Happy late Halloween! Hope everyone enjoyed theirs. Sorry for the wait for this chapter, but I had 5 writing assignments to do over the last week and YEAH I needed the time to work on them. I'm also posting this in a hurry so unfortunately I won't be able to respond to reviews this time. But I appreciate each and every one of them! Thanks for all the feedback.

Kosuke tends to study between her classes—that is, when she's walking from one classroom to the next. Which she probably should stop doing, considering all her close calls with running into someone, but she really needs these extra few minutes. One day, she's so engrossed in her Economic Statistics notes that she almost misses the commotion coming her way. Students are gasping, straightening their postures, and bowing.

She hears a few exclamations of "Chairman Suoh!" before she sees Yuzuru, smiling and nodding to all, a king addressing his people. Of course Kosuke already knew that Yuzuru is the Chairman of the Board, yet seeing him in the school itself is new. She almost greets him, but he sees her first, and changes direction.

"Kosuke!" As soon as she stands from bowing, he holds an arm behind her, corralling her away from the throng. "Do you mind if I steal you away for a minute?"

He leads her to one many courtyards just a few yards away, and they sit on one of the stone benches. Students glance their way—it's impossible not to notice them now, surrounded by roses and sunlight.

"How are you doing, dear?" Yuzuru asks.

"I'm fine," she answers lamely. "Just—Going to class. Keeping my grades up."

He chuckles, and she blushes. "There's no need to be nervous. I'm not here on dire business—just the opposite. It's about the wedding."

Kosuke perks up instantly. She isn't excited about the wedding so much as impatient for it. It's her opinion that Tamaki and Haruhi should have been married a million years ago. "What is it?"

"Anne-Sophie and I had this idea," he says, "We've found out recently that Haruhi is a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing—the grandeur of it all. That's why she and Tamaki are having another, smaller wedding afterwards; something a bit more intimate." Kosuke nods. Haruhi had told her all of this some time ago. "Still, we wanted to do something sweet for her. So we came up with this idea to do a display of letters from her friends. Good wishes and such."

"Oh, that's cute!"

"Isn't it? So I wanted to ask if you could contribute. I don't think a collection of letters from their closest friends would be complete without yours."

"Of course I can! When do you need it done by?"

"Normally, with the wedding as far-off as it is, I wouldn't rush you. However, considering our planner has been in turmoil over the exact number of centimeters that should be between each dining utensil for the past few weeks, I would say that sooner would be better."

"That's no problem at all. It's just…" Kosuke looks down at her wristwatch and winces. "I have class in just a few minutes."

"I'll be here for the rest of the day. If you need longer, that's no worry—I just wanted to ask you in person."

"Thank you, sir. Please tell Anne-Sophie I said hello."

"Of course I will. Take care, dear." Yuzuru gives the back of her hand a parting kiss, which she has learned is as normal for him as hugging is for his son. "And thank you for being such a good friend to my children."

Kosuke tries not to feel too giddy as he leaves. Considering that not too long ago, she was a burden to pretty much everyone in her life…Well. It just feels good to know she's liked. Is that conceited? She hopes not.

She forgoes walking-and-studying for the rest of the way, and instead devotes the time to finding the words she'll write down.

The hour that she usually spends studying for Introduction to Accounting is instead spent penning out her letter. Once she has to start over when she misspells a word—she just thinks Haruhi and Tamaki deserve a letter that doesn't have a crossed-out blot in it. She re-reads it twice, and when she's finally satisfied, she heads for Yuzuru—asking around for where the Chairman might be.

Kosuke finds him in a teacher's lounge (one of a hundred, she bets) that of course doesn't look like any teacher's lounge she's ever seen before. The door is open, and inside several professors have formed a semicircle around him, nervous and awed at the same time. Kosuke doesn't intend to interrupt, but she doesn't have to. Yuzuru is in the midst of a story, something involving himself, a Persian rug, and a Christmas party. The second he spots Kosuke lingering in the doorway, he stops cold.

"Excuse me, please. This should only take a moment. Wedding business!"

Kosuke has her letter in hand, already in an envelope. She holds it out to him, but he doesn't even notice—he's digging into his breast pocket.

"I'm incredibly sorry," he says. "I only realized long after you were gone that I didn't even give you the envelope!"

It's a small one. A…very small one. As long and wide as her thumb—just like the slip of paper inside.

"Do you need a pen?" Yuzuru asks. He reaches into his breast pocket again. "I should have one here somewhere."

"No, sir. It's just…"

She has one arm at her side, wrist tilted to hide the letter behind her thigh. There are three pages inside. Front and back, so technically six.

When she doesn't continue, Yuzuru prompts, "It's just…?"

"I—I might need some time? To come up with something, I mean. I want it to be good."

"Well, there's no need to overthink such a small thing." Yuzuru chuckles, and gives her shoulder a pat. "But if you need some more time, that's perfectly fine. Just whenever you can."

"Of course. Thank you, sir."

"Thank you. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Kosuke walks until she's just around the corner, out of sight. Distantly she hears Yuzuru launch back into his story.

In one hand, an envelope hardly bigger than a clothing tag. In the other, three pages of meticulous writing. Compacting the latter into the former is going to be like doing a Russian nesting doll in reverse.

Maybe I can just find a good line and leave it at that. Or would that sound strange? I don't want them to think I didn't put any effort into it. But it's not like anyone's going to write anything longer than me, so…

The larger envelope is snatched out of her hand so quickly she squawks.

"Hey, no fair." Kaoru pinches the paper between his fingers, feeling the thickness of it. "Why do you get a longer letter than us?"

Hikaru takes it from him after—moving it so smoothly out of Kosuke's reach it looks unintentional. "Yeah, what gives?"

She manages to grab it back, if only because he lets her. She should've figured Yuzuru would have told the others about the plan while he was here. "I don't get a longer letter than you guys."

"So that isn't for Tamaki and Haruhi?"

"No, it is. Just…" Hikaru and Kaoru raise the same brow at the same time, and she tips her head back. Leave it to the twins to come when she's so frustrated. "I didn't realize they were supposed to be so short."

"You wrote all of that and you can't even use it now?" Kosuke hides the letter behind her back, as if Kaoru is incapable of object permanence. "Wow. You were eager."

"I just wanted it to be good! It's not that big of a deal. It's just a small note anyway."

"Well, you don't have to throw all that away," says Hikaru. "Just take a line out and move it over."

"I don't know. It was supposed to be read as a whole…"

Hikaru gives a sympathetic tsk-tsk. "Kosuke," he sighs, and steps closer so he can put a comforting hand on her back.

A comforting hand that quickly snatches the letter away again, and passes it over to Kaoru when she makes a grab for it. She refuses to play a game of monkey-in-the-middle with them, but she's fuming as Kaoru snaps open the seal and pulls the papers out.

"Whoa, Kosuke." Kaoru's eyes are wide, then narrowed, then wide again as he looks at the tiny script on the pages. "You might want to write a table of contents before you give this to them."

He gives it back to her, but just to get it closer to Hikaru. He swipes it up, thumbs through the pages, and gives a slight wince. "Yeah, I'm not finding a lot of standalones here. But if it makes you feel any better, just a few more paragraphs and you can turn it into a paperweight."

Finally, she gets it back for good, and stuffs it into her pocket for extra measure. These two will be the death of her, she swears. "Alright, enough."

"Oh, don't get all bent of out shape." Kaoru waves a hand at her. "It's a tiny little note, not the end of the world."

"Well, it's going to take some time to come up with something worthwhile."

"If by 'some time' you mean 'thirty seconds,' then sure."

In unison, Hikaru and Kaoru take out two tiny, identical envelopes out of their pockets. Kosuke knows that it should have taken them much longer than thirty seconds, just as she knows that thirty seconds is more than enough time for such a tiny thing. Flushed with embarrassment, she snatches both of them. See how you like it, she thinks, but they don't even blink.

"Yeah, and what did you come up with?" she sneers while she peels them open. "Some joke about them divorcing? Another dig at Tamaki?"

She reads the notes back-to-back, and. Well.

I'd wish you both happiness, but I know I don't have to.

I think I knew this was going to happen the second Haruhi walked into the club for the first time. But it sure took you long enough!

"Oh." Kosuke dumbly slips the papers back into their envelopes. "Those are…actually really sweet."

They click their tongues. Kaoru tuts, "We're not children. It's their wedding."

"Honestly," scoffs Hikaru. "You must think so little of us."

Kosuke almost apologizes. Then she sees the white corner peeking out of Hikaru's breast pocket.

"So what's that in your pocket?"

She points. Hikaru tucks it deeper. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Alright, so what's that in Kaoru's pocket?"

Hikaru looks, but there's nothing there. Kosuke snatches the paper out when he turns away, and he freezes—as enraged as he is impressed.

This letter reads:

It's not too late to change your mind.

Hikaru doesn't even look at her when she glares at him.

"At least I caught myself, alright?"

A burst of sound makes all three of them jump. The teachers in the lounge are laughing so hard that some are clapping, some gasping for air. Neither Kosuke nor the twins caught Yuzuru's punchline, but he's probably taking a bow for it.

The twins start to move that way, but pause at the corner.

"Seriously, don't stress about it," Kaoru tells her.

"I'm sure they'd care more about it being from you than what it actually says, right?" adds Hikaru.

They go before she can either agree or disagree. Maybe an audience was what she needed to get herself together. It really is just a little note. Hikaru's right, too. Haruhi and Tamaki would be satisfied with a simple Good luck!

I'll just pen something out when I can, she decides as she walks away. Once she returns to the mansion, she'll be in her strict schedule of studying and playing with the children, but this should take a few mere seconds.

It's almost been twenty-four hours and the paper is still blank.

It really isn't hard. She's come up with at least three hundred different things she could write. You two are meant for each other. Happy happily-ever-after. I wish you both the best.

None of them just feel right, though. Low-effort. These are her closest friends, she can't just give them something you can find on a postcard at the dollar store. It has to be meaningful. Personal!

She tries to keep up with her studies, but the envelope is heavy as a boulder in her pocket. Every now and then she pulls it out and picks up a pen, but nothing ever comes of it.

On Wednesdays, she has a thirty-minute gap between two classes. Typically those thirty minutes are spent studying, but once again: she sits on the edge of a cherub fountain staring at a blank piece of paper and willing words to just appear on it already.

Someone calls her name, and she looks up, irrationally annoyed. Can't they see she's busy? But it's only the Zukas and Reiko.

"Hey, Kosuke!" Hani greets first. "It's been a while since we've seen each other! How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. What about you guys?"

Mori hums, Reiko gives a quiet "fine," and Hani continues, "We were all about to get lunch. Do you want to come with us? Now that it's Wednesday you can finally try some of the eclairs in the cafeteria!"

"I wish I could, but I have class in just a minute. I'm just doing some quick stud—Well. Kind of studying."

"Oh! You're writing one of the letters for Haruhi and Tamaki, right?"

"Yeah. I'm, uh…Kind of struggling."

"Really?" He blinks at her. "I thought it was really easy."

She sighs. "So I've been told."

"Oh, no, I wasn't trying to be mean! I'm sorry!"

He's just so heartbroken, Kosuke feels guilty for something she didn't even do. "No, no, no! You weren't mean! I'm just—It's nothing! I just want it to be something good."

Reiko leans over the paper. Like she just had to confirm that it was blank. "You really can't come up with anything?"

"It's not that I can't come up with anything, it's just that the stuff I do come up with isn't—Look, it's really not that big a deal! I'm just being stupid."

"Hey!" Hani snaps at her, and she almost falls back into the fountain. "Don't call yourself stupid!"

"I—I'm sorry."

"It's okay!" Instantly smiling again. How can someone so adorable be so terrifying at the same time? "Would it help if you looked at our letters? Here."

He gathers all three of them, not even bothering to wait for a response. Kosuke bites back a sigh as she opens them one-by-one. It probably will help.

If anyone ever asks me for proof that soulmates are real, I would point to you two. (After I point to myself and Hani.)

You two don't need any good wishes. You'll be great.

I'm just happy that I know both of you. You're some of the best friends I've ever had and I know you'll be together forever!

"Ah, these are all so sweet…"

She really means it, but all Mori says is, "She's still stressing over it."

"Wh—No, these helped! Really!"

Reiko agrees. "No, they didn't."

She really does not have time to reassure the three of them that she's fine. Thankfully, Hani is still smiling at her. "It's okay. It's good that you want it to be perfect. It means you care a lot."

"It's only a letter," Reiko reminds her. That isn't particularly helpful, but she continues, "Your friendship means more to them than a few words."

Kosuke tries to give a thankful smile. She tucks the envelope back into her pocket and reaches for her bookbag. "Thanks."

"Sure! We'll see you later." Hani halts after only a few steps. "And eat lunch if you haven't already! You can't think with an empty stomach."

"I will," she promises, and tries not to laugh. Her. Skipping a meal on purpose. Imagine!

Kosuke tries to heave her bookbag up onto her shoulder, but it weighs as much as an elephant, and the snap clicks open. It's not that Ouran doesn't provide places for students to put their books between classes, but by her calculations, going to and from them would shave off fifteen minutes of study time every day.

She sets the bookbag back down on the bench to try and rearrange its contents, but then she realizes that Mori has stayed behind while Hani and Reiko continued on. She's instantly intrigued—she could count on her fingertips the number of times they've spoken—and even more so when he gestures her to step aside and reaches for her bookbag. With just a bit of shuffling, he gets it closed once again, then lifts it up for her to take—single-handedly.

"You're going to hurt yourself if you keep that much stuff in it," he says.

Kosuke is balking at his wrist that has somehow not snapped in half with her bag's weight, but she does stammer out, "Right. Thanks."

He remains until she has it slung over herself again; perhaps waiting to see if she'll topple over. Before he follows his cousin and cousin-in-law-to-be, he says, "You'll do fine."

This time she doesn't manage to stammer out a thanks before he goes.

She didn't think it was possible…but now she's freaking out about this even more.

The library is…well. A library. Giant, three stories tall, with more books than there are probably people on the planet, but it is still a library. It is quiet.

Usually.

But not today! Not when Kosuke needs it to be! No, today every student is working with mechanical pencils and pens that click, click, click like gunshots every second of every minute. Today no one knows how to push a chair back without scraping it across the floor, or how to turn a page without fwooshing it through the air. There are birds chirping outside the windows. And they are too. freaking. loud.

If I don't get this over and done with, I won't get my other work done, Kosuke seethes to herself as she gathers up her things for the millionth time. Other students notice; some are probably guessing which seat she'll move to this time. I'm not going to let a note that you tack onto a Christmas gift ruin my grades!

As she stomps her way through the bookshelves (then, remembering she's in the library, stops stomping), she recalls every bit of advice given to her so far. Furiously.

It's not bad enough that Haruhi and Tamaki are two of her closest friends, and the first that she made after Okina left. It's not enough that they care about her so much that they want her to come to their wedding and would love a personal letter wishing them good fortune! Oh, no, that's not enough! Because everyone else knows it. The twins, the Zukas, Yuzuru, Reiko—they all know that Haruhi and Tamaki value their friendship with her.

It's only going to be fair that they read her letter, at the wedding or sooner. She got to read all of theirs. So not only does she have to write something worthy of Haruhi and Tamaki, she has to write something for everyone else.

Time and again she realizes that she is being overdramatic—and very crazy. But, because she doesn't know why that is, the thought just comes and goes and comes again without any resolution.

It comes again when she makes it to the last row of bookshelves before the three-story wall at the furthermost end of the library. There are no tables back here, which is perfect for her distractions but nothing for that nagging thought. She sits down and rests her back against a bookshelf.

I can't waste any more time! Red-hot and fiery, Kosuke reaches for her bookbag for a pen.

In doing so, she turns, and sees that this part of the library is not, in fact, empty.

It's a wonder that she remembers she's in a library before she screams. She clamps a hand over her mouth for good measure, and Kyoya—as per the friggin' usual—is just staring and wondering what's wrong with her.

"Why is it," she seethes when she can breathe again, "that half the time we meet each other, you're giving me a heart attack?!"

Kyoya lowers his book. "I was just sitting here."

"You're always just sitting there—!" Breathe. Kosuke breathes. "Shouldn't you be at work right now?"

"On Wednesdays I go in the afternoon," he says. He doesn't sound very pleased about it. "I still have one more class today."

Kosuke says nothing. She considers moving again. She wouldn't distract him from studying on purpose, but if she pops a vein over this damned note, it'll be out of her control.

Kyoya closes his book but keeps a finger tucked between the pages. It had never occurred to Kosuke that he would study. She just assumed he was like a computer and knew anything and everything. Yet here he is, sitting on a lone loveseat with his briefcase on one side of him and his textbooks on the other.

"Am I going to have to ask what's wrong," he says, "or are you going to tell me?"

Usually, Kosuke would hesitate to tell him because he's Kyoya, her mysterious fiancée. Now she considers telling him because he's Kyoya, her still-but-not-as mysterious friend.

She cannot emphasize enough the relief that has given her, to finally know that their marriage will not be utter misery for the rest of their lives. She'd honestly felt silly for even debating if they were friends, because in hindsight it was rather obvious. They'd divulged personal matters to one another, have supported one another, and (bickering aside) get along just fine. She'll give her obtuseness a pass, though, considering the…"packaging" that all of that came in.

It is true that she is friends with Kyoya because she likes him. Yes, he can be a stuck-up, pompous snob sometimes, but he's also wise and considerate. It just took her a while to see what Haruhi and Tamaki saw in him.

So it's not Kyoya's fault that Kosuke doesn't want to talk about it; it's Kosuke's fault for having a mental breakdown over a literal blank piece of paper.

"I'm just freaking out over stupid stuff again. Surprise, surprise."

He gives her a look that makes her wonder if she said something wrong.

"I'm starting to think that if the world was ending, you'd still be insisting that everything is fine and you're just 'being stupid.'"

What?

Kosuke tries to form some kind of response to that. To Kyoya's credit, he gives her a good fifteen seconds, but all she can manage is a "Wh—?" before he continues.

"Is it the letter for the wedding?"

She'd forgotten she was even holding it. "Uh—Yeah."

She almost adds that it's no big deal, but after that comment—that wildly inaccurate comment—she decides not to.

"Are you having trouble deciding what to write?"

"Only a little. I just want it to be something meaningful. I want to put effort into it."

He pauses. The finger that was keeping his place in his book slips out, and he taps it against the hardcover. "A simple message isn't a meaningless one."

"I know. Still." Kosuke runs her fingers through her hair, almost pulling her braided bangs loose. She wants to leave it at that, but…Ah, to hell with it. She's asking little to nothing from him. "Any other advice?"

"I'm afraid I won't be of much help."

"Why's that?"

At first Kosuke thinks she's whispered so quietly he didn't hear her, but then he reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out his envelope. Kosuke leans forward on her hands and knees to take it, then sits back. She wasn't going to ask to read it, but if he offered…

She peels the flap back and pulls the paper out.

"Huh. You, too?"

Kyoya flips open his planner, not looking at her. As he ticks off the innumerable notes and events and whatever else that pack every page, he answers, "I haven't had the time to devote to it."

Which she knows is a lie, and he knows that she knows. Kyoya should have returned his letter within ten seconds of receiving it.

"If it helps, I could tell you what everyone has told me." She ticks off her fingers. "Tamaki and Haruhi care more about you than a letter, your friendship can't be summed up in a few words… "

"It seems none of that has helped you yet."

Kosuke is too tired to even be annoyed by his stating-the-obvious tone. "None of that really addresses why I'm overthinking this so much."

"So why are you?"

She tilts her head at him. "I feel like I'm at a therapy session."

He doesn't look at her, but he raises a brow. "If you don't know why, that's fine, but finding the answer would likely solve the problem."

Fair point. Would that work, though? Maybe it's like trying to get the water out of a sinking boat before plugging up the leak first.

"What's keeping you from writing it, then?"

He readjusts his glasses. "Nothing I won't figure out eventually."

She hesitates. She doesn't want to push, but this seems like something friends would do together, and well, if they're friends now…"We could help each other out."

"As I said, I can do it myself."

"You don't just want to get it out of the way? I'm pretty fed it with it myself."

"I don't see how we can 'help' each other when we don't even know what our issues are."

"I think that would be part of the 'help' process. Like we could just talk and see if—"

"I said I'll figure it out."

She tries not to flinch too hard.

It stings—not just the anger, but the embarrassment. Could she be more annoying?

You just decided to call yourselves friends. You can't just start demanding that he talk to you about what's bothering him.

"Okay. I'm sorry." She doesn't look at him as she speaks. Humiliation keeps her eyes away from him like he's a burning light.

If not for the click of her opening her bookbag again, it would have been silent. She reaches inside but grabs nothing. She doesn't think Kyoya wants her there for the rest of his studying time, and she doesn't think she'd be able to focus with the thick awkward fog anyway.

So she stands, and reaches for her bag. "I should probably go to a table. I do have a paper to work on."

Once she wraps her fingers around the strap, Kyoya speaks. "Wait."

It's a struggle, but she looks at his face again. He's taken off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose so hard Kosuke thinks blood is going to start dribbling down his chin. Just as soon, the glasses are back in place, and his pursed lips peel open.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"S'okay. I was being annoying."

"No, you were just trying to help. I should be appreciative."

Kosuke sits down again, and doesn't pay mind to the encyclopedias pressing into her spine. She pulls her knees up a bit and wraps her hands around them. "You don't have to talk to me about stuff you don't want to."

She means it, not in a but you still should way. He seems to get it, because he doesn't sigh in defeat, doesn't start spilling his secrets. He just nods, and he's still so obviously bitter that Kosuke tries one last thing, content to just let it die after.

"Maybe," she offers, "some self-reflection might be good. No talking, just sitting here and thinking about it. That's what I'm going to do."

She tilts her head back until it rests against the books and closes her eyes. There are distant sounds, footsteps and turning pages, but she turns it all into white noise. She's meditating, almost.

Before she can go too deep, however, there's a shuffle and some steps, a sigh, and legs stretching out beside hers. She hadn't meant for him to literally come and sit beside her, but she's not going to protest.

Okay. Okay… She takes a deep breath. She's not in the library. She's not anywhere. It's just her. Just think. Why are you stressing so much over this? It's not just because you care about them, it's something else.

Do I think I have to prove myself to them?

She throws that idea at the wall, but it doesn't stick, because of course it doesn't. She's pretty sure at this point that neither Haruhi nor Tamaki are going to let her go, come hell or high water. If they were willing to keep a close friendship with a stranger who lived hours away, then it's a no-brainer that they're going to be friends even if she just doodles a smiley face for them.

Kosuke hasn't been this weird about her friends before. Though, come to think of it, Okina was probably her only friend and everyone else were just acquaintances. Except Kohta, but she isn't going to think about Kohta right now.

It occurs to her that maybe she isn't as over what happened with Okina as she thought she was.

Which is bizarre, because who knows Kosuke better than Kosuke? It would make sense, though. Okina was her best friend for years and years and years. Then she moved away, and the bond between them didn't break so much as fade until it was no longer there, headlights disappearing into fog.

That isn't Okina's fault, though. Kosuke is just as much to blame for not keeping contact. Besides, that happens sometimes. Friends just stop being friends. Not everyone in your life is meant to stay forever. Kosuke has learned that four times now.

Still, when she thinks of Okina, something stirs. It's a step closer.

It would make sense that losing Okina would make her appreciate Haruhi and Tamaki more, but that alone wouldn't explain why she's not retaining any advice and is just focusing on giving this letter all the effort she can muster.

"Effort" brings her another step closer. Okina and effort. Maybe she doesn't think her and Okina were equal in blame. Is it really just Okina, though?

That question finally hits the target. It's not just Okina at all.

Yes, people aren't supposed to stay in your life forever, and sometimes they leave just because. That doesn't mean there can't be patterns.

No, it's not solely her fault that her and Okina drifted apart, but neither is she blameless. If she'd messaged her back sooner, if she'd returned calls, then they could have made the distance work. Yet Kosuke didn't, because she was too busy.

No, her and Kohta probably shouldn't have stayed together. Not with her situation the way it was the and the way it is now. But even before there was a situation, Kohta had doubts, and no one could blame him. If she had listened when he talked instead of hushing him to spare her own feelings, then they could have worked things out. Yet Kosuke didn't, because she was too selfish.

No, she had no way of preparing for losing both of her parents on a day like any other. What happened could have happened to anyone, everywhere—and everyone, everywhere knows that. Kosuke knew that, but she didn't treasure them while she had them. If she'd tried to make up for her mother's disappointments, or her father's worries, then Kosuke could have at least taken solace in that. Yet she didn't, because she was too lazy. And they died convinced she was a mess.

So no, she's not scared that Haruhi and Tamaki will let her go, but she's scared she'll let them go. Or drive them away. Or ignore them.

This realization is very, very, very stupid.

What was that thing Marti used to say? "Some people touch a hot pan and pull their hand back. Others will touch a hot pan and cry and scream over how much it hurts, but just won't let go."

At least now that she knows how many things she's tied to this letter, she can cut them off and let them go, balloons slipping free of their weights.

The letter is the balloons. She can't let those other thoughts go just yet. She doesn't have a time limit on when she has to take care of them.

Kosuke finally opens her eyes again. She's in the library, sitting beside Kyoya and leaning back on a bookshelf. What used to be a ticking time bomb is now just a piece of paper.

She clicks her pen and finally touches it, scrawling black across the white.

Anyone should be grateful to be half as lucky as the two of you.

It is done.

Kyoya doesn't lean closer to see what she's written, but he watches her pen move across the paper. When she's done, she holds it out for him, and he takes it after a pause. Kosuke shows the same courtesy and doesn't peek, but afterwards she holds her letter out to him. He gives his to her in turn.

I could make a comment on how perfect you are for each other but I'd just be stating the obvious.

"That's good," she says, and offers him a smile. "They'll like it."

He doesn't return the smile; he just responds, "So is yours," and leaves it at that. It's fine. She's not very chipper herself right now.

Their letters are returned, and Kosuke goes ahead and seals it in. Now all that's left to worry about is getting it back to Yuzuru.

"Alright." Kosuke stands up and hauls her bookbag onto her shoulder again. If Kyoya notices her grunt of pain, he makes no comment. "Now that I've got that out of the way, I should start doing some actual schoolwork now. What about you?"

He hums his agreement. "I'll be leaving in just a minute."

"Okay. I'll see you around."

"Kosuke."

She's already past the bookshelf when he calls out to her, still whispering. She leans back. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. Really."

"Kyoya, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Hey, let me know when you're free. Airi and Sugimoto want to see you again."

"Will do."

She smiles and waves goodbye, and still he only nods. She won't ask about it even later, but she hopes he's had at least a little weight taken off his shoulders the way she has.

Kosuke sits down at the first spare table she finds and pulls her books out of her bag. Though, as she does, there's one last nagging thought keeping her from focusing on the words. She wonders just what it was that had made Kyoya that angry.

He was just frustrated, like you. Kosuke picks up her pencil but does nothing with it. He didn't know what to do and you ticked him off by trying to push it.

That still isn't very Kyoya-y of him, though. Sure, YOU can lose your mind over a slip of paper, but him?

The only other thing she can come up with is that Kyoya did know why he was so frustrated over his letter.

Kosuke looks up from the text that she isn't processing anyway. Thinking isn't prying, right? It's just that she can't think of any reason why anyone would be angry about their two friends getting married.

Unless—

It's a good thing there aren't many students around at this time of day, because otherwise they would have all heard the pffft that bubbles out of her mouth.

Sometimes she just has to laugh at how stupid she is. Trying to answer a question no one's asking by making connections where there are none. She sounds like a conspiracy theorist, for goodness' sake. Besides, she's just as close to Haruhi and Tamaki as he is!

She reaches into her bookbag again. No more distractions. Certainly not distractions as ludicrous as that.