Izumi was sleeping alone. So what happened?
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