Chapter 18

Kyoya's POV

I woke up to an aching pain in my back. I stretched to ease the muscles, but froze when I opened my eyes to see the unfamiliar surroundings around me. How did I wind up here? I thought to myself. There were children rushing around with their mothers, couples holding hands and elderly people observing the antiques. It was a very busy place.

I was sleeping comfortably in my own bed just a few minutes ago. No, wait. Tamaki was carrying on about some sort of exhibit. He had his heart set on all of us going, I think. I thought back to this morning where I was rudely woken up by Tamaki, the twins, Hunny and Mori. They were going on about the last day of summer, but I simply told them I wasn't interested. They must have dragged me here when I was still asleep.

Oh, right. That's how. Looks like I'm at the Izumi shopping center, which isn't exactly within walking distance of home. Guess I'll call to have a car sent out. I checked my jean pocket, but my phone nor wallet was in there. I checked every pocket, but I couldn't find either of them. I could only think that the idiots didn't bother with my phone and wallet, or I had been mugged. It was most likely the first of the two.

A small boy then ran into my leg and whimpered a bit before saying "Oh wow, sorry." I looked down at the boy and he ran away crying, "Mama!"

I clenched my fist and ground my teeth together. "Tamaki is a dead man when I get my hands on him."

Just then I heard a familiar voice behind me asking, "Kyōya-senpai?"

I turned to the voice and saw Haruhi and Maria looking at me confused. Haruhi continued with, "I didn't expect to see you here today."

I pondered my thoughts before saying, "How much money do you have on you?"

They both looked at each other and asked, "What?"

I calmly explained my situation and then added, "Since I haven't eaten, I would be grateful if we could get something to eat."

Maria smiled her gentle smile and said, "Well, I have no problem with that. I'm a bit hungry myself and I think it's about lunchtime anyway."

Haruhi shrugged "I guess, so where do you wanna eat Kyoya?"

I looked at the amount of money they had and saw a fast food place nearby ."We'll go there." I started walking and both the girls quickly followed behind.

Maria's POV

I couldn't believe that we found Kyoya at the mall. Since it was the last day of summer vacation we stopped working at Mizuzu's place and were doing some shopping to check out the new stuff at the products expo.

We arrived at the fast food place as Haruhi asked, "Kyoya senpai, are you sure this is where you want to eat? There are much nicer restaurants to choose from upstairs."

Kyoya shrugged. "Well, you don't have much on you, so our choices are limited. Just be sure to get a receipt. Tamaki will reimburse you ten fold."

We queued up and Kyoya didn't even say anything. He was probably hungry and tired.

Haruhi whispered to me, "How did this happen? All I wanted was a little peek at the products expo. Why did we have to run into Kyōya-senpai? And why did he have to be in such a foul mood?"

Before I could even reply we heard Kyoya say, "Hey, I think it's our turn. How do I order?"

I walked up next to him and looked at him. "Here, why don't I order for us? Do you know what you want?"

I thought I saw a little blush on his face as he turned away. "You, pick. Just get us a lot of it."

I shrugged it off and turned to Haruhi. "You want your usual, don't you?"

She nodded and I turned to the clerk and said, "Okay, that and that one and that one, with fries too, please."

I could see that the clerk was looking at Kyoya as she smiled "Okay, coming right up. Would you be interested in adding one of delicious desserts?"

Kyoya replied, bored, "Thank you. No, I don't care for sweets."

I could see the gleam in her eyes, which strangely made me feel a bit angry. But I didn't know why when she added, "Before you decide, we have a new shake that's absolutely-"

Kyoya then turned to her, obviously pissed off and said, "I have given you my answer."

The girl was squealing in happiness while a shaking Haruhi said, "Please be sure to include our receipt."

As soon as we sat down Haruhi scolded, "Kyōya-senpai, just because you're in a bad mood today doesn't give you the right to go around talking to people like that. The poor girl was just doing her job."

Kyoya unwrapped his burger and stated, "Her job is to serve us a food, not to irritate me with some weak sales pitch."

He took a big bite of his burger and looked content that he was eating. I couldn't help but stare at his profile, and he seemed to notice when he said to me, "Now what?"

I quickly shook my head. "Nothing. I just don't think I've ever actually seen you eat before. Somehow I thought your experience would be more refined. I'm surprised food like these even appeals to you."

Kyoya shook his head. "It doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. No doubt you'll say I'm callous for admitting it, since you bought this tripe."

I sheepishly laughed. "Of course, I won't." I will think it, though.

Kyoya stated between eating, "There is an understanding between makers of food like this and those that eat it. Quality takes a back seat to convenience. Refinement isn't part of the equation. It's meant to be eaten quickly. Besides no one of consequence is here to witness my momentarily lapse of manners."

Haruhi then whispered to me, "He must be taking a break from the whole nice guy act today. I guess even rich people have to let their hair down every once in a while."

Kyoya then looked at us in the eyes after finishing his burger. "Hey, for the record, I'm saying it benefits me nothing to keep up appearances in a place like this. And that includes any special treatment I may give you here."

I rolled my eyes and replied sarcastically "Oh, really? I never would've guessed that in a million years."

Kyoya scowled at me and I poked out my tongue back. Just then a girl came up to us and asked, "Um, excuse me. I'm so sorry to interrupt. I was wondering if you're not using this chair, can my friends and I borrow it?"

Kyoya leaned back on his chair casually and said, "Why not?"

Her and her friends squealed, "Thank you so much. That's awesome."

Kyoya sighed. "You're quite welcome."

I stared at him again and thought to myself, I've never seen this side of Kyōya-senpai before. Is he always this indifferent if there's nothing for him to gain? Tamaki-senpai couldn't act this way if his life depended on it. How do they compliment each other so well?

Kyoya turned back to me and Haruhi. "You're probably wondering how Tamaki and I compliment each other so well?"

Haruhi and I both jumped, since we seemed to be thinking the same thing as Haruhi whispered, "Oh great. Now he's inside my head. What is he, telepathic or something?"

Kyoya smirked. "The answer is simple. I have something to gain. There is no better motivator than self-interest. I have to look out for number one, you know."

Haruhi looked sad at this answer. "Tamaki-senpai would be heartbroken, if he heard you say that."

Awwww she does care...

Kyoya replied, "On the contrary. He's understood our arrangement from the very beginning. The same goes for all of them. Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai; the glue that holds the host club together is our mutual egocentricity.

"It's the principle that drives the alliance between our families and ensures each of our futures. Though, well, let's just say there's still quite a bit you don't understand about that. Although Tamaki is a fool and self sacrifice does come naturally to him. So I guess the point of this is we are very different creatures."

I looked at Kyoya again and couldn't help but blush at his handsome profile. He wasn't wearing a fancy suit, just a shirt and jeans. His usually neat hair was a bit messy but it didn't look out of place...He looks so sexy...I quickly stood up and said, "Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to the restroom." With that, I ran to the toilet as fast as I could to hide my blush.

Haruhi's POV

Kyoya and I watched as Maria left, but Kyoya's stare seemed to focus on nothing but her. Even though he showed no emotion on his face I could tell something was up...I had to ask him as it had been on my mind for a while now. "Hey Kyōya-senpai, can I ask you something?"

He turned to me with his bored expression and asked, "What is it?"

I asked, "I just wanted to know; do you have a crush on Maria?"

Then for the first time there was an emotion on his face that I thought I would never see; shock. His eyes widened and I could make out the faintest of blushes on his cheeks. He looked away from me and tried to keep cool. "What makes you ask that?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, you always seem happier when she's around. You treat her the nicest out of all of us and it just seems that way."

Kyoya sighed and looked at me again. "I was hoping no one would find out. I have a profile to keep up, you know."

I asked, "So you do like her then? Why not just tell her how you feel?"

He shook his head. "My personality is the cool type. How can I keep that up if I make a fool out of myself. We will lose customers."

I scowled and stated, "But you shouldn't be thinking about the profit of the club; you have a life and you should live it how you please."

Kyoya remained silent, like he was thinking about something before saying, "You won't say anything, right? Remember, I have a lot of information about you in my book..."

I quickly said, "Okay, I won't say anything! Jeez!"

He chuckled as we continued eating our food.

Maria's POV

I washed my hands and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I can't believe I thought that...what was I thinking?! He's so cold, scary, kind, handsome, considerate...No, Maria, stop! You are not in love with him!

I shook my head, to clear my thoughts and walked back to Kyoya and Haruhi who had just finished eating. I smiled and asked, "Ready to go now?"

They nodded and we left the restaurant, but even though Kyoya told us he was going to get a cab home, he started following us around. Haruhi sighed. "Senpai, I thought you were gonna take a taxi home."

Kyoya shoved his hands in his pockets casually and said, "I am, but I might as well have a look around first."

He then stopped at looked at some earrings on display nearby. "Black pearls from Ishigaki Island. Odd to find them here, considering how much they go for."

I looked at him amazed. "You're kidding. Really that's incredible. How can you tell, Senpai?"

Kyoya looked back at me with a proud smile, "I am the product of excellent breeding."

I rolled my eyes. "Breeding, huh?"

Haruhi then whispered to me, "Well, that would account for the wall of ice he's putting up between us."

Haruhi then began walking away and I asked, "What are you doing?"

She turned to me and smiled. "I need to get some shopping done, since you finished, why don't you show Kyoya around?"

I pleaded, "No, don't leave me!" She merely chuckled and disappeared into the crowd. I'll get you for that Haruhi...

I then quickly followed Kyoya as he had started walking ahead and asked, to try and break the ice, "So, Kyōya-senpai, why is it after all this time I still know next to nothing about your family?"

He shrugged. "Because there's really nothing for you to know about my family, at least nothing that should be of interest to you."

I scowled at him. "Well, that seems to be a little bit unfair, don't you think?"

He glared at me from the side. "Just what do you mean, "unfair"?"

I raised my voice a little, agitated by his ignoranc.e "I mean, when it comes to my personal life, you even keep tabs on who my best friend's father's friends from work are. I barely have a clue about yours. So, I call that unfair."

However, he didn't seem unfazed by my tone and said, "That's a very intriguing notion, in its own way."

I sighed. "You've got two older brothers, right? For starters, you could tell me something about them. What kind of people are they?"

Kyoya then went into a deep thought, as if he was reminded of something and recalled the memory. He then smiled, but in a forced manner. "They are rather exceptional, enough so that my father puts a lot of stock in them. Though, as the third son, things work out a little differently for me."

I frowned at his words. "I didn't realize there's so much pressure on you to succeed."

He then turned to me, as if I said something stupid. "Pressure? Oh no, Maria. I can't think of nothing more fun than this."

Just then we heard a woman from a nearby stool say, "Dear me! Pieces from the Komatsu Shoin collection? I never thought that I would find them here."

The man smiled politely. "Why madam, you have an astonishing eye."

I looked at Kyoya, who was glaring at the man. "Um, Senpai?"

Before I could ask anymore he began walking over to them. The man added to the woman, "You know, they have such exquisite color, don't they? To tell you the truth, I'm not really even supposed to have these out on display. The bulk of the Komatu collection has been privately held for ages. Pieces rarely come out for sale."

Kyoya then casually walked up to him and said, "With all due respect, these are fake."

They both looked at him in shock and the man shouted, "Hey! Get out of here, kid! What do you think you're doing?!"

Kyoya picked up one of the pots and examined it carefully. "The shade of blue is strongly reminiscent of Shoin's work, but looking closely around the base, you'll notice the color graduation isn't quite dark enough to be authentic. That and the lacquer is too clear."

The man obviously began to sweat and threatened, "That's enough of you, Mr. Expert. I'll report you for obstructing my business."

Kyoya merely ignored him and continued, "Just as I thought. The brush strokes on this seal are uncharacteristically broad as well. For your sake, I hope you have a certificate. That is if you still insist it's real."

The man stuttered nervously, "O-of course, it's real. I have the certificate at home."

Kyoya smirked confidently. "Ah, then surely you won't mind if I call the Komatsu family right now to verify your claim. My own family has had dealings with them for generations. It would only be a matter of minutes."

The man obviously saw that he lost the battle and two officers took him away. "Wait, you can't do this. This is an outrage. I've been here for years. I'll report you to the authorities."

I held my chest while I watched the man being pulled away. Oh my God, my heart is beating so fast. Kyoya was so...so...cool. But why is my heart beating so fast?

Kyoya came back to me and I smiled. "Wow Kyōya, I am very impressed. I didn't think you would help a total stranger."

Kyoya looked a bit shocked. "Oh that? Well now she is hardly a stranger. Her husband is the CEO of a major electronics company. This is my first time to meet her personally, but that ring on her left hand is unmistakable. My family has dealings with her husband's company."

I stood in shock as the woman came over to Kyōya. "Ah, one of the Otori boys. Imagine running into you here incognito. The next opportunity I have I'll be sure to take advantage of one of your family's beautiful health resorts."

Kyoya bowed slightly. "We'd be honored."

I rolled my eyes. Big surprise. Kyōya-senpai is Kyōya-senpai, after all. No, hang on a second. That woman's ring. There is no way he could've...

Before I could finish my thought I heard Kyoya shout, "Hey, Maria, did you know this?"

I walked over to him. "Did I know what?"

He held up a bag of watermelon flavored snacks and asked, "Is melon the preferred flavor among snack makers? It doesn't make sense. If the primary ingredient is corn, why go to the trouble artificially making it taste like fruit? Seems counter intuitive."

I laughed at him and mimicked, "That's an intriguing notion, in its own way."

Kyoya raised his eyebrow. "Oh, was I being funny?"

I chuckled. "Earlier you were going on and on about how you and Tamaki senpai are nothing alike, but what you just said about the candy, it sounds exactly like him."

Kyoya smiled. "You thinks so? This does seem like something he and the twins would fawn over. Very well, I'll buy them. Maria, your wallet."

I sighed. "Oh yeah, I forget. Just be sure to save me a receipt."

He bought his snack and as we were walking by some clothes, I stopped at a dress in the shop window. It was a dark blue dress with a love heart cut on the top. Strapless and although it didn't sparkle, it had a certain elegance to it.

As I stared at it Kyoya asked from behind me, "You like it?"

I quickly turned around. "Yeah, it's quite pretty. But I can't afford it. Lets go."

I walked away from the dress and we sat down back where Haruhi and I saw him. Haruhi also came back from her shopping. "Hey, did you guys do anything?"

I shrugged. "Kyoya stopped a man from conning a woma. I bought him a watermelon snack. That's about it."

Haruhi sat down next to me and asked Kyoya randomly, "Hey, Senpai. Why do you think that Tamaki senpai is always so eager to help people when they're in need?"

Kyoya shrugged, "You mean, when there's nothing to be gained from it? Who knows…"

I leaned against the wall. "So, then when you help someone, how exactly do you benefit from it? Money or reputation? Or is it more abstract? Because the way I see it, Tamaki-senpai gets something out of helping others and doesn't necessarily involve their paying him back. So maybe when you get right down to it, the two of you aren't all that different."

Just then we heard a woman speak on the speakers, "Attention, shoppers. This is an announcement for a lost child. Attention, shoppers. This is an announcement for a lost child. A little boy named Kyoya Otori is lost inside the store. Repeat. Kyoya Otori is lost. His guardian, Suou, is waiting for him at the 2nd floor information counter. Kyoya is 5 feet 11 inches tall, with black-hair and wearing prescription glasses."

Oh my God this is priceless!

"Is that him?"

"Matches the description."

"He's a little big to be lost, don't you think?"

"Hey mister, is there something wrong with you?"

Kyoya clenched his fist and yelled, "That damn idiot. I'll kill him!"

Haruhi and I yelped in fear and ran with him to the information counter.

We saw all of the guys there waiting for him and Tamaki squealed, "Kyoya, there you are! We were so worried. Why is Haruhi with you?"

Hunny smiled, "Oh boy, Oh boy, Haru-chan and Mari-chan have come to play with us."

The twins jumped in glee, "Hooray! Play! Play! Play! Play!"

Haruhi sighed. "I'm sorry, guys, but I'm exhausted. It has been a very long day for me."

I nodded "Me too, I'm going home to hibernate for the rest of the year."

Just then, a beautiful golden dog jumped onto Tamaki and started licking his face. "Stop it! Quit licking me! That tickles!"

Tamaki laughed in excitement and Kyoya sighed, "What's with the dog?"

Tamaki smiled. "Isn't she beautiful? I got her at this amazing place they call a pet shop. Hey, cut it out, Antoinette!"

He continued playing with the dog and Kyoya rubbed his temples. "How exactly am I like this moron?"

Haruhi and I were walking off as I stopped to him. "I know you want me to believe your only reasons for helping that woman earlier were selfish ones. But that isn't actually the truth. Because from where we were standing, there's no way you could have seen her ring. There was a flag blocking our view. It just doesn't make sense. You go to all that trouble acting like you're such a big jerk when being a nice guy comes so naturally to you. It seems counter intuitive."

Haruhi and I walked to the bus stop and got onto the bus to take us home. Haruhi whispered to me, "So did you and Kyoya have fun?"

I glared at her. "You left me all alone with Mr. Grumpy pants! Why?!"

She chuckled. "Because it was obvious you wanted to be alone with him. I'm not being the third wheel."

I looked at her and turned away, blushing. "I, no I didn't." We arrived at her stop and she got off smirking at me. I rolled my eyes and finally arrived home. I walked into my cozy home and mum was sitting in her usual chair

"Hello, dear. How was the mall?"

I smiled. "It was okay. The guys turned up there."

Mum smiled. "Was that handsome Kyoya there too?"

I gasped, "Mum! Don't say stuff like that!"

She laughed. "Well, am I wrong? Also you seem to be glowing today. Did something happen?"

I blushed even more. "N-no! Well, maybe. Oh, I don't know!"

I slumped down into the chair and sighed. "Whenever I see Kyoya, my heart races. I can't breath, I smile at the mere thought of him."

My mum smiled even bigger, showing all her teeth. "Oh this is wonderful! Honey, you're in love!"

I shouted, "What?! I can't be in love with him! There's no way! We live in completely different worlds."

Mum shook her head. "You can't deny it. You'll figure it out. Now come on, school starts tomorrow."

I sighed and bathed myself, then mum, got her dressed and tucked her into bed. I went to my room and lay in my bed.

Is she right? Am I in love with him? The more I think about it, the more she's right. I am in love with Kyoya Otori...

A/N: Oooooooooo she's in love! But will they confess? Anyway thanks to Becca for Beta-reading this and thank you my lovely reviewers. Please R&R!