Hey there! Sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter out. I came up with a bunch of one shot ideas, and have been working on those for the past couple of weeks. Go read them, they're funny unlike this story. Anyways, here's your chapter. It's a short-ish one, because the next one could very well end up quite lengthy. Read away dearies.
Chapter 7
The hosts had a very long saturday preparing for a funeral that should never have had to happen. They spent their time various ways. Honey and Mori-senpai stayed home, and sat in the back garden, watching the ducks in the pond and staring off into space as the weather became increasingly colder. Honey had Usa-chan in a tight hug the whole day, and Mori remained steadfastly at his side as the smaller boy cried steadily all day.
They spent the entirety of the day sitting still until the sun sank below the horizon and dark clouds started to roll in from on the horizon. When Mori stood and turned around to carry his cousin back inside he couldn't help but notice the big brown eyes that normally held so much excitement. Rather than having a glow to them, they were red and swollen. His face conveyed pure agony. Tears stained his cheeks, and dripped onto the top of his pink bunny's head.
The taller boy sighed and picked up the smaller boy, carrying him inside the house and to his room as the blonde hugged him tightly around the neck. Though they laid in bed, neither of them slept. They had a funeral the next day, and it wasn't one they could just shrug off.
Hikaru and Kaoru walked the maze in the garden, trying to forget about it, but it just wasn't possible. They blamed themselves for what happened. Haruhi had been mostly right and they both knew it. They were even willing to admit it at this point. They barely ate, and they hadn't slept. There were rings around their eyes, and tear tracks were a prominent feature on their cheeks.
Their minds raced with possibilities for their life in the near future, and they debated the value of life. Haruhi made a point, but so did Kyoya. They just needed to decide which was the one they could agree with. It weighed so heavily on their minds that they didn't eat or sleep, and when the sun rose the next day with a new blanket of snow covering the grass, they readied themselves for the worst day of their lives.
Haruhi stayed home, trying to act as if nothing happened and it had all been some kind of dream, but after only a few hours of her charade she had no choice but to accept the fact that Tamaki was dead. This fact hit her hard as she was working on some soup for her dad's lunch. She dropped the ladle and got hot soup on her leg. It burned her a bit, but she didn't care as she fell to the floor, crying with her face in her hands.
Her dad came around the corner from the living room and kneeled down next to her, taking her into his arms and comforting her as best he could. When she had calmed down she realized that her leg actually hurt a little, so Ranka went to the medicine cabinet to retrieve some burn cream and helped her apply it and finished up the soup so that she could rest. But rest never came as she lay awake, thinking about everything that had happened.
Kyoya stayed in his room that day, sitting on the couch on the lower level, looking out the window to the garden. He thought about the memories. He recalled the first time Tamaki had ever been in his room. Kyoya had been angry with the seemingly childish boy and knocked the table over. Before long he had been laughing, though. Tamaki had seen through his facade. No one had ever done that before. He made Kyoya want to be himself, not the someone that others thought he should be.
He remembered Tamaki's ramblings about wanting to sit under a kotatsu table. He had been so persistent. When he finally did, thanks to Kyoya, he came up with the idea that would change everything. He came up with the Host Club. Kyoya didn't know where he would be without that idea, and the fact that it came to life.
He pulled up memories of late nights and sleepovers that Tamaki always insisted that they have. He had always laid out some sleeping bags across the floor and sat on top of them, telling wild stories of places he wanted to visit when he grew up. He wanted to see the world.
The raven stood from his place on the couch and walked to the closet and opened it, seeing the sleeping bags that the blonde had left there for these special, yet often occasions. Kyoya took one from the shelf and carried it out and spread it on the floor in front of the large windows. He removed his shoes and sat on top indian style.
He looked out the window when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It had started to snow. It fell in big, white flakes, floating to rest on the cold ground below. Kyoya watched it snow, and couldn't help but think of the first time Tamaki had seen snow. He had been so excited that he had run outside in nothing but socks and a t-shirt with sweatpants. The blonde had nearly frozen when he refused to go back inside and put some warmer clothes on. When he finally did, he was turning slightly purple, and had a giant grin on his face despite the ceaseless shivering.
Kyoya couldn't take it any more and shook his head, trying to rid himself of thoughts of his friend. When they didn't go away he laid back and put the pillow over his head. His mind continued to race with thoughts of that bright, smiling face with purple eyes and blonde hair. Hey, Kyoya. I just had the most brilliant idea! We should start a club together! I'm serious… Hey, Kyoya! We should do this for our next cosplay!... Hey, Kyoya! Wouldn't this be fun?!... Let's go to Hokkaido next. Kay, Kyoya?!... If you really want to surpass your brothers then you can do it. I think the one who's really given up here is you, Kyoya. He lost it as thoughts of the boy flooded him and he shook with sorrow.
The raven removed his glasses and was soon found asleep in the sleeping bag by his brother, who had come to check on him. There were tears running down his cheeks as he dreamed of better days. Akito sighed, pulling the top of the bag up higher on his kid brother's body. The older Ootori left, turning out the lights as he closed the door behind him.
Yuzuru Suoh was having more than one issue at this point. His son that he loved so dearly, but never had the chance to say so, was dead. He was now going to have to explain how this would be possible to Anne-sophie when she arrived that night. She wouldn't feel well either when she set foot in the dirtier Japanese air. And just as stressful as everything else: he now had no home of his own.
He was grateful to his business friend for giving him a place to stay temporarily, but he knew he couldn't stay too long or he would wear out his welcome. His mother, he knew, wouldn't have the guts to revoke his position in the family, or she would have to explain a lot of things to the media. She would also have no one to pick up the business and continue the Suoh legacy. Even knowing this, comfort would not come to the older man.
He looked at the clock: 7:30 pm. He would have to leave to pick up his wife from the airport in no more than thirty minutes. He picked himself up from the sofa in his temporary room and went to make himself look presentable. Once he looked up to par, he left the room taking only his wallet with him. When he arrived at the front door Yoshio Ootori was standing nearby. "Good luck, my friend." The blonde man looked toward the voice and nodded, unable to trust his own voice. "It'll be alright. We can take care of her and help her as needed. You needn't worry."
Yuzuru smiled faintly and nodded once again as a thank you before heading out into the falling snow to enter the long, black limousine. When the limo pulled into the airport pickup station he could see a woman in black with long, blonde hair hanging down past her waist. He could recognize that hair anywhere: it was the same hair that Tamaki had inherited.
The driver pulled up along side the woman at the request of Yuzuru Suoh. The man stepped out of the limo and embraced his previously missing wife. As he pulled her into a tight hug he could hear her soft sob and felt her delicate arms wrap around his waist. He pulled away after a moment to look her in the eye and kiss her softly on the lips.
Not a word had been spoken when they entered the limo together and the driver sped off down the road to what the Suoh man could consider home, for now. A few silent moments passed before Yuzuru spoke first. "Welcome back… Anne-sophie…" He turned his head to look at her and met the same eyes that were so familiar, the same eyes that resided in his son.
"Merci, mon cheri." Anne-sophie's voice was soft and sounded frail. The man could tell that his wife had not received the appropriate treatment as was promised by his mother, and it upset him. They remained quiet for another moment until the blonde couldn't resist any more. "What happened to my son?" She said it so quietly she didn't think he had heard, but he had.
"Give it a little time. It's a bit of a long story. I can explain everything when we get there."
"And where are we going, mon amour?" She tilted her head at him, slightly confused that he didn't say home.
"I was kicked out of my mother's house and have been offered a place to stay by the Ootori family. It was very kind of them to do so, especially considering everything that has happened in the last few days."
"Yes, that is very kind of them." She thought for a moment before continuing. "Don't they have a boy Tamaki's age?"
"Yes, and they were the best of friends. Young Kyoya is devastated. No one has even seen him all day. He didn't come down for any meals today, and he didn't eat what was taken up to him. It's been hard on him." Yuzuru couldn't help but be grateful that he wasn't the only one devastated, as sad as it was for him to be grateful for such a thing.
"I see." The remainder of their car ride was silent, and when they pulled up to the front door he helped her out of the car and led the frail woman up the steps and opened the door to the main entry way.
Yoshio and Yuuichi were both standing just inside the door, ready for anything. They quickly gave the blonde woman a small look over to make sure she was stable. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, my lady. Yuzuru has talked about you many times before." He took her hand and told her to get some rest or the trip would wear on her more than it already had. She agreed and Yuzuru lead her up the stairs and into his assigned room.
When they entered the room her things had already been brought up, and she changed into something more comfortable. This was when Yuzuru decided to sit her down on the bed and launched into a very lengthy story about Tamaki's life since moving to Japan. She listened intently, and by the end she was in tears. She wanted to meet all of these friends, even the ones at fault for his suicide attempt. She wanted to thank them for helping her son adjust to a new life.
She also wanted to see Shizue, though Yuzuru wouldn't let her. She wanted to give the old hag a piece of her motherly mind. She was suspected for killing her son, and if Anne-sophie got the chance she would see to it that the older woman suffered for her actions. She would never see her son again, and it was all that woman's fault.
Yuzuru held his wife when she came down from her angry rant and collapsed into a sobbing mess. He kept her in his arms, vowing to never let her go again, no matter the sacrifice or the consequences, and they fell into a restless sleep just to be woken up soon after by the morning sun.
Shizue sat in her office at her desk, pleased with herself, and pleased to see that the woman, Anne-sophie, would suffer. She smirked cruelly as she transferred a lump sum of money to a private agency, finishing her business. The boy's depression and sudden attempt at his own life had given the old woman the perfect opportunity she had been looking for, and she had seized it, emerging victorious in the process.
There you are. I've never liked that old woman, so I couldn't just make her a good guy. I'll see you all in the next chapter! Don't forget to review so that I know if you like it! -HeartQueenVivaldi
