Nest

He straightened his tie and suit jacket self-consciously, then pressed the doorbell.

"Ah! Kyouya-kun! My, don't you look handsome today! Come in, come in! Haruhi isn't home yet, but she should be back soon."

Kyouya entered and took his shoes off, following Ranka into the dining room.

"Tea, Kyouya-kun?"

"Yes, please."

They knelt at the table and drank their tea.

"So, Kyouya-kun! How are things going with my beloved Haruhi?"

"Actually, about that..."

He moved to kneel in front of the flamboyant okama.

"Ranka-san, please do me the honour of your daughter's hand in marriage."

Ranka blinked at him. Kyouya realised that this was probably one of the only characteristic traits he shared with his daughter.

There was silence for perhaps five seconds.

Then the avalanche came. He was pulled almost violently to his feet as a torrent of words spilled into his ears.

"Kyouya-kun! I thought you'd never ask! Of course you can marry Haruhi! Why, I was thinking I would have to start dropping hints to you soon! But of course you were one step ahead of me! Oh! And how kind of you to ask me first!"

Well, mused Kyouya as his new father-in-law-to-be continued rambling, it's not as if I expected to fail at this stage in the plan.

Haruhi entered a few minutes later in the midst of her father's continuing exclamations.

"Dad, I'm home - Eh, Kyouya, you're early today."

"I managed to finish up earlier at the hospital this afternoon."

He moved towards her. "Happy birthday, Haruhi."

She smiled up at him. "Thank you, Kyouya, although you've said that twice already today. Oh, and thank you for the flowers delivered to my office, too…as usual, the truckload was unnecessarily excessive."

He smirked.

"I mean, he isn't even here, but it honestly seems like Tamaki-senpai is rubbing off on you," she continued, oblivious to the insult she was unknowingly bestowing on him.

His smirk became a grimace.

"Kindly do not compare me to that insufferable idiot. Which reminds me…how many times did he call you today?"

"Only three, actually," she said with a laugh. "I'm surprised, really, but knowing him, he'll find some outlandish way to make up for it."

"Likely."

Ranka watched their exchange with amusement clearly written on his face and anticipation shining in his eyes. There was also a hint of moistness, but he stubbornly refused to let the tears flow and chose to focus on the joy he felt for his daughter. In an effort to distract himself, he decided to be as melodramatic as possible.

"Haruhi~~! No fair! You just got home and you focus all your attention on him! What about poor Daddy?"

"What about you, Dad? I just saw you this morning." Blunt as ever.

Ranka clutched his heart in pain. "My darling daughter doesn't want me anymore…" he sniffed.

Haruhi, used to his excessiveness, pointedly ignored him and announced, "I'm going to shower and get dressed. Dad, please keep Kyouya entertained for about twenty minutes, I'm sure you can manage that."

As soon as she had disappeared into the bathroom, Ranka beckoned Kyouya to follow him.

"Come, Kyouya-kun, let's do something fun!" he exclaimed, fully recovered, and lead him to Haruhi's bedroom.

Haruhi surfaced from the bathroom fifteen minutes later, heading to her bedroom to change.

Less than a minute passed before she emerged again.

"Dad, what on earth have you done to my wardrobe?"

Ranka and Kyouya were sitting at the table drinking tea and looked up at her words, mild surprise plastered carefully on their faces.

"Whatever are you talking about, Haruhi dear?" her father replied, evidently pleased with himself but trying unsuccessfully to hide his glee.

"I'm talking about all my trousers and shirts missing, and all these girly dresses and skirts in their places, Dad."

"Oh, that! I thought all your businesswear could do with some dry-cleaning, you know, so I asked Kyouya-kun here to send them away for you."

She raised an eyebrow. "All at the same time?"

"Well, yes, it is cheaper that way, you know..." he mumbled defensively.

She was unable to contain her amusement, and laughs. "Dad, you didn't have to go to such an effort to get me to wear a dress. I was planning on wearing one tonight anyway; I do make an effort for special occasions, you know." And she returned to her bedroom, still chuckling.

Kyouya, who had been watching this entertaining episode in amused silence, now turned to his future father-in-law. Ranka was staring after his daughter, a little stunned.

So, thought Kyouya. At least she considers her birthday to be a special occasion...although I'm a little apprehensive as to what she deems to be appropriate attire for dinner...

After what seemed like an eternity to the two men who were up to their fifth cups of tea, Haruhi finally emerged from her bedroom, to their surprise, in an evening dress of a rich indigo colour. Lace cap sleeves covered her thin shoulders, and the chiffon clung to her petite frame just snugly enough to make it impossible to mistake her for anything but a woman. In one hand she held a small silver clutch, and from the other dangled a pair of silver heels.

Kyouya, with his expertly trained eyes, was unsurprised to note that the dress, shoes and bag were all Hitachiin designs.

Ranka, on the other hand, was staring at his daughter with an expression of pure bliss and pride.

"Well? Do I get your approval, Dad? And you, Kyouya, don't pretend you weren't expecting me to come out in a suit or something," she teased. She had let her hair out of its usual no-nonsense bun, and it sat in gentle waves and layers at her shoulders. Subtle coral coloured her lips, and the faintest rosy tint could be seen on her cheeks. The overall effect was of understated grace and elegance - an ethereal air seemed to hover around her, making her seem like some divine angel that had deigned to descend into their midst.

Neither man said a word. Ranka was busy drinking in the sight of his daughter, fully aware that this would be one of the few times he had left to really look at her. He realised that she had grown and was still growing, a mature and beautiful young woman and no longer the headstrong nine-year-old girl who took on the responsibility of holding their household together when her mother passed away. To Ranka, however, she would always remain his precious baby girl.

Kyouya, on the other hand, had never seen her so radiant, beautiful and womanly. Intelligence, confidence and happy anticipation were shining out of her eyes, and Kyouya was filled with a love and admiration for her such that he had never felt before. He knew in his heart that he was extremely fortunate to have her, that he had made the right decision, and that there could never be a better time. He was ready, and she was ready. Surely, if they both put their hearts and heads into it, it would work.

Both men continued to stare at her, imprinting the image of her, as she was this moment - carefree and hopeful - in their minds.

She shifted self-consciously. "The twins dropped it all off at my office this morning; they said they designed it all especially for me for my birthday. Not that they haven't already designed half my wardrobe..."

When they still didn't say anything, she began to worry. "...Is it okay?"

"Haruhi. You're beautiful," Kyouya finally said quietly. He felt that 'beautiful' was the biggest understatement of the century, but at the moment was incapable of thinking of a more appropriate word.

She smiled, and opened her mouth to thank him, but was loudly interrupted by her father who had finally found his voice.

"Beautiful?! You're adorable! Sooo cute! My little Haruhi! All grown up!"

Before she could stop him, he had bounded over to give her a bone-crushing hug, but was forcefully pushed away within half a second.

"Sorry, Dad, but you'll ruin the dress, and I don't want Hikaru and Kaoru to kill me." She smiled apologetically, but he was inconsolable, and collapsed in a pitiable heap at the table, sniffing dejectedly.

He continued, however, to steal glances at her as she cleared the table and carried the teacups into the kitchen. Kyouya followed her in to reprimand her for washing up while in an evening dress. Really, didn't she know any better?

Ranka took this moment to escape to his room to collect himself and wipe away the tears that had spilled from his eyes.

He re-emerged to see them out the door, when he grasped her arm lightly. Kyouya sensed that Ranka wanted to speak to his daughter, and wisely left first to wait by the car.

Ranka held her gently by the shoulders. "You're growing up so quickly...," he said softly. "Your mother would be so, so proud of you now, Haruhi."

She smiled wistfully. "I hope so, Dad."

He then produced a small velvet box to her. "I dug this out yesterday from your mother's jewellery box. Her mother gave it to her for her twenty-fifth birthday, and she wore the set on her birthday every year after that. Now that you're twenty-five, I am passing it on to you."

Haruhi opened the box to see a pair of simple pearl earrings, and a matching pearl pendant on a silver chain.

"Happy birthday, Haruhi."

"Thank you, Dad," she said softly, smiling. "They're beautiful. And I do remember Mum wearing them on her birthday every year when we went out for dinner..."

She put the earrings in her ears while he slipped the necklace around her neck. Then he kissed her gently on the forehead. "Have fun tonight, sweetheart," he said, knowing that after tonight, she would no longer be his alone.

It was time to let her go, to find her own way in the world. He understood this, and while it pained him, he waved to her cheerfully from the balcony as Kyouya opened the door of the limo for her and slid in after her.

As the limousine drove off, Ranka could not help but feel like a mother bird watching her babies leave the nest for good.