D/C: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club.
Hello, all! Wow, it's been such a while since I last updated, eh? (hangs head) I won't even bother to make excuses now; it's just not worth your time, is it? (sighs) However, maybe since I'm slowly reaching an important point in my story, and I'm suddenly fueled by the 12 OHSHC manga volumes I finished in one sitting, maybe...just maybe I'll be able to update more sooner next time.
Anyway, thank you all for the nice reviews you've sent me on the last chapter, and for now, please enjoy this chapter.
Oh, and btw, if you're curious to as what I've been doing all this time, feel free to check my homepage and you'll know the answer. (bows herself out)
Working for the Hitachiins
Chapter 12:
No matter how much he tried to ignore it, the silence in the room was starting to weigh heavily on Kaoru's shoulders. He shuffled his feet and folded his arms across his chest, all the while trying to avoid looking at the girl sitting on the bed in front of him. They had been like this for the last half an hour, ever since Hikaru had locked the two of them inside Haruhi's room. Of course, Kaoru knew what that was all about, but Haruhi was apparently clueless, and by the looks of it, wasn't very pleased.
"So?" she finally spoke up. "What are we doing here exactly?"
Kaoru tried to look politely puzzled. "What do you mean, Haruhi-chan? We're obviously spending some quality time together!" he exclaimed.
"In my bedroom?" she demanded.
"You have a very nice bedroom," he remarked. "It has such a pleasant aura. The pink is so soft on the eyes."
Haruhi was not buying it. She scowled at him. "Kaoru, there's something that you and Hikaru are hiding from me," she retorted. "There's a reason why you won't let me outside my room, and that tells me it's got something to do with me." She paused a moment. "You...haven't invited my father over again, have you?"
Kaoru shook his head. "No, he's not here," he replied.
"So, what is it?" she demanded, starting to lose her patience.
"Come now, Haruhi-chan, you don't want to spoil the surprise, now, do you?" he said, smiling and she opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off saying, "I know you generally do not like surprises, but it's okay to have one every once in a while, ne?"
"I hardly see how it could be a surprise now that I know that there's a surprise," she pointed out.
Kaoru faltered a moment. "Yes, well...um, but you don't know what sort of surprise it is! So you will be rather surprised when you see what it is!" he said hurriedly, and Haruhi sighed. "So, until Hikaru releases us, try not to complain too much."
She scowled at him. "And what should we do until the time comes when he does that?" she asked.
"Talk," Kaoru said gently, and proceeded to sit down next to her, but quickly jumped back up again as the memory of that stormy night invaded his mind. Trying not to blush, he instead settled down on the floor in front her, his legs stretched out before him. "You know a lot about us, Haruhi-chan, but we don't know much about you. You never tell us anything. Is it because you don't trust us yet, or what?"
"Just for the record, I never ask you to tell me anything, you just sort of spill everything out," she told him.
After a few months, Kaoru was still not used to how tactless Haruhi could be. "You don't want us to tell you anything, then? You're not interested in knowing about us?" he prompted her.
"Don't put words in my mouth, Kaoru-sama; that's not what I said," she said wearily. "I mean, of course I would like to know more about you, but I would never go and ask a person outwardly to tell me about themselves. Maybe they're not comfortable with opening their lives before others, maybe they've got something they'd like to keep hidden..."
"So, basically, you're calling us tactless," Kaoru mumbled, hugging his knees to his chest.
There was a momentary silence in the room, in which Kaoru fidgeted ever so slightly, mulling over Haruhi's words - could there be something she wanted to keep hidden? Haruhi suddenly spoke up, and his questions were forgotten.
"I...I like to cook," she announced. She waited for Kaoru to make a comment, but to his credit, he didn't. "My mother died when I was still a little kid, so I've had to learn how to cook at an early age. My dad couldn't do the cooking since he was always busy with his work. At first I thought it was a hassle; I had to go through the recipes mum left me and read her tiny handwriting, and then I had to find the ingredients and make the meal...and sometimes it would turn into such a giant mess. But, later on, when I saw how happy it made my dad that I was cooking for him, I started to feel happy as well, because I was able to help dad through cooking...and I've always like to cook ever since."
Kaoru smiled. "How...how was your mother like?" he asked her.
Haruhi's expression softened. "My mother was wonderful," she answered. "She was a very cheerful woman, and very optimistic. She was a lawyer, you know, and she was very good at what she does. I want to be a lawyer like her; that has always been my wish. Dad and I miss her terribly...she was such a bright spot in our lives."
"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have asked you about her," Kaoru said quietly.
She shook her head. "Don't be; I'm always happy to talk about my mother," she replied. "How else can you remember people if you don't keep talking about them?"
"Yeah..." he agreed. "Do you have a picture of her?"
"Of course," she replied. She pulled open the drawer of her bedside cabinet and took out a small wooden frame. She stroked the picture for a moment, before turning to Kaoru. "This was taken a couple of days before she died."
She handed him the picture and Kaoru studied it for a moment; it was a picture of a woman with long brown hair, whose arms were wrapped around a little girl who could only be Haruhi. They were both smiling rather happily, and he shuddered to think that Haruhi's happy smile was replaced by sad tears two days later. It was impulsive; he couldn't help it, but Kaoru scrambled up to his feet and enveloped Haruhi in a brief, yet tight, hug. When he pulled away, she was looking perplexed.
"What was that for?" she asked.
Kaoru grinned. "It's for being the amazing person you are," he replied. She tilted her head to one side, apparently confused, so he hastily clapped his hands. "Right, so you know, Hikaru had other plans in mind when he locked me in here with you."
Haruhi looked wary. "Other plans?" she echoed.
"Yup," he said, and strode over to her closet. He pulled the doors open and peered inside. "Hmmm..."
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
Kaoru was now searching through the hanged clothes for something. "Where is it? Where is it? Ah!" he exclaimed, and to her horror, he pulled out the pale pink dress the twins had bought for her some time before. He grinned. "Let's get you changed into this."
"Why?"
"Because...according to your contract, you have to do anything we ask you to do," he said smugly.
"I'm not going to change into a dress because you asked me to! That's perverted!" she cried out in alarm.
He pouted. "Are you calling me a pervert?" he asked.
She glared at him. "No! I just meant that wearing that dress with no apparent reason is just plain suspicious!" she shot back.
"Oh, but there is a reason for it, Haruhi-chan, only you don't know about it," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He advanced on Haruhi, the dress held out before him. "Now, be a good girl and wear it."
"I won't!" she snapped.
"Aw, come on, Haruhi-chan..."
"No, I won't wear it with you in the room! Are you stupid?" she shot at him.
Kaoru blushed. "Ah," he said, comprehension dawning upon him. He looked around helplessly. "Well, I don't know what to do...since we're locked in here..."
She grabbed the dress from him and hugged it to her chest. "Turn around, and don't you dare look until I tell you it's okay to look," she instructed him, and he nodded meekly. "Good, I'm glad we understand each other. Now, turn around and face the wall."
Kaoru did as he was told, and turned to face the wall. However, he soon discovered that he might have to block his ears as well, because the sound of rustling resulting from the act of Haruhi slipping out of her clothes was enough to give anyone ideas. He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. He tried to sing a song in his head, but it didn't help; his thoughts kept drifting back to Haruhi, and he had to muster a lot of self-control to stop him self from turning and gawking at her.
Finally, after a few minutes which had seemed like an eternity to Kaoru, Haruhi told him he could look. Even though he had seen her before in that dress, Kaoru still couldn't overcome the pleasant swooping sensation he got upon seeing Haruhi in that dress. She looked absolutely adorable. Pink suited her perfectly; it was a pity she didn't wear that color more often. He realized he was gazing openly at her, and he shook his head.
"You look lovely, Haruhi-chan," he said softly.
"Thanks, I mean...after all, you and Hikaru-sama got me this dress," she replied.
He had to fight the impulse to laugh; Haruhi could be so naive sometimes. He walked up to her and studied her from different angles. "You don't mind if I brush your hair and apply some make-up to your face, do you?" he asked her.
"Eh, go ahead; there's nothing else to be done, anyway," she said grudgingly, and looked pointedly at the door.
She was soon seated down on a chair before the dressing table, and Kaoru was gently running a comb through her soft brown hair, which he also noted that it smelled rather nice...sort of like lavender, mixed with nutmeg. He then pulled her hair away from her face with two silver clips decorated with little pink butterflies. Her face, he thought, was pretty as it is and didn't need a lot of make-up. He only ended up giving her lashes a brief stroke from the mascara brush, a quick brush of pink to her cheeks, and a gentle swipe of pale pink lipstick to her lips...those lips that Kaoru longed to kiss.
Those small pink lips were magnetizing for his eyes. He was only aware of himself leaning down towards her when there came a knock on the door, and he pulled back immediately. "Yes?" he croaked.
"Kaoru, all done?" Hikaru's voice wafted through the door. "Everything's ready on my end."
"Yes! All done. The princess is ready," Kaoru called back, and Haruhi started to say, "Prin-", but he cut her off. "Don't be impatient, Haruhi-chan. We agreed that you'll wait, right?"
"Right," she mumbled.
Haruhi found that she didn't have to wait long, though, for moments later, the twins, now wearing elegant suits, were both escorting her down one of the mansion's many corridors. She had an arm looped through Kaoru's right and Hikaru's left, and they were advancing slowly since she was finding it difficult to walk in the heels they had forced her into. She was rather curious about what the twins had in mind...and also worried that they might be trying to pull another trick on her. She was determined to stay on her guard.
But then again, what was with all the make-up and the dress and the fancy hair pins? She glanced up at the twins' faces and saw that they were gleaming with suppressed delight, and her anxiety mounted. What were they so happy about? This can't be good...
As they neared the door leading into the ballroom, she was able to sense the twins trembling ever so slightly. She was just about to voice her questions, when they halted before the door, forcing her to stop along with them.
She sighed. "What is going on with you two?" she demanded. "What is all this about?"
They didn't look at her, but they spoke together. "Haruhi-chan, you know how much we like you, and we decided to do something special for you just to prove it to you," they intoned. "We tried our best, and we hope you'll like our surprise."
Haruhi paused for a moment, and then she laughed. That seemed to aggravate them.
"O-oy! We're trying to be nice here!" Hikaru protested.
"Yeah! Why on Earth are you laughing?" Kaoru demanded.
Impulsively, Haruhi pulled them down and gave each a clumsy, one-armed hug. "You two are so silly," she admonished them. "You should have known by now that I don't give a damn about extravagancies. I'll settle for words...they leave a much more pleasant feeling."
They were silent for a moment, and then Hikaru spoke up again, "That's...good to hear, but...are you sure you don't want to be a part of your own..." he said, and he and Kaoru pushed the double doors open to reveal the spectacle behind them. "...birthday party?"
"SURPRISE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARUHI!"
Haruhi stared in shock. In the huge, colorfully-decorated ballroom before her stood people she'd known all her life. Neighbors, family relations, high school friend, junior high friends...everyone was wearing party hats. There was a huge banner above their head emblazoned with gold letters which said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARUHI!!" She was shocked. She honestly couldn't believe she...
"I forgot my birthday?" she said in a hollow tone.
The twins laughed. "Yup, you did," they replied. "You got so absorbed with your work you forgot your birthday. Your father told us this would happen, and we acted accordingly."
Haruhi felt overwhelmed; she couldn't remember the last time anyone did something so nice to her. She smiled softly at them. "Thank you so much for this, both of you," she murmured. "I honestly don't know how to repay you."
"You don't have to worry about that now, Haruhi-chan," Hikaru said, grinning mischievously, and she wondered if she'd spoken too soon. "For now, just enjoy your party, and..."
They both bent down and planted a kiss on each of her cheeks. "Happy birthday," they said softly.
"Did you have to do that here?" she muttered, realizing that the people in the ballroom were watching them with interest. She wrapped her arms around herself. "Speaking of my father, where is he? He doesn't seem to be here."
"He said he got caught up with something," Hikaru replied with a slight frown. "But he should be here soon."
"Yes, he will. Until then, Haruhi-chan, you should enjoy your party," Kaoru said, giving her a gentle push into the room. "Look at all those people who came to celebrate your birthday. You must be excited to see them. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yeah...yeah, it's been a while."
Haruhi "mingled" with the crowds. She was quite surprised at the number of people the twins had managed to invite. She assumed it was by the help of her father, but it was still pretty amazing. She felt heart-warmed at the thought that the twins had gone through all this trouble just to throw her a birthday party. She really didn't give them their worth. Even when she was accepting gifts and good wishes from her friends, she kept glancing back at the twins, who were watching from the sidelines. She wondered why they weren't joining in, when they were usually the heart of every party.
She had barely reached them when her father burst in through the door. Ranka looked around frantically, and upon seeing his daughter, he rushed forward towards her. She hurried to meet him, with the twins close at her heels.
"Dad, hel..." she started, but his hands shot out and grabbed her shoulders. "Dad, what's wrong?"
"Haruhi, your university...the university you applied to..." he said hoarsely.
"What about it?" she said anxiously.
Ranka straightened up, and extracted an envelope from his pocket. He handed it to Haruhi, who quickly opened it and took out the folded up paper inside. With the twins standing behind her, the three of them quickly started to read. It was a few moments before anyone spoke.
"...I got my scholarship?" Haruhi whispered.
A/N: Done! Ooh, cliffie! With the scholarship, Haruhi doesn't need to work anymore! What do you think will happen now? Well, to find out, you'll just have to read the next chapter, ne? Until then, please review!
Ja ne!
- S. N. B.
