Unexpected Evening
Lazily flinging open the large front door and clumsily falling against it when it was slammed shut, Hikaru ran a hand through his bangs to sweep them away from his face.
His shoulders shivered from the cold he had just gotten out of. His car had a heater, but the two minutes from turning the car off to walking to the door of the house, he had to endure the cold, even through his most expensive designer coat.
He gave a heavy sigh and stood up straight. His job was particularly busy that day, as he had to fill out countless of papers and talk to a lot of unimportant people. The fashion show was fun to work on and produce, but the work afterwards wasn't quite as fun; it was irritating.
"It's like we completely skipped over Autumn," he complained, rubbing his fingers together. "One second it's the end of summer, then it's winter the next..."
Grumbling under his breath about the weather, Hikaru looked at the maid that made that was walking past him with an armload of linens as he took off his jacket and flung it at her before she could ask to take it from him.
"I think my bones have frostbite."
The maid shook her head as she hung his coat in the closet down the hall and came back to find him stripping down his other layers.
"How was work today sir?"
"Time-consuming."
Scowling, having that his only word to describe his day. He relieved himself of the two layers of clothes he wore,and tossed them too, to the poor underpaid maid (she felt underpaid for all the stuff she put up with daily) to catch, and looked about the quiet hall suspiciously.
"It's quiet... almost eerie," he admitted, glaring. "Where's everyone?"
The children are upstairs," she said with a grimace of annoyance. "Sir, you really should consider disciplining them better - and more often - they've been running around the house destroying everything they could get their hands on since this afternoon after their nap. They make a mess, I tell them to stop, but they tell me they can do whatever they want, and don't have to listen to me, simply because I'm not their mother."
"Speaking of that," she added, with a frown. "They tell me they're hungry, but they refuse to eat anything that's cooked for them because it wasn't cooked by their mother."
Hikaru shrugged, not particularly bothered by what she said and waved his hand at her carelessly. "Let them starve, they'll come down and eat anything if they're actually hungry."
"But sir, they're-
"By the way, where's Haruhi? or no? Is she upstairs too? that must be why the kids are so quiet."
The maid sighed again. Quitting seemed very tempting to her now. "Mrs. Hitachiin hasn't come home yet, sir."
Hikaru turned around, furrowing his brow in concern, but didn't voice his thoughts. "Why not? she sent me a text... maybe she got stuck in traffic?"
"About the children-"
"Yeah, right... adequate lessons, or something for them. I don't know. They have that kind of program at Ouran for preschool.- Boring lesson they are -. I'll set something up."
"Now?"
"Eh, when I feel like it."
"That's what I thought."
Casting her a grin from the side, Hikaru licked his lips and past her, going up the stairs to look for three-fourths of his family, who was home, unfortunately, his beloved was still out apparently, and here he was hoping he was going to get warm lavishing kisses from his wife once home after a long day at work.
It was a wonder why he never got what he wanted from her. Why does she like to torture me?
Slam!
Stopping instantly at the top of the stairs, once he heard a loud slam from one of the doors in the hall. He didn't have to guess who did it, and shook his head as he continued on his way, following the strange sounds that lingered in the hallway.
He hesitated, not particularly scared of what he'd find, but he was concerned, as all the sounds seemed to be coming from his bedroom.
"Ah, Mr Hitachiin?"
Looking ahead, there was another maid who crossed his path, he sweat-dropped, seeing that some of her hair was falling out of her bun.
"Thank goodness you're home. Your-"
"My children have been a pain in the neck again? Yes, that seems to be everyone's says it's just a stage." Hikaru smirked and nodded towards the bedroom. "What'd they do now?"
"Oh no... nothing they haven't done before, but... they've locked themselves in your bedroom and they won't come out."
"Ah, they've quarantined themselves. Good."
"...They haven't come out in the last hour, sir," she looked down the hall in concern, "and they keep slamming the closet door, - or the bathroom door - I don't know which. Not that it's any of my business but what's in there that could entertain them fo so long?"
"Nothing in that bedroom could entertain any kid unless they've found that stack of magazines I've been hiding from Haruhi," he gave her a teasing look, but just received a blank stare. "You care so much for them. I should make you their full-time nanny. There's nothin' to worry about unless they've turned cannibal and have eaten one another."
"..."
Patting her on the shoulder, Hikaru walked past her with a smirk on his face and went straight to his and Haruhi's bedroom was. While he walked he pulled his phone from his pocket and flipped through his messages.
He had gotten a reply to one of his from Kaoru, and one from Tamaki, saying that Asami was staying after school later than usual and asked what he should do about a rebellious daughter, as his daughter didn't turn out well (she married a fellow rebel and had made rebel children)
He read through them, but didn't bother to reply to either of them and flipped the screen again until he found Haruhi's text message she had sent him earlier, a half an hour ago before he had gotten off work himself.
To: Hikaru
From: Haruhi
Message: On my way home, see? I didn't die.
He scowled. That was over an hour and a half ago, she should have been home by then, but she wasn't. He wasn't concerned, just perturbed. She most likely forgot something and stayed at work longer, despite her text.
Late night at work meant he'd have to deal with Haruhi with a headache and that was never fun.
Coming up to his door, he heard no sounds coming from the other side, and figured it was safe to enter, but as he put his hand on the doorknob and tried to open it, it wouldn't budge; it was locked.
He his fist impulse, he thought about knocking, but as that thought crossed his mind, he realized he shouldn't have to knock. It was his house and especially his room, so he dug his hand into his pocket for his wallet and brought out of his credit cards.
Because who magically carries a key of their own bedroom with them? Nobody!
Thrusting his card into the slit of the door and the doorframe, Hikaru wiggled it a few times until he heard a click of the door lock and instantly flung the door open. His face narrowed in a scowl.
"Mind telling me what you're doing in her? much less with the door locked?" he spoke without looking, and when he didn't get a reply, he frowned harder. "I mean it. quit trying to hide. Your mom isn't going to like what the maids say, so come out."
"We're not hiding," a small boy's voice came from somewhere in the room. He sounded irritated; sounded like Hayato.
"We just don't want to see people." Keito's huffed out next, then so did Hanako.
"The new maids are being annoying and they won't leave us alone."
"Mommies room is the only one that has a lock on it."
"...They can be annoying," Hikaru nodded in agreement and glanced around the room again. It was large and their small voices sounded muffled, bu he knew exactly where they were. A small pile of crinkled up papers were thrown at the bottom of the bed...
"But still," he muttered leaning against the doorframe. "Haruhi's going to think I tried to starve you guys."
"That maids are the one denying us food," Hayato complained. "We wanted cake for dinner buy they said no. That it would ruin our appetite."
"I think you should fire them daddy."
"Their job is to make us happy," Keito grumbled irritably. "And we haven't been very pleased."
Rolling his eyes, Hikaru stepped further into the room and walked up to the large king sized bed, until he was a merely two feet from it and pulled the blankets up and there hanging down on the floor.
"Out." He said firmly.
Scowling hard, Hayato was the first to crawl out. His orange hair was ruffled from hiding under the bed, and his shirt was wrinkled from laying on it oddly.
"Mommy home yet?"
"Nope."
Watching as the two younger ones made their way out, he dropped the blankets finally and waited until they were standing before pointing to the door. "Keep going. You've made a mess in here, what were you doing with all this paper?"
"Making airplanes." Keito piped up, dusting his pant legs as he looked at Hayato, who spoke with a low tone. "None of them flew though."
"Well... still, get downstairs and get ready for dinner." Hikaru sighed as he watched all their faces drop to irritated frowns. "Quit pouting. It mom isn't here by the time you eat, you can have ice cream with her when she does get home. Fine?"
"Fine." All three said in unison and as they all made took their slow strides to the opened door, they all mumbled quiet words under their breath to each other. As Hikaru wasn't paying close attention he could have sworn his eldest son said a suppressed curse word, but he wasn't sure.
Which, of course, was the only reason keeping from thumping his son in the head.
As the children left the room, He pulled out his phone and checked the time. Seven-thirty. He narrowed his eyes at the screen, then quickly put it back in his pocket.
The traffic he tried to convince himself. then turned and followed his little army downstairs.
Two hours later -
"We're never gonna get ice-cream."
Glaring towards the expensive darkly polished coffee table they had recently bought (due to their old one getting destroyed) Hayato sat at the end of it, beside his brother who was next to his sister. A few pieces of paper in front of them all. They were coloring imaginary pictures of creatures they thought looked like their teachers.
Hanako, looking at her father curiously, watched him flip through the latest fashion magazine when he yawned, she turned her eyes back at her paper. It was blank. "Did mommy call yet?"
Hikaru, sitting in his chair, with his elbows on his knees and his fists pressed to his lips, stared down at the floor with a perturbed look in his eyes. He hadn't said much that last hour and didn't even look his daughters way when she spoke to him.
"Mommies dead." He muttered into his balled up hands. "I called her, she didn't answer... now she's dead."
All three of them looked up at their father with a concerned frown. "Huh?"
"Thirty minutes," he said, glaring at the floor, leaning in his chair, now laying his cheek on his fist. "I'll give her the benefit of the doubt for thirty more minutes. After that, all of Japan will know that she's dead."
The kids were silent, but after a few moments, Hanako opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by her father.
"That's it... if she's not dead now, shes dead when she gets home. I'm going to kill her."
"We need a bath..." Hanako grumbled. "Unless we can stay up past our bedtime?"
"It's way past your bedtime."
Hayato pouted. "It's only nine!"
"Exactly, this night is lasting forever," Casting his eyes to the entrance to the front hall, considering the possibility his wife could be dead wasn't likely, but it was still possible. "Can't you have the maids give you a bathe? then you can go to bed."
"The maids are rough on my hair," Hanako complained as she put a hand to her head. Though Hayato's view on the idea were much different.
"I don't want them to see me naked!"
"Well learn to bathe yourselves then."
His eldest son stuck his nose up high. "You're just jealous mommy doesn't help you bathe."
"I'd rather she didn't..."
Keito opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by the phone, as it suddenly began to ring angrily against the side table their father sat by.
Before anyone could process anything, Hikaru hurriedly jumped out of his seat and grabbed it, clumsily slamming it to his face. Not even looking at the caller I.D.
"Haruhi!" he yelled into the speakers, with a slight hint of concern and irritation.
"Hikaru!"
"..."
"..."
"...Tamaki?"
"Hi~"
With his shoulders twitching in annoyance, Hikaru let out a heavy sigh and fell back into his chair. "Tono... what the hell are you calling for at this hour? do you know what time it is?"
Tamaki's voice rang happily from the other end and Hikaru suddenly felt a lot tireder than he did five minutes ago.
"Evening Hikaru," He chirped. "...Where you looking for, Haruhi?"
"Uh... yeah. Kinda waitin' for a call, you're hogging up the phone line. Whaddaya want?"
"...Is something wrong with, Haruhi?"
"No. At least I don't think so..." Hikaru's face dropped as he thought more about what he just said. "Just haven't heard from her is all... Again, what do you want? people are about to go to sleep."
He looked back at his children and glared. "In fact. They're going to bed right now."
"Oh well, Asami isn't going to bed anytime soon -she told me so- and she was just wondering if the triplets were up for a sleepover~"
"..."
"..."
"No."
"Is that what they said?"
"It's what I said. I don't feel like babysitting your kid."
"Well, then the triplets can come to the mansion~"
"They have names ya' know. And I don't want them coming home only to find them hiding and whining in the corner."
"Is that what you think of me?"
"It's just from personal experience."
Hikaru could hear Tamaki huff as if he was wrong and could tell he was about to start on a long speech about how he 'really' was in high school and, but before Hikaru was put through that torture he spoke so suddenly the blond had no time to get a word in.
"Look, I have to go. I gotta call Haruhi again. Talk to you later. Bye."
Tamaki gasped dramatically as if he was having a heart attack."You keep talking about Haruhi, how come she isn't home yet? what happened, what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong with Haruhi!"
There was a moment of silence as neither of them spoke, and just before Hikaru could press the 'end' button on their conversation, Tamaki finally continued.
"... If something is wrong Hikaru, just say it. Something wrong with her isn't there? it's late and she isn't home yet, are you worried? I'll c-"
Beep-beep-beep
Finally, Hikaru just ended the call and slumped back into his chair. His face hidden behind his head as he massaged the bridge of his nose. He let out a grow induced breath, clutching his phone in his other hand.
Looking up, he flipped through his contacts until he found Haruhi's number and called it, which would make it the fifth time he called in the last two hours.
It rang seven times before he was automatically greeted with the robotic voice message.
'the person you are trying to reach cannot get to the phone right now-'
'Why the hell not?'
Hanako looked up at her father and saw how his head was bowed and he was rubbing his temples. He looked distressed and she scowled. getting up and leaving her brothers side, she walked over across the room to him and flung herself down on his knees, laying her chin on his thigh.
"Maybe mommy fell asleep?" she suggested. "At her desk and can't hear the phone ring?"
Hikaru looked down at his daughter and sighed as he looked at her large brown eyes, not sure what to tell her. "Uh... yeah, probably."
She adjusted herself on her father's lap and laid her head against his chest, getting more comfortable. She felt tired and wanted to go to sleep right where she laid.
Keito sighed and walked to their father too, climbing onto the arm of the chair, gripping on to his father's arm, laying his head down on his shoulder. He was beginning to feel tired too, their mother usually sent them to bed before ten and it was just about ten now. He let himself yawn and ease into the warmth of his dad's shirt. His sister also looked as though she was about to doze off, but Hayato was wide awake and restless.
"Daddy?"
"What, Hayato?"
"...Did mommy call, yet?"
"Don't you think you would have heard the phone ring?"
"Daddy?"
"What Hayato?"
"I'm not tired, can we go look for mommy?"
"No."
"...Daddy?"
"Mr. Hitachiin?"
"What?" Hikaru growled just as a maid walked in, holding ta land phone. Hayato blinked, looking genuinely rejected and ignored, but his father just continued to look at the maid, who looked as though she had just been yelled at.
"Mr. Hitachiin," she repeated almost timidly, holding the cordless land phone out to him as she stood in the doorway of the hall. "You, uh... have a phone call. This man on the line... he would like to speak with you."
Hikaru sighed, and all the kids laid their heads back down. For the minute, he thought it was important, but now he remembered a male employee said he'd call later to talk about the of new fabrics from France.
He lost interest in it quickly and waved his hand to the waiting-maid. "Just tell whoever it is, that I'll just call them back tomorrow. I don't have the patience to deal with business deal right now."
The maid nodded, leaving the room to put the phone back. Only to come back not a minute later: phone still in hand.
"Mr. Hitachiin, sir. He said tomorrow would be too late, and that you'd probably prefer you speak to him now."
Hikaru raised his eyebrow. "I'd prefer?"
He glared, looking directly at the phone she held. No sound came from it. He looked down at his children, they were tired but they were awake. And they all were sitting on top of him on the limited space on the chair.
"It's ten at night, and I can't call them tomorrow? Who's on the line?"
"He uh... he won't say."
Standing up so quickly he almost sent his children to the floor. He grumbled a suppressed curse word and walked to the maid, snatching the phone from her hand. He slammed it into his own face, waving the mind away.
"Yeah, what?" he answered irritably, not understanding why the only person he actually wanted to call him, was not calling, yet everyone else on earth was. "What is so important that is couldn't wait till later? I'm busy."
"I'm sure you are Mr. Hitachiin," a dark voice came from the other side of the phone. One Hikaru didn't recognize. "But you see, it took this long to be able to get a hold of you, and you don't think either of us would be able to wait till your schedule cleared up."
Hikaru looked up to see his triplets had moved to the larger couch. He turned back around and continued. "What do you want? and I'm pretty sure I could have waited."
"Just hoping we could make a deal, with us being fabulous business owners - well at least one of us - and sorry, I would have called sooner, but I didn't know how to contact you as your number is difficult information to obtain, so I had to wait for your wife to wake up."
Hikaru froze, gripping the phone as he stared down at the floor. Wondering whether or not he heard him correctly. Maybe he meant his wife, not his wife?
Casting a quick glance to another maid who was passing by with blankets for the children, as they were on the couch, he stopped her the arm. Putting his the phone to his chest to muffle his voice, he whispered to her. "Take them upstairs. I'm going to be awhile."
Nodding, she dropped the blankets down on the closest chair and urged the children to go upstairs. Hikaru rolled his eyes towards them and shook walked around the corner to finish his conversation.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he growled into the phone, staring down angrily at the speaker. "What could you want with Haruhi, what did she do?"
"It's what you did," there was silence for a few moments before the man continued. "...You started this. I'm just borrowing her for awhile. I need her, to get to you."
Feeling his blood boil, Hikaru slammed his fist into the wall trying not to scream. "...And what do you want? money I imagine?"
"Not even close," Hikaru didn't know why, but he could almost feel the strange man on the phone grin. "All I want it the ownership of my company. You sell it back to me, and you can have your wife back... you have until noon tomorrow. I don't want to have to deal with this woman forever. She's being a pain. "
Flinging his arm out in anger, he knocked an expensive Victorian vase off its pedestal. It shattered into a million pieces as it hit the tile. "Put her on the phone."
"Hm... She's busy."
"Damn it, You touch her, I'll-"
Before Hikaru could finish, the phone call ended, leaving him in a state of rage, with tears of frustration threatening to fall.
This wasn't the evening he was expecting.