Host Club Gone Wild

Chapter 11: The Next Puzzle Piece

A/N: Sorry it took so long everyone, but thanks for your lovely reviews! You know how writer's block goes. Let's see if I can get back into the flow of things. I felt inspired to write now that I'm starting a new chapter of my life at college! If I can get up to fifty reviews maybe I'd be persuaded to update again much before the month's end! Wouldn't that be niiiice?

"Yeah," Mori mumbled from his confinement against Mameha's chest, "coffee sounds great." Everyone else nodded in agreement, trying to mask their exhaustion with complacency. As soon as distance was put between the Chartreuse Tofu gang and their worse for wear van, the sleep-deprived members of the Host Club slumped against the nearest car window and heads drooped against their chests.

Haruhi rubbed her drowsy eyes and peeled the melted mascara away from her eyelashes. As Tamaki rubbed his bruised eye and his more recently injured nose, they shared an absentminded glance. He tried his best to give her an encouraging smile and ignore her steady frown. He couldn't deny it any longer: They both knew something salacious occurred between Haruhi and himself last night. The clues from the newspaper and the mysterious accusations from the twins made him more nervous than he had been when he woke up practically naked on top of Haruhi that morning. Even though Haruhi assured that the events would do little to harm their friendship, Tamaki wasn't sure if he was satisfied with having just a friendship with Haruhi anymore; despite how unorthodox it already was. Everyone was familiar with Tamaki's infatuation with Haruhi—except for Haruhi. If last night were the night his dreams came true, then he wanted to do everything in his power to remember it. After all, if their feelings were not mutual, a memory may be the only thing he gained from last night.

Hesitantly, his eyes tore away from Haruhi's and panned over to the twins; both returning vicious glares. Unable to bear their silent criticism, Tamaki thrust his head into his hands and let out a heavy sigh. Completing the puzzle was not going to be an easy or painless task. His head rose sharply when a sudden force nudged his foot. His melancholy blue eyes met Haruhi's once again. They remained irrevocably engaged as Haruhi's toes repeatedly pulsated against Tamaki's naked foot. Her face remained solemn, but Tamaki interpreted a warm smile radiating from her large brown eyes. All of his hair spiked wildly as chills of excitement ran through him.

As he struggled to retain his composure beneath the heated rush of emotion, Haruhi moved to the other side of the van to sit beside him. Even though she was oblivious of the twins' glower, he felt it burn hotter as Haruhi moved closer to his side and weaved his arm through hers.

"Quit being awkward, sempai," Haruhi warned, lightheartedly. "We're good, remember? No need for tension."

A nervous smile snaked onto his face as feeling of triumph and joy flooded him. Proudly flaunting his achievements in the eyes of the furious Hikaru and Kaoru, he made sure to toss exaggerated glances of sensual elation.

Wrinkled lines of horror etched the twins' ghostly faces as they observed Haruhi's obliviously succumb to Tamaki's manipulations and rest her weary head on his accursed shoulder. Rapid memories of the haunting events from last night committed by the boss and their best friend made their mouths drop in horror. As their brains froze on the memory of the newspaper's display of Haruhi and Tamaki's tantalizingly intimate lips, their agape mouths soon became full with menacingly sharp teeth. Anger transformed them into wild animals instinctively protecting their kin. Like panthers on the prowl, their backs arched and their teeth glistened in anticipation of the hunt. With precise synchronization, Hikaru and Kaoru approached Tamaki with claws drawn, hissing rabidly. They fantasized sipping victory tea whilst marveling Tamaki's stuffed head over their mantel.

Just as the twins were about to dive for Tamaki's jugular, the triumphant king was summoned from his cozy daydreams by the sudden lurch of the van, followed by several jolting bumps, a screech, and a raucous curse from Kyoya. The turbulence caused Haruhi to be unhitched from the crook of Tamaki's neck and slide, half sleeping, into Tamaki's lap.

As soon as the van screeched to a stop, Haruhi looked up and Tamaki looked down, both blushing.

Haruhi giggled huskily, "Finally, the roles have reversed now, sempai. I'm on top of you now." She balled up her fist and gently rubbed her eye as she yawned. It was adorable!

Tamaki sweat dropped. That statement definitely didn't seem to belong to The Theatre of Tamaki's Mind, but it was much too fantastic to be true! As he struggled to supply a meaningful retort, he could do little more than foam at the mouth.

Caught aghast at the perturbing scene, the twins snarled and retreated, hissing, to the shadows of the back seat. Mameha took a break from twirling Mori's hair as he rested, and looked slyly at Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Somebody's jealous," she sang under her breath.

Kaoru threw his head back and scoffed. "Not me," he said snootily. "Just looking out for a good friend, right Hikaru."

Kaoru knew it was stupid to ask such a question. Hikaru's dissatisfied aura radiated from him, melting everything in proximity. Kaoru was more aware about Hikaru's feelings about Haruhi than Hikaru knew. It had been the most obvious obstacle in their lives most recently, until last night. He thought that the adventure they fought through the night before would have given them more than enough to occupy themselves for the foreseeable future.

Kaoru crept over to his brother and draped himself over Hikaru's shoulders. "Has anything changed," he murmured, sadly. "I thought last night would…"

"Kyoya, why have we stopped? This isn't Haruhi's apartment!" Hikaru barked. He peeled away Kaoru's concerned fingers, pushed past the recovering Tamaki, and plopped himself in the passenger seat next to Kyoya. "We're not even going in the right direction. What are you playing at, Ootori?"

Kyoya fumed, "Who the hell do you think you're talking to, Hitachiin." He seemed as riled up as Tamaki during one of his dramatic episodes. "I know what I was doing. It's not my fault this hunk of shit van died on me. And it's impossible for me navigate because all of these commoner buildings look exactly the same!"

"Watch what you're calling a hunk of shit, Ootori," Mameha shrilled.

"What was that you said about my home town, sempai?" Haruhi simultaneously threatened.

As the boisterous sounds of their savage bickering rocked the battered Chartreuse Tofu mobile, Mori's sleeping eyes flew open like shattered glass.

"Shut UP!" Mori roared. Dark shadows descended on the other passengers. A tribal flicker, reminiscent of the merciless spirit he adopted when practicing his martial arts, passed over his face.

Everyone's eyes glazed over with fear as they quietly obeyed their ferocious friend. Ignoring his hangover and concussion, he forced a steady glower over the bickering passengers of the van.

He inhaled and exhaled slowly, regaining his meditative composure. "Listen very closely," Mori droned beneath his breath. "We are going to find a place to get the van fixed, if this crappy excuse for a machine is worth fixing, and then get something to eat. I'm starving. We are going to get answers from you," he pointed menacingly at the twins and moved his finger over to Mameha, "and you too."

Mameha looked stunned, and slightly hurt. "Taka-baby what are you talking about? I already told you everything I remember from last night!"

"Highly doubtful,"Kyoya accused, bitterly rubbing the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.

Haruhi nodded. Her brow furrowed as she mulled over everything Mameha had told them in the Black Sakura tattoo parlor. The missing pieces seemed to glow. "I agree with Mori and Kyoya," Haruhi admitted. "Our sketchy encounter with Chartreuse Tofu provided evidence that you left out key details of your story." Haruhi's eyes narrowed as she stared accusingly at Mameha. "Care to enlighten us?"

Mameha crossed her arm indignantly. "I don't know what you guys are blaming me for," she snapped. "I told you what was important. The rest is none of your business."

Patiently, Mori guided her face up to stare into his. His face peaceful, but his eyes were stern. "Our friend is missing," he stated matter-of-factly. "Every detail is important at this point. I—we have to find to him. Do you remember anything about what could have happened to Haninozuka Mitsukuni?"

Tears bubbled from her eyes under the pressure of his heavy gaze. After a moment, Mameha closed her eyes and shook her head as much as Mori gingerly held her face between his hands.

"I don't. Please, believe me, I don't!" Her voice wavered as her throat was clogged with nervous tears. "I can see his face and I want to say that I remember something that can help you find him, Takashi, but I just can't!" Mameha choked out a sob. Begrudgingly, Mori accepted the distraught girl into his arms, and robotically patted her shoulder as she hiccupped into his shirt.

Everyone grimaced, exasperatingly puzzled. Tamaki's head lolled over to look at Hikaru and Kaoru, sitting uncomfortably beside Mori and Mameha.

"What do you two have to say for yourselves," Tamaki questioned, with a deathly level voice. The twins' heads snapped to glare at him, tensing defensively. Tamaki's chin rose proudly as he continued, "We need to hear every detail. You owe us that much for the fright you've given us throughout today."

Utterly affronted, Hikaru furiously shot up from his seat, but was hindered by the tinny van ceiling. He roared as he rubbed his head and hollered, "Yeah, well, you owe us an apology Suoh! We did what we did because you drove us to it. In fact, everything that happened last night was your fault!"

Tamaki gasped and then started fuming; his face turned an unnatural red. Before he blew his top and attempted to kill Hikaru in the small confines of the van, Kyoya pushed Tamaki away by this shoulder. Then he pointed an accusatory finger at Hikaru.

"Don't blame anyone but yourself for whatever happened last night. Everything would have been fine if you hadn't brought that accursed liquor," Kyoya screeched, uncharacteristically.

Now, Kaoru had to leap to retrain Hikaru from ambling towards Kyoya. "And you can't blame us for your problems, Ootori," Kaoru spat. "You made a choice to drink it. You could have stopped at any time; all of you could have!"

The more they rambled, tossed insults, and charged blame, the higher their volume climbed. Irritably, Mori rolled his eyes and wished that he could take his hands away from consoling Mameha to shield his ears from the waves of insanity coursing through the vehicle. He cast a longing gaze out the window, wishing he could escape from the ruckus and find Mitsukuni without any further interruptions from his friends. While he primarily blamed his carelessness for losing track of his best friend and cousin, a part of him knew that his friends, new and old, were not innocent either. Usually he could tolerate their pesky bickering, but now it agitated and distracted him like flies infesting a hunter's ears. He would never find Honey if he remained deterred by the Host Club's shenanigans. Mori knew that he would have to give Mameha the slip as well. Maybe I can get her number first, Mori thought to himself.

At that moment, his eyes landed on a shoddy brick building standing passively on the street corner across the street where they had broken down. Sleeping homeless men had set up camp near the corner of the property, directly beneath a sign reading Akio's Pub and Billiards. It was the flickering neon sign that got Mori's attention. It's familiarity pained his mind, but he couldn't find a reason why.

He gasped as he felt the memory slowly trickle into his brain. He could hear the steady bass of the music and could see the dim lights streaming through the smoke fogged room. Mori strained his thoughts, hoping to see filter a glimpse of Honey, and was *elated to remember seeing his wispy blonde hair bobbing about the place. That alone was enough to intoxicate him, despite remembering the alcohol sickness he was experiencing at the time. Still, there was one thing for sure: Akio's Pub and Billiards was the next piece to their never ending puzzle.

As the aggravated yelling of his companions brought him back to the present, Mori was compelled to rise from his seat. It was time to get the ball rolling again; if his friends chose to be dead weight, then he didn't need them. He threw open the side door of the van and peeled himself away from the suffocating enclosure of the broken down automobile. The next vicious words coming from the Host Club members' mouths were instantly hushed as they all watched Mori abandon them and head for the pub. Abashedly, the disgruntled teens followed the hunter's suit like puppies lacking the approval of their master.

Eager to please, Tamaki rushed forward and rested a gregarious hand on Mori's shoulder, smiling brightly as a sign of armistice. Mori heatedly shrugged it off, still maintaining a cool expression. Tamaki chuckled off the quiet refusal before attempting to make another appeal to his incensed club member.

"So, what's the battle plan, Mori-sempai," Tamaki said with a forced laugh. "I know it's been a rough day, but I think we've all had enough to drink for a life time."

Mori's eyes flashed sinisterly in Tamaki's direction, darkly threatening Tamaki with certain demise if he dare bother him at the moment.

Tamaki paled and sweat flew rapidly from his brow as he backed away from Mori. He then howled in realization before preceding to mentally rock himself in the shadowed corners of his mind. "Mori-sempai hates me," he sulked.

Kyoya rushed up to his pouting friend and swiped him across the back of the head with a crisp hand. "You idiot," he grumbled, hastening after the ceaseless Mori, "can't you tell our bloodhound has picked up a scent." Tamaki whined and rubbed his stinging head, but followed Kyoya obediently. No one else dared to speak up and ask Mori where he was so determinedly headed. They just lined up behind him and followed his every step towards the run-down bar.

I hope this isn't another dead end, Haruhi thought to herself, mindful of her aching body. She stumbled, encumbered by her numb feet, but Kaoru was quick to catch her by the elbow.

"Thanks Kaoru," she sighed, correcting her posture and proudly brushing off the blunder.

"No problem, Haruhi," Kaoru said kindly. They walked on together. Kaoru occasionally glanced over his shoulder to see Hikaru's broody ambling a ways behind the group. Kaoru sighed.

"Haruhi, Haruhi, Haruhi," he began huskily, "we have a problem."

Haruhi scoffed and forced her hands into her dress's pockets. "You're telling me," she agreed. "If we don't find Honey-sempai soon the whole of Japan is going to have a problem. There is no telling what Mori will do…"

"It's not that," Kaoru said hastily. "I mean I'm worried about Honey-sempai and all, but with him being a Haninozuka with an AB blood type I think he's just fine." He shook his head and lowered his voice after a heavy sigh. "It's Hikaru that's the problem. I thought last night would fix things."

Haruhi's eyebrows rose as listened intently to Kaoru's every word. "You two both have to tell us what happened. Your obstinacy is utter crap. The only way to get out of this is to retrace our steps out of the mess. You guys are absolutely no help!"

Kaoru sighed. "I have no problem letting you guys know what happened. It won't be pleasant, but you're right: It must be said. I just know Hikaru won't be happy about it."

Haruhi's brow furrowed. "Why the hell not!"

Kaoru stopped and pulled Haruhi close enough to touch his lips to her ear. "Because he can't let you go. He doesn't want to lose you," Kaoru whispered, sadly and slowly.

Haruhi recoiled from her friends touch and continued walking at a brisker pace. "You're not making any sense! If this is another one of both of your games, then leave me out." She huffed away, annoyed at being played with on such a dreadful day. The senseless words said by Kaoru didn't register in her head to be anything other than some silly riddle. Her weary mind didn't have the strength to analyze it so she quickly put it out of her mind.

By the time she caught up with Kyoya and Tamaki, Mori had opened to door to let his friends enter.

"Let's get this over with," Kyoya grumbled as they wandered through the dark jungle of bar stools and lonely men. "Hello," he demanded, irritably, searching around for any employees.

A portly bouncer waddled out from the back room, shining glasses, but stopped when he laid eyes on the grumpy teenager calling for assistance. A crooked smile snaked onto his face.

"Well what do you know," the man wheezed. "It's the boss!"