A/N: Here it is... The final chapter (I think). I might do one more chapter to explain how they got together and recap some of my clues, but I will leave that completely up to you. Do you want one more chapter? Let me know. The reviews have been phenomenal and you are awesome! To all of the readers and everyone that favored/followed the story, thank you! So here it is and please review. I will show as complete for now, but if you want another chapter, I will be more than happy to do it!
Chapter 11 – Party Time
Haruhi fell back to sleep after she ate and was out for the rest of the night. Chika and Satoshi left after her father arrived home, but they really wanted to stay with her and Chika tried to argue with the older man in order to stay. Ranka declined saying that his daughter needed space and time, "Yasuchika, she will be alright. Don't worry about what those others did to her; you and Satoshi took care of her. She is sleeping now and tomorrow is school so you have to get home so that you can rest. She wouldn't like it if you neglected yourself in order to worry about her."
Chika nodded and followed his cousin out the door and into the waiting limo. Haruhi may have been joking when she said he could do something to Tamaki Suoh and Hikaru Hitachiin, but he was going to make sure they never crossed the line again.
The next morning, Haruhi slowly got ready for school. She was not looking forward to seeing Hikaru or Tamaki today. She knew she could avoid Tamaki at school for the most part and after yesterday, she was sure Kyoya would let her out of host club for today, thus securing her avoidance of Tamaki completely. Hikaru was not so easy since they had the majority of their classes together. There was no way around it though unless she skipped school and she wouldn't do that. She still had to think about her studies and her scholarship. The others would be there for her and they would help her. Walking out of the door, she wanted a certain someone with her today, but she knew it was not possible. She was walking in a daze and thinking about him when she was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts.
"I know you were not planning on walking to school when you cannot even pay attention to your surroundings," a voice beside her said.
Haruhi snapped her head up and looked around, on her left was a limo and standing next to the backdoor was Chika. She could see Satoshi sitting inside of the car. Turning her gaze back to Chika, she asked in a perplexed voice, "When did you get here?"
Chika couldn't resist and he rolled his eyes at her. Shaking his head, he said, "We have been here for ten minutes. We saw you walk out of your apartment and I got out of the car when you started walking down the stairs." He gave her a hard look and studied her face for a minute. A worried look appeared on his face, softening his expression, "You never even noticed me or the car. Are you alright?"
Her mind was awhirl. They had been there that long? She hadn't realized. It wasn't like they were hiding, you can't hide a limo. Blushing, she said, "Sorry, I guess my mind is elsewhere."
Chika's expression softened further and he lifted his hand to brush her bangs out of her eyes, "Its ok. I just don't want you walking to school when you are like this. Get in and we will take you. Mitsukuni already knows that you are riding with us. Besides, we want to have a word with a couple of people." As long has he had known Haruhi, he had never seen her like this. It was not normal and if his brother was not going to take care of the people responsible for this, he would.
She didn't say anything else, but as his words sank in, she started to smirk. She didn't necessarily want them to hurt her friends, but after yesterday, a little threat or two may not be so bad. Slipping into the back seat opposite of Satoshi, she thought that she might enjoy seeing what Chika and Satoshi had planned for the host club.
When they arrived, all three occupants got out of the car. Chika and Satoshi were not leaving until they completed their mission. No one was going to hurt Haruhi again, she may not be under the direct protection of both families, but she was under their protection.
Hunny and Mori were waiting for them when they arrived. They had both been worried about Haruhi after she took off the day before, but knew their brothers would take care of her. Noticing that she looked tired and sad, they wondered if there was something they could do to help her. The expression on her face and her puffy eyes tore at both seniors' hearts; she was hurting because of what her friends did to her. "Haru-Chan are you ok? We are here if you need anything. Right Takashi?" Hunny stated with tears glistening in his eyes. His tall cousin nodded and ruffled her hair like he normally did.
She gave both of them a small smile, "I am ok, or I will be. I am just not looking forward to today and seeing those two morons after yesterday." She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Chika giving her a smile of reassurance.
"We are here for you today and don't worry about those two. Our parents dealt with them yesterday while Chika-Chan and Sato-Chan took you home," Hunny explained.
"What do you mean?" She asked wondering what happened after she stormed off the day before.
"It has been handled and they will leave you alone," Mori-senpai said simply.
Haruhi looked at the four people around her and nodded. Taking a deep breath she started to walk forward before she caught the glint of something in the morning sun out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head to the left, she saw Kyoya standing to the side watching the group in front of him, "How long have you been standing there senpai?"
"Don't worry Haruhi, I actually just got here and decided to walk in with you. We are friends after all, are we not?" Kyoya smiled down at her.
She raised an eye brow in question. This was not normal shadow king behavior. That was a real smile, not a host smile and not a smirk. She wondered if he was feeling ok, but decided after yesterday he probably wanted to let her know that he was there for her. Giving him a soft smile, she said, "Yes we are. Thank you Kyoya-senpai."
Together the group walked into the building. They were still very early for classes and decided to go to the third music room to pass some of the time.
Chika wanted to go in search of his prey, but decided that they may not be there yet so he followed everyone to the room reserved for the host club. This was the room that he first met the female host. The room where he tried to explain himself and like all of the others around her, she saw right through him. He smiled at the memory and thought about what a good day that had turned into.
When the group arrived, they were surprised to see the room occupied by three others. Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru were at a table in the corner. Haruhi sucked in a breath and immediately found herself behind a wall of men (I would say hosts, but Chika and Satoshi aren't hosts – yet).
The three in the corner looked up and saw the group lined up in front of the doors and instinctively knew Haruhi was behind them. They wanted to run to her and do their normal antics, but after yesterday, they stayed where they were heeding the warning they were given by both the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families.
A staring battle was taking place between the two sides and so far no one wanted to be the first to blink. Kaoru decided it was probably best to move out of the way. He could not support his brother and what he did, but he couldn't be against him either. He declared himself Switzerland.
Chika had enough and broke the silence first, "I have a couple of things to say to you two idiots!"
That is when all hell broke loose in the club room. Haruhi felt someone grab her arm and pull her out of the door. Turning, she saw Kaoru's hand on her wrist. She followed him out of the room, letting the "men" have their testosterone time.
"I figured it was probably safer to leave now and honestly, Tamaki and Hikaru deserve whatever they get," Kaoru explained and released her wrist.
"Yah, I think you are right. Besides, I kind of told Chika and Satoshi they could kick Tamaki and Hikaru's butts. Sorry, but I was upset yesterday," Haruhi said softly as they walked beside each other down the hall.
"I understand and I don't blame you. I think they need to learn that their actions have consequences. Hunny-senpai and Mori-Senpai's parents talked to all of us yesterday and gave them the third degree. They will be alright."
The rest of the walk was spent in silence. There was no destination in mind; they just wandered the halls before arriving back at the music room a little more than thirty minutes later. They walked inside and the atmosphere seemed to be much more peaceful. Satoshi and Chika were standing nearest the door and walked up to her as soon as she walked in. Kaoru immediately went to check on his brother.
"Is everything ok in here?" Haruhi asked looking around for any damage that might have been caused.
"We didn't break anything. Not even any bones. Are you alright?" Chika answered looking at her to make sure she was alright and unharmed.
"Well there might be a few bruises here and there, but nothing broken. At least not today," Satoshi added.
She laughed at the disappointed look on the two faces before her and said, "I am fine, but you look pitiful." She thought her friends looked downtrodden and sad that they were not able to inflict more damage than they had. She asked Satoshi to bend down and gave him a small kiss on his cheek. Then she turned to Chika and gave him a kiss that may have lingered a little bit longer. "Thank you both for not killing them or breaking their bones. Bruises are ok though."
Both boys blushed before they said their good byes and left the room to go to their classes. Haruhi looked around the room and all of the hosts were there. No one seemed the worst for wear, but she was sure there would be some bruises on Hikaru and Tamaki. Just another one to add to Tamaki's broken nose. She actually couldn't feel sorry for them, but decided it was best to get this out of the way now. She cleared her throat and walked to where Tamaki and Hikaru had been deposited. Kyoya, Hunny, and Mori met her there and flanked her sides.
"I don't want to hear a word from either of you while I am speaking. You have embarrassed me, hurt me, and upset me more than I have ever been in my entire life. You act like two school children fighting over a toy, but I am not a toy. I am a person, and I am sick of it. I don't have feelings for either one of you. I thought that we could be friends, but I was wrong. So I have made some decisions. Once my debt is paid off, I will be leaving the host club permanently. Kyoya, I would like to talk to you about my balance and what we can do to decrease the amount as quickly as possible. I think the sooner I am out of here the better. The rest of you, I hope that we can stay friends. I have to get to class now," Haruhi voice broke as she finished her speech and she fled the room.
What they went through yesterday was nothing compared to what just happened. Hikaru and Tamaki felt the guilt and shame more so now than they had after the meeting yesterday. It was a knife to the gut. Everyone had the same thought in their heads, "They were right. They were losing their friend."
"You know it's not too late. Her debt isn't paid off yet and you two can still convince her that you want to be friends. We can all convince her that we are worthy to be her friends," Kaoru said quietly.
The group was quiet as they broke apart and gathered their things to head to class. They didn't want to lose her and they didn't want everything to end like this. Something had to be done.
The week moved on and Haruhi ignored Tamaki and Hikaru. She was pleasant and conversed with the other hosts and knew that she would miss them and the club when she left, but this is the way it had to be. If she was really honest with herself, she missed Tamaki and Hikaru also, she just couldn't be friends with people who treated her as they had.
On Friday, she was running later than usual to host club and knew for sure Kyoya was going to kill her, but when she arrived she got the surprise of her life. The hosts were in their usual greeting spots with a huge banner above them that said "WE'RE SORRY!" in big bold letters. When she hesitantly walked into the room and shut the door, the club said, "We're sorry Haruhi!"
"Wh-wha-what is all of this?" She stammered surprised at the scene that greeted her.
"We realized how much we love you and don't want you to leave," Kaoru began.
"We know that we haven't been very good friends to you and we are sorry for that," Hikaru said sheepishly.
"We didn't treat you much like a friend or a princess. And if we truly loved you like we said we did, we would have been happy for you and Hunny-senpai," Tamaki added.
"What they are trying to say is... you have become a friend to us all. You have brought something to this club and to our lives that no one could replace and we wouldn't want them to. We want you to stay on as a host regardless of your debt," Kyoya said.
Hunny-senpai was next, "Yah Haru-Chan, we would miss you if you left. I know that we would still be friends, but it wouldn't be the same and I think you would miss the club too. Right?"
"Haruhi, we promise to be better friends," Mori-senpai said looking intently at his friend.
The female host was in tears, she didn't know what to say. She wanted to stay, but could she trust Hikaru and Tamaki. She needed to think about this, "I don't know guys. It isn't as easy as saying that you're sorry and all is forgiven. You really hurt me and could have really destroyed my happiness because of your selfishness."
"We know what we did was wrong and we know that a simple sorry is not going to fix it, but it is a start and we just want the chance to prove to you that we want to be your friend and that we do want you to be happy. We don't want to lose you because we were stupid," Tamaki explained.
"Please Haruhi, just think about it," Hikaru begged.
Tears fell down her cheeks. She looked at the faces of her friends and then she looked at Tamaki and Hikaru, "I will think about it and let you know tomorrow at the party." She walked out of the door and left for the day. She needed to think.
The rest of the club was relieved; it wasn't a "no". There was still the anxiety that she would say no tomorrow, but at least she was giving their proposal consideration.
The next day, she started to get ready for the party. Kaoru had been nice enough to bring over the dress earlier in the week and did a fitting without his brother. It did not need much in the way of alterations and it had been delivered to her Saturday morning by one of the staff that worked for his family. It was a beautiful dress and she knew that she would feel like a princess in it.
She had thought long and hard about what her decision would be. Did she want to give the club another chance or was she done? She knew that when she left, she would miss the club, but that didn't mean that you did something that was bad for your mental health. Still, it had appeared they were truly sorry for what they had done to her and if they screwed up again, she could always leave at that time. Everyone deserved a second chance, right?
She finished getting ready and got into the car that Hunny had sent to pick her up. She had expected him and Mori to be in the car, but no one else was in there and she was kind of grateful for that. The car pulled up to the hotel where the party was being held and she made her way into the large ball room. All six hosts and Satoshi were waiting for her with a bow when she walked in, "Welcome Princess Haruhi."
Akira and Chieko Morinozuka, as well as Yorihisa and Atsuko Haninozuka, had been kept abreast about what happened this week after their little discussion with the host club. They knew everything that had happened and were not surprised by anything, but as they watched Haruhi enter the room and the welcome she received from her friends, they knew that things were going to get better. They believed the young men had truly learned their lesson.
Haruhi was blushing at the greeting, "Thank you guys."
"You look so beautiful Haru-Chan!" Hunny said running up to her and giving her a hug.
She laughed at him and hugged him back, "Thanks senpai. I hope he agrees!"
"If he doesn't, I will knock him over the head!" Satoshi said laughing, "You do look hot though!"
"No concussions tonight! Hunny-senpai went through a lot of trouble for this," Haruhi mocked outrage to Mori's younger brother. Everyone laughed.
"So Haruhi, it is the night of the party and you said we would have your answer," Kyoya prompted flashing his glasses.
She looked at him squarely in his glasses clad eyes and then looked around her. Tamaki and Hikaru still looked guilty and she knew they were sorry, she also knew that she missed them and would give them another chance. After letting them all stew for a few more minutes, even Kyoya was starting to look nervous, she said, "Ok, I will stay and give you another chance. Hunny-senpai was right when he said I would miss it. I would a lot and I have missed you two, but this doesn't mean that everything is water under the bridge. It isn't, you have a long way to go to prove to me that you really want to be my friends."
"That is all we ask for! Group hug!" Tamaki exclaimed. The group pulled in for a hug and then when it finished everyone pulled back smiling.
"So Haruhi... who is this infamous secret boyfriend of yours?" Kaoru asked his friend.
"Yes, where is he?" Hikaru asked curious.
"He actually should be on his way," Haruhi started and just as she was about to go further with her explanation, Hunny signaled that Chika was making his entrance and everyone was to be quiet.
Chika walked in ahead of his parents and everyone yelled, "Surprise!" He yelled and jumped a bit freaked out from what he just walked in on, "What is all of this?"
"This is for you Chika-Chan to celebrate your championship! As your big brother (everyone chuckled at that) I just want you to know how proud I am of you so I decided to throw you a party so that we can celebrate together!" Hunny stated loud enough for the room to hear.
Haruhi saw the struggle on Chika's face. He wanted to be mad at his brother for doing all of this, but he also wanted to thank his brother for planning this for him. Haruhi walked up to him and slipped her hand in his, "Be happy. He went to a lot of trouble to do this for you and I helped." She gave him a small kiss and a smile.
He returned her smile and nodded. Then he turned to his brother and said, "Thank you Mitsukuni for everything." He looked at the hosts standing behind his brother and three of them had their jaws hanging open, "You may want to close your mouths. You don't want to catch flies do you?"
Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki quickly closed their mouths. Then in unison, they turned from the couple to a smiling Hunny, up to Mori who was also wearing a small smile, and then over to a smirking Kyoya. They all knew. By the time their brains and heads had made the rounds around the group, Haruhi and Chika had made their way over to where the hosts were. "By the way, my infamous and secret boyfriend is Chika and he just made it," Haruhi winked at them and laughed.