So. Chapter 7. Fanservice and all that wonderful fluffy stuff.
Enjoy
Oh. And in case anyone missed the memo: A lowly writer like myself does not own the original pieces of art from which this story stems.
Although he had been waltzing, laughing, and carrying out a rather engaging conversation, Tamaki Suoh's ears never failed him. Even from halfway across the ballroom, the blonde caught wind of a life-threatening situation, summed up in five words by one small boy and his rosy rabbit, Bun-Bun.
"Kyoya-kun, where did Haru-chan go?"
"Haruhi's gone! Oh my precious daughter! Daddy will find her!" The prince turned and excused himself politely before bolting in the general direction of this distress call. "Honey! Did you say that Haruhi was missing?"
"Well, I haven't seen her in a while…" The small blonde boy began. "She's probably around somewhere. Don't worry, Tama-chan, we'll find her!" Despite the boy's efforts, Tamaki appeared no less anxious; his eyes skimmed nervously over the party guests, and he ran his hands incessantly through his untidy blonde hair.
After he had failed to locate the small female host-club member in the crowd, Tamaki immediately assumed the worse. "What if she's been eaten by a wild animal?" He fretted.
"I'm sure she's fine," Kyoya muttered; the blonde's childish distress only worsened his already foul disposition. Despite his own words, however, Kyoya found himself—not worried—but slightly concerned about the small brunette girl; she did have a history of getting herself into unfavorable situations… And despite himself, Kyoya found himself saying, "but perhaps it would be best if one of us went to look for her."
"Did you say something about Haruhi?" The small bell-like voice that posed this question belonged to Lillie, whose face appeared quite worried as well.
"We haven't been able to find her either," Pique sighed, her water-blue ball gown shimmering as she glided over.
Across the ballroom, Ahiru busied herself with a very different battle, one that, even if she did have soldiers, magic, and strategic planning, she was utterly destined to loose.
"Fakir, you can't just lie and say that nothing is bothering you, when I know it's not true!" Driven to help the sulking boy, Ahiru continued. "Please tell me what it is." Glittering tears formed in the duck's stormy blue eyes as she spoke. Slowly, they brimmed over, slipping silently down her cheeks.
Ruined. Gone. Done for! The petite red-head's tears obliterated Fakir's carefully crafted façade.
"Come on," he prompted reluctantly. "Let's go for a walk." Gently, he wrapped one arm around her tiny waist, guiding the confused duck across the expansive dining room and out into the academy flower gardens.
Silvery moonlight puddled on rose petals and soft orbs of dew, illuminating their surroundings like thousands of tiny fairies. Ahiru's dress shimmered under its soft light as Fakir carried them farther out, subconsciously heading towards the softly lit, white-washed pagoda.
The raven-haired boy drew in a breath of the crisp evening, contemplating its scent on his palate. Notes of many different flowers permeated a base of deep, earthy wood.
Several minutes passed, and the handsomely dressed boy said nothing. It was Ahiru who broke the silence, her eyes pressed shut in frustration.
"If you're not going to tell me anything, then why bother walking with me?" She asked, each word burdened with hurt and exhaustion. Fakir winced and answered genuinely, sinking onto the first of the pagoda's wooden steps.
"Because you make me feel better," he admitted quietly. Ahiru's eyes snapped open, meeting him with uncanny knowingness. She gazed at him a moment, studying his expression, before concluding that the knight was not angry, but rather, deeply agonized.
Tenderly, she wrapped her small arms around his hunched shoulders, weaving one soft hand into his long, black hair.
He returned her embrace slowly, encircling her small form in his arms. Each length of emerald satin perfectly hugged the girl's body, and Fakir found himself deeply blushing, suddenly noticing how feminine the dainty princess was. He stood then and allowed the girl a moment to adjust before drawing her in so that she fit snugly against him.
Quite a length of time passed silently before Fakir released Ahiru.
The grief that haunted his features had vanished, replaced by a small smile.
"Come on, let's go back and enjoy the rest of the party," he lulled in his deep voice. Fakir's obsidian eyes gleamed silver in the moonlight.
"You're all better then?" The swan princess inquired, worriedly, her lips forming a small, questioning pout.
Fakir sighed once. "Not entirely," he mumbled, "but I'm not going to let it ruin the entire night." Ahiru's sweet laugh met his ears.
"Alright then," she announced, "let's go back in." The girl shivered once, finally becoming aware of the chill air. "I'm cold…" Fakir's smile broadened as they strolled back through the gardens.
Half an hour had passed, and none of the host club's members, nor various other students that made up Haruhi's search party had had any luck locating the girl.
Of course, Kyoya grew more concerned, Honey appeared more confused, and Tamaki became almost unbearably melodramatic, as he began to talk to furniture and walls and drape himself over the elegant, dining chairs, weeping as the he despairingly proclaimed his inability to 'be a good father.'
Having a hunch as to the missing member's whereabouts, the Shadow King soundlessly sleeked into the girl's dormitory and up the stairs to the top floor, making his way stealthily to Ahiru's room.
The brunette boy knocked once lightly. "Haruhi?" He called, his voice betraying no emotion. A few muted sobs answered him. "It's Kyoya. May I come in?" A sniffle.
"Yeah," she whispered. Cautiously, Kyoya swung the door open, wary of its obnoxious squeaking, to find the small dancer draped across the bed, hands covering her small face.
Haruhi had tossed her pigtail extensions onto the floor and removed her shoes; they rested just in front of the door, daring Kyoya to take a reckless step and come crashing head first into something breakable.
Haruhi pulled herself up, casting him a broken glance. Though shining trails covered her face, luckily, the girl's waterproof makeup had spared her quite a mess. Kyoya sighed, walked over to the childlike, crying form, and pulled out his handkerchief, carefully blotting her damp cheeks dry. "Everyone is looking for you; they're worried," he explained emphatically. "When I left, Tamaki was sobbing something about his 'parenting' into the back of a chair." Haruhi said nothing as she stared down at her bare feet, not really listening to what the boy had to say, but to how gentle each and every one of his words sounded. "We should head back now before he decides to do something more reckless."
Haruhi replied almost inaudibly. "You love dancing, don't you?"
This caught the Ootori boy unawares, and he froze a moment in his tracks. "I don't see the relevance," Kyoya replied blankly.
"Senpai, if you want to dance, you should. Don't just let your father tell you what to do." The Shadow King winced; Haruhi had landed a perfect hit. He thought for a moment before replying carefully.
"We're not going to be here forever," Kyoya mumbled. "It's time I stopped deluding myself—"
Kyoya was cut short as Haruhi slapped him, leaving a stinging, pink handprint on his cheek.
"It's time you stopped acting like a coward," she hissed threateningly. "Stand up for yourself! It's your life, not your father's! The Kyoya I know is stronger! He doesn't let people control him or make decisions about his life!" She began crying again. "So stop acting stupid!"
The unmistakable prick of tears threatened the boy's eyes. Impulsively, Kyoya pulled Haruhi into a tight embrace, laying his head against her dark, silky hair. Confused, the small brunette girl returned the gesture lightly. He drew her closer yet.
"Alright," Kyoya agreed, releasing her. Haruhi smiled.
"Let's go back then," she suggested, slipping the shoes that she so hated back on.
The night waned; many students headed off to bed, but several couples still circled the floor in a fast paced waltz, including a few members of the host club, Mytho and Rue, and Fakir and Ahiru.
The swan princess and the knight glided across the floor enchantingly, captivated in an endless circle of lively turns and perfectly synchronized steps.e\
Haruhi giggled, finding Honey and Mori waltzing together and additionally noticing that several girls who remained had formed a group and busied themselves with documenting and photographing the charming pair.
Hikaru and Kaoru had gone off too bed, but Tamaki endured, regarding the ball as one of his duties, though he had wedged himself into a corner, where he sat, mumbling inaudibly to himself.
Haruhi strode over to his side. "Senpai…" she sighed. "I wish I didn't find you in the corner every time I came back." Tamaki shot up, glee lighting his face, and dragged Haruhi excitedly into the very middle of the floor.
"Fair Lady," he began, bowing. "May I have this dance?" Haruhi groaned internally, but accepted his hand with a smile, allowing Tamaki to whirl her around, guiding her normally awkward steps with ease.
Between the Host Club's prince and the school's knight, there arose a friendly competition, and before long, they lead two exhausted princesses into ever more complicated steps and turns.
Haruhi's head spun and Ahiru grew clumsy with her feet.
Amused, Kyoya observed the spectacle from a space against the wall, and, though he had discovered his feelings for a certain girl dancing dizzily across the marble, he smiled both in and out… Genuinely.
Fiery magenta caught the edge of his vision, and Pique appeared at the Shadow King's side. "You wouldn't by chance want to dance?" She asked, sheepishly. Kyoya smiled dazzlingly, offering his arm, which she took sheepishly.
"Why not?" He replied, leading her out onto the marble floor.
"You're tired," Fakir noted, gazing at the tiny duck with a most amused smirk.
"Of course I am," she yawned quietly. "Dancing is exhausting."
"Would you like to retire for the evening?" He asked, meeting her aqua-blue eyes. Sleepily, Ahiru nodded, and gracefully, the pair slowed to a stop. Fakir bowed, and his princess curtseyed.
Then, bidding the rest goodnight, they disappeared out the doors and into the crystal clear night.
Though beautiful, the walk back to the dormitories was long, and, a few minutes in, Ahiru had begun to stumble awkwardly along; chucking, Fakir swept the girl up into his arms, carrying her the rest of the way into the court yard, where he set her down lightly and embraced her again, running his fingers affectionately through her long, red hair.
"I love you," he whispered. Ahiru's eyes snapped open, and she leaned up to gaze at his deep, brown orbs.
"I love you too," she answered, shyly. Fakir cupped her face ever so gently in his large hands, and placed a single, chaste kiss on her parted lips. One perfect kiss.
Reviews are welcome for lazy, lowly writer; she likes receiving your encouragement and suggestions very much.
As you can see, she also writes fan service. If you'd like more, but tell her and I'm sure she'd be happy too add it, as she herself is a squealing, giggling fangirl... Though she will never admit it to the outside world.
So this is random, but I was reading fanfiction last night, and I came across a story that I really liked. And then realized that it was over 250,000 words long. And then my face lost all its color... Because that, if anyone doesn't know already, is about the length of a full blown novel... So basically, there are some pretty awesome writers on fanfiction, and I say, I'm totally going to read it, because that's just amazing. These are the kind of artists who a lowly writer such as myself looks up to.
So if any of you find a fic of that length, the author better be getting good reviews... Because that's some crazy dedication and people are motivated by others.
Yours
~SSFIA- Sophia