Oops. I meant to replace chapter 10, but for some reason replaced chapter 9 instead. A reupload! Thanks for pointing it out Kuroibi!
Chapter 9 // Repercussions and a Revelation
It was a fair afternoon. A light balmy breeze whispered its way past plain concrete, rustling the sparse foliage of a nearby tree. For most people, it was a wonderful day, perfect for an outdoor picnic, a stroll in town or perhaps a swim in the sea. For the members of the Fujioka household and one poor solitary soul of the Morinozuka family, however, the weather was clearly meant to be a rather rude juxtaposition of the phenomenon that they were currently experiencing within the confines of four walls.
Haruhi kneaded her throbbing temple as she continued to remain silent throughout her father's tirade. He was a veritable typhoon -- arms a-flinging, spittle a-sprinkling and creator of all the required din that went along with something as catastrophic as Ranka On A Rampage.
So she had slept in the arms of Mori-senpai for a night. Was that such a big deal? In all honesty, she really did not see what the problem was. Sleep, if one were to interpret the lexeme denotationally without any possible euphemism it might have acquired throughout the ages, meant just that: to rest with one's eyes closed and mind and body not active.
Her father cross-dressed for a living for goodness sake. Things could not possibly get more ironic than this.
She slanted Mori a sidelong glance. His expression and posture gave none of his thoughts away. She had her suspicions nonetheless that should he have been in motion, he would probably have pulled a Tamaki and slipped on a dozen imaginary banana peels by now. Was it her imagination or was his hair slightly limp, a visual testament to his flagging spirits? Perhaps it was the humidity. Or else the endless spray of vapour that came ceaselessly from her father's gaping maw.
"Youngsters these days!" Ranka exclaimed, waving his arms expansively. "Aregettingmoreandmoredecadantwhatonearthistheworldcomingtooooooo?????" He clutched his hair dramatically and made as if to tear the glossy strands out.
His daughter ignored him. She had to escape somewhere before he went on his age-old back-in-my-day narrative. Preferably to another country, she thought dryly. "Mori-senpai, I'm going to get some tea. Want some?"
He nodded, his countenance melting slightly into something that reminded Haruhi of a drenched kitten. Mori was glad that he could, at this point in time, move his head without incurring a scathing glare from Ranka. Like Haruhi, he had begun to develop a headache.
"And where are you going young lady!?!!"
"To get some tea."
Haruhi was sorely tempted to shut herself in the bathroom, never to emerge from its depths ever again. Unfortunately, leaving poor Mori to fend for himself against her formidable father was not a viable option. One, it was possible that he would never be able to leave ever. Or two, he would ooze out little gap at the bottom of her apartment door if he did. She sighed.
Back in the living room, Mori continued to keep his eyes trained on the table. It was a good solid piece of furniture, he realised; fine-grained and smooth. It was plain, but without doubt an excellent display of craftsmanship. Beyond distracting himself with his environs, Mori was at a complete loss. The days he had spent studying and training in martial arts had not provided him with an easy solution to such a complicated problem. It was in his code to protect those he cared about, but no one had ever hinted at the possible consequences that might ensue from extending protection. If there was a Kendo 101 volume that dealt with the nitty-gritty to be found, he was certain he had missed it.
The current circumstance he was in, in truth, was relatively straightforward. He knew exactly how he felt about Fujioka Haruhi. What he was hesitant about was making his feelings known. He was not sure whether Haruhi felt anything beyond friendship for him. Mori had deduced through covert observation that she enjoyed his company and trusted him implicitly, two things he was extremely glad for. However, he wanted her to approach him herself, or at least discover where her affections lay on her own. It would be pointless to force her hand.
There was also the issue that Kyouya presented. He had felt some lingering hostility last night when the younger host had left. It was not obvious -- he was the Shadow King after all -- but Mori knew that Kyouya liked Haruhi a great deal. Possibly even loved her. If she loved Kyouya in return, she needed to be free to do so, without any encumbrances a confession from him would likely create.
If Ranka asked what his intentions were, he was going to cite protection and Kendo tenets all the way.
Her father was still going on when she returned with three mugs of tea. Mori was starting to look beleaguered. Haruhi figured he was at his limit. In truth, so was she.
She placed the tray on the table.
"Dad."
He glared at her. "You, girl! Did you use protection!?!! What are you going to do if you get pregnant!?!! Did you think of the consequences!?!! Who's going to feed the child!?!! Are you going to quit school to work!?!!" Ranka appeared to disintegrate right before their eyes. He had clearly taken leave of his senses. "This is a million times worse than the last time with that Suou," he continued, muttering in distaste.
Both teenagers blushed beet red. Mori clenched his fists in his lap. The word "protection", used in Ranka's context, had sparked off a whole train of thought any decent pugilist with some vestige of self-control would not even entertain in the slightest. Why, he was turning into a pervert! He shook his head vehemently and grunted.
"DAAAAAAD! What a thing to say in front of Mori-senpai!"
"WHAT??? You're still using that honorific??? Isn't he your precious Takashi-kun???? Your priorities are all wrong, Haruhi! 'Takashi-kun' before the sex! OH GODDDD, YOU AREN'T A MAIDEN ANY LOOOONGERRR!!!!"
"Nothing happened with 'my precious Takashi-kun'! It was storming last night! STORMING! S-T-O-R-M-I-N-G! He was here because it was far too late to return home, so he stayed the night!" Haruhi had progressed beyond mild irritation to intense annoyance. She had gotten used to her father's tendency to exaggerate, but this was ridiculous. It had grown to Godzilla-esque proportions and he had pulled all sorts of little factoids about protection, children and loss of maidenhood out of where the sun adamantly refused to shine.
Mother in heaven, she groaned inwardly.
"It's true, Ranka-san," Mori interjected as calmly as possible, his expression schooled into the countenance of a mature adult. "Haruhi was tired after a long day. I stayed to help clean up. She offered to let me sleep over only because it was more troublesome to return home at 1.30am in the morning without a ride."
His heart was pounding as if he had sprinted an entire marathon as Ranka set his eyes on him. He had never had the need to clarify himself with an irate -- let alone delusional -- parent of any girl. This was a first and it would, hopefully, be the last. He had serious doubts as to whether he would be able to abscond with his life. He forged on.
"I was in the shower when I heard thunder. I knew Haruhi would be afraid and therefore rushed to her side to comfort her. We were exhausted and fell asleep. That's all."
He watched Ranka's eyes narrow and swallowed.
"I swear on the name of the Morinozuka family that I have not compromised Haruhi's virtue in any way."
"Daaaaaaaaaaad! I think that's enough. I had a good rest while there was a storm because of Mori-senpai. I'm glad he was here. End of discussion." She turned to Mori. "Let's go for some breakfast and a stroll. I could use the fresh air."
Ranka pouted.
"I'm leaving!"
Mori blinked, a little dazedly Ranka observed, as he opened the door for Haruhi and followed his daughter out the front door. He noticed they both still wore the rouge of embarrassment on their faces and smiled knowingly. I might have to ask Takashi-kun what his intentions are eventually, he mused. "See you soon."
-----
"Sorry about that back there, Mori-senpai."
Mori grunted. "It's fine." He handed her one of the strawberry muffins they had bought at a bakery along the way. Their initial journey to the park had started in utter silence, save the firm footsteps they made on the concrete walkway. Mori had been in a daze, unsure as to whether he had escaped unscathed. The trauma of being pseudo-interrogated by whom the twins secretly termed as an "Ultra Stupid Parent" between them had sapped his energy. That is, until they had passed a bakery with the sweetest scent of strawberries and muffins, quite possibly, known to man. He had ambled over and bought two large muffins and coffee for them both.
Haruhi, for the most part, knew that she had to apologise on her father's behalf. Mori had done nothing wrong. On the contrary, he had been extremely supportive. She winced inwardly as she watched Mori make his purchases, recalling the things her father had said. Sometimes she wondered whether Ranka gave others a hard time on purpose because he wanted the attention. She had expected nothing less however, since he had been fairly violent the last time she was caught in a compromising position with Tamaki. Belatedly, she realised that her father, while he had ranted and raved, had not laid a single finger on Mori. That probably had something to do with Mori's non-academic skill sets.
"How about here, Mori-senpai?"
They had arrived at an empty bench at the nearby park. Mori nodded and sat, patting the seat next to him. Haruhi took it, smiling at him happily. "I'm so glad to be out of the house. Dad can be stifling when he gets like that." She breathed in and exhaled deeply.
He set the coffee between them and handed her a muffin. "Here."
She accepted it with pleasure. The morning's escapades had caused to expend more energy than she had anticipated. A quick sugar fix would be more than welcome. The muffin was lightly browned at the top and she could see the gleaming strawberries on its surface. She bit into it with gusto and purred.
Mori was watching her. One of the things he loved about Haruhi was the relish with which she ate. She was a girl who enjoyed food and enjoyment of food, he thought, meant enjoyment of something else. He was fairly certain that she was a passionate little dynamite just waiting to explode in the right circumstance. A quiz that he had taken secretly on one of those nights where he had been extremely tired had told him so.
He took a bite of his own muffin. "Mmm."
Haruhi's eyes widened as she turned her gaze on him. "You like the muffin huh?"
He bobbed his head vigorously. "Strawberries are my favourite fruit."
She tilted her head quizzically"If strawberries are your favourite fruit, why do you give them to me?"
"Because you like them."
"Oh."
Haruhi blinked. This was new to her. She had assumed that Mori had given her his strawberries because he had not liked them, but here he was saying something to the contrary. He liked strawberries. Liked them, but gave them to her because she liked them. Ah, it's so like Mori-senpai to be so selfless.
"Well, thank you. For sacrificing for me." She beamed at him brightly and reached for her coffee cup.
He grabbed her hand. "Haruhi."
Time slowed. She held her breath. Mori was looking at her strangely, as if he wanted to say something important.
"It's hot."
How anticlimactic, she thought with a wry smile as he released her hand and wrapped the paper cup with a double layer of serviettes, then handed the cup to her.
Haruhi was a little perplexed as to what she was expecting. She took a sip of the coffee, strangely soothed by the little sting on the tip of her tongue. He was right -- it was hot. She observed him out of the corner of her eye as he munched on the muffin and grabbed his cup of coffee. He was being very sweet to her and she knew she had done nothing to deserve it really. I wonder what he's thinking about.
He turned and smiled, setting his cup back on the bench and cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb across the corner of her mouth. She was staring at him with those large brown eyes and an expression that made him weak in the knees.
He cleared his throat. "Crumb."
Twice, Mori thought. Twice, he had slipped up, wanting to tell her exactly how he felt. His hand had moved of its own volition. He kicked himself mentally. This would not do. He studiously avoided her gaze as he finished his breakfast.
"You're tired," she said absently, clutching her coffee in both hands. "Thank you for breakfast… and… for staying the night."
"It was no trouble." He stood, placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair gently. "C'mon. I'll walk you home."
-----
"KYOUYA! KYOUYAAAAA!!! MORI-SENPAI STAYED WITH HARUHI LAST NIGHT!!! WITHOUT RANKA-SAAAAAN!!! THEY WERE ALOOOOOOOOOONE!!!!!!!"
Kyouya held the receiver away from his ear. "And how, pray tell, do you know this?"
As always, he approached everything Tamaki said with a pinch of salt. He knew his best friend had the tendency to exaggerate and launch into premature hysterics. The Karuizawa episode some time back had cemented that fact. He could almost hear Tamaki reach the pinnacle of hyperventilation. It was an ironic method of attaining Nirvana.
"I CALLED HARUHI JUST TO MAKE SURE SHE'S ALRIGHT AND TO CONFIRM THE TIME FOR OUR DATE AND RANKA-SAN PICKED UP THE PHONE AND SAID HARUHI HAD GONE OUT WITH MORI-SENPAI WHOHADSTAYEDTHENIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!"
"And the problem is?"
"OH I KNEW MORI-SENPAI WAS AFTER MY FATHERLY POSITIONNNN!!!!! WHAT DO I DOOOOOOO KYOUYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!?!!!!!!!"
"Well, firstly, I suggest you calm down before you give yourself an aneurysm. Secondly, like the twins said before, no one would want that aunt-like position. And thirdly, as much as I loathe the idea of Haruhi spending a night alone with any male for fear of the safety of her fragile person, I believe she was in good hands. In a manner of speaking of course."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! THE IMAGERYYYYYY!!!!!"
"I said, in a manner of speaking. Not literally."
Tamaki had begun hiccupping. "Oh."
"You really should drink some water. Try to inhale via your windpipe and not your oesophagus. I'm in the middle of work, so if you'll excuse me."
"Okay."
"Later, Tamaki. And remember, try not to do anything stupid."
Both parties replaced their respective receivers. Tamaki wandered into the kitchen for a glass of water and Kyouya resumed his work, only to discover that, in his agitation, he had snapped the wooden shomin pencil he had bought on a whim in half.
Author's Note(s):
I forgot what I said here, but hell. Read on!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
