~Chapter Eight~

Rain, Rain – Go Away

Little child, be not afraid.
The rain pounds against the glass
Like an unwanted stranger.
There is no danger;
I am here tonight.

~Lullaby for a Stormy Night, by Vienna Teng

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

"On the subject of education… How was your first day at Ouran High School?"

"It was…interesting, to say the least. One thing is certain: I'll never be bored."

With a smile, I turned to glance out the window. The sky was overcast and the clouds were graying in color; it would most certainly rain tonight. My eyes closed as I leaned backwards in the seat, thinking on the magnificent thunderstorm to come.

I was looking forward to it.

Sammy's P.O.V.

"So what – I'm not your average girl."

My head was pounding as I shot up in bed, scanning the dark room for the sudden source of noise. After a moment of searching, I spotted the perpetrator. I glared at my cell phone, cursing the Twins for ever convincing me to invest in such a useful and necessary piece of electronic equipment. To be honest, I preferred the terms useless and shitty.

But who am I to say such things? It's not as if I'm the heir to one of the largest, most powerful corporations in the world. I know nothing of importance. Nothing at all… So please – pay no attention to the girl beneath the Kingdom Hearts bedspread.

"… I don't meet the standards of this world. Chasing after boys is not my thing. See, I'm waiting –"

"I know, I know!" I growled at it, teeth clenched in irritation. "You're waiting for me to answer, am I right?"

I rubbed at my eyes, trying to clear them of sleep. A quick glance at my alarm clock informed me that it was way too early for me to have to deal with this shit. It had better be damn important for some stupid shithead to be calling me at five o' clock in the goddamned morning…

Disoriented and immensely irritated (bet you couldn't tell!) that I had been disturbed at such an early hour in the morning, I threw back the covers and stomped over to the slim iPhone. With a small tap of my index finger, I pressed the Accept button. The screen dimmed as the two lines connected.

"This had better be good, you little piece of –" I snarled the warning immediately upon answering the phone.

"Um… Is this a b-bad time, Sammy-chan?"

Eyes widened dramatically and my mouth dropped open in shock. That was definitely the last person I had expected to be calling so early. In fact, I had been almost positive that it was that stupid French Fry calling to inquire after something stupid – like if I had exorcised the demons from within the Twins yet. Mustn't let them contaminate his poor, innocent daughter…

"Don't worry about it. It's fine," I replied cautiously. My concern for the younger girl was currently overriding my bloodthirsty, vengeful mood. "Did you, um, need something in particular? At…" Where is my damn watch? "Five thirty-eight in the morning?"

A nervous cough was my response, and then – "Well, you see…"

Haruhi was suddenly shrieking into the phone, voice high with terror. A loud crack of thunder could be heard in the distance. Boom! I dove after the phone that I had dropped in surprise, banging my head on the nightstand as I did so.

"…Haruhi? Haruhi-chan, are you still there?" I demanded after I had retrieved it.

No answer, only the faint sound of crying as I stared at the phone in horror. What the fuck?

"Haruhi! You need to tell me what's wrong! I can only help you if I know what the hell is going on!"

"The thunder…the thunder!" she sobbed, clearly terrified.

Thunder. It finally clicked: Haruhi was afraid of thunder. Then that means… The younger girl had Ceraunophobia! Another sob crawled its way through the phone and I cringed. And a rather bad case, at that…

"Is there anything I can do for you? Talk, sing, burp the alphabet…anything!" I was practically begging at this point, unsure of what to do for my new friend.

"Can you, um, come to my place? Please?" Haruhi whispered. "If it's not any trouble, I mean..." She sniffled quietly as she made her request.

What a way to pull at my heartstrings, I thought with a wry grin. No wonder Tamaki's got a crush on her; she's adorable!

I quickly snapped out of my inner musings and replied, "No, it's not a problem. I will be there as soon as I can. Need to change my clothes really quick… Just hang tight, okay?"

"Y-yeah. I can do that," Haruhi replied. Boom! Frightened, she emitted another tiny shriek. "But please hurry!"

After I had assured her that I would travel faster than the Roadrunner avoiding the Coyote (she failed to understand the significance of this old cartoon reference), I ended the call and tossed my iPhone into my purse. I scurried into my closet, hurriedly choosing an outfit that would survive the tropical storm raging outside Hitachiin Manor.

My arms were hastily shoved into an old, blue T-shirt and I practically leapt into a pair of black skinny jeans. I dug through my closet for a resilient pair of blue Chooka rain boots, scrunching my nose in disgust when they made a faint squelching sound. It sounded like someone had farted on my feet.

Yanking a Pokémon hoodie over my head was the final touch and I bolted down the stairs, before doubling back to grab my forgotten purse. Then I sprinted down the stairs, through five long hallways, and into one of the three garages attached to the house. Yes, I said attached – there were another three that stood alone a short distance away from the Manor. Each was filled to the point of bursting with limousines, cars, dirt bikes…even skateboards. You name it, we've got it.

My eyes wandered across the metal rack that was nailed to the wall; it held a wide variety of sports gear. I grinned when I finally found what I wanted – a piece of protective headgear. Or, to be more precise…

A motorcycle helmet!

I threw my right leg over the black motorcycle that the Twins had bought me for my seventeenth birthday. Normally, I refused such extravagant – and expensive – gifts, but this… I had wanted this beauty the moment I laid eyes on it. I will even admit that I drooled a bit upon learning that it was a gift to me, of all people. And now… It was all mine.

So no touching my baby! Stranger-danger, and all that jazz. Can't be too careful these days…

The wind whipped through my hair – the few handfuls that hadn't been shoved under the headgear, that is – and rain pelted the visor of my helmet. It streamed down my neck and through my shirt, trickling over the small amount of cleavage created by my bra. I ignored this, choosing instead to focus on avoiding traffic as I zipped down street after street. I gunned it and sped down the last one, aiming for the address that I'd been given.

"Sammy!"

I cut the engine and glanced up the steps of a small apartment building. A small form was standing on the second floor, clutching the metal handrail like a life-line. Haruhi shivered as a gust of wind blew by. She was obviously cold as she stood there in nothing but a yellow nightgown, with one arm wrapped around her stomach.

"You crazy girl! Get back inside before you catch a cold!" I bellowed, angry that she had come outside in such horrible weather – and only in her pajamas! Madness, I tell you; utter madness!

She bit her lip, but nodded in consent. I trailed after her once I'd placed the helmet on the seat of the motorcycle, praying that no one stole the damn thing; no way was I going to explain to Hikaru that I had lost his favorite helmet. I was not suicidal.

Shutting the door behind me and taking my boots off, I entered the small apartment that Haruhi called home. The furniture was mismatched, and some of it bore the scars of frequent use. Everything but the kotatsu and a few cushions was placed against the wall, to make it easier to walk through the small space – creating a path that led to the bedrooms. Her home was small, yes, but very clean and cheerful. Cozy, too.

It reminded me of my childhood, and I distantly recalled a small brick house surrounded by wild honeysuckle. Bright sunlight, and laughter. The one place that I had called home.

I smiled at the younger girl as she led me to the living room. She placed a plate of brownies in front of me, to which I raised a single brow. Not that I was ungrateful or anything, but I could have sworn that Haruhi had told me she was not fond of sweets.

"My dad loves them," she explained with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "Even though he insists that I'm going to make him fat by giving these sorts of sweets to him so often…"

The image of such a thing made me laugh, and I had to ask, "But he still eats them, right?" I bit into a brownie, humming in delight. They were good.

Haruhi nodded. "Of course he does! And he's still as thin as a twig. Lucky man." She grumbled the last bit under her breath.

And even as she said this, a small smile crept across her lips; the girl clearly adored her father. Despite her blunt nature, Haruhi was a kind person, and she would go to the ends of the world for those that she considered family – consequences be damned.

I suffered from the same affliction: my protective streak ran very deep, especially in regards to the Twins. No one touched my brothers without their permission – or mine. If they did, well, that person would die a very painful death…by starving alligator. Chomp, chomp.

Lightning illuminated the room as it passed through the thin curtains covering the window behind me. A crack of thunder ripped through the air and she shrieked, covering her ears. To my surprise, Haruhi dove under the kotatsu, clinging to the blanket that she had dragged with her. Several small whimpers were my only reassurance of her continued state of consciousness.

I knew she was afraid of thunder, but her reactions were truly something else…

As I pondered over what to do for her, my cell phone went off. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Haruhi calmed as the song echoed in the previously silent room. I bit my lip, but ignored the call for the moment. Instead, I reached into my purse, digging for one thing in particular – my iPod. I handed it to the younger girl, but she only stared at in confusion, a question mark painted on her face.

Gesturing for her to place the buds in her ears, I explained, "If you turn up the volume on one of the songs, it will drown out the sound of the thunderstorm. You won't hear a thing. Promise."

Haruhi eyed it dubiously; nonetheless, she thanked me. Silence as she plugged the earphones in and scrolled through my library – a task that took several minutes because I had almost three thousand songs. She finally chose one near the end of the list, and I smiled softly as the lyrics were whispered into her ears.

"Little child, be not afraid. Though thunder explodes, and lightning flash illuminates your tearstained face. I am here tonight…"

I held the curtain aside and my eyes immediately sought out the source of Haruhi's fright. With a smile on my face, I watched the storm run its course, listening to the endless stream of songs that played for the next two hours. Vienna Teng, Panic! At the Disco, Evanescence, and even Aqua. Anything and everything in between.

As the storm calmed and the sun rose, I shifted my weight to my right leg. I was tired and sore, but I had stayed with Haruhi during the entire length of the storm. Because I knew – deep within my heart – that friends did that for each other.

One of my hands was gently stroking through her hair as I whispered, "I'm here, Haruhi. I'm right here."

She didn't hear me. No one ever did.

"Rain, rain… Go away," I sang softly. "Come again another day."

No one ever heard me, it was true. But I was always there, waiting in the shadows until I was needed. And I liked it that way.

***Author's Note***

Thank you all so very much for all of the wonderful reviews! It's great to know how much you guys appreciate this story!

Seriously; it means a lot. So thanks again! :)