Megumi had taken the train to lunch, so Laney drove them both back to the Ootori house, a few miles outside the city limits. "Kaoru can give you a ride, if that's okay with you," she had said. "Of if you'd prefer, I'm happy to run you back home."
"I couldn't put you to that much trouble," Megumi demurred as they pulled up to the house. At maybe 4,000 square feet, it was not much larger than her parents' home. It was set back from the main road a bit, giving the house a sense of privacy. It was very pretty, and she said so.
"Thanks. Honestly, I would have been happier with a house half this size, but evidently we have the Ootori reputation to maintain," Laney said. "But the patio out back is worth it. I practically live out there when the weather cooperates."
They walked into the house. Megumi was mildly surprised at the lack of staff. Catching her expression, Laney grinned. "We don't have any staff on the weekends. It's nice to have some privacy occasionally, you know?" She led Megumi into the large kitchen, where Ootori was pulling plates from a cabinet.
"Hey! Miss me?" Laney greeted her husband with a quick kiss.
"Yes, the four hours you were gone were sheer hell," Ootori said drily. "I'm not sure how I survived it."
"Don't get fresh with me," she said. "Megumi, what can I get you to drink?"
"A beer would be great."
Ootori took the top off the beer before handing her the bottle. "Want a glass?"
"Bottle's fine, thanks. Where's Kaoru?"
"Right here." Kaoru entered the kitchen, greeting Laney with a kiss on the cheek before crossing to Megumi and repeating the gesture.
God, he smells fantastic, she thought idly. Is that cologne, or is it just him?
"The food's all set up outside," he said. "Don't worry, Laney, your poor overworked husband didn't have to lift a finger."
"Poor, overworked husband?" Ootori asked mildly, turning to his wife.
Laney thrust the stack of plates into Kaoru's hands, adding napkins and utensils. "Here, take these outside."
"How am I supposed to carry my beer?"
"Kaoru, you are workin' my last nerve," she said in English, turning to pull two pitchers out of the refrigerator.
Ootori handed Megumi another opened bottle, indicating she should follow Kaoru outside. As she turned to leave, she caught Ootori bending down to whisper something to Laney.
When they got outside, she handed Kaoru his beer. "Is it really a good idea to wind him up like that?"
"That was nothing. You should hear Hikaru go at him. Besides, if Laney's worried about Kyoya working too much, keeping it a secret from him is hardly helpful." Kaoru took a swig of his beer.
"Yes, but there's a little thing called tact."
"Never heard of it."
Megumi ignored this and turned to look at the grounds. There was a small English garden bordering the patio on two sides, running riot with late spring flowers. A small cobblestone path ran through it, leading down to a rolling expanse of lawn. At the far edges, a series of hydrangeas were in full bloom before giving way to a barrier of firs. It was altogether lovely.
Laney came out onto the patio, carrying a tray with the pitchers and glasses. Her husband was close on her heels, and he busied himself lighting the citronella torches scattered around the patio.
"Megumi, can I get you some water or sweet tea?" Laney asked, setting the glasses out.
"Sweet tea?"
"I advise against it," Ootori said. "It's tea-flavored sugar water. Revolting." Laney gave her husband an unfriendly look.
"Laney, I would love some sweet tea," Kaoru said, full of innoence. "I think it's delicious."
"Flatterer," Laney grumbled, but she was smiling when she handed him his glass.
"I'll try some as well," Megumi said, more out of a sense of loyalty to her new friend than any real desire. She took a sip and coughed in shock. It was unbelievably sweet, the taste of the tea muted almost past recognition.
"I told you," Ootori said, regarding her with a sardonic smile.
"It's … maybe a little …" Megumi struggled to find something polite to say. "I don't really have much of a sweet tooth, I guess."
Laney laughed easily, passing Megumi a fresh glass of water. "Honey, that isn't even that sweet by Southern standards. The further south you go, the sweeter the tea."
"And the higher the rates of diabetes and illiteracy," Ootori murmured.
"Kyoya," Laney said, very softly, but with an unmistakable current of anger. He looked at her, and they shared a moment of tense, wordless communication. After a minute, the tension seemed to leave Ootori, and he picked up his wife's hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.
"I'm sorry," he said in English. "I'm tired, and in a bad mood, but I shouldn't take it out on you."
"This is exactly why I wanted you to take a night off and relax," Laney said unhappily. Kyoya took his phone from his pocket, turned it off, and placed it facedown on the table. Laney let out her breath. "Thank you," she said.
During this exchange, Kaoru had politely ignored the arguing couple by loading Megumi's plate with various tapas. For someone who just said he'd never heard of tact, he's sure handling this with a great deal of delicacy, Megumi thought. She smiled awkwardly at Kaoru, not sure whether their hosts had finished their argument. He bumped his knee against hers under the table, and she felt herself start to relax a little.
"So, Laney. Are you going to come talk to our class about music?" Kaoru asked.
Our class? Megumi thought. When did this become our class?
"I'm not sure I'd be the best choice," Laney was saying. "Tamaki knows much more about Japanese music than I do, although I have no idea when he'd fit a class visit into his schedule. I never learned any of the Japanese folk styles—my grandmother pretty actively discouraged it."
"I thought your grandmother loved music?" Megumi asked.
"My other grandmother," Laney explained. "Grandmother Yukimura doesn't have a problem with music, per se, but she's not exactly a big fan of 'peasant music,' as she terms it."
"Still, music is music, right? I mean, it can't be that different," Kaoru said.
"Really, Kaoru?" Laney was clearly insulted.
"I think he means what's behind the music," Megumi clarified gently. They're all so touchy tonight. Are they always like this? "Surely the reasons for making music are the same everywhere, right?"
Laney thought. "Megumi, you're a painter, right? Why do you paint?"
Megumi wrinkled her brow. "I suppose," she slowly, "it's because I can't imagine not painting. I love the sensuality of colors, and I love the tactile sensation of the brush against the canvas. But even more than that, there's something in me that I can only express through art. I can't put it into words."
Laney nodded. "You're an amateur." She said the last word in English.
"An amateur?" Kaoru repeated in Japanese. "That's kind of rude, don't you think?"
"No," Ootori put in thoughtfully. "The root of the word is Latin. Amo, to love. An amateur is one who does something for love rather than professional gain."
"Music connects me to my family, and my history," Laney mused. "But even more than that, I sing because something in my soul would die if I couldn't. I've never wanted it to be my profession, but that doesn't mean music isn't still central to my life."
"It's a vocation," Kaoru said. "I didn't start designing jewelry for the sake of designing jewelry. It just … called to me."
"And that's what I want our students to understand," Megumi said, starting to get passionate. "I want them to be able to hear art calling them."
"But that's never been the case for me," Ootori said. "I paint because it's soothing. I enjoy it, yes, but if I had to give it up tomorrow, I could. I'd miss it, but I'm not like Laney. She couldn't give up music anymore than she could give up breathing. I'm not like that. You shouldn't think all your students will feel a deep connection to the arts just because the three of you do."
"That's a good point," Megumi said slowly. "Ootori-san, if you were a student in my class, what would you want to get out of these lessons?"
Ootori thought for a minute before replying. "I think what would have been most helpful when I was that age was an understanding that the passion behind an artistic vocation was something that should be respected, even if I didn't share it, or even completely understand it. The technical aspects of any art can be taught, but form without passion is empty."
"That's why I think you should come sing for the class, Laney," Kaoru said. "We can pass out sheets beforehand with the translations of your songs, but what comes through when you sing is the emotion behind the words. Tamaki has that too, but I think it's easier to hear with the human voice than with the piano."
"Would you sing jazz, like you did with Suoh?" Megumi asked.
Laney shook her head. "Probably not. I love the songs, but I'm not especially good at the style. I'm pretty much riding Tamaki's coattails there."
"I don't think that's quite the case," Ootori said lightly, "but you're right—you're better singing the songs you grew up with. No one can match you on those old ballads."
"I can name ten people off the top of my head who can perform those ballads better than I can," Laney laughed, "but that's awful sweet of you."
"Ballads?" Megumi asked.
"The Child ballads came over from England and Scotland with the immigrants who first settled in the Appalachians. Later songs show a significantly heavier influence from African-American music, but the Child ballads have remained pretty pure. They're usually sung by a single voice with no accompaniment," Laney explained.
"Will you sing one for me? I'd like to hear what they're like."
Laney looked at her husband. "Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender?" he suggested. "Your grandma always said it was one of your best."
Laney shrugged, then straightened herself in her chair, scooting forward so she sat on the edge and her feet were planted firmly on the ground. She rolled her shoulders back and closed her eyes, tapping her finger gently on her table for four beats.
Oh mother, oh mother, come riddle it down.
Come riddle two hearts as one.
Oh shall I marry Fair Ellender?
Or bring the brown girl home?
Well, the brown girl, she has house and lands,
Fair Ellender, she has none.
Oh, the best advice I can give you my son
Is go bring me the brown girl home.
Megumi listened, rapt. She couldn't understand the words, but the pathos of the three lovers came clearly through Laney's voice. Kaoru had whispered the basic gist of the story at the beginning of the song, but then fell silent as Laney's song rang out through the garden.
Lord Thomas he drew his sword from his side
As he ran through the hall
He chopped off the head of his bonny brown bride
And kicked it against the wall.
Then putting the handle against the wall
And the blade a-toward his heart
Saying did you ever see three true lovers meet
That had so soon to part.
Oh mother, oh mother go dig my grave
And dig it both wide and deep,
And bury Fair Ellender in my arms,
And the brown girl at my feet.
"Lord Thomas was an idiot," Ootori said. "That whole affair could have been avoided if he'd just kept his mouth shut and not told his ex-girlfriend exactly how much he preferred her to his wife—right in front of the poor woman, no less. Lord Daniel in Matty Groves is a far more sympathetic character."
"Didn't he also chop off his wife's head and kick it against the wall?" Kaoru said.
"He was justified. She'd cuckolded him in his own bed. Plus he let her be buried with her lover, which I think was a pretty generous gesture, considering."
"Is that a common theme?" Megumi asked faintly. "Chopping off heads and kicking them against walls?"
Laney chuckled. "As far as I know, that particular phrase only pops up in a couple songs. But yes, murder and unsuccessful love affairs do seem to make up the bulk of the Child ballads."
"Maybe you could sing some slightly less violent songs? For the children?" Megumi pleaded.
"How about this one? It really goes better with something behind it, but I'm decent enough on the dulcimer to accompany myself," Laney said, before singing a swift, bouncing tune.
When she had finished the verse, Ootori smiled broadly. "That's one of my favorites. She's telling the Virginia girls not to marry any West Virginia boys, because if they do all they'll ever have to eat is poor food and tea. The West Virginia boys dress badly, and their idea of good conversation is asking whether a girl's father has shot a bear."
"The kids will like that one," Megumi agreed.
"I'll email you some files," Laney said. "You can pick out which songs you think are appropriate for a classroom setting, and then Kyoya and I can translate them."
They turned their attention to the food. Laney and Megumi only picked at their dinner, still largely full from lunch. Even so, Kaoru kept sliding more delicacies onto Megumi's plate, insisting that she had to try this one, or she was sure to love that one. It's annoying, but he's so enthusiastic it's hard to get mad at him, Megumi thought. He told her stories about encountering each kind of food during his many trips to Spain, and about the time he and Hikaru tried to get Haruhi to teach them how to cook.
"It was a disaster," he confessed. "Hikaru and I were both convinced that our palettes were sophisticated enough that we didn't need to follow the instructions closely. Which I take it can sometimes be true for combining flavors, but certainly not for the application of heat. That is one area where you don't want to improvise, it turns out. But I finally mastered it, even though Hika never did."
"Mastered?" Ootori asked dryly.
"Hey, I can cook better than your wife, at least," Kaoru shot back.
Neither Ootori nor Laney seemed to mind this insult. "Well, at least I can clean," Laney said lightly as she rose from the table and started collecting empty plates. "Kyoya, want to give me a hand?"
"My pleasure," he said smoothly, taking the stack of dishes from Laney. The two of them disappeared into the house, leaving Megumi and Kaoru sitting on the patio.
"I should really go see if they need any help," Megumi said after a few minutes, starting to rise from her chair.
Kaoru grabbed her hand and tugged her back down. "No, you really shouldn't."
"We already imposed on their hospitality by inviting ourselves over. The least I can do is help clean up," she said, disengaging her hand from Kaoru's.
"First of all, you didn't invite yourself over, I did, so if anyone owes them something it's me."
"Well then, maybe you—"
"Second of all," Kaoru went on, "they're almost definitely making out in the kitchen right now, and trust me, because I'm speaking from experience here, Kyoya does not appreciate being walked in on."
"Oh, come on," Megumi said. "You're kidding, right?"
"Well, it's not like Laney does appreciate it, but Kyoya can hold a grudge like nothing you've ever seen. Hikaru and I got him smashed at his bachelor party, and you'd think he'd forget about it, seeing as it was A—his bachelor party, and B—four years ago, but no. No, every so often, he comes out with some little comment about how the other shoe is going to drop and we will be sorry, and—"
"Kaoru!" Megumi cut him off, sensing that if she didn't he was quite capable of carrying on for at least another five minutes. "Wait, why does he blame you for getting drunk? Did you hold a gun to his head?"
"Well," Kaoru said evasively, not meeting her eyes. "We may have made his drinks a little … stronger… than he might have expected."
"On second thought, maybe I'm better off not knowing any of the details."
"Plausible deniability is always a good strategy with Kyoya," Kaoru nodded sagely. "The key word being plausible."
Megumi didn't have an answer for that. She looked out into the garden. The night-blooming jasmine was starting to open, filling the air with its delicate scent. She took a deep, appreciative breath.
"Oh," Kaoru said after a minute. "Oh, you mean the making out part."
"Never mind," Megumi said. "It's none of my business."
"Hey, if you're going to hang out with them at all, you should be aware that unless you loudly announce your presence before you turn any corner or open any door, you may see things you cannot unsee and hear things you cannot unhear," Kaoru grinned. Megumi gave him a wide-eyed look, and he laughed. "I'm mostly teasing."
"I just didn't think they had that kind of marriage," Megumi said, blushing a bit. "I mean, everyone says they only got married for business purposes."
"Yeah, well, what everyone says is usually bullshit, I've found," Kaoru said lightly. "Those two are absolutely mad about each other. Shocked the hell out of us, honestly. Well, maybe not Tamaki, but the rest of us never thought Kyoya had it in him."
"That's nice, though. I'm glad they're happy."
"So the prim schoolteacher is a romantic after all," Kaoru mused.
"I'm not prim," Megumi said, nettled, "and yes, if thinking you should be able to marry who you love makes me a romantic, then I guess I am. What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing," Kaoru said. "Jeez, didn't realize I'd touched a nerve. What, do you have a fiancé waiting in the wings or something?"
"Oh yes, they're lining up to marry the Janitor Princess," Megumi said acidly.
Kaoru looked her over slowly. "They should be," he said in a low voice.
Megumi felt a sudden surge of desire, tightening things low in her body. She was blushing so hard she felt like her cheeks were on fire, but she forced herself not to look away, meeting Kaoru's appraising gaze head-on. He can't actually mean that. He's just playing, the way they used to back in school.
The patio door opened, and Megumi and Kaoru both jumped a little at the sound, and looked up. Laney was holding the door for Kyoya, who held a heavy tray. Both of them were staring at Megumi and Kaoru.
"Did we interrupt something?" Laney asked.
"Yes. Go away," Kaoru said rudely.
"No, of course you didn't interrupt anything," Megumi glared at Kaoru. "Kaoru's just joking. He couldn't be serious if his life depended on it."
A hurt expression flickered over Kaoru's face so rapidly Megumi wasn't sure she'd actually seen it. He grinned broadly. "You guys are so gullible. Like there'd ever be anything going on between us."
"Megumi, would you like some tea?" Laney asked, quickly changing the subject. "Or I'm having some whiskey, if you'd prefer that."
"Tea would be lovely, thank you," Megumi said, a bit flustered.
Kyoya set the tray down on the table, and Laney poured three cups of tea, handing the first to Megumi.
"Can I have some Jameson instead?" Kaoru asked hopefully.
"No," Laney handed him the tea. "You're driving, and besides, you only get the good stuff when you're being nice. You know the rules." She handed the last cup to her husband, smiling at him as he pulled her chair closer to his before she sat down.
The four of them sat quietly, enjoying the light evening breeze. Laney very softly hummed snatches of a lilting melody. Megumi thought that she wasn't even aware she was doing it. Catching her eye, Laney smiled. "Sorry. Sitting out here with y'all just brings back good memories of sitting out on my grandma's porch."
"I miss that lady," Ootori said wistfully, capturing a lock of his wife's hair and winding it around his finger.
"Me too, baby," Laney almost whispered, her voice suddenly thick with emotion. "God, me too." She leaned her head against her husband's shoulder and continued to hum under breath. Ootori wrapped his arm tightly around her.
Kaoru's right, Megumi realized. They look so natural together. She felt a sudden longing for the kind of simple comfort Ootori was offering his wife right now. She looked over at Kaoru. He was staring off into the evening shadows, listening to Laney's song. Unguarded, his face looked very young, and almost unbearably handsome. Megumi suddenly felt overwhelmed with tenderness for him. She rembered Laney's words from earlier in the afternoon: He's got a sweet streak a mile wide. She found herself wanting to discover that side of Kaoru for herself.
He turned and caught her looking at him. He held her eye for a minute, as if he was asking her a question. But Megumi wasn't sure what he was trying to convey. Finally, he shrugged, saying, "It's getting late. We should start thinking about heading out. Megumi?"
"Yes, I don't want to monopolize your whole night," Megumi said quickly. "Thank you so much for opening your house to us tonight."
"It's still early. Are you sure you have to leave now?" Laney said politely. But Megumi could tell she and Ootori had other things on their mind.
"Kaoru, Hisakawa-san, this was a pleasure. We'll have to do it again soon," Ootori said firmly.
Kaoru laughed. "I can take a hint, Kyoya. We're leaving."
The Ootoris saw them to the door. Just before leaving, Kaoru winked at Megumi, and said "Kyoya, I bet you're as happy as I am that Megumi and Laney are getting along so well. That must take a load off your mind." With that, he turned to leave, catching Megumi's hand and tugging her along with him. Just before the door closed, Megumi caught sight of Laney and Ootori. Neither one looked pleased.
Author Note: Wow. That was a little longer than I usually do, but there was quite a bit I felt like I needed to get in here. This chapter took FOREVER to write, but negotiating it gave me a much better idea for where these characters need to go. This is the last week before summer vacation, so going forward you can probably expect updates around once a week. Getting words onto virtual paper is much more challenging with a seven year old around the house all day. He keeps wanting things like food. :)
Huge thanks to No-Time Lord, GlassytheRosePen, RPG Girl, mutemuia, Lunar678, Guest, and chikarubunny for the reviews on the last two chapters, and to Albereth, Andromeda.143 GlassytheRosePen, JES81, Kagayaku Hoshi-chan, Lunar678, Serenity750, SilverLuna, WonderlandtotheMax, hottieanimegurl, kaylaanime1492901, summerowl,thisgirlinthebackground, twelvethirtyfour, and zrinnamaria for the favorites. Just typing out all those names got me a little overwhelmed. You guys are amazing! To those who expressed concern for me in their reviews, thank you, thank you, thank you. I am fine, or at least getting there. Time heals all wounds, and softens those it cannot heal.