Just Look into It

8. Unused Wishes

Her phone was back in the room, leaving Ryo to curse her stupidity. Taking her hair out of it's normal ponytail, she began to nervously run her fingers through it. She quickly made her way to the ballroom, as it was the only place he could be. The system would have alerted her if there was a suspicious person, and she certainly didn't hear anything.

She was met with a peaceful chatter as she slipped into the room. Many of the girls sat or stood around the edge, waiting for their chance to dance with a host.

Ryo kept her eyes wide as she moved around the edges of the room. She was unable to spot her brother through the crowds of ladies. She could easily spot the much taller hosts, and the crowd of girls bent over sightly was a great indicator of Honey-senpai.

Suddenly, she saw Haruhi beging dragged out the door by the twins. Tamaki made a quick announcement before leaving with the target behind him.

The brunette could have sworn that she watched each host leave the room, but there was still a crowd of girls bent over slightly. There was only one other situation.

Ryo hurried over to the group, doing her best to politely push her way through.

"Yuu?" she questioned, trying to get closer.

"Ryo?"

"Yuu!" The crowd parted enough for her to dart in and grab her brother. Relief washed over her as she knelt down and hugged him tightly. "You can't just walk off like that! I was so worried!"

"I'm sorry Ryo..." he said. "I couldn't help but notice how lonely some of the girls were. I wanted to keep them company."

Ryo laughed. "Those hosts are rubbing off on you, admitt it."

Eventually, the hosts entered the room once more and made their way towards the courtyard. As eloquent as ever, Tamaki announced the final dance, as well as the queen of the night.

Ryo had a hard time not laughing as Haruhi gave away her first kiss.

The dance seemed to end on a good note, and seemed to be a major sucess. She was glad for the hosts. The girls trickled out of the ballroom, heading down the lit path towards the line of limos. Already, staff had cleared off the snack tables, and the only table left was the one Ryo sat at.

Once the room had began to empty, and Yuu went back to the room, she quickly felt uncomfortable again.

Memories tried in vain to resurface, and she was ready to change out of the ridiculous dress. She hadn't checked her reflection, so she was sure she looked horrid.

Ryo quickly stood and spun around, storming off to change, when she ran straight into a strong chest. She heard a crack as her glasses fell from her face.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay, my dear?" Kyouya asked. Unable to see him all that well, she recognized him by his obvious hosting voice.

"I'm fine. Sorry for running into you," she replied, taking her glasses from his hands.

"You look upset," he noted. "May I ask for a dance to try and cheer you up?"

Before she could answer, she felt herself being dragged into the waltz. With no music, the two quietly danced around the room.

"It's a shame your glasses broke. I'll have them repaired right away," he spoke up after a while. "May I ask your name, my  dear?"

"Wow, you really aren't that observant, Mr. Kyouya Ootori," she chuckled. Her green eyes stared up at him, twinkling with amusement.

"I'm not sure what you mean," he replied. His grip on her hand tightened a little. She felt the tips of her ears burn.

"Shame on you," she laughed. "You gave me this dress after all."

He stopped dancing. "Miss Hisakawa?"

Ryo hated how her stomach dropped. "Yes."

"Oh my, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you," he choked out, taking a few small steps back.

She smiled. "Of course not. Goodnight, Mr. Ootori."

She turned around and walked away, bile rising up in her throat. She had hoped that there was a chance- that maybe, just maybe, it would be different.

Her footsteps echoed loudly in her ears as she hurried to the computer room. Without her glasses, it was hard to see very much. She hurridly wiped her eyes, clearing her vision slightly.

As the door swung open, Ryo hurridly entered the room. She could see Yuu's form sitting on the couch, but couldn't exactly tell what he was doing. Rushing, she changed back into her normal clothes and sat down in front of the monitors.

Her green eyes squinted, trying to make out the burry pictures. Chewing on her bottom lip, Ryo tried her best to clear her mind.

"Ryo?" Yuu hesitantly called.

"Yeah?"

"It's just, uh... You looked really nice in that dress," the young boy quietly answered. Ryo let out a sigh.

"Thanks Yuu. But dresses just aren't for me," she chuckled. With swift hands, she pulled her hair into it's normal ponytail.

Ryo watched as the hosts said goodbye to their final guests and began to shut down the system. Yuu had luckily stashed one of her older pairs of glasses, and it was better than nothing.

As Yuu sketched what seemed to be pictures of the various guests, Ryo busied herself with the complete teardown and clearing of the system. This was a one time job, and the electronics used were not ones she knew the origin of. There was no way her system would be leaked.

"Miss Hisakawa, I believe you are still here?" His voice seeped through the door, drawing Yuu's attention. Ryo clenched her jaw, readying herself for the conversation that was going to begin.

"Hello, Mr. Kyouya," Yuu mumbled, opening the door with a yawn. "Ryo's almost done."

"Thank you, Mr. Yuu," the ravenette cooly answered.

"Dress is in bag on table," she piped up, glaring at the screens, code echoed on her glasses. The prescription wasn't quite right.

In the dark room, Ryo could barely see his reflection in her screens. She watched as he made his way into the room and toward the dress. Every once in a while, he paused, looking at her as if he had something to say.

Ryo pressed the final button, and the screens went blank. Ducking under the desk, she carefully unplugged the cords connecting Ouran's main system to the temporary setup.

"Alright," she sighed. "Yuu, are you ready to go?"

The boy hopped up from his seat and handed Ryo her bag. She swung it onto her shoulder, and began to leave. She couldn't help but stop at the door, almost painfully aware of the ravenette still in the room.

"Goodnight Kyouya," she said. "Thank you for the dance."

There was a slight pause. "It was my pleasure."

As Ryo began the long walk home, her eyes stared at the stars above them. Yuu said nothing as he watched his sister, quite aware of her odd behavior.

Suddenly, a shooting star flashed across the sky. Ryo had a number of unused wishes, so she hoped that the saved luck would make this one work.