Chapter Eleven

Kyoya snapped his suitcase shut and looked over at Chikako who was starting to pack her fourth bag. He sighed and hoisted himself up onto the bed, fluidly. "How in the world do you have that many things to pack when you came to London with nothing?"

Chikako took a deep breath. She was in sweat pants and a brown flannel shirt, despite Kyoya's differing judgment that she should at least wear makeup to keep up appearances. He was almost no better than her mother. Almost. Chikako had comprised to change on the plane before they landed, but for the long flight home, she was determined to be comfortable after the most traumatizing experience of her life. She turned to her husband. "I only arrived with nothing because I had been kidnapped, you ignorant moron," she growled, her voice laced with acid. "Or had you forgotten?"

"I remember," Kyoya scoffed. "But, that doesn't even begin to defend your shopping binge."

With a loud growl, she stomped over to the dresser and unloaded her undergarments in an attempt to embarrass him, but it was no use. Kyoya was impervious to silly things like that, apparently. "What are you going to do with all those clothes when we return home?

She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "Wear them?" she retorted, hotly.

"I highly doubt that even you can wear all those clothes with your others still lingering in your closet. Where will you put them? A box? A swamp? Inside a black hole? Or would you prefer I buy you a planet?" Kyoya snapped, reluctantly helping his wife pack. He started on the drawer next to her where scarves were, subtly avoiding her current task.

"Oh calm down, darling," Chikako purred, mawkishly. She shoved him out of the way. "You're too rough with these. One hundred percent silk and satin garments are in here."

He moved to the vanity and started to shove her makeup cluttering the surface into a bag. "I'll need to pay more for all these extra carry-ons and checked bags."

"Oh, now, that I am sincerely sorry for," Chikako confessed. Every now and then, the ridiculous effort Kyoya put into their relationship surfaced enough for her to notice and she would soften at its recognition. "The shopping here was too good to pass up, that's all."

He rolled his eyes and finished packing up Chikako's last bag. She smiled. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Excellent. Our plane leaves in an hour," Kyoya murmured, snatching their tickets off the end table."

"What would you have done if I hadn't finished in time?" Chikako wondered aloud.

"We would have left whatever you hadn't packed. You don't really need any of this extra crap, do you?"

She bit back her materialistic answer, but was coming up short of a lie, so she stayed silent.

Outside their doorway, a bellhop waited with a baggage cart. After loading it up and setting out to the lobby, Chikako grasped onto Kyoya's hand. The hallway seemed more open and sinister than their room had been. No lock on a door protected her in this long strip of four walls and numerous doorways. Kyoya seemed to understand, although not pleasantly, as he gripped her hand, aversely, and lead her to the elevator. He was rushing to make their plane, so he missed the grateful smirk on Chikako's face.

At checkout, the young golden-eyed girl was standing in for old Mrs. Winslow. She stared at Chikako, as if the two were old enemies. Kyoya handed her their room keys, thoughtlessly when the bellhop cleared his throat across the foyer, obviously expecting a tip. Kyoya left his wife, grumbling about how rude and self-entitled these commoners could be.

The girl blinked, as if returning from some horrifying reverie. "Chi-Chi."

Chikako, startled, murmured, "What?"

The girl smirked almost cat like. "You're Jake's girlfriend. Well, not anymore, huh?"

"Who are you, again?" Chikako asked.

"Hannah," she answered, curtly. "I was Randy's girlfriend." Before Chikako could say anything vindictive, Hannah reiterated with great emphasis the word, "was".

Chikako shut her mouth. There was a pause as she glanced back at Kyoya across the room, still arguing about money with the bellhop. The host of the castle had come out of his office to mediate. She turned back to Hannah and leaned forward to whisper, "So…you know-?"

Hannah narrowed her eyes. "About the kidnapping? Yeah, actually, but it's not because I had anything to do with it, believe me. Randy was always kind of a arse but I only recently got the self-esteem to dump that-" She paused and cleared her throat. "Anyways, I see it didn't work since you're…" she trailed off, uncomfortably, looking toward Kyoya.

Chikako followed her gaze and whispered, "Married. Yeah."

There was a pause and Hannah looked back at her. "So, you love this new guy?"

Chikako smiled, tightly. "No offense, but that really isn't any of your business. I barely know you and besides, you're just the help."

Hannah blinked, her face going blank. "Right," she mumbled. "W-We'll send you the bill. H-Have a n-nice flight."

Chikako felt a sharp pang of regret, but too proud to apologize, she stuck up her nose, nodded, and walked back over to her husband. This snooty façade was her life now and she wasn't sure how she felt about it yet.

The feeling of regret seemed to sew her lips closed the entire drive to the airport. While waiting at their gate, Kyoya lazily draped his arms across the backs of the chairs, brushing the nape of Chikako's neck. She felt flinched, but remained silent. He pressed his lips together, studying her profile for a while, before finally asking her a question that, while lost in guilt, Chikako completely missed.

"Chi-chan."

She furrowed her brow and blinked out of her storming mind. "Do you think I'm a simple spoiled child or a dreadfully horrid human being?" she blurted out.

Kyoya raised his eyebrows in slight surprise, but didn't move from his position. There was a moment where they sat there, the question lingering in the air. Carefully, he wondered aloud, "Why do you ask?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Never mind," she murmured. "It's nothing."

Usually, that would have been the extent of her husband's curiosity, but he persisted, sitting up a bit. "Why do you ask, Chikako?" he repeated.

Licking her lips, she looked up at him. "I was very rude to that receptionist. I didn't use to be this terrible to people before returning to Japan. In fact, I used to be quite sweet. Not deliciously sweet, mind you, but enough to get by." She paused and looked down at her lap. "Why am I suddenly back to being as sour and cold-hearted as y-" She stopped and quickly continued, "-others as young and rich as we are."

Understanding full well what she truly meant to say, Kyoya noted, "I don't really believe we are sour, cold, and cruel."

"I never said cruel," she muttered. There was a knowing pause, so she added, "But I did imply it…"

Kyoya's gaze softened a bit. "We are not cruel or cold or sour because we are rich and elite. We are cruel, cold, and sour because we are human. We are also sweet because we are human. The rich have more opportunities to be cold, naturally, and the common may have more opportunities to be kind, but that does not mean that either group of people lacks the capacity to attain either attribution." He pressed his lips together in thought. "If it helps your inner battle with yourself-"

"Oh come off it, I'm not battling myself or any such nonsense, I'm just…thinking, is all."

"-if it helps," Kyoya continued. "I think you are more often sweet than you intend to be." He wrinkled up his nose. "And you know how I feel about sweet things."

She smirked in spite of herself. "Thank you."

He sat back again and shrugged. "It wasn't much of a compliment, but," he smiled at her, "you're welcome."

"Attention passengers, gate E13 is now boarding. Attention, gate E13 is now boarding," a voice overhead announced.

Kyoya sat up again, bending over to collect their things. Chikako rubbed her eyes and stood up with him. "Did you sleep well last night?" she asked, casually.

"Not particularly," he murmured, shuffling between people to get to the checkpoint.

"Why don't you nap on the plane, then?"

"Because planes, even first class, are uncomfortable. I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep since I left Japan." They were ushered to the front of the line as first class boarded. They flashed their passports and were directed toward the shuttle. "My bed at home is a special memory foam that was constructed by several renown chiropractors to provide maximum support and comfort. Needless to say, these hotel beds are nothing close to such a mattress."

Chikako took a quick breath before smiling, softly, and saying, "I can't wait to try it out."

Kyoya faltered a bit, yet quickly revived his gait. "Right." On the short ride to the plane, they stood in silence. It wasn't until they were finally seated that Kyoya asked, "Where would you like to stay until our home is constructed?"

Chikako raised her eyebrows. "We have a home being constructed?"

"Not yet. You're the architect, correct?"

She let out a short, surprised laugh. "I-I guess so."

He smirked. "Although, we'll have to discuss style in a more formal manner because, while you're Versailles-styled mansion is quaint-"

She scoffed. "Quaint?"

"-it isn't exactly a modern abode."

She sighed and sat back in her seat. "But don't you like the whimsical, historical feel to my mansion-?"

"No, not particularly," he interrupted.

"You're an absolute ass," she snapped, turning away from him toward the window.

The seatbelt light above them flashed, but Chikako ignored it. Kyoya reached over to do it for her when he saw a stewardess on her way down the aisle. Chikako glared and slapped his hand away. "I am fully capable of buckling my own seatbelt, thank you very much." After clicking it across her abdomen, she continued, "I adore a house that seems to bring back so much history, so much poetry…"

"Then we can have a summer home with all those qualities," Kyoya compromised, "but could we please just go with a simplistic approach for our primary residence?"

It was then that it occurred to Chikako that Kyoya wanted to model their new home, at least the interior, after his own business-like house. He wanted to feel comfortable at their new home and, after all he had down for her, she pondered whether she would let him win this one battle. "I'll think about it," she murmured, even though she had mentally conceded for the simple design.

Kyoya sighed. "Thank you." There was a pause as the flight attendant announced that they would be taking off in a short while. The safety video began to screen on the massive TVs as Chikako dug through her bag for a book.

"Just wait until we're in the air," Kyoya muttered.

"No," she snapped back. "I'm bored."

"You grow bored very easily."

"It's because I have a restless mind. I must be stimulated as often as possible. It's the sign of a genius, you know, but that isn't much of a surprise."

"Of course not."

Chikako narrowed her eyes. "I sense sarcasm in your voice, Mr. Ootori."

"And I sense arrogance in yours, Mrs. Ootori."

Trying not to blush, Chikako retorted, "That's Mrs. Ootori-Akiyoshi."

Kyoya sat back in his seat, putting his arms behind his head as the plane began to rumble beneath them. "Ah yes, the hyphen always eludes me."

She pressed her lips together in a long frown and flipped open her book to her marker. "Like I said," she grumbled. "Absolute ass."

"Would you please stop insulting me every chance you get?"

"Now that's nonsense," Chikako purred. She leaned her face toward him and kissed his cheek. "I pass up plenty of prime-insulting-moments to spare your pride."

He took a deep breath and inclined his head toward the aisle as the plane leveled out. The seatbelt sign shut off and Kyoya's ears started to pop. He dug through his pocket and pulled out a pack of gum. He drew out two sticks and offered one to his wife. She accepted and they chewed in peace.

"Kyoya."

"Hm?"

"I… Remember when I…kissed you? In the car after the visit to the Huffingtons?"

Kyoya glanced over at Chikako out of the corner of his eye. "Yes."

Chikako searched his face for something to change as she spoke. "What did…I mean, did you…feel anything?"

He raised his eyebrows.

She glared. "And don't say something cute like you felt me kissing you or I swear I will knock you out right here and now on this flight."

Kyoya cracked a small smile at that and his eyes flitted from Chikako to his hands and back. "Why do you ask?"

Sitting back in her seat, she sighed and said, "Because…I did."

"You did…what?"

"I felt something, you idiot. I…" She swallowed. "I liked it."

There was a short pause and Chikako never remembered her heart beating this fast with Jake or her hands shaking so subtly when she sat next to him. With Jake, it was as if she could never be close enough, but with Kyoya, she felt energized just by sitting a few inches away from him. So, when they had kissed like that, it was like lightning. She had been on pins and needles ever since, just begging for the thunder.

Kyoya turned toward her and leaned in, smirking like he was keeping a secret from her. "Really?" he breathed. "You liked kissing an ass?"

She tried her best to suppress a smile by pressing her lips together, but failed. She put her hand to her mouth to hide her amusement and carefully replied, "Well, you weren't acting as rude then as you are now, so…"

He chuckled and leaned forward to retrieve his laptop from beneath his seat. "Of course I wasn't," he answered, vaguely.

Suddenly, Chikako blurted out, "Thank you, by the way."

He continued setting up his computer. "For what?"

"For…coming to get me yourself. For whisking me away from all that horror and giving me some time to rest. Primarily, for putting up with my idiosyncrasies. You really have been a good sport and I don't think I have given you much credit."

He glanced over at her. "Don't take this the wrong way, although I'm sure you will, but that kidnapping must have done your ego some good. You've been more grateful to me in the last few days than you have in the last year and a half."

She sighed and looked out her window at the passing clouds. She couldn't even see the ground anymore, and she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to anytime soon. "It was just…humbling," she murmured, but mentally, she added, It isn't every day that you find out you were deeply in love with someone who was set on hurting you.

He had broken her heart in the worst way possible—he had made her fall out of love. She had clung so desperately to who he was and what he stood for and yet, he had betray that memory. A life with Kyoya had once felt like a reluctant choice. It was actually starting to sound tempting, now, and that was what angered her. Jake had once promised her a forever and now she didn't even want another minute with him.

Kyoya looked down the aisle and then back at his wife. He leaned toward her and whispered, "Chikako. Are you okay?"

She tore her eyes away from the vast blue out her window and turned to face the swirling ocean of chocolate brown that was staring into her soul. She took a deep breath and lowered her shield a bit, long enough to murmur, "No."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm trying my best to work on the next one; it's just a very busy summer. I'm going to college in the fall and I'm really excited! If I have any readers in college that have wisdom they would like to share PLEASE PM me! :D Also, remember to review this chapter (let me know what you think of the story, writing, character portrayal, etc.) and stay tuned!

~Kit Koko