A/N: This was to be the last chapter for In Your Arms but I just had to separate the two events going on. Hopefully, you guys enjoy this chapter. Sorry it was late arriving but this past week has seen me and my two kids sick with the flu. :( Boo to the flu, I say!
Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club.
The week trudged by slowly for Rizu. After getting back from Las Vegas and the encounter with the Ootori patriarch and the man she was supposed to marry, she longed to be able to send some alone time with Kyoya. But between school and Tamaki hording him for some "Host Club" event, she only saw him during class. One afternoon, she kept staring at him from the corner of her eye and not focusing on the teacher when she was called to answer a question.
"Ms. Suou, could you please tell us the answer to the math problem I just stated?" The slender middle-aged woman called out, snapping Rizu back into reality. Blushing, she stood up and informed the teacher that she wasn't paying attention. Hearing a soft laughter from the classmates around her, the teacher frowned and asked for someone else to answer. Kyoya stood up and recited the correct answer. Rizu shyly turned her face to see a slight smirk on his. She sunk down into her chair and tried to hide in her textbook. Moments later, a small scrap of paper made it to her desk. Opening it up, she groaned when she read it: Maybe next time, you'd be better off to listen to the teacher and not look at me. ~K.
Once class was over, Tamaki managed to whisk Kyoya away again but not before distracting Rizu so Kyoya could take her wedding ring. Bummed out, she headed towards the Music Room. The twins were standing guard at the door.
"Look who's here, Kaoru!" Hikaru remarked. Kaoru looked at her cautiously, he was given strict orders to keep her away from the room until that Saturday. And he was under orders by Kyoya not to think of any romantic thoughts about Rizu. Rizu smiled at them as she got closer. The boys used the gaudy spears Tamaki made of commoner's art supplies to barricade the door.
"Sorry. We can't let you go in today." Kaoru stated officially.
"Well... What am I supposed to do this afternoon? The room is off-limits, the Hosts are all busy with who knows what, and Tamaki has kidnapped Kyoya." She groaned. Behind her, she heard a throat clearing. She turned to see her father standing there. Great... I'm in for a lecture now, she thought.
"Rizu-san, I think we should spend the afternoon together. I've reserved a place at a restaurant as suggested by these young men." Her father placed his hand on her shoulder. She sighed as she waved good-bye to Hikaru and Kaoru. It took them only a hour to get to the restaurant and Rizu could instantly see why it was suggested. She mentally made a note to hit them when she got back when the showgirl waitress offered them to their table at the Las Vegas-themed restaurant. Once their order was placed, her father started with some small talk about how school was and asking about her friends.
"I received a phone call a few days ago from Mr. Ootori regarding the marriage plans we had arranged. I heard the most crazy reasoning for him calling it off." Her father remarked, sipping from his glass.
"Hmm, and what reason did he give?" Rizu nervously asked. She didn't know how much her father knew but she did know she had not thought the first bit about informing him. She felt a little guilty as she knew he was only looking after her.
"I heard you married the wrong son. Is this true, Rizu?" Her father looked straight at her and she knew she needed to tell him everything.
"You... heard wrong, father." She replied. He raised his eyebrows.
"So you didn't get married?" He started eying her closely.
"I did. But it wasn't to the wrong son. I'm married to Kyoya." She said without taking a breath. He stared at her for a moment and then laughed. She gave him a funny look as he tried to control his laughter.
"Your grandmother told me not long after you arrived at the school how much you reminded her of your mother. I know I haven't really talked about her much since she died. I've tried to ignore the fact you both have similar personalities. Did you know that she was betrothed to a man thirty years her senior?" Rizu shook her head. "Yes, and she hated it as much as you did. But she went through with it. The marriage lasted only two years before we met. Your grandmother and grandfather didn't like me much for stealing her from the man, Hiro's father, but she wasn't happy and apparently he wasn't either. The night she ran away with me, she had learned that he had two mistresses on the side. After Hiro's birth, they had separate rooms."
"But..." Rizu started, frowning slightly. "If you knew how much she hated it, why did you do the same thing to me? Father, I know you were looking out for me and my well-being."
"I can't really explain it. I did search for someone who I thought you would grow to love. Tomi Ootori might be the heir to a very successful company and he was only six years older than you. He seemed to be someone you could get along with." Her father replied, reaching over to grasp her hand. "Regardless of the outcome, I'm happy you fell in love. Though I wish you would have waited awhile to get married. You're young still."
As they continued to talk, neither noticed Honey and Mori dressed as an old couple sitting three tables away. They were spying on Rizu to make sure everything was going well.
"Mori, Honey! How's it looking?" Tamaki's voice shouted into the earpieces they had on. Both grimaced slightly before reporting that everything was going good. Tamaki advised them to go ahead with "Operation: Get Rizu to the Music Room."