A/N: If there is an assumption you have been hoping to see and have not seen it yet, let me know in pm or review. We are about to start wrapping up this story and I want to be sure I include any and all assumptions. Enjoy the new chapter!
FYI… I have found confirmation, but have not been able to find any info. I don't know that I will believe it until more info is found, however, I thought I would pass this tidbit on… Ouran is supposedly getting a second season and it is supposed to be released next year.
Chapter 35 – Summer Vacation Surprise
A few months after Chika and Satoshi graduated from high school, the hosts found themselves once again on a beach in Okinawa… well, it was more like Chika and Haruhi also found themselves on the beach because they had been kidnapped yet again. The female host had long ago lost count on how many times she had been abducted because between Lobelia and the Host Club, it was a toss-up as to who was more determined to get their way, never taking no for an answer. In fact, most of the time there was no discussion: it was grab and go.
And thus, the hero and heroine of our story… I mean Haruhi and Chika reluctantly exited the house and made their way down to the beach both thankful that this time only the Host Club had been invited. They didn't have to service customers, didn't have to listen to girls throwing themselves at the men, and Haruhi did not have to watch other girls attempt to flirt with her fiancée; although she was understanding of the situation, it was also a little annoying to have to witness it in person – especially with the whole Kame situation still fresh in her mind (maybe that is why the girls weren't invited in the first place).
Descending the staircase onto the beach, the couple walked hand in hand, both deciding to release their cares into the wind and enjoy the trip their friends had so meticulously planned. Ok, it was probably Kyoya only, but Tamaki probably gave him the idea while the others begged until he gave in. Regardless of how it happened, they were there together, even if it was with a contingent of chaperones.
The sand sank under their feet, pushing up between their toes as they walked towards the others. They had just arrived that afternoon and Tamaki had announced they would all meet down at the beach in an hour, which caused all but Mori and Kyoya to sweat drop because if the blond was planning something, it could very well be dangerous. Squeezing his fiancée's hand, Chika noticed everyone had arrived before them, and he couldn't bring himself to care. He had been waiting for Haruhi outside of her room, which Kyoya placed on the opposite side of the house from his, and when she stepped out wearing the white two piece and a sarong, he almost had a nose bleed. Fighting the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her was impossible to ignore, so he did just that. This was the woman he would be spending the rest of his life with and he couldn't wait to speak his vows in six months; and therefore, if the others had to wait a little longer for them, then so be it. As it was, the couple could probably proclaim a miracle had happened when Tamaki and the twins didn't attempt to pull her out of her room and drag her down to the beach, but that might have had something to do with Hunny. Mori, and Satoshi dragging them outside before they could even think about making a beeline for the brunette's room.
Closer and closer they got to the group and one by one, the others noticed the couple walked towards them; and then the couple watched on in what could be described as almost delight as Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki's jaws dropped. Haruhi knew what the trio was seeing: Chika's bare shoulders were covered in ink. Swallowing her laughter, she grinned widely as she said, "Ok. Tamaki-senpai, we're here. What's this big surprise?"
Tamaki shook himself out of his trance and plastered on a blinding smile, "My dear, we are here…" His voice trailed off as his eyes landed once again on Chika's shoulders. He was sure the younger man didn't have those at graduation… almost positive. Didn't they go for a midnight swim after the party?
"Tamaki-senpai?" Satoshi nudged the blond. He also found the reaction almost comical. When his cousin told him what he had planned to do, he had supported him 100% and after asking Kassanoda who to call, they arranged the appointment. It took several hours to do both shoulders, but he had to say, the artwork was a masterpiece. It had taken some work to garner the permission from the Haninozuka patriarch since tattoos are typically associated with the yakuza, however, Chika had been determined and had won the argument in the end.
Blinking, the blond shook his head and opened his mouth to begin again when something else popped out, "What is the meaning of this? Have you decided to join the yakuza? Oh no, my precious daughter married to a degenerate." His inner mind theatre took over and soon he was clutching his head and screaming as he fell onto his knees upon the sand.
"Hey boss. Remember at the beginning of the school year…" Kaoru offered the small reminder.
Hikaru understood where his brother was going with this and added, "That's right. Haruhi had a henna tattoo on her back. It was fake."
"That's right. She said Yasuchika got henna tattoos also."
"We're sure they're fake also!" The twins proclaimed together.
"The coloring is different," Kyoya remarked. "Typically with henna, the colors come across as slightly muted, much like an older tattoo would look. This is different. These colors are bold, the lining is sharp, and the skin is slightly raised."
Haruhi didn't want to know how Kyoya knew the skin was slightly raised when he was standing ten feet away. Sharp eyesight was one thing, but this went beyond that. Did he have binoculars for lenses? Was he human? She could go on and on, however, instead of assuming something or getting carried away, she decided to not ponder it at all.
"No…. no, no, no, no! Hikaru and Kaoru must be right. They have to be fake, mommy! See, I'll show you!" Tamaki ran up to Chika with his towel and tried to rub the ink off, however, even up close he could see the raised skin.
"Will you get off of me?! Even if it was henna, rubbing it like that would not make it go away!" Chika barked pushing the other man away from him.
"Come on. Jokes over. Their fake… right?" Hikaru asked, his uncertainty more than evident in his voice.
"No, both of them are quite real. I got them a week after graduation." On one arm were two roses, a red and green rose to symbolize him and Haruhi; and on the other arm were the words, "Always be true to yourself". It was a reminder of the lesson he learned not long after he met the woman who would forever steal his heart; a lesson he would never forget. These were the same tattoos he had gotten before the school year started, and while he had never considered getting a tattoo before that, after he had them, he wanted to make them permanent.
"B-b-but why? A gentleman should never…" Tamaki was interrupted before he could continue.
"Just because I got a couple of tattoos, does not mean I have suddenly had a personality transplant! I am still the same person I was before I got them, and frankly I don't care what you or anyone else thinks. The only one I ever care about impressing is Haruhi."
All eyes turned towards the brunette, and the former president tried to persuade her that the tattoos were bad, "Daughter, you don't like them. Right? You think they're bad, don't you?"
"Actually, I kind of like them. When we did the henna tattoos, I told him that I really liked the tattoos on him. Besides, what can he do about them now? He already got them and they're permanent. The laser thing leaves scars and sometimes not all of the ink will come out."
"Mommy! Did you hear what she said?"
Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya nodded, "I heard and this is their choice. It isn't like he will be sleeveless when he attends formal functions and such."
"You like them?" The twins gasped. They never knew Haruhi liked stuff like that.
"Not on everyone, but they look good on Chika and the artist did a great job. He asked me what I thought before he did it, and I told him if he wanted them to go for it."
The trio sweat dropped again.
Hunny shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Tama-Chan, don't you think they look cool? I think you're over-reacting. It isn't like you have to live with them the rest of your life. Only Haru-Chan and Chika-Chan!"
"He's right, Tamaki," Mori stated giving his support to his younger cousin.
It was easy to see that the blond was on the losing side of this fight, not that there was much of a fight to begin with. Clearing his throat, Tamaki dusted off any sand that might be on him and declared, "Fine, but don't come crying to me when you aren't allowed into the public baths!"
"Why would I go to a public bathhouse?" Chika queried.
"Because the commoners love it and I was hoping we could all experience it one day!"
"Why? Haruhi wouldn't be there? She would be in a different part of the baths."
"Fine, then don't come crying to me when you aren't allowed at an onsen!"
"My family owns one in Hokkaido. I think I will be alright going there, especially since Haruhi and I would probably use the private baths. And just so you know, not all onsens ban tattoos." Tamaki was grasping at straws and they all knew it. While it was true that most public baths banned anyone with a tattoo from entering because of tattoos affiliation with the yakuza and some onsens had the same rules, Chika didn't feel that those were something that would affect him too much, and if it did, he was able to adapt.
"Y-You and Haruhi… private… bath… alone…" It was too much for Tamaki to take it and there was a mini explosion heard on the beach. Smoke rose out of his head as he collapsed in the sand once again.
Snickering, the twins said, "I think Yasuchika broke Tono."
"Well, since it appears our fearless leader is incapacitated for the moment, everyone is free to do what they want for now. Shall we enjoy our vacation?" Kyoya announced before asking, "Mori-senpai, can you please carry Tamaki over to the beach chair with the umbrella? Who knows how long that idiot will be out."
It took a couple of hours, but the princely type finally woke up screaming as if someone were attempting to murder him, "MOMMY! MOMMY! I dreamed Yasuchika got tattoos, and he and our precious little girl entered the yakuza where they were bathing alone… together!"
"I don't see as how that is any shock considering they will be married in December. What did you think they were going to do? Remain celibate the rest of their lives?" The way the blonde's jaw snapped shut with an audible clack told Kyoya that Tamaki hadn't thought about what would happen after the wedding, either that or he had believed they would be celibate during their marriage, which was kind of funny considering how many times he had accused the couple of having pre-marital relations and/or being pregnant. Shaking his head, he stated, "I recommend you get over it quickly. They will be married and they will have relations which will no doubt result in children. Now, you can either tell us what this big surprise is, or since the sun is starting to set, we can go up to the house and start preparing for dinner. I believe the cook is making crab tonight… I just hope Haruhi doesn't over indulge herself again."
Looking around, Tamaki asked, "Where is everyone?"
"Hunny and Haruhi are digging for shells, Yasuchika and Mori are watching over them, and the twins are playing Satoshi in beach volleyball. Currently the score is 9-4 in favor of Satoshi. Considering the Morinozuka and Haninozuka are more athletic than Hikaru and Kaoru, it doesn't surprise me."
"So everyone is still on the beach?" Tamaki almost expected everyone to head back to the house.
"Yes. They were not sure how long you would be unconscious, so they decided remaining on the beach would be more prudent." Add that to the fact that Kyoya "recommended" they stay, and no one returned to the house. "Shall we call them together so that you can impart your surprise?"
Jumping up excitedly, the blond nodded so much his head might actually detach from his neck, "YES!" However, no one had to call the others as everyone had heard Tamaki wake up, and he soon found all of his closest friends surrounding his beach chair. He flipped his hair back and brought more light to the beach than the waning sun and announced, "I have planned the best surprise ever!"
"And what would that be, Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi questioned already dreading what he would say.
"Well, they are having a festival right now, and while we can't go today any longer, we will be going tomorrow!"
"That's it?" Hikaru deadpanned.
Kaoru commented, "We thought it would be something more…"
"Fun!" The twins said at the same time sending the older man hurdling back from the shock.
"So what's in the box, Tama-Chan? If the festival is the surprise, why did you bring a crate to the beach?" Hunny inquired.
Tamaki snapped his fingers as if he had forgotten all about the large crate he had hauled down to the sand, "That, my dear Hunny-senpai, is the other part of the surprise. We will create our own fireworks show! I heard that the commoners love to light their own fireworks instead of paying someone to do it. So I loaded that crate with all the fireworks we could ever want and we will set them off ourselves!"
Haruhi and Chika looked nervously at each other. Mori, Satoshi, Hunny, and Kyoya would probably be fine with fire, however, trusting Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru with even a small flame could be disastrous. Leaning close, the younger man whispered in his fiancée's ear, "At least we have plenty of water. Let's just make sure they point everything away from the house."
"Agreed," she whispered back.
All in all, nothing was set on fire, Tamaki one got burned twice, and the hosts really did have a lot of fun with the massive amounts of fireworks their leader had brought. Sometimes he really did have some good ideas after all.
A/N2: for those curious, in Japan tattoos are associated with the yakuza and so if you have one, many public bathing places and onsens do not allow you to enter. More and more people not associated with the yakuza are getting tattoos and some places are changing the rules, but they still have a negative connotation in Japan. I guess that would leave me out since I have tats myself. LOL.