Disclaimer: Host Club isn't mine; it belongs to Bisco Hatori. Thank you for not suing.
CHAPTER 4: UNCONSCIOUS
"We've arrived at the hospital, Kaoru-bochamma" the silver-haired Hitachiin driver finally announced over the limo's intercom system. The black glass window between the driver and the passengers was still up, but upon hearing the voice of their chauffer, the twins sat up and collected themselves.
"Thank you, Hiroki." Kaoru acknowledged the tall silvery-haired man, while Hikaru slowly touched the window control he had previously slammed and allowed the dark shield in front of the passengers to slide back down. Once again, the barrier between driver and passenger was open, and Hiroki, noticing the red, tear-streaked faces of the three teenagers, reached into a hidden panel beside the glove compartment and handed them three moist hot towels.
Kaoru smiled gratefully as he passed a towel to Haruhi, then Hikaru, and then proceeded to wipe off his own face. Once they were refreshed, the trio tossed their towels into a plastic bag Hiroki held out for them. Then one by one, Hikaru once again leading Haruhi by the hand, they exited the limousine and walked quickly through the doors of the emergency room. Hiroki bowed to them as they left him to park the limo.
The receptionist who greeted them was extremely polite to them, and pointed them in the direction of a private waiting area, which had been reserved for them alone because they were friends of the Ohtori family. She then pressed a button on her phone to inform Kyouya that Haruhi and the Hitachiins had arrived. Kyouya would be pleased to hear that. Haruhi thanked the woman and followed the twins through the double doors, but then she was taken aback by the surprisingly luxurious emergency room area of this private hospital.
This private waiting room in the Ohtori-owned hospital was nothing like any typical emergency room Haruhi recognized. This waiting room more closely resembled the lobby of a five-star hotel, except for the presence of bright recessed lighting in the ceiling and the absence of any carpeting. Several deep crimson-colored plush sofas had been set along the walls, away from the reception desk, and elaborate oil paintings of many prominent members of the Ohtori family rested above them, including, as Haruhi noted, Yoshio Ohtori, Kyouya's father and the hospital owner. An artificial waterfall made with obsidian and bearing the kanji for the name Ohtori in gold took up the back wall, set against marble and jade. Crystal water gently flowed down into its basin as a way of relaxing anxious people who waited to hear about their loved ones. And of course, several exotic plants took their residence near the ceiling in shiny brass pots set in neatly-rowed columns between the sofas.
The room was empty except for two somewhat familiar figures sitting on the far right sofa close to the waterfall. Squinting her eyes, Haruhi noted that one of the figures slept softly in a cute pink blanket while the other cradled him on his lap and watched him, humming in a deep yet surprisingly melodious voice. The second person looked up suddenly and faced her. Takashi Morinozuka—Mori-senpai as he was known—stopped humming and regarded Haruhi with relief and concern in his dark slate-gray eyes. He wanted to go over to her and offer her sympathy, but because of the smaller boy sleeping soundly on his lap, he could not do so immediately.
Fortunately, after Mori stopped humming, the stuffed pink bunny that his charge was holding slipped to the floor soundlessly. A soft moan escaped the childlike blond boy once he lost his grip on the stuffed animal, and he slowly opened his eyes. Mitsukuni Haninozuka, known as Hani-senpai to most of his fellow host club members, wiped his eyes for a moment to get them to focus. Once they had, he glanced up at his cousin Mori and then followed his line of sight to where three younger students were standing and watching them.
"Haru-chan!" Hani instantly leapt off Mori's lap and made a beeline for his junior classmates. The Hitachiin brothers each took a step away as Hani jumped into Haruhi's arms and held her tightly. Tears streamed down his face from his cocoa-colored eyes and he buried his face in her neck. "I'm so sorry, Haru-chan! I'm so sorry…"
As the deceptively youthful blond boy continued to offer condolences to Haruhi, Mori picked up the stuffed bunny known as Usa-chan, and stood up to meet his fellow classmates. He towered over all four of the adolescents and walked with long, purposeful strides towards them.
"Mitsukuni…" He softly spoke to Hani while holding Usa-chan out to him. Hani stopped hugging Haruhi and jumped down to retrieve his pink bunny from the more taciturn, yet much taller dark-haired young man who served him. After thanking Mori, he turned back toward Haruhi and handed her the bunny as a means of offering comfort to the distraught young woman.
"Thank you, Hani-senpai." Haruhi responded, hugging the stuffed animal to the side of her face, feeling the velvety-soft pink fur from the still-warm bunny rabbit.
At that moment, the double doors leading to the outer hall opened simultaneously, and Tamaki Suoh rushed up to the small group, concern and anxiety lining his otherwise vibrant dark blue eyes. He smiled brightly for his princess, but could not completely camouflage the pain and grief he felt for her. Following Tamaki at a more sedate and precise pace was Kyouya Ohtori. He regarded the group impassively at first, but upon making eye contact with the small girl, he narrowed his cold dark eyes slightly in disapproval, silently rebuking Haruhi for her earlier reckless actions. But just as quickly as it appeared, the anger receded. Chewing out the already exhausted girl would be counterproductive and pointless. Besides, Kyouya reasoned, Hikaru probably took care of the chastisement for him.
Kyouya made a mental note to thank Hikaru later. For now, he needed to address the group.
"I see you made it here safely," he stated simply while pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose in his usual nonchalant way.
"Kyouya-senpai!" Haruhi exclaimed when she heard his soft yet coolly clipped voice. Then she suddenly became nervous and clutched Usa-chan tighter in her arms. "How's my father?"
"I spoke with the doctor in charge of treating Ranka-san. Thankfully, his injuries aren't as bad as we feared. He has second degree burns on his arms and face and he suffered from some smoke inhalation, but nothing life-threatening. The reason he's alive however, is because he jumped from the second floor balcony down to the street. Because of that, he has two broken legs and a broken arm, as well as various other scrapes and bruises. He's sleeping right now, and he's being monitored for any signs of internal injuries, which he doesn't appear to have," Kyouya reported as he re-opened his notebook and started scratching in some undecipherable notes as a way of clearing his head.
Haruhi breathed a huge sigh of relief and smiled for the first time since the nightmarish events surrounding her life had begun. Now that she knew her father was alive and would be okay, she felt like things were going to be all right after all. "Can I see him, Kyouya-senpai? Are visitors allowed this time of night?" Haruhi asked hopefully, but then she started to feel funny. She gasped at the new sensations that had just begun to grip her, as she felt the blood draining out of her face and head, leaving her face a sickly shade of white.
The fatigue that she had successfully held off because of her overriding fear for her father was suddenly catching up to her. After many hours of studying in the library and enduring the horrible events of the evening, Haruhi felt dizziness blindsiding her. Exhaustion burned her warm coffee-colored eyes as her vision blurred and the room began to spin faster than an insane amusement park ride. She slapped her hand on her forehead and was barely aware of the sounds of frantic shouting around her. People were calling her name, and she couldn't respond coherently. The extreme tiredness coiled around her and rendered her completely helpless against its power.
Then she felt herself plunging into a black abyss of unconsciousness. Her last thought as she passed out was that she probably would not be holding her father's hand tonight.
As she fell towards the icy marble floor, a set of long, well-muscled arms snaked around her back. Mori-senpai had moved the fastest of the host club members and prevented the young woman from hitting the ground and possibly hitting her head. The dark-haired senior held her in his arms while the other boys reacted to Haruhi's sudden predicament. Hani once again started to cry softly and called her name while clutching Mori's elbow with one hand and grabbing Usa-chan with the other after Haruhi lost her grip on the rabbit. Hikaru moved to Mori's left side and stroked his long slim fingers through Haruhi's soft yet still ash-covered hair. Kaoru stood near Hikaru and held the girl's tiny limp hand, swallowing hard as he felt how cold and clammy it was. Tamaki broke out in tears and cradled his vulnerable little princess's face between his large hands, begging her to come back to them.
Kyouya, however, stepped back from where the others were mobbed around their friend and with swift, efficient fingers, dialed a number on his phone to summon a doctor. He then walked briskly up to the double doors and beckoned the middle-aged woman in the white coat to the small crowed around the still-unconscious Haruhi. The severely-dressed woman in glasses waved the boys away and examined the sallow-complexioned student carefully. After a few minutes, she turned and addressed Kyouya.
"It appears to be only exhaustion, but I would like to keep her here overnight just to be safe."
Kyouya nodded. "I agree, Tanaka-sensei. She's had a difficult night. A good night's sleep will do her some good. We'll take care of the rest tomorrow." He then addressed his friends. "We can put Haruhi in the room next to Ranka-san. It's empty. This way, please." He did not wait for the others to follow, but fell in step with Dr. Tanaka and together, the two led the way out of the grandiose waiting room.
Mori looked down at his sleeping friend and sighed morosely. He then followed Kyouya and the doctor, while the other boys walked behind them, all of them lamenting Haruhi's terrible predicament, and hoping they could help her recover.
A string of rooms lined the silent and dimly-lit corridor, and near the end of the hall on the left was a room with the name plate, Ryoji Fujioka—Ranka-san's room. Kyouya's gaze lingered on the door for a few moments before he continued to lead the crowd behind him to the next room. He opened the door and directed his classmates—Mori leading the way—to a soft, white, turned-down bed behind a blue curtain. To the left of the bed was a view of the starlit night sky and the full moon. A gentle light from the moonbeams filtered into the room. Mori walked up and gently placed Haruhi onto the bed and slowly swept his massive hand through her hair, even though he knew the young woman couldn't feel anything right now.
Sleep little one was the message Mori conveyed with that one simple touch.
After Mori stepped away, Hani moved forward and tucked Usa-chan between Haruhi's arm and forearm and clasped her still-cold fingers tightly. Although his tears had stopped flowing, he still had streaks around his face and he was reluctant to leave Haruhi alone in the room. Mori watched Hani for a moment, then picked him up and led him out of the room, assuring him that Usa-chan would watch over her tonight. Hani rubbed his eyes, feeling his own tiredness from the evening's events start to claim him again. Soon the childlike blond slumbered in his cousin's arms, and like a powerful guardian angel, Mori held Hani to his chest as he strode down the corridor towards the parking garage where their limos waited.
Hikaru held Haruhi up slightly as Kaoru removed the dark blue ash-coated jacket around Haruhi's shoulders. Kaoru then removed Haruhi's shoes and socks, taking note of her pitifully swollen feet. He shook his head sadly and gave his brother a pained look. Hikaru met his brother's morose amber eyes with an equally saddened look of his own. Then Hikaru took the jacket from Kaoru and held it close to his cheek for a moment, ignoring the faint yet pungent smell of smoke on it before he carefully draped it over his shoulder. Kaoru folded Haruhi's socks inside her shoes, and carried them in his hand. Even though they were sticky with sweat and smelled smoky, Kaoru treated his friend's well-worn loafers with care, as if they were a set of the most fashionable shoes ever made.
The twins decided they would take the jacket and shoes home and have them cleaned for their friend since they were fairly certain that Kyouya and Tamaki would disapprove of the auburn-haired "devil boys" spending the night in the same room with her. Two sets of watchful eyes--one set hidden behind serious, gold-framed glasses and the other slightly-narrowed set sparkling deep violet blue--confirmed their assumptions. Dr. Tanaka also watched the twins as Kyouya instructed her, making sure they only took off her coat, shoes, and socks. Decorum had to be maintained, and Dr. Tanaka could take care of the rest herself.
"Haruhi needs her rest," Kyouya stated simply, noting the anguished looks on Tamaki's and the twins' faces. The three of them felt the strongest attachments to Haruhi, and they would have loved nothing better than to stay by her side and be with her when she woke up. Kyouya secretly didn't blame them for feeling this way; despite his seeming coldness towards the newest Host club member, he had a certain fondness for Haruhi. But because his father Yoshio was getting regular reports on his youngest son, assessing him for his eligibility to become heir to their family's corporation, Kyouya knew he would have to retain his façade. Still, he indulged himself a little by peering at Haruhi's face closely and whispering in her ear, "We'll be back. Wait for us."
Finally, Tamaki picked up the soft baby blue velvet blanket at the end of the bed and draped it over the sleeping girl lovingly. He then smoothed the blanket around her shoulders in a soothing, almost maternal gesture, an unconscious habit from his childhood. As he finished smoothing the blanket, he touched Haruhi's icy pale cheek and frowned worriedly. He didn't like the idea of leaving Haruhi alone tonight when she looked so helpless. He turned his face toward his best friend Kyouya and silently pleaded with him to let him stay with her. Kyouya, however, shook his head in refusal.
"She'll be fine here, Tamaki. Tanaka-sensei is a very capable doctor, and I think Haruhi will be much more comfortable seeing another woman when she wakes up." Kyouya reassured the tall and slender blond whose face fell even lower than it already was. Tamaki Suoh was known for being a melodramatic prince in the club, but he genuinely cared for Haruhi Fujioka and hated seeing her in pain. It made his heart hurt to leave her, but he silently consoled himself with the fact that she was at least safe and warm. Tamaki took one last look at their beloved princess before reluctantly following Kyouya and the twins out of the room, leaving Dr. Tanaka alone with her.
TBC
A/N: Sorry for the delay, but I had to work and re-work this chapter. It's tough to keep it real, so your thoughts are welcome. As I said, much remains to be done. Thank you for all your reviews! Hope Tamaki and Kyouya came off as being in character. I'm pretty sure I did good with Hani and Mori.
Also I used "Hani" as the spelling for Mitsukuni's nickname because it just seemed more consistent. And I didn't want to kill off Ranka-san right now. So I'm sorry if I've disappointed anyone out there by not doing so.
Still, I have an idea for some fanart: Mori as an angel holding Hani in his arms. Might be interesting. Any artists out there?
Until next time.