Hello.
That is all.
Let's get this show on the road, shall we?
I've been watching RENT lately. And Rocky Horror Picture Show. Any seemingly random input stems from that.
Songs: La Vie Boheme: the cast of RENT. Original or otherwise. Sweet Transvestite from Rocky Horror. Bring Me Life- Evanescence. They kick ass!
The Only Exception
Bring Me To Life
As reluctant as Tamaki was, Haruhi made him go to her father's house. She wanted to see him. Considering the new developments, they had several things to talk about. And seeing her dad verbally and physically abuse her husband was sure to make her laugh. Ranka had never accepted the fact that Haruhi was married to "that idiot". It was amusing even to the most uptight person in all of Japan.
They pulled into the small parking lot. Haruhi could see her spouse go drastically pale. In spite of herself, she remembered the last time they'd visited. It went a little something like this…..
"Father, we've arrived!" Tamaki shouted, leaping into the apartment. "Haruhi and I have something fabulous to tell you!" The sound of breaking china sounded from the next room. Before anyone could blink, Tamaki was eating the floor, Ranka's foot implanted firmly in his skull. "I'm not your father, you stupid boy!" No one could quite hear the muffled reply. "What's that? Is there something you want to say, young man?" Ranka pressed down harder. "Ranka, I can't breathe. I'm inhaling the carpeting!" He pressed his hands on the ground, trying to lift himself.
"Hey Dad." Haruhi said from the doorway. The man smiled at his daughter "Haruhi! My darling, you're here!" Ranka stepped on and over his son-in-law, embracing her. "How are you? Are you eating? Is he treating you right?" The tranny looked down with eyes of fire. "Because if he's not, I will make him suffer!" Haruhi looked at her father. "Dad, everything's fine, in fact, it's more than fine. As a matter of fact, I'm-" Tamaki leaped up, hugging Ranka tightly. "Oh my dear, sweet Ranka! You'll be so happy! I know it! I'm already so proud of our little Haru-"
"What gives you the right to address me with such informality?" He yelled, throwing Tamaki into a wall. "And she's not our Haruhi! I-" Ranka stopped. Turning, he gave his offspring a burning glance. "You're not pregnant." He said it like it was fact, like he had any say in it. Haruhi turned a deadly shade of white. She choked. What was her dad thinking? They hadn't even had sex, for crying out loud! Haruhi wouldn't let Tamaki touch her. Ranka mistook her silence for affirmation of the uttered announcement. "YOU BASTARD!" He raced into the kitchen, grabbing a frying pan from the wall. "You defiled my little girl! You took away her innocence! Deflowered! Besmirched! Sullied! You've tainted her! Tainted her, I say!" Ranka hit Tamaki square over the head. "And know she's going to have your spaaaaaaaaaawn!" he screeched indignantly.
"Dad, calm down. I'm not pregnant. In fact, if you really want to know, I'm still a virgin." Ranka ceased his assault. He smiled. "Well that's great, honey. Now tell me, what's the good news?" Haruhi beamed. "I got a promotion!" The man swept up his daughter, spinning her around and around. "That's great! I'm so happy! Now, let's sit down and try to find you a new husband!" Tamaki twitched in the corner. "Oh wait. Tamaki's still here." Ranka smiled icily over at him. "Sorry, my dearest son-in-law."
"Actually, Dad. We just stopped by to tell you the news. We both have a meeting to get to." His face fell. "Okay. Another time, then." He kissed Haruhi's cheek. "I love you." Haruhi smiled. "Love you too." Tamaki rose up unsteadily. "And I also love-" Ranka hit out again with the pan. "Bye, Dad." Haruhi proceeded to drag her husband's unconscious body out the door.
"Haruhi….." Tamaki whined, puppy dog eyes in full play. "Do we really have to?" She wasn't having it. Today was an important day. Well, at least it was for her. Haruhi was having a serious internal conflict. Takashi was back in her life. That was seriously altering her judgment. She shouldn't have touched him back there. It nearly caused her to jump him. That would have been seriously controversial. Haruhi began to blush. Her face flooded with color, spreading like a stain.
"Hey, you okay?" Her husband leaned in. Haruhi jumped, fumbling with her shirt collar. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little embarrassed about what happened last time we came here." She lied smoothly. Tamaki smiled, oblivious to the whole thing. Haruhi sighed. She found herself thinking, 'Why can't you be like Takashi? He always knew when I was lying to him. He'd grab me and hold me until I said what was wrong….'
'No Haruhi! Don't you dare start comparing your husband to him!'
She shook her head, brown hair cascading around her shoulders. She couldn't help it. Haruhi opened her door, sliding out of the passenger's seat. "C'mon Tamaki." She walked quickly up the steps, eager to see her dad. Fumbling with the key in her haste, the young woman finally managed to get the door open. "Dad?" A cheery voice called out. "Oh Haruhi, it's you! You didn't bring that good-for-nothing husband of yours did you?" Ranka's face fell when he saw Tamaki. "Oh. Hello, Tamaki."
"Ranka." The man looked at his wife. "Haruhi, do you want me to pick up anything? I was thinking about getting some commoner's popcorn! You know, the kind they cook on the stove? Won't it be fu-" Ranka pushed Tamaki out the door, locking it in one fluid motion. "Yes, that's quite nice. And pick up some cake for me on the way, would you? Thank you, Tamaki!" The tranny shut the blinds, hiding Tamaki's put out face.
"Now. What is bothering you so much, dear?" Ranka shepherded Haruhi into the living room. "And don't give me excuses. I know when something's wrong with my daughter. I'm not like that idiot." He nodded his head towards the door. "Dad, don't call him stupid. It's really not his fault." There she went again, making excuses for Tamaki. 'I didn't have to do this with Takashi…' She shook her head again.
"Honey, you can tell me." Haruhi looked up, dabbing her eyes furiously. "Takashi's back, Dad." No response. "You remember him, right?" Still nothing. "Tall, dark hair, silver eyes, stoic….." Haruhi continued, alarmed. Ranka stared blankly at her. He was amazed. Not to mention stricken with disbelief. "Honey, really?" He grabbed her hands. "No joke? You are absolutely, deadly, positively serious?" Haruhi nodded, confused now. "Dad, are you okay?"
Ranka smiled, relief gracing his features. He fell back against the couch, still smiling in awe. "This is great, Haruhi!" In an instant, he popped up like a spring, bubbly and alight. "C'mon! Let's go see him! There's still time to fix this! You've only been married, what? Eight months? Right now is the perfect time! Tamaki's out, we go see Takashi, you two meet, rekindle your flame of burning love for each other, and get married and have me lots of adorable grandchildren!"
He beamed, laughing and giggling and planning. Haruhi blushed furiously.
"Dad-"
"We'll have the wedding somewhere nice! Spain, maybe!"
"Dad-"
"Can I be the maid of honor? Or the best man? Which one?"
"DAD!"
Ranka stopped. He looked at his fuming daughter coolly. "What's wrong honey? Am I missing something here?" He hit his hand with his fist. "That's right! You probably want to decide everything!" Haruhi glared at him. "No, Dad. There is no wedding. There is no Takashi and I anymore. That stopped seven years ago, if you don't remember. Besides, it's not like I can just ditch Tamaki! Have you forgotten what he did for me? I owe him this marriage! This is my way of repaying him…."
Haruhi stopped.
Tears fell into her lap.
Not tears of pity.
Of frustration.
She felt trapped. Trapped in a one-sided marriage. One person gave and gave and gave. Haruhi felt like she was taking. Just pretending. Pretending to like when he kissed her each afternoon. Pretending that she enjoyed the little calls at work all the time, when really they just annoyed her. "Dad, I don't know what to do."
Ranka embraced his daughter. "Honey, you can't have a relationship based on need. It just won't work. You can't be in a marriage just because you feel in debt to the other person. You were going through a really hard time, Haruhi. That's why you married Tamaki. You needed him for support until you could function properly again." Haruhi pushed off. "T-That's not true!" she protested indignantly. "I-I married Tamaki because I love him!" her objections started getting weaker. "I did… That's why I married him... I love him." Haruhi finally muttered pathetically. She was trying to reassure herself.
Ranka shook his head sadly, red hair cascading about his shoulders. "Honey, don't lie to yourself. Please. You sh-" Haruhi stood up. "I'm not lying, Dad! I love him! It's not because I was falling apart, it's not because I needed him! I married him because I wanted to forget about Takas-" She put a hand to her mouth. Her brown eyes grew wide with understanding. An understanding that she didn't want. "No. No, I didn't mean to say that. I-I-" Her father stood up. "At least you admitted it."
"Now, where's that video recorder so I can play it for Tamaki?" Ranka looked around. Haruhi paled dramatically. "Ohohohohohohohoho, just kidding." He said, unlocking the front door. "Haruhi, do you want to go to the market with me? It'll be just like old times! Not to mention, it'll be fun fooling your husband, won't it?" Her father was acting like everything was normal. Like they had not just had a terribly, well terrible, conversation. Ranka opened the door.
Into the foyer sprawled Tamaki, head hitting the carpet with a muffled thump. "Ah!" he muttered. Everyone froze. The room turned icy cold. Then, a sound. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE YOUNG MAN?" Ranka kicked his son-in-law across the room soundly. "Were you eavesdropping? Hmmm? Was that what you were doing? And look!" He grabbed Tamaki by his collar, shaking him like a dog. "And no cake! No cake for your dear father-in-law? How terribly rude of yoooooooooou!" Ranka threw him on the carpet.
"Tamaki. How much did you hear?" Haruhi said on a sigh. She should've known. Typical Tamaki. Always butting in where things didn't concern him. The question was, what exactly had he heard? "Mhmmmm-mhmm." Her husband mumbled into the rug. "Dad…." Ranka let go. "Ahem. All I heard was Ranka wanting to go to the market with you and ditch me." Tamaki looked into his spouse's eyes. The violet eyes showed nothing but the truth. Haruhi laughed falsely. "Oh c'mon. Do you really think I'd do it?"
He smiled back, oblivious to the ruse. "Heh." He stood up, hugging Haruhi tight. "I got all the movie stuff! I even picked some fun commoner movies! What should we watch first? I was thinking maybe The Notebook! It's such a fabulous love story! How their love never wanes, even when they spend so many years apart! What do you think?" Haruhi ignored a little pang in her heart. It was sharp and cold, like an icicle.
'Sound familiar, Haruhi?'
'Just like you and Takashi.'
'You know you still love him…'
'No I don't.'
But just how long could Haruhi keep lying to herself?
"Tamaki, I actually just got a call from my boss. He wants me to start working on a new case, starting tonight. It's really important." Haruhi lied. What she really wanted was to get away from him for a little while. A week at the most. She needed to clear her head, straighten things out. Right now, Haruhi just wanted to make sense of her predicament. She felt confused and trapped. She needed to sort out the mess with Takashi while she still could. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt anyone. Even when he had hurt her all those years ago.
Her eyes pricked as a swell of adolescent emotion threatened to overtake her.
"Oh. Well, how long is it?" Tamaki said, face falling ever so slightly. He brushed back a lock of blonde hair. It was a tick of his, something he did when he was stressed. He was trying to hide his disappointment. And failing miserably. His violet eyes gave him away. They were filled with distress and confusion. 'What's wrong, Haruhi?' they begged, 'Tell me, please. I want you to share things with me. Just like you always used to do with him.'
"A week, at most. Can I borrow the studio across town for a little while? It's a really tough case, and I'm going to need one hundred percent concentration." Again, a lie. Haruhi didn't want Tamaki bothering her. She needed time for this decision. She needed to decide. And she needed to do it alone.
Not with her dad's help.
Not with Kyouya's help.
Especially not with Kyouya's help.
Just herself.
"Of course, my darling. You do whatever you need to do." Tamaki kissed her forehead. "Where do you want me to drop you off? I have a meeting." Haruhi thought, mind calculating all possible places and outcomes. "Mitsukuni's." That was the first step in her plan. Figure out everything she needed to know for now. Then, she'd start figuring her life out. Her husband's eyes darkened. "Mitsukuni's? Are you sure? What's he got to do with the case?" She smiled back. "Nothing at all. I just wanted to see Reiko for a moment, let her know where I'd be if she needed me, then leave."
She was such a good liar.
No wonder everyone in the firm was afraid of her.
"Okay." They left the house, Ranka following behind. "What about me?" he wailed dramatically. Though Haruhi would never tell him so, he was very much like Tamaki. "Bye Dad." She hugged her father. Ranka squeezed her back hard. "Make the right choice, honey." He whispered in her ear. Haruhi nodded, not trusting her voice.
They arrived at Mitsukuni's house. The whole car ride had been eerily silent, filled with conflicting emotions. Tamaki kept throwing Haruhi confused glances, begging with his eyes. Haruhi kept staring out the window, blocking her emotions. When they reached the yellow home, Haruhi got out of the car fluidly and silently. "Wait, Haruhi." Tamaki leaned over, kissing her passionately. She pretended to enjoy it for a few minutes. "I love you." He finally said as he pulled away. "Love you too." Haruhi said smoothly.
She wasn't so sure anymore.
Tamaki smirked at something over her shoulder, an 'I told you so' look in his eyes. Then, he shut the door, driving away the way he came. Haruhi stood there for a while, looking quizzically down the road. 'What was that about?' She quirked an eyebrow. Finally, Haruhi shrugged turning around, ready to walk into Reiko's house. Her face collided with a well-toned chest.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention-" The young woman stopped talking. She blinked as her eyes traveled up to silver ones. They looked down at her as they did all those years ago, though now they were devoid of emotion again. Had she really caused that? It was weird now, seeing him without a feeling caressing his features. Even if it was anger, it wouldn't bother her. Even if that anger was directed at her.
'Feel something, dammit. Don't just sit there with those indifferent eyes of yours.'
"Hm." Takashi nodded, going back to his work. He was chopping wood, sweat glistening off his tan shoulders. "Might as well go back to calling you Mori-sempai again." Haruhi muttered childishly. "Hm?" He turned, casting a glance over his shoulder. "You heard me." She stalked into the house, not wanting to get into it today. "No, what'd you say?" Takashi grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back. "Now I'm saying don't touch me." Haruhi said icily. "I can if I damn well choose."
"Let. Go." It was clearly enunciated into two sentences. It wasn't asking. It was commanding. They stared each other down for a few minutes, sizing one another up. "What do you want from me?" Haruhi said, pulling away. "What do you think I want?" Takashi put her against the front porch wall. "The real question here, Haruhi Fujioka, is what do you want?" She swallowed, shivering. "I-I came her to see Reiko. I needed to talk to her." Damn that stutter. It always gave her away when she was younger. Especially when she had been around Takashi.
Takashi tutted. "Are you sure, love?" He whispered his old nickname for her in her ear. "I-I'm sure.." Haruhi whispered, trying hard not to be intimidated. She was failing. Getting lost in those fathomless silver eyes. Losing herself…..
It would be too easy.
Move forward just a little.
Kiss him one more time.
"Takashi….." She closed her eyes. "Yes?" Haruhi breathed out harsh, uneven. "I'm married now….. Please…. Please stop….." He leaned his face against her collarbone, like he used to. Haruhi wanted to cry. He was doing this on purpose. Just to torment her. "Do you want me to? Just say the word and I will…." Takashi leaned up, grabbing her face again. "I just… I just want to kiss you one more time…. Just once Haruhi. I'll never bother you again, if that's what you want. Kiss me again, and then let me know if you still have feelings for me."
"I-I can't….." Haruhi panted, whimpering slightly. "Takashi….. I can't." He looked her over, fire flashing in his eyes. "But you didn't say no." And with that sentence uttered, the stoic man kissed his ex-girlfriend for the first time in seven years. "Takas-" she tried to utter. She couldn't get that sentence out. By opening her mouth to speak, Haruhi had granted Takashi the very access needed to condemn them both. His tongue soon battled with hers, in a primal war of lust and sinfully good passion. She grabbed his shoulders, nails curving into his flesh. Takashi hissed, lightly biting her tongue in response. "Ah!" Haruhi whimpered, trembling all over. She viciously attacked his collarbone, testing for that weak spot from long ago.
She was not disappointed.
Takashi let out a moan, trying hard not to take his ex right then and there. Haruhi arched up at the sound, closing her eyes in a rush of lust. She needed to stop, this needed to stop. It felt as if adolescence was back, supplying her with the raging hormones she had not had before. It was too easy to forget everything right now. Too easy… Haruhi needed to stop. Takashi was attacking her neck and shoulders with ardent kisses, murmuring sweet nothings in between.
"Haruhi, love. I've missed you."
"I've missed you too."
She choked back a little sob at her words. She pulled his lips to hers another time, rejoicing at the searing heat. This was not like Tamaki's kisses…..
Tamaki.
With a small cry, Haruhi stopped, pushing Takashi off her quickly. She shivered, suddenly cold to the bone. To her very core, she was freezing. She felt betrayal, hurt, passion, lust, happiness, sorrow, and shame all in one instant. "I'm sorry….." Haruhi spoke softly, head bending low. "Takashi, I think you have your answer now. I just wish it didn't have to be this way." She felt a strong, warm hand lift her face up. "No, I'm sorry. I should never have tried to make you choose."
Against her will, Haruhi grabbed his hand, pressing her lips to it. "Remember me like this, Takashi. This one time. Don't ever forget it, okay?" Takashi smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. "I'll never forget. Don't you forget either, love." With a sigh, Haruhi kissed his cheek. "I never will." She walked off the front porch. Turning back to look at her former boyfriend, the sun dazzled her eyes. She lifted a hand.
"Maybe someday we can be together again, Takashi."
And, forgetting all about Reiko, Haruhi began to walk down the road. She wanted to walk to the studio instead. It'd be more fun. She could watch the world float by. Lazily, without a care in the world. She inhaled deeply, smelling the pleasant scents of summer. Ah, this air felt wonderful. Haruhi felt as if she could sink into the very ground and not care. It was strange, concerning how stressed she had been mere moments ago.
It must've been Takashi. Haruhi knew she should feel bad kissing another man like that, but she couldn't.
Those silver eyes, so dark with smoldering passion….
That toned body, how it molded against her own perfectly…
Those lips…
Haruhi blinked. She seemed to have arrived at her residence whilst (A/N: Always wanted to use that word. XD) daydreaming about her former flame. The forbidden fruit. The tantalizing, mind-boggling, mouth-watering forbidden fruit….
Why was it that forbidden made everything all the sweeter?
Been gone because I've been buried in work. Sorry. :P. I know this chapter is a little short, but I'm stuck right now again. I got so trapped the other day, I wrote a one shot about what silverware does in the cupboard. HELP ME.
~ Danielle