Debauchery

Chapter 13: Sacrifice

All Haruhi could feel was apprehension. Sure, these past few months had been a nightmare and she was grateful to the Hitachiin twins for putting it to an end but now she felt like she owed her life to these rich men and she wasn't sure that she was ready yet to accept her ownership.

Her father was due to be released from the hospital next week and she was positive that his recovery was accelerated by the increased quality and attention of the medical staff, which she had a sinking suspicion, was Kyouya's doing. She had learned from Hunny, who's café visits had increased in frequency, that his family monopolised the healthcare industry. Mysteriously enough, her father's medical bills had also been paid by an anonymous beneficiary. She felt the onslaught of a migraine coming on. Not that she didn't appreciate all the kindness extended to her by the Host Club members but she was frightened of fostering any kind of dependency. She knew she could never repay them in her lifetime and she wasn't fond of racking up even more unpaid debts. She had learned the severe consequences of them firsthand.

She just wished they would leave her be and let her move on. There was also the problem of Hikaru, which made her head pound even harder.

Since the confrontation a few weeks ago, Hikaru had resumed his old habits of seeking her out on campus. He had completely reverted to the way things were before their fall out, haughty arrogance and all. One day he had even shoved a mobile phone at her, with his number programmed in speed-dial.

"What's this for?" she had asked incredulously, with no intention of accepting it.

"In case you're in trouble." He answered gruffly, ending the conversation.

Thinking of the devil, out of the corner of her eye, Haruhi glimpsed a masculine shadow slide into the study room. "Aren't you supposed to be in a lecture?" Haruhi asked before he reached her.

"I decided to skip" Hikaru answered, Haruhi could feel the warmth radiating from his body as he stood behind her.

"Let's go" he said, voice deep "Kaoru and the others are waiting"

"Go where?" she inquired suspiciously, not wanting to have anything to do with the Host Club "I've got to go to work soon"

"Haruhi", Hikaru said seriously, "we've been over this. You don't need to work anymore, I'll take care of everything"

Haruhi looked at him frustratedly, tired of this age old argument, "I'm going now" she said ignoring him.

He let out a huge sigh, "Okay" he said resignedly, "I'll pick you up after"

Haruhi smiled a little, "Don't bother" she replied, knowing full well that Hikaru would be there anyway.

Hikaru was bored. Currently he was in a meeting with the Host Club discussing the upcoming Hitachiin fundraiser event. He had little care for corporate social responsibility and had let Kaoru , or rather, left Kaoru to take care of everything. Kyouya, as usual, revealed his plans to use the event to extract more business for the Host Club. Tamaki and Hunny discussed themes and outfits. Details he didn't care for. He wish he could smoke.

"Will Haruhi-hime be attending?" Tamaki questioned causing Hikaru to perk up.

Kaoru hesitated, "Hikaru..?" he asked, looking to him for direction.

Hikaru seemed to mull the thought, "No" he replied finally, only because he knew Haruhi would refuse. Besides, she would be uncomfortable in such a setting, with all the upper class women and…men. Hikaru could envision how he would have to spend the entire night fending off curious suitors, not that any of them would give her a second glance once they found out she was just a commoner but nevertheless, he wouldn't make Haruhi go through that humiliation.

He glanced at the clock, It was almost the end of Haruhi's shift. Finally he could excuse himself of from this torturous event planning.

Hikaru stood waving a careless hand, "I'm off" he announced leaving the room, the other members murmuring their goodbyes. Hunny and Tamaki barely noticed, arguing about the selection of confectionaries to order from the caterer. Mori intently observing them to ensure the argument didn't escalate.

The door clicked shut with his departure and Kyouya's sharp eyes turned to Kaoru, "Why haven't you told him the real reason for the event?" he said, his voice low so the others could not hear.

Kaoru, not the least surprised that Kyouya knew, looked away guiltily, "I was only informed last night by my Mother."

"Tamaki will find out soon." Kyouya stated, "Éclair's family have a longstanding business relationship with the Suoh's"

"I know" Kaoru said, frustration lacing his voice, "I'm trying to convince Mother to changer her mind."

Kyouya pushed his glasses up his nose, he couldn't deny that Kaoru's unflailing loyalty to Hikaru was admirable, though foolish "Just how will you pull that off?" he questioned, skeptically.

"I don't know, but I'll think of a way… anything… as long as Hikaru can be happy" Kaoru answered simply and Kyouya had no doubt of his resolve.

Kyouya sighed, it was rather cruel of the Hitachiin monarch to put the burden of informing the eldest son on his younger twin, despite it being the most convenient way to get him to quietly comply.

"Tell him quickly" Kyouya said finally, "news will soon spread"

Haruhi exited the café and to no surprise was greeted by the sight of Hikaru - leaning against his bike, a lit cigarette in his hand. When he noticed her, he dropped the cigarette quickly, crushing it with his heel.

"You know, you didn't have to come" Haruhi remarked, regarding the way he oozed troublemaker.

Hikaru was silent as he waited for her to climb on. "Where are we going?" she asked, praying silently that he would take her home so she could finish her work and get some chores done.

"Home" he answered simply, which made Haruhi surprisingly pleased.

Twenty minutes later, Hikaru took an unfamiliar turn into a wide street, the houses seeming to increase in size with every mile.

"I think you're going in the wrong direction" Haruhi commented, realising that this route differed from the usual one they took to her house. In fact, it was in the opposite direction.

Hikaru remained silent and after a few more minutes they slowed down in front of magnificently huge golden gates. Two men in black gear saluted at Hikaru as the gates slowly opened. Haruhi noticed they stood with guns and holsters.

Hikaru accelerated once again up the wide driveway lined with pristinely trimmed hedges. Finally he slowed into a stop and hopped off the bike, swiftly a man dressed in a white suit approached them. "Welcome home Hitachiin-sama" the man greeted, taking the helmet and biker gloves from Hikaru.

Haruhi hopped off the bike awkwardly, the man held out his hands expectantly. She lifted the helmet off her head and placed it in his hands, "Thank you" she said.

The man nodded, "Will you require tea in the sitting room?" his question directed at Hikaru.

"That won't be necessary" Hikaru dismissed, then looked to Haruhi, "Come on" he said, gesturing for her to follow.

Haruhi was dumbstruck as she stared at the mansion. This was his house? It was vastly different than her humble public housing, in fact, Haruhi was sure it could fit at least three blocks of her apartment. It was truly a gigantic estate.

Haruhi followed him inside, "Wow" she marveled, as she gazed upon the interior. Just the corridor was decorated with ornate gold trimmings and lush velvet carpet and was so long it seemed to extend to nowhere.

Hikaru led her for what seemed like forever, down endless halls and up winding staircases until finally they entered a room the size of her entire flat. She noticed a large canopy bed in the middle of the room, a modern mahogany kotatsu in one corner and an italian style sofa set and flat screen television in another. Behind the kotatsu Haruhi saw an entrance leading to what probably was an ensuite bathroom.

"I thought I should show you how people like us live" Hikaru started, monitoring her expression.

She ignored his arrogant remark, "Is this your room? It could house an entire family!" she said.

"Sit" Hikaru motioned to the sofa, "my last one used to be double the size, when I was younger and used to share with Kaoru" he explained, "but we renovated into two separate rooms in high school"

Haruhi sat on the sofa, suddenly aware that it was rather inappropriate for her to be in his house, much less his room.

Hikaru slumped next to her and Haruhi stiffined when Hikaru wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer and resting his head on top of hers.

"Hikaru-" Haruhi began but was silenced with a finger over her lips.

"Quiet, Haruhi" Hikaru whispered, dropping his hand "let me have this moment"

Haruhi didn't know how long she sat in uncomfortable silence but slowly she began to relax a little as she felt Hikaru's breathing even out. Inwardly she berated herself for complying to his wishes, thinking of all the things she had to get done, things she could have been productively completing if not for the fact that she was captive in this rich bastards' mansion of which the location was still unknown to her.

"Do you resent me?" Hikaru spoke up quietly, startling her. She had thought he dozed off, "is it that terrible to be around me?"

Haruhi was silent, unsure how to respond. There was nothing horrible about his company, it was just that… she was so used to being alone. For as long as she could remember, independence was her default state. Her father cared deeply for her and had always sacrificed his time, even at the expense of his health, to ensure that she had an apartment to live in with running electricity and water and food on the table. Though this meant she had to fend for herself into the late hours of the night, she figured that she was still blessed that she soon came to accept, quite happily, being by her lonesome. Being an introvert, she grew comfortable to keep mostly to herself and now having almost little to no alone time, Haruhi could feel herself getting increasingly restless. She wasn't sure that she could communicate her complex emotions to Hikaru, considering that his background was so vastly different.

"It's not that…" Haruhi began, struggling with her own self-awareness, "I'm just not used to having many friends" she said quietly, slightly embarrassed at how pathetic that sounded.

Hikaru regarded her quietly. Though he couldn't deny that Haruhi's detached persona hurt him, he somehow knew that it was just the way she was. Nevertheless, she had her unguarded moments – her carefree laughter, her unreserved smile, her bright eyes – all of which Hikaru was able to bring out and he was sure that as their relationship continued to deepen, he would get to witness Haruhi as the warm open beautiful girl that he was, undoubtedly, head over heels for.

"You're so cute" Hikaru teased finally and pecked her cheek.

Haruhi bristled, "As nice as this has been, I really have to go study" she answered.

"Just study here" Hikaru suggested, pointing to the unused but large study table.

"I'm not sure I'd get anything done with all the distraction" Haruhi remarked, of which Hikaru grinned at the implication.

"I'll occupy myself" he answered, stretching lightly, "I'll be in the gym, just call me if you need anything"

"Where is the gym?" Haruhi asked, not even bothering to be surprised at the fact that his mansion housed a gym. For all she knew it could have housed a race track.

Hikaru laughed, "Use the phone I gave you. I'm pretty sure you'd get lost even if I gave you directions"

"Stupid rich bastard" Haruhi mumbled, "Okay, fine. Bye." She said, bringing her bag to the study table and settling down. Haruhi had accepted that she would not be able to leave his mansion anytime soon so she accepted his compromise. At least she would be able to get something done.

Hikaru watched Haruhi grumble to herself as she unpacked her books. Shaking his head slightly in amusement, he headed to the gym content knowing that his commoner was safely tucked away in his room.

Kaoru steadied his nerves, knocking resolvedly on the large mahogany door in front of him.

"Come in" a light voice filtered through.

Kaoru opened the door, stepping inside.

"Oh, Kaoru" his mother acknowledged, smiling "to what do I owe this visit?"

"I have to talk to you" Kaoru said, steadying his voice. "it's about the fundraiser"

The Hitachiin matriarch stopped flipping through papers to look up at her son, "Are you having trouble with Hikaru?" she asked.

Kaoru looked uncomfortable, "It's a bit more complicated than that" he said, hesitating, "must we announce Hikaru's engagement to Éclair at the fundraiser? I was thinking that maybe we could postpone it until we give him some time to wrap his head around the idea…"

His mother frowned, "Kaoru, I had already explained to you the importance of this engagement. Unfortunately there is pressure on the timeline due to several upcoming mergers." She raised her right hand to massage her temple.

"I'm sorry darling" she said gently, "I've tried my best to negotiate on other fronts but I'm at a real stalemate."

Kaoru's face fell. He hated putting his mother in such a position as he knew how much the Hitachiin empire meant to her. She had worked blood, sweat and tears to be recognized as the driving force and face of the successful fashion-focused corporation. Her priority, of course, was to protect and defend her legacy at all costs, as were the priorities of all business moguls.

On the other hand, Kaoru knew how much this would crush Hikaru. Hikaru and his wildly reckless and rebellious nature that he had grown to love - forced into a premature arranged marriage before graduation- would not bode well for either party.

Kaoru was sure that his mother did not understand the gravity of the situation. Hikaru would not take this sitting down, especially with Haruhi now in the picture. He would sooner disown himself than comply.

"You must tell Hikaru soonest" his mother said, breaking Kaoru from his thoughts. "I dearly hope that he'll stay open to Éclair and get to know her, she really is a lovely lady"

Kaoru sighed, he really didn't want to have to but knowing that there was no other last resort, "…would it be possible at all for me to take his place?"

His mother looked taken aback, "You would do that for him?" she asked incredulously, knowing that neither of her boys were willing or ready for marriage, yet Kaoru had offered to take that sacrifice to spare Hikaru. She almost beamed at him in pride. However her expression turned to crestfallen as she delivered the bad news, "I'm sorry darling, it must be Hikaru. The Tonnerre's know that he is the eldest born and heir to the Hitachiin empire, they will accept nothing less."

Kaoru frowned, "Mother…" he started, not wanting to frustrate her but needing her to know the truth "I really think that Hikaru will seriously refuse."

"What makes you say that?" his mother said, already turning her attention back to her paperwork.

"I know him…" Kaoru continued, "he won't let this go through, you'll have a lot of resistance" he said in a last attempt at persuading his mother to call it off

"Nonsense" she dismissed, "you two have always fufilled your duty, regardless of all the unnecessary trouble you create"

"Now go tell him" she ordered lightly but firmly, "I'm really sorry sweetheart, but there's no way out of this deal. It must be done."

Kaoru sighed, defeated. "Yes, Mother" he answered quietly.

"Yes?" Kyouya answered, balancing his phone to his ear as he continued to type on his laptop.

"I have a problem" Kaoru said, "I need a way to get Hikaru out of the engagement"

Kyouya momentarily stopped typing. He wasn't surprised in the least that Kaoru was unable to convince his mother to change her mind. After all, from a purely commercial standpoint, everything about the engagement made sense for both parties. Kyouya was not fazed by the situation, arranged marriages were extremely common amongst the elite. Almost every family sought marriage for their children with the best merit. His own sister included, had been married off for business purposes.

"Have you informed Hikaru?" Kyouya asked finally, pushing the bridge of his glasses up his nose.

"N-not yet" Kaoru replied, "I can't… you know how he is, Senpai. He'll raise hell."

Kyouya sighed, "You need to tell him, Kaoru." he reprimanded, "As for breaking the engagement, unfortunately, I see no undamageable way for you to do that."

"There must be some way!" Kaoru said exasperatedly. "are you sure there are no other options?"

"I'm sorry Kaoru." Kyouya replied, "Nothing short of you pretending to be Hikaru would get him out of this engagement and we both know that is a rather ludicrous option."

Kaoru was silent for a moment, seeming to consider Kyouya's words. "If that's the only way… then maybe it's a sacrifice worth taking."

"You can't seriously be considering that." Kyouya deadpanned, "your mother would never allow it."

"I'm sure I could convince her" Kaoru answered, "anyway, thanks Kyouya-senpai… I'll let you know how it goes" he said and hung up abruptly.

Kyouya was left slightly dumfounded at the resounding beep.