Everything to Gain
Chapter 11: Memories
Hai!
It's your friendly neighborhood author here, Blue!
Congrats to I-LOVE-The-Host-Club for PMing me such an awesome idea and to Gise Destler for the same idea!
You two are great!
I hope you are all happy with this chapter!But, tell me if you see any mistakes, because I am human and make them constantly.
Enjoy!
In Music Room #3 it was silent.
It was awkwardly silent.
Haruhi just lowered her eyes and found herself trying to be occupied with flipping through the scrapbook in front of her.
She could feel the other Host's watching her, minus Kyouya; he also seemed preoccupied with clicking away at his laptop. (Which appeared out of nowhere)
That reminded her…
She got out of her chair and walked over to her bag, inside, was a leather carrying case and her new computer; she pressed the power button and only had to wait a few seconds before it was up and running.
Haruhi plopped herself down on a couch and once again took note of how many Host Club member's eyes were on her.
She clicked on an application labeled 'Msn' and it opened up to a log in screen.
Kyouya had told her earlier this morning in the hallway, that he had set up an account for her on this chatting service and that he also had an account and was on it whenever his laptop was running.
I guess it would be the best way to talk to him at the moment, since the others seem to be shell-shocked.
Under the 'Friends' list there was only one name, which was obviously Kyouya.
She clicked on it and a small screen popped up, she clicked on the bottom text box and began typing.
Haruhi: Hello?
She glanced up at Kyouya and watched as his eyebrows raised and his eyes drifted over towards her.
He shot her a quick smile and typed back a reply.
Kyouya: Hello Haruhi, trying to make the best of this awkward situation I see?
Haruhi: Yeah. I didn't think it really mattered this much to them that I dropped the honorific..
Kyouya: Well, they are who they are. I am sure they will come out of this trance-like state of disbelief any second and when they do it'll be very interesting.
Haruhi: I bet it will
By this time Honey had began to happily eat more cake and Mori watched him, Tamaki seemed to be spiraling into a coma-like state of defeat and his brain seemed to be overactive with all of the scenarios he was creating in his 'Inner Mind Theater".
Haruhi turned back to the screen where Kyouya had typed:
Kyouya: I never got to ask you if I could accompany you to dinner tonight
Haruhi: That would be nice; my father has to work all night so we can't go out as we usually do. It'll be fun.
Kyouya: Do you think we could leave after the club is done? Seeing as you will want to get home before it is too late.
Haruhi: Sure
If Kyouya had something else to say, he never got the chance, because at that moment Ritsu Kassnoda burst through the door carrying a vase full of flowers.
His appearance seemed to jolt everyone out of their own worlds.
Honey put down his fork, Tamaki and the twins looked towards him and Haruhi and Kyouya packed their laptops away.
Kassnoda walked up to Haruhi, "Hey… Fujioka! I heard it was your birthday today… so… I got you these."
He thrust the vase full of various vibrant colored flowers forward; Haruhi took it in her hands and admired it.
"It's very nice Kassnoda, thank you." She said with a smile
He took a quick step back and ran into Hikaru and Kaoru, "Heeey, Bossa Nova. What are you doing here? Flirting with Haruhi, perhaps?"
"Uh, uh…. No! I wasn't fl-flirting with Fujioka! I just came to give her a gift- cause it's her birthday, right?" He stammered, and began to make his way to the door.
"Oh no, look Kaoru he is running away. What a shame, right?" Hikaru said leaning on his brother.
Both of their eyes fell on Haruhi, who stiffened in fear. "Oh Haruhi-!" They called as they plucked her off the couch, "Why don't you try on that dress for us now?"
She pushed them off her, "Uh.. No thank you.. I would much rather go home."
"But Haruhi… We made that dress just for you! You don't think you could try it on, for us?" Said Kaoru as he put on the most dejected expression he could muster up.
She sighed, There is no way they are going to let me out of this one.
She looked at Kaoru and his puppy dog like eyes and gave in.
"Fine, that is the only thing I am trying on though." She picked up the box and trudged off towards the back bathroom.
Damn rich people and their damn whining..
She closed the door of the bathroom and undressed and put the clothes on.
The dress was silky and felt very cool to the touch, the dark purple color contrasted well with her pale skin.
She tied the black sash around her waist and rubbed her hand against it, marveling at the intricate beading that had been woven in.
Reluctantly, Haruhi placed the small black high-heels on her feet and picked up the red clutch purse.
Well, let's hope this will end soon.
She stepped out into the main hallway and groaned as Hikaru and Kaoru both smiled at their accomplishment.
Tamaki turned towards her and his face grew to a dark shade of red, "H-Haruhi.." He choked out, "Yo-you look very good."
"Thank you sempai." She replied.
Haruhi turned around and was in the process of finding a path through the box filled hallway that led back to the bathroom when a hand grabbed her wrist.
"Not so fast, Haruhi. I don't think you should take that off just yet." Kyouya said, not releasing her hand.
"And why would that be, Kyouya?"
"Because you are accompanying me to dinner tonight and I think this would be better for you to wear than your Ouran uniform."
She sighed knowing she shouldn't even try to argue with him and let herself be pulled back to the main room by him.
The clock tower bell rang out, it was five o'clock already.
"I suppose that is our cue?" Asked Haruhi.
"It is."
He let go of her hand quickly, and within a few seconds the rest of the Host Club had entered the room and was talking and laughing about some 'miracle dog from the internet' that Tamaki had seen.
Kyouya began to walk towards the door and gestured for Haruhi to come with him.
"Hey! Kyouya! Haruhi! Where are you two going?" Yelled Tamaki as he ran across the room to join them, hoping to come with.
The Shadow King looked at him, "Why does it matter to you? Goodbye everyone!"
He then, grabbed Haruhi's arm and they walked through the door.
"That was a bit harsh sounding." She said looking up at him.
"Yes, it was. But, it was the only way to get you and I out of there without them making a big deal about it." He pushed his glasses up as they walked down the stairs.
A limo was already waiting for them at the front, Tachibana held open the door for them as Haruhi, then Kyouya got in.
This morning's events kept replying themselves in her head.
Got to change the subject of my thoughts
"Any chance you will tell me where we are going?" Haruhi asked, looking out the window for any signs of where they could be headed.
He grinned slyly, "Nope. You'll just have to trust me."
"How far away is it?"
"Not far."
"How long till you give me a definite answer for something?" She turned towards him with a small smile.
"Probably a while." Kyouya replied with another grin.
"You know what? I think you need to smile more often, Kyouya." Haruhi stated.
He smiled this time, "And why is that?"
"You don't do it often, and it's nice."
She could already feel the blush rising to her cheeks, but the one thing she didn't expect to see was the hint of a blush on his.
Kyouya is blushing? What?
Haruhi leaned in closer to him to get a better look.
"I think the same applies to you." Kyouya said, sending her back to her original place.
"What?"
"The same applies to you. You should smile more often, a real smile, not just a pity smile, like you give to the twins.." He pushed his glasses up on his face and rubbed his cheek.
"Oh, I guess I have never really thought of that. Thank you Kyouya." She turned to him and smiled, and he smiled back.
The car came to a halt and Haruhi turned to the window, trying to peer outside.
But, a hand pulled her out of the car swiftly.
They were on the beach where the waves gently lapped at the shore and made a soft, calming sound and a wooden gazebo stood on the sand, beautifully carved and Haruhi could see the ornate details that covered it.
Under it stood a small table filled with different types of food and drinks.
The whole place seemed to be lit by paper lanterns that cast a soft shadow across things and made the entire scene glow.
"This place is stunning.." She whispered.
"As it should be."
Kyouya pulled her down the steps and over to the gazebo, where she sat down and he pushed in her chair.
"Enjoying your birthday so far?" He asked, placing a bowl of noodles onto his plate.
Haruhi smiled as she pulled a piece of ootoro onto her plate, "Yes, I am. Other than the incident with the Host Club, I have to say this day has been close to perfect. It's strange to think of myself as fifteen now."
She closed her eyes as she took a part of the fish into her mouth, she savored every bite she could get of it.
"You like it, I presume?" He asked with a smirk, watching her eat.
"Mmmhmm." She swallowed, "One of my favorite tastes."
"What else do you like?" Kyouya asked curiously.
Haruhi looked up at him and thought for a minute before answering with, "I guess my other favorites have to be…. Chocolate dipped strawberries and I only had it once or twice, but I also like steak."
"What do you like, Kyouya?"
He rested his head on his hand while he thought, " My favorite food would have to be… Practically anything spicy.. I can't really think of a favorite."
"Do you like any sweets?" Haruhi popped a piece of lobster into her mouth and smiled.
"Not most of them, but I do like melon. Don't ever tell Honey-sempai about this though, the last person her caught who didn't like sweets was forced him to eat cake until he 'acquired a taste for it' as Honey put it. It was bad.. The poor man is probably scarred for life."
Haruhi bent over and laughed, she couldn't control herself the noise, it just kept coming out of her.
Soon, she could barely breathe and she had to suck in big, deep breaths of air and try her best not to laugh again.
"What was so funny?" Kyouya asked.
"You! You sounded exactly like Tamaki-sempai! Like one of those stories he always tells about Honey-sempai and the Green Berets!" She tried again to catch her breath.
"Me and Tamaki are alike? I am not sure if that is a compliment or an insult." He said with a small smile.
"Hmm, I think it is a good thing. He is a nice guy."
"I suppose he is, he is always so positive about things, never a negative thought in his head."
"He kind of reminds me of my mother in a way, she was always looking on the brighter side of things.." Haruhi said softly, her thoughts drifted back to six years ago.
"I am sure she was, she seems like a remarkable woman, Haruhi."
"She was… I am sure she was, before she…" Haruhi's face had clouded now; it was so close to the fifth, the day grew closer and closer by the minute.
"Did I ever tell you about my mother?" Kyouya asked quietly.
"No" She replied
"She died when I was very young, I think I was six. From what I am told and the little I remember, she was… kind. I think my father may have loved her even. Her name was Hana. Hana Ootori once she married my father… There are no pictures of her in the house, but from what I have heard she had short, black hair and her eyes were a rich blue color. She had been on vacation in the tropics and when she came back she had felt fatigued. We all had assumed it was jet lag or something minor but she had caught a disease, whatever she had was unknown in the medical world. She was too tired to get out of bed and her muscles grew weaker everyday, she couldn't hold down food or water and antibiotics made it worse. Her skin was pale and clammy; she fell into a deep sleep and had a high fever constantly. My father had called in hundreds of doctors, but none of them could help her. The longer she stayed alive the worse she got, all different types of symptoms began to appear, from coughs to bloodshot eyes. The only memory of her I have, is one that I remember distinctly. I had walked into her room one day, she had been coughing up blood for hours but she somehow called out, her voice was raspy and I couldn't understand her. Then, a beeping noise rang out through the room; soon she was swarmed with doctors and nurses. I ran out of the room in fear, later that day I learned that she had died."
Kyouya took a deep breath and rested his head in his hands, lost in thought.
Haruhi got up from her seat and walked over to him, she felt him stiffen when she wrapped her arms around him.
He soon turned towards her and returned the hug pulling her closer to him, to the point where she was sitting in his lap curled up against his chest.
"My mother… She died when I was young as well, I was nine. Her name was Kotoko. I remember her still, she had short brown hair and dark brown eyes like me and she was always so happy, so excited and passionate about everything. She was a lawyer, and she would always come home at night after work and tell me what case she was working on and how it was going. I would tell her what I thought about it and what I she should do. It was nice. I loved her, my father loved her and I know she loved us. One day she had a particularly important case, it had been going on for days and today she thought she would finally close it. I stayed awake in my room that night, waiting for her to come home and tell me what happened. But she never did. I stayed up that entire night listening to thunder around me and realized something could be wrong. I knew something bad had happened to her when the police came the next morning. She had been found in an alleyway, dead. A man had tried to steal her purse and wallet and she refused, she was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. That day, February 5th, is the day I became afraid of thunder and I lost my mother." Haruhi whispered her words growing quieter and quieter as she reached the end.
His arms still wrapped around her she buried her face in Kyouya's chest.
"It's okay to cry, Haruhi." He said softly into her ear.
Tears she didn't know she was holding back sprung from her eyes and she cried holding on tightly to the person in front of her.
Aww.
That was adorable…
And really saddening to write and come up with..
Sorry there isn't a lot of fluff in this chapter, but I hope the touching scene makes up for it.
This chapter was a little short... I couldn't add the next segment because then it would be way too long..If you guys have anything you think might work for the story, tell me!
I can always use your ideas!
Constructive criticism and praise do work wonders when you leave them in a review!
So click that button people and tell me what you think!
~Blue
PS: ShadowKing'sQueen was an anonymous reviewer and who ever they are left a comment on this story, and I really want to talk to said person about their review, so if you are out there PM me or email me please. I want to answer your review, but I can't really do it here. Heh…