Chapter 18: The Party of Life
"…damage the stories she wrote. They think that if they make her look like a beast, people will sympathize with them and offer them charity money, so as to provide them the necessities for keeping a wild child calm."
"This is very useful, Ima-san."
"Yes, it is."
"But why are you working there?"
"Because the day I was going to leave, Hikari-sama came into the picture. She provided me with the knowledge about the theater and magazine district, which could help me in the future. When she left I stayed to see if there's anything I can find that could help her."
"Are all the staff against the Niwazaki's?"
"Yes, they are, but no one dares to cross paths with them."
What's happening? What happened? Hikari's eyes slowly opened. She saw Natasha on the floor looking at something at the foot of the bed. Her honey-colored eyes fell onto hers and smiled.
"Did we wake you?" Hikari shot up and looked around. A grunting sound from under her caught her attention. She looked and saw Hikaru rubbing his stomach. Hikari blushed and got off him.
"I'm sorry, Hikaru, I didn't know that you were under me." He laughed.
"Well, you seem to feel better," he commented.
"I had such a scary dream," Hikari said, "I dreamt that I came home to all of these torn up notebooks only to discover that they were my stories that I wrote since I could remember. My pictures of my late parents were also destroyed too and…oh my god it was scary." Everyone fell silent. "What's wrong?"
"That wasn't a dream," Kyouya said, "It was real." Hikari got off the bed and looked outside her bedroom. Everything looked clean, but all of her writing books were gone.
"Please don't freak out," Yumi said, grabbing Hikari's shoulders, "We grabbed what we could of the scraps and notebooks and put them in one bag. When you're ready to, you can look through them." Hikari fell back onto her bed.
"Oh god…" she said, her throat beginning to tighten together.
"You began to repeat what you said when you parents died once you saw this," Natasha said, pulling out a scrap of paper from her pocket. Hikari took it and nodded, biting her lower lip.
"So…all of my stories are gone…" Hikari's vision began to blur and tears began to roll down her face again.
"Unforgivable…" Hikari looked up at Tamaki who placed his hand on his head.
"I will not tolerate for this! I will not forgive the people who hurt my daughter." He came and sat down next to Hikari.
"We are a family. All of us. We even have two new members in our family. We just keep growing, and we will do our best to keep you with us. You're not going anywhere." Hikari blushed and wiped her tears away.
"Hikari." Hikari looked up and Mori-senpai. He smiled and rubbed her head. "Come by the dojo on Sundays. Mitsukuni and I can teach you karate so if you ever need it, you'll be prepared."
"Takashi," Honey said. He hoped on Hikari's lap and smiled, "You know, Takashi's right. We can teach you martial arts to protect yourself from the bad guys. Messing with my friends is a big no-no, right?" Hikari smiled.
"We packed your things," Kaoru said, "Don't worry, the girls packed your things. We just carried them to the door and will be you bell boys for a while."
"You're going to spend the night at our house," Hikaru added.
"Is that even allowed?" Hikari asked.
"Well, personally, I would rather you stay in my house," Kyouya said, "because that way Natasha would stay over and take care of you. But he insisted that he protected you." Hikari looked at Hikaru, who smiled and held a peace sign. When she didn't respond, Hikaru brought his mouth towards her ear.
"You know what that means? I get to see you in your PJs. And I can slip into your bed at night and-" Hikari pushed Hikaru, blushing furiously, and knocking Honey off her lap.
"You pervert!" she screamed throwing a never ending amount of pillows at Hikaru. He laughed.
"Well at least I got you stop crying." Hikari stopped throwing the pillows and felt her cheek…no tears.
"No offence," Kyouya said, "Can we hurry this up? The car's waiting downstairs." As the boys began to take the bags downstairs, Yumi walked with Hikari and Haruhi towards the door.
"Do you know what?" she said, "I feel like we should have a party."
"Yumi-chan," Haruhi said, "This isn't something to celebrate about."
"We're not celebrating this," she protested, "We're going to celebrate the joy of celebrating. Different soda drinks, lots of food, lots of dancing, lots of fun!"
"A party…" Hikaru said.
"A party sounds like fun," Kaoru added.
"YAY! A party!" Honey shouted, "I hope that they'll be cakes!"
"Ah."
"Yes! A party is most important at a time like this," Tamaki encouraged. "Kyouya, make the arrangements now! We'll have it at my house, since I am king."
"Oh yes, Kyouya, do!" Natasha encouraged. "It'll be fun!" Kyouya took out his phone and began to make some calls.
"Well, Hikari," Haruhi said, "Don't you think that we've got a crazy family?" Hikari shook her head.
"They're not crazy," she said, "They just love to try and make you laugh everyday." Haruhi giggled.
"You're right." Yumi suddenly gasped, catching the two girl's attention.
"Do you know what this calls for?" Haruhi and Hikari shook their heads, "A SHOPPING SPREE! We can't go to this party in 'already worn clothes'."
"I agree!" Natasha said. "I'll take all the girls, oh Kyouya, you must also invite Mina-chan and Hana-chan. It'll be sad to see everyone not slow dancing."
"Oh my Natasha," Yumi said with a smirk, "You're a clever one."
"This'll be fun." the twins said together.
"Wait a minute," Haruhi said, "Isn't it a little too late for a party?"
"It's never too late to party," Hikaru answered.
"That's right," Kaoru added, "Besides, it'll be lots of fun." He looked on over at Yumi and winked. She blushed and smiled, turning her head away from embarrassment.
"Now, my ladies, find the best clothes to move in," Tamaki suggested, "And then meet at my house when you're done."
"That sounds good!" Yumi said, "Shall we head out?" As everyone began to leave, Hikari looked back at her suite.
"Don't worry," Kyouya said, "We'll take your stuff downstairs and to the Hitachiin residence." There was a pause.
"Thank you, Kyouya-senpai." Kyouya didn't move. "Thank you for helping my family in the past…and for helping me now…It really means a lot to me." A smile grew on Kyouya's face.
"It was my pleasure."
"Well don't just stand there," Kaoru interrupted, "Go buy some clothes from our mother's boutique."
"Yeah," Hikaru added, "And if you get lost, there will people there to help." Hikaru smiled. "Wear something that makes you the happiest when you wear it." Hikari felt her heart beating fast and her cheeks burning.
"O-okay," she stuttered and she followed her fellow girls down the hall. Natasha drove them to the boutique, talking to Yumi about what she hopes will happen. Haruhi and Hikari refused to listen as they gossiped about them in their presence. Once they arrived, there were two familiar faces at the door.
"Haruhi," Hikari said, "Are they…?"
"Yep," Haruhi answered, "They're here to torture us some more." Natasha and Yumi stepped out of the car and dragged the two girls inside. Once they got inside, Hikari saw two familiar faces with the same, hungry smile on their face.
"You must be the maids I've heard so much about," Natasha commented. The maids curtsied.
"It's a pleasure working with you," they said in unison.
"Can you take care of these two first?" Yumi suggested, "They're not going to get anything done if they decide on their own." The maids smiled their creepy smile.
"Then…Shall we?" The maids reached out and grabbed the two girls, towing them towards the back. Hikari soon found herself in the dressing room in only her underwear and bra. The maids weren't gone long, for they apparently found the perfect outfits for them. The maid who attended Hikari spoke before dressing her.
"The master suggested this."
"'Master'?" Hikari repeated, but the maid didn't respond. She instead hoisted the clothes on the poor victim. There weren't many pieces of clothing to put on her, apparently, but it was the only task that the maid had to do. She also decided to put Hikari's brown hair up into a high pony-tail, which involved lost of hair spray, causing Hikari to cough constantly. Once the hair spray smoke disappeared, Hikari felt a cold, gooey substance smeared across her face. It sent a chill down her spin as the maid the placed on her shoes.
"There," she said "You're finished." Her hand wrapped around a golden rope. "Behold, your party attire." She pulled on the rope, raising a red curtain for Hikari to see her reflection. Hikari didn't believe that the person in the mirror was her until she moved. The person in the mirror followed her moves.
"Oh god…" She was wearing a glittery, light blue thick strap tang-top, only that there was one strap, which was on the right side of Hikari's body. The shirt ended above her stomach while her low-rise, hip-hugging, dark blue jeans showed off her long legs (which she didn't know she had). Her shoes were light blue sandals that had a one inch elevation platform and rose another half inch at her heel. Hikari looked at her face and noticed that it was covered in glitter.
"Would you like some glitter on your shoulder and stomach?" the maid asked as if reading her thoughts about the glitter.
"Why not." The maid happily placed the cold glitter on, making Hikari shine bright. "Oh, there's one more thing." She pulled out a light blue ribbon and tied it over the rubber band holding Hikari's hair. "And let's not forget these." She added silver bangles on Hikari's right wrists and a slim, dark blue watch on the left. "Oo, we can't have you leave without this." The maid slid a band up her arm until it was able to hug Hikari's arms comfortably. "And we can't forget the lip-gloss." She pulled out a light pink lip-gloss and rubbed it over Hikari's lips. "Now you're complete." Hikari stared at her reflection and nodded.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Hikari ran outside and pulled the curtains back on Haruhi's changing room. Haruhi wore a thin strapped halter dress that crossed across her collar bone and was the color of her host rose. It hugged her at her chest and loosened at her waist, falling half way down her thighs. She wore black leggings under it so that when she spun around, nothing would show. She too wore glitter on her body and had a small braid on the left side of her head.
"Wow," Hikari said, not showing what she was feeling. Haruhi noticed her in the mirror and sighed.
"I agree. This outfit is ridiculous!"
"Not really," Hikari objected, "I think that it looks really good on you."
"Fujioka-sama forgot her bracelets," the other maid said. She placed thick, hugging, dark glittery red bracelets on Haruhi's wrists. Now she was complete…though she continued to scowl.
"Haruhi-chan shouldn't pout," said a tiny voice. The two turned around and saw Hana-chan in a white frilly dress with red ribbons, matching with her yellow rabbit (oddly enough). "If she pouts, the outfit won't please her prince." Haruhi blushed.
"You know, Hana-chan, you shouldn't…" Haruhi's eyes suddenly grew wide. She slowly turned her head around to look at the little girl, who continued to stare at her with her smile. "Hana-chan…who told you I was a girl?"
"No one told me," she answered, "I could tell!" Haruhi sighed.
"Hana-chan," Hikari heard Mina calling, "Who are you talking to?" Hana-chan turned around and pointed.
"Haruhi-chan." Mina looked at the girl in red and stared.
"She does look like Haruhi-kun, but she can't be. Haruhi-kun is a boy, Hana-chan," she replied, giving Hana-chan a gentle smile.
"But it Haruhi-chan. It's obvious that she's a girl." Hana-chan trotted over to Haruhi and lifted her red dress. Under it was a pink undershirt that Haruhi normally wore. Mina gasped while Haruhi struggled to pull her dress down.
"So…Both Hiroki-kun and Haruhi-kun are fakes?" Mina asked. Haruhi held her hands up in defense and shook her head. She explained to Mina about her situation with the Host Club: Breaking the vase, the debt, and deciding to stay.
"So basically, you just dress-up and act like a guy?" Mina asked.
"Basically, yeah."
"And did you know that Haruhi and Tamaki-kun are dating?" Yumi asked out of nowhere. Mina gasped in total shock as Haruhi pouted.
"Why did you have to say that?" she asked. Yumi shrugged. Her yellow, bell-sleeved belly shirt fit her perfectly, moving as well as she did.
"Yumi-chan looks super cute!" Hana-chan commented. Yumi patted her head.
"Thank you, Hana-chan."
"Isn't that skirt a little too short?" Hikari asked. Yumi looked at her jean skirt and laughed.
"Kaoru told me to wear something sexy, and this defiantly shows off my long legs." She struck a pose and winked. Everyone rolled their eyes.
"Oh," she said, pulling out her digital camera, "I'll also be the photographer of the evening. So you'd better be with your proper hosts tonight."
"Great," Haruhi sulked.
"I hope I don't look too plain at the party," Mina said, "It would be embarrassing if everyone was so elegant and I wasn't."
"Don't worry," Yumi said, "Mori-senpai will love your purple and black dress." She winked again. "It's very wild." Mina blushed.
"Come one girls!" Natasha called from the front. "We're going to be late if you keep dawdling." Hikari followed her fellow girls, comforting the sulking Haruhi. When she saw Natasha, she thought she dislocated her jaw. Natasha's blonde hair was down and curly, reminding Hikari how long Natasha's hair really is. She wore a lavender tub-top and black pants toped off with black high heels. She was wearing make-sup that matched, making Hikari think that she was the prettiest out of the six.
"Oh my god, Natasha," Hikari said, "You look like…"
"An idol?" Natasha finished. Hikari nodded, even though she was going to say something different. Natasha smiled. "Well, I wanted to remind someone who they're dealing with."
"I suddenly feel sorry for Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi whispered. Hikari laughed.
"I think Kyouya needs someone like this."
"Now come on, you lovely girls," Natasha instructed, "Time waits for no woman." As they left towards Natasha's car, the maids took out handkerchiefs and waved them in the air as if saying good-bye adding a smile.
Tamaki's house
Hikari was amazed at the sight of Tamaki's house. There were three parts to it, like Hikaru and Kaoru's house. Natasha drove to the third building since that where she saw the multi-colored lights. As the girls approached the building, the lights turned off. Natasha stepped out of the car and placed her nose in the air.
"How rude," she commented, slamming the door shut. "They started the party without us and tried to hide it."
"I'm going to make them pay," Yumi threatened. The rest followed Natasha and Yumi though the grand, wooden, double doors. Hikari couldn't see anything, no matter how hard she tried. But that didn't stop the two angry ladies in front of her, for they stormed through the darkness, waiting to crash into one of the boys hiding place. However, they didn't.
"Where are you?!" Yumi yelled. Suddenly, six spot light turned on around the room. Hikari looked at what the lights were shining on, to her surprise were the hosts themselves, each of them bowing.
"Welcome, princesses," Tamaki said in his charming voice, "We welcome you to the party of life." The lights in the room flashed on, causing Hikari to close her eyes. When she opened them, she smiled broadly. On the left side of the room was the where the food was and the right had the beverages…coming out of fountains.
"This is going to be so much fun!" Hana-chan said, squeezing her bunny tightly. Tamaki left his post and came towards his guests.
"Natasha-san," he said, "May I take one of your beautiful ladies?" Hikari saw the question wrapping around Haruhi tightly.
"I guess tonight, you're not his wife," Hikari whispered to Haruhi.
"This isn't a cosplay," Kyouya said, popping out of nowhere, scaring the two whispering. His sly smile showed Hikari that he was pleased with his scare.
"Excuse me," he said brushing passed them. The two men passed each other as they approached their ladies. Kyouya extended his arm and Natasha gladly took it. Tamaki walked up to Haruhi and gave her a gentle smile. Hikari looked at the two staring at each other. Haruhi is defiantly confused about what to do.
A tapping on her shoulder took Hikari's attention away. When she turned around to see who it was, no one was there.
"Wrong side." Hikari moved her head the other way and found herself staring into Hikaru's hazel/gold eyes. He had a smirk on his face.
"It's like Tono said," he began, "We should be celebrating life."
"Indeed." Kaoru said appearing next to Yumi taking her arm. "And it looks like Kyouya-senpai and Natasha-san had a head start." Hikari looked and saw Natasha and Kyouya gliding across the dance floor.
"Hana-chan, wanna dance too?" Honey asked, extending his hand while the other held onto his pink bunny. They left their bunnies on two chairs to watch them dance. Kaoru and Yumi were not far behind and started to dance too.
"I'm guessing that you want to dance too?" Hikaru asked. Hikari shook her head and tilted her head towards Mina. She was approaching Mori, shaking like a leaf.
"M-M-Mori-senpai?" she asked, "C-could you d-dance with m-me?" Mori looked down at the nervous girl and lifted her head. With a smile, Mina got her answer and they too began to dance.
"Come on Haruhi," Tamaki said, "Would you please give me the honor of this dance?" Haruhi still didn't move. Tamaki shrugged and pulled her away from Hikari. He whispered something that made Haruhi's eyes widen with surprise. "Will you dance with me now?" Haruhi finally smiled and they began to dance towards the center.
"Now can we dance?" Hikaru nagged. Hikari smiled and faced him, her arms out.
"I'm all yours." Hikaru was surprised by her answer, but gave her his "Let's Make Hikari's Heart Beat Really Fast" smile.
"Be careful how you phrase your words," he warned, "But I'll do as you asked." Her grabbed her waist and whisked her off to the dance floor. Hikari looked around as Hikaru and she were whirling away into their own world.
Everyone's really happy, she thought, This is a crazy family. She giggled.
"What're you giggling about?" Hikaru asked.
"Nothing."
"Well I hope so." An evil smirk grew on his face. "You know that we're not going to be slow-dancing all night, right?" Hikari returned the sly smile.
"I can dance. Period."
"Really?"
"Just get me motivated enough."
"Thank you for the tip." Hikari laughed. "I will motivate you and make you all mine," Hikaru whispered.
"We'll see," Hikari replied.
As the night continued, Hikari tried the food and drinks. The sodas were her favorite and made her body full of energy, causing her to refuse to leave the dance-floor. Luckily, Yumi was with her to dance every song, making Hikari more motivated. She waved her arms in the air and moved her hips to the beat. If necessary, she would spin around, touch the floor, or do a partner move with Yumi. Hikaru had the guts to dance with the crazy Hikari by taking her hands and following her moves (as best as he could).
Soon, Hikari was out of breath, but continued to dance with Hikaru. She was able to feel the heat coming off him, his breath blowing against her face. A new feeling was erupting inside of her. It was as if her body was yearning for Hikaru's lingering fingers to trace over her body, his hot lips on her, his body pressed against hers, refusing for her to leave. This is…weird…
"Hikari." Hikari snapped out of her own world and nodded.
"Yeah?" Hikaru sighed.
"You look like you need a break. How bout I get you a soda?" Hikari blushed from embarrassment, but nodded. As Hikaru left to get her a drink, Hikari became worried about Haruhi. She seemed completely silent throughout the party so far, never looking at Tamaki directly in his eyes. However, Tamaki didn't seem to mind.
"Hikari!" Tamaki called over. Hikari was surprised to be called upon and walked towards them. "I've got to get something ready for everyone," Tamaki explained, "So can you keep an eye on Haruhi for me?" With a nod, Tamaki was gone.
"When will this party end?" Haruhi complained. Hikari gave her a small smile.
"Are you at least trying to have fun?" Hikari asked.
"Of course I am," Haruhi protested, "It's just that…"
"Just what?"
"Well…remember what I told you in the library?"
"That Tamaki-senpai loved you?" Haruhi's face turned red.
"W-well…I never answered him back." Hikari took a sushi and put it in her mouth.
"So," Hikari said after swallowing, "What did Senpai say to you to make you dance?"
"He said that I don't need to give him an answer now. I can wait until I'm ready. He's in no hurry." Hikari smiled.
"That's a good sign, Haruhi." Haruhi just shrugged.
"What was it like when you and Hikaru said that you loved each other?" Hikari nearly choked as she began to chew on another sushi role.
"What?" she said with her mouth full.
"Didn't you and Hikaru say 'I love you' to each other already?" Hikari looked at Hikaru, who was agreeing to help Tamaki with something. The thought of love never crossed her mind really. She didn't think that he loved her. She didn't even know what love felt like. Unless, she thought, maybe those weird feelings were…
"Hikari?" Hikari shook her head and sighed.
"We…haven't exactly said those words," she admitted. Haruhi was taken back a bit.
"But the way you act around each other. It looks as if you two told each other everything."
"Well, we haven't." Hikari tapped the table, feeling an uncomfortable knot in her stomach.
"Do you think that he doesn't feel the same way?" Haruhi asked. Hikari moved awkwardly before nodding.
"He just jokes around a lot. I can never know the difference between when he's serious and when he's joking."
"Don't worry. That's just Hikaru." Haruhi and Hikari jumped back as Kaoru and Yumi smiled. "Sorry," Kaoru said, "I heard my brother's name, so I thought that I'd come by to figure out why he's being talked about."
"Oh Hikari," Yumi said with a "tsking" sound in her teeth, "You should have said something. I would have totally coached you into saying those three little words."
"It's different with Hikaru," Hikari protested.
"Indeed it is," Kaoru agreed.
"Then you can understand my dilemma. I don't even know my own feelings." She swallowed hard before continuing. "Before my stories were…gone, I had a book full of feelings I felt. There was one that I couldn't name because it was something that I'd never felt of bothered to think about before, but now…"
"Don't worry about it." Hikari looked at Kaoru, who gave her a friendly smile. "Tell Hikaru how you feel. You might even be surprised."
"What do you mean?" Haruhi asked. Hikari wondered if Haruhi was going to apply Kaoru's advice to her situation.
"There was one thing that Hikaru and I wanted in the world: To have someone to recognize us as individuals, but can allow us to the crazy twins we are." Kaoru pointed at Haruhi, "You were the first to tell us apart."
"But it wasn't that hard," Haruhi said in her defense.
"Doesn't matter. Tono told us once that if we left our twisted world, then maybe someone could tell us apart, and he was right." He placed his arm around Yumi.
"When Hikaru went after you, I felt that I had lost a part of me. But when Yumi was able to tell us who was who, I knew that slowly, we're being recognized as identical twins with different personalities (and the skill to mirror one another)."
"So in other words…" Haruhi began. Kaoru winked at Hikari,
"I'll bet you that Hikaru feels the same about you as you feel about him." Hikari felt her heart flutter, but then sighed.
"He always jokes around with me, though."
"How else can a boy show his feelings for a girl," Yumi pointed out, "It's the number one rule in dating boys 101. They pick on the girls they like, be really mean, or joke around with them, because they don't know how to verbalize how they feel." She giggled and clung onto Kaoru's arm.
"But some guys are able to verbalize it really well." Kaoru blushed as he continued.
"Well, the point is, Hikari, you know Hikaru almost as well as me, and I know him pretty well. Do you remember what I said about Hikaru?" Hikari thought back on the last conversation she had with Kaoru: On her balcony at the Niwazaki's.
"He's trying not to scare you away. And remember, he got shot down before he confessed, so he might wait for you this time."
"What do you mean by that, Kaoru?" Haruhi asked, but he didn't answer. Instead, he offered Yumi another danced and whisked her away across the dance floor.
"Who did Hikaru like before you?" Haruhi asked. Hikari shook her head.
"Don't worry about it Haruhi."
"What are you going to do?" Hikari smiled.
"I can't form the exact words, but I can try to get half-way there by expressing what I feel." Haruhi smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Maybe you should find him."
"And I should be listening to a girl who's looking through law books to find the answer about love?" Haruhi pouted.
"Hey, I've never been in this situation before."
"Nor have I," Hikari paused, "But that's gonna change." Hikari smiled as Hikaru walked towards her with a proud smile on his face.
"Hikari, can I show you something?" Hikari gave Haruhi a sly smile and nodded. She didn't see Haruhi rolling her eyes at her.
Hikaru took her out of the party room and into a hallway. They went up the stairs and into a room down the upstairs hall. It looked like her room at the Niwazaki's, very plain and simple.
"Why are we here? Hikari asked.
"Tono is also having a major slumber party, so I wanted t know if you like this room."
"Oh," Hikari played with her silver butterfly necklace. "It's very pretty." Hikaru grinned.
"Then you'll spend the night here." He was opening the window when Hikari spoke.
"Umm…Hikaru?" he turned around and looked at her, "Well…I just…I guess I want to thank you for taking care of me…back at the hotel…and at the Niwazaki's…and anytime I needed you." She knew that she was getting nowhere with this and tried again.
"I guess I want you to know that-" Hikaru's lips stopped her voice. Both his hands held her face, his lips sweet with the taste of soda floating in her mouth. She felt the bubbles reaching her head, making her a little dizzy. Hikaru's hands moved so that his fingers were through her hair and around her waist. When he removed his lips, he said,
"You're important to me too. More than you'll ever know." And with that, he kissed her again, fogging up her memories.
Later...in the middle of the night.
Hikari felt a cool breeze against her cheek. She opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and shot up. She looked around the room, not remembering anything. As she moved, something smooth grazed against her body.
"A silk nightgown?" She whispered to herself, "How did I-" A sudden movement in her bed made her heart jump. She covered her mouth and tried not to scream, but calmed down when the silence began again in the room.
"Is that a person?" she asked aloud. She lifted the blankets and gasped. She saw Hikaru lying asleep next to her. His auburn hair spread out on the white pillow, his pale skin in the moonlight glow, his body giving off a lot of heat…and he was topless. Hikari thought about every swear word she ever heard of, her heart banged loudly against she chest.
He's too gorgeous for my eyes to see. Wait a minute, her heart slowed down, Why is Hikaru topless in my bed? Did we…no, we couldn't have. But…
Hikari tried to control her hands to move the covers back, but she was afraid of what she might see. Instead, only one question floated through her mind.
Did Hikaru and I…?