"Um, Mitsukuni, was there something going on there?"
"Nope! Nothing at all," Honey replied innocently. Talk about being suspicious, and he was frowning. "Do you want to tell me about it?"
He shook his head stubbornly.
"But our promise..." I trailed off, staring at my bare feet. It would always be like this, wouldn't it? I felt like I barely knew a thing about Honey. Sure, he liked cake, strawberries, and virtually anything that's sweet, but what else? There had to be more to him than just that. What did he dislike? Was there anyone he hated?
"I'm sorry, Rika." Honey's handed tightened around mine. I glanced at him but his hair hid his eyes. "I told you-"
"I know." We stopped by the play structure, hidden from the rest of the Host Club here. He was still holding one of my hands, as he faced me. "It's selfish."
"So was what I said," I replied. "Please tell me."
♥ Follow/Fav
Next >
"But I'm not in a position to say something like this," Honey whispered.
"Why not?" Could it be? Was it something like jealousy? Ooh, that'd be so nice to hear from him. "Aren't we, um, dating?"
He squeezed my hand not as gently as before. What was going on? What was bothering him? I tilted my head, trying to see his eyes. Instead, I had a very nice view of Honey's bare skin, and before I could stop myself, my face was burning. Ahh, Mitsukuni, you're going to set my face on fire!
Then, just as abruptly, he let go. "Let's go eat cake, Ri-chan."
We headed towards the cafeteria. But without our hands linked, it seemed like we weren't together. For some reason, walking beside him, I felt lonelier than I ever had before.
It was about time I called Mikiya and see if they could come visit tomorrow. I was fairly dry by now, so I pulled my sweater on, then went to my bag to get my cellphone.
That's strange.
Panic began to fill me as I rummaged through the bag. Where was it? Where was it? I pulled the papers, pens, and my wallet out. My cellphone, keys, and camera were here. I lifted my bag upside down and shook it. Only a loose hundred yen coin fell out.
No.
It felt like my heart was about to stop.
I stood, barely registering the fact that I'd dropped my bag.
"Something wrong, Rika-senpai?" Haruhi asked.
"My bow - it's gone!" I practically screamed.
"What?" The twins, Tamaki, and who-cares-who said in unison.
Honey rushed into my view. "Your red bow, Rika?" I nodded, trying to focus my gaze on his face, but it was impossible.
"Da-" I barely managed to stop the cuss words ready to pour out. Shit! My bow! Akane's bow!
I turned to the guests, who had begun whispering. "Has anyone seen a bright red bow? Well, actually, it's not a bow. It's a piece of red sash."
They all shook their heads.
"Where did you last see it?" Haruhi asked calmly.
"I put it in my bag." I said. "Right when we came here."
"Are you sure you did?" An obnoxious voice said. I turned, and my eyes narrowed on Ayako.
"I take very good care of my bow," I replied, trying my best to not snap at her. "There's no way I'd take it with me into the swimming pool. Who knows what chlorine water would do to it." Oh God. It must be in the water.
I ran towards the swimming pool, peering into the blue depths in search of any red. Nope. I sprinted around the pool but still couldn't find any signs.
"We'll help you, Rika-senpai!" The twins said.
Tamaki nodded, pulling a board out of nowhere. "Team! This is an important mission, Mission Find Rika's Red Bow!"
"Very creative, Tono." The twins smiled.
"What? Do you guys have a better idea?!" Tamaki demanded, jabbing some strange stick in the twins' faces.
"Tamaki-senpai, that's really not the point." Haruhi said, the voice of calm and reason as usual.
"We'll split up!" Tamaki continued, tapping the stick on a map of the water park. "Split into teams of four!"
"Do we have to help her?" Suzume whined. "It's her fault for losing her bow. Why should we help her look for it?"
"Rika is a fellow guest." Kyoya said, having popped out of the air as usual. He pushed his glasses up. "If any of our guests lose a precious belonging, we the Host Club would of course do our best to recover it."
I couldn't have been happier to see Kyoya. I wished he'd just kick Ayako and Suzume out. "I'll start looking." I said, heading towards the waterslides I'd gone to first. "The other guests don't have to help out, but thanks anyway, everyone."
The Host Club nodded, although some of the guests didn't seem too pleased.
I explored the water slides' pool. Nothing. Where could it possibly have gone? There's no way the bow could have just walked off by itself. Someone must have taken it. Someone must have thrown it somewhere, or they still had it. Or they destroyed it.
My eyes widened at the thought. No way. Akane's bow, the one thing I had of her. A special bow she'd gotten from her biological mom, yet she'd given it to me. There's no way it could just disappear like that.
I dashed up the stairs of the water slides, but still nothing showed. I hopped down two at a time and nearly ran Honey over.
"Mitsukuni-"
"Did you find it yet?"
I shook my head. "It couldn't have- I didn't lose it! There's no way-"
"I know." Honey replied. His voice was steady and calming, and that warm smile seemed to be telling me that everything was going to be okay. "Come on! Where else?" I pointed towards the nearby play structure.
Minutes ticked by agonizingly, as the two of us rushed from place to place. Our eyes scanned over everything, in vain hope of spotting some speck of bright red.
Please let it be alright. Please let it be in one piece. Please tell me it wasn't burned, or shredded. I wouldn't even mind if it'd been tossed in the trash. Just please let it be alright.
I felt like I was near tears. There was no hope. It was gone.
"Rika," Honey came to my side, gasping for air. "There's still one last place." He pointed to our left, a place I hadn't been. It was at the very back of the waterpark. I nodded, and he took my hand. Together, we jogged over.
"The wave pool," I said breathlessly. It was enormous. I ran to the front, where some tiny waves were lapping the sloped floor. I peered at the water, before glancing wildly around. I found another one of those cabinets and hastily wrenched it open.
They did have goggles, I thought in relief, as I grabbed one off the shelf. I came back, adjusting the goggles. "What are you do-"
I didn't quite hear the rest of Honey's words, because I'd plunged into the water. I looked around underwater. There!
I resurfaced, gasping for air as I waded forward. "I found it, Mitsukuni!" It was in the farthest and deepest corner, bouncing up and down in the water. I swam to the edge and pulled myself up, then ran along to the very end. I knelt and extended by arm out, but it was too far away.
"Rika!" Honey was calling.
I jumped into the water. My fingers found the soft cotton fabric, and I felt all the previous fear and anxiety in me vanish. I held it close to me and began swimming back to the shore.
Honey was standing in the shallow end, watching worriedly. I ran to him with a smile. "I found it!" I held up the red sash for him to see. We both froze when we saw. "No." I started shaking, partly because it was cold and because I was pissed and frustrated.
The bow had been cut in half. It was just a short strip of red now, and there was no way I could use it as a bow in my hair anymore.
"Why?" I screamed. "What did I do? What did I do?! This is the one thing- the one non-living thing that I care about! Anything else of mine could have been fine. Why this?!" I glared up at the glass above. The sun had already sunken and was no longer directly shining at us.
Honey's warm hand fell upon my arm. "I'm sorry, Rika."
I was shaking in fury. "Someone did this, Mitsukuni."
He was silent.
"It has to be a guest, because no Host would do this." I said, clenching a fist around the bow. I already had a hunch.
"Calm down, Rika!" Honey said. His brown eyes were concerned. Oh no, I've made him worried again. Then he wrapped his arms around me, and I found myself staring at his bare collarbone. Um, Honey was still shirtless. Okay, let's not turn into a tomato now. "Please." Then I felt something soft press against my forehead. When I glanced up, I saw Honey kissing me on the forehead. It was gentle and careful and completely stopped all trains of thought.
"Wh-What are you doing?" My voice quivered, but I'd calmed down. I was blushing madly too. Great, now I'm a tomato.
Honey smiled, looking pleased. "Do you feel better now?" I sighed. "Yeah, but my bow..."
"It'll be okay." He reassured me with a grin. "Do you want to go find the other half?"
I shook my head. "This was the last place, and it wasn't here. Someone must have it, or it's somewhere else. It's fine." I rubbed my eyes, before resting my head on Honey's shoulder. "This sucks. I hate whoever did this."
He rubbed my arm, sounding cheerful. "It'll be alright, Rika! Do you want a new bow? I'll buy you one!" I shook my head. I only wanted Akane's bow.
"I can't believe this. And I'm going to meet Akane soon too. This was her mom's, Mitsukuni. Not her step- mom, but her actual mom. And now it's like this." I held the strand up. I frowned. "Oh well, it's not like anything can be done now."
Even though I said this, I wanted to pummel whoever had done this. Toss her into a pool, slam her into the ground, and maybe chuck her out the window.
"Sorry, Rika." Honey pulled me into a tighter hug.
Ah, this is nice. Ha! Take that you Ayako and Suzume brats! I bet you don't get this many hugs from Honey!
Then I felt some longing tugging deep in my heart. No, I didn't just want hugs. I really wanted to tell Mitsukuni. I love you. I wanted to tell him that. I wanted to kiss him. But how could I? Who knew who was watching? And how would he react? What if he didn't like it? What if he didn't even like me in that sense? I was scared of his reaction more than anything else.
But then my eyes fell on the red bow in my clenched fist, and those feelings were washed away. I hope Akane won't be mad. What am I going to do? I love this bow a lot too, since it was a gift from Akane.
"Hey, Rika, I'm going on a five-day trip to this dojo on W mountain. Do you want to come? There's a small village, and it's really nice there. It's peaceful. And, Takashi and Chika-chan and Satoshi are all going to go too."
Going on a trip with Mitsukuni? Hell yeah! "Yeah. I'd love to. That'd be nice. And Mitsukuni, I think the gang might visit tomorrow."
"Okay! I want to meet them too."
I lifted my head and smiled. If Honey was around, then everything would be okay. I had nothing to worry about. "Thanks, Mitsukuni."
3rd POV:
"Argh, I can't believe it!" Suzume yelled, kicking the ground angrily.
"Oh calm down, Suzume," Ayako said. She was lounging on a beach chair near the main pool. Everyone had disappeared in a wild search for that Rika's red bow. "What are you mad about? It's not like something precious of yours got taken. I knew you shouldn't have done it. If Honey finds out, you are so screwed."
"Shut up! You're screwed too!" Suzume crossed her arms, scowling fiercely. "I didn't do a thing."
"Exactly, you're an accomplice."
"Ugh, I can't believe you'd take me down with you!" Ayako sat up with a glare. "Excuse me, if I didn't help you! How would you feel if someone took your necklace, snapped it in two, and threw it into the pool?" She jabbed a finger at Suzume's neck.
The girl's eyes widened. "B-But, this is a really expensive necklace! There are diamonds on here, Aya! Did you see any diamonds on that piece of trash? It had a bunch of loose threads too! They're different."
"No, they're not. To Hayashi, that bow is as important to her as that necklace is to you."
"Well fine! I was wrong! Geez!" Suzume stomped her feet in frustration. "I was just pissed at her, okay? How are you not pissed? It's so obvious! Honey just stares at her! Argh, it's so annoying! I hate that girl!"
"So do I, but it doesn't mean you can go and destroy her most precious thing." Ayako said with a sigh. "Besides, what do you mean it's obvious? What is?"
Suzume rolled her eyes. "God, you are so oblivious! Haven't you noticed how much he stares at her? Oh, you didn't see it earlier, but I followed that Hayashi and Honey. And do you know what happened? He hugged her! He kissed her on the forehead! Aghh! I can't stand it!"
"He did what?" Ayako straightened up, leaning forward. "That's right. He hugged her. He kissed her."
"On the forehead," Ayako corrected.
"Yeah, it's practically the same thing."
"There's a difference, Suzume."
"You don't get it, do you? He hugged her! Not the other way around! We're always hugging Honey, and that's
great, but have you noticed? He never hugs us!" Suzume pointed at herself. "Not once. And then he goes and
great, but have you noticed? He never hugs us!" Suzume pointed at herself. "Not once. And then he goes and hugs her! It's so obvious!"
Ayako frowned. "What is?" She already had a sinking feeling though.
"He likes her." Suzume sat down next to her friend. "Ah, I can't believe it! She's so plain too! Plain black hair, plain brown eyes! She's so short too!"
"Maybe that's why? Since we're both taller than him."
"Yeah but we're both prettier than her!"
"Whatever," Ayako laid down. "Who cares? It's not like we can control his feelings."
"No, we can't." Suzume agreed, before smiling. "But maybe we can do something about her feelings."
Rika's POV:
"Kyoya, tomorrow works. They haven't bought the train tickets yet, and they just got some." I said. He nodded. "Good. The guests are leaving soon, so we can discuss this with the rest of the Club."
"Hey, Rika-senpai!" The twins called, rushing to my side with a camera. "Can we please just take like three pictures?"
I glared at them. "Really?"
"Please?" They pleaded, clapping their hands together. "Be our model, oh great almighty Rika-senpai!"
"No," I crossed my arms and shook my head.
The twins loomed above me with evil glares and sharp, glittering eyes. I slowly backed away, bumping into Kyoya. "Stay away, you evil-"
They grabbed me and pulled the sweater off.
"Ahh! I'm getting attacked!" I screamed, latching onto the closest thing, which happened to be Kyoya's arm. "Kyoya! You demon lord, do something!" I only heard a tired sigh.
"Stay right there, Rika-senpai!" The twins said. I quickly ducked behind Kyoya. Thank goodness he's tall and I'm short. "Nooo! Rika-senpai!"
"No way! Get away from me!"
"Hika-chan, Kao-chan, if Rika doesn't want to take pictures, then you shouldn't force her!" I heard Honey say. I peeked out from behind Kyoya and saw Honey smiling with flowers floating around.
"But Honey-senpai!" The twins cried. "No one models our bikinis! Oh, I know! Now that all the guests have left - Haruhiiii!"
Poor girl. I let out a sigh. "Thanks, Mitsukuni."
Honey grinned at me. "But, you know, Rika, you do look really cute in that bikini!"
I blushed madly and turned my attention away. "I called Tamaki's dad too, Kyoya. He said it's okay. Can we meet up at the front doors of Ouran at nine-thirty? I have to tell everyone else about who the gang is."
Kyoya sighed and stepped away. "Sure."
"Now do you want to put a shirt on?" I asked.
He smirked. "What? Don't like what you see?"
"That's not it at all!" I turned away, only to spot Honey. "You too! Aren't you guys cold at all? You're gonna get sick like this!"
Honey grinned. "It's fine."
"It's not fine at all!"
And that was how the resort day ended, with the usual Host Club chaos. We were going to order more food, but Haruhi didn't want to owe any more debt to Kyoya. So, I treated everyone at a fairly cheap ramen place.
Of course, I couldn't sleep. Even with Kyoya's reassurances that the entire Host Club would be there, I was still worried. Hikaru and Kaoru weren't ones who liked to wake up early, and so was Kyoya. Hopefully, Haruhi wouldn't find the day spent poorly.
And what if they didn't like each other? What if they fought? And, oh dear, I'm going to have to see Ryota. What if he's changed? What if he's completely different? No, no, Mikiya said he's the same. Yuuta didn't mention anything either.
And, Akane will be the same right? Her accent must be gone. That will be so weird! I remember her with a slight, cute accent. I hope she still has the same nice long hair. Ah, she really won't be mad about her bow right? She'll understand right?
Wait, the 3 Musketeers are coming too. Oh dear. They'll probably bond really well with the Host Club's idiot trio. That makes two idiot trios. Tomorrow is either going to be a huge disaster or a huge... crazy, fun day. Hopefully the latter, definitely the latter.
Questions and worries like these flurried throughout my head, but I somehow managed to get a decent amount of sleep. When I woke to the sound of my alarm, though, the same panic and excitement set in.