Chapter Three:

Hikaru grounded himself, gazing out over the expansive lawn as he nursed a cup of coffee. His phone had been ringing off the hook all morning, no doubt a worried Haruhi who had woken up alone for the first time in months. His bed had been pulled into her bedroom, giving him the comfort of another person's breathing while he tried to sleep at night. Adjusting to being just one half of a whole had been far from easy.

Again he silenced the phone, sending the worried girl to voicemail as he breathed a sigh of relief. He had spent the last night on Renge's couch and had gotten the best nights sleep he had since Kaoru's death. There was something about being alone and yet having her so close that comforted him. There was something about the way she refused to coddle him that made his pain almost bearable.

"You are not going out dressed like that," Renge huffed, breaking through the silence that had settled over him.

Raising a brow, he turned so that he was leaning against the railing almost glaring at her. "And where exactly do you think I'm going out to?" He asked.

"I've got some errands to run and I figured you would be a gentleman and escort me. Hold my bags, open doors, you know… the whole nine yards." She smirked, brushing off her soft yellow sundress with the back of her hands.

"Don't you have servants for that?" He asked, rolling his eyes at her. He was not in the mood to go shopping and to placate some little girl's every whim.

"Of course I do. But you're still going to do it. And do you know why?"

Hikaru shook his head.

"You're going to come with me because you need to get out. You need to stop hiding from the world and I'm not going to let you turn my house into a prison of doom and gloom. So go put clothes on and cover up all of that," she made a face like she was disgusted at the sight of him.

He glanced down his frame. He wasn't wearing a shit, but he had a pair of sweatpants loosely hanging from his hips. They were clearly meant for a man much bigger than Hikaru, and so he had guessed when Renge had given them to him that they had once belonged to her father. "And what exactly do you expect me to wear?"

Renge smiled. "You know those servants you so kindly reminded me I had? Well they washed your clothes last night while you were sleeping. They're folded on the couch as we speak. So stop complaining and go get dressed!" She demanded, turning on her heels and storming back into her home like a hurricane.

He stared after her for a long moment, a grimace marking his soft features as he finished off the cup of coffee. "I don't take orders from you!" He yelled after her, watching as she waved him off dismissively.

"Sure you don't, sweetheart." She cooed back at him. "We leave in ten minutes so get ready!"

Grumbling to himself, Hikaru made his way through her expansive home and to the living room that had served as his bedroom for the last night. She had been telling the truth, his clothes were freshly laundered and folded upon the couch for him.

"Are you ready yet?" Renge huffed, entering the living room in a flurry of motion. She had added a wide brimmed sunhat atop her delicate blonde curls. She looked like something out of a movie and Hikaru couldn't help but chuckle at her.

"Yeah, I'm ready," he huffed, rising from his spot and following after her listlessly as she bubbled about the shopping she needed to get done and the fun she thought they were going to have out together for the day.

She stopped short just in front of the front door, turning to glare at him.

"What?!" He asked, glaring right back.

"It's time to be a gentleman." She smirked, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting impatiently.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He huffed, glaring at her like the crazy person he thought she was.

"Open. The. Door."

Hikaru stared at her, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Renge only smiled innocently.

Rolling his eyes the boy stepped forward, pushing open the door and holding it open for her. As she passed through the doorway, she reached up and patted his cheek gently. "That's a good boy."


Author's Note:

So I made this chapter a little shorter, mimicking the chapters of the original Forever. They're going to get longer as we go. I hope you're still enjoying!

Roseica 23: If you ever need some help with your fanfictions I would be more than happy to help out!

Alice Kitten: I'm glad you like my take on Renge. I hope she continues to make an impression on you! :]