Kyoya had always questioned his friend's crazy ideas. Most of the times, when he decided they wouldn't work, they usually didn't. But, on the rare occasion, the craziness somehow paid off and Kyoya was left completely baffled and confused.
Of course, at the moment he couldn't care less so long as it worked.
"Woah~ah! No chance, no way, I won't say it no, no!"
" Give up, or give in. Check the grin, you're in love! "
A good majority of the Host Club (except for Kyoya and Haruhi) were chasing Jin Fujioka around the Pension, singing 'I Won't Say I'm In Love' from the Disney movie Hercules. She was singing the part of Meg with a cute little blush as she ran along the indoor balcony with the boys on her heels. Kyoya watched in amusement as she was herded down the stairs where he was waiting.
" This scene, won't play, I won't say I'm in loooooooove~! "
" You're doin' flips, read our lips, you're in love! "
" You're way off base, I won't say it! Get off my case, I won't say it~ "
Kyoya smirked as the other boys of the host club chased Jin into his arms when she wasn't looking.
" Girl don't be proud, it's okay, you're in love! "
The brunette blushed, attempting to step away from the ravenet. She gasped lightly as the boy held on to her tighter, bringing a hand up to cradle her cheek in his palm.
" Oh…At least out loud... " Jin looked to the side, her chin barely being caught by Kyoya's finger and turned back to face him, " I won't say I'm in… love~ "
The two leaned in as the others sang the last few chords. Kyoya was smiling, glad that, for once, his friends weren't being complete idiots and actually helping him accomplish something in his life. He leaned down slowly, wanting to savor this moment and feel every millimeter of her lips as they came together for their first kiss. He was a romantic like that.
"MON AMI!"
Kyoya's body convulsed, arms suddenly trapped in layers of white sheets that hadn't been there a second ago and holding a soft pillow tightly against his chest. He struggled for a moment as the Host Club boys who had been assisting him in his dream began piling into his cottage's bedroom. The ravenet laid back on his bed, chest still heaving from the rude awakening. And wait… was he..?
The boy quickly rolled back onto his side.
"Kyoya! You can't fool us, we know you're awake!"
He didn't respond, his body rapidly devolving back into a sleepy state. Last night he had been going over his homework one final time, comparing notes with Jin online until the early hours of the morning. Of course, she had exited out of their messages to go to bed around 2 a.m., but Kyoya had stayed up for another three or so hours to do some extra club financials before the school year started up next monday. He could've waited for Jin or asked her to stay up and help, but he didn't want to interrupt her sleep or give her another large pile of work to do on their last day of vacation.
"Look at this flyer I found, Kyoya! Doesn't this sound fascinating? Commoners hold these events they call 'Expo's all the time! Products from all around the world are gathered under one roof so commoners can enjoy the joys of expensive traveling without paying as much! Attending this expo will give us, as privileged beings, a better understanding of the Fujioka girls; Haruhi mostly since Jin is at least partially involved in our world. You guessed it, Kyoya! We're going on a field trip! Haruhi and Jin will not be joining us today, as having them around will harm our learning experience by trying to explain everything."
Kyoya merely grunted. He'd maybe caught on to every fourth word out of his friend's mouth, brain still refusing to function after only roughly two and a half hours of sleep. And that was a very generous guess.
Not to be deterred, Tamaki jumped up on Kyoya's bed, shaking him from a spot way too close to what Kyoya was attempting to will down, "Come on… don't be such a grump!"
"Yeah, Kyo-chan! You can't stay in bed all day!"
"Come on, Kyoya-senpai!"
"I know you're upset we won't see Jin all day-"
"-but that doesn't mean you can't have fun with us!"
Knowing they wouldn't just take the hint and go away on their own, Kyoya groggily pushed himself into a sitting position. "Casually" pulling his extra pillow up and over his lap as he did so.
" For your information I was up until 5 am, you morons. Which, in case you haven't noticed, makes me a little less than happy about being woken up. "
The four piles of weight were quickly removed from his mattress, and he grinned evilly.
" Okay, enough with the commoner schtick. If you half-wits like wasting your whole day on worn out clichés, go right ahead and suit yourselves, but count. Me. Out. "
Just then, all of his fight was taken out of his body and Kyoya fell backwards onto his pillow, falling back asleep almost immediately.
I wonder if dream-Jin will be waiting...
Ding ding!
Haruhi reached down into her purse, her thin fingers pushing aside sunscreen and a packet of gum before curling around her iPhone. Pulling the device out, she stopped walking and leaned up against a nearby wall so she wouldn't be in anyone's way.
Jin: Finished at the pet store! I'll be in the book shop when you're ready!
Jin: They're gonna hold all the stuff I bought until they close, so we just have to pick them up before leaving the mall, okay?
The brunette smiled. Jin always did work fast.
Since it was the last day of summer vacation, Misuzu-chi had let both girls have the day off to enjoy the exposition. But only on one condition; they had to go to the pet store in the mall and do some shopping for Amaya.
The kitten had grown quite rapidly over the summer, now a full grown cat. She was a big hit at the Pension, which had become more popular than ever after it's latest addition. Misuzu-chi was pretty confident that once Jin and Haruhi went home after today he'd be able to put out a few 'Help Wanted' signs, which was pretty cool. The girls were glad their 'uncle' was finally going to get a little help year-round.
Haruhi: Sounds great! Be there soon!
" Momma! "
Her head jerked up at the child's screaming. Running forward, she rounded the corner and stopped, narrowly avoiding smacking into a tall boy. She opened her mouth to apologize, but was cut short with recognition.
"Kyoya-senpai?"
The ravenet turned to face her and Haruhi felt an involuntary shudder run down her spine. Even after many months in close contact with the ravenet, she had never seen her Senpai look so utterly pissed off. He had dark bags underneath his eyes, his hair was a huge mess, and essentially looked like he'd just crawled out on the wrong side of the bed.
"Haruhi."
"Well… I didn't expect to see you here today."
He didn't respond to that, lifting a hand to his chin. Haruhi didn't like the new calculated look in his eye. Seriously, what did her sister see in him?
"How much money do you have on you, Haruhi?"
"...what?"
The tall boy reached underneath his glasses, rubbing at the corners of his reddening eyes, "Fine, if I must explain the whole story, it would seem as though the rest of our club members have left me here without my wallet or cell phone. I have no way to get back to my cottage and have yet to eat anything at all today. Since you are here, however, I figured you could buy me a meal… if you have enough money, that is."
The girl hummed, "Nēchan has all the money we set aside for food today. Thankfully for you, she just told me she's finished with the Pet Store. Once we find her we can get you some breakfast."
"Wonderful. Where did she say she was?"
Despite everything, Haruhi smiled and shook her head, turning around to head towards the nearest escalator, "You've sure perked up. Come on, she's upstairs."
Kyoya followed along behind her, "Of course I have. We find Jin, I get fed." Despite what his tone and words implied, Haruhi knew that the ravenet behind her was probably trying to rein in a small smile at the thought of her sister. They like each other so much it's sickening.
The two stepped onto the crowded escalator and began their silent assent. Haruhi shivered as the AC from the second floor drifted down over her bare arms. The chill dampened her mood. It was like something was trying to warn her about... something. It was a very similar chill to whenever Tamaki was about to sucker her into another one of his crazy ideas. The brunette had come to listen to that chill and trust in its wisdom.
Oh no… not here. Not today...
* With Jin *
The intro song for the musical 'Into the Woods' floated above the bookshelves, the hums hitting the prancing notes with ease. The humming grew louder if the person hearing it wandered towards the Fiction section, where a girl in red and white was browsing the new paperback books shelved there. Her lithe fingers delicately traced the spine of 'I Am Number Four' before turning her attention to the whole shelf that was dedicated to Rick Riordan's works.
Going into bookstores was always a bittersweet experience for Jin Fujioka. She loved the smell of new books and finding new titles or suggestions, but she always left them empty-handed. She just didn't have the kind of money to buy every book she wanted. Typically she'd just wait until her local library got their shipment or hope someone would give her a bookstore gift card for her birthday or a similar celebration. Generally she could count on Beni for such a gift, and she would always spend it within a week or two.
When she grew up, she wanted to have a job where she could walk into any bookstore she wanted and leave with every book she found... in hardcover.
Sighing, the brunette turned away from the newest Percy Jackson book, 'The Hidden Oracle' and looked at a trilogy on the opposing shelf. ' Matched', huh? Sounds interesting, but what's with the glass bubble?
"Oh… my… gosh! "
Jin smirked, her humming dropping to a softer volume. Yeah, I know, BOOKS! Who would've guessed you'd find THOSE here?
"Is that her?"
The humming stopped completely. That voice. Both of those voices…
"No way… that's not Jin Fujioka… right?"
No…
Her gut gave a vicious twist in her lower abdomen as she turned around. At the other end of the aisle three girls stood with shock plastered across their faces. Triplets, two with black hair and one with a very dark brown, and all with the same tense disbelief.
Jin was completely frozen. A thick, suffocating feeling of dread was slowly overwhelming her. She wanted to run, but her legs felt like underdone jello.
"Nēchan? Are you in here?"
A bolt of electricity raced its way down Jin's spine and she ran. Thanking any deity that popped to the top of her head, she raced to the front of the bookstore. Haruhi hadn't even taken a step inside before a strong hand grabbed her elbow and started pulling her away.
"You're here. That's good. Hey, Kyo-kun. We need to go. Now!"
Kyoya and Haruhi were confused. They both tried to look around at whatever Jin was running from while attempting to keep pace with her. The bookstore they had just left was almost completely empty, save for a group of triplet girls watching them from the entrance. Kyoya was still lost, but Haruhi let out a sharp gasp.
"Nēchan… those were the girls-"
"I know, Haru, I know! Can we please get out of here?"
"Jin? Who were they?"
"Not now, Kyoya. Not now… please."
His lips pressed together tightly, but he did as she asked. So much for having her cheer me up, then.
"Let's eat here."
"Here?" Haruhi looked up at the fast-food chain logo, "Kyoya-senpai, are you sure? There are much nicer restaurants upstairs."
The ravenet continued walking into the burger stop, "You only set food money aside for the two of you. Since you're now paying for me as well, our choices become somewhat limited. Just be sure to get a receipt. Tamaki will reimburse you ten-fold. "
The small brunette retreats, shivering in fright, but her sister is oddly mellow. She's standing beside Kyoya in the line, but her eyes are staring out the windows lining the room. Her right hand comes up to rub at her left elbow.
"Can I help who's next?"
The three take a few steps forward, Haruhi quickly taking the lead, her hand brushing against Jin's bare arm in a sympathetic gesture, "Okay, I'll take the number 5 meal and a small pop. Nēchan, does a number 10 and a water sound good?" The taller girl nodded, her right hand no longer rubbing but instead holding onto her left arm tightly. Haruhi wanted to hug her but decided to wait until they were seated, "Kyoya-senpai, do you know what you want?"
"Just pick whatever… but be sure to get a lot of it."
"Oh… okay. Um… a number 7 combo, large fries, and a large soda for him."
Kyoya sighed, frustrated. Mostly at Tamaki and his idiocy, but honestly a little at the fact that Jin was pretty much ignoring him. Normally the two of them would be in the middle of an interesting topic already, drifting in and out of each other's personal space more than normal friends would. Kyoya felt that if Jin had been acting like normal, he most likely wouldn't be in such a foul mood with her little sister.
A large soda cup was placed on the counter and he reached over to pick it up when he noticed the cashier lady. She was staring at him, her cheeks clouded over with a pink blush. It takes all his restraint to not groan aloud. He was really not in the mood to deal with this.
Moving back without the cup, Kyoya slipped his arm around Jin's waist and pulled her flush into his side, "Haruhi, we're going to go find a table to sit at. Please fill my cup with Cherrio. Grape flavored, if you can. If not, then whatever they have." Ignoring the crushed expression on their cashier's face, he leads Jin away to a nearby booth. Kyoya drops his arm from her waist and sits. He expects her to sit down beside him, but instead she slides into the booth across from him. It sends another jolt of irritation through his chest.
"Alright, spit it out. You're obviously upset about something to do with those three girls we saw earlier? Who were they?"
The brunette curls in a little closer to herself, arms crossed as she starts rubbing at both of them, "They're triplets… they used to go to the same school as I did. Until they moved."
Alright. Getting somewhere, I suppose. "What happened regarding them that has you so fearful of them now?"
She doesn't respond, turning her head to look at her sister. Kyoya doesn't push, at first, and just observes her. He wonders if what she was wearing has always been in her wardrobe or if she had bought it recently under the press of the twins. She had on white sandals, red skinny jeans, and a white shirt with a red ribbon sewn around her middle and on the hems. Jin looked like a red velvet cupcake, but her vacant/haunted expression ruined the look.
"Jin, what happened?"
"They used to bully her."
Jin stood up, allowing Haruhi to slide into the booth and take the window seat. The shorter girl sat their food tray down on the table and pulled her burger over. Kyoya quickly snatched up his own food and began to listen to Haruhi's gentle explanation.
"Nēchan doesn't have many friends from the public school we went to. After our mother got sick, kids started avoiding her like she was contagious or something. My grade was too young to really understand what was going on for me, but Nēchan didn't get that luxury. It didn't get any better when they started realizing how smart she was. The triplets we saw earlier are one year older than Nēchan. When they found out she was smarter than they were, even though she was younger, they started to bully her. Relentlessly. They're the reason Beni was Jin's only friend from our old school."
Well great. Kyoya could physically feel his morning going from bad to worse.
Jin fiddled with her chicken tenders, one of her arms still folded over her chest, "Can… can you not tell any of the others? God knows how Tama-kun would react. He'd probably try to confront them or something… and I really don't need that right now."
Kyoya sneers and takes a huge bite out of his burger, mood not improving at the reminder of how much he hated the blond boy at the moment. For the following eight seconds, they just sit in silence. Jin nibbles at the end of a tender while Haruhi just stares at the boy across from them.
He notices.
"Now what?"
She jumps, snatching up her own sandwich, "Nothing. I just didn't really expect this kind of food to… appeal to you. It's surprising."
"It doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. No doubt you'll say I'm calloused for admitting it since you bought this tripe."
Haruhi pales, "Of course I won't." She takes her own bite of burger, noticing her sister tense out of the corner of her eye. Um… that's not a good sign.
"I simply want you both to understand that since there is no one of consequence to see me behaving this way here, that there's no reason for me to keep up with appearances."
" Kyoya, that's enough. "
"Hm?" Kyoya turns to the older sister, surprised by her cold tone. Haruhi looks at her too, noticing the tightness in Jin's entire being. Uh oh. ..
Jin clenches her unopened water bottle tightly, staring straight at the green cap, "Just because you're in a bad mood today does not give you the exclusive right to be an asshole. If you're going to behave like this, then I hope you understand when we leave you to your own devices for the rest of the day while we enjoy each other's company, without you. You do realize that we could've decided to not buy you food at all, correct? Although, if I had known this was the sort of thanks we'd get for our generosity, I probably would've reconsidered our choice."
Kyoya is struck dumb, unable to speak as the girl abruptly stands up from her seat, "I'm going to find a bathroom. Don't touch my food."
She stalks away, leaving behind a very shell-shocked boy and resigned girl. Kyoya feels torn between chasing her down to apologize or simply letting his anger vent at Jin's memories. He settles for dropping his burger back onto the tray and letting his head fall into his hands. This has not been his morning.
"By the way, Kyoya-senpai, there's something I've always wanted to clarify with you."
He lets his head fall forward a little more, fingers tangling and gripping at his tousled hair, "Oh really? And what might that be?"
"If you ever hurt my sister, I will gladly hold you down while she carves out your liver." Not acknowledging the surprised if not vaguely horrified look on her senpai's face, Haruhi continued with a big grin, "I'll give you a free pass on that one because you're both having really crappy days, but please, for your own sake, be more careful from now on. I'm going to go calm her down, if you don't mind. Don't touch our food."
Kyoya can't do anything but stare off after the shorter girl before going back to his meal, chewing and thinking.
* With Haruhi *
"Nēchan? You in there?"
"Yeah."
Haruhi hears the lock slide out of place and backs away from the stall door. Jin slowly shuffles out, her eyes rimmed red.
"You okay?"
"Oh, yeah! I'm fine. I mean, all that happened was I learned that the guy I fell in love with was fake all along, so I guess I'm peachy-keen."
Haruhi winced. Jin sounded so cold, just like back in the day when she was being bullied and wouldn't let anyone too close, not even her. Though she was later told that Jin kept Haruhi at a slight distance while at school so none of the bullying would ever affect her, it had still marred their close relationship a long time ago. Haruhi never wanted to live through another repeat of that.
"Nēchan, you know that's not true. Kyoya's had a bad day, and he's angry, but you've had a rough start too."
"But he doesn't really care, Haru! He's so… emotionless! Has… has his entire person been a front? Do I know anything about him?"
"Well, I'm not sure what you've learned, and I'm sure I don't want to, but I did notice something today. Earlier, when I first found him, he was acting even colder than he was just then… until I mentioned you were here, too. He perked right up after that. And again, when we told him about the bullies -you didn't see his face, but Nēchan, he looked devastated . Probably because he didn't want to think about anyone hurting you, ever."
Jin hangs her head, hands dripping water into the sink, "I… I just don't know anymore, Haru."
"I know he likes you back, Nēchan. He's just having a hard time showing it right now."
"... Why are you defending him so much? I know you're not exactly thrilled I have a crush on him in the first place."
"Why not defend him? I've seen the way you two look at each other. I'm surprised you two have waited this long."
Jin shook her head, shoving her hands beneath an air-drier, "I guess… if you're so sure, he can hang out with us around the store today, but I'm not just going to forgive him like that."
The short-haired one sighed, pleased with that answer for now, "Good, let's head back out there."
The rest of their meal finished smoothly, like chunky peanut butter.
Either Kyoya hadn't taken her warning seriously, or he was flat out ignoring Haruhi's hints. She tried to get the two of them talking again, prompting Kyoya with topics such as his homework and other general topics. But when he ended up stating that his and the host club's friendships weren't even real and Jin snarled that she should've realized that even she 'can't teach an old dog new tricks', Haruhi gave up and steered the both of them out of the restaurant.
Jin very clearly made a conscious effort to keep her and Kyoya on opposite sides of Haruhi.
Wandering the expo was no less nerve-wracking.
"Black pearls… from Ishigaki Island no less." The girls slowed to a stop when they noticed Kyoya had paused in front of a rather small kiosk, "Odd to find these here… considering how much they go for."
Haruhi quickly jumped closer, "Wow, Senpai, you can really tell where they're from just by looking at them?"
"I am the product of excellent breeding."
Jin's head jerked to the left, "I see a book stand, excuse me." And she walked away, unaware of Kyoya's eyes following her. He sighs, a hand coming up to rub at his cheek. The burger and soda were sending some much needed energy to his brain and he was finally able to see exactly why Jin was upset with him. He couldn't blame her, he'd been what some might call a 'jerk' all morning long. What he couldn't figure out was how to get back on Jin's good side. He didn't think that first kiss he'd been fantasizing about this morning would be much help at the moment.
"You've got to try harder, Kyoya-senpai."
He looks at Haruhi, her intentions becoming clear to him, "Are you attempting to assist me in wooing your own sister? I would've thought you'd be against it."
"Nēchan's demi-sexual, you moron!" Haruhi smacked his shoulder, "Seeing her so close to you after only a couple months is a downright miracle. I should hope that would say a lot about you as a person and not about Jin's need for contacts! I want nothing but happiness for my sister, and by the looks of it that means helping the two of you makeup, so help me, Lord. Thankfully for the both of your sakes, I know you're a nicer guy when you're not in a foul mood so I'm actually willing to help. And if you want Jin to ever talk to you again then you should heed my advice and try harder!"
"Then tell me what to do! How do I apologize to her?"
Haruhi opened her mouth, looking ready to spit out another rant when she stiffened. Her eyes widened in horror.
"Oh no."
Without another word, she turned and ran towards the book stand Jin had drifted off towards a minute ago. Going after her, Kyoya quickly realized the situation. Jin was backed up into the corner of a bookshelf and another kiosk by the triplet girls from this morning. How did Haruhi know something bad was happening when her back was to the… never mind. I shouldn't be surprised with this by now.
The two are forced to navigate the growing crowd slowly, watching as Jin made herself look smaller and smaller against the bookshelf beside her. Kyoya couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't defending herself like she had done countless times before. This submissive attitude was very out of character for her.
Finally the two were by the books, ducking around tables piled high with autobiographies and children's books. Three evil-sounding giggles drifted over to their ears.
"Wow, I didn't think this would be the same amount of fun, but I was so wrong!"
"Do you still teach yourself topics that are way too advanced for your infant mind to deal with, Freak? Does it fill the void inside you?"
"Hey! Leave her alone!" Kyoya sneered, roughly placing himself between Jin and the girls.
Knocked off-kilter by the sudden arrival of a handsome man, Kyoya turned to the girl behind him. She still wasn't looking at him, but he could see the way her arms trembled slightly and finally understood her lack of defense. These girls were a big reason she had had no childhood. Jin had done everything in her power to make sure that Haruhi had time to be a kid, and in the one place she could pretend that her life was normal, a place where she excelled, she was belittled and mentally attacked everyday by these heathens.
The 'Freak' label especially stung. That's what Eiko called her whenever she wanted to purposefully get under her cousin's skin, and now these girls used it too? Were there any other insignificant people in this world who wanted to call this beautiful creation a 'Freak'? Kyoya would very much like to meet each and every one of them before sending their families into bankruptcy.
Hoping she wouldn't kill him for what he was about to do next, Kyoya adopted a soft expression -one he had spent years perfecting- and gently pulled Jin into his chest. He tucked a runaway strand of hair behind her ear before pressing a kiss to her forehead, "Here's where you ran off to, Jin-chan, I was worried. And for good reason, too, it would seem. Who are these idiotic girls, and why are they insulting my girlfriend?"
The girls gape, faces flushed as they continued to gawk the handsome boy in front of them.
"We… we were just…"
"It was just a joke…"
"We're friends of hers… from elementary school-"
Kyoya holds up a hand, "Don't waste my time. Excuse us."
The triplet sisters parted as he walked straight through them, Jin held close by the small of her back. Haruhi leads the two 2nd years away from the book stand and further into the expo, leaving Jin's old bullies behind.
"Nēchan?"
"I'm alright…" Jin pulled herself out of Kyoya's grip, hands back up and rubbing at her bare arms, "I… thank you." She allows Kyoya a quick second of eye contact before drifting closer to Haruhi, putting the uncomfortable space back between them. The boy feels his heart sink. If that didn't win me back some good credit, then what will?
The sisters move a little further ahead of him in order to squeeze through the crowd and Kyoya notices Haruhi has one of her hands behind her back. She's giving him a thumbs-up.
Oh.
"So… Kyoya-senpai. How come I still know next to nothing about your family, even after all this time?"
"Because there's nothing about my family you need to know. Nothing interesting, at least."
Haruhi tries to not groan outright. He was not making it easy to help him. "You're not being very fair, Kyoya-senpai. You know almost everything there is to know about mine and Nēchan's family tree, and yet we know nothing of yours. That is, unless you two have talked?"
"No, we haven't. It's never come up before. But it is an intriguing notion… in it's own way, I suppose."
Haruhi could kick him in the shin.
"Do you have any siblings? That would be a good start, considering you've pretty much been in the process of stealing mine for going on four months now." Haruhi feels Jin jerk beside her but ignores her discomfort for the time being. It was for her own good.
"...Yes, I do. I'm the youngest of four; Two older brothers and an older sister."
"Wow. Okay, so tell me about them." Please don't mess up, please don't mess up…
Kyoya's body language relaxes, and he looks away, "They are… rather exceptional people. My father has put a lot of stock into my brothers. And as for my sister? She is simply remarkable. Though, as the youngest son, things work out a little different for me..."
Despite the underlying reasoning behind Haruhi's question, she felt herself grow honestly curious by that answer. Different how? Does he have more pressure by being the youngest? Haruhi was once again very glad she hadn't been born into a wealthy family. She couldn't imagine how it might feel to have to earn her parent's love with success, or be pitted against her sister in some lifelong competition. That was messed up.
"Oh my! Pieces from the Shoin Kumatsu collection? Here? What a delightful surprise!"
"Kyoya-senpai?"
Jin's head lifts from its tucked position just in time to see Kyoya marching towards a nearby kiosk where a woman was holding up a clay pot.
"Kyoya?"
The boy slid up beside the woman and scooped up a bowl himself, "What an aesthetic display… such a shame these are all fakes."
The Fujioka girls shared a glance before wandering closer. Fakes?
"Hey! What are you doing, kid? How dare you!"
Kyoya merely smirked, pushing his glasses further up his nose, "If you require proof, it's fairly obvious to the well-trained eye. For example, this bowl in my hands has a shade of blue that is strongly reminiscent of Shoin's work, but lacks the darker color around the base to be truly authentic. That, and the fact that the lacquer is too clear."
The salesman looks like he was about three seconds away from decking Kyoya across the face, "That's enough of you! Punk kid just showing off for his girlfriend- You are lying for your own amusement! Now leave before I call security!"
"Is that so? Then you wouldn't mind if I made a phone call myself while we wait for them to show up, will you? My family has had dealings with the Kumatsu Family for generations, after all."
"Thank you, young man, but we can take it from here." From either side of the group that had gathered to watch the drama, two security guards walked closer. They grabbed the man from behind the counter and began carting him off, ignoring his shouts of protest.
Haruhi slips up behind Kyoya as he wards off the thanks from the woman and other random bypassers, "I didn't know you had it in you, Kyoya. Stepping in to help a complete stranger? Perhaps you can learn."
"Complete stranger? Why no, Haruhi. She is the wife of the CEO of a major electronics company. This may be the first time I've met her in person, but there would be no way to mistake that ring on her finger."
The woman interrupts the two of them, "Pardon me, but I wished to extend my gratitude one last time before departing. And to one of the Ootori boys as well; who would've imagined? The next time I get the chance, I'll be sure to take advantage of one of your family's beautiful health resorts!"
"We'd be honored, ma'am."
He straightens up from his bow and turns to the girls. Except only Jin was still standing there. Haruhi was on the other side of the row of kiosks, a dull grey cloud of hopelessness settling over her. Kyoya nearly smacks his own forehead at his own stupidity. In his haste to cover up his true incentives in front of Haruhi, he'd completely forgotten he was trying to get back into Jin's good books.
But the brunette was… smiling at him. Granted it was a very small smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.
"Jin?"
With measured steps, she inched closer to the boy until they had only a few centimeters in between them. Rolling up to her tiptoes, Kyoya felt her lips barely brush against his ear, " There was a flag in the way. We couldn't see her ring from where we were standing. "
The ravenet just stares for a moment as she took a half-step back. She appeared to be waiting for something, and the words sort of tumbled out of his mouth.
"… I'm sorry for how I was behaving earlier."
She tilts her head forward for him to continue.
"And for making you feel lied to."
She motions with her hand.
" And for being an idiot. "
Jin smiles, a bigger one this time around, "Apology accepted. Now, let's get Haru, Glasses."
Kyoya nods his response, a warm feeling spreading through his chest when he notices that the distance between their person's has greatly decreased.
They find Haruhi hovering by a fruit snack covered kiosk. She takes one look at their personal space (or lack thereof) and her eyebrows jump up. Jin smirks and performs her own facial expression, sucking the two girls into their silent form of communication. Having learned a while ago that it's best to let the sister's 'talk' without interruption or distraction, Kyoya let his attention wander over the boxes on display.
Melon flavor? They're all… melon flavor. Why is that?
"Jin? Haruhi? Did you know this?"
"Know what?" They ask in unison.
"Is… melon the preferred flavor of snack makers?" He pulled one box up and turned it over, reading the ingredients, "Corn syrup, sugar... corn starch? If the main ingredients are primarily corn… why do they bother artificially favoring these snacks? Why not just use the actual fruit? Seems counter intuitive."
He stops his commentary when he hears the girls dissolving into giggles behind him.
"Oh, was I being funny?"
"You know, for a guy who says he has nothing in common with Tama-kun-"
"-you just said something that sounded exactly like him!"
The ravenet is somewhat offended for a moment before realizing this was probably the happiest he had seen Jin all day. He smiles.
"Well, I suppose you're right… this does seem like the kind of thing he and the twins would fawn over. Very well, I'll buy it. Haruhi, your wallet, if you please."
The shorter girl immediately stops chuckling, "Oh. Right." She groans as she starts digging in her purse for her wallet. Misuzu-chi had stuffed all kinds of useless things in there when she wasn't looking, so Haruhi was forced to dig through hundreds of chapsticks and sunscreen bottles to try and locate the colored leather.
She's completely unaware of her sister sneaking off to Kyoya's other side.
"You're buying that for Tama-kun and the twins?"
He shrugs, "Well, it does look like something they'd enjoy, so-"
Jin pops up onto her tiptoes once again and kisses his cheek.
" That sounds much more like the Kyoya I've gotten to know. And it's really sweet of you to do this for them, I know they're not your favorite people at the moment. " She pulls away just as Haruhi pulls a dark blue leather wallet out.
"Aha! Here, Kyoya-senpai. Just be sure to save me a receipt."
She holds it out to the boy. And waits. And waits some more.
Looking up at her senpai, she was confused by the deer-in-headlights expression he was wearing. The kiosk manager looked to be struggling between laughing and melting, and Jin was minding her own business by looking around at a nearby sunglass stand, so what was Kyoya's problem now?"
"Kyoya-senpai? You okay?"
He jump-starts, taking her wallet quickly, "Yes. Fine. Thank you."
"O...kay?"
* Time Skip *
"You know… I think these are better than the one's at the supermarket." Haruhi pursed her lips and grabbed the cherry pit from between them. Swallowing the rest of the fruit she had left behind in her mouth, she dropped the pit onto the napkin she had in her left hand.
Her sister nodded with a smirk, offering another cherry from the bag on her lap, "Why do you think I made sure to buy these? Michigan-grown cherries are always the best." The three settled back into a comfortable silence. Kyoya nibbled at a bright red cherry, savoring the tartness of it. He might not be a fan of sweets, but the tangy-sweetness of fruits was a good middle-ground.
"I must say, this is a much better experience than the first time I was acquainted with this bench."
"Hm?" Jin bit off half of a cherry, "What do you mean?"
The boy smirked, shifting his left leg so it was pressed a little harder against the girl beside him, "This is where your sister found me this morning. Tamaki must've been so excited about the day here that he forgot about me."
"He dumped you on a bench? Seriously? Geez, for someone who cares so much he's oddly forgetful of his friends!"
The 2nd years chuckle at the girl's attempt to joke, but Haruhi leans back in thought.
"Hey… Kyoya-senpai? Why do you think Tamaki cares so much about other people? I mean… it's like he can't function unless he's doing something to help."
"I suppose we could ask the same about Jin."
The taller brunette shrugged, "I'm used to being relied on for nearly everything by nearly everyone, so I guess it comes naturally to me. It's one of the disadvantages to being the older sibling."
"Would another disadvantage be not asking for help, even when you need it?"
She looked away, but didn't withdraw, "More like… I don't know how to."
"Well, what about Tamaki? He doesn't have any siblings."
"Who knows? I've never understood why he doesn't necessarily care about gaining something from a situation, but then again I've never asked him either."
Haruhi looks around her sister, "Are you sure he doesn't gain anything? Because… the way I see it, Tamaki does gain something from every situation, but it's not in the physical sense. He gets to witness their happiness, and the knowledge that he helped them along the way has to count for something." She glances at her sister for confirmation and gets a small smile in return.
"What Haru's trying to say, is maybe the two of you aren't as different as you think."
They don't receive a response. Kyoya leans his head back against the wall, mouth set in a small frown. Haruhi waits for a few seconds before leaning closer to her sister.
" Nēchan? Have you two made up? "
" Well, I ended up kissing his cheek a little while ago, so I think you can assume we have. "
Haruhi pulls back, " I didn't need to know that, Nēchan. "
Jin giggles, " You're such a child, Haru. "
"Attention shoppers!"
The three simultaneously looked up at the intercom just above their head.
"This is an announcement for a lost child! A little boy named Kyoya Ootori is lost inside the store-" Jin snorts and starts shaking with silent laughter as Kyoya stiffens beside her, "-Repeat, Kyoya Ootori is lost. His guardian, Suoh, is waiting for him at the 2nd floor information counter. Kyoya is 5 feet 11 inches tall with black hair and wearing prescription glasses."
Other shoppers milling around their bench start turning their heads, one by one landing on Kyoya and the two girls he was with. They began whispering among themselves, wondering why a full-grown boy was in a missing-child announcement.
" That damn idiot… I'LL KILL HIM! "
Haruhi screams in fear and falls off her side of the bench, but Jin is just cracking up, bent over her knees. With as much control as she could muster, she stood up. "Sorry, everyone, we're not lost. Our friend is just very, very over-dramatic! We appreciate your concern, though! Sorry for the inconvenience!"
Her explanation is met with a few laughs and many nods of understanding as the crowd disperses with smiles. Kyoya seethed in place, muttering all the unpleasant ways he would murder his best friend once he finds him. Jin laughs again before pulling her sister off the floor.
"Let's go before they send out another announcement. I don't think Kyo-kun here can take much more of this."
The girls start walking, Jin grabbing Kyoya's hand to pull the sulking boy along, "I think the information desk is right up the escalators. We'll be there in less than a minute." The boy doesn't respond, but he does tighten his grip on the girl's hand. Haruhi sees their hands clasped tightly together and rolls her eyes, looking forward again. If this is how they're going to act when they aren't together, I'm not so sure I want to be there when they finally admit their feelings and become a couple. She shudders.
True to Jin's word, the three reach the information desk in no time, Kyoya not letting go of his crush's hand until they step through the glass doors. The other host club boys were crowding the information desk, Tamaki waving his hands around as he tried to convince the lady they needed to send out another announcement.
Kyoya cleared his throat.
"Kyoya! There you are! Don't ever do that again, we were so worr... why are Haruhi and Jin with you? "
"Why do you think? We wanted to enjoy the expo too, you know."
Honey bounced up to his childhood friend, hugging her legs, "Haru-chan and Jin-chan have come to play with us today!"
"Hoo-ray! Play! Play! Play! To the carousel! "
Haruhi and Jin exchange concerned glances, "I... hope you haven't permanently damaged anything while you were here."
"And if any of you care, we're exhausted. I think Nēchan and I should head back to the Pension and finish packing. Dad's expecting us home by tonight. Besides, we got everything we came here for." Haruhi holds up the remaining bag of cherries, but her eyes are on her sister and the boy she was standing so close to. And perhaps a little more.
" Bark! Bark! "
"Hahaha! Hey! Quick licking me!" Tamaki was suddenly on his back, a golden retriever hovering above him and licking all over his face.
"What's with the dog?"
"Isn't she beautiful? I got her at this amazing place they call a pet shop!" The pink tongue came back out again and Tamaki laughed, "Ha ha, cut it out, Antoinette!"
"She's licking you so much because you're sitting down. You're at her level." Jin crouched down and whistled, "Antoinette~! Come here, girl!"
Hearing her name, the large dog spun around in excitement, racing over to greet her newest friend. She was quick to cover Jin's cheeks with dog kisses, making happy puppy sounds when the girl rubbed at her floppy ears. The brunette moved her hands over the top of the retriever's soft head before reaching beneath the red bow around it's neck and scratching. The reaction is immediate. Antoinette's head turned, left foreleg slowly buckling as a pleased noise escaped her nose. Eventually she just flopped onto the floor and rolled onto her back.
Jin scratches at the dog's belly while the hosts surround her.
"That was incredible, Jin-chan!"
"Why, thank you! I may be allergic to cats, but I've always had a thing for dogs. I just do well with them… and nearly every other fluffy creature I've come into contact with." She returns her attention to the dog, voice jumping an octave, "Oh~! You're such a sweet heart, aren't you!"
Haruhi nudged her sister's back with her foot, "Come on, Nēchan, we should go. I know if I don't separate you from that dog now, we'll end up stealing her from Tamaki later."
"Fine. I'm just going to talk to Tama-kun and make sure he has everything he needs to take care of Antoinette." She stands up and gestures for the dog to follow her, which she does. Kyoya watches as Antoinette heels and sits by Jin's feet, content with her ears being scratched as the brunette spoke with Tamaki.
"How exactly am I like that moron, though?"
"Well, for starters, you couldn't see that lady's ring because of the flag. I don't understand why you act like such a jerk when being nice comes so naturally to you. It seems counter-intuitive. But more to the point…" she watches Jin check the brand of dog food Tamaki had purchased with Antoinette, pointing at the label, "Nēchan is actually a lot like Tamaki-senpai, too. If you didn't like him… and just hang out with him for your own gain... you wouldn't like her either, I think." Haruhi smirks at him, "And we all know exactly how much you like my sister."
The boy lets out a small puff of air, the barest trace of amusement in its sound, "That's a very interesting notion… in it's own way."
"Haru, I'm ready to go."
"Good. Come on, Nēchan."
Haruhi walks away, but Jin pauses in front of Kyoya, pulling the fruit snacks they had bought early and placing them in his hands, "Here. Thanks for spending the day with us. We should do it again some time."
"Sounds delightful."
The girl blushed softly before walking out the glass doors, catching up with her little sister. Kyoya watches until they disappear into the crowd.
Turning around, he sees the hosts all staring at him, "Now what?"
"THAT WAS THE PERFECT MOMENT, YOU BAKA! HOW COULD YOU MESS IT UP AND NOT KISS HER? WHAT HAVE I TRAINED YOU FOR?"
Tamaki is interrupted with a box of snacks suddenly thrown in his face, "Shut up, Moron. I haven't forgiven you enough to hear your take on my love life."