Chapter Three: Sunday, 1 O'clock
An Ouran High School Host Club fan-fiction
By: Saadia Mirage
Pairing: Tamaki/Haruhi
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or any of it's characters. They belong to the original mangaka Bisco Hatori and Studio Bones. This is a fan story, for amusement purposes only.
Author's note: Sorry it took me so long to get back to this. Had a lot going on, transferring some data, and lost a good chunk of the material for this chapter and later ones so I was pretty discouraged... But thank you for the continued reviews and favorites!
In addition to the update here, I also uploaded a brand new (most likely) stand alone story called "Study Break" for this pairing, and actually set in the same "timeline" as Courtship, though about a year later. Please check it out if you're interested!
--
Haruhi had gotten up at her normal Sunday hour, which wasn't especially early or late, but always before her father. Donning her usual yellow apron and pulling her hair under a handkerchief, she had gone about her chores just as she did every Sunday. She did the dishes, wiped down the kitchen, dusted, and vacuumed. When her father woke up, she made them both a simple meal. She was about to get to work on the weekly laundry when she glanced at the clock on the table.
"Twelve forty-five all ready?" She mumbled.
Ryoji Fujioka danced into the room, skirt swirling. "Haruhiii could you please go to the store for me today? Daddy would like some sukiyaki for dinner!"
She stared at the clock for a little while longer, something itching in the back of her mind. "Yeah, sure Dad... I'll just--OH CRAP!"
Her father's happy swirling came to abrupt stop at her outburst.
"Eh?"
"It's twelve-forty-five!!" She gasped, standing up, the clothes she had been folding in her lap falling into an untidy heap on the floor.
He blinked at her slowly. "Ah... Well, yes..."
"Oh, man, I gotta go! I'm gonna be late!" She exclaimed, tearing off her apron and throwing it on top of the laundry basket. She practically sprinted out of the room, stopping briefly in the entranceway to put on her sneakers before slamming the door behind her.
Her father stared after her, then shrugged. "Must be a sale."
Haruhi broke into a run again as she neared the entrance to the subway. She had been jogging for a few blocks since she had rushed out of the house.
She had nearly forgotten about meeting Tamaki that afternoon.
She reached the subway platform right as the closing alarm started to go off. She dashed into the train, doors nearly closing on her heels. Panting, she took her seat across from a startled-looking elderly couple.
"Excuse me." She said, bowing an apology.
The woman looked amused instead of affronted. "Why are you in such a hurry young lady?"
"Ah... Just late... meeting... a friend." She panted.
The old woman laughed softly. "Must be some friend!"
Haruhi just smiled politely. She spent the rest of the short ride in relative silence. She took the handkerchief out of her hair and straightened her t-shirt a little. She hadn't even thought to brush her hair properly this morning. She usually took a bath in the evening on Sundays. To make things worse, she was wearing a old baseball shirt that had belonged to her mother and an old pair of baggy blue jeans with a hole in one knee and a bleach spot on the other. It was laundry day, after all.
'Well, if this doesn't scare him away, nothing will.' She thought.
Two stops later she was at her destination. She took a deep, bracing breath and exited the train, the elderly couple following suit.
The square was just a block away from the station, so her walk was brief.
She turned the corner and there he was.
He was leaning up a against a short brick wall surrounding a bank of trees. He was wearing a trim black blazer and matching slacks paired with a baby blue polo shirt and silver-edged sunglasses. He looked like a fine example of a Parisian sophisticate, an effect that was only multiplied by the fairly average, middle-class Japanese that milled around the area. Several people were giving him curious looks as they walked past.
When he saw her his face split into a brilliant smile and he waved animatedly, as if she wouldn't have noticed him otherwise.
She took another one of those deep, bracing breaths.
"My! I'd run for that one." The old lady said behind her, laughing against her hand.
'Funny,' Haruhi thought, 'Why do I want to run away?'
"Haruhi!" He said happily, approaching her. "Hello! Fabulous day isn't it! Perfect weather!"
"Hey," She greeted with considerable less enthusiasm, "Have you been waiting long?"
"No... Uh, not THAT long..." He said, looking slightly embarrassed. He changed the subject. "I hope you had a good morning!"
She shrugged. "It was... Sunday."
He looked her up and down briefly, a look of mild confusion on his face. He seemed to have just noticed her rather relaxed wardrobe in comparison to his own. "Th.. Those clothes..." He mumbled.
She raised an eyebrow, warningly. "What about my clothes?"
"N-nothing! Nothing!" He said, laughing nervously.
She blinked at him for a moment. Despite his smart outfit and expensive sunglasses, underneath it he was sweating a bit. He really was flustered about this whole thing, and she found that fact slightly amusing. Uncertainty was an interesting look for him.
"You sure are dressed up." She said, smiling a little.
"Ah, well..." He mumbled. "Of course I am."
"It's a little flashy for this neighborhood, but somehow it fits you."
He beamed in response. "Thank you!"
She sighed, but couldn't help but keep her smile. It hadn't been a compliment, but that was Tamaki for you.
"Where would you like eat?" He asked lightly.
Her smile fell at little. "...Eat?"
"Yes, of course." He said, looking slightly confused. "This was a lunch date, right?"
"O-of course." She said, a bit uneasily. She had just eaten at home, before she had remembered about this so-called lunch date. But... She wasn't cruel enough to tell that right to his face (at least not immediately). And was she going to say no to free food?
...Then again, Haruhi knew that in the end, there was no such thing as a "free" lunch. She mused on this for a moment.
"Well?" He asked. "Any ideas?"
"How about you choose," She said, "This was your idea after all."
He scratched his head thoughtfully. "Well, I don't really know the area..."
"Oh, right." She said, nodding. "Well let's see... There's a family restaurant, a couple of fast food places, Korean barbecue... And... Ah... Ramen..."
"Ramen?" He repeated, eyes lighting up.
She sighed. "Ramen it is then." At least she wouldn't feel guilty about eating a cheap meal like that, and he would be over the moon about it.
They walked into the small establishment and exited again about a half-hour later, Tamaki ecstatic with his new "authentic commoner experience" and Haruhi feeling a bit overly full.
"That was delicious!" He exclaimed happily as they returned to the streets.
"I don't know why you were so impressed by it. It was pretty standard fare, really." She said coolly.
"Ah, but every new experience is delicious, Haruhi!!" He laughed.
She smiled a little, perplexed but amused. "If you say so."
He was grinning, looking much more relaxed and his normal self after the meal. She would have almost swore that she could see a tail wagging. "Now where shall we go?" He asked excitedly.
Haruhi blinked at him, confused. "We're going somewhere else now?"
He deflated slightly. "I... I had hoped so." He said, giving her a hopeful, puppy-eyed look.
She shrugged. "Fine, fine." She gave in easily, not wanting to start him on an inevitable whine-a-thon. "Where do you want to go?"
He broke into his grin again. "Where... Where... Hmm. How about... how about..." He said, looking around eagerly. His eyes fell on another restaurant. "Here! Let's go here!" He exclaimed, pointing to the window.
"You're still hungry?" She marveled.
"No, no! Not the restaurant! Look at this flyer here!" He said excitedly.
She took a closer look. Upon inspection, she was able to discern what his excitement was about. On the window there was a large, colorful advertisement. "A theme park?" She said incredulously.
He was practically bouncing. "A local carnival!" He laughed, "With a ferris wheel and everything!!"
"Isn't that just for kids?" She asked dubiously.
He turned to her with watering eyes.
She sighed again. 'Yup,' She thought, 'definitely no such thing as a free lunch.'
"Well, lets get going then." She said, resigned to her fate.
"All right!"
As she had suspected, the park was filled with children half their age. This, of course, did not deter Tamaki in the slightest.
He was so excited and everyone else seemed so perplexed at his antics some seemed to think he was part of the attraction. After he asked to have a picture with the park mascot, a group of middle school girls asked to have their picture taken with him. He tried to decline politely, giving a distressed look to Haruhi, but she just rolled her eyes and took the picture for them. They went off twittering with excitement. Tamaki tried to apologize to her since they were on a date and all, but she just waved it off (the girls perhaps mistook her for a male friend of his rather than a female date, which of course she couldn't blame them for).
He pulled her onto the carousel, into the house of mirrors, and even through the game booths. He was so frustrated by his inability to knock over the milk cans, he had to buy then both cotton candy to lift his spirits. Later Haruhi went back and won a small stuffed tiger (with the Hanshin logo and everything). Tamaki accepted it with awe.
They waited in line for the rickety roller coaster, Tamaki startling the old woman measuring the height of the children before they boarded the ride (she said he was the tallest person to ever ride, which he found entirely too amusing).
He laughed through the whole thing, the children joining in jubilantly. By the end of the ride they were all cheering.
Eventually, Haruhi found herself not being able to stop a smile.
They exited the ride, out of breath and laughing.
"This is so much fun! Don't you think so, Haruhi?" He gasped, sitting down on a park bench to catch his breath.
She sat down beside him, gripping a muscle in her side that was aching. "I... It is. It really is." She laughed.
Tamaki was taken aback by her response (maybe he had been expecting her normal cool sarcasm), and blushed. "I'm... I'm glad you're having fun." He said, smiling at her.
She seemed even surprised at herself. She leaned back and stared up at the sky. "I... I haven't been to a place like this... Since before..."
She paused for a moment, face sobering a little. "Since before my mother died."
Tamaki stared for a moment, stricken. He was about to say something comforting when a loud sob interrupted both of their thoughts.
They looked out into the courtyard in front of them to find a young blond boy wandering around by himself, looking positively terrified. He was looking frantically around, but none of the people passing through the area seemed to pay him any mind.
Haruhi immediately went to crouch down beside him. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you lost?" She asked softly.
The child looked up at her, tears streaming down his round face. He blinked at her miserably, looking thoroughly confused.
"I said, are you lost? Did you loose your Mommy?" She repeated.
The child stared a moment more, sniffling and shaking his head.
Haruhi frowned. "Maybe we should go find a park employee..."
"Wait a moment... Maybe..." Tamaki said, touching her shoulder. Slowly, he knelt down beside the child. He smiled gently and began to speak, but no longer in Japanese. "Ne pleure pas. Nous t'aiderons." He said softly, "Où est ta mère? Est-ce que tu es perdu?"
The child stared at him a moment, dumbstruck and eyes wide. Then, all in a rush, he began babbling in French.
Haruhi was taken aback.
Tamaki listened intently, nodding along as the poor boy babbled away. He patted the child on the head reassuringly.
"He says he last saw her by the horses, so I guess he means the carousel. That's way on the other side of the park. He must have wandered pretty far."
She blinked at him, still a bit surprised. "I guess we better take him back there then."
Tamaki said as much to the boy, and together the three of them walked back to the carousel area. After about ten minutes of searching, they found a distraught blonde woman calling into the hall of mirrors. When she saw them, she ran towards them and scooped up the boy.
"Ah! Guillame!" She sobbed, clutching him.
"Maman!" He wailed.
Afterwards, the woman thanked them both profusely in broken Japanese. She bowed and lead the boy, "Guillame" as he was called, back towards the park entrance.
"Prenez soin de vous!" Tamaki called after them.
The little boy turned and waved back at them, the stuffed tiger Tamaki had given him clutched in his small hand.
They stood together waving back until the mother and child were out of sight.
Haruhi looked over at Tamaki, with a raised eyebrow. "How did you know he was French?" She asked curiously.
"I didn't. It was just a guess. Though, if he was English or German I could have maybe translated that, too." He said thoughtfully.
She regarded him seriously for a moment.
He blinked at her. "What is it?"
"N-nothing." She said, turning away and starting to walk towards the exit herself. "I'm just glad we were able to help him."
"It must have been scary, to be in a place so far away from home, alone, and not know how to ask for help." He said, catching up with her.
She stopped for a moment. "Tamaki... Did you know any Japanese before you moved here?"
He hummed thoughtfully. "No, not really. Maybe a few words. But after the two semesters at school, I had learned enough to pass the level 1 proficiency test. Barely." He laughed.
Haruhi was desperately trying to hide her awe. The level 1 JLPT tested for complete fluency, and was something that most couldn't pass easily even after years of study.
"I watched a lot of old samurai movies and jidaigeki," He continued in a completely casual way, "Kurosawa is the best, don't you think?"
Haruhi frowned at him. "Uh... Ye-yeah." She mumbled, wondering at him. There was no way he could have learned all his Japanese from period dramas! Though, that would explain his contrived way of speaking sometimes...
He seemed to suddenly realize that they were at the exit. "Wait!" He shouted, startling her.
"Wh-what is it?"
He turned his puppy-eyes on her. "We never rode the ferris wheel!"
Her mind boggled a little. "Ferris wheel?"
"Yeah! Come on, let's go back! No trip to a carnival is complete without it!!"
"Well, allri--" She started, but he had all ready taken her hand and was dragging her along with him.
As they waited in line for the ride, Haruhi looked up at the sky. The daylight was starting to fade. She suddenly realized that she had spent nearly four hours in Tamaki's presence and was only faintly wondering about her own sanity. Surely now she should be in a straight jacket. But instead she only felt slightly winded, a little warm, and a bit befuddled.
As they stepped into the small cabin of the ride, she recalled her vague memories of the one time she had ridden in one previously. The occupancy could only hold two people at a time, so only her father and herself were able to ride. From the peak height of the circular path, they both waved fanatically at her mother waiting below, a small figure in a blue sun dress and jeans standing beside the gate. She couldn't remember much about the ride itself — if she had been scared or bored or excited — but somehow she could perfectly recall the image of her mother smiling up at them, shading the afternoon sun out of her eyes with one hand.
"Haruhi?"
She broke out of her reverie, and looked up at Tamaki who was sitting across from her on the opposite bench, looking a little worried.
"Are you all right?" He asked.
She shook herself a little. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."
"You're not afraid of heights, right?"
"No, not at all." She answered honestly.
He gave her another questioning look, but then the cabin lurched slightly and the ride began. His back straightened and he looked out the window excitedly.
The ride was slow, and gentle. The wind outside wasn't blowing, so the only motion of the ride was from the smooth upward curve of the wheel. The window behind Tamaki faced the center of the ride, so she turned and looked out the glass behind her. The sky outside was just starting to turn orange, and the sun was dipping behind the buildings in the distance. The rays were still sharp enough to hurt her eyes a little if she looked too long, so she turned back around, rubbing her eyes.
"Do you want to switch?" He offered, indicating his seat.
She nodded a little, and stood up carefully.
Unfortunately at that moment the cabin shifted with the rotation of the wheel, and she stumbled into him.
He caught her by the arms. For a split second their faces were close, their eyes met, and then the momentum brought them together.
Her collarbone smashed him quite squarely in the nose.
After exiting the ride and horrifying a few families waiting in line, Tamaki purchased a suitably tacky shirt at the gift shop to replace his blue polo which was now decorated with a generous display of splattered blood.
Haruhi apologized profusely, but Tamaki just smiled and put another wad of tissue under his nose. He sat down on a bench and she hovered beside him with a handful of toilet paper.
"It-it didn't 'urt that mush, Haruhi!" He said, slightly muffled. "I'b fine!"
"You're sure it's not broken or anything? Really?"
He took the crumpled wad away from his face for a moment and leaned his head back. "R-really. If it was broken, I would know! The team captain on my soccer team in junior high broke his nose on a goal post. It was much worse than this!" He laughed a little, and then winced.
She smiled a little and handed him some more tissue. "You played soccer? Really?"
"In France, and not for very long. I'm afraid I wasn't quite suited for it. They brought me out for penalty kicks and not much else."
She briefly recalled his "starlight kick" and the destructive effect it had on the Newspaper Club president.
"What about you, Haruhi? Are you all right?" He asked, looking up at her.
"Me?" She mumbled, looking down at herself. She touched her collar gingerly. "I think I may get a bit of a bruise, but that's all."
"Ah, that's..." He said, looking genuinely worried, "I'm sorry."
She shook her head at him, a bit amazed. "You're tougher than you look. Your head is hard enough to take plenty of knocks and you're still able to worry about someone else. I'm fine. You're the one that looked like something out of a haunted house a minute ago."
"Love is a battlefield, or so I've heard." He laughed.
At this, she suddenly felt a bit nervous and hot. She looked down at her wristwatch as an excuse to not make eye contact. "Oh man, it's nearly dinner. I'm sorry Tamaki-senpai but I have to get back home." She sighed.
He nodded, then cradled his head a little. "Yes, myself as well. I'll call a car and we can drop you off on the way."
--
A phone call and a short, well-upholstered ride later she was back in front of her apartment complex. She opened the door before the driver could, and stepped out onto the sidewalk.
She bowed politely. "Thank you for the meal."
Tamaki grinned at her from the rolled-down window. "Thank you for the company."
"Ah, well… sure." She shrugged.
There was a tense and slightly awkward silence. Haruhi glanced at the driver who was trying to appear as if he was minding his own business.
Tamaki spoke first. "Haruhi… I know it ended up fairly terrible and you probably would have rather had a relaxing time—-"
"I had a good time." She interrupted. "I… I did."
He stared at her a moment, thrown a bit off guard. "So did I." He said finally. "Do… do you think you might want to… Uhm… Do this again sometime?"
"What, give you another bloody nose?"
"No, I mean—"
"I know what you mean," She laughed. "And… Well. Can I think about it?"
"O-o course you can. T-take all the time you like." He stuttered.
"I'll see you tomorrow at club. I'll tell you what I decide then, okay?" She said.
"Yes, yes of course." He said, "I… I'll see you then."
"Have a good evening," She said, bowing again, this time to the driver. "Thanks for the ride."
"Goodnight, Haruhi. I eagerly await the coming of the new day." He said, some of his bravado creeping back in.
She just smiled and waved as the expensive car drove away.
When it had turned the corner, she slumped a little. She was positively exhausted. Tired, sore, but not nearly as irritable as she expected. In fact, she felt disturbingly pleasant. She really had enjoyed herself, lost children and bloody noses aside. For some reason, she found herself worrying more over the consequences of a good date rather than the alternative as she had been expecting. Did she really want to date Tamaki Suou, the Prince Charming of Ouran High? Could she really stomach it? Did she need to come up with some sort of strategy for dodging him tomorrow or was she ready to surrender?
She looked up at the sky, feeling a bit resigned. "A battlefield, huh?" She sighed.
She went to the grocery across the street and grabbed a few things for a quick dinner. When she entered the apartment she and her father shared she was greeted by his usual whine.
"Haruhiiii Where have you been?! Daddy was so worried!"
"Sorry about that. I forgot I was supposed to… meet a friend today." She said carefully.
"Friend?" He said, raising an eyebrow.
"…I'll just change and make dinner now, all right?" She said, dodging the question.
"Mmm Hmmmm."
He watched her duck into her room and back out again in her pajamas a moment later. She now wore a oversized t-shirt and loose flannel pants.
He frowned coming towards her. "Haruhi, why don't you ever wear those cute nightgowns I got you any more?"
"They don't fit me," She sighed tugging at her sleeve, "In more ways than one."
Suddenly he stopped short and stared at her, a look of abject terror crossing his features.
"D-dad are you all right?" She asked, startled at his expression.
He walked up to her quickly and tugged down the edge of the neck of her shirt, revealing the reddish bruise forming near her throat.
"Haruhi," He said, voice deep and serious. "Is this what I think it is?"
"Eh?"
"That… That blond insect, he did this to you?"
"H-huh? Oh, that." She said, looking down at herself and the bruise. She looked up again. "Wait… How did you know it was Tama—"
Ryoji suddenly leaned backwards and let out a dramatic wail. "MY DAUGHTER'S INNOCENCE IS LOST!"
She gaped at him, completely dumbfounded. "Dad, what on earth…?!"
He embraced her suddenly. "I knew it was only a matter of time before he attempted to take you from me, but never did I imagine he was this bold. Daughter, have I taught you no diligence in the face of evil?"
"Dad! Dad! It was an accident! He didn't hurt me. I just stumbled and we bumped into each other. We were riding the ferris wheel—"
"Is that what they're calling it nowadays?!"
"Wh-what? That's what happened. He got a bloody nose and everything!"
"I'm sure he did, the lech!" Ryoji spat.
"I have no idea what you're on about," She declared, stomping out of the kitchen. "You can make your own dinner! I'm going to study so please don't make any noise."
"H-haruhi…" Her father sobbed. "I'm all ready lost to you!"
It was only the next day when Kaoru and Hikaru shared a similar reaction at the sight of her bruise that she learned what a hickey was.