"Haruhi!"
Immediately after realizing what they had forgotten, the host club was sent into a panic.
"My darling daughter! We left her in the store! I know daddies sometimes forget their daughters at the store, but I didn't expect that to happen to us! Who knows what could happen to her, alone, forced to scrounge for food until her days are cruelly numbered—" their king rambled on in a hurry, imagining all sorts of horrible scenarios 'their daughter' could've found herself in.
"I declare we turn this car around at once!" He announced, staring daggers into the direction where the button he sought was located. "Kyoya, as your club president I demand you move so I can tell the driver to turn back!" He ordered, mustering up all the authority he held within his being, unleashing it, unrestrained onto the unsuspecting Kyoya.
"No."
Tamaki instantly froze, becoming pale as a sheet.
"Wh-what?"
"You heard me," Kyoya glowered.
"Bu-but why, mommy...? For what reason could we possibly not retrieve our daughter from the store?" Tamaki gave his friend his signature puppy-dog eyed stare, hoping to change his mind.
"Because, Daddy..." Kyoya said in such a way that made shivers go down each of the hosts' spine. "Have you forgotten that we've been oh so kindly KICKED OUT?" he spoke, venom in his tone. Before the king could protest once more, he silenced him with a glare.
In all honesty, if Kyoya truly wanted to, he would've found a way around the temporary ban and reclaimed the younger host. That was the thing, however— he couldn't.
Not only did she somehow manage to bypass the spies he sent out to find her, but by the time they did find her, she was already leaving the mall (apparently she also had a change of clothes which had aided in her avoidance). He could've very well asked them to continue pursuing her, but with the paint incident occurring around that time, he ignored the report until it was too late. I'll have to have a word with them later, he thought, already trying to come up with logical ways she may have avoided his spies. He just hoped none of the hosts would ask him where she was now—
"So where's Haru-chan now?"
He silently cursed Hunny under his breath.
"I'm afraid she's already left the store, Hunny-senpai." He answered without really answering. Now, he truly wished they wouldn't ask where she's going next. Hopefully, they'll assume she's on her way home and leave it at that—
"So where's she going to?" The twins asked in unison.
"Yeah, you didn't say if my darling daughter Haruhi was going home yet or not," Tamaki cut in. Kyoya prepared an answer, knowing he could fool the others into assuming without revealing anything outright.
Just as he began to formulate the words, a horrible thought struck him. He may able to work around questions on Haruhi's whereabouts, but he wasn't sure if there was a way to do such a thing if they outright asked about his reports. It's a good thing he didn't tell them about—
"Hey, you didn't tell us much about your sources, Kyo-chan. Who was Haru-chan even with earlier?"
He could've screamed, jumped out of the car, and ran away Naruto style at that moment, but all the others saw was a stoic blink. Amidst the chaos that was the host club, he had forgotten that he had already told them about his 'sources'. He quietly berated himself. "My, aren't we curious today? Well, some complications arose," he quickly gave them a look that practically screeched don't ask, "so all I can confirm is that she was spotted with a hooded figure and a child. She was last seen getting into a black vehicle."
At last, he was prepared for their next question. It came as neither a shock nor a surprise when Hikaru asked, "complications?"
"Yes, it seems that due to your carelessness, I had missed an important report and my men had lost sight of Haruhi." Kyoya's glasses glinted. "I assure you, before you go off on those antics of yours again, that Haruhi is perfectly well and safe. In fact," he nearly smiled, glancing down at his phone, "she's on her way home as we speak."
"Wait, I'm confused...so they lost sight of Haruhi and now they found her again?" Hikaru asked.
"That would be...correct, I suppose," he lied. In actuality, he hadn't wanted to divulge into the matter any further than needed. He had simply texted Haruhi's father, knowing full well that he was the only other person (other than Kyoya, that is) that kept tabs on Haruhi nearly 24/7.
Ignoring how creepily Kyoya had said all that, the host club began to chatter amongst themselves. "So...dark hooded figure and a child? Just who exactly was Haruhi with?" Tamaki asked. Everyone stopped and gave thought to this question.
Kyoya mulled over this, looking at it from all angles. His men hadn't caught the identity of the people accompanying Haruhi due to her bizarre disappearance. He also hadn't had much time to ponder this, seeing as how he was busy before. Dark hooded figure and child? That reminds him of—"Nekozawa-senpai!"
His eyes, along with the other hosts' eyes snapped up to the person who said this. Tamaki looked frightened at the mention of the cloaked senior, terror in his eyes at the mere mention of his name. The rest of the hosts, however, seemed relatively unfazed. "Huh? What business would he have with Haru-chan?" Hunny innocently asked.
Kaoru, the one who spoke(or at least Kyoya assumed by the voice), blushed visibly under the scrutiny of the others'. "Well... he fits the description."
Seeing where his twin was going with this, Hikaru continued, "...Annnd we saw him talking to her the other day!" He realized. Kyoya was caught off guard for a moment, though none of the other occupants in the car noticed. This is new, he thought. He would have to look into this as soon as possible. This disturbed him though— how was it that she somehow managed to hide so many things from him lately? Was he simply just off his game?
"W-what business would that demon have with Haruhi?!" Tamaki cried out in fear.
"She said he was just thanking her for reading to Kirimi-chan—"
"So we didn't think anything of it." They finished with a shrug.
"So you miscreants let yet another miscreant harass my dear daughter? Shame on you!" Tamaki frowned, visibly concerned.
"It's not like we let him, milord." Kaoru started
"Yeah, by the time we saw them, he was already leaving and we saw no reason to follow him." Hikaru continued.
Kyoya took in this new information, logging it into his mysterious black notebook. So Nekozawa had taken an interest in Haruhi? Or had he simply just been thankful that Haruhi cared for his sister?
"Even still, that doesn't explain why they may have gone shopping together." Mori couldn't help but ask out loud. It seems even the silent, stoic host was also concerned about the small girl.
"So are you saying Haruhi lied about what he said?" Tamaki inquired. This gave everyone pause. Haruhi has been acting strangely lately, and yet she somehow managed to evade all their suspicions with perfect excuses. Almost too perfect...
"But I thought Haru-chan was a bad liar...? Didn't you say that Kyo-chan?" Hunny asked, confused. This wasn't good. Everyone was beginning to question him, and worse yet, he didn't even have answers this time. He was so...frustrated with Haruhi at that moment. She had been the one acting weird, and yet he was the one under interrogation. The next time he saw her, he vowed to question the crap out of her. He needed to deflect the blame off of him and (rightfully) onto her.
"I never said she lied. Nekozawa-senpai simply could've caught her at a later time and asked her to go shopping with him; it doesn't necessarily imply she had lied to the twins— only that they hadn't seen when exactly she had been asked to go." He replied coolly. He stood by what he said. Haruhi had probably just been asked later, out of sight, away from his radar...
"None of this is making any sense! Why has Haruhi gotten so evasive lately?" Kaoru commented. Kyoya nearly smirked. His words had their intended effect. Perfect.
"Before I knew everything about my daughter...so then why has she been keeping secrets?" Tamaki asked.
After a moment of silence, Hunny spoke. "Haru-Chan has a right to her privacy." He smiled brightly, "You have secrets too, right Tama-Chan?"
"Well, I suppose—"
"Then it shouldn't be a problem if Haru-chan has a few of her own. Think about it Tama-chan." Hunny stated reasonably. Kyoya could've killed him at that moment, but he thought it over. If the others stopped looking into her case, he would have time to gather his wits and gather intel. Then, when they decided to look into her case again, he would have all the necessary information. Yes, this was a good plan. Perfect.
"I have to agree with Hunny-senpai," he started, cutting off what would be Tamaki's refusal. "Haruhi isn't a child, Tamaki. You may refer to her as your daughter, but she is very much capable of making her own decisions. Don't you think it's time for once we let this one slide?" Kyoya explained calmly.
Everyone immediately became suspicious.
"That's odd of you, Kyoya-senpai." One twin started.
"Normally you would jump at the chance to investigate Haruhi." The other continued.
"It's almost like..." he nearly sweatdropped. There's no way the twins of all people figured out his plan so easily, right?
"You're starting to respect other people's boundaries!" They said in unison. He mentally sighed in relief. They had no idea. He decided he would let the conversation take whatever flow it went in, only cutting in to keep it in a general direction.
"Is that true, Mommy? Are you starting to let our daughter become independent? Oh tell me, Kyoya, I must know!" Tamaki beamed brightly, getting too close for comfort.
"Sure, Daddy," he nearly growled the word out but managed to keep his tone under control. He knew that playing along with Tamaki's delusion would only help his cause. It had its intended effect.
Tamaki took no notice to the near seductive tone his friend used and only smiled wider. Rubbing his cheek against Kyoya affectionately, he proclaimed, "Oh joyous day! Well, if Mommy thinks Haruhi can be more independent, then I say we let her! Gentlemen, from this day forward, I say we let Haruhi have more freedom!" With that being declared by their king, the others knew they'd be roped into it regardless. A few questions remained, though.
"How do you plan on doing that, boss? We still haven't even figured out who she was with." The twins spoke in unison.
"For your first question, I say next time Haruhi does something suspicious, we let her have her secret. She's not obligated to tell anyone—except me of course. As for your second one, I say we give her a chance to explain herself."
This immediately rose protests from the club members. "Now hold on a second, why does she have to tell you her secrets?" Hikaru remarked.
"Because I'm her father, of course!" The twins gave him an identical deadpan expression in response.
"Uh-huh. Let's say we go along with this plan. Then what? That doesn't change that she's been acting weird lately. If anything, we should be watching her more." Kaoru began to address the proverbial elephant in the room. Hunny, seeing where this was going, took over for him.
"Yeah...I didn't want to say anything
about it, but I'm scared for Haru-Chan...especially because of how bad everything's been lately. I'm sure you all are too." He said seriously(or, as serious as Hunny could get). There was no doubt that the bad things he was referring to were the coma cases. Mori silently nodded in agreement with his cousin's thoughts, the other hosts murmuring their agreements as well.
"Well, I guess your right, Hunny-senpai. I'll admit, I'm a bit scared for Haruhi's safety too right now...But that's why we just have to stay on high alert and always be ready to act! We are the Ouran host club, after all." Tamaki said, surprisingly sincere.
Everyone felt a little reassured after that. Kyoya would never admit to it in a million years, but he certainly had a soft spot for the cross-dressing commoner. If any harm were to come upon her, not only would it affect him, it would affect all his club mates... dammit, all his friends as well. And whether he'd admit it or not, whenever Tamaki was genuinely upset, it churned his stomach uncomfortably. So, logically, to prevent him and the others from any unnecessary suffering, he'd have to keep a close eye on Haruhi. After all, it gave him the excuse to continue to investigate her with no remorse.
With that in mind, the hosts finally began chatting about other things idly. Kyoya continued to silently plot from a distance, watching...waiting.
The next day...
The host club found themselves in front of the apartment door, smiles on and in formation. Ringing the doorbell, they continued as rehearsed.
"Haruhi-chan, please come out and play!" As the door opened, they waiting in anticipation for their beloved friend. However, when the door revealed a groaning middle-aged man, they promptly froze.
"Sorry, we have the wrong apartment!" Tamaki called politely as they walked away.
"Hey, hey, wait a second!" Ranka followed them irritatedly. Rounding them all up, the hosts found themselves seated around a small table in the quaint apartment.
"Don't act so traumatized cause you've seen me without my makeup on.
Even trannies get stubble first thing in the morning, which is more than I can say for any of you." After a series of events, the hosts found out Haruhi had been taken by the Zuka club, and they quickly plotted a way to save her.
"Hey, will you wait a minute?!" A voice cried out, pushing away the three figures glomping her. The 3 Zuka club members were currently in an intimate embrace, with Haruhi in the middle.
"Stop it!" Haruhi demanded as she pushed Benibara and Hinagiku away from her, quickly doing the same with Suzuran. "Get off!" She took a moment to gather her wits.
"Now hold on! What is this?! Could someone explain it to me? 'Cause one moment, I'm on my way to the supermarket and the next I'm brought here."
Recalling how exactly she got there, she paused. It reminded her exactly of how the host club kidnapped her one time. "The three of you have about as much subtlety as the Host Club does." She thought aloud.
"How dare you, maiden?! We are nothing like those idiots!" Benibara declared as she flailed her arms around theatrically. She's the epitome of what female Tamaki would be like.
"Oh, forgive my outburst! It's only natural for you to be upset, after all in our haste, we whisked you away this morning in your nightshirt." Benibara declared on so woefully.
"Those weren't pajamas, you know. That happens to be the way I usually dress."
Does rudeness just come with territory when you're rich? Haruhi thought. No...Neko—I mean Umehito is nothing like that. He's so much more...humble than other rich people I know.
She was thrown out of her musings when Benibara decided to speak again. "All theatrics aside maiden, we have a small favor to ask of you." Haruhi already knew whatever it was, she wanted no part of it. Today was a school holiday and she intended to spend it studying and getting groceries, not running around with the female version of the host club. She internally laughed as she thought of how the host club would react to her saying that. They would get offended...she thought, amused.
As they explained how one of their actresses had gotten into an accident and was unable to perform, Haruhi still knew the answer would be no. She may have powers that mysteriously allow her to be good at lying, but no guarantee that'll help with her nonexistent acting skills, no matter how small the role was.
"I'll let myself out." She replied as she went for the door. She immediately stopped after hearing Benibara cry out in pure disappointment and anguish.
"Oh! Forgive me! I will forever fall short of your legacy! You must be so ashamed...oh, mother!" Haruhi completely stopped at that. Does that mean...?
"Benio..." Suzuran started.
"Don't talk like that!" Hinagiku continued for her.
"So then, your mother..." Haruhi trailed off.
"Benio's late mother was a distinguished graduate of Saint Lobelia Academy, prominent of the White Lily League
To this day it's said no woman looks lovelier in men's clothing." Suzuran explained tearfully. Haruhi felt the strings pulling in her heart as those words flitted around her head. Late mother...
"To honor her, we celebrate Pink Carnation Day with the same flair for pageantry that made the woman's name so enormous with the Zuka Club.
Her whole life, Benio has dreamed of nothing more than to follow in her mother's footsteps!" Hinagaku elaborated.
"If today's performance is canceled, that dream will be dashed against the craggy shores of fate." With each word, Haruhi felt her resolve weaken as she warmed up to the idea of acting.
"That sounds just awful..." she said empathetically, missing how Benibara perked up.
"It's just a few lines, right?" She finally relented. They each gave her a wide smile, a strange glint in their eyes.
Oh mother up in heaven, what did I just get myself into?
"Oh, Marianne, how many lonely nights have I prayed that we'd be together again and how many times are the powers that be demanded that we remained apart?
That our love is forbidden..." Benibara exclaimed passionately. A voice called back in response to her pitiful cry.
"Oh my lord Frederick."
Suddenly, as if hit by an invisible force, she gracefully collapsed onto the wood floor, crying out, "Oh! I'm slain by this fatal gunshot wound! Alas, I'm to draw breath no more."
"MY LORD FREDERICK," Haruhi said louder. As rehearsed, she bent down and held the tall girl in her arms, gazing down upon her.
"Marianne, with your arms holding me close, all this pain becomes not. I am overwhelmed with peace." She could faintly hear girls crying in the background as the background dancers came in. "Lovely angel, your gaze is my paradise and you are the very image of my beloved Mother."
Wow, and here I thought my powers would make me a star actress, Haruhi thought distantly. Even I can hear how bad I am— I wonder what the other girls think of this.
"My lord Frederick."
Just outside the window, a group of handsome men sat watching, groaning in discomfort.
"Can you see her? What is she doing?" Hunny asked, being too short to see inside.
"It looks as though she's playing the heroine of some sentimental tragedy," Tamaki replied.
"But..."
"MY LORD FREDERICK."
She sounds like a robot... they all thought simultaneously. A boring daikon radish...
"Even as a father, I can't stand this." Ranka piped up.
As she repeated that line in (somehow) an even more monotone voice, Hikaru pleaded, "Someone, please make her stop."
"How many times is she going to repeat that line?!" Tamaki said, frustrated.
"I think she's about to start singing," Kaoru commented.
"No!" Ranka immediately protested. "Her grades in music have always been absolutely awful! It was the only thing she struggled with in school!"
—
Inside, Haruhi felt at ease. In the beginning, she was afraid they'd have her sing for real, but she quickly overcame that obstacle. She recalled what happened just a little while ago...
*flashback*
"Here, maiden. These are the lyrics to the musical numbers you'll be starring in." Benio explained as she handed some papers to Haruhi.
Haruhi began to sweat. Musical numbers? Did they truly expect her to sing? She decided to voice her thoughts. "Um...will I have to sing these for real, or will I lip-sync?"
Suzuran swiftly gave a reply. "Well, the previous actress recorded all the songs, and it's not like we can't expect you to be perfect since this is your first show."
Picking up where she left off, Hinagaku said, "so it's completely fine if you just pretend like you're singing. It's encouraged, even."
"Oh, okay," Haruhi replied, reassured. Internally, the 3 women swooned at the cute expression Haruhi made. 'She's just so cute!' They thought similarly.
*end flashback*
So there she was, standing after the instrumental started up. She straightened her posture and tried to look as confident as possible.
As the music played in the background, she immersed herself in the sounds and vibrations. Closing her eyes, she could hear every guitar, every tap of the foot, and every drum tap. She could feel the sounds moving around her, see the colors of each note playing around her.
'Calm down, Haruhi,' she thought to herself. 'It's not like you're actually going to be singing. This is just—'
"Sinking...falling into despair," she sang softly. It took a moment for her mind to register that she had just sung out loud, no pre-recorded track in sight. 'There must've been a mix-up with the CDs...I'll have to talk with the others later about this...' she rationalized.
'What do I do for the meantime then? It would be too much trouble to stop rehearsal now, while everyone is already in position and the zone,' she thought, looking around the room as she sang. She thought she saw movement out the window, but she dismissed it, quickly falling back into her train of thought.
'Well, it's like they say— the show must go on,' a mischievous part of her said in the back of her mind. She inwardly flinched at that, her inner siren coming to the forefront once more.
She decided the best course of action was to just roll with it. Besides, everyone was still under the impression this was the correct CD. And she didn't sing yet today...so with that, she sang to her heart's content.
—
Outside, the 7 men were at a loss for words. Here, they were all expecting some Friday night drunk karaoke singing, and they were pleasantly surprised to hear the voice of an angel. The songs started slowly, but Ranka quickly recognized it.
Gasping, he uttered, "it can't be..."
"What's the matter, Ranka-san?" Kyoya, ever the gentleman, asked.
"Kotoko...that was her favorite song." He smiled fondly, recalling distant memories. "I knew it came from a play, but I didn't think it would be the very same one Haruhi would be in years later." Suddenly he frowned, worried. "But the song was very difficult to sing. The vocals were very high and most of the notes were belted out. There's no way Haruhi could sing it..." they all turned their attention to the small girl singing in the room, refusing to believe such a voice could come out of her.
The song began to pick up, little by little until they were practically slapped in the face by her perfect belting.
All the men and even some of the girls inside paused at that. No one was expecting to hear that. Even Benibara (who's character was supposed to be dead) sat up to get a glimpse of her.
They all watched, entranced, as Haruhi began to tap her foot to the tempo, her face becoming so much more expressive than they were used to seeing. Her eyes were bright and her posture straightened. She looked so confident in that moment, a completely different person than they were used to seeing. She somehow smiled as the notes effortlessly poured out of her.
It was as though someone had put them under a spell, and they were powerless to get themselves out. They were paralyzed at that moment, unable to move (not that they wanted to).
The girls in the room, even though they knew (or at least thought) the song was pre-recorded, were in shock. Never before had they heard such a beautiful voice emanate from such a lively person. Not even the original actress had the same stage presence—and her singing sounded different here; While her voice was pleasant in its own way, it was nowhere near as powerful and controlled as what they were hearing now.
Haruhi was having the time of her life. Singing songs she associated with her mother always made her feel better, but no song had ever made her feel so empowered. She had goosebumps all over her body, and the siren in her was having a field day. As the words cascaded past her lips, she felt as though something within her was building up, waiting to be released.
She was so into it, she barely even registered how her body was moving. She moved along with the beat, so fluently and expertly you'd have thought she'd been doing this for years.
At one particularly soulful part of the song, she even went as far as kneeling, reaching a hand toward the window, belting as if there was no tomorrow. It was full of so much soul and emotion, the sun seemed to have shone brighter on her, and for one beautiful, breathtaking moment...the clouds parted casting a natural spotlight on her. Unnoticed by everyone but Ranka, the dust particles showing in the light took on the distinct form of a face—Kotoko.
With the way Haruhi was positioned, it looked as though she had a hand on her mother's cheek, and for a second he swore she looked right into the image's eyes. Ryoji felt tears cascade down his face. It was as though Kotoko was sending Haruhi her appraisal from above. That's our little girl...he thought proudly.
Haruhi looked like a goddess for a moment, the glow of the sunlight illuminating her features, her wide, chocolate eyes piercing deeply into everything they saw. She looked so different, so unlike the Haruhi they knew. This Haruhi was confident, charismatic, and outgoing. She looked like she could be the most popular girl in school—nothing like the tomboyish bookworm they were used to.
After what felt like an eternity, yet also a few seconds, the song finally came to a close, Haruhi draped dramatically around Benibara.
For a few seconds, everyone was silent. Then, came huge, roaring applause. Some girls had tears in their eyes, and some were outright crying.
"That was absolutely beautiful! Where ever did you learn to sing so amazingly?" One of the girls, who came in later on in the rehearsal, asked.
Haruhi inwardly grimaced and put on a mask of modesty. "Thanks, but that was the pre-recorded track. I was just lip-syncing." Outside, she thought she heard someone groan and fall.
"Oh wow, I never would've guessed! It just looked so real!" She replied.
"She's right, you know." Benibara cut in. "That was an awfully good act you put on there, maiden. Tell me, was that truly your first time acting?" She asked.
"Well...yes actually," Haruhi replied sheepishly. "I guess I'm a little better than I thought."
Outside, the boys had been completely fooled. Ranka was laid dramatically on the ground, twitching.
"She was just lip-syncing..." he whispered.
"My daughter...she was just acting?" Tamaki asked slowly.
This prompted Ranka to momentarily drop out of his state of misery, foot on Tamaki's head. "Whose daughter was acting?!"
"Yours, Ranka-san! Your daughter! Of course, as her father I have—"
"HER FATHER?!" He all but screeched at the blonde idiot, who was now quivering in a corner.
"I guess even someone as talented as Haruhi can't have it all," Hikaru commented.
"Yeah, turns our Haruhi's not nearly as bad an actress as we thought." Kaoru. Suddenly, they both paused.
"So then why was her voice so monotone earlier?" They asked together.
"I'm assuming she was just warming up or something of the sort; Most likely, she was just taking her time getting into it," Kyoya rationalized.
"Still," Kaoru started.
"Who knew Haruhi had it in her." The twins commented offhandedly.
Before they could continue to chat idly, they were intercepted by a large group of girls with matching t-shirts.
"Hey, newbies! If you want to be a part of the Benibara fan club, you have to follow the rules! Now, up on your feet!" A scrawny girl with glasses called out.
They quickly gathered themselves, getting into formation.
A/N: sorry about the long wait on this one. Truth be told, I had it ready for a while but i wanted to double release it with another chapter, but I haven't finished writing the next one. I don't want to leave my readers with nothing for such a long time, so the next chapter should be out in maybe a week or so. Please review what you think of this chapter, and stay safe!