Chapter Eighty – Eight: The Haninozuka Declaration
Reiko's POV
Every Friday, Takashi and Mitsu would spend the afternoon with the Host Club. It was the only day they had off from classes, it worked out pretty well for everyone. They were here on the days that we had cosplay events. Sumi wouldn't have to come up to get Hana, Takashi would pick her up instead, and then they would go to pick up dinner to bring back home. Sumi was going to have a hard time with the pregnancy, so making things easier for her while keeping normalcy for Hana was important.
"What's going on with you?" Yuki asked, pulling me away from my thoughts.
"It's just been a long day with a lot of information to process." I replied stoically.
"Present information or future?"
I shrugged, "Bit of both."
"Anything we should be worried about?"
"Everything will work out the way it's supposed to." I replied cryptically, 'Whether it be for better or for worse.'
"What are you not telling me?"
"I'm not sure yet." I shook my head, "I haven't sorted out all of the details yet."
A loud thunderous sound was heard that echoed throughout the room, we turned to see Renge's stage rising. I followed her line of sight, she was staring intently at Mitsu and his brother, Chika, who were in fighting stances.
"We need to get rid of that thing." Yuki commented on Renge's stage.
"Woah, did you see that?!" Renge exclaimed, "Hunny-Senpai dodged Chika's preliminary attack, this is gonna be good. Hunny-Senpai is able to fly through the air with such grace, he's like a modern-day…"
I tuned her out after she started comparing him to things and characters and watched the two fight. It was nothing new to see the two of them do, but it was always interesting to watch.
"So, they're at it again." Tamaki observed.
"I wish they would have chosen a better location to do this." Kyoya stated.
"Wait, why are you guys so calm?" Haruhi yelled at them, and then turned to me, "And why haven't you done anything to stop this?" She looked at me as if I were insane, "He's your husband!"
"They do this all of the time." I shrugged.
"Um, Reiko…" Kimi said to get my attention. I looked at her and then she pointed to the pole-like weapon in Chika's hands. I nodded.
"I see it." I replied as Renge started to make her commentary on the fight once more. Things were going pretty well for Mitsu before Chika sent him flying. He had dodged every hit before that. Chika did not notice though that as Mitsu flew through the air, he secured his place to win this fight. Mitsu had thrown shirukken at him, nailing Chika's pants to the floor. Renge showed the others this, through the replay of the fall. She disappeared shortly after.
"Hey guys, I'm completely lost." Haruhi said baffled, "You wanna tell me what's going on here? Who's that kid and why'd he attack Hunny-Senpai?"
"What?" Tamaki asked, "You mean you can't tell just by looking at his face?"
"You don't remember him from the wedding?" I asked her slightly amused.
"He's Hunny-Senpai's younger brother." Tamaki informed her.
"Why don't you both sit and talk while we get something for your head." I told Chika, Mitsu, and Haruhi.
"I'm okay, Rei." Mitsu protested with a smile, brushing it off.
"You just got hit in the head with a pole, we're going to put something on it." I told him. We went to the kitchen.
"Did you know I was going to be hit with that?" Mitsu asked.
"I knew you two were going to fight and that he'd have a weapon, but I didn't know it would be metal." I replied, "Which is why I warned you to be prepared for one. If I knew it had been metal, I would have told you that ahead of time."
"He's getting better though."
I nodded, "He is."
"Can we get cake after this?"
Yuki's POV
For about twenty minutes, Chika went on about his family honor and self-restraint. It was noble, until Hunny was brought into the conversation. With him in the room, Chika debased him and belittled his choices. He had always been a brat, but this time he surely was at his best. Hunny pretended like the cake fixed everything for the others while Reiko went to go get Hana, so they could all go, but he didn't fool me.
"You're not okay, no amount of sweets is going to fix how you feel after what you just heard." I told him when we were alone, "Trust me, I know."
"Does it ever feel better when you hear those things?" Hunny asked sadly.
"No, they still hurt as badly as the first time when they're repeated."
"What made you feel better?" Hunny asked, "You're not always as sad as you used to be."
"I remind myself that I have people who care about me who have been with me since the beginning, like you," I ruffled his hair, "and Kyoya and Tamaki," I nodded to the two of them. Tamaki, who was talking to Haruhi and Kyoya on his laptop. "And Sumi and Takashi," I looked to Takashi, who was looking out the window, "Hikaru, Kaoru, and Kimi," I looked to the three, Kaoru talking to Carmen and Hikaru joking with Kimi. "and the new friends we've made over the years, like Reiko. The friends who accept us and love us unconditionally when others don't are the ones that end up becoming like family. I've found over the years, what helps me a lot is the thought that I like myself for who I am. It has spared me from many dark moments."
"Dark moments?" Hunny asked confused, tilting his head slightly.
"It's not important anymore, Hunny." I smiled softly at his concern, "Just don't give a second thought to Chika's words, okay?"
He nodded and then said, "Yuki?"
"Yeah?"
"You know we all love you, right?" Hunny asked, "We all have since we met you."
"I know." I nodded.
"Now if I ask something serious, will you answer it honestly?"
"Of course." I replied. Hunny, Takashi, and Kyoya were the ones I couldn't lie to, and in that order specifically.
"How dark do you mean?"
"Depends when-"
"Your first year, spring, when you were stuck with your Grandmother instead of with us because you broke one of her rules."
"I was gone." I stated, "I didn't see much of a reason not to make it permanent."
"I figured as much." He sighed, "And now, after everything?"
"No, I've rejoined the land of the living, but I'm still haunted by the thoughts and memories." I shook my head, "But Hunny…"
"Yeah?"
"I'm thinking about leaving earlier than I promised."
"Without Kyoya?"
"I'd love for him to come with me, I want him to, but I don't want him to give up on something he's dreamed his whole life for me, that wouldn't be fair to him."
"He loves you more than his family's money."
"I think we're about the same."
"But he loves you."
"Maybe I think on this too much-"
"You do." Hunny interjected.
"But I think he would end up resenting me if he didn't go after what he wanted."
"What's changed between you?" Hunny asked, "I know you're engaged to Akito, but there's something different."
"It's not Kyoya, he has nothing to do with this. I haven't told him what's going on." I sighed and looked down. "I can't be around Akito anymore. I'm done, I'm going to break soon. I've taken it for months and I can't do it anymore." I brushed my hair out of my face with my hand.
"Do what?" Hunny asked, "Has he done something to you?"
"He wants to break in the wild and temperamental force he's been saddled with." I shook my head, mostly at myself, "What hasn't he done?"
"You're coming home with me and Reiko. You will stay with us and we will make sure you get to where you need to go when you do. We will handle everyone else when the time comes, but you are going to be taken care of first."
"Hunny-"
"No, no arguing or leaving without me and Reiko." Hunny stated, "Sit down and I'm going to tell Tamaki and Kyoya that you're going to be with me for a while and for Tamaki to send all of your things to me." I sat down in the chair as Hunny went to talk to Tamaki and Kyoya.
Tamaki's POV
"Yuki's coming to stay with me and Reiko, could you send her things over?" Hunny asked me in his usual innocent, child-like tone.
'Why would someone happily married want someone else living with them?' I thought confused. I looked at Kyoya, who had stopped typing at the mention of Yuki.
"Sure, I guess." I replied, "But why?"
"We miss being around her." Hunny replied simply and smiled, "Would you be able to send everything before the weekend?"
"Yeah, I guess." I replied, still feeling like I was missing a large piece of the story, "But why?"
"We want her to stay with us for a while and we want her to have everything she needs." Hunny replied.
I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to get anything more out of him, "Okay."
"Thank you." He smiled and then trotted back over to Yuki.
"Any ideas what that was about?" I asked Kyoya.
"Not a one." He replied stoically.
"You don't get to see her outside of club anymore, do you?"
"Not usually." He replied, "Other than every once in a while for dinner with my family, I don't get to see her. Akito takes up a lot of her free time."
"It's not by her choice, you know that."
"I do." He nodded.
"Is he good to her?" I asked him, trying to piece together why on earth Hunny would want to take her to live with him and Reiko.
"I couldn't tell you that, I am not sure myself." He replied, "He does not bring her home very often."
"Do you think he would-"
"I wouldn't put it past him." Kyoya cut me off.
"Can we-"
"Without being disinherited or have harm come to ourselves and her?" Kyoya asked, "No, if that is truly what is happening, then staying with Hunny or one of the others would be the safest thing for her."
"We don't know-"
"No, and unless she decides to tell us, we won't."
Hunny's POV
"Everything all set?" Reiko asked, coming over to us.
I nodded, "It is, Yuki is coming to live with us for a while."
"That was easier than I thought."
"You knew?" Yuki asked, slightly confused.
"Saw it." Reiko replied simply.
"Vision?" Yuki asked.
"More like a recurring nightmare." Reiko replied, "Let's go home."
"You sure you don't-"
"It'll be fun." I told her with a smile, "Like a mini-vacation."
"Yuki, out of curiosity, how do you feel about cutting your hair?" Reiko asked as we left the club room to go home.
"Cut my what?" She asked confused.
Kyoya's POV
The Monday after, Yuki and Reiko didn't show up to school. The others didn't notice they were gone because they were on a mission to bring Hani-Senpai and his brother together. It was pretty much a waste of time. The two ended up fighting to solve their problem with one another with commentary by Mori-Senpai, who was right about everything except for Hani-Senpai throwing the match for his brother. Hani-Senpai was married and living with Reiko, it really didn't matter what his eating habits were. I could tell Haruhi thought less of him for not losing to his brother, that she thought he was being a selfish and terrible person, but I had a greater respect for him because of it. He did not suppress who he was for anyone.
"Kyo-chan?"
I looked down at Hunny, "Yes, Hani-Senpai?"
"Yu-chan isn't going to be in school for a while, do you think you could get her homework assignments to her?"
"Why isn't she going to be out?"
"She doesn't feel well."
"She seemed to be fine on Friday, but I'll work everything out and email them to her."
"It would be better if you brought them to her."
"May I ask what is going on, Senpai?" I asked, "She does not answer her phone and I cannot email her, all social media activity for her has stopped as if she has ceased to be."
"Why don't you come over for dinner, we're also having Sumi and Takashi come over since Hikaru and Kimi are taking Hana to see a movie." He suggested.
"She's leaving soon, isn't she?" I asked about Yuki.
He nodded, "She has to leave soon."
"When is she going?"
"We're going to be discussing that tonight and if you want to go with her or join her later and are ready to cut all ties from your family and inheritance, you should come to dinner tonight." He left before I could answer him whether or not I would go.
Yuki's POV
"So what's the plan?" I asked Reiko and Sumi as we were heading back from the mall. Reiko and I had taken off to spend with Sumi, we called it one of many senior skip days. We got practically a whole new wardrobe for Sumi, she was going to need it since it would be a short time before her clothes would cease to fit. Reiko and I were getting me prepared to leave the country when I needed to. All of my hair had been cut off into a short layered, angled bob that came up higher in the back than it did in the front. Sumi cut her hair too because she didn't want to fuss with it anymore. For someone who has probably cut her hair like once in her life, she had absolutely no problems hacking it all off into a pixie cut.
"I think it would be best if you left during the Ouran Fair." Sumi suggested.
"Which one?" I asked confused.
"The one that all the parents have to attend, the one right before graduation." Sumi replied.
"Oh that one, you sure it would be a good idea for me to stay that long?" I asked, that was months away.
"You'll be fine, you'll be staying with me till then." Reiko replied.
"You're a newly wed, why do you want someone staying with you?" I asked her.
"Because any accommodations I could supply for you are either not ready yet or are too far from the school." Sumi answered.
"And Mitsu and I want to help." Reiko added, "You're like our sister."
"What are we doing for dinner?" I asked them.
"Well, we're feeding five or six people, so I don't really feel like cooking anything." Reiko replied, "Do you guys?"
"No." We answered her.
"They can get used to takeout." Sumi replied, "They're probably going to be eating quite a bit of it."
"Especially since none of them are going to have cooks or maids." Reiko added.
"How are Hunny and Takashi doing with that by the way?" I asked curiously. It was interesting to see both of them voluntarily go from being insanely wealthy to living like, well what most of the others would call, like peasants.
"Takashi likes it."
"Mitsu is getting used to it." Reiko answered, "He's had no complaints, but there's a few things that have taken him by surprise."
"Would either of you want a housing staff?" I asked them.
They both shook their heads, "No."
"So what do you guys want to pick up to eat?" I asked them, changing the subject.
"I could go for pizza." Reiko shrugged.
"Pizza sounds good." Sumi agreed.
"Pizza, it is then." I nodded, "Frozen or delivery?"
"If we got frozen, we could get desert." Sumi noted.
"We could get ice cream." Reiko added.
"Grocery store, it is." I smiled, jingling the keys, "I'll drive."
"No." They replied.
"I'll drive." Reiko took the keys and we headed off to the store.
Hunny's POV
Five people. Kyoya hadn't shown, or maybe he was late. I don't know, but he wasn't here. Reiko did say that it went back and forth to whether he was there or not. I'm glad we didn't tell her whether he would be here or not. Takashi and I sat and talked as the girls went and picked out a movie to watch. I've found over time, we hardly ever use the kitchen table to eat unless either of our parents are here for dinner. It was different than I was used to, a good different though.
"Why didn't he show?" I asked Takashi confused, "After everything, why?"
"He might."
"He hasn't."
"Mitsukuni, you know as well as I do that this is a hard exchange to ask of him."
"Originally, he wanted to leave with her."
"I know." Takashi nodded, "In the rush of the moment, I'm not surprised."
"If you were in his shoes and Yuki was Sumi, making this decision, what would you choose?"
"We would have already been gone by now." He replied simply without hesitation.
"I've been talking to the girls, they think the best time would be the Ouran fair, the one that all of the parents attend before graduation."
"Too chaotic." He replied, "Halloween might be better."
"That would be interesting." I thought it over, "We could discuss a more elaborate way for her to leave without arousing any suspicion."
"Elaborate?"
"Elaborate." I nodded.
"What do you mean?"
"We could make it look like she disappeared."
"People would look for her."
"The club would look for her." I corrected, "I don't think anyone else would notice."
"I think people would notice a missing person."
"They wouldn't care enough to look for her though."
"True." Takashi nodded, "What about the club?"
"We involve a few so they can help us, but the rest we're going to have to tell afterward."
"Who?"
"I don't know." I sighed.
"Okay, so we have Blazing Saddles, The Producers, and Spaceballs, which would you guys rather watch?" Sumi asked as they came in the kitchen.
"I'm sensing a theme." Takashi commented.
"We felt like a comedy." Reiko replied.
"So I suggested Mel Brooks." Yuki added, "Well, him and Adam Sandler."
"So which one do you guys wanna watch?" Sumi asked.
"The Producers." I answered, Takashi nodded in agreement.
"Okay, you guys put the pizza in and we'll set up the movie." Reiko told them. They nodded and took out the pizzas.
"Yuki, could you help us with the brownies." I asked her. She nodded and stayed behind while Sumi and Reiko went to the family room. "So, when am I leaving?" She asked when they were out of the room. Nothing ever got past her.
"We were thinking Halloween." I answered.
"We could have a lot of fun with that." She smiled, thinking about it,and then the smile fell as a thought struck her, "Who do we tell though?"
"Good question." Takashi nodded, "Any ideas?"
"I don't know, I find it kind of funny that it started with the three of us and now it's going to end with us too." She replied, "I think we should…" She stopped for a moment to think, and then said, "Maybe we should keep it to Reiko and Sumi, who know while we are putting it together."
"How do you want to tell the others?" I asked her.
She looked down for a moment, "I'll tell them in my own way."
"We can do it for you if you want." I offered.
"I think it should come from me, or at least part of it."
"I've been thinking about letters." She replied as she started to put together the batter for the brownies.
"You warned Sumi against writing letters when she left." I told her.
"Sumi was staying in the country and warned her not to tell Takashi in a letter who she really was, that she should do it in person." She replied.
"She was originally going to tell me in a letter?" Takashi asked confused.
"Yeah." We both nodded.
"She thought it'd be easier." I told him. He closed his eyes and pinched his nose.
"The important thing is that was almost a year ago, you know everything now, you love each other, you're getting married eventually, and you're having a baby." Yuki told him.
He nodded, "I know."
"How's that going by the way?" Yuki asked him.
"Doctors have no medical history for Sumi or her family, so that makes things a little hard. We did find out through research that she was adopted by her original family as an infant, closed adoption, the mother died in childbirth, giving birth to twin girls." Takashi replied, "The doctor became more cautious after she found out and ran a lot of tests."
"Did she find anything?" Yuki asked.
He shook his head, "No."
"But you're still worried." She stated. He nodded.
"How did you know?" I asked.
"Sumi and Reiko tell me everything, sometimes while it's happening." She replied as she put the batter in the pan. Takashi and I looked at each other and then looked away, slightly embarrassed. There were a lot of things we both probably wished she didn't know. "Takashi, would it be okay if I took Hana out next weekend?"
"Where?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to take her for the weekend to see a show or to go to Universal." She told him, "I'd pay for everything and I'd be with her the whole time."
"Let me talk to Sumi, but I think that'll be okay." Takashi replied.
"Okay." Yuki replied as she put the brownies in the oven. Takashi took the pizzas out shortly after and we went into the family room to start the movie.
Kyoya's POV
I couldn't get away to go to dinner. It was not out of disinterest that I did not go, it was because the moment I went to get ready to go, I was told I had to attend a social event. So instead of hanging out with Yuki, Hunny, Reiko, Takashi, and Sumi, I was stuck with my brothers and father at a gala for a museum that my family funded. I would have gone, but there was a family obligation that I had to meet that might have been slightly more important.
