Step #16:
Be A Gentleman And Don't Speak Your Opinions
...\~/...
September 10th, 4:31 P.M.:
5 Things He Immediately Noticed:
1. She was fat. Well, more solid and stocky than fat, but she still wasn't thin. She was muscular, probably from lifting tree limbs and logs, but with her short stature, it didn't look right. He was used to girls like Haruhi and Tara, who had a thin frame, though Tara was a bit muscular as well. Girls at Ouran were all skinny, even to the point that they looked anorexic. But it was normal. He remembered how one girl at Ouran was fat and she was made fun of by the guys all the time. One of those guys being him.
2. It was disgusting how her face was riddled with acne. Red dots spotted her forehead, nose, and upper lip. He had to hold back a shudder at the thought of all that bacteria embedded in her pores. Hadn't she ever heard of Pro-activ? His mind immediately thought of the day when he and Salem were sitting in Central Park, rating women, and one girl had the same amount of acne. Disgusting...
3. Her hair wasn't neat. Pulled back in a messy bun, Hikaru could tell right off the bat that she had split ends. Her hair was in dire need of a trim.
4. Scars lined her arms and hands, reminding him of all the times she had messaged about a gruesome wound she had gotten. He used to be worried and never took it seriously when she told him that she gained a new scar, but now he saw that she wasn't lying. Some her deep, causing him to picture what they must've looked like before. They were ugly, making him not want to touch her. He noticed how Ripley tugged down her sleeves in a failed attempt at hiding them. She also balled her right hand into a fist, so that he wouldn't see the three fingers that lacked fingertips. It was too late; he noticed.
5. Over the phone, he would listen to her squeal on and on about video games and the latest superhero movies, and thought it was cute. Now, he saw that she was a true nerd. Her whole get-up screamed it. Glasses, plus the stockiness, acne, and unkempt hair, he was staring at her with narrowed eyes. Ripley was not what he wanted, not what he imagined. All this time, he was picturing a geeky version of Haruhi, who was still adorable to look at. Ripley, not so much. Overall, he was disappointed. It was his fault, though; he shouldn't have been so hopeful.
...\~/...
"Hikaru...?" Ripley asked.
"Ripley...?" Hikaru answered.
"Renee...?" Renee questioned, looking between the two.
Hikaru couldn't even blink before Ripley had detached herself from Renée and her arms around him in a hug. The action was unpredictable and he couldn't help but flinch from the contact. His arms were lifted, like he wanted to hug her, but couldn't. That's when she broke off, a blush spreading across her cheeks. From what he could see, her face was burnt to a crisp, probably from being out in the sun without enough sunscreen. Ripley was bad about not applying sun block. She was giving him a sheepish smile...at least her teeth were straight...
"Oh, sorry, was that awkward? My bad!" she said, rubbing her right arm. He could see her damaged hand...
Suddenly, Renee's foot connected with the back of Ripley's knee, causing her buckle. Ripley spun around, shouting, "What was that for?!"
"For being a little ass, that's what!" Renée replied, grinning.
The two hardly noticed Hikaru enter the apartment building until the door clicked shut. Ripley rushed off towards him, Renée hot on her heels, both entering the building. "Wait! Hold on!" Ripley called out, spotting Hikaru at the top of the first flight of stairs. They climbed after him, panting when they reached the designated level- the seventh. Hikaru was standing at the door, avoiding eye contact while his hand was set on the doorknob. Ripley stood there, trying to catch her breath, but she didn't fail to notice the solemn look Hikaru had on his face. Renee's hand clutched at Ripley's shirt as she bent over at the waist, breathing heavily. "It's weird actually being here now." Ripley said in between breaths. "I mean, all I've seen are pictures and-"
"Everyone's waiting." Hikaru muttered, loud enough for her to hear.
The ash-haired man opened the door.
Ripley was immediately tackled.
"Ripley, I'm so glad to finally meet you! You look a lot different than what I imagined!"
"Kaoru! I would know that voice anywhere!"
Hikaru felt a twinge of jealousy when his brother's arms wrapped around Ripley, pulling her in a close, friendly embrace. Ripley was still the woman he had bonded with for nine months and he did feel a little possessive towards her. Come on, she was supposed to be his girlfriend, not Kaoru's. Hikaru watched in silence as Kaoru grabbed Ripley's damaged hand, examining it closely. "So it is true! You really did cut off your fingertips!"
"Uh, yeah, gross, isn't it? Renée almost fainted when she saw all the blood."
Renée pretended to throw up, "It was so gross that I wanted to punch her."
"It was that gross?" Kaoru asked, grinning at Renée.
"Yes. That gross."
"Are we done here because we have things to do." Hikaru called out, glaring at the three. "Are we done with this little reunion?"
"Hikaru, just give me a moment. I'm bonding with my future sister-in-law!" Kaoru said, smiling down at Ripley.
"Whatever. Just don't hug her. She doesn't like to be touched."
"She didn't seem to mind when I-"
"Just don't." Hikaru growled, stepping into the apartment.
Kaoru stared at the place that Hikaru once stood, slowly switching his gaze down at Ripley. She was staring at the same spot as well, a frown set on her lips.
This couldn't be good.
...\~/...
The first person she laid her eyes on was a brunette woman sitting near the front of the room. Her long, brown hair was sleek and shiny, unlike her dull and frizzy hair; her eyes were exactly the kind that Hikaru found most attractive- large and doe-like. She was the definition of small- small body, no muscle, and flat-chested. But she looked like she had a warm and approachable personality, judging by the smile she was sending her way. And she was beautiful, no doubt about it. Ripley wasn't oblivious; she had noticed right off the bat the soft gaze Hikaru was sending in the woman's direction. Ripley diverted her own brown eyes from the ash-haired man's direction, instead focusing on the rather bland apartment.
That was her.
Haruhi Fujioka.
The other woman, the one that Hikaru found attractive.
Ripley could feel Renée at her side, their arms bumping. She had to wonder if Renée felt any insecurity at all. Probably not; she was pretty confident in how she looked. Ripley, on the other hand, felt naked compared to the people in the room. Everyone was beautiful, Tara being an exception since she was a bit rough around the edges. The spectacled woman stole a glimpse in Hikaru's direction. He was still staring at Haruhi.
Suddenly, a gorgeous blonde man confronted her, getting very close and personal. He took her hand, holding it between his. "Nice to finally meet you, mademoiselle, I've heard so much about you. Hikaru speaks very fondly of you whenever he talks to Haruhi over the phone." His voice was smooth and he seemed sincere about his words. "You're very beautiful, isn't she, Haruhi?" he questioned, turning to the brunette. Ripley felt her face heat up after he called her beautiful. No guy had ever said that to her before...
"Yes, she is." Haruhi said, leaving her spot from the couch, approaching Ripley. "I'm Haruhi Suoh, and this is Tamaki, my husband. Nice to meet you." Haruhi held out her hand and Ripley took it hesitantly. This was weird, shaking hands with the woman Hikaru was in love with, but Haruhi seemed friendly enough. When the couple went off to greet Renée, Ripley found herself being hugged by a blonde woman, who she assumed was Tara Alexander. The blonde pulled back, smiling, and pulled her to the couch, forcing her to sit down. "Do you want something to eat? Drink?"
"Um, no thanks. I ate before I came here."
Renée came up to them, swiping a handful of Chex mix. "Don't mind if I do." Renée plopped down on the couch beside Ripley, popping Chex into her mouth.
A black-haired man sat in one of the recliners, legs crossed. On any other day, Ripley would stop what she was doing to stare at a man like him if they passed her. The glasses, the black hair, poised look, she was a definite fan of it. Tara gestured towards him, "That's Kyoya, my boyfriend. Did you know that he received Bastard of the Year?"
Ripley stayed quiet and kind of hunched over, giving a tight smile. How was she supposed to respond to that? Nod and agree?
"Hi, Rip-chan! I'm Hunny!" a blonde, child-like individual said. "And this is my wife, Reiko-chan, and my cousin, Takashi!" He then held out a pink, stuffed rabbit. "And this is Usa-chan!" The blonde put his hand on Reiko's stomach, patting it affectionately. "And in here are our kids, Hitoshi and Kimiko! Hika-chan and Haru-chan are going to be the godparents of little Kimiko." he chirped happily, looking up at Hikaru. "Isn't that right, Hika-chan?"
"Yeah..."
"And Takashi and Syd-chan are the godparents of Hitoshi!"
Mori didn't say anything.
Renée gagged on the pastry she was eating, coughing hysterically. "Wait..." Cough. "You're telling me," Another cough. "That you and her bumped uglies?! Oh God, I think I'm going to puke."
"Then leave if it bothers you so much." Ripley mumbled, blushing furiously at what Renée said. Everyone seemed to get quiet.
Tara cleared her throat, pointing towards two others behind the opposite couch. "And that's Mei Yasumura and her boyfriend, Ritsu Kasanoda."
Ripley nodded in their direction. Then she said, "And everyone, this is Renée."
"Yo." Renée greeted with a full mouth.
"And then there's me!" Kaoru exclaimed happily, wrapping his arms around Ripley's neck from behind.
"Yes, of course, there's you." She turned towards him. "Hey, where's Clarisse? Is she here?"
Kaoru frowned, "Not at the moment. She'll be at the party later, but she had a modeling session today."
Hikaru snorted, "She doesn't have to come at all, you know."
The younger twin looked over at the older, "Hikaru, give her a break."
"Tch, whatever."
Tara turned her attention to Kyoya, saying, "Kyoya, can I talk to you in the kitchen? Now."
"Yes, my love."
...\~/...
That look that Hikaru had given Ripley, a look full of disgust and disappointment, reminded Tara of the same looks she had received as a kid. She was called 'Raccoon' in elementary school for the dark circles under her eyes, and she was given many clever nicknames in middle school, names that were always centered around her weight. Yes, she had been over two hundred pounds in her middle school years, but she had joined soccer and started eating more nutritionally, and the weight dropped. Still though, Hikaru's look towards Ripley bothered Tara to an extreme. And as she pulled Kyoya into the kitchen, she couldn't help but feel nostalgic.
"Tara, if this is about Hikaru and Ripley, then you might as well drop it now."
"But can't we figure out something?"
"We have to let things take its course. Hikaru's true personality is coming out and Miss Barrett will just have to learn about it on her own. Besides, I thought you wanted to sabotage their meeting. What made you change your mind?"
"Just...Ripley reminds me a lot of myself..."
Suddenly, Kyoya had his arms wrapped around Tara's waist. "Love, did you have this personality back in middle school?"
"I was worse."
He kissed her temple and smirked, "I probably would have been attracted to you back then as well."
"Even if you found out that those bastards called me 'Tara the Boar'?"
"Hn, I find that nickname rather fitting, even now."
Tara placed her hands flat against his chest, trying to push him away, but Kyoya tightened his hold on her. "You don't have permission to touch me!"
"Should we go back out to the living room and continue talking to Miss Barrett?"
"No, I may punch Hikaru again."
"Do you want to stay in here a few minutes and relax?"
"Tara Alexander can't relax. It's not in her nature."
Kyoya smirked, pressing his lips to her. Then he said, "Then we shall stay in here."
…\~/…
Kaoru had placed him right next to Ripley, who was currently talking to Kasanoda, who had opened up to her quickly. Hikaru watched as everyone listened to them intently, inserting their own comments and questions here and there. His golden eyes moved over to Haruhi and Tamaki, the two that asked Ripley the most questions. How come Haruhi had barely talked to him? It wasn't like he was invisible, so why hadn't she looked at him even? Kaoru was on Ripley's other side, being friendly and excitable as usual, but it still bothered him how Ripley always responded towards Kaoru with just as much enthusiasm. He knew that the two had talked over the phone, but for how long and did they really bond that much? He wished Kaoru would stop grabbing her hand all the time and squeezing it.
"So, what do you draw most of the time?" Haruhi asked Ripley, her doe eyes wider than usual. Hikaru couldn't help but notice how cute she looked at the moment.
"Anything that comes to mind. Even though it may be stupid and I'll probably freak myself out, I want to design a horror game in the future, and I have so many ideas for one. Actually, in order to get into any gaming facility, I need to design my own game, so I've been sketching ideas a lot."
"Is it hard coming up with ideas?"
"Not really. I'm inspired by other horror games, so it's easy to come up with creepy scenarios."
Hikaru wanted to laugh at Tamaki's face, which was one full of fear and his violet eyes were wide. "Scary games…? I don't like scary games…" the blonde mumbled.
Ripley held up a reassuring hand, "Oh, don't worry, I don't either sometimes. Sega's produced the Condemned games and Dawn and I had to walk away from those at certain points in the game."
Hikaru straightened when Haruhi's brown eyes settled on him. He could feel his face begin to heat up. Oh God, what was she going to ask him? How was he going to respond? Hopefully he wouldn't sound too eager when he answered. He didn't want to sound like he had been waiting for her to ask him something. Hikaru took a deep breath and exhaled, looking straight into Haruhi's eyes. He wished he could look into those eyes every day.
"Have you ever played Condemned?" she asked him.
"Oh, uh, I don't think I have. Did you send that one to me, Ripley?"
His question was left hanging, though. He looked over and Ripley's back was to him, the spectacled woman's attention directed solely on Kaoru. Why the hell was she talking to him so much? The one time he had talked to her since her arrival and she wasn't paying attention because she was talking to Kaoru. Hikaru watched as Kaoru laughed and Ripley shook with laughter. And then the worst thing happened: Kaoru slid his arm around her shoulders and gave a squeeze, bringing her closer to him in another embrace. That was it. All this touching on Kaoru's part was driving him up the wall. He didn't spend nine months learning everything about this woman. He wasn't the one that Ripley called and had to be comforted. He wasn't the one that could make her laugh for hours on end. Kaoru did nothing and yet, he was getting more attention from Ripley than he was. Hikaru jumped up, smacking Kaoru's arm away.
Kaoru jumped up off the couch as well. "What was that for?!"
"Get off of her." Hikaru growled.
"What? I'm just being friendly!"
"No, you're being too personal. Stop grabbing her. You're not her boyfriend."
"She doesn't have one, remember?"
"I'm supposed to be her boyfriend."
Kaoru's eyes narrowed, "Well maybe you should-"
Knock, knock, knock!
"I'll get it!" Hunny exclaimed. He bounced all the way to the door, opening it. The moment the door swung open, a man rushed in with a panicked look on his face. "Ripley! There you are!" he shouted, hurrying towards Ripley, grabbing her hands. "I'm going to die! Guess what happened! GUESS WHAT HAPPENED!" He was breathing rather heavily and didn't seem to notice the other guests in the room.
"David, what would've happened if this wasn't the right apartment?" Ripley asked him.
"I probably would've grabbed the first person and cried on their shoulder! But that's not the problem!"
"What is the problem?"
"Okay, so I was walking over here to get you, right? And I was carrying my portfolio, right? And this incredibly rude person bumped into me, I dropped my portfolio, and it fluttered down the drain! The sewage drain! I was going to show all my artwork to one of the most well-known art professors there and now I can't because of that incredibly rude person!"
Ripley didn't say anything. She just bent down and pulled something out of her backpack, holding it out for David to grab. "What is this?" he asked.
"Me being my paranoid self." she replied.
David opened the folder and gasped, his hand reaching his mouth.
Ripley gave a small smile, "I remember the last time your artwork got ruined, so I snuck in and copied the originals of the ones you wanted to show off. The ones that went down the drain were the copies and the ones you are holding are the original. But," She snatched the folder from his hands. "I will be holding onto these until we get there."
"Okay, okay, okay, good idea." David slowly turned his head towards Hikaru, giving him the stink eye.
"What?" Hikaru spat.
"Nothing..." David shot back. The strawberry-blonde man grabbed Ripley's hand and started to pull her towards the door. "C'mon, the art show is going to start in an hour, and Vance and Hannah are waiting! Renee, come on!" Renee looked at everyone in the room, slowly grabbing the Chex mix bowl, and began to walk towards the door. Hikaru's jaw was clenched tight when he saw how David's fingers were beginning to intertwine with Ripley's. The thing that really bothered him was that Ripley didn't seem to mind or notice. She probably didn't notice. David wasn't even that good-looking of a man. Strawberry-blonde hair that was gelled into spikes near the front; dark blue eyes with rectangular glasses; and a lanky limbed body, no muscle whatsoever. But Hikaru's skin continued to prickle at the sight of the two holding hands. Ripley was supposed to be his, so why was she allowing another man to hold her hand?
Hikaru looked down when someone grabbed his hand and found Hunny, who was looking up at him with a wide, curious stare.
"What?" Hikaru repeated again, but to Hunny.
"You should go with them, Hika-chan! You go to the Art Institute, don't you?"
"Yeah, so what?"
Hunny gave a wide smile, "This will give you time to get to know Rip-chan some more!"
"And why would I want to do that?" Hikaru hissed.
Then, Mori held onto Hikaru's shoulders, pointing towards the apartment door. "Look."
Hikaru followed Mori's finger and his eyes settled Ripley.
His body gave a jolt and his heart seemed to stop.
Ripley was staring right at him, her brown eyes full with hurt. He remembered how upset it always made him to hear her sad over the phone, but now that he was actually seeing it in person, it still made his chest ache. Her eyes diverted from his own and she turned away from him, following David out the door.
"Hikaru, go." Mori said in his baritone voice.
"Fine. Whatever."
...\~/...
The place was crowded with students from all over the United States. Each group had their own set of T-shirts, showing everyone which state and college they were from. Hikaru noticed how Ripley, David, and Renee were wearing gray shirts emblazoned with their college's name and insignia in green. Displays were everywhere and tours were being held of the building, eager students hurrying around with huge smiles on their faces. Hikaru's gaze was narrowed; he had never been surrounded by so many nerds in his life. He nearly gagged when he caught a whiff of B.O. somewhere. The other Host Club members were doing fine, though. Hunny held Reiko's hand as he guided her to each display, Mori trailing behind him silently. Tamaki was bouncing from display to display, trying samples from culinary students and clapping at the bands playing. Haruhi was being dragged by Tamaki, but she seemed the most interested in food. Tara and Kyoya walked along, her arm looped in his, stopping at displays that caught their interest, and Tara gave expert tips to budding chefs. And Kaoru was staying beside Hikaru, marveling at all the talent surrounding them.
"Ah, Mr. Hitachiin, I see you're here to see the displays." a voice said behind him.
Hikaru turned to see an elderly man with short, gray hair, blue eyes, and an aging face. "Hey, Professor Caine."
Professor Caine stopped in front of Hikaru and Kaoru, several folders full to the brim with artwork and papers settled in his arms. "I thought you were finally meeting that young woman from over the Internet?"
"I did. She's over there." Hikaru pointed towards a stand not too far away. Ripley was standing beside her friend, Hannah, who was talking to another artist that had a sort of manga style of drawing. Professor Caine smiled, "She's very pretty. Why aren't you over there?"
"Because Hikaru's being an ass." Kaoru mumbled. Hikaru whipped his head in Kaoru's direction, his twin looking away.
Professor Caine looked at Hikaru for a moment before saying, "Can I meet her?"
"I don't care."
Professor Caine began to walk in Ripley's direction, the twins following him. The elderly teacher tapped Ripley's shoulder, smiling when she turned around. He held out his hand, which Ripley took slowly. "I'm Professor Caine, one of the teachers here, but you can call me Reese. Your friend, Hikaru, has been in a few of my classes. I'm sure he's talked about me."
Ripley looked nervous, "Will you get mad if I said he hasn't?"
"Oh Hikaru, you wound me!" Professor Caine joked, turning towards Hikaru. "How come you've never mentioned me before?"
"Never thought to. Sorry." Hikaru muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
There was something wrong.
This was not his usual student.
"Hikaru, would you like to go to my classroom and talk about whatever's concerning you?" Professor Caine asked.
"No, I'm fine." Great, was he going to start saying 'fine' in every sentence again?
"Alright, well, I'll be in Room 105 if you need to talk. I'm giving a seminar to immature kids like you."
"Hey, I'm not-" Before Hikaru could defend himself, Professor Caine leaned forward and whispered something in his ear.
Professor Caine smiled one last time as he patted Hikaru's shoulder. "Just remember that."
...\~/...
Alexander's Cafe:
Ripley sat near the window, looking outside. Cars whizzed by with their lights on, people looked inside the cafe windows briefly to see what was going on, and stores across the street were beginning to close for the night. When Hikaru and his friends had guided her to Alexander's Cafe, she was surprised when she had walked in and everyone greeted her graciously. Nathan had grabbed her hand and shook it fervently and Megan Alexander had shaken her hand as well, even if she did have a sour look while doing it. She and Angela had hit it off immediately, art being their connection, and she and Luke had talked for awhile as well, manga and anime being their main topic of conversation. Kyle had been a bit difficult to talk to since they both stuttered when they introduced themselves, and it had been a bit uncomfortable when Natalie basically jumped into her arms in a crushing hug. Cassidy and Salem sat in the corner, watching everyone and whispering amongst themselves, and they sent her looks every now and again. Ripley looked over when a huge burst of laughter erupted on the other end of the cafe and she saw Renee hunching over from hysterics. Renee had been quickly accepted into the group.
Everyone was having a good time.
Except her.
Ripley watched as Hikaru talked to Haruhi eagerly, the ash-haired man stepping closer to her inch by inch. Ripley looked down at her hands, a feeling of dread causing her stomach to churn. She was beginning to regret telling Hikaru to reunite with Haruhi, but the memory of how happy he had sounded told her that she had done a good deed. His happiness was all that she wanted, even if it meant that his source of happiness was from someone other than her. No matter how much it hurt, she'd keep quiet about her true feelings. Ripley looked back outside, resting her head in her hand. She felt like she was going to cry, but she kept it back. There was no way that she was going to let all of these people see her at her weakest.
She knew why he didn't want anything to do with her, but she wouldn't admit it to herself or anyone else.
Everyone had accepted her with open arms, so why couldn't he?
He had been so kind to her these last few months, always calling her to tell her to be careful or to bundle up when it was winter. They made each other laugh and cry, but everything would turn out alright in the end. But when she had seen him on that poster in March, the one where he and Kaoru were modeling, she had looked in a mirror in the bathroom and knew that she stood no chance.
Haruhi was beautiful.
That was who he wanted in the end, not her.
He probably imagined himself talking to Haruhi every time they talked.
She had no chance.
Ripley had to wonder how everyone else viewed her. Did they think she was ugly too? Tamaki, the moment she had stepped into the apartment, had grabbed her hands and called her beautiful, and Hunny called her pretty. They were probably just saying that to be nice. They'd probably never even seen an ugly person before since they were all beautiful. Ripley's brown eyes stole a glimpse in Hikaru's direction; he was still talking to Haruhi, but this time she noticed his wanting look.
Hikaru wanted Haruhi.
"Pathetic... He disgusts me." a voice said beside her.
"Um...what's your name?"
"Syd. You must be Ripley, Hikaru's distraction."
"Yeah...that's me..."
Syd had appeared out of nowhere, perched on the chair beside Ripley, her boots settled on the table. She was staring straight at Hikaru with a look of disgust. Syd looked dark, the way she was glaring at Hikaru, and seemed to want to attack him from where she sat. She looked feral, anger in her narrowed, brown eyes, her upper lip drawn into a scowl. Ripley shifted uncomfortably in her seat, shoving her hands into her pockets. Being next to this woman made her uneasy, especially since she called her 'Hikaru's distraction'. The scary thing was that it was beginning to become a reality, Hikaru's distant attitude towards her fueling that thought.
"It's been five fuckin' years since she rejected him and two since she married Tamaki. Can't he get the hint?"
"It's hard to get over someone you love."
"And you, why can't you fight for what's yours? You obviously love him, so go claim him."
"Why would I try and claim someone that doesn't love me back? That would just hurt me even more."
"...I guess that's true...but I don't think he hates you."
"Well, he sure does have a funny way of showing it."
That was when Syd jumped up out of her seat, Cassidy and Salem jumping up as well. They marched right up to Hikaru, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him to the kitchens.
...\~/...
"What the hell?!" Hikaru shouted, stumbling and catching himself after Salem had thrown him into the kitchens. The three were glaring at him, arms all crossed. Syd had a snarl on her face, while Cassidy and Salem both had murderous looks in their dark eyes. For once, he actually shivered out of fear, and he had a feeling he knew what this was about. Hikaru couldn't help but think back to the times when Syd had pinned him down and chastised him for using Ripley as a distraction and when Salem had asked him to rate women by their appearance. Everything that had happened in the past nine months seemed to add up.
"I see your play thing has been used up, isn't that right, Hikaru?" Syd asked, her voice lower than normal.
He felt like he was prey and she was the predator.
He was a helpless gazelle and he was about to be ripped to shreds by three hungry hyenas.
Isn't that the same analogy Syd always made when she felt vulnerable?
"Is she a negative ten?" Salem questioned with a quirk of his eyebrow.
"You don't like her anymore since she's fat, right?" Cassidy queried.
Hikaru tried to shove through them, but they knocked him back. "C'mon, I don't have time for this."
"If you have time for flirting with Haruhi and trying to get close to her, then you have time for us." Syd said. "I thought over these nine months, you would've moved on, but I guess I was wrong. I was right all those months ago; she is nothing but a toy to you. Did she distract you long enough until Haruhi came back into your life? Now that Haruhi's here, you don't need Ripley anymore. What happened to all those confessions about caring about her and not using her and not using her as an escape to get away from all your problems? Did you hear, Hikaru? I'm one of the lead veterinarians in Chicago now. Guess you're the only one that's lazy and effortless now."
He was quiet, Salem taking the chance to talk now.
"I already knew what Ripley looked like. I looked her up on Facebook and I immediately knew that she was too good for scum like you. My thoughts were confirmed that day when I took you to Central Park and had you rate all those women. I remember distinctly that the ones you rated five and below all looked like Ripley. I'd have loved to have seen your face when you saw Ripley for the first time. Disappointed, Fruitcup? Why don't you ditch Ripley and go find someone that's as nasty and horrible as you? At least she would be pretty, right? Hey, why don't you off that blonde dunce and take Haruhi for yourself? Isn't she who you want?"
"I hate how you guys are making all these assumptions, but you haven't even let me talk." Hikaru spat.
"Because you don't need to. We already spoke for you." Cassidy said. "Why don't you end it with Ripley now before you do anymore damage to her heart?"
A pain in his chest caused him to grab his shirt. Hurting Ripley...? He used to think those two words would never go together.
"It's against your nature to love a woman like Ripley, isn't it?" Cassidy asked.
Hikaru's eyebrows scrunched together, his eyes hurting from the upcoming tears. He pushed past the three, bursting through the doors. Everyone outside the kitchens stopped what they were doing to stare at him. Hikaru's watery eyes were becoming blurry, but he could make out Haruhi in the crowd. Her whole face was full of concern and she started to step forward when Hikaru shook his head, looking away from her. The next person that he turned to was Ripley, who was near the front windows. She had gotten up from her chair, ready to confront him, but he didn't want her to.
He didn't want her to touch him with those disgusting, scarred hands of hers.
"Hikaru, what's wrong?" Kaoru asked, coming up beside him, grabbing his shoulder.
Hikaru shrugged it off, shaking his head again, and he began to run.
He ran right past Ripley.
He didn't want her.
He didn't want anyone.
...\~/...
Ripley and Renee's Hotel Room:
Ripley hugged her pillow as she laid on her bed, staring at the blandly decorated wall. Her phone was beside her, waiting for an answer from Hikaru. She had called him several times to try and find out what had happened when Syd, Salem, and Cassidy had dragged him into the kitchens. But the screen never lit up or vibrated. There were no texts either...
Finally, her phone lit up and vibrated.
But with a sigh, she answered, "Hey, Joey."
"Don't sound excited, would ya?" Joey said, a hint of laughter in his voice. "How's New York? Is it how you imagined it?"
"I don't really know. I haven't had the chance to explore yet. Once we got off the bus and settled into our hotel room, I went straight to Hikaru's."
Now she wished she had just lied and said that everything was okay.
"Did you guys do anything exciting to mark your official meet?" he asked.
"...he's shallow."
"What?"
"Hikaru's shallow. He doesn't like the way I look."
She felt like she was going to cry.
God, she hated crying, especially when her brothers could hear her.
"Shallow? Doesn't like the way you look? But you're beautiful! How could he not think you're beautiful?"
Shit, she actually began to cry.
Why was she so sensitive?
"No, I'm not. I'm fat and have acne and three fingers on my right hand don't have fingertips. I have scars all over my arms and my hair isn't how I want it. Fuck, why do I have to look like this? Fuck!" she shouted, a sob causing her shake. "Now I wish I had never signed up on Red Hue! I wasn't even ready to have a boyfriend, much less meet someone. I'm in too deep now. I love that man and it's killing me that he doesn't love me back!"
"I'm sure he does..."
"You didn't see him, Joey! He's been cold and distant and has centered all his attention on Haruhi! He's...he...looked at me with such a disgusted look that it reminded me of how disgusting I really am! I just... I've never felt so horrible..."
"Maybe you should come home."
"But the Art Institute..."
"You shouldn't stay there and beat yourself up. Knowing you, you probably will try and hide it tomorrow, right?"
"No..."
"Yes, you will." He sighed through the phone. "Well, I'll come pick you up whenever you want. Your big brother will come and get you away from that bastard."
"Thanks..."
They were quiet for a moment.
"Hey, don't tell Mark, okay? He'll really come over and kill Hikaru."
"Yeah, I won't. I can see the headlines now: 'Attractive model slain by chuckling hick'."
Ripley didn't even crack a smile.
"Get some sleep and don't think about it too much."
"I won't."
"Alright, good night."
"Night..." Click.
...\~/...
September 11th, 5:35 P.M.:
Timeline of Important Events on 9/11:
September 11th, 1609- Henry Hudson discovered Manhattan, New York.
September 11th, 1941- The Pentagon was built.
September 11th, 1961- The WWF (The World Wildlife Fund) was established.
September 11th, 1978- Camp David Accord paved the road towards peace in the Middle East.
September 11th, 1997- NASA's Global Mars Surveyor reached Mars.
September 11th, 2001- World Trade Center are destroyed by hijacked planes.
September 11th, 2012- Hikaru and Ripley's first ever in-person date is about to happen. May God be with them.
...\~/...
It was freezing in New York City, everyone in their fall clothes. The wind nipped at his nose as he waited outside her hotel, hands shoved deep into his pockets. Hikaru hopped from foot to foot to try and keep his blood flowing, but it felt like his face was going to freeze and shatter into a billion little pieces. A feeling of dread spread throughout him as he remembered the date he had set up for he and Ripley. Now he wished he skipped out, but Tara had forced him to get out bed and get dressed. Kaoru had disappeared somewhere during breakfast, keeping it secret on where he was going. Hikaru sighed, his breath floating above him in visible wisps.
"Hey, Hikaru..."
It was her.
He turned, readying himself for her to have bed-head and dressed horribly, but he was surprised. Her hair was down, her brown hair falling down her back and shoulders in loose curls. They looked natural, unlike a lot of curled hair he had seen on many women. It looked like she was wearing eyeliner and some eye make-up, making her brown eyes pop out and look smoky. He noticed her attire; a plaid jacket of teal, black, and gray over a black blouse, jeans, and worn tennis shoes. It wasn't bad, but not date material. At least he couldn't see her scarred flesh anymore...
"Uh, hey..." he said back. Great, now that they were alone, they were going to have to make conversation.
"Kaoru helped me get ready. Hope that doesn't bother you." Ripley said quietly, scuffing the toe of her shoe into the ground, making a scraping sound.
"Did he now?" Just the thought of Kaoru possibly touching her made him want to punch something.
"Yeah. Um, where are we going today?"
"I was just going to show you around the city since you've always wanted to come here."
"Really?!" Her mood seemed to lift. "Are we going to be able to stand on Times Square?! Are we going to the Statue of Liberty?!"
"I guess. I was planning on going to close by landmarks since it's cold."
"Oh, well, whatever you had planned is cool with me. Another time, maybe."
Since this morning, he had planned to just ditch her and go back to sleep, so if she was cool with whatever he had planned...
No, Tara would kill him.
Man, why did he have to do this?
...\~/...
He wanted to take her to Central Park.
No, they just had to go to Gamestop.
"Have it, have it, have it, have it..." Ripley chanted, flipping through the rows of 360 games. "Oooo, don't have this one. It's ten dollars... Maybe later..."
"Are we done yet?" Hikaru called out, looking bored. Was this how she was on a daily basis? Boring... All he wanted to do was go back to the apartment, curl up in his bed, and sleep. He didn't want to be with her. People were staring now, giggling and whispering. Were they talking about him or whispering about him being with her? He hoped it was the former. He wanted to leave, but Ripley was persistent in checking every little game in the store, beaming when she found a cheap one that she wanted. When she had said she was gamer, she really meant it. Only true gamers could spend a whole half an hour in a video game store and not get bored.
"Oh, uh, yeah! We can go! Sorry about that... It's just that New York City Gamestop is a lot bigger than the one back home."
"You can come here on your own time. We have places to go and I would like to get home before next year."
"Yeah..."
The door dinged when they left, the cold inviting them back into early fall. As they walked down the sidewalk towards their next destination, a group of blushing young women waved towards Hikaru, who gave a smirk and waved back. "Hey, Hikaru!" they called out. Ripley almost ran into Hikaru when he stopped abruptly to talk to the group of girls. The spectacled woman watched as Hikaru grinned seductively in their direction, but failed to pay any attention to her. The girls asked him if he was seeing anyone and he looked over his shoulder at Ripley, who was staring directly at him with her hands in her pockets.
"Maybe we can all get together another time." he said.
Ripley's eyes cast downward, her shoulders falling.
She knew what was going to happen, so why was she waiting?
"Okay, Hikaru!" the girls exclaimed and bustled into a nearby store, waving goodbye.
Hikaru noticed Ripley staring at him. "What?"
"I'm assuming you know them."
"Fangirls. Hot, aren't they?" he said with a smirk.
Ripley's eyes narrowed.
...\~/...
A lot of women knew Hikaru.
A lot of women knew Hikaru.
She had to expect this since he was part of a very famous family, his mother and brother being fashion designers, and Hikaru modeling on numerous occasions, so it wasn't a surprise that so many women knew the man. And they were all beautiful. Ripley was getting used to stopping every time a woman said his name, women always asking him if he was available to which he would look over at Ripley and say 'Maybe we can get together another time'. Was he trying to tell her something? She felt as if there was a underlining meaning to what he said, probably something like, 'Maybe another time because I have this dead weight with me right now'. Yeah, that sounded accurate.
This date- if you could call it that- was shit.
She felt horrible, especially since Hikaru wasn't paying any attention to her.
And they were heading to dinner now.
Dinner would probably be shit, too.
...\~/...
Dinner had been shit.
She had made all the conversation and all she got was either silence or one-worded answers.
And he had flirted with their waitress.
Now, they were headed back to the apartment, where everyone was waiting for them to return.
Hikaru was marching ahead of her, head hunched over and his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Ripley had to sort of jog to keep up with him, constantly having to double back when he would turn sharp corners or disappear into crowds of people. She wasn't stupid, she knew that he was doing this on purpose. Curse him for having long legs and for her being so short.
Then, Ripley had to stop quickly in order to not run into Hikaru when he stopped suddenly.
"Hikaru...?"
"I don't like the way you look."
"W-what?" Her voice came out shaky.
"I don't like the way you look." Hikaru repeated, loudly this time, turning towards her.
Their eyes met for a second before Hikaru turned away, walking away.
And she just let him...
...\~/...
Midnight:
Hikaru's Apartment:
Hikaru staggered up the stairs, tripping over steps and stumbling when he walked to his door. He fumbled with his keys, hiccupping loudly, and before he could insert his apartment key into the door, the door itself swung open, revealing a beaming Hunny.
"Hika-chan, welcome ba- Hey, where's Rip-chan?"
"Gone! Gone for-hic-good! I got rid of that ugly broad!" Hikaru shouted, tripping over his own feet, falling to the floor with a loud thud. The room was quiet as Kaoru rushed over, lending Hikaru a hand, but the older twin pushed Kaoru away, struggling to get up off the floor. "Don't touch me, Kaoru! You girlfriend stealer! I watched you put your hands all over her! Do you want Ripley?! Do you-hic-want her all to yourself?! Fine! Go get her! She has more...womanly qualities...if you know what I mean...than that whore you're dating now!" Hikaru jabbed Kaoru's chest. "I bet you're one of those closet perverts that like their women to be heavily endowed..."
"You're drunk." Kaoru stated obviously.
"And happy! I feel great right now!" Hikaru exclaimed.
"Hikaru, you need to stop." Haruhi said, coming towards him. That was a bad idea on her part, though. Hikaru turned on her, giving a wide grin.
"Haruhi! My love! How awesome it is to see the woman who broke my heart and left me in the dust! I love your hair, by the way! Anyone have any gin? Anyone? Anyone? No, maybe I should go out for more..." But Hikaru lost his train of thought and diverted his attention back on Haruhi. He stumbled a bit, but managed to regain his posture. "You...you fell for that idiot, even when I loved you first. I was ready to give you-hic-everything you wanted, needed, and even my life. I...I...I loved no woman but you and you rejected me." Tamaki came up and pushed Hikaru away from Haruhi when the dark-haired man hissed, "Bitch..."
"That's enough, Hikaru. You've said enough." Tamaki warned.
Hikaru laughed, wrapping his arm around Tamaki's shoulder. "Hey, Milord, what's it like to bed Haruhi every night, huh? Since she's usually so dull, I bet it's fun to make her squeal, isn't it?"
"Hikaru, stop this-!"
Before Tamaki could finish, Kaoru grabbed Hikaru's shoulder and pulled him off of Tamaki. "Hikaru, stop. That's enough."
Hikaru got up into Kaoru's face. "Make me."
SLAP!
The impact from Kaoru's slap sent Hikaru to the ground with a throbbing cheek. Hikaru held a shaking hand to his pained cheek, looking up into identical golden orbs.
"Kaoru..."
"You sicken me, Hikaru." Kaoru spat.
Hikaru's head dropped to the floor, his drunken state beginning to take a toll on him now. He watched as Kaoru grabbed his coat and rushed out the door.
"Kaoru..."
And his world turned black.
He wished it'd stay that way.
...\~/...
Ripley and Renee's Hotel Room:
Knock, knock, knock!
She opened the door, revealing Kaoru on the other side.
"Ripley, I-!"
He was stopped short when Ripley held up something. A poster. No...not just any old poster. It was the poster from March when he and Hikaru had modeled for his Spring Collection. Kaoru looked at Ripley from the poster.
"I knew what he looked like all along." she muttered.
"Ripley..."
"He's so handsome...and me...I'm..."
Kaoru grabbed her and pulled her to him when the tears began to fall.
...\~/...
September 24th, 4:13 P.M.:
Hikaru sat at the island table in the kitchen, his head in his hands, his fingers grabbing his dark hair in fistfuls. A bottle of whiskey sat close by, half empty or half full depending on how his mood made him look at life. Usually, though, it was half empty. The radio was on, but the songs were in the distance as his thoughts crowded his mind. The window was open, the cold hitting his hot body, trying to cool him off. His phone was directly in front of him, his eyes watching it every second in case she called him.
He had ruined everything with her and the aftermath of it all was beginning to take effect. Nine months of becoming so close to Ripley had gone down the drain and now, more than ever, he wanted to hear her voice. That sweet voice of hers was something he had been praying to hear for the past week. His prayers had been unanswered so far, but he had hope that she would call him. But it wasn't just Ripley he had screwed up with; it had been everyone else. After his drunken fit the week before, they all left except for Tara and Kyoya. They all gave up on him. No one called him after that to see how he was doing now and no one even cared. For years, they had been supportive, but all that support was for nothing. He wish he could change it all.
He pressed the phone to his ear, listening to the ringing.
"Hello?"
"Ripley, I just wanted-!"
"Ha! Got you! This is my voice mail so please leave a message. Bye!"
He dropped his phone onto the table, grabbing the whiskey bottle, taking a swig. He hadn't felt this horrible since Haruhi married Tamaki.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated, and Hikaru immediately grabbed it, but it was nothing but another Red Hue match-up.
Hello Hikaru!
Thank you for setting up an account on our wonderful website.
We are pleased to inform you that we have found the person for you!
Click on the following link to see who we paired you up with.
He clicked it, remembering the first time he had done this, thus starting his past nine months getting to know an incredible woman.
He wished she'd answer his calls, texts, anything.
Hikaru scrolled through the message that his "match-up" sent him, frowning.
Hey Hikaru!
My name's Steph and i luv, luv, LUV all ur hobbies! I mean, i'm not that n2 games, but i can learn real fast! And i just have 2 say that u r very attractive & if u can c from my profile pict, i'm pretty cute 2, so we r like a match made from heaven! My last bf was a total stinker, but i'm sure ur kewl!
Steph!
XOXOXOXO
The whole message sickened him. Ripley would have rather died than compose a message like this.
Ripley...
Every time he thought of her, his heart ached.
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep tears from flowing, but it was no use. His whole body shook with sobs and the tears slid down his face, Hikaru bringing up his sleeve to wipe away the salty tears.
He was pathetic...
No...
He was getting over his real true love.
...\~/...
Japan:
Something wasn't right.
She felt off.
"Tamaki, I need to go back."
"Back where?"
"Back to Hikaru. We left him in such a fragile state. What if he does something stupid?"
Tamaki looked at his wife, who stood in the doorway, looking determined.
"You want to go alone, don't you?"
"It's the only way."
Tamaki smiled, walking towards his wife, placing a kiss upon her lips.
"Go."
...\~/...
September 25th, 10:02 A.M.:
Knock, knock, knock!
Hikaru forced himself off the couch, shuffling towards the door. He really didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment.
He opened it.
"Haruhi...? What are you-"
"Hikaru, I want you to go on a date with me."
Please, bear with me a little longer.
It's 1:05 in the morning and I'm tired.
I'll have a long author's note in the next chapter or two.
Author's Note - Fin