ALIVE
An Ouran High School Host Club Fanfiction
Pairings: Kyouya & Haruhi
Type: One-shot
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran.
Warning: Long one-shot. Read at your own risk XD
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The clock stroked seven o'clock in the evening of 15th March where streets began to flood with vehicles that were coming from every direction of town. 7.00 pm nonetheless marks the end of the working day for most workers and usually around that time, they happen to be in a hurry to go back to their little humble abodes. This then results in a quite large number of vehicles to be out on the streets and causing jams that would likely take ten minutes drive into an hour drive instead. Due to this, 7.00 pm would likely to be considered as 'hell' for some people.
And Ootori Kyouya is one of them.
Ootori Kyouya, the third son in the Ootori family, is currently working as the director of one of the Ootori Empire and is known to own one of the richest companies in Japan. By following his father's footsteps and presumably his orders, Kyouya, undeniably excelled in the business fields and later after his graduation, he was handed the Ootori branch by his father. But, with a cost.
"Ootori-sama, this might take a while," his driver told him from the front.
But the third son didn't even concern to respond.
However, despite of having to gain a bit respect from his father by working for him, Kyouya felt something unusual inside. The bad kind of unusual, that is. And with his raged thoughts contemplated in his mind every now and then, he still couldn't find a way to erase his father's unsympathetic words that possibly had crushed his world into pieces at the time.
Kyouya clearly had not mistaken to his every word.
And it was on his 23rd birthday, additionally.
"Son, may I have a word with you?" He remembered his father asked him for a private chat in the office.
He obliged and went into the room with his father.
"Kyouya, you do know that I'm handing you one of my successful companies, is that correct?" his father started.
"Yes, father. I realized that." Kyouya said after closing the door of the room. He could felt tension rising by the minute he set his gaze into his father's cold ones.
"And you do realize that there's a catch in it, right son?"
Kyouya straightened his posture instead of seating in front of him after hearing his father's words. His eyes penetrated even deeper into his father's, noting that he never heard him saying about a catch before. Kyouya kept his cool and calm stance before decided to seat down. His eyes were still not averted from his father's.
"Well, there's indeed a cost you must pay. I'm not giving away my company to you just like that, Kyouya."
"Are you saying that you don't trust me, father?" His voice raised a note higher.
"No, I do trust you. Don't get me wrong. But there's a better way to give a solid foundation for a new director and also for the company."
"And what will that be?" Kyouya said through his teeth, anxious of what his father is going to say next.
But what he's about to find out was something that really had never crossed into his mind and he wasn't really prepared for it.
"And that my son, is by marrying Shimakura Ann, the daughter of the Shimakura Sports Enterprise."
"STOP THE DAMN CAR!" Kyouya shouted suddenly from the backseat of the black limousine, causing the driver to jolt and made an emergency stop beside a pedestrian road. Kyouya, with his eyes glaring onto his fists, continued to shout out maniacally before being calmed down by his faithful driver slash bodyguard.
"Ootori-sama, please calm down. I've already stopped the car!" He convinced Kyouya to restrain from shouting once more. But Kyouya needed no more of his worry, so he then quickly headed out from the limousine by shutting the door quite harshly.
Yet, the driver had no intention to follow him and soon fled away, knowing that his master needs some time by himself without any disturbances. He could even imagine what he will be suffering from if he gets on Kyouya's bad side. And he doesn't like the picture he sees himself into.
Prancing frantically on the sidewalk, Kyouya unconsciously cursed at the fact that he'd actually agreed on being Shimakura's in-law. He knew that his father would one day do this, but he meant it in a sarcastic way. But he couldn't butt out now. The Ootoris and the Shimakuras had already planned everything for the wedding. It wouldn't do justice if he breaks the ties now. It might lead on some blackmail issues in his family.
But I can't do this, Kyouya thought. I'm not in love with her.
The urge to dial Ann's number and to call-off the wedding was at the brink of his thoughts. There were moments that he wanted to get the bloody phone out from his pocket and just get on with it by telling Ann the truth. But when every time he tried to reach out for it, he found himself changing his mind. He couldn't do it, like he already knew he would.
Although often being called cold-hearted for being calm and a cool person, Kyouya isn't exactly the kind of guy who is selfish and thinks about himself in the end. He may not say it, but his actions usually do.
And he knows that if he calls Ann, his bride-to-be, to say that he doesn't want to get married, it would make things a lot worse. Both for his and his family's future.
Kyouya rubbed his temple forcefully, calming down his wild thoughts and took a few deep breaths before continuing walking down the walkway. The streets were still cramming with cars, vans, buses and even motorcycles. The buses were filled with people, squeezing each other like sardines in a can while most of the car passengers were less than three people in it.
Kyouya sighed. They should car-pool next time.
His legs had brought him into a club where he caught himself shocked for the sudden change of destination. He had no idea that he had came into a night club and it's only about ten minutes before eight. If he's correct, night clubs should be opened from ten o'clock at night and last till morning. But why is this club is running strangely at this time of hour?
Kyouya looked around to his surroundings with a weird look. He rubbed his glasses with his shirt before placing them back onto the bridge of his nose. Everything seemed out of place, to him. And he was too. Ootori Kyouya is not a heavy drinker and neither is a clubber. And so to have himself in such place had really made him confused.
What am I doing here? He thought while readjusting his glasses.
Then, not long after the act, someone called out for him right out of the blue. And to Kyouya's eyes, he next saw a red-haired lady was strutting in her heavy-laced yellow dress towards him and smiling so gleefully at him. Kyouya had the idea that he's going to call his cops soon.
You better not touch me, or I'll… His thought was cut off when the lady came to him and gave him a bear hug. This… this woman…
"Oh, hello, sir! Welcome to Ranka's House of Fun," The lady said after released Kyouya from her arms. "Uh, so the name's quite corny but don't mind about it, dear. This place will sure help that frown of yours turn into a smile."
Kyouya twitched. "So I assume that you're the owner of the club?"
"Yes, honey! It is! And I'm Fujioka Ranka. Glad to meet you," Ranka held out a hand, an attempt to shake hands with the person who seemed to have attracted her in some sort.
"Ootori Kyouya," He took her hand and shook it gently. "I am pleased."
"Well then Mr. Ootori Kyouya, what brings you here to my club at such an early hour?"
"To be honest… I…"
Abruptly, the club's phone rang, again cutting off Kyouya's sentences. Ranka, after apologizing to Kyouya, headed over to the counter to answer the caller. Without thinking twice, Kyouya then sat down at the nearest chair he could find and waited for her. But, why should he even stay there any longer if he doesn't want anything?
Why exactly am I doing here?
Soon after bid a goodbye to the caller from the other line, Ranka made her way towards Kyouya with a coat on her right arm. It seemed that she's going out for a moment. And this might not be a good sign for him.
"Kyouya, would you mind watching over the club for a while? I'm heading over to a friend of mine. I won't take much time, I promise." She said while putting on her coat.
"You can count on me, Ranka-san." Kyouya said sincerely.
"Thank you!"
It was at 9.30pm, thirty minutes before the club is officially opened for the night, that Kyouya founds out that Ranka was not a female. It was at 9.40pm that Kyouya insisted on going back home but Ranka had stopped him and pleaded him to stay. And it was at 9.55pm that Kyouya helped Ranka with the final touches of the club. And it appeared that he's going to stay in that said club a little longer than he had intended too.
"Alright, let the fun begins!" Ranka sang before opening the doors to the club where to Kyouya's surprise, a lot, yes I do mean, a lot of people were queuing excitedly in front of the Ranka's House of Fun club while showing off… em… their 'assets' to everybody.
And Kyouya meant in the way they were dressed, actually.
How do I even get myself involved in these kinds of things? Kyouya thought to himself and was pulled into the club by Ranka who was being so chipper at the moment, perhaps because of the number of anticipated customers. Well, why wouldn't he be happy, no?
Kyouya smirked. Of course he understood what it is like to have so many clients and how they affect his business. From his point of view, he would say that nothing beats better than to have profits from them. Likely, his business will run in a good pace and will then secure a spot in the ranks of richest companies in the country. And he'd done it, much to everyone's dismay.
"Drinks on me, Ootori-kun. You've been so helpful today," Ranka said to him dearly. "Please look at it as a token of my appreciation."
"I'm grateful to be a help." Kyouya bowed slightly to him before heading to the bar counter. A drink would be nice for him. Just one drink and that's it. Kyouya was never been a drinker but the situation had called for him to do so. But he vowed to himself, before ordering, that he won't get drunk. No matter what happens, he won't get drunk.
A drunken business man would not be the greatest thing that he wanted to be in the near future.
"Can I have a beer, please?" Kyouya sat on the high stilted chair and ordered for a glass of alcohol. The young male bartender was elated and then went to scoop up a nice beer just for the black-haired man. He put up a smile when placing the glass of cold beer in front of Kyouya.
This couldn't be a gay bar, right? Kyouya said to himself with a whisper.
Much to his dismay, the hours flew by so fast that he merely caught himself drinking a glass after a glass. To that point, he had drunk about four full-filled glass of alcohol and he's still able to balance himself composedly.
I would never let myself get drunk, he thought. Sure he had champagne and those other rich wines with his family before, however, he often contemplated the fact that his body can handle alcohol amazingly, unlike other people who would get high with just a few drinks.
And after a go with another full glass of beer and still being as steady as he was before, he couldn't help but to laugh. Why wouldn't he? He'd just remembered that he had been telling himself for a while about his outstanding endeavor with alcohols and remarkably, he didn't lose himself even the slightest bit.
Or is he?
Kyouya continued to laugh, resulting many perplexed looks were thrown to him without his notice. The bartender who earlier had fulfilled Kyouya's orders had even retrieved away from him, taking orders from other customers and placed himself far away from the laughing black-haired man.
It was then that his phone rang the tune of 'Yankee Doodle' had made Kyouya's laughter stopped. He fumbled the phone in his pocket, pulled it out, pushed on the 'answer' button and answered the caller groggily. He closed his eyes at the same time.
"WHAT?" He shrieked into his phone, unaware who the caller is.
"Kyouya…?" A familiar wave of whimper and soft tone went into his ears. He knew who the caller is just by hearing the voice. And he then stood up from the chair he had been sitting on and made some adjustments of his unsteady voice before saying any more. Did I just got drunk for a second ago?
"Ann!" Kyouya cried in surprise. "Hi, how… how are you?" Great, just couldn't play it cool like always, does it, Kyouya?
"I'm… I'm fine, Kyouya-kun." Her voice dropped into a slow whisper.
"Ann, what's wrong?"
"Nothing… I..."
"You know, you can tell me anything," His voice, like his appearance, was masked away from his original speech.
What the heck do you want, b*tch?
But he knows it's not polite for him to call his wife-to-be that. Although in all those misfortunes he had been through with the Shimakuras, he still needs to respect them.
If it's not for him, he'll do it for the sake of his family's name.
"Kyouya," He then heard Ann said seriously. "I know it must've been hard for you to accept the marriage, and I'm not blaming you but…"
Kyouya waited patiently from the other side of the line.
"But, if we're going to be living happily together, please do the best you can to make it happen. I'm begging you!"
"Ann, wait. I –"
A click sound was heard in the end of their short yet tensed conversation, indicating that Ann had hung up. Kyouya stared down his phone in his hand while thinking of nothing but the sobbing of a young female who happened to be his fiancée. And that she had begged him. To make it happen, she said. To make the marriage a success, Kyouya thought.
He let down an angry fist on the bar counter with a lot force that caused some of the glasses to topple from their standpoint. Alcohol drinks spilled across the counter.
Unwillingly, Kyouya sighed as he drawn out his fingers to meet up with his temple. He slowly rubbed it in circular motions to get him to calm down again. In the said situation, he thought that the day probably was one of the days he had been dreadful of. He just could not stand when the opposite sex's cries. How the tears had made him felt weak and guilty. And then comes those days of mourns and stresses. And he knew that he's going in for one.
"Is Ann your girlfriend?" A voice said from behind. Astonished from hearing someone saying that Ann is in fact his girlfriend, close enough, rather than his fiancée, Kyouya turned around severely to meet up with a little brunette woman who's in a blue knee length dress.
Kyouya was out of words for a while before he could say, "It's none of your business." And then walked away from her.
"I'm sorry. It's just that I overheard your conversation, and I thought that I would give you a hand or something to fix your problem or…"
"Why are you even concern about other people? I don't need any help at all, especially from you. It's my business, so let me do it on my own."
"Oh, well, I'm so sorry for butting in, Mr. I-Think-I'm-So-Cool-That-I-Don't-Need-Anyone's-Help," she clutched her hands on her waist. "It would do you good if you shoe me away nicely though."
Kyouya stopped his tracks and then ran back to her. His hands met up with her small shoulders and grasped them tightly while saying, "Okay then, if that's what you wanted."
Kyouya took a step back before bowing in a gentlemanly way in front of the woman who had been on his nerves just a minute ago.
"If you please excuse me, I need to go somewhere. And I would be grateful if you don't appear in my personal life again, miss…?"
"Haruhi."
"Please accept my sincere apologies, Miss Haruhi."
"You know senpai." Kyouya started to continue to walk again before his tracks were suddenly stopped by her remark. Senpai? Who does she think she is to be calling me that? "You need to cheer up a bit."
"I beg your pardon?"
The brunette named Haruhi then pulled Kyouya hard to the center of the dance floor and asked him to dance to the techno remix rhythm that was played. The sound beat through the night club with everyone showed off their moves and grooves on the multicoloured dance floor. Kyouya, never had done club dancing before, felt totally insecure with himself and tried to move away from the wild scene he's in. But Haruhi, noticing his attempt, quickly pulled him back to her and forced him to dance.
"Senpai, you should dance!" Haruhi shouted through the loud music that surrounded them.
"I don't know how!" Kyouya shouted back.
"Simple, just follow my lead!"
And then Haruhi started to sway from left to right, moving her body to the beat. Kyouya tried his best to imitate her but failed wretchedly. He looked as if he had something in his pants that made him go all jumpy and nuts. Haruhi laughed from the sight of Kyouya's silly self and gave him a twirl with his hand as the techno remix ended and the club began to slow down with an equally slow number.
"May I have this dance?" Kyouya abruptly held over his right hand to Haruhi. Being so unlike Kyouya, he somehow founds it amusing to have this other side of him. Haruhi, as he could see, hesitated to see his hand was seized in front of her.
"What's the matter?" Kyouya took back his hand and stared at her. "I thought you're supposed to cheer me up."
And with that, Haruhi smiled and took his hand in hers and they started to waltzed along the dance floor. It seemed that Kyouya's starting to have fun for once in his life. And he owed it all to the little brunette woman who came out of the blue in that bizarre night club that somehow he had ended up being there that day.
Are you trying to play a trick on me? Kyouya thought for nth time to the upper man above.
"Senpai, are you… having fun right now?" Haruhi said softly.
"Hmm? What makes you think that I'm not?"
"You're not looking like…"
Expecting and knowing what Haruhi would say right then, Kyouya didn't wasted his time to have Haruhi bent over with his palm on her back, holding on to her. His other hand was holding on the other hand of hers. Her neck was exposed and Kyouya took the opportunity to spice up the situation they both were in.
He bent slowly to her ear, whispering out the words, "Well, let me show you how fun I am right now."
Then, without Haruhi's knowledge, he swooped down to her and brought her close to him. They danced together swiftly across the floor to the music that was playing one of the classics and made a few audiences.
Her blue dress fluttered as they swayed and turned, changing the steps and found themselves in an absolute world where just the two of them in it, dancing like there's no one watching. Kyouya admitted that he never been so alive before. Before to have met Haruhi, he had been so uptight with his work and his family but all seemed to disappear when he was on the dance floor dancing with her. It felt like she's the one who had lighted up the fire in him that had been meaning to flame out and about in his life.
In a way, she had made him feel secure with his dancing and also made him feel like he's being born again. Born with a new, stress-free life and a new Kyouya. Kyouya had at first doubted that Haruhi could bring some life in him and he stood corrected.
He, no doubt, had the most wonderful time with her.
The slow number was then turned into another dance mix by the DJ and more people had come up onto the floor to dance. Haruhi intended to head off from the dance scene but she was hurdled back by a force which to her surprise, her dance partner, Kyouya was the one who pulled her.
"Not enough, eh?" Haruhi made a step closer to him.
"It certainly is."
In the midst of commotion with people dancing, drinking and chattering away with their colleagues, right there in the centre of the club was a male and female who never even met each other before and had started off on the wrong foot. But seeing at the scene, people would never have thought that they don't have anything special in their relationship. They would immensely think they have something more than just a normal connection.
And at the said dance floor, Kyouya had pulled Haruhi by the head to give her a sudden mix of nervous yet blissful kiss.
Damn it, I'm not supposed to be doing this! I'm getting married for goodness' sakes. Kyouya raged in his thoughts while still keeping his lips in contact with Haruhi's.
What the heck is he doing? He has a girlfriend already. I should back away from him before… Haruhi suddenly moaned. …that. I'm dead meat.
Haruhi pulled away from Kyouya and stared into his black regretted eyes while her brown ones were desperately searching for an answer in them. Haruhi couldn't kid herself that she didn't felt anything throughout the kiss.
Kyouya, on the other hand, admitted quietly that he had felt sparks flew inside of him when he kissed the brunette, nothing like it had been with Ann.
Could this be… love? He thought while adjusting his glasses to cover him up from blushing to the fact that he had shared a kiss with a woman that was not his fiancée. Kyouya knew that he was being too naïve about it, but he can't help himself to think like that. Such a simple girl had affected him in many ways that he found himself falling for her even though that he had a beautiful woman patiently waits for her fiance to come home.
Ann had stayed with the Ootoris after the announcement about their third son's and her wedding . They had been treated her warmly and considered herself as a part of their family. And Ann never complained about Kyouya's mistreated behaviour towards her. And no matter how hard he tried to break off the marriage, Ann never held him back.
She knew that the marriage is important to her family that she was willing to go for an arranged marriage to save them. But Kyouya, never a day had thought about her and her family rather than his. Am I that selfish? He thought again.
"Senpai…" Kyouya looked at the worn out Haruhi who was clasping her hands close to her chest. He saw that she bowed and said in a troubled tone, evidently that things had got out of hand. "Senpai, we shouldn't do this. It's wrong."
"Haruhi…" He tried to console her.
"No, senpai, you listen to me." She took a deep breath and her gaze met his once again, but this time with a rather angered look than a confused one. "There's someone who is in love with you! What are you thinking, kissing me like that?"
Kyouya looked taken aback. He didn't answer to her question.
"That lucky woman should be happy to be with you, or otherwise why does she called you? Did you not have acknowledged her presence in your life? She's a human being with feelings, for God's sake!"
"I told you to get out from my business." He said furiously.
"Well, it's my business now, senpai. You just so happened to kiss me!"
It was the thing that he feared to hear. It's as if that the world started to tumbling over and eating him inside. It's even painful than his father's words. Yet, he was able to compose himself altogether and kept his cool though.
"I think that it was a random mistake." He said softly.
"Don't tell me that you didn't feel anything?"
He flinched. "Like I would."
Haruhi sensing that Kyouya wasn't going to admit it out loud then reluctantly stuttered a few feet away from him before stopping and giving him a glance.
"You know, senpai, things usually does not turn the way we've planned. Like who's going to be the next to lose his job or simply who are we going to be with in our lives." She turned around to look at him from afar. "But although the person that we don't love is stuck with us by fate, we shouldn't be that cold-hearted towards them."
"And your point is, Miss Haruhi?" Kyouya couldn't wait patiently anymore.
"My point is, senpai that love would come around in time. You just have to wait."
"And you're telling me that from experience?" Kyouya sarcastically said to Haruhi.
"Well yes, I do indeed have experienced that," she said while lifted her left hand and in those disco lights, something shone brightly that made him winced. It was later that Kyouya's eyes grew bigger as he realized what was on her slim finger.
A ring.
Kyouya had never worn his engagement ring since the day he had been engaged to Ann. Even though his father told him to do so, he would always refuse and left rude remarks with it. Oh how he despised the metal band, the band that made him a Shimakura in-law.
Haruhi soon left his sight and disappeared into the pool of people who were still dancing about in the night club. Kyouya looked at his Rolex watch and sighed. It's almost midnight. He headed over to the cloak room to fetch his coat and left the club once and for all. Of course, after bid farewell to the owner, Ranka.
The night seemed so peaceful without the noise of loud music and drunken people and now that the streets were finally empty, he finally had a reason to enjoy the night alone. And he liked the way it is now. Kyouya carefully strolled on the ambler road where suddenly Haruhi's words came into his thoughts.
"But although the person that we don't love is stuck with us by fate, we shouldn't be that cold-hearted towards them."
Kyouya exhaled sharply.
"My point is, senpai that love would come around in time. You just have to wait."
Maybe she could've been right about it. Kyouya said to himself. She does have the ring to prove that she's right anyway.
Kyouya wondered what it is like to be the one who's waiting for his loved one to come home soon. He also wondered how the feelings he wanted for his love to be replied, just like Ann who had been waiting patiently for him. Not only that, he wondered what it is like to have those little things to care about, like she had done to him before. He didn't do justice after all to her. Devastatedly, he finally had realized what he had been doing to her all this time. And he thanked the brunette woman named Haruhi for that matter.
Thank you for everthing, Haruhi...
Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and dialed some numbers. Someone answered his call on the third ring.
"Hello?" a weak voice said to the receiver.
"Ann, is that you?"
"Kyouya… Why are you…"
"Listen; let's go on a date tomorrow."
"A date? But… isn't it too late for that now?" Her voice began to deafen.
"Well, it won't do us harm, does it?"
"I suppose…"
Kyouya stopped his tracks on the walkway and said, "And just so you know, I will do my best to make sure that the both of us are living happily together. I promise you, Ann. And I will not run away from you ever again. Not anymore."
If those words didn't surprised Kyouya, well it sure does to Ann as she founds herself crying out of joy.
THE END.
A/N: Long, isn't it? Haha. Well, tell me what you think :D
P/S: I hope this would clear things up with the pairing of Kyouya & Haruhi. :) Yes, it's indeed a fanfiction between the two of them because Haruhi had related to him in the story that stimulates Kyouya's feelings and made him realize that there's someone special that waits for him but unfortunately, Kyouya and Haruhi didn't end up together (sorry Kyo/Haru fans! T^T). I have no intention on making a KyouxOc fanfiction anyway XD Haha. Well, that's it from me. I'm sorry for the troublesome. *bows