Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.
A/N: Whoo, it's been quite a while huh? Please don't kill me. College is not as easy as it looks! And I graduated! And now unemployed… so… more free time? No?... Okay… Anyhow, here's a new chapter of "Unknown, Unexpected."
Chapter 18-Truth Revealed
After the whole ordeal with the vengeful senator, Yuri is placed in the hospital. But now, her secret is officially out and she had to explain everything to the Host Club. Not only that, since her mission is now over, it means she must return home. How is this going to affect our Shadow King?
When Yuri awoke, she felt like she had been thrown off a cliff and rolled down a hill a bajillion times. Her body was aching. She knew her left arm was broken because it was in a sling. A bandage was wrapped around her forehead. And she just knew, without looking in a mirror, that her body was covered in cuts and bruises.
Kaori was by her side in a second, crying in relief. And to Yuri's surprise, so was Ryuu. He must have finished his assignment and come home.
Her cousin's husband simply shook his head, trying to hide tears and saying, "You are so like your cousin sometimes. Stubborn and always rushing into things."
Yuri started to laugh, but her throat tightened and everything ached. Kaori poured her a glass of water and brought it to her. The younger girl downed it in large gulps. She had a second and third glass. Water was a gift to her parched throat.
"How are you feeling, Yuri-chan?" Kaori finally asked, putting the glass away.
Yuri cleared her throat. "Like I've been punched by the Hulk."
The husband and wife laughed, their first in several days.
"I'll go let the Doctor know you're awake," Ryuu said, patting her head gently before leaving the room.
"How long was I out?" Yuri asked Kaori.
"About a week," her cousin responded. "Ootori-san was kind enough to make room for you in one of his family's hospitals."
"I'm… in one of Kyouya-senpai's… hospitals?"
Kaori nodded. "He and the Club don't fail to visit every day."
"That's… so sweet of them."
Yuri was deeply touched. Not only did they come to save her, but they visited her too. After all that lying…
A sudden lump formed in her throat and it wasn't because of thirst.
"I… have to tell them the truth… don't I?"
"Well… they sort of know… part of it," Kaori responded. "They're not very happy… Forgive me Yuri-chan, but I had no choice…"
So, they knew why she was here in the first place. All her lies… Yuri couldn't find it in her heart to be angry that Kaori revealed her secret. In fact, she felt relieved. No more lying to her friends.
"When… are they coming?" she asked, her heart beating fast.
"In about two hours. Always on the dot."
Two hours. Yuri chuckled softly, her ribs tightening in pain. "I guess I have two hours to come up with an explanation and hope that they forgive me."
OURANOURANOURAN
Silence. For once, a room with the Ouran High School Host Club was quiet. Even Takami did not attempt to overdramatize the situation. He was standing by the window with Kyouya while the twins, Hunny, and Mori occupied the lone couch. Yuri nervously twiddled her fingers as each of the members, save for Haruhi who was sitting on the chair next to her bed, watched her with hurt and betrayed eyes.
"Ano… I just want to say… Thank you," she began. "For saving my life."
They said nothing. Yuri swallowed, her throat feeling dry again. She reached for the glass of water by her bedside and drank it all. She knew there was no going around this now. She had lied to them. Granted it wasn't the first time she had to for the sake of a mission, but they were different from previous people she had interacted with during missions. They were her friends.
"And…" she continued. "I'm sorry… for lying… about who I am… about why I'm here. You have to understand. I was on a mission, I had no choice. I understand why you are all angry with me. I'm sorry that I involved all of you—"
"We're not angry about that Yuri," Tamaki finally spoke up. "We're angry that you didn't trust us enough to tell us the truth. We could have helped you find the person you were looking for quickly. We could have gotten you home earlier, like you wanted. But, why didn't you? We know you're supposed to keep things a secret to protect your identity, but we're your friends. You're supposed to trust us."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Tamaki-senpai…" Yuri sighed and looked down at her hands. "I have gone on approximately 30 missions since I became a part of the junior CIA program. I have never allowed myself to become close to my subjects or the people around the mission. They could get hurt and I have to leave eventually. But this mission… this mission was different."
She looked up at them.
"For the first time in my five years as a junior agent, I broke all the rules and became close with all of you." She looked at each of them, a lone tear swiftly going down her cheek as she found the will to smile despite her achy cheeks. "You're… all my best friends… Believe me when I say that I didn't want to lie to you… At first, I didn't care… But… after all the time we spent together, I didn't want to anymore. Please… I hope that… you can all forgive me."
She bowed her head, not wanting them to see her begin to cry. She hated crying in front of people. But how was it that in front of these people, she knew it was okay? Because they wouldn't judge her simply for showing them her true self.
She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Tamaki with a smile on his face. His famous Tamaki smile that let Yuri knew that all was forgiven.
"Please don't hide any more things from us," he said. "We were really worried when Haruhi told us what happened. Kyouya was frantic-"
"I was not!" the said host protested, turning red in embarrassment.
Everyone in the room finally laughed and Yuri's cheeks turned pink. Kyouya was worried about her? Granted they all were, but he had been frantic?
"Yuri," Haruhi said. "I think you should tell them the full story now. About who you really are. And I mean everything."
Yuri sighed. Haruhi was right. No more secrets. She no longer had to hide who she was. She could tell them everything now. And with that, she began her story.
"My name is Katherine Yuri Inoue," she said. "I was born in New York. My mother is a magazine writer and my father… my father is Satoshi Inoue… the head of the Inoue Technology Industries."
All of the hosts' eyes widened in shock. They obviously knew who her father was.
"Wait… So you're his mysterious daughter overseas?" Hikaru asked.
"Yes…"
"But then, why were you on government sponsorship, Yu-chan?" Hunny asked.
"I needed to be seen as a common person. It was necessary for the mission. And…"
"And…?" they pressed her.
"I… my father and I are… estranged… I don't speak to him very much after he and my mother divorced… I'd really appreciate it if we moved on from this subject."
She knew they were still curious, but didn't press her any further. She appreciated that. So she talked about how she became an agent. She talked about the incident that led to her being punished and sent here. She talked about the mission and how she came to the conclusion that it was Haruhi that she was looking for all along.
As she spoke, she noticed Kyouya still at the window. Compared to the other hosts who have all gathered at her bedside, he remained standing far away, not looking her in the eye. His eyes were deep in thought.
Finally, when she was done speaking, they all had questions for her and she did her best to answer. Her heart felt light, like she was no longer carrying a heavy burden. It felt nice to finally tell the truth to her friends. But, there was one more truth that she knew was going to make them sad. She hated to make them all sad, but it was needed. So when they were done with their questions, she sighed and looked at them all in the eye.
"You guys do realize that since my mission is over, I have to leave," she quietly said.
Their happy and elated faces earlier suddenly dropped. One by one, they all nodded in understanding.
"Which is why we want to make the rest of your stay as happy and memorable as possible, my darling daughter!" Tamaki exclaimed, his lips smiling but his eyes forlorn. "Okaa-san and I will make sure of it! Right Kyouya?"
They turned to the Shadow King. He looked surprised at being called out.
"Um… Yes… Of course," he said. He fixed his glasses before clearing his throat. "Yuri, I will calculate your remaining debt and see if there is something we can do about them. If anything, you can always work the few remaining days you have and pay us the rest later."
"Seriously senpai?" Haruhi scoffed. "You're going to talk about her debt at a time like this?"
"Well, she does owe us money," he responded. "Excuse me, I have to go make a phone call."
With that, he left.
Haruhi sighed. "Kyouya-senpai will never change." She smiled at Yuri. "Though Tamaki-senpai wasn't lying. He really was worried about you."
Yuri's cheek reddened, but was soon distracted by the other hosts urging her to eat the fruits they brought.
OURANOURANOURAN
A few feet away from Yuri's room, Kyouya slowly settled himself on a set of chairs. For some reason, his body felt heavier. His chest was aching and his mind was swirling with only one thought: she was leaving. She was leaving Japan… leaving Ouran… leaving him…
Kyouya could feel the sting of tears in his eyes, but would not allow them to fall. Tamaki was right. They would make her last days in Japan the happiest and most memorable. He would make sure of it. He loved her after all, even if she didn't return the feelings.
With that thought, he took out his cellphone to make some calls.
OURANOURANOURAN
Saturday
Akiyama Household
"Yuri-chan, why don't you go ahead?" Kaori said to her younger cousin. "Ryou and I will take care of your belongings."
Yuri nodded as she got out of the car and took the keys from Kaori's outstretched hands. She was finally well enough to return home from the hospital. She still didn't look very good though. She still had a bandage on her forehead. The cut on her lip was still apparent. And her left arm was still in a sling, but it actually was not as bad as she thought. The doctor said it could be removed in a few weeks. Nonetheless, her body no longer ached everywhere, just a few places, and it was easier to move. She was so happy be finally out of there.
To her surprise, as soon as the front door swung open, crackers popped and a unison of "Welcome home!" greeted her.
There was the Host Club waving at her with elated faces. The twins were holding a "Welcome Home" banner, Mori and Hunny were blowing on party horns, Tamaki was spreading confetti around, and Haruhi was clapping. Kyouya was off to the side, smiling at her.
Streamers hung from the ceiling and the stairs. The coffee table was filled with paper plates, paper cups, sandwiches, cupcakes, and a pie.
"You guys…" Yuri smiled, warmth and joy emanating from her chest. "This is so sweet of you."
"It was all Kyouya's idea!" Tamaki exclaimed. "He planned the whole thing!"
Yuri looked towards Kyouya, who had blushed scarlet. He cleared his throat.
"It's only a proper gesture to welcome a friend home from the hospital," he simply said.
She smiled in appreciation. "Thank you… all of you…"
They spent the next few hours partaking in the food and talking. It turned out that the sandwiches were all made by Tamaki, Mori, and Hunny while Haruhi had made the cupcakes herself with some help from her dad. The twins were responsible for the decorations. Kyouya had apparently overseen everything and bought everything they needed.
Yuri couldn't help but feel touched at their gesture. She never thought they would ever do anything like this by themselves without any help from professionals. And despite her fear that they would treat her differently now that they found out her parentage, they still treated her like they always have. The twins still teased and flirted with her. Hunny still acted cute and Mori still treated her like a little sister. Tamaki of course never ceased his proclamations of love for his "darling daughter" and Kyouya was still as silent and sarcastic as ever.
"Did you know that Kyouya-senpai made the pie?" Haruhi whispered to Yuri.
"Huh? Really?" She looked down at the plate of apple pie in her hands. She thought they bought it at the store or something.
"He claimed to have gotten help from his sister, but still, he made it."
Yuri looked over to where Kyouya was sitting by the stairs, conversing with Tamaki. Smiling, she excused herself from Haruhi and headed over to where the two second years were.
"Tamaki-senpai, do you mind if I talk to Kyouya-senpai really quick?"
"Sure, my daughter! I will go accompany your sister!"
With that, Tamaki happily bounded over to Haruhi, who simply sighed. Yuri sent her an apologetic look before settling herself next to the Vice President.
"Senpai."
Kyouya smiled. "How are you feeling, Yuri?"
She shrugged. "Alright I suppose." She flashed him a smile. "I didn't get the chance to really thank you, senpai… for saving me back at the warehouse. I owe you my life."
Kyouya chuckled. "You owe me nothing but 3,000 yen, Yuri."
Yuri pouted before slapping him in the arm. "I'm trying to have a moment with you here!"
He laughed and ruffled her hair, gently. "As if you don't know me enough by now."
She giggled again, feeling a light blush creep up to her cheeks. They sat in silence for a minute, Kyouya sipping at his drink and Yuri poking at the pie.
"So… you made the pie?" she teased.
He blushed and coughed. "I… wanted to make a contribution. Everyone else was doing something so I thought I'd do something too…" He swallowed, nervously. "Is it… bad?"
"Iie," Yuri shook her head. "It's pretty good."
"Really?"
"Hai."
"You're not just saying that to spare my feelings are you?"
"Senpai!" she smacked him on the shoulder, laughing. "I'm serious."
He smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it. I hoped that you would. I made it for you."
Was it her imagination or was he getting closer? Their noses were almost touching…
"Yuri-chan! You have a phone call!"
They jumped apart, both equally red in the face.
"Um… I-I have to get that," she stuttered.
She got up quickly to where Kaori was holding out the phone to her.
OURANOURANOURAN
So close… Kyouya mused as he watched her talk on the phone from afar.
Yes, he had been planning on kissing her. He didn't care if the whole club was here to see. He just wanted to so desperately tell her the truth about his feelings.
Before he knew it, Tamaki was by his side again. The blonde flashed him a knowing look, his violet eyes shining in mischief.
"I saw that Okaa-san…" he teased, his voice soft so the others wouldn't hear.
Kyouya pushed his glasses further up his nose. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Uh huh… well, I just want to let you know that if you want to confess to her, you should do it fast. We don't know how soon she's leaving. You don't want to miss that opportunity do you?"
He's right you know, the voice in his head said.
I know that. But…
But?
"I don't know how to do this," he said, out loud. He turned his head to see Tamaki's imploring eyes. "I have always been the one girls do the confessing to, not the other way around."
Tamaki's eyes widened and he put his fingers under his chin. "You're right. This is a dilemma indeed." He put a hand on Kyouya's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll help you in any way I can."
Meanwhile…
"… I sent your return ticket in the mail, it should arrive soon," Commander Johnson was saying.
"Um… commander… If it's okay… I'd like to ask a favor," Yuri said, timidly.
"Miss Inoue, the completion of this assignment was your punishment. You're not really in a position to ask for a favor. What more is that you blew your cover while in Japan. You broke the rules."
"…. Please? Please commander? I promise it's not much. And the Japanese Secret Service did make sure that the media kept quiet. Please?"
She heard a giggle from his side, possibly V.C. Martins. In fact, he sighed and said, "What is it and I'll see what I can do?"
Yuri broke into a huge smile. He never changed, he still had a soft spot for his junior agents. "If it's okay, commander, I'd like to finish the remaining month and a half of school I have here at Ouran."
She was met with a few minutes of silence. She was nervous. What if he said no?
"Why?" he finally asked.
"Well… it would be a terrible waste… and I mean… I did miss several months of school back home. Seems weird that I'd come back for the few remaining weeks and I'd have to re-learn everything so I can catch up. Plus, I've been working hard on my studies here too. Please?"
"…. Is this what you really want?"
"Yes. Please, sir."
She had never said so many "please's" in one conversation before.
Finally, she heard him sigh. A few minutes more and finally, he said, "Alright. Fine. But after your semester there, you're going straight back here to your duties. Not more vacation, no more dilly-dallying. Understood?"
Squealing a little, Yuri began to bounce in her place, excitedly. Hunny's behavior had really rubbed off on her.
"Yes sir! Thank you so much! You won't regret it! I'll work hard and I'll never disobey you again!"
They spoke for a few more minutes, discussing details. He promised to explain everything to her team and she promised not to get into any more trouble.
She was all smiles for the rest of the party. Nothing could ruin her mood.
OURANOURANOURAN
Wednesday
Ouran Academy
"Did you hear about Senator Sato?"
"Yes, he was arrested for illegal dealings!"
"And for attempted kidnapping!"
"It's horrendous! I didn't think he would be the type!"
"Me neither."
Sitting on a bench in the school garden, Yuri looked up from her book to see a two girls and a guy talking amongst themselves.
It has been two weeks since Yuri arrived home from the hospital. Earlier that morning, she had woken up to the news that Senator Sato had been arrested for smuggling illegal drugs into the country and for attempted kidnapping of the ambassador's niece, whose identity was not revealed to the public. When she arrived at school, all the students from political families were talking about it. She couldn't help but be relieved that the bastard was finally getting what he deserved and she knew that the ambassador himself made that possible.
Just last weekend, Haruhi finally met her maternal family in person. Yuri was only there for a few minutes to introduce her and the family thanked her profusely before she left them. They had invited her to stay and have lunch with them, but she refused because she wanted to give them this time to spend with Haruhi. The brunette had been all smiles all week and Yuri was happy at that. This was what she loved about her job. Bringing happy smiles and relief to the people she helped.
"Yuri!"
The junior agent looked up from her reminiscing at Kaoru's voice. He was waving at her to come over. Yuri nodded back and tucked her book back into her bag. She swung the bag onto her right shoulder and headed over to where the red-head was waiting for her.
"Hey, ready to head to the club?"
"Yep."
"You want me to carry your bag for you?"
"I'm alright, Kaoru. Thank you."
The two began their walk to the Third Music Room.
When they arrived, everybody was getting ready for the arrival of their customers. Tamaki was excitedly talking to Haruhi and Hikaru about his dog Antoinette's latest adventures at the Suoh mansion. Kyouya was, at his usual table, doing some calculations. Hunny was just waking up from his nap while Mori kept guard nearby. It was a sight that Yuri would dearly miss.
They all looked up as she and Kaoru entered and waved "hello" at her.
"Hi guys," she said, approaching the couch where Tamaki was sitting with Haruhi and Hikaru. She placed her bag on the couch. "I'm gonna head to the pantry to get the tea and cakes re-."
"No you don't, Yuri-chan," Kaoru interrupted, gently pushing her down to sit on the couch.
"We'll take care of it," Hikaru said, standing up and smirking. "I'm tired of listening to Tono's boring stories anyway."
"Hey!" Tamaki protested. "Stories about my darling Antoinette are not boring!"
"Yeah, yeah," the twins chorused as they walked away, waving their hand at the Host King nonchalantly.
"Devil twins!" Tamaki called after them, red in the face.
"But," Yuri tried to protest, but the two had already entered the pantry and shut the door.
Last week they wouldn't let her do any work either because of her broken arm. She kept insisting that she was perfectly fine, but they still wouldn't let her. She couldn't play the piano either or bring tea and cakes to the guests. All because of her stupid broken arm. She didn't even know why she was still in the club when she was barely working.
"Let them do the work, Yuri," Haruhi said, smiling at her. "You can't do much with that arm quite yet."
Yuri sighed. "I'm just so bored. I've been doing nothing but sit here and do my homework."
"You know you can go home, Yuri, right?" Tamaki said, looking at her. "If you're worried about Kyouya, I'll talk to him."
Yuri had thought about just going home after school for the last two weeks. But… being in the Third Music Room after school had just become a habit that she just didn't want to go home. She liked going to the Host Club. And she would never admit it to any of them, but she enjoyed being a member and working for the Host Club.
"I don't want to go home alone," she half-lied. "I might as well stay and wait for Haruhi."
Tamaki tapped his chin. "Hmmm… true… we wouldn't want either of you to get kidnapped again."
Yuri laughed and Haruhi hid a chuckle. That incident was far enough behind them now, but they knew Tamaki was half-serious. He was worried about the both of them.
Yuri looked up to where Kyouya was sitting, busily writing away at a notepad and tapping on his calculator. Tamaki followed her gaze and smiled.
"Haruhi, my darling daughter, would you like to accompany me to the piano? I want you to listen to a commoner song I recently learned to play!"
Before Haruhi could say a word, he had grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the grand piano. Yuri giggled and resumed looking over at Kyouya. No, she was not staring. She was just… observing. Yes… observing.
He must have felt her eyes on him because a few moments later, Kyouya looked up and made eye contact. She blushed and he grinned. He gestured for her to come over and Yuri felt herself immediately leave the sofa.
"Hi senpai," she greeted, taking a seat next to him.
He placed a menu for a bakery in front of her. "My sister suggested this place to me. I'm wondering if you would like to accompany me there on Friday to try out their cupcakes for Hunny-senpai. The ones we are ordering now are a little pricey, and these are cheaper and would save us plenty. But, I want to know first if they are worth it."
If she didn't know any better, Yuri would have thought that Kyouya was asking her out.
"Sure, but why not take Hunny-senpai instead?"
Kyouya flashed her a look. "Because Hunny-senpai will simply say that the cupcakes are delicious and will not give any constructive feedback. I'd like to bring someone with no bias towards cupcakes."
Yuri nodded in understanding. "Sounds reasonable."
"Wonderful, it is settled."
He resumed calculating and Yuri looked over the menu. They had a large collection of cupcake flavors and designs. It was making her a little hungry too.
"How is your arm doing?" Kyouya asked, still engrossed in his calculations.
Yuri looked down and glared at her sling. "Still broken but healing. The doctor said it can be removed in about two weeks though, so I can finally get back to work." She looked up at him. "Sorry about this."
Kyouya waved a hand in nonchalance. "Don't worry about it."
She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes, Yuri. I obviously can't make you work while you're not fit to. Your presence in the club is fine enough, just in case we receive some male customers. A few have inquired about you, you know. I believe Nekozawa-senpai said he was going to visit today, so it's good that you are here."
"Alright then."
They fell into a comfortable silence. Ten minutes before the club started, Yuri looked up at Kyouya.
"Senpai?"
Kyouya continued to write. "Yes?"
"I'll miss this when I leave."
His hand stopped, his face blank. Slowly, he turned his head to face her. "Miss this?" he asked.
Yuri nodded, smiling a little sadly. "Yeah. I like that I can just sit here with you and we don't even have to talk very much and it's not awkward."
"Does it get awkward with the other hosts?" he asked, abandoning his calculations now.
She shrugged. "I don't know. The difference between you and everyone else is that you don't talk much while they do. I guess it's a different kind of silence. A comfortable one. Because, say, Hikaru and Kaoru suddenly stop talking and are silent for a long time, then you know something is wrong. But with you, it's perfectly normal. I like it."
Kyouya stared at her for a few moments before breaking into a smile. "I'll miss this too. I'll miss you."
Yuri flushed. But, before she could respond, Tamaki had called out, "The guests will be here soon everyone! Let's all gather to greet them!"
Kyouya patted her on the hand before standing up. Yuri sat there for a few moments longer, unable to move. Kyouya was going to miss her. For the life of her, she could not help her heart fluttering and breaking at the same time.
A/N: Finally! I got to update! I'll try to be more punctual with updating for the last 3 or 4 chapters. Yep, it's that time again my friends. The time when I would have to wrap this up. Don't worry. There's still a bit to go and more surprises in store! Sayonara!