Virgin Heartache
A/N- Chap. 3 is up. Sorry for the lateness- I have no proper excuse. Something I forgot to do last chapter- Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Your opinions are deeply cherished and I hope you all leave comments again for this chapter.
Disclaimer- OHSHC and BV belong to people who by some twisted warp of fate aren't me.
(Special Quote- [To Daria who's having trouble writing]- 'What's the problem? Take people you know and have them do whatever you want. I'd make them crawl, I tell you- Craaawl!'- Jane Lane from Daria.)
Chapter 3- Don't Touch
The Host club filed itself into the music room, leaving the cheering crowd behind, locking the door once everyone was inside. Mori, after slight resistance from Haruhi, had carried her in his arms and was now walking over to one of the expensive chairs pushed off to one side of the room, along with their tables and other items used for hosting sessions. The reason the room was set up like this was because Tamaki, given Kyoya's stamp of approval, had planned on having another surprise theme party for their female guests, something involving a Roman setting and Gladiators. While they were attending their classes, a hired stage crew would usually come and set the props up for them so that all they had to do was show up and change into whatever customized costumes had been special ordered for the occasion.
Haruhi winced as Mori sat her down on a plush jade green couch with dark red floral print, feeling pain boil up from her stomach. As the pain subsided, she supposed she should feel lucky that that was the only physical injury she had received from the confrontation with the Rido boy. Everything else from him had been purely verbal abuse.
According to Kyoya, the Rido boy was being escorted by his personal staff down to one of the school infirmaries. Hearing this, the twins proceeded to hiss out angry suggestions about what his staff could really do with the bastard, like hiding his body in a punching bag in the school gym or dumping it in a landfill, and so on with each one nastier than the last. Kyoya listened quietly to their suggestions before giving them a cheerful smile- and then telling them he couldn't have any more attention drawn towards his people's actions for the time being.
This caused everyone else to sweat drop at the implication to his words. Just what exactly had his staff done that couldn't warrant more attention? An awkward silence filled the room as everyone decided it was best not to ask questions they might not want to know the answers to. Feeling slightly dizzy, Haruhi tried shifting around so she could lie down on the couch only to grunt as sharp pain flared up again in her stomach.
"Oh Haruhi, My daughter!" cried their over energetic blond leader with rivers of tears streaming down his face, distressed at seeing Haruhi hurt. "Papa is sorry he did not jump in instantly to assist you! He was being cruelly restrained by your horrid Mother! It was truly a blessing that Mori was able to take charge of that disagreeable situation in my stead!"
"Oi Tono, if you'd stepped in you would have likely just gotten hurt yourself while solving nothing" Replied both the twins at once, giving Tamaki identical looks of annoyance. Truthfully, they were also a little ticked off that they hadn't been allowed to jump in. "Besides, like you said, Mori had it under control."
"And for that, I am forever and eternally grateful! And Mori!" Tamaki exclaimed, for once ignoring the twins and turning to the senior boy. "What you said back there for the club and Haruhi was absolutely magnificent!" He stared intently at Mori now, hoping he could will the senior to bring forth yet another speech of impeccable grandeur.
"Mm." Mori mumbled instead under his breath, not even really paying attention, which caused Tamaki to become slightly crestfallen at the failed expectation. Silently, the rest of the hosts shared somewhat similar feelings of regret. They too had all been a little hopeful to hear Mori talk more.
"Oh well", Tamaki sighed before snapping back into hyper mode. "Never-the-less, you're performance out there was brilliant! You defended Haruhi's maiden honor and dealt soundly with the scoundrel who dared to harm her! Bien Fait! Not only that, you brought forth enlightenment for those who may have misunderstood the intent of our club! Majestically powerful yet with a distinct air of grace, you could make an entire legion of muses weep, touching them beyond words at your excellence! I only wish someone had recorded it, for what you did was inspirational!"
"Ah, not to worry Tamaki." Kyoya replied, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "I should be able to pull footage off one of the cameras placed outside the club room. It would pull in quite a handsome profit if we sold limited recordings of Mori's speech on the Clubs site- for a time at least."
Everyone stared at him again, falling into another heavy silence. It was Haruhi who broke the silence by asking what was on all their minds. "We have cameras outside the club room?"
"And inside." Kyoya stated matter-of-factly. "My original sources just weren't cutting it anymore with the material they were sending in, so I had several dozen of them installed so that I could capture our more, let's say, picturesque moments. Because of them, I've finally been able to gather enough material for the latest edition of calendars and photo albums which we weren't able to sell before. It was taking so long before that we were in danger of losing our large preorder for them." A cheery grin formed itself on his face, one that even seemed to reach his eyes, and the other members could only imagine what might be going through his head at the moment. Probably happy thoughts from all the money he was saving by not having to pay these mysterious 'sources' for more photos, as well as what he was raking in for the merchandise. When it came to making a profit, Kyoya truly had the matter covered in all imaginable and unimaginable areas.
Haruhi sighed, closing her eyes. This morning was just full of unexpected surprises. First she was pulled into a fight over a stupid couples' argument which had little to do with her at all, and now revelations from Kyoya. The day was starting to feel long before it had even started. With a start, she remembered why she had come and that now would probably be the best time to apologize for her recent behavior.
"Guys," she said, getting everyone's direct attention, "I wanted to apologize for what I did last time we were all here. And for the day before too. A long story short, I was kind of preoccupied with something else."
"Oh- so it wasn't cause' Tono did something perverse." The twins replied, holding their hands to their mouths in mock surprise while giving Tamaki disbelieving looks as the blonde began to sputter in protest. "Well, we kind of figured that out," replied Hikaru. Kaoru followed up by asking "Care to tell us what about?"
Mori saw something flit across her eyes, but before he could decipher what it was she smiled up at them before responding "Let's just say I was wondering about a certain someone's birthday."
"Oh!" exclaimed Tamaki, his interest peaked. "And who was this person!? Do we know them!?"
"No Sempai, you don't. And as for who… it's a secret." She whispered out in a way that unintentionally sounded conspiratorial. Tamaki and the twins blushed furiously at the cute way she looked as she said this and even Mori couldn't keep a small blush from finding its way onto his face. Really, this girl was just too damn cute for her own good.
They all jumped when the mechanical bells out in the hall suddenly start ringing out, signaling that classes were about to start in another fifteen minutes.
"Oh, it's the bell. We better get going or we'll all be late for 1st period." Haruhi never made it off the couch. When she leaned forward to get up another burst of hot pain, worse than the others before it, shot up from her stomach, and she collapsed back onto the couch holding herself tightly, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming out.
"Haruhi!" everyone shouted gathering in closer around her. "Are you all right?!"
Haruhi could only shake her head, letting out a small gasp as the pain stabbed at her belly.
"Let me through", Ordered Kyoya, moving the others out of the way. "Now Haruhi, tell me where it hurts most."
While they watched on in concern, Haruhi pushed herself up until she was sitting again, inhaling deeply a few times as the pain clawed at her, before she answered Kyoya's question. "It's mostly- ow- just pain in my stomach from where I got kicked. Aside from some pain in my shoulder from when I hit the floor when he pushed me, that's the only place I hurt."
"May I see?" The others gasped and stared incredulously at Kyoya. Did he just ask what they'd heard him ask? Haruhi's hands moved subconsciously to clutch at her shirt, while she stared at him uncomfortably.
"What?" Kyoya asked turning away from Haruhi to face the other members. "You should know that my family is, among other things, in the medical profession, so I'm quite adept at handling most problems. I merely wish to inspect the injury. Now, if you would all please move someplace else, so Haruhi can have a little privacy when she shows me. That means you to, Tamaki."
Tamaki had moved in to glue himself possessively to the girls arm, and was outraged at the idea of leaving his daughter alone with Kyoya. Haruhi on the other hand looked like she was more uncomfortable with him clinging onto her. As he hugged her tighter and tighter in protest of being separated, she was starting to tense up to the point where she was beginning to shake, though Tamaki didn't even notice.
Mori on the other hand did and moved in quickly to remove the blond from her. With an air of authority he reached down, removing Tamaki's iron grip on Haruhi before lifting him up by the armpits. Marching away with their King, holding him away at arm's length as he began to flail around like a child to get free, Mori made his way to a corner on the other side of the room while the others followed behind. From there they would be far enough away to give Haruhi the privacy she needed yet still keep her within their sight. While Tamaki made a fuss, demanding to be returned to his defenseless daughter, Mori spared a quick glance over his shoulder, wondering if Haruhi would indeed be alright with Kyoya by herself.
After watching them walk to the other side of the room, Haruhi turned her attention back to Kyoya who was speaking to her.
"Alright, now that that fools out of the way if you would Haruhi, could you please lift your shirt?"
Haruhi scooted away from him on the couch turning her head away, hiding the panic reflected in her eyes as an icy weight fell over her heart. The thought of letting someone view upon her body in such a manner- of letting a man see her- it sent an unpleasant chill up her spine. Putting a lid firmly on top of her erratic emotions, she turned her head back to face him, although she avoided looking him directly in the eye.
"That isn't necessary, Kyoya-sempai. It hurts yes, but in all likelihood I'm just going to end up with an ugly bruise and a little soreness. You don't really need to see anything."
"I'll be the judge of that Haruhi. Now stop moving away and let me see." Kyoya moved closer, closing up the gap between them. Haruhi responded by scooting over a little more.
"I said no, Kyoya sempai. There's nothing to see, because it is nothing." Her mind was racing as she tried to figure a way out of this predicament before she ran out of couch. She shot a quick look at the door, wondering if she would be able to run fast enough to get to the door, unlock it and bolt to class before the others could catch her. Especially with all the pain she was feeling.
"Don't even think about it," said Kyoya, reading her mind. "By the time you actually reached the door I would already have a squad of personnel out there to catch you. Now Haruhi, just lift your shirt. It's not like I'm asking you to completely disrobe."
"No!" Haruhi said loudly, giving him an angry glare.
Kyoya was getting irritated at the girl's unwillingness to cooperate. This was a piss poor time for her to suddenly become conscious about her appearance. Just as he was about to threaten her with another debt increase, a different idea came to him that had a higher rate of success. "Haruhi, if you do this I'll forget all about that increase I put on your debt the other day, bringing it back down to what it was."
Haruhi stared at him, disbelief showing in her golden brown eyes. "Are you serious?"
"Quite serious." He said giving her an innocent smile while thinking that even if she agreed he would only decrease the debt partially. It wasn't like she actually ever knew how much she still owed them- he made sure to always keep that detail away from her nowadays.
Haruhi turned away from him to think about his offer. He was the Devil's secretary in a guise of human flesh, a Demon lord in his own evil right, so she couldn't really trust him, could she? He would probably use some loophole to go back on his own words, or just find another reason to increase her debt. He'd probably charge her for this unwanted check up. If she did this though, she wouldn't have to worry about that increase. Also, the pain in her stomach was really starting to bother her. 'But what if he sees…'
Haruhi pushed that thought away and held down her fear as she thought about it a moment more before a solution finally presented itself.
"Alright sempai, I'll do it. But first, could you turn around?" Kyoya sighed but did as she asked. After he did, she started to unbutton her vest from the top down until only the last button was in place. She was alarmed to see red on her white shirt underneath and hurriedly yet carefully pulled the shirt up, wincing as it dragged across her belly. She stared wide eyed at the blood smeared across her stomach. On closer inspection, she saw there were somehow a number of nasty scrapes here and there, still seeping little beads of blood. 'How in the hell did that happened?! I didn't think that guy kicked me hard enough to do this!' Pain blossomed under her fingers as she gently touched one of the scrapes.
"Ouch."
"Haruhi?"
"All right Kyoya sempai, you can turn around now." He did, raising an eyebrow seeing what Haruhi was doing. With one hand she was holding her shirt up to her lower chest while the other held the bottom of her vest together, clutching both tightly to her body.
"Must you be so difficult?" he asked as he peered closer at the wound. Seeing the blood he whipped out a silk cloth from one of his pockets and dabbed the wet blood away. It was certainly a mess, and a bruise was already starting to form, but it really didn't look that serious. Reaching up he deftly ran his long, smooth fingers delicately over her bare skin, outlining the problem area. Haruhi flinched at the contact, feeling small fires of burning pain when his unusually cold fingers trailed lightly over the scrapes. While he probed here and there around her injury she started shuddering, though Kyoya said nothing if he had noticed.
"I don't see or feel anything wrong besides what's there" Kyoya said at last as he continued to observe her injury. "You're definitely going to be sore for a few days while this heals. You'll need to get these cleaned up a bit, put some ice on it to reduce the swelling and get rid of the bruising, but otherwise, you seem fine. You'll survive at any rate. The uniform on the other hand will have to be cleaned up again- or simply replaced." Kyoya added, ignoring the look of horror and disgust on the girls face at the thought of throwing away an otherwise perfectly usable uniform. They both knew full well that she couldn't afford a new uniform without falling deeper into debt. Taking another quick glance before nodding his head, he turned away and pulled out his cell phone. Seeing this, Haruhi brought her shirt down abruptly, obscuring any further view.
"Are we done then, Kyoya sempai?" Haruhi asked nervously, buttoning her vest up as fast as she could, her fingers doing a clumsy job at it, while being careful not to move around too much. She had not liked exposing her body to Kyoya. Even though she was sure she had covered herself up enough, every second his eyes had bored into her made her want to shamefully curl up into a ball to hide herself. It had taken tremendous willpower to keep from jumping up and running away when he had touched her. She was shaking so much she thought it might look like she was having a seizure. As he looked up at her from his cell phone, she quickly schooled her features into a mask of calm while praying fervently that he hadn't seen more than what was intended.
Snapping his cell phone shut Kyoya stood up and, with a flick of a wrist, sent the blood stained cloth soaring into a nearby open trash bin before answering her. "Yes, I believe we're finished. However, in light of the fact of what recently happened in addition to your pain, instead of attempting to go through the school day I've decided you should return home."
"What!" Haruhi exclaimed, looking up at him as if he were crazy. He just said she was fine and now he was sending her home?! Did he even have the right to do that?! These rich bastards- they always had to over react over the smallest things! "I can't do that sempai! There's supposed to be a review today for a test coming up, and I can't miss that! Look, I'll just go down to the nurse's office, get cleaned up, take a painkiller and I'll be fine."
"I'm sorry Haruhi, but for your own interest as well as the interests of the club, I think it would be better if you went home today. I've made sure you get a copy of notes for your class's review sent home with you from the nurses' office. Based on my observations, you're in no condition to be attending classes. Furthermore, you probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on any of your studies throughout the day because everyone else will be pestering you about the incident that just occurred."
"But-"
"No buts." He stated, waving his hand at the others' watching from the other side of the room, indicating it was ok for them to come back over. "You should know by now that I'm always right, and besides-"he gazed at her behind his glasses with slanted eyes. "-other's curiosity aside, do you honestly believe you'll be able to get through the day without having another episode- especially when either the twins or Tamaki move in to hug you?"
Haruhi felt herself freeze up as the words slipped off his tongue. Damn it. Had he noticed her discomfort around them? When he was examining her could he have figured out that she was trembling, not solely because of the pain, but because of their proximity to one another? Thinking on it, Haruhi realized she hadn't exactly done a superb job at hiding her feelings. Even during the confrontation with Rido, when everyone had rushed in to help her, every time they tried she'd flinched away, afraid of them until Mori had ended the fight. Thinking on it, she admitted it wouldn't be like Kyoya to not be able to guess what was wrong with her.
As this simple fact pushed its' way into her attention, everything in the room seemed to slow down to a complete standstill. With dawning horror, she remembered that this was Kyoya. The same Kyoya who controlled everything that went on in the host club from the shadows. The same Kyoya who seemed to know everything that went on in the school. The same Kyoya who had a file on every person enrolled in the school with details on who they were, what class they were in, where their lineage originated from, and what their history held- including her. With increasing dread, she wondered to herself- did that file include a medical history?
Haruhi snapped back to the present when Kyoya suddenly turned away from her to face Tamaki, who had been fidgeting nervously behind him. "I've decided it would be best if Haruhi not attend her classes or the Club session after school today."
"What!" Tamaki shrieked, stricken with terror for Haruhi's well-being. "Is something wrong with her?! She's going to make it, isn't she?! Please don't die Haruhi!" Tamaki sobbed out hysterically, despair reigning in as his mind started imagining Haruhi at her deathbed.
"She's not going to die so shut up!" Kyoya snapped out, making the blond boy flinch. Did this idiot have to make such a loud fuss every single time something went wrong?! Regaining his composure as Tamaki stopped crying, Kyoya continued speaking. "She is not in any critical condition Tamaki, so there is need for you to start planning a funeral, but the confrontation has left her highly stressed and out of sorts. For that reason I'm sending her home. Give me a moment and I'll have transportation set up to take her back home." Kyoya flipped open his phone again to arrange a ride.
"I'll do it!" Tamaki was right in Kyoya's face, his eyes gleaming brightly with eagerness. "I'll summon my fastest limo, and escort her back home personally so that-"
"-You can do something perverted to her on the way while no one's there to watch." The twins cut in together as they slid up to Tamaki from behind.
"No!" Tamaki screeched while his face colored as he spun around to glare at them.
"Oh, is that so?" replied Kaoru, turning to face his darker haired brother. "By the way his face is turning so red, I'd say we've hit the mark, wouldn't you say so too, Hikaru?"
"I do believe your right, Kaoru. Clearly something must have been going through that filthy, perverse mind of his. For Haruhi's safety, it would be better if she rode with us in our limo." Both of them shot Tamaki deviously suggestive grins.
"No!" Tamaki shouted back angrily, glaring fiercely at the twins. "I could never allow my daughter to be carted away with you devious devils! She will ride with me in My Limo and-"
"No!" Haruhi declared suddenly, making all three stop their argument and stare at her. "No limos. I refuse to ride around in one of those things." She spoke adamantly, while her eyes shifted nervously between the three of them. Haruhi had already resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't win an argument with the shadow king about staying- as if that weren't already a stone written fact- but really, the last thing she wanted was showing up in her neighborhood riding around in a limo. The neighbors had already had a field day talking with her the last time they showed up in front of her home, riding in a Benz and a pair of Rolls.
"But Haruhiii-!" Tamaki whined pitifully, staring at her with teary eyes, "How will you get home?!"
"After I stop by the nurse's office, I'll take some pain killers and walk home. I'll be fine, really."
"I wouldn't suggest that," Kyoya cut in. "If something were to happen on your way back, say if you were to collapse, what would you do?"
"I don't know- I guess I'd-" Haruhi was cut off as Mori suddenly stepped right in front of her. The stoic giant had heard enough and chose to take action. Without warning or a moment's hesitation he scooped her back up into his right arm, eliciting a squeak from the girl, and started for the door.
"M-M-Mori sempai!" Haruhi stuttered out surprised.
"Huh? Wot?!" The other members were all startled at Mori's sudden act. Tamaki, after a few seconds of trying to comprehend what was happening, was the first to snap back to his senses, and rushed forward after the departing duo.
"W-wait! Mori sempai! Where are you taking Haruhi!" Tamaki called out frantically, stopping in front of them.
"Home." Mori stated simply.
The Host Kings face paled while his eyes widened in shock. "You're taking her home with you!" he screeched, somehow misunderstanding Mori's honorable intent as he let his imagination carry him away to another warped showing within his Inner Mind Theater. As the Mind Theater fired up the projector and proceeded to play the film, showing the two involved in a variety of explicitly indecent scenes, his face soon transformed into a look of sheer horror. "No, No, No, No! I'm sorry Mori, I won't allow it! It's improper, immoral, it may well be illegal! My Daughters far too young to be alone with any man by herself at his home! Except for her father! Come to Daddy Haruhi!" Tamaki cried reaching out for Haruhi.
Haruhi was busy trying to figure out a way to get Mori to put her down when she saw Tamaki's hands reaching for her out of the corner of her eye. Watching them as they drew closer, a memory tugged at her from the back of her mind and she was reminded of another person reaching out for her. That person- someone she thought she knew- someone she trusted- a friend whom she believed would never harm her- he attacked her- hurt her- used her.
'Let's be friends, Haruhi-chan.' a voice- his voice- spoke inside her mind.
And in her mind's eye Tamaki's face seemed to ripple like it was liquid instead of flesh, his light blond hair darkened until it was a rusty red, and his bright blue eyes faded to black as they lost their light. In a split second Tamaki vanished and in his place stood that person dressed in the school uniform. As he reached for her, grinning madly while his eyes stared at her with unbridled lust, her mind was sent cascading downward into horrified alarm.
Jerking away violently from his grabbing hands she moved unintentionally further into Mori's one armed embrace in an attempt to escape. Mori eyes went wide with shock as Haruhi practically burrowed herself into him, her hands clutching onto his vest, bunching up the material as they curled into fists. Without thinking, possibly as a result of her sudden need to flee from Tamaki, he raised her higher in his arms and turned his body until he stood between them.
Twisting around, Haruhi looked down to see Tamaki, not him, standing there with his arms stretched out to her and a bewildered expression on his face. Instead of feeling relieved, an unexplainable spark of anger flared to life, which quickly grew into an inferno fed by her fear and the erratic feelings swirling around her strained mind. Glaring angrily at him from her perch on Mori's arm Haruhi viciously spat out the first thing that came to mind, "Keep your hands off me, you cur! I'm not your daughter and you're not my father Tamaki sempai!"
Tamaki staggered back clutching his hand over his heart, looking as if he had just been stabbed with a blunted knife. In an instant, Tamaki fled to the nearest corner in the room to be engulfed by a dark, depressing aura that seemed to spring up from the corner itself. As the darkness enveloped his entire body, embracing him like a lover within its swirling shadowy form, Tamaki instantly assumed the fetal position, muttering darkly to himself about the world, cruelty and his daughters' rebelliousness.
"Oh no!" gasped the twins. "As we have feared, Milord has once more been swallowed up by the Emo corner! Quick, activate the anti-woe-is-me weapons!" reaching into their coat pockets, they pulled out what appeared to be ordinary flashlights as they rushed to Tamaki and the Dark Corner. Switching them on, they began slashing the concentrated beams of light at the darkness like a pair of Jedis.
The darkness seemed to thrash in pain, and angrily shot out dozens of small tendrils to capture them, failing as they jumped back safely outside its reach. Taking the opportunity the Dark Corner further enshrouded its darkness around Tamaki, drawing him deeper within its gloomy depths, away from the light. Throughout the whole ordeal, Tamaki remained oblivious to the world.
"Ugh- the aura is stronger than we expected Hikaru. At this rate Milord will be lost to us. What shall we do?"
"Save Milord from this foul manifestation of course, my brother, because without him who else can we abuse with the same humorous results!"
"I agree, but what exactly are we fighting again? An ancient evil come to prey on our weak fool? Milord's childish insecurities brought out into a semi-tangible form, trying to protect him from the harsh reality of the world? A twisted love curse from Nekozawa?"
"Does it matter? Evil, love or Milord's silly insecurities we shall crush it all the same, trampling it into the ground! Now go left while I aim for the right!" The twins leaped into action, dueling with the darkness which fought back with equal ferocity.
Ignoring Tamaki's little pity party and the twin's efforts to crash it Kyoya walked up to Mori from behind. "So you're going to escort her back home then Mori?" Kyoya questioned, eyeing both of them, noting with interest that Haruhi wasn't in the least agitated anymore. In fact she was just sitting in Mori's arms, calm as could be, watching the twins fight the Dark Corner. "By foot?"
Mori nodded, looking over his shoulder at Kyoya.
"Very well, I'll inform the principal to let him know where you're going. It will also give me the chance to explain what just happened outside so you'll be less likely to get in trouble." Kyoya started tapping numbers into his cell phone.
Mori nodded, thankful to Kyoya for doing that, and turned to Hunny who was now at his feet, looking up at him.
"You'll come back soon, ne Takashi? I'll go tell Sensei what's going on and let him know you'll be back eventually. And Haru-chan", Hunny glanced up at Haruhi, who looked away from watching the struggle between the Corner and the twins over Tamaki to focus on the smaller senior, "try to relax, ok? And when you get back tomorrow, me and bun-bun will have a strawberry cake waiting for you, won't we Takashi?" Hunny looked back up at Takashi with hopeful eyes.
Mori grunted an affirmative before walking out of the club room with Haruhi securely in his arms.
When the club door shut behind them, the sound seemed to stir Tamaki from his depression long enough to realize that neither Haruhi nor Mori were there anymore. The images from the mind theater still fresh in his mind he jumped up with a cry, dispelling the aura which sank back unwillingly into the floor, and started scrambling for the door. He got only two feet before Hikaru and Koaru swooped in on either side of him, hooking both their arms into his.
"Hazah! Milord is free!" They cheered jubilantly, twirling Tamaki around in a circle.
"Unhand me you Devils!" Tamaki cried, looking desperately to both of them. "Mori's just made off with Haruhi! We must save her!"
"From what?" asked Kyoya, appearing in front of Tamaki. "Mori is safely escorting her home, so there's nothing to worry about. Now let's get to class before the final bell."
"But- but- Mori- and Haruhi- the bed with the handcuffs-!"
The other four hosts stared at him strangely, eyebrows raised in question. "What are you talking about? Those two will be fine by themselves."
Tamaki looked pleadingly up at Kyoya. "But Mom, how can you be sure! Right now Mori could be-"
"Tamaki." Said Kyoya cutting him off. "Trust me. I'm sure Mori would never do anything dishonorable like what you're thinking about. Of this I'm absolutely positive."
"Mori sempai." Haruhi said his name softly, breathing it into his chest. This close, with her body pressed up against his, they could feel the heat radiating between the both of them.
"Hmm?" he huffed out, panting heavily while sweat ran down his fevered skin. His mind was so hazy that he almost didn't hear her, clouded over with so many raw emotions that he was hardly aware of anything outside his own body. Every muscle in his body ached fiercely and his heart which was just now slowly starting to calm down had been pounding so hard he thought he'd break a rib. His stamina was completely spent leaving him unbelievably exhausted, but after an experience like that, all he really felt now was satisfaction mixed with pure ecstasy and joyful achievement.
"Can you please put me down now-" Haruhi said squirming slightly against him, turning her face away from his chest. "-this is getting a little embarrassing," Glancing down, he saw her bury her head back into his chest as another person went by, staring up at them. It had been like this ever since they left the club room.
When they had reached the nearest infirmary, the Rido boy was thankfully no longer there. After letting Haruhi tend to her wound, Mori had swept Haruhi off her feet once more, much to her disgruntlement, and carried her through the halls towards the front exit. All along the way, the other students on their way to class had gawked and whispered excitedly while giving Mori a wide berth to walk through. Some of the girls who saw him carrying Haruhi had started squealing again over how moe they looked and another girl, who Mori swore was the same one who had fallen dramatically when he and Hunny had come in, shouted something about 'a purely forbidden love' before promptly feinting. The other girls had gotten more excited after that and he'd walked a little faster, trying to put distance between them and keep a small rise of heat from reaching his face. He paused though when he heard someone calling out for him to stop and turned to see Renge coming towards them.
Not wanting to deal with her or her wild imaginations he started walking again, thinking she would take the hint and leave them alone. Looking back over his shoulder he was shocked to see Renge charging after them. This spurred him into going even faster, quickly slipping down several side hallways and cutting through a room or two in hopes of ditching her. His hopes were instantly dashed to pieces as the sound of a loud motor roared to life and he turned once more to see Renge sitting on a gas powered scooter at the other end of the hall they were in. Eyeing them like a lion does its prey he'd seen her lips curl up into a savage smile, barring inhumanly sharp teeth, as she revved up the engine. This was no longer a mere game of cat and mouse- this had become a fight with the option of only one outcome- life or death. For the first time in his life, Mori understood what true fear was.
Letting out a shrill battle cry Renge had released the breaks and tore down the hall at top speed, forcing students and teachers to leap out of the way or get run over. Fueled by overwhelming terror Mori broke out into a full blown run, neither stopping nor slowing as Renge chased them down. He heard Renge let out peals of maniac laughter as he raced frantically down the hall, looking for a way out. Seeing an open window he'd tapped into a reserve of energy as he leaped for it, gliding through the square of freedom, and landing safely on the lawn outside. He heard an enraged scream from behind as he ran for all he was worth not daring to stop until he'd fled the school grounds and run at least ten blocks away to escape the crazed otaku.
After checking again to make sure that Renge was nowhere in sight he set her down carefully, choosing to trail behind her. They walked at a slow pace so Haruhi wouldn't start hurting again. Their destination was the train station where they would catch a train on the Yamanote Line to the station next to her neighborhood. He was a little nervous riding a public train, so he asked her once more if she was sure she didn't want a ride in a car instead, after all they had more than just limos. She declined, saying that since she was going home anyway she might as well stop by a few places along the way first, including her local store for dinner ingredients. Besides, it might be better if she just walked it off a bit.
When they reached the station a train had just shown up and they rushed to buy their tickets before it left. They managed to slip inside just as the doors were closing, and fell down on the blue train seats, breathing just a little heavily.
"Thank the gods we managed to get on," Haruhi breathed, catching her breath, wincing a little as the pain came back a bit. "And look, it isn't as crowded as it normally is." She waved a hand around to indicate the six or so other passengers who were sitting down. "If it were early morning, noon or late evening this whole thing would be packed. I once saw people actually getting shoved into a train like a bunch of weenies in a can by the conductors, even though there was no more room. I chose to miss that train in favor of getting to breathe." She chuckled a little while Mori stared at her in horror at the sheer idea of that happening. Were the lower classes really in that dire need of getting on one of these things?
Mori peered out the window as they started to move, watching everything go by. As the train sped down its track with commoner houses and other buildings flashing by, he had to admit it wasn't as bad as he had anticipated. This wasn't his first time riding a public train, but- the first and last time he had ridden on one had been with Tamaki and the others, minus Haruhi. Mori shivered as the memories of that ride came back to him.
They had ridden this very line with that Mei girl because Tamaki had wanted to try it out. Between Tamaki's childish antics (like waving excitably at the other trains that passed by, mimicking the train announcements, and squealing with delight), and the twins devilish behavior which encouraged Tamaki even further, the ride had been a disaster. It had taken all his concentration to keep Hunny from making an utter fool of himself like those three (of which he was only partially successful; thank goodness Hunny still looked like a child), and Kyoya hadn't done anything to help. He had just stood on the other side of the train, pretending like he didn't know them. Although he hadn't shown it, he had been just as embarrassed as Mei was. And the looks all those people had given them- it became one of those rare moments when Mori questioned why he bothered associating himself with these people.
As the train continued to rattle along, Mori found his gaze sliding over to the corner of his eye to look at the girl next to him. Haruhi was peering around the car, observing the other passengers. For some reason, she seemed more cheerful now- nothing like the girl whom he'd talked to the other morning.
Rape- Pregnancy- Child Birth… the words reverberated carelessly around his mind along with snatches from Haruhi's confession; 'I had gotten over it- for the most part'… 'For the first couple weeks of high school I actually dressed like a boy!'… 'It's hard sometimes being around my new friends-'… 'I hope they never find out-'… hearing these things repeated in his mind the stinging sensation of barbed wire coiled around his insides, its points scratching and digging into his heart and lungs, returned with an intensity so severe it felt as though the wire had been pulled tighter.
Was this why Haruhi was so comfortable in boys' cloths? Because dressing up too much like a girl made her nervous? And what about being around them every day even though it was hard for her, forced to work in a Host club because of some silly debt over a broken vase? $80,000 dollars was nothing to spit at, but between their extravagant displays and reconstructing parts of the school grounds to create their stages and then paying all the laborers for setting it up for them everyday- The fact was that collectively they spent more money on a months' worth of club activities than what that vase had been worth. Now he understood why Haruhi was likened to occasionally calling them rich bastards. They threw money around like it was confetti without even blinking an eye. A debt like that would make any one of them pause, but that would be just about all it did.
As her voice continued to whisper pieces of her confession in his head, causing the stinging sensation to grow steadily more painful, he began to want nothing more than to forget what he'd heard, to pretend like Haruhi wanted that he had never found out. He wanted to, and yet another part of him shouted furiously at him that he should never forget. Even though her words had not been for him to hear- a confession only meant for Gods ears- because he had heard them, he now knew what the real Haruhi looked like. This fragile girl beside him who kept her wounds and worries concealed behind a smile and an indifferent attitude. Sitting right next to her, he suddenly felt like he shouldn't be this close- as if he was violating some unwritten code of conduct- because this girl, despite everything involving her past, was-
-totally virgin-like…
A/N- I've just read the latest chapter of OHSHC and the ending to Bitter Virgin. (screams like a zombie) Not only do I feel disappointed at Kei-samas choice of ending her book, at this rate tama/haru will happen. We'll, not like that's a surprise with the way the mangas' been going but all the same I'd rather bite a viper than ever accept that outcome. On the plus side though, I got to see some great scenes with Mori in it. He looked so serious when they made up that new game involving Haruhi. I loved the dark look that came over his eyes (and everyone else's) It makes me believe that there just might be a very slim possibility for those two.
-Bien fait= well done; used to express schadenfreude when someone is well-deservedly punished