high_seas | Any port in a storm...

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Any port in a storm...

Who: The crew of the Antoinette
Where: Three Moons Tavern and Inn, Island Empieza
When: January 12th-19th
What: Time to get reacquainted, make new introductions, and weather the storm until they can return to their ship. And collect black coral from the beach.
Warnings: Possible language?
Style: Any
Status: Closed

(Please feel free to make new headings [for your character, for a day, for your character on a day, WHATEVER] and/or threadjack and/or use this as a mingle log. Backdating, forward dating, etc., all more than welcome.

ETA: With regards to Dog's suggestion of the coral, the evening of the 12th will be used to arrange the next week's rotation for keeping Tamaki company and checking the beaches for coral.)

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Kyouya, what if they come for Haruhi and Hikaru?

She doesn't just want to meet them, she wants them dead!

If anyone tries to hurt any of you, I'll kill them.

[The words are too honest, too brutal, too blunt. But they're out before he can take them back. It's the purpose of the scalpel, of course. He wasn't hiding the intent...

But there's something jarring even to him at hearing it said.]

[There's a long pause after Kyouya let out those words. The thought of his best friend having blood on his hands. He would never allow that.

So he simply tightened the grip on Kyouya's shoulders.]

Kyouya...

...I don't want it to come to that.

Maybe it won't.

[He closed his eyes, bowing his head slightly. Never once at Ouran did he consider violence. The threat of violence, when things were to severe? Yes. He had his family's police force. It was a tangible threat.

But not something he would engage in.

And yet now... Now, he planned to carry a scalpel with him. Knew three places to strike with it that would make someone bleed out in minutes. And what scared him was that he felt no hesitation at the idea of killing to protect those around him.]

But I promise, Tamaki -- anyone who comes to hurt any of us or ours? It will be handled.

Kyouya...

[His tone was no longer the calm and cheerful voice that the club knew and loved. It was as if he was scolding Kyouya this very instance just as he had scolded Haruhi back in the beach.]

If those people die, they will die. They will lose all life. If we can subdue them, then that is our first priority.

...we are not killers!

You heard Dog.

[And, like Haruhi, he will argue back. A cold, even tone. Something utterly heartless, removed.]

They can't be reasoned with. The only thing to do with them is to kill them.

And I will kill them if they threaten any of you.

No! You do not have to do that! I will not allow you to do that!

You are not a murderer! [No he can't even imagine it.]

There's you, Hikaru and Kaoru! I'm sure if its only one, you can easily subdue the person.

...at least Loki tells me they were able to do so, he and his crew!

...I will never allow you to kill anyone!

What if they hurt Kaoru?

[Kyouya said sharply, his voice low. He gripped Tamaki's arm.]

Think about it, Tamaki. What if Kaoru or Hikaru got hurt trying to detain them? What if the person under her spell got to them?

I can protect them. I can protect you.

You think I haven't thought about that? I've been thinking about it since Loki and I spoke. You, Kaoru, Hikaru, Haruhi and Karen.. you are all important to me, and I would be devastated if something happened to even just one of you!

[Tamaki looked down as he spoke again. This time his voice was a bit lower.]

You are not a killer. You were not born to kill.

...I cannot and will never forgive myself if you had to stain your hands because of me.

If only this body wasn't too weak, I would protect you, I would protect our family. And no pain is too great to sacrifice a life.

[Almost instantly, tears started falling from Tamaki's eyes.]

What if we were on the other end?

Can you imagine how I'd feel if you were the one who was possessed and someone from another crew decided to kill you instead of detain you? Can you imagine how terrible that is? Can you imagine Kyouya?

I would die if anyone hunted you down just because you were under the witches spell!

I'm not talking about hunting anyone down.

[It's hard -- to hard -- to maintain the perfectly firm line looking at Tamaki while he cries.

There are certain sights Kyouya can only just bear, ones he can hope he'll never see again. And that is one of the worst.

But he maintains eye contact, actually leans forward to rest his forehead against Tamaki's. It's too close, too fond a gesture. Too intimate. But this subject is a knot in his chest.

Because there's fear. A different kind of fear than he's ever known. Mortal fear.]

If it was me, Tamaki? If it is? If something happens that I fall under her sway?

Get someone who can do it.

Because if she gets to me, I will try and hurt you all. I might even manage it. And I do not want to live with that knowledge.

I would rather die than put you in danger.

Do you understand?

[Once the danger is over, once life resumes being as normal as it can here, they won't discuss this. He'll never mention this conversation again.]

[Tamaki leaned his forehead closer. Still his tears would not stop even with the comfort of Kyouya's warmth. He listened to Kyouya's words, but he would not allow himself to be swayed by his words. Always he said 'yes' to Kyouya. Always he believed in his plans and the way they flawlessly designed their future. But this was a totally different matter.

Perhaps it was longer than a minute, but Tamaki was silent except for some audible gasps for breath.]

I have lost my mother, with a slim chance of ever seeing her again. My father I rarely see outside of formal engagements. I have a grandmother whom I'm not sure will ever see me as her grandson...

...I don't have anyone else aside from you and the rest of our friends, Haruhi, Hikaru, Kaoru, Mori-sempai and Honey. Whether you break all my limbs, my ribs, my spine or my head, nothing could be more painful than losing you Kyouya...

[A world without Kyouya? That would be the most cruel blow in the life of Tamaki. As if he was born to only have things taken away from him.]

I will die first before I allow anyone to touch you!

Edited 2014-01-18 15:50 (UTC)

[He can dismiss most of Tamaki's reactions. When he gets melodramatic, when he tries to be charming... it never really matters. Kyouya can quietly shake his head and move on.

But those tears make it impossible to hold Tamaki's gaze.

So, Kyouya shifts his head a bit. He bows it beside Tamaki's, nearly on his friend's shoulder. He can feel how close to not only a surrender on this issue it is but a complete one. How close he is to letting the tension in his shoulders snap, to letting himself collapse with worry and fear and doubt.

He's been uncertain about his place in his friends' lives as they get older, yes, but he's never utterly doubted his ability to help them. Here? Here, he is powerless and can only hope Dog survives along with the rest of them to make her promise a reality. Her promise of some kind of hope.

The words are familiar, but the tone... is one of simple concession.]

You're such an idiot.

[It means so many things, that simple statement. All he can do is hope it says enough.]

[He tried to push his tears back. Hearing those words from Kyouya was somewhat comforting. Though his shoulders and arms were still sore, he spread his arms around Kyouya, to give him a warm embrace and allow Kyouya to rest his head on his shoulders. His slender fingers gently stroking his friend's raven hair.]

But I'm Daddy... and you're still my Mommy..

...we'll never be alone, you and I.

[His first reaction is to pull away. His second is to try and talk sense into Tamaki. But he settles for his third reaction: to simply allow it.

Just another part of the dream Tamaki still lives in. A part he'll let him have until the day comes that it's time to quietly step back. Let someone better suited to the task take his place.

Someone capable of returning this warmth. Someone deserving of it.

It will be a slow process, he knows. He's pretty sure it's already started. Here... it's different. It won't progress like it would at Ouran. This chaotic world has either bought him more time or robbed him of some of it. It's impossible to say. But sooner or later, Tamaki will rely on someone else, not on him.

But that day isn't here yet, so Kyouya can let himself play along. Pretend like he can believe his own act.]

We'll never be alone.

[He gives Kyouya a quiet and long embrace. This was something that Tamaki had missed since the cold disappeared. There's still that warmth in Kyouya, though Tamaki knows he is suppressing it, he knows its there. Kyouya is warm, not like Tamaki, but in a different way. And Tamaki enjoyed it.

He continued stroking Kyouya in a similar fashion as he would Antoinette when her emotions were overwhelming her.]

Of course not. Because until our hair turns fabulously grey, we will still be together.

[It's not something they talk about. Mostly because... Well. This place has had its challenges since the first day Tamaki arrived. Even when things were good, there was always something else to do.

But now... Now, maybe it's time to admit to something he normally just pushes under the rug.]

I won't stop you. If you decide to leave again.

[If he'd thought for even a moment that Tamaki was happy to go to France with the heir of Grand Tonnerre, he wouldn't have let any of their friends interfere, either.

He still wondered, when he really considered what they'd cost Tamaki, if it hadn't been too selfish to stop him.]

[The blonde leaned on Kyouya's shoulders. His violet eyes wandering of into a short daze as he thought about his grandmother's mandate and wishes. More importantly, there was a woman whom he loved so much more than himself. The person whom he thinks about the moment his eyes open and until his eyes fall into a deep slumber. The woman who drives his every being.

However, he also had to consider the feelings of another woman...]

I think about it, I can't lie..

...but how can I be so selfish. For me to achieve my dreams and my desires and prevent her from finding true happiness in somebody else. I'd be a very cruel person...

[A woman Kyouya had thought long and hard about. He's powerless in this world, but not in the one they know. If they ever get back... Well, he has the real power in the Otori Group now, even if no one but his family knows it. That is a power that allows him to rival the Suoh matriarch.

That might well allow him to take his friend to France, defy that woman. He won't promise that, not yet. He still... hasn't figured out how to tell the others what he did with the Otori Group.

But--]

And you deserve better.

[He tries to keep his voice light, tries to sit back enough to let Tamaki see him smile. Even if it is a poor expression, exhausted and almost stressed.]

I hope you know I don't care what your family decides. I'm not letting you get married to someone I think is unsuitable.

[It's a serious topic, one that's always on his mind. That Tamaki, at least, will marry, and he'll marry for love. And that will hurt.

But it's a better topic than they've been on, and he can promise him that. That he's going to be an interference in the Suoh Group's matchmaking until he's satisfied with the girl, too. Until Tamaki's in love.]

You think so?

[The words came out with the utmost disbelief masked with a slight bit of cheerfulness as not to worry his friend. After all, what did Tamaki deserve? Did Tamaki really deserve anything good in this life?

Everyday Tamaki has to wake up and force that usual smile on his face as to hide the fact that Tamaki has barely anything to look forward to. Every day, every little kindness shown to him shall be reciprocated with the most appreciative smile. Because this little bits of kindness already mean so much to the person who thinks he deserves none of it.]

[That brings out a short smile on the face of the host club king. He was so happy that he couldn't help but jump at Kyouya, even with all the pain he was feeling that very moment. He simply had to hug his friend.]

Thank you, Kyouya~!!

[Kyouya knows that tone. He's a master of it himself.

Smile at everyone. Be warm and polite. Never disappoint the people who won't even give you more than a glance. The family that's supposed to be all important. If you make them look at you twice, it's because you've done something wrong. Blend into the background, never stand out, neither to excel or to disappoint. Follow the path and try to find acceptable ways to show your promise, even though every turn is blocked.

An accident of birth means you deserve it. You deserve to be overlooked. You deserve to be considered useful, not promising.

Until someone comes along with a bright smile. Someone who doesn't notice the family name. Who doesn't care about the influence. Who doesn't want to be pandered to. Who just wants to see who you really are. Who wants to be impressed and disappointed. Who makes you laugh and cry and rage just so he can see that you're human. Who offers you a hand when everyone else isn't even watching you drown but has turned their backs.

That person -- who will see worth where there have been repeated attempts to stamp it out -- deserves everything. And gets it. Gets the familial loyalty. Gets the fierce devotion. Gets the protective drive.

Which is why Kyouya allows the hug, even wraps his arm loosely around Tamaki's shoulder to mutter in his ear:]

Don't hurt yourself, moron.

[Perhaps the silver lining of this situation was the fact that here, the two of them were normal people. In their world, they were two of the greatest actors of all time. No one can see past their smiles. Students begrudged the twins for having their own world. But the truth was, all of them had their own worlds which they allowed only few to see. The most horrible world that's been like a prison and a haven to each one of them.

Everyone would usually just see their charming smiles, their elegant movements and their money and power. No one was ever allowed to see the pain and the agony that came with their birthright.

However, his makeshift family was a different thing all together. As if like magic, the lonely prince was drawn to those people who suffered in the same way he did. Hoping that together, they can make their individual worlds a better place.

So he simply leaned his body against his friend, the smile still lingering on as he spoke gently.]

...you'll always be here to take care of me anyway.

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