4/? Supplications
Kaido never saw it coming.
He was leaning in, expecting a kiss from his girlfriend of a few months, then without warning, he was kneed quite spectacularly in the groin.
Now, of all the parts of a man's body, that area was very delicate--so delicate that men themselves would rate any pain from that part as the only thing that would literally bring them to their knees.
And so accordingly, Kaido crumpled to the floor in pain, cupping his injured jewels, bemused at the fact that there could never be any Fuji Juniors running amuck.
"This is how you greet them…." Haruhi had said, and in a way she was right.
If a man couldn't listen to instructions ("I'm going to Japan for several days. Don't call me. I'll call you. Oh, and don't come after me. You have enough work to keep you busy."), then corporal punishment was to be expected.
Pain, after all, is one of the best teachers.
"Haruhi…baby," Fuji groaned miserably as Haruhi just stared at his foetal position on the plush carpet before sidestepping him for the bar.
"Don't baby me," Haruhi snapped. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Summoning the last vestiges of strength and pride, Fuji got up on his knees, wheezed, and attempted to stand but failed miserably and reached for a chair nearby, dragging it towards him. He lifted himself up on the chair and sat down gingerly, wincing.
Haruhi watched him half contemptuously, half amusedly.
I gotta thank my father for teaching me that.
"Is it wrong for me to want to visit my girlfriend?" repeated Fuji, making himself comfortable. He gave a slight groan again and Haruhi rolled her eyes, standing up. Abandoning her glass of bourbon on a side table, she approached the mini bar again for some ice which she wrapped in a hand towel.
She handed the makeshift ice pack to Fuji who accepted it with a thanks and another wince, placing it in his painful bits.
"I told you not to come after me," said Haruhi, collapsing on the couch and rubbing the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb. "This is part of why I accepted the invitation for the convention."
"What is?" asked Fuji. Now that most of the pain had lessened, he was more focused on the fact that his loveable, nice girlfriend just did that to him.
It's her fault if Katana failed to perform for her tonight!
"Look, this was a chance for me to unwind a bit," explained Haruhi as patiently as she could, while flashes of fear threatened to overcome her senses. This was not part of the plan. He was here, and that more than complicated things.
"I wanted to use most of the week to visit my father and friends, and just…well, be me again. I'm only needed for a few hours every other day, so I can spend more time with old acquaintances," she said softly. "Working in America helped me realize that even I need to calm down for a bit. That's why I didn't want anything from America to come after me."
Fuji nearly pouted but settled for a mocking grin. "And that includes your incredibly hot smoking boyfriend?"
Haruhi shot him a glare. "Yes."
Fuji made to move to her, but another flash of pain shot through his system and he stayed where he was.
"Damn, the Katana is not one happy camper," he growled. "You know that you're not getting away with this, don't you?"
"Please stop calling your thing Katana," said Haruhi exasperatedly. "It's so unbecoming."
"It's my penis, sweetie, no need to be so prudish about the word," grinned Fuji. "It needs a spectacular name, that was all."
"Shut it, or it becomes Princess Cupcake Swirly Rainbows to me," warned Haruhi.
Fuji reached for his crotch protectively again, as if shielding it from the nefarious label. "You would not."
"I will. Try me."
"Anyway, do you have plans this evening?" Kaido asked, steering the conversation away from his bits before anymore harm might befall on them. He gave a slight frown. Haruhi was quite vicious sometimes when she was on her time of the month. But no matter, it was part of why she was so adorable in his eyes.
"No but I won't go to dinner if that's what you're asking," answered Haruhi wearily as she took a sip of her drink. "Go back to your room and get room service. I want to sleep early tonight" More like call Boston and wring their necks for this!
Kaido frowned at her. "Haruhi…you're being a killjoy."
Haruhi sighed. "Whatever. I did a lot today, I'm tired and I need to wake up early tomorrow." She eyed him warily. "Don't tell me that you're staying here in my hotel room."
"Then I won't," said Fuji smoothly.
Haruhi inwardly grumbled. "Look, I'm still mad at you, so it's in the best interest of Princess Cupcake Swirly Rainbows" --she ignored Fuji's scowl at that name-- "for you to get another room." She stood up and headed for the bathroom. "I'm too tired to deal with you right now, so please, if you value our relationship, you will let me have my privacy."
The door closed and Kaido knew that it was locked.
Kaido frowned. Haruhi wasn't acting differently from how she usually treated him--a hint of disdain amidst the usual apathy yet she was more biting, more cruel, as if she were on edge.
In a way, it was his fault why she treated him as such. Sure, she may have conceded that they were dating, but in reality, they have done nothing more than kiss. Haruhi made sure it didn't go beyond that and he was starting to feel really exhausted and antsy due to constant blue balls from his girlfriend. Were it any other girl, he would have dumped her--hell, even forced her--and ran after the next sex on legs he met on the street.
Yet Haruhi was different. The way she always refused his advances and drew a line on what they can and can't do excited him for some reason. There was also the fact that she wasn't clingy, amusing, and actually had an IQ higher than her body stats. Before, girls for him were a quick fuck and nothing more. Haruhi showed him that it didn't apply to all of the female populace and there was always a bombshell in the corner who could beat him in a political debate.
Kaido knew that it wasn't for his face, his fame, nor his money that Haruhi was dating him. She admitted that she was lonely and it was the first and last sign of weakness that he had ever seen from the girl. And that Kaido amused him. For a while, he was stricken, livid that he was there just to stave off her loneliness. Yet he understood, and it was then that he saw her in another light; not just another fuck-buddy but an actual human being whose mere companionship made him feel whole. He was important not because he could satisfy in bed but because he was just there.
He was in love with Haruhi, pure and simple as that. It was hard not to, he mused as he got up from his seat and stretched.
But still, Haruhi was acting weird. Maybe it was being back in Japan after such a long time.
Unable to shrug it off, he took his suitcase and wheeled it out the door, hoping that he could use Miaka for a free upgrade to a suite.
After all, he needed a wide space for the time when he could finally take Haruhi as his own--both physically and mentally.
It was his purpose in running after his girlfriend halfway around the world after all.
--
Haruhi stuffed her books back in her bag, glad that another lesson was over and she could hang around the library to do some more work. Just as she was about to get up, a girl approached her and slammed her hands down on Haruhi's desk.
"Hello, my dear Haruhi-chan!" the girl announced loudly.
"Jane," acknowledged Haruhi warmly, standing up. She had almost forgotten that she had the same Linguistics class as her.
"You heading to the library?" the blonde asked, immediately attaching herself to Haruhi's arm. Jane was her roommate in the university dorms, and was her first friend since coming to Harvard after accepting a hard-earned scholarship. The other girl took Business while Haruhi was in her Pre-Law. It figured that Haruhi would have a roommate who was totally obsessed with Asian culture and exclaimed that Haruhi would make a very pretty boy the first time they met. Still, they were pretty close and Haruhi was glad to have a friend like her.
And it was also thanks to Jane that her English was beginning to improve.
"Yup," said Haruhi. "I need to do some research for Mr. Dimanche's class."
"You told me that his essay wasn't due until next month…." frowned Jane.
"True, but I want to get started on it as soon as I can," explained Haruhi as they exited the building for the libraries.
Jane's eyes sparkled and she hugger her roommate. "Oh my God, if only I weren't into boys, I would totally do you! You are just so cute, Haruhi-chan! But then again, you look like a boy…so whatever!"
Haruhi laughed at the taller girl. "Sure, but wouldn't they ask why the guy is smaller than the girl?"
Jane shrugged. "So what? I'd just tell them that you totally dominate me. Especially when you have your bitch boots and your whip." She winked at Haruhi who laughed harder.
"Ah, wait," said Haruhi. "I forgot to get something from our room. Can we stop by there first?"
Jane shrugged. "Sure."
But Haruhi wasn't prepared for the surprise that met her as soon as she entered the lobby.
For sitting in one of the lounge chairs, was one blond and one brunet.
"Tamaki-senpai…Kyoya-senpai…"
--
Haruhi stared at her friends, trying and failing to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
"You guys want to go on a amusement park?" Haruhi repeated, taking a sip of her tea. They were at Tamaki's mansion, enjoying brunch after the rest of the now-defunct Host Club decided that it would be fun to kidnap Haruhi just as she was preparing to sit at a lecture in the hotel.
Of course, it was better to be sipping rare English tea like this instead of enduring a butt-numbing session with one of the most boring lecturers in the world, but Haruhi felt it appropriate to voice her protests when she was unceremoniously stuffed into a limo and carted off to their destination.
She looked at the boys around her and sighed. Upon hearing that Haruhi was back in Japan, Hunny and Mori took the first flight out of God-knows-where to be able to see her, same went for Hikaru and Kaoru who had just come back from New York where they oversaw their new Fall line. Tamaki took time off his busy schedule as well, just for Haruhi. Kyoya and Toya were there with them as Kyoya had asked for a special leave for Toya in all his classes at Ouran.
"Well, it's been years since we last went for one," said Hikaru.
"Yes, and it's rare for the club to be gathered like this again," added Kaoru and smiled wistfully.
Haruhi put down her cup and stared at Toya who tried to hide his hopeful eyes. The excitement in his face was subtle, but it didn't escape the sharp eyes of his father or Haruhi.
"Would you like to go, Toya?" Haruhi asked the boy who sat beside her. Almost instantly, Toya grabbed her hand and he aimed the cutest, most adorable look he could muster. The adults around him melted at the sight.
"Please," he said, smiling at her.
Haruhi smiled back. "Then, it's settled. We're going." The boys immediately begun to make plans but as soon as Haruhi hear the word, 'Paris', she held up her hand.
"No, no, boys we are going to do this my way," she said, halting them all. "I don't have time to go to France to see some carnival or something. But there is one in Chiba that I would like to go to. Doesn't that sound more practical to you?"
Toya nodded fervently. "Yes, it does make more sense. And we have more time to enjoy the rides instead of being cooped up in a long flight."
Tamaki and the twins sighed.
"Fine, fine, if it's for Haruhi and Toya," Tamaki conceded.
Hikaru pouted, unable to get rid of that nasty childish habit of his no matter how many times people have called him on it.
And that was how Haruhi found herself in the backseat of a Rolls Royce, seated in between a chattering Toya and a silent Kyoya. The others were scattered in seats around them as they planned for the day, with Hunny already planning on how many sweets he would have to buy there.
The park was fairly new, opened just a few months ago and Haruhi had heard from Mei that it was a quintessential spot for an outing, either for a date of for a family's day out. And as Haruhi watcher her friends squabble on who would pay for the day's passes, she mused that it was like being with her family again. In the back of her mind, she truly missed the moments like this back in high school, when they could just let go of everything and act their age.
Of course, it goes without saying that they all acted below their ages yet their abrupt evolutions to adulthood had made them less and less of what she had remembered of them. Tamaki was more responsible now, and was less prone to dramatics. Hikaru and Kaoru have also matured which was necessary to build their own fashion empire. Hunny and Mori had become quite stronger from their travels though Hunny still had the same taste for sweets as he did. Kyoya took on his role as a father magnanimously, and it showed from how Toya was brought up as a pampered child.
And for a minute, it really saddened Haruhi to know that her boys had grown up.
"Haruhi?" a small voice asked from her right. She looked down and saw Toya with worry in his eyes as he held on tightly to her hand.
"Sorry, I was just thinking," apologised Haruhi as they made their way inside the park (Tamaki had won in the battle for paying their tickets. The twins though, would have to pay for their lunch.).
"About what?" said Toya while they watched the other adults of their group have another heated debated on what ride they should go for first.
"Listen, guys," said Haruhi, trying to break them up as they were already attracting too much attention. "Do remember that we have Toya with us so it's impossible for him to be on any rides that you have mentioned. I say we go first to wherever he wants to go then you can run off to your roller coasters and such." She glanced at Toya who contemplated on where he wanted to go first.
"Yes, Toya is the little prince for the day, so he should choose," agreed Hunny.
"I want to go on the Haunted Tunnel Ride!"
--
Barely getting over her initial shock of seeing her two ex-club mates in her dormitory's lobby, Haruhi was suddenly accosted by a big, friendly hug from Tamaki, who instantly wailed about missing his daughter.
"Tamaki-senpai," said Haruhi in Japanese. "Will you please let me go? You're causing a scene."
Tamaki instantly withdrew from her in shock. He clung to Kyoya instead who raised an aristocratic eyebrow.
"Uwaah! My own daughter is not happy to see her own father after more than a year of absence!" Tamaki wailed. "Father is so sad! Mother…."
"Even I would be embarrassed by your antics," said Kyoya indifferently, managing to shrug Tamaki off. Tamaki retreated to a corner with a dark cloud looming above him. He aimed a small smile at Haruhi.
"Hello, Haruhi."
"Kyoya-senpai…." Haruhi would be flat-out lying if she said that she was completely bowled over by Kyoya's sudden smile at her. A normal greeting from the Ootori would be an imperceptive nod of the head and nothing else unless you were someone of importance--which Haruhi wasn't, or at least she thought.
"Ah, Haruhi, it's rude not to introduce us to your lovely friend," said Kyoya, switching to nearly flawless English. He bowed at Jane who stuttered and blushed.
"Ah, where are my manners?" flustered Haruhi, reverting back to her English as well. "Jane McKay, this is my senpai in high school back in Japan, Ootori Kyoya. Ootori Kyoya, this is my roommate and good friend, Jane McKay." She elbowed her roommate who was drooling at Kyoya's handsome features.
"Say hi," she hissed and Jane snapped out of it.
Jane held out her hand, expecting it to be shaken, but Kyoya upped the ante and gave it a small lingering kiss on the knuckle instead.
"The pleasure is all mine," he said lowly, turning his seductive eyes up at her as he let go of her hand.
Haruhi barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes but she could hear the squeals of delight and the murmurs from the many females in the lobby.
"Jane!" exclaimed Tamaki suddenly. He certainly got over Haruhi's rejection quick. He instantly presented her with a rose he got from seemingly nowhere. "A lovely name, fit for a princess such as you. Please accept this humble offering of a single rose, not yet in its full bloom, but I am sure that even a hundred roses could never compete to a beauty such as yours."
"And this is my other senpai, Suoh Tamaki," deadpanned Haruhi. "Ignore his theatrics; it will make your life easier."
Too late, though, as Jane was clearly smitten with the blond. Haruhi could almost see the hearts in her eyes as she hung on to every word that Tamaki said.
"And we have another Tamaki groupie," Haruhi sighed. She rounded on Kyoya. "So will you please explain why you guys are here?"
Kyoya smiled. "It's a long story. One that is preferably told over a cup of coffee or tea. Now I am told that there is a quaint coffee shop just around the corner. Would you mind if we go there for a bit?" Kyoya's English was flawless and Haruhi for a moment was ashamed of her heavily accented speech. Then again, he was trained for this most of his life--to be able to sweet talk anybody with the aid of perfect communication skills.
"Okay, fine, but you guys are paying," she said. She grabbed Jane by the arm, told her that they were going to have a detour to the coffee house for a minute, and yes, Tamaki was coming along.
After grabbing two non-fat lattes no foam and extra shot, one soy milk hot chocolate, and one earl grey tea, the foursome sat on a table outside of the café, enjoying the sun's morning rays though Haruhi had a feeling that Tamaki enjoyed the attention he got from the people more than his daily dose of vitamin D.
"We had a half term holiday," Tamaki explained as he sipped his latte. "And well, I just really missed you, my darling daughter Haruhi, and insisted that we come here. I called my Father up and he agreed that a small break is in order."
"And he found it prudent to drag me along across the Atlantic for you instead of me being back in Japan to take care of business," finished Kyoya, taking a careful taste of his latte and after deeming it slightly acceptable to his refined palate, took a large gulp. Damn that Tamaki. He had wanted to take a few hours' rest in their hotel but the blond idiot thought that seeing Haruhi was much more important. He didn't want to argue and consented to being tagged along to search for Haruhi in the large, city-like campus.
Yet as Kyoya's gaze strayed to Haruhi from time to time while pretending that he was interested in whatever Tamaki had to say, he couldn't help but think that somehow, this holiday might not turn out to be so boring after all.
--
To Be Continued
--
A/N: No excuses for the lateness. RL was biting me real good for the past few months, and I wasn't able to write ANYTHING at all. My groove is getting back slowly, but the next chapter of this is nearly halfway done (and much quite longer than this one) so you guys wouldn't have to wait so much. I must say that I am quite pleased with the way people have been receiving this fic, so I am trying my best in getting it out as quickly as I can without forcing myself. But really, thank you all so much for the wonderful support and love you've been giving this little ficcie of mine. It really means so much. :D
I have also created a forum (located on my profile page) where you guys can bitch, rant, moan, and throw questions at me about my fics, my updating schedule, or even just popping by to say hi. I am more likely to answer questions there as I am quite sick of having at least five people ask me the same question and I have to reply to all. This is much easier for all of us. :)
And I lied. There will be another Ouran fic from me, and here's to hoping it's not my last, ne?
Here's the title and summary, so please look out for it when it comes out, okay? Thank you!
Title: A Girl's Guide To Falling In Love
Summary: It's bad enough marrying without love, but then you just had to go and fall in love with your husband's new boyfriend. KyoTamaHaru
Yes, it's a 3some. XD And dedicated to my good friend, Kalachuchi for her birthday 'cause she so rocks.
And oh yes, anybody here interested in commissioning me for some fics? PM me if you are.
This version is unbetaed.
Disclaimer: They asked me if I had the certificate claiming that Kyoya is mine. I knew that I shouldn't have bought the fake papers and decorated it with glitters and rainbows.