Hinge Factor Part 3: Fathers' Wishes: Sons Vie
Chapter 2: Abiding Binding Bylaws
Disclaimer: Now, I don't even have an OC to call my very own.
The plane ride home was very rough, and not only in the sense of the turbulence. Starting off the trip with a delightful tirade on the subject of Haruhi being off limits, Tamaki made his displeasure fairly apparent.
"Ootori, with you good looks and good name you could have had any girl. You've had several literally throw themselves at you. But you had to choose Haruhi. She was family! Off limits! Zutritt verboten! Prohibido! Kielletty!
Quietly I said, "I think I get the point. But the thing is, you may pretend that all of us are a happy little family but we aren't really. You had to realize that this was going to happen."
Tamki continued, gaining steam,
"There has to be a provision in the by-laws that forbids members to date each other!"
Still attempting to keep my cool I said,
"No Tamaki. I wrote the by-laws and I can assure you that there is nothing that prohibits members from dating. There are clauses that govern the use of alcohol and drugs; the amount of time a host can spend with one customer (otherwise known as the jealousy clause) as well as clauses that outline proper behavior (Mild contact is fine but there will be no improper touching or taking money for certain favors, etc. etc.) But nothing states that we cannot date each other."
Tamaki mumbled, "That's because originally we didn't expect a girl to walk into our Club and smash it all to pieces like that damned vase."
Growing tired of him, I straightened my glasses and snapped my notebook shut on the by-laws. Thrusting it at him I said, "Read them if you'd like but I can assure you that there are no provisions against my relationship with Haruhi."
Smacking the notebook from my hand (The Twins looked like they wanted to go and hide somewhere) he said, "Well as Club President I say that there just has to be a change."
Picking up the notebook, opening it to the first page of the bylaws and shoving it into his face I said, "If you actually read the by-laws you'd find that you need a majority vote to change any of the by-laws. Would you like to take one now?"
Getting an evil look in his eye (a look that actually rivaled some of mine) he took a total 360 viewpoint from the one he had so recently espoused. Leveling his tone to a measured cadence he said,
"No need, no need Kyouya-kun. Although, as Vice-President and Treasurer I'm sure I don't have to remind you that Haruhi still owes us for the vase. Let her finish working it off as a host. If you don't mind coming out of the closet, feel free to date him. Oh wait, that's right. You can't date Haruhi anyway because your father forbids it! Give up now. It would be so much easier."
His words cut like a bare bodkin being shoved through my chest. Growing angrier by the moment I said,
"I'm an Ootori. I don't back down."
Taking a hold of the bodkin, Tamaki began to jiggle the point in the wound.
"Yes, you're an Ootori: Pigheaded, possessive and brutal as all hell. Are you even capable of love?"
Having had enough I jumped into the mire and joined the mudslinging.
"At least I'm not the love child of my Father's mistress. I am a full blooded Ootori."
"The third son of an imperious father who doesn't think you'll amount to anything."
Getting up, I took hold of his shirt with one fist and cocked back my other fist. However, I felt a strong hand grasp my forearm tightly and a great roar sounded in my ear.
"STOP!" Roared Mori-senpai. A silence fell like a pall over Tamaki's Father's plane. As Mori-senpai never spoke above a quiet tone his thundering voice filled the plane like a pall, suffocating us all. Honey-senpai took over.
"I'm so disappointed in you both. Do you know that you came here for nothing? Chris-kun is engaged to be married to a schoolteacher in Tokyo. Haruhi saw him as her big brother. He was teaching her the Tango so she could surprise Kyou-kun. Although he doesn't deserve it."
Turning to him we both said,
"Why didn't you say something!"
Bowing his head he whispered, "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to."
For Honey-senpai's sake we calmed down and hid our differences. However, by not letting them air they just festered, awaiting a time to pop.
Haruhi returned from England the weekend after White Day, which was also a very popular event at the Host Club. All of her customers were disappointed as this meant that none of them received tokens of her affection. The following Monday she returned, tired but happy. Happy that is until she saw the two polar icecaps that had formed on the beautiful marble floor of the music room.
"I see," she said, "So this is how it is. Why don't you two both grow up!" And with that she stalked out of the room.
While we stumbled through the remaining Host Club sessions before the end of the school year (fortunately we were all accomplished actors) our reserve didn't go unnotice. Renge and the Twins were often seen in the corner in deep conversation. When anyone approached they put on masks of nonchalance and pretended that they had only been speaking of the weather. Which was surprisingly cold for the beginning of April. In silly little last-ditch games they began to leave little notes supposedly written by Kyou and myself in our belongings. However, as they tended to be a bit overblown we knew the real authors. Occasionally we would meet in the dish room for a quick kiss however, as the months went on this became a rare occasion. This was not due to our wishes, for on those few moments alone our touch still held the same fire; rather, we remained quite cagey about these meetings as Tamaki-senpai had an uncanny radar for our exact location. He was always kind enough to remind us tacitly that he knew about us and that he was quite capable of making that knowledge useful.
By June, none of us were on speaking terms as the pressure was just getting too much. However, the entire group did gather for Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai's graduation. Putting out an ultimatum, Honey-senpai said,
"In five years, at my class reunion, I fully expect to hear that you have ironed out your differences. Before that I will be waiting for a wedding invitation, a photograph of you at your graduation smiling together, or some other proof that you have mended fences and that those fences are not being used to keep each other out but rather as gateways that are always open in friendship. For you cannot go on like this."
Mori-senpai continued, "I forbid it."
While his voice didn't rise above his normal tacit tone there was a great amount of weight behind his words that made it clear that that was not a threat but a promise. That alone should have been incentive for us to make up but we were thick skulled.
Yes, Tamaki and Kyou were thick skulled. And I soon grew tired of their frigid ways and thus decided to spend my summer at my Father's friends' resort. The manual labor was refreshing. And although I fantasized about Kyou-kun showing up at the hotel I saw no one.
For some reason I was put under survalilence that summer. Barely being able to breathe without one of Father's staff members taking note I certainly couldn't go visit Haruhi. I spent the summer filling out college applications and hoped that the fall would bring good tidings on all accounts.