183Star Crossed and Everything
Chapter Six
Mori stared at the blank screen of his cell phone hoping it would light up, and he would be able to see Kagome's smiling face. After dropping off the plush earlier (disappointed that he hadn't been able to give it to her himself), he debated what his next move should be.
Should he wait for her to call him now? Or maybe he should try the shrine again tomorrow? Did she even want to see him or had she already moved on?
But before he could make up his mind, his phone went off. And instead of seeing Kagome's face like he wanted, Tamaki's photo flashed by. It was the fifth time that hour that he had called. And like all the other times, he immediately silenced his phone. Seconds later it started to ring again, but instead of Tamaki, Honey's picture came up.
He sighed deeply and answered, "Hello."
"Takashi," Honey excitedly greeted him. "We're gonna go visit Haru-chan tomorrow, wanna come?"
Mori grunted into the phone. He didn't know about going out with the Host Club, not after the way they treated Kagome. Although none of that would've happened if he had told them about her in the first place. Not that they were totally blameless (they never were). And he had a feeling that even if they had known about her, they would have done something similar. Maybe they would have been a little less hostile, but still disruptive all the same.
"I know you're still angry, but it would be a good time to explain everything," Honey reasoned.
Mori sighed again, he was right. It was time to clear the air and he would start with his friends. And after Haruhi's, he would go speak with Kagome personally.
Kagome laid in her bed, dressed in her school uniform, as she stared at the raccoon plush. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She wasn't sure what to think about the apology. And she wished she had been able to see him in person. Maybe everything was just one big understanding, but what if she had been wrong about him. They hadn't known each other long and it didn't seem like they knew each other as well as she had thought.
She had only told one of her friends about him and he hadn't bothered to tell any of his. She hadn't known about his club activities and he didn't even know what school she went to.
Sighing, she buried her in her hands. She felt like such an idiot. She still wanted to talk to him though. Nothing would be resolved until that happened and he had made the first move so she should meet him halfway.
She jumped up and grabbed her cell from her desk. But before she could find his contact, her phone rang and Chizuru's face popped up. She fumbled with her phone and nearly dropped it in surprise.
"Hey," Kagome answered.
"Kagome-chan," Chizuru enthusiastically greeted the other girl. "We're outside."
"Okay then, I'll be there in a sec," she replied before hanging up. She stared at her phone for a second, sighed deeply, a little disappointed, and tucked it into her pocket. She would wait until practice was over and call Yuka about what she should do next.
Grabbing her gym bag, she hurried out the shrine with a quick goodbye to her grandfather over her shoulder. Taking the steps two at a time, she made it in record time to the limo. The door was automatically thrown open for her and she slipped in.
"Hey you-," she started to greet them as she noticed the unexpected fifth body in the car. "Haruhi-chan, I didn't know you would be here."
"Neither did I," she sourly grumbled, crossing her arms in annoyance.
"Oh, so you have met this fetching maiden before, Kagome," Benio commented, looking between the two.
"Yep," Kagome easily answered with a smile. "At the Ouran school festival."
"What a shame that she's forced to work with that horrid club," Chizuru offhandedly commented.
"Yeah, what shame," Kagome repeated hollowly.
Haruhi frowned at her sudden turn in emotion and attempted to change the subject. "So, what did you guys want with me anyway? I mean there's got to be a reason you abducted me off the street."
Kagome groaned when she heard that. Couldn't they ever do anything normal?
"Abduct is such a harsh word," Benio replied.
"And we just need your help for a little project of ours," Hinako added.
Chizuru nodded her head and said rather unconvincingly, "It's not that big of a deal."
Kagome snorted in amusement at that. She knew personally that any 'little projects` of theirs was never something to sneeze at. And since she had time to kill, when they arrived at school, she decided to follow them to see how this would play out. And as they walked through the halls, she pulled Haruhi close to her side in an attempt to shield her from the craziness that was Lobelia.
"Is this for real," Haruhi skeptically asked as she watched Benio shamelessly flirt. (And she thought the Host Club was bad.)
"Unfortunately," Kagome mumbled.
Thankfully, they were able to make it to the room in one piece and without incident. Hinako and Chizuru immediately pulled Haruhi away from Kagome and pushed her into the changing room. They threw a Lobelia uniform in after her.
Kagome smiled softly at their antics. The first time she had met the three Zuka Club girls, they had done something similar. But she was still curious as to what they were up to.
"What exactly are you three planning," she inquired, an edge of suspicion in her voice.
Hinako laughed and waved off her concerns. "You worry too much, Kagome-senpai."
"Yes, dear Haruhi is in safe hands with us," Chizuru said.
She didn't buy it, but she did let it go. They couldn't cause too much havoc with Haruhi while she was at practice.
But to be safe, when Haruhi finally made it out of the dressing room, she approached the other girl. She patted her comfortingly on the back and whispered, "I'm just three doors down, feel free to come get me if things…get a little out of hand here."
And with that, she left Haruhi to be bombarded by the others. And she only felt a little bad about it; after all she had gone through the same thing a year ago.
Mori's gaze swept over Lobelia's Academy. The grounds were just as big as Ouran's and though he was loathe to admit it, just as impressive. It was a little odd for him, picturing Kagome attending the school. She was just so down to Earth and the Lobelia girls…weren't.
Sighing, he followed the others around campus, ignoring his cousin's worried glances. Somehow Ranka managed to secure them Benio fan club t-shirts which none of them were too keen on wearing.
It didn't take them long to track down Haruhi. And the six of them crouched below the window. While the others were more interested in watching her rehearse, Mori gazed listlessly out in the distance.
He thought about what he would say to Kagome when he finally did see her. Hopefully she had gotten his note without any trouble and would be more willing to talk to him.
"It's too bad Kagome-senpai couldn't play the part. She's a much better singer than that nobody."
Mori instantly perked up at hearing her name. He sat up and tried to listen for more information.
"But just imagine the winter show. She's going to be amazing."
"We should go check out her practice. It's only a few windows down from Benio's."
Mori glanced at his friends. They were still preoccupied with watching Haruhi. So he quietly snuck away.
It wasn't hard to find where Kagome was practicing. She wasn't too far from the others, and even had a few of her own fans watching. Thankfully, they paid him no mind, too intent on watching Kagome dance.
And she was good. Her steps were graceful, much more than she gave herself credit for. He easily saw why she had gotten the scholarship to Lobelia. He felt his chest ache. And he wast tempted to barge in there and apologize.
He could have stood there, watching her forever. But his cell phone beeped, and looking at it he saw a message from his cousin.
Kagome cringed from the sidelines of the stage as she watched the debacle unfold before her. She had showed up in support of her friends, and not it was looking like Haruhi needed more than support. She was also surprised to see those Host Club members there as well, along with an older male she had never seen before. She wasn't too sure how she felt about seeing Takashi with them, but for now she chose to ignore them. Haruhi needed her help right now. (Benio and the others were definitely going to hear it from her later.)
So just after they all slipped, Kagome grabbed Haruhi's hand and dashed off the stage. She brought the younger girl to one of the back dressing rooms, locking the door behind her.
Haruhi immediately collapsed into a nearby chair.
"Sorry about dragging you out like that," Kagome said as she began to riffle through some of the clothes hanging around.
Haruhi groaned and slumped into her chair as she replied, "Don't apologize. I should be thanking you."
Kagome giggled before throwing a light blue sundress at the other girl. Haruhi caught it and stared blankly at it, then Kagome and asked, "What is this?"
"You don't want to stay in that dress, do you," Kagome replied. When she saw the other girl reluctantly concede, Kagome grinned triumphantly and pointed to the back of the room. "There's a screen you can change behind."
The other girl nodded and waddled over to the screen. While she started to change, Kagome began to riffle through the draws, pulling out a few small bottles.
"What are you doing," Haruhi inquired as she took a seat back in the chair. She looked much more relaxed now that she was out of the puffy dress. She still had the hair extension in her hair and way too much makeup on her face.
Kagome shrugged and answered, "I figured you didn't want to go home with all that on your face. But if you want to keep it…"
"No, I mean go ahead," Haruhi relented. She allowed the Lobelia girl to clean up her face.
"Hey, I kind of have a favor to ask of you, if you don't mind," Kagome said as she wiped off the excessive eye shadow and blush.
With the Host Club or any of the other Lobelia girls, Haruhi would have immediately said no. But she decided to hear the girl out. "What is it?"
"Do you mind tutoring my brother? He's really determined to get into Ouran," Kagome explained as she moved on to Haruhi's hair. The other girl didn't protest and allowed her to fix it. But instead of taking out the extension like she expected, she merely brushed it out. "And I'm willing to pay."
"Sure, we can set up a schedule," Haruhi easily agreed. She could probably use the money towards her debt.
"Great," Kagome exclaimed before finishing up the last touches on Haruhi. She moved out of the way of the mirror and said, "There you go."
Haruhi looked at herself in the mirror. It was definitely better than what the Lobelia girls had done. She liked the more natural look. But wearing makeup still wasn't quite her cup of tea.
"C'mon, a friend of mine is picking me up today," Kagome said, beckoning her forward. "We can give you a ride unless you'd rather walk home."
Thinking about her father and the Host Club who were probably still roaming around, Haruhi spoke, "I'll take you up on that offer if you don't mind."
Kagome laughed and together the two girls made their way out of the school. They assumed luck was on their side when they didn't run into any of their friends. That of course was not the case when they walked into the courtyard. Standing by the entrance, glaring at one another, were the Host and Zuka Club.
Kagome steadily ignored Mori's gaze as she trudged forward. Besides her, Haruhi let out a tired sigh and said, "I'll pass on that ride. I will just walk home with my dad."
Both groups stared dumbly at Haruhi's appearance. And Tamaki was the first to break the silence.
"My daughter looks so lovely," he exclaimed as he reached out to hug her.
Ranka glared murderously at him and forcibly gripped the blonde's shoulder. He pushed Tamaki to the ground and walked over him to hug his daughter.
Kagome smiled at her friend's misfortune before she attempted to sneak away. Unfortunately, the Lobelia girls noticed her.
"You do such good work, Kagome-senpai," Hinako complimented, the other two agreeing.
Hikaru and Kaoru snorted in disbelief as they glared at Kagome.
The Lobelia girls glared right back. Chizuru spoke up, "You boys have something to say?"
"Just surprised that even a school like Lobelia would lower their standards for someone like, Higurashi," the twins snickered.
Mori turned to glare at the twins but before he could say something, Chizuru beat him to it. "Watch your filthy mouths. Kagome-chan is worth a million of you disgusting boys."
"It's okay, Chizuru," Kagome attempted to placate her friend, though inwardly she was seething herself. "Like I care what a bunch of jerks like them think."
And with that, Kagome stalked off. But not before speaking to Haruhi, "I'll call you later with the details, Haruhi-chan."
Everyone looked confused by her comment. But Haruhi only smiled and nodded her head. Mori wanted to stick around and find out what that was about. Instead he quietly slipped away as everyone began to interrogate her.
He followed after Kagome, and he easily spotted her not too far away. Relief spilled through him as he approached her. But he wasn't the only one. An auburn haired male beat him to her. He engulfed her in a hug, which Kagome just as enthusiastically returned.
Suddenly his brother's words rang through his head. "A girl like that probably has some of her own admirers."
His fists clenched at his sides. Without any thought to what he was doing, Mori marched over to the pair.
Kagome spotted him first and immediately tore herself away from Shippo. "Ta-Morinozuka-san, what are you doing here?"
That stung. But he ignored the use of his family's name and asked, "Can we talk, alone?"
"Who is this guy, Kagome-chan," Shippo asked, eyeing Mori suspiciously. Mori glared right back at him.
Kagome looked between the two and sighed. She grabbed Mori's arm and turned to Shippo, "Can you give me a moment?"
Reluctantly he turned away and stood next to a car across the street.
"Who is that guy," he automatically asked. He never thought he'd be considered the jealous type, but he couldn't seem to help himself.
"A friend," she snapped, crossing her arms in annoyance. She recognized the tone in his voice and she was not amused. "Is there something you wanted?"
Mori groaned, this isn't the way he had planned this. He took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. This could be his only chance. "I'm sorry. I miss you."
That caught her off guard. She stared steadily at her shoes as she replied, "I miss you, too."
Mori smiled as relief flooded through him. Before he could continue with his apology, Kagome spoke again and turned away from him, "But I don't know about us."
He felt his insides freeze. She couldn't mean that.
"I mean, we spent so much time together and we barely knew each other," she admitted as she steadily refused to look at him. "Maybe we should—"
Mori didn't let her finish though. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, catching her off guard. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her tight. Quietly he spoke, "Your favorite food is oden. You've seen Spirited Away a hundred times And you tend to play with your hair when you're nervous."
He pulled away slightly so he could see her face. "Just like you know natto is my favorite food."
"And your favorite movie is Seven Samurai. And you also tend to get all flirty when you're tired," Kagome added with a smile, which he fully returned. From the sideline several pair of eyes watched the couple with great interest. Not that the duo noticed them.
Shippo coughed rudely from behind Kagome. Bluntly he asked, "Who is this Kagome?"
"This is my boyfriend, Morinozuka Takashi," she answered, much to Mori's delight.
Shippo immediately went back to glaring at the other boy. Kagome rolled her eyes at his antics and said, "Be nice."
"I'm always nice." Shippo smiled dangerously and pat Mori on the shoulder. "Why don't you join us for dinner then."
Before Mori could answer, Shippo pushed him forwards, towards his car. He looked helplessly at Kagome, who only shrugged in response. He lowered his head in defeat, but smiled when she grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together.
TBC