A/N: So yeah, I'm actually starting another new story. Now, before you think I'm crazy, know that I actually have this one written in advance and a set schedule of when each new chapter will be posted. I don't like posting multiple chapters together, so that's why.
This is someting I had orignally planned for Valentine's Day, but couldn't get it finished in time. So I decided to hold of and post it during March instead, which in Japan is the month of White Day. It still kind of counts, right?
Anyway, I here's the first chapter of Apathy of Cupid. I hope you all enjoy!
'Okay… got the milk, got the eggs -store was out of leeks- got the beef broth…'
Haruhi paused, the tip of the pen resting between her lips as she re-read her shopping list, written on a mildly crumpled sheet of white notebook paper. She felt a chill when a gust of cold wind snapped at her back. Using her free hand, Haruhi pulled her unbuttoned winter jacket closer and mentally went over the number of days left until Spring. She removed the pen from her mouth and crossed several things off, a low hum escaping her lips.
"I think that's everything," she said aloud. "Better get home fast before the weather turns bad."
Haruhi picked up the grocery bags, pausing a few moments more to adjust them in her hands. As she walked by, she tossed the list into a trash can, feeling a sense of accomplishment at getting all her chores done in only a few hours. The sun hadn't even fully set yet, and her father was working late tonight. All Haruhi had to worry about now was preparing a light dinner, and then she could spend the rest of the night with her homework, just the way she liked it.
She took note of the imposing gray clouds as she crossed the street, feeling a twinge of fear that they were an omen of something coming. Something big and something loud. Haruhi shivered involuntarily.
'Don't worry,' she told herself. 'The weather forecast said it would be clear skies tonight. There's nothing to worry about.'
'Ah, but the forecast is often wrong,' a nasty little voice in her head answered. 'They're wrong already, they specifically said there'd be clear skies today, and I'm seeing a lot of clouds.'
Grinding her teeth, Haruhi paid the voice no heed and kept moving, quickening her pace the barest of fractions. The bags swung hard at her side. Every time they came back to her, it's contents shook in time with the crinkling plastic. Haruhi stepped off the sidewalk into the street, a line of stopped cars in her peripheral vision, waiting with varying degrees of patience for the green light. Along the way, she also passed a man and woman, both barely older than her from the looks of it. They moved slowly, their arms wrapped around each other. The woman's head rested on the man's shoulder, his head on top of hers. Though Haruhi only saw them for a split second, the content smiles on their faces were hard to miss. She even thought she heard the woman gave a contented sigh as they walked off into a crowd.
Haruhi continued the familiar trek, passing a record store and a learning center and a dingy café, all of which she had almost memorized at this point. Outside the latter was another pair. Like the one in the street, they appeared to be lovers, but unlike them, they didn't seem quite as… loving.
"Don't you lie to me, you asshole!" the woman shrieked, slamming her fist on the window and making it shake. "I saw you flirting with that slut Koda outside the library yesterday. What, trying to get some of her special 'one on one tutoring?'"
"I didn't even talk to her!" the boyfriend shot back, red in the face from yelling so much ('And so loud,' Haruhi thought with a wince). "She was just following me around, chattering in my ear. I tried to shake her off, but-"
"Oh, bullshit."
The conversation from there was unknown to Haruhi, as she finally walked out of earshot and back into the peaceful quiet.
'Love is in the air,' she thought sardonically. 'I really can't wait until Valentine's Day is over.'
Haruhi glanced at the clothing store on the right. It boasted a large sign that took up half the window, proclaiming a 'Buy One, Get One Free' sale in honor of the hapless holiday. The uncovered portion revealed the cashier clumsily wrapping a heart shaped box with bright red ribbon.
'Does it even have a point? I mean, why do you need a specific day to show your significant other that you like them? You should already do it every day. No need to make a show of it.'
But of course, not everyone shared Haruhi's lukewarm viewpoint. In fact, all of her illustrious high school was getting into the spirit. Her last few days at the Host Club had consisted almost entirely of clients asking her for advice on gifts for their boyfriends and crushes.
"My boyfriend is on the football team and he likes to avoid sweets. Do you think if I made him sugar free cookies, that would be okay?"
"I've been in love with him for so long, I want to give him something special. What to do think?"
"I mean, you are a guy, so you know what guys like. Right, Haruhi?"
It had been fine, slightly amusing even, the first few days, but now Haruhi was getting tired of it. She never knew exactly what to say to these girls. Most of her 'advice' consisted of agreeing with everything they said and praising all of their ideas until they swooned before her and dropped the subject. It was an increasingly tiring task, but like everything else Haruhi got into, she took it in stride.
The rest of the school was about the same, talking endlessly about what they should get and what they would get and how to spend the day after school and how in love they were and how wonderful it was. The walls were becoming pinker every day from the holiday spirit they all possessed.
All but Haruhi.
Well, okay, that wasn't entirely true. She was by no means the only one didn't care about Valentine's Day. Nekozawa-senpai, for one, hadn't been out of his club room since the start of February. It was even speculated that he never went to classes or returned home. According to Hikaru and Kaoru, the wave of love and affection went so far against his dark nature that even the mere mention of 'the V word' would send him into a coma-like state. Haruhi doubted that was true, but it didn't change the sounds of cowering she heard whenever she passed the door separating the two clubs.
And speaking of the club…
"(go-sen) mairu hashitte iki wo kirashite Adorenarin"
Haruhi stopped to grab her vibrating cell phone. One look at the Caller ID was all that was necessary to bring her annoyance to it's peak. Of course it would be the king of Valentine's Day himself calling her now of all times. Knowing there was no point in ignoring him (he'd just keep calling), she flipped open the phone and accepted the call.
"Hey, Senpai," she said, picking up the pace again. "What's going on-"
"HARUHIIIIII!" he screamed. Haruhi jumped and pulled the phone away, keeping it a full inch above her ear so she could still her him yelling. "Haruhi! My beloved daughter! Is everything alright? Are you well? Are you?"
"Yes," Haruhi answered, only realizing after she'd said it that he probably didn't hear her. She pulled the phone back to her ear. "Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"Well, of course I'm asking!" Tamaki said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I heard that thunder same as you. What if a storm hits? Will you be okay?"
Haruhi didn't answer right away, as her mind filled with the sounds of clapping thunder roaring around her. A chill went down her spine, but Haruhi shook it off.
"Senpai, even if there is a storm, it'll probably be a small one. I can put on some music to drown it out or something. I'll be okay."
"But how do you know?" Tamaki pressed. The steady thumps Haruhi could just make out suggested that he was pacing. "What if it gets really bad and you're all alone! As your surrogate father, I simply won't allow it!"
Haruhi sighed inwardly. "Thank you for the sentiment, but I'm alright. I don't want to take you away from your homework or anything. I'm safe at my place and nothing bad is going to happen."
A funny sound exuded from the receiver, something like a whimper and a groan mixed together. Haruhi knew he wasn't going to like her refusal of his all but stated intentions, but frankly, she wasn't in the mood for company. It made lying to him about being at home much easier. She was positive that if she told him were she really was, he would not only offer to stay with her, but he'd come that big, conspicuous limo of his and insist on driving her the rest of the way home. That she was already half a block away wouldn't matter in the slightest.
"I suppose if you're sure," he begrudgingly said, so softly that Haruhi almost didn't hear it.
"Thank you for understanding," she said with relief.
"But if it does happen and it becomes bad," Tamaki said, his sudden return to seriousness surprising Haruhi. "If you get even a little scared, call me immediately. Promise?"
Haruhi wanted to roll her eyes, but the sincere concern for her well-being was admittedly touching. Not that she ever doubted her bubbly Senpai didn't care about her, it was just interesting to hear him so… mature about it, for lack of a better term.
Without another delay, she gave an affirmative response, hoping it would set Tamaki's mind at ease. His sigh of relief confirmed this, but he wasn't done yet.
"I'll still call in the morning to check up on you," he said. "Don't forget, we still have to plan for the Garden Party on Valentine's Day. Kyoya's organized the food and decorations, all that's left is to make out the fliers and announce the event. It's going to be so exciting!"
Well, that hadn't lasted long. The idiotic happiness he so often sported was back with a vengeance. Haruhi sweat dropped as from here, he'd likely get more and more excited by the minute.
"Yeah, I bet," she said in as unenthusiastic a way as one could. Naturally, this didn't register with Tamaki.
"I just can't wait. Valentine's Day is the most romantic holiday there is! All the joy and happiness! Oh, love is in the air! Can you feel it, Haruhi?"
"Mm-hmm," she relented. "It feels great, Senpai. I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I have homework to do."
"Say no more," Tamaki cried out. "I wouldn't want to impede on your studies. Goodnight Haruhi, and remember, call me if you need help."
Haruhi blinked. The serious voice again, so quickly and without warning. She stared off at nothing, trying to imagine the look on Tamaki's face as he waited for an answer. It wasn't as hard a task as one might think. A goofball Tamaki may be, he knew when it was time to stop joking around. And he meant everything he was saying right now.
"I promise," she reiterated.
A series of goodbyes later, Haruhi was once again on the move. She exhaled hard as she pocketed her phone. Tamaki remained at the forefront of her mind, as he would for the next few minutes while she tried to gradually guide her train of thought to a different topic, like whether or not she'd be able to get that history paper finished by tonight, or if she should make pork ramen tonight instead of vegetable, or when her father would get around to calling her to say when he'd arriving home so she could wait up for him.
Somehow though, it always went right back to Tamaki Suoh, and how strange Haruhi had been feeling around him lately. Sometimes, it was almost like she couldn't look at him without heat rising in her cheeks. When he spoke to her, he had her complete attention, even if it was just his usual babble. Nothing appeared to have changed; he was still a Drama Queen, the twins could still set him off with the slightest provocation, and he still went to that corner of his roughly five times a day for various asinine reasons. It was business as usual for her and the Host Club.
There was no difference.
None at all.
Except for Haruhi. Maybe she was the one who had changed in some way, without even realizing it.
'I wonder if I have a cold,' she thought, placing a hand on her forehead.
Sudden and quick movement from above jerked Haruhi away from her contemplation. She craned her neck up, staring at the deep gray clouds that covered the sky and left her unable to tell if the sun had fully set or the moon had started to rise. She squinted, trying to make out anything that might explain what she just saw. Or thought she saw, anyway.
Because if Haruhi didn't know any better, she'd say a person had just flown over her head. In the split second it took for whatever it was to pass, she could just make out what appeared to be a head and arms stretched out on either side like a comic book superhero. Brown eyes darting this way and that, predictably finding nothing save more clouds and a few birds.
Letting out a breath, Haruhi turned and shook her head.
'I'm just seeing things,' she told herself. 'Maybe I'll go to bed early tonight or something.'
There came a rumbling, like the one before, only louder and closer. It shook Haruhi to her very core, making her freeze in place. She clenched her fist tighter around the shopping bags as the sky light up for a split second, followed by more thunder. It cracked and roared, and Haruhi whimpered involuntarily.
"Stay calm," she told herself. "Stay calm and keep moving. You're almost home."
'I should have taken Senpai up on his offer,' her inner voice added, but Haruhi brushed it aside fast. That didn't stop the strange feeling that arose in her stomach and was almost great enough to eclipse the deep, primal fear of thunder that had been with her since childhood.
Haruhi felt a droplet on her head, followed by two more on her gloveless hands. Pretty soon, the rain was coming down so hard, it was almost blinding. Haruhi broke into a run, unconcerned with the bags of food she carried. Better broken or ripped than soaking wet and ruined. When another shot of lightning hit, this one directly in front of her and in her line of sight, she ran faster, as if that would help her avoid the inevitable.
Thunder boomed, worse than ever, just as the apartment complex came into view. Heedless of the cars that screeched to a stop as she ran by and honking at her in outrage, Haruhi bolted for the staircase. She climbed up two at a time with stamina born from adrenaline. The door was in view and the key in her pocket hopped around with abandon. Haruhi came to a stop right in front of the familiar numbers and cried out in relief in spite of herself.
She ran into some slight difficulty unlocking the door. Her shaking hands lead her to strike the key against the bronze covering once or twice before she finally found the keyhole. One turn later, the door was swinging open and Haruhi had one foot beyond the threshold. She felt her frazzled nerves begin to cam down, thoughts of what she would do from here on out (put away the groceries, make a light dinner, get some homework done, turn in early) entering her mind and erasing all the bad.
The next bolt of lightning struck. Haruhi's dimly lit house was illuminated for all the world to see. It didn't immediately register in her mind how close the lightning had been; she was motionless for duration of the flash and subsequent thunder. Another few inches to the left, and she would be a fried husk in the doorway. Her mouth fell open as that realization hit her, but she had no more time to dwell on it as her inner voice was drowned out by a massive thud.
Haruhi whirled around, not knowing what to expect or even if she'd really heard something real and not imagined. What she found was definitely real, but far beyond anything she could have imagined.
A man, flat on his back, unconscious at her feet. Bright red hair covered the top part of his face, but she could still make out tightly closed eyes. His clothes were rumpled and wet from the rain, but looked expensive and well made. His arms were outstretched, the fingertips almost brushing Haruhi's shoe. Despite his lack of movement and pale face, his chest moved up and down slowly.
Haruhi stood there for a long while, oblivious to the rain lessening to an eventual stop and the thunder going with it. In the lamp light, she could make out his every feature besides the eyes. She closed her eyes and opened them. Then she closed them again, tighter this time and counting to ten before opening. The man was still there. He was still knocked out.
And most importantly, he still had a giant pair of white, feathery wings protruding from his back.
Haruhi let out a breath she didn't knew she was holding as her head very slowly lifted to the sky. The sky this man appeared to have fallen out of.
"I…" her mouth moved on it's own. "I… I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Dad."