Q: The only thing is I'm not sure if Kaoru is happy to see Hikaru or not... Sometimes he seems happy, and the other it seems as if it's a bother.
A: Interesting to know that's how it's coming across. I would equate it to their whole "us and them" scenario, where both the twins treated the concept of opening up their world as an unnecessary bother, when really they were scared to let anyone else in.
Chapter 4
It's been a long, long time since I've looked into the mirror
I guess that I was blind
Now my reflection's getting clearer
Now that you're gone, things will never be the same again
There's not a minute that goes by of every hour of every day
You're such a part of me but I just pulled away
- "Here With Me," Michelle Branch
.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.
"I'm home," Kaoru announced cheerfully as he walked in the door, smiling despite the tiredness in his eyes and slipping off his shoes. "Did you go anywhere?"
"Naw, there's not much I especially wanted to see," answered Hikaru, assuming the question was primarily directed at him. Haruhi could have already been awake before Kaoru left, giving her the opportunity to make the importance of her case over her desire to explore the area – exciting as it may be for some – well known.
"You didn't come all the way to Sweden just to sit on your ass, did you?" Grinning, Kaoru playfully nudged Hikaru on the shoulder. Frowning, the latter debated voicing that in finding the former, his travel goal had already been completed, and thus he wanted nothing more to do with the foreign country. Fortunately for the current, upbeat air, Kaoru continued before the other could voice his rebuttal. "Why don't we go out for a few hours before dinner? Haruhi, you should come, too."
"I suppose I could use a break," she admitted, lowering the manila folder onto the table. At the movement suggestive of an event to come shortly, Börje at last spoke up, though he had been paying close attention to the conversation thus far in an attempt to fully grasp its content. Similarly, even though neither Hikaru nor Haruhi understood the spoken content of the exchange that followed, the man's concern when he put down the stack of papers he had been studying to do the same with Kaoru's appearance was evident. After much insistence, Kaoru was finally able to wave him off long enough to show his other friends a guidebook of the area.
When they returned from their sightseeing, Börje repeated his actions of worry over Kaoru's condition once more before sitting them down to dinner.
"You're fine; right, Kaoru?" Hikaru asked, frowning. Instantly, he received a confirmatory nod in response. "Then why does he think you aren't?" Sure, Kaoru's skin appeared slightly paler than usual, but the long, Scandinavian winters offered little sun compared to Tokyo. He might have avoided walking for long distances while they were out, taking the metro at every opportunity, but surely he was tired after a day of work.
Kaoru shrugged it off nonchalantly. "He's just paranoid," he answered offhandedly. Turning his attention to the meal in front of them, he silently labeled the conversation as over.
"How long were you planning on staying?" cut in Börje curiously once it was clear that the half-intelligible, Japanese exchange had been completed.
"Well, we have to leave time in Golden Week for visiting the Lord in Paris," Hikaru answered, successfully distracted from the previous subject and simultaneously earning Haruhi's attention.
"Paris?" she repeated in wonder.
"Yeah." The lack of explanation that followed indicated that he missed the implications for request of further information. "I'm sure he wants to see both of you after all these years. You want to come to?" he added, turning to Börje, though if one knew him well enough it was clearly not out of politeness but spite.
"I would love to," replied Börje cheerfully enough, "but I have class."
"Oh, come on, you can miss a few day of classes." He easily waved off the issue. Mid-laugh, Kaoru stopped himself from choking on a new mouthful of noodles. Börje just stared at the unknowing twin.
"Not when I'm teaching them." Exchanging glances with Kaoru, their eyes shared silent laughter. Once he recovered from a shocked moment of silence, Hikaru clenched his fork tighter, using it to shove another clump of food into his mouth and thereby failing miserably at camouflaging his discomfort.
"Why don't you go on ahead, Haruhi?" Kaoru continued in question, knowing that dwelling further on the previous topic might result in disaster. "I'm sure you would like some one-on-one time to catch up with the Lord."
Haruhi's mouth opened, then closed again. Although she wished to reject the connotations of that statement, in the pure sense conversation unadulterated by the twins' snide comments didn't sound so bad. In fact, after all the changes she had discovered in the twins themselves over the past few days, it sounded like a beneficial experience. "I guess... if you two want time to yourselves as well..." As anticipated, the two redheads exchanged glances, and for once Haruhi wasn't sure if they had also traded sentiments.
"You're sure you're okay flying by yourself?"
"I've done it before, Hikaru." She rolled her eyes. "It can't be more than a few hours to Paris from here."
Little did Haruhi know that although the trip from Stockholm to Paris served no issue, from the Charles de Gaulle airport to the address Hikaru gave her proposed problem enough. For one, not only did the taxi driver know little English, it was obvious that he hardly even spoke French. For another, although the similar proportion of the building that appeared at the end of the irritating drive as compared to those she had seen of her rich, Ouran friends back in Japan summoned auspice for the homeowner's well-being, the row of children lined up in front of a series of cars out front provided nothing but puzzlement.
"Excuse me, I don't think this is the right—" Haruhi tried, but the grumpy man cut her off.
"Va-t'en, va-t'en!" he cried, waving at her. Out of a smidgen of good fortune and/or lack of communication, he neglected to collect her payment before driving off at what would've been high speeds had it not been a school zone. With a resigned sigh, she headed past the strange glances to the front door and into what appeared to be the office. Upon her entrance, the blond yet not in the least familiar young man glanced up from his desk.
"Puis-je... vous aider?" he asked cautiously with a scrunched brow to match. With a deep breath, she hoped that he had better English than the taxi driver.
"I'm looking for Tamaki Suou. I was told I could find him here."
"'Tamaki'?" he repeated with surprise, but fortunately that of the pleasant sort. "Oh, you must mean René! Bien sûr, of course; he is in his office." With these unintentionally comforting words and the corresponding gesture towards a door at the back of the room, Haruhi could at least breathe a sigh of relief. After thanks and a bow, she followed the direction and entered into the indicated office.
Later she would absentmindedly wonder who had been more taken aback by the appearance of the other; him, for his state of ignorance, or her, for his state of uncanny resemblance to the very same character she had once known in high school – not counting the slightly longer hair and less tacky suit-and-tie ensemble, that is.
"Hikaru didn't tell me you were working at a school," she broke the silence, gazing around the room at the ancient, European architecture, "but I suppose that makes sense, considering Suou-sensei..."
"Hi-Hikaru? Is he how you got here?" Tamaki returned after a moment, for once unsure of what to say.
"Yeah, he gave me the address. He's coming himself tomorrow." As previously instructed, she carefully left out the part of Kaoru – hopefully – joining his twin on the trip.
Then, suddenly, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, he smiled as he always had before. "Wonderful! I'm really happy to see you again, Haruhi. Can I hug you?"
"No." Regardless of her verbal objection, even before the word left her mouth she was caught in a rush of centripetal forces. "Tamaki-senpai!"
"No more 'senpai' – we're equals now, aren't we? Please?"
"I suppose... Just let me go, Tamaki!"
As light as a feather, he dropped her back on her feet. "I'm just about to get off work," he continued with typical nonchalance. "You're coming home with me, aren't you?"
"So I was told, but I certainly don't want to impose—"
"No, not at all!" he interrupted. "You're always welcome. You're part of the family, after all. Remember, dear daughter?" Haruhi rolled her eyes, but on the inside she concerned herself over how much of the statement was meant to be jocular. However, she didn't have much time to ponder on the subject, as she was soon swept up with Tamaki's suit jacket and briefcase and, along with her suitcase, taken out the door with only a brief – if amiable – farewell to the man at the front desk.
By that time, all the students to which the cars out front had belonged had been picked up and taken back home. A good number remained, however, playing a game of soccer under the supervision of the playground attendant. One of them – a small girl about three or four years old with a head full of blond curls – ran over even before Tamaki waved and cheerfully called out, "Héloïse!" just as she exclaimed her own, "Papa!"
Scooping her up into his waiting arms, he twirled her around in the air much as he had tried to do with Haruhi but minutes before. "Ready to go home?" he asked. She nodded vigorously, peering over the man's shoulder at the stranger. "Aunt Haruhi's coming with us, all the way from Japan." Through his proud smile, Haruhi absentmindedly wondered how she could possibly be the girls' aunt if she was supposed to be his daughter as well, but did not question the juvenile blonde's familial designations. Instead, she tried her best to smile friendlily. Upon seeing this welcoming gesture, a small smile broke out on Héloïse's face as well.
"Nice to meet you," offered Haruhi as they began walking towards the sidewalk. Due to the other's state of a shy preschooler, the lack of response was taken with no spite.
It wasn't until they had climbed aboard the metro that it occurred to Haruhi: Daughter? And home... did that mean... mother? It hadn't been that long, had it? She herself felt like her life beyond education had just begun, and here the others were – Hikaru on his way to heading the Hitachiin fashion industry, Kaoru with a new home, best friend, and career of his own, and Tamaki with a family. She wondered what possible twists Kyouya could add to the picture. At least Mori and Honey had notified them of their own intentions. Even if they had not, the news coverage of international martial arts competitions that Haruhi had watched precisely for this purpose would have told the story for them.
For now, Tamaki's story lay behind those cerulean eyes as he played with his apparent daughter, waiting to be released through the right questions that Haruhi couldn't bring herself to ask.
