Of Transgressions and Deliverance
Chapter 1 – Burying the Ashes

A/N: So even though I was originally disinclined to write a continuation, I decided that I could make it work out after all. This continuation (or sequel) is from Haruhi's and Kyouya's point of view, and the story starts out a few months after the breakup of the affair. This time the story's name is completely by me, and has a big relation with the story. Read on to find out.

For those who have not read the one-shot I wrote before this story, they might want to read it under 'Bittersweet Faith'.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Host Club or its characters. If I did, I wouldn't be writing a fanfiction about it in the first place.

It was over in a matter of months. Their relationship could only have led to more tears and grief, Haruhi reasoned with herself. There was no more reason to delay the inevitable. Still, a small voice inside her said that she brought the inevitable upon herself. She decided to not give an answer to the voice.

That voice was bothering her ever since that evening she left him desolate in his empty condo. She thought she was developing a case of schizophrenia at first, and considered getting it checked by a psychiatrist (perhaps her job as a lawyer was finally getting to her?). But for several weeks the voice hadn't materialized into a being, so she concluded to herself that the 'voice' was safe. She was just probably thinking too much about him.

It was time to bury the ashes. There was no point in thinking about what's past, Haruhi told herself sternly. What she should really be doing was reviewing the case she had in her hands right now. The case was by far the most difficult she had ever encountered, being about a small group of farmers suing a large corporation for unfair dealing practices with them. She did know she had to investigate this further before coming to any conclusions, though. The stressed lawyer leaned back in her chair, and rubbed her sore temples.

Looking around her apartment, she saw that everything was still in disarray—which didn't seem to have much difference from her state of mind at the present. Ever since she graduated from Tokyo University and was living on her own, she firmly decided that she would have her own place, and not live with any of the Host Club, and (no matter how much pleading Tamaki gave her), nor with her fiancé. If she wanted her independence and space, she made sure she was going to get it.

Speaking of which, jus then, the door to her apartment unlocked and banged open. Haruhi mentally cursed herself about giving her spare keys to the members of the old Host Club, until she turned her head and saw who it was.

Her fiancé stood in the doorway, a beaming smile on his face, his left hand on the doorknob, his right hand holding a bouquet of freshly cut, red roses.

"Haruhi! Daddy's come to save you from the dreadfully wicked case that's consuming you right now!"

Haruhi closed her eyes and smiled. She enjoyed the way Tamaki was so silly all the time, even if it was only to provide her relief from her stressful life. This is the one I'm in love with, she told herself. There is no other.

"It's 'I'm consumed in', not 'consuming me'," Haruhi said lightly, not turning around in her swivel chair.

Tamaki smiled widely, and strode up to her chair. Laying the bouquet of roses on the desk, he wrapped his arms around his beloved and whispered delicately in her ear,

"How are we doing, my princess?"

Haruhi gave him a small smile, and turned her face to him.

"Alright, I suppose. If you hadn't come barging in here," she said playfully.

Her fiancé smiled, and leaned in for a kiss.

Haruhi turned her head so that the kiss landed on her cheek. Then smiling, she pushed him away gently. Hurt and surprised, the blonde rose, standing up straight.

"What's wrong, my beloved? Is something wrong?" Tamaki asked, voice full of tenderness and hurt.

"No, it's nothing," Haruhi smiled as she said this. Yet she herself was confused. Why hadn't she accepted his kiss on the lips instead?

"I just don't feel very well today," she continued genially. "I think it's just the case, that's all," she added, smiling at him.

Tamaki's face lit up again.

"Well, that's nothing that a night out can't fix," he said excitedly, eyes burning with delighted fervor. "How about it? I'll arrange a dinner for two tonight at the—wait, I know! Let's have dinner at the same restaurant we celebrated our engagement a year ago!"

Haruhi nodded, smiling. In reality, she wasn't too pleased about going to have dinner back at the very place where it all began…

"Haruhi, is something wrong?" her beloved asked, a puzzled and worried expression on his fair face.

Haruhi decided to put her troubling thoughts away.

"Nothing," she said cheerfully. "Let's go to the dinner, then!"

"Haruhi! That's wonderful!" Tamaki picked her up and spun her around, acting for all the world as if she said they were going to have a baby.

Putting her down eventually, he stood up straight and announced, "I'm going to take care of the dinner arrangements right way! Don't miss me too much until I come back, my princess," he smiled, patting her on the head. With a bow and a smile, he left the room, whistling happily as he went.

Haruhi smiled to herself and turned back to her work. With the way everything was right now, maybe things were going in the right direction.

Haruhi checked herself in the mirror, turning about to examine every angle. Otou-san really has a taste for women's clothes, especially since he wears them all the time, she thought wryly. Every time she moved the silky fabric of her halter dress caught the light, and the deep gold color accented her light-colored skin perfectly. She gazed at her refection, the picture of a solemn, twenty-seven year-old woman.

I should really be more happy, she thought to herself. It is a night out anyway. She tried smiling at herself, but stopped at the superficialness of it in her self in the mirror. Sighing, the brunette left the mirror and went to apply some lipstick (nothing else, she absolutely detested the time she was made to wear all that heavy makeup for the Lobelia concert). Once that was done, she heard the door opening again and Tamaki's cheerful greeting sounded in the living room.

"Haruhi, my beloved, are we ready?"

Haruhi smiled, and grabbing her purse she walked out the door, hand in hand with the love of her life.

Twenty minutes through heavy traffic jams, they arrived at the restaurant. Walking in a pair of glass-plated doors, Haruhi attempted to stem the flow of memories that came rushing back.

There it was. The same table where they ate, where Kyouya kissed her under the warm glow of the chandeliers. She must've looked upset, because she saw Tamaki looking at her with worried eyes. Haruhi gave him a reassuring smile, and they walked over to their table together.

Sitting down, the couple were given their menus. Haruhi was getting moodier by the minute, but she hid it with lively talk and pleasant laughter.

Tamaki excused himself to use the restroom, and she was sitting there alone waiting for their orders. She fiddled her thumbs waiting for him to return, when she looked up and saw a handsome, bespectacled man coming in through the glass doors, with a slender, lovely woman holding onto his arm.

She quickly turned her head and pretended to be reading her menu. Why on earth would he come back to this place? And who was that girl that was with him? She could hear her heart beating a thousand beats per second, and her blood coursing hot from something she didn't know was what.

They were heading over to a table near them. Kyouya said something to the woman accompanying him, and she tilted back her elegantly-shaped head and gave a delicate little laugh.

Haruhi seethed inside. What right did she have to hold his arm, to laugh and talk with him the way Kyouya and she used to? What did she have that Haruhi didn't?

They were heading past the table. Haruhi quickly buried her head in her menu, and tried to seem as if she wasn't there at all. When they just about passed her and Tamaki's table, she nearly gave a sigh of relief.

"Haruhi, what are you doing here," Kyouya's deep voice seem to ring through her ears.

She froze. Looking slowly up at him, she saw surprise on his face…and something else she couldn't grasp. Then both were concealed, and a mask of calm and geniality took its place.

The woman was looking at her in interest.

"Might I ask if she's an old friend of yours, my dear Kyouya," the woman asked, a tone of subtle amusement in her voice. She smiled at Haruhi. Haruhi didn't smile back.

Kyouya looked at the two of them and sighed.

"Ai-Ling, this is Fujioka Haruhi, a long-time friend from high school. Haruhi, this is Chen Ai-Ling, the daughter of a businessman from China."

"And the woman of his life, at the present," she wrapped her thin delicate arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Haruhi thought of the days that she did that, to him.

"...and you still keep contact with your… 'friends', from high school? How touching," Ai Ling smiled at her. A smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Kyouya smiled pleasantly.

"She's a lawyer, my dear. Anytime I'd need help with the law, I'd call on her," Kyouya said amiably.

Haruhi was stung, deeply. After all this time, this was how he really thought of their past relationship?

Ai-Ling laughed. "Well of course, I only wanted to know the reason for such devotion, since it has been a while, has it not?" she arched her long elegant eyebrows.

Just then, Tamaki came out of the restroom and appeared at their side.

"Ah, Kyouya! What are you doing here?" Tamaki greeted his friend excitedly. He turned to Ai Ling. "And who's that lovely lady escorting you," He asked kindly.

Ai-Ling flipped her long shiny dark hair behind her back, and smiled. The way she fingered her pearl-drop earrings, and turned her head seemed to catch everyone's attention around them, even the waiter who nearly tripped over his own feet gazing at her with his mouth open.

She was wearing a deep crimson-colored dress that was styled from the Qing Dynasty, embroidered with gold and yellow flowers and leaves. And Haruhi thought that she herself looked nice, for once. Not that she minded clothing or anything—she never did. It was just for the first time that she didn't like someone outranking her in something. If it caught the attention of a man like Kyouya, that is.

Everything about her seemed elegant—from the shape of her face, to her hands, to the curve of her waist. Not to mention that Haruhi didn't have any of that. Her skin was a translucent color—the hue of yellow cream. Her eyes were elongated, and her pupils a rich, deep-set black. Her lips were rich, the hue of cherries, and smiled sweetly every time they opened to answer someone's question.

"Haruhi? Are you alright?"

Haruhi broke out of her resentful thoughts, and tried to find the source of the voice.

It was Tamaki, looking at her worriedly. Apparently introductions were all over, and from a quick glance around the table, she deduced that they were going to share dinner with them. What fun, Haruhi thought to herself gloomily.

The four of them chatted amiably for some time. Haruhi noticed that Ai-Ling preferred to listen, as if she was saving up information for later. Although she knew that Kyouya did that all the time, she knew it was always for the benefit of the Club. This Ai-Ling, she didn't know about.

"So, Haruhi, what kind of cases do you do," Kyouya's lovely companion addressed her. She smiled sweetly at her, cradling her beautiful face in her hands.

"I try to do cases that benefit others, and not me. To me, being a lawyer is to see to justice, not earning money," Haruhi replied shortly.

The Chinese woman smiled widely.

"Ah, isn't that wonderful Kyouya? Your friend is very compassionate towards others."

"Of course she is," Kyouya answered, for some reason not looking at Haruhi. "She always has."

Ai-Ling continued smiling, though now her eyes glittered with something Haruhi can't tell.

"Dan shi ta bu hui ai bieh ren xiang wo ai ne (But she doesn't love others as much as I love you)," she said sweetly to Kyouya.

Haruhi never bothered studying Chinese, since she always planned to have her career within the country. But now, she wished she knew every last bit of what she said so she could reply too, in that horribly sweet voice of hers.

"Ah, Ai-Ling, what do you know about Japanese cuisine," Tamaki asked, as the food began arriving.

As they took began their dishes, Ai-Ling delicately wiped her mouth and answered, "Why I know much about Japanese cuisine. My father introduces me to foods from all kinds of culture, you see. We run one of the largest organic foods company overseas, here in Japan," she added, smiling.

"I see, how wonderful," Tamaki smiled cheerfully.

The discussion continued, changing from favorite organic foods (rich bastards, Haruhi thought), to the places they like to go most, to their favorite hobbies. Haruhi kept out of conversation as much as she could, replying with a terse answer every now and then, even excusing herself to the restroom once.

While she was in the restroom, she fixed her hair in the mirror, as thoughts rushed through her head.

Why did Kyouya choose a girl like her? Wasn't he happy with… …a person like Haruhi? One who could make him smile and say words like, "That's an interesting point of view," or have deep debates on controversial issues such as abortion and stem cell research. One who knows him well and can see exactly who he is, Haruhi thought, unhappily reminded of the past.

She decided to leave then, and look for the group. She found them already finished eating, and Tamaki was just paying the bill. She arrived just as the waiter took the check from him, and bowed, saying that they were welcome to come back anytime.

"Haruhi! You're just in time," Tamaki told her with a smile. "We were just waiting for you so we could leave."

Kyouya was staring at her now, with that same look that she couldn't fathom earlier.

Haruhi nodded towards him and his companion.

"Goodbye Kyouya-senpai, and Ai-Ling-senpai. Good night."

With that, she took Tamaki by the hand and left through the doors with him, missing the last look that Kyouya gave her, full of love, longing, and regret.

A/N: So, wasn't this a lot longer than I usually write? I'm really proud of myself. pats back Anyhow, I wanted to add in some information here. I am full-blooded Chinese myself, my parents taught me Chinese when I was young (though I've forgotten most of it by then), thus it was easy for me to add a Chinese character in the story. To the person who asked: yes, the dialect is in Mandarin, though the pinyin may not be very accurate to be honest... but China is fastly expanding its economy, so it would make sense for—oops! My bad ;P. That's for another time. Please review, and stay tuned for the next chapter!