nodus tollens | t. morinozuka

Chapter 20

She had no idea where she was. But she got used to the hands snatching her, blindfolding her and a mouth whispering assuringly courtesy of Kaoru. Not to mention, the unnecessarily exchanged words with their Boss and Hikaru's constant snickering.

And honestly, she just couldn't bother reacting and panicking when ideas and worries of her future plagued her mind.

She felt herself being positioned on a slightly uncomfortable seat and when she felt around with her hands, she concluded that she was sitting very close to the edge since someone was going to sit next to her. She pushed her hands forward and felt her finger push onto something hard before a musical sound resonated in the place.

A swift movement from someone behind her undid the knot of the blindfold allowing it to fall on her lap. Tamaki sat next to her and gave her the most genuine and adoring smile she'd ever recieved from him.

She was mesmerised.

He quickly stretched his fingers and began performing one of the most heartfelt pieces the silver-haired girl had ever heard. His fingers glided all over the keys making it seem like he didn't even touch them. He made it seem so effortless and easy. Especially when he closed his eyes and sometimes averted them to look at her to give her the same heartwarming smile.

The music ended when Tamaki slowly pressed on the last key and turned to face her. He leaned forward and kissed her scalp. His deep blue eyes shifted a little bit to something behind her before she felt herself being blindfolded again. And she didn't even get to chance to get a glimpse of the place around her.

The second time light blinded her eyes, she found herself in a dressing room with a dress on hanger ready to be worn.

"Put on that dress, Arashi-chan."

She recognised the deeper voice as Hikaru's. She stripped her clothes off which consisted of the school uniform and allowed it to unceremoniously fall to the ground. She took the dress and held it close to her, afraid that one wrong movement could ruin it's simple beauty.

It was a plain aubergine purple dress with collar of a darker shade. She slipped it on and noticed that it reached right above her knees. Perfect to keep her comfortable. It fit well, accentuating her waist and the small curves on her chest.

She opened the door and allowed Kaoru to lead her to the vanity and into a soft leather chair. Hikaru was somewhere beside them, looking for something and delving into multiple shoe boxes.

Kaoru ruffled her hair and she instinctively raised her hand to cover the scar. He smiled at her and patted her head.

"This will make ot harder to me to do your hair," he murmured quietly. "I promise I'll give you an eyepatch to put on but let me do your hair first, please."

Arashi hesitantly dropped her hand and sighed with resignation. She treasured Kaoru, all of them, a lot. It gradually became harder to say no to anything they asked of her.

Kaoru ran his fingers through her hair, combed it and did many things Arashi was sure she would never come to understand. But it felt good. Because he occasionally put something on hands and massaged her scalp with it.

"Is black okay?" Hikaru asked.

"Nope."

"Silver?"

"Just get her a pair with the same colour as the dress."

Arashi smiled to herself. It was really fun watching them work. It was obvious that they enjoyed what they did and loved the pleasantly surprised look she had everytime they did something to her. For her.

Many minutes later and she was blindfolded again and placed in a car. But she got a glimpse of herself before that happened. She wasn't sure that she'd ever felt as beautiful as she did. They didn't do much but style her hair in the usual feminine way it was supposed to be and the eyepatch didn't disturb the look much.

She loved it. But she wasn't sure why they were doing all of that.

Hands squeezed hers before she heard a door opened and she was ushered somewhere. She felt herself walk and walk until a pair of arms took her petite figure close to the person's chest. The blindfold fell on the shining ground, never to be picked up again. Dark intense eyes bore into her and and for once, a big fond smile appeared on Kyoya's face before he slowly led her to Takashi's arms.

Music started and she could see Tamaki on a stage with a piano and with other people playing instruments Arashi didn't get the chance to glance at before she was swept away into a slow dance. It was a spacious room and she briefly wondered whose mansion it was.

Takashi's strong arms held her in a firm grip that trembled every now and then. As though he wanted to hold her tighter but was reminded at the last second not to bruise or hurt her. As disheartening as it was, it was too awkward to meet his unwavering gaze. Everytime she tried to meet his eyes, she could see that they didn't sway from their focus but a few seconds was all she could last before a blush started rising up on her neck. She wasn't even sure if her feet were moving or he was dragging her.

By the end of this dance, Takashi had started stroking a small part of her waist with his thumb. They stopped and Arashi suddenly realised she wasn't breathing and it seemed that neither was he.

She smiled and sighed through her nose. His lips lifted and a handsome smile graced his face and her heart. He leaned closer until his lips touched her cheek for a kiss. Slowly, he pulled away as though it was hard to and lead her to a table where Honey sat.

Plates with cakes and desserts filled the table more than she thought was possible. A chocolate cake sat in front of her and Honey smiled encouragingly before devouring his own. She ate leisurely and looked around as she swallowed. She became sure it was Tamaki's place if the pictures and portraits were anything to go by.

Kyoya and Haruhi appeared into the room just as she took the last bite. Quickly wiping her mouth with a napkin, she stood up and watched as the rest of the Host Club came behind them, following.

"I wasn't sure what to give you," Haruhi said, slightly opening her arms, "besides a hug."

Arashi welcomed it and cherished the warm feeling pooling and threatening to flow out of her heart. She never had people do that for her.

"We are the Host Club after all," Kyoya said, closing his notebook. Arashi suspected that he was the one who organised all of that. "It's our job to keep women happy whether they're members or not."

She felt stupid for having tears in her eyes but cheered mentally when they didn't fall and dried when she blinked them away.

"Thank you."