Lost and Found - Book 1

Chapter 11

Haruhi was the most surprised to hear that Alm and Kyoya were working things out. She had initially been a little worried when she came home to an empty house and no note, but Alm called her as soon as she'd gotten back to Kyoya's. Haruhi said she was happy. Alm said she was too, and she sort of meant it. The overwhelming amount of negative feelings now had the company of happiness and hope, mingling inside her brain to make her temporarily content.

After dinner, Kyoya walked Alm to her room. They'd been in a comfortable silence for a little while. Even though reality as they'd known it had been destroyed over the last few days, there was comfort in knowing that they were at least on the same side.

Just as they reached the top of the stairs, Kyoya broke the silence. "Tamaki and Nekozawa are going on another date. A real one."

"No way!" Alm laughed, ecstatic. "And Tamaki's okay with this?"

Kyoya laughed. "Yes, it was his idea after all."

"No way."

"Way."

"Finally, I can die happy knowing I have witnessed true love," Alm grinned. Kyoya rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too. "Speaking of Nekozawa... any news there?"

Kyoya's expression darkened. He tried, but failed to hide his unhappiness with the question. "Aside from his big date with Tamaki?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

Kyoya sighed. "No."

"No?" Alm frowned, her chest tightening a little bit.

"He hasn't found anything. I'm beginning to think he won't."

"Oh." Words cannot do justice to the anguish Alm felt in that moment as her hope began to disappear, leaving her body cold.

"Yeah." They were nearing her room door. "But we'll work things out, no matter what happens."

"Will we?"

"Yes." Kyoya smiled. Alm stopped walking.

"Kyoya, if we're going to work things out, I have to know why you asked me to leave."

Kyoya let a silence come between them for a few moments. He didn't look at her. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes." More than anything.

Within the blink of an eye, Kyoya had Alm pinned against the wall. "You caught me off guard the other night."

"You mean like this?" Alm asked, trying to remember how to breathe.

"No, like this." Kyoya kissed her. He kissed her desperately, almost depravedly, and then he pulled away. So far away, he was almost against the opposite wall. Alm was dazed, bubbly, but Kyoya was clearly cross.

"Honestly I didn't think it was that bad," Alm joked, inappropriately timed.

"Don't you get it? Each time you blacked out, it's like you become a different person. You're never you. And I knew that, yet I... I kissed you back every time. I couldn't fight your advances, I didn't have the restraint. But then you'd always stop, and wake up. I started wondering, what would happen if you tried to go further? What would I do? I just didn't want to test the limits of my restraint at your expense, and so I asked you to leave. I didn't want to tell you what was happening because I didn't want you to think I was disgusting or weak."

Alm's heart was in her throat, her lungs shallow. "Kyoya, I truly don't think you're either of those things."

"You're only saying that now after a few stolen kisses, but you'd be ashamed to wake up next to me."