It's so good to be back home. Well…Here home anyway. As fucking wonderful as it was being back in New York for a while, nothing beats a bowl of ramen from the ramen shop. I wasn't sure if it was the sentimentality of it or I was just a soft bitch for getting shit from the source. Probably a little bit of both, if we're being honest here. And who better to take with me (other than Ritsu. Because we all know I love coming home after a long day at the host club to my man and a bowl of ramen.) than my second best friend in the whole wide world? Besides, Haruhi earned it, too. Fuck it! And dumplings! Why? Because I'm the one who invited her. Damn right, she's getting dumplings.
After we got nestled into our booth (well…My booth. Ritsu wasn't here or it'd be our booth.), Haruhi made herself comfortable, undoing her uniform blazer, "This was really nice of you, Rei. You didn't have to invite me out like this."
"Shut up," I settled her, "You deserve a night off, too, Haruhi. I know how fucking exhausting those boys can be. We earned this."
"And…" she wondered, "Since it's just the two of us, can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead," I kicked my feet up on my side of the booth, "What's on your mind? Ask me anything you want. Nothing's off limits."
"Why did you really have this sudden change?" Haruhi sipped on her lemonade, "Not that I'm judging or anything. Just more or less curious. When we first met, you looked like you'd stab someone for looking at you wrong."
"Damn near did," I giggled, remembering that one time when I thought my future boyfriend was just some random asshole in the hallway wanting to pick a fight with the bitch that brought Mori down, "But not what you asked. Don't get me wrong. I'd still shank a motherfucker for looking at me wrong. Just because I'm a cute little thing on the outside doesn't mean I'm not still a bad bitch on the inside. I forgot how much I liked being the cute little thing on the outside. My grandma kind of had a hand in that."
"Which…"
"Not the fucking bitch you met," I clarified, calming myself down almost immediately, "No. My dad's mom. Mi Abuelita. As far as I'm concerned, she's the only grandma I got. But New York did a bit of a number on me. And I kind of like it."
"I can tell," Haruhi awed, "I saw the pictures."
"Oh, god, the pictures," I held my face in my hands, hiding a little smile, "The pictures that wouldn't let my phone shut the fuck up for three days straight."
"Your phone?" she glared a hole through me, "You think your phone was stupid for a while? I'm in that group chat, thank you very much. I had to deal with not only Hikaru and Kaoru trying to attempt something similar with me, but to hear Tamaki-senpai just…GUSH over you…It was nauseating."
"Jealous, were we?" I teased, knowing damn well that something was going on with those two. It had to be!
"It wasn't jealousy," Haruhi explained, "It was exhaustion. I knew that's all that adventure would be. I'd need more than just a good night's sleep after. Especially when Tamaki-senpai teams up with Hikaru and Kaoru. It's a nightmare."
"I've been on the receiving end of those three, too, Haruhi," I pointed out, "I know that kind of exhaustion. But nothing a little coffee doesn't fix. The good shit. Not the garbage you guys serve at the host club."
"What's so bad about instant coffee?" she scoffed, "Isn't it all the same?"
If I didn't know any better, I'd think my best friend just ran a knife in my heart, "Oh, Haruhi, Haruhi, Haruhi…No, no, no, honey…It is NOT all the same. Different coffees have different flavors. You have instant coffee, whose flavor is the inside out asshole of Satan himself. Then, you have a light roast, which does in a pinch. Medium roast is a bit stronger and it's ok for when you feel like drinking a shit ton of coffee in one sitting. I'd do a medium roast for desserts. A little bit of sponge cake? Some whipped cream? Holy fuck, it's a magical combination. But then…When you're in need of a slap to the face, go with the dark roast or the extra dark roast. Those do it. Those make the world go 'round."
"You know more about coffee than one person has the right to," Haruhi jabbed.
"I haven't even mentioned espresso yet," I swooned, "Or the regional roasts. Italian roast? Oh my sweet fucking lord…"
"We're getting off topic," she brought us back, "The pictures. What was the occasion you were…?"
"An absolute fucking smoke show?" No sense in beating around the bush. Let's call it like it is, "It was my sixteenth birthday party. That was a fun night."
"And we missed it?" Haruhi awed, "Why didn't you say something, Rei? We would've gone."
"Trust me," I settled her, "That was for the best. I don't need you and the boys getting tangled up in my family."
"Why?" she wondered.
"Because," I bit the inside of my cheek. This was going to come eventually, "If I tell you, do you promise me that we can still be friends and you won't lose your shit?"
"Promise," Haruhi nodded, "Besides, it's just me."
"Ever wonder how Ritsu and I clicked so well and so quickly?" I did all I could to keep my heart in my chest.
"I thought it was your generally brash personality," she shrugged, "But stranger things have happened."
"He and I have more in common than you know," I winced, "Only one person in the host club knows about this, so if we could keep it between us…"
"Of course," Haruhi swore, "Just tell me, Rei. It can't be that bad."
"I've lost friends over this once before, Haruhi," I jumped on the defensive, "Call me a soft bitch, but I like you and I'd rather not scare someone else away. That's been a major bonus about being here. Being in Japan has been the first time in my life where I wasn't just Francisco Mendoza's daughter and I could just be me. Where I was more than just a name."
"We're not going to abandon you, Rei," she took my hand, "That's not how we work. If we can still let Kasanoda through our doors, we're not kicking you out. I have a feeling I know what your big secret is and it's ok. I'm not afraid of you. Only your occasional temper flaring up. I've seen what it can do and I'd rather not be in that position."
I slid to the other side of the booth and hugged her tight, trying my fucking hardest not to start bawling in this ramen shop, "Thank you, Haruhi. No one's ever told me that before. And I'm kind of glad you're not leaving me just because I'm…"
"Of course not," Haruhi held me a little tighter, "Not happening. So, you're your own version of yakuza…"
"We call it mafia back home," I clarified, "But nonetheless."
"Really?" she wondered, "You've lost friends over that?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "It's hell. Usually, it was a kindergarten thing. Parents find out their kid made a new friend and they're thrilled. They find out it's me and their blood goes cold."
"That's awful," Haruhi cringed, "Why would someone do that to a little kid?"
"People are fucked up," I brushed her off, "But not all of them are fucked up. Sometimes, it takes a while before we find the kids that are cool with hanging with a mafia baby like myself. One day, when I'm running the syndicate back home…"
"When you what?" her eyes doubled in size.
"Yeah," I bit my bottom lip, "I'm kind of pegged to take over one day. Daddy's not just part of it. He's the biggest mafia boss in New York."
"And that's the guy I bumped into…"
"Yep. That's Daddy."
"Oh my god…" Haruhi took a few deep breaths, getting her head back on her shoulders, "You're…You're not just mafia, but top level?"
"Oh, yeah," I beamed, brimming with pride, "Once I graduate high school, I'm going to have New York City eating out of the palm of my hand. But my tattoo on my hand…Ever wonder what it means?"
"Just thought you were into card games," she assumed.
"No, no, no," I shook my head, "It's my nickname back home. Whenever Daddy has someone that needs to…Be handled. And not in a nice, delicate way, I take care of whatever prick made the grave mistake of fucking us over that week."
"And how do you do it?"
"Beat the shit out of him with a baseball bat," I explained, "I've never killed anyone."
"That explains why you take kendo," Haruhi laughed nervously, "And why you could take down Mori-senpai."
"My uncle always said it was prison rules," I remembered, "Take out the biggest motherfucker in the room and no one's making you their bitch. It's too bad Mori had to be that guy. But he did lead me to you guys, so I guess I can't be too upset."
"You know, Rei," she let out a heavy sigh, "We really should do this more often."
"Absolutely," I insisted, "How about we make this a once a week thing? After the host club, when the boys have been an incredible pain in our asses, we can come to the ramen shop and vent. That's kind of how Ritsu and I started coming here."
"Really?" Haruhi asked.
"Yeah," I smiled a little, "Well, I started coming here first. Then, Ritsu came in here and did my calculus homework for me. Then, we started making it a regular thing. Next thing we knew, we were officially dating, so the ramen shop just became a regular part of our evening routine. We come here, bullshit about anything bothering us or anything on our minds or absolutely nothing at all, and he takes me home. Sometimes, he comes with me. Sometimes, he just goes back to the compound. Sometimes, we end up on the roof of my building and see the sunrise. It's magical, Haruhi. It really is."
"I never expected Kasanoda to be the type," she admitted, "But I'm glad he's got you. He seems…I don't know. More approachable these days."
"That's because his girlfriend pulled the stick out of his ass," I joked, "But all in all, I see where you're coming from. I didn't think Ritsu and I would ever end up this close, but fuck, I'm glad we are."
Ring, ring!
"Hold on," Haruhi checked her phone, "I need to take this. Do you mind?"
"Not at all," I allowed, "Go ahead."
"Thank you," she ran her finger across her phone screen, "Hi, Dad…Yeah, I did stay out a little later than normal. I'm having ramen with a friend tonight. It was kind of a last minute thing…No, it's not Tamaki-senpai…Promise…I know he's not the brightest bulb in the box sometimes, but…Yeah. I know. I'll be home before you leave for work…Love you, too."
"Sounds like someone's worried," I figured as Haruhi shoved her phone back in her pocket, "You need to get home?"
"Before eight," Haruhi filled me in, quickly gathering her things, "Sorry, Rei, but I have to go."
"That's fine," I let her go, "It's not like I'm holding you against your will, Haruhi. I might be part of the host club, but I'm not that part of the host club."
"I know," she giggled a bit, "I'll see you later, Rei."
"Send your dad my love and my apologies," I shipped Haruhi off to her dad and finished my own ramen bowl. Maybe I should call my own dad and check in. I mean, it's been a couple days since I last talked to him and I miss the shit out of him, but he's got a city to run. Seriously, Rei? You know damn well he'd drop the whole fucking world for you. I'll call him before I go to bed tonight. For now, I wanted to head home.
It's not like it's all that far. It's just down the road. When I got to my elevator, I had a sudden realization. I was in here alone. It's weird taking the elevator up and not having Ritsu attached to my face. I could always invite him over, though. It's not like I didn't have him on speed dial. Yet again, someone else who would move mountains just to see me. I really am a lucky bitch deep down inside. My friends who love me unconditionally, my boyfriend who worships the ground I walk on (of his own volition), and my Daddy who's just a phone call away. Not to mention, my beautiful penthouse in Tokyo. I had zero room to ever complain.
However, when I walked into my penthouse, something felt strange. Kind of like when Roy decided to surprise the shit out of me when Ritsu and I came back from the airport. Instead of him hiding excited giggles behind the island in my kitchen, I heard heavy breathing coming from my living room couch. Out of sheer instinct, I made sure my knife was in my hand. I don't remember letting anyone in here. I know I let Roy keep his key, but he knows better than to hide out in here.
False alarm. Everything was cool. Not Roy. Not someone who broke in. Instead, I found Ritsu completely catatonic on my couch. The poor thing looked like he just walked in on his grandma in the bathtub. Of course, me being the concerned bitch I was, I took a seat next to him, approaching him gently. God knows how long he's been like this or what kind of state he was in. I kept my voice down, so I didn't scare the shit out of him, "Ritsu…? Are you ok?"
Nothing. Not a single peep. Not a little wave to say hi. Not even acknowledging my existence. Normally, I would've called this rude, but something wasn't right. I gave him a little nudge, "Ritsu? Talk to me, baby…What is it?"
Still nothing. Fortunately, this isn't the first time I've dealt with this. I took his hand into mine, "One tap for yes. Two taps for no, ok?"
Tap.
"Are you ok?"
Tap, tap.
"Is it bad?"
Tap, tap.
That's comforting, "Is it good?"
Tap, tap.
"Wait," I thought it over, "It's not bad, but it's not good either?"
Tap.
"Alright." My boyfriend was in emotional distress. I wasn't going to push him, "Is it life threatening?"
Tap, tap.
Good…That's really comforting, "Do you need me to get you something?"
"No," Ritsu finally spoke, setting me even more at ease, "I still can't believe it myself."
"What happened?" I worried, still keeping a hold on his hand.
"I just got a phone call," he explained, "from the last person I thought would ever call me."
"Was it your dad?" I assumed.
"No," Ritsu shook his head, his voice breaking a little.
"It's ok," I settled him, "Take your time."
"It's…" In the six months Ritsu and I had been dating, I had never seen him properly break down. Yeah, I've seen him get pissed off, but he also has a hair trigger temper like myself. He'd threaten to choke someone for not having any ketchup. But this…This was something different. And I didn't like it.
"What was it, Ritsu?" I wrapped myself around his arm, doing everything I could to get him to calm down. But to no avail.
A couple tears rolled down his cheek and my heart stopped, "It wasn't my old man."
"Then," I treaded lightly, "Who was it?"
Ritsu wiped his eyes and pulled me tight to his chest, "It was my mom."
