*Disclaimer I do not own Ouran Host Club, and never will.

Back In Our World

Chapter 12 Two gingers meet once more


Kaoru's POV

A disappointed feeling crushed my sitting body noticing the ginger bartender couldn't possibly be the cross dresser I was looking for. Lifting my eyes towards the stage I notice a female impersonator with platinum blonde hair piled over a foot high as he steps on to the stage. He's dressed in plumes of feathers and more red sequins you could possibly sew onto a dress.

Keeping my eyes peeled to the door that's just beyond the stage I almost didn't notice the cross dressing waitress. "Hey sweetie, a bachelorette party wanted to buy you a drink… How the hell!? …did you find-" The cross dresser snapped in surprise.

"I'm sorry….I can't hear you. Did you want to ask me something?" Speaking to the waitress while my eyes are anxiously glued to the door that was only a few feet from the stage.

"Uh, actually those women in the hot pink feather boas wanted to buy you a drink? A disguised male voice speaks with some irritation before harshly slamming down an enormous pink drink in front of me.

"Um, thanks." Glancing my eyes up to see a blonde crossdresser holding a couple of laminated menus across the bottom of his face.

"Oh not a problem dearie…..can I get you anything else?"

"Uh, no thank you….in fact if anyone else wants to buy me a drink please decline the offer, thank you." I quickly palmed a tip to the crossdresser with my eyes staring down at the massive drink that's probably designed to get any nervous bride inebriated enough to table dance before her big day. Turning towards the giggling ladies as I lift the punch bowl sized type glass I quickly take a small sip from one of the many plastic straws before giving a polite but awkward smile.

.

"Of course leave your dirty work to someone else you damn rich bastard." The crossdresser grumbled.

"I'm sorry I couldn't quite hear what you just said." Leaning my head closer to the blond but still eagerly watching the door for the first peek of her chocolate eyes.

"Um, nothing sir, have a fabulous night."

"Uh, yeah thank you." Mindlessly responding while craning my neck to get a better look of who's entering the door.

Sometime after that …

Extending a hand to bend the plastic straw to my lips to take a long draw of the fruity pink drink as my eyes remained glued to the door. Sadly noticing the rainbow of sequins on stage I was beginning to have crushing doubts as the show was building to a grand finale…..with no sight of my friend entering the club. Glancing around the room I could tell the majority of the women were either going to need help getting home or too busy helping an overly intoxicated friend to even bother with me. With the doorman's advice I didn't even consider finishing the pink punchbowl drink. Yeah right, if I would have even come close to drinking even half that I would have ended up under the table close to unconsciousness. Which I believe was the devious intent of the women that purchased the drink for me. I did however manage to take a few sips now and then, achieving a little buzz. Only after drinking around a fourth of the sugary concoction…..to help with my nerves.

.

The stage lights flashed once more when the gyrating male dancers showed up with trench coats and umbrellas to take one last turn on the stage. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the clichéd dance number of a 1980's remake my mom use to listen to. I guess it was just me who found the number a bit passé as all the intoxicated women swarmed the stage, leaving me alone sitting in my chair sipping on my pink drink.

.

That's when something grabbed me from behind to roughly squeeze my arms against my body to make it practically impossible for me to fight back. With my arms and legs I fiercely struggle against the steel like hold. I frantically whip my head around to see two thuggish brutes carry me in the opposite direction of the stage. The two men hurl my body into an open door like some rag doll before slamming it behind me. With a loud "smack" my chest smashes against the ground causing my breath to be forced from my chest. Painfully laying on the floor I erupt in bouts of rough coughing as my body tries to desperately regain the escaped air.

.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here…Hitachiin." A sneering male voice echoes in the room.

A sharp throbbing pain attacks my temple with my cheek squished against the cheap red commercial carpet used to thinly cover the cement floor. I slowly lift my eyes to see a blurred version of the blonde waitress that served the monstrous pink drink to me, sitting across the arms of a blue overstuff chair. My slightly intoxicated eyes come into focus to see the cross dresser carefully remove his blonde hair to slowly reveal ginger strands messily tucked into a nylon stocking cap. Even though my throbbing head is now making me a bit queasy I shake my head to make sure I wasn't suffering from some kind of a delusion before cautiously speaking. "Ranka, is it really you?"

.

The ginger headed man abruptly tosses the blonde wig down to his side with irritation while turning in his seat. He leans down close to me with a furious expression etched in his face. "Well of course it's me you rich bastard. You have some set of balls on you for tracking me down!"

Releasing a muffled groan from my lips as my arms push my stiff body upright to sit on the floor. Slowly placing a comforting hand to massage my pounding head as I grumble my words. "It wasn't what I would call easy in the slightest."

The sides of my lips slightly curl noticing the father study me intently, trying to figure out whom he is speaking with. "It wasn't meant to …which one are you?"

Figuring that I needed to be extremely respectful in this delicate situation. I swallowed nervously before speaking honestly to the man. "Ah, Kaoru sir, I'm Kaoru ….I would like to see your daughter."

"The hell you are, not after what your damn club did to my little girl!" Ranka jerks back in his seat with his angry eyes glaring down over his nose.

Saying a quick prayer of thanks to myself that Hika wasn't with me for once. Dealing with the irate father was going to take patience and finesse, something my twin rarely shows. "Sir, what the hell happened, you both just vanished?"

"Don't fucken play dumb with me …she's not just some toy you toss on a shelf until you're ready to play dress up with again….your damn club practically destroyed my little girl!" Irately leaning down before jabbing a finger at my chest. I was just lucky he only poked my chest his expression looked like he wanted to quite literally tear me apart.

His choice of words caused my stomach to twist in a sharp pain for my earliest arrogant behavior with his daughter.

"Sir, I really have no idea what the hell your talking about …I was at the apartment….Why did you leave everything behind?" Reliving that memory of that lonely day with this particular man caused a horrible feeling deep inside my chest.

With a heavy sigh the cross dresser falls back in his seat. "Because that's what I was told to do."

"By whom." Flashing a confused look towards the concerned father.

The cross dresser leaned on his arm before speaking in a resentful voice. "By your clubs damn henchman. One night two thugs came pounding at my door to inform me how my daughter disgraced your precious club ….and that bubble headed king of yours."

"Wait, you're making no sense, what the hell happened…this all doesn't make any sense as you know my brother and I were part of that club, and I can tell you for certain there were no henchmen employed by the club?" Throwing up a hand before shaking my head in confusion. Although to be honest I do know of one particular member having extremely easy access to a whole army of thugs whenever he deemed the situation worthy.

He leaned in to study my confused face before cautiously speaking. "You don't know …..You really don't know, do you?"

"No, I have no idea what you're talking about …listen the last time me or my brother even talked to your daughter was the night before she left with "him."….the next thing we know the idiot comes back without Haru and you've abandoned the apartment." At the moment I'm grateful to be sitting on the floor, even talking about that night can bring me to my knees.

Ranka reaches behind him to pull out an aged vanilla folder before flinging it to me. "So you know nothing about this?"

Watching the folder slowly rotate in the air before hitting the ground. What slides out of the folder and on to the floor causes a sickening feeling to wash over me. With a shaky hand I reach over to carefully pickup several of the 8x10 sheets of glossed paper dotting the floor. I forced my trembling hand closer to my stunned eyes to see a seventeen year old girl wearing nothing but a sheet in several compromised positions, not once but two different locations and partners. Overwhelmed with a nauseous feeling causing my breath to be quickly stolen I practically wheeze out my astonished words. "What …the hell?"

.

With sorrowful eyes Ranka watches my reaction while his fingers grip on the neck of a half empty bottle. His hand shakes as he pours the dark liquid into a small glass. The father lifts the glass to his lips and jerks back his head to take in the burning gulp. He quickly adjusts to the burn the whiskey caused to pour another shot. He sadly motions to the rectangle papers with the drink before slamming down yet another full glass.

.

With the empty glass wedged between his fingers he places it on a round side table while speaking in a defeated tone. "I had just come back from work that night when your goons came pounding on my door and showed me those. That's when they told me my daughter disgraced the club and her precious boyfriend at the time."

The depressed father lets out a heavy sigh before continuing. "They said as long as I left Japan, and we melted into the crowds of the States the club's families would keep the photos under wraps. Haruhi would be granted the remaining credits she needed to graduate that bastard's school…..Of course a fat lot of good it did. With no recommendation from the school and the remaining nearly failing grades they so graciously and I believe, intentionally issued her that torpedoed her spotless GPA. She found it nearly impossible to further her education."

.

It wasn't the rather tame pictures that tears at my heart but Ranka's words recalling their past. "I'm so sorry but you have to believe me the Hitachiins knew nothing about this ….What has she told you about these?" Tossing the pictures back to the floor.

"You're assuming I ever showed them to her ...I had bigger problems on my plate then a few delicate photos." The cross dresser waved a dismissive hand.

"After your goons made their point clear …painfully, I might add. I did my best to get to my daughter as fast as humanly possible. Damn, those hours just sitting there on that plane was almost the worst torture a father could bare. Once I arrived I found my little girl broken, huddled in a corner of her apartment ….Caused by her so called best friends turning their back on her." The last sentence caused Ranka to seethe with anger through his clenched teeth.

.

What the hell did those two do in the name of that damn club…..in the name of our families?

"Without showing her these pictures, her so called friends truly did a number on her …..She won't say what happened exactly. From what I gathered, your vice president basically told her that she had been used for the clubs amusement from the start. Tamaki and the rest of you rich bastard's families wanted her out of Japan …although I still have a feeling she is holding something back."

"Ranka, Haru and I were best friends I can't believe she believed all their bullshit! Why didn't she come and ask for our help or at least confirm the truth….why did she go to Kasanoda?" Ranka's words caused unending new questions that needed to be asked and …painful old questions burning to be answered.

"Oh, she didn't …I did."

Astonished by what the cross dresser just revealed. "Wait, you went to Kasanoda…..but why?"

When I said I found her broken in Boston, I meant it. My little girl was so distraught she couldn't think for herself…let alone ask for help from her so called friends.….I was just lucky enough before Haruhi left she introduced me to Kasanoda. It was after some gardening club meeting, his arms were full of freshly picked sweet potatoes. The man's lips slightly curled at the thought of the ginger headed yukuza boss.

.

"I was desperate to get to my daughter…..I'm only a bartender unlike you rich bastards I didn't have the funds to move to another country at a moment's notice. After your club's thugs left me battered and bruised I sprinted to Kasanoda's estate in the middle of the night in full drag and explained the situation."

.

The more I listened to Ranka's words of what truly happened the more my entire body ached with excruciating pain. My head pounded with never ending confusion and questions ….My stomach twisted with what my arrogant world caused our secret princess. If we had just left her alone instead of entangling her in that moronic club she would have all her dreams achieved by now. She was doing just fine on her own, without the crappy members' help. But what hurt the most was my heart…. the girl I so desperately am in love with was practically crushed by my world...and just tossed away….like some rubbish.

.

"She …..Really couldn't think for herself…..because of us?" My miserable astonished voice whispered out.

"Well, do you blame her? Ranka flashes his angry eyes at me while snapping back with a defensive voice.

With a sorrowful expression reflecting my features his face softened to a miserable sight. I could see that whatever happened between the club and the Fujioka's had a devastating effect on the cross dresser. The once vivacious, mischievous spirit that could also be a bit eccentric at times beaten down to a dreary, rapidly aged husk of his former self …..But being forcibly ostracized out of your own country to find your daughter distraught and alone by her so call lying friends would probably do that to a man.

.

"After her mother died at such a young age I think the only way she could manage her grief is by shutting her emotions off. She distracted herself with work, takeing care of me…and then her studies to be a lawyer when she was older….. But she always managed to keep everyone at an arm's length …even her own father." The ginger father turned his head to pull himself together before continuing.

.

When the man turned his head back around his eyes were red and a bit swollen, most likely caused with overwhelming emotion thinking of his daughter. "You boys forced her to interact and slowly that damn club began to fill every tiny section of her life. At the time you rich bastards were an answer to a father's prayers. She began to trust and depend on you boys …..She loved all of you. Hell, I'm sure she still does if you asked her. Well, most of you, even after you screwed her."

.

Dam it, Kyoya! Seeing the beaten down father's emotional state forced my eyes to cast down to the floor in shame. My eyes caught site of the various photos scattered around me….they just didn't seem to fit, nothing seemed to fit and it all smelled of the shadow king. How the hell could he turn so cold to the club's secret princess?

.

A strong feeling begins to slowly burn before exploding throughout my entire body. A feeling that involved me racing to her and wrapping my arms around her. Relieving the ginger father from the fight to shield her from god knows what. To at least set things right to what the club's world had torn asunder. The burn caused my fists to tighten and my back to straighten and firm, along with my resolve. I….I needed to tell her father …..The burning feeling that engulfed my entire body …..Has always began from my inflamed chest.

Nervously swallowing as I force myself to be firm and unbearably exposed. "Listen I honestly have no idea of any of this and if you give me a chance I will find out what happened to the both of you. I couldn't care less about some old photos, I need to see her."

With a deep breath I push out the one secret I'm not even sure my brother completely knows in his current state of denial. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about her for even a moment all these years …Fujioka-san, I'm in love with your daughter."

My words caused the ginger father to take in a sharp breath while throwing himself back in his seat. His astonished eyes studied my expression for a minute before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Just looking at you, I can tell your still carrying something for her."

"Still….Wait you mean you knew?"

"That both you and your brother carried some kind of feelings for my daughter all those years ago…yes, I knew."

Speaking in a miserable tone. "Hell, I pretty much suspected it, seeing you out in the audience. Listen Kaoru, I have no doubt that you think your being genuine about your feelings."

Ranka swiftly stands from his chair and walks to the door. "But …..I'm afraid I let my guard down for your bubble headed president and he damn near destroyed my daughter …..I'm sorry son….. But I'm not falling for it again …..I'm not even sure you rich bastards are even capable of the emotion you're so freely talking about." Ranka speaks in a determined manner.

His words tear into my chest, it felt like the hope that filled my heart just a second ago cracked into falling pieces to shatter against the cheap carpet causing me to panic, I desperately needed for him to see I'm not like the others….that I'm acutely aware of what the emotion entails over the years …I'm painfully aware it. "Ranka, please I'm begging you, don't do this, just let me see her!" Tears began to form in my eyes as I quickly leap to my feet to stop Ranka from leaving.

"My answer is no."

Ranka twists the door knob to open it. The white chipped door slowly swayed open, before two brutes stepped through. One man that stood well over 7 feet tall lacing his stubby fingers together before a muffled "crack" ripped from his hands. A minute later both men lash out to entrap my arms.

Franticly twisting my head at the men while pleading with the father to reconsider. "Sir, please let's talk about this…..I need to see her…..you can pick anywhere just please, please don't do this to me!"

Ranka with a depressed look on his face reaches forward with his palm to give my cheek a small slap. "I'm sorry about this Kaoru. I always liked you two twins…but I won't let any of you get close enough to hurt my baby girl ever again. These gentlemen will show you out and make sure you get any ideas of returning out of that stubborn head of yours …..Haruhi has already left town. So do yourself a favor and go back to Japan …..Goodbye Kaoru, have a nice flight home."

.

The ginger father waved a hand without even looking back as he gracefully walked from the room. With a deep chuckle one of the men holds both my arms behind my back. The stubby fingered thug towering over me yanks his fist back to forcibly slam it in my gut causing the air to expel from my lungs. Another fist swings out and sharply jabs into my nauseous stomach causing my feet to jerk a foot off the carpet. My eyes fell on the stark shadow that rolled across the far wall of one man violently getting struck repeatedly by two others. Watching the shadow hunch over with every blow until my eyes fade to black.

.

The next thing I know a frigid breeze causes me to become aware of my beaten body flying through the air before crashing into some dented silver cans. My arms skid against the cold, wet pavement protecting my untouched face. Which I'm sure I'll be grateful for later but now none of that mattered because I had once more …lost her.

End of Kaoru's POV


Hikaru's POV…Early, the following morning.

My stomach turned with a sharp pain every time my fingers flipped to a new page in the file. Being a numbers guy I paid more attention to the strips of white and yellow paper then the glossy sheets. Various receipts for Hotels, resorts, restaurants….a lot of shopping receipts. From the receipts it looked just like the Shadow king had said. Haru's attitude for shopping completely flipped along with almost everything about her…..it just didn't feel right. My friend went from a girl traveling abroad with one suitcase for an extensive time to a demanding diva…yes, it definitely called for my attention.

.

Alright I'll admit it the photos broke open old and half healed wounds from her turning me down for the blond. As much pain the pictures caused I still forced myself to look at them in every excruciating detail. I noticed one picture Haruhi had her eyes closed and the other photo, the more painful one her face was partially obscured by his ginger head. I quickly shut the file and divert my eyes from the ginger haired man.

.

My eyes catch sight of the blazing orange ball peeking from a massive amazon statue holding a trident in one hand. The streets are almost empty as the early morning sun pulls the water from the pavement in small strings of vapor. My driver slows to a stop in front of a white and brick building. I quickly secure the file and gather the rest of my things before the door quickly swings open.

A chestnut woman with brown eyes steps forward to graciously greet me. "We've been expecting you…. Welcome Mr. Hitachiin, to the Benson hotel, we hope your say in Portland, Oregon will meet with your expectations."

"Yes…I hope they do as well." Speaking firmly as my fingers roughly clench down on the Shadow King's folder.

End of Hikaru's POV

End of chapter 12


So this week I didn't leave you with such a high cliffy... but If you think this week dropped some bombs… wait until my next update.

Thank you for taking a peek. Please Follow/Review when you have a minute.

Oh my gosh Thank you so much those of you who took the time to review….It really pushes me forward to continue. I also want to welcome the new followers to the story. I really hope you enjoy it.

Well let's see I'm almost done with the "Through vampire eyes." update. Should be up tomorrow, this next update all the brothers have something to say at their rather heated family meeting.

After that I march over to the world of music and boy bands in "Forgotten heart."

Once done with that update I'll fly over to an Island with "Hikaru's doddles."

Where hopefully I will release a brand new story .But that's an awful lot of writing so I guess I'll just wait and see. Thanks for taking a peek. Alimackatjac.