Disclaimer: Ouran is not mine to own *cries*
So here we go, left you on a depressing ending last time. But don't worry the host club is back in the story ! ;) Thanks so much to all reviewers I LOVE YOU ALL. Also big thanks to my awesome beta for getting this back to me so quick ! (: FYI this is 15 beautifullll pages, so don't hate. Appreciate. (Yes I am aware that I am lame) Enjoy !
I made my way across the lush, green fields of Ouran Academy. After the night from hell, I knew I must have looked positively grotesque. I had showered and done my best to clean up, but it couldn't do much for my puffy eyes and overall crappy appearance.
When I got to class, the twins signaled that they had saved me a seat. I silently made my way over, not wanting to offend them into pestering me.
"Are you excited to learn how to dance?" Hikaru said mischievously.
"I'm not going to go" I said softly, not wanting them to hear how raspy I sounded from my night spent crying.
The teacher came into class before they could convince me otherwise. I spent the rest of the day dodging and avoiding members of the Host Club. I knew that this method couldn't work forever, but I just needed to bide my time, so I could get a hold of myself before the afternoon.
I walked into the Host Club at the last possible second. Tamaki came up to me with a triumphant grin.
"Fine, if you insist on being a boy, then you must learn how to be a gentleman!" he proclaimed, in that painfully obnoxious voice of his.
I was too tired to argue, I didn't even meet his gaze.
"Therefore," he continued, "If you can learn to dance properly, and prove so on the night of the banquet, I will cut your quota in half" he finished.
Now that caught my attention.
My head snapped up. "Really?" I said. Hoping that this wasn't some cruel joke, because if I could finish with the Host Club that much faster, I could have a chance of sinking back into oblivion.
It turns out, Kasugasaki-san had volunteered to teach me how to waltz. I felt really bad for her. My two left feet were even more prominent from being as exhausted as I was, and I was constantly stepping on her feet.
"Oof!" Kasugasaki said, after I landed on top of her accidently in yet another stumble of mine.
"I'm so sorry," I said, not even having the grace to be embarrassed at our close proximity. I helped Kasugazaki to her feet, and we agreed to take a bit of a break.
"I heard you were postponing guests while you practiced," she said conversationally. "I'm glad that I can have a chance to get to know you better." She almost seemed to say it suggestively, but nothing in her demeanor made me really believe that she wanted to be with me in that sense.
Kyouya was walking by for what seemed like the millionth time; was he checking on me or something? Kasugasaki commented on the tea sets.
"Dear me, you have a new tea set. It's Ginori, is it not?"
Kasugasaki gazed lovingly into the cup. Her features softening, she looked so happy. It was definitely a change from the calculated, amused expression she wore most of the time around the Host Club. It suited her, and I wondered why she didn't really show her true self more often.
I started rubbing my head, feeling a headache coming on, when I caught Kyouya looking at me again. I immediately stopped and returned my attention back to Kasugasaki, still feeling Kyouya's gaze boring into my back.
"Wow, you must really like tea sets then" I said amicably.
"WHAT! NO, OF COURSE NOT! OW!" she wailed, burning her hand on her tea.
I smiled hesitantly, wondering why she was so dead-set on hiding why she liked it.
"Why don't we just take you to the Nurse's Office" I said, my foggy brain trying to figure out Kasugasaki's puzzling behavior.
We made our way over to the doctor's office, and inside we found, not a doctor, but another student. When Kasugasaki saw him, her whole persona changed. The unidentified boy seemed very concerned once he saw her burn and came up to grab her hand. I was shocked when Kasugasaki slapped his hand away. A chilling smile came over her face as she draped herself over me and said, "Haruhi-kun will take care of it for me."
Suffice to say, I felt very awkward.
"Are you the assistant nurse or something perhaps?" I said, a little confused.
"What, no! I'm another student." I was about to apologize for my obliviousness when Kasugasaki let out cruel-sounding laugh.
"It can't be helped Haruhi. It's not as if he looks like the heir of a first-rate corporation." The boy laughed good naturedly at her less than welcome display. He merely commented that he was looking for the teacher, knowing he wouldn't be here next semester.
"So, you two are friends?" I said cautiously, trying to muddle through her weird behavior. It had seemed that, once that boy left the room, all of the energy had drained out of her.
"NO, I DON"T EVEN KNOW HIM! IT LOOKS LIKE MY BURNS NOT TOO SERIOUS ANYWAY! FAREWELL!" she said, blushing scarlet.
There was definitely a weird vibe going on here, but I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I was about to exit myself, when Mori-sempai came rushing through with Honey-sempai sobbing on his back. Through my bleary eyes, I saw how worried Mori-sempai looked for Honey, and figured I should at least help him out.
After examining Honey-sempai's arm, which Mori-sempai had stepped on, I saw that it was okay, just a scratch.
"Don't worry, Mori-sempai. It's just a scratch" I said, repeating my thoughts out loud.
Mori smiled, and I couldn't help but admire it. It was a subtle and sweet smile. He really should do it more often I thought to myself. My exhaustion was hitting its peak, and I could barely keep my eyes open at this point. Honey-sempai, who was still on my lap, examined me closely.
"Haru-chan, you don't look so good. Are you feeling alright?" He had the sweet voice of a child, and his concern almost made me want to cry.
"I'm okay, thanks" I said. I think it might have been more convincing had my voice not cracked. I averted my eyes from both Mori and Honey's questioning gazes. As if sensing my unwillingness to confess, Honey-sempai changed the subject.
"So, did you talk to Suzushima-kun earlier?" he said. Sensing the question in my eyes, Honey answered before I even spoke.
"You know the guy who just left, Kasuga-chan's fiancée?"
That left me even more confused than ever about Kasugasaki's weird behavior. Wouldn't she be more friendly towards her own fiancée?
Mori-sempai, Honey-sempai, and I all walked down to the Host Club together, right in time to be ushered into a super-important meeting. They started reviewing the "Kasuga-Suzushima" case, as they called it.
They all seemed to agree that Suzushima-kun was boring, although he was going on an exchange next semester, and that Kasugasaki-san was just fooling around, because she didn't want to be married to someone so boring, and plain, as they so callously put it. I tried to puzzle out the situation in my head. While their explanation seemed plausible enough, I sensed that there was more to the story than they had deciphered.
"Kyouya…" Tamaki began. I looked beside me, and he looked serious, enhancing his attractive features that much more. I quickly looked away.
"You knew about this all along?" He seemed very irritated.
I kept checking the clock, knowing I would have to leave for work any minute, when Hikaru and Kaoru came up.
"Here's a question," Kaoru began.
"If you search Suzushima on the net, what will you find?" finished Hikaru.
I had to leave for work right at that moment, but their question intrigued me. If I had enough time to look at a computer, I would. I tried slipping silently out of the Host Club, but was once again targeted by the twins.
"Not so fast" they said in unison, mischievous eyes twinkling with delight.
"We have to measure you. Please strip." I knew they were just joking, but I didn't even have the energy to roll my eyes.
I followed them to the dressing room, so that they could take my measurements in order to lend me one of their tux's. To be honest, I think the twins were more embarrassed for some of the measurements than I was. So naturally, they continued to make sexual references to cover that fact. When they measured my height, all was fine. It wasn't as if not eating made you shorter. But when they got to width, they gave each other alarmed looks that would have been hard to miss.
"So Haruhi, maybe you should come over to our house for dinner?" Kaoru said pleasantly.
"No, thank you. I have somewhere I need to be" I said, averting my eyes.
Fuck. I knew this had been a bad idea. I should have just let them lend me the clothes without measuring, because then they wouldn't have realized how skinny I was. Even my size zero jeans were a little bit loose. This charade of everything being perfect was getting hard to keep up. The cracks were starting to show. Soon, even Tamaki might begin to realize there was something wrong.
I quickly grabbed my stuff and went to change for work in one of the many stalls. My hands started to shake violently as I undid my uniform. Once my shirt was pulled over my head, I took a long look at my scar. It was thick and long, stretching from my hip across to my ribs. It was starting to become a faded pink, much different from the puckering red it used to be.
I used it as a reminder of what could happen when you let people in. When you trust people. My face turned into a bitter scowl at the thought of the word trust. But no, it was also a reminder of all that I had lost.
I quickly put my shirt back on and wiped the tears from eyes. I walked quickly past Hikaru and Kaoru, away from their questioning and concerned gazes. If things kept up, I might have to skip town again. But where would I go this time? The thought of leaving left an ache in my stomach. Shit. I was getting attached to this place, these boys. I knew I needed to pull it together, and fast.
Shaking away the morbid thoughts, I picked up my pace, knowing that unless I sprinted, and let's face it, I didn't have anywhere near the stamina to do that, I would be late for work.
Hikaru looked at his brother with something similar to panic in his eyes.
"Why is she so skinny?" he demanded, knowing that his brother wouldn't have the answer.
Kaoru smiled a sad smile.
"I don't know. But she's obviously keeping stuff from us" he said.
"Then we should just make her tell us already. Why doesn't she trust us?" he said, angrily. It was irrational, but Hikaru was upset and thrown off by the state Haruhi was in.
"She'll tell us when, and if, she's ready. You know that Hikaru" Kaoru replied. While he seemed very calm, it was only to placate his brother. He was just as upset as Hikaru, and Hikaru knew it.
Haruhi stumbled into work ten minutes late. Nearly passing out from exhaustion, she had run the last four blocks here.
"Shigure, I'm so sorry I'm late" I panted, breathless.
Shigure gave me that brotherly, concerned look, and immediately made me sit down and drink some water. Ah well, as long as he didn't try to make me eat again.
"It's okay, don't worry about it. How 'bout you just go home kiddo?" he said easily.
"No, I can't" I said forcefully. Perhaps a little more forcefully than absolutely necessary.
Shigure gave me a funny look.
"You need the rest" he said firmly.
"What I need," I started, suddenly angry and too exhausted to even care, "is people to stop treating me like a child. I can take care of my own damn self" I said, my volume increasing with each word.
Shigure gave me a shocked, hurt look, and I immediately regretted saying it. What was happening to me? All this man had ever been was kind and understanding.
"I'm sorry. It's been a tough week" I said, immediately backtracking, trying to repair the damage I had so carelessly just caused. "I shouldn't have said that. I completely disrespected you as my employer and-" Shigure silenced me with one icy look.
It surprised me, in the worst way possible. I had never seen Shigure look so mad. I knew that I had taken it too far, and would not be surprised if he decided to fire me.
Tears started welling in my eyes before I could stop them, and I quickly looked away.
"Haruhi," Shigure started, his tone chilling. "You should just go home. Come back when you can show some respect for your employer" he finished.
I didn't want to meet his gaze and see the disappointment and the hurt there. But I had to, if only to torture myself more. I looked up, and saw exactly what I thought I would.
"Do you want me to hand in my resignation?" I said, my voice cracking. But I kept eye contact with him, holding my hands tightly behind my back, so they wouldn't render me into a shaking, sobbing mess.
His eyes softened ever so slightly.
"No. But come back next week, after you've had a good chance to rest" he said. The old tone, filled with warmth and concern, had returned. It was all I could do not to collapse in relief.
"Of course. I am truly sorry Kurosaki-sempai" I replied. Letting, just for a moment, my flood of feelings show through my tone and my eyes. My regret, my desperation, and my exhaustion.
I grabbed the bag I had dropped and started to walk home. About a block away from the restaurant, I collapsed on a bench, too emotionally and physically drained to take even another step. I longed for the days when all I had felt was emptiness. The gaping hole inside of me was being filled, but not with love or happiness, but with more pain, sorrow and heartache than any one person should have to bear.
It was quiet in the park I had stopped in, and I found myself unable to keep my eyes open. I drifted into sleep. And for once, I was too exhausted to have the recurring nightmares of my life on replay.
I awoke feeling stiff and sore. Where was I? Oh no. I had fallen asleep on the park bench for the entire night. I was chilled to the bone, and felt as though I had barely closed my eyes for all the good that sleep had done me. I gathered my things and found a nearby fast food place to change into my uniform.
What I saw in the mirror frightened me. My eyes were bloodshot. I had large bags underneath my eyes that no amount cover up would have been able to fix, and I was frighteningly skinny. Even my face was starting to hollow out, making my cheekbones protrude that much more. I looked at the clock they had in the fast food place, and realized that I had already missed first period.
I didn't know how much more of this I could stand. My life was slipping away from me. And on top of that, I was out of a week of work. I would not have dared argue with Kurosaki-sempai about it, but I was still behind on rent. I knew that, after the banquet tonight, I would have to face my landlord. I cringed at the thought. Today was going to be one hell of a day.
I checked into the office and said that I had been very sick the night before and unable to make it to first period today as such. The secretary was generally a strict woman, all business, but she gave me a smile and told me she would take care of it. Glad that that was over, I made my way to second period.
It turns out Hikaru and Kaoru had still saved a seat for me. I tried to be auspicious, but they fired questions at me, keeping their voices low enough so the teacher would not pay attention to us.
I studiously ignored their interrogation of my whereabouts and my appearance. I skipped lunch to avoid the Host Club and spent my time holed up in a supply closet finishing all of the homework I had been neglecting the last couple of days. Relieved to have that out of my way, I finished afternoon classes in a similar fashion to my morning classes.
I drew in a deep breath as I looked at the doors of the Host Club. This was our time to prepare for the Christmas banquet tonight. I slipped in the room, but was immediately bombarded with more of the twins questions, and since there were no teachers to keep their volume at a low level, they were practically yelling at me.
"I overslept is all" I said quietly.
They gave each other doubtful looks.
"Twins, I need your help over here" proclaimed Tamaki, in that obnoxious way of his.
I shot him a grateful look, and received a concerned one in return. In fact, all of the boys seemed to be looking at me worriedly. Did I really look that bad? Never mind, that wasn't a question I really needed answering. From what I had caught of my reflection during the day, I looked borderline scary at this point. I did the tasks they assigned me, while trying to pretend like I couldn't feel them all staring at me the entire time. They gave me the easiest tasks possible, and I knew it wasn't a coincidence. They had me unroll streamers, and other non-strenuous tasks. I would have been irritated if I wasn't so relieved. Just carrying my book bag was a strenuous task for me these days, and I didn't need the boys to see me so pathetic.
Once I was finished, the twins wordlessly handed me a bag with the suit they had fitted for me inside. I did my best to clean up, and with a shower, and some subtly-applied coverup, I was looking a whole lot better than this morning. If only I could feel better too.
Finally, it was time for the party. I couldn't wait to get this over with. I heard the twins asking Tamaki if I would be up for the plan, and he replied that I would be okay, since it wasn't too hard a job for me anyway. I felt like it should concern me that they were talking about some plan involving me, or at least interest me, but I just couldn't muster up enough feeling to care at this point.
The final decorations had been made while I had been getting ready, and even I had to admit that the place looked gorgeous. The boys all looked handsome in their suits, and the girls looked lovely in their evening dresses. It was such a surreal experience for me. I just wished I could enjoy it.
Tamaki-sempai explained the point system they had come up with. If you win one of the many games, you get a point. Those with the most points in the end get to dance with a member of the Host Club for the last dance, and the winner with the most points got a kiss from Tamaki. It all seemed ridiculous to me, but I knew it wasn't my place to judge.
I stood rigidly off to the side. The twins had sewn in extra materials to the suit, probably to make me look bulkier than I really was, and I felt uncomfortable with the whole situation.
"Haruhi, why do you look so tense?" asked Tamaki-sempai, looking dashing in his grey and white suit.
Wait a minute; did I just call Tamaki dashing? I must have been more sleep deprived than I originally thought.
"I'm just not really used to this," I said truthfully, gesturing around the room. I had never been to any kind of banquet, let alone one so elegant and prestigious.
"Well, what do you normally do for Christmas?" Honey-sempai asked sweetly.
I didn't want to think about what I normally would have done for Christmas. It was too painful. I had wanted to start being more truthful with the Host Club, but there were some things I just couldn't talk about. And this was one of them.
"Normally, we don't do much for Christmas," I lied.
"What are you going to be doing this year, now that you're away from your family?" Honey implored.
"Oh, not much of anything; catch up on my homework, I guess" I said calmly. A celebration of my first Christmas here was not what I needed.
They all looked at me, appalled at my plans, or lack thereof.
"So, this gorgeous party doesn't mean anything to you?" asked Kaoru.
"No fun!" commented Hikaru.
"Well, how about you at least try some of our delicious foods" Kyouya said graciously.
I looked over at the impressive display of undoubtedly expensive foods. My stomach rolled unpleasantly at the thought of consuming that rich food.
"I had a big lunch" I proclaimed, trying to smile, but ending up with more of a grimace.
More concerned looks. Fantastic. At this rate, the whole world would know I had issues by the end of the evening. Thankfully, Kasugasaki-san chose that moment to materialize.
"Haruhi-kun, I was looking all over for you!" she said.
Someone in the distance mentioned Suzushima-sempai. She purposefully fell. I made my way over to her, knowing that I understood why she had been acting so strangely.
"I don't think using those tactics will work" I said sincerely. She gazed up at me with her dark brown eyes, looking vulnerable for the first time.
"Even if you wander around the Host Club to gain his attention, you look happiest when you're looking at tableware" I said, a real smile playing at the corner of my lips at the sweetness of it all.
"Suzushima-sempai's main business is tableware importing, isn't it?" I said. Once I had finished all my homework at lunch, I had gone over to the library to Google it.
Kasugasaki looked sad.
"It's okay. He doesn't care about what I do. He decided to study abroad by himself too." She kept her gaze glued to the floor.
I was about to give her some advice, when Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai came over in a flurry of activity.
"Haru-chan, there you are!" said Honey-sempai excitedly, while Mori-sempai threw me over his shoulder and ran away with me.
Once away from the party, they slowed down a bit, but apparently I wasn't allowed to be put down from across Mori-sempai's shoulder either.
"You're even lighter than last time" he commented quietly, just so I could hear.
"I was recently sick" I said, which technically wasn't a lie, right?
"You said that last time too" Mori-sempai said.
I decided it was probably better if I just stayed silent. I mean, what can you really say to that? I wasn't about to confide in Mori-sempai, no matter how gentle he was being. I was ushered into a random classroom, where it appeared the rest of the Host Club was waiting. They handed me a bag of clothing and said not to ask questions right now, since there wasn't any time. I really could care less at this point, and Mori-sempai's comments had left me shaken, so I did what I was told.
Inside was a dress. Quite a pretty dress, in fact, along with some undergarments that better suited a dress. Kind of embarrassing, but whatever. Once I finished changing, the boys put me in a long-haired wig, which made me wistful for the long hair I used to have, and applied some make-up. They all seemed excited and happy. I just wished I could share their enthusiasm. They talked of how it was Tono who had suddenly come up with the plan yesterday, and preparations had been rushed.
I tuned most of them out, enjoying the silky feel of the pale blue dress they had put me in. It glided over me, without being too clingy. They even thrust some silver stilettos at me, although I knew it would be a miracle if I could even stand, let alone walk in such treacherous shoes.
Tamaki walked in, scolding the boys at leaving the guests all at once. He stopped mid-sentence when he caught sight of me. He was apparently speechless, though I can't say I know why. I just stood there, eyes wide and locked with his. Apparently, it was time to move though, so I started walking away, balancing precariously on my heels. When I turned around to look at Tamaki, he was blushing a crimson red. Ah well, he was a weird kid.
I was sent to a room. At first glance, it appeared empty. But by the window, I saw Suzushima-sempai.
"Oh, are you the one who sent this?" he said, holding up a piece of paper.
He handed it to me, as I read it, I knew it was the work of the twins, and probably Kyouya-sempai too. It talked of how much in love with him I was and all this other crap. It was embarrassing just to read. I don't know anyone who would have no shame as to actually send such a letter. Was this their big plan for me?
"I'm really flattered, but I'm afraid I can't return your feelings. See, there's another girl that I like. Even though she's disgusted with me, and she has some gorgeous guy with her. I want to change. I'll go see the world, and come back a more capable guy for her. Maybe it's a selfish wish, but I really hope she waits for me" he said.
"You're right; that is really selfish" I said bluntly.
"You didn't even try to tell her your feelings, so there's no way she'll understand it. You've already decided, so what's the use of not telling her?" I continued.
"A person can change, right at the moment they wish to change" I finished.
Realization seemed to dawn on him, and he looked grateful.
"You…" He reached a hand to me, and it was right at that moment that Kasugasaki-san came in.
Tears filled her eyes, and she dashed away quickly.
"KANAKO!" Suzushima-sempai yelled, running after her quickly.
I ran to go help Suzushima, and explain the situation to Kasugasaki-san, when I tripped in my heels. I braced myself for the impact, but it never came. Instead, I was enveloped in strong, warm arms. I looked up to see Tamaki-sempai. A small smile touched his lips, and his golden hair was adorably messy.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly, sweetly.
"Sempai?" I said, losing myself in those beautiful, blue eyes of his. My heart was beating faster than normal, and I realized that Tamaki-sempai was still holding me close to him. I tried to clear my brain out and get coherent thoughts going.
"Could it be that you sent Kasugasaki-san here?" I asked.
"Let's go by the window. We'll start counting down to the climax of the party" Tamaki said, guiding me to the window, one hand on the small of my back, and the other holding my hand in his own. He has great hands I thought to myself dreamily, almost falling asleep in the comfort of his embrace.
At this realization, I snapped to. I drew away from him, and stood rigidly watching the scene before me unfold. I rubbed my hands up and down on my arms to try to recreate the heat I had lost when I stepped away from Tamaki-sempai. He put his hand out, as if to warm me again, but dropped it after a few seconds. Good. What I needed now wasn't comfort; it was distance.
As Tamaki reached the end of his countdown, the spotlights went right onto Kasugasaki and Suzushima. "Merry Christmas!" exclaimed Tamaki.
He pulled me close in a hug. It must have been warm in the room, because my cheeks were on fire.
"May there be blessings over the clumsy couple!" someone announced over the speakers.
The entire scenario was very sweet, and I was surprised that it had been Tamaki's idea. It made me see a whole new side to him, and I think I liked it. Suzushima and Kasugasaki looked so happy together, and they danced the last waltz together as well. I changed back into my boy's uniform, but I had mildly sprained my ankle, I think, so I couldn't dance. Which meant that the deal of cutting my debt in half was naught.
I was tired, sore, and had no idea what I was going to do to figure my life out. But well, seeing Kasugasaki and Suzushima, it made me almost happy. At least, I think this is what happiness feels like, all warm and you can't help but smile. It had been so long, and while it pained me to feel such emotions after all that had happened to me, it wasn't exactly something I could stop either.
I felt someone's gaze on me as I smiled. I looked over and saw Tamaki staring at me, even though there was another girl in his arms. I quickly turned away, embarrassed, and yet, I was secretly pleased that he had been staring at me. But that was ridiculous.
It was the end of the night, so it was time for the top point getter to receive Tamaki's kiss.
"And now for the final event, Miyako-hime is the winner, with the most points. She will receive a kiss from none other than Haruhi Fujioka!" Hikaru announced pleasantly.
Tamaki looked absolutely mortified, and was protesting, loudly. Me, on the other hand, I wasn't bothered, more like resigned. What else could go wrong tonight?
Apparently, this had been arranged by the twins and Kyouya. I should have known, those bastards. But Kyouya came up to me and said that he would reduce my debt by one third if I gave the kiss. Mind made up, I moved my way towards the girl.
"Isn't this her first kiss?" Honey-sempai commented.
Tamaki jerked his head over to Honey, as if thinking about the possibility for the first time. It in fact was not my first kiss, but I did not feel obligated to inform the boys of that.
I limped on over to the winner, ready to give her a kiss on the cheek. It all would have been harmless enough had Tamaki not decided to descend his clumsy self upon us.
"HOLD THAT KISS!" he yelled, running over to me.
But as fate would have it, he slipped, pushing me right onto that girl, and into her lips. Tamaki looked utterly embarrassed, and the girl seemed about ready to pass out. Me, I could care less. Although it irked me that Kyouya seemed so pleased and smug with the way the evening turned out.
The girls started chatting and gossiping among themselves. I heard one girl loudly say, "Wow, Tamaki really wanted to give that kiss! He must be some kind of kissing machine."
That gave me the perfect excuse to blow Tamaki off.
"Oh, so that's what that was" I said, giving him the cold shoulder.
"What? No! I was only trying to protect your first kiss!" he whined.
I was fairly certain that that was the truth, since he seemed to be strangely protective where I was concerned. But I had been feeling a little too close and comfortable around him. I was hoping this would put some distance between us.
"I didn't know you were such a greedy person" I finished, giving the appearance of a slightly miffed person.
I decided it was time to bail. I had had enough, and I just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep for the next week. In reality, I would get to have 7 hours of sleep maximum, if I hurried home. I walked quickly, struggling to stay awake. I most definitely did not want another park-bench fiasco like last night.
Once I got back to my apartment building, I was completely and utterly spent. It would be impossible for anything to rile me, or so I thought. But as it turns out, I was wrong.
While making my way slowly up the stairs to my room, I heard someone yelling my name.
"HARUHI!" Shit. It was Levi, my landlord. I turned back around and climbed back down the steps wearily, knowing that I wouldn't be able to avoid him tonight.
As I got closer to Levi, I started to smell the alcohol. Oh no I thought, this wasn't good. While Levi was normally a kind, if not brisk man, put enough alcohol in him, and he was legendary for the tempers he got into. And now it seemed that his energy was directed towards me.
"You owe me this month's rent, you bitch" he said angrily, slurring his words immensely.
"I can give you most of it" I said. "But I'm still 60 dollars short."
I began backing away slowly, so as not to alarm him.
"GIVE ME THE MONEY YOU HAVE, AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY APARTMENT" he yelled. Neighbors were starting to peek their heads out the windows. But no one came out to defend me.
"Please, I can give it to you tomorrow" I said timidly, trying to back away again. Tears were threatening to spill, and my shaking was reaching its peak.
"Not good enough sweetheart" he said, his words mocking and cruel.
I was about to try and reason with him more, but at that point, he started coming towards me, a sadistic look in his eyes.
"S-s-stay away from me" I said shakily.
I didn't even see the blow coming until it landed.
He struck me right in the chest and sent me flying up the stairs. I was consumed with terror. I threatened to black out, as these visions became familiar. Being struck, tormented, watching people I love suffer. And all at the hands of someone I had trusted.
Snapping back to reality, I ran up the rest of the stairs and slammed the door to my apartment shut. Quickly, I gathered my few possessions and threw them into my duffle bag. The entire process should have taken about a minute, but it took at least five because of my violently shaking hands. I couldn't even see straight anymore, but I pressed through my exhaustion.
All the while, Levi was banging on the door to my apartment, demanding I let him in. I tried to tune him out as best as I could. Once all of my belongings were together, I unlatched the window and climbed out onto the tree beside it.
I hit the ground running, calling up on any and all reserves of strength that I possessed. A few blocks away, in another public park, I collapsed in a heap. I felt my face and realized tears had been streaming down my cheeks.
As soon as the adrenaline was out of my body, I felt the throbbing pain in my chest where Levi had struck me. The reality of my situation crushed down on me, I had nowhere to go.
It was all I could do not to sob. I held myself tightly together, as if letting go would mean I would break down. Car headlights flashed ahead of me. I wiped the stray tears from my eyes and looked up.
A figure stepped out of the car, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw who it was.
Cliffhangers are the worst I know. Here's a shout out to all of my fantastic reviewers!
Jaizina- I will make sure to use a translator for the rest of my names, thanks for the suggestion ! Inability to cry would definitely be annoying, but not going to lie it makes me happy. (that you would even think of crying that is) Hope you like the most recent chapter ! (:
Ebjeebies- Really liked your recent chapter and I hope you like mine in turn !
Lexi Luu-Thank you ! I really hope I can make more chapters too, but life get's in the way sometimes ya know? Glad you like it (:
Paigeydoll- I can't wait to see where this story takes me either ! And yes, writing from Haruhi's POV is depressing to say the least, but it'll get better…maybe ;) Thanks for reviewing!
Bored411- Thank you so much ! And yes those damn spelling errors always getting me ;) But I have myself a fantastic beta now so there should be fewer errors! And yeah, I can't wait to see what her problem is and who will help her with it either ;) I have a few ideas but nothing concrete yet !