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Thank you for reading. Please enjoy
The music room was quiet once she left. Each of the boys confused as to what had just happened.
"Ugh! That guy!" Hikaru shouted throwing his hands up in defeat. His brother just watched him, his own anger building up in the pit of his stomach. He followed his brother out into the empty music room. Silently he tried to process through what Haruhi had said. "How much am I supposed to tell you before you throw me away?" Haruhi's words just echoed through his head as he tried to think of a response to what she told them.
Just as the twins, Kyoya and Tamaki were upset. Kyoya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Tch." Tamaki not one to be outdone, also sputtered nonsense, before storming out.
"Kyoya, let's go." He said, his tone leaving no room for argument. Kyoya just sighed. He had formulated a plan to follow Haruhi and make him explain himself, but he forgot he was Tamaki's ride home. Anger bubbled up once again in the back of his throat, and he just put on his "shadow king" smile following Tamaki out to his car.
"Takashi.." Hunni whispered, approaching his cousin, but not sure what to do. Hunni wanted to cry, but mostly out of frustration, and hurt. How could someone think things like that? His cousin looked down to him with a ghost of a smile, and pat his head.
"Let's go." He said, no emotion in his voice. Hunni climbed up on his shoulders, and clung tightly.
"Should we follow him?" Hunni asked, his voice uncertain.
"No. Give him time." Mori responded, deep in thought himself. Hunni just clung to his cousin tighter in acknowledgment. "He's scared right now." Mori stated, trying to ease his cousin's heart.
"But what is he so scared of?" Hunni questioned. To this Mori sighed and slipped his cousin from his shoulders so he could look at him.
"If this happened before, it could hurt that we all got so upset." Mori said simply. "Everyone has their demons." He ended, handing Hunni Usa-chan gently, making Hunni think back to his own past. He nodded his head, understanding what Mori was trying to say. They too left the music room, though a little more understanding than the rest.
Haruhi walked as fast as she could, but found her clothing uncomfortable in the cold air. She groaned in frustration. "How dare they act like I owe them." She muttered to herself. She tugged her bag tighter to her shoulder, and stopped. She sighed again. "This is why it's better no one gets close. This is why I'm always alone." Her thoughts frightened her. She was so tired of being alone. "tch What a stupid dream" she muttered again, walking at a much slower pace this time.
She was cold and tired once she got home. She angrily tossed her things down in her room and quickly stripped herself of all of her clothing. Gathering them up in her arms, she caught sight of herself in the long mirror attached to her closet. She saw the large, long scar across her collarbone and dropped her clothing. She walked closer to the mirror, her eyes burning with the threat of tears as she traced it. She looked over her body, down past her chest to her ribs just under the left of her breast. She traced her fingers gingerly over the bubbled up scar she usually keeps hidden, she spent weeks in pain as her ribs healed, after they had torn through her skin, broken and unforgiving. A tear slipped from her eye as she followed the scar to the smooth skin just above her navel, dropping her gaze once again to her hip. Another deep scar, looking worse with how thin she was, as it stretched over her hip to her back. She turned around following the path of the scar to see another grisly cut of skin, mangled on her back where her ribs on the right side of her body had ripped through all the way to her spine. She choked on air as she touched it, willing it away, as the memories of pain flood over her. She looked at her leg, where the bone broke through, leaving a long sharp scar to mock her. "At least I can walk steady again" she thought to herself darkly. She caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror, and hated the person before her. The hollow brown eyes, shadowed by deep circles, her teeth chattering against her blue lips. "I really must be cold." She sighed, finally catching a glimpse of her arm, the scar the Tamaki had seen. Six. Six haunting memories that would forever follow her. She dressed herself in baggy clothing, hiding what was left of her ever-living nightmare, and grabbed her wet clothing slamming it into the washer. Slumping to her bed, she sobbed. "They probably freaked out because I look like a monster." She cried herself to sleep, not bothering to clean up the rest of the mess she made.
"Hikaru" Kaoru breathed, trying to calm his brother down. They arrived home, and his brother let loose, throwing everything in sight. He was furious still, and he wasn't exactly sure why, which made it worse. His brother made his way over to him and clung to his back, resting his forehead against the back of Hikaru's neck."You don't need to be so angry, maybe he just needs some time." He tried to reason, not really convincing himself either.
"He yelled at you! He said he couldn't trust us! Who does that commoner think he is?" his frustration radiated from him, but his wild movements had ceased the minute he felt his brothers calming presence. He turned in Kaoru's arms and hugged him back, resting his chin on his brothers shoulder.
"He reminds me of us." Kaoru whispered. His brother pulled him back to look in his eyes, and saw all the sadness that they too had felt, before Tamaki roped them into the host club. "He's just scared Hikaru." Kaoru once again whispered, his words coming out, without really thinking. In his brain he felt like chastising himself for not understanding more. "We call him our toy, what is he supposed to think?" he thought. Chancing a look into his brother's eyes, he could see the gears churning. Hikaru was begining to understand too. But that didn't mean he had to admit it, or stop being mad.
"He still shouldn't have yelled like that, have freaked out like that! Ugh! He's so frustrating!" He pushed away from his brother still not wanting to let Haruhi off that easy. He sighed and drug a hand down his face. Kaoru noticed his brother's inner battle and decided to help it along. He was the one who started this all anyways, well, technically Tamaki, but he did call Haruhi a liar.
"We always had each other, he only has himself. Remember how lonely we were? Think about not having me with you?" Kaoru let his words reach out to his brother with all the longing he had in himself. He too was upset and discouraged, but could he blame someone for trying to deal with everything when you had no one to begin with? He looked up to his brother again to see tears in Hikaru's eyes.
"Don't ever say that!" Hikaru spat, "You will always have me!" To this Kaoru let out an involuntary chuckle and sighed.
"I just said think about it because that's probably how Haruhi feels." He shook his head for having to clarify, before he could explain anymore to his brother, Hikaru had practically tackled him into a bear hug.
"I would be so lonely without you." Hikaru sighed, squeezing his brother tighter. Kaoru hugged him tightly back, allowing all the lonely memories to dissipate in the space between them.
"We all have our demons." They both thought.
Kyoya still had yet to say a word. Tamaki had drug him into his home and they were both sitting in silence. "A silent Tamaki is a scary one." Kyoya thought, trying to grasp the situation at hand. Haruhi openly admitted to lying to his face, and that angered him. No one lied to an Ootori and got away with it. He would find out everything this boy had to hide, even if it killed him. He then thought of Haruhi's words, and let out a groan of exhaustion. He looked up to his polar opposite and sighed. "Tamaki, why am I here?" He questioned the blonde, an edge to his words. Tamaki looked up to him as if he just noticed he was there. The surprise Kyoya saw in the boys eyes made him want to jump up and strangle him.
"I'm not sure." Tamaki admitted. Looking away yet again, almost as if someone kicked his puppy.
"If this is about Haruhi, I don't know what you want me to say." Kyoya stated coldly, looking over the boy, noting the visible deflation.
"Kyoyaaaa." Tamaki whined. "Why does he act like that?"
"Tamaki, you are acting like a child." Kyoya stated as he stood. He wounded himself with his words, but shook it off. At least he wasn't openly whining about it. Pushing his glasses up again to hide his expression he continued, "Besides, you just met the boy, and he hasn't liked you since he met you." Kyoya smirked at the look of despair that fell over Tamaki's handsome features.
"But, but" Tamaki blubbered, "How can someone not like me! I'm the epitome of perfection!" Tamaki wailed, striking a ridiculous pose, with a pout on his face. "I thought that things were getting better between me and Haruhi, I mean I rescued him from his bully! I should be his hero now or something!" Tamaki continued. Kyoya put his hand to his temple and sighed. "How is this idiot my best friend?" He thought angrily, clenching his jaw tightly.
"Tamaki, I warned you about giving people space." He glared toward the blonde, but Tamaki just looked at him like he'd grown another head.
"But I HAVE!" He screeched, bewildered that his best friend thought otherwise. "I stopped hugging him didn't I?" He reasoned. To this Kyoya swatted him on the head. Horrified the blonde went to his corner of woe.
"Listen to me, Tamaki." Kyoya spoke, trying to keep his voice even, though the anger was surging through his body. Tamaki glanced up at Kyoya with big puppy dog eyes.
"You hit me!" He sobbed, pointing an accusatory finger at Kyoya.
"Tamaki!" He shouted, quieting the blonde to whimpers. He approached slowly, catching the glare of the setting sun on his glasses. "Haruhi seems to have had something happen to him. You seem to have an odd ability to catch the boy in his unawares." He stopped himself and thought over what he had said, and a demonic smirk crossed his face in realization. "You just have to take your time, but keep trying. Just like with the twins." He finished, he brain working in overtime. It was true Tamaki seemed to be the only one to get close enough to actually make Haruhi's defenses crumble. If he could use this to his advantage he might learn more about this boy. He gave Tamaki his host smile, and offered him a hand to get up. Tamaki's eyes sparkled with delight at the statement, and looked as if he could grow ears and a tail, from happiness.
"You're brilliant Kyoya! I forgot all the trouble I had with the twins! I just have to be persistent!" Tamaki exclaimed slamming his fist down on his hand, before taking Kyoya's to stand up. Kyoya just offered a sly smile, that went over Tamaki's head. Ootori's always get their way. Not wanting to lose his focus, Kyoya said his goodbyes to his friend. Tamaki remained elated until Kyoya left and then sighed. He slumped back down into his seat, not wanting to think about the day. Suddenly a maid knocked on the door. "Come in." He beckoned, casting the maid a smile, as she walked over with a telephone.
"Master Tamaki, your father." She spoke, almost a whisper. She knew how things were with her master and his family. She felt sorry for him, but could do nothing. Again he gave her a smile, this time softer, as he understood. He took the phone and dismissed her, before answering.
"Father." He greeted trying to hold a cheery tone.
"Tamaki," his father spoke, he didn't hold a harshness in his voice, but there was still restraint. This bothered Tamaki more than harsh words, but he would never speak it. "I am calling you to inform you about a dinner we were having at the main house. Your grandmother has made it clear you not be there." He spoke firm, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. Tamaki sighed, his smile left his face and he agreed blandly, immediately hanging up the phone. He handed it to the maid that was waiting just outside the door, and then locked it abruptly to be left to himself. He looked out the window. The pinks and purples of the sky mixing off in the distance. A small, smile appeared on his face but it held no happiness. He thought back to Haruhi, and remembered what she had said. There were many things in his life he didn't wish to discuss either. "We all have our demons." He sighed, walking over to his piano, and playing whatever came to his mind.
Kyoya was content with his plan, his thoughts trying to combine and get a strategy in place. If he could just get a little bit of information, he felt he could be sated. His ride home was quiet, minus the tap of his foot against the door. Haruhi was something that bothered him. There were so many sides that he had seen already, and so many mysteries hiding behind those large chocolate eyes. He tilted his head back against his seat and tried to think through the day. Part of him was beginning to feel guilt, over using his best friend to gain information, but he swiftly shook that off. "Ootori's don't feel guilty." He told himself. He found himself laughing at that thought. "If we don't feel anything, how do we gain anything?" His mind argued. He shook his head, he must be feeling tired to argue with himself. He felt himself doing that these past few days and it upset him. Why had some common boy evoked self reflection? He scoffed. Looking out the window he saw the hues of the sky shifting to night. His smirk resurfaced and again he found himself resting his head on the seat, staring at the ceiling. He tried again to think of the days that had passed. The emotions that coursed through him felt exhausting but exhilarating. Had he really been missing that much? Amusement, confusion, anger. All emotions Haruhi evoked in him, for no reason other than an unending curiosity eating him from the inside. It nagged at him that for once, he didn't have the answers already, that he didn't have the skill to defuse the bomb that was Haruhi. He watched the boy snap multiple times, and yet, he had no idea how to deal with it. Just watching the interactions, waiting for the inevitable. "Maybe I shouldn't have sent Tamaki after him." He thought, already regretting the plan he had started to set in motion. "But...it could be interesting." He sighed. He must be a sadist he thought. His mind mulling over the endless possibilities. He had finally arrived home, and rushed in to avoid his family. But it wasn't enough. His father caught sight of him as he tried to launch himself up the stairs.
"Kyoya." His father's voice rumbled through the stairway. Kyoya turned slightly at his father's acknowledgement, and the look his father had in his eye made him turn down the steps within an arms reach of the man. He bowed respectfully to him, and as he came back up from the bow, his saw the look of disgust on his fathers face. He fought the urge to tremble in his presence. He knew that look, someone had fucked up, and he had now found himself in the cross fire. His father looked him over, and asked, "Why are you getting home so late?" His tone was cold enough to freeze you on the spot, but Kyoya, not one to back down, only pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Club went late today, and I escorted Tamaki Suoh home." He stated, withholding any emotion. His mask in place, he held his fathers gaze. His fathers eyes bored into his, and again he fought the urge to run away.
"Next time you are late, I expect you to greet me properly." His father broke his gaze briefly, and from the corner of his eye, caught Kyoya breathing out slightly. The boy had been holding his breath. A smirk appeared on his face, before twisting into a scowl. "It's a shame you continue to disappoint me." His fathers words were like venom. Kyoya just stood emotionless in front of him, willing every part of his body to not move. "By the way," His father breathed out slowly, taking a step closer to his son. "A host club?" he questioned, his arms pulled tightly behind his back. He noticed the widening of Kyoya's eyes, and knew he was correct. "I never thought I would have a son more pathetic." He spit, his hand making sharp contact with Kyoya's face. Kyoya's glasses fell from his face clattering across the floor. He pulled himself back together, trying to regain his composure.
"It is a way to meet future clients for all of the members involved." Kyoya stated, a practiced line he kept telling himself, ever since Tamaki came up with the ridiculous idea. His words fell on deaf ears as his fathers lips pulled into a tight line.
"You expect me to believe some line like that?" He asked, his words piercing into Kyoya. "You disappoint me again." He stated coldly before walking away. Kyoya went to pick his glasses from the floor, kneeling for just a moment to compose himself. "At least it was just a slap." He thought. His face stung, his eyes threatening to betray tears. Silently he made his way up to his room. Locking himself in, he could almost hear Haruhi's words echoing in his brain. He did not want anyone to know about this. Tamaki only knew because of a moment of weakness. There could be no weakness, but he could admit, "We all have our demons."
Haruhi awoke late the next morning. Her face hurt from crying, so she rubbed it roughly to try to get some sort of feeling to right wrist throbbed, but she noticed that the bone had reset itself. Now it just felt like a bad sprain. This brought relief to her features. At least she'd be able to use her hand. She thought for sure that it would take much longer to heal. She looked at the clock and inwardly sighed, it was past eleven. She pulled herself out of the bed and trembled when her feet touched the cold floor. She wondered how mad her father would be when he noticed she was home. She tip toed out of her room, making sure to make no sound. She only stopped when she got to his room and saw he wasn't there. "Oh." She sighed. "Guess he didn't come home." She went to the bathroom and cleaned herself up quickly. She still had some time to get out of the house before he got home anyways, might as well keep him in the dark. She threw her clothes from yesterday in the dryer. Even if she had woken up on time, she wouldn't have had a dry uniform. "It's like the universe is telling me to not go to school." She laughed to herself. With everything taken care of, and a quick breakfast, she threw on some more baggy clothes and headed out. This time she tried to hide her face, she didn't want another run in with Kyoya. She pulled up her hood, wearing her thick glasses, and took off toward the heart of the city.
The boys weren't surprised when Haruhi never showed. It was now lunch and still no sign of the boy they chased off yesterday. They had gathered at their usual table and spoke of the usual things, but there was something missing. Kyoya left lunch first, frustrated that yet again this boy was occupying his mind. The twins left shortly after, but they had yet to separate hands, which caused the fangirls to lose their shit, not that the twins were paying attention. They just didn't want to be alone today. Tamaki, seeing the fangirls fainting, went to them seeking some sort of relief from his ever growing anxiety. This left Hunni and Mori, both silently watching. They had seen the way the others were acting and it hit home that maybe they all needed this strange boy, even if he hadn't been there that long. Hunni pushed his cake away, not even taking a bite, and looked to his cousin.
"Ne Takashi, I wonder where Haru-chan is?" Hunni placed his arms on the table and leaned his chin against them. Mori looked down to his cousin, his own concern evident in the depths of his steel orbs, but he wouldn't voice it. He pat his cousin on the head and stood up putting his cousin on his shoulders. They too left the lunch room and headed to class.
The day dragged on. It was as if the clocks were mocking the hosts. Tamaki impatiently strummed on his desk, annoying Kyoya to the point where he broke two pencils. Kaoru and Hikaru had pushed their desks together and lazily drew in their notebooks, not really paying attention to the teacher droning on. Mori and Hunni found themselves unable to relax, Hunni constantly checking the clock tower, while Mori tugged at his collar every few minutes. They all found themselves laying about in the club room. They had cancelled activities, using yesterdays incident with Ayanakoji as an excuse. The girls were disappointed, but the blame was passed off to the disgruntled princess, giving the hosts some breathing room. The only sounds you could hear were of Kyoya tapping away at his laptop, the twins playing their gameboys, and the occasional scrape of a fork on a plate from Hunni eating his cakes. Sighing Tamaki stood up and approached the shadow king cautiously.
"Hey Kyoya," He asked standing directly across from him. Kyoya looked up from his laptop, eyeing the boy warily. Tamaki looked Kyoya in the eye, his depths showing every ounce of seriousness in his request. "Find him." After he said that, he tapped his knuckles against the desk and walked out from the club room. Kyoya smirked at the kings request. "What does that idiot think I've been doing this whole time?" He thought. He'd already sent someone to Haruhi's house, but his men confirmed no one was present. He tried to access the schools files to get the phone number to her apartment, but found it rather difficult. Sighing and rubbing his forehead he decided to get some tea. Closing his laptop, he walked to the kitchen. The twins had heard the kings request, and smirked. Leave it to Tamaki to snap first. Satisfied for now, they gathered their things and left as well. Hunni eyed the scene wearily.
"They don't know the meaning of boundaries." Hunni remarked darkly. He was curious as well, but to hunt the poor boy down after what happened yesterday just seemed too much. The loli shota sighed in dismay. His cousin looked at him, a smirk on his face. He too felt like they needed to leave the situation alone.
"I have an idea." Mori stated before standing. He waited for Kyoya to come back out with his tea, before walking casually towards him, Kyoya nodded to him, thinking he was going for a refreshment as well, but he hadn't expected Hunni to come bounding around the tall boy and knocking into him, causing him to spill his tea all over his laptop. Anger rushed to Kyoya's face. He turned on the two cousins, fury plainly written on his face. Hunni just looked at his feet innocently, shuffling from on to the other, while Mori tried hard to hide his smirk. "Mitskuni." He spoke with a hint of discipline. He looked to his cousin and shook his head, though in his eyes, Hunni saw the amusement and mischief.
"Sorry Takashi, Kyo-chan. I just got excited." Kyoya just sighed.
"Hopefully some of the files on there were backed up. Hunni-senpai, I know today has been odd, but please be careful." His shadow king aura shrouded around them, but he kept his words tactful. No need to get his ass kicked while he was at it. He pulled out his cell phone to call for a new laptop, but before the words left his mouth, Hunni had latched onto him with a hug causing the boy to drop his phone, Mori stepped forward to pull Hunni from the unsuspecting boy and "accidentally" stepped on his phone, snapping it in two. Kyoya felt his face flush in frustration, but quickly pulled himself together clearing his throat loudly. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Is there something you want to say?" he questioned, his voice chilling, but not enough to keep the two seniors fearful. Hunni smirked up at Kyoya.
"What ever do you mean Kyo-chan?" He asked, his eyes shining. Mori looked to Kyoya, a small smirk lifting the corners of his lips. Kyoya sighed, and grabbed up his laptop, shaking it slightly in dismay. "He has until tomorrow." Kyoya stated roughly, grabbing his things and storming out of the room. Satisfied for now the smaller boy spun around to his cousin.
"He forgot he needs a ride home." He stated cheekily. They waited patiently before Kyoya made the same realization. The door slammed open, and his shadow king aura could not have been greater. He made his way over to Hunni and Mori and sighed. Hunni just smiled.
"Being cute isn't going to fix this problem." Kyoya nearly spit, trying his best to reign in his anger. Mori stepped to the side of Kyoya and pat the boy on the shoulder.
"We can take you." He then walked off towards the door, holding his and Hunni's items. Kyoya sighed, a hand to his temple. Hunni bounced to Mori and climbed onto his shoulders. "This is ridiculous." Kyoya thought before following his senpai's out.
Haruhi's day had been exactly what she needed. She made her way into the city, and found an old abandoned building. Climbing the fire escape to the roof she sighed contentedly. The air was cold and whipped around her, but it felt refreshing. She sat along the edge of the building looking out at everyone walking around. She lit a cigarette and breathed it in, almost in desperation. Exhaling she felt her mind relaxing. She watched the city, watched people interacting, watched the sky change. Her loneliness held her in place. This is how she always felt. Someone who could only watch. She thought she could feel happy with this, that knowing her presence wasn't affecting anyone, knowing she couldn't cause a hurt that ran deep within her. But now, she didn't know if she really felt happy, or if she was trying to ease some of the guilt. Her conscious felt heavy. She saw a child and it's mother eating crepes at a nearby park, playing, laughing. She felt tears threaten her eyes again, but took another deep drag and looked away. She was so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed when someone came up through the building.
"Oi, what are you doing here kid?" A red headed boy asked her, pulling the cigarette from her fingers and flicking it over the edge of the building. Haruhi nearly jumped out of her skin from the contact, and then took a fighting stance opposite of the boy.
"What's it look like asshole?" She questioned, trying to keep her fear from her voice. The boy just chuckled.
"Are you really going to act like that?" He asked amused. He took in the site of this odd boy, his glasses too big for his face, his clothing too big for his body, and his body rigid with fear. "You don't want to do that." He finished, trying to sound menacing.
"What's it to you?" she spit, not backing down. "I'm not hurting anyone." Her muscles relaxed a bit, and her stance shifted to one of a more experienced fighter. The boy didn't miss this, and smirked.
"This is my building." He stated matter of factly. To this he heard the boy scoff.
"Liar. There's a condemned sign on the door." She had seen it, before climbing up. She thought she could be alone.
"I put it there so people like you would stay away." He jammed his hands in his pockets, not liking how cold the air was. "I own this building." he repeated, darker this time, trying to make a point. Haruhi, wouldn't stop pushing though. This guy frustrated her, he had no right to walk up on her like that. He took a step closer to her, watching her tense once again. It seemed to be all he needed to advance quicker, grabbing her arm swiftly and kicking her legs from under her. The unexpected attack landed her on her ass, not before flipping him over her, with a death grip on the arm he had grabbed her with. He hadn't expected that, and wound up on his back, as she shuffled back up to her feet.
"I may not fight well, but I will not be pushed around." She glared at the boy. She was caught off guard when he just laughed. He sat up and took in the small boy before him again.
"I like you, you have heart kid." He said before standing. "But I don't want you on this building." He glared right back at her.
"Like I said I'm not hurting anyone!" She felt her anger in the back of her throat, but didn't let it out. "I just wanted to be alone!"
"Well you aren't now, are you? That means you can leave." He said, a mocking tone behind his words. He put his hands up behind his head, and watched the color in Haruhi's face rise.
"I'm not leaving." She pouted, sitting down on the ground where she had been standing, looking defiantly at the boy in front of her. His smile dropped. "So stubborn." He thought. He too sat where he had been standing.
"Then I guess you get to enjoy my company." He stated, glancing away, but watching from the corner of his eye, as Haruhi just sighed. He smirked and glanced out at the street. He heard the click of a lighter, and frowned. "No smoking." He stated, his voice hard. Haruhi just rolled her eyes, and continued anyways.
"You threw my other one away, if you don't like it, leave." She stated, a smirk playing on her features at the frustration rolling off the boy in front of her. She took him in for the first time. His red hair standing out the most, it reminded her of the twins, but brighter. This thought sent a pang of guilt to her heart, but she shoved it down. He was also wearing baggy clothing, though more stylish than hers. He had piercing green eyes, and a sharp jawline. His emotions were about as secret as hers, and this made her happy. He didn't seem a threat though, which surprised her tremendously. Though they had a small skirmish, he seemed to only want what she did. Sighing she breathed in deep again, her lungs a lit with anger, but she didn't care. He had watched her take him in, and was content with the relaxed state that Haruhi had fallen into. He was nervous he'd have to hurt the boy, but he could put up with a little frustration, just to understand the working of this kid.
"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" He questioned suddenly, taking note of the slight jump Haruhi had. She looked at him, but wouldn't let her eyes give her away.
"Aren't you?" She retorted, seeing as he didn't look much older.
"So that's a yes then?" he asked amused. She nodded, but gave no further explanation. They both went back to watching the street below, neither speaking. He watched her pinch the end of her cigarette with her finger tips and pocket the butt. He frowned. "Doesn't that hurt?" He asked, reaching for Haruhi's hand to examine it. She pulled away quickly, and shook her head. Taken aback by the behavior, he reached again. "I just want to see." He argued. She stood quickly, and bowed.
"I seem to have overstayed my welcome." She sighed. Tiredly she went to walk away, but the boy was not letting her go easily, he spun her to look her in the eyes. The motion had made her glasses slide down her nose, and he got a good sight of her eyes. He felt like he could swim in them, but shook it off. He wasn't gay. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he took in the startled expression Haruhi had, and the tremble of her body beneath his fingers. He let go instantly.
"Sorry." He whispered, dropping his hands to his side. He knew he had a scary appearance, but he didn't think it was that bad. Sighing he rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't have to leave." He turned away, expecting the boy to run. But he didn't. He went back to where he had been sitting and sighed.
"I don't like when people touch me." She stated barely above a whisper. His heart clenched slightly, but unsure why he shrugged it off. "But I'm not afraid of you!" She added with more desperation than anything in her voice. This caused him to smile, he sat next to Haruhi, and they resumed their quiet musings of the city below. "I'm Haruhi." She said breaking the silence.
"Ritsu." He said in response, glad he actually had a name to give the boy. They nodded in acknowledgment to each other, and Haruhi noticed the sky getting dark. He watched her take in the clouds, and looked at his watch. "It's close to four. School should have been over for a while now." He said, looking at her relived expression. They both stood and wiped the dirt from their clothing. Haruhi debated on offering her hand to the boy, but figured it was cold enough out that shaking his hand wouldn't give anything away. She took his hand in a firm shake, surprising him.
"Thank you for letting me stay." She sighed, happy that she hadn't had too much of a problem here. He gave a small smirk.
"I guess it wasn't too bad." He said, trying to sound cool. "But you never know next time." He teased, pushing her arm slightly.
"Who said there was a next time?" She teased back, liking the way the smirk dropped from his face. He regretted soundly like such a fool in front of this kid. "He's not a girl" He told himself and a deep blush covered his face. The sound of Haruhi's laughter broke through his thoughts, and he almost wished the boy was a girl. "I hope we see each other again soon." She spoke with honesty seeping through her words. She had enjoyed just sitting with another person. Not expectations, no questions, just relaxing in the presence of another. It made her feel she didn't have to be so afraid of silence. He looked at Haruhi and smiled.
"Me too." He added sheepishly, still embarrassed by his behavior. He watched Haruhi take the fire escape back to the ground, and leave. Sighing he slapped his hands to his face. "What is wrong with me!?" He angrily chastised himself. He too took his leave, thoughts trailing back to the odd boy with brown eyes.
Haruhi arrived early at school the next day. She knew her disappearance probably went unnoticed, but with her meeting with Ritsu yesterday, she felt more content in seeing these boys, and trying to get their forgiveness. She sat in the music room by herself for quite a while, trying to think of how to apologize to them. In her heart she felt as though she did nothing wrong, but she knew the looks they had on their face, and guilt surged through her like needles. The first to arrive were the twins. They didn't notice Haruhi in the room, as she was in the corner, but she approached them anyways. Shock overtook Hikaru when he felt someone tap his shoulder. Kaoru had been in front of him. He turned to see familiar brown eyes, and he latched onto the owners. Kaoru, noticing his brothers sudden movement, saw Haruhi being clutched tightly by his brother, and latched onto her too. They were squeezing her tightly, but she endured it, she felt she owed it to them.
"Sorry guys." She breathed out. "I'm trying." She sighed. "I just... I just need some time alright?" she questioned. Hoping that they could understand. The statement only made them cling tighter, but she didn't know the reasons. She hugged them back to the best of her ability, but eventually it became a bit too much. She pulled herself away, cautious not to make them think she would run again, though every fiber of her wanted to. She gave them a small smile, trying to ease whatever tension she could feel coming from them. They grabbed each others hands, and smiled back.
"We really thought we lost you Haruhi." Kaoru started, his eyes holding a slight shimmer.
"Yea, I thought we were best friends." Hikaru added, a smirk playing on his face, though the humor in it seemed to be distant. She nodded to them, and explained what had happened. They just laughed, and hugged her again. "I can't believe you just forgot to dry your uniform!" Hikaru laughed again, shaking his head. They had been worried they scared the boy off, when in actuality it had nothing to do with them. Kaoru sighed beside his brother, a happy smile reaching his eyes. Mori and Hunni made their way into the room, and Hunni jumped into Haruhi's arms, crying. She tried to shush him, and apologize but he just wailed, like a child. Her eyes softened. She rubbed his back and brushed her fingers through his hair to quiet him, like her mother used to do to her. The others looked on and had smiles on their lips, but Mori held shock in the depths of his eyes. He noticed something, but he wasn't sure if he was correct. Haruhi continued to console his small cousin, and to Mori, she looked just like a mother. Her brown eyes sought out his, and she gave him a smile that warmed him. He felt his face heat slightly, and broke eye contact. Haruhi thought he was still upset, and pushed Hunni over to Mori. Hunni's tears had stopped now, and he looked up to his cousin, but worry marred his features when he noticed Mori's confused expression. Haruhi bowed to them both and apologized, explaining that she hadn't been able to dry her uniform yesterday. Hunni erupted in a fit of laughter as the twins had, and even Mori looked a little relieved to know it wasn't their fault. As the giggles escaped the music room, Tamaki and Kyoya made their way in. Tamaki immediately leapt at Haruhi and began spinning her around, while she flailed with all her might to be put down. The rest of the hosts just shook their head at their president. He finally let her down and then began scolding her about not calling them, after she explained the situation. She looked away slightly, but brought her attention back to him to tell him she didn't have their numbers. He stood still opening his mouth up, but closing it in realization. Kyoya stepped forward and handed her a card.
"This is everyone in the club." He stated, though his words had a slight edge. She knew he would be more upset than the others, and she felt bad about that. She bowed to him in thanks, and looked him in the eye. He saw the worry she held there, the fear, and anxiety.
"I'm trying." She spoke barely above a whisper. Only he had heard her, but it still made something inside him upset. "I promise, I will let you in. You just have to give me some time." She spoke again, her voice somehow quieter than it was before. He nodded slightly, not sure why, but he wanted to trust her. She looked at the club, all their faces holding smiles again. She sighed. "How am I going to get used to this?" She thought to herself. Her mind wandered back to the odd boy with the red hair. She'd have to thank him when she saw him. He gave her something she hadn't expected. Ritsu gave her hope that someone would be able to accept her, even if just in silence.
