DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters or Ouran High School Host Club. Please enjoy! ^w^
She glanced over at the younger twin while making her tea rounds. He stared into his teacup as his identical was telling their guests a story. Something had clearly been bothering him for the past few days and it was starting to concern her. Kaoru was always energetic and rambunctious, especially when around Hikaru.
As the hosts were saying their goodbyes Haruhi asked Kaoru to help her in the kitchen for a moment.
"Busy day." Haruhi sighed, trying to relieve some of the tension.
"Yeah. I guess so, huh." Kaoru leaned against the island with his hands in his pockets. His usually glistening hazel eyes were dead and lost in a sea of thought.
"I, uhh...I've noticed that," She was messing with a button on her sleeve. She looked up..her eyes met with Kaoru's golden orbs.
"KAORU!" Hikaru burst into the room, a worried expression on his face. "I've been searching everywhere for you!" His attention then focused on Haruhi, forgetting the presence of his brother all together. "Oh, Haruhi! I was...going to ask you..if..maybe...you wanted to come over to our house for a change. We'll have fancy tuna with dinner!" Haruhi's expression froze. Thoughts of fancy tuna and crab and shellfish and lobster swarmed her thoughts.
"I would love to. My dad is working late all this week so it would just be me at home anyways."
"Great! How about tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I guess that'll be alright..hey where did Kaoru go?" They were so caught up in their conversation about fancy feasts to notice that Kaoru had silently left. Hikaru's phone beeped, alerting him of a new text message.
"It's Kaoru. He said that he was going to meet me back home. Weird. This isn't like him." A hint of concern was engraved into Hikaru's expression. He shoved the phone back in his pocket and bid his female co-host farewell as he ran out of the room.
Kaoru leaned against a tree in a commoner's park not too far from Haruhi's apartments. The sound of his music played through his headphones. The chilling autumn breeze rustled his ginger hair. He pulled out his phone to check the time. 6:37 pm.
"Crap. Hikaru's going to flip if I don't get home soon." The sun had already set and the street lamps were illuminating the sidewalk. Low clouds hung overhead and a wave of rain soon came to follow. Cold raindrops stung his face as he jogged his way through the neighborhood.
"Help! Somebody, PLEASE!" Kaoru stopped dead in his tracks. That voice. He ran back towards the sound of the struggle to find two dark figures enclosing on a scrawny figure in an alleyway. Kaoru's mind ran blank, unknowing of what he should do.
"Hey! Stop! Knock it off!" He ran toward the men and kicked one down. The victim was cornered next to a dumpster, holding their head down, crying in fear. One man, tall and thin, yet very scruffy looking lunged at Kaoru. Kaoru jumped out of the way and tripped the man. He turned his attention to the man's companion, which he had kicked earlier. He began to get up and eyed Kaoru. Kaoru picked up a nearby plank and began to run toward the man. Just as he began to lift up the board, the tall and thin man grabbed him and the board. He threw him onto the ground and both of the men began kicking him simultaneously. Unaware of the victim they continued to beat up on Kaoru, when suddenly one felt a hard thump to the back of the head. They both paused and looked at the victim whose face was shadowed by the men. Kaoru swung his leg around taking down one of the offenders. Kaoru jumped on top of him and proceeded to punch him until the man was black and bloody. He turned to the other one who was fighting with the struggling victim. Kaoru could barely see in the dark alleyway and strained his eyes to find the target. He grabbed the back of the man's vest and dragged him down. A sharp pain stabbed at his nerves, forcing a scream from Kaoru's mouth. He grabbed the man's arms and greeted his face with his knee. The victim shortly followed with a good whack with the plank. Kaoru felt weak and light-headed, like he was about to throw up.
"Th-thank you so much sir." The victim grabbed onto him, nearly collapsing from the trauma, and led him into the street. Both faces lit up with shock when their eyes met. Kaoru stared into the big and beautiful brown eyes which belonged to the lady host, Haruhi. Haruhi, the woman he had secretly loved since day one. Horror struck his face and he feel to his knees, crying from the pain. Crying from the fear of what might have happened to Haruhi if he hadn't shown up.
"H-Haruhi..." A lump swelled in the back of his throat. She could have been hurt, or worse. If I wasn't here to save her she could have..no..I shouldn't think like that. Haruhi looked down at Kaoru and fell to her knees right in front of him. Tears swelling in her eyes. He was badly beaten and he was gripping his side right above his hip.
"K-K-Kaoru," she choked. She moved his hand. Revealing a deep gash caused by a pocket knife one of the men was carrying. She covered her mouth to prevent a scream from escaping.Oh my...this..this is all my fault. She drew her dark gray pullover and pressed it against the wound. "Oh my God Kaoru, I'm-I'm.." she began to cry uncontrollably and fell into his arms. Kaoru looked surprised at the trembling girl in his arms. She was so fragile sitting there. Ever since the day he met her he's wanted to hold her in his arms like this. He just wished that the circumstances were different. "We have to call the hospital!" Haruhi breathed, trying to collect herself. She helped Kaoru stand.
"I-I don't need a hospital. I just need..to go home. I'll walk you home first." He gripped his side. The wound tore at his stomach, which felt like it was going to give in at any second.
"No! You need a doctor Kaoru!" Her voice was stern but still trembled through the concern. Her ivory skin was scratched and bruised from the assault. "I'll call one of Kyoya-senpai's family hospitals." Haruhi pulled out her phone and was met by Kaoru's hand pushing her arm down.
"Haruhi I'm fine. This wound isn't fatal. We can tend to it once we get to your house. It isn't very far right?" A reassuring smile crept onto his face despite the gushing pain he was in. Haruhi sighed and put the phone away. In turn, Kaoru pulled out his phone and sent a text to Hikaru. I decided to take a walk. I am fine. I will be back in a while. He then decided to send a text to Kyoya. Within minutes of Kaoru and Haruhi's departure, Kyoya's private police force swarmed the alleyway, taking the two men into custody.
I want to tell her, but...Hikaru..oh he must be worried sick... Kaoru drifted into a train of thought. Haruhi walked into the kitchen, where Kaoru was sitting, carrying a load of supplies. Hot water, a towel, gauze, ace bandage, everything you could think of for that matter. Kaoru looked at her wide eyed and amazed with how prepared she was. He sheepishly removed his shirt so that she could better assess the wound. She stood there for a moment, observing his toned body. This..is Kaoru. Such a gorgeous body, I never noticed just how much... She quickly snapped out of holy shit land when she came across the cut. It looked even worse than before and it only made her want to break down again. She retained her composure and knelt down in front of him to tend to her injured hero. She quietly spoke keeping her eyes on her work.
"Kaoru, I just...I just wanted to say.." she stopped and looked down. Kaoru fell to the floor and grabbed her delicate waist. He went into host-mode unknowingly and gazed deeply into her eyes, propping up her chin with his finger.
"It's alright Haruhi, I will always be here for you." And with that he pulled her into a long, warming hug. Haruhi was the first to pull away and stared into his glistening eyes. For the first time in a few days, there was life in his eyes. She said nothing and awkwardly continued to work on his cut, laying gauze over it and wrapping his waist in ace bandage. Kaoru helped her up and held her close.
"Thank you Haruhi. You really are amazing." She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head in the crevice of his neck. Kaoru checked the time on Haruhi's kitchen clock. "9:45? Already?" Oh man Hikaru is going to have my head when I get home. Especially when he sees me like this. And definitely when he finds out that I was here, in Haruhi's house, alone. Alone...The realization had finally hit him. This was his chance. His chance to tell Haruhi how he really felt.
"Wow it really is late. Would you like for me to call a cab?" Her attention was focused on the outside world from her kitchen window. She looked over at Kaoru who was gazing at her in awe. "Kaoru is something wrong?" He began to walk over to her, his expression was determined. He was practically hovering above her, gazing into her eyes intently. "Kao-ru?" He gently wrapped his arm around Haruhi's slender waist and took her face with the other hand.
"Haruhi Fujioka...I- I love you." He then proceeded to capture her soft, delicate lips in his own. A wave of emotions swept Haruhi and her body felt numb. This was her first kiss. She couldn't comprehend her own emotions, so she pulled away and looked down. She looked back up into Kaoru's eyes, which were clearly worried about her reaction.
"I-I think I love you too, Kaoru." Haruhi whispered. He smiled and drew her in for yet another kiss spawning the beginnings of a complicated romance.
Soooooo...let me know how you liked it. There's more to come in this exciting story :D