Her whole body was shaking; tremors of fear ran through her.
What was wrong with her? She was such a child. She'd never heard of a young woman her age hiding in a bathroom stall, trying to escape from the sounds of a storm.
Fujioka Haruhi, scholarship student to the most prestigious academny in Japan, had cut her literature class to cower in the restroom. There weren't windows, thank God, so at least she couldn't see the lightning.
The room, admittedly, was not a typical bathroom. It was one of Ouran's seventy-eight luxury bathrooms, complete with fine carpeting in a lobby-esque area, where there were armchairs and little end tables with fresh flowers. Still, she had opted for the toilet. The stalls were smaller, and smaller places made her feel marginally more secure.
She took a deep, shaky breath. Just as the bathroom door opened.
"Haruhi. Are you in here?"
She briefly wondered why Kyouya was here, looking for her. But she was too consumed by fear to think of it in any more depth.
"Yes. I-I'm right here."
"Kaoru told me you'd left last period to go to the bathroom and never came back. He and Hikaru seemed concerned."
There was a rumble of thunder; a chandelier shook and her whole body tensed.
"Ah, yes. Astraphobia."
"F-fear of thunderstorms."
"You react by hiding in enclosed spaces."
She gulped. "This is as enclosed as it gets."
"Try taking deep breathes. Why don't you come out of there?"
She tried. It helped a little bit, but she still could fear the anxiety coursing through her. "I'm fine, thank you." She knew she was far from fine, but it wouldn't do to have them worry.
He jiggled the lock; she could see his feet in the space under the restroom stall door.
"Shouldn't you get back to class?"
"Are you?"
"I'll stay here until the thunder passes. Please, go on without me. Tell Kaoru and Hikaru not to worry."
"They're both looking for you. We all are. We'd no idea which washroom you went to."
"Please, Kyouya-sempai. This – this is the only way I know how to ride it out."
Another rumble. Haruhi bit her lip to keep the tears away. It felt like a big, dark monster was after her, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't hide.
"Tamaki wouldn't like it if he knew I'd left you. He's the most frenzied of us all."
Without thinking, she spoke. "I wish he was here."
Pause. "Do you want me to go and find him?
"No, please," she said, shutting her eyes tightly. Go away, thunder. Go away.
"Then open this door."
Reluctantly, Haruhi got up and slid the lock open. She looked up to meet Kyouya's eyes.
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he examined her. He frowned. "You're a wreck."
Haruhi summoned every ounce of her restraint not to cling to Kyouya. She doubted he would be as nice about it as Tamaki had been.
She closed her eyes. "I hate to be such a bother. It's always the worst when I'm at school. There's no place to hide... I have to skip class, and…"
"Maybe you should go home. There's not much you're capable of in this state."
She didn't reply for a minute, then:
"Kyouya-sempai…"
A boom so loud it shook the vases. Haruhi instantly reached out and put her arms around Kyouya.
He went very stiff. Haruhi's eyes were shut tightly now, and she was shsaking.
Kyouya had no idea what to do. He just stood there. Then, uncertainly, he put his arms around her.
"I hate myself for this. I'm weak."
The door opened.
First there was a high-pitched exclamation of "Haru-chan!" followed closely after by, "Mother! What are you doing with our daughter?"
He didn't have an answer for Tamaki's question.
a/n: A somewhat OOC story that just popped into my mind a couple days ago. I couldn't resist posting, even though it's not my best. Review! (Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated).