A/N: Okay, this was written late at night for my younger sister (As she is a big fan of this pairing and I wanted a go at writing it!) and I was a little out of it so the grammar may be less then perfect. Also, we had a powercut in the middle, so it might be a little disjointed. That said, please enjoy!
Disclaimer: Ouran is well and truly not mine.
Children and Animals
"A surprise for you, Haruhi! See how daddy loves you?"
Large, circular brown eyes gazed quizzically into small blue slits, both pairs so young and yet already so intelligent, so inquisitive. Ryoji watched in delight as his young daughter studied the white and black kitten with as much interest as if she'd never seen one before. Which she probably hadn't, not this close. Knelt down as she was, she was at just the right height for the kitten to rest it's front paws on her lap before scrambling up and settling down to sleep there. Haruhi gazed down at it, and it seemed to her delighted father that she was in love.
"Well?" He asked, eagerly.
"We can't afford a cat." Haruhi answered, lifting it carefully up and dumping it into his arms. "You should take it back, and buy the new tap like you've been promising. This one's all leaky and horrible."
Ryoji was partly crushed by her rejection of the cute animal, wondering how his four year old daughter was already so heartless. However, he couldn't help but love her when she came out with things so ridiculously responsible as that. He placed the kitten down on a chair and hugged her. She was trying so hard. It wasn't fair that anyone- his age or hers- should have to try so hard.
"Is daddy sad again?" She asked him, patiently bearing the hug. Then, he felt her arms wrap around him, so small. "…Sometimes, I'm sad too." She admitted.
He let her go, ruffling her hair. "That's okay. But, Haruhi, I need to go back to work; and I thought you'd be lonely here all by yourself in the afternoons." Truth be told, he didn't want to leave her alone and had wanted to get her a guard dog; but the landlord wouldn't allow dogs at all, and besides, she was probably more responsible than him to begin with. "So I want you to take good care of this kitten and not be sad anymore, okay?"
She stared at him, head tilted to one side, considering. "…Okay." She said, after whatever reasoning and logic had laid itself out in her head. It was only then she allowed herself to break her restraint just a little bit, to break out of her cold exterior, a creeping of delight in the way only a child could as she went and stroked her new friend; so very softly, so as not to wake him.
"What are you going to name him?" Ryoji smiled.
"Yen." Haruhi replied, without hesitation.
"…Yen?"
She nodded, fixing him with a piercing stare. "Yes. So while I'm taking good care of my Yen, you'll remember to take care of yours."
What could he do? He laughed. It was the first time for… he couldn't even remember. When Kotoko was taken ill, and then when she died, he'd wondered if he would laugh again. But how could he not? Haruhi was just so… cute.
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It was rare to have a lazy day. So rare, in fact, that Haruhi Fujioka did not partake in them. But, occasionally, very, very occasionally, even a high-flying lawyer found time to put their feet up and have an evening to themselves. Normally, an 'evening to herself' could be substituted as 'an evening being dragged around various venues by friends she made in High School and couldn't get rid of', but not on this occasion. This time, she was lying on her sofa, reading some new crime novel she'd brought, absently stroking the sleeping cat on her lap.
It was a very old cat, now. Ten years or more, possibly, which might have given it an excuse for being so lazy; had it not always been like that. She didn't pay it much attention. After all, for the last ten years or so, the tabby had been a permanent fixture of her life; much like the ones who had given it to her. But, as stated, she wasn't too concerned with that right now. She continued to read on.
"No…" She moaned softly, trying to push him away. "We can't. We can't. You…"
"Why?" He whispered in her ear, so close she could feel his breath, his heart beat, pounding a track onto her skin. "Do you believe I did it?"
"No!"
"Then…" His words smoothly rolled down his neck, pooling at her neckline, the trail laid. "Don't reject me…"
"But… the police are coming…"
"They didn't find us at the Church, or in the mountains, or anywhere else. Why should they find us here?"
"But… You…"
"Do you believe I did it?" He asked again, staring into her eyes. They were electric, the eyes of a man half mad, and as his hand slipped to her face, she could see he was drowning, begging.
"I…"
Haruhi rolled her eyes. "What is this, a romance novel?" She demanded of her stirring cat, who did not seem to hold an opinion either way.
"I did not." He whispered, with conviction. "And what if I had? You know I'd steal the pearls from Heaven's gate, the tears of the moon, the salt from the ocean if you desired it. I would lie if to protect you, I'd lie to anyone but you, because you are the only truth in my life. And… and… if you can believe I did this terrible thing, then just know I'd go beyond killing for you. I'd die for you."
"And why does he remind me so much of Tamaki?" Haruhi continued, scratching her ear lazily. This book had been sold as a crime, a mystery- and part of that mystery was indeed who the author was. It was written under a blatant pseudonym, yet that same mysterious person had promised clues to his own identity were hidden somewhere deep within his words. His face, his name, where he came from or why he did it… none of it was known. And that's what lawyers lived for.
But, at the moment, this was just bringing back bad memories of the Host Club.
She said nothing, couldn't meet his eye. The one true rejection. Tears fell from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks.
"You doubt me. I hoped in all this mess you would be the only one to trust me."
And perhaps she should have done. Perhaps, in those bad times, she should have stood by him. But that was not her nature. She trusted him; but she did not trust human nature. She reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the stolen treasure, the tiny disk that would have ended them all.
"Then perhaps you should have chosen more wisely what to keep close to your heart." She informed him, pulling her hand away. Then, he laughed.
"I knew you were good, but… you are good."
"Thanks. You're a sneaky low life."
"Yes, and I'm very good at it. That's why you love me, right?"
"I don't love you."
"I think we both know you do…" He began to reach for something in his pocket. Something that she instinctively knew she did not want to see. "Well, I should hope you do…"
"Please…" She whispered. "Don't." He didn't listen. He
Haruhi stopped reading. It didn't matter that this was supposed to be the most tense, exciting bit. There was something in that paragraph… She looked again.
"Thanks. You're a sneaky low life."
"Yes, and I'm very good at it. That's why you love me, right?"
"I don't love you."
"I think we both know you do…"
She raised an eyebrow, but showed no other reaction as she rolled over and grabbed her phone from the side. It didn't take long to get an answer.
"Hello?"
"Hikaru." She said, tone lightly scolding. "Shouldn't you be concentrating on your work?"
"What? You phoned me."
"No, not now. I meant in general… rather then writing trashy novels."
A slight pause. Then, "Excuse me?"
Haruhi cleared her throat, and then read, entirely monotonously, ""No…" She moaned softly, trying to push him away. "We can't. We can't. You-""
"Okay, okay, stop!" Hikaru begged, shuddering. "I'll admit it, just don't… read it like that. Urrgh."
She couldn't help but smirk. "Aha."
Hikaru laughed. "I knew you were good, but… you are good. Yeah, Kaoru and I wrote it. Happy?"
"Liar. Kaoru had nothing to do with it." Haruhi told him, confidentially.
"…How did you know?" Hikaru asked, knowing he couldn't deny it. He didn't know whether he should be happy at the fact Haruhi had twigged when every conspiracy nut in the country had failed or disappointed that he'd failed to be as sneaky as he'd hoped.
"Because I'm good." Haruhi shrugged. "Anyway, bye."
"That's it?!" He demanded. "No rubbing it in?! No questioning me for my motive? Isn't that your job?"
"Not at this precise moment." She replied. "And I haven't finished the book yet. Call me in about…" She looked at the pages left. "An hour."
With that, she hung up, feeling very self satisfied.
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"Happy birthday!"
Haruhi shut the door with a sigh. Oh dear, they'd found out… this could be quite troublesome. Still, she couldn't deny it was touching. She'd never really had so many people wanting to celebrate with her before.
"Here, my daughter! Daddy has got you a most wonderful gift!"
"Haru-chan, Haru-chan! I got you a present!"
"Here."
"I've reduced your debt, Haruhi. Consider it a gift you might actually use."
"Open them, Haru-chan!"
"Yes, yes, you must with all haste, before the designators get here! We have all conceded to your obviously modest commoner moral that you do not want others to spend too much time or money on you and kept it a jealously guarded secret! But morals or no morals, we simply could not allow the day to pass unnoticed! It is my only wish that we could have spent every day of those years with you!"
"Alright, alright!" Haruhi protested, wishing she could wave her arms. She laid the gifts down on the table and carefully opened them. Privately, she believed Kyouya would be right and the only thing that actually would be any use to her would be the reduction to her debt. Still, it was only polite- she was just dreading opening the parcels and finding some extremely expensive and rare item…
A box, in florescent yellow paper, with smiling flowers. It had to be from Honey, and, indeed, it was. She couldn't help but smile- the present matched the paper around it, some sort of stationary set, matching pens and pencils, envelopes and note paper. She looked at each item carefully and laid them back again.
"It's cute, right?" Honey asked, anxiously.
"Yes." Haruhi agreed. Even this simple answer seemed to excite him.
"Wai! I knew you'd like it! Especially as we sold your mechanical pencil, I thought this would be way cuter!"
Haruhi rubbed her chin. Oh yeah, she remembered them doing that… it didn't seem so important now. Thanking Honey, she went to Mori's, wrapped far more simply, in a light blue paper. Indeed, it was more simple, a wooden box; a carving of a bird on it, and a little lock and key. It was beautiful, but in an understated, unimposing way that was so rarely seen in and around Ouran.
"Storage." Mori offered, lamely, somehow picking on the one word that would explain his reasons for giving her an empty box without pointing out how limited on space her home was. He was worried, suddenly, that he had chosen the wrong thing, but then she smiled up at him, and the doubts were assuaged.
"Thank you very much, Mori-senpai." She said happily, already knowing what she could put in it. She'd been needing a box to keep her stationary away from her father, who would only borrow and lose it. It would fit nicely under her bed, too. She turned to Kyouya, who was watching with detached interest. "Ah, thank you to, Kyouya-senpai."
He nodded. He felt a bit awkward now, not having got Haruhi a proper gift. He hadn't been expecting the others to get her anything she might actually appreciate- goodness knows how he had struggled to find anything that she might actually want. She wasn't like other girls who would adore flowers or chocolate or pretty things. Rich things, extravagant things, were not to her taste.
And so he was rather nervous about what Tamaki had got her, after weeks of flapping about it. He wasn't the only one. Haruhi turned to the package with some trepidation, but supposed she ought to open it before Tamaki exploded in anticipation. Indeed, the package looked like some kind of projectile had hit it.
"I wrapped it myself and everything!" Tamaki said, proudly. "People offered to help, but how could I let them? This is my very own effort!"
"Thank you." Haruhi said, deciding it would be easiest. She managed to unravel the gift; and, to her surprise and relief, it was not a diamond or a painting or anything else. Of all things, it was a cookbook.
"I remember you said you enjoyed learning recipes…" Tamaki tried, as she still hadn't said anything and was silently thumbing through the pages, face unreadable. "But… but… if you don't like it-"
"No, it's perfect." She gave him a genuine smile that sent the blood rushing to his face. "I've been wanting to have a little more variety…" She turned back to the book, looking so wonderful that Tamaki was sent immediately spiralling off into his inner mind theatre of Haruhi one day using that book to cook for him and he almost missed what happened next.
Because not everyone had given Haruhi a present yet.
She was absently looking at everything, somewhat in awe. She knew it would have been more in their nature to buy elaborate gifts, to throw a parade, something like that. More in their nature to think that the more you liked someone, the more you spent. But they knew her, and they must have all tried so hard to think of something different. In many ways, that was more appreciated then the gifts themselves. Perhaps it wasn't so bad that they'd found out after all.
And then the doors flew open.
"Haru-hiiii!" The twins yelled, bounding in. There was a basket over Hikaru's arm, and a wrapped package in Kaoru's hands. "Presents for you!"
"Sorry we're late." Kaoru apologised.
"We had to go home and get them." Hikaru explained.
"You guys really didn't need to…" Haruhi protested weakly as Kaoru's parcel was pressed into her hands. On opening it, it proved to be a novel of some sort.
"I read this one." Kaoru informed her, brightly. "It's set during the Renaissance in Vienna, and it's really clever. You like this sort of thing, right?"
"Well, I do like clever books. Crime novels, and things."
"Yeah? Hikaru reads a ton of them, then he ruins them by circling who the murderer is, so I don't bother…" Kaoru told her, sounding a little frustrated. Haruhi blinked.
"Well, as long as he hasn't touched this book… Thanks a lot!" She finished reading over the blurb again, and then carefully began to pile all her gifts up. She wasn't sure how she'd get them home… Perhaps if she put some things in the box Mori-senpai gave her…
"Haruhi." Hikaru said, sounding slightly offended. "I got you something too, you know…" She looked at him in surprise, having assumed (Along with everyone else) that the brothers would have got her a joint gift, but not wanting to say so.
"Oh? Thanks…"
With his spare hand, Hikaru beckoned her over. "Come see what's in this basket, Haruhi, but be careful…"
Filled with dread and curiosity, she did; along with the rest of the club. Hikaru moved his arm slightly so she could see into the basket's interior and at the pile of fur inside.
Her first thought was 'Oh, no'.
"I already checked it out with your dad." Hikaru mumbled. "It's all good."
Her second thought was, as she gingerly lifted the pile of fur out of the basket 'He's got me a kitten'.
Haruhi looked at the tabby cat, and with it's blazing green eyes it looked back at her, curious, inquisitive. Then it placed her paws up on her chest, and burrowed into the crooks of her arms. She smiled.
On seeing that smile, Hikaru blushed furiously and Tamaki was reduced to his emo corner.
Hikaru watched as Haruhi attempted to bring Tamaki out of his corner by asking him what he thought the cat should be called. He watched as Tamaki tried to be first in Haruhi's affections by thinking of a really good name. But he couldn't care. Because she liked it.
Somehow, he'd known she'd like it.
"Paolo! Rupert! Whiskers!" Tamaki was spouting. "Kensuke! Mozart! Moses! Ramsey!"
"I like that…" Haruhi said, suddenly. "Moses, I mean." She looked at the cat, smiling. "He looks like a wise old soul to me."
And Tamaki was rescued from his emo corner, which meant Haruhi was free to question Hikaru.
"How did you know I liked cats?" She demanded.
"I just… did." Hikaru tried. Even though, on this occasion, it was true; it didn't wash with her.
"Did my dad tell you? About Yen, when I was a kid?"
"Yen?" Hikaru blinked in confusion. "A cat of yours?"
"I thought so…" Haruhi said, apparently satisfied. "Oh, who cares. Thanks. By the way? You're a sneaky low life."
"Yes, and I'm very good at it." He came and wrapped an arm around her neck, whispering in her ear. " That's why you love me, right?"
"I don't love you." She patiently pushed him off.
"I think we both know you do…" He tried, jokingly. She ignored him and batted a piece of string to Moses. Then, the peace of the moment was disrupted by Tamaki attempting to murder Hikaru, Kaoru trying to stop him, Kyouya wondering about if you were allowed animals in school, the others admiring the kitten; and to top it all off, the arrival of the customers.
Ouran High School Host Club. This room, this school, this collection of individuals, this club. There was no-where else like it.
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The car sped away from the school at long last. At long last, Kaoru turned to grin at his brother.
"She liked it! I never had her down as a 'cute fuzzy animal' person… how did you know?"
Hikaru shrugged. Truth was, he didn't. But he'd been thinking about a day, a very long time ago. Maybe Kaoru didn't remember, because they couldn't have been older then four. But he remembered trailing down a high street after one of innumerable nannies, dragging his feet over the cold ground and clinging to his brother's hand. They'd passed a pet shop, and for a moment, they were entranced to see kittens in the window- and, in the back corner, two that were exactly the same, peas in a pod, black with blue eyes.
They'd never seen any other twins before.
But then, a man had been there, buying a kitten. And he chose one of the twins. The two were pulled apart, separated.
At that time, Hikaru had just held Kaoru's hand tighter. He swore mentally that nothing would ever separate them like that. But he couldn't help but notice that those two kittens had seemed so lonely, away from the rest. Isolated. He had only hoped then that the thing that came between them had been something good, that had widened their world, had helped them make friends.
Kittens in a window. Brothers holding hands. What difference did it make? Sometimes, something had to give. Sometimes, something had to gently prise you apart and worm their way into your heart.
So for some reason, when he saw the kittens, he had thought of her.
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A/N: Yeah... I have no idea what relevance that middle scene had- was there any? But the book thing, for those that don't know, is from the Ouran Drama CD. It says there that Kaoru does like historical novels and Hikaru crime. Not that Kaoru doesn't like crime, but from what I can gather Hikaru does circle the perpetrator. XD Poor Kaoru... Anyways, hope you all liked!