Oh my, chapter 14 already?! I never thought I'd live to see the day.. Okay so lets get down to business. I know that the last teaser got you guys all crazy over the love confession though some of you guessed that it might be Kaoru. That kinda made me think back and re-read every chapter I've ever done.. I wanted to know if I accidentally dropped Hika x Kaoru hints here and there. Maybe I did. With the yaoi fangirl in me, I wouldn't be surprised if I actully did drop a few hints. lol.
Disclaimer: You know.. people always say i look a lot like Bisco Hatori. I think i do, to. That is to say.. if i knew what she looks like.
A/N: I hope that you guys wouldn't mind spending some of your time to read the A/N at the end of the chapter. I'd like to say a few things.
The kitchen of the Ootori summer mansion was in an uproar that morning. Apparently, Hunny's sensitive nose had detect a hint of chocolate the moment he woke up and in result dragged the rest of the boys out of bed to check out the source.
At first, it looked as though the chef was able to hide the fact that he was baking more cookies that morning, but Natsue made the mistake of bringing in the groceries at the same time the boys were driven out of the kitchen. So between facing the boys' enthusiasm (which could bring disastrous results) and an upset Mitsukuni, the chef chose the earlier choice –much safer.
And so began the chaos that is the Host Club lead this time by Hunny, baking (or trying to) chocolate chip cookies. It would have been the end of the spotless kitchen if it wasn't for Haruhi who woke up to the noises that came from downstairs, much to her annoyance.
"Hunny-senpai, don't dip your finger in the batter like that!" Haruhi shot Mori an exasperated look and sigh in relief when he gently lifted Hunny from the counter. "Tamaki-senpai, stop meddling with the oven; you'll burn your finger again!" and as if on cue, the blond boy yelped in pain when his finger made contact with the interior of the oven.
Yep, the kitchen was in an uproar, all right.
A small chuckle came from behind Haruhi, making her frown. "You know, it wouldn't be this bad if you'd just step in."
"Why?" Kyouya stepped forward and put a hand on Haruhi's head as an 'affectionate gesture' (or at least that's what Tamaki kept insisting). "And miss the fun of seeing that idiot burning his hands? I don't think so."
Haruhi sighed and removed his hand from her head to avoid damage for her hair. Natsue had tied her longish hair in a French braid and Haruhi did not want to go through it for the second time that day. Tying French braid hurts. She was about to reply to that remark of Kyouya's, but a horrific scene met her eyes before she could even get the words out of her mouth.
"Hikaru, Kaoru!" she bellowed. "What did I say about throwing random ingredients into the batter?"
Kyouya watched with interest as Haruhi, hands on her hips and face positively pissed, marched towards the little devils (its not an easy task what with her swelling stomach and all) and pulled the bottles of mustard and soy sauce from their hands. Things got more interesting when she turned to Mori and scolded the poor boy for not watching Hunny who had eaten a whole packet of chocolate sprinkles. It was a shame, for the situation seemed fixable if it wasn't for the burned batch of almost perfect cookies thanks to Tamaki's meddling.
As much as he'd love to watch how far his friends could go, he felt like he should step into the matter at hand. Putting down the mug of coffee that Natsue gave him, he silently navigated his way through the chaotic kitchen.
"We'll just leave the –uh- ruined batter for the maids to throw and make another fresh one. Hunny-senpai," Kyouya turned to the loli shota, still wearing the genuine smile on his face. "I will send for someone to get more chocolate sprinkles, but please don't eat that one as well." His smile –if possible- widen when the small boy apologized and agreed to his request. "Mori-senpai, could you please keep Tamaki from the oven? Thank you."
"Well then," he clapped his hands together and Haruhi noticed that for once, he didn't have his notebook with him. "Now that's settled, the chef will start on the fresh batter and I suggest that the rest of you help when needed and not interfere."
Haruhi smiled for the first time that morning. Kyouya reminded her of someone when he started giving orders like that, and she finally figured out who. Ootori Kyouya reminded her of a father handling his family on a lazy weekend in the kitchen.
Whoa. Freaky.
"Haruhi, could you come with me for a while?" Kyouya gave her that smile of his and offered her his arm.
Haruhi gladly took the offered arm, barely noticing Hikaru who looked away pointedly at the contact. She did, however, noticed that Kyouya dismissed Natsue so that they walked the hallways of the mansion alone and un-chaperoned. The couple walked in silence as Haruhi allowed herself to be led by Kyouya. After the disastrous kitchen war-zone, Haruhi was grateful for the serene air that surrounded the two of them. She didn't want to ruin the effect of it all, but there's something that kept haunting her that she feels unsettled if she leave it unanswered.
"Kyouya," Haruhi tugged his arm a little, demanding attention.
"Yes?"
"Does your father know about my living here?"
"Yes, he does." Kyouya answered, eyes focused forward. They were walking along the hallway that led to Haruhi's room by now.
"And he doesn't mind?"
"Not as much as before." He shrugged.
"Not as much as before? Kyouya, what exactly did you-"
"We're here."
Haruhi raised her eyebrows. Not just because of his obvious attempt to avoid answering the question, but also because of the cheerfulness in his voice. And it wasn't the fake cheerfulness that he uses during Club sessions either.
Kyouya looked at her expectantly while she returned the look with a 'am-I-suppose-to-be-amused?' stare. She can't be blamed for that; there's absolutely nothing to be amused at. They were standing in the same hallway that her room was located and the only thing that's worth staring at is the crème colored door that's embedded in the wall in front of them. And that's only because it has a porcelain teddy bear hanging by the handle.
"Um, where exactly is 'here'?"
To her annoyance, Kyouya simply laughed at her question and pat her hand gently. "You'll see." Was all he said before opening the door that seemed so insignificant to her.
Every trace of annoyance disappeared the moment she saw what was beyond the door. "Oh, my.." she gasped.
"Do you like it? They just arrived yesterday evening." Kyouya shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks as Haruhi inspected every inch of the room.
"Yesterday evening? But how come I didn't-"
"How come you didn't notice it?" He smiled. "We were all out shopping in town. I wanted it to be a surprise. So do you like it?"
"Like it? I love it." Haruhi gave Kyouya her warmest smile and a quick peck on the cheek before fingering the room's main attraction.
It took a lot of effort, but Kyouya was happy with the result. The room was like a mini Toys 'R' Us store, what with all the toys that was neatly stacked on the shelves that lined the walls and the soft giant teddies that sat in a corner by the large window. It was all bright and cheerful as the walls were painted in shades of yellow, starting with a light yellow at the bottom and the lightest shade at the top.
The floor was covered by the softest carpet money can buy, and a single Persian rug was placed in front of the small fireplace. A cushioned rocking chair sat by the window and accommodated by yet another teddy bear. Kyoya could almost imagine Haruhi sitting in that chair, singing their baby to sleep. Not that he had ever heard her sing, of course. But a father-to-be can dream, can't he?
But his favorite thing in the nursery was definitely the masterpiece that Haruhi was examining with delight. What was a nursery without a crib, right?
He was right to call it a masterpiece. The crib was custom made completely from mahogany and had practical sized post on each four corners, providing a place to tie the lacy dove white material that hug from the ceiling like a canopy. At the heading of the crib, a single 'P' was carved with a small crown over it. The reason for the 'P' was simple, really. They chose not to know of their child's gender; so to avoid any mistakes, Kyoya told the craftsman to carve that single letter so that it stands for 'Princess' or 'Prince'. Three guesses who suggested it. The crib costs more than half of the things inside the nursery, but Kyouya had absolutely no regrets.
"How did you manage all this in a day?" Haruhi whispered, still absorbed in studying the mahogany crib. "It's impossible, even for you."
"True," he nodded in agreement. "But the walls were ready even before you came. It's the toys and the crib that came in later."
Haruhi 'hmm-ed' whilst prodding the soft blanket that was folded neatly in the crib, adoring it's soft texture. "Hey, wait a minute." She stopped her prodding and sent a questioning look at Kyouya. "Why were the walls done before I came? You knew I was coming, didn't you?"
Kyouya chose to return the look with a blank stare but recoiled slightly when Haruhi's face darkened. "I was going to let you live here when Ranka pulls you out of school. Figured that you would like to live somewhere far from the city for a while."
Haruhi relaxed and the smile that had vanished returned to adorn her lips. Now she remembered.. this room was out of limits for her during her stay in the mansion. She had thought that this was some sort of a private place where they keep old junks; never in her life had she expected it to be a nursery under construction.
Deciding it was safe, Kyouya stood beside Haruhi and slipped an arm around her huge waist. Surprisingly though, she didn't pull away from his rather intimate touch. On the contrary, she seemed to relax even more as her shoulders sag a little and a soft sigh escape her lips.
"I love what you did to the walls." Her voice was barely higher than a whisper, her body leaned in slightly into Kyouya's half embrace. "I thought that you might have painted it blue."
"I was going to, but I'm glad that I didn't." he murmured. "It was Hikaru's idea, you know; to paint the walls yellow."
"It was?"
"Yes. He suggested it rather casually, but I suspect that it was more of a peace offering rather than a nonchalant suggestion."
"I've always knew he was a nice boy. You know.."
"Know what?" he turned to look at Haruhi and caught a whiff of her shampoo. He liked it.. smells soft and welcoming. He wished that he could come home to that smell everyday.
"Fuyumi-san asked whether I love you or not a few days ago."
Kyouya stiffen. He took Haruhi's chin with his fingers and tilted it so that she now was face to face with him. "What did you say to her?"
For the first time since she known him, Kyouya's eyes showed a hint of dark blue around the edges of the iris, and she could not fathom of what it means. Never knew that Kyouya's eyes were one of the kind that change colors.
"I said.." she licked her lips nervously, an act that made the dark blue in Kyouya's eyes turned a tad darker. "I said I wasn't sure."
It was infuriating, really. He had spent most of the time at school avoiding Tamaki because the boy kept asking him about his feelings for Haruhi. And every time he was cornered, he would always answer 'I'm not sure'. It's like his own words coming back to haunt him.
"I think," he moved in closer, the hand that was holding her chin was now caressing her face. "I can help you with that."
"And how do you propose to do that?" she breathed, not daring to move even though her mind was screaming 'code red! code red!'. Half of her wished that she didn't ask him that, but another half was excited to the point of her breath being caught in her throat when Kyouya smiled rather mischievously and his lips hovered above hers.
"Like this."
It was nice, in Haruhi's opinion. The snow was falling slowly and steadily out side, the light from the hallways casting a glow into the room, a hint of spicy smelling potpourri lingering in the air with a touch of chocolate from the kitchens, Kyouya's arms that had sneaked around her waist, disregarding its current size; and his lips that was on hers.
It was really, really nice.
On the eve of the boys' departure back to Tokyo, they decided to do something special. Haruhi had made it clear that there was to be no paintball, pranks, costumes, fancy dinner, or anymore baking involve. Especially the baking part; they have had enough burnt cookies and cakes, thank you very much.
Because of Haruhi's strict orders and Kyouya's policy of 'Haruhi's words are law', they were stuck lounging in the huge living room, staring at the fireplace or the ceiling. It was nice to know that the two of them finally (sort of) confess their feelings, but Kyouya's soft spot for Haruhi had softened a little too much lately and wouldn't do anything that Haruhi resent.
Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, Mori, and Hunny were sure that they would die of boredom that evening. They have an early flight the next morning and school on the day after, so spending the last day in Karuizawa counting dust balls were just.. sad. But not for Kyouya, though. Any man would think the same thought as Kyouya if they were currently resting their head in Haruhi's lap and totally succumbed to the fluffyness of the squishy couch they were sitting on.
Needless to say that the 'King' and his merry members of the court (and court jesters if you know who the authoress is talking about) could have kissed Natsue for suggesting that they spend the entire evening outside by a bon fire. All of them could've kissed Natsue, but 'all of them' didn't include Kyouya who made a face at the thought of Haruhi sitting in the cold and exposed to the ashes from the burning firewood.
So that's how all of them, including Natsue and Takatuo ended up sitting in a circle around a bon fire that Mori made. Just Mori, though. He didn't trust his friends to handle a huge fire even if he did pledge his life to Hunny. No, a sugar powered loli shota is not the best person to handle bon fires. That includes a featherheaded prince type and little devils that could surpass the Devil himself.
Kyouya would have to admit, sitting in front of a warm fire with his friends and –ahem- significant other is kind of nice. He found it amusing when Natsue and Haruhi began to teach the group of gorgeous men how to toast marshmallows. And he found it funny to see Tamaki keep setting his marshmallows on fire.
It was a coincidence that the snow stopped falling that evening, and the air wasn't as cold as before. Trust mother nature to make things nice for them just so that Kyouya have to admit that Natsue was right about this bon fire thing.
"Kyouya? Are you with us?"
Kyouya blinked. All around, he saw everyone else talking, eating, or prodding their respective toasted marshmallows cautiously. A finger poked his left cheek followed by the aroma of hot coco filling his senses.
"Sorry, I must have lost myself a little." He smiled, took her hand that was poking him, and shoved their intertwined hands into the pocket of his thick black coat. "You should have said no staying in the cold after six."
"Maybe, but don't you think it's nice to just sit around like this?" Haruhi carefully placed her mug of hot chocolate on the empty space beside her and moved in closer to Kyouya.
"Yes, but we could've done the same thing in the mansion. The fireplace was certainly big enough for toasting marshmallows." He argued.
Haruhi took a minute to tighten her coat around her and adjusted her scarf. "They wanted to have fun before going back, and this activity is the only activity that doesn't involve 'commoner's everyday gadgets' that Tamaki can mess around with."
"True." Kyouya sighed, inhaling the warm scent of burning firewood and Haruhi. "But he still makes a fool of himself."
"Give him a break." She swatted his arm playfully and smiled appreciatively when he put his arm around her. Just because there's no snow doesn't mean it wasn't cold. "He's trying."
He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and pulled back a little to look at her. "Well, well, you're being nice." He said, making her giggle.
"What's this? A public display of affection?" came a voice.
"Who would have thought?" came another voice.
Kyouya frowned at the Hitachiin brothers and sighed. When will they ever be given any privacy at all? He was about to give those smiling juniors of his a piece of his mind when a vibration in the right pocket of his coat got his attention. Taking out his cell phone, he took a quick glance at the caller's ID and his frown deepened.
"Excuse me Haruhi, but I have to take this call." He gave her a chaste kiss on the lips and sent a warning glance at Hikaru who obviously ignored it.
As soon as Kyouya was out of sight, Hikaru grabbed his brother's wrist and forced him to sit on Haruhi's left while he take her right much to Kaoru's and Haruhi's annoyance. "There was no need for force, brother dear." Kaoru hissed.
"Violence is necessary once in a while." Hikaru shrugged.
"Excuse me, but don't I have any say in this?" interjected Haruhi.
"Of course you do, princess. But you know we'll just ignore it." Kaoru smirked.
Haruhi laughed dryly at their little argument and bit her tongue from saying anything sarcastic. She smiled a little though, when she saw Tamaki blushed at Natsue who complimented his first perfectly toasted marshmallow. Unfortunately, that smile didn't last when a yelp escaped Kaoru's lips.
Muttering under his breath, Kaoru picked up Haruhi's empty mug as its contents seeped into the snow. "Sorry, I didn't see it there. I'll get a new one for you." He said, dusting his pants and disappeared into the mansion with the mug.
"He did that on purpose."
Haruhi turned around with a surprised look on her face. "Excuse me?"
"He wanted me to talk to you but I didn't want to, so he did that on purpose."
"You didn't want to talk to me?" she asked, a little hurt at the thought of Hikaru avoiding her.
"Yea.." he smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, watching his own breath hover in the cold air before disappearing. "I mean, not that I hate you or anything! It's just that these last few days have been difficult for me."
"Oh? Why?" Haruhi absently picked on a fuzz that was sticking to her scarf. She had a fair idea of the reason for his difficulty, but she wanted to hear it with her own ears. This could be the only chance she'll ever get to straighten things with Hikaru.
"Kyouya." He answered simply, never wavering even for a fraction of a second.
They stayed quiet after his answer. The silence wasn't awkward, but it wasn't comfortable either. You know those kind of silence that makes you want to run away but at the same time, break it because you just can't stand it anymore? That's the same thing Haruhi was facing. When one of them finally broke the ice, she wasn't sure whether to be happy or.. scared.
"I love you, you know." Hikaru clasped his hands tightly and took a deep breath. "I wanted to tell you, but I was scared of what you'll say." He laughed nervously, suddenly found his shoes more interesting than the current conversation. "Because I know that you don't feel the same way as I do."
Haruhi stared. She was touched, she really was. One, because of Hikaru's confessions; and two, because he cared for her enough to hold it in for a long time. She didn't know if it was her crazy hormones or because he looked ready to cry, but she leaned in and gave him a hug and a soft kiss on the cheek. It's not like he didn't deserve it, cause' he really did.
"I really don't know what to say." She whispered, taking his hands in hers.
"You don't have to say anything. I told you, didn't I?" he looked into her eyes earnestly and smiled a rather crooked smile. "I know your answer even without you saying it."
"Hikaru, I know this will sound cliché and really, really pathetic.. but there's someone out there for you, I just know it."
Hikaru laughed out loud at that comment, making Haruhi frown at the red head. "You know.. this is the part where you're suppose to agree with me."
"Sorry, couldn't resist." He chocked, barely able to breath. Like always, the laughter infected Haruhi and she too, began to laugh. "But seriously though. There were times where I kept wondering of what could've happen if I told you sooner." He sighed, reminiscing all those wasted days. "Maybe you wouldn't end up like the way you are now, and maybe you wouldn't have fallen for Kyouya."
Haruhi kept her silence. She knew he wasn't finished, and it's about time that he spill everything out. Sure enough, more confession came right after.
"But I also thought of other possibilities. I mean.." a sad smile "its not like I'm the only guy in you life, right? While Tamaki had the charms, Mori had the strength, Hunny had the personality, and Kyouya had the power, I had nothing to offer. I have to admit that I've also thought of the possibility of you ending up loving Kaoru instead."
"You-you did?"
He nodded. "Of course I did. We both know that my brother is the gentler one. And the more practical one. And the saner between us two."
"No arguments there." Haruhi laughed at the face that Hikaru made.
"You know, this is the part where you're supposed to disagree with me." He smiled, enjoying their little game.
"Sorry," she said, quoting him. "Couldn't resist."
Releasing his hand from hers, Hikaru let out an exasperated sighed and stared out into space. Playtime is over. Which is sad, really. The thing that he set out to tell Haruhi is suppose to be anything but fun. It's not his business to know, but Kyouya has been acting strangely as of late. Just imagine, the guy who wouldn't smile unless he has an evil plot was now the guy who would smile at the littlest thing. But of course, only his closest friends can detect it.
Putting that matter aside, Hikaru forced himself to face Haruhi no matter how uncomfortable he is with the subject. If he doesn't get this out sooner, he's positive that he'll go crazy. Not that he hasn't already lost half his mind courtesy of Kyouya and Haruhi's sudden confessions.
"Haruhi, I want you to understand something." Hikaru whispered. "I want you to understand that I'm not giving up on you. I never have and never will."
Haruhi's eyebrows shot up and disappeared completely under her bangs. She gave a rather skeptical look, taking it as a joke. But the determination in Hikaru's eyes forced her to turn somber. He was serious.
"But Hikaru.. Kyouya-"
"Can you please quit it with the 'Kyouya this, Kyouya that'?!" he snapped. Taking note the frown on Haruhi's face, he willed himself to calm down.
"Hikaru, if you're hoping to change my mind about you, then you should know that you're doing the opposite thing." Haruhi said in a cold voice that Kyouya would have been proud to call his own.
"Sorry, it just.. slipped. But the point here is that," he gulped "is that you know I'll jump on any chance I get to be with you."
Haruhi pursed her lips and remained silent.
"Kyouya holds on to you pretty tightly, I know. But the moment that grip loosen even just a bit.. mark my words that I'll be there to pry you from his grip. Even if I have to use violence to do it."
At first, his statement sounded so sinister to Haruhi. But once the shock slowly wore off, she began to see the meaning behind the almost-threatening vow. Closing her eyes for a fraction of a second, she began to smile fondly at Hikaru. If this is the way the boy express his devotion, then she shudder think of how he's going to handle the stress when he finally scored a real girlfriend.
"I understand. But I wished you would just say it out straight instead of twisting it like that."
"Well, who cares about how I say it?" he huffed. "Just as long as you burn that info in your brain, I'll live."
Back inside the house, in the deserted foyer, Kyouya stood rigid and straight with his hand gripping his cell phone tightly to his ears. A frown etched on his sharp features while his eyes grew colder and harder by the second.
"No.. I haven't."
"I know, father." He hissed.
"Well can't it wait?"
The frown deepened.
"But that's too early."
"You're being unreasonable!"
The deep frown turned into an expression of disbelieve as the voice of the caller rang through his ears.
"Fine," he growled "But I'll do it whenever I please."
Kyouya flip his phone close with such force that it's a miracle the screen didn't crack. Without warning, he kicked an innocent pine wood table, causing the vase and various fragile objects on it to topple and hit the floor with a loud crash.
"Kyouya?!"
Waking up from his rage, Kyouya whipped around only to be face to face with the youngest of the Hitachiin twin. Kaoru eyed the broken pieces of décor with an unreadable expression on his face.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
For about a minute, the air hung heavy and thick with tension, mainly from Kyouya as he stood frozen on the spot where Kaoru caught him in his moment of fury. How the hell was he supposed to explain this to the younger boy, anyway? He was the Shadow King, the one person who never loses his temper and displayed it in a tantrum,
Sighing, he raked his fingers through his hair and managed a 'oops-not-my-fault' smile. "Nothing; my jacket must've caught the table cloth or something."
"Sure it did." Kaoru resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Kyouya's lame excuse. Besides, there wasn't a table cloth in sight.
"I'm going to go get someone to clean this mess."
Kaoru noted the relieved look on the older boy's face as he made his way to the kitchen, no doubt glad for an excuse to avoid telling the truth. The red head stared at Kyouya's back as he disappeared, wondering what made the Shadow King lose his cool.
Okay, by now I think most of you have a faint idea of what's going to happen to Kyouya. If you do, keep it to yourself and don't spoil the surprise, OK? ) Let's see.. oh yea! I really want to know if this chapter suits your taste of how their confessions should be. And also, I think that this is the right time for us to decide the baby's gender and name just like we did with Yoshio. Most people want a girl. It amazes me that no one requested for a boy. So let me know what the rest of ya'll want, ok?
Teasers for Chapter 15 of Little Host:
-"To be honest," Kyouya sighed as he leaned back into the chair. "She was never mine from the beginning. Hell, I didn't even like her as much as you two. She wasn't mine for the taking, but I still did it."-
-"You're running out of time."-
-"Would it kill you to call her by her name?" Kyouya demanded. He held out is hand and caught a dead leave in time before it entered his room. "If I do this, father… do you swear to keep your end of the bargain until the time of expiry?"-
+Next Chapter : Time+