Chapter Fourteen

The ball was gorgeous and flashy, but nothing was as shocking as Haruhi's entrance. It occurred to Chikako that she had never seen her best friend in a dress. Their shopping trip hadn't gone as she had hoped when Haruhi had refused to try on any of Chikako's choices. Seeing her in this dress, she wondered who had stuffed her into it. She glanced around and found the twins grinning—of course. Chikako smiled, furrowed her brows, and shook her head.

The room was aghast at Haruhi's entrance, but what surprised Chikako was the manic whispers of, "I knew it!" She turned to a girl, casually, and murmured, "Um, knew what? That Haruhi's…a female?"

The girl giggled and turned to face her. "No, no, well, Haruhi could be if he wanted to—he's cute enough to be! No, we all knew that he was a cross-dresser. That he was…he is…he wants to be…Oh dear, how do I say this?"

Chikako sighed with an exhausted smile. "No, don't worry, I understand."

She watched as Haruhi entered the room, slowly and carefully taking her steps. She glanced over at Chikako and they smirked at each other, both looking nervous, but thinking they weren't as nervous as the other. Chikako slowly dragged her gaze from her best friend to the other end of the room where Tamaki stood, jaw on the floor as he stared at Haruhi. Chikako rubbed the fabric of her own dress between her thumb and forefinger, anxiously, anticipating something, anything, though what, she didn't know.

There was a silence in the hall. Then, Haruhi started to slowly make her way over to him. Chikako grinned as the music started up and the hosts sought out eager dance partners, everyone leaving Tamaki and Haruhi to dance alone. The girls who had started a secret Tamaki-Haruhi Fan Club months before exploded with joy. Chikako started to walk away from the floor, but a hand grasped hers and spun her into a waltz.

Kyoya smiled down at her with ease. "How does it feel to see your match-making skills at work?"

Chikako smiled and swayed to the music with him. "Lovely. It feels just lovely!" She sighed, dramatically. "It is as if they were babies just yesterday and now look at them! Dancing and smiling and loving each other all on their own without any more of our meddling!"

Kyoya chuckled. "Truly a miracle," he murmured before twirling her around again.

She laughed when he pulled her back to his chest. "Somebody's in good spirits tonight."

"Of course! I just learned something very exciting!"

She grinned and tilted her head, coquettishly. "Oh? What?"

"I'm going to America next year."

Chikako blinked a few times, startled by the delivery of this news, as if she was a mere friend he was telling this to instead of a crucial part of his life. However, she tried her best to smile. "O-Oh. When?"

"The Host Club heard that Haruhi is planning on studying abroad and, after tonight, I suspect she and Tamaki will be traveling together, so naturally, the club signed up for the program as well. I need to go because there are several potential clients there that I could advocate to and perhaps—"

He broke off when Chikako let go of him and backed out of the dance. The two were frozen as dancers surrounded them, flouncing about, oblivious to their existence. A few feet now separated the couple and Chikako wasn't looking at him. "You have to go?" she echoed, distantly. She looked to her side, staring out the vast windows into the dark, glittering sky. "I see."

Kyoya stood in silence before murmuring, "Is that…a problem?"

Chikako felt two forces pulling at her heart from different directions. One side screamed for her to yell at him and assert herself. She was strong, she was outspoken, and she would not go unheard! However, a new side of herself was scared to speak. This side was warm and frail, almost like it was in love, and it tugged harder and won.

She rolled her eyes, weakly, blinking back strange tears, and let out a choked scoff. "What do you mean, 'Is that a problem'?" she jeered. She stared at him, sternly. "Are you honestly planning to go to America alone?"

Kyoya blinked. "Why don't we talk about this somewhere private?"

Chikako raised her eyebrows and glanced over to her best friend, who was now out on the balcony, grinning with love for Tamaki. She sighed. "Sure, I guess, but won't your guests be disappointed to see one of their hosts leaving?"

He looked around, saying, "We don't have to go far, just…" He took her hand and led her out of the ballroom and into a darkened classroom. She could still hear the faint tunes of the ball in the next room, but the wind creaking along the windowpanes echoed masked the soft din.

Chikako pressed her lips together. "Why didn't you talk to me about this?"

"I didn't think I had to," Kyoya admitted.

She wrung her hands, angrily. "You didn't think that I might want to go to America, too?"

There was a long pause before Kyoya let out a sigh and asked, "Okay, do you?"

She looked at him, hurt. "Of course I do. I've been talking to you about it for months. Haruhi's been planning to study there and I wanted to as well and I…I told you that." She took a hasty breath. "I'm going with you."

He shook his head. "No. I need you here in Japan to hold down the business while I'm away."

She scoffed, loudly. "Oh, really? Well, why don't I go to America and you stay here? Why isn't that a valid option?"

"Because they are expecting the man of the business, Chikako. You simply will not help anything by offering your presence," he snapped at her.

She looked up at him desperately with her mouth ajar in shock. "But I-" She cut off, feeling stupidly vulnerable. "I just thought that you would…I don't know, want me there."

Kyoya pressed his lips together and slid his hands into his jacket pockets. "Well, of course I would want you there, Chikako, but it just simply isn't economical for us both to leave the country while our company is just starting to take off."

She nodded and looked out the classroom windows, distractedly. "Yeah," she murmured. "I suppose that's true."

He chuckled. "Come on, now, where's that annoyingly passionate spirit that fights me on everything from the color of my tie to the color of our house?"

She glanced over at him with an ironic smirk. "Oh, she's still here and she's pissed." She paused. "I'm not sure why she isn't throwing a tantrum right now, but she wants to—I really really really want to be yelling and screaming at you, but for some reason…I'm just…standing here." It was true. She could feel her nerves tingling with anticipation, but her breathing was normal, her heart was calm, and her eyes were fixed on her husband. She couldn't identify what this feeling was or who this disappointed, scared, and confused version of herself was. She was both fascinated and disgusted by her.

She bit her lip. "I'm sorry, but you just caught me so off guard in the ballroom. Let's go back and enjoy that lovely event you worked so hard to put together," she added with a slight smile. "When we walk into the ballroom, we could pretend we had a row and I could yell at you in front of everyone, so more girl will want to-"

He took her hand. "No, stop that, it's ridiculous and I do not want anymore attention from those girls."

Chikako smiled, warmly. "You know, if you were really romantic, you would say, 'I only want attention from one girl—you, Chikako, you beautiful, strong, vivacious woman, you.'"

Kyoya raised his brows and scrunched up his nose. "Yes, well, seeing as how I am not romantic, I'm going to simply ask if you would like the next dance."

Chikako sighed. "Well I am romantic. How are we ever going to deal with these cataclysmic differences, dear?"

He rolled his eyes. "I have no clue and I don't really care right now. Now, could we please-?"

Chikako groaned, interrupting him, pulled him toward her by his tie, and kissed him. He grabbed her hips to regain his balance but didn't pull away. When she eased up with her hold on his tie, they hovered over each other's lips before he opened his eyes and asked, "Are you drunk?"

She let go of him. "No, you idiot, I'm trying to make this relationship romantic!" She scoffed and stepped back. "Honestly, what do these insipidly obsessed girls see in you that makes them come to the club every single day and write fan fictions about you and Photoshop themselves into pictures with you and-?"

Kyoya narrowed his eyes. "They what?" he deadpanned.

She waved him off. "Oh, as if you didn't know."

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, growling, "No, I did not know and I wish that I still was in the dark about it." He groaned again at the thought.

Suddenly, Kaoru poked his head into the classroom. "Hey, Kyoya? You need to get back into the ballroom. Now that Tamaki's been taken for the night," he paused and grinned at the thought, before continuing, "Your girls are starting to get antsy."

Chikako crossed her arms over her chest, jutted out one leg, dauntingly, and raised an eyebrow. "Your girls?" she teased.

Kyoya glared at her. "Don't you start with me, Chikako."

She chuckled and followed the two boys back to the ballroom.

Kaoru pulled her back before Kyoya opened the large doors, which caused many girls in his fan club to squeal with excitement. Chikako stumbled as Kaoru pulled her away from the entrance. "Hey, are you okay?" he whispered.

She looked at him with new eyes. "I…I'm fine," she answered, giving him a faltering grin.

He nodded toward the ball. "You and Kyoya didn't exactly look happy when you were dancing."

She looked down at her hands that were playing with the fabric of her dress again. "He's going to America."

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, the whole club is going. Why, you don't want to go to America?" She gazed up at him, desperately, and it clicked. He blinked. "Kyoya didn't…tell you?" She shook her head. He paused and then sighed. "He didn't invite you, did he."

She took a quick, angry breath. "I don't need an invitation, obviously. If I want to go to America, I'm going to go to fucking America-!"

"Chikako!" Kaoru exclaimed, pleasantly surprised by her use of swears.

She scoffed. "Oh, grow up. I'm angry—curse words are a given."

He shrugged. "I'll grant you that. Continue."

She pressed her lips together, nervously. "I don't know, I just…I would have liked an invitation, okay?"

He smiled at her. "Why don't you just tell him that? Kyoya-sempai can be a little oblivious, sometimes. Hard to believe with his attention to details, but for some reason, with you, he's lost. It's hilarious, but sometimes, it is frustrating."

She laughed. "You're telling me."

"So…?"

She rolled her eyes. "I shouldn't have to tell him, Kaoru! That's the whole point of this!"

"No, you shouldn't have to, but you're going to have to because your husband is an idiot."

"You don't think I know that?" she chuckled, condescendingly. "But no, I will not stoop that low." And with that, she tossed her hair a bit dramatically and strutted into the room, leaving Kaoru sighing and murmuring to himself about how hopeless these two were.

A/N: As always, let me know what you think of the chapter and where the story is going :) College is still difficult: socially, academically, personally, the whole shebang. I'm not doing as well as I had hoped, but I'm trying. Writing helps tremendously, so thank you so much for reading 3

~Kit Koko