Eternity Under the Moonlight
Chapter 1: Shocking News
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.
"Haruhi, you have a call," Haruhi's secretary called from across the room. Haruhi looked up from her work, noticing that she did nothing in the past hour. She frowned before taking a sip out of the fifth cup of coffee that day. Haruhi looked drained. Her face paled as the dark spots, which she normally covered, were visible. Her hair was tied back in a messy bun and she was wearing sweats and a tank top – hardly the appropriate wear for a first classed lawyer, but she didn't have any meetings with any of her customers today. Her coworkers never minded the way she dressed. She resembled a living ghost (despite the fact that people could see her). She wanted this day to be over. Done with. She wanted to return to her warm bed and doze off.
She did not get a wink of sleep last night because of her ex-boyfriend. Endless phone calls last night from Tamaki apologizing. After the 5th ring, she disconnected her home phone. After the 68th call that night on her cellphone, she tossed her cellphone away in the garbage can and ordered a new one with a new number online. She was tired. Tired of being constantly chased down by the press. Tired of being the center of gossip. Tired of being known as the great Tamaki Suoh's girlfriend which he cheated on. She wished she could just dig and hole and hide in it. The migraine wasn't going to go away any time soon. Her head felt like it would crack open any second and a frustrated scream was itching at her throat. Her stress bundled up inside her causing her insides to curl. Not only that, but she was fairly behind – deluged by an insane amount case that were bound to be due next week..
Her view of the room shook violently with every step she took, before she ran into her co-worker who helped her up and offered to help her walk towards the desk. She thanked him before continuing her drowsy step towards the phone. If people didn't know that this was THE Haruhi Fujioka, they would've assumed that she was a random high school girl that was drunk on vodka and high on drugs.
"Thanks, Frances," she replied, massaging her temples and gripping tightly on the desk. It would've been humiliating if she fainted – she wished that today was just a horrendous nightmare and that everything would return to its normal perfection when she woke up. Her shoulder ached from the cold last night.
"Ms. Fujioka speaking. How may I help you today?" Haruhi winced at the highness of her voice – she only used her soprano voice when she was faking it. Her artificial voice caused the caller to chuckle.
"You seem tired," a cold distant voice answered. Haruhi gritted her teeth, deciding whether she should just break the phone and lie to the caller (if he called back) that her phone didn't receive any connection or just bitch at him before ripping the phone off its original position. Both decisions seemed very compromising to her.
"Is there a specific file you would like me to complete for you?" She questioned, a vein nearly popped out of her head. Who was this goddamn caller and what is he doing insulting her?! She WAS tired. And that was only a light wording of how she felt. Every part of her body told her to scream at the caller and violently tell everyone around her to leave her alone, yet she had to smile and pretend that she was okay.
"Would you like to meet up for dinner tonight? I have something very important, regarding your father," That sparked Haruhi's attention as she forced her brain to wake up from its deep slumber. It took a few minutes before it was working like the speed of light. Her father? What about her father? Was he okay? Questions bombarded her mind. Did he get drunk again? Oh no... she should apologize to the person.
"May I have a name?" If someone's going to ask her to dinner for something important, she should know who the person was first. Of course, in case the person was a serial killer wanting to exchange her soul with the devil. Her murder could then be avenged by Frances who had the name.
"Kyouya Ootori. 7:30 at the Pearl. Don't be late. Have a good day, Ms. Fujioka. Hope you catch some sleep," The voice teased as Haruhi's fingers tightened over the phone. The voice irked her til no ends. She felt like the plastic phone would be crushed in her hands. Sleep?! What kind of goddamn sleep will she get? She ended work at seven and it was a twenty minute drive down to La Pearl. Also, La Pearl had a strictly formal dress code which meant that she might have to speed to her house to get something nice to wear for the occasion.
"Kyouya Ootori," Haruhi muttered, thoroughly upset at the events of the day. She stared at the name on the sticky note, disliking it every second. Her dreamy thoughts about returning to sleep were destroyed "Frances, I have to leave a bit early today." Haruhi noticed the pale look on her secretary's face.
Frances shuddered, obviously eavesdropping on her boss's conversations. They were usually interesting and they provided a good amount of gossip for her, but this one was different. The moment she picked up the phone, she recognized the voice. Who didn't? It was a chilling voice that made every hair on your body stand up when you heard it. The rumored shadow king was famous all around the globe for being rich and possibly handsome (though he has never attended any social events), but unbelievably cruel. As a boss, he only wanted the best. Those who were incompetent and fired under him never got a job again. There were a harebrained amount of criticism about him in business magazines, though his company did do the highest quality work. The Ootoris' thrived in the medical department, creating endless cures that helped revived the sick, but that still didn't change what she thought about Kyouya Ootori. In fact, a part of her hated every bone in his body.
It was his fault that her best friend, Sarah Kim, couldn't find a job. Sarah worked under the youngest Ootori as his secretary for less than two day before she was fired. Of course, the endless phone calls with her friend crying about how heartless he was, kept her from never wanting to associate with the Ootori name again. Apparently, he overloaded her with work and documents that would take nearly a month to do with a few hours time limit. Of course, he expected the best, but when he found out that she was slacking through a few coffee breaks a day and random flirting with his staff, he insulted her ability to do any work and called her a brainless turtle with an IQ in the negatives. He suggested her to go and relearn preschool. He insulted her intelligence without any feelings. Her business degree, which she spent years earning, suddenly drowned into the deepest parts of the ocean. In all, Frances did not have a good impression of Kyouya. He was a horrible boss. Unbelievably cruel. Cold. She suddenly felt a wave of pity towards her boss, though she was curious of the reason for his call.
Frances watched Haruhi's face as he replied back. He obviously said something that made her upset, for the pencil in Haruhi's hand snapped in half and her eyes looked as though they'd burn a hole through the marble desk. If looks could kill, everyone in the same room as Haruhi would've been dead. It was one of the first times Frances has seen her boss in such a bad mood. The girl was obviously under a heavy load of stress, a few hours of sleep, and possibly depressed over her stupid bastard boyfriend.
Oh, she had the read the headlines of the news several days ago. In fact, everyone who got Japan Times did (and it the most popular newspaper in all of Japan, nearly 95% of all the citizens would receive a copy every morning) and it was not a happy situation. In fact, she suspected something sketchy going on with Tamaki from the beginning. It was definitely not the kind of situation she wanted to be stuck in and she sympathized with Haruhi. Everyone in the firm did. The moment that article landed itself on the headlines, everyone started to dote on her boss as much as possible trying to make her feel better. Haruhi, obviously disliking all the attention, sent fake smiles and 'I'm fine' phases to anyone who asked, but that wasn't going to fool Frances. She saw the sadness and the angst in her eyes when her boss was alone. Personally, she wanted to screw that Tamaki Suoh's head off with a screwdriver -- A bit of blood shed wouldn't be terrible in her opinion – a few years of jail and maybe a fine, but nothing vastly major. The poor girl didn't deserve to be treated that way. Hell, Haruhi was one of her favorite persons in the world and if she was a guy, she wouldn't even hesitate to ask her out on a date.
"Damn the drama," Frances grumbled. Although they had a boss and employee relationship, Haruhi treated her like a true family member and Frances doted on Haruhi like a mother hen although they were only a few years apart in age. She knew that Haruhi lost her mother at young age and that her father was a waiter at a gay-bar. The girl lived alone, often visiting her drunk father and sending him money. She often suspected that Haruhi was malnutritioned and worked all night on her cases, which was the reason why she called her boss at exactly six to make sure she was making dinner and at ten to make sure she was in bed – last night was a different situation, and no matter how many times she called, the line was unavailable. Haruhi was determined to be one of the top lawyers in Japan (As if she wasn't already, Frances scoffed). She wanted to be the best of the best and with her hard work, she would definitely achieve it, but Haruhi sure had many conspiracies in her life, most of it revolving around her boyfriend, Tamaki Suoh. She was often invited to dine lunch with her boss and to help her talk out her problems. In other words, she was Haruhi's love counselor, adviser, or whatever you would call her. Everyone in the office loved Haruhi. Who wouldn't? Haruhi obviously had a sense of humanity in her soul that made people attracted to her, unlike the cruel hearted Kyouya Ootori. Something about Haruhi's dual nature made her quite intriguing to those who met her. She held the attraction that allowed people to wander more into the deepest of her soul.
Frances looked up, obviously worried for her boss. She saw a wave of frustration on her friend's face as she wrote down the name, before jabbing the phone back into its' place. Frances cringed at the sound of the plastic cracking. Haruhi mumbled something about leaving a bit early to her before trudging back to her office. Frances looked behind her. It was going to be a long, long day.
"Where's Haruhi?!" A yellow headed idiot demanded, running into the office. Frances' left hand twitched as she automatically reached for the sharpest thing on the table, which happened to be the hammer she used to nail the heel of her shoe into place – it fell off when her heel accidentally got stuck in the elevator. How in the world did he manage to get through security? She was sure that she contacted them to specifically ask them not to let a man by the names of Tamaki Suoh (21 years old, 6'1, 153 pounds, blonde hair, purple eyes, loud, obnoxious, demanding for Fujioka Haruhi) in – she was going to have to check in later to make sure they received her request.
"What are YOU doing here?" Frances asked with a hostile voice, glaring at the blond idiot with distaste. The calm and relaxing atmosphere in the room was automatically destroyed when he step foot in the room. Frances immediately felt a wave of uneasiness bundle in her chest.
"I. NEED. TO. SEE. HARUHI." He demanded in a loud voice at Haruhi's secretary. Frances scoffed, it was the same words she heard everyday. Ever since the article was published, that blond fool came to the firm every single day demanding to meet Haruhi. If he wasn't a part of the Suoh family, she would've set a restriction order on him. She sure is a stubborn, Tamaki thought. He was shocked when he received the newspaper the next morning as his scandal was spread throughout of Asia – he was sent to a state of shame from not only the public, but also his family. His grandmother was about to disown him and his father refused to talk to him, but what did he expect? A 'congratulations for cheating on your girlfriend!' hug from his father? What pondered him more was that he was absolutely sure he paid the media to keep the scandal undercover.
"SHE'S. NOT. AVAILABLE."France said in the same snobby, venomous, demanding tone, glaring at the man in front of her. He gave her one of his famous player smiles as she cringed in disgust.
"Then I'll just sit here," Tamaki said stubbornly, taking a seat on the ground. People pointed as Frances silently snorted – everyone in the firm knew who Tamaki was and she knew that everyone absolutely despised him. She was cheered up at the thought of him sitting like a hobo on the floor, yet to her dismay, he was sitting within a three feet radius of her. She shuddered at the vibes Tamaki sent.
"Just sit in the corner. I don't want to share the same air as you, you might pollute me with not only your idiocy, but also your dishonesty," Frances scowled, pointing to a dusty old corner in the room with possible cobwebs. It was the 'green corner' of the firm, only because it was rumored to contain poisonous spiders that would eat you the moment you touched it. Tamaki looked at her in horror as Frances chuckled inside.
"What kind of lady are you? A gorgeous man is here, begging you to let him see his girlfriend," Tamaki nearly yelled, pissed. He detested her by the day. That unfashionable, green faced, makeup wearing, wrinkly, old bitch. Did she even know who she was talking to?
"A lady who doesn't like to watch her friend and boss suffer. A lady who knows the difference between right and wrong, good guys and bad guys, true love and player love. A lady who knows when to step in when her friend gets her. I'm a lady who doesn't like seeing your face around me. And GORGEOUS?! Don't make me laugh, you might make me snort milk up my nose," France replied, sending him her the sweetest, yet scariest smile she could manage.
"That's not a lady, that's a witch," Tamaki mumbled, disappointed. Frances scoffed, taking a broom and whacking his legs.
"SHOO!" Many employers nearby stood and watched the fun. Tamaki blushed with embarrassment, before sitting on Frances' desk. Frances gasped in horror – she'll have to burn the desk as soon as possible and possibly replace it with one that was anti-Tamaki virus free. Many found the scene hilarious and several whipped out their phones to catch the action.
"Frances!" Kaoru Hitachiin yelled excitedly, waving. The twins arrived right on the scene as though expected, carrying several shopping bags with the Hitachiin brand labeled on the side. It was a usual sight for her to be delivering clothes that they made specifically for Haruhi on a Wednesday afternoon. She was thankful of the Hitachiin twins' visit – it allowed Haruhi to have a break from her work. The older Hitachiin twin just nodded as Frances frowned. She never liked him.
"Is Haruhi in?" Kaoru asked, lifting his eyebrows at the sight of Tamaki sitting on Frances' desk and Frances holding a broom. It wasn't an unusual sight to see Frances abusing Tamaki in some way. Just... a broom? A chuckle rippled down Hikaru's throat.
"Go right in, darlings. You'll need to knock first," Frances said in a candy-coated tone, giving them a smile before gripping tightly onto Tamaki's collar. He was, obviously, trying to escape her grasp and enter into her office. Looks like Frances may have to call security to get rid of the blond dog soon.
"I THOUGHT YOU SAID SHE WASN'T HERE."
"ONLY EXCLUSIVE V.I.P.S. COULD SEE HARUHI."
"I AM EXCLUSIVE. I'M HER BOYFRIEND."
"WAS HER BOYFRIEND. SHE DUMPED YOU." Tamaki winced at the word 'dumped'. So it was his fault for waning his attention onto Eclair, but what else could he do? Haruhi deprived him of any sexual intercourse and any romance – his hosting skills were slowly starting to dull. Even dates with her were rare and they usually ended up with a light hug or a good-bye, but something about Haruhi kept him from dumping her.
"Thanks Frans. You might need a leash to keep the dog under control," Kaoru said, giving her a wink. Frances rolled her eyes. Their flirtatiousness never reached her as she chuckled.
"She's in an irritable mood right now, like an angry grizzly bear just waking up from her hibernation. I suggest bringing her some water and some Tynelol pills!" Frances called after the twins who winked at her. Now back to her situation with Tamaki...
Haruhi was in the middle of drifting off in the case when she heard a loud knock in the room. Her heart suddenly jumped as she was presented with reality.
"Come in," she said in a hoarse voice as Hikaru and Kaoru jumped out from the door. She felt relieved that it was the twins' presence and not Tamaki's, but then again... Tamaki never knocked. He invaded her space when he wanted to and left it when he wanted to. The last thing she wanted to do was to see him and feel the anger level in her body rise again. Another word from Tamaki and she might truly crack his skull into pieces.
"You look horrible," Hikaru commented, taking a moment to observe her face. Her agitation was visibly obvious on her face. It was rare for him, but he knew that she was depressed and sad the past couple of days. He bit his lips from throwing an insult towards her about how stupid her decision to date Tamaki was. The last thing he would want to do was to make Haruhi upset and to have Frances throw them out again. He tried to swallow the anger in him, before giving Haruhi a gentle hug. All of this would've never happened if she went out with him instead rather than Tamaki. Kaoru handed her a cup of water and a Tynelol pill. Haruhi looked grateful, giving them a light smile before drugging down the medicine. Her hand wobbled.
"Tono's outside waiting for you. He's refusing to leave," Kaoru told her, massaging her back.
"Keep him away from me, will you? I have to go to a meeting tonight and I don't need a slug following me," Haruhi groaned, leaning her head on the glass, enjoying the cool feeling that ran down her cheek. She lifted an eye to look at the twins for a moment – they were in their regular mood, but she suspected that they were talking about her behind her back. Wasn't it what she should expect? A flashback of her fight with Hikaru on her decision with Tamaki ran through her mind. She knew of Hikaru's feelings, yet she was determined to heartlessly reject him.
"Hikaru, just let it all out. I know you want to yell at me," Haruhi sighed, expecting for the worse. She deserved it. She deserved to be yelled at for her actions. She deserved to be yelled for hurting Hikaru. She knew she was a horrible person inside as she reflected herself these past years. Her heart told her that Hikaru would always be a friend and nothing more – a clean cut would be the best way to erase those feelings. The twins exchanged glances as Hikaru took a deep breath. He knew that it would be better to let out his feelings, to have Haruhi understand the rejection he's felt the past couple of years.
"Why did you go out with him?" Bitterness filled Hikaru's voice. "I told you he wasn't good for you. Why wouldn't you listen to me? We tried to coax you out of your decision endlessly. Remember the sleepless nights me and Kaoru went through? Remember the pain you felt when Tamaki wouldn't pick up your calls? When will you realize that I'm healthier choice for you?!
"We told you that Tamaki wasn't going to be your Prince Charming. We saw this coming from the beginning, didn't we? Are you really THAT shallow, Haruhi? Will a few compliments and sweet words melt your heart? Will you seriously through everything you've worked for just for an idiot like him? We saw this ending right from the beginning didn't we? But what did you say? You told us it was okay and we thought it would be right to let you go, but your decision was wrong. You were hurt in the end. If you never out with him, you wouldn't be pathetically sitting here at this desk bawling your eyes out. You said you hated being the center of attention, but how does it feel now to be the main topic of everyone's gossips? How does it feel to have people look down on you? How does it feel to have you social life be humiliated by the press? How does it feel knowing that millions of people pity you?
"You never listened to us, Haruhi. You're too stubborn. I know trust is an important part of this relationship, but sometimes you just have to listen to your friends. Are you really going to choose love over friendship? Are you really going to ditch your friends because of some guy you love?! Sometimes, it's a good thing to listen to other people's opinions. Maybe you've been stuck in a fairy-tale world the entire time, but that isn't how reality goes. Did you really think that Tamaki was your perfect prince? Did you really think that when you guys grow up, you guys are going to get married and have ten kids? That only happens in dramas. Who knows how many children Tamaki has spawn in his free time!?
"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LOVE HIM?! WHY COULDN'T YOU LOVE ME?! MY ARMS WERE ALWAYS OPEN FOR YOU, BUT YOU NEVER LOOKED MY WAY. WAS FATE PLAYING A CRUEL JOKE ON US? YOU'VE NEVER OPENED YOUR EYES TO VIEW THE WORLD. YOU'VE ALWAYS KEPT YOUR HEAD IN YOUR WORK. MAYBE IT WAS THE WAY YOU WERE RAISED, BUT I UNDERSTOOD YOU BETTER. I MADE AN EFFORT TO ALWAYS BE BY YOUR SIDE WHEN YOU NEEDED ME. I TRIED EVERYTHING I COULD TO MAKE YOU FEEL LOVE TOWARDS ME, BUT YOU NEVER LOOKED AT ME AS MORE OF A FRIEND.
"IT'S TRUE THAT TAMAKI SPOILED YOU WITH HIS SWEET WORDS, BUT HAVE YOU REALIZED THAT HIS HEART FOR YOU WAS NEVER REAL?! THAT HE WAS JUST USING YOU FROM THE START?! DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT HIS SCANDAL WITH ECLAIR WAS AN ACCIDENT?" Hikaru's eyes started to tear as he threw a thick envelope at her. "They started dating six months ago behind your back. He never loved you. He was just using you to his own self-interest. You were like an interesting toy, but you get old after a while."
Haruhi swallowed her tears as her world froze. With a shaking hand, she opened the thick yellow envelope. She didn't want to know what was inside it. She knew very clearly that they were pictures, eyewitnesses to prove that her boyfriend was cheating on her. The pictures were like a wake up call for her. A call that she never wanted. More tears began to fall down her eyes as she started to sob. She suddenly felt very small in size – like an ant ready to be crushed. She muffled her ears, not wanting to hear anything else. There were pictures, more than enough to prove to her that he never loved her. Why was she blind? She took a picture of Tamaki kissing Eclair – they were perfect for each other, yet she was living a fantasy world the entire time of being saved by a prince. Her self-confidence was destroyed. She felt pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. No matter what she did, she'll always be the extra girlfriend on the sidelines. She was disgusted by her own actions. Every word Hikaru said was true and it burned her to know the truth.
"Haruhi!" Frances yelled, running into the room, only to see her boss on her floor with two twins looking at her with pity. Her world stopped as devil horns began to spawn out of her head. A dark aura filled the room as her anger level rose when she saw the pictures scattered on the floor and her impossibly weak and vulnerable boss shedding tears. The scene told a thousand words. She knew which of the twins did it. Hell, she heard their loud voices from several rooms away. Frances stomped towards Hikaru and slapped his cheek with a hard smack.
"GET. OUT." She said in a deadly tone – Frances was not someone one would like to mess with when they're upset. Hikaru looked shocked, never once had Frances slapped him. From all the times he's been to Haruhi's office, the most he received was long lectures are being out to her. Frances was like the reincarnated version of the devil queen. The murderous atmosphere made Hikaru's heart beat furiously.
"NOW," she spat at the twins, giving apologetic eyes to Kaoru. She pointed to the door.
"No Frans. She needs to hear reality. You can't keep protecting her," Kaoru said gently, patting Haruhi's back as she continued to sob.
"What was I thinking? He dumped me, yet I'm still clinging onto him," Haruhi cried, her tears like a river now. They didn't stop as she hugged Frances, not wanting the twins to see her violent breakdown. All the stress in her body was released. The anger Hikaru felt melted and was replaced by a new wave of guiltiness.
"I need to go take a walk. The clothes are next to your desk," Hikaru said, gripping onto his brother's wrist before walking out. He was furious – not at Haruhi, but himself. A part of him yearned to be Tamaki. Oh he was jealous alright. He worked his way to receive Haruhi's attention, but that jerk cheats on her and she cries her heart out for him. His tongue felt like he just chugged down an entire bottle of vinegar. Life wasn't fair – he always always by her side. Who was the person who gave her the advice to follow her heart? Who was the person who always by her side when she needed him? And who was the one who got hurt in the end? Him.
"Why did she have to love the wrong person?! I was always there for her! My arms were always open for her." Hikaru yelled in anger, kicking a stone on the sidewalk before violently jabbing the door of the car open. A feeling of resentment crossed his face as he stepped on the gas. The car jerked forward until he sped nearly ninety miles per hour on the highway.
"Hikaru, you can't keep the grudge forever," Kaoru replied, holding Hikaru's hand. It hurt him to see his best friend and his own brother in pain.
Inside her office, Haruhi started to cry her heart out. It was a different pain, something she wasn't use to. It was emotional pain, a lot more excruciating when she was stabbed in the stomach. Her heart jerked as she screamed, kicking her legs. Frances rubbed her back and hugged her head.
"He dumped me, yet I still feel love towards him," Tears welled up in her eyes. "I really did think that he loved me with all his heart, but that was a lie wasn't it?"
'That goddamn jerk. I hope his face suddenly deforms," Frances cursed in her head. "Haruhi, darling. It's your first romance, you can't keep on forever. You'll find your true Prince Charming one day."
"I trusted him with my heart. I gave him all the love I possibly could. I trusted him. I trusted his lies. I trusted every word he told me."
"There are millions of guys out there who are more than willing to take his place in your heart. You're a wonderful lady, Haruhi. Don't let something so small, so stupid, get in the way of you," coaxed Frances. "You have dreams, don't you? Focus on your dreams rather than a silly romance. Fall in love again when your heart heals."
"I really loved him," Haruhi nearly wailed. She didn't care – anyone put in her situation would've been off worse. Frances was thankful that Haruhi wasn't on the board of suicide. Somehow a part of her knew that this would happen. When Tamaki and Haruhi were together, something just didn't fit right. It was like, they were missing a piece. He was romantic to her. He showered her with roses nearly everyday at her office, but the look in his eyes were different. She took one of the scattered pictures on the floor, holding it up. It was true – the look Tamaki gave Haruhi was friendship and admiration, not... love.
Frances sighed, for she was secretly glad that Haruhi and Tamaki were over. Seeing her boss like this caused her to dislike Tamaki into a new sort of level. With her friend sobbing on her shoulders, she somehow managed to collect the scattered folders into a pile and back in the envelope. She'll have to burn those pictures later and possibly anything that related to the blond. The thought that the blond was outside waiting for her made her want to vomit, like there were hairballs caught in her throat. Why didn't that bastard go running back to his one and only?! His appearance will reincarnate Haruhi's feelings once again. She wanted him to have nothing to do with Haruhi. To disappear from their world. To disappear from earth (if that was humanly possible).
She secretly hoped that Haruhi would find another new romance. Tamaki's intelligence didn't match up with Haruhi's. They had entirely opposite personalities. Haruhi was more of an introvert, keeping to herself. Her head was always in a book (or in her work). There was the normal 'opposite attract' phrase, but that didn't apply to both of them. Haruhi would need someone that was more quiet and more cruel than her. Although she disliked Kyouya Ootori, she could imagine the chemistry between both of them.
Frances was so deep in thought that she didn't notice her friend fall asleep on her shoulder – and not to mention that she was drooling as well. She grinned, whipping out her camera for a blackmail picture. It was definitely worth seeing Haruhi's sleeping drooling image. She giggled before storing the picture on her phone. She lifted the fragile girl on the couch in her office before putting a blanket over her.
"Sleep well," Frances whispered, patting Haruhi's head. Haruhi stirred in her sleep.
Haruhi's cellphone vibrated obnoxiously on her table, causing her to sit up violently. The blanket on her fell down her chest. Her mind was woozy, with nearly no recollection of what was happened. She shook her head, trying to retrieve her blurry memories Something with Hikaru and pictures. It was probably a bad nightmare after the horrendous day.
"Hello?" she yawned into the phone.
"I see you still haven't woken up yet," the voice on the phone teased. "It's six-thirty Ms. Fujioka and if you didn't forget, you have an appointment with me in exactly an hour. I called just to remind you and I look forward to seeing you later."
The line went dead as Haruhi's head spinned. Dinner? Hour? Slowly, flashbacks of this morning came to her. It upset her that he was treating her like a little kid. His sarcastic teasing tone didn't fail to irritate the hell out of her. A growl rumbled at her throat as she looked at herself in the mirror. The dark spots under her eyes looked better, but it was nothing compared to the redness of her nose and her swollen eyes. If she didn't know better, she'd think that she was the human version of a drunken Rudolph. Agitation swarmed over her as she took a look at her hair – a chicken coop would probably be neater. She went to the sink in her office, washing her face as well as the drooling crust on the side of her mouth, half horrified at the thought of anyone seeing her in this state. Grabbing a brush, she managed to untangle her hair and put it up in the neat bun.
Seeing the Hitachiin bags, she groaned. So it wasn't a dream. Haruhi messily ruffled through the clothes the twins sent looking for something suitable to wear. La Pearl was a high-classed elegant restaurant – she would be sentenced to be kicked out if she appeared in the door in a pair of sweats. They saved her from being late from her appointment as well as finding something suitable to wear. She was grateful for the twin's visit, though still visibly upset with the events that happened between them. She didn't appreciate tears. She didn't appreciate what happened, but she was glad to know that Hikaru didn't hate her.
She quickly dragged out a black knee-length evening dress. The dress was mostly make out of velvet and other expensive material. It looked so... pretty and perfect. What if she stained it?! The dress itself was probably worth a few million dollars. Of course, most of the clothes the twins' brought were usually left in her closet to dust. Stripping all her clothes off, she zipped the dress up only to be surprised with the perfect fit. Either the twins stalked her in the middle of the night to get her measures or this was a magical dress that fit perfectly or they just got lucky.
"FRANCES!" She yelled, hearing loud clomps through the room. Her secretary stumbled in, wide eyed and in shock. Haruhi pointed to her nose.
Frances was shocked when hearing her boss's voice. She twitched when she finally remembered Haruhi's appointment with Kyouya. Sweat poured down her back when she looked at the time. Was Haruhi going to yell at her for making sure she wasn't on time? The devil loved punctuality (or so she heard from her friend – apparently, every second could be used in earning millions of dollars). Except she was surprised with what she saw.
"You look beautiful," Frances complimented, almost envious. She was nearly in shock at her friend's figure., although she wasn't sure whether she should be jealous of Haruhi's smooth long pale legs or her eighteen inch waist. But then she noticed what Haruhi was pointing at before bursting out laughing.
"Christmas already, eh?" Frances teased, giggling until her stomach hurt.
"Do you know how to get rid of this?" Haruhi asked in agitation, pointing to her nose. The color was growing worse and it made it look like she either had a ginormous pimple on her nose or there was a rose growing out of it.
"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure they'll mistake you for a gorgeous clown," Frances teased as Haruhi shot her a glare.
"I appreciate being your instant entertainment, but can you attempt to conceal this for me?" She asked, her eye twitching at the sight of her secretary on rolling on the floor in laughter. Frances chuckled one last time before grabbing her makeup kit, which she secretly stored in Haruhi's drawer. It always contained one of the largest collections of makeup Haruhi ever saw (not that she ever used it) – Frances always loved to beauty herself. She would've been a makeup artist if her parents didn't loathe the cosmetic industry, but fate was allergic to her and she ended up working in the business department in college. It wasn't that bad, considering she treated the art of beautifying a person one of her favorite hobbies.
"Kyouya, eh?" Frances asked after Haruhi was seated. She smirked, so maybe she'll have to work her love makeup spell on Haruhi.
"I'll turn you into a princess," Frances said as Haruhi started to protest.
"This is a business meeting. Not a meeting to find a boyfriend," Haruhi groaned, instantly regretting her decision.
"Hold still, unless you want to turn into a clown," Frances looked at her friend. A part of her yearned to be Haruhi – to have those gorgeous brown eyes and those full luscious lips. Haruhi was not only gorgeous, but she was smart as well. If her boss was mean, she would've disliked her to the pits of hell.
Haruhi felt France's annoying brush on her eyes. Ughh, Frances never ceased the chance to play barbie doll with her. Not that she disliked it, she enjoyed having a companion who was willing to help her in these occasions, but did she really? The last thing she would ever want was to have Kyouya Ootori think that she was dressed to seduce him. The thought sent shudders through her spine.
"Who is Kyouya?" Haruhi suddenly asked as Frances was in the middle of dolling her friend up.
"You don't know?!" Frances asked in shock, before the gossiping part of her took over. "He's the youngest son of the Ootori family – you know, the Ootori's expensive private clinics? Rumors say that he's gorgeous, but I highly doubt that. I mean, if he won't show his face in public, then he must be really ugly. Just be really careful around him. He's a manipulator, twisting people's words around. I mean, he's rich, but what's the point of having a rich husband who wouldn't show love towards you? People say he's not human – I highly doubt that he is. Apparently, he works 24/7 like a machine. It's creepy! And he expects those around him to do the same too."
"Being the third son is pretty difficult though, isn't it?"
"Yeah, apparently, all three of his brothers were perfect, so perfection was nothing to boast about to his father."
"A genius?"
"His IQ is so high, it's probably off the charts. He's probably the one man who can actually match up to your intelligence level, but that guy has not a bit of humanity in him."
"Interesting..."
"Why did he call you?"
"Something about my father."
"Ooo, maybe marriage?" Haruhi scoffed at her friend's assumption, quickly flinging off her sneakers and putting on a pair of six inched peep toed black heels that matched perfectly with her outfit. It was one of the only shoes she actually felt comfortable wearing. Any shoes provided by the Hitachiin twins always cursed her – she always managed to fall or slip in the most humiliating moments. "He can marry my father. My father's more attractive than me."
"Oh darling, you do not know how many people would die to have the same honey sweet face like yours," Frances winked. Haruhi blushed. Her friend's reactions intrigued her more than her brain which seemed as though it was speeding a million miles an hour every second of the day. Haruhi glared at the stupid smile hanging off kilter on her mouth.
"Well, excuse me, but I have a meeting to attend to," Haruhi said, staring at herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure whether she should be disguised by the amount of makeup or she should be joyful at her beauty. It was a nice mix of sweetness and bitterness, like a mix of an angel and a devil.
"Lemme escort you downstairs. That blond idiot might be waiting," Frances held out her arm as Haruhi clutched to it. Her heart was beating. She was NOT ready to meet him.
"He can go running back to his Eclair," Haruhi said with a woebegone expression plastered on her face. The moment she walked out of the elevator, she heard a long scream of her name. Her simple three syllable name was stretched out to possible the longest word she's ever heard. Disgust decorated her face as she quickly walked out.
"Haruhi, I'm sorry! Everything was my fault! I never meant to," Tamaki begged, holding onto Haruhi's arm with an unbelievable amount of energy. Haruhi's fist clenched tightly together. Do you seriously think a single sorry would be okay? Do you think a single sorry would replace my broken heart?
"You're pathetic. I'll be frank about this – I hate you. You and I no longer had the same connection the moment you decided to choose Eclair over me. Now, get out of my sight. Your appearance makes me want to vomit up my lunch," she said, coldness filled her eyes. She was no longer the same naïve schoolgirl Haruhi – he destroyed her. She jerked her arm away before giving him a nice kick with her sharp heels in his weakest spot. He clenched his stomach in pain as she drove off.
Tamaki was in shock. He couldn't afford to lose Fujioka Haruhi now – although he didn't love the woman (well, he did, but she never triggered any of his sexual desires), she was one of his prized possessions and the way to earn his reputation through the Suoh family. He knew his grandmother desired to open market in the law department, but none of the Suoh members were interested in law – also, law firms would mean another boost of money source for their family. Tamaki knew that Fujioka Haruhi was his only chance to prove to his grandma that he was a worthy member of the Suoh family, even if it meant begging her to take him back and doing whatever he could for her to love him again. It was also a great chance for the Suoh family to prove that they were superior above the Ootoris family. Tamaki was confident that he held the key to her heart and that he was the only one who could access it. He also knew that what he did was wrong, but he wasn't losing everything he's worked his way for, although knowing the consequences of being 'one' with Eclair, but Eclair was just a side dish. He was set to marry only one person, and that was Haruhi. He, himself, was a highly eligible bachelor blessed with good looks – in other words, there was no way Haruhi could escape him.
Tamaki scowled at the thought of other men putting their dirty paw on his posession. She was his. She belonged to him. She'll always be his prisoner. No matter how many times she try to throw him away, he will always take up a greater part of her heart.
Frances stood entirely in shock. That was definitely not the Haruhi she knew.
"Bastard," Haruhi muttered, looking at the mirror at the side of her car. Frances' bewildered expression. Tamaki's expression of pain. She chuckled emotionlessly.
"Kyouya Ootori," she said to the waitress as she turned pale.
"R-r-right this way please," the waitress stuttered. Was Kyouya that scary? Or was she, herself, intimidating? She sighed before entering a private room, designed especially for the rich. Rich bastard, she thought. Haruhi's stomach cramped in as a sudden premonition told her that this was not going to be a friendly meeting with Kyouya Ootori.
"Sit." The voice ordered her as she looked to her left, feeling sudden fear. There sat Kyouya Ootori, like a godly Greek statue in the darker parts of the room. The light shading made it clear who was master and who was the servant. His icy eyes scanned through her as if seeing past all her secrets. Haruhi never felt so vulnerable in her life, her hands automatically reached to cover her cleavage. She suddenly cursed the twins for their low V-neck dress – for exposing so much skin. She nervously took a seat across from the table before staring into Kyouya's eyes. He smirked as another chill was sent towards Haruhi. Uh-oh. That was definitely not a pleasant smile. His ominous voice was creepier than it was on the phone.
"How are you?" Haruhi automatically asked, changing into business mode. She had nothing to fear. She was a successful lawyer who never crossed paths with Kyouya (or so she thought), but she knew that the youngest Ootori wasn't the type of man to ask her out for a drink without any merit. Her nervous laugh made her sound lame as she cursed herself for the situation she was in. Was he an acquaintance of her father? That must be it.
"I'm feel pleasant," He replied, his glasses glinting in the lights. His calm reply startled Haruhi. All the nerves in her body stood up as he brought out a thick yellow packet. It looked like clipped legal documents. Was he officially hiring her as his lawyer? She liked her job. Curiosity perked her brain... did he ask her out just so he could talk about business? But, he did mention something about her father, therefore it must be something involving him.
"How are you? I daresay, you didn't sound too good on the phone, especially after those scandals with Tamaki," he replied, almost mocking her. Haruhi gritted her teeth.
"I'm fine, thanks," Haruhi replied with a clipped tone. "Are you actually going to talk business with me? Or are you going to interrogate me like some reporter about my relationship with Tamaki?" He was being nosy. She hated it more when he decided to mention Tamaki. Since when was Tamaki important in these meeting?!
"As you wish, Ms. Fujioka. Forgive me for being friendly." Kyouya's words was like ice as she suddenly felt guilt. It was HIS fault for being like one of those stalkers. He was acting like Mei, if not... worse. "As you know, your father and I are on friendly terms, but he owe the Ootori group a certain debt. I'm here to ask you whether you'd be willing to pay for his … accumulated debt. Here are the signed legal documents as proof that he borrowed money from us."
Haruhi's ears shot up as she took up the documents. It was no lie, the signatures definitely belonged to her father – the curly messiness of scrabble was unique and undeniably messy so that no one could forge his signature. She suddenly felt as though she was bound to the devil.
"How much?" she asked.
"Fifty million yen without interest."
"FIFTY MILLION YEN?!" Haruhi screamed abruptly in disbelief, ignoring her growling stomach. She calculated the years it would take to repay the debt. Her yearly earnings were about fifteen million yen. She used about ten million yen paying for food, rent, and everything. Also, she had to subtract about three million yen for tax and everything else. And then another a million yen went to her retirement account, which meant that from... it would take her fifty years to repay her entire debt. She froze, ready to faint. That would be she'd be chained as prisoner under the Ootori for fifty years until she can repay it. A gush of wind and she swore, she turned into ice.
Kyouya noticed something wrong, before he concocted a brilliant plan. He knew commoners, like her, were unable to pay for a debt that large of a size. "Why not a live in maid? Six months and you will no longer be required to return the debt."
"Don't you have fifty million yen to spare? You are a billionaire, for gods sake!" Haruhi yelled, her palms hitting the table. Kyouya was secretly glad that he asked for a private room, for the media would love to get a scoop of this... conspiracy. It would definitely make the headlines of the next day.
"As much as I would love to give out fifty million yen to you, these are the little profits that are collected that have led to the increasing amounts of money which I have invested in the stock market," Kyouya replied coldly.
"Isn't there another way?" Haruhi asked with a tone of exasperation at Kyouya's obtuseness.
"I'm afraid that my previous answer was the final one," Kyouya's eyes twinkled as a new shade of purple covered Haruhi's face. Her distaste for Kyouya grew – he was officially on her list of people she hated. He was a devil in disguise, coming from hell to torture her.
"When? When do I have to move in?" She asked dryly, with an obvious plan to devour Kyouya Ootori in business when all of this is over.
"Tonight," he replied in the same cheerful tone that caused Haruhi's insides twisted. "Dinner is served."
She returned to her chair, violently stabbing the tuna imagining that it was Kyouya's head instead. She no longer felt hungry. The delicious smell of Ootoro that appealed to her taste buds were like salt rubbing on her wound. The words "Kyouya's personal live-in maid for six months" swirled around her head.
This was definitely a bad nightmare. Satan was definitely out to get her.
Note: fifty million yen = 500,000$
YAY! :D. I'm done with chapter oneee~~~ -skipps around-. I think I deserve ice cream, because I actually "attempted" to edit this chapter. I really need a beta-reader. How in the world do I get a beta-reader on fanfiction in the first place?! D: … I think I have something against editing my own work because I end up on facebook instead.
Comments would make my day. (;