Just Look into It

50. A Kiss

"Hello everyone. Some of you may know who I am, others may not, so I'll go ahead and introduce myself." Ryo adjusted her glasses, standing at the front of the first-year class. Haruhi and the twins waved at her from their seats. "My name is Ryo Hisakawa. I'm a second-year here at Ouran, and I'll be helping your class out so that your Halloween event runs smoothly and everyone participating is safe."

She had her hair pulled back, knowing that it would likely be a long few days. The class stared at her somewhat blankly, and she sighed. 

"If you have any questions, please send them my way. I'm mainly here to give you all assistance regarding paperwork and planning, so you don't have to worry about your fun getting cut down," she added. "I'll be with you all throughout the entire process, including the night of in case of any emergencies. Any questions?"

"Since you'll be there, can we try to scare you too?" Hikaru asked. 

She blinked. "I'd prefer not, since I'll technically be working."

"Really, Hisakawa, what work will you have to be doing?" Kaoru argued. 

"I have to ensure that no outsiders take the opportunity to sneak into the school during the late hours. I'll also be watching to make sure that no student suffers an injury or other health emergency without treatment since the school will be dark," she listed. "Anything else? "

The twins raised their hands, which she ignored. 

"Great. I will ask that everyone will fill out this anonymous survey. While I want you all to have free reign with your scaring, I want to make sure that no one is targeted or traumatized. It's a simple rating of how comfortable you feel with the listed subjects. It's not a way to ban something simply because you don't like it, but rather a way to make sure everyone feels safe. For example, you won't be able to touch each other, as in the case of many other haunted attractions."

Luckily, between the twins and her cousin, the students who didn't know or trust her were quick to use her as a resource to get their event squared away. To her shock, all necessary paperwork was properly filed. She had answered a few questions for the students, working with them and the provided area they had to work with, but they did most the work themselves

The class stepped to the challenge and hit the mark in every way she could think of.

For Ouran, she considered the event to be a success. She wasn't surprised when the host club snuck in and caused some chaos, but even that only really affected Haruhi's group. Everyone else was able to enjoy the event until the very end. Ryo had owed Nekozawa a favor, but watching the students race from the building was rather amusing on her end as well. 

"Hisakawa~"

"What are you up to now?" 

She turned around to glance at the twins, noticing the rest of the host club behind them. She adjusted her glasses and sighed. "I'm going to open up the school again for tomorrow. Why?"

They grabbed her shoulders and started to drag her towards the others. "Just wondering. That means you've got some free time, right?"

Her eyes narrowed. "What are you planning?"

"Please, Ryo-chan! Play along for a bit," Honey begged. 

She sighed, noticing that the majority of the hosts wanted her to go along with whatever they had done. Her shoulders slumped as she rolled her eyes, but nodded. A small cheer hit her ears before something was shoved over her head. 

"What the hell?" Ryo immediately shrieked. 

"Relax, Hisakawa," Kaoru immediately answered, she felt her feet leave the ground. "Nothing bad's going to happen."

Fighting back the urge to kick and struggle, she closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. The hosts chattered around her, though her senses felt warped and unsteady as she was moved through the halls of the school. It was far too similar to her experience in the crate, but she was quick to remind herself that the hosts meant her no harm. It didn't do much. Once she was set back on her feet, she quickly found herself alone as the air grew silent around her. Frowning, she pulled off the bag on her head and glanced around the darkened hall. 

"They're trying to figure out what I'm afraid of, aren't they..." she muttered, fixing her glasses. The hosts had done the same for Haruhi at the beach, so she should have expected it to happen on her end as well. Seeing as they had also taken her things, there wasn't much else for her to do but play along after all. 

Haruhi half-heartedly jumped from around a corner. 

The twins had dropped oddly realistic bugs and spiders onto her, causing her to jump. As they laughed, she shoved one down each of their collars since they were distracted.

Tamaki had covered himself in fake blood, which had scared her but not in the way he expected as she immediately started asking what had happened and tried to get him to sit down.

Honey had rounded a corner with a knife he had gotten from somewhere, causing her to step back and raise her guard since she was well aware of how dangerous he could be without weapons. He merely smiled before cutting a cake Mori seemed to pull out of thin air.

She was most surprised when Hikaru appeared out of thin air and pushed her towards an open door. A small shout escaped her lips as she fell to the ground, the door slamming shut behind her and the only light source went out. Her hands reached out blindly to avoid hitting something, only to find herself touching a wall. 

A small panic started to squeeze her chest as she tried to map out the closet she was stuck in. Her hands rattled the doorhandle to no avail. 

"Can I come out now?" she asked, not yet worried enough for her voice to change. "This is getting old."

"Not until you tell us what you're afraid of," the twins taunted. 

She felt her body freeze. Her voice locked up. 

"Don't be so stubborn."

She couldn't reply.

"I guess you won't tell us, huh?"

"L-let me out," she found herself whispering. A storm seemed to rage in her ears as she pressed her back against a wall, tucking herself into a corner.

Everything was just so dark.

"Just let me out," she muttered, feeling her voice crack. Ryo crouched down, hands reaching for her hair before she forced them to her chest. Her eyes slammed shut against the darkness, the slight pain from clenching them so hard almost relieving. She told herself that there was plenty of space still. "Why-What is wrong with you guys?"

A hand lightly brushed against her leg, hovering on her shoulder. 

The brunette opened her eyes to see that the door was open and Kyouya was kneeling in front of her. He was frowning, the glare on his glasses hiding his eyes. "I should have made myself clear..."

"Kyouya?" she found herself asking, trying to wash away what remained of the fear gripping her body. The door was open and lighting the smaller space. 

"I'm sorry you were put in here. I'll make sure the hosts understand it isn't to happen again," he sighed, his hand brushing a few stray hairs from her face. "Are you alright?"

Ryo wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself to him. He gasped slightly at the sudden movement. Whether he fell back or simply adjusted, she wasn't sure. Ryo held to his blazer as they sat on the ground together. She buried her face in his shoulder, feeling his arms slowly wrap around her.

After taking the moment to gather herself again, she muttered a simple, "I'm alright."

"Good. I'll make sure you never have to face this fear of yours again," he murmured in reply. They must have been completely alone, as she felt his grip on her tighten. She relaxed in his arms, soaking in the warmth he seemed to radiate at the moment. He shifted and she felt something lightly press against her temple before he turned back to place his head over hers. It took her a moment to realize what it was.

A kiss.