Rose of Jericho

by peterpauper

Would we laugh at gilded butterflies? Sequel to Chrysanthemum.

16. Chapter 14

-

Chapter 14

-

By the time they reached her apartment, Yuuki was hoping she wouldn't wake up and find herself alone. Their mannerisms didn't change, even though their status had. Nothing had changed, there was no big creation, not metamorphosis; just a knowledge that this was forever and the realisation that to each other, that was more exciting than just being together would ever be.

"Just so you know, the cold tap in the bathroom has never worked. But it runs cold for about a minute anyway.

Kyoya noticed his bags had been delivered from the airport and were sitting beside the door. "It has internet?"
"Yes."

"A phone?"

"Oh yes." Her tone was mocking. "And electricity too. You know, we had that put in just for you."

Kyoya glanced at her. "It's very you."

Yuuki frowned and turned her head sideways slightly to try gain his perspective. "How?"

"You have all the CD's, DVD's and books anyone would ever need, but none of them are in order." He said with a light tone of amusement in his voice. "And only you would have a bronze statue of a horse the size of a Great Dane in the living room."

The girl realised it was true. "Yes, but, all the knowledge in the world is on that wall and everything's kind of...colour coordinated, greys, whites, blacks, bronze tones, mahogany frames..."

"All the knowledge in the world?"

"Yes. All of it." She replied stubbornly.

"You thought it was very me, didn't you?"

Yuuki looked at her hands. "Well, I bought it for that reason."

"You just happened to put your own imprint into the place as well."

She got what he meant. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Just so you know. My cold tap doesn't work, but the hot one does, it just runs cool for a few minutes."

Yuuki smiled. "Oh, I know. Trust me."

"I'll assume that wasn't an insult."

"Assume away." Yuuki began the grand tour of the apartment. "Kitchen; cutlery in the place you would expect it to be, glass wear closer to the ground than you would expect it to be and cooking utensils not where you would expect them to be." Moving on. "Lounge, you've seen that. The big remote does the TV, the little one the stereo." And on. "Lights. Who hasn't used those before."

Kyoya followed bemused as she continued. "Linen closet. You find linen in there. Go figure. Sheets and towels do not magically appear like they do in your house, you have to come here and fetch them...umm, bedroom. Don't open the window unless you want Big Ben trying to pound you out of sleep at midnight. Twelve tolls are just too much...and the bathroom is through the walk in robe where...you know...clothes are kept."

"Yes." Kyoya said trying the cold tap. It didn't work, it just squeaked in protest. "You never got it fixed?"

"Well...I never really had time, and then it became habit to go straight for the hot tap."

Pause. "Alright, when does the cleaner come around?" Yuuki laughed and Kyoya raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"These might be the upper suburbs, but there are no cleaners unless you hire them at a stupidly high price. I'm not a rich freak like you are, comfortable mostly, but not loaded. You can call the landlady and she will bring you dinner if you ask nicely, but you'll find a vacuum cleaner in the linen closet and a dustbin under the kitchen sink." They reached the lounge again.

The Ootori pushed his glasses up. "Hm..." Inconvenient. He would just have to hire someone then. Pause. "When are you free next?"

"Why? What did you have in mind?"

"Ring shopping."

Yuuki blushed slightly. "Oh. Yes. Can we keep it on the low for just a little while? Just until the Olympics are over and the next Vanity Fair comes out."

"We're going to have to tell people sometime."

"I know. Just. Not yet." She hoped she hadn't offended him.

She hadn't. Kyoya ran the top of his finger over her cheek. "Alright. Our secret." One of many.

Yuuki closed her eyes as his finger traced across them, over the lashes, the bridge of her nose, lashes, cheekbone. She felt his lips, warm on hers, and his other hand in the middle of her back. The girl let her hand rest on his shoulder and the other against his neck as she returned the favour. He was so close. So openly hers. Yuuki felt her shoulders met the wall. Kyoya went to pull back from her, but she kept her hand on the back of his neck so that his retreat. His keeping a promise became an inner argument between his respects towards her; even if she didn't remember them, and him. Yuuki didn't seem to remember her decision at that point, Kyoya forgot it too. Pleasantly, for a minute. But he was the thinker, the analyser; which only made the situation more difficult to stop. Jane Austen had once written that 'loss of virtue in a female was irretrievable; that her reputation was no less brittle than it is beautiful.' Yuuki had made her decision to wait and make her promise. So that it would be a gift to give; on her wedding, the ultimate present, untouched and unrefundable, to the person she would have tied herself to. There was no friction in the limited space between them, if any space at all. The stillness was peaceful; like the calm before the tempest. And that was what was wrong with the situation. It was to ready. To easily entered. It clouded the mind and made it so that sometimes, the reason gifts were given was forgotten.

Kyoya put the hand that had slid to her neck against the wall beside her head and forced himself to pull away from her. She already belonged to him in a tangible, quantifiable way and she didn't need to give him anything more. Even though he wanted the interest.

"I don't have unyielding self-control, but I do have your promise." The Ootori left his hand at her waist and pressed his glasses up with the other.

Yuuki stared at him from her half cage between his torso and his arm. "You are the only one who has ever touched my heart. I want it to be yours."

"It is. You don't have to prove it." It was difficult to say, they were only human. But that is why respecting the boundaries was so important. He was used to taking what he wanted, but in this case, he only wanted it on her grounds. The ones she laid when her head was clear.

"Is this very difficult for you?"

"You have no idea."

"Then it's okay that I have no idea how to be seductive and only...self conscious and totally inept?" Wrong perspective of said subject.

"It's not okay." He couldn't unwrap his arm from around her waist, he didn't want to. "Not now. You made me promise and your making it really hard to keep." An Ootori was a man of his word.

Yuuki let her hand slip from his neck to his shoulder, realising how fast things had happened. "I'm not very good at this kind of thing."

"Let's keep it that way for a bit longer." He freed his hand from her and brushed the loose hair away from her face before gently kissing her forehead.

"That's okay with you?" Yuuki asked.

"I told you, a long time ago, never to get yourself into a situation where you feel as if you owe someone something and give them the opportunity to feel that too when, really, it's just you."

"You weren't talking other guys? General life."

"No, I was not."

"Is it really just me?"

"Right now, I'd give it 80%, 20% in your favour of you feeling as if you want to give something you owe."

"And before?"

"55%, 45%. And that's the interest factor. Every other factor weighs...heavily." 45% was more than enough.

"And yet you managed to protect my virtue. Aw." Yuuki said in a light tone. "How sweet of you."

Kyoya was still leaning against the wall, she wasn't moving and he wished she would. "Yes. Sweet." He pushed his glasses up again and stared smugly at her. "You're going to be late."

"For what?" Yuuki had forgotten.

"I wonder." Kyoya's voice had maintained its smooth, steady and calculating tone the whole time; still maintain the 'Ootori aura'.

The girl glanced at the hand he had up by her head to read his watch. Her eyes went wide. "Oh, shoot." She ducked under the arm and grabbed her jacket from the front door. "Sorry. I'm late...wait...you know that."

"I'll call you later." The Ootori crossed the room, leaned casually against the back of the couch and crossed his arms, watching her go. She had no idea how close it had gotten, or she probably did and wasn't going to say so in order to respect them both. There was no doubt that she had thought of the reasons and wanted to show them to him, Yuuki just hadn't remembered the line in the sand and they had got a little too close to it for comfort.

"Okay." She paused, her head still in the door.

"No, I won't tell Tamaki, I won't even tell him after I take you shopping for the ring. In fact, the guy can find out from his own finance when you inevitably tell her." Women.

"Thank you." Yuuki called, shutting the door. "Love you, bye!"

Kyoya stared at the closed door and smiled. She was intriguing, probably contained too much gumption, but she could defiantly make a moment and leave it would any strain. There had been nothing awkward about the past situation, there was complete lack of tension; which had inevitably been the problem, but morals and old promises had to be upheld before human instinct. He would respect her, no matter the cost to either of them and the effort it took to maintain that. She would just have to understand the rules he had set to keep her pledge intact and she would have to respect him in turn. If Yuuki had had a clear head, she would have been anxious and frightened; just as she had been every other time things got a little close, she would have remembered what it meant to her; and as a result, too him. Kyoya knew she was trying to show how much she loved him by giving him what she thought he wanted, but that was not the way to his heart. Yuuki had him anyway, there was nothing to prove. No more to give.

Her life, his life; they were bound now and neither would have it any other way.

-

If the heart is always searching,
Can you ever find a home?
I've been looking for that someone,
I'll never make it on my own.
Dreams can't take the place of loving you,
There's gotta be a million reasons why it's true

When you look me in the eyes,
And tell me that you love me.
Everything's alright,
When you're right here by my side.
When you look me in the eyes,
I catch a glimpse of heaven.
I find my paradise,
When you look me in the eyes.

How long will I be waiting,
To be with you again
Gonna tell you that I love you,
In the best way that I can.
I can't take a day without you here,
You're the light that makes my darkness disappear.

When you look me in the eyes,
And tell me that you love me.
Everything's alright,
When you're right here by my side.
When you look me in the eyes,
I catch a glimpse of heaven.
I find my paradise,
When you look me in the eyes.

More and more, I start to realize,
I can reach my tomorrow,
I can hold my head high,
And it's all because you're by my side.

When you look me in the eyes,
And tell me that you love me.
Everything's alright,
When you're right here by my side.
When I hold you in my arms
I know that it's forever
I just gotta let you know
I never wanna let you go

Cause when you look me in the eyes.

And tell me that you love me.
Everything's alright,
When you're right here by my side.
When you look me in the eyes,
I catch a glimpse of heaven.
I find my paradise,
When you look me in the eyes.
Oh

(When you look me in the eyes, Jonas Brothers)

-

It was raining and the American Team had use of the indoor training ring within the village and the Canadians were using the one at the actual venue. The Japanese team sat in the Team Captains dorm and learn the cross country and jumping rout that they had each already memorised in minute detail. Dressage routines were personal and apparently they were working on team bonding but no one was in the mood that afternoon.

Tachi was leaning on a wall. "Well, we could all just...go out."

"Where?" A short man dressed in his riding gear, even though they couldn't ride, said.

"Yuuki?"

The girl looked up from the piece of paper she was reading with a blank expression. Jenny pulled her headphone out. "Where's a good place to go out?"

"Go out?"

"Yes. Like...you know. Hit the town. Be hip. Cool. Whatever."

"Why do older people think teenagers talk like that?" The Cunxin laughed. "Are we even allowed to leave?"

Tachi looked at his watch. "Yes, most of the teams are touring around in the week leading up to the events. There isn't really a curfew, as long as you don't arrived drunk or drugged; they let you stay with family for a few nights."

"And the time is?"

"Four, it's too early for dinner."

"Um...we could go to one of the Palaces? I hear other teams are doing the touring thing. Then we can go to Soho for dinner?"

Victor looked up. "As in, palaces with the guards with beaver hats who aren't allowed to make any facial expression?"

"Yes...that's one of them...Buckingham is a little...touristy though."

"Well." A first timer bounced to his feet. "We're tourists....essentially...until the games start anyway." Pause. "Can we ride on big red busses?" It was Hunny in riding boots.

Yuuki smiled. "Have you done a currency exchange?"

"Yes, Oh! Can we do the London Eye too?"

The Cunxin wondered why they were asking her. "Um...yes? Are you prepared to spend copious amounts of money as people manipulate you because you're a tourist?"

"Yes."

Tachi raised an eyebrow. "Wont you get charged higher than the normal rate too?"

The girl pulled a gold card out of her walled. "Not unless this has expired...oh...no...it hasn't. What a shame. Looks like I'll get off and you'll get charged. Yeah, I get discounts because I used to live here."

Her instructor crossed his arms and glared down at her.

Yuuki raised her hands in defence. "Okay. Okay. Whatever. I'll pay full price. Yeesh."

Tachi extended his hand. If they would pay full, she would too. Yuuki gave him the card, knowing full well he would use it despite his silent protest. She pulled a face at him. He pulled one back. Everyone laughed. They were such an oddball pair, like an uncle and niece separated at birth.

An hour later, everyone was standing in line for the Eye. Another hour later they were finally climbing into it.

"It often take that long?" Tachi walked to the side of the chamber that looked over the Thames.

"Yes." Yuuki crossed her arms beside him. "And when it's not summer, it's raining."

"It was just raining."

"Yes, but it's not continuous drizzle."

Why did you move here again?"

"Familial destiny."

"No such thing."

"Go figure." Yuuki smiled at him.

"So...apparently the rest of your buddy-o-pals didn't know your rich-kid-von-handsome-face wasn't staying with them."

The girl's smile turned coy. "Really?"

"Yes. And the tall blonde one was not happy that his fiancé was on a plane before their honeymoon."

"Ah...dissention amongst the ranks."

"You planned that?"

"I came up with the idea. Kyoya actually planned it. The apartment thing though was last minute. Apparently no one except commoners live in one bed room flats. Even in the upper suburbs."

"How rich are these people?"

"Besides Haruhi...you have absolutely no idea."

"Give me an estimate of...your guy's income."

"I wouldn't know. Its rude to ask."

"I'm sure you have an idea."

"Why would I tell you? It's not important anyway."

Her instructor leant against the glass as the capsule began to move. "So, you'd still be with him if he wasn't wealthy?"

"I wouldn't have met him. But yes, probably."

"Okay. Estimate?"

"More than you will see in your lifetime."

"Yes. Guessed that much. How many houses does he own?"

"Why the interest?"

"Just want to know your getting the best." Tachi grinned.

Yuuki sighed. "He doesn't own property yet. When he inherits he'll get an apartment in Paris because the Ootori group works closely with a company based there."

"He own anything interesting? Like an island?"

"No."

"That's boring."

Yuuki turned to the man. "Despite your erroneous view of the upper classes, they are not all splurging their wealth. Boosting the economy with it yes, but just buying normal things that just cost a little...okay, a lot more, than what we would."

Tachi turned back to the view. "Well. When you marry him, I'm walking you down the aisle."

The girl frowned. "Who said anything about marriage?"

"Oh. Come on. When you're in the same room as him it's as if your magnets. Actually, when you're not in the same room you're like magnets. No..." He thought of a better example. "...at home Chemistry set! No..." Chin tapping. "...you're going to have to settle with magnets.

Yuuki laughed once. "Alright, if you say so."

"I am boss."

"No, technically I'm boss. I pay you."

"I teach you. You obey me or die."

"Or die?"

"Or die."

So that's where she got her odd perception of sweeping generalisations.

Buckingham Palace, as per usual, was swarmed with camera bearing, shorts wearing, ice-cream eating tourists; all gazing at the windows to see the Queen even though the flag wasn't up.

Oddly enough, there was more than the usual amount of people trying to get the guards to move their immovable faces. Yuuki started as a little blonde figure sat on one of the high, black hats and waited for a tall dark figure to take a photograph.

"I said magnet." Tachi said into her ear.

"They should be jet-lagged..."

"Best way to overcome it is to get into a routine. And that means normal bedtime." Tachi watched as Mori pulled Hunny off the guard and walked a few paces back. "No one climbs straight into bed and throws their body clock out more like you."

"I get tired on airplanes."

Tachi laughed. Everyone got tired on airplanes. He then stepped back as the little blonde man noticed the slight brunette and promptly attacked her.

"YUU-CHAN!" Hunny hugged her tight as Yuuki tried to react in a civilised manner. "I didn't know you would be here! But now that you are, you can come get tea and cake with us!"

Mori stood silently nearby and watched with a somewhat amused expression as the girl began to convince Hunny to put his feet back on the ground. He then watched as the oerwhelemed Cunxin got enveloped by a taller blonde.

"Yuuki!" Tamaki hugged her from behind. "Ah. London's so nice in summer, is it not?"

"Yes, it's great. I can't breathe."

He loosed his grip but kept her in an embrace. "I love it here almost as much as I love Paris. Enough to not want to kill you for plotting with Kyoya."

"You can't kill me. I'm Haruhi's maid of honour."

"Oh." Tamaki seemed somewhat taken aback. "That's unfortunate." He began plotting his revenge and let her go as he proceeded to look thoughtful and princely at the same time.

Just as Yuuki thought it was over, a mirror set decided it was their turn to crush her personal bubble. "Yuuki!" Twin one. "It's so good to see you!" Twin two. "You're putting Haruhi on a plane was brilliant. We commend you." Unison. "But we don't understand the apartment thing."

"Mmm." Yuuki pried them off. "That's because it needs to be lived in and it only has one bed room."

"Only one?"

"Only one." She raised her eyebrows at their surprise. "It's not that abnormal."

Tamaki had overheard. "No! But it's tragic! To live in only one room!"

"No, no." Yuuki finally uncovered why they thought it was so awful. "It's not one room. It's one bed room. It's got a lounge and kitchen and private bathroom...linen closet..." Some of the tension melted away, but not all of it.

Haruhi was the one who had to explain the style of a single flat in the upper suburbs. Tamaki finally calmed down.

Hunny tugged on Yuuki's cardigan. "Did you ride the red busses?"

"Yes, did you?"

"No. Takashi says that they're too unhygienic." The blonde rubbed his eye.

"Well, yes. And no. How will you build up your immune system if you're not occasionally exposed to some germs?"

Mori raised his eyebrows and began to consider this. "So it would be better if we did travel on them?"

"It couldn't hurt." Yuuki shrugged and then flinched as another pair of arms tried to hug her from behind.

"It's just me." A familiar voice said in her ear. "Don't freak out." His embrace was dominating, slightly menacing, but welcome. It was him.

The girl exhaled in relief and wrapped her fingers around Kyoya's forearms. "Yes. 'Twas running out of hosts. Why are you here and not sleeping, demon lord?"

"Because, I'm the only one with connection enough to get tea in the palace grounds."

"You would want to eat cake with the Queen?"

"And drink warm beverages with milk. But no. I wouldn't. She's not even in."

"Well, let them drink cosmos." Yuuki scoffed.

"Wrong country."

"Marie Antoinette was European nonetheless."

"What are you doing here?"

The riding team was standing at the gates of the palace, taking photos with the guards. Tachi was standing near Mori, surveying the square. "It was raining earlier when we had a booking for the training ring. The indoor ring was booked. As Murphy's Law would have it, as soon as our session slot ended, the sky cleared. It was unanimous to spend the afternoon not in a saddle. We're going to do the tourist thing leading to eventing."

"Work never killed anyone."

"Except in industry and vending machine accidents and stress levels, heart attacks, killer staplers – which exist I'll have you know..."

Kyoya smiled. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah."

Hunny saw the pair and felt left out. "GROUP HUG!" The little blonde threw himself into the couple, the twins shortly followed, Tamaki dragged Haruhi in and Mori sealed them all with his broad arms. Yuuki tried to give Tachi a Help me glance through the arms, but couldn't even see that far.

When they finally parted she stumbled a few feet back. "I feel violated. I think I'm going to join my team now."

"Bye YUU-CHAN!" Hunny waved enthusiastically after taking his place on Mori's shoulders.

The Host Club waved, everyone except Kyoya who stood with his arms crossed, casually leaning on one leg. Watching her wave a cautious farewell. She met his gaze and said goodbye personally.

Nodding, the Ootori confirmed that he would still call her.

Yuuki joined her group. Jenny looked at the direction she had come from and her eyes went wide. "You know more of them?"

"Yes." The girl stared at the palace. "They are going to have tea in the grounds."

"How?"

"Because, their filthy rich and are connected. I don't know. They're the strangest bunch of people I've ever met."

"Who's the tall blonde?"

"An engaged man. You're married. Stop looking."

"To who?"

"The short brunette."

"Darn. She's cute."

"Yes. And you're old. Come on." Yuuki linked an arm through her friends and dragged her after the now retreating figure of the team captain, Junín.

"I'm not old. I'm just matured."

The Cunxin laughed. "No, no, you're not. I'm more mature than the elder folk I know."

"Which is why we envy your infinite wisdom and beauty." Victor appeared beside his wife.

Jenny elbowed her husband. "Why cant you get me tea in the palace grounds?"

"What?" He looked at Yuuki, confused.

The younger girl smiled and ducked her head. "Just instilling an unrealistic expectation of men."

"Yes. Well." Not pleased. "You're the only one who has a guy who can do that."

"I'm sure there are plenty of others."

"Yes. Probably. You're the only one I know."

"Yeah well."

It started to rain again.

-

By early evening, the whole team was squished into a booth in a pub in Soho. Everyone was drinking except Yuuki. She hated the taste. In fact, she hated most of the tastes of Britain. The food was very heavy, very filling and often full of gravy.

Tachi waved a mushroom in her face. "Not eating?"

"I'll get something on the way home."

"Like?"

"McDonalds?"

"Oh, because that's SO much healthier."

"They have 'Lite' options."

"Will you chose one of them?"

Yuuki smiled. "No." She reached for her soda. "I'll have...hm...ah...everything is just so hard to digest."

"What are you talking about? You don't digest. Everything you eat just whoosh goes through you."

"Thank you for that." She pushed the still waving fork away.

"I just want you healthy and happy."

"We're there."

"Soda is not healthy."

"Neither is beer."

"It's got antioxidants in it."

"If I end up designated walker and cab caller, I'll hurt you." She pushed his drink away.

Tachi leaned back in the booth. "Where are your friends?"

"Probably getting thrown out of a restaurant for saying something obscene."

"They would say obscene things?"

"Not on purpose. If you haven't noticed, this whole country is xenophobic. Actually, the whole world is."

"Are you?"

"I'm half."

"So...you hate everyone besides the Poms and the Japanese."

"No. I don't hate anyone. I just don't have a defined place in society."

"Pfft. Melodramatic."

"Pfft, not so."

"Pfft, do explain."

Yuuki frowned at him. "You're so immature. Act your age."

Her instructor finally ate his mushroom. "My wife used to say that. She was very immature too though." Tachi seemed a little nostalgic. "She once decided to try adding numbers 'one plus one is two, two plus two is...' and she paused for such a long time that I had to love her and then tell her the answer was four."

Yuuki laughed. "You miss her?"

"Every day."

"What was she like?"
"She was tall. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Dimples." He pointed to his cheeks. "She used to dance ballet. You'd have loved her Yuuki."

The girl smiled. She bet she would have. Tachi was soon becoming a family figure, not mature enough for father, not annoying enough for brother; but just someone who she could relate to on a familial level. "Well. I bet she would have loved me to." One should not dwell on topics that make the speakers face fall.

"Yeah. You wish." He spoke with his mouth full and recovered. It was funny how people who endure great suffering are always the sturdiest as opposed to the uneasy mess the rest of the world was. Yuuki appreciated Tachi for being that for her. For being the level of relations she had never had.

-

At ten, everyone arrived back and said their farewells before all disappearing. Yuuki headed for the stable and let herself into Zero's stall. He watched her and stood over her like a protector.

"Hey Zero." Yuuki slid to sit at his feet. "Guess what happened today?"

The horse pressed his nose to her shoulder, looking for something to eat.

"Well..." She held up her left hand and looked at it, bare in front of her, and smiled. Zero snorted. "Oi. Don't disapprove. Just because you don't like him doesn't annul him from my life." She rubbed his face. "Or you. Yeah. You liking the rain?" No response. "No. It's cold and wet. But we're in England, what else to expect?"

Her phone rang. Zero stood up straight and looked for the noise, not realising it came from the pocket of the girl on the floor. Yuuki fished her mobile out and looked at caller ID.

"Hello?"

"How do you call a cab in this country?" Kyoya sounded displeased.

"The same as every country. Why?"

"Because." His tone was hard. "I'm lost. And it's raining."

"You, lost?"

"Yuuki, please, just tell me how to do this."

"Alright." Pause. "Go stand on a corner of a busy road."

"It's raining."

"Yes. I know. Go stand on the corner."

Short silence. "Yes?"

"Now, raise your arm and wave it a bit, but not like a maniac."

Another silence.

"Kyoya. Do it."

A short growl and then a stunned silence. "It worked."

"Well, yeah. You have to hail a cab."

There were a few clicking noises and muffled talk. "Where do I live?"

The girl smiled. "Corner of Smith and Park."

Muffled noises.

"Kyoya. It's not like you've never been to London before."

"Yes. But it's not like I've ever had my phone contacts erased before."

Yuuki frowned. "What?"
"Tamaki's revenge."

"That's why you're currently on your own?"
"Yes."

"I thought you had a pin."

"I did. Tamaki unfortunately knew it."

"It must not have been hard then."

Silence.

"Wait...when you said that it was the last four digits of your credit card ID, I thought you were trying to be funny."

"No. I wasn't trying to be funny. I told you that in case you needed to use my phone in an emergency. Did you tell Tamaki?"

"Maybe..."

Sigh.

"I'm sorry. You should have told me you were joking. It's not that evident sometimes."

"Yeah. Well."

"You remembered my number though."

"Yes. Yes, I did."

"That's an important contact."

"Well forget your fiancé's number and die."

Fiancé. Yuuki smiled quietly and felt suddenly anxious. "Well...I wouldn't kill you. Kill fiancé and then your single again."

"Nice to know I'm being used as an accessory."

"That word is very strange."

"Accessory?"

"Fiancé."

"You don't like it?"

The girl hugged her legs to herself, suddenly shy. "I like it. I just don't know what to do with it."

"What are you supposed to do with it?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you did."

"Well, I didn't think anything would change. Actually, I'm rather adamant it doesn't."

"Sweet. I'll live down the hall." She was alright with that. What had happened that morning, in thought, worried her. Yuuki didn't know what to do with that either. To self-conscious and inept. It was a giant step in the light of day when not in the presence of the one you love.

"You didn't seem to mind this morning."

Yuuki went scarlet. "Well...I mean, I didn't mind." She felt embarrassed saying that. "But...well...to be honest, the whole topic freaks me out." The girl knew all about intimacy from high school and uncomfortable innuendo from Deedle de and Deedle dum, but it was to close. She would have to let everything down. That scared her. To have someone so close emotionally and physically.

"That's not something we have to think about now."

"Or ever." Easier said than done, as had already been proved. In the moment, things looked different and made a lot less sense.

Short laugh. "Yeah. Right." Kyoya knew that she loved him enough that, if he asked, she wouldn't keep her promise to him and herself; but he wouldn't. She knew the significance, as did he, and that sort of relationship, that sort of closeness, had never been in her life; not with friends, not with family, not with love. Yuuki had never taken down a brick from her wall until she met him.

"Okay. Enough of 'that' topic."

"Yes." Respect of boundaries, wants and needs.

"Where are you?"
"Outside."

"Outside where?"

"The village. Your going to have to direct me."

"Why are you at the village?"

Sigh. "Tamaki decided to take the key you gave me. He said he would go to every house in London to find out which one is yours because I wouldn't tell him."

Yuuki stood. "Well, you should have told him."

"Would you?" And risk everything in the apartment.

Pause. "Probably not, hey?"

"Enough commoner vocabulary."

"Apologies."

"Better." Yuuki didn't mind his controlling nature over her life. Sure, it got annoying and sometimes rubbed her backwards, but it was him. And she loved him and wouldn't change a thing. He would just have to learn to argue better on the days she felt stubborn.

"I'm coming to you. Just wait undercover."

"No, I thought it was better if I stayed in the rain."

"That's that new thing called sarcasm, right?"
Silence. She hung up on him.

Yuuki walked to her dorm and found her wallet. Inside was the spare key to the apartment. The girl had locked herself out to many times to not have one. She found Kyoya leaning against the wall of a building attached to the front gate. Main reception was printed on the window and a vending machine hummed in the background.

"Well. Seems you epic failed." Yuuki approached him with an umbrella. "The Shadow King himself, thrown off by a Prince."

Kyoya glared at her. "Not funny."

"Yes. Well, sometimes calculations go wrong." She held out the spare key. "I would know."

He took it from her. "You couldn't have given me both?" His voice was a low growl. It have obviously not been a pleasant evening.

"Well...no one expected you to be that disorganised or subject to the abuse of those you abused."

Kyoya took the umbrella from her. She was too short to hold it high enough and not take his eye out, and she would find a way to do so even though he was wearing glasses. The pair walked to the street again and stood in the drizzle, waiting for a cab.

Yuuki couldn't help but smile at the pathetic fallacy. "Look, they sky is crying for you."

He glanced down at her and then looked back at the vacant street.

She grumbled something about Mr Men in relation to Mr Grumpy. The girl noticed he was drenched almost through and then mumbled, amused, about Finding Nemo in relation to Grumpy Gills.

"I'm not a fictional character." Kyoya said flatly.

"No. But you're acting very stereotypically like one."

"I don't really give a damn at the moment."

"Someone's cold, wet, jetlagged and angry."

"Your powers of observation are amazing."

Yuuki glanced up at the figure. He was holding the umbrella on the side opposite to her, deflecting the angle of the rainfall. His face was very severe and his glasses hid whatever hellfire emotion was stirring behind them. The girl smiled slightly, despite the demeanour, he still stood as close to her as he could without getting her wet with his dampness; she was warm and soft and welcoming. Yuuki took his hand in hers. It was freezing, but it responded by wrapping a set of cold fingers around her palm. Kyoya turned his head to look at her and softened slightly behind his stone expression. He couldn't be as angry and tormented when he had something so precious and delicate so readily on offer.

"Thank you." The Ootori's voice was hard, calculating.

Yuuki ran a thumb over the top of his hand, telling him it was alright. "You need to invest in some gloves."

"Will it bring me merit?" The man's tone had melted a fraction.

"It will bring you away from frostbite."

Slightly amused silence.

A car pulled into the street. It was black. Kyoya scowled but then realised Yuuki was hailing it. "Some of the cabs are black." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The car pulled up in front of them. Yuuki turned to Kyoya and told him to keep the umbrella.

"Where will you be tomorrow?" He asked, opening the door.

"Right here." Came the reply.

"Alright." Kyoya gave the driver the address and turned to the girl before closing the door.

She smiled softly at him. "Love you."

"You too." He was defiantly not in the mood to initiate anything, but he would never not be in the mood to let her go unappreciated. Unmerited. She was the only person who truly knew the side to him no one saw. The side that had a heart made of flesh, not of numbers. Kyoya would forever be an Ootori to the outside world, but to her, she would always be his whole. The mask, the bad temper, the all knowing, stubborn and point making nature, the cold facade and the silent smiles.

And all of this to her, he knew that he was her equivalent.

-

These days with the world getting colder
She spends more time sleeping over
Than I planned

Tonight were gonna order in
Drinking wine and watching CNN
It's dark I know but then again
It's the brightest thing I got

Well, I'm covered in rain
Well, I'm covered in rain

Fire works to fire places
Summer stolen, fallen places
People watching, all the people watching, everybody watching me
Standing by the missing signs at the CVS by the checkout line
She puts her quiet hands in mine
Cause she's the brightest thing I got

When you're covered in rain
Cause I'm covered in rain
Cause I'm covered in rain
No I'm covered in rain

It's alright
If you don't want to go on
It's alright
If you don't want to be alone
It's alright
If you don't want to go home

I understand
I understand
I understand
You and me and everyone, covered in rain

(Covered in Rain, John Mayer)

-

------------

Well. I think that needed to be addressed, if you didn't I do apologise for any awkwardness ensued. It was awkward for me. Yuuki and Kyoya are not a traditional couple, but at the same time they are not a modern couple. They are just them. There is no stereotype. As I said in a previous chapter, the word "Boyfriend" isn't one Yuuki liked to use because it just didn't...fit. She still feels she 'owes' him something and, for as long as this story has been going, cannot work out in what manner to repay him when, in fact, she's the first person he's not charging any debt to. That chapter was really about their relationship, respect, how emotion sometimes blinds us from what we have previously stated; basically that love, although good, is hard. It's hard to maintain promises. But, if its difficult, then its defiantly going to be worth it.

Thanks for reading, please do review; I really appreciate hearing what you think, reading suggestions...ect.

Blessings,

-pp