I wanted this to be officially the last chapter with Kenji (sorry to those of you who started to like him) and the other OCs in it but it might not be depending on the reviews I get. I hope you guys like this latest chapter and I also hope you let me know what you think so that I know what to bring in the next chapters. The coolest twist is coming up though so keep your peepers peeled!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters or locations you may recognise from the series. I own both the current character locations and the OCs but nothing else. Any resemblance to actual characters living or dead is purely coincidental.
Kenji leaned back against his car and crossed his arms waiting. He had given Haru until morning to come up with a decision. He didn't really know what to expect. He had asked a lot of her and there was a possibility she might accept him. Then again, there was the possibility she might actually care for Kyoya and thus reject him. He had thought about it all night and right then, it didn't seem like a very far-fetched idea. She was more likely to reject him, wasn't she? But they were not a couple yet. That if nothing else, gave him some hope.
Haru bit her lip and wrung her fingers nervously. She hadn't been able to sleep at all. She had been thinking very carefully about her decision and had come to the only conclusion she could. A life with Kenji would probably be the sane choice. She had turned it over in her mind since she did owe it to herself to explore her options before she made the decision. Then again, Hibari's kisses had not left her unaffected. Whether she liked it or not, he was the one she liked.
Kyoya watched Haru walk down the drive towards Kenji. His uncle didn't quite show any expression but he did raise Haru's hand to his lips to kiss it. After that, he let go of her hand and she turned and went back into the house. It was clear from Kenji's reaction that he had been rejected. The burst of joy that Kyoya felt at that realisation was quite unexpected, but now he felt something else when he looked at his uncle. He wanted to show him just what he thought about his idea of taking Haru away. Seeing as Kenji did not seem in such a hurry to leave yet, Kyoya was sure that would have been enough time to get his point across.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Ryu knocked twice on the library door and opened it. Since Kyoya was nowhere else, he was most likely in there. Sure enough, Kyoya was right there in Hibari Ryuji's favourite chair reading one of the volumes on Japanese history. It was so like him. Kyoya had always been curious about the past as a child. Ryu went to the far window and looked out at the garden.
His father had spent a fortune making that house a home for them all. Now it all belonged to Ryu and he was sure that Hibari would make it his mission to never come back to the house. Even Akino knew it and she had already expressed to Kyoya her fondest wish that he would at least bring his wife to meet her and maybe even some of his own children. Latching on the only topic of conversation he could think of, Ryu broke the silence.
"I don't like involving myself in these things but I couldn't help noticing the large bruise on Kenji's face. I'm guessing your tonfa did that..."
Hibari folded his arms and leaned back in his seat. Ryu smiled and looked at his nephew. Kyoya was the spitting image of his father. Then again, he did take after quite a few of the Hibari men. Most notable among them were Alaude who lived hundreds of years ago, and Fon who for some reason or other failed to show up even though he happened to be really close to the old man.
"You picked a good girl you know, father would be proud of you." Kyoya looked up to meet Ryu's amused gaze and finally deigned to reply.
"Your show of fatherly affection should be saved for your children. You don't have to force yourself. It's irritating," he said. Ryu simply chuckled at that.
"You misunderstand me. I'm not trying to be your father. Lord knows I could never be nor would I ever wish to be. I'm just giving you some advice before my better judgement catches up with me." Then Ryu did something Hibari never thought he would do. He patted Kyoya's shoulder once and walked out of the room, pausing at the door to add something more.
"Marry the girl, Kyoya. Show Kenji how it's done."
Hibari thought about that for a moment then a smirk formed on his face. Even though he didn't really want Ryu's advice nor did he need it, he might have been on to something. He brushed his thumb over the handle of his tonfa. He felt like sparring again. He needed a challenge. The fight with Kenji had been more than he could have hoped for. Perhaps the useless fellow was useful for something after all.
They had all been trained from the get go by Hibari Ryuji though so they were pretty good. Even so, it took a lot of discipline and practice to maintain a constant strength. He was impressed that Kenji had not quite been sitting on his laurels and letting himself get rusty all this time. If it came down to it, he could actually take good care of Haru, not that he would ever get to.
They had come to an agreement about that. Kenji had understood that Kyoya would beat the living daylights out of him if he went near Haru again. A boundary was set and the rest could be forgotten. For what it was worth, this reunion hadn't been so bad after all.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Haru was putting her things away all the while trying to push aside the thought that Hibari was mad at her. They would have to share the same car on the ride home and quite frankly, spending all that time with a livid Hibari was not her idea of a nice ride home. If it came down to it, she would much rather be riding with an angry Gokudera. With him, you always knew where the anger was coming from since he wasn't so secretive about it.
She sighed for the fifth time chewing her lip raw. Hibari would come in through that door any second now and she would have absolutely nothing to say to him. He knew she doubted, but why should she be so scared? It wasn't that he cared about her or anything... right?
Why else would he be so angry? Still, she didn't like his nonchalance. It was not comforting and she really didn't like him when he was like that. It was frustrating to have to worry so much about the one person in the world who couldn't care less.
She turned when the door opened and Hibari walked in calm as you please. Haru paused watching him walk in. He met her gaze and held it for several moments then went to get his bags and finish packing. They walked around each other in complete silence. Meanwhile, Haru's nerves were frayed and she felt like she would pop if nothing was said soon.
"Your uncles have left already? I wonder when they'll get home. Do they live so very far away? I mean, of course Katsumi-chan and Katashi-san have to since they were the last to arrive. I really hope I'll see them again. Oh! I didn't get to say goodbye to Jun-kun! Do you think they've left yet? I really need to say goodbye to him. Doesn't he remind you of Lambo a little bit? Of course he doesn't have as much hair as Lambo-kun did when he was younger but you know what I mean. I should go and see if he's left yet. We aren't leaving yet, are we? I still have a lot of packing to do...Hahi!"
Hibari took her wrist and stopped her endless rant mid-sentence. Haru barely got the chance to open her mouth again to speak when Hibari leaned in and kissed her. Haru's eyes widened a fraction then slowly fluttered shut with the constant gentle pressure of his lips on hers. Hibari's hand loosened around her wrist as he pulled away. Haru sighed feeling rather euphoric. He wouldn't have kissed her if he was still mad, but if he was, he could kiss her again. She really didn't mind.
"Be quiet Kotori," he murmured in her ear and then turned and went right back to packing. Haru watched him, his actions finally registering to her dazed mind then coming into sharp focus. With the realisation of what he had just said and done, Haru turned bright red and turned away. He had kissed her to shut her up. Well, she did tend to talk a lot when she was nervous and that kiss had calmed her down a lot.
Well, maybe she should go and see if Jun had left. That would take her mind off things a bit. She couldn't possibly do any packing now. Her mind was all over the place and nowhere at once. She left the room quickly and quietly, not sparing Hibari another glance. If she had, she would have noticed the look of amusement he had on his face. She was still the same at least. This experience hadn't changed her one bit. That was a relief.
He couldn't wait to leave this place after all. It was a good part of his past and one that he didn't quite want to let go of, but it was time to move on. He could do just fine with the city estate. He did need a place to train all the new security personnel that herbivore boss thought to bring into the family. On top of which it was very private. It would be nice to have a place he could be away from the rest of the family.
He rather liked sharing a bed with Haru so she could come with him too. He doubted she would come without a fight though. As always, she wouldn't be his Kotori otherwise.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Haru hugged Jun goodbye one last time before letting his mother lead him away. She would really miss the little guy. He had been such a little darling, as all babies should essentially be. It got her to wondering what Hibari was like as a child. She'd heard the stories from Katsumi, from Akino and even, briefly, from Ryu when he apologised to her.
It turned out that the one other girl that Kyoya had brought to the house was a girl that had been chosen for him by his grandfather. Hibari did it simply because his grandfather had asked it of him. The girl had rejected him, however, thinking he was too aloof and he had scared her. After that, the relationship was called off and he had never brought another girl to the house, saving her. It made Haru feel a little more special. She smiled remembering this.
"I know that smile isn't for me," came a voice beside her. She jumped slightly and smiled nervously at Kenji. He had a few cuts on his face and a large bruise on his cheek. Haru winced guessing she was the reason for that. He chuckled and winced himself. Some of those cuts were still raw and Akino had used a disinfectant that really stung as payback. She could be pretty mean too if she put her mind to it.
"Don't worry, it looks worse than it actually is." Haru said nothing. He turned to her and waited for her to meet his gaze.
"Are you really sure you don't want to come with me?" he asked with a teasing smile. Haru noticed he was joking and nodded. If he was joking about it now, he had already accepted it.
"You could be making a mistake you know. I'm quite the catch and I don't just give any girls the opportunity to date me. Still, if you've decided, that's that. I'm not sure I would ever heal if I pressed my luck anyway..."
He gave her one last meaningful look then shoved his hands in his pockets and walked to his car. Without a backwards glance, he got in, started the engine and drove off. Haru watched him go and she felt a little bit of regret. She was sure she had made the right decision.