Sorry for the delay in posting the next chapter. I struggled with trying to make the twin's reactions more accurate to how I imagined it, but realized this morning that this is about as good as it's going to get right now with all of the things going on in my life. Oh and I didn't forget about Honey...his moment is coming.
PLEASE GO TO MY PROFILE AND VOTE IN THE POLL! If I get twenty or more votes I will post two chapters at once for both of my stories.
Next update will probably arrive before or on August 9th. Thanks for your continued awesomeness, patience, reviews, support, etc.
Chapter 11
Haruhi pouted against the black leather seat as the helicopter began its descent towards the Hitachiin mansion. The twins spoke quietly to each other across from her, but she refused to look at them after they had manhandled her into the helicopter. Surely they must have known that she would have followed them politely if they had bothered to ask. Puffing out the air she had been holding, she continued to frown out the window as the helicopter began to settle on the ground. As the blades died down, the twins got out and looked back at her expectantly. Unbuckling quickly she shoved off of the seat and stalked past them. The mansion didn't seem to have outwardly changed since high school, though the helipad seemed to be a fairly new addition. Haruhi headed straight for their home office as Kaoru and Hikaru followed close behind her. Telling the servants that they were not to be disturbed under any circumstance, the twins shut the door to the office and faced Haruhi.
"I would have gotten into the chopper willingly if you had asked nicely. There was no need to carry me that way."
"Says the girl who ran all the way to America so she wouldn't have to see us again; Why don't you tell us why you are back in Japan, Haruhi," Kaoru retorted. Haruhi perched atop one of the arms of a desk chair and glared back at him defiantly. Hikaru walked straight to the bottle of scotch sitting on the bookshelf and poured himself a glass. He needed it after a day like today.
"I'm helping Kasanoda out on a case of his. Don't worry I'll be back in Boston by the month's end." Kaoru shook his head in disbelief as he thought about all of the things that could go wrong with taking a yakuza case to court.
"And you thought you could take a yakuza case without protection? Surely Kasanoda would not be that stupid-" Hikaru started after he slammed his empty glass down.
"No I've been staying with Mori sempai," Haruhi started and instantly realized her mistake. Both redheads were looking at her in dismay and betrayal. "I didn't have a choice. Kasanoda hired him to watch me."
"Well he is doing a shitty job of it if this morning was any show of it," Hikaru retorted. Pouring another glass, Hikaru held it out to Kaoru who put drank it effortlessly. Glancing towards Haruhi in question, she declined his wordless offer. "I can't believe that Honey sempai didn't say anything. We just had lunch with him the other day…"
"I don't think Mori told Honey that I'm back yet," Haruhi trailed off as both of them looked back at her shocked.
"There is no way Mori didn't tell Honey. They are almost as close as we are."
"No he might have kept quiet," Hikaru countered his twin with a thoughtful expression. He could recall a handful of times when he had seen the tall man staring longingly at their favorite host when he thought his cousin wasn't looking. If he thought he had a shot at having Haruhi, maybe, just maybe Mori had been willing to forsake his own cousin to get her. Hikaru's thoughts turned inward- would he betray Kaoru if it gave him Haruhi? Shaking his head to clear it of the notion, he knew he wouldn't have it in him to do so. He would share her with his brother if she would allow it. They had shared every woman so far and there had been no complaints from any of the females in question. Kaoru looked thoughtfully at his brother and wondered why he had disagreed. Not to be brought off topic, he continued his questions.
"Who else knows that you are back? And why wasn't Mori around when my brother here saved your ass?"
"He didn't show up for the escort detail this morning…I honestly don't know where he is," Haruhi stated purposefully. Leaning against the back of the chair, she frowned as she thought it over. "That should have been warning bells to me right off the bat."
"And the others," Hikaru pressed. He could tell from her body language that the question made her uncomfortable and he wondered if everyone else already knew that she was here. Were they the only ones left in the dark?
"Kyoya knows. He confronted me the other night when I was picking up information at Ouran," Haruhi replied carelessly. It seemed obvious that the Shadow King would know her whereabouts at all times. No one could escape him.
"You," Kaoru exclaimed moving closer to her with a spark in his eyes, a spark that Hikaru mirrored. Was she the girl in red that had slipped through his fingers? Standing a step away from her it was easier to see the gentle curves that were near identical to the mysterious girl's form. "You were there that night at the ball weren't you?"
"I was there for a short while picking up some documents from Kasanoda. Your manners haven't really improved much have they Hikaru." Blushing profusely in embarrassment, he looked out the window and turned away from her. How would everything have changed if his brother hadn't made him let her go? A similar string of thoughts were running through his twin's mind. Why hadn't she just revealed herself to them while dancing or afterwards before slipping away?
"I'm sorry I…you see…it's been difficult since you left." Turning his embarrassment and shame into anger he directed it towards her. "You left to go to Boston and tore everything apart. Nothing's been the same! We haven't been the same!"
"Hikaru," his brother snapped cutting him off. Inside he felt the same anger at her departure, but he wasn't going to hit her over the head with it. He could see the way Haruhi's face darkened at the mention of her transgression against them. If she felt guilty for leaving then why did she go in the first place? "I'm sorry Haruhi, but it has been a bit hard since your departure. Perhaps you wouldn't mind explaining why you told Tamaki that you never wanted to see us again?"
"I just needed some time alone and he was breathing down my neck. I wanted get to law school on my own power and hard work, not on whatever connections you guys could give me. You all would have gift wrapped the world and put it down at my feet, but you wouldn't give me what I actually wanted," Haruhi stood and paced the length of the office as her own anger spiked.
"We were family-," Hikaru started but was cut off as Haruhi turned and glared at him.
"I never thought of you guys as family! How could I look at six handsome men that I spent every day with as family? No I," Haruhi stopped herself from spilling the rest of her guts. She had already said too much already. Haruhi felt like she needed to leave. If she had looked up from the floor she might have caught the matching shifting expressions on the twins' faces as they rapidly began putting pieces together. Things were not fitting together as they had been led to believe. Tamaki's little story didn't quite line up with the way Haruhi had just reacted. There was something more here going on that Haruhi wasn't telling them. Pulling out her cell phone, Haruhi began dialing the number for the Morinozuka residence. "I need to call Mori sempai and return to the safe house. It's too dangerous for me to be out and about like this unguarded."
"Wait! Can you hold off on calling him for a while? At least have dinner with us and give us a chance to catch up before he takes you back to his fortress. We're sorry for upsetting you."
"He's probably worried…," Haruhi trailed off guiltily as her anger dwindled.
"Please Haruhi, I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry as well. Please don't go…" Of all of the hosts, she had missed the twin's company severely. They had been her best friends and her classmates. In hindsight, she knew that she really should have called Takashi before they went into the meeting and probably should have called Ryota as well. Her mind turned back to the case and the difficulties in store. Flopping down in her chair she considered the weight of the phone in her hand and the guilt she felt inside. She didn't want the whole host club to know she was back and yet here she was with at least four of the six in the know. Kaoru kneeled before her and lifted a hand to caress her cheek. Cupping her jaw he guided her head up to look at him. Taking her small folded hands within one of his own, he brought them to his lips. He kissed her softly and gave her a pleading look that had melted many a woman's resolve.
"I've missed you so much Haruhi. If I promise we'll behave and take you home after dinner, will you stay? Hikaru can call Mori sempai and tell him you are safe while we head downstairs to the dining room." Haruhi couldn't keep herself from finally relenting with a small blush, shaking her head yes soundlessly. Kaoru smiled at her and she felt the room brighten. They weren't quite on the same terms as they were before, but at least the anger was clearing the air. Catching his brother's drift, Hikaru smirked at them both and laid a hand on her shoulder. Their plaything was back…and they were not going to let her go until they figured out the truth.
Kyoya retied his slightly wet tie as he got into the limo. His driver closed the door and within moments, they were on the way to his next appointment. The man assigned to the sniper's interrogation had finally cracked him and was ready to report in his findings. Checking his emails on his phone, Kyoya sighed as he saw the stack of work awaiting him. Numerous investments were coming to a head and if he wanted to profit from them he needed to turn the market in his way. Time slipped away before he was brought back to the present situation by a knock on the car door. Getting out of the limo with a short nod to his driver, Kyoya walked into the private coffee shop and went straight to the booth behind the kitchen. Greeting the man with a short bow, he wasted no time in getting to business.
"He was paid two hundred billion yen in cash up front with the promise of double if he was successful. No name, no association. They approached him at his cover job with the offer."
"You took quite a bit of time with your little talk."
"He wasn't easy to break. Let's just say, he is taken care of now." Nodding his head, Kyoya stood up and bowed to him.
"Your payment will be in the same account as usual. Thank you for your hard work." Stepping through the café, Kyoya's phone lit up with a text message. Glancing down at the screen, he felt himself sigh at the message's contents. His team had finally figured out the owner of the motorcycle. He was going to have to push back the rest of this evening's meetings to handle this. Getting into the limo, Kyoya tapped on the divider. As it slid open, he wiped the scowl off his face and addressed his driver.
"Change in plans, take me to the Hitachiin Mansion."
Boston's District Attorney Johnathan Coleman always worked out at the local boxing club, The Fighting Irish, after work. There was something relaxing about hitting the bag and sparring with his fellow gym mates that helped him keep a handle on the crazy life he led. Slamming his fists into the heavy bag, he felt the sweat running down his back. There hadn't been any hearings to attend today, however there had been several interruptions by his staff asking if he saw the Tokyo news this morning. Everyone in his office knew that his favored right hand had returned to her homeland for personal reasons, even if they didn't know the details. He had of course kept in touch with her despite the time difference and knew that she had taken on a case from an old friend. Haruhi's last email had been sent before the initial hearing and though he had tried emailing and calling her several times throughout the day, she had not answered. The news report had left him on edge and as such, he had stayed longer at the gym than usual, working out the tension.
Johnathan could still remember the first time that he met Haruhi when they met in Boston University's School of Law. He had been tuckered out from waiting tables the night before at the Irish pub his brother owned, but had managed to get there early for his first class. Taking a seat in the front row, he was unperturbed by the absence of students in the immediate vicinity. Almost everyone had sat in the back of room, prepared to sleep behind their textbooks and bags if the professor droned on going over the syllabus. Waiting for the professor to arrive to begin class, he dozed lightly on his tattered notebook. It was the sound of a mound of textbooks slamming down beside his ear that startled him out of his slumber and nearly out of his seat. The petite girl sliding her backpack down to rest at her feet stared at him skeptically.
"If you are going to sleep through class, you best do it in the back. Dr. Phillip is known for holding grudges come grading time," she state evenly as she slid into the seat next to him. He wanted to snap at her for so rudely waking him, but held his tongue when he saw her pull out a notebook that looked almost as ratty as his. Opening it up, she ignored his gaping mouth and began taking notes from the top textbook in her stack.
"Are you really going to read all of those books," he asked completely floored by the idea of someone else doing exactly what he liked to do when he wasn't in class or busy working. There were at least six thick textbooks, three workbooks of case studies, and some additional textbooks in Japanese in her stack. The only time Johnathan could recall ever seeing a fellow student putting in that much effort was when they were about to fail out of the class, but since it was day one of the new year he was confident that that was not the case.
"Well I won't do it all in one sitting, but it seems like a good place to start, no?" Sensing a kindred spirit, he turned in his seat to get a better look at her. Her shaggy shoulder length brown hair didn't do much for her, but there was something strong in her gaze that told him that there was more beneath the surface.
"Are you by any chance a scholarship student as well?" Offering his hand out and a timid smile, Johnathan introduced himself. Returning his firm handshake with a firm handshake of her own, she smiled at him and told him her name. Little did he know that that would be the beginning of a close friendship between them.
Shaking out his aching hands, Johnathan began stretching out as he stared at his silent phone across the room. All he wanted was for it to ring and it to be Haruhi telling him that she was fine. The work they did often became so dangerous… When the phone did suddenly beep he was over to it within moments. Slamming the phone open he shoved it against his ear.
"Hello?"
"Hello Johnnyboy," the gruff voice greeted, instantly killing any hopes he had of the caller being Haruhi, "You know who I am, don't you?"
"Yes I do." The nasally voice of a smoker who had taken in more than a lifetime's worth of nicotine resounded with each spoken syllable. Since this was his private cell phone and only used for close associates that left only one person that could match the voice on the line. His man on the inside of the last project he and Haruhi had completed. Seeming to realize that joking about the serious matter at hand wouldn't ease the blow, the caller held his breath for a few moments in silence before spilling the news.
"Your little bird is in danger, Johnathan. They couldn't get to you, so they decided to go after her." Instant fear raised all of the hair on the back of his neck at the simple statement. Getting to his feet, he paced quickly as his mind ran through a billion different scenarios.
"She is safely out of the country. The Burdetts have no power in Japan."
"Have you seen the news lately?" Irritation at the reminder that there had been a shooting at a courthouse and Haruhi's unknown whereabouts flowed over him. If there were easy to understand emotions, it would be irritation and anger.
"Of course I have-"
"Then you should know that she hasn't exactly been making friends over there. Let's just say the Italians caught wind of it and have made some new allies." A number of expletives escaped his lips as he ran a hand anxiously through his hair.
"Thanks for the heads up. I'll let her know to be on guard."
"No, you don't understand. The whole family is on lockdown. Our father left town last night." Johnathan's gut dropped to his worn out sneakers. Kicking at the edge of the boxing ring, he tried to restart his frozen heart.
"Are you telling me that the next head of the Boston Italian mafia is on a plane to Japan right now?"
"And he's got a meeting with her new enemies there… he's going to ensure that the only way Haruhi Fujioka sets foot back on American soil is in a body bag." Grabbing his gym bag, he quickly began packing up his things. There was no time to waste.
"Thanks for the info. I know it's risky putting your neck out for me." The click of the phone call ending greeted his thanks. Throwing the bag over his shoulder, Johnathan started running towards his car. Dialing the number he knew by heart, he called her again and again. How could he help her if he was all the way over here? If she wasn't answering her phone, then there was only one solution. Johnathan Coleman was going to have to find a way to Japan.
