Okie dokie Chapter 25! Hope you guys like it! Thank you to The Peculiar, happyface811, and Square Root of Three! You guys rock! Anyways, Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ouran High Host Club. I do, however, own my OC(s) and plot.
Eyrie walked into the kitchen and sat down.
"Uh Mistress?" Marie wiped her hands on the hand towel next to her, sharing a look with the staff in the room. Eyrie looked up at her with tired eyes, not speaking. "Your grandmother is waiting for you in the dining room..."
Realization dawned in Eyrie's eyes and she looked around at everyone else. Slowly she stood up and looked around before dragging herself to the door. Her grandmother greeted her enthusiastically as she walked in, smothering her with hugs and smiles.
"Good morning dawling! How did you sleep? Oh nevermind you can't talk. Do you have school today? Are you up for it? Do you want to ditch? We could have a girl's day! Hang out, shop. It would be so fun!" Her grandmother sat down at the table and continued to chatter while Eyrie sat in stunned silence. She began looking around her and at the table clothe. "What?"
Eyrie looked up in surprise at her grandmother. Tristezza was looking at her with a curious face and Eyrie automatically reached for the area holding the condiments but ended up groping fruitlessly. Her face fell when she realized that her pen and paper were sitting on the other table in the kitchen. Eyrie turned to her grandmother and opened and closed her mouth uselessly.
"Mistress?" a soft voice called. Eyrie looked over to see Bear holding out a notepad and a pencil, his face soft and loving. "You dropped this on your way in."
"Bjorn! How are you? It has been a long time hasn't it?" Tristezza exclaimed, getting up to greet him with affection.
"Yes, m'lady, it has. I trust you have been well?" He said politely.
"Oh yes! And I see you and the rest have taken good care of my granddaughter. She seems quite fond of you all as well." Tristezza sat down and Bear started bowing. "Considering she hasn't even seen the inside of this room."
He froze for a moment and subtly turned and raised a brow at Eyrie who fought a smile and shrugged. As he left the maids brought in the breakfast they had prepared and Tristezza waved from the drive way as she drove to school.
"Does your grandmother still think we're lovers?" Kyoya asked under his breath as they grabbed their lunches. All the other hosts had left them behind and were already seated at their usual table. Eyrie fought a smile.
"Why? Does this topic really embarrass you?" She asked mischievously, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes.
"Well it is potentially hurtful to my image and-" He stopped and looked at her dryly when he realized she was throwing his words from the night before right back at him. Just before they got to the table, someone ran into Eyrie's shoulder with a considerable amount of force. Eyrie casually spun around, evenly distributing the momentum and keeping her on her feet. The person who ran into her, however, ended up getting caught in the spin and landed on her lunch tray.
"Damn you!"
Eyrie looked down to see a lunch covered Ayame at her feet. She balanced her lunch tray and, ignoring the onslaught of insults and curses, held out a hand to help her up.
"How is it that every time you bump into me, you are the one that ends up on the ground?" She asked with no emotion.
"Why don't you shut up you stupid American?! Jeez just accept that I'm better than you!" Ayame flounced away, completely missing the way Eyrie's eyes narrowed at her back.
"Hey you can't-!" The twins started. Eyrie held up a hand.
"Don't. I can handle this." Eyrie's eyes and voice turned cold and her dark aura wrapped around her, the other hosts shivered away while Kyoya simply stood there like nothing was happening. "I'll be in the library if you need me."
"But what are you..." Tamaki began weakly. Eyrie slowly turned to give him a chilling smile.
"I'm going to make a call."
"So do we ask?"
"No! Did you see how she was at lunch?!"
"I'm not even sure I want to know..."
Tamaki and the twins sat in a huddle at the host club, their guests content with entertaining themselves. They're attention was diverted toward the area Eyrie was sitting with Kyoya. She had borrowed a school laptop and was engrossed in whatever she was tapping into it.
"Be strong men!" Tamaki said dramatically as they scurried around a pillar when Eyrie looked up to meet their gaze.
"How do I put up with you idiots?" Haruhi asked herself under her breath as she passed them. "Hey Eyrie? Our table is out of tea."
"Ok." Eyrie gave a small smile and immediately went to the snack room. As soon as the door shut behind her the room started buzzing with all sorts of chatter about the lunch incident. The only quiet spots were the area around Kyoya and the area around Ayame, who was sitting at her usual spot at Tamaki's table. When Eyrie reappeared a hush went over the room and dozens of eyes followed her. It wasn't until host club was already over that anything interesting happened though.
"Hey, you. Whore."
Eyrie casually looked up to see that, while all the other girls had left for the day, Ayame had stayed behind and was now glaring down at her. The host began to make indignant shouts but were cut off when Eyrie held up a slender hand and shook her head casually.
"Yes?" Eyrie said with a cold expression, her voice edged with ice. She slowly stood up and placed the laptop on the table in front of her before facing the other girl.
"I don't know what the hell you were thinking tripping me like that-" Ayame began.
"I didn't trip you. You tripped you. If you hadn't tried to make me fall over none of it would have happened." Eyrie said calmly. Ayame's face went red from either anger or embarrassment, the hosts couldn't tell which.
"You American slut-!" Ayame swung a hand towards Eyrie's face and, before the host club could draw breath, Eyrie grabbed the hand rushing towards her, yanked, twirled the other girl around, and pinned her across her own chest; one arm holding Ayame across the shoulders, the other still grasping the hand Ayame had tried to slap her with. The girl thrashed and squirmed, trying desperately to break Eyrie's hold. Eyrie calmly held her as if it was as easy as holding a feather and leaned in to talk directly into her ear.
"I'm not the American who deserves that insult now am I?" Eyrie said in a dangerously knowing voice, like a villain who had found the hero's weak spot. "I am not your father's secretary and your father's secretary does not count as a role model for my country so do not act as if she is a common breed among Americans. We are just as proud as you are. We have just as much honor as you do. And I will be damned if I let one little hooker make you think ill of us. Our country was made on the blood of it's men and I will not let you convince everyone who would listen to simply forget that. Now. I don't care if it hurts your pride, I want an apology. That woman and I have nothing in common except the country we were born in."
With a small shove Eyrie pushed Ayame away from her and leaned back to stare as the girl tried to collect herself. The hosts all flinched and started towards them when she whipped around and socked Eyrie in the jaw. The momentum made Ayame follow through on her swing but despite the little stumble it caused her she looked triumphant when she turned to Eyrie. Shock set in when she saw that the blow that she had put all her strength into had done nothing but turn Eyrie's head. After a moment of silence Eyrie slowly straightened her neck to look at Ayame like she was a bothersome child.
"Do you feel better now?" She asked in a bored voice. Ayame's face became a strange mix of frantic and enraged as she began repeatedly slapping and hitting Eyrie wherever she could lay her hands. The host began moving but were stopped when Eyrie looked over to them and once again shook her head. Suddenly her arms shot out and grabbed Ayame by the collar and swung her around to slam her back against the wall. "Are you done being childish or are you ready to admit you were wrong?"
Ayame gave a half-hearted struggle as tears started to leak from her eyes. "Why did he leave me...?"
Eyrie gently let go and pulled the girl into a hug, Ayame immediately latching on as sobs racked her body.
"It isn't your fault. It was never, ever, your fault." Eyrie whispered as she stroked the girl's hair.
"And he took everything!" Ayame cried, all the things that she had been holding in were being let out. "What are mother and I going to do? He could have at least thought of his daughter and left us something!"
"I know. That's why I've made arrangements." Eyrie said firmly. Though the tears refused to stop Ayame managed to unhook herself enough to give Eyrie a confused look. "Your mother is a professional banker yes? Can manage books and the like right? I realize she hasn't worked in a while but one of our office branches has an extremely reasonable job that has yet to be filled. Well I should say had since I filled it about an hour ago."
The hosts all looked at each other in surprise and Ayame began crying even harder.
"Thank you...thank you so much..." she said between sobs.
"You know, I think I might like that one even more than 'I'm sorry'." Eyrie said with a small smile.
Like the rain, she washed away the girl's problems and showed her hope. Kyoya brought a knuckle to his lips as smirked as he slipped past the other hosts and out the door.
"Did you have a good day at school dawling?"
Eyrie flopped down into a seat and made a considering face. "Yes, I suppose it went rather well. And how was your day?"
"Ugh!" Tristezza flopped down on top of her granddaughter dramatically. "It was awful! I didn't have any fun at all! I want to shop!"
Eyrie raised her brows and smiled at her grandmother as the older woman pouted like a small child. "How about we have a girl's day tomorrow? I don't have any school and I'll even hide our location from the hosts so they don't randomly appear."
"They do that?" Her grandmother asked with a confused expression.
"From what Haruhi tells me. I'd rather not chance it." Eyrie said dryly.
"Mistress. M'lady." The two women turned to see Briar bowing in the doorway. "Mistress, if I could tear you away. You have a guest waiting for you."
"Oh by all means." Tristezza got off of her granddaughter and made shooing motions with her hands. "Just call if I'm needed deary!"
Eyrie followed Briar into the hall and they began walking toward the library.
"You'll like this one. He's handsome. Feels like I've seen him before though." Briar said as he slowed to walk beside her.
"Oh yes? Bet I know who it- oh bollocks." Eyrie stopped and turned to look back the way she came then in the direction they were going.
"'Bollocks'? Did you just say 'bollocks'?" Briar began laughing. "Excuse me, Your Majesty, but what are you doing?"
"I forgot my jacket." She said with an exasperated look. Briar studied her and saw that she was in her school uniform, minus the blue jacket.
"So? It's your house. You could be dressed in a bunny outfit and they wouldn't have the right to reprimand you." He said with a shrug.
"True. That particular scenario would never happen but that is true." She smiled as they started walking again, the silence filled with their sibling like banter. When they entered Briar left her at the door and Eyrie was greeted by the sight of Akito Ootori gazing out the library window while holding a dozen roses. He turned when she entered, his smile widening when he saw her.
"Hello." He said smoothing and strode over to hand her the flowers. "I thought it only appropriate that I give beautiful flowers to a beautiful flower."
"My your way with words has blossomed." Eyrie said with a raised brow before plucking out a single rose and going over to a mirror to arrange it in her hair. "I don't mean to be rude but what are you doing here? Is it business or are you trying to bribe me with flowers?"
"You are blunt. I like it." He said in a silky voice before sitting down. A small shiver ran up Eyrie's spine as she turned to see him eyeing her. "Yes. We would go together very well."
"I think you said something similar before. Is that why you are here?" She asked and sat down in the chair next to him.
"No actually. I felt that Kyoya had an unfair advantage, what with you two going to school together. I thought that it would be nice to drop by occasionally and chat. Get to know one another." Akito smiled and leaned back.
"Mm. Really?" Eyrie said. "Why do you speak as though Kyoya is your only competition?"
"Excuse me?" Akito's easygoing look turned to that of confusion as Eyrie smirked.
"Well you're always talking about competing against Kyoya. Has it ever occurred to you that neither of you could win? Because it is a very real possibility. You act like the Haninozukas and Morinozukas don't hold as much appeal as your family does. So what makes you so sure that it's come down to you and Kyoya?" Eyrie looked at him questioningly as he began to smile.
"I know because you are smart, beautiful, and you want someone who can keep up with you. You don't give a crap about that 'opposites attract' bullshit. You want someone who will challenge you and that you can challenge. Only Kyoya and I can offer that." Akito stated confidently and smiled smugly when Eyrie raised her brows in amusement.
"You're right." Eyrie ignored Marie as she came in with tea, giving her a small thank you smile as the woman was leaving. "I do want to marry that kind of person. Someone who challenges me. I'm impressed that you've managed to figure that out. Maybe you are similar to Kyoya."
Akito's face started to redden with anger. This was the first time he had been compared to his brother and found lacking, and not the other way around. Eyrie looked at him over her tea cup with a knowing gaze as he grabbed at tea she prepared for him with more force than necessary.
"Have you thought about what I said last time we spoke?" She said casually.
"What about it?" He said stiffly, not really paying attention.
"Yes, you and Kyoya are very different." Eyrie said under her breath before continuing. "What you want isn't to have a fair fight between you and Kyoya. What you want is to keep winning. You are given multiple privileges because you are the second son and your father holds you in high esteem so of course the answer will always be you and your older brother. You like the feeling that gives you. The sense of power over him. You love to have at least one thing he doesn't because you know that, in reality, he is happier than you."
Eyrie gave a slight smile when Akito slammed his cup on table and stood, walking over to look out the window.
"Oh have I upset you?" She asked casually just before sipping her tea. He turned to her with anger burning in his eyes and went to sit down again, this time leaning towards her.
"If you have already chosen Kyoya then why are you keeping up this little game? Why don't you just end it?" He stared at her intensely. Eyrie gave him a look of amusement.
"Well I like games, don't you? What fun would they be if they were over just like that?" She snapped her fingers. "Besides I'm not entirely sure I want Kyoya. I might want someone I can easily manipulate. I wouldn't be able to play games with Kyoya; he'd notice right away. I don't know if I want that."
Akito looked at her in complete confusion as his image of the polite and distant socialite melted away to reveal a cold, calculating- not to mention frightening- girl who loved the game more than the result.
"So we're all just pieces on your chess board?" He said, trying not to let his voice shake as he stared at what he imagined to be a woman version of his father.
"Oh no. Not at all. Only the ones who aren't fast enough to keep up with me. I like to play with them because they're too slow to realize it's happening and that gives me more time to play." Eyrie gave him an icy smile.
"I don't have to endure this. You're nothing more than a child; talking of games." Akito got up and began to storm out.
"Well this child just managed to eliminate one of her chess pieces." Eyrie said softly as she heard the door slam shut behind him. She casually reached for his empty cup and turned it upside down.
"So I suppose you can check one suitor off?"
Eyrie turned and smiled as her grandmother sauntered in and sat in the seat Akito had vacated.
"If he can't handle that amount of intensity, or that part of my personality, then he isn't of any use to me in my situation now is he?" Eyrie said simply, shrugging her shoulders.
"That is very true. One would have to endure much worse from your father if they married you. But what about that was part of your personality?" Tristezza asked as she sat back. "Calculating, yes. Cold, sometimes. But I don't remember you being overly fond of games."
"I'm not." Eyrie said bluntly. "But that doesn't meant that I'm not forced to play them. If the one I marry isn't ok with at least that then he would be eaten alive in our family."
Tristezza smiled and nodded. "Well tomorrow is our girl day! Don't forget! You promised!"
Eyrie rolled her eyes as her grandmother skipped out of the room, letting the previous conversation drop.
"Moooom! We'll never finish this on time!" Eyrie groaned, burying her face into a pile of her own baby pictures. Her mom had decided to take over the pages of more recent pictures.
"Oh poo! You only have a small stack and the rest of today!" Willow exclaimed only to be met by an 'are you serious' look. "What?!"
"I'm not talking about me!" Eyrie held up the two stacks that her mom still had left. Willow gave a sheepish smile. "Mmhmm."
"What?! I'm doing my best! Cut your old woman some slack!" Willow laughed and Eyrie fought a grin. "Tell you what. When your done with your pile, make us a picnic for the lake. We'll still be able to go."
"Yay!" Eyrie smiled widely and planted a big kiss on her mom's cheek.
"Yea, yea, ya weirdo." Willow laughed as her daughter began to scrapbook like a tornado.
The next day was sunny and beautiful when Eyrie skipped out of the house. She smiled at her mom who was lagging behind, weighed down by the picnic basket.
"What did you put in here? Bricks?" Willow puffed as she managed to haul it into the trunk.
"Yea. But yummy bricks." Eyrie replied, earning a smack on the arm. As soon as the car started she popped in a favorite CD and they both start to sing along like they always did. Whenever they were cleaning together or working in the same space together, they always had music there and could never stop themselves from singing along. This was how they spent the entire drive there. Singing and laughing, occasionally telling stories. When they got close they could see the light reflecting off of the blue water and fisher's cars were parked along the side of the highway where they had stopped to get out and fish. Eyrie and Willow got to the area where their was just iron grating separating their car from a ten foot high decline into the lake. A drunk driver that was coming towards them drifted into the wrong lane at that moment, scaring Willow into turning the wrong way, the car somehow spinning into the metal grating. It hit her mom's side before tearing opened like tin foil and rolling them towards the lake. Eyrie watched in slow motion as the car flipped her mother staring at her with love and that 'everything will be alright' look. Blood dripped into Eyrie's eyes and she saw blood burst from her mother's lips and cover Eyrie's lap. As the car started sinking into the blue lake Willow and Eyrie clasped hands and looked at each other. Willow's mouth opened and-
"NOOO!" Eyrie woke with a scream and she immediately tore the sheets off of her and ran towards the bathroom. She turned on the shower and started ripping her clothes off only after she was inside.
"Gotta get the blood off. Get the blood off. Get if off. GET IT OFF OF MEEEEEE!" Eyrie's nails dug and clawed into her arms as she continued to scream and sob hysterically, curling into a ball on the floor of the bath. Suddenly frantic hands were reaching in the shower, desperately trying to get a hold on her wrists, the water making it practically impossible. "No! Leave me here! Why won't you just leave me here?! I don't want your help!"
Distant cries met her ears but she pushed them aside as her sleep muddled mind still skimmed across the edges of her dream.
"Bear! We need you!"
"This isn't working! Get in there and grab her!"
"At least get her wrists!"
"Damn you, what do you think we're trying to do?!"
Eyrie's mind slipped back into unconsciousness, not even realizing that she had been leaving long, bleeding cuts along her arms with her nails.
When she woke up the next morning she had no recollection of what had happened the night before. So when she looked over to see Marie, partially sitting in a chair, partially resting her top half on Eyrie's bed, it was very confusing.
"Marie..." Eyrie gave the maid a small poke and a shake. The woman sat up in surprise and looked at her mistress with distress. "You know, if you had a bad dream you could have just woken me up. I wouldn't have minded."
Eyrie's gentle smile broke the fragile staff member and Marie began to cry. Hard.
"What? What's wrong? Was it really that bad? Tell me! Or not! You don't have to if it was bad!" Eyrie looked around frantically while rubbing Marie's back, as if the solution to a crying woman would magically appear. Ironically, Briar chose that moment to walk in with a cup of coffee. Eyrie beckoned him over. "Come here! Something's wrong with Marie!"
Briar stopped in his tracks and his throat began to work as he looked away from her at the still hysterical Marie. "Good to have you back Mistress."
"What does that even mean?" Eyrie asked in confusion as Briar lead Marie out of the room. "Someone want to explain what's happening right now?! Ugh!"
Eyrie flopped back, only just realizing that her throat hurt like hell and her arms felt like she had moisturized with acid. Before she could investigate though, Bear walked in with his hands in his pockets.
"Mistress. Are you ok?" He said quietly.
"I'm fine Bear. Jeez, what going one with everybody?" Eyrie tried to say but it came out as a whisper. Bear looked away from her and pressed against his eyes with his hand, shoulders shaking as he cried quietly. Eyrie immediately got up and went over to him, wrapping her arms around however much of him she could. The pain in her arms was nothing compared to some of the other injuries she had had before but they were started to get annoyingly itchy and it was making her wonder just what had happened to them. Bear's big arms held her close as he continued to cry softly.
"You don't remember any of it?" He asked after a few moments.
"Tell me." Eyrie insisted, looking up into his face.
"Last night..." Bear began to tell about how Briar had gone out late that night to protect some part of the front gardens from the harsh winds that were blowing. When he was walking back he heard screaming from Eyrie's room and immediately rushed up to her, waking everyone up as he went. When they found her, she was scratching the hell out of her arms in the shower and so hysterical it took Bear, Marie, and Briar to get her out. Tristezza had explained to them that Eyrie had dreams of her mother and they had all watched her through the night, taking shifts, to make sure nothing happened again.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know something like that would happen." Eyrie stared at her floor as she and Bear sat on the edge of her bed. "I've never done something like that while I was sleeping. It's usually just screaming or something. I'm so sorry. It won't happen again."
"Are you stupid?" A harsh voice said from the doorway. Eyrie stared in stunned silence as Marie stalked towards her. "'It won't happen again'. How dare yo make it sound like you were an inconvenience to us! You only recently started asking us to help you and you have always been kind and treated us as equals. How dare you act like we would be put out by helping you. We love our Mistress and if she's hurt, we cry then we make sure it doesn't happen again! That's what friends do!"
Eyrie's bottom lashes filled with tears as she looked up at the pain filled eyes of her staff members and the crying ones of her grandmother who was hiding in the doorway. She slowly began to pull up the loose sleeves of the old sweater she was wearing and found that her arms had been neatly bandages and well cared for.
"Thank you..." Eyrie said softly and gave Marie a hug, pulling Briar and Bear in as well, making them all laugh. Tristezza smiled through her tears and quickly wiped down her face before striding in. Her granddaughter looked up at her with a dazzling smile. "You haven't forgotten our girls day have you? You promised."
Alright please review! I hope you liked this chapter! Anyways, thanks for reading!