Kyandi: Hey, Kyandiacs.
Naniko: We apologize for it taking so long to get this chapter out.
Kyandi: I'm trying to get updated on all my stories, but my muse is fighting me a little.
Naniko: Her muse only wants to work on certain stories.
Kyandi: But I'm making her cooperate with me.
Naniko: And thus we have this chapter.
Kyandi: Right! So, everyone enjoy and review.
Naniko: Kyandi-sama does not own Ouran High School Host Club.
Chapter 30 Brothers
Naniko made it the next few weeks without any more run-ins with Tamanaka and his nasty band of followers. About two weeks after her birthday party, Naniko arrived late to the clubroom, finding Hunny in a fight with what looked like a student from the middle school division of the school who had a face far too similar to Hunny's for the two to be anything but related. The moment Naniko, accompanied by two girls on their way to the club, stepped into the room, Naniko had to back-pedal, ushering the girls back as Hunny went flying past them.
Curious, Naniko ushered the girls out of the room while they dealt with whatever was going on. She joined her friends as they watched Hunny and the boy fight, Hunny eventually coming out as the victor.
"Err...hey! I'm completely lost here...who is this Chika?" Haruhi finally asked.
"Ehh? Can't you tell by their faces?" Tamaki asked.
When Haruhi only gave him a questioning look, Naniko couldn't help but laugh a little, making Haruhi look at her.
"They're related, Haruhi. Brothers, right?" Naniko asked, looking at Tamaki.
"Yeah. He is Hunny-sempai's younger brother...Haninozuka Yasuchika." Tamaki replied.
"Even I could tell by looking at their faces, though, if you're looking at their statures, you would think Chika was the older brother." Naniko remarked.
A loud yell of Chika's name from behind Naniko, had the girl turning, ducking back out of the way as another boy, also wearing the middle school division uniform, came running into the clubroom looking displeased and carrying a wooden kendo sword.
"Yasuchika! How dare you skip club activities?!" he snapped, Naniko wincing as he whacked Chika with the sword.
This new boy turned out to be Mori's younger brother, Satoshi, and, where the relationship between Hunny and Chika seemed to be rocky and on edge, the relationship between Mori and Satoshi was completely different. Naniko popped up beside Mori, leaning around him to peer at Satoshi.
"So this is your younger brother?" Naniko looked from Satoshi's face to Mori's and back again. "I can definitely see the resemblance. I have a strong feeling he's going to look a lot like you when he's older. I'm Fumeiryo Naniko."
"I know who you are! A lot of girls in my class talk about you." Satoshi told her.
"Oh? I was not aware that I had fans among the middle school division, too. Then again, I do make it a point to help the middle school girls if I ever come across any in need of help, so it's not too surprising." Naniko remarked.
"You'd make a good big sister, Nani-chan!" Hunny called out to her.
"I'll never get the chance to find out, but when Ryotarou finally gets married and starts having children, I know I'm going to spoil the hell out of them." Naniko replied.
Each and every one of her friends could see that being the case. Naniko seemed like the type that would spoil her nieces and nephews only to send them home to their parents to deal with. Setting that aside, though, they all decided to clear a few things up, catching Satoshi up with what Chika was doing in the high school division.
"Oh, so that's how it is! I hadn't realized that Yasuchika had come to see his brother. I was so sure he deliberately skipped his club activities, it got me all worried." Satoshi said, embarrassed as he turned to look at the sulking and bandaged Chika. "Whoops...sorry about the bruise, Yasuchika!"
Naniko, a cup of tea in her hand, glanced over the cup at the silently sulking Chika. Looking at the two, they looked like an older Hunny and a younger Mori, but their personalities were the complete opposite of their older siblings'. It was quiet something to see and amusing to Naniko, who only shared her eyes color with her brother.
Well, that and their penchant for the color purple.
"I'm sorry for bothering you, sempai's...ah! This tea and cake are simply delicious!" Satoshi chatted easily.
"Yasuchika, would you like some cake as well?" Tamaki asked, trying to be nice.
"I dislike any sweet stuff, get it?" Chika retorted rudely to him.
Which only set off Satoshi, the boy giving his friend another whack over the head with his sword.
"How dare you disrespect your sempai in such a manner?" Satoshi told Chika.
"Hey...Satoshi...I seriously didn't mind." Tamaki tried to tell the younger boy, but Satoshi wouldn't have it.
"No way! No luxury is allowed here! For hundreds of years, we Morinozukas served the Haninozukas. As this is my sworn duty, I cannot let Yasuchika grow up as a spoilt brat! Not even if death came my way. This is only for his own sake."
"Speaking of spoilt brats...what about this one here? The Haninozuka heir?" the twins asked, gesturing to Hunny.
"Mitsukuni is okay. Because my bro never commits any errors." Satoshi retorted. "Taka is the pride of the Morinozuka family! His strength is without equal and so is his kindness. And despite this, he isn't arrogant! He is also selfless and a man of few words!"
"I thought it was because Mori-sempai didn't have much going on in his head, that he was a man of few words." Hikaru remarked.
"Isn't he thinking about food all the time?" Kaoru added.
Satoshi went on bragging about his brother, the twins growing tired of it quickly. In an attempt to damper the boy's spirit, they even added tobacco sauce to his tea, which did nothing to the boy. The whole thing made Naniko smile.
"Alright, I like this boy." Naniko remarked, grinning when the others turned to look at her. "I'll trade you Ryotarou for him, Mori-sempai."
Mori knew she was only joking. Lately, despite what she said to the contrary, Naniko had been getting along greatly with her brother. Though there were still things about him that annoyed her, she wouldn't trade him. Not that Mori would trade his brother either.
"Do you have siblings, sempai?!" Satoshi asked, turning to look at Naniko.
"Hmm? Oh, yes. I have an older brother. His name is Ryotarou." Naniko replied.
"Is he super awesome, like my big bro?!" Satoshi asked, Naniko left dumbfounded by the sparkles in his eyes.
"Uh, no. He's actually rather annoying. And persistent...and over protective...and nosy." Naniko replied, watching the sparkle diminish with each word.
"Naniko."
Haruhi's tone said it all. Naniko needed to stop teasing. Haruhi was well aware that Naniko's relationship with her brother had greatly improved and that Naniko only half meant what she had said. Shrugging her shoulders at her failed attempt, Naniko turned a smile on Satoshi.
"He's...alright, as far as big brothers go. I'm learning to take his faults with a spoonful of sugar. Unlike you and Mori-sempai, though, I've only known my brother for about two years." Naniko told Satoshi. When the boy gave her a questioning look, Naniko waved it off. "We're half siblings and I'm the daughter of a mistress. I was only brought into my father's house two years ago. Anyway, now my brother is the head of the family and I'm his heir."
"I'll tell you something," Chika said, butting into the conversation and drawing attention to him. "This raw embarrassment of a boy called Mitsukuni will never become the heir of the Haninozuka family."
Naniko frowned when she heard that. While she had been rude to her own brother and had been at odds with him for a while, Naniko had admitted her mistake and she hated seeing Chika treat his brother, who obviously loved him, so poorly.
"I wanted to talk about this earlier, but...Brother, I heard that last week the karate club requested you to attend in a joint practice with the Oyama High." Chika added, turning his eyes to his brother.
"Wasn't Oyama High the National Champion for last year?" Kyoya asked.
"Didn't we attend some of their practice sessions before?" the twins asked.
"Yup, it was so cool! Hunny-sempai was fighting a whole bunch of brutes, tearing them into pieces!" Tamaki replied.
Naniko didn't see how that was cool or fun, since she wasn't much for sports in general, but if it amused the boys than she supposed it was alright. She, personally, wouldn't be as inclined to watching something like that. While, yes, she knew how to fight and had taken a few self-defense classes, that was out of sense of self-preservation, not recreational purposes. So, in other words, not fun, but necessary.
"Why...Why do you have to be so irresponsible!?" Everyone's attention shifted back to Chika as he yelled at his brother. "Did you not quit the karate club for over a year? Even though the Haninozukas are a noble family, we have been exceptionally brilliant in martial arts. Using every kind of martial arts, we learnt and used them to create our own individual style. It hence becomes the duty of every Haninozuka male to learn karate and judo, as well as our own Haninozuka style. We are taught to fight fellow clan members whenever we meet, in a second so that we are constantly on our guard."
"Oh, I see...it's a family rule..." Haruhi whispered lowly.
One Naniko would have grown annoyed with very quickly.
"Brother, you are really very strong, but the basic principle of the Haninozuka Style is to throw away your ego and achieve selflessness! You have no right to bear the Haninozuka name...you, who have caved in to your selfish desires and have thus become corrupted! It's preposterous that you would offer to help the karate club just for fun. Let this be the last time you dishonor the name of the Haninozuka Family! Anyway, I'm warning you, Mitsukuni! Like I always say, stay away from me in scho-!"
Chika was cut off when he was suddenly seized by the back of the neck. To everyone's surprise, Naniko stood behind the boy, forcing him up out of his seat on the coach and towards the door, all the while, guiding him by the scruff of the neck. When she reached the door, she pulled it open and, with an impressive display of strength, sent Chika flying out the door.
Chika landed hard on the floor, whipping around to face Naniko and demand what she thought she was doing. He froze when he saw the stern, serious look on Naniko's face as she looked down at him.
"Go back to the middle school division. You can come back when you correct that mouth of yours." she told him sternly before turning to Satoshi. For Satoshi, she offered a sweet smile, gesturing out the door at Chika. "He's all yours, Satoshi."
Satoshi rushed after Chika, ready to drag him back to club activities, and Naniko swung the door close behind them. When the door was closed, Naniko and Haruhi both turned to Hunny.
"Hunny-sempai?" Haruhi asked.
"It's okay! It was my mistake anyways. But I guess...this means Chika really does hate me now." Hunny replied.
"I'm sure that's not the case, Hunny-sempai." Naniko replied.
All she got from him was a smile before he ran off to finish off that was left of the cake they had been eating earlier. Haruhi and Naniko watched him run off, Naniko heaving a sigh.
"This means Hunny-sempai was part of the karate club first...why did he join the host club instead?" Haruhi asked.
"If you really want to know, we have to rewind the past a little bit, Haruhi." the twins said.
"I think I'm alright without the flashback, thanks." Naniko told them, turning to walk away.
Even though she walked away, she did listen to the tale from where she sat with a book in her hands. Apparently, before Hunny had been recruited to the Host Club, he had been known as the Demon Captain of the Karate Club. There had been a lot of pressure on Hunny to live up to the family's standards, which meant denying who he really was. He had tried his hardest, working harder and harder, avoiding all the sweet things he loved.
According to the twins, Hunny continued that way until he day he met Tamaki, who told him that strength wasn't hiding one's true self in order to impress others, but rather, accepting one's self as they were. After that encounter, Hunny had quit the karate club and joined the host club, all the while, continuing his training at home.
Naniko thought it was a touching story, and that it was good that Hunny had met Tamaki, for it allowed the boy to be who he was. That being said, the current relationship between Hunny and Chika, wasn't a good one. And even though Chika had claimed the reason was that Hunny had turned his back on the Huninozuka Style, that wasn't completely true. Naniko was sure there had to be some other reason for Chika's attitude towards his brother.
And apparently, the twins agreed.
They roped Haruhi into helping them investigate the whole thing and tried to rope Naniko in, too, but the girl turned them down. Naniko was sure that they could manage to nose into the situation without her assistance. She was perfectly content to watch from the background. Despite her turning them down, though, she did follow them from a distance as they basically stalked Chika.
In the end, Chika caught them and, as their family rule insisted, he attacked Hunny, only for Satoshi to step in and stop him, pulling the boy off balance. Hunny tried to save Chika from hitting his head on the ground, but Chika only sent his smaller brother flying.
Naniko walked away shaking her head, going to fetch the nurse.
They got Hunny to the infirmary, letting the privately hired doctor take a look at him. Naniko waited outside with Haruhi and the others. Finally, Kyoya came back out.
"It seems he has a slight concussion. He'll regain consciousness soon." Kyoya told them. "Since Mori-sempai will stay by his side, I think it'd be better if we all leave."
"Oh...well, if that's the case." Tamaki reluctantly agreed before turning to where Chika and Satoshi sat across the room. "Did you hear that? It's good news isn't it, Chika?"
"I'm sorry...I..."
"Hey...you don't have to get so depressed." Tamaki told Chika as the boy spoke, his face buried in his hands.
"No...I'm such a fool..."
"That much is obvious." Naniko butted in, her arms crossed.
Chika glanced at her, his eyes instantly dropping to the floor again. It was obvious that he honestly felt bad, for he didn't say anything against Naniko's comment.
"I thought his bunny rabbit...I mean...it was so ambiguous. I...actually I...I was terrified that my brother was actually an alien from another planet." Chika admitted.
Silence stretched across the room as everyone there processed what the boy had just said. It was Naniko that broke the silence.
"My, gods, you're an idiot."
Chika became indignant at that comment, jumping to his feet.
"Didn't you guys ever wonder yourselves?! It's not just the weird moves he uses. he once ate three whole cakes by himself! And that was after a huge dinner! And just recently, I happened to wake up suddenly in the middle of the night and I noticed a light on in the dining room. He was gobbling down a cake in the middle of the night! Isn't that scary?! It's so bizarre! Is he really all that cute?! Is he really that cute?! Don't you think it's disgusting?! What do you think his bunny really is?! A cosmic radio wave receiver?! Does he use it to communicate with outer space?! Well?!" Chika ranted.
Naniko pressed finger tips into her temples, unable to believe everything that was coming out of Chika's mouth.
"Just having to look like him is terrifying enough, but you want me to smile like him too?! Are you insane?! you want me to become an airhead like that too?! Would you be satisfied if I stuck flowers in my background too?! Would that make you happy?! What do you think he got in return for agreeing to help out the karate club last week? Ice cream! The heir of the Haninozukas will do anything for ice cream! Ahahaha! Well isn't that just swell?! Let me at him! Can I really strangle him this time? Can I-"
Chika was cut off as Naniko suddenly stepped forward and...slapped him across the face.
Chika was so taken by surprise that all he could was stand there, his cheek stinging horribly. The others were surprised too, watching with hanging jaws as Naniko's hands went to her hips. When Chika finally turned his eyes back to Naniko, he could see the displeasure on her face.
"Sit, now." she ordered.
A little afraid to disobey Naniko when she used a voice that reminded him of a stern mother and risk finding out what she would do, Chika dropped back into his seat as he was told. Naniko heaved another sigh, pressing finger tips into her temples once more. She was obviously annoyed.
"You remind me so much of myself when I first came to live in my father's house, that it painful to watch." Naniko remarked.
"I apologize for him. I've told him countless times...this isn't really something to get so worked up over, is it?" Satoshi remarked. "Yasuchika has a bit of an overly nervous constitution, you see. What's the big deal about eating a whole cake? Personally I've eaten two at a go myself...they weren't all that sweet though."
"Shaddup! You have no sense of taste!" Chika snapped, jumping to his feet.
"I said sit!" At Naniko's snap, Chika quickly dropped back into his chair. "Honestly. This whole thing is completely blown out of proportion."
Chika couldn't argue with her on that. Not that Naniko would have let him.
"But even so...we used to be really close. My brother still had a sweeter tooth than most and he did love cute things, but there was a time when he decided to turn away from all that. But then, some busybody had to step in and interfere and told him that recognizing your true self is a form of strength too, and in one fell swoop, he completely lost his focus and became the alien he is now." Chika said, burying his face in his hands once more.
Everyone knew who the "busybody" Chika mentioned was, and all eyes turned to Tamaki. While the others gave Tamaki a hard time, Naniko turned to Chika, crouching in front of him to put their eyes almost on eye level.
"Yasuchika, I want you to listen to me real close." Chika raised his face up out of his hands to look Naniko in the eye. "Regardless of what you think your brother is, he is still your brother. Take it from someone who has had to learn the hard way...you don't want to treat your brother the way you are now and then, some day, have him vanish from your life. You'll spend the rest of your life regretting your actions and wishing you could take it all back. I can understand your frustration, with your brother suddenly changing like that, but as his brother, you should be happy that he's happy, just as he is for you. Working yourself up like this, damaging the relationship between the two of you...nothing is worth that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Hunny-sempai and his love of cute and sweet things, just as there is nothing wrong with being just a little bit like him. You're siblings, so there's bound to be a few similarities between the two of you. You shouldn't care so much what other people think. My brother and I don't, and now that I've let go of my petty differences, our relationship is better for it. Take the advice of your sempai, and do the same."
Seeing the amount of character development in Naniko, almost brought tears to some of her friends' eyes, making the girl give them a put-out look over her shoulder.
"Naniko! You're growing up!" the twins cheered.
"Yeah? Now if only you two would do the same." Naniko retorted, turning back to Chika while the twins pouted. "You need to work this out with your brother, do you hear me?"
Chika looked away from her, his expression tell her that he didn't think there was a solution to the whole matter.
"There is a solution." Hearing Mori's voice, everyone turned to find Mori standing there with Hunny at his side.
"Hunny-sempai."
"Chika...I heard what you said...I'm sorry for everything. I never thought you hated sweet things that much." Naniko heaved another sigh. It seemed both brothers were dense. "But, even if I were to listen to you and live up to your expectations of me, it would still be pretty awkward between us, wouldn't it? And I'm really grateful to Tama-chan, because I don't think I'd have been able to change myself so easily...that's why, let's take this outside, Yasuchika, and put an end to all this the Haninozuka way."
While Naniko wanted to throw her hands up in the air, she knew that everyone handled things differently and that this was just how the Haninozuka brothers dealt with things. With that in mind, they could themselves a quiet hill on the school grounds for Hunny and Chika and carry out their fight. The two agreed on a one round match. If Hunny won, Chika would leave him alone about his sweets intake. If Chika won, Hunny would cut down on sweets and would stop eating cake in the middle of the night.
In Naniko's opinion, Chika could have demanded more from Hunny than just that, but it wasn't her fight.
In the process of the fight, it became apparent that, during all their previous fights, Chika had been copying Hunny's moves, with Hunny then creating ways in the next fight for Chika to implement those new moves.
"Even though he called Mitsukuni an alien, when it comes to martial arts, he truly respects Mitsukuni and clearly wishes to learn from him. Though they can't see eye to eye on most things...they still connect on the things that matter the most. Between brothers...that's enough, isn't it? That's what I think anyway." Mori remarked. "What's more...don't worry about the outcome of the fight. Mitsukuni will probably let Yasuchika have the win."
Naniko glanced up at Mori, her thoughts circling around what he said.
If she was being honest with herself, what he said could apply to siblings in general, not just brothers. It could even apply to her and Ryotarou. While the two of them didn't really see eye to eye, and that lead to arguments frequently, when it came down to it, they were siblings and should love each other. Naniko knew he loved her, and, though she didn't want to admit it out loud, she cared about him too.
Perhaps it was time to start really showing that.
Naniko was snapped out of her thoughts as, contrary to what Mori predicted, Hunny knocked his brother flat out, taking the victory.
"So his love for cake supersedes his love for his brother." Haruhi remarked.
"You know, after so long of being apart of this club, I can't really say that I'm surprised." Naniko added.
Despite the fact that Hunny prioritized cake over his brother, he did show that he was, in fact, a big brother, by encouraging Chika and praising him. Which made Chika light up...for the span of five seconds. Then the boy shook it off, going back to his usual snippy attitude, Chika storming off after promising that he would win the next time.
"He is such a tsundere." Naniko remarked, shaking her head.
Naniko walked away, happy to put an end to the whole weirdness of the Huninozuka brothers. Now things could go back to the way they had been before.
That being said...it was now firmly etched into everyone's mind that Hunny might very well be an alien.
-0-0-0-0-
That night, when Naniko got home from school, she inquired of her family's butler where her brother was. When he answered that Ryotarou was in the sun room of Sezusa's wing. Though Naniko really hated butting in on their time together, she knew she needed to work on her relationship with Sezusa, too, so Naniko sucked it up and made her way to Sezusa's wing.
The door was open when she reached it, and she could hear Sezusa and Ryotarou speaking in the room beyond. Sezusa was just laughing when Naniko stepped up into the doorway and knocked. Ryotarou and Sezusa looked up, surprise coloring their expressions when they say Naniko standing there.
"Oh, Naniko! Welcome home." Ryotarou greeted.
"Did you need something, dear?" Sezusa asked.
"Umm..."
Naniko trailed off, her mouth twisting as her eyes drifted away from the two of them. She didn't really even know how to go about this, but it was something that needed to be done. She couldn't leave things as they were. Ryotarou, though, who was now always jumpy after Naniko had told him of the rape, took her silence to mean something bad and rose to his feet in a hurry.
"Did something happen, Naniko?" he demanded.
Naniko shook her head, quickly dispelling his worries.
"No, it's not that. I just...I wondered if maybe...would you two...like to go to dinner with me?"
As a shocked silence filled the room, Naniko could feel her face burn in embarrassment. Normally, if Naniko ate with them, then it was at home where she could sit at the opposite end of a long table from the two, or where they were out of the public eye. That she wanted to go out to eat with them was a big step for her.
Naniko just wished they would say something already.
"Naniko...are you serious?" Ryotarou asked.
"Yes. And maybe...we could go see that new play Sezusa's been wanting to see?"
A gasp from Sezusa had Naniko peeking up just in time for the woman to throw herself at Naniko. Taking by surprise, Naniko barely caught herself, keeping her and her step-mother from hitting the ground. Had it been just a few weeks before, Naniko would have snapped at Sezusa for hugging her, would have shoved her away, but Naniko didn't this time.
Naniko had forgotten what it felt like to be held with motherly love.
For a moment, she allowed herself to sink into the hug, to just bask in the warmth of it. Eventually, though, she had to pull away. She didn't want to come off clingy and needy. Clearing her throat, she asked Sezusa to release her. Sezusa did just that, stepping back to give Naniko the biggest, most tear-filled smile she had ever seen.
"Yes! Yes, I would love that!" Sezusa gasped.
"What brought this about?" Ryotarou asked, stepping up beside his mother.
"You see...Hunny-sempai and his younger brother have been fighting recently. Watching them make-up, made me realize how much I've missed out on constantly being cranky and angry. I want...I want to make things better...between us..."
Naniko cursed herself for she was looking at the ground again. She had grown so use to never having to make an effort with anyone, never needing or wanting anything from anyone, that to try to change it now...she was just awkward.
It only made it worse for her when Sezusa seized her in another hug. Naniko was getting so flustered, she was ready to just run back to her room and hide under her bed, but then she caught the smile on Ryotarou's face as he watched the two of them and the urge to run drained away from her. Sezusa released her then, wiping at her eyes.
"Alright! Let's go get you changed and then we'll head out! Oh! I have the perfect dress for you! Stay right here and I'll go fetch it."
Naniko couldn't say anything before Sezusa rushed out of the room, already calling to her maid. Heaving a silent sigh, Naniko turned to look at Ryotarou, who was still smiling at her.
Might as well get this over with.
"Listen, Ryotarou, I'm...I'm sorry, you know, for being so..."
"It's alright, Naniko." Ryotarou stepped up to her, pulling her into a hug. "You don't have to apologize. After all you've been through, I can understand your need to protect your heart. I just want you to know that Mother and I...we do love you. While we appreciate the effort, we want you to take your time. We'll always be here."
"Even when I screw up and become cranky?" Naniko asked.
She felt Ryotarou's chuckle vibrate through his chest as he gave her an extra squeeze.
"Even when you screw up and become cranky. We're family, Naniko, and I intend to make up for Father's mistakes. You just have to let me."
Naniko couldn't even begin to describe how happy that made her. While part of her was screaming at her to crush the hope that was blooming in her chest in order to protect herself, Naniko wanted, for the first time in a long time, to trust that feeling. So she let herself sink into her brother's hug, letting her guards down for once for someone other than Haruhi.
She just hoped it didn't backfire on her again.
END
Kyandi: You really aren't an overly affectionate person, are you?
Naniko: It's awkward with that woman.
Kyandi: I can understand that. After all, you are the proof that her husband was unfaithful.
Naniko: If you know this, then why do you write these things?!
Kyandi: Because it makes for a better story.
Naniko: I don't understand you.
Kyandi: Yeah, that's how it's suppose to be. Anyway, I have another story to update.
Naniko: Yeah, sure. Ignore my plight.
Kyandi: It's not a plight for someone to want to love you. Anyway, while she works through her issues...
Naniko: Hey!
Kyandi: Everyone, please enjoy and review.
Naniko: Oh, fine! We'll return as soon as possible.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!
