Disclaimer: I have no rights over any Ouran characters.
Haruhi had to fight to hold back a yawn as she began stretching. Last night had been an adventure that hadn't ended until well past midnight, which meant she'd barely dragged herself out of bed in time for her Saturday morning tae kwon do class.
Luckily she didn't have a hangover, but she was probably the only one. Everyone else had kept drinking long after Haruhi had switched to water – which had led to some rather shocking events.
Or, perhaps, not so shocking.
There had Umehito's little cat puppet, who had regaled them all with rather bawdy stories. So bawdy in fact, that even Mei had begun blushing through all of her makeup. Haruhi didn't think there was enough bleach in all of Japan to get those stories out of her head.
Then there had been Alianore and Zackarie, who, after a number of shots, had admitted that they really did respect and love each other. This had surprised no one except the two siblings, who had broken down into happy, drunken sobs as they hugged each other. Though, that hadn't stopped them from arguing later on about who was better at charming boys.
It was Mei who had suggested that the only way to prove who was the best was to have them test their skills.
Umehito's naughty little puppet had them suggested they use Mamoru for the test.
All Haruhi could do was watch in mild amusement as her drunken friends tried to charm her drunken coworker/boss, who had quickly turned a bright red before turning both of the Roux siblings down.
Haruhi stopped reminiscing about the previous evening as soon as the door opened. Out of curiosity she looked over to see a familiar face.
Standing in the entryway to the studio was Mitsukuni Haninozuka, or Hunny, as he'd told her to call him. Standing right behind Hunny was a very tall and muscular man that Haruhi remembered from her two previous run-ins with the Ouran Host Club.
"Ah! Mr. Haninozuka! And Mr. Morinozuka! I'm so glad you were able to make it!" Haruhi's teacher, Mr. Tsuda, said as he gave them a welcoming bow.
Hunny grinned cheerfully, "Anything for you Mr. Tsuda!"
Mr. Tsuda turned about to Haruhi and the rest of the class. They had all stopped stretching by now to focus on their teacher and these newcomers. Haruhi saw recognition and awe on a couple of her classmates faces and she wondered just what these two were famous for. She already knew they were rich and well-connected, so it didn't really surprise her that they were fairly well-known either. The question was, what were they known for?
"Class, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Mitsukuni Haninozuka and Mr. Takashi Morinozuka. Mr. Haninozuka is a master martial artist. His specialization is the Haninozuka style, which was created by his family. He is currently undefeated in every contest he has taken part in. Mr. Morinozuka is also an accomplished martial artist, he is a national champion in kendo and also very skilled in karate."
Hunny and Mr. Morinozuka gave small head bobs in acknowledgement of what Mr. Tsuda was saying.
Mr. Tsuda continued to talk about their accomplishments, but Haruhi wasn't paying attention. Rather, she was staring in shock at tiny little Hunny.
This little guy was a master martial artist?
Possibly the best in the country?
It did not compute.
"-and that's why I'd like Ms. Fujioka, as one of our more advanced students, to do a demonstration of the forms required for the black belt."
Haruhi's eyes whipped over to Mr. Tsuda and she blinked owlishly at him, her sleepy brain not comprehending what she'd just heard.
Hunny spoke up, "Only if it's okay with Ms. Fujioka. Are you okay with showing us some things?" He walked over and looked up at her, smiling cutely. Haruhi heard several of the other girls in the class squeal at how adorable he was. "I don't want you to do anything you don't like."
As Haruhi looked down at big baby-like eyes she felt her shock depart. She smiled cheerfully at him and said, "I'd be happy to demonstrate."
He grinned back at her from ear to ear and in that moment, Haruhi knew that he recognized her. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew it as surely as her own name.
That didn't stop her from going to the front of the room and moving through all of the black belt forms. She'd wonder what his recognizing her meant after the class was over. Tae Kwon Do was her escape from her worries about her career and all the social 'rules' Masaye and Chiye had been dumping on her since high school.
After Haruhi finished her demonstration Hunny showed them how his family had taken some of the tae kwon do moves and incorporated them into Haninozuka style. While Haruhi was very good at the forms she'd studied – she'd expect nothing less from herself – she wasn't big on the 'art' of martial arts. Tae Kwon Do was a means of escape and peace for her, as well as a way to keep herself and her friends safe. She never forgot how it had helped her save Zackarie and herself from Kyle Styles and his buddies.
She still found a modicum of satisfaction that he'd been thrown out of Brekleys once his misdeeds had come to light. It was one of her first experiences with seeing how rules and a justice system truly helped people.
Once Hunny's demonstrations were over he and Mr. Morinozuka joined the class and Mr. Tsuda took them through a variety of exercises. And then class was over.
Considering how tired she was, Haruhi was not sad that they hadn't done any sparring.
When she stepped out of the studio after showering and changing she found Hunny and his tall friend waiting for her.
She wasn't surprised.
As soon as Hunny saw her he bounded up to her, grabbed her hand in his and smiled up at her.
"It's so nice to see you again! Reiko and I were so sad you never contacted us! You seem like such a nice person."
Haruhi felt her face turn pink and she tried to extract her hand from his, but his grip was much too strong.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I started a new job and got very busy," Haruhi said quietly. She really didn't want to lie to this man. He seemed much too nice.
Hunny began to pull her down the small street. "That's okay! I'll forgive you if you come have cake with me."
Since he had a death grip on her hand and Mr. Morinozuka was now towering over her as he walked behind her and Hunny she could only say, "That would be nice."
It didn't really feel like a situation from which she could extract herself.
The three of them came to the end of the small side street where a very nice car was waiting. Hunny pulled Haruhi into the back seat with him as Mr. Morinozuka got into the passenger's seat.
As soon as they were moving Hunny turned to Haruhi and smiled cheerfully. Actually, now that Haruhi thought about it, she realized that he always seemed to be smiling.
"Now, I know your family name is Fujioka, so what's your first name?"
"You can call me Haruhi," she replied honestly. There didn't seem to be any point in hiding her identity now. There wasn't much this small man could do to affect her goal. Not with Mr. Tachiki trying to sabotage her at every turn. Though, from what Mamoru said last night, she wondered if things might start to look up soon at work.
"Haruhi," he seemed to contemplate her name for a minute. His face becoming more serious than she thought it ever could. Then he abruptly grinned, "I like it! It suites you very much! I'm so glad I found you again. I don't know why, but it felt like we're supposed to be friends. Mori disagreed with me, he said I was being silly, but he'd never met you."
Haruhi frowned, "Mori? Who's Mori?"
A deep, rich voice from the front of the car spoke and Haruhi jumped in surprise. She'd begun to think that Mr. Morinozuka was mute.
"I'm Mori."
Haruhi smiled politely at Mori as he turned in his seat to look at her, "Nice to meet you Mr. Morinozuka."
"Call me Mori," he said, a corner of his mouth twitching up.
The rest of the car drive was taken up by Hunny asking her about tae kwon do and how long she'd studied and if she'd ever had to use it. She'd tried to dodge that question, but he hadn't let her get away with that this time. So she soon found herself telling him about her rescue of Zackarie.
His eyes were wide and filled with respect as he made her walk him through every move she'd made in that fight. And, for some reason, she knew that his respect was completely genuine, despite the fact that he was probably one of the best martial artists in the world. That made her feel nice, but also a bit uncomfortable. If people were going to look at her with awe she wanted them to do so because of her skill in a courtroom battle, not a street fight. It just didn't seem right.
When she had finished going over the fight Mori turned around in his seat again and Haruhi could see respect in his eyes as he spoke.
"You did a good job."
"He's right!" Hunny exclaimed. "That was amazing for someone that had only been studying for a few years. You should come and study at my family's dojo. Haninozuka style is very good for shorter people. I think you'd enjoy it."
"He's right," Mori chipped in.
Haruhi shook her head, "No, thank you. I study tae kwon do to relax and enjoy myself. I'm not a very athletic person."
Haruhi realized her mistake at turning Hunny down right away.
His eyes got very big and she thought she saw tears appear as he said, "Haru-chan, please come to just one class. I promise it will be fun and relaxing! Pretty, please?"
Haruhi could only hold contact with those eyes for a minute before she sighed and said, "Okay, one class."
"Hooray!" Hunny shouted as the car pulled through a gate and into the largest private compound she'd ever seen.
Haruhi had forcefully stop herself from muttering, "Rich bastards," as they pulled up to one of the many beautiful and traditional residences.
What was she getting herself into?
Author's Note: While the title does reference Hunny, it's also a bit amusing since it's the name of this series of Japanese games for the NeoGeo console (my husband owns the majority of them) where different fighters are competing for the highest title (kinda like street fighter, I think...I'm more of a strategy and role playing gamer). My husband bought the console and a couple games when we visited Fukuoka two summers ago.