A/N: After reading the reviews, everyone is hoping that Yoshio called Ranka. I can neither confirm nor deny at this point in time, but you will eventually find out. Enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 21 – Dessert
The hosts had taken up residence in the Shadow King's room the day they had been left behind. Tamaki had declared that no more would they stand idly by and allow Kyoya to usurp all of Haruhi's time. Yes, they understood the couple were trying to work through their issues, but what about them? They wanted to spend a little bit of time with their friend too before the returned to Japan; therefore, the blond devised a plan. According to him it was brilliant and a sure fire method to getting what they want and he named it the "Haruhi Belongs to All of Us and You Have to Share" plan.
As soon as Kyoya returned from his lunch date, Tamaki and the twins stormed the door and pushed their way in with Mori and Hunny following closely behind. The two older men would help the bespectacled man win the girl back and keep their friends from interfering, but they too wanted to see Haruhi, so they didn't stop the three from taking Kyoya's room hostage, or Kyoya for that matter. They were determined to see their friend and if that meant they would camp out in the Shadow King's room until the end of days, then so be it. They would do it. They had patience (kind of – look who we are talking about), perseverance, and tenacity.
"So what exactly is your plan, Tamaki? You've been here for…" Kyoya glanced at his watch and then said, "Five hours now. I have already told you that Haruhi had dinner plans tonight, which is why we met for lunch."
"I know you are going to talk to our little girl tonight and if you are going to meet her after dinner, we are coming too. As long as we are here, you can't sneak out and leave us behind!" The blond proclaimed standing up and putting one foot upon the coffee table as if he had just been victorious in battle.
"Uh huh!" Hikaru, Kaoru, and Hunny hummed as they nodded in agreement.
"And if I don't?" The bespectacled man pushed up his glasses, a smirk appearing on his face. He had known Tamaki for years and he knew how best to manipulate… uh I mean deal with the blond.
"Then we will wait until you do!" The former president declared emphatically, his foot coming off the table, his fists at his side. He resembled a toddler having a tantrum than an adult student in college.
The smirk grew, "So you are prepared to wait it out, no matter what happens?"
A collective gulp could be heard throughout the room. Fear chilled everyone to the bone, but Tamaki would not be deterred. Glancing over his shoulder at his compatriots, he saw their nod of encouragement and then faced his best friend again, "Yes! She is our friend too and you can't usurp all of her time!"
"Usurp? You make me sound like some sort of dictator that is in control of Haruhi's life."
Again, a loud gulp could be heard.
Soon a low chuckle escaped from the Shadow King. Oh how he liked to tease his friends, and Tamaki and the twins were especially easy. "What do you propose?"
"Propose? Well, we want to see Haruhi. So we feel that the next time you meet, we should be allowed to come as well."
"If I agree, will you leave my room?"
"Don't do it boss!" Hikaru called out and then ran into the small kitchen in the suite dragging his brother behind him.
Flying through the air on his way to the other room, Kaoru offered his opinion, "Yah Tono! It's the Shadow King. He will say something now and it will turn out different later."
Together they said, "We need to stick to our guns and wait it out." They ducked low and took refuge behind the counter. They were far enough away that Kyoya couldn't kill them and they had shelter from anything that might be hurled at them.
Shaking his head and inwardly rolling his eyes, Hunny explained, "Kyo-Chan, it isn't that we don't want you to work things out with Haru-Chan or that we don't want you to have as much time as possible, but we need to check on her ourselves."
"If I remember correctly, you saw her last night. Did she not appear well and happy? Do you think she wasn't in her right mind?" Kyoya inquired with a raised eyebrow.
Hunny's smile grew, "She did, but we only got to talk to her for a few minutes. We want to spend quality time with her too." He knew what Kyoya's game was and he wasn't as simple as the others.
"You do realize that after she finishes dinner with her colleagues, we may not see each other tonight?"
"We understand, but your room is big enough that we can all sleep here until we can all meet with Haru-Chan! Right Takashi?" Grinning from ear to ear, the Loli Shota knew how to play this game.
"Correct. Kyoya… they will follow and cause problems if you don't give in. It is easier to concede defeat this time," Mori spoke from his chair near Kyoya, looking up from the book his was reading.
Easier? Maybe, but not quite as much fun. Besides he knew his friends' patience was running out and he was surprised his time with Haruhi had not been interrupted and declared a national disaster up to this point. He was tempting fate and he couldn't keep doing that without paying the consequences. Yes, he would allow them to accompany him the next time he saw Haruhi, but that didn't mean he couldn't play a little longer.
Two more hours passed and then, Tamaki had stolen Kyoya's room key, which might have sounded like a grand plan when the twins suggested it… until the Shadow King reminded him that it keeps people out, it doesn't keep people in. This sent the blond into the corner where he started to grow a new crop of mushrooms.
At around nine that night, Kyoya's phone started to ring. Tamaki flew out of his corner and tried to grab it out of his friend's hand, but one glare from the bespectacled man froze the blond in his spot. A nice statue to be sure, but it really didn't go with the rest of the décor. Pushing up his glasses, he answered, "Good evening, Haruhi."
"Hi Kyoya. I just got done with dinner and the restaurant is actually only half a block away. I was wondering if you wanted to meet for coffee or dessert," Haruhi said, a smile on her face. Kyoya was the only man that could do that too her. Her heart raced, the butterflies in her stomach increased, and she felt giddy when she heard him, saw him, was around him… etc. This was the man she loved, and yet, she couldn't completely open her heart to him just yet. Almost, but not quite yet.
"I don't foresee that as an issue, but would you mind if I brought along five other guests?"
Sniggering, Haruhi replied, "Let me guess, they either have you held prisoner or they have begged enough to get on your nerves and you finally gave in."
"The former."
She released a wholehearted laugh this time, "I was wondering how long it would take. Bring them along. I'm almost to your hotel now. Meet me in the lobby and we can decide where to go from there."
"If you would like, so that a few monkeys do not cause a scene, we can order something and eat it in my room." He heard her laugh again and it was like the music of angels serenading his ears.
"That might be better so that we don't have to worry about going anywhere or time constraints."
"Excellent. We will see you soon. I am in the presidential suite on the top floor."
"How did I know you would say that?"
"Well Haruhi, you couldn't expect me to get anything less than the best, could you?" His voice was full of amusement as he spoke, not taking offense to her teasing and even verbalizing his own mocking retort. This was who he was now, the person he had become under her guidance and tutelage. No longer just the cold and calculating cool host. She and their friends had shown him a different life, and now he can't believe he had ever tried to go back to the way he was before, to the cold dank world without her. What had he been thinking? He hadn't been. Temporary insanity. A million pleas and yet none of them seemed apt. He had been stupid. That was the only answer. For once in his life, he had been a complete and utter idiot.
Laughing, she told him, "I'll see you soon." She hung up the phone without waiting for his response. It was time to be reunited with the rest of her friends.
Haruhi mentally and physically prepared herself for seeing the others. She needed to be ready for anything, and most importantly, she needed to be prepared for the hug she would receive from Tamaki. There was no way out of it and it would be impossible to escape, so the best she could do was ready herself for what was to come. The twins would try to take her away from Tamaki, and if they succeeded, they would crush her as well (although not as much as the blond). Hunny or Mori, probably Mori, would rescue her and then all would be as it once was. She paused as she stepped outside of the elevator. So much had happened since she left Japan. Could they really go back to the way they used to be? It was something that she had thought about more than once. Cramming it into her internal chest and locking it away, she shook off the bad thoughts and marched down the hall… only to pause again in front of Kyoya's door. Taking a deep breath, she shored up her defenses and then knocked. Just as she predicted, Tamaki opened the door and pulled her into a hug. Right before that though, she thought she heard something break, but she couldn't lift her head in order to see what it could possibly have been.
"Hey! No fair boss! We want a turn too!" The twins protested and tried to pull her away from their leader.
"You two will get your chance later! I'm her father so I can hug her first!" Tamaki yelled.
Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other and their expressions turned devilish as they responded, "That hug doesn't appear very fatherly to us. Looks more like you are molesting her. Oh Kyoya-senpai!"
Screaming in Haruhi's ear and suddenly afraid for his life, Tamaki let Haruhi go. She would have fallen to the floor if the redheads hadn't been there to grab her first. Now with hearing loss and maybe a few cracked ribs, her cheeks felt like they were going to be rubbed raw from the twins' stubble as they rubbed their cheeks against hers. She was rescued by Hunny.
"Haru-Chan! Let's eat some cake!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the twins, giving them a glare that dared them to argue with him. He watched as they coward and grabbed each other to hold, releasing Haruhi immediately. "Here, you sit next to Kyo-Chan! The cake should be here soon!"
Kyoya knew he would not need to worry about her safety because Hunny and Mori could handle the trio. The cousins had been doing it for years, since Haruhi's first year at Ouran, and nothing had changed much since those days. Well, some things had changed, but not everything. Kissing her rosy cheek, he whispered, "Thank you for coming."
The spot he kissed was soothed by his lips, while the rest of her cheeks remained stinging. Would it be awkward if she asked him to kiss her whole face… and maybe her ribcage? It definitely would be, and if the past were any indication – which it always was with this crowd – the others might not appreciate her request. She could only imagine that it might send Tamaki and the twins to an early grave complete with an ever replenishing grove of mushrooms.
"I hope you don't mind, but we went ahead and ordered dessert. It should be here shortly. I believe Hunny-senpai ordered you some strawberries and cream."
Smiling, she said, "Thank you." Turning to the shorter blond, she repeated her thanks before focusing her attention on the others. Seeing Tamaki amidst a crop of mushrooms already, she asked, "What did you do, Kyoya?"
"What makes you think I did anything? The twins have just as much ability to send him into his corner of woe."
She shook her head and decided not to press the issue, but called out, "Tamaki-senpai, if you don't come over here and join us, you will not get to visit and who knows when we will see each other again." Just as she thought would happen, he was sitting on her other side in less than one second. Studying the room, she noticed Mori picking up a shattered vase, "What happened?"
"Tono jumped the couch and table in order to get to the door before anyone," Kaoru chortled.
The only thought in her head upon here that was she should have known. Feeling a warmth clutching her hand, she looked over and noticed Kyoya had taken possession of the appendage and she wouldn't complain. She loved the feel of his hand holding her, their fingers interlaced. It was like they were connected both emotionally and physically. A wonderful feeling to be sure.
And that feeling continued throughout the night. They only released their bond as they ate cake, and instead Kyoya shifted so that their knees were touching. As they laughed and visited, for the next couple of hours, Haruhi felt truly whole for the first time in months. She had missed Kyoya and she couldn't imagine life without him, however, she had missed her friends just as much. A conversation a week over the phone was not the same as being there in person, especially since both sides had to watch what they said. Now the walls were down and they could truly enjoy each other's company. Something had been missing for so long and she could never figure it out until this trip, this night. Her friends were part of her world, and just like she couldn't be without Kyoya, she couldn't be without the other five either. She loved them all… the Shadow King a little differently though.
As she said goodbye to everyone and Kyoya deposited her into a taxi after a very long, very nice kiss goodnight, a sense of homesickness settled into her very core. She couldn't wait to get back to Japan, couldn't wait for the day she was surrounded by her friends once again, couldn't wait for the day when she opened up completely to Kyoya. Watching her boyfriend (could she call him that now?) out the back window, she made a silent vow: never again would she let so much distance come between them. Not the physical distance, but the emotional distance. They say one doesn't know what they have until it's gone, and although Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, Mori, and Hunny had always been there in a way, in many more they hadn't because she wouldn't let them be. Now that she had spent time with them again, she realized exactly how important each and every one of them was to her… and that included Kyoya.