Sheesh, what an angst fest this chapter turned out to be!
Suspense~
Dedicated to DragonLorde4e because your review made me giggle like a little school girl :3
"Is everything alright, sempai?"
Kyoya didn't bother glancing up from his laptop. "Of course, Haruhi."
She gave him a steady, cautious look. "If you're sure…" she said slowly, turning away and heading back towards the others on the other side of the room.
"Something's wrong," she said. "But I don't know what. Tamaki-sempai, do you know?"
The blonde shook his head, chewing a thumbnail nervously. "No, he won't tell me! It's a woeful day indeed when Mommy doesn't talk to Daddy about his problems."
"There are so many things wrong with the sentence I don't know where to begin," Haruhi deadpanned. The twins agreed.
"You don't think it's his family, do you?" Haruhi asked quietly, seriously. "I mean, I haven't seen him act like this since, well…" She trailed off, not really wanting to mention the mishap at the Fair.
Honey's cake shovelling slowed until he stopped altogether. "Haru-chan has a point. Kyo-kun has been really distracted lately."
"Well, exams are coming up too," Kaoru pondered aloud.
"Kyoya is in the top three," Tamaki dismissed. "He doesn't need to worry about something like that."
"What could it be?" Hikaru mumbled. "I guess we can always just ask him."
Tamaki pondered. "That could work."
"Right!" Honey cheered.
"Brilliant!" the twins chirped.
Mori nodded.
As one, all the male Host's turned to Haruhi with bright smiles.
She blinked then shook her head rapidly. "Oh, nonono! No! I'm not going over there to pry! It'll seem suspicious if I go and talk to him again so soon after asking if he was okay."
"Indeed," Kyoya said, appearing beside her.
Haruhi nodded. "See, even Kyoya-sempai agrees with m- Kyoya-sempai?!" She scrambled backwards and into Tamaki's waiting arms. Hearts popped above the blonde's head.
"You needn't concern yourself. I can handle my own problems."
"But something is wrong," Kaoru pointed out. "We can help you."
Kyoya smiled then, a small one filled with genuine gratitude. "I appreciate the offer, but Merry-san and I have it under control."
Haruhi blinked, prying herself from Tamaki's grip. "Merry-chan? Is everything okay? Did something happen?"
"Nothing we can't handle."
Haruhi blinked. Since when had Kyoya and Merry become a 'we'?
Kyoya flitted back to his desk, digging out his calculator and working out the budget for the month.
The remaining Host's shared a glance.
"Let's go," Mori said, picking Honey up by the belt.
They nodded and fled the music room, intent on tracking down the elusive Spanish student.
Kyoya sighed and shook his head, but couldn't quite find it in himself to feel sorry for Merry.
In the collective face of the Host Club, she could handle herself.
His fingers hovered above the calculator pad.
He hoped.
Merry was just about to remove her violin from its case, having found a rather large unused auditorium at the back of the high school campus thanks to Kat's help, when the door slammed open, flooding the dimmed room with sunlight.
She shielded her face, blinking rapidly. When she dropped her hand, she violently smothered the urge to squeal and jump backwards.
The twins' faces hovered in front of hers, dual sets of amber eyes serious. "What have you done to Kyoya-sempai?" they accused.
Merry blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Kyoya-sempai is acting weird. He said you're involved in something," one of the twins intoned, mouth set in a slight sneer. "Whatever you're doing to him, stop it."
Her face smoothed into mild irritation. Both at the interruption and the accusation. "I'm not doing anything to him. Rather, I informed him of a matter that is causing us both distress and we have made a deal."
Haruhi's brown eyes widened. "You made a deal with Kyoya-sempai?"
"Yes."
"Bad idea!" she squeaked. "I mean, he's Kyoya-sempai and he's nice… sometimes… but making a deal with him is, well…"
"Dumb," the twins said bluntly.
"I know," Merry nodded.
"Then why do it?" Haruhi snapped irritably.
"Because I can trust him with this," Merry answered honestly.
"Does this mean you don't trust us, Merry-chan?" Honey asked quietly, voice wavering as he perched on Mori's shoulder.
She held his gaze. "No."
That was the truth, right? She swallowed past the lump in her throat, suddenly unable to meet their gaze. "If you'll excuse me, I was about to practice."
"You said you trusted me," Haruhi said.
Merry's hand paused against her violin. "With my belongings, yes."
"You violin is more than a belonging, Merry-chan. Anyone can see that," the petite brunette pointed out. "But this is different, right? This isn't about your music or your belongings or unmarked recordings of a violin. What you're trusting Kyoya-sempai with is deeper than that, right? Look me in the eyes and tell me I'm wrong. Tell me I'm wrong for worrying that you're hurting unnecessarily."
The air was suddenly thick enough to choke on, but Merry managed to breathe somehow. For all their antics, it was easy sometimes to forget how intelligent the Hosts were. Haruhi especially. There was a reason she was accepted as an Honour student on scholarship and that reason was trying to burrow under Merry's defences right now.
Merry fought. She fought incredibly hard but managed to meet Haruhi's gaze despite the struggle. The girls brown eyes widened and briefly Merry wondered what she saw.
Regardless, she managed to choke out, "You're wrong, Haruhi-san."
Haruhi's jaw clenched. After a long moment she nodded tersely. "Alright. Fine. Just remember when you're alone that you chose to be that way."
She turned on her heel and strode out of the auditorium, the rest of the Host's following quietly, unsure of what exactly had transpired.
The door shut behind them, cutting off the natural light and drowning Merry in shadow, alone.
Because that's how she had always planned to be. It was easier that way. It would be easier when everything finally fell into place and Merry would be nothing more than a mere blip on their memories.
But she had genuinely liked Haruhi. The girl was crass and empathetic and knew her Hemingway from her Fitzgerald. She was a refreshing change from all the prejudice she had come to expect since her arrival in Japan.
She picked up her violin and numbly began to play, the sound grating and full of sorrow and yearning.
Her soul poured out, heart wrenching in its intensity.
She didn't stop until her fingers bled.
Outside, Haruhi listened, then burst into tears.
"Tadaima," Haruhi called out, slipping off her school shoes.
"Okaeri!" her father sang, appearing in the doorway. He was getting ready for work if the half-buttoned blouse was any indication. "Haruhi-chan, can you pop to the supermarket and grab some more eggs? They have a special on right now!"
Haruhi's eyes widened as she darted to her room to change. "Really?"
"Really, really! Best hurry! It ends in an hour!"
"Which market?"
"The one four blocks away."
She emerged from her room in a pair of jeans and green parka, looking determined. She snatched her purse, double checking her allowance and slipped on a pair of boots. "Okay! I'll be back soon dad!"
"Okay, my darling Haruhi-chan! Stay safe!"
She rolled her eyes. "Sure dad. Whatever."
She closed the door and darted down the stairs, rushing to the market.
She was almost there, panting from the run, when she collided with a warm body emerging from a building in the middle of renovations. She stumbled backwards as a hand gripped her elbow to steady her. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't-" She looked up into familiar, shocked hazel eyes. "M-Merry-chan?!"
The tanned girl released her elbow, tugging the hood of her jacket further over her face. "Good afternoon Haruhi-san. If you'll excuse me, I must be going now."
Haruhi could only blink and nod dumbly, watching as her fellow schoolmate manoeuvred around the streets like she'd been there a hundred times before. After what happened during lunch at school, things were a bit awkward between them. And were Merry's eyes still red-rimmed?
Haruhi's heart lodged itself somewhere in her throat as guilt churned in her gut. It was quickly replaced by curiosity. This side of town was the last place she expected to see someone like Merry.
She glanced to her side, noting the door Merry had slipped from, warning plastered all over the eight foot high fence to keep intruders out. She peered through a small gap, her inquisitiveness getting the better of her.
She blinked in shock.
She recognised this building. It had been condemned for years, one solid breeze away from tumbling down into a pile of dust, brick and mortar. It was an old community performing arts centre.
Now it looked brand new.
Or at least, what she could see.
She straightened, glancing back the way Merry had disappeared. Surely she wouldn't…?
She could. She was a rich heiress, but why?
Sighing, Haruhi rubbed her forehead and made her way towards the market like originally planned. It was too much to think about right now.
Dem plot bunniez, I swearz...
(^-^)