Hello all!
Chapter ten up! Flashback chapter!
Please keep the reviews coming, I love to hear your thoughts on the story so far.
Of course none of Ouran High Host Club is mine except for my OC, Suzume.
...
One Year Earlier – 1st year
He had forgotten her, she knew it. She just knew it. He had picked her up from basketball practice every Wednesday for the past two years. She had even asked him as he ran out the door this morning and he had thrown a "yeah sure" over his shoulder. It was 7:30pm and practice had finished at six. And of course, it had started to rain and for the past thirty minutes she had stood there, her clothes getting considerably wetter. She felt stupid, utterly stupid. A few of the girls had asked if she needed a lift home when her car didn't arrive and she had brushed them all off saying her driver wasn't too far away. By 6:30, she knew Hikaru had forgotten to pick her up, she still waited though. She knew he had forgotten her but every time she would think to leave her brain would reply with a, What if he's just around the corner, he could still be coming, I'll leave and then he'll turn up and worry about where I am. She tried to tell her brain it was an idiot. At a quarter to eight she turned and began walking home, it was still raining. She had never walked home alone before, her mother would be so mad if she ever found out. Suzume contemplated telling her mother this story just so she could watch as she tore Hikaru a new one. She messaged Kyoya, a small part of her worried as to whether or not Hikaru was okay, he wasn't answering his phone and he'd never forgotten to pick her up before.
He said he was taking Haruhi shopping, wanted to see a commoner's supermarket. - Kyoya
The reply from Kyoya in her phone stared back at her. Haruhi. He was safe at least, but he had still forgotten her. It took her forty-five minutes to get to the Hitachiin estate, her parents were out of town for the next two weeks and given that she stayed most nights with the boys anyway, they had sent her to stay with the Hitachiin family for that time; or at least the boys and the household's maids. She pressed the buzzer violently with a wet finger, the rain hadn't let up the entire walk, had she known she would be walking home Suzume would have packed an umbrella. The light flashed red.
"John", Suzume stuttered out, she was shivering, her teeth chattering against each other as she breathed out.
The gates opened allowing her entry to the estate. She stomped up the drive way towards the front door. As he opened the front door the house butler, John, was very surprised to see a soaking wet Suzume Tanaka walking up to the entrance before brushing past him aggressively.
"Miss", he said in a startled voice as he shut the door.
He just managed to catch her bag as she threw it towards to stool in the entry way in front of the coat cupboard.
"Are you alright Miss, you look", he began.
"Terrible, r-r-right?" Suzume stated, her voice raised.
"Have you been out in the rain?" he asked her, receiving a small nod from Suzume followed by a sniffle. He sighed lightly, "We can have the maids prepare a warm bath for you, before you catch a cold".
Suzume smiled up at John, her small form beginning to shiver.
"Let me get Mater Kaoru Miss", John began.
Suzume's smile dropped suddenly.
"I'm going to h-head up s-s-stairs," she stuttered out, "Is Hikaru home?" she spat out turning to John.
"No Miss, his driver informed me that he was escorting a young lady home, he was worried about the rain and didn't want her caught out in…this…weather", John had trailed off taking in Suzume's appearance and her expression as he relayed the news to her.
"Oh dear", he began, "Today is".
"Wednesday", Suzume said the same time as John.
"Miss I'm so sor…" the butler began before Suzume's hand shot up to silence him.
"No. Do NOT ap-p-pologise", she said, her teeth chattering as she spoke, "P-Please have the maids place some towels in my bathroom, the one in the west wing across f-from the boys".
"But Miss", the butler began.
Suzume turned and started to walk up the stairs, "Please and th-thank you John", she said.
John turned towards the kitchen walking in a hurried pace to talk to Master Kaoru. Suzume had made it to the hallway their bedrooms resided in before she heard the running footsteps of who she figured would be Kaoru. She had known John would tell him of the situation straight away. She didn't have time for this, she was so cold. A rare curse crossed her lips as a shiver racked her body; all she could think about was a bath and all she wanted was to get to her bedroom and lock the door. Suzume couldn't even remember the last time she had used the bedroom that was situated across the hall from the twins. It was technically her room, although she'd hardly ever used it. Even her clothes were in the cupboard in the boy's room. They didn't even really call it the boys room, it was their room all three of them. She heard Kaoru say her name as he caught up with her and she reluctantly turned to face him.
"Whoa", Kaoru blurted out, taking in her appearance, her wet hair and clothes, she was shivering and her lips had a light blue tinge to them.
He leaned down to her, placing his hands on either shoulder.
"Su'me, Jesus", Kaoru sighed out, both from the sight of her and from how cold she was when he touched her, "We'll get a hot bath running and I'll chuck the heater on in our room", he said taking her hand and walking towards their bedroom door.
"He's w-with Haruhi", she said quietly.
"What?" he said, looking back at her whilst still walking forwards.
Suzume stopped walking causing Kaoru to catch his feet before turning around to her.
"You said…that there was nothing to worry about", she said and a look of realisation swept over Kaoru's face.
Suzume took a step towards Kaoru, he stood there not moving, regret in his eyes.
"If you ever l-lie to me again", she paused as she sneezed into her hand, "to s-s-spare my feelings. You l–l-lied to m-me".
"I'm sorry", Kaoru blurted out the second she finished her sentence.
"He's with Haruhi!" she yelled at Kaoru following his apology.
Her outburst was followed by a violent sneeze.
"You should really" Kaoru began.
"Have a bath", Suzume finished.
She seemed to physically shrink as she let out another breath, a heavy sigh.
"I am having a bath", she said.
Suzume took Kaoru's hand in her cold one and gave it a squeeze. She then turned and walked towards the door across the hall from their room before turning back to face him. They both stood across from each other.
"What about", Kaoru began slowly, "old movies and junk food?"
Suzume looked at him, a smile growing on her lips.
"And", she continued.
"Breakfast for dinner", Kaoru finished.
"Pancakes", she said her eyes brightening.
"Waffles", Kaoru smirked.
"Bacon", they both said, with smiles now on their faces.
Kaoru wasted no time in crossing the hallway in three steps and taking her in his arms in a tight hug, not minding that his clothes were now wet from her drenched ones. He released her and looked down,
"Let me apologise for my thoughtless brother until he's able to".
"No", Suzume answered smiling at Kaoru, "Let's just have breakfast for dinner for no other reason than that we want to".
Kaoru lifted Suzume's chin slightly and kissed her slowly. They were interrupted by a shiver that ran through her followed by a loud sneeze.
"I'm going to have a bath", Suzume said turning around and opening the bedroom door.
She turned back around, "Do you think you could get my pajam...".
Kaoru pecked her lightly on the lips cutting off her sentence, "Yep", he said before turning and disappearing into their bedroom across the hall .
Suzume had made the bath water extra hot, with bubbles and as she sunk down into the water felt as though this was where she wanted to live for the rest of her life. She had washed her hair and then tied it in a knot above her head and as she lay her head back on the edge of the claw foot bathtub Kaoru had walked in holding a cup of steaming liquid with a book nestled under his arms. He had placed the cup on the table next to the tub and kissed her on the temple.
"Tea", he said referring to the liquid in the mug and sat down against the wall.
"Now", he said opening the book in his hands.
"Chapter Thirty-seven", Suzume said in an imposing voice and Kaoru began.
...
They both heard Hikaru come home; he always let their bedroom door slam when entering and Suzume sank a little deeper into the bubbles when she heard him across the hall, the water coming to just under her nose. She had been in the tub long enough that her hair, tied up on top of her head was dry and the tips of her fingers had begun to prune. Kaoru stood up from his spot, shutting the book he had been reading from and headed towards the bathroom door.
"I'm going to get dinner, need to make sure the chef knows which pancakes we want tonight", he said walking out the door.
Kaoru poked his head back in, "Banana, right?"
Suzume nodded from her spot in the bath. Hearing the door click, signalling Kaoru had left the bedroom altogether, she rose from the water, bubbles clinging to her skin. Drying herself, she stepped into her dressing gown. It was a polar fleece material, a red and black cross hatched pattern. It had been her mother's growing up in Russia and kept Suzume warm in more ways than one; it sat oversized on her small frame. She walked into the large bedroom, outside in the hallway she could hear the boys talking; whatever they were saying muffled by the closed door. The room was fairly empty except for the large bed against the far wall bordered on either side by wooden tables. Suzume moved across the room to one of the bedside tables where her phone was situated, rolling the sleeves up on her dressing gown revealing the pale skin on her arms. Looking down at her phone she saw thirteen missed calls from Hikaru, all after 8pm. She huffed and put her phone back on the wooden table. She moved to the curtains and dragged them closed against the tall windows that lit the room. As she did she heard the door behind her open and subsequently slam shut; Hikaru could never shut a door quietly. Suzume turned, holding the collars of her gown against her neck, keeping her warm and looked at Hikaru. Wait; was he mad at her? His eyes were livid as he stood looking at her. Mad; at her?
"Hello Hikaru", she said, not moving from her spot across the room in front of the now closed windows, the bed separating them.
"You walked home in the rain?" he questioned her.
The words flew out of his mouth in an accusation and it only made her angry all over again. He kept going.
"It's not safe at night, and it was raining", he said pushing the point.
He was talking to her like she was an idiot.
"What did you expect me to do Hikaru?" she answered him, "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware my lift was going to bail on me".
"I'm sorry I didn't pick you up okay", he blurted out quickly, "You should have called me".
Why was he so upset about this so quickly?
"I did call you Hikaru, maybe you should turn your phone on", she spat back at him.
His eyebrow twitched.
Well, Suzume", he replied emphasizing her name, he was just being annoying now, "You have your own driver why can't you…"
"He's on holiday, remember", Suzume interrupted.
She walked across the room in a huff. This was getting nowhere fast.
"It's my fault really", she said in anger, "to think just because you come every Wednesday, that you would show up this time too, stupid really".
Hikaru moved towards her.
"I'm sorry okay! Is that what you want to hear?" he said in an annoyed tone.
"What the hell Hikaru!" Suzume said and then promptly sneezed in to her hand, "Don't hurt yourself or anything, or do me a favour".
Hikaru sighed audibly, "I don't understand why you couldn't have called Kaoru or one of our other drivers".
It was like he was trying really hard to piss her off.
"Kaoru has piano on Wednesdays, that's why we don't bug him. And again, I stupidly thought someone was picking me up! Stop looking for reasons for being an ass".
There was quiet in the room as both of them breathed in, not looking at the other.
"How was your date", Suzume asked into the silence.
"What!?" Hikaru said his head snapping up to look at her.
"Your date", she said looking into his eyes, "Haruhi".
"What! That wasn't a ", he floundered, "We were just hanging out and".
He stopped and composed himself before looking at her again.
'Besides, it's not any of your business what I'm doing all the time; I can have other friends without you", he threw at her.
Suzume was too angry to be hurt much by his words; they just made her see red. She made a noise, a huff somewhere between a sigh and a scream before turning to the bathroom; she had to leave his presence before she knocked him on the head, hard.
"What the hell is your problem?" Hikaru said to her turned back.
Suzume paused just ahead of the bathroom doorway before turning and coming up to him.
"My problem", she began and pushed Hikaru in the chest causing him to stumble back slightly, "Is simple. I had to walk home in the rain. If you're going to ditch out on someone Hika, could you at least message me next time".
She turned and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. Hikaru stormed towards the door to find it locked when he tried the handle.
"Suzume", he said to the wood in front of him, "Open the door".
No answer. Hikaru slammed his open palm against the door.
"Open the door!" he yelled.
"No!" Suzume yelled back, "Get out of my room!"
"You've never even slept in this room!" Hikaru yelled at the door.
"Well I do now! Get out!" she shouted.
"You know, why can't you just find your own way home, why do I always have to come and get you. Find some other friends!" he fumed at her.
"You're a jerk!" Suzume screamed back at the door, "A jerk, who offered to pick me up, it's not my fault you don't have any other people to hang out with Hikaru! Unlike some people, I'm perfectly capable of hanging out with my other friends".
"Then hang out with them", Hikaru roared.
Kaoru came up in the doorway to the room holding a plate of banana pancakes to find his brother yelling full volume, at a door. He could hear Suzume on the other side as the two of them screamed at each other across the piece of wood. Kaoru turned on his heel and left the way he had come.
"Go hang out with Haruhi from now on, give her lifts home!"
"Maybe I will!"
"Fine!"
"FINE!"
"You're such an asshole!" she yelled.
"Well stop being such a bitch!" he yelled back.
"Get out!" she shouted, "Get out get out, GET OUT!"
Suzume kicked the door with her foot, screaming out in annoyance at the pain it caused.
"I don't want you to EVER pick me up again, I would rather catch pneumonia than sit in a car with you ever again!" she cried.
"Yeah, well", Hikaru bellowed back.
'Get out!" Suzume screamed cutting him off.
There was silence on the other side of the door as Suzume stood breathing heavily. She jumped as there was a loud bang and a following crash from inside her room.
"Ow!" she heard Hikaru bellow from inside her room before she heard the tell-tale sound of her door being slammed shut as he left. Suzume slumped down onto her knees in front of the door.
"Asshole", she mumbled as fat tears began to fall down her cheeks.
She sneezed. There was a soft knock at the door.
"Su'me", Kaoru's quiet voice came through from the bottom of the door, he was sitting on the other side.
Suzume sniffed and wiped her face with the sleeve of her dressing gown.
"I have pancakes", he said as if talking to a startled animal," And your clothes are out here".
"Go to Hikaru", Suzume chocked out, her voice caught in her throat from her tears and continuous sniffling, "Please Kaoru, just…just go spend the night with your brother. I just want to be…please leave me alone".
"All right", Kaoru replied from the other side of the bathroom door, "I'm going to put the pancakes on the table, please eat something okay?"
"Okay", Suzume mumbled her reply and heard Kaoru leave the room.
Kaoru walked across the hall back into their bedroom. He could hear Hikaru having a shower. He headed into the bathroom and lent against the hand basin. The shower was cordoned off by glass panels and stood to the left of the sink. Hikaru stood in the shower, his left hand against the tile in front of him keeping balance while his head hung down underneath the spray of water. He looked up, raking his other hand through his hair, pulling it off his forehead and letting his face sit under the water for a moment he then turned his head towards his brother. The room filled with a silent conversation as neither of the two brothers moved.
"You're mad at me", Hikaru said.
"I'm never mad at you Hikaru", Kaoru replied, his hands that were holding onto the edge of the basin coming up to cross in front of him, "But I mean".
Kaoru turned his head to look at the older twin, "Really?" he said.
"Uuugh, I know", Hikaru replied banging his head against the glass of the shower wall.
"You should have messaged her", Kaoru said quietly, "Of course she would wait for you".
Hikaru moved back under the water, letting it warm his cold bones.
"I know", he spoke into the water, guilt dripping of his words.
Suzume had changed into the clothes Kaoru had brought in for her earlier, it consisted of underwear and a t-shirt that sat oversized on her frame. It was Hikaru's. One of the bedside tables lay on its side, a small distance from its original position, a hole in the wood where Hikaru had kicked it. She gave the remaining pancakes to the maid.
"Claudia, can you give these to the boys, I can't eat anymore", she said.
Not long after Suzume curled up in the large empty bed. The twin's maids had turned the electric blanket on for her as well as persuading her to take some cold medicine, to try and stop the cold that she was obviously catching. There was a knock on the door and Hikaru swung it open quickly, his face contorting it into a frown as it was just the maid.
"Oh, it's just you", he said, "Sorry Claudia".
"That is perfectly fine Master Hitachiin", the maid replied.
"Hikaru?" Kaoru asked from within the room, he was lying on the bed, his trigonometry homework splayed out before him.
"Miss Tanaka has asked me to give you the rest of her pancakes. She is full", he maid said handing the plate to Hikaru.
Hikaru took the plate.
"Did she say anything else?" he asked.
"No Sir", the maid answered before bowing slightly and walking off.
...
Suzume lay on her side facing the door when the noticeable squeak of someone trying to open the door very slowly sounded through the room. She was fading in and out of consciousness as her mind began to trail off to sleep. She mumbled sleepily as a weight came onto the bed and arms enveloped her. She huddled closer to the body that now held her, the smell of Hikaru's shampoo drifting into her senses and she squeezed him tighter in a response to him tightening the hug. They fell asleep in each other's arms, too tired to even apologise. Kaoru found them in the morning, Hikaru with his hand tangled in her hair, his face nestled in her neck.
One week later
Suzume came into the Hitachiin estate the following Wednesday and dropped her bag off in the front room. She then proceeded into the right wing of the first floor, walking towards the sound of piano playing off in the halls. Waking into one of the end rooms she came into a light filled room. The far wall was made up of large ornate glass doors displaying the vibrant green gardens outside. On the far right of the room sat a large dark black grand piano with a familiar red head at the stool. Kaoru's piano tutor smiled at her as he left the room and Suzume walked towards the piano. She sat down on the stool as Kaoru closed the lid. Suzume lay her head on Kaoru's shoulder and he smiled at the action.
"How was school", he asked quietly taking one of her hands in his, not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the music room.
"The usual", she replied, winding her fingers through his delicate ones, "will you play me something?"
"Will you tell me what has you looking so sad this afternoon?" Kaoru replied.
Suzume's hand slipped out from his grasp and sat limply on her lap as she looked down.
"Hikaru sent a car to pick me up today", she mumbled out quietly.
"I take it he was not in the car, he told me he had plans this afternoon", Kaoru said looking down at Suzume.
"He's out with friends", she answered.
Kaoru lifted the lid of his piano and began to play a soft melody to fill the sad silence overtaking the room and Suzume let her head drop to his shoulder again.
"There's nothing we can do is there?", she choked out, "What if we lose him Kao?"
Kaoru continued to play.
"What if I lose him", she said even more quietly.
Suzume closed her eyes, drinking in the sound of the piano as Kaoru continued to play slowly. She didn't want to think about Hikaru right now. Didn't want to think about where he was right now, with Haruhi. He hadn't forgotten to pick her up from basketball this afternoon, but she had instead been greeted by an empty car and a quiet drive back to the Hitahciin estate. She'd had more than enough time to think about the fact that a boy who had told her he loved her no more than six months ago now seemed not to have enough time for her outside of sleeping hours. It normally wouldn't have bugged her, him spending so much time with Haruhi, she had seen her around school and Kaoru had told her enough about the girl and she seemed really nice, but it was just so obvious. She still couldn't believe that Hikaru himself didn't see it, the way he followed her around like a puppy, fascinated by all her actions and habits. He obviously had a crush on the girl, his unawareness of that fact only serving to hurt Suzume more whenever he would rush after the honour student without a second thought to anything or anyone else.
'We just have to wait", Kaoru said as he came to the end of his piece, his fingers lifting of the piano keys, "He needs to figure this out on his own".
"And if he figures out he loves her?" Suzume asked lifting her head and turning to look at him.
"Then we do the right thing".
"And let him love her", Suzume finished in a whisper.
Kaoru placed his hand gently behind her neck, his fingers slipping into the base of her hair as he leaned down to look into her sad eyes.
"It'll be okay Su'me", he said pecking the tip of her nose.
He waited a beat before kissing her cheek and then trailing light pecks down her jaw line and across to the other cheek, bringing light giggles out of her mouth. Kaoru pulled back with a smile on his face at having made her smile.
"And I love you of course", he stated, smiling at her.
Suzume smiled and let out a light laugh before wrapping her arms around him and settling her lips against his. They both smiled through the kiss, the corners of Suzume's eyes slightly wet as she kept here tears at bay.
...
It took Hikaru another four months to realise he was chasing smoke. Haruhi had told him she loved him… as a friend. Two weeks after she had told him this he had told Suzume that he had asked the newest host club member out on a date previously. He told her everything, his feelings for the girl, feelings he was still unsure about, and her rejection of him. He was expecting an outburst, for her to scream at him, throw something at him (as he had been known to do in the past) and ask him how he could do this to her. But she simply stood there with a tired look on her face and asked him what he was going to do now. He had moved towards where she sat on the edge of the bed and came onto his knees in front of her taking her hands in his.
"I'm going to beg for forgiveness", Hikaru said and then slowly wrapped his arms around her middle, his head falling onto her lap causing her leg to open as he rested against them.