Happy December!
EarthBender001: Glad you didn't think it was too graphic! :D Thanks for reading and reviewing!
AquilonIII: Lol Wrath of Ryuu XD Hope you like what's in store. Thank you for the lovely review!
BizzyLizy: Haha thanks for always reviewing. :) Hope you're doing well!
I was gone for NaNoWriMo. ^_^ Back now!
Emi woke up the next morning in Ryuu's arms. She checked her phone, but Kaoru hadn't called or messaged back. She sighed and pushed the covers off. Ryuu was still fast asleep.
She grabbed the crutches by the bed and clanked her way down the stairs. Berty was in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
"You're awake already, Emi-sama?" he said at the stove. "I was going to bring breakfast up to you."
"It's fine," she said, heaving herself onto the stool. "Did Mom or Dad call?"
"I called them yesterday. You can call them after breakfast," he said as he switched the stove off and moved to the rice cooker.
"And Roro?"
"He's staying at the veterinarian to make sure everything's okay, but we should be able to bring him home tomorrow." Berty filled a bowl with rice and placed it in front of Emi.
"Tomorrow?" Emi frowned while he set the remaining dishes down.
"Yes," he said.
"Okay," she said, before clapping her hands together. "Thanks for the food."
As promised, after breakfast, Emi called her parents.
"Emi dear I heard all about it from Bertrand-kun yesterday and it sounded terrible!" her mom said the moment she picked up.
"I'm okay," Emi said.
"I'm sure you are," Mrs. Mazawa said, "just take care of yourself, okay? I'll come as soon as I can. I already checked my schedule and this Thursday- Wait no, I have a meeting. Oh shoot!"
Emi smiled. "Mom, how's Akimi-nee-chan's brother?"
"The treatment is going well so far, but it's too early to tell," her mom said. "I'll try to send Akimi-chan back to you as soon as possible."
"It's okay, just please help her brother."
"We're doing our best, dear," her mom said softly. "Don't worry about it. Seiichi, did you have anything to say?"
"Well I hope you're feeling alright, Emi," her dad said. "I've also been in contact with the police officer in charge of the investigation on the cafe fire incident. The prime suspect as of right now is the man who accused you."
"What?" Emi said.
"We're running a private investigation ourselves to see if the man has any connections to other groups, businesses, or organizations. I doubt someone would burn a building he's working at down for no good reason."
"You mean he was bribed?"
"Possibly, or threatened."
The image of Akira Goto from the night before flashed in Emi's mind. "Dad, do you know who Akira Goto is?"
"Akira Goto," her dad said. "The name's familiar. I'll look into it. Why?"
"He said he was the employer of the guy who attacked me, and he offered to pay my medical bills," she said.
"What did you say to him?"
"I rejected his offer."
"Okay," he said.
Emi gripped the phone in her hand. "Was that the right thing to do?"
"I wouldn't know, Emi, but considering you don't know him, I would say so."
"It was super sketchy," she said. "He just came in with like two other guys and I had no idea what to do."
"It's okay," her dad said. "I trust your judgement, Emi."
She swallowed. "Okay. Thanks, Dad."
"I'll take care of this incident too, so just be more careful next time. I should be in Tokyo sometime this week to run some errands and visit."
"Okay."
"Tell Ryuu too, of course."
She nodded. "Yeah."
"Call us if you need anything Emi dear," her mom said. "Love you darling! I gotta run. Bye!" There was a click on the other end.
Her dad cleared his throat. "Same. So, uh, please rest well, Emi, and watch out for Ryuu."
"Thanks, love you too, Dad. Bye."
"Bye."
She ended the call as Berty entered where she sat in the living room with a hot mug of tea. "Thanks, Berty." I'm a spoiled little brat aren't I? A warm feeling spread through her chest as she sipped the drink. It's nice though. They're all nice. I don't know what I did to get such a family. I don't even know if I deserve them.
Ryuu came down from the stairs, yawning. "Morning Emi."
"Morning, Ryuu," she said. Checking the time, she added, "More like afternoon."
"We got back so late last night," he said, rubbing the back of his neck and yawning again. "Mm. Something smells good." He trudged into the kitchen to find Berty and breakfast.
She set the cup on the coffee table and called Kaoru - and he picked up.
"Hello?"
"Kaoru?" she said. Her chest tightened. She didn't want to get her hopes up. What if it was Hikaru again?
"Emi?" he said. "What's up?"
"Oh it's Kaoru." The words slipped out as she sighed in relief.
"What do you mean?" he said.
"Did you get my message?" she said. He must have seen it, but then why didn't he reply? If he hadn't seen it, he must have seen her missed calls at least.
"No, what message?"
Emi's brows furrowed. "What?"
"I thought I'd forgotten my phone at school yesterday, but Hikaru found it for me last night."
"Oh." She blinked, then tilted her head. Wait so does that mean Hikaru-kun deleted my message? He stole Kaoru's phone? So Kaoru doesn't know? That's… good, right? I might have another chance. She swallowed, as her heartbeat picked up. "Um, Kaoru, are you mad at me?"
"No," he said. "Why would I be?"
"Cause I kept cancelling our plans," she said. "No, wait! I'm sorry. I-I made you feel lonely right? I'm sorry. I can go to the aquarium now. I think I'm going to give up on school and just drop out or whatever, so-"
"Emi, slow down," Kaoru said, chuckling.
She took a deep breath then exhaled it out. "Right. Sorry. If you want to go to the aquarium, we can."
"Well, actually, I heard it isn't as good as everyone thought it'd be," he said.
"Oh," she said. He probably doesn't want to go with me anymore.
"We can go somewhere else. There's a planetarium that's having a cool Mars exhibit, if you're interested," he said. "Maybe not this weekend though."
Emi stared at the crutches leaning against the couch. "Yeah, maybe not this weekend. You're really not mad?"
"I'm really not," he said, "and I'm sorry too. I should have said something."
"No, I should have known. I shouldn't have been so caught up in my own world. B-But school's also important you know," she said.
"I know." He chuckled. "And I like that you take care of your schoolwork and think about your future."
Emi's shoulders dropped and she smiled. "Thanks, Kaoru."
"Is that all you called for?"
"Yeah," she said. "Well…" Should I tell him about what happened with Hikaru-kun yesterday? Would Kaoru be upset? No, wouldn't that just make Hikaru-kun even more mad at me? Ahh, I don't know what's going on.
"What?" Kaoru said.
"Nevermind," she said. "That's it. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Yeah," he said. "I guess."
"Okay, see you then."
"Bye," he said and they hung up.
Emi sighed, leaning back in the couch. At least he's not mad. I think. I still have homework to do, don't I? She hauled her school bag over and pulled the books out. Oh shoot. My math textbook is upstairs. She took the crutches, hopped onto her feet, and made her way to the stairs.
"Emi?" Ryuu said from within the kitchen.
She stopped at the base of the stairs. "What?"
"What are you doing?" He poked his head out.
"Getting my textbook," she said, pointing at the stairs.
He stepped over. "I'll get it."
"Ryuu." She grabbed his sleeve as he set his foot on the stairs. "I can do this myself."
"It'll be faster and easier and safer if I just do it," he said, brushed her hand off, and hurried up the stairs. He returned with her textbook and found Emi staring at her feet.
"What's wrong, Emi?" he asked, placing the book in her hands.
"If I hadn't said anything," she said, "if I hadn't done anything, none of this would have happened, and you wouldn't have to do all this. Sorry."
Ryuu gaped at her. "Are you kidding me? It's not your fault, Emi."
She glanced at him. "But if I hadn't-"
"It's not like you asked them to chase you down and hurt you."
She shook her head as her gaze fell back to the floor. "But I provoked them," she said, thinking of how she'd knocked the cigarette out of that man's hand.
"Well that doesn't mean they can assault you, and they were already breaking a law anyway," Ryuu said. He dipped his head down to look her in the eye. "Emi, come on. Don't be stupid. It's not your fault."
When she didn't move, Ryuu wrapped an arm around her head and hugged her. She clung to his shirt with her free hand. I'm sorry, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut.
"It's not your fault," he said, rubbing her shoulder. "None of it is, okay?"
She nodded as they parted. "Okay. Thanks."
Ryuu slipped back into the kitchen to finish breakfast, while Emi began working on homework. He joined her afterwards. It was about one-thirty in the afternoon when Emi's phone rang just as the intercom buzzed.
"Hello? Kaoru?" she said while Ryuu went to the intercom.
"Hey Emi," Kaoru said, "are you at home right now?"
"Yeah," she said. "What is it?"
"Uhh, I'm kind of outside of your house right now. Your bodyguard won't let me in through the gate."
"Oh!" Emi glanced at Ryuu, who nodded and told the gate guard to let Kaoru's car through. "Good now?"
"Yup. Sorry if this is kind of sudden, but could I talk to you for a moment? Face-to-face," he said.
Face-to-face? Does he want to tell me something he couldn't say over the phone? Emi gulped. "Okay."
Ryuu opened the door, and Emi hung up when she saw Kaoru. She reached for her crutches and got to her feet as the door shut.
"Emi?" Kaoru said, jaw dropping. "What happened?"
She glanced down, realizing they hadn't seen each other since Friday. "Um. Something. Happened. Don't worry. I'm fine though." She smiled at him.
"I knew something was wrong," he said as he strode over.
"I'll just..." Ryuu slinked towards the stairs. He watched as Kaoru took Emi's left hand in his. "Be going… Not that anyone is noticing." He tiptoed up and disappeared.
"What do you mean you knew something was wrong?" she said.
"You just didn't sound right on the phone," he said. He scratched the side of his neck. "Sorry that this was so sudden. I wasn't sure if you'd want to see me."
"Of course I would!" she said.
He smiled. "So what happened?"
"Ahh." Emi looked away. "It's a long story."
He sat down and took her crutches and she joined him. "We've got time, or at least I do," he said.
"I have time too," she said, and so she relayed last night's events to him. He listened with a small frown. When she finished, he slipped his hand in hers.
"I'm sorry that happened," he said.
She squeezed his hand. "Don't be," she said and shook her head. "I shouldn't have spoken to them-"
"It's not your fault," he said, catching her gaze.
Emi smiled. "That's what Ryuu said too."
He traced circles with his thumb on the back of her hand. The two stared at their connected hands. "I'm sorry. Hikaru told me that I shouldn't go visit you, that we should break up, but that's only because he's upset about how I was depressed. Oh but it's not your fault!" He glanced at her, then ducked his head back down to stare at the ground. "I miss you, Emi. We can't really do much together at school, and I know studying is important. Your grades are important to you. I get that. I really do, but I just… I just want to spend time with you, Emi." His ears were red. "It doesn't matter what we do."
"Me too, Kaoru," she said to her feet. "I tried to study hard so that I could go out with you on the weekend, but it seemed like no matter what my grades weren't getting better. So, whatever." She shrugged and smiled.
"Don't give up," he said with a smile.
"Okay." She leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed and she giggled. "Thanks Kaoru." She pressed her arm against his and rested her head on his shoulder. "Maybe we could study together then."
"Sure," he said, laying his head on top of hers. They sat like that for a very long time.
"Ryuu, are you sure you aren't in love with Michi-san?" Emi said that night, laying in bed beside her brother. "What's her last name anyway? It doesn't feel right calling her by her first name when I don't even know what she looks like."
"Actually, I don't know what her last name is," Ryuu said.
"How can you not?" She turned her head towards him, but it was too dark to see him.
"We kind of introduced ourselves with our first names only," he said.
"But you were in her apartment."
"I didn't look," he said towards the ceiling. I should probably ask what her last name is, or look at the nameplate for her apartment. He rolled onto his side to face his sister. "How do you know when you like someone anyway?"
"Well it's different for everyone," Emi said. "For me, I get nervous, and very self-conscious, and also super happy when I'm with Kaoru, but I get depressed if I don't see him."
"Oh," Ryuu said. Maybe that's what the heart attack was? No, there's no way heart attacks could mean being in love. That'd be crazy!
"Oh what?"
"Nevermind," he said. "Good night."
"Just, consider it, will you?"
"Okay."
The next day, Ryuu wandered into school pondering Emi's words. He really needed to figure out what Michi's last name was. I'll ask her the next time I see her. Speaking of which, when is that going to be? I hope the cake's gone.
But what did Emi mean by it's different for everyone?
Ryuu watched Kaoru and Emi smile at each other while Hikaru frowned. Romantic love, right? Is it different from family or friend love? Now that I think about it, how do people even start dating to begin with?
So during lunch, when Emi went to talk to Kaoru, Ryuu turned to Sumiko and Aki. "How do you know if you're in love?"
Aki gasped. "Ryo-chan, are you in love?"
Ryuu blushed. "N-No!"
"That's a pretty obvious sign right there," Sumiko said.
"Who is it?" Aki said, leaning closer.
"Ah, she doesn't go to Ouran," Ryuu said.
"A girl?" Aki's eyes widened.
"Oh yeah, Ryo's a lesbian," Sumiko said.
"Do-Don't say it so casually!" Ryuu's face was burning. He buried it in his arms. Ahh as I thought, maybe asking girls won't work. A girl in love is different from a guy right? Ugh, I really have no idea.
He asked Kaoru before the Host Club opened up that day.
"What's it like to be in love?" Kaoru said.
Hikaru smirked, an arm on his brother's shoulder. "Oh? Did Ryuu-chan fall in love?"
"Shut up!" Ryuu scowled. "I'm just wondering. Like, Hikaru, what do you feel when you see Haruhi?"
"Haruhi?" Hikaru blinked. "What's she got to do with this?"
Ryuu sighed, smacking his forehead. Hikaru's no use. He's too dense to even notice his own feelings. He looked up at the younger Hitachiin twin. "So, Kaoru?"
Kaoru smiled, while a light pink dusted his cheeks. "Well, for me, when I see Emi smile, I can't help but smile too."
"No no." Ryuu shook his head, trying not to gag. "I don't want to hear that cheesy stuff. I mean, how did you know you liked her? Before you two started dating."
"Oh," Kaoru said. He tilted his head in thought. "It was like being around her made me nervous, and I wanted to look and be my best around her, and of course I wanted her to like me back."
That sounds pretty similar to what Emi said, Ryuu thought, stroking his chin. "Did you ever experience a heart attack?"
"A heart attack?" the Hitachiin twins said.
"A heart attack?" another voice chimed in, and Tamaki popped up between the twins with a grin. "What's going on here?"
"We're giving Ryuu love advice," Hikaru said.
"It's not advice," Ryuu said, "and it's only Kaoru, you idiot."
Hikaru glanced over. "Jerk."
Ryuu rolled his eyes.
"What's going on?" Haruhi said as she entered.
"We're giving Ryuu love advice!" Tamaki said. "So, what's the problem Ryuu? Tell me, tell me! Daddy will give you great advice!"
"I really don't think any of them would be good people to ask," Haruhi said.
"Then Haruhi, do you know how to tell if you're in love?" Ryuu asked, turning to the girl with hope in his eyes.
"Nope, sorry," she said and walked away to put her schoolbag down.
Ryuu's shoulders drooped. Ah, how hopeless. They're all useless. Maybe Kyoya the omniscient creep will know. Hell, he probably knows Michi's last name. He tromped over to where the second year sat, typing on his laptop.
"So, Kyoya," Ryuu said, sitting down.
"I heard," Kyoya said without a glance up, "but I have no advice for you."
"What, you haven't been in love before?" Ryuu asked.
Kyoya typed some more, stopped, then resumed his typing. "No."
"That was a long pause."
"No, I haven't," Kyoya said, pushing his glasses up.
Ryuu sighed. "You guys are useless."
"What is the problem exactly?" Tamaki asked.
"Oh Tamaki!" Ryuu straightened up. "What do you feel when you think of Haruhi?"
"Haruhi?" Tamaki grinned and spread his arms out. "Why, of course, only my undying fatherly love for her!"
"And what does that feel like?"
Tamaki froze. "Uh." He blinked, his eyes wide and blank. "Hm." He struck a thinking pose with his arms crossed. "I suppose I want to hug her and hold her hand and spend lots of time with her and make her happy!"
"Have you ever experienced a heart attack while around her?" Ryuu asked.
"A heart attack?" Tamaki's jaw dropped. "If that happened, I'd be dead!"
"Well, not necessarily," Kyoya said in a low voice. He glanced up at Ryuu. "Perhaps what you've experienced isn't a heart attack, but your heart pounding loudly."
"Yeah it's like that," Ryuu said, nodding and pointing at Kyoya, "but it's also like my heart is being squeezed to death and about to burst."
"Not a heart attack," Kyoya said and returned to his typing. Tamaki nodded.
"Sounds like someone's in love," Hikaru said as the twins joined the group at the table.
"Who is it?" Kaoru said.
Ryuu shook his head. "Nobody you know."
"Really?" The twins raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Really," Ryuu said.
"Hello!" The doors burst open and Honey skipped in with Mori behind him. "What's going on today?"
"We're giving Ryuu love advice," the twins and Tamaki said.
"It's not advice," Ryuu said, "and we're done. I've heard what I needed to, so thanks."
"Ohh, Ryuu-chan's in love? How exciting!" Honey said with a grin. Mori nodded.
"Nobody said that, Honey-senpai," Ryuu said.
"Is she cute?" Honey said and held Usa-chan up. "Is she as cute as Usa-chan? Cuter?"
Ryuu stared at the tiny, third-year and the pink plush and then looked away. "Well, yeah," he said in a murmur. He cleared his throat, thinking of Michi's bright smile.
"Is she nice? Do you like talking to her? Does she like cake?" Honey beamed.
"Yes, yes, and yes. Now can we stop talking about this?" Ryuu said. He was beginning to regret bringing the topic up. He should have known the Host Club would make an unnecessary amount of fuss over it.
"Do you think about her a lot?" Honey said with his unwavering smile.
"What counts as a lot?"
"A lot, a lot!" Honey swept his arms in the air. "Like more than usual. More than you think about me!"
But I don't think about you much at all, Honey-senpai, Ryuu thought.
"More than me?" Tamaki said, pointing at himself.
"Me too," Hikaru said with a blank look. Kaoru nodded.
All of them? Ryuu's eyes widened. Do I think about Michi more than I think about the Host Club? He mulled it over, trying to remember every time he thought of Michi and every time he thought of the Host Club.
He found himself nodding. "Yeah."
"Ryuu-chan's in love then!" Honey said and skipped over to Kyoya's table. "Kyo-chan, what kind of cake is there today?"
No way. Ryuu remained in the same spot while everyone else dispersed to prep for the Host Club that day. His eyes were wide as he gazed at the floor, not quite seeing the tile or his shoes. There's just no way. It's too fast! I've only known her for, what, three-four months? We met sometime in late October right? So there's no way. No way no way! No way I could be in love with Michi… Right?
Hope everyone's well! Thanks for reading. :)