Hey guys, sorry this chapter took so long to put up. School has hit me like a truck and finding time between work, school, and my sport there is little time for writing. Please enjoy the chapter and thank you for your patience!
Emi walked into her first period classroom irritated.
After parking she had passed through school feeling eyes on her the entire time. She wasn't used to attention, she preferred being in the background, and this feeling was starting to irk her. It wasn't until she entered her hallway that someone spoke to her.
"You're Emi-San?" Someone said behind her,
Emi turned to the snide voice and was faced with a group of girls that stared at her with malice shining in their eyes.
"I am, may I help you?" Emi replied lightly, internally analyzing the situation.
"We heard you were with Mori-senpai alone in a back room of the aquarium. But you hang on Kyouya like he's a doll and take Haruhi home every day." One of the girls said,
"Plus I've seen you give the twins love notes at lunch!" Another possessive guest said,
Emi forced herself to stay calm, anger bubbling up inside her.
"I'm sorry ladies but it appears as if you have misunderstood a few things. Mori-senpai is just a close friend, Haruhi and I go to the market together, and the twins use my art as inspiration for their fashion line. I have never written a love letter in my life!"
The group of girls didn't look impressed and stood waiting for a better explanation.
Emi sighed lightly, "I am not a player in any way. I have only been with one guy in my whole life. If you want to learn more come to club tonight and I'll tell you."
She was given a few smug looks and heard whispering about how lonely she must be with 'one guy' before the cluster of gossips left and she was allowed to reach her classroom.
The rest of the day proved to be much of the same. A group of girls, the smallest being a group of four, would approach her with anger in their eyes and demand an explanation on the Mori-aquarium incident. She got so tired of retelling the coincidence that she stuck with saying "come to the host club tonight and I will explain everything".
The final bell rang and she walked with Tamaki, Kyouya, and the seniors to the third music room.
Emi was lost in her own world as she stumbled into the room and firmly planted herself on the closest seat she found. She burrowed her face in her hands and tried to prepare herself for the mob of girls who would be vying for answers once the doors opened.
Anxiety kept growing in her stomach and she knew if she didn't calm down she would clam up and not be able to tell the girls anything.
"Emi-chan?" Hani asked, breaking into her relaxation session.
She lifted her face high enough to expose her eyes and gave the hosts surrounding her a dark glare. Everyone jumped back, even Kyouya which made amused her in her nervous state.
"Her evil eye is worse than Kyouya's..." Someone whispered,
She took a deep breath and sat up straight in her chair, forcing the anxiety away.
"I'm sorry guys. I'm just worried because it feels like half of the school is coming today to hear what I have to say about what happened with Mori-senpai."
The hosts looked a little surprise by she couldn't help seeing Kyouya's tiny smile. She rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Yes Kyouya, that means big sales for you."
"You have done well, Emi." He replied happily, scribbling something on his notepad.
She stood and tipped his notepad so he was forced to look at her.
"This might be good for the club now but remember that if this goes over badly it could mean the loss of a lot of guests. Make sure you have your priorities in check" She said,
His smile didn't falter as he lowered the clipboard and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"I know, but it won't go over badly, so don't worry."
~Dangit I want to kiss him. Keep it together Emi.~
Emi sighed and forced herself to withdraw.
"Then can you tell them? I don't know if I'll do a good job." She whispered, hating how weak she sounded.
Kyouya reached down and gently grabbed her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes, "I'll help but most of these girls came to talk to you. I'm your backup, call me if you need me."
Emi nodded, "Okay."
"Can we open club or not?" The twins said sarcastically,
The couple joined the rest of the hosts in front of the entrance and set up formation.
With a flurry of rose petals the doors opened, "Welcome!"
oOo
Kyouya glanced over to Emi's area. She didn't lie when she said half the school was coming. Two additional couches had been added to Emi's guest area to make room for all of the girls and some still had to draw chairs from tables.
From the snippets of conversation he caught she was explaining why she was not dating each host. He assumed she would leave him last and then break the news but with Emi he never knew for sure.
The room was tense and reasonably quiet. Other than the clinking of teacups and the occasional comment, Emi's voice was the only sound resonating through the music room. The few guests who weren't clustered around the hostess were sitting by their host of choice protectively.
Kyouya was alone, silently pleased he didn't have to deal with any clingy girls. He was able to sort through the profits from the surge of guests while simultaneously keep an eye on Emi.
She hated being the center of attention, he knew that for a fact. Even before today he had taken note of her affinity to secluded, quiet spaces. She avoided main hallways, refused to partake in gossiping, was polite to everyone equally, didn't pick favorites. Up until she met Kyouya she was the definition of a neutral person. Being the core of a hot topic was killing her.
Throughout her speech to the girls today she fidgeted, took shaky breaths, and looked at Kyouya often. Despite portraying these subtle signs of distress, when he met eyes with her he found strength and determination. She fidgeted but she sat up straight. Her breaths were shaky but her voice was confident. She was every bit terrified, but to anyone other than Kyouya she appeared to have complete control of the situation.
He continued to type away until he heard the room go silent. Quickly he scanned his memory on what she had just said. If he recalled correctly she had confirmed that she had only been with one boy in her entire life. And that she was with him today.
~Oh. here we go.~
Without a word Emi stood up. The guests surrounding her parted so she might escape the mass of bodies and she walked towards him.
He remained seated when she stood next to him and wrapped his arm around her waist to drive the idea in.
"I am dating Sugita Emi. I have been for a few weeks now. She has been a faithful girlfriend and a loving friend to me and the rest of the hosts. Failure to accept our relationship will lead to the immediate expulsion from the club." Kyouya said, loud and confident.
He felt her hand squeeze his shoulder and her slightly trembling form stiffened up as the words sunk in.
After a few seconds of complete silence the guests began to react. Some scowled, others fangirled, a lot of girls sat and stared at them with mouths open, still processing what just happened.
Eventually the couple were surrounded by girls asking questions. A few left in anger but most seemed open to the idea.
The remaining time of club was spent pleasing the guests with details on their relationship with the occasional affectionate gesture to offer some fanservice.
When the time came the girls left and the doors closed. Emi immediately collapsed into a chair next to Kyouya. He chuckled and pulled her closer to kiss her cheek.
"That was exhausting." She groaned,
"You did great."
"We have an entire week of this before the ball."
"You'll keep being great, I know it."
She looked up at him and gave him a small smile that made him want to kiss her again.
"We'll be leaving if you all need some alone time." The twins said as they practically waltzed out of the room followed by the seniors.
"W-wait." Emi said, jumping to her feet and dragging Haruhi into the back room. "I need to talk to you."
Kyouya looked up at Tamaki, "I think it went well."
"Why did auntie take daughter away?" Tamaki said, staring at the door of the back room with big eyes.
Kyouya rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulder.
"Let's get out of here, they're probably going to be in there a while."
"Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy." Tamaki whined,
"Because they are girls, they do this stuff." He explained, closing the door. Prepared for the future and opening a new door in life.
oOo
The rest of the week was similar to club. Most people were accepting of their relationship but a handful opposed it completely. A group of girls formed and boycotted the club but they were easily brushed off due to the massive wave of new guests. Everyone wanted to talk with the first hosts to be in a relationship.
The ball was announced and Emi was surprised to learn that tickets sold out in a day. Kyouya had given her a smirk and she couldn't help kissing it away.
The week dragged along, worn down by entertaining students. Emi enjoyed not having to guard her actions, holding hand freely and sitting close to Kyouya had been amazing, but she couldn't help the feeling of dread that surrounded her. As Saturday approached the feeling only grew and she found herself wary of the party. By Friday Kyouya had caught wind of her discomfort.
"What's wrong?" He asked in their final period of the day,
She glanced at him, trying to sort out her thoughts. Ever since their relationship had been announced they had been coerced into sitting next to each other in all classes. Emi hadn't enjoyed all the attention and having Kyouya sit next to her meant Tamaki would sit next to them. The blonde had been a nightmare to control, fluctuating between excitement for his friends and disapproval 'for Haruhi's sake'.
She was ready to knock him out on a few occasions but either Kyouya or Haruhi cut him down before she lost it completely.
She took a breath and looked up at him,
"I'm worried about tomorrow. Something seems wrong."
She was still getting used to being honest with her feelings but she knew Kyouya would be more upset if she brushed him off.
"I think you're just nervous." He deduced, placing a hand on hers.
Her stomach churned, even something as simple as grabbing her hand still gave her butterflies.
"I know I'm nervous but it's something else. It feels malicious."
"There will be security at the party and all of the students who have acted out against us have been banned. You'll be safe, I promise."
~It's not me I'm worried about.~ She thought. The group of girls giving the couple problems all seem to be obsessed with Kyouya. She wouldn't be surprised if every single girl in their group had confessed to him in the last four days. They all have too much money and connections to accept their relationship with a reckless statement of love.
In addition Kyouya had turned down each girl the same way. He had calmly replied "I'm currently in a relationship and do not plan on straying from her." which had led to many tantrums and, much to Emi's confusion, increased the negativity aimed for her but not Kyouya.
She closed her eyes briefly and looked back at Kyouya.
"You're right, I'm just worried." She said with a sweet smile that seemed to relieve Kyouya.
~You are not right but it will go smoother if I keep that to myself. Sorry Kyouya, this will make it easier to watch out for you.~
oOo
Club was canceled that day to prepare for the ball. Kyouya had enjoyed the sweet moments of preparing for it with Emi. They did a majority of the planning during lunch earlier in the week in Emi's hiding spot in the library. He discovered her love for cuddling in the sun so somehow they always ended up under the dirty window with her head on his lap. I guess he learned how much he enjoyed cuddling too.
One of the days she had fallen asleep and he was able to observe her openly. There were bags under her eyes that she tried to hide with some type of makeup and her entire being relaxed when she was unconscious. He had never realized how tight her face was when she was awake, even with him. It's as if she was never relaxed, always attentive.
~No wonder she has bags, she must never sleep.~
He decided to tempt fate and peek under her long sleeves and found a map of bruises. Some were dark black and appeared fresh while others were yellowing. Mixed in were silver strips of scarred tissue. After a few seconds he dropped the fabric and pulled her closer, determined to keep her safe despite being more confused than ever.
He had allowed her to nap the entire period, even though she gave him a piece of her mind after, and catch up on some z's.
When she waved goodbye on Friday she smiled but he knew she was even more worried than before. He knew she lied to him about being nervous and played along to ease her mind. He wanted her to be happy and although he didn't enjoy being lied to he knew it was for his sake.
The ball decorating went well. With the combined force of Emi and the twins the ballroom had been transformed into an elegant dance hall that rivaled any royal event. Gold and crimson banners and curtains had been hung, tables were set up and covered with luxurious fabric. Fresh red and gold roses would be brought in on Saturday along with the gourmet catering. Everything was perfect for an Ouran ball and Emi, with sidekick Haruhi, managed to keep the overall cost of the ball well below the budget.
Everything was good. He just had to ensure his girlfriend made it through the event alive. He knew the girls at Ouran could be spiteful and territorial and he wanted to keep her well away from any of them. He doubted anything would actually happen but there was always the potential of her being surrounded by a group of girls and being attacked verbally. She might be one of the strongest people he knew physically (other than Hani-senpai) but she was weak in social standards.
Now, as a he stared up at his ceiling in bed, he cycled through his plan for the next day. His personal security would be over viewing the event and knew to keep an especially close eye on Emi. It felt weird to be so worried about someone but he couldn't get her off his mind. He knew he was probably being overly cautious but he wanted to keep her safe and by his side. They've been together for over two months now and despite the limited amount of time he was hooked on her. He didn't want to be apart from her no matter what. Her presence calmed him, strengthened him, made him feel alive. Tomorrow he would treat her like the princess she was and formally introduce her to his father. Yes, tomorrow would be a very big day.