Disclaimer
I do not own Ouran High School Host Club; the rights go solely to Bisco Hatori-sama. I, however, do own the plot of this story and if it is in some way similar to yours, it is merely a coincidence. Also, this story, unlike its prequel, will be rated M for its future maturity content. Do not say I did not warn you.
Author's Note
Now that I've read it through again, I feel embarrassed reading the previous chapter. It was my first time attempting to write such a mature scene. Though, that's a little too late, isn't it? *laughs nervously* In any case, do enjoy this chapter as well~ this chapter will also contain flashback scenes (indicated by italics).
And HChen, you'll just have to see and find out if it ever comes to that. Just remember this: there's always a calm before a storm.
Previously on Of Black and Red Roses II…
Haruhi snapped out of her daydream. The promise Takashi had made back then still rang clearly in her mind, and he has not fulfilled it yet. Up to this day, she has anticipated for that day to arrive. She just turned 17 this year, and that made her recall of the time when the host club celebrated her birthday in a grandeur manner. However, that is a story for another time. Wait, what was she thinking? Now's not the time for that! Her sparring session will start soon, and she better not be tardy about it. Otherwise, Takashi would have to discipline her more closely.
Not that she minded.
"I better hurry."
Chapter 3 – Present and Past Revelations
Present day…
"On my word, you will begin the sparring session and it will be over after one of you declares your loss. Are you ready?" Ryouichi-sensei announced as he looked back and forth from Takashi to Haruhi as they bowed to each other before the session starts.
Both Haruhi and Takashi nodded simultaneously towards Ryouichi-sensei as they got ready in their sparring stances. Many of the dojo's disciples had gathered to watch their sparring session as they were interested to see how the famous Morinozuka Takashi was when he sparred – and with a woman no less. Not a lot of people know that Haruhi is Takashi's fiancée, only a handful of them, including Ryouichi-sensei, knew.
"Hajime!" Ryouichi-sensei declared as he signaled for them to start.
Truth be told, it has been a while from their last sparring session, because studying had taken a lot of their time. The workload in America is more vigorous than back at home, not that Haruhi minded one bit. It was a challenge she was willing to accept wholeheartedly. Studying is more fun now, thanks to Takashi. Since she was taking the same course as he does, they could discuss about it together whenever Haruhi was in doubt about a particular topic.
Just as Takashi was going to catch Haruhi off guard, she dodged his roundhouse kick in the nick of time and jumped back a few feet away. Haruhi took notice of the tiny lift on the corner of his mouth as he looked at her. Did he just- did he just smirk at me? She narrowed her eyes towards Takashi as a glare was set in place. Alright Haruhi, focus!
Haruhi waited for an opening to attack Takashi as they circled each other. When she saw an opportunity, she gripped Takashi's right gi collar and the back of his left sleeve while locking her right leg behind his left, and slammed him down on the tatami mat with full force. She wanted to laugh at the look of surprise on her fiancé's face but the thought dispersed itself quickly when Takashi gripped her left arm and hauled her over him and brought her to the ground.
It was a close match between the two and neither of them wanted to back down from the fight. Then both of them simultaneously grabbed hold onto each other's collars and began sizing each other up to the point where their faces got extremely close, until only a couple of inches was left between them. For other people, that close proximity might have caused anyone to get flustered, but seeing those two doing that with such serious expressions on their faces while giving their best to defeat the other opponent, had led the others to believe that they were already accustomed to it.
Haruhi could see the mirth dancing behind Takashi's steely gray eyes with this close proximity between them, she knew he was enjoying this sparring far from normal. So in order to teach him a lesson, she gripped his gi collar a little tighter before pushing him down to the ground using her full upper body strength. However, before Takashi even touched the ground, he turned the tables by grabbing Haruhi by her collar and her waist, and pushed her to the ground instead. He hovered over her with a smirk plastered on his face before getting up from his position.
Unfortunately, before Takashi even had the chance to get his bearings right, Haruhi locked her legs with Takashi's and caused him to fall to the ground. She twisted her body slightly while still locking her legs with his, until she managed to sit on top of him. She gripped his arm and twisted it slightly, although she made sure not to overdo it. The match ended when Takashi signaled his loss.
"Fujioka Haruhi wins! Congratulations, Haruhi-ojousama. You have improved quite tremendously from your previous session," Ryouichi-sensei announced as the room was filled with claps from the other spectators.
Takashi was still lying on the tatami mat, trying to catch his breath. His vision got blocked when Haruhi hovered over him with a concerned look on her delicate face, although the gleeful expression in her eyes says otherwise. She held out her hand to help him stand, and he took it gratefully.
"Thank you, Haru," he said, he gave her the smile that he had always reserved for her.
They bowed to each other to signal the end of the session, then they turned to bow towards Ryouichi-sensei as well as to the rest who were present inside the room. He was proud of Haruhi; her training had improved immensely since she started last year. Maybe it was time to teach her new techniques? He should go over this matter with Mitsukuni once they get back to the apartment.
Then, so suddenly, the atmosphere in the room had changed a little even though there was still a crowd in the room. Takashi could sense someone was harboring ill intentions and it was aimed towards his Haruhi. He searched through the crowd for the source of those ill intentions and it seems Haruhi had sensed it too because her demonic aura was slowly oozing out of her as she focused her vision at one particular direction. Takashi followed the direction his lover was looking at, and to no surprise, it was directed at Kaede. He could see that Kaede had wiped off her disdain expression and turned pale as Haruhi stared at her with a piercing gaze, she decided to scurry out of the practice room in haste.
Perhaps, it was necessary to speak to Ryouichi-sensei about this matter. For the meantime, he should focus on what's important right now.
"I should reward you tonight for your improved performance, Haru," Takashi murmured as he leaned close to her.
"Eh?" Haruhi turned her head towards Takashi with a flustered expression. Whenever Takashi mentioned 'reward', it always leads to something intimate between them. Always. She didn't know when it started, but it just sort of happened one day.
"Look forward to it." Haruhi didn't know what to reply to that, but her face was a dead giveaway to what she was currently feeling. "Let's go back to the apartment, the others are probably awake by now." She only nodded in reply, not trusting her voice at the moment, as they both headed to the changing room.
Back at the apartment...
The moment Haruhi stepped into their apartment unit, she was tackled to the ground by wailing men, crying out her name as if they haven't seen each other for a very long time. It was a mess of tangled arms and legs, and snot.
Someone at the doorway cleared their throat roughly and they all looked up to see Takashi glaring dangerously at them with his jaw clenched tightly, it was clear on his face that he didn't like what they were doing to her. Even if they are his friends.
They instantly let go of Haruhi while shrieking in terror and hid behind the kitchen island situated at the open kitchen.
"My apologies, Mori-senpai. I did warn them not to do inappropriate things to Haruhi," Kyouya said over at the living room. He was leaning back casually on one of the sofas in their living room, sipping away on his morning coffee. Haruhi – who was still on the floor by the doorway – narrowed her eyes at his drink, did Kyouya used their coffee again?
Kyouya stood up from his seat and walked towards the kitchen sink to wash the mug he used for his coffee. "Yes Haruhi, I did use your coffee again. Shall I replace it with a new one?" he said with his back turned towards them. It seriously made Haruhi wonder whether Kyouya was able to read minds or not. "And no, Haruhi. I'm afraid I don't have the ability to read minds. But if I did…" he left it at that and didn't continue. He walked back to the living room, sat down on the sofa and started working on his laptop. The tapping of the keyboard filled the now quiet room.
Even after a year of knowing him, Kyouya-senpai is still somewhat terrifying, Haruhi mused as she got up from the floor with Takashi's helping hand.
"Hey Haruhi," Hikaru suddenly called from the refrigerator, his ashen brown hair peeking above its door. He was looking through their items again. "Got anything for breakfast?" three voices asked simultaneously as they tilted their heads to the side in an innocent manner.
Haruhi had the urge to strangle these bastards, but the firm hand on her shoulder held her back. She looked up to stare pointedly at Takashi, who shook his head in resignation. After seeing that reaction, she could only let out an inaudible exasperated sigh, then taking in a deep breath to calm her mind.
"Oi, you fucking damn rich brats. Could you please stop living so relentlessly fancy-free?" she growled in annoyance but at the same time rummaging for ingredients inside their refrigerator. She ignored Tamaki's "MOMMY! H-Haruhi's using a foul language!" cry as he complained to Kyouya. "I swear, you people really need to learn how to cook for yourselves sometimes." Haruhi kept muttering about 'damn rich brats' and their habits of expecting things to already be laid out for them. Seeing his beloved working on preparing for the others' breakfast, Takashi quietly lend a helping hand.
"Make yourselves useful and go wake Mitsukuni up. I will not take no for an answer," she lightly growled, smirking when she could feel them flinching in terror. She didn't have to turn around to see their reactions to her request. Haruhi could even see Takashi smiling in mirth by the corner of her eye, and she couldn't help but laugh quietly as well.
Judging from the screams emanated on the floor above them, they have successfully awakened Mitsukuni, although with a bit of a price to pay. Serves them right, Haruhi thought cheerfully. By the time the others walked into their apartment, with a cheerful Mitsukuni and three men who seemed to have lost their souls, breakfast was already laid out by the both of them.
"You know," Kaoru started in a loud whisper next to his twin brother, "ever since Haruhi came out as a woman, she's becoming more ruthless."
"Now that I think about it, you're right Kaoru!" Hikaru replied in the same manner as his twin brother.
"Shut up, you devil twins! What if Haruhi hears you?" shouted Tamaki, and immediately clamped his mouth shut with both hands. He started sweating profusely as he felt a chilling, dark aura – one that can rival Kyouya's and Mitsukuni's – behind him. He saw the twins cower behind the kitchen island again.
"What was that?" she asked venomously. She was sitting beside Takashi on the sofa, along with Mitsukuni who was enjoying his morning raspberry cake. Mitsukuni was a head taller now than Haruhi, his growth spurt suddenly happened in the first two months of their educational stay in Boston, although his love for cakes didn't seem to deplete as he grew older.
"N-Now Haruhi, the twins were just joking. You know how immature they can be," Tamaki laughed nervously (with the twins protesting a "Hey!" at his statement) as he slowly turned around to face her, hands gripping the edges of the kitchen island tightly until his knuckles turned white.
"Haru, breathe…" Takashi murmured next to her ear as he wrapped a lean and muscular arm around her, and started rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder with his thumb.
The chilling, dark aura dissipated quickly as Haruhi took a calming breath, suppressing the blush that threatened to surface at Takashi's ministrations. Tamaki and the twins audibly let out a relieved sigh, trust their senpai to calm Haruhi down easily.
"Only Takashi is able to tame Haru-chan when she turns into a demon," Mitsukuni commented through mouthfuls of cake. Kyouya smiled at the statement, because it was true.
"HONEY-SENPAI!"
Takashi laughed quietly at his cousin's comment, while Haruhi turned beet red and proceeded to hide her blushing face using Takashi's chest. It was true though, ever since she told the truth about her real gender to everyone else, her temper had gotten the best of her. She tried not to lash out ever so often towards the others, but she just couldn't help it.
(Flashback)
Mitsukuni dropped by on the last day of her stay at Takashi's home because she wanted to tell both of them of an important matter. She gave him a warm hug as she greeted him by the doorway, with Takashi standing beside her. Then Takashi proceeded to the kitchen to make some tea for the three of them, while Haruhi and Mitsukuni walked over to the living room, chatting mindlessly about everything.
Haruhi took notice of the extra bounce in his step and the lingering smile on his cherubic face; there was something going on with Mitsukuni because the look on his face was full of content, almost as if, he was… in love. Maybe she could dig in some information regarding that at another time.
"So, Haru-chan," Mitsukuni started as he got comfortable on the sofa in the Morinozuka's living room, "what did you want to discuss about?" he added and took the tea that Takashi had offered to him. He reached over to the plate of sweet dango on the coffee table that Takashi had brought along from the kitchen and took a stick.
"I decided that I want to tell my classmates and all the customers who visit the host club about my secret," Haruhi quietly said as she sipped the tea Takashi offered to her.
Both men froze momentarily at the statement and stared at her in surprise. They were caught off guard by her.
"I don't want to leave for Boston with them still believing a lie about me," she continued and held the tea cup in her hands, looking at its serene content. "I feel like it's time I tell them, you know," she said again and looked up to gaze softly at Takashi and Mitsukuni. "I want to go over this matter with the both of you first, before I tell the others. In any case, I stand by my decision to reveal this secret."
"Haru-chan… if that's what you want, then I'll support your decision. How about you, Takashi?" Mitsukuni glanced over at his cousin, noting the slight change in his expression regarding the matter at hand.
"Takashi?" Haruhi followed him with her gaze as he stood up from the sofa and walked out to the porch from the living room. He closed the sliding doors behind him, so as not to be disturbed momentarily. He didn't say a single word nor did he turn to look at either of them.
"Just leave him be for a while, Haru-chan," Mitsukuni smiled reassuringly, although it pained him to see the hurt that flashed across her face. "I'm sure Takashi needs a little time to think it through, because this concerns you after all."
"What do you mean, Mitsu?" she asked, confusion evident on her features.
This Haruhi… he sighed inwardly at her obliviousness. "Haru-chan, what do you think might happened after you reveal your secret to the others?" he asked carefully, setting the tea cup on the low coffee table. He looked at her with a serious expression, though his caramel eyes held that gentleness he always reserved for her. "Think about it carefully, Haruhi."
Haruhi grew quiet, thinking about the reason why Takashi had reacted that way. Sure, there might be repercussions regarding her decision, but it couldn't be that bad, right? The most that could happen was everyone would turn their backs on her, but she could try to live through that. Right?
After a while had passed without Haruhi uttering any reply to his question, Mitsukuni let out a quiet sigh. "Haru-chan," he called her name softly and she snapped from her thoughts to look at him, "you should know by now how Takashi feels about you, right? He wants you to be safe from harm's way, and if telling the others about your secret puts you in a jeopardized position, you ought to know what comes after that. Whatever you decision, Haruhi, know that I support any of them 100%. You're part of this family and my family as well, so you're important to me. I don't want to see you in danger."
"That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?" Haruhi laughed but stopped immediately at the look on Mitsukuni's face. "I just… I just don't want to keep this secret from them for so long. I don't feel right deceiving them of their friendship over this." She casted her eyes down on her lap, her expression bitter.
"I understand, Haru-chan. Why don't you go talk it over with Takashi?" the older cousin suggested.
Nodding her head once at Mitsukuni's suggestion, Haruhi got up from her seat and walked towards the sliding door, pulling it to the opposite direction to step on the porch. She swiftly searched for Takashi with anxious brown eyes and immediately spotted him sitting on a bench, under a large sakura tree in the garden, looking at the cloudless azure sky above.
The buds were beginning to blossom, but it was still too early in the spring to tell. Remnants of the crisp winter air was still around, and Haruhi shivered slightly when a chilly air blew by. She took careful steps towards Takashi, so as to not disrupt this serene atmosphere. When there was only a couple of meters left between them, she called out his name quietly. He turned to get a good look at her as he studied the expression on her face, and observed the way she fidgets about on her spot as she refuses to look at him in the eye. No amount of feelings in the world can rival the way he felt towards his Haruhi, and he would be damned if something were to happen to her.
"Haru, koko ni kite," Takashi murmured, his voice gentle. He extended one hand towards her and pulled her in towards him as she clasped her hand in his. He sat her on his lap, arms wrapping around her waist and rested his head on the crook of her neck. They stayed quiet for a while like that, and Haruhi began running soothing circles on his hand.
"Takashi…?"
"If only I can lock you up in my room and never leave," he said quietly after a moment had passed. Haruhi didn't know if Takashi was serious about that statement or not, but from his actions alone, she deduced that he would be really willing to do just that.
"Taka," she said after a while had passed between them, "there's also another reason why I wanted to reveal my secret, and I think that it's important that you know."
She turned towards him properly and held his handsome face in her petite hands, her gaze softer than before as she steadily looked into his ashen grey eyes. "I want to proudly say that I am dating the heir of the Morinozuka's." His eyes had slightly turned wide at her statement. "I don't want to hide the fact that I am girl while I'm dating you. I don't want people to talk badly of you, and let them assumed that you are in love with a boy. I also want to tell people that you are off the bachelor's market," she laughed quietly at her own bold statement.
"You are important to me, Takashi, much more than you might think," she smiled tenderly towards him, "I don't want the Morinozuka name to be sullied because of my own mistake. There might be some repercussions after I reveal this, I'm quite aware of that, but with you by my side, I believe that I can overcome anything."
Before Haruhi could say anything more, Takashi held the back of her head with his hand and leaned in for a passionate kiss. The things she just stated had overwhelmed him greatly, is it possible to love someone much more than this? Why must she always put others ahead of her first? Why couldn't she think of herself first and foremost? It's simple, isn't it? That's because it's Haruhi, he should have known from the start, but he was blinded with his overprotectiveness over her to see that this was not just about her, it was about him too. He reluctantly pulled away from her as they ended their heated kiss.
"I'll be with you every step of the way," he simply said as he caressed the side of her face with his thumb, looking at her with adoration in his eyes.
"Thank you, Taka. That means the world to me."
Author's Note
Koko ni kite – "come here", said in a casual way
