Lots of drama in this one. But it begins with a cheerful scene, which is nice. Also, once again, sorry for the late update. Punctuality, it seems, is not my strong point. Hope you enjoy anyway!
Also, we're getting near then end of the story! :0 Look forward to it!
(If there are any grammar issues, please review and inform me. My editing was a bit slack in this chapter)
Chapter 12-
"Things between you and Kyoya seem better now" Haruhi noted, "You two seem almost like... Friends"
It was Saturday. Haruhi and Hana had gone out shopping. And while most teenage girls commit this stereotypical act, there was one crucial fact that separated them from the rest.
They'd gone shopping to the supermarket.
Hana shrugged, seemingly indifferent if not for the smile playing on her lips, "Yeah, I guess," she replied, "His personality is... Different, but I think that's what I like about him. He's definitely no cliché"
Haruhi grinned, "Definitely"
"So what about you?" Hana asked, "You and Tamaki seem to be getting along better"
"Well..." Haruhi mused, "We've both been trying to improve. With some effort, I think we can fix things"
Haruhi grabbed discounted milk off the shelf, "I can't believe the sale today. It's amazing! And maybe, if I save just enough money, I can buy some fancy tuna" at this, she began to drool. Hana could almost see the hearts in her eyes.
"Haru-chan!" Honey squealed, tackling Haruhi from behind, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Somehow, Harauhi caught him as he leapt into the air for a giant bear hug. Whilst Haruhi didn't seem to be shocked, Hana certainly was.
"Whaaaa! Where did he come from!?" She shrieked, pointing at the little blond. Other shoppers gave her an irritated look. Catching the hint, Hana lowered her voice, "Where do they come from? And why are they everywhere?"
Haruhi gave Hana a puzzled look, "But Hana, you've known the Host Club for a while now. Aren't you used to them?"
"No" Hana deadpanned.
At this, Honey's eyes watered, "Takashi!" He wailed, "Hana's being mean to me!"
Mori stepped out from a shelf behind her, and, under close scrutiny, she could see four more heads trying to hide behind loaves of bread.
"Oh, great" she muttered, "They're all here"
"Oh, darn it!" Tamaki huffed, "Men, our ingenious plan was foiled. Kyoya, how could this be?"
"Maybe because hiding behind shelves in a supermarket isn't the most inconspicuous way to remain undetected" Kyoya retorted dryly.
"But Haruhi's father has done it for years and he's never been caught!"
"Boss, Haruhi's dense, but not that dense" the twins rolled their eyes and crossed their arms in perfect synchronization, "No-one really thought this plan would work, anyway"
Meanwhile, Mori was looming over Hana, his eyes narrowed in anger. Haruhi was trying talk him out of killing Hana, but it didn't seem to be working. Hana quickly stepped, trying to save herself.
"Look, Mori" Hana said, a little shakily, "I won't do it again. Promise. Please don't kill me"
"Hm" Mori said, but the tiniest, most unnoticeable smile was on his face, "I will let you live. For now"
"Takashi!" Honey whined, "Let's go buy some cake!"
"What a fast recovery!" Hana and Haruhi chorused, in typical anime style.
"Haruhi, let's go buy you some food!" Tamaki declared, "We can't have you starving on us! Hikaru, Kaoru, I want you to go over to the owner of the supermarket and buy this store from him!"
"B-Buy this store from him?" Hana echoed weakly, "That's... Insane..."
"Boss, there's one problem"
'Of course there is!' Hana inwardly screamed, 'You can't go and just buy supermarket like that! That's not how it works!'
"Which guys the owner?" Hikaru asked, "All the employees look the same"
In true anime fashion, Hana fell to the floor. That's what they were worried about!?
"The owner is a lady" Kyoya informed them, "The grouchy looking one with the brown hair. She's on the right"
They all looked to the right to see the most fearsome woman any of them had ever seen in their lives. She barked orders to the terrified staff, who were rushing here and there with crates of stock.
"Uhh, you want us to talk to her?"
"S-She looks scary"
Even Tamaki seemed to have lost the will to fight, "Hehe... Men, as a good leader, a brilliant role-model, and an amazingly good looking young man, today, I will teach you the importance of retreat! We will fight this battle another day! Come on, Haruhi, we must establish a new plan of attack!"
"W-what? Where are you taking me!"
After they'd left, Hana punched Kyoya in the shoulder gently, "You liar. She's not the boss, is she?"
"No" he replied, a smirk on his lips, "She's just a cranky customer. The real boss is over there"
He nodded his head towards the direction of a kindly looking man, helping an old lady grab some cat food.
Hana couldn't hold it in. She burst out laughing.
After Hana finished her shopping, they sought out the rest of the Host Club. Kyoya called them and found that unsurprisingly, they were at Haruhi's house.
"I can't come" she told Kyoya regretfully, "I've got to go check on my sister. She was sick. She says she's fine, but..."
Her worry was evident on her face, and Kyoya tilted his head slightly before answering.
"I can check on her. I've got medical skills, considering I've been raised to one day run a medical company"
She immediately felt relieved. She'd been scared that if her sister was sick again that she wouldn't know what to do. By simply having Kyoya there, insufferable moron or not, helped soothe her nerves,
"Thanks"
"It's not for you. I've needed to test my medical skills recently"
She knew he was lying to save his pride, but she still pretended to be annoyed, "Don't you dare use my sister as a guinea pig"
"No promises"
They walked to her house. Kyoya's reason was that she wasn't important enough to warrant his chauffeur to drive her. Hana's reason was that she needed the exercise (but she still really would've liked to have been driven rather than walk)
When they arrived, Hana called Sakura who was then given the OK by Kyoya. Feeling somewhat better, Hana and Sakura thanked Kyoya, who opted to stay at their house until his chauffeur arrived.
"Hey, Kyoya" Hana began, "You know, back at the festival? You said your hobby was baking. What can you make?"
He looked slightly uncomfortable, but still replied, "I can make a really good chocolate cake, I've been told. I know it doesn't sound impressive, but I still enjoy it"
Hana nodded, desperate to steer the conversation away from awkward territory. She was trying to prove to Kyoya that their newfound friendship could work. She needed him to believe that. Because if he didn't, and left her life altogether...
She didn't think she could take that.
Just as she was scrambling for another conversation topic, Sakura interrupted, saving Hana from severe embarrassment.
"Kyoya" she implored, "When can we see Hana's cat again?"
The stray cat had now been dubbed Hana's cat, since it was still unnamed. It was a fact that bothered Hana but did not cause her any lack of sleep. Frankly, Hana had bigger problems in her life than naming a cat.
"Soon, maybe" he replied, "If Hana lets you"
"Great" Hana groaned, "Portray me as the bad guy in this situation, why don't you? Now all I'm going to hear over the next few days is how I'm a terrible person for not letting her see the cat"
"You can quite simply fix the situation by visiting"
It wasn't necessarily an invitation, but it was an open-ended offer. Whichever way Hana replied, Kyoya would not be negatively effected. She could easily say no because he hadn't expressed any want for her to accept. She could also easily say yes, save herself a whole lot of trouble from her sister, and spend some time with Kyoya (and while that was dangerous for her feelings, she honestly couldn't help wanting it.
She looked at her younger sister, who was once again giving her the puppy eyes, and relented.
"Fine, fine. We can go"
"Yay! Sis, thank you so much!"
She ran off into her room, leaving Hana alone with Kyoya.
"Sometimes" he said, "I think you're nothing more than a slave to your sister"
"Sometimes I think so too" Hana agreed, "But we haven't got much. I like to give her as much as I can to make up for the restrictions of our life"
"But shouldn't you give yourself something too? He inquired, and Hana stiffened. He sighed, "Sorry, that was out of line. Anyway, it appears my chauffeur has arrived. See you on Monday, Hana"
"S-see you"
Monday arrived quickly.
Hana showed up to school late, bags under her eyes. Her face was paler than usual, and quite frankly, she looked terrible.
The reason? A conversation with her mother from last night.
"Hana" her mother had said, "Your father called me. He's made an offer... He says that if we'd like, we can go and live with him in France. He says he wants to reconnect with everyone. And I can't really say no, since you are his children just as much as mine"
"But I can say no" Hana retorted after a full minute of shocked silence, "so I'm going to say it. No, I don't want to see that piece of shit disguised as my father"
"Hana" her mother had scolded, "He's your father! Don't speak about him that way!"
"I don't have a father" Hana said viciously, "He's my father by blood, but that's all. He didn't raise me. He wasn't there for my first day of high school, or for any of my sports matches. He is not my father"
As a result, Hana hadn't had much sleep. She'd been crying over bitter memories, and that underlying fear, that niggling doubt, had eaten away at her.
"What if he actually does want to reconnect? What if he's become a better person?"
It was unlikely, but it was possible. And of course, Sakura had responded to the news excitedly, overjoyed to finally meet her father. It was bittersweet, seeing her younger sister so happy over someone Hana despised. Still, seeing her little sister happy had made her doubt herself. What if Hana was the issue? What if she was holding an unfair grudge?
"Sometimes, I think you're nothing more than a slave to your sister"
Hana clenched her jaw as she walked to Ouran High. She'd just dropped Sakura off, and the events of last night were replaying in her head.
Suddenly, she stopped walking. People muttered in annoyance as they had to walk around her, but Hana paid them no mind. What was she doing? There was no way she'd be able to focus at school today, and the thought of seeing the ever-cheerful Host Club made her stomach churn. She didn't want to be the bad mood in the room, the party pooper.
Abruptly, she changed direction. She wasn't exactly sure where she walking, but before she knew it she was at the park where Sakura had met Tomoyo, all that time ago. Where she'd first truly gotten to know Haruhi. Back then, her only problems had been studying. She wanted to go back in time, and tell that person to stay away from Kyoya, from the heartbreak he would bring. She wanted to tell herself to keep a closer eye on her mother, so that she would notice when her father's phone calls began. She wanted to tell herself to not help that stray cat, to not date Kyoya for money, to not bait Takeuge-sensei by herself.
She wandered over to the park bench that over looked the lake. She didn't know how long she sat there, looking at the slightly murky water, but when she finally stood up after her stomach had demanded for food, she realized it was just past noon.
She blinked, then pulled out her bento from her bag. She ate, then checked the time on her phone. Messages assaulted her from the screen.
Chris- 'R u ok? Didn't c u at skool 2day. Sick?'
Haruhi- 'Hana, are okay? You seemed fine on Saturday'
Kyoya- You should come to school more. Where else can I grace you with my presence?'
The last message made her smile, and she replied without thinking, 'The park'
Half an hour later, Kyoya arrived. She heard him before she saw him.
"I didn't think you'd come" she said
"You should think more" he replied.
He sat next to her, giving the lake a lazy glance before focusing his attention on her, "Are you okay?"
"I don't know" Hana admitted.
"Anything you want to talk about?"
"Not really"
They fell into a silence, and then-
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm sure I don't want to tell you about my absentee father, and the fact that he's been calling my mother and that he apparently wants to 'reconnect' with us. I'm sure I don't want to tell you how guilty I feel, since Sakura is so happy about it"
"I see" he murmured, "And this is why you didn't come to school today?"
"Maybe. I don't know. I don't know what to feel, what to think. Was I right? Is my father a bad person? Am I right in feeling the way I feel? I really don't know anymore"
"Sometimes, we really don't know anything"
"Why are you here, Kyoya?" She asked at last, "You didn't need to skip school to see me. I'll be fine"
"Yes, you will. You will be fine. But right now, you're not fine. And that's why I'm here"
"To make sure I'm fine?"
"To make sure you're not alone when you aren't"
"I still don't understand why you're here. Just what am I to you, Kyoya? Our relationship... Is so messed up. When I heard that you'd been dating girls then dumping them the next morning, I felt awful. I thought, 'What if I was just another one of those girls- so easily duped?' I'm trying to be your friend, and everything is good but... I'm not happy. Why aren't I happy? I don't get it. I don't get you, Kyoya"
It seemed that lack of sleep made Hana's mouth an idiot. An honest idiot, but still an idiot.
He paused, then responded, "Well, that's nice to hear. I thought I was the only one"
"Huh?"
"I dated other girls because I wanted to see if what I had with you was just a normal boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. I collected the evidence, and it proved that no, what o have with you isn't normal. And when we went to being friends" his mouth twisted the word with distaste, "I thought I was selfish for wanting more. Hana, I might not be the world's best conversationalist, nor am I the most emotional person, but I know that I want you"
Her breath caught, and for a second, she believed him. She believed him, and she was so, so happy. But then reality and logic came crashing down and she shook her head with a sad smile on her face.
"There you go again"
It was his turn to be confused, "What?"
"Filling my head with lies. With tiny hopes that I've tried to squash. Kyoya, in a perfect world, I'd believe you. I'd trust you. But I can't" at this, she made eye contact with him, letting him see her tears, "I can't trust you. We dated, but at the end you said it meant nothing. You kissed me, but said you didn't like me. You promised to make me fall in love with you, because I was some sort of game, some sort of entertainment. And so I can't trust you Kyoya. So even if you're being honest right now, saying that you want me, I can't believe you" a sob wracked her body, "I-I c-c-Can't. I d-don't want to g-get hurt a-ag-again"
The tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now, but she stood up, leaving the park bench.
"Hana-"
She ran, leaving him and his words behind.