A Song For Another Time - A Hikaru Hitachiin Story

Chapter Forty-Two - Like a Comet Pulled From Orbit

The heaviness in Rose's chest was an old friend. Something of an old companion she thought would never leave, only to part briefly before returning yet again. Those early years in the system felt a little like drowning - constant waves of emotions, too big for her adolescent heart to handle, pushing her down and pulling her under until she couldn't feel anything anymore.

Before the Richards, Rose was certain she could have marked the phases of her life in permanent goodbyes. A ticked timeline of not of beginnings, but false starts that could not, would not, lead to anything other than half-formed hints of what could have been. Closed doors. Sad stories.

So, she had felt this feeling before, sitting in a protected bubble where it's easy to pretend happiness is everlasting when, just outside this sanctuary, reality is waiting with its conclusion. And there was just something different about the way time moves, the way the world looks and feels, when the end of something meaningful is looming right in front of you. Like you can already see the memory of that moment playing as if it's happening in real time.

Or, at least, that's the way it felt to Rose as she sat on the side bench of the limo Kyoya rented for their final ride to the airport, watching the shadows of the cars passing by in slow motion.

It wasn't exactly quiet and somber inside the plush walls of the car, but there was something in the air as the members of the host club talked over each other about memories of the past year and their excitement for returning home. And Rose was sitting there, thinking about endings and the cruelty of the way the universe dictates time - the irony in the balance of good and bad in life.

There were so many things she had never experienced before this past year and amongst all the chaos she slowly felt herself, for the first time, truly upset, torn apart, by the impending goodbye. Even among all the first-time feelings these exchange students had forced upon her and witnessed her going through - the warmth of powerful friendships and unbreakable support, the surprise of lavish dinners, clothes and private planes, the accomplishment of designing something, and even surviving unbearable lows because someone cares - this was perhaps the most life-changing of all because it forced her to admit she was changing. That she was afraid she wouldn't recover from this goodbye. That the self-proclaimed expert at endings still had more to learn.

Gently, Hikaru reached across Rose's lap to pull at her hand, currently bunching the end of her shirt, and jolted her out of the trance that the shadow of the rotating wheel had put her in. He released the fabric from her grasp, weaved his fingers between hers and moved them to his thigh before leaning his head toward her ear.

"We're taking Kyoya's plane this time," he whispered. "It's a lot larger than the one we flew you home in. Lots of extra room to move around, since it's such a long flight."

Rose nodded along as he spoke, not really absorbing the words but trying her best to show she heard him.

"Of course, his family's jet is the largest," he continued, about to explain the different types of wealth each of their families had, but Kaoru cut in with a joking, "and the least fuel efficient," and a small rumble of laughter filled the car as Kyoya grumbled about how it was only logical that the fuel demands of a larger plane would be greater, adding in an accusatory mumble of "and it was Tamaki's idea, anyway." Because of course it was.

The ambiance inside the limo shifted as they approached the airport and the occupants quieted as they took to shifting about, checking that everything they had brought was within reach for when they arrived. Rose also squirmed in place while everyone was distracted, contemplating how she wanted the next few minutes to go and, as the Host Club settled, she gently cleared her throat and looked up at them.

"Don't... Don't forget to have your passports out right away," she instructed. "And don't forget to text your parents before you take off."

"Bu-" Hikaru began to argue but was swiftly silenced by a particularly brutal side-eye from Rose.