Chapter 9
Sunday passed quickly for Alexis, but, she was happy. She had seen the true Kyoya and he was beginning to understand what being a friend really entailed.
She had heard once a long time ago that you should leave a place better than you found it. She sincerely hoped this was the case with Kyoya. With all that had happened to her in America, she could recognize true friends when she saw them and Kyoya had them.
The return trip was a little more subdued everyone having spent the last of their energy on the short shopping trip before they left. Through the entangled bags, bodies, and weary heads, she had managed a train car to herself and was trying to sketch the image of Kyoya she had seen this morning. Hair rumpled, shirtless and just a little cross; when the door to her cabin opened and in stepped the shadow king himself. She closed her pad and tried to look as innocent as possible.
"Couldn't find a quiet spot to yourself?" She lifted her left hand and brushed aside a piece of hair in front of her eyes.
"No, I need to speak with you privately." His voice sounded as solemn as his face. "I am aware that you are taking some very powerful pain medication. The sort that is used primarily for people suffering from severe nerve damage."
At that there was silence, she closed her eyes and felt her eyelids burn. Here is goes. All of this will disappear. Just one week to be normal and it was not near long enough.
She toke in a shaky breath and opened her eyes. "You may want to take a seat, this is not a short story." He looked into her eyes and was nearly drowned in the sheer pain echoing in there.
Maybe I shouldn't have asked her. Do I really want to know? Yes, yes I do. She has tried to help me, to make me a better person, a better friend. I need to know so I can return the favor.
Mentally girding his resolve, he toke the seat in front of her and motioned for her to continue.
"A little over 6 months ago I went with my dad on a short road trip. I was going to have a showing of my art almost half way across the country. Dad had been really busy, another company had been attempting a stealth takeover of one of our production companies and I had barely seen him while he straightened things out." She folded her arms across her chest and ran her hands up and down her forearms. "He decided the best way for us to make up for lost time was to a have a father-daughter trip. The showing gave him the perfect solution."
"Everything was perfect. A few of my paintings sold and we stopped anywhere and everywhere on our way home." She sighed her hands stilling and eyes closing. "About an hour from our home another car veered into our lane. Dad missed them but there were some loose construction materials on the shoulder and the car flipped. I don't remember what happened after; just waking up in the hospital."
"The doctors told me I had severe internal bleeding when I arrived and multiple broken bones. My mom was there and the doctor stood by her side as she told me dad had passed." A small shudder passed through her body. "I started to panic and the doctor ordered some tranquilizers for me. The nurse gave him the medication, but, he didn't check it and it was not what he had asked for. Whatever the medication, my body began to heat up and I felt like I was bathing in lava. When the doctor figured out what had happened he put me in a chemical induced coma and ran my blood through a dialysis machine. The damage was done; there wasn't anything he could do except make sure it didn't get worse."
She looked off to the outside window attempting to compose herself. "They finally woke me up; it was the only way to run the tests to see how bad the damage was. What they found was... depressing. The medications I had already been given had combined with the one that I wasn't supposed to and attacked my nerves. Primarily my parasympathetic nerve system. Those nerves control your internal organs, including your heart and lungs. The other nerve systems sustained some damage but not as badly; which is why I have aches and pains or body parts go numb." Her voice began to rush, she wanted this over with. "I have been told to live as stress free as possible. The more stress I put on my body the weaker the nerves get. As it is the doctors are positive I only have a year left. So much damage was done that the nerves are slowly deteriorating by themselves."
She opened her eyes and looked straight at him. "This conversation will remain between us. I now know how valuable my time is and I don't want to waste it on useless fears. One day soon my heart won't beat or my lungs won't inhale or both. By than I will have spent my last months with my family." She spoke her voice eerily emotionless.
"When I leave here I want the memory of menot my illness to remain. I want people to think back and if anyone remembers me at all they will think I went on with my life after Ouran. Can you do this for me?" Her eyes pleaded with him, showing weariness and begging for him to understand.
He got up from his seat and walked over to her; kneeling in front of her, he grabbed her hands. The beginnings of a fight burning in the back of his mind, he whispered. "You will be remembered."
School went on as it always did. She noticed that Kyoya watched her more carefully, but, they bickered and teased each other just the same. He was still trying to figure out her plans for the event. She was still taunting him that he would just have to wait. One thing changed, he was not longer trying to pull the puzzle together by himself. He toke her coaxing about friendship and began asking the club about their shopping trips with her. As far as Alexis knew this had yet to be successful.
As for her confession to him, it was comforting to know that it would go no further unless she asked it of him. He toke her words at face value and didn't act as if he would hurt her with a touch. It actually seemed as if he was growing closer to her.
The day of the party finally arrived and Alexis banished the club from the music room until she had it properly set up. Rushing in a horde of hired hands to help her arrange the room. She felt the thrill of excitement run through her veins.
This will be perfect! She thought using thick velvet curtains to shut out any natural light from the room. I can't wait! Mrs. Hitachiin let me see the costumes, to make sure they would go with my designs, but to the full set up, costumes, and hosts together will be the final test.
As she began to arrange the table settings she smiled. Once everything was in place she tapped on the changing room door. "Hey, it's ready I hope you are as well." Alexis voice called to them through the door.
Finally that ditsy woman locked us in here for a damn hour!Kyoya watched as Mori tested the door and finding it unlocked pushed it open.
The host club stood stock still at the music room turned dungeon.
"I did very well if I do say so myself." Alexis chuckled. The silence in the air made her heart burst with pride. "Well come on I'm going to give you the two penny tour." Gesturing for them to follow her she walked to the first "cell".
"This is Tamaki's." He walked in and began to touch the props and table set that decorated what looked like a small dinning room. Wood so dark it was almost black made up the table with chairs that were covered in blood red velvet. The table was set with wrought iron candle holders each having a black candle with a red rose engraved in it. Tamaki plopped into the throne intended to be his chair. Alexis went over to a covered dish, removed the cover and began to pass around the treats inside.
"These are "blood" cakes, really just miniature, red raspberry, cupcakes." she watched as Tamaki popped one into his mouth than smiled.
"Wow, this is perfect." Tamaki trilled, digging his toes into the oriental carpet under his seat. "It feels just like a movie!"
Alexis was more than happy to leave Tamaki to discover his display. Taking a hand of each twin she pulled them towards the next cell. Dragging them to what appeared to be a lab table she sat them down on high back stools. Their eyes widened at the pictures on the walls of the human body that was broken into muscles, bones and nerves. A large anatomy doll loomed in the corner wearing a trench coat, next to a small book shelf full of tomes with chemistry and biology themed titles.
On top of the lab table was a small rack of test tubes fill with thick, glistening, multi-colored liquids. "Give these a try! They are really good I found this awesome shop and now I go there for breakfast." Alexis had loved their smoothies so much she had purposely looked for a scene to add them to.
After downing the blue tube Kaoru grinned "Tasty, you'll need to tell us where you got these from."
"Are they mixable?" Hikaru had noticed the beakers set off to the side.
"Yeah, I will show you what mixed with what later or you can study the paper..." her words were useless as now the twins had started on their own.
"Right! On to the next!" They began towards another cell behind her. "Honey, your's and Mori's was hard since you sit together but I think I got it." Before their eyes was a Victorian sitting room with a large fireplace. Above the mantle was a painting of a severally aged Honey, mostly dried skin and aged eyes with gray hair. Taking up one of the walls was large control panel, lights flashing, and buttons and switches everywhere, a faint buzzing sound coming from it.
"What do you have for our snacks!" Of course that would be Honey's main concern. Mori was busy trailing his hand along the surface of the machine.
"That was another hat trick." She reached into a liquor cabinet and pulled out a a silver tray. "I've got tangy lemon cakes shaped like lightning bolts with strawberry compote on top and "waters" from the fountain of youth. That is actually just ambrosia plum tea." As Honey started in on the treats, Alexis hooked her arm through Haruhi's and started toward her area.
"You area is a tad different, since your character is human/wolf the area is lighted with an artificial moon, the setting is a cave." They turned into the cell and saw what she was talking about.
The sitting area was a raised platform rock that looked similar to a kotasu without any openings for legs to go under and the "seats" were furs that had been strewn across the floor. "Your treats are full moon almond cakes and howling punch."
"This atmosphere is very soothing, it must be the lighting. These are fakes?" She pointed to the furs.
"Yes, very well done by a family acquaintance that I was surprised to find living here." Haruhi nodded as Alexis turned to Kyoya. "You ready to see yours? I had a bit of fun with it." She smirked.
She began to walk to his area. "Ironically, your normal self was very inspirational to this scene."
They turned the corner and there it was. It looked like a normal study at first glance, heavy oak desk facing the door, a library shelf, and sitting area with a couch and two chairs around a coffee table. Normal until you realized the library shelf held rolled scrolls and glowing orbs next to the books. Or that the desk had a human skull for a paperweight.
"I figured, the devil would have to look normal. He would be a handsome, charming being until he got what he wanted from you."
"I see, so what is on the scrolls?" He reached the shelf and plucked one down to study.
"They are contracts with your clients names in print. The contract is for the soul of course. I figured you could try and coax your customers to "sign" away their soul to you. The glowing orbs are..."
"Souls already collected, very imaginative, I am impressed. What sort of treats do you have?" Kyoya looked at the small bar jutting out of the corner of the "office".
"Hallelujah cake and each of the liquor decanters holds a different chilled juice."
"You have certainly outdone yourself. Will the club be allowed to pay for this now?"
"No." At his raised eyebrow she explained. "Your club has gone out of its way to make me feel welcome. This is my thank you." she smiled "Besides isn't it a tax write off or something?"
The rest of the group had recollected to speak with Alexis and was standing just inside the doorway to Kyoya's scene.
"We have a surprise for you." said Hikaru.
"Our mother actually brought this up." continued Kaoru.
"She thought it would be a pity for you to miss out on the fun." Hikaru again.
"Seeing as you went through so much trouble for us."Kaoru.
"She designed a costume for you as well" in chorus.
"Really!" Alexis squealed. "She didn't have to! Oh, wow can I see it. She showed me your outfits for inspiration and I adore them! Oh, please can I see it. Please!" Her hands clasped in front of her, green eyes big and pleading.
"No, not till tonight." This from Kyoya.
"You've seen it!" She turned to face him.
"Yes, and as a small payback for last week and I mean very small. You won't get to see it yet. It's a surprise." The last sentence said sarcastically with a raised eyebrow.
"You can be a jerk. You know that." Alexis said understanding his reference.
"Must be something I picked up from a certain transfer student." Kyoya replied with a smirk on his handsome mouth.
Alexis humphed and turned to the twins intent on showing them how to blend the smoothies in a beaker. The club looked on trying to remember when Kyoya had ever been so dense.
I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I may just let them own me though.
Hey I am a little nervous about this chapter. It felt a little sad to tell the truth and I really don't know if it fits with the rest of the story. Her reasoning for coming to Japan was necessary to be told and it plays into the rest of the story but it got really heavy here and I'm not sure it fit. Let me know what you think. Thanks!