DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Ouran High School Host Club
Warning: The usual
Enjoy chapter thirty-two!
Chapter 32
The temperature dropped a few degrees when the sun disappeared into the horizon. The wind picked up and blew swiftly through the trees and grass. Izumi rubbed his arms as goosebumps and shivers kicked in. He was wearing just his uniform. But he ignored it and continued to absentmindedly stare at the golden envelope on his lap. He frowned a bit and gripped the metal chains holding the belted seat. With one foot he made the swing sway a little. Eventually it got too cold. So Izumi put the envelope in his pocket and got up.
On the way home his phone started to vibrate. It was Ryuu. Knowing it must be because he was worried Izumi declined the call. Ryuu was persistent, though. He kept calling. And Izumi kept pressing the red icon.
There was still a few blocks left to walk and the constant vibrating was beginning to annoy him. On the tenth call he was fed up. He turned it off and shoved it in his pants pocket. His fingers grazed over one of the corners of the paper inside. His hand jerked back and with a frustrated sigh he ruffled his unruly hair. He shook off his passing thoughts and glanced up. He could see the school gates from a distance. They were closed shut and every light in the towering building was off. One could barely tell this was the same private academy without all the brightness and life.
Izumi turned away and walked towards the neighborhood next to the school. The houses were extremely far from each other depending on the amount of land each owned. So even though Izumi could clearly see his house, it took quite a while to actually get there.
Once he reached the front door, he began to wonder. Would Ryuu scold him for not answering his calls or for being late? Either way, it didn't matter. Izumi wasn't at all in the right state to be seeing him—or even Liviya. He knew exactly what would happen. And he hated it. It's not like Kaoru and him broke up, so you would think he'd be able to take this much. But he is a completely weak-minded person.
Without any further hesitation, Izumi opened the door with his keys and went in. As he thought, Ryuu came running to the entrance. "Izumi! Where have you been? Why didn't you answer your phone?"
"Sorry, I was—"
"I know you were going to Kaoru's after club hours, but you could've at least warned me if you were going to take this long."
Izumi frowned and looked off to the side. The truth was that he wasn't there for long. Maybe half an hour at most. He had wasted so much time by just thinking.
"Well Liviya left already. She actually wanted to stay, but I won that argument." Ryuu snickered as he began to walk back to the kitchen.
"Ryuu?"
"Yeah?" Ryuu responded as he turned towards Izumi again. He noticed the deep frown and grew concerned, "What's wrong?"
Izumi saw the fake blonde narrow his eyes and decided to not say anything. "Nothing, never mind." he said while giving Ryuu a slight smile.
Ryuu was no fool, though. He knew that smile was anything but real. So when Izumi turned away to leave, he grabbed the boy's arm to stop him. The boy looked back and titled his head in confusion. Ryuu merely asked once again, "What's wrong?"
"I... just said nothing."
"Izumi."
"Its nothing really!" Izumi growled as he yanked away from the other's hold. He made a glare and proceeded to leave. But Ryuu was having none of that and captured his arm again. "Hey!" Izumi complained. Ryuu ignored him and just pulled him closer.
"Let—" he stopped midway when Ryuu grabbed his chin and made him look up. "What's wrong?" he repeated, staring hard at the boy's sapphire blue eyes.
A strong whirl hit Izumi; he could no longer pretend to be strong. He took the hand off his chin and hugged the fake blonde, who in turn did the same. This only made Izumi feel worse. He hated how at certain times he needed either Ryuu or Liviya. And the thing is, they never refused to help him.
"What happened?" Ryuu asked as he stared down at the boy, whose face was hidden from view.
"I want Liviya." Izumi answered softly.
Ryuu sighed and patted his back. "Alright, I'll call her."
It wasn't long before Liviya opened the door to Izumi's room. She found him sleeping next to Ryuu, who was sitting up and staring at her.
"He fell asleep." Liviya pouted.
"Yeah, he changed clothes, got in bed, and dozed off while waiting for you." Ryuu replied. Liviya gave him a harsh glare and walked over to the other side of the bed. He quirked an eyebrow at her, "Why are you giving me an attitude?"
"I told you, I should've stayed." Liviya complained. She sat down and gently played with the boy's raven hair.
"It's not like we could've known it would go bad." Ryuu sighed out.
"Yeah, but I wanted to stay and you didn't let me." Liviya replied, making a point that this was his fault.
"Well, you lost. And we made it clear the loser was going to leave."
"Fuck you and your games." Liviya muttered under her breath.
"You're the one that suggested it." Ryuu pointed out.
Liviya glowered at him once more before looking down at the sleeping raven haired. She continued to run her fingers through his hair to calm down.
"Liviya," Ryuu paused until she looked up before asking, "Have you found her?"
Liviya frowned and shook her head, "No, there's not a trace of that bitch anywhere."
"Really?" Ryuu sighed out with a dejected tone, "She's constantly keeping herself hidden, so there's just no way out of this mess, is there?"
"I wonder about that."
Ryuu furrowed his brows in confusion, "What do you mean? You just said you didn't find anything."
"About her, no nothing. But I did find..." Liviya glanced over at Izumi, who was still sleeping and deaf to her words. "Someone else."
"Who?"
Liviya motioned for him to get closer. Ryuu did and lend her an ear as she whispered the name of that person. "Luke."
Ryuu jerked back and widened his eyes at her. "What the hell, Liviya!?" he shouted out, causing the girl to glare at him for being too loud. He then whispered loudly, "You're not supposed to search for him!"
"I didn't." Liviya defended. "I just happened to find him."
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ryuu's voice slipped and came out too strong.
Liviya harshly pushed the fake blonde's shoulder, nearly causing him to fall off the edge. "Get up." she snapped as she did so herself and went to the door. Ryuu made a menacing glare before getting up and following her. They went all the way down the stairs to make sure Izumi wouldn't hear them if he happened to wake up.
"Explain it." Ryuu ordered as they both made it to the living room.
"I will." Liviya growled. "I was just looking around the database of many hotels and other places the bitch would be in, and well, I saw his name in a few.
"Are you sure it's him?"
"Not a hundred percent. I was going to look more into it, but then you guys called me."
"Then, it might not be him."
Liviya frowned, "Yes, but it might also be him."
Ryuu shook his head and said, "In any case, don't look more into it. Leave it just like that."
This certainly was not what Liviya expected him to say. "Wha—no! There is no way I'm going to—"
"Liviya!" Ryuu shouted, "Izumi doesn't want you to look for him. Can't you respect that?"
"I have respected that!" Liviya growled, angry at the accusation. "But the places I found his name in aren't the kind he'd usually go to." She just knew there was something odd about it.
"Why, because they're expensive?" Ryuu mocked. "He probably got a job, you know?" Liviya was just being delusional. There was nothing odd about it.
"Then why is he all of a sudden in Japan?" Liviya countered, knowing Ryuu would have nothing to say about that.
"I don't know. It's probably just to visit the country. Lots of people do that."
"Oorr," Liviya dragged out. "He's either searching for Izumi or he's been lured here. I personally think he's been lured here."
Ryuu rolled his eyes at her and crossed his arms, "By who?"
"Who do you think?"
"Liviya," Ryuu said while shaking his head, not believing how stupid she was being at the moment. "What use would she have to bring him here? They're not together anymore and Izumi has Kaoru. And Luke probably has someone else too."
"I know, but I just think that what she's doing right now is sorta of... small."
"Small!?" Ryuu shrieked. "Do you not realize what this is doing to Izumi!?" he screamed out as he signaled over to the stairs where the said boy was still sleeping.
"I know what its doing to him." Liviya frowned, "I just think that from her view, this is nothing."
Ryuu could not argue. It was true that this wasn't as intense as all the other things she's done. "But why would she intentionally make Luke a part of this?"
"I don't know, but she is the main cause of their breakup. I don't think she'd leave him out since she knows Izumi's with someone now."
"That's true." Ryuu sighed out.
"Listen, Ryuu." Liviya started. "I'm going to look more into this. I won't prod on it if I'm wrong. I just want to confirm the reason to why he's here. So please, don't tell Izumi any of this."
Ryuu stared at the girl for a while. He could tell she wasn't lying. And although he had his doubts, he was quite curious to know why Luke would appear now of all times. So Ryuu nodded, "Fine, I won't say anything."
Liviya gave the fake blonde a genuine smile and said, "Good." She walked closer to him and he furrowed his brows in confusion. Then she raised her hand fast and hit the back of his head. "Ow—the hell woman!?"
"That's what you get for screaming at me before hearing me out, asshole." she growled.
Ryuu glowered at her before mumbling, "Sorry."
The girl smirked and started walking to the stairs. She waved at him to follow. "Come on, Izumi will probably freak out if he wakes up alone." He rolled his eyes, but went with her either way.
As they were walking up Ryuu spoke up, "If you're right about this, she's gotta be a crazy woman."
Liviya scoffed at that, "Oh she's beyond a crazy bitch."
Izumi realized in the morning he had been too dramatic and worried Liviya and Ryuu for no reason. It's alright. It's not like we broke up. Izumi repeated in his head. He had to keep reminding himself that Kaoru was right. They had to take it slow.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Liviya asked in a soft voice.
Izumi smiled at her and nodded, "Yes, I'm sorry. I feel better now." He grabbed his school bag and began to walk to the front door.
"Are you certain?"
Izumi looked to the side and saw Ryuu raising an eyebrow. "Yes, I am."
"And you sure you don't want to tell us?" Liviya asked after.
"It wasn't anything big, so no." Izumi opened the door. He hesitated a little and turned back to them. They both still looked worried. "I'm fine, seriously." he said before stepping out and locking it.
Izumi knew he had a weak mentality, but last night he went too far. He woke up with a cleared-up head and really thought about the situation. He concluded that this was honesty the best decision to make. Kaoru had explained to him what he meant, and it made sense now. For now they would be friends not boyfriends. So in other words; no cuddling, no dates, no kissing, no intimate moments whatsoever. They could still hang out and all, but nothing romantic could come from it. They were going to be just friends.
It wasn't that bad. It's better than completely ignoring each other. Izumi was just too stubborn to accept it at first and gave Kaoru a hard time. But he was good now. Though, he wondered… Kaoru was still sick so would he come to school today?
I wonder if Izumi's okay? Kaoru thought as he stared up at the white ceiling of his bedroom. He didn't take the decision so well and left the house looking dejected. He even refused my offer to get the chauffeur to take him home. Our houses aren't close in walking distance either. Kaoru sighed and grabbed his phone. He clicked on one of the messages and typed in 'Come to my room.' He sent it and about a minute later Hikaru walked in. "Yes?" he asked.
Kaoru sat up and said, "Yeah, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"At the host club see how Izumi is."
Hikaru stared at him for a few seconds before curling his lip in disgust, "No way. I'm not talking to him."
Kaoru rolled his eyes in annoyance. He knew Hikaru would say something like that. "You don't have to talk to him. Just see if he looks okay."
"Kaoru." Hikaru said in a warning tone.
"I'm worried." he stated, looking steadily at his twin. Hikaru narrowed his eyes, "You're serious about still being with him?
"Yes, of course."
"Listen, Kao—"
"Hikaru, I really care about him, and that's not going to change. You're going to have to accept that."
Hikaru sighed in frustration, "I know, I know. It's just that… I worry about you."
Kaoru smiled and said, "It's alright. I'll be fine."
"I sure hope so." Hikaru mumbled and then finally said, "Fine! I'll check out how he is."
"Thank you." Kaoru chuckled. "Now go to school."
"Yeah, I'll see you later." Hikaru said as he left the room.
Kaoru lay back on the bed and continued to stare at the ceiling. He was content with the way things were now, so hopefully Izumi felt the same. Bummer, I can't even hold his hand or kiss his cheek. His reaction was always fun. Kaoru thought with a pout. But these are his rules.
Hikaru had stuck with Haruhi the whole time since his brother wasn't there. They were currently talking to each other as they made their way to the club room. He was glad he didn't have to worry about Kaoru or make sure that he wasn't giving too much attention to the girl. Of course, it wasn't a good thing that he was sick, but Hikaru did appreciate being able to talk to Haruhi more.
"But he's better now, right?" Haruhi asked the twin as they grew closer to the room.
Hikaru nodded back and said, "Yeah, he'll most likely go to school tomorrow."
"That's a relief." the girl sighed out. She got worried when Hikaru told her Kaoru really didn't feel good. But she wondered now if Izumi got to talk to him regardless.
"Um… Hikaru?" Haruhi said slowly, unsure if she should even be asking him. "Has… Kaoru talked to Izumi?"
Hikaru frowned at that. Why would she ask me something like that? Does she know? He wondered. There was no way for him to find out, so it was better to not risk it. "No, he hasn't." he lied. Haruhi nodded and faced forward, "Okay." Hikaru didn't even question her.
With that the two finally reached the host club and went in. Almost everyone was present. Izumi was always late, but it seemed like Tamaki wasn't here either.
"Where's Tamaki?" Haruhi asked Kyouya, who was writing in his notebook, as usual.
"Who knows?" The four eyed muttered, "He just suddenly dragged Izumi away as soon as the bell rang."
Well, that explains it. "Oh, I see." Haruhi sighed and then asked, "What's the theme for today?"
"There is none." Kyouya replied, still in that monotonous voice. "Just wait around until the guests come."
"Haruhi~"
The girl turned towards the voice and saw Honey beckoning her over. "Come join us!" he exclaimed as he gave her a wide grin. Haruhi smiled back and walked over to the Lolita boy.
The girl hanged out with Honey and Mori as they waited. Hikaru had also joined at one point. Honey's lively chatter kept them all entertained long enough until the girls came. Kyouya dealt with signing everyone in and they went off to pick a host. Haruhi went to her usual place to talk with her guest and noticed how she had two more girls to converse with than the usual. In fact, all the other hosts had either one or two extra. This was because neither Tamaki nor Izumi had returned yet.
"Ah~ I sure hope Izumi comes today." Yuka sighed out, "And it really stinks we didn't get to see him yesterday, right Mai?" The girl nodded in silence, also looking disappointed.
"I apologize, but I'm sure Izumi and Tamaki will be here shortly." Haruhi assured them as she poured them a cup of tea.
"Hopefully you're right. I mean, according to Mai they both left together, so it's not like Izumi went home." Yuka turned towards her and whined out, "Mai! You're so lucky to have Izumi in your class. I feel left out."
Haruhi laughed a little as Yuka childishly complained. These two are Izumi's regulars. She hadn't met them before, but she found that they were quite likable girls. Haruhi glanced around the club room and knew that Hikaru was having the most trouble. He had two of Tamaki's guests, and without Kaoru there he most likely didn't know what to do.
Haruhi looked away and went back to her guests. She found it strange that Tamaki and Izumi were taking this long. It got her worried too. If it was only Izumi it wouldn't really matter, he's been late a lot of times. But Tamaki being late was extremely unusual. He had always been punctual when it came to the host club. So this was suspicious. It's probably something serious. Haruhi thought. It was the only logical answer she could think of.
"Kyouya, please call him again. The princely type can't just not come." a girl with long brown hair complained. The four eyed sighed and closed his notebook. He pulled out his phone and called Tamaki. The girl grew impatient as it kept ringing and ringing. Finally, Kyouya shook his head as the call went to voicemail. "He didn't answer." he told her as if it weren't already obvious.
"And what about Izumi?" she then asked.
"Izumi doesn't have a phone on him. I found it in his bag when he left it in the classroom. There's no other way for me to contact him."
The girl pouted and thanked him for trying before going back to Honey and Mori. Kyouya pushed up his glasses and opened his notebook. He flipped through the pages until he landed on the one filled with collected data about Izumi. He knew what Tamaki was speaking to Izumi about. After all, Kyouya and his father had gone over to Tamaki's house to speak to the chairman about the raven haired. Although Tamaki was shocked, Kyouya really couldn't care less. He flipped the pages back until he reached the one he had left off in and continued writing.
Haruhi frowned when she overheard their conversation. It certainly was a bigger problem that none of them could be reached.
"Are you going to answer it?" Izumi asked while tilting his head. Tamaki just continued to stare at his phone with a frown. Finally, he shook his head and put it back in his pocket. "No, we haven't finished talking."
"We're extremely late, you know?"
"I realize that."
Izumi stared at the blonde's violet eyes, who looked back at him in determination. "There's nothing else to say." he sighed out as he began to walk away.
"Izumi please, just—"
"I already told you everything I know." Izumi scowled.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am."
Tamaki looked at him in way that told him he didn't believe him. But after a while the blonde just nodded and said, "Alright, let's go then." Izumi sighed in relief and gave him a smile, glad the subject was dropped.
Without another word they both went to the host club. Tamaki apologized to all the girls, who instantly forgave him when he gave them some made-up dramatic story. Izumi only apologized to Yuka and Mai, telling them it was about something important. Neither questioned it or his lack of presence in the club. They just welcomed him back, and he appreciated it.
"Ah~ For some reason I really like this." Yuka said as she grabbed hold of Izumi's marble necklace. "How old is this anyway?"
Izumi frowned at that. "Not sure. I know my father gave it to my mother when they got married, but I don't know if he bought it or if it used to be in his family." Izumi had never bothered to wonder how old his mother's necklace was. She didn't say a word to him when she gave it to him. Just to take good care of it. And Izumi had somewhat failed at that considering it got cracked a little.
"You haven't ever asked?" Mai quietly asked.
"No, I di... don't... like to ask him about anything concerning my mother. He gets quite depressed." Izumi cursed in his head. He had nearly said 'didn't'.
Yuka let go of the necklace and grinned up at the raven haired. "Izumi, tell me about your past lover."
Izumi blinked back, not expecting that. "My... past...?"
"Your past lover. Who was the lucky guy?" She asked with a wink.
"W-why would you assume it was a guy?" Izumi mumbled. He scowled when he felt his face heating up.
Yuka giggled and looked over at her friend. "He's so cute, right Mai?" The girl nodded and laughed at the raven haired's reaction as well.
From afar Hikaru observed Izumi's behavior. The raven haired looked pretty normal to him, though. Which made him upset for some reason. Maybe because Kaoru was sick back home and Izumi was just there happily talking to his guests. Hikaru sighed and looked away, giving his own guest, that was blabbering away, some attention. He tuned her out, though. If Kaoru and Izumi were getting back together, then he had forgive him. Hikaru glanced over at the boy again and judging by what he felt, it would be difficult. Hikaru then scoffed when he saw Izumi's guests cooing over him. He is totally not cute. He thought bitterly. He then scolded himself for thinking that. Obviously this wasn't going to be easy.
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