Guard Dog
~Early summer, on the bus
Haruhi gazed out the bus window as the scenery sped past. She was reluctantly wearing a dress today, and angry at her father for it. He had "packed away the winter clothes" and most of her comfortable, shapeless clothes had somehow disappeared. Bowing to the inevitable, she had sighed and pulled the first dress she saw out of her closet. It turned out to be a light green sundress embroidered with tiny flowers, it failed to reveal her cleavage and the skirt fell just above the knee. At least it was modest and lace free, though the twins would likely have some sort of issue with it.
A pair of matching flats and a clutch purse had been pressed on her by her father, in rapture over her cuteness, and she rolled her eyes and snatched her list of errands and bus fare from his hands. She wore the shoes, but left the purse in favor of her spare backpack, which contained her lunch, water bottle, shopping money, phone, a collapsible umbrella, and a small first aid kit. Her time with the Host club had taught her to be prepared for almost anything. If space had allowed, she would have added a change of clothes and a book or three, in case she ran into them and they tried to kidnap her for some stupid thing. She muttered to herself "Idiots, always stealing my days off."
She drifted gently forward as the bus came to a stop. With her attention out the window, she failed to notice the group of boys that got on, nudging and laughing. Their leader, in dark jeans and an artfully worn jacket, apparently thought himself a tough guy.
In the back of the bus, a certain redhead smirked inwardly at the swagger. They may be the big dogs in their little world, but they would survive maybe 3 seconds in his. He turned his eyes to Haruhi. She had seemed irritated and preoccupied when she came on the bus, and never even noticed him there in the shadows. He would leave it unless given a reason to interfere.
Ritsu Kasanoda narrowed his eyes as the tough guy and his friends plopped into the seats around Haruhi. She continued to ignore them, her practice from the Host Club holding her in good stead. She had ignored worse. Tough guy moved closer, letting his leg brush against hers. She moved slightly away and straightened her skirt.
Kasanoda could feel his anger rising and clenched his fists. The bodyguard next to him saw the movement and followed the young master's gaze to the young woman surrounded by boys. Tetsuya was surprised, the girl looked faintly familiar, and why couldn't he place her? He would be more than happy to help rescue this girl if it would still the rumors of his friend being gay.
Haruhi's eyes brightened at something outside the window. She reached up and pulled the cord, saying softly to the boys (who were much too close), "My stop." They moved to let her out, but followed. Kasanoda jumped to leave, as did all his guys. The bus drove off, lighter by one girl, four oblivious tough guys, and five yakuza members.
~o0o~
Haruhi knew she was being followed. Blurry reflections in the store windows across from her showed the boys from the bus, and a little way behind them, several large scary looking men and a flash of red hair. As nervous as she was starting to become, the thought of red hair made her feel somewhat hopeful.
A hand gripped her arm. "Hey girly, wanna go have some fun?" She twisted her wrist and stepped back. "No, I doubt we have the same ideas of fun. You should go." She replied coldly, watching out of the corner of her eye as his friends circled behind her, limiting her escape. "Oh, so unfriendly, girly. Why don't we show you what we think is fun, and then you can decide? I think you may like it." He grabbed her shoulders and tried to pull her close for a kiss. She went limp and ducked her head.
"I believe the lady said no."
Dropping the girl, he turned to see the scariest looking guy he had ever seen scowling at him, with several guys behind him whose looks just screamed 'Yakuza'. With his boys already backing away, instinctively knowing that a confrontation with these guys would be fatal, the tough guy raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, you want her, you got her, I got no beef with you."
The scary redhead took a step forward, grabbing the lapels of his jacket and pulling them eye to eye. In a quiet voice filled with menace, he said, "I suggest you leave, then, before we really do have a problem." The formerly tough guy scurried off, leaving his jacket in the other's hands to chase after his boys, who had not waited. The redhead tossed it to one of his guys, maybe one of the crew could use it once it was cleaned.
Extending a hand and a rare gentle smile, "You okay, Haruhi?" She took his hand, smiling back trustingly as he gently pulled her to her feet. He steadied her, carefully checking her for injuries without allowing his hands to wander. Neither of them noticed the gob smacked expressions of the crew at this tender moment.
"Thanks for the help, Casanova-kun."
His smile grew strained, "That's not my name, Haruhi."
She smiled shyly. "Ritsu, then. Will you walk me home in case they come back?"
Tetsuya bowed over her free hand and spoke up, "I doubt they would dare, miss. I must say, though, you look very familiar. I can't imagine why I can't place such a charming lady, how do you know the young master?"
She tilted her head to the side, "Oh, hi Tetsuya! We met before, though I haven't seen you since Honey accidentally got that red paint on me." She looked aside to see his bright red face and smiled, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Not your fault, really. I don't hold a grudge about that, or what happened after." Now they both were blushing, faces turned away. He was almost the color of his hair.
Tetsuya inhaled sharply in shock, as a sudden quirk of her profile made it clear. "Fujioka? You're a girl!"
She looked blandly back at him, "Yes, and?"
He began to babble in relief, "No, this is perfect! We were all so worried for so long, not that we would ever think any less of him, of course, but you're a girl! His honored father, we were afraid what he might do, but we didn't know that you were a girl, and now everything is fine. I'm so glad to see you, Haruhi-san!" He abruptly picked her up and swung her around in a hug, which she endured in bewildered silence. At least his hands didn't wander and she wasn't being squeezed half to death, as Tamaki often had.
He seemed extra happy about her gender, anyway. She hoped he didn't have a crush on her, too. Tetsuya seemed nice enough, but she didn't like him like that. Ritsu, however, was another story.
Tetsuya set her down and gently turned her to face the guys. "Gentlemen, I am pleased to present," he waved a flourish at her, "Fujioka Haruhi, the young master's dear friend from the Host Club." A wave of enlightenment crashed over the guys. They suddenly bowed in unison, and she could see Ritsu with his hand over his eyes in embarrassment as they chorused "Pleased to meet you, Lady Fujioka!"
She looked to him for guidance, but he had his eyes closed, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "Well, now you all know me, who are you gentlemen?" One by one they introduced themselves, Tetsuya she knew already. Hatayo blushed and tried to pull his sleeve down over a beautifully rendered naked lady on one arm, muttering about 'youthful indiscretions'. Ryu had twinned dragons in vibrant colors along both arms, their faces meeting at his collarbone. The last one, a bald bodybuilder type, had no visible tattoos and muttered and blushed so much she never did catch his name.
Ritsu finally managed to control his blushes and offered her his arm, "Shall we go?" She smiled up at him and took it. Anyone brave enough to watch would see a sweet looking girl, arm in arm with a scary looking redhead who unbent enough to smile as they chatted, followed after by a few yards a young blonde guy and three apparent mobsters. The sight of Kasanoda and the guys, however, caused most people to cross to the other side of the street and carefully not look.
Haruhi and Ritsu walked on, enjoying the warm day and the feel of the other's arm. Her stomach growled and she quirked a smile up at him. "Must be time for lunch, I have my bento, but what about you guys?"
The crew denied being hungry, so she looked up at Ritsu and he smiled back at her. He wanted so much to bring her to dinner, a nice restaurant, candles, but he didn't want to hurt her reputation by being seen with him. It was bad enough they were walking together, but between him and the guys she was unlikely to be seen. Deep in his heart, he knew he wasn't good enough for her, she was going to be a lawyer, after all, but he just couldn't squash that last bit of hope. A gesture to Hatayo and he returned the tough guy's jacket. He checked the pockets, he was sure it felt heavy on one side, ah, a wallet. Holding it up and pulling out the cash, he said, "It seems our new friend is buying us lunch today. Tetsuya, bring one of the guys and get some take out. Anything you would like, Haruhi?"
She tapped her chin in thought, "Maybe some ootoro and a strawberry tart, if it's not too much trouble?" The guys rushed to assure her that anything she wanted would be fine, and they would be back quickly. They all agreed to meet in the nearby park, and Tetsuya and the bald guy left.
They walked slowly through the park, given a wide berth by other couples. Haruhi seemed not to notice, so Ritsu kept up a running monologue on the various plants and trees, drawing her attention to anything rare or out of place. He pointed to one side, where the manicured grass gave way to a small wild wood, "And there is a wild rose. The flowers are smaller but more fragrant than cultivated varieties, and although it has been successfully crossed with other roses, the wild plant doesn't do well when people attempt to grow it themselves." She made a move to go closer, but he held her back. "It also has very large thorns, and a symbiotic bacteria that can cause infection if people attempt to pull it." He led her to a bench, where she sat to unpack her bag. His eyes widened when he saw all the things she pulled out. "Geez, Haruhi, were you running away or something?"
She breathed a soft laugh, "Some days I wish I could. You know the host club? They usually manage to kidnap me on my days off and drag me some stupid place, usually because of Tamaki." She pointed to different items "Once, I went on a date with Hikaru, he got jealous and ran off, and I was caught in the rain, so the umbrella. A different time, I found Kyoya at a mall, and we spent the day together. Tamaki had left him on a bench without his wallet or phone, so I make sure I have a little money and a phone. From all the times the twins have forced me into some frilly dress of stupid, I've wished I could fit a change of clothes and a book for the long rides we always end up taking. The first aid kit is in case someone gets hurt and Kyoya's not around, Tamaki freaks out if he gets a papercut. About the only true gentlemen I know are you and Mori."
He raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I thought you liked them?"
A sigh of exasperation, "I do like them, but I want to be allowed to do things on my own. I need to be able to study sometimes, but they're always interrupting and forcing me on outings I don't want. I don't need to be showered with gifts, and I don't want their money. They're like overprotective older brothers, except the twins, who act like annoying younger brothers, and Honey acts like a kid, but he isn't." She closed her eyes and leaned back, "They are my friends, but I feel like they don't hear me, what I say doesn't seem to matter. The second I don't want to go along with something, Kyoya shows up to hold my debt over my head. Yeah, I know I owe them, but some days I feel like more of a servant than a friend." She opened her eyes and looked at him, "That's why I like spending time with you, Casanova. You never try to force me into anything, and you actually listen to me." Feeling brave, she leaned over and softly kissed his cheek. He blushed to match his hair, again.
Stunned and confused, Ritsu looked around to see Tetsuya and the other guy returning with lunch. It seems like they had seen, since both were grinning like crazy. A quick glare, and they smoothed their faces to a more neutral expression. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. Wait, hadn't she rejected him already? Maybe they could talk about it after lunch.
They all moved to a picnic table, close to the edge of the forest. Ritsu sat with Haruhi on one side, Tetsuya on the other. With the containers spread out and enough chopsticks for everyone, they shared food and laughter across the table. Haruhi engaged everyone in conversation, even getting a few words from the bald guy. They all looked on as she ate the ootori in obvious bliss.
When they were about halfway through the food, they heard a soft whimper from the forest. From amiable lunch partners to deadly bodyguards in a second, the crew stood, a few hands reaching for weapons. Haruhi held up a hand and turned to the forest, "Shh, wait." She crouched down, hands open and called softly, "Hello?" The whimper came again and a low rustling. The guys stood at her back and she glared at them. "Give me a chance, okay? Something's hurt in there."
Kasanoda ran his hand through his hair, "Yeah, we can tell, and we don't want you hurt too. What if it's dangerous?"
She shook her head as the sounds grew closer, the whimpers becoming louder. Soon a dog crept through the brush. Crawling on its belly, head down and tail tucked under, covered in scratches and wounds, it presented a pitiful sight. "Oh, you poor baby, come on." She called, going to her knees and holding out a hand, her thumb and fingers curled loosely under.
"Come on, what if it bites you?"
"I don't think it will, but that's why my hand is like this, it's harder to hold onto. It's not showing any aggression right now, it's saying, 'I'm hurt, please don't hurt me more." The dog collapsed at her feet, giving her hand a single lick and laying on its side. "And now I can tell he's asking me to take care of him, acknowledging I'm stronger." She carefully petted his head, avoiding any wounds. She motioned Ritsu over, taking his hand in hers, and letting the dog sniff him, so he would know that he was also a friend.
One of the guys brought over a take-out lid and her water bottle, she carefully poured a little at a time, so he wouldn't drink too fast. After some food, that she also gave him slowly, he began to look tired. She looked up at Ritsu, seated next to her. "While he's tired, I want to clean and bandage him, but one of us has to hold him."
He reached back to grab the spare jacket. "You should hold him with this, so he doesn't bleed on your dress, I'll bandage him." She nodded and carefully they worked together as she murmured reassurances and soft caresses to the dog. Ritsu found himself faintly jealous. Finally the dog was clean and bandaged, but he seemed to have a hard time standing on his back left leg. "The cut on that leg is shallow but long, it'll heal but be too painful to walk on for a few days yet. Are you even allowed dogs in your apartment? He's kind of big and scary looking."
Haruhi looked at him in dismay. "Oh, we can't have dogs! Even if we could, how would I walk him with those stairs and his injuries?" She reached down to pet him again, "I know he looks scary, but that's just because he's part pit bull. They're not inherently dangerous dogs, they just have that reputation because people use them as fight dogs." Her eyes were pleading "Can you take him with you, and keep him safe? I trust you not to let people hurt him."
Aw man, he couldn't say no to those eyes. "Yeah, we'll take him." She looked sad when Hatayo carefully picked the dog up, now wrapped in the coat. "Hey," he said hopefully, "maybe you could come visit him, make sure he's okay." She smiled shakily at that. "Look, we'll pack up the rest of the food, and a few of the guys will take the dog-"
"Cassie." She said firmly.
"Eh?"
"His name is Cassie." She nodded
"Okay, I guess he can't just be 'dog' for the rest of his life. As I was saying, they'll bring him back to my place and I'll walk you home, yeah?" Ritsu smiled down at her.
"I'd like that."
~o0o~
They were a few blocks from her house. At one point, she had taken his hand to cross the street, and never tried to pull it back. He certainly didn't want to let go.
She looked behind to see how close Tetsuya was before she spoke, "You know how I call you Casanova at the Host Club, did you ever wonder about it?"
"I figured you and the guys couldn't get my name right." He sighed.
"I can get your name right. Did you ever take European Literature?" There was a hint of amusement in her tone.
"My class didn't, it's an honors course. Did you?" he was confused, what were they talking about?
"Casanova was a writer in the late 1700s. He was many things, religious lawyer, lay doctor, noble criminal, lover of women, and others. His name is used as a synonym for 'Notorious Womanizer'. I think, deep at heart, you may be a romantic, and I'd like to see that side of you." She ducked him into a nearby alley, stood on her toes, and kissed him on the lips. "I really like you, Ritsu."
He stood, frozen in shock, eyes wide. "But, you rejected me, said we were just friends."
She sighed and leaned her head on his chest as he wound an arm across her shoulders. "I don't really belong at Ouran, you know. I made my own place there, with the scholarship, but nobody really talks to me outside of Host club, and they're too busy mooning over an illusion to get to know the real me. I felt an empathy with you, thought maybe you would understand how it was to feel different and have people trying to change you all the time. Friendship seemed like a good start to love, I don't like to rush into anything."
A faintly rough hand tilted her chin to look at him again. "Yes," he said simply, and leaned forward to kiss her again. This time, he allowed himself to hold her gently, and pulled away with great effort.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. Swiftly, he pushed Haruhi behind him, glare on full blast as he turned. From the grin on Tetsuya's face, he had been there for at least a few minutes. "Yeah, what?" he growled.
Tetsuya downgraded his grin to a faint smirk, he didn't want to embarrass the young master while he was just starting this relationship. He bowed in Haruhi's direction, "We're just a block from the lady's grocery store, much farther after this point and we may start to draw attention." Kasanoda nodded.
Haruhi stepped out from behind him and smiled. She bowed deeply to Ritsu, and slightly less to Tetsuya, "Thanks for helping me today. Overall, I had a great day." Her smile now was all for Ritsu, "I look forward to seeing you again, and visiting with Cassie next week. See you at school!" she waved and walked off, head held high.
~o0o~
Haruhi had started humming tunelessly again as she put the groceries away. Ranka couldn't figure what she was so happy about, all the boys from her club were busy today. Maybe she just enjoyed a quiet day off. He'd ask her over dinner.
Later at the table, Ranka was surprised to find that his little girl had cooked most of his favorites. This made him immediately suspicious, she either had really great news, or she was going to tell him something he wouldn't like. Knowing her, probably both at once. "So tell me, dearest, how was your day?" Usually this conversation starter was ignored or answered in short sentences.
Today, surprisingly, she cooperated, giving him a fairly detailed account of running errands, going to the library, largely boring until she came to "And on the bus from the library, these thugs got on and started bothering me." Ranka nearly bent his spoon in half, then hid it under the napkin when she looked up at the squeak of tortured metal. He smiled and nodded to go on. She continued, "I got off at my usual stop near the park, and the thugs followed me, and then really started harassing me." She saw the look on his face and gestured reassuringly, "But don't worry, Kasanoda-senpai came with his guys and rescued me."
He nearly choked on his tea.
She came over and patted his back, fetching him a glass of water, "Dad, you okay?" He nodded and took a few deep breaths, waving at her to sit down and continue. She eyed him skeptically, "After that, the guys and I went to the park to have lunch, they picked up ootoro! Then when we were eating, I heard something whimpering and the guys got all defensive, but it was only this poor hurt dog. Ritsu helped me clean and bandage him and he agreed to take Cassie back to his place and let me visit to make sure he's okay. I wish we could have taken him, but I know we can't have dogs, and I wouldn't feel right leaving a big dog like Cassie all alone in the apartment while I'm at school and you're at work. Ritsu walked me to the intersection by the store, I went shopping for dinner, and came home."
Ranka's eyes were slightly glazed at the sudden flood of information. "So, what kind of dog is Cassie?" he asked in a choked voice.
"I'm not sure, some sort of pit bull mix, he had the jaw for it anyway. From the look of him, he'll probably get pretty big, almost a meter and a half on his hind legs." She began clearing the dishes, humming again.
He smiled up at her from his chair before she moved his napkin, "Don't worry about this, honey. You go ahead to bed and I'll clean up in here. After all, we have some cleaning to do tomorrow before school on Monday. All done with your homework for the weekend?"
She hugged him and kissed his cheek, "Yeah, all done with the homework for the next week, or at least what was listed in the lesson plan. All I have to worry about for school is any tests or quizzes that weren't listed."
"That's my girl, off to bed now, love you darling." He patted her hand on his shoulder.
"Love you too, dad." She called before closing her bedroom door and going to bed.
~o0o~
A short time later, once the dishes and kitchen were clean, Ranka picked up the phone. It was late, but the boy would likely still be awake.
Three rings, then a smooth voice said "Ootori Kyoya here, how are you this evening, Fujioka-sama?"
He growled, "Don't you –sama me, boy! Would you like to explain to me why my daughter was rescued from thugs by a bunch of Yakuza, then had a lovely picnic in the park with them, followed by rescuing a wild animal?" The ever present typing in the background stopped suddenly as his words registered, then started again, even faster.
Kyoya shifted the phone and his voice grew cold, "I'm reading the guard reports now, it looks like the tail we set on her lost her at the library, glossed over the missing hour and a half, and picked her back up at the grocery store. I have no mention here of Yakuza or wild animals, what exactly did she say?" He made a note in the file to have the offending guard sent to some terrible posting, where he can learn not to falsify reports.
Ranka snarled, "She mentioned Kasanoda, kept calling him Ritsu. Why the hell does she know a Yakuza member closely enough to call him by name? They rescued a dog together and she's going to go visit 'Cassie' at his house!"
"Please calm yourself, she knows him from the Host Club, where he visits her. He poured out his feelings and she told him what a good friend he was, and gentleman that he is, he agreed 'friends forever', so don't worry on that score." Kyoya felt a tiny bite of unease, had something changed?
Ranka laughed a bit, "I almost feel sorry for him, and my little Haruhi is just oblivious to how she breaks hearts wherever she goes. I would still rather have you or Morinozuka in my family, even the blonde idiot would be better than Yakuza. How could she be a lawyer and be associated with one?"
"Indeed, sir. I'll speak to him about this and make certain nothing is going on. In the meantime, I'll assign a new tail for Haruhi and make certain he knows to keep an eye on her at all times, from an unobtrusive distance, of course. Enjoy the rest of your evening, sir" Kyoya carefully hung up his phone, and stalked off to instill fear in the hearts of the fools that thought watching Haruhi wasn't important. In the garage, a guard shivered in atavistic fear.
Ranka sighed and hung up the phone. Now he could go get some beauty sleep, since that was all sorted out.
~o0o~
At the Kasanoda syndicate, Ritsu's father was slightly drunk.
His boy had come home a little later than the rest of his crew, who had dragged back an injured dog, of all things. He had been smiling and humming to himself, had the dog brought to his rooms, had dinner brought and went to bed. There were rumors over sake of the rescue of a girl, who had rescued the dog. It was said that she was going to visit, and whispers of a kiss. Well then, maybe there was hope for his son yet.
(A/N So, this is the start of a Haruhi/Casanova story. It will possibly become a chapter story, if I find the inspiration to continue. Reviews help me with that, and I appreciate suggestions, even if I can't use them. I really think Ritsu needs more love, he's not that bad of a guy.)