A/N: I received some awesome news today. My Twilight FF Meetings, Memories, and Destiny was nominated for top ten finished Twilight FF of August. If you would like to vote for me, I would greatly appreciate it. The link is www dot twifanfictionrecs dot com. You can vote once a day per device. THANK YOU! I know that this is an Ouran story, but since some of you read all genres and I'm not below just asking for the votes. LOL. Also, if you have not seen, I have completed a two shot for Tamaki/Haruhi entitled Against All Odds, and a one shot for Kyoya/Haruhi entitled Coffee IV. Check them out if you would like. For this story…what is going to happen now? For those of you who want to know more about Chika's fiancée, you will get a bigger glimpse in this chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 7 – Set in Stone
Everything was more than a little screwed up. Not only had he slept with Haruhi after his brother's wedding – even if very little sleep had actually occurred – but he slept with her a second time and this time he hadn't been nine sheet to the wind. His mind had fully been engaged and he knew exactly what he was doing…in the sense that he had purposely chosen to have sex with her again. And this time…it was even better than he remembered the last time; however, instead of her sneaking away before he woke up, he left her sleeping in her hotel room.
What the hell had he been thinking? Haruhi was too precious a person to just have a one night stand or to slip into the role of fuck buddy. And then there was the fact that he was engaged! Haruhi didn't deserve to be the other woman or the mistress. She deserved to have someone love her, promise her forever, and then to have someone dedicate his life to making her happy.
The air was suddenly taken out of his sails. He couldn't do that for her. Why did it hurt more than it should? Why did feel like someone had taken a katana and slashed it across his chest? This was Haruhi. Just a friend, a commoner girl with average appearance and features. No one special. No one…she was also one of the first people outside of his family that he felt like he could truly trust. She always gave it to him straight and he was able to confide in her unlike anyone before, and that included his cousin, Satoshi. She had brown eyes that seemed to be able to look into the very heart and soul of those around her, captivating almost everyone she met.
Staring up at his ceiling, he inwardly groaned. What was wrong with him? He was acting like an idiot with a crush. No! No! No! He couldn't be, shouldn't be having feelings for another woman. He was engaged to be married and according to his father, the wedding would take place in four short weeks. Why?
When his plane had landed and he stepped out of the airport terminal, he had been "greeted" by three of his father's men. According to them, they were there to pick him up and take him to a meeting with the patriarch of the Haninozuka family. The moment they made their announcement and surrounded him, escorting him to the car, Chika knew it would be bad news…and he had been right.
Flashback…
Pulling up to the Haninozuka mansion, Chika got out of the car followed by his father's thugs...I mean men. It was almost as if they were prepared for him to bolt, as one trailed behind and the other two flanked his sides. Even if he had wanted to, he wasn't going anywhere. Although, if he knew what was coming, maybe he would have thought better.
They stopped outside of his father's office and one of the men knocked. When they were given permission to enter, Chika opened the door and walked in, the men staying outside so that he faced his father alone. "Father, I understand you wanted to see me," he stated calmly. This put it mildly, and considering how red his father's face was, he knew this was about to get ugly.
"Yasuchika Haninozuka, you are the second son," Yorihisa began. "When your brother wanted to marry Reiko, I allowed it because you did the honorable thing and stepped forward to take on your brother's duty. I was proud of you for that."
Chika remained silent because he wasn't exactly sure where his father was going with this.
"However, I am disappointed by reports that you have chosen to pursue a relationship with Haruhi Fujioka."
Had his trysts been discovered? His nerves increasing and on the verge of an anxiety attack, he asked, "What do you mean, father?"
"I mean, you were glued to her side at the wedding and I was informed that you flew to Okinawa to see her! This is unacceptable!" He roared.
The second son released a mental sigh of relief being careful to keep all physical reaction hidden (Kyoya would have been proud), "Father, if you have not been informed - although I am very certain you know - Haruhi has been spurned by the Hitachiin family. In fact, at the wedding Hikaru and Kaoru did everything they could to cut her down to size. Satoshi and I stayed close to her in order to keep them at bay. She is a good friend of Mitsukuni and this family, and I felt that he would have wanted her at the wedding. Due to the Hitachiin involvement however, she considered abstaining from the festivities. As for Okinawa, there was a problem that I needed to discuss with her and I trust her legal mind more than anyone else." He felt low for lying, not because he was lying about his reasons for seeing her, but he felt like he was betraying her for some reason.
"While I will agree that she has a brilliant legal mind, you need to be aware of the image you are portraying. You have a fiancée and will be married soon."
"My wedding isn't for another year," crossing his arms over his chest, he tried to sound almost bored.
"Four weeks."
"Excuse me?"
"I have recently met with Kobayashi-sama and we have decided that it would be best to move the date of the wedding forward. I will advise you to keep your distance from Haruhi Fujioka going forward so that your new in-laws do not get the wrong impression. They must already think ill of us for changing the groom, but they were accommodating and we do not want to anger them. They are important business partners."
"Hai, father," Chika quickly agreed. His heart was racing and it felt like the bottom had fallen out of the…well, the world. He was falling and couldn't grab anything. Clearing his throat, he tried to sound calm, "When do I meet my future bride?"
"You will meet her at the altar on your wedding day as previously planned."
"I thought we were going to have an omiai first."
"No longer."
"Father…"
"Do you have any complaints?"
"No, father."
"Good. You did this for your brother and your family. I suggest you remember where your duty lies."
"Hai, father."
Yorihisa wasn't a monster. He could see that his youngest son was struggling, and part of him wanted to comfort his child, to tell him it would all work out and that he would be okay, but he didn't. "Go to your room and stay there for now."
"Hai, father," Chika mumbled before walking out of his father's office and straight to his own room, shutting the door softly behind him and falling onto his bed.
End flashback…
Life got more complicated this afternoon, and he wasn't exactly sure how it had happened because in truth, nothing had changed except the date of his nuptials. Now in just four short weeks, he would take a wife and his life would no longer be his own…not that it wasn't currently that way. He was a product of elite society. The children were bred to be heirs or be married off for partnerships, to increase the family's prominence or wealth, and to be movable statues for parents to show off.
Oh, Chika knew his parents loved him and his brother, even if his father wasn't the best at showing any kind of affection. Yorihisa Haninozuka wanted his sons to be excellent in martial arts, to make the Haninozuka name proud, and both of his sons had accomplished that feat. There wasn't really any hugging from his father, but his mother had always been there when he skinned his knee or got hurt, and she had always been quick to kiss the booboo or give him a hug when needed. Still, when he or Hunny needed something, wanted advice, or had trouble, both the Haninozuka patriarch and matriarch were there to rush to their sons' sides. Yes, the siblings were loved even if outsiders didn't always agree or see it for themselves.
The whispers that were spread about the elite circle were that the Haninozuka boys were trained in a Spartan lifestyle, that they were taught to hit before they were taught to hug, and there wasn't an ounce of love between the members of the family. Of course one only needed to look at Hunny to know all of those rumors weren't true. While they were trained from a young age, it wasn't exactly a Spartan lifestyle; and while it did take a while to accomplish, the brothers were actually friends. They might not be the touchy feely family that some were, but then again most familes in the elite circles couldn't claim a lot of love between them to begin with. A sad fact in the upper echelon.
Would he join them? Would he be stuck in a loveless marriage? He wasn't sure if he could love this girl, but he wanted to be friends with her and respect her. Was it possible? What if he hated her? What if she was just like his brother? Chills wracked his body. He might love his brother and accept him, but he didn't have to live with him 24/7 now. This girl would be his wife, and he didn't think he could handle two people that acted just like Mitsukuni Haninozuka. That would be a nightmare.
His thoughts turned back to Haruhi. Would she be mad that he left without waking her? Would she hate him now? He needed to figure out exactly what he wanted…and he didn't have much time left. One thing for sure, he couldn't seem to get her off of his mind, nor did he want to. The nights he spent with her were some of the best, and it was more than the sex. Laying down with her in his arms, he felt almost complete. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
In his current state of mind, he couldn't marry another, but he wasn't exactly sure how he could get out of it. It seemed his future was set in stone. He chuckled, "Kyoya would probably say something like, 'Stone can still be blown up with dynamite.' Tamaki would try to find another way to move the stone. He might charge it and ram a hole in it. Takashi would pick it up and throw it over a cliff, or push it. Mitsukuni…he'd probably kick and turn it to dust. Satoshi would probably attack it with a shinai and change the features. Maybe stone isn't as permanent as I thought." His eyes lids dropped and he fell asleep thinking how he could change or destroy a stone future.
Elsewhere…
Amaterasu Kobayashi heard nothing that was being said around her. Everyone was talking at once and it sounded more like a loud buzzing than it did an actual conversation. After learning that her wedding would take place in four weeks instead of a year, her body shut down. Four weeks? Four weeks to come to terms with the fact she would be marrying someone a year younger than her? Someone who would be her superior because he was her husband and a man? Impossible, and yet, she had no choice.
Her fiancée was supposed to be Mitsukuni Haninozuka, he was shorter, but older than she was; and while she wasn't exactly happy with an arranged marriage, it had been ingrained into her that this was her duty from infancy. She was only a couple months old when the marriage contract between the two families had been signed, and thus her life had been planned from virtually the beginning and she had no choice about what she wanted or what she would do.
And then Mitsukuni had found someone he loved and wanted to back out of the engagement, but her father had been adamant that the wedding continue. In place of him, his little brother, Yasuchika, stepped forward and offered himself up as a sacrifice, and her father had accepted even though Yasuchika was only a second son. To him, either son would work because it would secure the partnership and the future of the Kobayashi name, family, and business. In terms of best family to marry into, the Haninozuka was in the top five in Japan.
To her, she couldn't care less. She was a romantic at heart and had her own dreams she wanted to accomplish – like finding love – but it was more than that. She wanted to learn. After finishing high school at Lobelia, she had won a full scholarship to Harvard in the United States so that she could get her premed degree and then attend their medical school. Her father did not let her attend because it was her duty to see to her husband and his needs. According to her father, her husband would not need someone who was a doctor or busy with a career, and who would not be able to take care of her family or handle social engagements. She only needed to serve the Haninozuka family. Was she a maid or a wife?
Was it wrong to want more out of life than what she was getting? She had tried to compromise and asked if she could attend medical school at the University of Tokyo (Todai). He denied her request. Again, she should not be a doctor when she had wifely duties to attend to, however, he compromised and allowed her to get a degree in political science with a minor in literature since she would need to understand current events and the arts. "So gracious of him," she mumbled sarcastically under her breath, but no one paid attention to her.
Wifely duties? UGH! She wanted to take something and throw it! This was not the life she wanted! And now she was surrounded by her mother, a wedding planner and her assistant, and other people making decisions about her wedding, her future, her new life. She could do nothing, but sit there, smile, look pretty, and agree to everything because she had no other choice.
What about true love? Finding your own path in life? She wanted to find that one man who would sweep her off of her feet and when he kissed her electricity would shoot through her body. Up till now, she had yet to be kissed and the only boys she knew were family. So now she was unable to attend medical school and would have to marry a man she probably had zero chemistry with. Granted he was cute – she had managed to see a picture of him in a magazine – however, he wasn't what she was looking for. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was sure she would know it when she saw it. If she passed by Yasuchika on the street, she wouldn't give him the pleasure of a second glance.
The buzzing was getting louder and more annoying. Everything felt like it was closing in on her and she needed out. Standing up quickly, she announced, "Excuse me." Before anyone could stop her, she ran up to her room, slammed the door shut, and locked it. Climbing out the window, she jumped into the tree and climbed higher. Out here, they wouldn't find her for hours and she could be by herself. Maybe one of these days she would get the courage to climb down and run away.
