Unlovable

Chapter Eighteen

Kagami stared blankly at the wall as her classmates gathered up their things and left. School was over. Soon she would have to meet the person her father hoped would become her fiance. She had been thinking and thinking, but Kagami hadn't managed to think of a way to drive him off without her mother realizing what she had done. So instead she would have to do what her father wanted, act sweet, agreeable, and all she could do was hope that Kyou Fukui would be the one to reject her. Kagami wanted to run away, more than anything, but she couldn't. Her father would be furious and she wasn't prepared to deal with his temper.

Feeling defeat rise up inside of her, Kagami reached down for her school bag only to find an empty space where it should have been. Trying not to growl in frustration she looked up into Hikaru and Kaoru's grinning faces. Kaoru was holding her bag loosely in his hand.

"I do not have time for this." She said, letting just a hint of irritation seep into her voice.

"We'll give it back." Hikaru said.

"As soon as you tell us why you came to the ball." Kaoru finished.

Kagami stood up. Any other day she might have let them stall her but she could not afford it today. Her father would punish her if anything went wrong. This wasn't going to be fun. Rising from her seat, Kagami walked up to Kaoru, so close they were almost touching. He looked startled for a moment but then he squared his jaw. Obviously, he was trying not to be intimidated by a girl.

"Sorry." She whispered, leaning in closer to Kaoru. "I just really don't have time for this today."

In one quick motion Kagami stepped hard on his foot, making him lean forward enough that she could grab her bag from his limp hand. With her bag now securely in hand Kagami walked out of the classroom, leaving the twins to glare at her retreating form. She strode quickly down the hallway, trying to reach her waiting limo as fast as possible. She had already wasted to much time here. Unfortunately, she was in such a hurry that she almost crashed into Mori, who was coming from the third year hallway with Honey on his shoulders. Fortunately, she stopped just in time. Crashing into him once had been bad enough. Kagami had absolutely no desire to repeat the experience.

"Hi Ka-chan!" Honey called down cheerily. "Are you heading home?"

"Yes I am." Kagami replied. "And I really have to go now."

She turned to walk away when she remember the bichon au citron that had appeared on her bag. She had eaten it on her way back to class and it had been amazing! The cream inside had just the perfect amount of lemon flavoring and the texture was so smooth. And the outer pastry had been delicious as well, especially with the caramelized sugar on top. And she wanted to thank Mori for giving it to her. So she turned back around, looked into his eyes and gave him a small bow. Hopefully that would convey her gratitude to him. But she didn't wait to see. Instead, she spun around and walked quickly to where her limo was waiting.

*******

(Mori's POV):

"Are you ready for the host club today Takashi?" Mitsukuni asked blithely from his position on Mori's shoulders. "Tama-chan wanted to do a flower-viewing reception today. Although I'm pretty sure it was actually Kyo-chan's idea."

"Yeah." Mori replied. He enjoyed Sakura trees. There was just something about them that made him feel relaxed.

"The sakura blossoms are really pretty right now so it should be a lot of fun." Mitsukuni continued. "And I bet there will be a lot of yummy stuff for me to eat. Though I wish I could have another one of those bichon au citrons that Hotaru made. Those were really, really good!"