Soo...I know I haven't updated in awhile. I know I've kinda disappeared from FanFiction. I'm going through some stuff right now. A family member died, the marking period is about to end, and I'm under a good bit of pressure from my coaches, teachers, and parents. I apologize but my life takes precedence over FanFiction.
So, please forgive me, but I'm barely holding my life together right now. Again, I'm sorry.
Big thanks to uyay, as usual, for being an AMAZING BETA!
Chapter 7
Haruhi looked around her trashed apartment. Vaguely, she could make out where the TV had once set even though the stand it set on was now in several pieces scattered across the floor. As she walked farther into her apartment, glass crunched under her boot from either the lamp or the dishes in the kitchen; Haruhi couldn't tell.
The sofa had many gashes in its cover and the stuffing had been ripped out and strewn about the room. The coffee table was smashed and laid crumpled in the corner. In the wall were three holes, two large ones, like something had been thrown there, and one the size of a fist.
Aware of the worried gazes on her back, Haruhi made her way towards her bedroom.
Honey called from the door, "Haru-chan? Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Haruhi nodded but didn't say anything. This was almost too much for her to take in but she had to see her bedroom. She had to.
Her entire apartment…her home…trashed. Everything, either broken or missing.
Haruhi opened the door to her bedroom. It was just like the rest of the apartment. Everything was trashed, including her picture of her mom holding her as a child. Haruhi walked to her dresser and picked up the broken frame, shaking the glass out of it.
Tears filled Haruhi's vision as she looked down at the torn picture. A piece of glass tore right through the center of the photo, right through her mother's face. "Why?" she asked quietly, feeling her heart break.
Haruhi carefully pulled out the piece of glass embedded in the picture and clutched the frame to her chest. Slowly and numbly, she made her way back out to where Honey and Mori stood. Unable to make eye contact with them, she kept her gaze on the ground and said, "I'm ready to go."
"Are you okay, Haru-chan?" Honey asked worriedly.
Haruhi nodded and took a deep breath, willing the tears to leave. "I'm fine. Let's go."
Honey and Mori led Haruhi out of her apartment. Haruhi didn't bother to lock the door since everything was already broken. Mori opened the back limousine door and ushered Honey inside. Before Haruhi could step in, he stopped her and asked in a low voice, "What's that?"
Haruhi looked to the picture frame she was holding. "It's a picture of my mom and me," she said, her voice breaking at the end. She cursed herself internally for sounding so weak.
Mori nodded and motioned wordlessly for Haruhi to enter the car. Mori entered after her and the car took off. In a gesture of comfort, Mori wrapped a hesitant arm around Haruhi's shoulders. When she didn't protest or move away, he pulled her closer to him.
Haruhi laid her head on Mori's shoulder and for once, let herself be comforted by another human being.
Haruhi held the beloved, ruined picture the whole ride to the Haninozuka mansion and when she collapsed on her bed inside her closed bedroom, she held it while she cried.
….~…
"Hikaru?" Haruhi asked over the phone, struggling to keep her voice steady. She had slept after her breakdown but the sleep had been filled with nightmares and now all she wanted was to have her two best friends, the twins, with her.
"Haruhi? What's wrong?" Hikaru asked worriedly.
Haruhi forced a laugh. "Nothing important. It's just…" She took a deep breath and forced herself to continue, "It's just my apartment was broken into and everything was either broken or destroyed."
"By the stalker?" Kaoru asked. He must have been listening to his brother.
"Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai think so."
"And you?" Hikaru again.
Haruhi cursed her racing heart. "Yeah, it was him."
"Is there anything we can do?" Kaoru asked.
Haruhi sighed. "Can you guys come over?"
"Come over?" the twins asked together, their tone obviously implying.
"No," Haruhi said sighing. "Just as friends. I could…" She swallowed her pride and said, "I could use your support."
The twins were silent for awhile before they said seriously, "Yeah, of course. We'll be over soon."
Haruhi hung up the phone and flopped on her bed. She glanced at the broken picture sitting on her nightstand table and a pang shot through her chest. Yeah, she could definitely use the twins' company.
….~…
Hikaru inserted the disk into the DVD player while his brother went off to make a large bowl of popcorn. Haruhi sat on the couch, watching the two go over their plans. When they had shown up at the door, they arrived with their favorite American comedy, soda, chocolate, and ice cream. With Honey's permission, they had declared the living room their sleepover zone and were now setting up. All the food was spread out on the coffee table
Kaoru emerged from the kitchen and said, "Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai are somewhere that's not here. We have the food." Kaoru glanced at the TV as the title screen began to play. "The movie's about to start and it's still only four in the afternoon. I think we're all set."
Hikaru nodded and flopped down on the couch to the right of Haruhi. "I think so."
Kaoru sat on the other side of Haruhi and put his arm around her. "Anything else you can think of, Haruhi?"
Haruhi shook her head and picked up a bottle of soda. She opened the lid and took a sip. "Nope," she replied after she swallowed.
Hikaru started the movie and reached for a bag of chips. "Awesome."
The three of them watched the opening credits in silence. Just as the beginning scene started to play, Kaoru asked, "So how is it living here with two martial arts masters?"
Haruhi shrugged. "They're overprotective, but right now, that's a good thing."
Kaoru glanced at Hikaru. Before coming here, they had decided to keep Haruhi's mind off of her stalker. So far, not so good, Hikaru thought.
Haruhi nodded and asked, "How's it going with Kyoya-senpai and Tamaki-senpai?"
"The boss misses you," Kaoru said. "Well, you've been away from him for awhile."
"We thought he was going to explode at the commoner's fair yesterday," Hikaru added.
Haruhi smiled.
"Kyoya had to get him three boxes of chocolate just to keep him from charging over here," Kaoru added.
Haruhi turned to Kaoru and sighed, "Kyoya's going to add the chocolate cost to my debt, isn't he?"
The twins grinned and said together, "Without a doubt."
Hikaru nodded. "You know, Tono made us go to the commoner's fair just to 'reminisce times with his daughter.'"
Haruhi sighed. "I'm not his daughter."
"We're a big family to the boss," Hikaru said.
Kaoru took a bite of a candy bar. "And neighbors."
Hikaru nodded in agreement.
Haruhi smiled slightly and turned back to the movie.
Five minutes passed and Hikaru asked inquisitively, "What's it like living with Mori-senpai?"
Kaoru turned to Haruhi and nodded. He added teasingly, "We've always wondered what it's like to live with a mute person."
"Mori is not mute," Haruhi said looking at Kaoru. "He talks to me just fine."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Mori?" he asked, emphasizing on the lack of honorific.
Haruhi's eyes widened and red colored her cheeks. "Shut up!"
Kaoru smirked identically to Hikaru. "You two getting close? We always knew that you liked him!"
Haruhi's blush deepened. "I do not like him!" she insisted, hitting Kaoru with one of the couch pillows.
Kaoru ducked under Haruhi's pillow and said in a singsong voice, "Denial!"
"You like him!" Hikaru said, nodding vigorously.
Haruhi swung the pillow around to hit Hikaru on the head. "Shut up," she hissed.
Hikaru and Kaoru giggled together and said, "You really like him."
"Shut up!" Haruhi repeated glancing at the staircase. "They'll hear you!"
Hikaru and Kaoru shot each other a knowing smirk.
Haruhi took a deep breath. "I will kill you."
"No you won't-"
"You love us too much!"
Haruhi growled, "Don't bet on it."
Haruhi swung the pillow towards Hikaru's head but he caught it and tore it out of Haruhi's grasp. He threw it behind him and said, "Admit it. You like Mori-senpai."
Haruhi jumped up to grab the pillow but Kaoru pulled her back down on the sofa. Defeated, she slumped against the back and covered her face with her hands. She mumbled, "So what if I do?"
Hikaru and Kaoru smirked and said tauntingly, "What was that? We couldn't hear you."
Haruhi put her hands down and said, "So what if I do!"
"Yes!" Kaoru shouted triumphantly.
"I knew it!" Hikaru added.
Together the two stood up and danced around the living room, completely ignoring the movie. "You like him, you like him, you like him," they chanted.
"Shut up!" Haruhi hissed. "They'll hear you!"
Hikaru smirked at Haruhi and said, "You'll have to tell him sometime."
"No I won't," Haruhi argued. "Never, if it works out my way."
Kaoru gasped and sat down beside Haruhi. "No, you have to tell him."
"No!" Haruhi cried. "He'll reject me and then the host club will be awkward and it will ruin everything!"
"Everything?" Hikaru asked skeptically as he sat down on the other side of his brother.
Haruhi nodded. "Everything."
"Overdramatic much?" the twins asked together.
Haruhi scowled and said, "Look who's talking."
They smiled identically and said, "We're going to get some chips from the kitchen."
"More like to discuss plans to ruin my love life," Haruhi muttered.
Hikaru and Kaoru stood and started walking to the kitchen. "You know us so well," they called teasingly back to her.
…~…..
Honey sat in the kitchen nibbling at a piece of strawberry cake. Usually, he would be devouring said cake, but this time, his distracted thoughts were hard at work for a plan to get Haruhi and Mori together.
Hikaru and Kaoru entered the kitchen deep in excited conversation. They didn't notice Honey at first.
Kaoru asked Hikaru, "Who knew Haruhi would ever have a crush?"
Hikaru laughed. "She was always so anti-men but now…"
"Now what?" Honey asked, interrupting Hikaru. He thought it would be discourteous to not make his presence known.
Hikaru and Kaoru turned to Honey, wide-eyed. Kaoru asked, tone partially horrified, "Honey-senpai? How long have you been there?"
Honey smiled innocently. "Long enough!" he said cheerfully. Honey took a bite of his cake and stood to get a glass of milk.
Just as he opened the fridge, Kaoru asked nervously, "Um, what did you hear?"
"Not that much," Honey said as he took out his cup of milk that he had poured earlier that day. He took a sip and swallowed before elaborating, "Just that Haru-chan has a crush."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Hikaru said unconvincingly.
Honey took the cup of milk to his seat and said, "I know what I heard and now…" He turned to Kaoru and turned his 'innocence illusion' on. "Kao-kun? Who does Haruhi have a crush on?"
Kaoru looked away from Honey, obviously having trouble resisting Honey's 'cute' face. "I can't tell you, Honey-senpai."
"Oh come on!" he said cutely, standing up and smiling at the twins. "It's not like I'll tell anyone!"
"But Honey-senpai-" Hikaru started.
Kaoru finished, "You would."
Honey grinned at them and decided to step up the cuteness. He grabbed his bunny and gave it a tight squeeze. "Usa-chan wants to know too!"
Hikaru and Kaoru gave each other a knowing look. They said together, without looking at him, "We can't tell you…"
Honey sniffed, his expression changing from happy and hopeful to sad and disappointed. He clutched harder at his bunny and cried, "Usa-chan! The twins don't trust me! They won't tell me-"
Kaoru tried, "It's not like we don't want to tell you-"
Kaoru was cut off as Honey let out a heart wrenching sob. "Why won't you tell me? I want to help Haru-chan!"
Kaoru and Hikaru felt themselves breaking down. Even the mischievous twins were not immune to Honey's charm. "Honey-senpai," they started together.
Honey only let out a sob. "Why?" he asked, heartbroken. "Why don't you trust me?"
That was the last straw for the twins. "It's Mori-senpai!" they said, reaching out to console Honey at the same time.
Honey glanced up, his tears and sadness immediately disappearing. "Really?" he asked both excited and hopeful.
The twins glanced at each other and backed up, but said nothing.
Honey took this as an affirmative. "Yay!" He went to skip out of the kitchen but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked up to see the Hikaru's face looking down at him.
"You can't tell Mori," Hikaru said seriously.
Kaoru nodded. "You have to promise not to."
Honey ground his teeth and said, "What if I tell you something in return?"
Hikaru and Kaoru raised identical eyebrows. "Like what?"
Honey walked around towards the twins. "What if I were to say," he said, stopping in front of them, his voice dropping to a whisper. "That Takashi likes Haru-chan too?"
Hikaru and Kaoru grinned. "Then we would have to come up with a plan," they said together, their mischievousness seeping through.
Honey grinned. "I've already started somewhat of a plan, but if we were to plan together…" Honey trailed off thinking of the possibilities.
"We could get them together," the twins finished.
Honey nodded excitedly. "It would have to be slow, of course. Neither one of them could handle it if it happened too fast."
The twins nodded. Hikaru whispered, "Should we plan to meet up then?"
"Yes," Honey said mischievously.
Kaoru glanced at Hikaru and saw he was grinning just as big as Kaoru was. They were starting to like the mischievous Honey-senpai.
