Lost in the Dark
By E.M. Megs
Chapter 33 – In the Open
Out of all the balls she'd been to since meeting Kyoya, this one had to be one of the most stressful. Not because she had to worry about anyone finding out her gender but because for the first time she had to act as pristinely important as was required of royalty in their land.
It didn't suit her at all. Though she had been raised in the royal court of Kira, her father had never pressured her with expectations of perfection and he'd never placed the idea in her head that she was more important than anyone else anywhere but in her father's eye.
But now she was stuck at her fiance's side, sick, and wanting nothing more than go back go bed.
Why did the fate of the entire continent land on her shoulders? This had started out as a way to help people and now suddenly she was trying to end a war?
Still, she was stuck, so she was going to keep herself in Yoshio's good graces in the very least and that meant remaining where she was: on Kyoya's arm.
The Girplushin ambassador nodded his head at them in farewell and walked away and Haruhi very nearly collapsed in relief. Kyoya glanced at her, a very slight smirk on his lips. "I hope you're not tired already," he murmured.
"Of course not," she huffed back in a hushed voice, "I slept all day. How could I be tired already?"
"Good, let's dance then."
She shot him a nervous look but relented and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. She didn't understand him. One moment she swears he would cancel this party until she was feeling better and the next he's trying to make her sick. "Don't spin us too much or I may be sick," she warned him softly.
"Trust me," he whispered back, tugging her close by the waist. She half rolled her eyes and put her arms reluctantly around his neck.
"Now why would I do that, Your Highness?"
"Because I could have you killed if you don't." There was a teasing mirth in his eyes as he said it.
"You couldn't if you tried," she shot back with a small smile.
"Perhaps you're right. I have grown rather fond of you after all, Miss Yukikawa." She nearly snorted but her eye caught on Yoshio Ohtori and the smile nearly fell off her face. "What?"
"Your father's watching us. Waiting for me to screw up."
"When isn't he? And you won't." He turned her so he was facing his father instead and continued leading her. She was a quick study, considering she'd never had proper training in Narian dance etiquette. "Was that all?"
She sighed and looked up at him, her expression tired. "Is that ever all?"
He carefully slowed them to a stop and looked down at her. "A break, perhaps?" he asked quietly. Haruhi nodded quickly.
"Miss Yukikawa, I hope you aren't tired. I would like a dance as well." If it were socially appropriate she would have screamed as the Narian King's voice hit her ears. "That is, if my son will allow me." His sharp eyes narrowed at Kyoya who stiffly passed her hand to his father's.
"Of course, father," he muttered, "Haruhi, I'll get us something to drink." Her eyes bore into her fiance's and he just stared back with a look that attempted to tell her she'd be okay. And then she was being spun away from him. "You don't look well, Miss Yukikawa."
"Yes," she replied absently, trying to keep her eyes on Kyoya even as they spun, "I have been feeling a bit under the weather, Your Majesty. A bug of some kind."
"I hope you're not contagious."
At any other time she would have had a smart remark against his double-sided comment. For a King he could be rather rude. However, at the moment she was concentrating on keeping her dinner inside her stomach. "Your Majesty, if you would stop spinning us, it would help. I wouldn't want to be sick all over your ball robes."
That got him to slow down at least, though he looked slightly put out. "I'm surprised you didn't invite your father."
"He's not… inclined to parties."
"Still, it's your engagement party. I'd have thought he'd make the effort for his only daughter." She decided it was best not to say anything. "Or is it just that he's avoiding meeting me?"
She did snort this time. "Your Majesty, I assure you that if he were avoiding you the effort would have to be much more conscious than it is. He simply was unable to attend. He's not one for parties and taking the effort and money to get transportation here and back is ridiculous. I shouldn't need to defend him to you. I don't mind that he's not here."
"I do. I'd like to meet the man who raised the woman my son is marrying."
"You'd like a lot of things that simply aren't possible, Your Majesty."
Yoshio slowed to a stop as the orchestra transitioned to a new piece and stared at her through the glare of his glasses. "I'd watch your tongue, Miss Yukikawa. You are not above my discipline just because you are engaged to Kyoya."
"On the contrary, Your Majesty, there's nothing you could do that would make me not want to marry him." The corner of his lips just barely twitched into the slightest of snarls before he turned and left her. She walked as confidently as she could to the stairs that would take her down to the garden. Kyoya caught up to her there and wrapped a steadying arm around her waist. She placed a trembling hand against his shoulder in response.
"Are you alright?"
"I need to sit. I need to be somewhere that we aren't constantly being watched."
"What did he say?" he demanded.
"Kyoya, please." He pursed his lips and nodded, carefully leading her out the door to the garden. They found a part of the small labyrinth there to sit. She leaned against him and just breathed for a time before she said, "I'm rather sure that he threatened me."
"What?" Kyoya hissed.
"I should have expected it. I'm exhausted, Kyoya. You know how I can't control my tongue as easily when I'm tired."
"That's no excuse for him to threaten you."
"It was my fault. Just-" she stopped and pressed a hand to her chest. She sat up straighter and her eyes searched the ground as though looking for a lost earring.
"Just what, Haruhi?" he murmured, then noticed her stature. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure if it's anything wrong exactly. I just… don't feel that tugging in my chest anymore. Which is a bit disconcerting hones- OH MY GOD." It came back in a rush and it was nearly crippling. Things flashed before her eyes that weren't there until finally she saw her grandmother dressed regally walking down the stairs to a ball.
"Haruhi?" She'd fallen to her knees. She gripped blindly for his hand, still only seeing the Witch until the trumpets from the ballroom above sounded, announcing a new guest. Her vision cleared instantly and she knew.
"She's here."
"Who?"
"Grandmother." Kyoya froze at her side, his ears listening intently to the announcer. Sure enough the arrival of "Her Highness Maia Venefica of Witchland" soon sounded clearly, even down in the garden.
"What? How?" He was completely aghast. How had her name escaped his attention when he was looking at the guest list?
"How am I supposed to know that?"
"How did you know?" he demanded but she was just as lost as he was.
"I don't know, Kyoya!"
"Stay here."
"Kyoya-"
He held a hand back toward her even as he hurried away, stopping her protests. "Stay." She sighed and brought two fingers to her temple. This was exactly what she needed right now. Her grandmother crashing her engagement party. How many people could call that one of their woes? God only help her if the Witch followed him back. Luckily she didn't think that he went completely back and greeted her. He just left to make sure it was true. "I don't know how she escaped my notice on the guest list," he muttered as he returned.
"Your father probably didn't include her."
"Probably." Kyoya glanced over his shoulder then muttered a curse under his breath. "We need to hurry."
"Hurry what Kyoya. I can't hide from her forever."
"You have to. You have no protection from her yet, Haruhi. Not until after we're married."
"What do you suggest then?"
"A cloaking charm. Yuiichi taught it to me a few weeks back just in case the occasion arose. He since charmed this broach that happens to match your dress so I don't even have to do much." He pulled the simple pin from his pocket and carefully put it on the shoulder of her dress. He whispered a simple incantation under his breath to activate it, "Venefica Maia et Ohtori Kyoya non videt verum." He sucked in a breath.
"Why did you include your name?" she asked softly.
"I needed to test it," he murmured and reworked it. "Ohtori Kyoya videt verum. Venefica Maia non videt verum." She had changed before his eyes and he let out a little laugh of disbelief. "Yuiichi knows his damn charms. You'll be cloaked only to her now."
"What will she see?"
"I don't know. Something that isn't you though."
"How do you know her magic won't overpower your charm?"
"I don't but we have to try it, Haruhi. You can't just go to bed this early. My father would be suspicious."
She bit her lip and nodded. But something else was bothering her. "Kyoya if I could sense her then she must have sensed me as well. There's no way that she'll leave us alone now that she knows I'm here. She might not see me as her granddaughter but she'll know that her granddaughter is somehow connected to us. How are you going to explain that?"
He looked her hard in the eye and simply said, "I won't. Who the people on my guest list really are is of no consequence to me." She sighed and rolled her eyes, accepting his offered arm to lead her back to the party. Just when she thought they were completely done talking and were just going to go back, he stopped and turned back to her. His lips found hers before she could blink and were gone just as quickly. "Everything will be fine, Haruhi. Promise."
Haruhi really wished that he'd stop making promises he couldn't keep. But even that breakable promise was enough to keep her from running in the opposite direction when she made eye contact with her grandmother. Her hand tightened on Kyoya's arm reflexively. He showed no reaction but a small glance.
"So this is your elusive fiance, Kyoya?" the Witch said as they approached. "I'm surprised you even let her leave your room once my arrival was announced."
"Your meeting was inevitable," Kyoya replied plainly with thinned lips. "But it does not mean that I have to like it." Yoshio glared at him and walked off as Haruhi curtsied.
"An honor, Queen Venefica," Haruhi said clearly, grimacing inwardly at the name. Calling her inhuman grandmother by a human name with the title of queen attached felt like a betrayal to royalty. What was she queen of? A land built on greed, the blood of an innocent people, and a war that allowed her only to prosper. How anyone could be 'Queen' of all that and still call themselves human was nauseating. "I'm Haruhi."
"As I've been told," she answered with an unamused eyebrow raise. "That's an interesting name for a person from Pait. Moradian?"
"Yes. My mother was part."
"Name of their late princess, is it not?"
"Yes, Your Highness. I'm aware of its history."
"You should know then that people named Haruhi do not tend to last very long."
Kyoya openly snarled at her. "Are you threatening her, Witch?"
She laughed as though the young man had just told a joke. "Certainly not, Kyoya. Don't be daft. I'm merely making an observation. As you know, my granddaughter didn't make it very far past infanthood and she is the first Haruhi that I have met since then."
Kyoya's lips still curled and Haruhi nearly thought that he was going to lean in an give her a threat of his own. Instead he controlled himself and, nostrils flaring, led her away with a farewell of, "Good evening, Maia. If I were you I wouldn't drink the punch. Too sweet for your tastes."
She laughed again as they retreated. "Oh and by the way, Haruhi! That is a gorgeous broach!"
The minute their backs were turned to her, Haruhi's face fell and she sighed in relief. "That has got to be one of the single most terrifying things that I have ever done," she muttered, "And I've been tortured! By you no less!"
He didn't answer. He didn't even laugh. He just whispered, "She knows its charmed." He gave a glance at the pin on her dress. "You aren't to leave my sight for the rest of the night."
Haruhi nodded even while her stomach churned. "As if I would ever want to be anywhere else."
~o~
They successfully avoided any other interactions with The Witch after that, which Haruhi was more grateful than words could possible describe for. Fuyumi at one point had pulled her away from Kyoya in order to introduce her to friends of hers. But, as he had said, she was never once out of his line of sight. Nor was she out of her grandmother or Yoshio's sights. She felt like she was being watched like the prey of a hawk.
By the time the actual announcement of their engagement occurred, she was ready to pass out and felt nausea so powerful that she thought she would blow her top any second.
"No more dancing," she begged Kyoya as he led her around the room. "No more moving. Please." He gazed at her and nodded with a sigh.
"Let's sit," he murmured, finding a pair of chairs against the wall across the room and striding to them quickly. She sat down and found his hands with her own. "I take it you aren't feeling well."
She snorted. "Understatement. Feels like I could vomit my entire stomach up. How much more of this do we have to endure?"
"Only another half hour." She groaned. "Can you hold on for that long?"
"If I have to. I would really like to not have to though."
"Are you not feeling well, Haruhi?" The girl froze like stone at the sound of her grandmother's voice coming from in front of her. She held out a couple spread fingers, reaching slowly to her forehead. "I could very easily get rid of whatever illness is tormenting you."
After a brief moment of internal panic, Haruhi stood abruptly and stepped out of the way of Maia's fingers at the same time Kyoya grabbed hold of the Witch's wrist to stop her from getting any closer. "That's quite alright Queen Venefica. It's just a bit of nausea. Nothing to concern yourself with," Haruhi said quickly. She curtsied as the queen lowered her hand back to her side.
"Suit yourself," Maia said, strutting away. Haruhi sat back down next to Kyoya, feeling a bit faint.
"I don't like this," she whispered at him fiercely.
He scowled. "I don't like it anymore than you do."
"All she would have to do to kill me is give me a bolt of her supposed 'magical healing.' And if that didn't kill me then that's all she would need to know everything. And then she could just kill me some o-"
"Haruhi," he interrupted, squeezing her hands. "I wouldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let her so much as touch you." One of his hands raised to her cheek. She leaned into the touch. "Just hold out for 20 more minutes and then we can go to bed." She nodded, closing her eyes and putting her head on his shoulder.
It was rather late, in Haruhi's defense. Unfortunately, when the royal family threw a party it could last forever and tonight was no exception. 45 minutes later, Haruhi and Kyoya managed to say goodnight to his sister and inform his father of their departure. The Witch was still at Yoshio's side and she said, "Sleep well," as they retreated. Haruhi was 80 percent certain she was going to have nightmares tonight purely because her grandmother had said that.
~o~
A/N: Ahaha over year. Yikes. Preparing to have fruit thrown at me. I don't even have the energy to explain anymore. Let's just say the last few months have been full of grief and the last year has been full of panic attacks, anxiety, and more stress than even I could handle.
Kudos to: Cactus2008, jayb1rd, invictusalma, Rocksy023, uyay, Flak, sisflower, Animegal809, Fall3nst4rr567, Nessie-san, isara-love, mtnikolle, Magpie09, Yoroichicat, Artemis-Sadie-Athena-Piper. Kim, Infinities Lover, animelovernewbie, Nkaura-Ruta-La, greetingsfrommars, TobiSaru, oreobabez, and vicky. keyworth
Oh man. So many people expected a chapter in June/July. WELL IT'S JUNE? OF 2014 INSTEAD OF 2013? BUT IT'S STILL JUNE! Hard to believe it's been 4 years and I'm still not done with this.