Kaoru POV
He leant against his brother; the cold breeze brushing at his face and making his breath come out in silvery clouds.
"It's freezing out here." Hikaru complained and hugged himself. They were out on the club's balcony and had a perfect view of the school grounds. It was sliver with snow and everything looked very pretty.
"I know but the boss won't think to look for us out here. We'll just give him a few minutes to calm himself." Kaoru told him. He walked to the balcony's edge and leant on the railing; he looked up at the dark sky and watched all the glittering stars.
"This brings back some memories, eh Hikaru?" Kaoru breathed and Hikaru joined him.
"Yeah, I guess." He mumbled. They stood in silence and Kaoru shut his eyes and tried to remember his first winter but that was too far gone in his memories, faded and to fuzzy to make out.
"Isn't it funny Hikaru?" He said not opening his eyes. "How some memories fade and how some just seem to disappear altogether? I mean, I can remember some pieces of our past, I remember our closeness and how twisted we were but I can't really remember much else, it's just a blur." He opened his eyes and looked at Hikaru. He was looking at him with a surprised look on his face. He looked down at the school yard and didn't say anything for a long while.
"I know, I guess I'm the same." He said quietly. He reached for Kaoru's hand and held it, giving it a gentle reassuring squeeze. "But I think we need to stop living in the past, the only way we can go on is to look ahead, at the future. We need to keep together, no matter what." Hikaru's voice wobbled slightly at the end of his sentence and Kaoru pretended not to notice, he just looked up at the stars, losing himself in thought. Hikaru was right, if they did live in the past everything that they had now would slip away from them and they would be left with nothing again.
With no one but themselves.
Kaoru let out a breath and let go of Hikaru's hand, sticking them under his armpits to warm them, Hikaru put his in his pockets. Kaoru herd something behind him and he turned.
Pricilla Silvia was looking at them through the glass doors that lead into the club room. He smiled at her slightly but she disappeared when he did. Kaoru frowned and faced back to the railing.
"What's the matter?" Hikaru asked and Kaoru looked back at the door again, no one was there.
"Pricilla was watching us through the door." He explained and Hikaru looked at the door with an irritated sigh.
"Don't pay her any attention to her. She's really pissing me off." He said bitterly and Kaoru shrugged.
She's already pretty and by the looks of her she's smart too, I wonder why she's doing this. Kaoru thought to himself. Behind them, the door opened and both the twins turned around. Kyoya was standing at the door with Pricilla behind him. The twins looked at Kyoya with surprise.
"Kaoru," He said, sounding slightly confused. "Miss Pricilla Silvia would like you to accompany her to the clock tower." Kaoru was taken aback, he felt Hikaru's hand on his sleeve and he looked at him. He was glaring at Pricilla and looked like he wanted to throttle her.
"I'm sorry but if you want to be entertained by the Hitachiins then you'll have to take both of us." Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose and looked at Hikaru.
"Hikaru, Miss Silvia has only requested Kaoru so please go with what she has asked," He paused. "It's the job of a high school Host, to make every girl happy." He finished, sounding like he was trying to be understanding and Hikaru dug his fingers into Kaoru's sleeve.
"But Kyoya-Sempi-" Kyoya held up his hand and Hikaru stopped talking. Kaoru put his hand on top of Hikaru's and Hikaru looked up at his face. Kaoru smiled and pried his fingers out of his sleeve.
"It's OK, I'll go with her. It's not like it's going to kill us to be apart for a few minutes." He said gently, Hikaru hesitated for a second before crossing his arms stubbornly.
"Fine." He said shortly and Kaoru smiled, knowing that he would sulk now. He walked up to Pricilla and Kyoya moved off to the side.
"Hikaru," He said opening his black book. "If you are ready, please return to your guests." Hikaru looked like he was going to argue but he shut his mouth and clenched his fists. He stormed past Kyoya and glared at Pricilla on the way. Kaoru looked after his brother and put his hand where Hikaru had gripped his sleeve. He looked at Pricilla (who looked quite pleased with herself) and forced on a smiled.
"Well, should we go?" He asked and she nodded curtly and started to walk off without a word. "H-hey wait!" Kaoru called and hurried after her.
This should be interesting; he thought and fell into step with her.
…
The view from the top of the clock tower was amazing. Everything was glittering with fresh fallen snow and the moon casted a silvery glow over everything. Kaoru pulled his jacket around him tighter and rubbed his hands together to try and warm himself up, he didn't even realise that there was a platform out in front of the clock itself. As much as the view was beautiful however, it was freezing out on top of the clock tower and Kaoru could feel the goose bumps ripple across his skin.
"Um… Pricilla?" He asked and she turned to him slightly. "Why did you ask to come up here? It would probably be more comfortable in the club room, not to mention warmer." She looked back over the school grounds.
"But the view is better out here." She said flatly and Kaoru shifted his feet awkwardly.
"But…aren't you bothered by the….the…." He sniffed and sneezed. "The cold?" He finished and rubbed his nose. She shook her head and said nothing.
They stood in silence, looking out over the school.
"The view really is amazing," Pricilla said, breaking the silence. The wind played at her dark hair and streaked it across her face. "You can even see the Ouran Elementary school and Middle school from up here." Kaoru looked over at the middle school.
The first place that Hikaru and he had met Tamaki.
"Yeah, you can." He answered her. She looked at him through her hair and he chewed the inside of his mouth.
"I went to both of those schools you know." She said slowly, Kaoru took a step back away from her, feeling really awkward. "I didn't really have many friends when I was little." She paused. "Did you and Hikaru?" Kaoru stared at her for a little bit and the silence dragged on.
"N-no, not…not really. We really only had each other. We met the boss in middle school and the others when we joined the host club." He said although his tongue felt thick in his mouth and he found it difficult to get the words out. Pricilla crossed her arms and faced away from him.
"Why didn't you have any friends Kaoru? Because I heard that you two bought it on yourselves." She said and Kaoru felt something pull in his stomach, he took another step backwards.
"Ah…. Well, yeah I guess we did, but you don't really know out story. If you did, you might think otherwise." She glared at him and swung at him suddenly, he cried out in shock, taking another step backwards. He held up his hands as she took another swipe at him.
"What are you doing?!" He exclaimed and she advanced with her hands in fists.
"You're an idiot!" She screeched, her eyes a blaze with sudden hatred. She punched at head height and he jerked his head back, put his foot behind him but his foot hit nothing but thin air and he gasped as he tried to regain his footing. Pricilla hurried up to him and gave him a shove and he cried out as he went hurtling over the clock tower. He threw his hands out and gripped the edge of the platform, his body swung wildly and his fingers screamed at him with the strain. Pricilla appeared above him and grinned wickedly down at him, her hair whipping wildly behind her. He looked up at her and tried to ignore the strain in his fingers.
"Well, how tragic this is." She said sarcastically. He felt tears of fear well up in his eyes and he tried blinking them away.
"Pricilla, h-help me." He whimpered helplessly and she laughed harshly.
"Why should I help you? I'm the one that just pushed you, how stupid would it be if I saved you? That would be contradictory don't you think?" Kaoru's eyes widened at the word that was so familiar to him. Pricilla grinned again.
"Do you remember who I am yet, Kaoru? I'm one of the girls who you fooled in middle school. I'm one of the girls who you thought it was funny to make an idiot of. I never had any friends like I said but when I saw you and Hikaru, I must admit, my heart went out to you two. But I always liked you better so one day I built up the courage to write you a letter and put it on your desk and I waited for you at lunch time. When I saw you coming towards me, I was so happy I swear I almost cried but when you said that you were Hikaru that felt my heart crack though the middle and I felt like burying myself.
But then you asked if I was willing to go out with 'Hikaru' instead and I agreed out of heart break. You laughed in my face and called Hikaru out of the bushes, insulted me and ripped my letter into pieces. I felt myself break inside as I watched you two walk away and I swore to myself that I would get my revenge somehow and tonight I'm going to. I'll push you off the clock tower and make Hikaru live alone without you. I must admit that it would have been better to kill Hikaru and make you suffer but Hikaru is a stubborn brat without much of a heart but you are easier to persuade." She lifted her foot with a crazed grin. "So this is where it ends, Kaoru Hitachiin. Have fun burning in hell." She stomped her heel down onto his fingers and he screamed but he refused to let go of the ledge. He wouldn't leave Hikaru alone, he couldn't. At school they had the club but at home they had no one. Their mother never had time for them and their father was never home. All the maids and servants put on acts and fake smiles but they didn't care, that was obvious, all they had were each other. Pricilla growled and stomped on his fingers again.
"Let go and fall already!" She yelled. Tears streamed down Kaoru's face and he gritted his teeth against the pain. Pricilla stopped for a moment and he looked up at her expecting her to gloat but she was looking over her shoulder and he heard someone talking.
Kyoya-Sempi.
Kaoru saw a flicker of hope and he tried to call out but it caught in his throat and came out as a sob.
"Kaoru!" Someone else yelled and Kaoru recognised the voice immediately.
"Hikaru help!" Kaoru cried. His arms were shaking and his fingers were at breaking point but he still refused to let go. He looked down. He could barely see the ground below and he knew if he let go, the fall would shatter his skeleton and kill him instantly. He squeezed his eyes shut as his mind started going blank. Pictures started playing behind his eyelids, rolling on like a film.
Memories of all his experiences, his life so far.
My life flashing before my eyes before I die? He thought and he opened his eyes to make sure he wasn't falling. Nope, still holding on to the platform with his fingers frozen from cold. The memories didn't go away however. He heard muffled voices, yelling from someone, Hikaru more than likely but two voices cut through his haze more than any of the others.
Haruhi and Tamaki.
They were yelling at Pricilla.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Haruhi yelled. "They did what they did when they were kids! They were stupid and self-centred but they know that now and they changed the way they acted!" Pricilla laughed bitterly.
"Changed? Yeah, bullshit! They're just the same idiots as they were back then! Making girls fall in love with them and then kicking them to the curb." Tamaki scowled at her and Pricilla looked slightly taken aback.
"Even if they are the same, that's no reason to kill them over it!" Tamaki yelled in full rage. "You'll get sent to jail for murder or worse, aren't you worried about that? What about your family? What about Hikaru and Kaoru's family?!" He bit at her and Pricilla was silent.
"Guys!" Kaoru yelled. "I can't hold on for much longer!" He was at breaking point and he heard Hunny say something to Mori.
"The Black Onion Squad is owned by my family and if I give them a call right now, they'll be here in the matter of minutes." Kyoya said, not sounding worried at all, keeping his cool and staying intimidating. Hikaru couldn't' stay silent anymore, he snapped.
"You call us the idiots! Look at you! You're going to kill my brother over something we did over three years ago?! If we really hurt you that bad you should have told us and we probably would have tried to make it up to you! Why do you want to take him away from me?! We're the only ones we've got!" He was crying, Kaoru could hear it in his voice. He let his gaze drift and caught Mori walking slowly up to Pricilla from the side.
She did as well and stumbled away from him.
"NO!" She screeched. She looked down at Kaoru and raised her foot again.
"No, not again." He whispered knowing that if she did, he would fall.
"I'LL MAKE HIM FALL! I'LL KILL HIM!" She screamed and went to put her foot down and Kaoru shut his eyes waiting for her foot to connect…
Nothing happened.
He looked up and saw her roll away from Hunny who had attacked her, tying his hardest to protect his friend. Hunny sprung at her again before she could recover and she screamed and rolled away again.
"NO! STOP IT!" She screamed like a child that didn't like the way the game was being played anymore. She leapt up and stumbled away from a head high kick that Hunny had sent her way. She swung a blind, desperate punch that Hunny simply pushed away and he sent a punch of his own into the side of her head. She fell with a slight twirl and cracked her head into the wall of the tower. She groaned and her eyes slipped shut.
Mori walked over to Hunny and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Well done Mitsukuni, that's enough." He said quietly and Hunny nodded, brushing his hands together.
She wasn't dead, her chest was still rising and falling with her shallow breathing but she would be out of it for a little while and when she did eventually wake, she would have a scar and a headache.
Hikaru finally found his chance; he raced over to his brother who was still hanging dangerously off the side of the high tower.
Kaoru felt his grip on the platform falter and he gasped at he lost his grip. He cried out for help as he started falling. The next few seconds went very fast, all he could hear was the rush of freezing air in his ears and his eyes squeezed shut, tears being ripped away from his eyes. He felt a welcoming grip on his wrist and he felt his body come to a jarring halt. He looked up through his blurry eyes and saw Hikaru holding him, stopping him from falling. He swung gently in mid-air.
"Hikaru." He whimpered, barely able to make the word come out of his mouth. Hikaru pulled him up. Kaoru got his knees onto the platform and collapsed, Hikaru caught him and Kaoru started to tremble.
"Kaoru!" He yelled frantically. Kaoru couldn't feel his fingers anymore and his mind was numb.
He almost died, if Hikaru didn't catch him he would dead, his corps still in the freezing snow.
Hunny was looking down at Pricilla's un-conscious body, blood had started to seep from the wound and was staining the snow beneath a deep red.
"Someone should have told her that it was a big no-no to throw my friends off the clock tower." He said solemnly. Tamaki bent down to Kaoru and put a blanket around him that he bought up with him. He stood up straight and looked around at everyone.
"Mori-Sempi, take Kaoru down to the club room. Get him warmed up and make sure he hasn't suffered any injuries." He commanded and Mori nodded. He picked Kaoru up out of Hikaru's arms and Hikaru stood up with him, he had tears running steadily down his face. He took Kaoru's hand and followed Mori, refusing to let go. Kaoru could still hear Tamaki giving everyone orders when they were going down the clock tower's stairs.
"Kaoru?" Hikaru asked shakily. "Are you OK? Are you hurt?" Kaoru still couldn't feel his fingers so he didn't know if they were broken or not.
"I think I'm alright. J-just in shock I think." He said but his voice cracked at the end and he coughed. Hikaru squeezed his hand.
"You're going to be OK." He whispered mainly trying to convince himself. Kaoru watched him as he cried for him.
"Hikaru, don't worry, I'm going to be fine after the shock dies down." Hikaru nodded slowly.
Mori didn't say anything the whole way down. Hikaru opened the clock tower's door for him and they made their way to the club room. Kaoru looked up at the sky and colour suddenly lit up the dark sky with a loud bang and crackle.
Fireworks.
Mori and Hikaru looked up.
"Tamaki must have called Renge to set off the fireworks so the girls would go outside." Mori said in his deep voice and Hikaru nodded.
They got into the club room and Mori sat Kaoru down on one of the couches. The club room was empty, Tamaki's plan actually worked for once. Hikaru sat down next to his brother and put his arm around him and hugged him.
"I'll go make some coffee." Mori said and walked off.
"I'm sorry." Hikaru said and Kaoru looked at him, confused. "I should have gone up with you; I should have been there to protect you. You're my little brother, I should of-" He cut himself off and tears ran down his cheeks, they were probably a mixture of sadness and anger. Kaoru wrapped the blanket around Hikaru and himself and wiped a tear from Hikaru's face.
"It wasn't your fault Hikaru." Kaoru whispered. Mori came back with some instant coffee and Kaoru took a cup and thanked him. He took a sip and it warmed him instantly, his hand was shaking so he put the cup down so he wouldn't spill any.
"How did you know that I was in trouble anyway?" Kaoru asked and Hikaru shrugged.
"Dunno, I just had a really bad feeling and I told the others and they all came up with me. When we got outside we saw you dodging swipes from Pricilla and we all hurried up the stairs to help but by the time we got up there, you were over the edge." Hikaru's eyes drifted down to Kaoru hand and he snatched up his wrist.
His fingers were a mix of purple, black and red and his nails were bloodied. Kaoru stared at his hand for a few moments before his mind clicked to what had happened.
"That was the hand that Pricilla was stepping on to make me fall." He said slowly, his mind sluggish. Hikaru jumped up and looked around.
"We need to get you to the nurse! No, you can't stand; we need to get the nurse here!" He went to run off to the nurse but Kaoru told him to slow down and he stood up shakily.
"Hikaru, I'm fine. I can stand alright. I'll go to the nurse's office and get my hand looked at." Hikaru seemed out of breath for a moment but he took a deep breath and nodded.
"OK. I'll help you." He walked over to him and went to support him but Kaoru smiled and took off the blanket and passed it to Mori.
"I can walk, but you can still go with me if you want." He assured him and Hikaru nodded nervously.
Hikaru kept his eye on Kaoru the whole walk to the nurse's office and did all the talking to the nurse when they got there, he made up a story of why Kaoru's hand was in such bad shape and he made sure that the nurse didn't hurt Kaoru when she was putting of the disinfectant and the bandage. He talked non-stop on the way back and he opened the door for him when they got back to Music Room 3. Everyone was back in the club room when they got there and all the girls were gone.
"Are you OK?" Kyoya asked when they stepped into the room and Kaoru nodded.
"I'm fine. I got my hand wrapped up by the nurse that stays until we go and Hikaru won't take his eyes off me so I'm going to be fine…still in shock but fine." He said and grinned weakly.
"Do you want some cake to make you feel better?" Hunny asked and Kaoru shook his head.
"No thanks Sempi, I think I'll be sick if I eat." He declined politely. He stopped and thought for a moment, his mind wondering. "Hey, what will happen about Pricilla? Will we get in trouble?" He asked solemnly. Kyoya shook his head.
"No, we had one of my family's doctors look at her head wound and they said it was nothing too serious, a few stitches and a few days of rest and she'll be fine. They're going to take her home and explain to her parents what happened. They'll work out her punishment after she's back on her feet again." He told them and Kaoru nodded.
"Will she get any jail time?" Hikaru asked darkly and Kyoya shrugged.
"Like I said, we'll work that out later but you don't have to worry, it'll all be sorted out in good time." He said calmly with a slight smile and Hikaru did his best not to growl.
"You two should probably get home." Haruhi said gently, breaking the tension. Tamaki nodded in agreement, he had finally changed out of his costume and was just waring his school uniform.
"Yeah that's a good idea. We told the girls what happened and they all went home with some persuasion from Kyoya." He said and he jerked his head towards the window. "Your family's car is outside and waiting to take you home," He paused for a second and smiled. "Take care of each other; I'll call you tomorrow to see how you are and to discuss the plans for Christmas Eve." He said and winked. Haruhi frowned and looked at him.
"Christmas Eve?" She asked and Tamaki grinned at her. Kaoru smiled shakily and looked at Hikaru.
"Wanna go home?" He asked and Hikaru nodded. They said good-bye to everyone and went out to the car, Hikaru having to help Kaoru down the flight of stairs. Kyoya's family's police force was hurrying here and there when they got outside, the head commander was barking out orders that Kyoya had given him and the others were scurrying away to carry out those orders. Two of the police members came out the clock tower's door at that moment with a stretcher held between them with the limp form of Pricilla Silvia lying in the middle, her head bandaged up and a blanket thrown over her body.
Kaoru turned his head away, trying his hardest to not catch a glimpse of her getting bundled into the car.
They reached the car and their family's driver was there holding the car door open for them and he bowed.
"Young masters." He greeted and they got into the car and both let out a breath.
"Well," Kaoru said, still quivering.
"That was the most stressful night at the club ever." Hikaru finished bitterly.
The car's engine started and they drove off. They sat in silence for most of the trip home with only a few words exchanged between the two. When they got home they didn't wait for the driver to open the car door, they just got out and made their way up to the house. They opened the door and trudged in; their twin maids greeted them flatly and bowed. Hikaru and Kaoru gave them their school bags and made their way up to their room. They swung open the door and both collapsed on Kaoru's bed.
They had two separate beds but half the time they had them pushed together so it was like one huge bed. They both groaned and Kaoru could feel more tears well up in his eyes but he blinked them away not wanting to burst into tears like he did before. He got up and went to his draws, tying to distract himself. He got out his pyjama pants and got out Hikaru's as well. He threw Hikaru's at him and they landed on his head.
He groaned again and Kaoru smiled slightly.
They got changed, dumping their school uniform on the floor, got into bed and flicked off the lamp, darkness covering everything like a thick blanket. They lay in the darkness for a long while before Kaoru had to ask something.
"Hikaru?"
"Mh?" He mumbled.
"What would you do if I died? Tonight when I was hanging off the side of that tower, all I could think of was you and what would happen to you if I let go and let myself fall." Hikaru didn't answer for a long time and for a moment Kaoru thought he had fallen asleep but he finally answered.
"What kind of question is that? What do think I would do?" Kaoru thought for a moment and many answers came to his head, none that he liked the idea of.
"I don't know." He answered softly and Hikaru went silent.
"Actually, I don't know what I would to ether." He almost whimpered. "We are always together, since we were kids and watching you on the clock tower…." He trailed off, not finishing what he was going to say. Kaoru heard him sniff and he moved closer to him. He had grown used to the darkness by that time and he could just make out Hikaru's out line. He moved Hikaru's forehead towards his own and rested his head on his.
"Why? Why did she want to take you away from me?" Hikaru said through tears. "We're all we have." Kaoru found Hikaru's hand and he held it. He could hear Hikaru trying to fight the tears but he wasn't succeeding. Kaoru refused to cry, he was the rock between them, the more responsible one and the one who thinks things through, the one who rationalises.
It was the only thing he could do without breaking…
Three weeks later, Christmas Eve
Haruhi's home
The snow was falling heavily now and Haruhi looked out the window. Her father was still at work and would probably be for a long while, tonight was one of the busiest nights of the year and they were under staffed so her dad would probably be there past midnight. She looked at the picture of her mother and smiled. She took it off the mantel and brushed some dust off it.
"How's Christmas up in heaven mum?" She asked the picture. She walked over to her family kotutsu and sat down. She put the picture down and rested the chin on her arms. She hummed along to Jingle Bells that was playing outside on the street and shut her eyes. She remembered when she was little when her mum and dad and her all went out at Christmas for dinner then went around and looked at all the twinkling Christmas lights. She smiled; she looked forward to that every year. She heard a crash outside and her eyes flew open, she froze. Voices followed the crash and laughter.
"What the hell?" She asked herself and went to the door, she listened and a knock rattled the door in its frame, making her jump. She didn't open it, her dad told her to never open the door unless you know who it is, she didn't understand how that made much sense seems you have to open the door to see who it is but she followed what her dad told her.
"Haruhi Chan!" Someone sung and her eyes widened. "Merry Christmas! Are you home?" They called and she opened the door a crack and peeked out.
Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru, Kyoya, Hunny and Mori were all standing at the door wrapped in warm expensive looking clothes, Hunny, Tamaki and the twins with big goofy grins on their faces and Kyoya and Mori standing with small smiles. She opened the door fully and stared in shock.
"Well," The twins said expectedly. "You going to let us in or what? It's freezing out here." Tamaki glared at them and hit them on the back of their heads.
"Behave! That wasn't very Christmassy at all!" He scolded and the twins rolled their eyes. Haruhi was still in shock and continued to stare.
"W-what are you doing here?" She finally asked and Hunny giggled.
"To see you silly." He said happily and the twins pushed in front.
"Yeah, we want to see what a commoner's Christmas is like." They said hopefully. Haruhi blinked and moved aside so they could come in, the twins barged through and looked at the Christmas tree in the corner of the room.
"Wow," They said. "It's tiny! The one at our house is like ten times the size of this one." Tamaki pulled them to the side and whispered angrily to them. Haruhi sighed and Hunny bounded up to her. He held up a Christmas cake to her and she took it with an eyebrow raised.
"It's a Christmas cake for you Haru-Chan! My family's pastry chef made it; he's really good at making cakes!" He squeaked and Haruhi smiled warmly at him.
"Thanks Hunny-Sempi." She said and he grinned and bounded off towards Mori.
"Sorry about the surprise visit," Kyoya apologised with his arms crossed across his chest. "Tamaki was apparently planning it for weeks and he didn't think inform me about it. Naturally I would have called you right away to ask your permission. " Haruhi held up her hands and smiled.
"No, no. It's fine, I wasn't doing anything anyway." She looked around at the guys and smiled. "But did they really do all of this for me?" She asked and Kyoya nodded.
"Yes, they wouldn't stop talking about it the whole ride here. They were really looking forward to doing something special for you." Haruhi froze for a couple of seconds and she laughed slightly.
That's a pleasant surprise.
"Hey Haruhi," The twins chirped. "Are we going to have some Christmas cake or what? Hunny's chef is amazing at cakes!" They asked and Haruhi looked at the cake that Hunny had given her.
"Uh…Yeah sure." She said and everyone barged into the dining/lounge room, Hikaru and Kaoru, Hunny and Tamaki all chanting together 'cake, cake, cake!'
"OW! I keep forgetting about the low doors! I bumped my head!" Hikaru cried out and Kaoru laughed.
They all sat around Haruhi's kotutsu table, legs under the warm cloth, and she cut up the cake and shared it out. Everyone munched away happily, Hunny and the twins going for seconds. Tamaki wiped cake crumbs off his face and suddenly looked like he remembered something; he started rummaging around in his pockets.
"Haruhi! We got you something for you for Christmas." He found whatever it was and took it out of his pocket. It was square and small, wrapped in green and red wrapping paper and he passed it to her. She took it and looked at it for a moment.
"Thanks Sempi, but I didn't get any of you anything." He smiled.
"Don't worry; it's a gift from us to you. We don't need anything back." Haruhi blinked and started to tear open the wrapping. She stared at the present for a long while.
It was a frame with the word 'family' etched into it with a picture of everyone in the club in it. Haruhi was in the middle with the twins either side of her, hugging her with a grin on their faces, Tamaki was at the back and looked like he was yelling at them, Kyoya was in the background with a smile on his face and Hunny was sitting on top of Mori's shoulders with Usa-Chan in his arms. The frame looked amazing but very expensive….
…Why wasn't she surprised?
She looked around at everyone; they all had smiles of their faces.
She was speechless.
"Do you like it?" Tamaki asked hopefully and she nodded.
"Y-yes. Thank you very much. It's amazing." She said quietly. She admired it for a moment longer and got up, picking up the picture and the picture of her mother and walked over to the mantel. She put them down next to each other and stepped back to admire them.
"Now you have all your family up there." The twins said and she turned back to them and grinned.
"Yes, yes I do." She said happily. Hunny shoved more cake into his mouth and grinned.
"We should spend New Year's together to! That would be so much fun!" He said through the mouthful of cake and Haruhi sighed with a warm hearted roll of her eyes.
"Oh, brilliant..."
END