I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or its characters because if I did, Haruhi would have ended up in a different pairing.
A/N: Okay, I said I wasn't going to write another sequel for the Bitter series, but things don't always go as planned. After how I ended Bitter 3, I had several requests to write about Mieko and Kichiro's wedding… if they actually got married; and when I get that many requests, I go ahead and give my readers what they want. Plus after the first request, I started to really think about what would happen. So here is a final installment to the Bitter series set twenty years after Bitter 3. This is only going to be a two chapter story. I was contemplating adding it to 101 Uses for a Shinai, but I wanted to do more than just those prompts, and thus it made more sense to put it into a separate story. Enjoy!
Chapter 1 – The Proposal
Peering out the window of the living room, Mori looked for any signs that his daughter was on her way home from her date. She had just graduated from law school, and her boyfriend, Kyoya's son Kichiro, had asked to take her out that night (actually, that isn't exactly right dear reader). Never before had he felt more anxious than he did right now (again, not exactly correct dear reader).
"You know if you keep looking out that window like that, they are going to spot you when he drops her off," Haruhi snickered. Her husband had planted himself in front of the window the moment their daughter left the house, and he hadn't moved. "She can't stay at home forever and she is a grown woman now. Kichiro is a good kid."
"I know."
"Kyoya is one of your best friends."
"I know."
"You have been around Kichiro since he was born."
"I know."
"You are a dunce."
"I kn… What?" Blinking, he turned to gaze at his wife. After almost forty years together, she still looked just as beautiful as ever; and after all this time, his love for her had not dwindled.
Haruhi took a seat on her husband's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You acted the same way when Mitsuo asked you to start dating Hitomi, and then when he asked to marry her."
"Tamaki took it worse than me."
"Only because he wanted his son to marry her."
"Because Mitsuo and Hitomi are family."
"Barely. Yes, they are cousins, but they are distant enough that it doesn't matter. Besides, I think Tamaki's son is happier being married to Emi now (dear reader, Shoichi had married Emi six months ago and Tamaki was over the moon… as long as his grandchildren didn't become demons like Hunny. Emi might have been adopted by the former loli shota, but she was very much like her father when she woke up). Takashi, you knew this was coming. When they were four, they started saying they were going to be together forever. When she was five, Kichiro said he wanted to marry her. They started dating in middle school and have always been inseparable."
"What if there is someone else…"
Haruhi stopped him before he could finish voicing his train of thought, "They broke up for three months and that was the most miserable we had seen either of them. Sometimes when you know, you know. You were my first boyfriend and I have only ever dated you… are you saying there is someone else out there that could be better?"
"You had other suitors."
"Whether you realize it or not, or choose to ignore it, Mieko has had other suitors as well and she declined them all. When she and Kichiro broke up last year, they were lining up at the door and she turned them all away." She gazed deeply into his eyes and leaned forward to kiss him before continuing, "Our children are growing up. Akio is married to the lovely girl he rescued in college (dear reader, see 101 Uses for a Shinai to see how Akio and his wife met) and already has three children. Hitomi got married seven years ago to Mitsukuni's son and has two children, and now it is time for Mieko. And don't forget you still have Isao. Your youngest son is only 19 and completely single." She really did try to keep the laughter out of her voice when she said that. To the men in her family, the women were treasured and should be protected, and Mori was very protective of his daughters, as were Akio and Isao. However, to Haruhi, it was hard to let go of any of her children, even knowing they were going out into the world and making it their own, raising their families, and getting married. No matter how old they got or what they did in their lives, her children would always be her babies.
She could remember the day when Mitsuo arrived at the house looking pale, as if he were about to pass out. Haruhi had been worried and asked him, "What's wrong? Do I need to call your father or mother?" He had shaken his head and quietly asked if he could talk to her and Mori. She wanted to know what was wrong, however, they were getting ready for Hitomi's graduation party to celebrate her graduating first in her class at Ouran, and didn't have much time. That being said, she had never seen this child so subdued or pale and knew they needed to listen to what he had to say. Nothing had prepared her for what came out of this young man's mouth. At 21, he had dated a couple of girls at Ouran and in college, but now he was asking permission to date Hitomi, a girl three years younger than him. Haruhi was shocked, but didn't have a problem; Mori, however, looked like he wanted to murder the young man. After some discussion, Hitomi had been called into the room and the smile on her face when she heard what they were discussing was enough to sway the taller man and give his blessing. Three years later, Mitsuo was asking for her hand, and after a two year engagement, their 23 year old daughter was being escorted down the aisle to a bunny loving young man who reminded everyone of his father.
"Haruhi," Mori called out to his wife. She was lost in her own little world and he had to pull her back to reality.
Jumping, Haruhi snapped out of her memories and hummed, "Hmm?"
"Isao was having too much fun in the Host Club to commit to anyone."
"True, but look at it this way, Kichiro has been completely committed to our daughter since she was a toddler. Not many people can say that."
"I know."
"You like him too."
"I know."
"And you gave him permission to ask her to marry him."
"I know."
Placing a hand on his face, she smiled at him, "So, it's time to let go. At least we know him and his family and we know she will be taken care of. She won't be too far away and she will always be her daddy's little girl."
Mori leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers, "You're right." He had known this day was coming for twenty years. When he was five, Kichiro had pulled Mori to the side during one of his many visits to the Morinozuka home and stated his intention of marrying Mieko when they were older. Mori balked at the idea, but somehow managed not to kill the child in front of him and told himself there was no way a five year old was serious. He should have listened to his wife who believed it would probably come to pass. Much like her mother though, Mieko had decided to wait until she had graduated from law school before she even considered marriage. That didn't stop the two from dating though, and now that she had graduated, Kichiro asked Mori's permission to marry his daughter. It had been hard to give permission to Mitsuo to marry Hitomi, and it had been just as hard to give permission to Kichiro for Mieko. His little girls weren't so little any longer.
Elsewhere…
Walking under a sky full of stars, Kichiro got down on one knee in front of the girl who had possessed his heart since they were children and asked, "Mieko, I love you more today than I did when we were kids. You know me better than anyone and we have been together our whole lives. Will you stay with me the rest of our lives? Will you marry me?"
She had known it was coming, but still felt surprised when her boyfriend had asked for her hand. Smiling with joyful tears in her eyes, Mieko quietly responded, "Yes. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. I love you." She threw herself at him with such force, he fell backwards laughing. This was just another chapter in their life together.