At 2 AM

If this gets enough positive attention, I may make this a small chapter story. Something sweet and simple.

It's been nearly twelve years and I still can't seem to wrap my head around it. I was only a little kid. I had no clue how I was supposed to act. Hell, I didn't even know what was going on at the time. I was confused and scared. Dad had been crying for days and that day was no exception. In fact, it seemed like his tears were more excessive. I felt my own eyes burn with tears… but of uncertainty.

We were wearing black. The day was cloudy and there had been a slight breeze. It wasn't too cold, but it seemed rather chilly to me. I was surrounded by strangers that were crying as well. They kept coming up to us, apologizing. I just remember squeezing Dad's hand. Squeezing his hand watching as the box my mom laid in was being buried in dirt.

As weeks flew by and my mom never came back home, I then started to see why dad was always sad. He had trapped himself in his rooms on most days. Others, he would be in the middle of the living room with food all over him and smelling horrendous.

I just did what mom would have done and put all the trash in the bin.

I learned how to do the laundry and clean the dishes. I learned to dust the house and vacuum the floor. I learned how to cook and make my own lunch boxes. I learned how to wait up late at night for when Dad would be brought home by his boss or friend from work. I learned how to coax him to bed and wipe off the sweat and tears from his face. I learned how to hum Mom's favorite song to lull him to sleep. I learned how to wait until my own bedroom door was closed before I shed tears of my own.

I learned how help us survive without her.

My classmates would always whisper around me about how dreadful I was. They would tease me for not having a mom. I started to become numb after a while. Dad started to get a little better. He started wearing mom's clothes occasionally. When he did, it was nice. It wasn't crying or drinking. He would laugh and help clean the house with me. It was odd, but as long as he was happy, I was happy. Soon, his cross-dressing became normal. He had found his way of coping. I still felt loss.

One day at school, we had career day. People of all professions came to speak with us. Everyone chattered away happily. My eyes focused on a woman who wore a white blouse and chocolate colored pencil skirt. Her hair was wound up in a bun and her face was kept in a sophisticated smile. Her label on the right of chest said lawyer. She was blonde and blue-eyed, but she looked just like mom did.

I don't remember anything else about that day. I don't even remember walking home. I just remember that the only thing that I could think of was being just like my mom. I told my dad as we sat for dinner that night about wanting to be a lawyer. His eyes glossed with emotion and he leapt to his feet to hug me. I felt a sense of purpose swell in my chest.

I finally found a way to cope.

My path eventually led me to Ouran, where I met the most annoying group of people. They were all so spoiled and arrogant. They went on and on about "commoners" and how luxurious their lives were in comparison. They only cared about looks and merit… so I had originally thought.

Somewhere down the line, I started to appreciate them. All of them in a special way. They were still spoiled and arrogant, but they were people too. Just like me, they had something they anchored them into a slight sense of solitude at times. Tamaki hadn't seen his mom in a few years. Kyoya had a terrible relationship with his family, Hunny was an outcast, Mori had Hunny, and the twins felt absolutely alone in this world.

They started to have depths to them that made me grow attach to them as well. They were only surviving themselves… they just seemed to be better at it then me.

Hikaru and Kaoru quickly became very dear to me. I spent most of my time with them since we shared class and the club together. I started to learn the tiniest details about them that made them so much more different from each other.

Hikaru was a drawer. Kaoru was a writer. Hikaru loved dark soda. Kaoru preferred tea. Hikaru liked to keep his hands in pockets a lot more frequently than Kaoru. Kaoru ran his fingers through his hair when his was nervous. Hikaru bit lip. Kaoru loved watching comedies. Hikaru loved action. They both enjoyed watching horror, but Kaoru would hide his face during scary scenes. Hikaru's favorite color was blue. Kaoru's was orange.

They were completely different, but I seemed to be the only one to see through them. I guess that's why they attached themselves to me so much. After a bit, I didn't mind. They became my best friends and I loved them very dearly.

The sound of my cell phone buzzing against my nightstand shook me from my thoughts. I quickly looked at the time. 2:01 AM. I briefly wondered who would be calling me so late, but Hikaru's name flashed up instantly.

"Hello?" My voice was slightly husky from not using my voice the last couple hours. I heard him sigh and a bit of rustling from his side. "Hikaru?" I asked when he still hadn't spoken.

"Hey, Haruhi." Kaoru's voice rung out. "What are you doing?"

I felt my eyes roll.

"It's 2 in the morning. What do you think I'm doing?"

"Well, with how fast you answered your phone, you weren't sleeping." Hikaru finally said. I raised my eyebrows and sighed. They caught me.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah. Come open your door. It's cold out here." Hikaru answered. I felt myself jump. What were they doing at my house? I quickly got out of bed. I spared at the open door of my dad's room. I wasn't surprised at his absence. I swung open the door and was greeted by their smiles. "Finally."

"What are you doing here?" I wanted to sound irritated. However, If I was being completely honest. I was super happy to see them. They kicked off their shoes and quietly made their way inside. Kaoru walked into my kitchen and turned on my stove for the teapot. Hikaru wrapped his arms around me and a bear hug.

"We couldn't sleep knowing how tough this day was for you." He whispered. Tears started to run down my face as my eyes widened. Kaoru joined our hug and hummed softly into my hair.

"We're here for you, Haruhi. No need to spend this day alone." He spoke.

Today was the day my mom died, twelve years ago.